Severus Snape found himself standing in the middle of the old Potions classroom at Hogwarts. The torches flickered oddly, as if underwater, and the shelves were stocked not with jars but with eyes — hundreds of them, all blinking. All watching.
"Severus," came a voice like silk soaked in poison.
Lillian.
He stepped from the shadows, wearing Severus's childhood robes — only they fit him perfectly, elegantly, tailored to mock.
"Why are you running, pet?" he asked, head tilted. "Don't you like the world I built for you?"
Severus lifted his wand, but it felt limp in his hand. No magic. No power. Just terror and the weight of everything he'd lost.
Lillian walked in circles, dragging his fingers along the dusty desks. "They never really saw you, you know. Not Lucius. Not Dumbledore. Certainly not your dear little werewolf team. But me? I see everything."
He stepped closer, the air choking with unseen pressure.
"You're still mine."
And then —
"WAKE HIM UP!"
Lucius's voice snapped like a whip. The Shrieking Shack's floorboards shook with the force of his pacing. Severus lay sprawled on a makeshift bed of cloaks and cushioning spells, his brow slick with sweat, lips murmuring words in a dead language.
"He's in some kind of magical feedback loop," said Narcis, eyes darting over the ancient tomes Sirius had just dropped from Grimmauld Place. "Lillian didn't just trap him. He branded him — a psychic tether. He's still in Severus's mind."
Remus knelt beside them, murmuring spells of cleansing and protection. "If we don't sever the link, Lillian could permanently—"
BOOM.
The entire Shack quaked.
Sirius swore and ran to the window. "It's starting."
The Forbidden Forest was alight.
Fire blazed in curling spirals through the trees as Death Eaters clashed with Order members and enchanted creatures alike. Centaurs stampeded. Giant spiders screeched. Above it all, Voldemort's voice echoed like thunder.
"BRING ME THE TRAITOR."
In the distance, Hogwarts's wards shimmered and cracked.
Dumbledore stood at the main gate, wand raised, whispering incantations into the wind.
James Potter flanked him.
Remus turned to Lucius. "You have to go into his mind. You're the only one he might listen to."
Lucius didn't hesitate.
"Legilimens."
Inside the mirrored nightmare, Severus staggered backward.
"You belong here," Lillian whispered.
But then —
A hand.
Warm. Familiar. Real.
Lucius.
"You're not alone," he said, forcing his way through the dream fog. "I see you, Severus. Come back to me."
Lillian hissed, rage distorting his features. "No! He's mine!"
Lucius drew a glowing blade of pure thought and magic. He raised it, stepping in front of Severus.
"Not anymore."
He slashed through the illusion. The dream cracked—
And everything shattered.
Severus woke with a gasp.
His hand reached out blindly—Lucius caught it.
Outside, lightning struck the forest.
"He's back," Narcis said softly. "But we've run out of time."
Sirius grabbed his wand. "Let's give 'em hell."
The door burst open.
James, Remus, Narcis, Sirius, and Lucius stepped out together — united for the first time since school days. Wands ready.
And above them all, Voldemort hovered.
Dumbledore rose to meet him in the air.
Spells collided like comets.
The final war had begun.
Back in the shack, Severus whispered:
"Don't leave me."
Lucius kissed his hand, eyes fierce. "Never again."
And somewhere deep in Hogwarts…
Lillian opened his eyes.
He was ready to finish what he started.