guided

"Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality."

~ E. Dickinson

*~*~*~*~*~*

He'd never seen the like.

Sirius Black had once hissed at him that if he ever died no one would shed a tear. Black had also been overheard once saying to Lupin that
no woman would ever voluntarily put her lips to his sarcastic cake hole. Wrong. On both counts. There was a woman trying to give his
lifeless body that muggle mouth to mouth business... and she was sobbing like the world had just ended.

"No! Don't you do this! Don't you do this to me, Snape! You breathe! You breathe right now!"

His eyebrow rose slightly. Determined little thing, wasn't she?

Severus looked around. The streets of Hogsmeade looked a little rugged on this visiting day. There were dead students. Not many, but too
many for his tastes. Even one was too many. Most of the dead were adults actually. Merlin, there were so many dead. So many alive too
though. Potter, Weasley, and Granger. Naturally. Can't have the golden boy and his two best mates dead.

Longbottom was alive? And already tending the wounded? Will wonders never cease. Interesting. Was that Malfoy helping Ginny Weasley
up? And oh! He just kissed her temple. She looks a bit shocked by it, but not wholly repulsed. Good thing the Weasley boy is too busy
making sure Granger, Lovegood, and Bones are all right. He'd have a fit if he'd just seen that kissing nonsense. Lucius would have a fit
too... if his corpse wasn't lying face-down not ten feet away. Pretty blonde hair not so pretty just now. Kind of had some blood in it making it
less blonde and pretty.

Stupid Death Eaters. What was the point of attacking school children during their Hogsmeade weekend? That was cowardice at its finest.
More than half of these underage twits couldn't stand up to a half-trained wizard, let alone full-trained ones who dabbled in the dark.
Granted, a lot of these dark lord following morons had bit the dust. Mostly from getting hit in the crossfire of hexes from their own. Bellatrix
Lestrange had been so busy trying to get Potter, she'd killed Lucius, her own husband Rodolphus, his brother Rabastan, Philip Parkinson,
and Goyle's wife Galena. She also seriously injured Peter Pettigrew before Potter and McGonagall had taken her out with a heavy sedating
hex. They'd been saving her cell at Azkaban since her escape, and she'd be seeing it again really soon.

It was really rather unlucky for the Death Eaters that they picked the weekend himself, McGonagall, Flitwick, and the new Professor
Rosenberg were chaperoning to attack.

That Professor Rosenberg. He wasn't frightened of many things, having delved in the dark, but she scared the hell out of him. That such a
cute package could wield such dark power. As soon as they had realized what was going on, Rosenberg had been in the thick of it.
Wandless.... and knocking Death Eaters into the dirt like they were scraps of paper in her tornado. Not killing. No, the only killing had been
a result of the Death Eaters themselves. Mostly Lestrange's wild casting in her attempt to kill Potter.

Oh, the little professor was beating his chest and crying. Strange. He could have, would have, sworn she hated him. Wasn't that what all that
teasing was about? She called him cranky pants, for Merlin's sake. And not even behind his back... to his face. She was forever twitting him
about his dark moods, his harsh treatment of others, and sour expressions.

"You doubt, but she does like you. You remind her of someone."

He turned. There were dead people there. Disembodied. So many. This woman had golden hair and big blue eyes. She was so bright and
full of pure light that he could barely see her.

"You have to get back in, Severus."

"What?"

"Your time in the human plane is not finished, Severus Snape. I know you are weary, buy you do not rest... yet. Go back to your body."

"I...."

"Are you deaf, Snivellus? She said go back to your flesh-shell."

Another voice sighed. "Don't talk to him that way, Sirius. He did try to save my life that time... and he has helped quite a bit. Professor
Rosenberg must like him for SOME reason."

"Who's the older brother here? Pipe down, ya runt." The shape of the man looked back at Snape. "Look, Snape, she's crying and putting
her mouth to yours. I was wrong about things. I can't stand to see the woman suffer any longer. Best you get back."

Severus blinked. The two men came into focus. Sirius and Regelus Black. He was really seeing them. They were here. As he had last seen
each of them... a man of his own age and a boy of eighteen. They were all coming into focus, this group before him. Getting less bright,
more real.

"Severus, you have to hurry."

Evans? No, she was Potter now. Furthermore, she was here... too.

Another shape appeared. "Professor Snape, hurry!"

Diggory? Good grief, what was this? Old home week? But who was the one up front? He knew the others. Why did this concern her?

"She'll give in again if you leave."

He blinked. She? He looked down at Rosenberg still trying to make him breathe. She'd walked the dark once for the love and loss of... a
woman.

"You're her..."

"Everything."

"Merlin." He whispered.

"Tara, actually. And you so have to go now. It's time to go back. Time to live. For real. No more walls. You have to let a few of them in."

"I have let a few in."

"Have not. Who can say they know you?"

"Albus Dumbledore."

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Snivellus! She's giving you permission to court her girl. She's telling you to let Willow in!"

"James!"

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Potter."

Damn, but he still looked every bit the arrogant pillock. He was just standing there next to Lily. Seriously, save the eyes of the mother, Potter
junior looked every bit the senior. He should have expected this. Where there was Black and Evans, now Potter, there was Potter. What
was this? The ghosts of annoyances past?

"Look, no time for old grudges. Say good-bye to this plane for now, Severus Snape." Tara said as she started edging his form back
towards his body.

"But..."

"You can argue with us later, hooknose." The elder Black said cheerily.

"Sorry about your underpants that time."

"James!"

"What? Lily, you are always scolding me to be nicer. He's here. I might not have a chance to make this apology again for a long while. I'm
taking my chance."

"Potter, you can take your apology and stuff it right up your-"

Tara cut him off. "He accepts. You'll have loads to chat about when his time finally comes. Everybody say 'bye now'."

"Listen, you-"

"Shh."

She had almost gotten him back in his body. He hadn't even noticed.

"Let her."

"Let her what?" Severus snapped.

"You know."

"Do I?"

"You do.... or at least that hidden heart of yours understands me. Brain's a little bit slower than it ought to be, potions master thing
considered. She'll be good for you. She was heaven for me."

"I don't-"

"You do. You just don't know it yet. Trust your heart for once, ok? It won't steer you wrong this time."

He was all back in but his head.

"And do me one favor? Tell her part of it wasn't a lie. I do still sing to her."

"What?"

"Just say that. Please. She'll understand."

Then she kissed his forehead. He felt such warmth.

Then cold.

Cold ground under his back... and pain. Like he'd been run over by a stampede of wild dragons.

Damn.

That tricky little minx of a ghost had used her lips on his forehead to push him back into his tired shell of a body.

Damn.

*~*~*~*~*~*

He coughed and his eyes snapped open.

"Oh goddess. Oh goddess."

"Woman, do stop your blubbering."

"There's my cranky pants." The redhead whispered as she swiped tears away from red-rimmed eyes with one hand and rubbed the other
along his dirty cheek.

"She said that part of it was not a lie. She does still sing to you."

The woman blinked. "Wh-what?"

"The girl with the hair like honey. The one you tried to end the world for. She still sings to you."

"Tara? You saw Tara?"

"For a moment."

"What... what did she say?"

"I just told you, you insufferable little brat."

"What else did she say?"

"Lots of things I can't sort out just now."

"Oh?"

"I think I'm dangerously close to passing out, Professor Rosenberg."

"Oh right. Cos of the being hurt real bad and all. As long as you keep breathing and come back to me after your nap."

"I think I have very little choice in the matter. I am weary, but not finished. Come back to YOU though?"

"Yes. Me."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. Warm. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was her smiling face pulling away.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius nudged Tara as the walked off. "That was pretty clever. Gross, but clever."

"What?"

"The little kiss to his forehead."

"Oh well, yeah."

Lily hurried up next to them. "So he's safe for now?"

"Definitely. Willow's fairly good at taking care of what's hers. We won't see Severus for some time."

"Oh darn." James said in a tone that suggested he was so not upset about that.

"Nice that he got injured so bad you could talk to him." Regelus said.

"Yeah, that dreamless draught he was always taking wouldn't let me do the vision thing while he slept like a normal spectral emanation who
tries to give advice from beyond the grave. I just hope no one notices he actually didn't get hit with a hex."

"Tara." Lily gasped.

Cedric grinned. "I knew I liked you."

"Well, if I had waited for him to realize the massive flirt Willow was always tossing in his direction on his own, it really would be his time to
go before he noticed."

"Excellent." James said with a big grin. "A spirit guide that kills to give advice then lets her prey go back to his or her life. You used that
scary grim reaper thing you've got going on for less than spiritual purposes, Miss Maclay. I'm impressed."

"Well, he wouldn't stop for me, so I had to stop for him."

*~*

finis