He lifted the mug up to his lips and found that the Earl Grey tea was gone. He took the wand that had not left his hand since he had begun his planning and filled the small pot on the sideboard with water. He heated the water and brought from the kitchen the tea leaves that moved into the strainer. The water continued to heat. When he flicked his wand, the perfectly steeped tea filled the pot.

He walked from the window to the tabletop and filled the ceramic mug. He blew once upon the surface of the hot liquid and walked over to his dresser. On its top sat a photograph stored in an ornate silver frame. The photograph was of an eleven-year-old Lily Evans and him taken at the Halloween celebration during their first year at Hogwarts. In the picture, his hand kept moving over to touch her and her hand repeatedly slipped out of his grasp.

Lily!

Draco was practically dead weight as I pulled the boy down the stairs and back towards the landing that was a full-blown battlefield. As I looked ahead, I saw Ginny Weasley cast a shield spell to protect Longbottom. Longbottom, as expected, was useless in battle as he was in the classroom. He lay prostrated on the floor, struggling to rise so he could offer his feeble efforts. Amycus’ spell would have ended his worthless life if the Weasley girl hadn’t shielded him. In almost the same breath, the girl had performed a diving roll to escape Alecto’s killing curse and answered Alecto’s attack with a spell of her own.

In that split second, I could see what Dumbledore had told me about her. In the grace of her movements, her flying red locks framing a face with a determined wide-eyed, excited face, and her precise spell work for an instant I saw a pale version of Lily Evans.

Bellatrix smiled and took aim at the redhead’s back. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t let this pale imitation of Lily die. So with a quick jerk of Draco's arm, his arm flailed to his left and struck his aunt, causing the spell to sail over the redhead’s shoulder and explode against the wall of the landing.

Onward across the landing, we ran through the landing and down onto the stairs. I must protect the Draco. His life is my life.

As we reached the grounds, I heard a challenge from behind. Lily’s son was yelling worthlessly at us. I was torn about what to do, I had to save Draco to survive, but I had to make sure her son survived. I ordered Draco to run out through the front gate and turned to face Potter. I turned to accept the challenge from him, so that Bellatrix would not kill him.

Potter’s spells were wild, yet powerful. Since he was not concentrating on a precise attack, I was able to deflect each spell. I could see the desperation growing on his face. I found pleasure in his frustration. If only this were James, he would be a corpse by now. Searching for anything he could harm me with, he attempted the spell with which he had injured Draco. Potter's attacks were so predictable. I had the counter spell ready to defend myself before he even thought to use it against me. Rage filled me; I had sacrificed so much to give this boy a chance to live and defeat the Dark Lord and he was this inept! What a waste! He would be dead within a week. I wanted to hurt him and yet give him something to focus on, which might give him reason to fight on. I looked down at his father’s face and smiled in victory.

I am the Half-Blood Prince.

I kept Bella from killing you. However, did I just delay the inevitable? At least, I kept your best hope for survival alive and gave you the knowledge Dumbledore wanted you to know.

I checked for a pulse on Flitwick. He was still breathing. For a second, I considered my options. I heard the Dark Lord whispering in my mind, “He is helpless, kill him!�

I twitched for an instant as my hand wand moved into position. I stopped it. I saw Lily’s lifeless body lying in the nursery. I will not needlessly take a life; I am not like you.

I opened the door and noticed something or someone badly hiding in the shadow cast by a suit of armor. Illuminating my wand, I saw the startled face of Granger, and standing beside her, of all people, was the Lovegood oddity.

I felt flush with the rising blood; I had to get upstairs and protect Draco. However, I could not do anything to harm Granger. She was the only hope for Lily’s son to survive. As they stared at me, a possible solution struck.

I silently cast my spell. Granger’s face went blank just as any normal person's would. However, Lovegood just stood there looking at me. I could feel her eyes following me. Was she immune to my spell?

“Granger, in my office you will find two books on my office chair. The books are about very dark magic that will help Potter’s quest. If I’m am dead or forced to leave this school, you will return to my office and take the books up to your dormitory and place them in your trunk. Do you understand?�

The bushy-haired girl nodded up and down.

“When you notice the books, you will remember casting a summoning spell towards Professor Dumbledore’s office, and the books flew to you. Do you understand?�

Her head bobbed again. I looked over towards Lovegood; she was still staring at me with her large unblinking eyes.

“When I cough, you will awaken without memory of the instructions I just gave you. Do you understand? You two will stay with Flitwick and not follow me upstairs for an hour.�

Granger repeatedly nodded for a third time and Lovegood nodded more slowly and only once.

I stepped back to the doorway and coughed. Both girls’ heads snapped to attention, and I quickly spoke to them, “Professor Flitwick has collapsed.�

They rushed in, and I ascended the stairs.

Reaching up to my throat to try and staunch the bleeding from my neck, I found the holes and realized that it was the jugular. Without help, I would not make it. I began looking around for the wand that I had dropped upon Nagini’s first strike. I slid down to the floor from weakness and into a seated position. I saw the wand meters away. The wand was my only dim hope, and it might as well have been on the moon for all of the good it would do.

I’ve failed. I’ve failed Dumbledore and failed Lily. For a year, I had protected the students at Hogwarts by helping to hide their clumsy efforts to protest against the Death-Eaters. As the lights began to dim, and the growing numb fingers had become sticky with blood, a sound came from behind some boxes. I felt more than saw someone approaching me. Is the Dark Lord returning to watch me die?

Trying to look over at the interloper, I found could not control the movements of my head; it wobbled as I tried to focus. Through the dimming light, was the face of James Potter looking down at me. Potter leaned over to check the wound. The look on Potter’s face confirmed what he already knew: Severus Snape was a dead man.

Have you come here to watch me die and gloat over me one last time?

I blinked with a jerk when Granger stepped next to Potter. My foggy mind realized its mistake; the face was Lily’s son, not James Potter. Maybe it had not all been in vain! Maybe there was still time! Maybe, I am not a failure!

Gathering strength, I concentrated on the messages that I needed to deliver to Potter. As I felt the tears come to my eyes, the room swam around me. I released the message in my tears.

Potter, as usual, was confused by the obvious. He didn’t understand what he needed to do.

I had to tell him. I gasped for air and heard the gurgling and bubbling of the blood within my lungs. “Take them. Take them.� The arms that should have pointed to my cheeks refused to what I wanted. I could no longer control them.

Something touched my cheek where I knew the tears were flowing. Granger, as usual, had told Potter what he had to do. They had captured the memories and the messages.

The world spun again, and the universe became a small tunnel in front of him. He saw them; he saw her eyes. Lily was there, but she wasn’t looking at him. She had to notice him before he was gone. An arm as if on its own grasped for her and took hold of something out of sight.

“Look at me.�

Lily looked at him; she had returned to him. The world was right. He tried to form a kiss to place on her cheek.

As the light left, he felt the touch of what must be her giving him his last kiss: the kiss of death.