The road is long and he is weary. A hot meal, a warm bed and a potion to bring sweet, healing sleep; all these luxuries he must deny himself. The Nameless One has risen. The enemy is at the gates, the traitor is within. He cannot tarry for they strike tonight. And all will be lost should Severus fail. Five miles. Six. The barrier is thinner here, the wards are growing weak. He is growing weak. If -- no! when -- he reaches his goal, will he have enough strength to deliver his warning? To fulfill his duty to the dead, his obligation to the living? He gathers his dwindling reserves of body and soul, mind and magic, and carries on. He has given his word, his oath, his unbreakable Vow. To guide, to protect, to love and to cherish the one true Light in his life. To stand beside the Savior of their world, his Harry, and bring the Dark Lord down. By Merlin's Sacred Staff, by Hecate's Holy Name, he will keep those promises. He will not be forsworn, though Hell itself should bar his way. One. More. Mile. ********* Credits: Ron's Brushes for Photoshop, available at the Daz 3d marketplace. Packs used are Ron's Birds, Ron's Skulls and Ron's Bokeh. Production Notes: Written in Notepad, rendered in Stable Diffusion, then postworked to within an inch of its life in Paintshop Pro and Photoshop CS2. If there's a magical "Make Art" button, I still haven't found it. Disclaimer: The artist is not now, has never been, nor ever will be the author of the books or the creator of the movies. Neither is the artist whichever corporate entity that holds the rights to the Harry Potter universe. Therefore, this is a work of fan art from which the artist makes no profit.