A/N: Wow, it's been a very long time since I've tried to publish anything...Here's to my first attempt at a real fanfiction. Cheers!
Here's my disclaimer, to apply to the span of the story: Anything you recognize is J.K.'s. I'm just borrowing them.
The Dark Lord always had the most impeccable timing, Severus thought viciously as he attempted to contain the acidic slop eating through his cauldron and now worktable. He had been attempting to add bicorn horn to an experimental potion, only to jerk from the pain of the summons and dump the whole blasted jar in. Ignoring the burning, he vanished the mess and resigned himself to starting over from scratch.
Severus left the dungeons, climbing upwards to appear before the headmaster's gargoyle. "Ice mice."
The gargoyle stepped to the side. Severus swept past and climbed higher, knocking on the Headmaster's door. "Enter," Dumbledore called cheerfully.
Severus strode inside. Dumbledore raised his head, and before he could open his mouth to greet him Severus interrupted with, "I've been summoned."
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes lessened slightly. "Good luck Severus. I shall be awaiting you until you get back."
Severus nodded curtly, and in a swirl of robes set for the gates.
Severus apparated just outside the dark and gloomy Malfoy Manor. He placed his mask over his face and strode through the gates, fortifying his mental shields and wondering what the cause of this meeting would be.
He rapped sharply on the door, only for it to be immediately wrenched open. Tiny, watery eyes in a rat-like face greeted him, as Wormtail stepped aside silently to allow him passage.
"Relegated to playing doorman now?" Severus sneered, enjoying the violent flinch it wrought from him. He had never liked the filthy little cretin.
Severus could hear the whoops and screams echoing from the depths of the Manor, guiding the path towards his destination. He pitied the unlucky sod chosen to be this evening's entertainment.
The din echoed from within the ballroom, a macabre revelry. A crowd of masked brutes surrounded the unfortunate soul writhing on the floor, wringing screams from him with each wave and jab of a wand. Severus took notice of the Dark Lord at the far right of the hall, overlooking the scene with a very serpentine look of satisfaction.
Voldemort, catching sight of Severus, beckoned him. Severus dutifully came to stand beside him, as Voldemort demanded the attention of the rest. "Enough! We have matters to attend to. Our guest can wait."
The other Death Eaters turned to face the Dark Lord, revealing the object of their attentions. It was a credit to Severus' iron-clad control that he did not flinch. Laying on the floor, moaning in pain was none other than Remus Lupin.
'What in Circe is the bloody werewolf DOING here?' Severus thought furiously. As if Lupin and the rest of the merry band of idiots ever failed to make his life difficult enough. He may not like the werewolf, but he refused to watch him be tortured to death. Getting him out of here would be the ultimate risk.
Voldemort, perhaps sensing Severus' preoccupation, smirked at the look of loathing on his face. "Are you pleased, Severus? I know how much you truly detested this creature in your school days…"
Severus placed a smug look on his face, pretending to be pleased. "Nothing pleases me more, my lord. The wolf has brought nothing but aggravation since the day he stepped foot in Hogwarts."
The rest burst into laughter, and Voldemort released a few hissing chuckles. To Severus' horror, Lupin had weakly raised his head in recognition, and was looking at Severus with a face of utmost desperation.
"To your credit, Severus," Voldemort continued. "For that, I shall let you kill it. Make it interesting, won't you?" With that, he sat back in his throne, a look of manic glee twisting the already foul features of his face. The other Death Eaters stepped back in silence, anticipation thick in the air. Severus knew this would be his only chance.
He approached Lupin slowly. The werewolf was horrific to look at. The Death Eaters had clearly spent some time on him. Severus twisted the emergency portkey he wore on his middle finger, for split second uncertain. Squaring his jaw, Severus leaned down and slipped the portkey, a thin platinum ring, onto Lupin's finger. Before anyone could react, he muttered, "Hellbore," and watched as Lupin vanished into thin air.
There was a dead silence. Severus turned slowly to face Voldemort. The Dark Lord's face held no amusement now.
"Oh Severus, you should not have done that," Voldemort whispered malevolently. And then all was pain.
Severus came to awareness slowly. The smell of stale air and antiseptic greeted him, followed by a wave of pain throughout his body. His extremities felt weighed down, and he faintly registered a slow beeping nearby. He opened his eyes to see a searing white ceiling. Where am I? he thought dazedly. The last thing he remembered was staggering painfully from the Manor, heartbeat pounding in his ears as he attempted to escape…
His pulse began to race at the thought of it, and he was startled as the beeping became fast and shrill. Clenching his hands, Severus attempted to sit up, only to be struck by intense dizziness. Suddenly, a brunette woman in blue clothing appeared, placing her hand gently on his chest.
"Now, now, it's good to see you're awake, but you mustn't strain yourself. Just lay back and rest, I can get you anything you need," the middle-aged woman said kindly. Severus lay back reluctantly and observed the woman fiddling with the no longer shrieking box to the side of him.
Now fully aware, albeit in considerable pain, Severus could fully examine his surroundings. The room was overwhelmingly muggle, from the strange contraptions attached to his extremities to the decidedly un-wizardly clothing the woman in his room wore. A muggle hospital, Severus dimly recalled from his childhood, having followed his mother there to collect his father. Tobias Snape, intolerant of magic and so fond of drink, ended up in the hospital in town more than once.
His eyes stopped at the view from the window to his left. The sun sat high in the sky, indicating the time was somewhere around mid-morning.
Less concerned now with how he arrived there and more concerned with leaving, Severus considered his escape options. He grudgingly admitted that without magical medical attention his chances of escaping the hospital were slim. Still suffering from the Cruciatus curse, in addition to the various bludgeoning and bone-breaking curses he was inflicted with, just standing up would likely be a challenge.
A thought struck him. "Where are my r-…my clothes?"
The woman, smiling brightly, replied, "Oh, your things are being stored here until you get the go-ahead!" She gestured to a small cupboard to the right of his bed, only just out of reach.
Satisfied that no muggles were running amok with his wand, Severus sunk further into the pillows as he wracked his brain for a solution. Perhaps he could send a patronus to Albus…
A wave of drowsiness suddenly struck him. Severus turned his gaze back to the nurse, who had the audacity to beam at him as she adjusted the infernal muggle contraption attached to his arm. "Looks like the pain medicine is kicking back in. Just try to get some rest, you certainly need it!"
An acerbic reply lay on the tip of his tongue, but Severus was too exhausted to voice it. His last thought as he drifted of was 'Thank goodness Poppy is only half so aggravating…'
Severus' eyes snapped open. It took him a moment to remember his surroundings. The low shadows on the walls indicated he had slept until the late afternoon.
He needed to get out of this hospital. Were it not for the fact that Severus had fled to the most muggleish place he could think of, the Dark Lord would have found him already. He needed to reach Hogwarts if he had any hope of surviving.
Taking a quick survey of the room, Severus found himself alone. Seizing the opportunity, he attempted once more to sit upright. More dizziness. Severus, waiting until his head cleared, tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He only managed to swing his uninjured leg over when the door to his room swung open again.
"Now what do you think you're doing?" a new voice demanded.
Severus looked up with narrowed eyes at this new intruder. Approaching him was a petite woman, likely to be in her late twenties, in a white coat. Her golden-blonde hair was pulled up in a tight bun, and indigo eyes glared at him from underneath pale, tightly drawn brows.
"Get back in that bed, or you'll be stuck in this room longer than you'd like," scolded the woman, eyeing Severus until he reluctantly obeyed her. "I'm Doctor Chausse, and I'll be overseeing your care, Mr….?"
"Snape." Severus said mutinously. After waiting in vain for him to give her a first name, Dr. Chausse continued doggedly. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Snape."
The doctor took the clipboard from the edge of the bed. "You've been through quite an ordeal," she said, looking over the chart. "Dare I ask what inflicted you with such injuries? A broken leg, several broken fingers and ribs…"
Dr. Chausse glanced at him sideways, but Severus only stared at her in resolute silence. She sighed. "Of course not. Well, I guess it doesn't really matter, you'll be in casts for 6 weeks, but we can discharge you-"
Severus didn't have time for this. The back of his neck was starting to prickle in warning. "Doctor, I must have my things from the cupboard there. Give them to me."
Dr. Chausse, far from being perturbed, simply raised her eyebrows and pulled his things out of the cupboard. Setting them on the bed, she watched as Severus unfolded his robes and withdrew his wand.
Severus eyed the doctor warily as she looked at his wand in his hand. An Obliviation was due to be sure. But how was he to get his patronus to Albus with this woman hanging about?
He knew it was a long shot, but attempted it anyway. "Madam, as you've said yourself, I've been through quite an ordeal, so if you could possibly leave me be…?"
As expected, the woman was sharper that the average muggle. Her lips thinned as she replied, "I've several tests to run before declare you on the way to recovery, so unfortunately you'll have to bear with me for a few moments longer."
The woman began making her way to the crowd of muggle machinery alongside his bed as Severus sat grinding his teeth. The unpleasant feeling of paranoia was creeping upon him even stronger. There was nothing else for it.
While the woman's back was turned, Severus quietly cast his patronus. The ethereal doe sent dazzling light ricocheting across the room, causing the doctor to jerk in surprise and whirl around. She gasped in shock.
"How on earth…?" She whispered, staring at the doe with wide eyes.
Severus irritably flicked his wand, sending the doe out the window and on its way to Hogwarts. The doctor followed its course until it was no longer visible, then turning her gaze upon Severus.
"Just a foolish magic trick," Severus said, hoping to put her off until Albus arrived to Obliviate her.
The silly muggle was still gaping at him when screams echoed down the corridor.
A/N: End of chapter one! Reviews and constructive criticism highly welcomed, I encourage any tips or comments to better my writing.