CHAPTER ONE

NO ONE TO TRUST

The scant air circulating in the dungeon was cold and damp, enough to send shivers down any spine, with the exception of perhaps one single man, who could lounge in there four hours without so much as a shudder.

However, the current moment was not a time for lounging, but for acting. Severus Snape was in his office, looking into his cupboard, where he kept some of his already made potions, stored in flasks. He picked one of the first row and put it inside his robes, with a strange expressions in his face, something close to anger.

After locking his cupboard, Snape made his way towards the door and up the moldy starcaise. He soon arrived to a door. Before he knocked, a soft and painful moan could be heard within the room.

"The poor woman", he muttered to himself, in a very low voice.

He knocked then, just out of politeness, because he was well aware he did not need to ask permission at the present time.

"Is it you, Severus?", cried a woman´s voice, in a rather high tone.

"Yes, it is me, Professor. May I come in?"

He received a painful groan as an answer, so he twisted the golden knob and slowly opened the squeaking door. His pupils grew wider with the absense of light, as he tried to find the woman in the dark. He opened the door just a little more, so a faint thread of light from the corridor iluminated the room. He saw her then, in the floor, crouched beside the wall, holding her head in her trembling hands, sobbing slowly.

"Ah, Severus", mumbled, raising her head, tears pouring down her pale face. "Did you bring it?"

Snape nodded, while he advanced towards her and kneeled beside her. He extracted the flask from his robe´s inner pocket, and uncorked it. The woman streched her fingers pleadingly, and he gave it to her, but when she was about to drink it, she frowned.

"It smells different from the usual odor"

Snaped gaped at her, but regained his normal expression in a second. "The woman´s head is searing with pain and she still has her awareness active. Quite impressive".

"It is a more efficient potion against your migraine, Professor. I have been researching, for the usual one only helps you for a couple hours, but this one will relieve the pain for at least twelve hours".

Strands of dark hair were stuck to her drenched face when she drank the potion in a sole gulp. He eyelashes were all glued together because of the tears, and her beady eyes were trembling.

"I hope it does. We must be in Dumbledore´s office in one hour… the Order…".

"Why don´t you go and get some rest?" he suggested, not daring to remove her hair from her face. "I will return and wake you up when the time has come. That will help the potion as well".

She shocked her head slightly, feeling its pounding relentlessly.

"You would probably leave me asleep. You did it once".

Snape ignored her and forced her to get on her feet.

"I have said no, Sev…"

Then, he felt as though she had fallen, and knew the potion had worked perfectly. He carried her in his arms to a nearby couch, where he put her down, stretching her legs on the cushions. Only then he dared to remove the hair that was down her face, and put a small squab in the back of her head. He looked at her, silently.

"The old man must be fool… she could not possibly betray us… How could she?"

Autor´s note: Well this is just sort of a prologue. Hopefully next chapters will be longer... So now be a responsible reader and please tell me what you think :D, or I may give you... THE PUPPY EYES! .

Well see you in the next chapter!