Hermione flinched as they heard Sam scream again. The four of them- Ron, Harry, Professor Lupin and herself- were backed up against a wall, being watched tentatively by Crowley's hell hounds, watching painful as Crowley tortured Sam, who was tied to the chair. Blood splattered the floorboards as Crowley slashed Sam's arm with his scythe.

"You know," Crowley said, "you really turn me on when tied up like that." He smiled, unbuttoning the first few buttons of his black shirt. Ron gagged as Crowley said this, Remus shaking his head with disgust- the man was such a pervert it was absolutely despicable, the way he openly harassed Sam. Sam tugged against the ropes, but it was no use. They were digging into his skin, the ones across his neck, cutting off his airways. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His blood was splashed across the metal of Crowley's weapon.

"You fucking sadist," Sam gasped as the rope left red, raw gashes on his neck. Crowley shivered, holding a hand in front of his pants.

"Down, boy," he said to himself, "Moosey is just playng with us is all." Remus curled his hands into fists, shaking them furiously- what Crowley was doing was completely unacceptable.

"You sir, are absolutely disgusting!" Remus shouted. Crowley rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, old man," he barked. The dogs snarled, foam dripping from their mouths. Crowley turned back to Sam eyeing him, cocking his head, "Hot? Maybe you should take off your coat!" Getting extremely close, Crowley raised his blade, tucking the tip under the collar of Sam's shirt. There was a loud rip as he pulled in random directions, slicing away at the fabric. Pieces of Sam's shirt and coat fell to the ground, leaving his chest bare, revealing the purple pentagram tattoo Sam had on his chest. Hermione noticed it, widening her eyes with shock.

"What is that thing on his chest?!" she asked frantically jumping as the hell hounds snapped at her feet. Harry squinted as Crowley plunged his knife into Sam's shoulder, blood splashing everywhere, staining their clothes, the chair, the floor, Sam's skin painted with the substance. His cries echoed in the room, bloodcurdling and painful to hear.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Crowley barked, "just like last time! I'll make you squeal like a pig out to slaughter!" He plucked the knife from Sam's shoulder, making him scream at the top of his lungs. Panting, Sam pulled at the ropes, uselessly trying to escape. As he thrashed, the ropes on his neck became tighter, cutting off his airways completely. Gasping, he tensed his body, glancing at his hands. His fingers were shaky and turning blue due to the lack of oxygen.

"Even if you're half demon, you're still half human, thus you need to be a human in order to survive," Crowley said, tracing Sam's collar with the tip of the blade, drawing a thin line of blood. Sam flinched, his eyes trailing over to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Remus. Gritting his teeth, he tensed his muscles as Crowley raised his blade, ready to strike again. It was his fault they got into this mess, so he was going to hopefully find them a way out.

"Even if you try to kill me, Cas will just bring me back again," Sam said, a sly smile on his face. Crowley rolled his eyes, bouncing the blade along Sam's skin, scratching him slightly. Every breath he used to speak was shallow, barely audible.

"Funny, you are," Crowley teased, sliding the blade across the bridge of Sam's nose, "don't try to fool me. We both know you aren't welcome back in Heaven. God made Michael make sure of that." Sam went to pounce at Crowley, held back by his bonds. Hermione screeched as the hell hound ripped the sleeve of her sweater, its teeth grazing her skin. Sam squeezed his eyes shut as Crowley ran the blade across his face, dangerously close to his eyes. Blood dripped warm down his face, leaving trails of red stained on his skin, mingled with sweat. He really hoped Cas wouldn't appear out of nowhere. He didn't want the angel to see him like this- helpless and pitiable.

"Please, Cas," Sam gasped, his voice barely audible, "please….." He felt his voice skipping away from him as dots of color invaded his vision. His body jerked as Crowley slashed and sliced, stabbing him repeatedly. Blood flowed freely, the chair awash in a sea of red. A salty smell was in the air as he felt his blood escape from his veins, staining everything as it dripped.

"Stop!" he heard Remus shout, and there was a blur as a flash of silver flew through the air, aimed at Crowley. Everything looked as if it was watery, blackness creeping into the corners of Sam's peripheral vision. The hell hounds snarled as Remus jumped over them, knocking one to the ground. With cries of rage, he charged at Crowley, who kept his attention on Sam, scooping up blood in his hands, drinking it gingerly. It dripped from his lips, he wiped the rest on his pants.

"Shut up, old man!" Crowley snapped, lifting the blade under Remus' chin, stopping him in his tracks, "Sam, you're blood is delicious- please, let me drink…" Sam thrashed as Crowley tossed the blade aside. It clattered against the floorboards. Crowley jumped as there was a loud bang on the door.

"Remus?" called a voice- Hagrid's voice! Harry thought, as the banging came again. Remus hesitantly ran towards the door, banging on the wood.

"Hagrid! Hagrid!" he shouted frantically, "Help us! Get Dumbledore, anybody!" Crowley glared at him, his eyes shooting daggers.

"Shut up old man!" he repeated, grabbing Sam by the hair, pulling his head back to expose his neck. Sam emitted a strangled scream, hoping it will help Hagrid realize there was something wrong if Remus' cries of agony didn't already warn him.

"What was that?" Hagrid asked, his voice muffled through the wood, "and why is the door locked?!"

"We're trapped in here with a psychotic murderer!" Remus cried, sweat dripping off his forehead. Hell hounds trotted to the door, surrounding Remus, potentially guarding the door. There was a flash of light from under the door and then Hagrid shouted, "Who's with you?"

"Harry, Hermione, Ron," Remus rattled off their names, then jumped as Sam let out another strangled cry, "Sam needs help- we're powerless in here and he's getting tortured to death- literally. Get help now!

On the other side of the door, Hagrid was beating the door with his large fists- he had indeed heard Sam's screams of agony and heard the barking of the hell hounds. He heard another man in the room, teasing and taunting them- Crowley, they called him, Hagrid thought as he beat the door, the hinges breaking free. The metal clanged on the ground as the door itself caved in, crumbling to the ground at his feet. he kicked his way through the rubble, swinging a pink umbrella. Grabbing Remus, he pulled him through and into the hallway.

"Why didn't you think of Apparating, man?!" Hagrid exclaimed.

"I couldn't! Samuel is in there at the point of death! He has no wizarding skills!" Remus said, "so we couldn't leave him alone!" As if on cue, Sam screamed again, and Remus jumped as Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared with a blue flash and loud crackle.

"What the-?!" he exclaimed as the three of them ran past in a hurry, galloping up the stairs. Grabbing Remus, Hagrid followed- the three were running towards Dumbledore's office- in fact they were running towards the Head Master himself. He was striding out the door, whistling a little tune as he walked. His purple robes swept the floor behind him, the bells on his beard jingling as they swayed with his movements.

"What's the rush, Harry?" Albus asked as harry nearly tripped over his feet, grabbing the man's arm and pulling him in the direction of the dungeon.

"Sam. Nearly dead. Hurry!" Harry explained in short clipped sentences. rolling his eyes, Albus pulled out his wand and with a flick of his wrist, he and Harry were in the dungeon. The others ran in a few seconds later, gasping. Every surface was covered with red. Crowley was standing over Sam, the chair tipped on its side.

"Stop!" Albus' voice boomed, echoing ton the walls. Crowley's head snapped up, his eyes full of shock. Clenching the handle, Crowley snarled, raising his arm, In a flash, he hurled the blade. The air whistled as it sailed through the air, then suddenly flew to the side, sticking itself fast into the wall.

"What the-?!" Crowley sputtered, his eyes wide with shock. Sam shivered as he tried breathing, lying in a large pool of his own blood. Albus stood, his wand in the air, flicking the weapon aside.

"I believe you should untie the young man and go," Albus commanded, giving Crowley a stern glare. Crowley scoffed, kicking Sam's head. His neck snapped back and there was a loud crack. Sam's eyes went wide as he felt something splinter, the ripping of his skin-

"NO!" Castiel suddenly bellowed, a flash of light momentarily blinding him. The angel raced at Crowley, hands raised. A ball of light surged from his palm, straight at Crowley's head.

"Gotta go!" Crowley teased, and there was a sudden mass of black smoke in the air, making everyone cough. Castiel sank to his knees at Sam's side, his fingers ripping at the ropes that bound him. Tears streamed down his face, dripping off his chin.

"Cas," Sam said, smiling. He winced as the angel tugged at a rope on his neck, a sudden rush of air entering his lungs. Spit flew out of his mouth as he hacked, gasping for breath.

"Sam, i should have never left," Cas muttered to himself, "first Dean and now you-" he stopped short when he noticed Sam's blood running in rivulets on his fingers, "- and for what? A stupid Tablet?" Sam wheezed- every breath was like a dagger being twisted into his flesh, deep and scathing.

"As long as we can close the gates of Hell, I don't care what happens to me," Sam said, trying to remind the angel that they had more important things to worry about. Chaos was still in the world- demons and angels at war, the earth their battlefield. Humans were oblivious and were mercilessly killed by either side, and the Tablets were going to help change that. What he needed was for Castiel to focus, not pity him at times like this.

"Okay, Sam…" Castiel said on the verge of tears, "okay."