Severus Snape
It was certainly awkward to find myself pressed against Ms Brown, holding on for fear of death or injury. I attempted twice to reposition my grip in a less intimate position, but it seemingly did not exist so I settled my palms onto the girl's hips.
We rode through the hills through the night as my back, thighs, and hips started to ache and complain. I dared not shift too much, however, as I did not trust the beast beneath us to respond kindly.
Coming to a small stream, we slowed and then stopped. Ms Brown jumped from the saddle and offered her hand. Jumping down, I suppressed a groan as my muscles screamed.
"I think he needs a break," Lavender said as she lead the animal to the creek for a quick drink.
"Yes. Poor horse," I replied sarcastically as I attempted to subtly stretch my aching back.
She glanced over at me. "Sun will be rising in about an hour I think. I wonder how far we've made it and how long it will be before someone notes the missing horse?"
"Much further than we would have made it by foot."
"True," she said as she stretch her arms overhead before bringing one knee at a time into her chest. "This is the first time, I actually felt hopeful we might succeed."
A loud crack drew our attention and caused the horse to rear up.
"I wouldn't be so sure, My Dear," a familiar voice chided.
I spun around to find Lucius Malfoy, wand drawn, smiling as he shook his head.
Before I could react, however, Ms Brown was on top of him in a repeat performance of her offense towards me previously. With animal like reflexes, she rolled free of his stunned form to grab his wand from where it had landed.
"Let's go!" she shouted as she mounted the horse.
As soon as I had joined her, she urged the horse away just as Lucius started to stir.
"Amazing performance," I stated more to myself than to her.
"Thank you, but where the hell did he come from and why is he here?"
"Excellent questions. I have no answers."
As we moved further away, I could see Lucius begin to stir. Suddenly, hexes were flying all around us. My heart jumped in my chest, and I heard Ms. Brown cry out in surprise, but the horse did not falter, as she pushed him faster and faster, zigging and zagging to avoid being an easy target. She clearly possessed the skills of an accomplished rider. In my peripheral vision, I saw masked figures on broomsticks appearing around us. I did not turn to look at them. My eyes focused on the line of trees straight ahead. We both knew, it was our best chance. The broomsticks would be difficult in such timber, and we might be able to escape.
But we never made it. Only meters away from the safety of the trees, I felt Ms. Brown's body tense in front of me before she slipped from the saddle despite my attempts to hold on to her stiffened form. I watched as she crashed with a painful thump behind us, barely missing being trampled by the passing hooves. There she laid still, and the horse stopped his frantic pace in a sudden skid. Before I could react, a wand was stuck against my chest.
"Don't try anything stupid, Professor!" Everything went black.
I came to on a stone floor with my arms painfully bound behind me. A dark figure stood over me. As I maneuvered myself to a sitting positive, the figure stepped into the light.
"Lucius. I should have suspected."
"You should thank me, Severus," Lucius Malfoy cooed in his way.
"For the headache or the handcuffs?"
"Don't be ridiculous. It is I that ensured your survival after the Final Battle. Don't tell me you don't remember?"
"I do not."
"Draco and I found you near death in that pitiful shack. We planned to take you to St. Mungo's, but you insisted we take you home instead. We did of course, because we knew they would lock you up in Azkaban if anyone knew you had survived. Unfortunately you went a bit mental, side-effect from the potions or perhaps the venom, I don't know, but we could not keep you indoors. I decided to call the Muggle Authorities to deal with you, so you wouldn't blow your cover, Draco placed a memory charm on you. We've been monitoring your whereabouts ever since."
Now I understood how he knew of our escape. "But to what purpose?"
"I thought having you in my debt might be a useful advantage, Friend. And it certainly should have been preferable to Azkaban for you." His eyes darkened as his voice took on a bitter tone. "Trust me, I know…"
"What do you want from me, Lucius?"
"Nothing in particular, just to make sure you stay out of our way. It seems you and your little girlfriend here," he paused to kick something at his feet. When the form moaned, I realized that Lavender laid collapsed in an unnatural seeming heap. "Are up to something. And with all the rumors about your loyalties to Dumbledore and Potter, I can't take any chances."
"You underestimate me, Lucius. Did you ever pause to wonder why I fought alongside you for all that time? If it were really about Dumbledore or Potter then why was I there with our Dark Lord until the very end? I willingly sacrificed myself...unlike some," I glared up at him. "...for the cause."
"And what about the rumors that Dumbledore's death was all part of the Master Plan to defeat the Dark Lord?"
"I can assure you, if that were the plan, then I was simply a pawn. I swore the Unbreakable Vow, Lucius. You know this. And the way I see it, I owe you or your son nothing because of it."
He smiled. "You are a snake, Severus. A true Slytherin indeed. But I still don't understand why then that Potter has attempted to clear you from any wrongdoing."
"A clever insurance policy on my part in the event that we did not succeed. As previously noted, Azkaban is not a place anyone wants to end up."
Lucius laughed. "And the girl?" He kicked Ms Brown again.
"A tool."
"Well then, perhaps, I should invite you upstairs, Severus. We'll see where your loyalties lie."
My bindings fell away as Lucius offered me a hand. "Come now. Let's get you some robes."
Lavender Brown
Snape found me whimpering pathetically on the floor of the cold cellar, as I held my limp arm in the only position that relieved the pain. I felt him approach, but I refused to look at him. I was unsure how long he had been gone, but I had heard the entire exchange between him and Lucius Malfoy and all my positive feelings for the man had since faded. Unable to stifle a moan as his fingers prodded my deformed shoulder, I shuddered. He leaned in close to my ear so I could smell brandy on his breath.
"This is going to hurt," he stated loudly, but added under his breath, "I suggest you scream." Forcing me onto my back, my eyes met his and I gasped when I saw him dressed in black robes. For a fraction of a second I wondered if he planned to rape me, but without another word, he grabbed my injured arm and straightened it. I stared up at him with what I knew had to be a look of pure terror, unable to form words as he stuck his heel into my armpit.
He began to tug on my arm ever so slightly, but I fought against him. What the hell was he doing?
"Relax, dammit!" he whispered loudly as he pushed his heel into my side with even more force.
As I began to scream, I felt my arm muscles give in to his force. There was a loud excruciating pop, and suddenly the pain ended. I had movement again. He had restored my shoulder.
He leaned into me again as his fingers moved over my restored joint. "Lucius is listening," he whispered against my ear as his fingers jammed into my still tender flesh causing me to cry out again. "We are in London." Pulling me to a seated position, his fingers worked their way down my spine. Another scream found its way past my gritted teeth as his hand crossed my broken ribs harshly. "The Potters are still alive. Episkey."
I let out a sickly groan as I felt the heat of his hand on my flesh penetrating into me, and the fractured bones knitted themselves back together.
My mind raced as I began to realize what was going on. I cried out again, this time for no reason at all. "No please, no more!" I begged. I received a small look of approval as his hands continued to inspect my injuries.
"I have a plan."
"Uurrrrggghhh! Please Professor, I thought you were with me...no more…"
"Don't flatter yourself, you foolish girl, I used you to escape," Snape stated loudly. "You were nothing but a pawn."
"Coward!" I shouted. He slapped me across the face. I stared up at him, mouth wide as my flesh continued to sting. He gave me an apologetic look, but I knew that slap had been real. I had hit a nerve.
"Make yourself, comfortable, Ms. Brown. You will be staying for a while." With that he turned to the door, robes flourishing just as I remembered. There was a loud slam, and I was alone again.
A/N: So, what do you think? Any ideas where this is headed? Looking for some theories and critiques as inspiration. As of right now, I have several other scenes written, but no real direction or plot. In other words, I'm stuck. I've written myself in a corner and can't see a good plot line out. Looking for some great feedback to get me headed in the right direction. Also, would love to know what everyone thinks about the relationship between Lavender and Snape. Is there something more there? Do you feel some tension that could become something else? Or is this more of a mentor/mentee, father/daughter, teacher/student connection. Also, if you like this, please spread the word. Each favorite, comment, review, follow, and other acknowledgement is majorly inspiring and motivating. Thanks in advance. Appreciate all the support and ideas.