It's nice to know that the plot twist in the last chapter surprised people. I like to do that! I hinted in the last chapter that things were not necessarily how they seemed but it becomes clearer, a little anyway, in this one.

Dutske – I don't know what to say. Thanks for the compliment! I've never had anyone tell me they look forward to Monday's just so they can read my latest update before.

excessivelyperky – you're probably right about Narcissa. I don't see how she could have survived without protectiors of some kind. As for Bella, however, I'm going with what's implied in canon and assuming she's dead.

To dancegirl01mom, Rosebud811 and Silverthreads hope you continue to enjoy the story.

WARNING – One use of crude imagery.

Previously

'I only hope the other members of the Order are having more luck.' He thought as he huddled up even more than the cage required to try to retain as much body heat as possible. He guessed it was going to be a wasted effort.

Chapter 10

Severus' squatted in the narrow confines of the Birdcage, his knees drawn up against his chest and his shoulders hunched. This had proved to be the least uncomfortable of the limited number of positions available to him. Nevertheless, his muscles screamed with cramp, his hands and feet were numb and he couldn't stop himself from shivering. Fortunately, his worse fears had not been realised. The temperature had remained above freezing, mainly due to a shower just after nightfall. He had been able to take the edge off his raging thirst by catching some of the water in his mouth but had been, literally, soaked to the skin. The rain had been followed by a bitterly strong north wind, reducing his body temperature even further and causing his cage to swing violently on its chain, the links clanking and groaning under the assault.

The prison below had been dark and silent for what seemed an age. The last sign of life had been sounds of revelry carried on the wind from the administration building. Then a number of drunken guards had stumbled out of a doorway and disappeared into their quarters and the last lighted window had gone dark. He felt abandoned and alone, even though he knew that to be an illusion. Inside the prison, guards still prowled the cell blocks venting their anger and frustrations on the prisoners while their superiors turned a blind eye.

He wondered how long it would be before dawn. Probably some hours yet, he surmised, days were short this far north and the horizon was as inky black as the rest of the night sky.

'How long are they going to keep me here?'

The day had been bad but the night was worse and every hour increased the agony in his muscles and the icy chill in his bones. He doubted he would last another night like this. He remembered seeing others suffer the cage during his previous period of incarceration and tried to remember how long they had swung for. He couldn't. Existence in Azkaban was too harsh to spare a thought for the sufferings of strangers.

'Pull yourself together Snape,' he told himself viciously, fighting against the urge to self-pity. 'You've undergone pain and hardship before. Your father abused you, the Dark Lord Crucio-ed you and Azkaban the first time round wasn't exactly a picnic, but you never broke. What doesn't kill you makes you strong. You're a survivor. Dumbledore knew that. That was what made you such a useful tool to him. This is not the time to give in to weakness. This is your idea and when it succeeds you will gain not only your freedom but the status and respect you've always wanted!'

A rectangle of light suddenly appeared in the courtyard housing the dilapidated buildings that he had originally thought housed the Women's Section and Severus' attention was drawn back down to the prison as he realised that someone had opened a door there. The break in the darkness diminished. Whoever had opened the door had left it slightly ajar, presumably to facilitate his return. As he watched, a strong gust of wind caused the cage to rock even harder and the chain holding it creaked loudly, the noise reverberating through the silent prison courtyard.

A white ball appeared, growing brighter and brighter until it lit up the night. The wizard who had cast the spell studied the cage and the man within it indifferently for a moment, then obviously accustomed to seeing prisoners being punished in that manner, ended it and night returned.

"Is everything all right, Professor Mallinovich?" someone called from within the building.

"Yes, fine." The man responded in thickly accented English. "I came out to smoke my pipe and heard a noise but it's only a convict in the Birdcage."

Excitement coursed through Severus and, for a brief moment, he forgot the pain and the cold. He'd been wrong in some of his deductions but this man's presence here, in Azkaban, proved that he had been on the right track and opened up all sorts of new possibilities.

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The jolting of the cage being hauled down roused Severus from the semi-conscious state that had, ironically, overcome him just as the first signs of dawn had appeared. Whoever was on the end of the chain let go when it was a few feet from the ground and the cage fell, hitting the flagstones in the courtyard with a crash. He heard the gate being unlocked and felt rough hands drag him out. He lay on the ground and tried to stretch but found that his joints had locked in position.

A voice swore and a burning sensation spread through his body. He wondered what they were doing to him now, but found, to his surprise, that he could now move his arms and legs although it was painful to do so.

"An Auror's coming to interview him." a worried voice said. "He's got to be fit enough to be interrogated."

"You worry too much!" another voice replied. "She won't be here until the afternoon. Give him a hose down, cover him up, get some food down him and let him rest until she arrives and he'll be good enough for her purposes. They don't expect us to treat these animals with dragon-hide gloves. As long as he can answer questions she won't care what state he's in otherwise."

A jet of cold water pummelled Severus, jerking him back to full consciousness. He raised his arms to protect himself against the battering.

"See, he'll be fine!" the second voice, who Severus now recognised as belonging to Officer Turnbull, grunted.

Once the hose down was complete, the two guards grabbed his arms and forced him to his feet, leading him away.

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The cell was cold and the stench of body waste and damp straw filled the air. The steady drip, drip of water could be heard coming from a corner, but to Severus, laying on the thin coating of straw that covered the floor, it was a blessed relief. He was out of the wind and rain, he had been given a bowl of thin gruel and a stale piece of bread and he had finally been given something to cover his nakedness. The shirt and trousers were filthy, torn and ragged, they smelt as if they had just been removed from a corpse and might well have been for all he knew, but, at least he was now clothed.

He wondered how long it would be before the Auror arrived. The guards had said she was due in the afternoon but there was no window in the cell so he couldn't guess the time. He made himself relax as he waited.

Outside, in the corridor, the sound of footsteps followed by doors being unlocked and then slammed shut again could be heard. Finally, they stopped outside his cell and Severus heard the sound of something heavy being put down. A key clanked in the lock, the door opened and a beaten and defeated looking Lucius Malfoy entered the cell. Based on his previous experience of Azkaban, Severus knew what he had come for.

"Ah, Lucius, here to empty my soil bucket? What a come down for you. Or, considering how much time you've spent metaphorically shovelling shit for the Dark Lord, do you think you've found your natural level?" he greeted his former friend, nodding towards a corner of the cell, "It's over there."

Malfoy slowly shuffled towards the bucket. Severus thought how different he looked with his once long white hair cropped close to his skull and wondered if his own appearance had changed as much now his own hair was a similar stubble.

"You're not in a position to talk, Snape." Malfoy retorted, "Betrayed and abandoned by your precious friends in the Order of the Phoenix as soon as one of their own was attacked by Dark Wizards!"

Severus sneered and Malfoy's grey eyes were suddenly alert as he studied him. Malfoy turned towards the door where Officer Turnbull's partner stood watching.

"Leave us alone for a few moments please, Mr. Gregory." Lucius phrased it as a request but Severus recognised it as an order, as apparently did the guard because he nodded.

"Five minutes, no more, Malfoy." He said as he disappeared from sight.

Severus levered himself into a sitting position and raised his eyebrows. "Ah!" he said. "That explains a lot. How are you paying him off? I thought the Ministry confiscated all your assets?"

Lucius shrugged. "In this country, yes; but I had money invested with the Swiss and Cayman Island Goblins that they knew nothing about. The Diggory's may have used me as a punching bag but I was able to use their floo connection to firecall the Goblins and gain access to those assets. Now, why are you really here?"

Severus ignored the question. "You read about Narcissa and Daraco's forthcoming sale and you assaulted Diggory to get sent back here to rescue them. I guessed that, but what I didn't know was how you planned to do it. A bribed guard is a tremendous advantage to an escape plan. Although he won't be able to help you get past the security wards surrounding the island."

"I have that covered, and my primary objective is Draco, but if I can rescue Narcissa as well, I will." Malfoy replied. "Now, answer my question."

Severus quickly considered his options but he had always intended to use Malfoy's escape as his way off the island.

"I'm here on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix and I want your help." He said.

Lucius allowed a sarcastic smile to cross his face. "Sorry but I have other priorities."

Severus carried on as if he hadn't heard; a trick he'd learned from Dumbledore. "Narcissa and Draco will be auctioned. They will be bought by members of the Order of the Phoenix who will treat them well. You will remain here and assist me to complete my mission. Then we will use whatever means you have arranged to escape."

Malfoy stared at him. "I don't see anything in there for me." he said. "I think I'll stick with my original plan."

"Once we have succeeded, the Order will be in control of the Ministry and all three of you will receive a full pardon. Think about it, Lucius. Assuming you get both Draco and Narcissa out they could die during the escape or be re-captured, punished and then sold anyway. Even if it succeeds, the three of you will be fugitives, spending the rest of your lives looking over your shoulders for hit wizards or Aurors, while the Goblins bleed you dry of every Knut you still have. If you agree to assist me, however, both Draco and Narcissa will be safe and, when it's over, you will all be able to lead normal lives again. The benefits far outweigh any additional risks."

"And how exactly does the return of a convicted Death Eater to Azkaban for attitude re-adjustment lead to a successful coup against Scrimgeour? Malfoy asked sceptically.

Severus smiled inwardly. Lucius was curious, he had almost won. "I'll explain once I know you're with us." he replied confidently.

Malfoy frowned, deep in thought. "What about the assets the Ministry seized after my arrest?" he finally asked. "If I agree, I want the contents of my Gringotts vault and my estate returned to me."

Severus knew this was the time to be tough. If he gave in to all Lucius' demands the man would think him weak and lose all respect for him.

He shook his head. "That won't happen. You chose the losing side and must accept that there will be some consequences for that. From the sound of it, however, you won't experience any significant reduction to your accustomed standard of living. Now what's your answer?"

Lucius laughed. "All right, I had to ask! I agree your terms!"

Severus nodded and the two Slytherins solemnly shook hands on the deal. Severus was about to ask for details of the escape plan when the sound of footsteps indicated Officer Gregory was returning. Malfoy quickly tipped the contents of the cell's soil bucket into the large pail outside and replaced it in the corner. Then, without a backward look, he left the cell and Gregory slammed the door shut and re-locked it.

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The fetters on Severus' feet made a clanking sound as he hobbled into the interview room, bracketed by guards. He found himself forced into a heavy wooden chair which was bolted to the floor and, despite the fact he was bound hand and foot, chains erupted from the arms and legs to hold him securely within it.

The Auror looked at him impassively, then turned to the guards.

"That will be all. You may leave now. I'll call when I'm finished with the prisoner."

The guards looked at each other but, indoctrinated as they were to respect Aurors', they obediently left the room.

As the door closed behind them, Tonks cast a Muffliato and turned back towards him.

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. "You look like hell!"

"It's been an event packed forty-eight hours." He replied, dryly. He stared at her hair, noting that it was the same mousy grey colour it always seemed to be these days. "I could pass comment on your appearance too but let's not waste time. I need a report on how the preparations are progressing and I have some important information for you to pass back to the Order. Molly Weasley, for instance, will want to know that I now believe there is every chance George and the other kidnap victims are alive."

T.B.C.