A/N: Why do I continously update so late at night? Chalk it up to my laziness I suppose. My apologies for leaving you all with such a torturous cliff-hanger- that was rather rude of me. I hope you enjoy this chapter- it will be a bit short since I need to refer back to the beginning and as much as I would like to soley focus on Severus, I can't. Reviews are appreciated!

I knew that voice and though my vision was still dimmed, an odd sense of relief washed over me. The raspy tone belonged to Avery and there could only be one meaning for his arrival: rescue.

For one heart stopping moment, I had feared Kingsley would actually kill me. And who would testify on my account?

I noticed Avery's grip hadn't yet reliquinshed my neck from its firm grasp.

"Unhand me."

I pried his fingers from my throat, receiving no resistance. I suppose it was then my fault when I slid gracelessly to the floor.

Avery did nothing but smirk. As the Dark Lord's most loyal, most valuable, other Death Eaters reveled in any humiliation I might incur.

From my position on the floor, I was able to view Kingsley. He lay slumped in the corner, tiny rivulets of blood issuing from a slight gash near his temple.

"He'll be lucky to wake up with anything less than a concussion. He won't stir for a while now." Avery said, a hint of pride recognizable in his voice.

"Am I to take it you are here to retrieve me from this Hell hole?"

"Through no suggestion of my own."

"Our Lord's?"

"Him and Lucius both. You have one of informants in the Ministry to thank as well. He saw the display Kingsley put on in the lobby and notified the Dark Lord at once."

"And you were the rescue party he chose? Were pickings that slim?"

I knew insulting him, my means of escape, did nothing to help my situation, but I could not deny the enjoyment I was getting out of it.

"You'd do well to respect me now Snape. I could very well leave your sorry arse here."

"And by doing so, angering the Dark Lord. You've always had a low tolerance for pain." I retorted.

"Silence! Your snide remarks are getting us nowhere. We must leave."

I rose to my feet unsteadily, my extremeties still numb from my oxygen supply being cut off.

"Hurry it along Snape," Avery called from beyond the cell, "our Lord's impatience is increasing."

I could feel it too. The snake and skull moving languidly about my forearm, slowly etching their outline into my sinewy tendons.

Avery winded around the corner and I followed close behind, curious to see what kind of plan he had to get past security.

"When did you knock Kingsely out of the picture?" I questioned. I wondered how much of our act came across as such.

"Sometime after you were beat senseless and before I strung you up."

"I see you are still as tactful as ever."

My last words to whom I thought was Kingsley, were four incriminating little pieces of information.

"Speaking of which Snape, since when have you become an actor?"

Oh, if he only knew the years I've spent morphing my mask.

"I assure you I don't know what you are talking about."

"Bullocks. You told 'Kinsley' you weren't acting. Was that whole display I walked into a sham?"

As deftly as I could, I tried to dispel Avery's suspicion, "You try to formulate a sentence when your oxygen is rapidly depleting. He is a known Order member. I was merely stating that my allegiance with them is not an act… Little do they know."

"I will leave that up to the Dark Lord to decide."

Damn. I'd hoped he keep his mouth shut. I needn't arouse any more uncertainty in the Dark Lord.

We strode up the steps in silence. It was this very silence that made the footsteps rushing towards us amplify.

"Avery!" I shouted. He seemed completely oblivious to the approaching threat.

"Avery!" At the slightly more demanding tone, he whipped around.

Too late. An auror appeared at the top of the steps, only a sliver of light shining on his beetle like eyes.

"Well, well, well," he said, "I came down expecting only one scum bag, looks like I'll be clapping two in irons."

The auror sauntered down the steps, his wand held aloft.

I stepped closer to Avery expecting him to have a solution. One after all didn't come to the Minsitry with no plan in place.

"What do you suggest we do?" I whispered into his ear, never once taking my eyes of the man before us.

"You were always the one with the brilliant mind. I figured you'd of thought of an idea."

Brilliant. I rolled my eyes.

Slowly, I shook my robe sleeve, freeing my wand from its holser on the inside.

For as subtle as I was, the auror suddenly made a move at Avery. Now, the Death Eater found himself disarmed.

"I'll kill him if you don't surrender your wand," the auror shouted.

I snorted. Clearly, this man did not learn the basics in school. Death Eaters have no feelings of compassion towards their colleagues. Only jealousy and revenge.

"So kill him. I have no use for him." I said lazily.

The auror then turned his wand at me.

I laughed dreisively. "My skills far outwigh your own. By the time you utter a curse from those lips, your heart will have stopped pumping."

My own arrogance prevented me from seeing Avery sunge towards me as the auror's focus was no longer concentrated on him. My wand clattered from my hand and rolled right between the auror's feet.

He smiled. "Now what were you saying?"