When the door opened Mulciper looked up, quickly raising his wand with his head in one fluid movement and pointing it at the man who had just entered the living room.

'Chester, you idiot. I nearly stunned you. What do you want? Why aren't you on your post?'

The man just stared at him for a moment then gave an incomprehensible grunt and turned to the room at large.

'Chester, get the fuck out and stay on your post. When that bastard of a traitor comes back we don't want him to surprise us. Or do you fancy telling him we messed up because you thought it was unfair that Jamie here gets to fuck his wife?'

For a moment Mulciper thought he saw a glint in the idiots eyes. Chester was useless really. He had the brains of an amoeba and the build of a rhinoceros. So Mulciper was more than surprised when Chester, who was already on his way out of the room, spun around with unprecedented agility and aimed a stunner at Mulciper. He stood no chance and collapsed on the wooden floor. But the remaining four wizards who had witnessed this attack, didn't take long to recover. None of them wondered why Chester had suddenly gone mad. The invaders knew who they were dealing with here. The gagged and bound muggles on the floor at the end of the living room by the fireplace were immediately surrounded by them. Still, the new and more powerful Chester was hard to take out. The fight continued for what seemed ages until one of them grabbed the woman they knew to be Snape's wife and held his wand to her throat.

'Stop. STOP!' He roared.

'Lay down your wand or she will die.'

Chester, who had sought cover behind the wall leading into the breakfast room, looked carefully around the corner.

'Who are you? What do you want?'

The voice was a deep rumble. It couldn't have been more unlike Chester's own voice. This had to be the man they had been waiting for. The hated traitor. The bastard whose treason had destroyed their own and their families lives.

'Give up your wand, Snape. You want your family to live, you roll it over here and step out with your hands raised. '

For good measure he grabbed the hair of the woman before him and pulled her head back. She emitted the intended little shout of protest and he saw the one visible eye of his target open wide. He cared for her. He would give himself up readily enough. But first his face disappeared again and the voice spoke

'Why should I hand myself over to you? You will kill all of us anyway. Better to go down fighting and take as many of you with me as I can.'

'Yep. But before you have taken us all out I will put the membrum coquaris on your wife and if half the stories of you are true you will know what that curse will do to her.'

Severus took a deep breath. He mustn't panic now. Sophie would not suffer and she would not die. This cretin was going to regret the day he was born. But for now he needed to do something. Think, Severus Think! Potter would come. He was sure of that. But he would need multiple stops to get here. More than Severus had needed. He wasn't as strong and therefore could not apparate the same distances that Severus could. He calculated 45-60 min from when he had activated the coin. That must have been a good 15 min ago. So he needed to keep them busy for at least half an hour.

'I want you to release the muggles before I give myself up.'

'No, Snape, you have nothing to bargain with. You will do as I tell you or your wife's insides will spill all over your nice carpet.'

So he did know what the spell could do. But would he be able to perform it? On the other hand, was he willing to risk finding out whether this idiot was able to perform such a complex and dark curse? No, he definitely wasn't.

'Sam! Sam! Don't give yourself up...Don…argh.'

Sophie! Fine then. He had to trust that Potter would come and save the day once again. Oh my. How far had he come, placing his trust in Potter.

'Fine! Here is my wand.'

He threw it out into the room.

'Now step out with your hands raised. And no sudden movements or your wife is minced meat.'

Oh, he would pay. Severus stepped out with his hands raised. Before he could do much more than blink he was surrounded by three men that pointed their wands in his face. Ridiculous really. They had watched too many muggle movies. With a wand a safe distance to your enemy was always the better option. Being up close meant being vulnerable. And if Sophie wasn't still being held by that disgusting example of stupidity he would now teach them why it was dangerous to be so close to your enemy. Instead he allowed them to bind him with magical ropes. At least they released Sophie once they had him bound.

'So this is the famous traitor. You don't seem much like the dangerous bastard they kept telling us about. It was way too easy to make you give up.'

The leader of their little gang wanted to take advantage of the situation and show what a badass wizard he was. That was fine with Severus. As long as he was talking, he wouldn't do much else. So he needed to keep him talking.

'I really don't know what you are talking about. I live a quiet live with my family here and I have no idea why you attacked my house.'

'Oh you don't, do you? Well, Severus Snape, we know who you are. You are the reason why the Dark Lord fell. And with him all our families. You are responsible for our situation and we will make you pay.'

He had talked himself into a rage. His head looked remarkably like an overripe tomato. But it was too much to hope for a stroke, he was too young and probably too healthy.

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

'Stop lying to me.' A well aimed kick hit him in the ribs.

'You are Snape. You had Polyjuice Potion right at hand. And don't tell me that's part of your everyday household potions. And your voice, it is just like what my father told me about you. Dull and stupid.'

'Your father? Do I have the pleasure of knowing him?'

'Yes, you traitor. My father is Mulciber. Remember? He is rotting away in Azkaban thanks to you! And today you will pay for everything my family had to endure in the last twenty years.'

'Mulciber, we are to take him back to him. You know that.'

'Shut it! He can have whatever is left of him when I'm through with him. I have been waiting too long for this moment.'

He had a mad glint in his eyes and Severus knew this was going to become unpleasant.