Severus… Please…

As much as she could have wished to be have been rescued, if there was one person she had not wanted to see here it had been Severus Snape.

Not him, she thought weakly, too much was at stake; it couldn't be him.

From what she could see from her painful position on the floor, Severus looked every inch the terrifying Death Eater. He was standing tall, his glittering eyes were cold, his posture too rigid, and the most impressive thing of all, and yes she strangely thought it impressive in her twisted, unfocused mind, was the complete and utter indifference in his eyes. The way he looked down upon her with disdain and disinterest. She could have been a piece of Drooble's gum on the underside of his shoe for all he seemed to care.

She couldn't move her head for the pain that shot unendingly through her body, but she could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins now, willing her to stay conscious. She watched fearfully as Severus' dragonhide boots walked a slow, purposeful circle around her broken body. He came to stand next to her Father once more, and when he spoke his voice was foreign, cold and purposeful.

"Albus Dumbledore will be most displeased."

Her father gave a horrible laugh. Serena felt sick. How were they going to get out of this one?

"And how did you managed to acquire such a… treasure?"

As her father launched into his tale of stumbling upon her at Diagon Alley, Severus stepped slightly behind the other wizard and locked his black eyes firmly on Serena's watery ones.

She was in so much pain it took three attempts to establish their connection but before he could communicate with her she pushed her struggling thoughts across into his mind.

Don't! she thought with all her might. Don't! You can't! You can't risk your position! You can't risk this war! Leave me! You have to leave me here! I will find a way out, I won't let him beat me. I just need to let my powers recharge. Severus, please. Please-

She felt the growl inside of her mind as Severus cut her off and filled her mind with anger.

On the outside he was listening with interest to her Father's tale, but inside the connection he was furious.

What has he hit you with?What spell is this? How bad?

She swallowed back bile and just managed to form the words inside her head.

Transmogrification curse.

Her head almost exploded as his rage and fear filled her fully, distracting her for a split second from the agonising pain of her body. Then, just as suddenly as it has come, she felt a different feeling, a caress, one of soft, calm reassurance.

Severus pulled out of her mind and her eyes refocused on the room.

"And then we apparated here, didn't we my sweet?" her Father finished in a light tone. Serena could feel tears trickling down into her nose.

She tried to make eye contact with Severus again, but he was looking anywhere but at her, now. She was terrified, more terrified of what he would do than of what would happen to her.

She tried to move her tongue once more and her words came out thick and awkward, but comprehensible.

"Please… Sev…"

Her Father chuckled. "What do you think, Snape? Seeing this blood traitor in her rightful place? It must have been degrading, seeing her up at the school, flirting and bewitching as she usually does, fucking whore! Transmorgify!"

She bit her tongue almost in two as she tried so hard not to scream in front of Severus, but as her mouth filled with hot blood, she couldn't stop the shriek erupting from deep inside her.

She screamed a shrill, brutal sound as her bones constricted and stretched at his will and her entire body felt like it was bursting into flames.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she expected Severus to stop him, but nothing happened, and when the pain receded ever so slightly, it was because her Father had cast the counter curse.

He gave a cold laugh and turned to Severus. Serena couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. There was nothing that she could see that could possibly reassure her. She tried desperately to pull her elemental powers closer, to gain power over them, but when she tried to conjure the wind she barely even felt a breeze in her hair.

"Got to be careful, see," her Father said in a harsh voice. "She's got these special powers, don't need a wand to use them, but if you keep her in enough pain, she can't concentrate."

There were several seconds of silence.

"And just what do you intend to do with her?" Severus asked in a low drawl.

"Oh, let her know what happens to blood traitors, and present her to Our Lord, eventually," he smirked. "Then she can decide, join us, or suffer at the hands of Our Lord."

"Our Lord will be most pleased," he replied in a silky voice. "How did you bring her here?"

"Apparition," her Father said simply, sounding very proud of his plan.

"Did anyone see you?"

"No, we apparated straight here, but wait until I tell them of the gift I have brought them. The gift I have brought you all, even you, Snape. I bet you can't wait to have a go of Dumbledore's whore."

Serena heard a grunt of pain, but by the time she had opened her eyes, her Father's limp body was lying in a heap near the door.

Nooo, she thought desperately. She tried to shake her head but even the tiniest of movements caused so much pain she thought she might faint.

In a heartbeat, Severus was kneeling in front of her, one hand hovering above her as the other cast charms rapidly over her body.

She drooled some blood out of her mouth and tried to force words out of her red lips. "Please… leave me, please…"

Severus growled but when his hand touched her face he was surprisingly gentle.

"I am apparating you directly to Grimmauld Place. I can't heal you here, it's too severe and I won't have time. Can you stand?"

She shrieked as Severus tried to take her hand and he stumbled back, his hands in the air.

"Ok, ok," he murmured, stroking her cheek again. "I'm applying cushioning charms everywhere I can, Serena okay? I'm going to change your position as little as possible, but I'm going to levitate you a few inches. Hold on, my love. Three, two, one-"

She moaned as her bones screeched protest, but true to his word, Severus kept her horizontal. She felt his two hands encircling her waist, and then, noiselessly, she felt herself being apparated away.

The pain, the restriction, it was all too much. She remembered feeling the carpet in the hallway of Grimmauld Place and hearing Severus bellow in a terrified voice she had only heard once before, one evening in the Defence Against the Dark Arts office.

"LUPIN! SHACKLEBOLT!"

She heard hurried footsteps, and all went black.

When she awoke the first thing she noticed was the intensity of the lights above her. They hurt her eyes and felt too bright for her pupils to handle. She blinked several times, trying to focus, and made out a bright white ceiling with rows of squares.

She wriggled her fingers. No pain. She wriggled her toes. No agony. She moved her shoulders slightly, and felt a deep ache.

"She's awake! Serena? Can you hear me? Send for Healer Selwyn quickly!"

She felt her lips turn up into a small smile and she turned her head to her right as Remus Lupin leant over her face, looking at her scrutinisingly with worried eyes.

"Hello," she said softly, moving her tongue experimentally in her mouth. Everything seemed to be back in it's rightful place and functionning normally.

Remus let out a huge breath of relief and pressed his head into the crook of her neck for a few moments.

"Oh thank god," he breathed, stroking her hair back from her face tenderly. "We thought you were a goner."

"Over here!" She turned her head to her left now, and saw Arthur Weasley hurrying along with a short, black man in a Healer's uniform behind him.

The man gave her a reassuring smile and checked a folder at the bottom of her bed before casting several spells she didn't recognise.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked in a gentle voice.

She cleared her throat. "St. Mungo's, I imagine," she answered quietly.

"Indeed," he said, moving closer to her now and looking into her eyes with his wand. "You were admitted yesterday at three pm, with rather horrific injuries, young lady."

She swallowed.

"What can you tell me about that?" he pressed, taking her wrist in his rough palm and checking her pulse.

"Not much," she lied faintly, "I can't remember a thing… I just remember being cursed from behind… You said yesterday? How long have I been here?"

All she could think of was Severus.

What had he done with her Father? How had he handled the situation? Had he put himself in danger? Had he compromised his position as spy? Had he risked his life for her? She had too many questions and she turned back to Remus, her eyes full of them.

He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's three o' clock in the morning, darling. You've been unconscious all this time. People will be impatient to see you back home."

Serena understood his message. Severus was waiting for her. She felt suddenly relieved. But of course, he couldn't have come to the hospital, he definitely couldn't have been seen at her bedside, and the new security measures meant that Polyjuice potion was not a possibility. He must be out of his mind with worry, she thought.

She took a deep breath and tried to prop herself up slowly onto her elbows. Her body ached deeply at the movement and just that had knocked the breath out of her.

"Slow it down, young lady," the Healer repeated, frowning at her. "You need rest, rest and more rest. The curse you were attacked with is used to torture and kill. It is a miracle you are alive. You will need several potions a day for the next week."

She grimaced as she pushed herself up into a sitting position and nodded at the Healer. "Thank you. Could you give the list to Remus here? And where are my clothes, please?"

The Healer clucked his tongue and shook his head. "You can't be meaning to discharge yourself tonight?"

"Yepp," she said through gritted teeth as she looked at Remus and then at Arthur expectantly. "These two will look after me."

"Miss Lake, I must insist that you stay for another twenty four hours at least-"

"I don't need to," she said weakly, feeling her head starting to spin. "I have a perfectly comfortable bed at home, Remus, my clothes, please?"

"I must fetch my superior," he said firmly. "Please, stay right here."

He moved back down the long ward and Serena looked at Arthur and Remus with desperate eyes.

"Get me out of here, please?"

The two men looked at each other and shared a private conversation, before Arthur grimaced and nodded.

Remus stood and fetched her pile of clothes from the cupboard next to her bed whilst Arthur went and closed the curtain around the bed, standing guard outside.

"Will you help me?" Serena asked Remus quietly, and he was by her side in an instant.

He handed her her bra unabashedly and she slipped it on under her hospital gown. She was glad to feel that they hadn't removed her knickers. Then, Remus took hold of the two sleeves and helped her lift the gown over her head, leaving her in her bra and knickers like a child waiting to be dressed.

Remus politely averted his eyes as he handed her her t-shirt.

"Bet you didn't think you'd be helping me dress one day, when you met me on the Hogwarts Express," she mumbled as she struggled with the sleeves of her t shirt. With every movement, her muscles protested, as though she had pulled every muscle in her body and hadn't rested.

Remus chuckled. "No, I most certainly didn't."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to help me with these fucking jeans," she said bitterly, hoping Remus wasn't too embarrassed, but as a true friend should be, he was just glad to help.

He knelt next to the bed and guided her slowly to her feet, encouraging her to lean onto his back. His warm hand squeezed one calf and then the other, lifting one leg at a time and pulling her jeans up carefully, standing as he did. He even did the button for her, and slowly lowered her back down to the bed.

"Socks and shoes and then we're done," he smiled softly, brushing her hair behind her ears affectionately.

She nodded, feeling incredibly tired, and let him dress her feet for her.

"Where's my cloak?" she asked, suddenly remembering the rather hefty amount of galleons in the pocket.

Remus seemed to follow her train of thought. "Here," he handed the black cloak to her. "And the contents are safe, don't worry. Arthur," he raised his voice slightly, "you can come in now."

When Arthur pulled back the curtain he was accompanied by the first Healer and a very tall, thin woman whom Serena took to be the head Healer.

The woman tutted at Serena and gave Remus a reproachful look. "Healer Selwyn has made it clear that your partner should stay here, sir. And I am in complete agreement. It is very dangerous for her to leave now, her body has suffered greatly."

Remus had turned a slightly pink colour and Serena wasn't sure if it was because she had been taken for his partner or because he was being scolded by the nurse.

"I thank you immensely for healing me," she said quietly, looking the nurse in the eye, "but in the current climate, I would feel safer at home. I am sure you can understand that. I would ask you to give the list of potions I must take to Remus here, and allow me to leave."

The two healers shared a disapproving look, but then the lady nodded. "Very well. Selwyn will bring you the discharge papers, the potions will be prepared for the next week and brought along in a few moments. Looking at your file, you should not be walking. We can offer you a wheelchair-"

"Absolutely not," she interrupted with wide eyes.

"Then I must draw the line at a stabilising stick, it will ensure your centre of gravity is conform and stop you from tipping over."

Serena sighed and nodded. All she wanted was to get out of there and see Severus.

"Very well, wait here please."

The two healers left once more and Serena closed her eyes, clutching the bed tightly as dizziness overwhelmed her. She felt the bed sink next to her and when she opened her eyes Arthur Weasley had a gentle arm around her shoulder.

"You'll be home soon," he murmured into her ear.

She nodded tiredly. "Thank you both, for staying with me."

"Don't be silly," Arthur said in a firm voice. "Ah, here he comes."

She signed the papers quickly, accepted the charmed black wooden stick and watched as Arthur took the box of potions and listened carefully to what she had to take and when. Then, Remus helped her to her feet and half-carried her out of the ward and down to the apparition point.

"Is he okay?" she asked quietly, as they struggled towards the lifts.

"I think so," Remus said in a soft voice. "He dropped you in the hallway yesterday and apparated straight away. Molly sent Arthur a coded message at about midnight to say that he was back at Headquarters. You'll tell us what happened later?"

Serena nodded.

The three of them made it to the heavily guarded apparition point and Arthur helped hold Serena upright.

"Ready dear?" he asked. "On three Remus? One, two-"

She was glad they were there to hold her up when they arrived because her legs gave way and it was only the two men and the strange stick she was clutching that stopped her from sprawling face first into the carpet.

Her whole body ached in protest, her head hurt from the spin of apparition, but it didn't matter because she could feel him, she could sense his presence and it drew her along the corridor, supported by her two friends.

"Shall I take you up to bed?" Remus asked quietly, but she shook her head and he knew what she wanted.

They turned down the stairs, her knees protesting painfully, but she was pulled forward by a force greater than pain.

The kitchen opened up, she saw a billow of black and then she was in his arms.

Severus scooped her off her feet and spun her around like a child, cradling her to him, holding her tightly against his body as though he would never let her go again. She clutched his robes as he held her head to his shoulder and breathed in her smell deeply.

After not nearly long enough, Severus set her gently on her feet, supporting the majority of her weight, and she looked around the kitchen at the others. Samuel and Molly Weasley were on their feet and Mad-Eye Moody sat at the table in the chair closest to the fire.

"Serena," Molly gushed, rushing to pull her into a gentle hug. "We were so worried! I am so glad you're safe!"

Samuel nodded his head and smiled at her too, whilst Remus stepped forward.

"She needs rest," he said quietly, "And there are potions to take before you sleep, Serena. Do you want me to come up with you?"

"No need Lupin," Severus snapped in a harsh voice and Molly Weasley tutted loudly.

"Oh and he's been a right barrel of laughs," she exclaimed in an annoyed voice. "Very friendly indeed."

Severus glared at her, but Serena squeezed his arm tightly.

"What happened?" she asked the room, noting how tired everyone looked. "How did you find me? What-"

"It will wait until the morning," Remus said quietly and Severus nodded his agreement.

She sighed. "Will you take me up, Sev?"

Severus' eyes softened as they looked down into hers, and she knew that he was waiting for privacy to be able to speak to her properly.

"Of course," he murmured softly.

Between the stabilising stick and Severus' arm, she managed her way up to their bedroom on the second floor.

She perched on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands as the room span.

She heard the sound of flittering robes and felt Severus kneeling at her feet.

"You're safe now, my love," he whispered, cradling her face in his rough hands. "Your safe. I promise you."

And she began to cry.