(Disclaimer)

Lily sprinted as fast as she could down the corridor, not caring if he followed behind. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew her destination; outside the castle. There had to be some way, some loophole the Death Eaters forgot about. She couldn't stand to be here for another minute. Had she been killed at the wedding and sent to Hell? Nothing else could justify or soothe this outrageous suffering. Lily realized she was running barefoot. It would be a very slight advantage, but not when she broke free into the surrounding forest. Every step caused a horrible, searing pain in her sides and chest. The faster she ran through the castle, the warm sensation of blood sprayed into her mouth with every heavy breath. Lily's first thought was to tell Severus.

At once, that instinct was flushed out. He was the one who inflicted. Lily got chills, combined with rage. How could Severus love her? She couldn't get him out of her mind; the bitter, broken expression on his face with every fresh gash opened. Every kick and hit from the Death Eaters still made her flinch and grit her teeth just by recalling it. The echo of their wicked laughs only made her run faster. Waking up in his bed, his hands under her dress, touching her bare skin and almost at her breasts … And Severus confessed to loving her. Seeing him, full of emotion, made that warmth inside Lily stir … almost.

That monster. Severus had to have known. Why else would he say such a thing to her? Lily didn't keep it hidden that she wanted out of the castle. She remembered opening up to him just moments before he brutally tortured her. Lily cursed herself for being so eager to trust. Severus probably figured out all her weaknesses by now. He was the Death Eater strategist. Nothing he said could be genuine, it was all tricks and mind games. It would only be a matter of time before all the other Death Eaters would know all her weaknesses as well. But Severus said he loved her …

Lily ran faster, desperately trying to outrun her reality rather than look for an escape. She was utterly lost in the castle. She never had much of a chance to explore. Lily decided her best bet would be the kitchens. It wasn't an escape, but somewhere safe to hide for an hour or two until she knew Severus was gone. If she could find the dining or entry hall, she could find her way to the kitchens from there. Lily quickly spotted a small group of servants clustered together in a room They appeared to be dusting and organizing bookshelves. Quickly, Lily ran to them. "Please, you must help me –."

"No!" One of the girls immediately hissed, sporting an unhealthy black eye, and holding a filthy cleaning rag defensively. "No! Not you! You've caused us enough trouble!"

"Damn it, it's Snape's whore again." Another muttered.

"Please! We have to look for a way out of here!" Lily pleaded. "Here, we can finish the cleaning later, let me help you."

The girl with the black eye shoved Lily away. "No! Get away from here before you get more of us killed!"

Lily was taken back. "I'm sorry about Marlene! It wasn't my fault!"

"Marlene, Marlene, all she bloody cares about is Marlene." She muttered while wiping down a dusty grand piano.

"Thank Merlin for dead Marlene."

"Get out of here, red-head."

Lily ignored their comments. "There's a way out … somewhere! We can all get out of here, please listen to me!"

"Listen, you!" Another servant pulled Lily aside. "You need to shut your bloody mouth and get back up to your master in your cushy tower. There is no way out of here! Do you think we all haven't tried? There's nothing you can do!"

"There has to be something!" Lily interrupted. "Maybe not the windows or doors – ."

"There is no way out! Why can't you understand?!" The girl with the back eye snapped. "The only way out is death! None of us plan on dying because Snape's stupid whore can't keep her mouth shut!"

"We can't be seen with you! Does Snape know you're here?"

"Well no, I'm trying to get away from him – ." Lily started.

All the girls exchanged disgusted looks. "A cushy tower too good for you, eh?"

"He's going to skin you alive when he finds out."

"Poor thing." The girl with the black eye spat bitterly. "Too good for regular old mudblood servant's work and too good to be Snape's whore. Want to know something, red-head?" She glared at Lily with eyes full of poison. "I would bloody kill everyone in this room with my bare hands to be a Death Eater's little whore!" Her shattering statement didn't seem to disturb the others in the slightest; some nodded in agreement.

"Listen to yourselves!" Lily tried once more to take a stand. "We're witches! We've got just as much magical blood as those bastards do! They can't treat us like animals! There is a way out of this place, somewhere. There's always a loophole! If we work together, we can all get out of here!" All the girls stopped their work to look at her. Her words reached some, but not enough to incite action. The rest scowled as if she said something incredibly offensive.

"Please, stop." A girl said with a hoarse voice. "You want a way out? Go. Find it. If you make it out alive, then you bloody come back for us. Until then, I've come to terms with my death. We all have. Every poor soul in this godforsaken castle knows they have been brought here to die. And we have accepted it. Why can't you? Why do you insist on causing trouble? You and that Marlene are obsessed with saving our lives and escaping, but how many more of us have to die? When will you see that you're killing us off trying to save us?!"

Lily's stomach dropped. She had hoped with all her being that the other servants planned for an escape like Marlene. There had to be some observation, the most minute detail that one of them noticed about the defenses of this castle. How could hope be given up so easily?

The girl with the black eye wasn't having any of this. She squinted at Lily. "Look at her. She has all her hair, no scrapes and bruises, or broken limbs. The worst thing about her is the dirty hands. No wonder she's so fucking stupid, Snape treats his little whore like a bloody princess."

There was silence. Lily knew it was true, and so did the other servants. She was uncomfortably reminded of his confession, and the immense privilege of being nothing more than a secret roommate to a feared Death Eater. The painful reminder of how easily he could have done whatever he pleased with her; any sadistic, lecherous, and vile desires could have been performed on her. Lily was surrounded by survivors. Every single one of these women survived numerous grisly encounters with the Death Eaters. They've all been tortured, raped, and forced to carry on to cook and clean. They've had every ounce of hope and spirit drained out. These women were no longer proud muggleborn witches. They were all just empty shells to stuff the awaiting unmarked grave.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, the girls went silent and briskly returned to cleaning. They all ignored Lily as if she didn't exist. By the sound of heavy footsteps and obnoxious voices, it could only mean Death Eaters were approaching. Lily spun around to run off, but she was too late. She came face-to-face with two unpleasant visages; both she recognized. Lily was paralyzed with fear.

"Well, well, well." The first one had a ruddy, unshaven face with thick, dark eyebrows. He grinned wickedly, revealing rotting teeth. "Look what we got 'ere!" Lily remembered this one as Wilkes. "Little minx 'ere back from the dead to play!"

The other was a young man who looked impeccably clean and polished, but gaunt. Avery Nott. His dark eyes lit up with an unsettling desire. Lily remembered Severus telling her Nott tried to jump her after the wedding disaster. "Evan Rosier won't know what bloody hit him. All you mudbloods get out of here!" He loudly snarled. The servants quickly picked up their rags and buckets and left. Lily thought she saw a glance of pity from the girl with the black eye. Nott closed the door and faced her with a predatory grin.

"Does Sev know where you are?" Wilkes mocked concern as he shoved her into the empty room. His mocking quickly turned to anger when she didn't answer. "Well?!"

Lily found her voice. "… no …"

Wilkes and Nott chuckled sinisterly. Wilkes grabbed her face and pulled it close to his. "Pity. I bet you taste like 'is bloody cigarettes." He shoved his lips against hers. His sickening tongue tasted of rancid food and alcohol. She tried to pull herself away, but his grip forced her closer. When Wilkes finally let go, Lily stumbled backwards into Nott.

Nott's arms grabbed around her waist from behind and forced her onto his middle. "You remember me, don't you?" His voice turned into a husky whisper. Lily felt one arm lower to her hips and pressing them against his cock, while the other travelled to her breast. It was sickening of how she felt his hard cock twitch through his pants. "I liked you better in lace." He hissed while biting her ear. "I want you in lace and nothing else …."

"Don't hog 'er." Wilkes grunted and pried her from Nott.

Lily tried to detach. She thought only of Marlene's advice. "Go numb, go numb, go numb. Don't fight back. Don't fight back. Go numb, go numb, dammit!" She willed herself not to cry or shout. Dirty hands went crawling down the front of her dress; hot, wet, putrid kisses were planted down her neck and below her collarbone; her hair was stroked and pulled and gripped; her dress was being ripped and torn off her body. "Go numb, go numb, go numb!" It became harder and harder to detach. The pale green dress dropped to the floor. Lily couldn't gather the courage to fight back nor go numb. Every uneven breath, pinch, and touch was felt and almost amplified. The only thing that would mask it all was the sprouting seed of her guilt.

Rough hands cupped her breast and pulled it into an eager mouth. Lily thought of James Potter. She didn't love him, she never did. He was an annoying presence that she became accustomed to, and took advantage of his obsession. "Because of you, James Potter and his family are dead!" Lily thought of Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Both were unsavory characters, but she didn't hate them. They would have all been better off if Lily never used James. She thought about all the wedding guests, and the little girl, Emily. They were all probably dead as well.

A belt was unbuckling. Not a single inch of her body was left untouched by these beasts. A stiff, ready cock was pressed against her back. Lily thought of Marlene. Marlene who would still be alive if only Lily reached to her sooner. If only Lily told Marlene everything, she would still be alive. Lily thought of the other muggleborns. Most were killed on the streets or vanished completely; whereas the young, and pretty ones were dragged to hell. Here, they were killed off as well, but first they were humiliated. Here, proud witches were stripped of their magic, dignity, and will to live. How could Lily be so ignorant of the suffering around her? While she daydreamed, safe and locked away upstairs, these poor muggleborn witches were raped and tortured out of their wits. Lily's wish was for an escape; these servants wished for death. There was no escape, and all she did was turn the others against her.

"Open up, you."

Wilkes was behind her. One hand squeezing her breast and the other tightly holding one of her legs out by the knee. Suddenly, dry, cold fingers forced their way inside her. Lily winced and bit her tongue. "GO NUMB! GO NUMB!" It hurt. She would not scream or shed a single tear. She couldn't let them see weakness. They twisted inside her like snakes; reaching and grabbing. Lily felt sick. They pushed deeper and deeper. The fingers clawing at the flesh, tearing her open from the inside out. Each thrust came back harder and further in. Lily thought of Severus. It was beyond luck that she managed to stay hidden longer than Mary and Marlene. It was obvious now Severus played a larger role in her handling than he let on. How foolish could she have been to trust him? Was she so desperate for an escape, or a shred of humanity that she turned to a Death Eater? The fingers felt like parasitic worms, burrowing further inside her and rigorously searching for blood. "This might as well be him." Lily bitterly thought.

Like these cruel hands digging inside her, Severus violated her. He got into her head, and Lily let him. Too many times she lowered her guard around him. This must be some sick game to him. She made herself too easy to be toyed with. What benefit did he have in breaking her? Revenge? Pride? It was impossible to prove if Severus was genuine or not. Lily gritted her teeth at the memory of him raising his wand to her, then suddenly waking up in his bed, in his arms, touching her. Perhaps if he didn't love her, or seek revenge or a triumph, all that remained was lust. Countless occasions she was hexed unconscious, but Severus always happened to be around. Was he just as lecherous as the other Death Eaters? His clean demeanor could be a mask for darker things.

The fingers were ripped out of her. For a moment, Lily thought there would be some temporary relief; but the fingers were replaced by a hot, slimy tongue, broken lips and teeth. Biting and tasting her, sucking away what remained inside. Lily feared his love. She feared if it was possible she felt something in return. The mere idea was too dangerous. If there was the slightest hint of a breath of it, both Severus and Lily would pay for it with their lives. Severus wasn't foolish; how could he truly love her? He got into her mind, found a weakness, and he was going to hold her in his trap.

Nott hungrily eyed her as he straightened up. His cock was already out. He grabbed her throat and hissed into her ear. "I want you to bloody look at me. Look me in the eyes, mudblood!" She wanted her freedom. Lily opened her eyes, but looked everywhere except Nott's face. If he wanted to fuck her, he would have to do it without her eyes. Lily would not fight back. She had already reviewed her guilt, but nothing could crush her stubbornness. "Bloody slut! I said look at me!"

Wilkes chimed in. "You gotta force 'er down an' over somewhere."

"I want her to fucking look at me!" Nott shouted at his cohort. "I'm not fucking her over a bloody armchair! Look at me, mudblood!" His grip tightened around her neck.

Lily spat in his eye. Once Nott shrieked out and released her, she elbowed Wilkes and wrested out of him. Once she was across the room and out of their reach, she pulled books off the shelves and hurled them at the two Death Eaters. "Does your mum know you fuck mudbloods with that mouth?" Lily smartly remarked as threw another heavy book. Something was odd. Wilkes and Avery weren't pursuing her; they were just looking at each other with bewilderment and dodging the books. It dawned on her. They didn't bring their wands. They didn't know how to fight. "Forgot your wands, boys?" She teased.

Nott attempted to regain control. "How dare you talk to us –." Lily chucked a book at him. It missed Nott, but hit Wilkes in the face with a high-pitched yelp.

"Are you that thick? What kind of wizard doesn't have his wand?!" Lily shouted. "Bloody pathetic is what you all are!"

Wilkes was sporting a broken nose, yelled out. "Forget 'er! She's gone fucking loony!"

Lily's sudden rush of power was quickly extinguished when Nott dodged her books and grabbed her wrists. "You better watch your step, mudblood! If you were mine, I'd bleed you out for that!" Lily tried shaking off his grip, but that only prompted him to hold onto her throat. "Best you start thinking of me whenever Snape fucks you. It's only a matter of time before he'll drop you and I'll be your new master." He licked the side of her face and slammed the door behind him.

Lily was shaken. Wilkes had grabbed her dress to stop his bloody nose. She was all alone in the room, without a stitch on her frame. Only now was she aware of how cold she was. Utterly cold and alone again.