Snape's Prisoner
Penny ran out onto the deserted high street and called for help as a black-clad fist closed on her mouth and dragged her into the shadows. Ginny recognised the robes as being like the Voldemort she had seen earlier that week.
Isha had her hand on Ginny's shoulder and advised her not to watch.
"Let me take over Ginny. This is too much for you!" she demanded
"No! I have come this far! Where is the help?" snapped Ginny "Ooh Penny!"
"They will be apparating nearby in seconds… trust me"
And Isha was proved right. Several black clad SMS agents appeared around Voldemort and Penny.
"Release the girl." barked one.
Voldemort looked around and seemed momentarily at a loss. his face was hidden by his black hood but Ginny could make out his mad, glaring eyes.
Without a word, Penny was held close to his body with his left hand whilst his free right hand generated a large, blinding flash.
Ginny and Isha both reeled at the brightness, but Ginny was determined to look for her friend and soon re-focussed the image. Isha gasped at what was revealed; three of the SMS agents had been killed, leaving only charred and bloody corpses behind. The remaining four agents fell back into cover but Voldemort could not be seen.
Ginny realised that one of them was Boggs. She crept closer to him and eavesdropped.
"He's on the Hotel roof. We have muggles turning up all over the shop and we need a clean-up team. No-one said this was Voldemort! Where's Snape?"
Ginny froze at this last message. "Why was Snape here?" She thought
Snape saw Voldemort and Penny on the rooftop. Below in the street a muggle Police van had arrived and was moving on several onlookers.
Voldemort had not seen Snape and was staring down on his created work of chaos, laughing to himself.
Penny stared petrified from under Voldemort's grip at Snape, her eyes boring into Severus deeply.
Snape knew he could not attack Voldemort for fear of exposing himself. He had worked hard to maintain his position amongst the Death-Eaters and could not risk it. However, Penny had to be saved somehow.
Ginny spotted Snape and begged Isha for information, but Isha was too busy explaining matters to SMS officials arriving in the office.
Voldemort pulled back his hood and revealed his face. Snape did not recognise him and guessed that this wizard was some sort of devotee of Voldemort yet not affiliated to any particular group: 'a nut-job' as Snape's mentor would have put it. This made matters better as Snape could attack him without the Death-Eaters getting involved, but he realised that mad wizards carried little for their hostages.
And Snape would not lose another of his girl's to this madman.
Launching himself from the shadows, Severus Snape strode towards the Voldemort impostor.
"Let the little girl go" he demanded.
Voldemort spun on the spot and held Penny out at arms length over the edge of the hotel. Penny screamed in terror. "As you wish" smiled the rogue wizard.
Penny fell from Voldemort's hand and into a web spun by Snape moment's earlier; 'Always so bloody predictable these nut-jobs' muttered Snape as Penny landed messily but harmlessly.
Voldemort threw a Cruciatus spell at Snape, who absorbed it with unnerving ease before blasting the impostor with a stone spell, which froze the crazed wizard rigid.
Suddenly, four SMS agents apparated nearby. Boggs was one of them and ran over to the stricken Voldemort.
"An impostor" gritted Snape as the Cruciatus spell began to take hold, wracking his body in agony.
Ginny fluttered down to where Penny was being freed of her spidery binds.
SMS agents had cordoned off the area and Snape had his frozen adversary in tow.
"Snape!" yelled Boggs as Penny was cut free. Penny was covered head to toe in horrendous blisters and warts and fell into the arms of a nearby agent.
Snape knew exactly what the spell was. "Insurance then? So maybe you are not so dumb after all." He sneered, kicking the solid form of the Voldemort floating behind him.
Ginny suddenly lost visual contact, as did Isha and the pair comforted each other.
Snape began chanting the undoing spell on the Voldemort: he needed to bargain with him to release the deathly spell on Penny when suddenly everyone in the street were apparated as one into a dark, low-lit and vast subterranean chamber.
Everyone froze, Snape was dizzy from fighting off the Cruciatus spell but could make out three black-clad wizards approaching them.
"That will be all Snape! Do not try to release Artemax or attempt to help Miss Riven."
"Artemax?" asked Boggs. "You know who this Voldemort look-a-like is?"
"We do."
"He killed three of my men. Good men. He…" Boggs slumped to the floor, and the remaining three SMS men took up defensive positions.
The three dark wizards remained but silhouettes as they approached. One by one, the SMS agents slumped into blissful unconsciousness.
Severus knelt down and looked into the pained eyes of Penny. Either it was the pain in his body or the fact that his only daughter had just died because of Artemax, he did not know: Snape began to cry.
As the three wizards towered over him he looked up. "Is this what we're fighting for? Really?"
Severus got no response. "My little Anna. She was only six. She was all you left me with. Because I trusted her with you, I agreed to fight Voldemort for you. You let her die! You let one of Voldemort's closest get to her and kill her!"
"Severus, we never intended to allow-"
"My Anna is dead because of your petty bureaucracy and incompetance!"
"Severus, we are bound-"
"And now you will let Penny die so that you may have Artemax to examine and add to your collection of wizards?"
The three shadowy wizards raised their hands and Snape collapsed, memories of this night of bloodshed, Penny's unnecessary death and his beloved Anna seeping forever from his mind.
Penny ran out onto the deserted high street and called for help as a black-clad fist closed on her mouth and dragged her into the shadows. Ginny recognised the robes as being like the Voldemort she had seen earlier that week.
Isha had her hand on Ginny's shoulder and advised her not to watch.
"Let me take over Ginny. This is too much for you!" she demanded
"No! I have come this far! Where is the help?" snapped Ginny "Ooh Penny!"
"They will be apparating nearby in seconds… trust me"
And Isha was proved right. Several black clad SMS agents appeared around Voldemort and Penny.
"Release the girl." barked one.
Voldemort looked around and seemed momentarily at a loss. his face was hidden by his black hood but Ginny could make out his mad, glaring eyes.
Without a word, Penny was held close to his body with his left hand whilst his free right hand generated a large, blinding flash.
Ginny and Isha both reeled at the brightness, but Ginny was determined to look for her friend and soon re-focussed the image. Isha gasped at what was revealed; three of the SMS agents had been killed, leaving only charred and bloody corpses behind. The remaining four agents fell back into cover but Voldemort could not be seen.
Ginny realised that one of them was Boggs. She crept closer to him and eavesdropped.
"He's on the Hotel roof. We have muggles turning up all over the shop and we need a clean-up team. No-one said this was Voldemort! Where's Snape?"
Ginny froze at this last message. "Why was Snape here?" She thought
Snape saw Voldemort and Penny on the rooftop. Below in the street a muggle Police van had arrived and was moving on several onlookers.
Voldemort had not seen Snape and was staring down on his created work of chaos, laughing to himself.
Penny stared petrified from under Voldemort's grip at Snape, her eyes boring into Severus deeply.
Snape knew he could not attack Voldemort for fear of exposing himself. He had worked hard to maintain his position amongst the Death-Eaters and could not risk it. However, Penny had to be saved somehow.
Ginny spotted Snape and begged Isha for information, but Isha was too busy explaining matters to SMS officials arriving in the office.
Voldemort pulled back his hood and revealed his face. Snape did not recognise him and guessed that this wizard was some sort of devotee of Voldemort yet not affiliated to any particular group: 'a nut-job' as Snape's mentor would have put it. This made matters better as Snape could attack him without the Death-Eaters getting involved, but he realised that mad wizards carried little for their hostages.
And Snape would not lose another of his girl's to this madman.
Launching himself from the shadows, Severus Snape strode towards the Voldemort impostor.
"Let the little girl go" he demanded.
Voldemort spun on the spot and held Penny out at arms length over the edge of the hotel. Penny screamed in terror. "As you wish" smiled the rogue wizard.
Penny fell from Voldemort's hand and into a web spun by Snape moment's earlier; 'Always so bloody predictable these nut-jobs' muttered Snape as Penny landed messily but harmlessly.
Voldemort threw a Cruciatus spell at Snape, who absorbed it with unnerving ease before blasting the impostor with a stone spell, which froze the crazed wizard rigid.
Suddenly, four SMS agents apparated nearby. Boggs was one of them and ran over to the stricken Voldemort.
"An impostor" gritted Snape as the Cruciatus spell began to take hold, wracking his body in agony.
Ginny fluttered down to where Penny was being freed of her spidery binds.
SMS agents had cordoned off the area and Snape had his frozen adversary in tow.
"Snape!" yelled Boggs as Penny was cut free. Penny was covered head to toe in horrendous blisters and warts and fell into the arms of a nearby agent.
Snape knew exactly what the spell was. "Insurance then? So maybe you are not so dumb after all." He sneered, kicking the solid form of the Voldemort floating behind him.
Ginny suddenly lost visual contact, as did Isha and the pair comforted each other.
Snape began chanting the undoing spell on the Voldemort: he needed to bargain with him to release the deathly spell on Penny when suddenly everyone in the street were apparated as one into a dark, low-lit and vast subterranean chamber.
Everyone froze, Snape was dizzy from fighting off the Cruciatus spell but could make out three black-clad wizards approaching them.
"That will be all Snape! Do not try to release Artemax or attempt to help Miss Riven."
"Artemax?" asked Boggs. "You know who this Voldemort look-a-like is?"
"We do."
"He killed three of my men. Good men. He…" Boggs slumped to the floor, and the remaining three SMS men took up defensive positions.
The three dark wizards remained but silhouettes as they approached. One by one, the SMS agents slumped into blissful unconsciousness.
Severus knelt down and looked into the pained eyes of Penny. Either it was the pain in his body or the fact that his only daughter had just died because of Artemax, he did not know: Snape began to cry.
As the three wizards towered over him he looked up. "Is this what we're fighting for? Really?"
Severus got no response. "My little Anna. She was only six. She was all you left me with. Because I trusted her with you, I agreed to fight Voldemort for you. You let her die! You let one of Voldemort's closest get to her and kill her!"
"Severus, we never intended to allow-"
"My Anna is dead because of your petty bureaucracy and incompetance!"
"Severus, we are bound-"
"And now you will let Penny die so that you may have Artemax to examine and add to your collection of wizards?"
The three shadowy wizards raised their hands and Snape collapsed, memories of this night of bloodshed, Penny's unnecessary death and his beloved Anna seeping forever from his mind.