Sadly, work got too hectic on Tuesday, so I couldn't post. Updates may be hectic the next few days though because work is picking up, and I have guests coming in from out of town on Wednesday. Still, I had time to post today!
Thank you for all the support! It really means a lot.
Severus awoke, his right leg throbbing so hard he almost let out a whine. He looked around the cold, dry cell. Only the low light of the torches beyond the bars could be seen. At first, he considered crawling towards the bars for a better look at his surroundings, but thought better of it. Knowing his luck, one of the marauders was there, preparing to resume Severus' torture. Sitting against the wall wouldn't be terrible, so long as he was quiet.
"Severus?"
He turned beside him at the sound of the voice. There was a glimmer of newly polished tin. He crawled towards it and whispered, "Hermione?"
"Yes, I'm here."
He glanced around. Pieces of her body were tossed into a messy pile. Hopefully she would be all there, or at least the missing parts would be easy enough to find in Molly's lair.
"Are you in pain?" He asked.
"No," she answered. "One of the advantages of being made of tin is that I can't feel pain anymore. It is beneficial in a time like this."
"So it is."
A silence fell between them. Severus scanned the room, wondering what the Wicked Witch had planned. Better yet, what did the marauders plan to do? How could they have returned from the dead? Why did they have to follow him to Oz? Would they ever leave him alone?
"What happens now in your movie?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Severus admitted. "Molly wasn't supposed to destroy you, and the generals weren't supposed to be there at all."
"They weren't?"
"No, the Winkies in the movie were just following orders. They didn't harm Dorothy, nor did they take joy in harming anyone."
"Those guards were sadistic. They wanted you dead."
"They're heartless," Severus replied. "They were heartless at Hogwarts, and they're heartless now."
"Why do they hate you?"
"I don't know why these generals hate me. The ones at Hogwarts hated me because I was poor and disheveled compared to them The fact that I was into a kind of magic they did not approve of did little to help matters."
"You know magic?" Her voice was hopeful.
"In Hogwarts, yes, but here my magic is useless. If I could use it at all, I would have found a way to save you."
"Oh," her voice was quieter.
Another moment of silence fell between them.
"When you say you don't have a heart, you need to remember those guards," Severus began. "They lack a heart, not you. You have the biggest heart I've ever seen."
"I don't feel like I have a heart."
"And they probably feel as if they have a heart, but that does not make it the case."
"Do you think their chests are empty too?"
"No, but it would serve them right if they were made of tin." Severus' muscles tightened. "They deserve to rust by the yellow brick road. You never did."
"Nobody deserves what happened to me."
"I beg to differ. They deserve to be hurt, not you."
"No they won't. Standing there watching the world go by, being unable to say anything, it was pure torture. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even them."
"Which is why you have a heart, yet they do not. They would lose little sleep if that were to be my fate. It wouldn't surprise me if they were devising ways of making me nothing more than rusted tin."
"I hope that isn't the case," Hermione replied. "I hope we can save you from becoming tin."
"Me too, but I must be prepared for anything," Severus answered.
Once again, the dungeon fell silent. He couldn't help but shake his head at the irony. At Hogwarts, the dungeons had been home, a place where he could escape from the world. Now, he wasn't even safe in his sanctuary. Molly and the marauders had a way of destroying everything they touched, especially his sense of security.
"Severus?"
He hummed.
"Do you like the movie you keep bringing up?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You always speak of it with such disdain. Do you like this movie?"
He swallowed. "No, I despise it."
"Why? Because people sing in it?" She asked.
"No, because I don't understand the message."
"The message?"
"Yes, Dorothy only wants to go home. The whole movie is her journey home. She was convinced there was no place like home."
"What's so hard to understand? You want to go home."
"Yes, which is admittedly odd given how I feel about home."
"It doesn't sound like home was a nice place for you."
"I've never had a home," he admitted. "Not like Dorothy did. She wanted to go home because she had people who loved her."
"But you don't?"
"No," he whispered.
"I don't think that's true," She replied.
"How would you know what Hogwarts or my life there is like?"
"Because you're kind, at least with me. Yes, you snark, but there's a wit about you too I enjoy. You do the right thing, even if it's reluctantly," she replied. "I don't know why anyone wouldn't love someone like you."
"There are many reasons not to love me."
"But there are more reasons to love you."
"Or so you say," he replied.
"I do say," her lips contorted into a smile.
He let out a little chuckle.
"Was there any part of the movie you liked?" She asked.
"Yes."
"What was it?"
"You'll consider me mad, but there was a song."
"A song?"
"Yes, it was at the beginning. Dorothy sang it before she was transported to Oz."
"What was it called?"
"Over the Rainbow."
"How does it go?"
Severus looked down at her. It was difficult to see her eyes, but her voice was pleading for comfort. There was nobody around, and the music wasn't swelling. As long as the music wasn't playing he might be able to sing without the marauders intruding.
In a soft voice he began:
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Soft music played in the background. Severus considered stopping, and so far, musical numbers were allowed to proceed uninterrupted. Besides, Hermione needed comfort. The least he could do was provide it.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
He was a bit surprised he remembered the lyrics, but they flowed from his heart. Perhaps the magic of Oz involved memorizing song lyrics, or the song had touched him more than he cared to admit.
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
His throat constricted at the thought that he had yet to find this magical place where he was accepted. Neither Oz nor Hogwarts had been kind to him. Still, he pressed on
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I?
The music played as a bluebird whistled above them. If only he could be a bird so he could fly her parts away and save her.
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I?
He paused for a moment as the music continued.
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, Why, oh why can't I?
The music stopped as he exhaled. If he wasn't so despondent he would have sworn Hermione to secrecy that he could in fact, sing. Right now, he couldn't find it in himself to snap at anyone, much less her.
"That was beautiful," Hermione began with a catch in her voice.
"Do try not to cry," he began. "I don't have the oil can with me, so if you rust there is nobody who can help you."
"Oops, I may or may not have dropped an oil can."
Severus' body went cold. Ron, the flying monkey, was standing in the doorway, a box in his hands.
"What do you want?" Severus hissed.
"I came to give you your breakfast," Ron put a box through a slit.
Severus stared at the tray. Knowing Molly, it consisted of arsenic, cyanide, and vomit flavored jellybeans.
"Oh no!" Ron exclaimed.
"What?" Severus growled.
"I may have dropped the oil can and some enchanted tape in the cell too."
"Enchanted tape?"
"Yes, I don't know if it works on tin or not, but, if it does you shouldn't use it. No, don't use it or you'll anger the witch."
Severus raised an eyebrow as he took the items.
"Anyway, the Witch will want to see me soon…"
"Why are you helping us?" Severus demanded.
"Helping?" Sweat formed on Ron's brow. "Who said I was helping anyone?"
"Cut the act. It's clear you don't agree with Molly's actions and you're going out of your ways to help me repair Hermione. Why are you going along with any of this?" Severus asked.
"Because," Ron sighed. "The hat makes me obey Molly."
"The what?" Severus asked.
"The Witch's hat," Ron explained. "Whoever wears that hat controls my brothers and me."
"Can't you think for yourself and fight it?"
"Not for long," Ron answered. "If we struggle against it for too long, it begins to harm us. Sometimes it's a minor effect like turning our wings into ugly colors, but if we resist it for too long, well, it gets really painful."
"Why don't you just steal the hat and wear it yourself?" Severus asked.
"It doesn't work that way. The Wicked Witch has to die, or give the hat away. Then that person gets to run our lives."
"So you are born into slavery."
"Barbaric, isn't it?" Hermione began. "Flying monkeys deserve rights just like everyone else."
"Indeed they do."
"I don't think too much about it. It's just the way things are," Ron replied. "Anyway, I should go. If I were you, I would consider hiding the tape and oil can from the generals. Or don't. It doesn't matter. I never told you which to do because I never saw you get either item."
Severus watched as Ron flew away. He twisted his lip before examining the items.
"At least he still cares somewhat for me," Hermione began in a soft voice.
"Indeed, though I still believe Molly poisoned my food."
"That would be in her nature to do so."
"Indeed," Severus scooted the items back towards Hermione. "If we want to escape Molly, we need that bucket of water."
"Are you sure her weakness is water?" She asked.
"I know it is," he answered. "I saw how quickly she got away when the generals made water go out of my mouth. She's terrified of water."
"Why would she allow the generals to use that spell then?"
"Because she doesn't want them to know her weakness. If they don't know it, they can't use it against her, or perhaps they do know it and are so devoted to her they choose not to use it against her." Severus scratched his chin.
"Both of those sound absolutely horrid."
"Yes," Severus ran his hand over the oil can. "But their sadism can be used to our advantage."
"How?"
"They would have no problem giving me water, not if they believed it would hurt me."
"But water doesn't hurt you. They already know that. How could you convince them otherwise?"
"You are correct in saying water doesn't hurt me, but it does hurt you." Severus' lips curled up.
"I-I don't understand."
"If you are willing to take a serious risk, I have a plan for escaping from this prison cell with a bucket of water."
"What is it?"
Severus leaned down and whispered his plan. He couldn't see her expression, but he felt the tin under him shift into a smile.
"That's positively brilliant," she replied when he'd concluded.
"Yes, but there is a caveat. If I fail you could be harmed. Are you willing to take that risk?" He asked.
"I am, but," she paused. "If you can't escape them, they'll harm you again. I don't want to see you injured, not again."
"Don't worry about me," he replied. "At heart, the generals are nothing more than marauders. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's escape a marauder."
It took a couple of hours, but eventually the dungeon door opened. Footsteps echoed through the corridor. If he had to guess, they belonged to Peter. The snickering from across the dungeon confirmed it. Good. He wanted to face the least savvy one.
"It is rather unfortunate that I cannot repair you, Hermione, though the situation could be worse," Severus began.
"How?" She asked. "I'm shattered. How could my predicament be any worse?"
"They could pour a bucket of water on you and force me to watch," Severus continued. "That would be worse than any other torture they could dream up. I would never recover if you were rusting away in some prison cell.
He heard the footsteps scurry away up the corridor. Severus grinned.
Now he would face the marauders one final time.
This time, he was confident he could win.
You just knew I had to thrown in Somewhere Over the Rainbow!