*** 1983 ***

Methos shivered as he faced the cold breeze outside.
They weren't taking him to the master. For a moment, a short heavenly moment, he felt relief soar through him. A hope to get away, that the horror would be over, but then he remembered ...
When Cassius had tried to escape, old Mauri had beaten him, worse ... He'd seen the boy lying there in a heap of bones, barely alive, his body dark with his own blood. He wasn't dead, but death could hardly have been more cruel.

Methos and the others had been standing there, watching as the master showed them what happened to slaves who didn't know their place in life. To those who dared to think they could be free.
And that had just been old Mauri. What would his new master do if he tried to get away?

The men, the thieves stared at him as he froze in his tracks.
"Methos." He didn't understand their words. He turned to the one of them he actually recognized and smiled, before turning to look over his shoulder. He couldn't go, they had to understand that.

One of them took hold of his arm, as if to drag him along. Methos wanted to scream, to show he didn't go freely, but another of the shadow figures put his hands on his mouth, keeping him silent.
He struggled, but lost his chance when one of them beat him on the head.

*** 2001 ***

"They almost killed you." Severus chuckled under his breath, in wry contradiction with the seriousness of his words.

"Hey for all I knew, they were just trying to steal me. Good slaves don't run Severus, and as stupid as I might have been, I always tried to be a good slave. It hurt less."

Snape touched the mark on his skin again.
"I remember your terror." Glee showed in his eyes."Potter tried to calm you down. He only made it worse. Then I showed up and you cooled down, letting no one but me touch you."

"He nearly choked. The shock was that bad."

Snape smiled, his grin broader, than most people would ever imagine it could be.
"Thanks for that by the way. God I wish I could have shaken the man like that. It was long time someone pulled him of his sockle. Damn arrogant bastard, always thought he was better than anyone else."

*** 1983 ***

"Damn bastard." Black held on to his leg, touching the skin where the Swordsman had hit him.

"He's a threat Potter, lethal, corrupted." Krenck sounded emotionless, hard, formal.
"I'm afraid we don't have a choice."

Potter was coming up. Letting go of the Swordsman on the soft leather coucvh in the middle of the room.
"No."
His words expressed Severus' own thoughts.
They couldn't do this.

"Why not Potter? Do you even realize how dangerous an insane magical creature like this can be?"
Krenck grabbed hold of Potters arm and forced him to face him.
"Do you have any idea what you-know-who was planning with the thing? If 'He' gets a hold of him again..."
The sheer horror of it rang through the augurs voice.
"We'd all be doomed."

Krenck streightened up again and looked at the swordsman with a gleam of false pity.
"There's no other choice."

As much as his every word was truth, it wasn't the full truth. Severus knew that, he wanted to shout it, to stop this, but before he could say a thing to interfere, Potter spoke again.
Logical, yet passionate as always. Why did that man always have to be so damn good?

"You can't kill a sentient. An innocent."
Severus wanted to hit him, for being right, for having to agree with him, for being on the same side with a man he hated more than anything.
"Would you kill those Muggles for what Voldemort did to them?

Severus shivered as Potter spoke the dreaded name, how could the man be so calm about it. This was ... he choked, not even daring to think the Dark Lord's name.

"Of course not." Krencks response sounded almost affronted.

"Then why would you kill him?"

"It's different James. Those Muggles as pittiable as they might be right now, they're still human.
Swordsmen never were." Krenck seemed to be going of for one of his political speaches. "They're dangerous enough as it is, no need to make them even more so..."

Severus shivered at the thought of what the man was implying, but that was no reason. No reason at all.

"No!" They all turned to him, almost surprised he'd dared to speak, even knowing what they thought of him. A Death Eater who'd turned on his own.
"I did not risk my life, warning you idiots, just so you can go on ahead and kill him."
Potter seemed surprised to hear him like that.
"All he needs is time."

He fought for all the courage he could muster.
"I'll fight you. If you try to kill him, I'll fight you over it."

"Me and him both Krenck."

"And me."

Severus stared at the look in their eyes. Dumbledore, looked at him supportively, Black just tried to look away from him,

"How dare you?" Krenck seemed almost affronted at the idea of the others turning against him.

"Easily.

Severus didn't dare turn back to Potter. He knew he'd just glare at the man if he did, still unable to believe what he was seeing. Him and Potter on the same side about anything... It was a sight he'd never before have imagined possible. He hated it.

Krenck lifted his hands in surrender.
"It's on your hands then Potter.
Severus tried to look at his archrivals reaction.
"I'll make sure you get guardianship. But don't take it lightly."

Potter would be a fool if he did.
Guardianship over any magical creature, over Swordsmen especially. Oh god.it was one of the most powerfull magics around. Snape grumbled, knowing there was nothing he could do about it. Why did Potter always get these kind of things thrown in his lap. Why did he always get it easy? It just wasn't fair. Why did Potter get everything?

Methos was his find. His responsibility, but they just took it away from him like that, as if anything he'd done didn't matter. Only Potter mattered. As always.
They considered themselves kind to give him a second chance, the fools. As if he did it for them. He resented that idea. He'd offered them his help and yet they treated him as if they were being tollerant about him. As if he should be glad they'd accepted his aid. Potter, always Potter
It had taken Potter and Dumbledore to save Methos, and his actions had once again been thrown away as nothign.

Severus forced himself to stop thinking about them and turned to the being that was lying on the couch, trembling. He moved over to the man and brushed his fingers over the creatures brow.
It rolled up in its sleep.

"How old is he?"

Severus nearly jumped up, he hadn't noticed the others approach.
"5.000"
Potter gasped. Severus grinned, glad he'd known something that Potter hadn't.
"He doesn't remember."

The creature opened its eyes, as if it knew they were talking about it.
Severus sat down next to it and talked in hushed tones, hoping to keep it calm. The creature grabbed his hand, desperate for something solid to grasp on to.