Metamorphosis:

~* When a person or thing changes into a completely different one *~

Prologue

In a cold, dimly lit doorway a young woman stood. She stood defiantly, as defiantly as her weak body could withstand. Her normal curvy figure was reduced to a thin layer of fat and bones. Her ashen complexion sallowed and sagging. Her thick brown hair greasy and limp, she was the living dead. The only things alive were

her eyes. Living sapphires, bluebell flames caught in the iris of her eye. They could stare down a wall any day.

She was awaiting her trial.

For days, maybe months she had been sitting and starving in that hellhole of that prison. Dementors were constantly at her cell feeding on her distraught emotions and powers. Yet they could not rob her of all her powers and they knew it. Her grief and situation had turned her numb. She felt as if she was immune to any emotion, but then again she hadn't had her trial yet.

She heard Bagman ooze his way through a close call, she heard Crouch betray his son and she heard the black hooded woman pledge her utter, undieing faith to the dark lord.

" The dark lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban, we will wait! He will come for us; he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful" " We alone tried to find him!" taunted the black hooded woman.

Within earshot, she began to weep, all her represses emotions coming out. This was the final straw.

The black hooded woman surged out of the court, dementors on either side. She paused to look at the woman with the sapphire eyes. " Good bye Blanche," whispered the blue-eyed woman. " My name is not Blanche," the other hissed, though for all her brave faith to the dark lord, she could not meet the other's eyes.

" No, you are quite the opposite of that now," the other mused, her eyes filled with sadness and wishes of better times. Before anyone could retort to that she was given a huge thrust forward, and stumbled even for her queen like stance. The dementors hurried the blue-eyed woman to enter the courtroom, but they didn't touch her.

She entered the courtroom; a cold sea of faces greeted her, this wasn't going to be easy. She glanced, scanning the crowd for a familiar face; she saw many, yet she knew she was not familiar to many. Her eyes stopped at a would be handsome man, despite being the perfect picture of ill health, he would not look at her. She knew what he thought, like many others did, the bitch of the betrayer. She saw an old, white haired man, he held her gaze, yet he couldn't for long. For once the great Albus Dumbledore was stumped, he didn't know what to think. And then she withheld him in her gaze. A person of whose opinion was very important to her. Severus Snape looked her straight in the eye and bowed his head. Faith, utter faith was in his eyes. With renewed confidence she smoothed her tangled web of hair and straightened her knee length Jersey dress and cardigan. It was time to be judged.

" I call Ms Natalia Shycock to take the stand, " roared Crouch, with a lining of hatred in his tone. "On the grounds that she was a Sirius Black's ally in the betrayal of the Potters and for jumping to his defense from several hit wizards. What plead you?" He spat. Gathering all her courage and finding her voice, she began.

" I, Natalia Shycock am innocent. I will not to plead to be something I am already. There is no evidence whatsoever that I betrayed the Potters, I would never, and I loved them far too much. The exact same goes for Sirius, he would never . . . . .."

"Do you acknowledge that Black was the Potter's secret keeper?" interrupted Crouch viciously.

" To my knowledge, that is the truth, but under no circumstances, would he betray them,"

"Clearly you do not know your bastard of a fiancé as well as you think," smirked Crouch.

She thought her anger and hatred had been stretched to their limits, yet they were renewed in an instant.

" Don't you ever speak about him that way!" she roared furiously in response, about to lunge on top of him, forgetting all magic and restrictions. She stopped immediately when she saw herself at many a wands' point. She tried to collect her thoughts and prepare her speech. " Sirius Black was not a saint, yet he was not a Judas either. He loved the Potters with all his heart and he would never betray them. That is why I leap to his defense without questioning his honor, I know him to well, I love him so much to question it," She paused, realizing that admitting how much you love a supposed betrayer and murderer was going to cost her heavily. Her eyes focused on certain people in the crowd, all were spellbound by her, yet horror and disgust were apparent on their faces. She winced, it hurt. " Blind faith some may call it, but without faith and hope what are we? So I hope you have the faith in me to see that I am innocent. And the faith in Sirius to see that in him, at least give him a trial," She snarled the last part, glowering irately at Crouch.  He almost spat back as if she were lower than any house-elf that walked the earth.

" Jury," he commanded, "What say you on this matter?"  They discussed in hushed voices for a few moments. Then a wizened wizard stood up and in a feeble voice began " There is no evidence of her betrayal to the Potters, except the obvious relationship between her and Black. She came to his defense against several hit wizards, betraying her colleagues, though not injuring them exactly; we conclude that does suggest dark arts activity and betrayal of the Ministry of Magic. While this is merely suggested not proven, we cannot put her in Azkaban, but suggest exile of a form."

"What form?" questioned Crouch.

" Exile from The Magical world, Britain and never be able to perform magic for . . . . . . ."  

"Please don't say forever, " she begged silently.  

"  For a period of fourteen years,"

" That is it then, that is sentence, Shycock," roared Crouch, banging his hammer for finality. Anger welled up inside of her at this.

"You think you are doing justice? You son of a…. You are destroying it!" She screamed.  Then she was whisked away by dementors, never to see the man she hated so again, and knocked out cold.

*  *  *  *  *   *  *  *   *   *  *  *   *

Hours later (she presumed) she found herself and her meager belongings outside the cold fortress on a bench, beside a concerned, yet smirking Severus Snape. "Finally up?" he said. " I would like to see how long you'd be out for if you were smashed on the head by a dementor,' she grumbled. " I wouldn't," he told her. Now, it was her turn to smirk. On a more serious note he added, "How are you Natty?" She sighed, realizing how awful she really was, it was good to hear him call her that though. " Awful, my head hurts and my whole life has been ruined," she responded, keeping the bitterness in her voice to a bare minimum. "Four of my friends are dead, one is in Azkaban, one hates my living guts and the man I love is in Azkaban on false accusations. The whole world hates me, that's how I feel."

" I'm sorry,' he said

'Thank you," she replied.

" I believe you," he said

" I know, ' she replied

"Yet, why do you defend him? He did it you know. Why do you defend him?"

"Severus," she reprimanded severely "We've had this conversation before,'

Severus Snape's eyes turned cold at this memory, yes this was a conversation, a discussion, a disagreement, an argument or a full out fight they had had many times before.

"I love him Severus, I know him Severus, he would never, could never do that,"

"I never thought, that you of all people would let love blind you like this, remember what he did to me Natalia?" He retorted, scratching out, old deep wounds.

She winced at her full name, but her heart turned cold. " I've told you Severus, never bring that up with me again, and how would you know if love is blinding, since you've never loved someone that isn't dead," she spat at him wrathfully. As she said this her throat filled with dread and guilt at her statement,

"How dare you!' he hissed in a low, dangerous voice." How dare you speak about her like that,'

'How dare I? How dare you speak about my fiancé like that!  As if he was a servant of Vodemort, which he is not! Only you would know what that is like", she screamed. "At least I was open about it and turned it into good! I never betrayed Dumbledore, which is something you and your bastard fiancé did!"

He immediately regretted this. Her eyes rounded in wrath and disgust. "Don't you ever say that Snake!' she hissed, reverting to his childhood nickname, given by Sirius. He looked at her, that cold, distant look filled with anger, disgust and hate. He had never looked at her like that. She returned it and started to walk away.

Saying: " Goodbye Severus Snake,"

He didn't reply.

As she sauntered out of the fortress she stopped when she saw Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore, looked at this young woman, she had surprised him to say the least. She had turned out the furtherest from what he had expected, even when she had first tried on that sorting hat. She was one never expected to go to the dark side, yet he was sure she had. Maybe she deserved this banishment, maybe they all needed it. This was a case where he didn't know who to trust, he trusted Severus, yet he just couldn't trust her. He forced himself to meet those strange, ex raying, forbidding eyes.

She winced when she soul searched his eyes, she saw confusion and she expected that, yet she also saw loathing that marred her soul. To be hated by Albus Dumbledore was not a good thing.

" I know what you will to ask,' he said to her concisely, "and the answer is no."

" Who is he going to live with then?" her voice reaching a pleading note

"That does not concern you," Dumbledore spoke harshly; he had never talked to her like that.

Tears began to well up in her eyes; her world was slowly coming to an end.

"Never try to find out where he is and visit him, ever. Do you understand me?" He spoke with hate as an undertone to his voice. This angered her, how can he not believe her?

Gathering all her emotions she spat," No, I won't Sir; he won't be dirtied with my pitiful excuse at a life. Maybe you will let the Dursleys do that?"

He didn't flinch, but his eyes showed otherwise.

"Promise?" he stated steadfastly.

"Promise, professor," She spat sarcastically and irately.

And with that she left, the wizard world had had enough of her and she of it.

For now.