* * * *
Kendra was still staring out the window almost two hours later as the sun began to set behind the buildings and trees of the town. Snape hadn't returned yet and Hermione had opened the door to check for him every five minutes or so for the last hour. Kendra tried not to worry about their guardian and concentrated on the house that she was supposed to be watching. Nothing suspicious had happened, no Death Eaters had left the house in the last two hours, but she could still not calm the worry that was rising in her. Her stomach churned uncomfortably and she could feel nervous bile burning at the back of her throat.
"He should be back now," Parvati murmured, for what was probably the thirteenth time that evening. "It wouldn't take him this long to find something to eat. Something bad must have happened."
Kendra frowned. "Did you get a vision about something happening?"
All eyes turned toward Parvati and she suddenly looked very nervous. "Yes," she said, "and no. I'm not even sure exactly."
Harry frowned. "What did you see?"
"Nothing," Parvati said, nervously twisting her hands. "Just . . . blackness. It was like it was happening to me, hands were on my arms and legs and I was being carried above their heads into this black pit. There was nothing I could see but there was something down there." Tears had sprung to her eyes. "It's not something nice either."
"Voldemort," Hermione said, nodding to punctuate her word. "It had to be."
Ron's eyes widened and he pushed himself back against the wall. "Don't say that Hermione. Don't use his name."
She looked at him sideways. "Why not?" she asked. "We'll have to fight him eventually and I think using his name is slightly less scary than that."
Ron shrugged. "It's just that . . ." he trailed off, searching for the words.
A clatter from the window stopped his thoughts and they all glanced over to see the Omnioculars lying on the floor. Kendra stared through them, at some point beyond what they could see and she slowly slid to the floor under the window.
"Kendra?" Hermione called, his voice alarmed. "Kendra, what's wrong?" She got to her feet and went to the other girl, grasping her shoulders and shaking them hard . . .
. . . From somewhere far off, Kendra could hear her name being called, but it wasn't important. All that mattered was the man inside her head . . . the man whose eyes she could see through at that very moment.
"Miss Rayne . . ." the voice came hesitantly at first, as if he didn't truly believe she could hear him. It entered her head slowly, like a tendril of smoke twisting through a room. His voice was low and haggard, she could only imagine what they'd already put him through.
"Yes?" she murmured, barely moving her lips. She didn't have to speak for him to hear her. She was connected with him, connected to his thoughts to protect her guardian and the world.
"Kendra," the voice came louder this time, gasping for air. He had never called her by her first name before.
"Professor," she breathed.
"Merlin's beard . . ." he whispered, then silence took over again as he tried to work out his jumbled thoughts. She couldn't follow them all, not while his mind was racing so rapidly, but there were some that she caught and they frightened her.
"They have you in the house, don't they?" she asked.
He coughed, gasped for air again and tried to speak. "Yes," he murmured. "They overtook me while I was ordering our meal . . . they killed everyone in the Inn."
"Why not us?"
"Voldemort wants The Five."
"I know," Kendra said. "I can see him. He's standing in front of you, isn't he?"
"Yes," came the strained reply.
"He's going to hurt you, isn't he?" she asked, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.
Snape coughed again, then said, "Yes."
"Do something," she said. "Fight back."
"They took my wand," he told her. "I can't fight back."
"Yes, you can," Kendra said, through clenched teeth. She could see what Snape saw, the blackness of the room, the crimson, slanted eyes that stared out of the shadows. She could feel the hands of the Death Eaters on his body, holding him in place. She could feel the remnants of the Cruciatus curse coursing through his body, the waves of pain that still remained.
"He can't kill you yet," Kendra whispered, almost to herself.
"If he wants to, he will."
"He doesn't want to," she said vehemently. "If he kills you, we won't come for you. We'll know you're dead."
"You can't know everything," he said, his voice suddenly very tired.
"I will know if you're dead," she insisted.
She heard an unmistakable chuckle. "He's found new ways to torture me."
Kendra sharply drew in a breath. "Like what?"
"Never mind," he said quickly. "Just don't come after me."
"Professor . . ." she trailed off.
"I said don't come after me."
"We can't leave you there," she protested.
"I will be dead soon enough."
"No," Kendra said sharply. "No, we're coming for you. Don't do anything stupid, like die."
Another chuckle, though this one sounded far more tired than the last one had. "You're very stubborn."
"Of course."
"Stubborn enough to hold a two way conversation in your head, though you have never been able to do that before."
Kendra was startled into silence. Snape was right, she'd always been able to hear their thoughts but they had never been able to hear hers.
"Did I force myself into your head?" she asked.
"I think so," he replied. "Whatever happened, it doesn't matter anymore. Just stay safe."
"We're coming for you," she insisted.
Out of the darkness Kendra could see an outline forming, a tall, thin body in dark robes. The black hood was pulled over the face, but she could still see the red eyes, the serpentine gaze. She wanted to turn away, screamed at Snape to turn his head so she didn't have to see anymore, but the professor either wouldn't look away, or he couldn't.
"Snape," the voice hissed and Kendra felt a shiver run through her body. "Our very special traitor is here with us today."
"Don't hurt him!" Kendra screamed, knowing it was futile, knowing that Voldemort couldn't hear her. "Please Merlin, don't let him hurt Snape."
"Shh," Snape murmured softly in her mind. "Don't do this Kendra . . . just go back to Hogwarts. Find Dumbledore and come back with help . . . I deserve this."
Tears threatened to fall once more as she said, "You don't deserve this. You didn't do anything."
"I was a Death Eater. I killed innocent people-"
"And you came back," Kendra said, cutting him off. "Everyone else forgives you, so why can't you forgive yourself?"
"Let go of him," Voldemort ordered.
Kendra could feel the hands letting go of Snape's body and he fell to the hard floor with a sickening thud. His body was battered and bruised, yet he still managed to raise his head and stare Voldemort in the face.
Kendra wanted to look away and couldn't, she felt the bile rise in her throat again and she leaned over as she began to vomit. The eyes . . . the scarlet gaze cut into her like nothing ever had. Snape's worst memories hadn't frightened her this much.
"Be safe," Snape whispered to her.
"Pando Dolens," the command came from Voldemort and a purple flash blinded Snape and Kendra. Before she could see again, she heard Snape's scream and then it was all gone.
* * * *
Kendra was still staring out the window almost two hours later as the sun began to set behind the buildings and trees of the town. Snape hadn't returned yet and Hermione had opened the door to check for him every five minutes or so for the last hour. Kendra tried not to worry about their guardian and concentrated on the house that she was supposed to be watching. Nothing suspicious had happened, no Death Eaters had left the house in the last two hours, but she could still not calm the worry that was rising in her. Her stomach churned uncomfortably and she could feel nervous bile burning at the back of her throat.
"He should be back now," Parvati murmured, for what was probably the thirteenth time that evening. "It wouldn't take him this long to find something to eat. Something bad must have happened."
Kendra frowned. "Did you get a vision about something happening?"
All eyes turned toward Parvati and she suddenly looked very nervous. "Yes," she said, "and no. I'm not even sure exactly."
Harry frowned. "What did you see?"
"Nothing," Parvati said, nervously twisting her hands. "Just . . . blackness. It was like it was happening to me, hands were on my arms and legs and I was being carried above their heads into this black pit. There was nothing I could see but there was something down there." Tears had sprung to her eyes. "It's not something nice either."
"Voldemort," Hermione said, nodding to punctuate her word. "It had to be."
Ron's eyes widened and he pushed himself back against the wall. "Don't say that Hermione. Don't use his name."
She looked at him sideways. "Why not?" she asked. "We'll have to fight him eventually and I think using his name is slightly less scary than that."
Ron shrugged. "It's just that . . ." he trailed off, searching for the words.
A clatter from the window stopped his thoughts and they all glanced over to see the Omnioculars lying on the floor. Kendra stared through them, at some point beyond what they could see and she slowly slid to the floor under the window.
"Kendra?" Hermione called, his voice alarmed. "Kendra, what's wrong?" She got to her feet and went to the other girl, grasping her shoulders and shaking them hard . . .
. . . From somewhere far off, Kendra could hear her name being called, but it wasn't important. All that mattered was the man inside her head . . . the man whose eyes she could see through at that very moment.
"Miss Rayne . . ." the voice came hesitantly at first, as if he didn't truly believe she could hear him. It entered her head slowly, like a tendril of smoke twisting through a room. His voice was low and haggard, she could only imagine what they'd already put him through.
"Yes?" she murmured, barely moving her lips. She didn't have to speak for him to hear her. She was connected with him, connected to his thoughts to protect her guardian and the world.
"Kendra," the voice came louder this time, gasping for air. He had never called her by her first name before.
"Professor," she breathed.
"Merlin's beard . . ." he whispered, then silence took over again as he tried to work out his jumbled thoughts. She couldn't follow them all, not while his mind was racing so rapidly, but there were some that she caught and they frightened her.
"They have you in the house, don't they?" she asked.
He coughed, gasped for air again and tried to speak. "Yes," he murmured. "They overtook me while I was ordering our meal . . . they killed everyone in the Inn."
"Why not us?"
"Voldemort wants The Five."
"I know," Kendra said. "I can see him. He's standing in front of you, isn't he?"
"Yes," came the strained reply.
"He's going to hurt you, isn't he?" she asked, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.
Snape coughed again, then said, "Yes."
"Do something," she said. "Fight back."
"They took my wand," he told her. "I can't fight back."
"Yes, you can," Kendra said, through clenched teeth. She could see what Snape saw, the blackness of the room, the crimson, slanted eyes that stared out of the shadows. She could feel the hands of the Death Eaters on his body, holding him in place. She could feel the remnants of the Cruciatus curse coursing through his body, the waves of pain that still remained.
"He can't kill you yet," Kendra whispered, almost to herself.
"If he wants to, he will."
"He doesn't want to," she said vehemently. "If he kills you, we won't come for you. We'll know you're dead."
"You can't know everything," he said, his voice suddenly very tired.
"I will know if you're dead," she insisted.
She heard an unmistakable chuckle. "He's found new ways to torture me."
Kendra sharply drew in a breath. "Like what?"
"Never mind," he said quickly. "Just don't come after me."
"Professor . . ." she trailed off.
"I said don't come after me."
"We can't leave you there," she protested.
"I will be dead soon enough."
"No," Kendra said sharply. "No, we're coming for you. Don't do anything stupid, like die."
Another chuckle, though this one sounded far more tired than the last one had. "You're very stubborn."
"Of course."
"Stubborn enough to hold a two way conversation in your head, though you have never been able to do that before."
Kendra was startled into silence. Snape was right, she'd always been able to hear their thoughts but they had never been able to hear hers.
"Did I force myself into your head?" she asked.
"I think so," he replied. "Whatever happened, it doesn't matter anymore. Just stay safe."
"We're coming for you," she insisted.
Out of the darkness Kendra could see an outline forming, a tall, thin body in dark robes. The black hood was pulled over the face, but she could still see the red eyes, the serpentine gaze. She wanted to turn away, screamed at Snape to turn his head so she didn't have to see anymore, but the professor either wouldn't look away, or he couldn't.
"Snape," the voice hissed and Kendra felt a shiver run through her body. "Our very special traitor is here with us today."
"Don't hurt him!" Kendra screamed, knowing it was futile, knowing that Voldemort couldn't hear her. "Please Merlin, don't let him hurt Snape."
"Shh," Snape murmured softly in her mind. "Don't do this Kendra . . . just go back to Hogwarts. Find Dumbledore and come back with help . . . I deserve this."
Tears threatened to fall once more as she said, "You don't deserve this. You didn't do anything."
"I was a Death Eater. I killed innocent people-"
"And you came back," Kendra said, cutting him off. "Everyone else forgives you, so why can't you forgive yourself?"
"Let go of him," Voldemort ordered.
Kendra could feel the hands letting go of Snape's body and he fell to the hard floor with a sickening thud. His body was battered and bruised, yet he still managed to raise his head and stare Voldemort in the face.
Kendra wanted to look away and couldn't, she felt the bile rise in her throat again and she leaned over as she began to vomit. The eyes . . . the scarlet gaze cut into her like nothing ever had. Snape's worst memories hadn't frightened her this much.
"Be safe," Snape whispered to her.
"Pando Dolens," the command came from Voldemort and a purple flash blinded Snape and Kendra. Before she could see again, she heard Snape's scream and then it was all gone.
* * * *