* * * *
Hermione stood and backed away as Kendra leaned over and retched on the floor. Her friend was shaking violently, tears on her cheeks and she had been carrying on a conversation with Snape, that much they could tell. They hadn't been able to hear his side of it, but whatever he said or whatever he saw, obviously scared Kendra very much.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ron asked, as Harry leaned down and touched her face.
Kendra's eyes fluttered open and she stared blankly at Harry for a long moment, then touched her face and wiped away her tears. She saw the mess on the floor and frowned, she couldn't remember being sick.
"You okay?" Harry asked, as she stood and walked to the bathroom. They heard the water running and a moment later Kendra returned, water still drying on her cheeks.
"Get your wands," she ordered. "We're going after Snape."
"He's in the Malfoy's home, isn't he?" Hermione asked.
Kendra nodded. "He's there and they're hurting him. Badly. He wants us to leave, find Dumbledore and come back with help but by the time we do that, he'll be dead."
"I don't want to sound cruel, but is Snape's life really worth giving up our own?" Ron asked.
Kendra turned on him, her eyes blazing. "Don't even say that," she ordered, her voice low and hard. "This is our job . . . am I the only one who understands that? Snape led us here and now he's been taken from us. What kind of people would we be if we left our protector alone to die?"
Harry touched her shoulder. "I'm with you."
Hermione nodded. "You're right . . . we need to do this. It's what we're here for. Even if it scares us to death we have to try and save him. We were led here by Snape and now we have to finish what we came to do."
Ron nodded slowly. "I'm just not ready."
Parvati smiled at him gently. "None of us are ready to die, but we have to risk it. If we don't, the entire world will be gone."
"I'm leaving," Kendra announced and walked to the door. She turned and glanced at the others. "By the way, when we get downstairs, you might not want to look at anything. The Death Eaters killed everyone."
Silence followed her statement, but they slowly began to follow Kendra down the hall and out of the Inn. Corpses littered the main hall and Parvati began to cry softly as she stepped over the bodies, wanting to do something for them and able to do nothing.
"They died only because we were staying here," Harry whispered, staring at a beautiful blonde woman. She couldn't have been much older than they were, but she was lying dead on the floor of the Inn, her brown eyes wide and glassy.
"They did," Kendra agreed, trying not to look down at the corpses she was stepping over. "And for that, I'm not going to stop until all the Death Eaters are dead."
"We'll never get them all," Hermione murmured.
Kendra bit her lip. "I think I've just discovered what I want to be after graduation."
Ron smiled, despite the situation. "An Auror? Yeah, me too."
"We may not be able to get them all now, but over the years . . ." Kendra trailed off and glanced at Ron. "We can do it."
They opened the front doors of the Inn and stepped into the deserted street. The town had been abandoned, witches and wizards were now locked up in their homes after the afternoon's attack. The setting sun cast an eerie orange glow over the town and the deepening shadows all told stories of death and despair.
Harry stood behind the other four and found himself studying them. Five students, three girls, two boys . . . not even old enough to drink or vote and here they were; the world relied on them. He wondered if their friends were worried, wondered if Ginny was pacing her room thinking about Harry, Ron and her friends. Were Hermione's parents unusually calm, not understanding that their daughter had just marched off to a certain death? Was Parvati's twin sister Padma in hysterics, waiting for news of her sister's death? Was Oliver Wood worrying himself sick, knowing that Kendra could be gone from him forever?
Harry hadn't realized that he was crying until he felt Kendra slip her hand in his. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back, then brushed away the tears.
"C'mon," she murmured, squeezing his hand. "We've got work to do."
They walked into the deserted town, the sun warming their bodies and the moments that each of them knew might be their last.
* * * *
Snape felt as if his body was being torn apart, his legs were being pulled in one way and his arms were being pulled in another. Voldemort had discovered many new torturous curses that could be used and the Stretching curse was only one of the many he'd tested on Snape. On top of the pain, he was worried that The Five were going to come for him anyway, despite what he'd told Kendra. If they entered the Malfoy home, they were sure to die. There were far more Death Eaters already gathered than Snape had anticipated and they would quickly overwhelm the five young students.
"Had enough Severus?" a cold voice asked from a darkened corner of the dungeons. Lucius appeared from the shadows a moment later and grinned. "Do you still want some more or should we save some energy for the little children who think they're going to stop us?"
Snape tried to breathe, tried to speak and found he could do neither. The pain in his limbs was far too immense for him to manifest anything resembling a voice. There was a final feeling of tugging and the curse ended, causing Snape to curl into a ball and hug his legs close to his chest.
"You know they're not going to make it," Lucius said casually, tossing a smile in Snape's direction. "They're going to come for you and they're going to die."
"You might not find it that easy," Snape said hoarsely.
Lucius laughed. "I might not find it easy to kill five children? Come now Severus, don't be ridiculous. I could kill them all with one curse."
"If children are so weak, why is Draco a Death Eater?"
"Draco is far stronger than they can ever hope to be," Lucius said. "He's been training as a Death Eater for years. Your 'saviours' just found out about their talents this year. They're far from prepared to take us all on and win."
"Every dead Death Eater is a step in the right direction," Snape murmured.
Lucius arched his eyebrows. "Really? Then I suppose they really wouldn't mind if I killed you."
"You can't kill me," Snape said. "Voldemort wants me to alive to draw them here."
"And his plan will work." Lucius grinned. "It's foolproof. Those children don't even know how to defeat him."
"They will," Snape said quietly. "Trust me Lucius, they will."
"They'll be dead before they reach the front door," Lucius Malfoy growled. "You have my word Severus." He grinned, pointed his wand and whispered, "Crucio."
Snape felt red hot blood racing through his veins and his hands clenched into tight fists, rivulets of blood dripping down his fingers from where he had pierced his skin. He teeth slammed together and he bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed to try and prevent himself from screaming. It was no use, Lucius cast a far more potent spell than his son could and a moment later, Snape's mouth flew open and he began to scream. He gasped for breath and he screamed.
* * * *
Hermione stood and backed away as Kendra leaned over and retched on the floor. Her friend was shaking violently, tears on her cheeks and she had been carrying on a conversation with Snape, that much they could tell. They hadn't been able to hear his side of it, but whatever he said or whatever he saw, obviously scared Kendra very much.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ron asked, as Harry leaned down and touched her face.
Kendra's eyes fluttered open and she stared blankly at Harry for a long moment, then touched her face and wiped away her tears. She saw the mess on the floor and frowned, she couldn't remember being sick.
"You okay?" Harry asked, as she stood and walked to the bathroom. They heard the water running and a moment later Kendra returned, water still drying on her cheeks.
"Get your wands," she ordered. "We're going after Snape."
"He's in the Malfoy's home, isn't he?" Hermione asked.
Kendra nodded. "He's there and they're hurting him. Badly. He wants us to leave, find Dumbledore and come back with help but by the time we do that, he'll be dead."
"I don't want to sound cruel, but is Snape's life really worth giving up our own?" Ron asked.
Kendra turned on him, her eyes blazing. "Don't even say that," she ordered, her voice low and hard. "This is our job . . . am I the only one who understands that? Snape led us here and now he's been taken from us. What kind of people would we be if we left our protector alone to die?"
Harry touched her shoulder. "I'm with you."
Hermione nodded. "You're right . . . we need to do this. It's what we're here for. Even if it scares us to death we have to try and save him. We were led here by Snape and now we have to finish what we came to do."
Ron nodded slowly. "I'm just not ready."
Parvati smiled at him gently. "None of us are ready to die, but we have to risk it. If we don't, the entire world will be gone."
"I'm leaving," Kendra announced and walked to the door. She turned and glanced at the others. "By the way, when we get downstairs, you might not want to look at anything. The Death Eaters killed everyone."
Silence followed her statement, but they slowly began to follow Kendra down the hall and out of the Inn. Corpses littered the main hall and Parvati began to cry softly as she stepped over the bodies, wanting to do something for them and able to do nothing.
"They died only because we were staying here," Harry whispered, staring at a beautiful blonde woman. She couldn't have been much older than they were, but she was lying dead on the floor of the Inn, her brown eyes wide and glassy.
"They did," Kendra agreed, trying not to look down at the corpses she was stepping over. "And for that, I'm not going to stop until all the Death Eaters are dead."
"We'll never get them all," Hermione murmured.
Kendra bit her lip. "I think I've just discovered what I want to be after graduation."
Ron smiled, despite the situation. "An Auror? Yeah, me too."
"We may not be able to get them all now, but over the years . . ." Kendra trailed off and glanced at Ron. "We can do it."
They opened the front doors of the Inn and stepped into the deserted street. The town had been abandoned, witches and wizards were now locked up in their homes after the afternoon's attack. The setting sun cast an eerie orange glow over the town and the deepening shadows all told stories of death and despair.
Harry stood behind the other four and found himself studying them. Five students, three girls, two boys . . . not even old enough to drink or vote and here they were; the world relied on them. He wondered if their friends were worried, wondered if Ginny was pacing her room thinking about Harry, Ron and her friends. Were Hermione's parents unusually calm, not understanding that their daughter had just marched off to a certain death? Was Parvati's twin sister Padma in hysterics, waiting for news of her sister's death? Was Oliver Wood worrying himself sick, knowing that Kendra could be gone from him forever?
Harry hadn't realized that he was crying until he felt Kendra slip her hand in his. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back, then brushed away the tears.
"C'mon," she murmured, squeezing his hand. "We've got work to do."
They walked into the deserted town, the sun warming their bodies and the moments that each of them knew might be their last.
* * * *
Snape felt as if his body was being torn apart, his legs were being pulled in one way and his arms were being pulled in another. Voldemort had discovered many new torturous curses that could be used and the Stretching curse was only one of the many he'd tested on Snape. On top of the pain, he was worried that The Five were going to come for him anyway, despite what he'd told Kendra. If they entered the Malfoy home, they were sure to die. There were far more Death Eaters already gathered than Snape had anticipated and they would quickly overwhelm the five young students.
"Had enough Severus?" a cold voice asked from a darkened corner of the dungeons. Lucius appeared from the shadows a moment later and grinned. "Do you still want some more or should we save some energy for the little children who think they're going to stop us?"
Snape tried to breathe, tried to speak and found he could do neither. The pain in his limbs was far too immense for him to manifest anything resembling a voice. There was a final feeling of tugging and the curse ended, causing Snape to curl into a ball and hug his legs close to his chest.
"You know they're not going to make it," Lucius said casually, tossing a smile in Snape's direction. "They're going to come for you and they're going to die."
"You might not find it that easy," Snape said hoarsely.
Lucius laughed. "I might not find it easy to kill five children? Come now Severus, don't be ridiculous. I could kill them all with one curse."
"If children are so weak, why is Draco a Death Eater?"
"Draco is far stronger than they can ever hope to be," Lucius said. "He's been training as a Death Eater for years. Your 'saviours' just found out about their talents this year. They're far from prepared to take us all on and win."
"Every dead Death Eater is a step in the right direction," Snape murmured.
Lucius arched his eyebrows. "Really? Then I suppose they really wouldn't mind if I killed you."
"You can't kill me," Snape said. "Voldemort wants me to alive to draw them here."
"And his plan will work." Lucius grinned. "It's foolproof. Those children don't even know how to defeat him."
"They will," Snape said quietly. "Trust me Lucius, they will."
"They'll be dead before they reach the front door," Lucius Malfoy growled. "You have my word Severus." He grinned, pointed his wand and whispered, "Crucio."
Snape felt red hot blood racing through his veins and his hands clenched into tight fists, rivulets of blood dripping down his fingers from where he had pierced his skin. He teeth slammed together and he bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed to try and prevent himself from screaming. It was no use, Lucius cast a far more potent spell than his son could and a moment later, Snape's mouth flew open and he began to scream. He gasped for breath and he screamed.
* * * *