* * * *
Snape's eyes rolled back into his skull, displaying the bright whites beneath for Voldemort to see. His body jerked unconsciously as the Dark Lord stirred his wand in the air, while whispering the word, "Perculsus," over and over again. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his hands tightened into fists against the floor, his fingers scraping against the stone until they bled.
"Perculsus," Voldemort said, sending a last wave of shocking pain through Snape's body. He dropped his hand and tucked his wand back into his robes, then began to pace the dungeon once more. Torturing Snape was losing its appeal, though he couldn't quite understand why. It could be due to his impatience, waiting for The Five to arrive, or it could be due to Snape's current reaction to the torture . . . nothing. It was nice to see his body writhe in pain, but Voldemort wished he would scream, at least once more.
"You would think after all these years I would have learned how to be patient," he muttered to the sole Death Eater in the room. The others had been indisposed by The Five and whoever hadn't been there had been punished for not being there. The young man standing nearby had been left in charge of Snape and he had done his job well . . . he was the only one who had done his job well.
"They've failed me," Voldemort murmured. "The only true followers I have left are waiting for me in the next hideout. Waiting for me to return with the corpses of five children and whatever their talisman may be." He growled in frustration. "I wish I knew what Dumbledore gave them."
"Why can't you just take it from them here?" the Death Eater asked.
Voldemort sighed. "Because if I try to take it from them and they panic, they might touch it. If all five of them touch it, I will die. I'll be finished and there will be no coming back this time. I need to convince them to give it to me, they need to think they'll get something back for it."
"Severus Snape," the Death Eater murmured.
Voldemort nodded. "Exactly. Their Potions Master will keep his life if they give their talisman to me. I can destroy it and they will not be able to defeat me."
"What makes you think they won't just use it?"
Voldemort sighed. "I may not know much about it, but I do know a little. In order to kill me, it has to be used in the same vicinity as I am. If I see the little brats moving toward it, I'll kill him."
A dry chuckle came from the floor. "And what makes you think they value my life over the world?"
Voldemort smiled. "Severus, I know them already. I know them better than you do. They won't let you die. Potter may pretend to hate you, but he can't hate anyone, except perhaps me. They others wouldn't let you die because they actually care, and that Rayne girl, the one in your head . . . well, she would die before letting me kill you. She admires you, she wants to be like you," Voldemort said. "That's almost a dangerous obsession there, Severus. One I wouldn't encourage if you do escape."
"I am not obsessed," an angry female voice said from the doorway. "I might admire his strength, but that is far from an obsession."
Voldemort turned to see The Five peering into the room, their eyes wide and frightened. The only one who didn't look scared was Kendra Rayne.
"Ah," Voldemort murmured, "the mind reader herself."
"And I don't read minds," she growled.
The others caught sight of Voldemort and Hermione drew in a sharp breath. Behind her, she heard Ron whimper slightly and Parvati moan in her fear. The only two who didn't seem affected by his presence were Kendra and Harry, the only two to have seen him before.
"I told you not to come," Snape whispered, his voice hoarse in his throat.
"Did you honestly expect us to listen?" Kendra asked gently.
Snape tried to smile for their sake and found himself falling short. Instead, he stared at Kendra, trying to convey his anger that they came for him and his appreciation that they did what he least wanted them to do, in order to save him.
"Sorry," she murmured, shrugging. "We had to."
Snape closed his eyes and nodded. "I understand."
"Touching moment," Voldemort drawled, then turned to The Five. "I have an offer to give you."
Kendra raised an eyebrow. "An offer? Do you think we'll accept anything other than 'I offer myself to be killed'?"
Voldemort laughed dryly. "You're a funny girl, did you know that? No, the offer is far from that."
"Then we don't want to hear it," Harry stated.
"Suffoco," Voldemort said, holding his hand out toward Snape. The professor rose into the air, aided by magic. His eyes opened wide and his hands grasped at his throat, as if trying to pry off suffocating fingers.
"He will die unless you meet me later, with the talisman," Voldemort said.
"Talisman?" Hermione asked.
"The pearl," Parvati breathed, trying to keep her voice down.
"Yes," Voldemort said. "Whatever Dumbledore gave to you while he was here, I want it."
Snape's fingers grasped painfully at this throat, tearing his own skin, unable to grip the invisible hands that were cutting off his air.
"Stop it!" Kendra screamed, running the professor. She grabbed at his hand, tried to pull him down, tried to do anything she could to stop the curse.
Voldemort laughed. "Obsessed with him, what did I tell you?" He dropped his wand and Snape's body collapsed onto the floor, taking Kendra with him.
The Potions Master was unconscious once more, but he was still alive. Kendra dabbed gently at the bloody tears on his throat with her robes, then turned to glare at Voldemort.
"You can't have it," she said in a low voice. "Dumbledore gave something to us and it's ours."
"Do you want another demonstration of what I can do to the professor that you love so much?" he asked, raising his wand.
Kendra stood and drew her own wand, pointing it at Voldemort's chest. It was unwavering in her confidence and he laughed in delight.
"I must admit, you are much more confident that I would have imagined." He pointed the wand at Snape anyway and said, "Morbilicorpus."
Snape's body rose in the air once more, though he was peaceful this time, his body finally given a rest from the continuous torture. Voldemort flicked his wand and Snape's body brushed past Kendra, whose wand was still pointed at the Dark Lord. She trembled slightly, seeing the professor's body float through the air, but the others looked unaffected. Harry, Ron and Hermione had already been witness to a scene much like this one, only four years earlier.
"Find us before dawn," Voldemort said, "and bring the item Dumbledore gave you. This gives you time to think about your course of action. You can risk Snape's life and try to do away with me, or you can come peacefully and I'll give you back the man you all seem to care so much for, though he's shown nothing but contempt for all of you."
"He doesn't hate us," Harry said defiantly, "and he'd rather die than have us give you anything."
"Is that your choice?" Voldemort asked.
"No," Kendra said quickly. "We'll find you before dawn. Where will you be?"
Voldemort smiled and said, "The memories of one shall lead them all." Then he turned and disappeared from the dungeons, Snape's body floating in front of him.
"We can't give him the pearl!" Parvati exclaimed.
Kendra shook her head. "Of course we can't, but we have to think of something to do. We can't let him kill Snape."
"Where are we supposed to even find them?" Hermione asked.
Kendra shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I will soon. I'll hear something before it's time."
Ron looked miserable. "What are we going to do?"
Harry glanced at Kendra, who shrugged her shoulders once more. He sighed and murmured, "I have absolutely no idea."
* * * *
Snape's eyes rolled back into his skull, displaying the bright whites beneath for Voldemort to see. His body jerked unconsciously as the Dark Lord stirred his wand in the air, while whispering the word, "Perculsus," over and over again. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his hands tightened into fists against the floor, his fingers scraping against the stone until they bled.
"Perculsus," Voldemort said, sending a last wave of shocking pain through Snape's body. He dropped his hand and tucked his wand back into his robes, then began to pace the dungeon once more. Torturing Snape was losing its appeal, though he couldn't quite understand why. It could be due to his impatience, waiting for The Five to arrive, or it could be due to Snape's current reaction to the torture . . . nothing. It was nice to see his body writhe in pain, but Voldemort wished he would scream, at least once more.
"You would think after all these years I would have learned how to be patient," he muttered to the sole Death Eater in the room. The others had been indisposed by The Five and whoever hadn't been there had been punished for not being there. The young man standing nearby had been left in charge of Snape and he had done his job well . . . he was the only one who had done his job well.
"They've failed me," Voldemort murmured. "The only true followers I have left are waiting for me in the next hideout. Waiting for me to return with the corpses of five children and whatever their talisman may be." He growled in frustration. "I wish I knew what Dumbledore gave them."
"Why can't you just take it from them here?" the Death Eater asked.
Voldemort sighed. "Because if I try to take it from them and they panic, they might touch it. If all five of them touch it, I will die. I'll be finished and there will be no coming back this time. I need to convince them to give it to me, they need to think they'll get something back for it."
"Severus Snape," the Death Eater murmured.
Voldemort nodded. "Exactly. Their Potions Master will keep his life if they give their talisman to me. I can destroy it and they will not be able to defeat me."
"What makes you think they won't just use it?"
Voldemort sighed. "I may not know much about it, but I do know a little. In order to kill me, it has to be used in the same vicinity as I am. If I see the little brats moving toward it, I'll kill him."
A dry chuckle came from the floor. "And what makes you think they value my life over the world?"
Voldemort smiled. "Severus, I know them already. I know them better than you do. They won't let you die. Potter may pretend to hate you, but he can't hate anyone, except perhaps me. They others wouldn't let you die because they actually care, and that Rayne girl, the one in your head . . . well, she would die before letting me kill you. She admires you, she wants to be like you," Voldemort said. "That's almost a dangerous obsession there, Severus. One I wouldn't encourage if you do escape."
"I am not obsessed," an angry female voice said from the doorway. "I might admire his strength, but that is far from an obsession."
Voldemort turned to see The Five peering into the room, their eyes wide and frightened. The only one who didn't look scared was Kendra Rayne.
"Ah," Voldemort murmured, "the mind reader herself."
"And I don't read minds," she growled.
The others caught sight of Voldemort and Hermione drew in a sharp breath. Behind her, she heard Ron whimper slightly and Parvati moan in her fear. The only two who didn't seem affected by his presence were Kendra and Harry, the only two to have seen him before.
"I told you not to come," Snape whispered, his voice hoarse in his throat.
"Did you honestly expect us to listen?" Kendra asked gently.
Snape tried to smile for their sake and found himself falling short. Instead, he stared at Kendra, trying to convey his anger that they came for him and his appreciation that they did what he least wanted them to do, in order to save him.
"Sorry," she murmured, shrugging. "We had to."
Snape closed his eyes and nodded. "I understand."
"Touching moment," Voldemort drawled, then turned to The Five. "I have an offer to give you."
Kendra raised an eyebrow. "An offer? Do you think we'll accept anything other than 'I offer myself to be killed'?"
Voldemort laughed dryly. "You're a funny girl, did you know that? No, the offer is far from that."
"Then we don't want to hear it," Harry stated.
"Suffoco," Voldemort said, holding his hand out toward Snape. The professor rose into the air, aided by magic. His eyes opened wide and his hands grasped at his throat, as if trying to pry off suffocating fingers.
"He will die unless you meet me later, with the talisman," Voldemort said.
"Talisman?" Hermione asked.
"The pearl," Parvati breathed, trying to keep her voice down.
"Yes," Voldemort said. "Whatever Dumbledore gave to you while he was here, I want it."
Snape's fingers grasped painfully at this throat, tearing his own skin, unable to grip the invisible hands that were cutting off his air.
"Stop it!" Kendra screamed, running the professor. She grabbed at his hand, tried to pull him down, tried to do anything she could to stop the curse.
Voldemort laughed. "Obsessed with him, what did I tell you?" He dropped his wand and Snape's body collapsed onto the floor, taking Kendra with him.
The Potions Master was unconscious once more, but he was still alive. Kendra dabbed gently at the bloody tears on his throat with her robes, then turned to glare at Voldemort.
"You can't have it," she said in a low voice. "Dumbledore gave something to us and it's ours."
"Do you want another demonstration of what I can do to the professor that you love so much?" he asked, raising his wand.
Kendra stood and drew her own wand, pointing it at Voldemort's chest. It was unwavering in her confidence and he laughed in delight.
"I must admit, you are much more confident that I would have imagined." He pointed the wand at Snape anyway and said, "Morbilicorpus."
Snape's body rose in the air once more, though he was peaceful this time, his body finally given a rest from the continuous torture. Voldemort flicked his wand and Snape's body brushed past Kendra, whose wand was still pointed at the Dark Lord. She trembled slightly, seeing the professor's body float through the air, but the others looked unaffected. Harry, Ron and Hermione had already been witness to a scene much like this one, only four years earlier.
"Find us before dawn," Voldemort said, "and bring the item Dumbledore gave you. This gives you time to think about your course of action. You can risk Snape's life and try to do away with me, or you can come peacefully and I'll give you back the man you all seem to care so much for, though he's shown nothing but contempt for all of you."
"He doesn't hate us," Harry said defiantly, "and he'd rather die than have us give you anything."
"Is that your choice?" Voldemort asked.
"No," Kendra said quickly. "We'll find you before dawn. Where will you be?"
Voldemort smiled and said, "The memories of one shall lead them all." Then he turned and disappeared from the dungeons, Snape's body floating in front of him.
"We can't give him the pearl!" Parvati exclaimed.
Kendra shook her head. "Of course we can't, but we have to think of something to do. We can't let him kill Snape."
"Where are we supposed to even find them?" Hermione asked.
Kendra shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I will soon. I'll hear something before it's time."
Ron looked miserable. "What are we going to do?"
Harry glanced at Kendra, who shrugged her shoulders once more. He sighed and murmured, "I have absolutely no idea."
* * * *