-------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3
The Great Escape, Part 1 (a.k.a. -- Severus is still having a bad day, but things are beginning to look up!)
(Bit #3... in which our hero and his trusting side kick get broken out of jail by some terrorist friends and outwit the great American cow-boy... yee-haw!! First though-- More Snape Angst. _)

For the first time in days Severus Snape swam back into consciousness withOUT an annoying student's voice in his ear, but instead with a sickening realization of what had just transpired. NO...

Nononononono. He hadn't *really* done that... had he?

He had. He barely had to turn his head an inch and open his eyes to see him... and he could already feel him. Ron Weasley, his *student*, curled up against him. In sleep his face looked so much more... innocent, his lips slightly parted as he breathed in and out against his chest. A hand was clenched to the front of his robes, holding the black fabric in a desperate fist even in his sleep.

His lip curled. He was possessed quite suddenly by an urge to push the boy away and get to the other side of the cell from him as swiftly as he could. His second instinct was more humane. Ron's clothing were either missing or displaced and he was bare-chested and more than likely cold. Which was probably why the boy was nestled so tightly against him in the first place... the temperature in the room was almost too icy for *him* and he had spent the vast majority of his life in his unpleasantly cool dungeons. He could show a little bit of heart and drape part of his cape over him at least... after all he had done or attempted to do to him the day before it was only fair....

As it turned out he didn't have to worry about either. Ron awoke then. The boy lay still for almost a complete minute before blinking up at him, his brown eyes confused. "Hullo..?" He questioned sleepily. "'Ave we been rescued yet?" He yawned, then shivered suddenly, burrowing himself more into Severus. "S'cold. uess not." He shivered again.

Severus drew in a hiss of air through his teeth, tensing. The boy was much too close... he relaxed slightly when he realized that Ron had partially faded off again.

He frowned. Carefully he brought up a hand, hesitating only a moment before pressing it against Ron's forehead. He drew in another hiss of breath at what he found there.

No wonder Ron hadn't objected to waking up laying against Snape... the boy was still feverish.

Great, he thought grumpily. He sat up swiftly, which startled Ron into semi-consciousness again. Grumbling out curses under his breath he got to his feet, stalking about the cell to retrieve the boy's lost shirt. Picking it up, he tossed it at Ron. Stalking about a bit more, he picked up the boy's school vest... and threw that at him as well.

Yawning from where he had settled at the back of the room, Ron put both of the articles of clothing back on without protest. Rubbing at an eye, he watched, his expression semi-amused, as his teacher began to pace about the room yet again... but this time in an obviously very foul frame of mind, even for him, stomping as he went.

"You're in a mood this morning," Ron commented sleepily, rubbing at the other eye with his other fist.

Snape snarled, quite literally, and turned to face the boy. For a moment Ron thought he was going to *attack* him, but then his Potions Teacher stopped short and studied him for a long moment.

Severus' eyes narrowed. Ron didn't look too incredibly upset... rather more or less *amused* of all things. He stared at him long and hard. It was almost as if...

"Ron," he began slowly. "Do you..." he paused.

"Do I wha'?" Ron mumbled. "I'm hungry." He added suddenly.

Severus shook his head, irritated. *He* couldn't do a thing about the food... they ate when the Muggles felt like feeding them. "Ron," he continued exasperated. "Do you remember *anything* from last night at all?"

Ron blinked up at him blearily, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. "I went to sleep?" He said with genuine puzzlement.

"Nono." Snape said sharply. "*Before* that boy. Do you remember anything from *before* that?"

Ron blinked. "'dunno. S'a test?" He mumbled fuzzily. "'Mione's good at em, not me."

Snape looked positively livid for a moment before he forced himself to calm down, taking in the fact that Ron's eyes had half drifted closed again.

Sighing, he swept forwards towards him. Crouching down in front of the boy he worriedly pressed a cool palm against his forehead.

He was so very hot...

Ron gave him a curious look, then shivered again, teeth clattering for a moment. "I'm sick aren't I?" He asked intelligently when he had stopped shivering.

An eyebrow raised. "Amazingly perceptive of you Weasley," Snape replied dryly. He pressed his hand against the boy's cheek, then stood again, studying the bleary-eyed boy at his feet. This wasn't good at all. For what had to be the hundredth time in the last couple days he wished he still could do magic. He needed to get Ron to a doctor... even a Muggle doctor would do...

He returned to pacing. He couldn't get out, and Ron was sick. He couldn't ask the Muggles for help, could he? No... his lip curled. No asking *Muggles* for help. Not after the display yesterday...

It was about an hour later-- Ron had returned to lightly dozing-- when Snape heard the familiar sound of approaching footsteps coming towards the room. Tensing he froze mid-step in his continuous pacing, then turned heel instantly and made for Ron. He had learnt from experience, and he was determined to be prepared this time. Crouching by Ron's side, he shook him awake. "Get up," he hissed, sending an apprehensive glance towards the door.

Ron jerked awake and shakily got to his feet without so much as a peep of protest, another sure sign that the boy was ill. No matter, Severus was grateful for the co-operation, and he stood in front of the boy, determined, this time at least, to not let anyone near him.

And then the door of the room opened with a familiar click... but instead of revealing the guards again, it was both the Agent's Johnson's standing there. And they were holding Muggle weapons in their hands, which were both trained directly on him.

Severus made a soft growling sound somewhere low in the back of his throat.

Agent Johnson, the taller thinner one with the pocket-marked face, was the one who spoke first, stepping a couple of feet into the cell. "It's really too bad that he doesn't remember," He said casually.

Severus' eyes narrowed. "I'm sure." He sneered. "And what, may I ask, is so horrible about it?"

Agent's Johnson and Johnson gave each other significant looks. "Don't pretend we don't know what you are Mr. Black!" One of them said suddenly. "Because we do."

Severus stared at them. He hadn't been pretending anything, so he *really* didn't know what they were...

"Mr. Black?" Ron questioned from behind him.

Rolling his eyes, Severus made a very quick, rude gesture behind his back that meant "be quiet or ELSE" to Ron.

Agent Johnson had his eyebrow's raised... he had caught that little exchange. "Yes... 'Mr. Black'," He repeated. "You... are a terrorist." He said.

A WHAT?! Then Severus vaguely recalled someone once telling him that a terrorist was the Muggle equivalent of a rogue wizard that ran around causing havoc for some cause or another. ... Sort of like the Deatheaters. He snorted softly. Well, the Muggles could believe what they wanted...

"However," the FBI agent continued, "We really believe that your young friend," He nodded at Ron, "Isn't deserving of the same fate as you, Mr. Black. He isn't cut out to be "Deatheater", is he?" His eyes narrowed triumphantly when Snape's mouth fell open. "We just had to make sure he never wanted to be a Deatheater again... what better way then by setting one of his own kind against him?"

Snape's just stared. That had to be the most *ludicrous*...

"But I'm not..." Ron was saying. Snape turned round on him rapidly, very quickly capping his hand over the boy's mouth before turning his attention back to the Mr. Johnsons, eyes flicking rapidly from the one to the other. What, exactly, where they planning..?

The Mr. Johnson closest to him shrugged and made a motion with his weapon. "So now we're going to take the boy if you don't mind...."

Knowing full well that he was risking putting his life in danger as well as Ron's, he shoved Ron roughly so that he was standing directly behind him. "Oh, but I *do* mind," He spat out. "You're not going anywhere with..." He paused, his brow wrinkling. "... him..."

Agent Johnson was no longer paying attention to anything Severus was saying... instead his head was tilted to the side as if listening to something far away. He glanced behind himself at the other agent, who cocked his head to the side as well.

And then Severus could hear what the Agent's could hear. It was soft and distant rumbling sound, which, now that he thought about it, was causing the floor to shake ever so slightly. As he listened the sound got louder and louder... until he could not only hear the rumbling sound, but also a faint tap-tap-taping that sounded vaguely like light rainfall splattering gently on castle stones outside. The tapping sound stopped for a moment, then resumed again, a little closer.

Agent's Johnson and Johnson looked quite concerned about this. Conferring quickly in-between themselves in hissed whispers the one closest to them motioned quickly for the other to go. He took off, allowing the door to fall shut behind himself with a heavy bang-- Severus winced.

The Agent that was left in the room turned back to the prisoners, his jaw tense. "Nobody moves," He snapped, training his weapon directly at Snape.

Snape merely sneered at him. He had no intentions of going anywhere, and neither was Weasley... he heard a movement from behind him and instantly he reached behind himself and placed a death grip on Ron's arm to *assure* that Weasley didn't go anywhere. He was sure, if Ron wasn't in the room with him, he would have tried something foolish... like trying to rush the Muggle and trying to knock the weapon out of Muggle's grasp. But with Ron here... and that instantly meant that he had to take precautions with his life, in case the boy needed him alive.

After all, he couldn't very well protect his student if he were dead.

The sounds were drawing closer to their room. The closer they got the more jumpy Mr. Johnson got, and Severus was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have just risked it and rushed Mr. Johnson anyway... he looked like he might just accidentally *fire* that Muggle weapon...

Another rumbling sound came, MUCH closer to them than the first one and this time the room shuddered and rocked, so much so in fact that Severus was nearly thrown to the floor. Bits of the ceiling were beginning to rain down on them and suddenly Severus was VERY sure of something....

"Get down!!" He shouted, turning around and grasping Weasley, throwing Ron to the floor with bit more violence than he had intended, rolling on top of him. At the same time another what-ever-it-was exploded, right on top of them, causing the room to shake violently, bringing more ceiling and dust raining down on them-- this time in much larger chunks. A rata-tat-tatting sound came to his ears much too close for comfort... He shielded Ron's head under his arm, keeping his own head down.

Only when silence had descended over the room for a couple of moments did he cautiously raise his head. Squinting he peered through the slowly settling dust towards the door, eyes searching for Agent Johnson.

Except the door wasn't there anymore, and neither was Agent Johnson. There was merely a rectangular hole where the door had been... and standing in the battered door frame was yet another man.

He was a large muscular Muggle with black hair, brown skin and a covered face, and he was holding two Muggle weapons in each large hand and giving him a very nasty look.

Severus' eyes located Agent Johnson then-- or what was left of him at least... his body was slumped in between Severus and the man in the doorway, and he appeared to be bleeding from several holes in different places on him. Snape looked back up at the armed man with alarm.

The armed man raised both his weapons.

For the second time in less than a week Severus was very sure than he was going to die. Barely breathing, he slowly climbed to his feet, sticking his hands in the air in what he hopped appeared to be a peaceful gesture.

The man merely narrowed his eyes at him and glared. The weapons didn't move.

Snape closed his eyes. This was it then... he was going to die... at the hand of a Muggle no less...

"Don't!" A thin voice came from behind him.

Or not. Severus' eyes shot back open, and he glanced behind himself quickly to see a rather dust covered Ron struggling to his feet. "Don't," he said again. "Don't shoot..." He coughed wildly for a moment. "Him." He added with a rasp.

The masked man didn't lower his weapon, but instead rattled off a very rapid question in a foreign language.

Severus had no idea what the man had said, and he was *sure* Ron didn't either, but still Ron replied. "Don't shoot." The boy repeated, his voice a little more forceful. He glared at the Muggle.

The man was silent for what seemed like a very long time. Finally he broke the tension by throwing his arms wide and smiling under his mask.

"Comrades in arms!" The man declared in muffled and VERY thickly accented English. "Brothers! Follow and be free!" He went to leave, but not before he paused to allow one of his Muggle weapons to slide down his arm... he tossed it jovially at Severus. The Muggle disappeared from sight as Severus caught the weapon, which he dropped instantaneously like he had touched a dead thing.

He stared from the weapon to Ron and back again.

Ron only stared at the weapon, appearing to be a fair deal more impressed than he was. "Wicked!" He declared, darting forwards and picking up the muggle weapon. "Do you have any idea what this thing is?!" He asked Snape, grin plastered on his dust-covered face. "Dad talks about them all the time! Muggle death-sticks! But its not just any death-stick... watch!" He slug the weapon over his shoulder, gripping it and aiming its nozzle at the now totaled doorway and the front of the room. A rain of loud noises erupted from its snout, leaving no one hurt but a wide arch of circular holes in the already severely damaged wall.

Grinning, Ron turned his attention back to Severus. Instead of looking impressed though, Severus looked quite pale, and his long bony fingers were gripping Ron's shoulder in an extremely hard grip. "Ron," he said quite breathlessly after a moment. "I think you had better give me the death-stick."

"Are you crazy?" Ron declared, shrugging off Severus' hand. "Com'on," he said, running for the door, leaping over Agent Johnson's body along the way. "Let's get out of here and get back to the school!"

Severus Snape looked like he was going to protest by not move an inch before he finally drew himself up. Muttering something about throttling a certain student of his under his breath, he followed the boy, pausing only long enough to give the body an extremely distasteful look.