Severus was running through the halls and down to the
dungeons, whipping past corners and faculty members who barely had
time to say 'Hello.' He was inside the locked potions cabinet in
seconds, pulling out their Project Potion and pouring it into a
vial, then corking it for easy removal later. Armed only with his
wand and the Potion, he ran back upstairs quickly, heading out the
door when he heard Dumbledore's voice, "Severus, STOP!"
Severus turned back, gasping for breath, "No time. He
took her. He'll kill her. I have to go..." "Go where? Do you know
where he is, Severus? Do you know how to find him?" asked
Dumbledore. Severus inhaled deeply, "I think so." "Where? I can
send Aurors ahead of you," said Dumbledore. Severus shook his head,
"No, it has to be me. He's doing this to get to me." "Then at
least tell me so I know where to find you!" said Dumbledore.
Severus wiped sweat from his brow, "When he Apparated, the wand
pointed North. You know what that means." "He couldn't possibly
still be using the Riddle house," said Dumbledore incredulously.
"Well there's only one way to find out," said Severus, "goodbye,
Albus."
And with that, he was out the door, headed off grounds so he could
Apparate.
"Goodbye, Severus."
* * *
A few minutes later Severus was standing on old dusty
floorboards inside the Riddle house. He heard a laugh and turned to
see Voldemort standing there, Alexis bound to a chair in the corner.
"So the ingenious ex-Death Eater pulls it off yet again," said
Voldemort, "I wasn't sure if you'd pick up on my wand movement or
not." "Well I did, so here I am," said Severus, angry fire glowing
in his black eyes. "And I'm glad you did," said Voldemort, "the
whole point was to get you here. You see, as I lay on the verge of
death after that last little...incident, with the Potter boy, I
realized that the moment I came back I simply must dispose of all my
disloyal Death Eaters. I made a mistake the first time, allowing
you into my circle yet again. But now I'm disposing of all of you,
because this time, you won't disrupt all I've worked for."
He turned to Alexis, "And would you look at her? She's
so pretty, Snape; what's she doing with someone like you?" he asked,
looking at him indignantly. "Of course, you have changed a bit;
finally decided to wash your hair, did you, you greasy hook-nosed
over-bearing git?" Alexis spoke up, "Better a greasy hook-nosed
over-bearing git than an evil red-eyed no-nosed disgusting creep!"
she snarled. Voldemort's head snapped to her, "What did you say?"
"You heard me," she spat, "you disgust me." Voldemort took a deep
breath, "Very well.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"NO!" screamed Severus, breaking out the Potion vial and throwing it
at him hard. The Potion splattered all over him as Severus
shrieked, "IMMOBULUS!" The Freezing Charm worked perfectly; at the
same time, however, the horrific green light of the Killing Curse
hit Alexis hard. She cried out in terror as it hit her, yelling
Severus's name.
The curse suddenly bounced back.
They both gasped as it returned to Voldemort, hitting
him full-throttle. "NO! NO!" he shouted, his body still being
Frozen ever so slowly by the Potion whilst the Curse hit him.
Suddenly he was immobile; he had reached Permanent Suspended
Animation, hanging in Limbo forever.
Severus turned to Alexis, who was almost crying, still
bound to the chair. He snapped his fingers and the ropes fell off;
she fell into his arms at once, sobbing, "Oh Jesus...oh God...I
almost died! Oh God!" 'Don't remind me,' he thought, never having
felt so afraid in his life. Suddenly there were three distinct pops
around him, and he looked up to see Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley, and
Remus Lupin. "Glad to see you three arrived on time as usual," said
Severus, helping Alexis to her feet. "Is he dead, Snape?" asked
Lupin, looking at Voldemort, an expression of horror permanently
frozen onto his face. "Not quite," said Severus, "the idea was to
not kill him. If you kill him he can still come back to life
somehow; instead this is Permanent Suspended Animation. He can't
move from that state. Ever. But he'll never die, either; it'll be
his punishment."
"I knew you would figure something out," said
Dumbledore, "with two brains like yours working together." Severus
looked at Alexis, who was seemingly hiding, burrowed in his chest,
"I think we'd both like to go home now." "Naturally," said Arthur
Weasley, examining Voldemort with interest. Suddenly Alexis looked
up at him, "Severus...why didn't I die?" Severus looked over at
Voldemort, eyes burning with hatred, "If there's one thing Voldemort
always forgets, it's that Love is much stronger than the Killing
Curse. Of course, he should have figured that out during his first
encounter with Potter. It was Lily Evans that saved the boy, not
luck." Alexis stared at Severus with realization; if it had not
been for him, she would have been killed instantly.
As Severus and Alexis walked by Voldemort's frozen
body, however, Severus stopped and looked him directly in the eye.
It was apparent that he could still see, for his eyes were burning
with their ceaseless red fire. Severus leaned in close, "Never,
ever, call me a greasy git."
dungeons, whipping past corners and faculty members who barely had
time to say 'Hello.' He was inside the locked potions cabinet in
seconds, pulling out their Project Potion and pouring it into a
vial, then corking it for easy removal later. Armed only with his
wand and the Potion, he ran back upstairs quickly, heading out the
door when he heard Dumbledore's voice, "Severus, STOP!"
Severus turned back, gasping for breath, "No time. He
took her. He'll kill her. I have to go..." "Go where? Do you know
where he is, Severus? Do you know how to find him?" asked
Dumbledore. Severus inhaled deeply, "I think so." "Where? I can
send Aurors ahead of you," said Dumbledore. Severus shook his head,
"No, it has to be me. He's doing this to get to me." "Then at
least tell me so I know where to find you!" said Dumbledore.
Severus wiped sweat from his brow, "When he Apparated, the wand
pointed North. You know what that means." "He couldn't possibly
still be using the Riddle house," said Dumbledore incredulously.
"Well there's only one way to find out," said Severus, "goodbye,
Albus."
And with that, he was out the door, headed off grounds so he could
Apparate.
"Goodbye, Severus."
* * *
A few minutes later Severus was standing on old dusty
floorboards inside the Riddle house. He heard a laugh and turned to
see Voldemort standing there, Alexis bound to a chair in the corner.
"So the ingenious ex-Death Eater pulls it off yet again," said
Voldemort, "I wasn't sure if you'd pick up on my wand movement or
not." "Well I did, so here I am," said Severus, angry fire glowing
in his black eyes. "And I'm glad you did," said Voldemort, "the
whole point was to get you here. You see, as I lay on the verge of
death after that last little...incident, with the Potter boy, I
realized that the moment I came back I simply must dispose of all my
disloyal Death Eaters. I made a mistake the first time, allowing
you into my circle yet again. But now I'm disposing of all of you,
because this time, you won't disrupt all I've worked for."
He turned to Alexis, "And would you look at her? She's
so pretty, Snape; what's she doing with someone like you?" he asked,
looking at him indignantly. "Of course, you have changed a bit;
finally decided to wash your hair, did you, you greasy hook-nosed
over-bearing git?" Alexis spoke up, "Better a greasy hook-nosed
over-bearing git than an evil red-eyed no-nosed disgusting creep!"
she snarled. Voldemort's head snapped to her, "What did you say?"
"You heard me," she spat, "you disgust me." Voldemort took a deep
breath, "Very well.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"NO!" screamed Severus, breaking out the Potion vial and throwing it
at him hard. The Potion splattered all over him as Severus
shrieked, "IMMOBULUS!" The Freezing Charm worked perfectly; at the
same time, however, the horrific green light of the Killing Curse
hit Alexis hard. She cried out in terror as it hit her, yelling
Severus's name.
The curse suddenly bounced back.
They both gasped as it returned to Voldemort, hitting
him full-throttle. "NO! NO!" he shouted, his body still being
Frozen ever so slowly by the Potion whilst the Curse hit him.
Suddenly he was immobile; he had reached Permanent Suspended
Animation, hanging in Limbo forever.
Severus turned to Alexis, who was almost crying, still
bound to the chair. He snapped his fingers and the ropes fell off;
she fell into his arms at once, sobbing, "Oh Jesus...oh God...I
almost died! Oh God!" 'Don't remind me,' he thought, never having
felt so afraid in his life. Suddenly there were three distinct pops
around him, and he looked up to see Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley, and
Remus Lupin. "Glad to see you three arrived on time as usual," said
Severus, helping Alexis to her feet. "Is he dead, Snape?" asked
Lupin, looking at Voldemort, an expression of horror permanently
frozen onto his face. "Not quite," said Severus, "the idea was to
not kill him. If you kill him he can still come back to life
somehow; instead this is Permanent Suspended Animation. He can't
move from that state. Ever. But he'll never die, either; it'll be
his punishment."
"I knew you would figure something out," said
Dumbledore, "with two brains like yours working together." Severus
looked at Alexis, who was seemingly hiding, burrowed in his chest,
"I think we'd both like to go home now." "Naturally," said Arthur
Weasley, examining Voldemort with interest. Suddenly Alexis looked
up at him, "Severus...why didn't I die?" Severus looked over at
Voldemort, eyes burning with hatred, "If there's one thing Voldemort
always forgets, it's that Love is much stronger than the Killing
Curse. Of course, he should have figured that out during his first
encounter with Potter. It was Lily Evans that saved the boy, not
luck." Alexis stared at Severus with realization; if it had not
been for him, she would have been killed instantly.
As Severus and Alexis walked by Voldemort's frozen
body, however, Severus stopped and looked him directly in the eye.
It was apparent that he could still see, for his eyes were burning
with their ceaseless red fire. Severus leaned in close, "Never,
ever, call me a greasy git."
