CHAPTER 19
SEARCH FOR SNIVELLUS
There had been no green flashes in the old Hogwarts fireplace for a while now, and everyone was starting to think that it might be over, that everyone had been safely brought back to the castle. Now all that remained was for the five people who had willingly risked their lives to save the villagers to return through the emerald flames.
Harry eyed the fireplace nervously; he knew they wouldn't come back until they were absolutely certain that Hogsmeade was empty. He hated the fact that his godfather was so involved in the order everyday was a constant risk. Even though he knew that the order was saving many lives, he couldn't help but wish selfishly that Sirius wasn't allowed in the order. At least then he'd be safe.
The ebbing flames in the huge fireplace roared into life, illuminating the hall once more in a wave of emerald light. Hagrid stepped out of the fire quickly, brushing himself down as Kingsley followed behind him. Harry's eyes were now trained on the fireplace waiting for Sirius to step out, then Lupin, then Snape. But no flash came. The students that occupied the Great Hall muttered nervously, three of the members still hadn't returned. Had they been captured, killed? Were they too injured to Floo back? Nobody knew, a thrill of unease coursed through the Great Hall.
Hagrid caught Harry's eye, but looked away swiftly not wanting to answer his question. Dumbledore approached the two men; his eyes betrayed his calm façade.
"Where are they?'' He asked, his voice remaining steady though there was an unspoken fear in his eyes.
"Snape got captured.'' Hagrid answered, "we heard him scream from the pub.'' Dumbledore's calm exterior was slowly cracking; he had known how risky it was for Snape to leave the castle, especially during an attack. He knew full well that if Snape didn't manage to escape he would be dead very soon. "And the other two?'' Dumbledore asked fearfully.
"They went after him O' course.'' Hagrid answered and Dumbledore nodded his head, he should've known that they wouldn't abandon Snape to torment and death. Schoolboy feuds were pushed aside in the face of danger. This was what the world was supposed to be like Dumbledore thought sadly, people coming to each other's aid, no matter what their past holds against them.
"Do you know where they went?''
"No idea, Sirius and Remus both ran to where the screams came from, we waited but they never came back. They've probably apparated somewhere more secure.'' Kingsley whispered careful that nobody would overhear him. "All we can do now is wait, we can't even send backup if we don't know where they are.'' Kingsley shouted, his voice rose in frustration.
Dumbledore raised his hand and placed it on Kingsleys shoulder, he knew that nothing more could be done. Sending more may risk Sirius and Remus's lives. All they could do is wait. He turned around to face the students and teachers in front of him. They were tired and worn but their eyes remained alert, the fatigue vanished and they were ready to do whatever they could to bring back the three men who had vanished. Dumbledore knew that he was going to have to break the news that one of the rescuer's had been captured and the other two were planning on saving him. He caught Harry's eyes and smiled sadly before clearing his throat to speak.
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As the news sunk in Destiny and Tonks looked at each other, both hoping for some support in the other. There was none. They both looked each other in the eye, fresh tears spilling down their cheeks. The men that they loved were walking into almost certain death, there was no denying the fact that they would be extremely lucky to walk away from Voldemort alive.
Destiny buried her face in her hands, her long raven hair spilling over her shoulders, sobs wracking through her body, Tonks moved to comfort her, but couldn't find the words, they just held each other. Letting their sobs become one.
Each knew that nothing would've changed their minds; they had willingly walked into a group of vengeful Death Eaters to save a man whom they hated. They were proud of them but neither could help but wonder if they would ever see their faces again.
Harry's eyes started to burn, but he kept the tears hidden. He just sat there in a daze, not knowing what to do. His emotions were a mess. He had kept everything hidden for so long, it was bursting up inside him, threatening to escape any minute. He vaguely felt someone's presence in front of him, he looked up into a pair of vivid green eyes, shining with unshed tears. Her fiery hair had been pulled away from her face in a messy bun and loose tendrils were falling from its grasp, framing her pale face.
"They'll be alright Harry.'' She whispered softly, looking deeply into his troubled eye. "I know they will.''
"Thanks Gin.'' Harry said slowly standing up so that he was looking down on her, he raised his hands up and placed them on her arms and stared deeply into here eyes. "Thank you my angel.'' He whispered hoarsely, forgetting his plans, wanting only to find comfort in her arms again. Wanting to be held and told that everything was going to be ok. He moved closer to her, leaning down, wanting to find comfort in her soft gentle lips.
"Don't Harry.'' Ginny said, backing away from him, pushing his hands back down to his sides. "I can't do this again." She said sadly turning away from him, leaving him feeling ten times worse. How could he try and get her back now? After everything he had done to her? She would still be at risk. Harry cursed himself for being so selfish and forgetting what he had set out to do in a moment of weakness.
He sank back down to the floor and was glad when he felt Hermione slide down next to him and wrap a comforting arm around his shoulder. He leaned into her and rested his head against her shoulder. And just let himself be held by someone who loved him.
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The house stood on a hill, alone, separated from the rest of the small village. The cold windy air whipped Lupin's greying hair up out of his face as he stood waiting for his partner. With loud crack Sirius appeared at his friends side, wand drawn. The trees surrounding the house had withered and died, the cracked glass in the window frame rattled as the wind blew through them fiercely. There was no sign that anybody lived in this house. The garden that had once been the envy of the village was overgrown and unkempt, and the once white walls were dark and dirty. Ivy grew all over the walls covering windows, blocking out the sunlight.
"Looks pleasant enough.'' Sirius said, his tone was one of jest but his eyes bore the same haunted look as they had when he had first escaped Azkaban.
"Compared to what a morgue.'' Lupin said dryly. "No even morgues look more inviting than this place.'' He commented surveying the huge house in front of him with distaste and unease.
"How do you even know that he is here?'' Sirius asked, but he didn't receive a reply. Lupin hurriedly pulled him down into the bushes. Lying flat on the floor he whispered Sirius answer.
"That's how.'' He said indicating a group of Death Eaters who had just left the house, their cloaks were ragged and torn, and Lupin suspected that they were probably the same Death Eaters who had attacked Hogsmeade that very morning. He watched as they all split up and started patrolling around the old house. They were obviously expecting them.
"Well what are we waiting for, we have to go and save him.'' Sirius said as he started to get up from the cold wet floor.
"We can't just go in there wands blazing, we'll be dead in seconds and Snape will be even worse off than he is now. No, we need to bide our time, come up with a good plan of action. We'll wait until we have cover of darkness.'' Lupin instructed pulling Sirius back down, flat onto the ground.
"Then what?'' He asked
"Then we go in.''
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Dank air filled his nostrils and the familiar scent of dust reached his senses. He knew exactly where he was, he had been here many times before, only usually he was one of the men in masks. He now knew how utterly terrifying it was to know that you were going to have to face up to Lord Voldemort and that you would be dead by the end of it. The ropes he was bound with dug deeply into his wrists, making him bleed every time he moved. But that pain was nothing not compared to what he was going to have to endure. His dark eyes scanned over the room, it looked so different now that he was forced to view it from another perspective. The empty fireplace still held ashes from years before when this house had been a home. The ivy covered windows only allowed a limited supply of light into the room, the dappled shadows giving everything an eerie quality. He hung his head and sighed deeply, he had expected to die in the hands of Lord Voldemort ever since he had turned sides. So why did he feel so scared? He had prepared for this moment years ago, but preparing and living were to totally different matters. He heard thunderous footsteps echoing through the empty corridor and knew that either Crabbe or Goyle had been assigned to guard his door. There was no point anyway, he was magically bound and couldn't do anything without his wand.
A second step of footsteps could be heard, followed closely by another. Snape gulped his time had come. He held his head high, determined not to die grovelling on his knees.
An icy cold air filled the room as Lord Voldemort walked in followed by Peter Pettigrew. His red eyes examined Snapes every feature with contempt, his snake like nostrils were flared and the glint in his eye told Snape that this was not going to be quick.
"You could've gone far you know.'' Voldemort hissed snakelike. "You could've been the best.'' Snape deadened his emotions, he knew that Voldemort would try to read his mind and see what he was thinking. He wasn't about to let that happen. "Why did you do it Severus?'' Voldemort asked, using his first name, something he never did. Snape didn't answer, he just fixed his gaze resolutely on his old master. "So you want to play games. I can play games.'' Voldemort spat, his eyes glinting maniacally. "Crucio.''
For ten whole minutes all Snape could feel was icy pain splintering through every cell in his body, his vision started to cloud over and he could no longer hear himself screaming even though he knew that he was. The pain rippled through him, and he struggled to remain conscious, he felt the world slipping away from him. Just as he was bout to slip away, the curse was lifted.
"So why did you do it?'' Voldemort asked again, laughter in his voice.
"Because you are sick, evil and twisted.'' Snape spat back, no longer terrified of the man before him. Not caring what happened to him next.
"Really. Well we'll see how evil I am. Crucio.'' Voldemort stated coldly. This time he didn't lift the curse for half an hour, Snape was weak tired and raw. Every nerve in his body felt as though it had exploded and he felt as though thousands of tiny needles were attacking every inch mercilessly. "Well as fun as this has been Severus, I'm afraid I have better things to do. This will teach you for betraying your master.'' Voldemort said almost lazily. "And it will teach others too.'' He added nastily, glaring at Peter unforgivingly. "Once a traitor always a traitor.''
He raised his wand about to ay the last words that Snape would ever hear. Snape clenched his teeth and waited for the final blow to fall. Waited for the flash of green that would be the last thing he would ever see. He was going to die. But the words he expected never came. Instead there was a loud knock on the door and Nick Gilbert burst in, he was breathless and sweaty.
"What is it Gilbert, I haven't got time for this.'' Voldemort snapped.
"Master, there is someone out on the grounds.'' Gilbert panted hoarsely.
Voldemort turned his back on Snape and marched out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Peter outside to stand guard over Snape. Once again Snape was plunged into darkness the last traces of daylight had disappeared. He sighed heavily into the coolness of the room. He had been prepared for death. Now he had to wait once again, the never-ending fear creeping up around him once more and shrouding him in sorrow.
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Outside in the grounds of the neglected house, darkness stole over the unkempt lawns. Disguising the two men that lay in wait, hidden in the long grass. A patch of light appeared, cutting through the darkness like a knife, spreading wider and wider over the lawn. The door to the house had been opened and Death Eaters were swarming out of the door and across the grounds like bee's swarming around a beehive. Sirius flattened himself lower against the ground as a blue jet of light shot past the top of his head, only just missing him. His dog like reflexes picked up several scents on the air, doubt, fear, and anger. He looked across at his partner and saw that Remus too had flattened his body to the floor, his ears were pricked and his eyes darted wildly, looking for any sign of danger.
"This is our chance.'' Remus whispered to Sirius, who moved closer to him, trying to catch his words over the shouts and spells of the Death Eaters. "They've left the front door unguarded. We have to go now.''
"Right, keep low to the ground and watch out for their curses.'' Sirius said, as he started crawling towards the chink of light that stood out against the blackness of the night, followed closely by Remus. The crawled in silence, dragging themselves forward using only their arms. Stopping occasionally when the shouts and curses got closer and starting again only when they faded. They were almost there; Sirius could make out the ornate patterning on the old wooden door that had become black with age. He started going faster, eager to get inside quickly.
A shout was heard to Remus's left and a jet of electric blue light hit him in his upper arm, leaving a deep gash that ran the length of his arm, rendering it useless. The pain was intense, his vision blurred and he felt blackness surround him but he couldn't scream out. He couldn't let himself get caught. He bit down hard on his lip to try and suffocate the pain. He tasted blood in his mouth as he carried on dragging himself forwards quietly.
"Do you think it hit anyone.'' A loud voice shouted across the grounds. The man spoke with a Northern accent and he sounded hopeful as he called to the sender of the curse.
"Nah, we'd know it if it did.'' The man replied nastily, his laughter echoing through the air, settling in Remus's ears becoming a driving force. They'd all get their comeuppance soon, when they realise they've been made fools of. He glimpsed Sirius sneaking up the steps leading to the front door and he carried on crawling, using his good arm to drag himself up to the house.
Sirius looked around cautiously, the room he had just entered looked as though it was once very grand. But now, the surfaces of the tables were covered in inches of dust and the few pictures that weren't torn to shreds hung lopsidedly on the battered walls. He stood flat against the wall behind the door, not wanting to get caught by any death eater returning from the grounds. Where was Remus? He had been right behind him a minute ago. What was taking him so long? Sirius started to panic, what if Remus had been caught, or killed, or hit by a curse. He heard laboured breathing from outside and he held his breath anxiously. The uneven footsteps were getting closer and Sirius could smell blood, human blood. The footsteps were closer now, and the ragged breathing louder. Sirius looked down to the floor and saw the stooped shadow of a man standing in the doorway. His brows furrowed in confusion. He watched in horror as the figure stepped into the room and started to look around hopefully.
Sirius stepped out from his hiding place and placed his hand on Remus's shoulder, his friend wheeled around painfully, his wand already a Sirius's throat. He looked into the eyes of Sirius and relaxed his wand, leaving his arm drop down to his side. Remus was panting heavily now, swaying back and forth.
"What happened to you?'' Sirius demanded, his voice full of concern as he eyed Lupins arm that had been ripped apart from top to bottom.
"Got hit.'' Remus breathed heavily, not resisting as Sirius pulled him behind the door, out of sight from the Death Eaters. Remus face was deathly pale and his frail body fell weakly against the wall.
"You've lost a lot of blood.'' Sirius stated as he looked over Lupin and pulled out his wand. "I'm nothing on Poppy, but I'll try my best.'' Hew said as he performed a spell that sealed the cut off, not allowing any blood to be lost. Lupin smiled weakly at Sirius but the truth was that even though he had stopped bleeding the excruciating pain still remained. But they had to rescue Snape, Lupin braced himself and pushed himself away from the wall which was the only thing keeping him standing. "We'd better hurry.'' Sirius said nervously as he watched Remus wobble unsteadily on his feet, he looked drained and worn. "That spell will only last about an hour. I was never much good at healing charms.'' Sirius stated matter of factly as he looked around at the several doors and staircases surrounding the room.
"Which one do we go through? There's got to be around fifty rooms in this place.'' Sirius commented angrily, frustrated that they didn't know where Snape was or how to get there.
Lupin just shrugged, Sirius was right, there was no way they'd find Snape while the Death Eaters were still outside. There were too many places he could be. From the outside it looked as though the house had at least four floors, and then there were Merlin knows how many dungeons. "Before we go anywhere, I think we'd better disillusion ourselves, at least that way there's less risk of being caught." Lupin said quietly.
"Good idea.'' Sirius replied as they both hit each other on the head with their wands and felt the cool sensation of water trickling down their backs. Sirius looked down at himself but only saw the wall that he stood against. "Right then lets start the search for Snivellus.''
But the search wasn't required; a loud scream filled the house, followed by a man shouting. Sirius and Remus looked at each other knowingly for a second before running up the stairs and along the corridor following the sound of the man ranting.
"Ahhhh Fuck.'' The man shouted, it was obvious to both Sirius and Remus that he was in a lot of pain, and from the sickening crack that they had just heard he had just broken something. They reached the end of the corridor they were walking along, following the sounds of the mans voice. The door to the room that the voice was coming from was ajar and Sirius and Remus crept quietly up to it, not knowing how many Death Eaters remained inside. As they got closer the mans words became clearer. Sirius looked into the room and saw Snape sprawled out on the floor; his face and hair drenched in sweat and blood. He was struggling to sit up and his leg was stuck out at a funny angle. He looked as though the mere thought of standing up would finish him off.
Then his attention turned to the man standing over Snape pointing his wand directly at him, but Snape didn't even flinch, he looked at the man standing above him with the utmost contempt, and spat at his feet.
"You are lecturing me on treachery. You think you have the right to stand over me and punish me for betrayal. When you did exactly the same. No, worse, because you betrayed your friends, people who actually cared for you although god knows why. You are filth. You don't even deserve to lick my fucking boots. You are lower than low. You're fucking scum Pettigrew. You make me sick.'' Snape spat angrily, although his angry tirade looked as though it was draining him of the little strength he had left.
Sirius and Remus revealed themselves and burst into the room, Sirius growled throatily as he looked at Peter with so much hatred and anger that he was actually shaking. Peter's eyes widened in terror as he saw his old friends walking towards him, he looked to Sirius, and saw the murderous expression on his face. He started backing away his wand lay forgotten in his hand. He backed into the wall and apparated quickly with a small squeak of terror. "Scum.'' Sirius growled as he punched the wall, where Peter's head had been seconds before.
Remus quickly turned his attentions away from Sirius who was pacing the room and cursing madly, he had always taken Peters betrayal personally and blamed himself for making James switch secret keeper, leading him and his family to tragedy.
"Do you think you can stand Severus?'' Remus asked quietly, but even as he asked the question he knew the answer. There was no way that Snape could stand, his body had been severely weakened by hours of torture and his leg was badly broken. And from the way Snape was clutching at his chest it seemed as though he had broken several ribs.
Nape eyed the arm that Remus was holding carefully at his side, but decided not to say anything as he struggled to get to his feet on his own. But he tried in vain, he was too weak and his leg was in agony every time he moved it. He fell back to the floor and screamed in frustration.
"Look Severus, let me put a splint on your leg, at least then you'll be able to stand.'' Remus said calmly, watching the proud man before him contemplate letting his old time enemies help him, but in the end his pain won.
Once his leg had been bandaged, Snape stood up with a lot of help from Remus and Sirius, and the three men disillusioned themselves before starting to make very slow progress towards the exit.
"Why can't we just apparate?'' Sirius complained, shifting underneath Snape's weight as they half carried the injured man to safety. "That little rat did.'' He snarled.
"Only those in Voldemorts favour can apparate here.'' Snape replied raggedly. "And you can bet your life that we are most definitely not. We'd be killed if we tried to apparate now, we have to get as far away from the house as poss……….'' But Snape was cut off by the sound of the door creaking open wider than before and Death Eaters filling the house once again.
"Great.'' Sirius sighed. "This is all we need.''
The three men continued down the corridor walking close to the wall, making as little noise as possible. They heard heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs and heard the voices of two men.
"I was positive someone was out there, I saw the grass moving.'' The largest man said in a thick Scottish accent.
"You mean you dragged us all out there in the freezing cold because you saw the grass move. It could've been the wind or a kneazle or anything. You idiot.'' The other man said angrily, storming off in front of the man, missing Sirius, Remus and Snape by only millimetres. The three let out one breath simultaneously, that was too close for comfort.
They started walking again, making their way noiselessly down the old staircase, flattening themselves to the wall, as Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange swept past, unaware that they were so close to the people they had been hunting.
Peter Pettigrew stumbled past them all, and it took all of Sirius's self restraint to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing him. Finally the coast was clear and they made their way across the large open space leading to the front door, with one last look around for any Death Eaters, Sirius pulled open the door and allowed Snape and Remus to pass out through it safely and start walking away from the house. He took one last look around, and saw that there were no Death Eaters around and he had to resist laughing at how easy it had been in to break into Voldemorts hiding place and rescue Snape. He turned around and walked out of the door and down the steps, he stopped suddenly as he realised. The door was still open, but it wouldn't be for long, it was swinging shut and there was nothing he could do about it, it was going to slam. And with aloud echoing boom, it did just that. Remus and Snape spun round to look at Sirius, their eyes wide with fear, before they all started to run.
Death Eaters started spilling out of the house, firing curses at their retreating backs, every jet of green light, gave them new energy to run. They had to reach the area where they had hidden before they reached the house, that was the safest place to apparate. But it seemed a lifetime away.
Snape ran forward, every time his foot hit the ground fresh agony coursed through his body, but he ignored the pain and carried on. Not wanting to show any sign of weakness in front of his tormentors, a jet of green light shot towards him and he ducked only just in time, watching as the light hit the ground, sending clumps of earth into the air.
As Sirius ran he could hear Voldemort scream out Peters name and he found great satisfaction in knowing that Peter was going to be very well punished for what they had done. But even that wasn't punishment enough. Sirius looked ahead and saw Snape apparate from the undergrowth, Remus stood there waiting, ducking as several shots were directed at him, urging Sirius forward.
"Just go.'' Sirius shouted as he got closer and closer to him. Jets of light narrowly missing him, and he ducked and dived out of their way. He watched as Remus disappeared from view and he realised suddenly that he was alone with fifty Death Eaters chasing him. He put on a burst of speed, urging his tired limbs forward until he reached the apparition spot, he lifted his wand and prepared to apparate, when a jet of silver light hit him square in the shoulder, he got knocked forward by the sheer impact of the hit, he felt the blood gushing down his back and his shoulder blade shatter, he screamed in agony, but he had to get out of there, he couldn't get caught. He dragged himself hurriedly into a sitting position, his instinct for survival numbing the excruciating pain and apparated just in time, and a jet of green light hit the spot where he had fallen.
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Remus paced the Three Broomsticks nervously, Sirius had known where to apparate to. Why wasn't he here? He looked down at his arm and saw that the seal had disappeared and once again his arm was bleeding freely, but he didn't have time to worry about that, not when his best friend was still out there with the Death Eaters. He looked out the window and to his amazement he saw Sirius appear on the ground outside. He smiled relieved, and rushed out of the door.
"We said in the Three Broomsticks not outside. You need to brush up on your apparition skills.'' Remus called as he rushed outside, but he stopped and stared at Sirius in horror as he saw the blood rolling freely from his shoulder, or what had once been his shoulder. Now there was just a mangled mess of flesh blood and shattered bone.
"What happened to you?'' Remus asked worriedly, seeing the ghostly paleness of his friend's skin and the sheen of sweat covering his face.
"Got hit.'' Sirius replied, echoing his friend's words. He smiled weakly up at Lupin and struggled to his feet, wincing in pain as his wound started bleeding more profusely, he looked across at Lupin and shook his head slightly at his friends bleeding arm. "Hogwarts.'' Was all Sirius could bring himself to say and they helped each other into the Three Broomsticks where Snape was tightening the splint around his leg. His face was a mask of pain. Remus reached out weakly to the Floo pot on top of the fire, his arm wobbled as he reached for it, the colour was drained completely from all their faces from physical exhaustion, pain and loss of blood. They all grabbed a handful and Flooed back to Hogwarts Hospital wing.
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(A.N Hey everyone sorry that I took so long posting this chapter but my life has been hectic, I can't keep up with myself. Anyway enough about me, I hope you all appreciate the little Harry Ginny part, I really can't get them back together now as much as I want to. I'm sorry guys!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, well no I don't actually, no one should enjoy Sirius and Remus getting hurt that's just wrong. And no matter what you say you know you didn't enjoy Snape getting hurt either. He's a good guy really. Thanks for all your reviews you guys have been great. Until next time. Love you all ice princess12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
SEARCH FOR SNIVELLUS
There had been no green flashes in the old Hogwarts fireplace for a while now, and everyone was starting to think that it might be over, that everyone had been safely brought back to the castle. Now all that remained was for the five people who had willingly risked their lives to save the villagers to return through the emerald flames.
Harry eyed the fireplace nervously; he knew they wouldn't come back until they were absolutely certain that Hogsmeade was empty. He hated the fact that his godfather was so involved in the order everyday was a constant risk. Even though he knew that the order was saving many lives, he couldn't help but wish selfishly that Sirius wasn't allowed in the order. At least then he'd be safe.
The ebbing flames in the huge fireplace roared into life, illuminating the hall once more in a wave of emerald light. Hagrid stepped out of the fire quickly, brushing himself down as Kingsley followed behind him. Harry's eyes were now trained on the fireplace waiting for Sirius to step out, then Lupin, then Snape. But no flash came. The students that occupied the Great Hall muttered nervously, three of the members still hadn't returned. Had they been captured, killed? Were they too injured to Floo back? Nobody knew, a thrill of unease coursed through the Great Hall.
Hagrid caught Harry's eye, but looked away swiftly not wanting to answer his question. Dumbledore approached the two men; his eyes betrayed his calm façade.
"Where are they?'' He asked, his voice remaining steady though there was an unspoken fear in his eyes.
"Snape got captured.'' Hagrid answered, "we heard him scream from the pub.'' Dumbledore's calm exterior was slowly cracking; he had known how risky it was for Snape to leave the castle, especially during an attack. He knew full well that if Snape didn't manage to escape he would be dead very soon. "And the other two?'' Dumbledore asked fearfully.
"They went after him O' course.'' Hagrid answered and Dumbledore nodded his head, he should've known that they wouldn't abandon Snape to torment and death. Schoolboy feuds were pushed aside in the face of danger. This was what the world was supposed to be like Dumbledore thought sadly, people coming to each other's aid, no matter what their past holds against them.
"Do you know where they went?''
"No idea, Sirius and Remus both ran to where the screams came from, we waited but they never came back. They've probably apparated somewhere more secure.'' Kingsley whispered careful that nobody would overhear him. "All we can do now is wait, we can't even send backup if we don't know where they are.'' Kingsley shouted, his voice rose in frustration.
Dumbledore raised his hand and placed it on Kingsleys shoulder, he knew that nothing more could be done. Sending more may risk Sirius and Remus's lives. All they could do is wait. He turned around to face the students and teachers in front of him. They were tired and worn but their eyes remained alert, the fatigue vanished and they were ready to do whatever they could to bring back the three men who had vanished. Dumbledore knew that he was going to have to break the news that one of the rescuer's had been captured and the other two were planning on saving him. He caught Harry's eyes and smiled sadly before clearing his throat to speak.
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As the news sunk in Destiny and Tonks looked at each other, both hoping for some support in the other. There was none. They both looked each other in the eye, fresh tears spilling down their cheeks. The men that they loved were walking into almost certain death, there was no denying the fact that they would be extremely lucky to walk away from Voldemort alive.
Destiny buried her face in her hands, her long raven hair spilling over her shoulders, sobs wracking through her body, Tonks moved to comfort her, but couldn't find the words, they just held each other. Letting their sobs become one.
Each knew that nothing would've changed their minds; they had willingly walked into a group of vengeful Death Eaters to save a man whom they hated. They were proud of them but neither could help but wonder if they would ever see their faces again.
Harry's eyes started to burn, but he kept the tears hidden. He just sat there in a daze, not knowing what to do. His emotions were a mess. He had kept everything hidden for so long, it was bursting up inside him, threatening to escape any minute. He vaguely felt someone's presence in front of him, he looked up into a pair of vivid green eyes, shining with unshed tears. Her fiery hair had been pulled away from her face in a messy bun and loose tendrils were falling from its grasp, framing her pale face.
"They'll be alright Harry.'' She whispered softly, looking deeply into his troubled eye. "I know they will.''
"Thanks Gin.'' Harry said slowly standing up so that he was looking down on her, he raised his hands up and placed them on her arms and stared deeply into here eyes. "Thank you my angel.'' He whispered hoarsely, forgetting his plans, wanting only to find comfort in her arms again. Wanting to be held and told that everything was going to be ok. He moved closer to her, leaning down, wanting to find comfort in her soft gentle lips.
"Don't Harry.'' Ginny said, backing away from him, pushing his hands back down to his sides. "I can't do this again." She said sadly turning away from him, leaving him feeling ten times worse. How could he try and get her back now? After everything he had done to her? She would still be at risk. Harry cursed himself for being so selfish and forgetting what he had set out to do in a moment of weakness.
He sank back down to the floor and was glad when he felt Hermione slide down next to him and wrap a comforting arm around his shoulder. He leaned into her and rested his head against her shoulder. And just let himself be held by someone who loved him.
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The house stood on a hill, alone, separated from the rest of the small village. The cold windy air whipped Lupin's greying hair up out of his face as he stood waiting for his partner. With loud crack Sirius appeared at his friends side, wand drawn. The trees surrounding the house had withered and died, the cracked glass in the window frame rattled as the wind blew through them fiercely. There was no sign that anybody lived in this house. The garden that had once been the envy of the village was overgrown and unkempt, and the once white walls were dark and dirty. Ivy grew all over the walls covering windows, blocking out the sunlight.
"Looks pleasant enough.'' Sirius said, his tone was one of jest but his eyes bore the same haunted look as they had when he had first escaped Azkaban.
"Compared to what a morgue.'' Lupin said dryly. "No even morgues look more inviting than this place.'' He commented surveying the huge house in front of him with distaste and unease.
"How do you even know that he is here?'' Sirius asked, but he didn't receive a reply. Lupin hurriedly pulled him down into the bushes. Lying flat on the floor he whispered Sirius answer.
"That's how.'' He said indicating a group of Death Eaters who had just left the house, their cloaks were ragged and torn, and Lupin suspected that they were probably the same Death Eaters who had attacked Hogsmeade that very morning. He watched as they all split up and started patrolling around the old house. They were obviously expecting them.
"Well what are we waiting for, we have to go and save him.'' Sirius said as he started to get up from the cold wet floor.
"We can't just go in there wands blazing, we'll be dead in seconds and Snape will be even worse off than he is now. No, we need to bide our time, come up with a good plan of action. We'll wait until we have cover of darkness.'' Lupin instructed pulling Sirius back down, flat onto the ground.
"Then what?'' He asked
"Then we go in.''
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Dank air filled his nostrils and the familiar scent of dust reached his senses. He knew exactly where he was, he had been here many times before, only usually he was one of the men in masks. He now knew how utterly terrifying it was to know that you were going to have to face up to Lord Voldemort and that you would be dead by the end of it. The ropes he was bound with dug deeply into his wrists, making him bleed every time he moved. But that pain was nothing not compared to what he was going to have to endure. His dark eyes scanned over the room, it looked so different now that he was forced to view it from another perspective. The empty fireplace still held ashes from years before when this house had been a home. The ivy covered windows only allowed a limited supply of light into the room, the dappled shadows giving everything an eerie quality. He hung his head and sighed deeply, he had expected to die in the hands of Lord Voldemort ever since he had turned sides. So why did he feel so scared? He had prepared for this moment years ago, but preparing and living were to totally different matters. He heard thunderous footsteps echoing through the empty corridor and knew that either Crabbe or Goyle had been assigned to guard his door. There was no point anyway, he was magically bound and couldn't do anything without his wand.
A second step of footsteps could be heard, followed closely by another. Snape gulped his time had come. He held his head high, determined not to die grovelling on his knees.
An icy cold air filled the room as Lord Voldemort walked in followed by Peter Pettigrew. His red eyes examined Snapes every feature with contempt, his snake like nostrils were flared and the glint in his eye told Snape that this was not going to be quick.
"You could've gone far you know.'' Voldemort hissed snakelike. "You could've been the best.'' Snape deadened his emotions, he knew that Voldemort would try to read his mind and see what he was thinking. He wasn't about to let that happen. "Why did you do it Severus?'' Voldemort asked, using his first name, something he never did. Snape didn't answer, he just fixed his gaze resolutely on his old master. "So you want to play games. I can play games.'' Voldemort spat, his eyes glinting maniacally. "Crucio.''
For ten whole minutes all Snape could feel was icy pain splintering through every cell in his body, his vision started to cloud over and he could no longer hear himself screaming even though he knew that he was. The pain rippled through him, and he struggled to remain conscious, he felt the world slipping away from him. Just as he was bout to slip away, the curse was lifted.
"So why did you do it?'' Voldemort asked again, laughter in his voice.
"Because you are sick, evil and twisted.'' Snape spat back, no longer terrified of the man before him. Not caring what happened to him next.
"Really. Well we'll see how evil I am. Crucio.'' Voldemort stated coldly. This time he didn't lift the curse for half an hour, Snape was weak tired and raw. Every nerve in his body felt as though it had exploded and he felt as though thousands of tiny needles were attacking every inch mercilessly. "Well as fun as this has been Severus, I'm afraid I have better things to do. This will teach you for betraying your master.'' Voldemort said almost lazily. "And it will teach others too.'' He added nastily, glaring at Peter unforgivingly. "Once a traitor always a traitor.''
He raised his wand about to ay the last words that Snape would ever hear. Snape clenched his teeth and waited for the final blow to fall. Waited for the flash of green that would be the last thing he would ever see. He was going to die. But the words he expected never came. Instead there was a loud knock on the door and Nick Gilbert burst in, he was breathless and sweaty.
"What is it Gilbert, I haven't got time for this.'' Voldemort snapped.
"Master, there is someone out on the grounds.'' Gilbert panted hoarsely.
Voldemort turned his back on Snape and marched out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Peter outside to stand guard over Snape. Once again Snape was plunged into darkness the last traces of daylight had disappeared. He sighed heavily into the coolness of the room. He had been prepared for death. Now he had to wait once again, the never-ending fear creeping up around him once more and shrouding him in sorrow.
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Outside in the grounds of the neglected house, darkness stole over the unkempt lawns. Disguising the two men that lay in wait, hidden in the long grass. A patch of light appeared, cutting through the darkness like a knife, spreading wider and wider over the lawn. The door to the house had been opened and Death Eaters were swarming out of the door and across the grounds like bee's swarming around a beehive. Sirius flattened himself lower against the ground as a blue jet of light shot past the top of his head, only just missing him. His dog like reflexes picked up several scents on the air, doubt, fear, and anger. He looked across at his partner and saw that Remus too had flattened his body to the floor, his ears were pricked and his eyes darted wildly, looking for any sign of danger.
"This is our chance.'' Remus whispered to Sirius, who moved closer to him, trying to catch his words over the shouts and spells of the Death Eaters. "They've left the front door unguarded. We have to go now.''
"Right, keep low to the ground and watch out for their curses.'' Sirius said, as he started crawling towards the chink of light that stood out against the blackness of the night, followed closely by Remus. The crawled in silence, dragging themselves forward using only their arms. Stopping occasionally when the shouts and curses got closer and starting again only when they faded. They were almost there; Sirius could make out the ornate patterning on the old wooden door that had become black with age. He started going faster, eager to get inside quickly.
A shout was heard to Remus's left and a jet of electric blue light hit him in his upper arm, leaving a deep gash that ran the length of his arm, rendering it useless. The pain was intense, his vision blurred and he felt blackness surround him but he couldn't scream out. He couldn't let himself get caught. He bit down hard on his lip to try and suffocate the pain. He tasted blood in his mouth as he carried on dragging himself forwards quietly.
"Do you think it hit anyone.'' A loud voice shouted across the grounds. The man spoke with a Northern accent and he sounded hopeful as he called to the sender of the curse.
"Nah, we'd know it if it did.'' The man replied nastily, his laughter echoing through the air, settling in Remus's ears becoming a driving force. They'd all get their comeuppance soon, when they realise they've been made fools of. He glimpsed Sirius sneaking up the steps leading to the front door and he carried on crawling, using his good arm to drag himself up to the house.
Sirius looked around cautiously, the room he had just entered looked as though it was once very grand. But now, the surfaces of the tables were covered in inches of dust and the few pictures that weren't torn to shreds hung lopsidedly on the battered walls. He stood flat against the wall behind the door, not wanting to get caught by any death eater returning from the grounds. Where was Remus? He had been right behind him a minute ago. What was taking him so long? Sirius started to panic, what if Remus had been caught, or killed, or hit by a curse. He heard laboured breathing from outside and he held his breath anxiously. The uneven footsteps were getting closer and Sirius could smell blood, human blood. The footsteps were closer now, and the ragged breathing louder. Sirius looked down to the floor and saw the stooped shadow of a man standing in the doorway. His brows furrowed in confusion. He watched in horror as the figure stepped into the room and started to look around hopefully.
Sirius stepped out from his hiding place and placed his hand on Remus's shoulder, his friend wheeled around painfully, his wand already a Sirius's throat. He looked into the eyes of Sirius and relaxed his wand, leaving his arm drop down to his side. Remus was panting heavily now, swaying back and forth.
"What happened to you?'' Sirius demanded, his voice full of concern as he eyed Lupins arm that had been ripped apart from top to bottom.
"Got hit.'' Remus breathed heavily, not resisting as Sirius pulled him behind the door, out of sight from the Death Eaters. Remus face was deathly pale and his frail body fell weakly against the wall.
"You've lost a lot of blood.'' Sirius stated as he looked over Lupin and pulled out his wand. "I'm nothing on Poppy, but I'll try my best.'' Hew said as he performed a spell that sealed the cut off, not allowing any blood to be lost. Lupin smiled weakly at Sirius but the truth was that even though he had stopped bleeding the excruciating pain still remained. But they had to rescue Snape, Lupin braced himself and pushed himself away from the wall which was the only thing keeping him standing. "We'd better hurry.'' Sirius said nervously as he watched Remus wobble unsteadily on his feet, he looked drained and worn. "That spell will only last about an hour. I was never much good at healing charms.'' Sirius stated matter of factly as he looked around at the several doors and staircases surrounding the room.
"Which one do we go through? There's got to be around fifty rooms in this place.'' Sirius commented angrily, frustrated that they didn't know where Snape was or how to get there.
Lupin just shrugged, Sirius was right, there was no way they'd find Snape while the Death Eaters were still outside. There were too many places he could be. From the outside it looked as though the house had at least four floors, and then there were Merlin knows how many dungeons. "Before we go anywhere, I think we'd better disillusion ourselves, at least that way there's less risk of being caught." Lupin said quietly.
"Good idea.'' Sirius replied as they both hit each other on the head with their wands and felt the cool sensation of water trickling down their backs. Sirius looked down at himself but only saw the wall that he stood against. "Right then lets start the search for Snivellus.''
But the search wasn't required; a loud scream filled the house, followed by a man shouting. Sirius and Remus looked at each other knowingly for a second before running up the stairs and along the corridor following the sound of the man ranting.
"Ahhhh Fuck.'' The man shouted, it was obvious to both Sirius and Remus that he was in a lot of pain, and from the sickening crack that they had just heard he had just broken something. They reached the end of the corridor they were walking along, following the sounds of the mans voice. The door to the room that the voice was coming from was ajar and Sirius and Remus crept quietly up to it, not knowing how many Death Eaters remained inside. As they got closer the mans words became clearer. Sirius looked into the room and saw Snape sprawled out on the floor; his face and hair drenched in sweat and blood. He was struggling to sit up and his leg was stuck out at a funny angle. He looked as though the mere thought of standing up would finish him off.
Then his attention turned to the man standing over Snape pointing his wand directly at him, but Snape didn't even flinch, he looked at the man standing above him with the utmost contempt, and spat at his feet.
"You are lecturing me on treachery. You think you have the right to stand over me and punish me for betrayal. When you did exactly the same. No, worse, because you betrayed your friends, people who actually cared for you although god knows why. You are filth. You don't even deserve to lick my fucking boots. You are lower than low. You're fucking scum Pettigrew. You make me sick.'' Snape spat angrily, although his angry tirade looked as though it was draining him of the little strength he had left.
Sirius and Remus revealed themselves and burst into the room, Sirius growled throatily as he looked at Peter with so much hatred and anger that he was actually shaking. Peter's eyes widened in terror as he saw his old friends walking towards him, he looked to Sirius, and saw the murderous expression on his face. He started backing away his wand lay forgotten in his hand. He backed into the wall and apparated quickly with a small squeak of terror. "Scum.'' Sirius growled as he punched the wall, where Peter's head had been seconds before.
Remus quickly turned his attentions away from Sirius who was pacing the room and cursing madly, he had always taken Peters betrayal personally and blamed himself for making James switch secret keeper, leading him and his family to tragedy.
"Do you think you can stand Severus?'' Remus asked quietly, but even as he asked the question he knew the answer. There was no way that Snape could stand, his body had been severely weakened by hours of torture and his leg was badly broken. And from the way Snape was clutching at his chest it seemed as though he had broken several ribs.
Nape eyed the arm that Remus was holding carefully at his side, but decided not to say anything as he struggled to get to his feet on his own. But he tried in vain, he was too weak and his leg was in agony every time he moved it. He fell back to the floor and screamed in frustration.
"Look Severus, let me put a splint on your leg, at least then you'll be able to stand.'' Remus said calmly, watching the proud man before him contemplate letting his old time enemies help him, but in the end his pain won.
Once his leg had been bandaged, Snape stood up with a lot of help from Remus and Sirius, and the three men disillusioned themselves before starting to make very slow progress towards the exit.
"Why can't we just apparate?'' Sirius complained, shifting underneath Snape's weight as they half carried the injured man to safety. "That little rat did.'' He snarled.
"Only those in Voldemorts favour can apparate here.'' Snape replied raggedly. "And you can bet your life that we are most definitely not. We'd be killed if we tried to apparate now, we have to get as far away from the house as poss……….'' But Snape was cut off by the sound of the door creaking open wider than before and Death Eaters filling the house once again.
"Great.'' Sirius sighed. "This is all we need.''
The three men continued down the corridor walking close to the wall, making as little noise as possible. They heard heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs and heard the voices of two men.
"I was positive someone was out there, I saw the grass moving.'' The largest man said in a thick Scottish accent.
"You mean you dragged us all out there in the freezing cold because you saw the grass move. It could've been the wind or a kneazle or anything. You idiot.'' The other man said angrily, storming off in front of the man, missing Sirius, Remus and Snape by only millimetres. The three let out one breath simultaneously, that was too close for comfort.
They started walking again, making their way noiselessly down the old staircase, flattening themselves to the wall, as Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange swept past, unaware that they were so close to the people they had been hunting.
Peter Pettigrew stumbled past them all, and it took all of Sirius's self restraint to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing him. Finally the coast was clear and they made their way across the large open space leading to the front door, with one last look around for any Death Eaters, Sirius pulled open the door and allowed Snape and Remus to pass out through it safely and start walking away from the house. He took one last look around, and saw that there were no Death Eaters around and he had to resist laughing at how easy it had been in to break into Voldemorts hiding place and rescue Snape. He turned around and walked out of the door and down the steps, he stopped suddenly as he realised. The door was still open, but it wouldn't be for long, it was swinging shut and there was nothing he could do about it, it was going to slam. And with aloud echoing boom, it did just that. Remus and Snape spun round to look at Sirius, their eyes wide with fear, before they all started to run.
Death Eaters started spilling out of the house, firing curses at their retreating backs, every jet of green light, gave them new energy to run. They had to reach the area where they had hidden before they reached the house, that was the safest place to apparate. But it seemed a lifetime away.
Snape ran forward, every time his foot hit the ground fresh agony coursed through his body, but he ignored the pain and carried on. Not wanting to show any sign of weakness in front of his tormentors, a jet of green light shot towards him and he ducked only just in time, watching as the light hit the ground, sending clumps of earth into the air.
As Sirius ran he could hear Voldemort scream out Peters name and he found great satisfaction in knowing that Peter was going to be very well punished for what they had done. But even that wasn't punishment enough. Sirius looked ahead and saw Snape apparate from the undergrowth, Remus stood there waiting, ducking as several shots were directed at him, urging Sirius forward.
"Just go.'' Sirius shouted as he got closer and closer to him. Jets of light narrowly missing him, and he ducked and dived out of their way. He watched as Remus disappeared from view and he realised suddenly that he was alone with fifty Death Eaters chasing him. He put on a burst of speed, urging his tired limbs forward until he reached the apparition spot, he lifted his wand and prepared to apparate, when a jet of silver light hit him square in the shoulder, he got knocked forward by the sheer impact of the hit, he felt the blood gushing down his back and his shoulder blade shatter, he screamed in agony, but he had to get out of there, he couldn't get caught. He dragged himself hurriedly into a sitting position, his instinct for survival numbing the excruciating pain and apparated just in time, and a jet of green light hit the spot where he had fallen.
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Remus paced the Three Broomsticks nervously, Sirius had known where to apparate to. Why wasn't he here? He looked down at his arm and saw that the seal had disappeared and once again his arm was bleeding freely, but he didn't have time to worry about that, not when his best friend was still out there with the Death Eaters. He looked out the window and to his amazement he saw Sirius appear on the ground outside. He smiled relieved, and rushed out of the door.
"We said in the Three Broomsticks not outside. You need to brush up on your apparition skills.'' Remus called as he rushed outside, but he stopped and stared at Sirius in horror as he saw the blood rolling freely from his shoulder, or what had once been his shoulder. Now there was just a mangled mess of flesh blood and shattered bone.
"What happened to you?'' Remus asked worriedly, seeing the ghostly paleness of his friend's skin and the sheen of sweat covering his face.
"Got hit.'' Sirius replied, echoing his friend's words. He smiled weakly up at Lupin and struggled to his feet, wincing in pain as his wound started bleeding more profusely, he looked across at Lupin and shook his head slightly at his friends bleeding arm. "Hogwarts.'' Was all Sirius could bring himself to say and they helped each other into the Three Broomsticks where Snape was tightening the splint around his leg. His face was a mask of pain. Remus reached out weakly to the Floo pot on top of the fire, his arm wobbled as he reached for it, the colour was drained completely from all their faces from physical exhaustion, pain and loss of blood. They all grabbed a handful and Flooed back to Hogwarts Hospital wing.
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(A.N Hey everyone sorry that I took so long posting this chapter but my life has been hectic, I can't keep up with myself. Anyway enough about me, I hope you all appreciate the little Harry Ginny part, I really can't get them back together now as much as I want to. I'm sorry guys!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, well no I don't actually, no one should enjoy Sirius and Remus getting hurt that's just wrong. And no matter what you say you know you didn't enjoy Snape getting hurt either. He's a good guy really. Thanks for all your reviews you guys have been great. Until next time. Love you all ice princess12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)