GATEWOOD HOUSE, The next day (Tuesday) 12 PM in early June, 1999

"Well, this oughta be interesting," Saskia set down the Muggle newspaper and slid it across the small kitchen table to Nadia and Gabriel. Magen peered over their shoulders.

 "Oh, great," Magen sighed. Gabriel shook his head.

"Idiots," he said, sipping his sixth cup of coffee that morning, "They'll never learn. I hope that Sassy knows what's coming her way."

 "I wonder," Nadia trailed off, biting her lower lip.

 "What?" Adrienne popped into the kitchen sleepily, yawning and plopping down next to Saskia. Nadia slid the paper towards her. She ran a hand through her short dark hair, but stopped when she read the article on the front page.

"Dear God," she remarked dryly, "What will they think of next? They really don't expect people to actually buy that load of crap, do they?"

 "Apparently so," Nadia said quietly. "Sarah's going to have a fit."

"Yes, Gabriel," said Magen, tossing her long black hair out of her face and standing up, "Thank you for pointing that out to us. I just hope that she's got enough supplies to take on a whole troop of Death Eaters."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that," Brian came into the kitchen, folding a copy of the same paper under his arm, "I heard that last bit. I don't think we should be too worried about our dear, psychotic little Sarah. Remember the last time Death Eaters got in her way?"

 "Ah," said Saskia, "Aha. You're right, of course. I wonder how Fuck- up Fudge will deny this one."

 "Oh," replied Gabriel acidly, "He'll find a way to convince himself. He's so afraid of fighting--and going up against Voldemort at that--that he'll try anything to convince himself and the public that there's nothing wrong."

 "Eyeah... they don't call him 'Fuck-up' Fudge for nunthin'."

 "Guess so, Magen."

 "Somebody should warn the Prime Minister and the other world leaders," said Saskia, staring at the table.

"If Fudge don't take some action soon, I will," said Nadia, rising clumsily from the table and putting a hand on her protruding belly, "People deserve to be warned, no matter what kind of people they are!"

 "Here, here! Now, what is it that you're all talking about?"

"Glad to see you've joined the land of the living, Lady Bryn."

"You're just glad to see me wearing next to nothing," the tall beauty replied impishly as she strode into the room. She was clad in a T-shirt and underwear, minus socks, and her golden curls were in tangles.

"Ah, Lady, you wound me!" Brian clasped his hands to his heart in a dramatic gesture. The others chuckled.

"Here," said Adrienne, tossing the newspaper to Lady Bryn, "Read this."

There was silence as the fugitive royalty perused the Muggle newspaper.

"Lord in Heaven," she whispered after a few moments, "It is only because of what I saw her do to save me that has me convinced that Sarah can handle these Death Eaters," she spoke the term in disgust, "Trust in that. Our Sarah can handle herself quite, er, admirably on the battlefield."

 "Sarah fights like a psychotic machine on the battlefield," Saskia remarked dryly, rubbing her round belly, "But faced with something like this? Ooh, she's downright scary, the way she fights."

 There were some quiet few shudders in the silence that followed that remark. Lady Bryn shook her bowed head, her long golden-brown curls bouncing in the sunlight.

LONDON, two hours later (noon)

Sarah left her last stop for supplies, and picked up a newspaper on a whim. Her eyes narrowed as she read the Muggle's take on the latest Death Eater incident.

 'Damn,' she thought acidly, 'Maybe it wasn't a whim after all. I thought they'd wait a while longer. I thought something didn't feel quite right this morning. I should've trusted my instincts. Alright then, Harry's next... but I have to get through those damn fool psychos first. Not that it'll be a problem... it's just that dealing with them will be quite, er, messy. Now I'll have to call in some clean-up crews. Damn, and that's more time off my ass!' Well, best get to it then.

She sighed, and brushed fly-away hair irritably away from her face. Her vivid hair responded by letting more strands escape into her vision. She ignored it, concentrating on where she felt the disturbances radiating from. Being in London, with thousands of people around her, many of them less than trustworthy, pinpointing the direction was hard. After standing still for a while, she calmly began walking in a half-daze towards the West.

 A few paces later, she was satisfied that the threat lay in the West part of London. Right in her path... Too bad for them. Gathering her energy as she went, Sarah returned to her truck and threw the last of the supplies in the bed. She threw the Muggle newspaper on the floor of the passenger side, and absently swept up the items lying on the seat. Stowing them in the bed of the truck along with the supplies, she climbed into the driver's seat and started the truck. Popping in a Figgy Duff CD, she sped off towards the West end of London and towards Little Whining.

She left herself unbuckled, anticipating a fight.

HOGWARTS, same time and day, Severus's Chambers

If any of the students were to have seen Professor Severus Snape in the state he was in, none of them--save the bratlings who had witnessed his torture--none of them would have recognized him. His face was bruised and paler than usual where it wasn't a splotchy purplish gray. His lower lip was cracked, and he held a shot glass full of whiskey in one hand. The other hand was lightly wrapped in a bandage.

The hand that held the shot of whisky was shaking.

 But none of the contents of the shot glass spilt as he downed it in one, smooth toss of the head. Sighing as the whisky burned in his throat, warming his cold body, Severus felt his limbs tingle slightly back to life. 'Poppy's numbing potion is wearing off,' he thought wearily, 'I shall have to make her some more. Damn, but that's more time off my ass.'

 Blearily, fumbling slightly, Severus rose from his easy chair and headed towards his private bath. 'Shower,' he thought, focusing his frazzled brain as much as it would allow him to, 'A hot shower. And then bed. Sleep-yes, sleep is good... but shower first. Contrary to what many students believe, I do cleanse myself... and take great pleasure in being clean. Damn genetics for oily skin and hair!'

 He made it to the bath without incident.

He stripped himself methodically, letting his cloths fall to the floor to be picked up later. Stepping into the shower, he turned the water as hot as he could stand it, letting the hard spray massage his tense muscles. His skin tingled again as the droplets of water made contact with his pale skin. Some small piece of vanity let him acknowledge that although he was unnaturally and unattractively pale, he did have the body of man who played sports. He allowed himself a small grin at the fact that although he was in his thirties, he still could play Quidditch... and still did-every other night, when no one could see him.

 When he was thoroughly warmed, his ritual began. He suddenly reached out and turned the water as cold as it could go. Considering that he was in a castle and in a dungeon, the water turned VERY cold. He stood there, under the freezing spray, and willed his body to remain so. Two minutes later, he increased the water temperature until it was back to scalding hot. He waited a moment, and then cooled the water down gradually, until it was only lukewarm.

 Shutting the shower off completely, he wrapped himself in a warm towel and dried himself off. Deciding against nightclothes, Severus allowed himself to sigh as he slid underneath his heavy covers. His last thoughts before sleep came to claim him were thus: 'Yea gods I am getting too old to play lackey. Damn, but I wish there was somebody to share my bed... I wonder what Potter is doing right now... a sensible woman, who...' Sleep came then, washing over him like he was imagining the woman doing... the difference was that the sleep brought him oblivion, and the woman would bring him life.

A/N: Okay, I know that this is short and a loooong time in coming... but please understand that college life has a way of interfering! I promise that I haven't stopped writing, but only less frequently. I'll try to have more up in a few weeks, but NO promises. Maybe something else I've written will come first... it's however my muses decide to let me go about it. As par the course, please please PLEASE R/R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And no flamers, please. PROFESSIONAL criticism, thank you very much. Any ideas or suggestions, post 'em and I'll love you forever!