Chapter Four

The next morning, they awoke to find Snape already awake, sitting bolt upright, looking tired, and very fatigued.

"Why are you in my room Severus?" asked Sinistra, half asleep. Sirius, used to this from sleeping next to her, shook her gently. "Oh, yes, er, sorry..." she murmured, turning slightly pink.

Lupin looked at him in concern.

"I'm fine. I'm thinking of a way to get the bloody hell out of here...and don't look at me like that!" he said, sneering. "Listen," he continued, "We need to get the layout of the castle. But, the only way we can, is to be taken to the cells and that means that we would have to be tortured... again..." Sinistra leapt up.

"No! No, I can't!" Sinistra cried. "I won't!" Her eyes brimmed with tears. She broke into uncontrollable sobs, her body trembling at the thought of being tortured again. Sirius stood up and put his arms around her, trying to calm her.

"Lupin," Snape said, ignoring Sinistra's sobs, "It's the only way. I've been up all night, and l can't think of any other way."

"Are you sure?" Lupin replied, his face paling. He glanced up at Sinistra. Sirius was rubbing her back, trying to calm her, saying it would be the last time she'd ever be hurt, and that he'd protect her... Snape looked up at Sinistra, sobbing hysterically onto Sirius' shoulder. Lupin noticed a slight look of pity in his eyes, and a softer side emerge.

"Yes," he said, "I've been thinking about it all night. There's no other way. I don't want to do it either, you know. Hearing her scream last time gave me chills." The pity in his eyes then flickered, and was gone. He sneered at Lupin.

"We have to make sure we memorize every bit of the corridors, every turn, painting...everything. I have a spell that will help us memorize everything on our way to the torture cells. All we have to do now is wait." Lupin looked around. He had knocked a little hole in the wall, where only the tiniest pinprick of sun could peek through.

"That should be about any time now," he said.

Not long after Lupin spoke, they heard something clicking from down the hall. Sirius pushed his head against the bars of the cell door.

"They're coming!" he whispered. "They've got chains..." At this, Sinistra panicked. Snape scrambled to his feet looking anxious.

"The spell," Lupin muttered, "Say the spell!" Snape pointed his wand at himself and muttered something under his breath.

They had reached the cell. Sirius, Lupin, and Snape went as peacefully as possible, but Sinistra tried to put up a fight. A Death Eater raised the chains high above its head, ready to strike her down, when out of nowhere, Snape did something that made both Lupin and Sirius's jaws drop. He ran in front of her, pushing her out of the way and the chains came crashing down upon his head. Snape fell to the ground, blood running from his head. Sinistra screamed, horrified at the sight. She tried to help him up but was grabbed by a Death Eater, who then chained her wrists behind her. Snape lay motionless on the floor, bleeding terribly.

"The spell!" Lupin thought. But he noticed Sirius; as he was being dragged away, mutter something under his breath and nod at Lupin.

The Death Eaters picked them up, one by one, and dragged them down the hall. Lupin noticed Sirius' eyes darting around frantically, trying to absorb everything for later. Snape started to come to and he began moaning in agony. They were then taken into a circular room, one that they had not seen before. Each of them was then thrown into a different cell.

Lupin looked around, waiting for something to happen... Suddenly, the lights flickered and died. There was a rustling in the cell. Lupin groped through the darkness, trying to find what it was, but to no avail. The lights flickered back on, and each of them found what they were locked in with... Their worst fears.

Sinistra could hear Lupin 's cries of shock, then a terrible slashing noise and the sound of robes tearing. Lupin screamed in immense pain.

"Please! PLEASE! IT HURTS SO MUCH! STOP! PLEASE!" He begged and pleaded, screamed and pounded at the walls, trying to get out. Then there was another scream... " NO PLEASE! HAVE MERCY! PLEASE! STOP!" A pause... "NO NOT THAT! NO! NO! IT HURTS! PLEASE!" Lupin begged frantically.

The smell of burnt flesh... a yelp and a howl... claws slashing desperately at the wall... thick liquid splattering on the floor...

Sirius was listening too. He heard Sinistra's screams coming from the cell next to his. "No, oh please, please let me go! PLEASE! LET ME GO! NO! PLEASE! NOT IN THERE! DON'T PUT ME IN THERE!" Sirius could hear the sound of her body hitting something solid. The sound of hammering... Her voice was now muffled, "Please don't leave me in here! I'll suffocate! I'll die! Please! Somebody help me!" Something heavy hitting something solid. He could no longer hear her voice.

Snape was listening as well, when he heard Sirius running frantically in the cell, trying to get out.

"No!" he sobbed, and banged on the wall. "I don't want to lose my soul! No! PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN! I'M INNOCENT! PETTIGREW IS ALIVE! PLEASE! NOT THE KISS! OH, PLEASE! YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE ME! You've got the wrong man!" Snape heard him yell and scream, then a thud like a limp body hitting the floor.

Lupin listened warily for the others, when he heard Snape's yells from the cell next to his.

"NO! NO! IT-IT'S YOU!" Lupin heard him gasp and pound at the wall. "NO! PLEASE! NO! PLEASE! NOT THAT! NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Lupin heard a loud yell, and a horrid, long, agonizing scream, one of great pain and horror. Lupin 's sensitive senses picked up a bad smell... the smell of blood. He could hear a great quantity of it pouring onto the floor. Remembering his head wound inflicted from the chains, Lupin envisioned Snape's sallow skin being split open. The next sound omitted made Lupin nearly sick. He had never heard anyone in so much pain... ever.

Suddenly, the lights flickered out, then slowly on again, and everything was gone. Lupin remembered looking down at the large puddle of blood beneath him, Snape's blood curdling screaming ringing in his ears, and hitting the concrete floor as he collapsed.