"How shall we pass the time while we wait ? Ooh, I know." The Death Eater was using her babyish voice again. It grated on Alex's nerves. Bellatrix rubbed against Snape seductively, fondling him. He sighed loudly, the cobwebbed rafters coming into view for a moment as he rolled his eyes. "What, not interested ?" she asked, pretending to pout.

"I've never been into bondage, Bella – not the receiving end of it. Now, if you'd like to untie me and trade places, I'm sure I could find ways to keep you very entertained."

She laughed delightedly. "Oh, Severus, you're such a wit." Bellatrix ran her fingers through his hair, smiling playfully. "You will keep me entertained, silly boy. Pleasure or pain, it makes no difference to me." He clenched his eyes shut as she drew out her wand.

-----

"Ungh!" Alex groaned in frustration. Mad-Eye Moody glanced up at her from his seat at the table. He was monitoring his Dark arts detectors. Remus was crouched over the pensieve again. "She thinks I'm a real Seer," Alex raged. "Dammit! And Severus isn't about to correct her. Argh!" Lupin raised his head, startled. "Stupid bitch. She thinks I can just look into a crystal ball and read the address off the mailbox. Or - or find it floating in the bottom of my cup." Alex grabbed the mug of coffee and threw it. Mad-Eye watched implacably as it shattered and cold coffee dripped down the wall.

"Good thing you're not a real Seer," he remarked. "You'd make a lousy one. Even a child knows you can't See a thing in coffee grounds."

"Argh, you're impossible." Alex paced. Her anger drained away, replaced by a rising tide of panic. She forced it down. "He was in a house, this time... an attic?"

"Cellar," Remus corrected her. "No windows. An interior room, and we have no idea where the house might be located. It could be anywhere within a six-hundred mile radius."

"That'll be difficult to plot," Moody commented.

"So what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait for her to kill him?"

"I said it would be difficult to plot, not impossible. But it could take days, weeks, even," Moody said cheerfully.

"Weeks? He'll be dead by then!" Her throat tightened and she felt tears of helplessness well up in her eyes. Remus put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Alex shook him off, refusing to be consoled... Not while Severus was in danger.

"I'm going to the library to work on it," Moody told him. "Can't concentrate with an hysterical female shrieking in my ear." He strode to the door, his wooden leg clunking loudly against the floor. As if on cue, the sneakoscope on the table began to hum softly. Moody paused, one hand on the doorknob. He whirled around and crossed to the table, peering into a small, smoky mirror. Alex and Remus crowded close, looking over his shoulder. A dim outline appeared in the glass, slowly becoming clearer.

"It looks like a...a bird, of some sort," said Remus. They all jumped at the sound of window panes rattling. A very large owl beat against the sitting room window. With a questioning look at Moody, Remus crossed to the window and opened it, letting the owl perch on his forearm. He accepted a small envelope from the bird. "It's addressed to you." Remus passed it to Alex.

Inside was a slip of parchment with a few words written in a bold hand. There was no salutation, just an address. Fourteen West Froggett Street, Derby. Underneath was a signature: Lucius Malfoy. The owl hooted loudly and flapped out of the open window and away. "That's it, that's where she's taken him," Alex cried.

"It's a trap," Mad-Eye Moody said immediately, reading over her shoulder.

Alex ignored him. "Accio shoes."

Remus put a hand on her arm. "Alex, you can't just rush off," he said. "Mad-Eye's right."

"No," Alex said stubbornly.

"But why would Malfoy help you?" growled Moody. "It just doesn't follow."

"He hates Bellatrix Lestrange," Alex told him. "He'd just as soon see her dead."

"They might just as soon see you dead," Moody replied. "Let me finish," he insisted as she opened her mouth to protest. "Snape had a good thing going, as long as he was careful. Dumbledore and You-Know-Who both trusted him. Both were convinced he was spying for them. He could feed both sides whatever information he chose. Then you came along with your visions, and suddenly Dumbledore knew exactly what was going on at those secret meetings, whether or not it was in Snape's best interest for him to have that information."

Remus was nodding agreement. "I don't believe this." Alex turned on him. "Severus redeemed himself a long time ago. Dumbledore trusts him, for crying out loud. How long can you hold a grudge?"

"For three years, Alex," Remus said quietly. "If you want to talk about grudges. It was just three years ago that Snape was willing to turn two innocent men over to dementors. I was one of them. Do you know what the dementor's kiss does to a person? And all because of a stupid school-boy prank." He looked at her intently. "I'm sorry, Alex. I know you care for him. I just think you should understand what Severus Snape is capable of. Consider the possibility that he is a willing participant."

"You're kidding. He's had the shit beaten out of him. You think anyone in their right mind would submit to that willingly?"

"You assume he's being tortured," Moody growled. "It could just be that Snape is only showing you what he wants you to see."

Alex turned to Remus again. "He's a proud man. He doesn't want you to watch him being humiliated." She shook her head, furious with them. "To hell with you both. I'll go after him by myself. If Albus Dumbledore were here-"

"Now hold on a minute. Nobody said we weren't going after him," said Moody. Alex gaped at him. "We just want you to be aware of what you might be getting into," he told her.

"You could have said so." Asshole. "Sheesh, Moody," she voiced the thought aloud. "You can be a world-class asshole, you know that?"

"So you keep telling me."