Alex opened the cellar door and peeked in cautiously. A short flight descended to a landing. No more mistakes, she thought. Casting a spell to detect obstacles, she tiptoed down the first flight of stairs, then paused to catch her breath, her heart hammering. The second flight consisted of open wooden steps grey with age. Crouching at the top, Alex could see the entire cellar. Severus Snape lay slumped on the floor by the wall. There was no sign of Bellatrix. The invisibility cloak, Alex reminded herself. "Scrutari," she cast again. The spell revealed nothing. Wand at the ready, she ran down the stairs, backing into a corner beside an old workbench. Dammit, where is she? Long moments passed. Alex's eyes turned to Severus. Gods, he looks like shit. No, she corrected herself, he needs about a week in the hospital, then maybe he could be upgraded to shit. His robes and shoes were missing, his shirt torn and bloodstained. What she could see of his face was a mass of bruises. Mocking laughter rang out. Alex whirled in the direction she thought it had come from. "Stupefy!"
The laughter came again. "Wake up, Severus," Bellatrix's babyish voice called. "Your little friend has come to play." Snape's body shifted, as though pushed by an invisible foot.
Alex aimed above and behind him. "Stupefy!"
"Protego." Bellatrix deflected the spell with casual ease, letting the invisibility cloak fall. Part of it covered Severus' legs, giving the bizarre impression that his body was cut off at the hips. "Expelliarmus!" The spell came so quickly Alex didn't have a chance to protect herself. She was thrown hard against the work bench as her wand flew into the Death Eater's waiting hand. Bellatrix laughed exultantly.
Damn, she's fast. Alex lay against the bench, pretending to be more stunned than she really was. Not that that's really difficult, she thought. Her ribs throbbed. Slowly, she pulled Sturgis Podmore's wand from her waistband.
"Crucio!"
"Protego! Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix's laughter stopped abruptly as Alex jumped to her feet. The disarming spell made her stumble back several steps, but she was able to hold on to her wand. Damn! "Stupefy!" Alex cast frantically. Bellatrix laughed again, deflecting Alex's spell and sending a volley of curses in return. Alex barely managed to deflect them. She gasped for breath as Bellatrix's attention was distracted.
"Accio cloak." The cloak of invisibility pulled off of Severus as he crawled across the floor and flew into Bellatrix's hand. "Trying to sneak away? Silly boy. Expelliarmus!" she screamed, whipping back toward Alex.
"Proteg-" Alex knew it was too late even as she cast the shield spell. Bellatrix was incredibly fast, amazingly strong. The spare wand was torn from her fingers as she slammed hard against the floor.
"That's the best you could do?" The Dark witch's voice was contemptuous, amused. "Too much time peering into tea cups and crystal balls, and not enough attention to practical magic, I suppose." She addressed Snape. "You really must stay and watch, Severus. It makes it so much more fun for me. I want you to watch your pretty little girlfriend suffer."
"I don't wish to merely watch. I want to make her suffer," Snape rasped. Laboriously, he rose to his feet, swaying. The effort left him unable to speak for a moment. "I told you, Bella. She betrayed me. I never spied on our Lord – it was all her. Let me take my revenge," he snarled.
Bellatrix smiled, her mad eyes glittering. "How rich," she purred. "All she wanted to do was rescue you, Severus. And this is how you repay her devotion?" She chuckled. "This should be amusing." She tossed Podmore's wand at Snape.
He's got a wand, Alex thought. He's got a plan. He'll distract her, then... Snape pointed the wand at her, tilting his head to one side as he took aim. Alex suddenly realized why her visions had had that odd, one-sided perspective. His right eye was swollen completely shut. Alex felt a rush of sympathy. Gods, he's been through hell...
"Crucio!"
A sharp twinge that rapidly faded to nothing. He's done in, Alex thought. He doesn't have the strength to cast. I ought to act as though it really hurts. She let out a moan, trying to make her limbs twitch helplessly as they'd done when Rodolphus had crucioed her upstairs.
"You're not hurting her at all," Bellatrix sneered. "You can't fool me. You really do care for her – accio wand!"
"No!" Severus clutched at Podmore's wand as it flew from his fingers. He staggered towards Alex. She started to rise, her eyes widening in shock as he kicked her viciously in the ribs. Alex fell to the floor again, curling into a ball, trying to protect herself as Snape kicked her twice more. He stepped back, wheezing as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. "I'm just a bit...worn out from your gentle ministrations, Bella, he gasped. "I need you to...help me."
"Of course you do." Bellatrix tossed him the wand again. "I think you broke her ribs," she remarked with approval. "Let's do it again, together. Crucio."
The pain was intense this time, grabbing her, shaking her in its grip, refusing to let her go. Oh gods, oh gods. It took forever to end. Alex lay on her stomach, her face pressed against the cold dirt of the cellar floor, Bellatrix's laughter ringing in her ears.
"Tell her the truth, Severus," she cried.
"I serve the Dark Lord faithfully. You stupid, silly little chit. How could you have imagined that I would betray him?" His voice was hoarse, labored, but as cold as Alex had ever heard it.
Okay. It's all right. He's got Bellatrix off guard, Alex thought. He's got a plan to get us both out of this. She clenched her fists as Bellatrix cast the curse again, tearing into her with pain so intense she couldn't breath. I will not give her the satisfaction of hearing me scream. She raised her head and looked at Severus. He jabbed his wand at her, adding his own feeble curse. She couldn't believe the pain could increase any more, but it did. The two mages advanced on her, step by step, Bellatrix's expression avid, Snape's cold, without emotion. Alex's vision blurred. Please, dear gods, make it stop! Snape's battered face was utterly expressionless as he watched her scrabble on the floor in front of him. "Oh gods, please, make it stop!" She realized, dimly, that she was screaming the words aloud.
"Now isn't this fun?" Bellatrix gloated.
Alex was sobbing, gasping for breath. Bitch, she thought helplessly. Bastard. Oh gods, they're going to kill me. The two Death Eaters stood over her. Snape's breathing was as labored as her own. Bellatrix put her arms around him, helping him to stand. Her triumphant laughter filled Alex's ears. Snape's betrayal filled her mind. How could I have trusted him? Gods, he even warned me not to trust him. She barely felt Sturgis Podmore's wand as it fell from Snape's fingers and struck her hip.
"Finish the bitch for me."
Bellatrix smiled. "It will be my pleasure."
Fingers trembling, Alex clutched the wand, her eyes locked on Bellatrix. Her arm felt leaden as she raised it. She heard Severus' voice as if from a great distance.
"I wasn't speaking to you, Bella."
"Stupefy," Alex shrieked. She put every remaining ounce of strength into the spell. A glow of red light flared from the borrowed wand. Bellatrix Lestrange crumpled to the floor, unconscious. A moment later, Alex joined her.
-----
She opened her eyes to find Severus leaning over her. "Stubborn little witch." He looked relieved. "Can you not take a hint? I practically begged you not to come."
"Ungrateful bastard. I saved your life!"
He took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "I had the situation under control," she heard him murmur.
I'll argue with you about that some other time. Reluctantly, she pushed him away. "We've got to tie up Bellatrix," she said. "I don't know about you, but I don't have the strength to even cast lumos."
Severus looked at the wand in his hand ruefully. "If she comes to, I'll jab this into her eye." He sighed heavily. "I'll see if there's any rope lying about." With effort, he stood up. Footsteps thudded overhead.
"Looks like the cavalry's finally arrived," Alex grinned weakly. Remus Lupin appeared at the top of the stairs, his wand held like a sword. As he looked down, his face twisted in an expression of loathing. Alex realized what the scene in the cellar must look like to him - she lying on the floor, helpless, Severus looming over, wand in hand. "Remus, it's okay-" she called.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin started down the stairs with a bound, springing over the handrail and landing on the floor. Snape toppled backward, Podmore's wand dropping from his nerveless fingers.
"Remus! Stop it!" Alex screamed as he pounced on Severus, catching him before he hit the floor, only to throw him violently against the wall.
The wizard turned toward her, his face a mask of rage. "You trusted him, Alex! Mad-Eye saw him use the Cruciatus Curse on you."
"He was bluffing... And where were you both? What happened?" she cried. Remus opened his mouth as though to explain, but Alex was no longer paying any attention to him. "Watch out!" she screamed. He was already turning, gesturing with his wand, perhaps reacting to the expression on her face.
"Protego!" he roared
Bellatrix had risen to her knees. Somehow, the Death Eater had retrieved her wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
Alex scrambled across the floor, throwing herself across Severus' body as lurid green light filled the cellar. She clenched her eyes shut. There was a rushing sound, as though a vast wind were blowing through the room. The thought burned through the panic in her mind: there is no defense against the killing curse. The sound of wind went on and on, as if a tornado had been shut in the cellar with them. It took a while for Alex to realize that there wasn't any wind. She opened her eyes. Remus and Bellatrix stood face to face, straining as green light arced from the tip of one wand to the other and back again. Remus was howling wordlessly, his back to Alex, fighting to keep his footing as his body was buffeted by the same invisible force that was producing the awful sound. The noise rose to a screaming crescendo as Alex watched Bellatrix rise up on her toes, her body arching backwards, her mouth stretched wide. Her scream of rage was drowned out by the rushing sound. Alex added her own scream of terror as the room exploded in a deafening roar of green light.