"Oh man", Sirius gasped, standing up and carefully walking over to the dead body in front of them. "That was quite a curse, Sev."

Slowly, Severus knelt down at Anonymous's side. The warrior's scarred face wore an expression of surprise, but around his mouth there still lingered a hint of a triumphant smile. "You know what that means?" he finally said tonelessly. "I had a trial once before, but then there was Dumbledore to get me out of trouble. This time, there will be nobody at all. I'm going to Azkaban, just like you. Only that I'm not innocent."

"C'mon, Sev, wake up!" Sirius grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him. "We'd better clear off now, after that!"

But Severus didn't seem to have registered anything. "I've been there once before; I know what awaits me... Gods, how could I be so foolish?"

"Oh c'mon, you're not foolish, buddy, you simply overreacted!" Sirius protested. "Get moving now, it's okay!"

Severus really stood up now and stepped away from his dead opponent reluctantly. "There's no chance when you're using the Unforgiveable Curses", he muttered.

"Have you already forgotten acting under the Imperius is the best excuse for stuff like that?" Sirius slapped him on the back. "Cheer up, I'll help you. I promised I'll be your buddy, remember?"

"Too bad I wasn't under the Imperius."

"I'll help you nonetheless, man. Just give me the chance."

Severus eyed him rather unbelievingly. "You would?"

With a sigh Sirius put an arm around his shoulders. "Your buddy will always help you, Sev. Promise."

Though relieved somehow, Severus didn't like the idea of thanking Sirius very much. Yet he never had to. A sudden, loud rumbling could be heard and a tremendously powerful earthquake knocked them both off their feet. Severus was thrown into a gulf suddenly opening beneath him and was drawn through it helplessly. Fighting against this invisible power was of no use. His wand hand, still clutching the device, pressed against his chest, the other arm over his head, he rolled down the crack in the earth - until he came to a sudden stop. A little dizzy, he lay on his back, staring up at the sky, and was glad he wore protectives on knees and elbows. Where was Sirius? He had to call him. His first idea was signaling him through Foe Fire, a sparkling light produced through a special powder, a light only a friend and helper could see, but then it came to his mind that the powder was in his backpack, and that the backpack was still hidden in the thicket the Duellists had used as cover only a few minutes ago. Surpressing a curse, he stood up and climbed out of the crack, furiously brushing the soil from his uniform.

And then he saw her. It was the Lady, or Lady Smellstorm, as Sirius had called her before, and she was standing right in front of him. "So here you are, my clever little fox!" she screeched, pointing one of her long, thin fingers at him. Her round, tanned, face wore an extremely ugly grin. "Wanted to escape, did he? Did he?"

Severus pointed his wand at her, but an invisible hand brushed his arm aside. "Heee! No, no, no, darling!" the Lady shrieked. "No more of that! You're coming along! And you'll be mine now, for I caught you when nobody else dared to, not even Shudderstone the Great herself!"

Severus felt how his wand arm began to hurt. "You let me go!" he spat. "You can't catch a Duellist, bitch!"

"Is that what you call me?" she screamed. "I'll teach you manners, slave!"

"I'll never be a slave!" he bellowed back. "Just try and touch me, and I'll do something to you you won't forget too soon!"

"Oh, really?" Her voice began to hurt his ears. "You'll see what you are, you rascal!" With this, she grabbed him by the collar and clutched his neck, but he was too quick for her. Using his left hand, he reached for his dagger, pulled it from its sheath and plunged it into her side. With a terrible scream she let go off him, and immediately his wand arm came free. "You'll die for that one day", she gargled. "You'll regret it! I'll remember that hangdog look of yours!"

"You can have my name as well, if you please", he sneered. "Severus Snape, Duellist of Slytherin, at your service." And with that, he turned to go.

"But you, you shall know it no more!" she panted behind him, soaking the soft brown soil of the forest with blood. "OBLIVIATE!"

A jet of blinding light hit Severus in the back and hurled him over, down into the crack again. He fought to climb out, but there was a thick cloud of mist obscuring his sight, growing thicker rapidly, wrapping him completely into a soft blanket... Then his body tired, and there was blackness drifting inside his mind.