Author's Notes: It's not over yet. I really wanted to explore Malfoy
Sr.'s character a little more. I really see him as pure sociopathic evil.
My interpretation of the whole Death Eater pecking order is that Malfoy has
not been made Voldemort's right hand man because even Voldemort knows that
he should be kept at arm's length. And I intend to explore in a later
chapter, how I imagine that Snape came to be associated with Voldemort, and
how he came to be the favorite. And just how much Malfoy despises him for
it. It's purely speculation, but I see that conflict between the two men.
Violent chapter, but not graphic. Mira doesn't go down without a fight, she gets to kick a little ass and show how the girls take care of themselves in the big city. Voldemort raises the stakes of the wizarding conflict, and Snape has to deal with just what happened in the cathedral and steel himself for what is yet to come. He can't afford the luxury of dwelling on what he has done, it's just one more thing he must endure passively in his role as spy.
Disclaimer: None of the characters from the books and movies belong to me.
Chapter 16: Shell Shock and Battle Scars.
Voldemort strode off towards the back of the cathedral, and the Death Eaters disapparated one by one. Snape remained on his knees for quite some time, wand in hand, with a glazed look in his eyes. He remembered that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had Mira somewhere in an alley in Hogsmeade, and knew that while they would not disobey their master and kill her, they would not restrain themselves from harming her further. He stood shakily to his feet, removed the mask and hooded robe, and with a shaking hand,, used his wand to shrink them and placed them in his pocket. He returned his cloak to its proper size and put it on. He then disapparated to the village of Hogsmeade, to try and find Mira.
The streets of the village were deserted. Snape wandered blindly down the main street, casting illuminating spells on the alleyways he passed. But there was no sign of them, and at the rate it was going, it would take him quite some time to check every alley in the village. He heard a scream a few streets over, and took off running in the direction of the noise. As he drew closer, he could see flashes of magical energy lighting up the sky and he could also hear Malfoy bellowing out the curses, and what sounded like a building being blown apart.
The closer her got, he saw people running away from the commotion, shouting about "An attack! Death Eaters blowing up buildings!"
Just before all Hell broke loose, Mira sat propped up against a dingy brick wall in the back of a deep alleyway in the rougher side of Hogsmeade. Crabbe and Goyle stood guard near the opening to the street, as Malfoy paced back and forth in front of Mira.
"Crabbe! Come here! I need your help!"
Crabbe walked back into the darkness of the back alley.
"Yes?"
"I need you to stand here and keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't try anything when she regains consciousness. If she tries anything, knock her out."
Malfoy crouched down in front of Mira, studying her as if she was merely a specimen.
"Well, well, well. The muggle loving whore that nearly led Master's favorite son astray."
He grabbed her hair and turned her face towards the light filtering down between the buildings.
"Pretty. In a common sort of way."
His eyes traveled down the length of her body.
"Regrettably tall for a woman, a hair on the fleshy side. Suitable for a night of whoring, but not at all to the standards which our golden boy should be setting his sights towards."
He crept closer to her, and pushed her nightdress up, exposing her thighs.
"Let's see just what he found so irresistible about her, what she has that's worth all he's prepared to sacrifice."
Mira drifted in and out of semi-consciousness, she felt cold stone behind her back, and could smell the rancid odor of old garbage. She heard voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She recognized the voice of the man crouching over her as the leader of the trio that had abducted her. She felt cold groping hands on her legs, creeping up her thighs, and she came to full consciousness in a wave of panic.
"I don't think so!" Mira exclaimed, delivering a swift kick to the crotch of the man in front of her.
Malfoy stumbled back several steps, and fell to the ground, howling in pain. Startled, Crabbe dropped his wand and fumbled for it in the darkness. Mira snatched her wand out of her hair, and lunged behind a large stack of packing crates.
Goyle ran from the front of the alleyway, wand in hand, and delivered a curse in the general direction of Mira's hiding place. The crates exploded into pieces, and she darted past the two wizards, firing curses over her shoulder as she retreated. Both Crabbe and Goyle went down, clutching their faces, which were swelling rapidly with what looked like dozens of hornet stings. She stumbled over fragments of wood and broken bottles from the crates and past Malfoy, who reached out and grabbed her by the ankle.
"Not so fast bitch!" He pulled her to the ground and dragged her over the broken glass and splinters of wood towards him. She screamed and kicked out with her free leg, catching him on the side of the head. He let go, and she tried to pull herself to her feet. She had shards of broken glass and splinters in her leg and was limping badly. Malfoy whipped out his wand and started firing off curses at her. She ducked and a curse hit the façade of one of the buildings, sending chunks of masonry raining down into the alley. She barely missed being hit by a falling brick, but kept stumbling towards the street, screaming for help. Malfoy cast a string of destructive curses, including the killing curse in Mira's general direction. She tucked her wand into her hair and moved as quickly as she could, ducking and dodging, making her way towards the street, but the curses were blasting the sides of the buildings and sending glass, brick, and masonry raining down into the alleyway. She saw a figure up ahead in the streetlight, running towards the alley, and she made one last dash for freedom. Malfoy let loose with a final volley of curses, which hit the front of the buildings, ricocheting back and forth, pummeling her with flying debris and residual magical energy. She entered into the circle of light cast by the streetlamp, and collided with the man who was running towards the scene of destruction. They were both knocked to the ground with the force of the blast coming out of the alleyway, Mira was hit in the head by a piece of debris and knocked unconscious.
Snape dragged Mira around the corner of one of the building, shielded from the curses being cast by Malfoy. The battle over, and the dust settling, Malfoy called out from the darkness.
"You traitorous bastard! I know you're out there! You've gone too far this time! When I report back to Master, you will be as good as dead! I know whose side you're really on, I know who you have pledged your sincere allegiance to! I tried to tell Master what a double crossing Judas you were, but he wouldn't hear of it! Don't think he didn't notice how you reacted to the torture of your filthy muggle loving whore! The seed of doubt was planted in his mind, and I intend to use it to bring you down my brother! And finally take my rightful place at his side! So, you go ahead, take her! Run back to your master in his ivory tower. But rest assured, your days are numbered!"
Snape reached into his pocket, and withdrew the silver matchbox portkey, given to him by Dumbledore. He took Mira's hand and pressed the box between their palms, and they both apparated to the Hogwarts school grounds, just within the cover of trees in the Forbidden Forest.
Safe within the school grounds, Snape tried a simple spell to bring Mira back to consciousness, but was unable to rouse her. He tried to carry her towards the castle, but he had twisted his ankle when they were knocked down outside the alleyway. He managed to get her a few steps out of the forest and into the clearing before his ankle gave out. He lowered her to the ground, and started calling out for Hagrid.
Hagrid emerged from his hut, crossbow in one hand, the other hand tightly gripping Fang's leash. He recognized the professor, and saw that there was somebody on the ground next to him, somebody not moving. He dropped the crossbow and leash and ran towards them. Approaching them, he noticed that Professor Snape had gray dust on his robes and some minor cuts and abrasions on his face and hands. The person on the ground was a woman, her hair matted with blood, her arms and legs bruised and bloody. He recognized her as Mira from the village.
"Hagrid! Help me! She needs to be taken to the hospital wing immediately, and I've hurt my ankle. You've got to carry her. I'll be following behind. Please hurry! She's badly injured and I didn't know where else to take her."
Hagrid picked Mira up, put her over his shoulder like a rag doll, and ran towards the school. He approached the main entrance and took the steps four at a time. Professor Snape was following behind, limping as fast as he could. He came to the hospital wing just as Madame Pomfrey and Mademoiselle Lowrey were getting Mira situated on a cot.
"What on Earth? Professor, who is this woman? What in Merlin's name happened to her?"
"Her name is Mira, she lives in the village, she was attacked by the Death Eaters. She sustained severe magical and physical injuries, she needs immediate attention. I couldn't wake her with the Ennervating charm."
At about that time, Dumbledore came hurrying into the ward, having been summoned by Hagrid. He rushed over with a grave expression on his face.
"Severus, how bad is it? What did they hit her with?"
Snape sat down on the neighboring cot, ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.
"I know for sure she's directly sustained the Cruciatus curse twice, and probably some minor ones too. Several other curses, including the killing curse were cast in close proximity to her, none of them hit her directly, but she most certainly caught some residual energy from them. She's also taken quite a serious beating and was hit with flying debris from an explosion."
The nurse's young assistant looked at the professor with her mouth open, eyes large and frightened. Madame Pomfrey turned to her impatiently.
"Lowrey! I need you to focus! If we're going to save her life, we must act quickly! Go to the supply cabinet. I need bandages, wound cleansing salve, and curse reversing tincture."
Pomfrey busied herself dabbing blood from Mira's head and Lowrey ran back to the bedside with a basket full of supplies. The senior nurse took the supplies from her assistant and told her to clean the professor's wounds and wrap his ankle in a bandage.
Cleaned and bandaged, Snape went to see what Madame Pomfrey was doing to Mira. She had already removed her bloody and filthy nightdress, cleaned her many wounds, and had her tucked in under a crisp white sheet. A small dish of bloody glass shards and splinters sat on the bedside table, along with Mira's wand, a bowl of curse reversing tincture and a small sponge. Pomfrey started dabbing the tincture on Mira's forehead. Dumbledore was standing at the head of the bed, with his arms crossed across his chest, and a very serious expression on his face.
"Hagrid told me that he found you and your friend, Mira, just outside the woods. He also told me that there had been a Death Eater attack in the village. You did the right thing, bringing her here."
Madame Pomfrey looked at the professor with a pursed look on her face.
"Well, I have done all that I can do for the moment. All we can do now is let her rest. She is in very serious condition. Had she sustained just one more minor curse, she would be dead. She's very weak. She's absorbed a very serious amount of destructive magical energy and will need some time for it to dissipate from her body. I don't know how else to say this, but I believe she also has been raped, sometime within the past few hours.
"No, not raped." Replied Snape.
"But how could you possibly know that, Professor?" Asked Pomfrey impatiently.
"She wasn't, Poppy."
Dumbledore looked at the professor with raised eyebrows. Pomfrey looked at Dumbledore, then back at Snape.
"Oh, I see. Well then... We need to let her rest this morning. She may be out for quite some time, she needs peace and quiet to heal. You may visit her later this evening Professor. In the meanwhile, I suggest you rest that ankle."
Dumbledore turned to the nurse and the professor. "Professor Snape will be joining me in my quarters Poppy. Might I ask you to send a very strong sleeping draught to his quarters via house elf, he will need his rest whether he wants it or not."
Dumbledore placed his hand on Snape's shoulder. The two men walked slowly and quietly from the hospital ward to the headmaster's private office. Once upstairs, Dumbledore rang for a house elf, who stoked the fire and brought a tray laden with tea and scones.
The men settled themselves into the pair of wing-backed chairs near the fire.
"Tea Severus?" Asked the older wizard.
"Something stronger if you have it please." Replied the younger.
With an understanding look, Dumbledore rose from his chair, went to a cabinet and retrieved an ornate liquor bottle and set it on the tea tray. Snape poured two fingers worth of brandy into his teacup and filled it the rest of the way with steaming tea. He downed it in two large gulps and sat forward, his head in his hands.
"I truly am sorry about her Severus. But, she's in trusted hands. I have great faith in Poppy's methods. She will recover."
"It's not that, Albus. I'm sure Poppy will heal her, but it's not just the extent of the curses and other injuries she endured, but how she endured them."
"You were there when it happened? You were summoned weren't you Severus?"
"I was there. I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I had to go along and pretend that she didn't matter, that she was nothing but a muggle loving woman who had some information that might be useful. I nearly blew it and got us both killed on the spot. It's all my fault. I did this to her."
"Severus. You didn't do this to her, you merely allowed her into your life."
"No, Albus. You don't understand. I was forced to perform the Cruciatus curse on her twice, as a kind of loyalty test by Voldemort. I had no choice. Had I refused, we'd both be dead. I had to play along and do what I was told."
"I see." Replied Dumbledore, pouring a shot of brandy into his own teacup.
"Albus, how can I look her in the eye knowing that I was the one who performed that curse on her? She has no idea. All she knows is that she was abducted and tortured by masked followers of Voldemort. She has no idea that I was involved, much less the one who cursed her. All she knows is that I saved her from Malfoy and his toadies, Crabbe and Goyle, in the alley."
Snape poured another shot of brandy into the teacup, and drank it down. He placed the cup on the tray, pressed his fists to his forehead, as if he were trying to soothe a headache, then slammed them down on the arms of the chair with such force that the cups on the tea tray rattled. He stood up quickly from the chair and paced in front of the fireplace, body tensed, hands shaking.
"Albus! She's lying in that hospital ward, she could have died, and I did this to her! I sucked her into the complications of my life, and I performed that damned curse on her. And she thinks I'm her hero because I happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when she came stumbling out of that alley. Some hero she'll think I am when she finds out that it was my wand that cast that curse!"
"I'm sure she will come to terms with it and understand that you had to do it to save her life."
"You weren't there! You didn't see the way Malfoy roughed her up! You didn't see the way she tried to crawl away like a scared animal! You didn't see the blind panic and terror in her eyes after I had to immobilize her, with her knowing full well what was coming! Tell me, just how in the hell is she supposed to come to terms with and understand something like that? And how the hell do I come to terms with having caused it?"
Dumbledore sat quietly while the professor vented, a curious look on his face. "You said that Malfoy roughed her up? Lucius was involved with this?"
"He set me up. He has been spying on me, and watching me with Mira in the village. The sick bastard was probably spying on us earlier this evening when I was having it off with her. He set the evening's events into motion. He was hoping that I would blow my cover and try and save her. He was casting curses with no restraint in that alleyway, he could have hit anybody. I'm surprised she was able to get away from him. She's more of a witch than meets the eye. I must give her credit for that. He's completely out of control. He relished his little role in the night's proceedings. He enjoyed smacking those women around, he was getting off to it. And it was all a game to him."
Professor Snape lowered himself slowly into the chair, staring blankly into the fire, looking very tired and defeated. Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat.
"I'm not sure how else to tell you, so I'll just say it Severus. There was a major Death Eater raid on Azkaban Prison this evening. Several guards were killed, the dementors were chased away from the fortress, and they succeeded in freeing many former Death Eaters who were incarcerated there. Some of the most dangerous followers of Voldemort are now free and back at his side."
The younger wizard paled and gripped the arms of the chair with whitening knuckles.
"No! It can't be. How could they pull off such an attack?"
"I don't know. I just know the facts of what happened, and that the stakes have risen."
"What do you want me to do Albus?"
"There is nothing you can do. Just wait and be prepared for anything. The students return the day after tomorrow, and we must try and press on with as much of a sense of normalcy as possible."
"Surely parents will want to keep their children home this term?"
"No Severus, they have confidence that Hogwarts School is the safest place that their children can be at this time. Very few of our students will not be attending this term."
"I see. But it may not be as safe as you think. Voldemort informed me that there are three teachers who are sympathetic to his cause and who are on the verge of pledging allegiance to him. I was instructed to bring them over to his side."
Dumbledore clasped his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. "Yes, this is a problem. Who are they?"
"Vector, Pince, and Sinestra."
"Oh my. How unfortunate. Sadly, they will have to be dealt with. Get them to incriminate themselves in writing. I will arrange for correspondence between you and them to be intercepted. That way I can have them arrested and your cover will remain intact."
"Yes headmaster."
"Please get some sleep Severus. There is a sleeping draught waiting for you in your chambers. I suggest that you take advantage of it and get some rest. Try to put Mira out of your mind. She's safe here, and in good hands with Poppy. If Poppy says that she will recover, she will. And try not to beat yourself up over cursing her. You had no choice. Your actions ultimately saved your lives. Even though you are unable to see any good in the situation, you must not lose all hope. Because the day you stop hoping, is the day you give up, and then the battle is already won. Try and take solace in the fact that both of you are under the same roof. You can see her whenever you want, and there is more hope there than would have been had you refused to perform the curse. You're both alive, and where there's life, there's hope."
"But she can't stay here Albus. She needs to get to a safer place."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, rest and prepare yourself for the new term. I will arrange for a corner of the hospital ward to be screened off, and her bed moved there so that you may visit her in private. Be strong, you will need all of your skills, intelligence and strength to get yourself through the coming weeks. With the prisoners freed, Voldemort will not have time to listen to the vengeful ravings of Malfoy Sr., your cover should remain very much intact."
"Yes sir."
"Very well then. You may go now. If there are any changes in Mira's condition, you will be notified immediately."
"Thank you headmaster. Thank you for all you have done."
Dumbledore rose to walk the professor to the door. "No,my friend. Thank you for all that you have done to help us with the resistance. Once this is over with, your sacrifices will not go unnoted."
Snape made his way through the school corridors, stopping briefly by the hospital ward to make sure Mira was resting comfortably. He then retired to his chambers, drank the sleeping draught, and fell into dreamless sound sleep within minutes. He slept through the day and night, waking the next morning, the day before students would be returning to the school.
Violent chapter, but not graphic. Mira doesn't go down without a fight, she gets to kick a little ass and show how the girls take care of themselves in the big city. Voldemort raises the stakes of the wizarding conflict, and Snape has to deal with just what happened in the cathedral and steel himself for what is yet to come. He can't afford the luxury of dwelling on what he has done, it's just one more thing he must endure passively in his role as spy.
Disclaimer: None of the characters from the books and movies belong to me.
Chapter 16: Shell Shock and Battle Scars.
Voldemort strode off towards the back of the cathedral, and the Death Eaters disapparated one by one. Snape remained on his knees for quite some time, wand in hand, with a glazed look in his eyes. He remembered that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had Mira somewhere in an alley in Hogsmeade, and knew that while they would not disobey their master and kill her, they would not restrain themselves from harming her further. He stood shakily to his feet, removed the mask and hooded robe, and with a shaking hand,, used his wand to shrink them and placed them in his pocket. He returned his cloak to its proper size and put it on. He then disapparated to the village of Hogsmeade, to try and find Mira.
The streets of the village were deserted. Snape wandered blindly down the main street, casting illuminating spells on the alleyways he passed. But there was no sign of them, and at the rate it was going, it would take him quite some time to check every alley in the village. He heard a scream a few streets over, and took off running in the direction of the noise. As he drew closer, he could see flashes of magical energy lighting up the sky and he could also hear Malfoy bellowing out the curses, and what sounded like a building being blown apart.
The closer her got, he saw people running away from the commotion, shouting about "An attack! Death Eaters blowing up buildings!"
Just before all Hell broke loose, Mira sat propped up against a dingy brick wall in the back of a deep alleyway in the rougher side of Hogsmeade. Crabbe and Goyle stood guard near the opening to the street, as Malfoy paced back and forth in front of Mira.
"Crabbe! Come here! I need your help!"
Crabbe walked back into the darkness of the back alley.
"Yes?"
"I need you to stand here and keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't try anything when she regains consciousness. If she tries anything, knock her out."
Malfoy crouched down in front of Mira, studying her as if she was merely a specimen.
"Well, well, well. The muggle loving whore that nearly led Master's favorite son astray."
He grabbed her hair and turned her face towards the light filtering down between the buildings.
"Pretty. In a common sort of way."
His eyes traveled down the length of her body.
"Regrettably tall for a woman, a hair on the fleshy side. Suitable for a night of whoring, but not at all to the standards which our golden boy should be setting his sights towards."
He crept closer to her, and pushed her nightdress up, exposing her thighs.
"Let's see just what he found so irresistible about her, what she has that's worth all he's prepared to sacrifice."
Mira drifted in and out of semi-consciousness, she felt cold stone behind her back, and could smell the rancid odor of old garbage. She heard voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She recognized the voice of the man crouching over her as the leader of the trio that had abducted her. She felt cold groping hands on her legs, creeping up her thighs, and she came to full consciousness in a wave of panic.
"I don't think so!" Mira exclaimed, delivering a swift kick to the crotch of the man in front of her.
Malfoy stumbled back several steps, and fell to the ground, howling in pain. Startled, Crabbe dropped his wand and fumbled for it in the darkness. Mira snatched her wand out of her hair, and lunged behind a large stack of packing crates.
Goyle ran from the front of the alleyway, wand in hand, and delivered a curse in the general direction of Mira's hiding place. The crates exploded into pieces, and she darted past the two wizards, firing curses over her shoulder as she retreated. Both Crabbe and Goyle went down, clutching their faces, which were swelling rapidly with what looked like dozens of hornet stings. She stumbled over fragments of wood and broken bottles from the crates and past Malfoy, who reached out and grabbed her by the ankle.
"Not so fast bitch!" He pulled her to the ground and dragged her over the broken glass and splinters of wood towards him. She screamed and kicked out with her free leg, catching him on the side of the head. He let go, and she tried to pull herself to her feet. She had shards of broken glass and splinters in her leg and was limping badly. Malfoy whipped out his wand and started firing off curses at her. She ducked and a curse hit the façade of one of the buildings, sending chunks of masonry raining down into the alley. She barely missed being hit by a falling brick, but kept stumbling towards the street, screaming for help. Malfoy cast a string of destructive curses, including the killing curse in Mira's general direction. She tucked her wand into her hair and moved as quickly as she could, ducking and dodging, making her way towards the street, but the curses were blasting the sides of the buildings and sending glass, brick, and masonry raining down into the alleyway. She saw a figure up ahead in the streetlight, running towards the alley, and she made one last dash for freedom. Malfoy let loose with a final volley of curses, which hit the front of the buildings, ricocheting back and forth, pummeling her with flying debris and residual magical energy. She entered into the circle of light cast by the streetlamp, and collided with the man who was running towards the scene of destruction. They were both knocked to the ground with the force of the blast coming out of the alleyway, Mira was hit in the head by a piece of debris and knocked unconscious.
Snape dragged Mira around the corner of one of the building, shielded from the curses being cast by Malfoy. The battle over, and the dust settling, Malfoy called out from the darkness.
"You traitorous bastard! I know you're out there! You've gone too far this time! When I report back to Master, you will be as good as dead! I know whose side you're really on, I know who you have pledged your sincere allegiance to! I tried to tell Master what a double crossing Judas you were, but he wouldn't hear of it! Don't think he didn't notice how you reacted to the torture of your filthy muggle loving whore! The seed of doubt was planted in his mind, and I intend to use it to bring you down my brother! And finally take my rightful place at his side! So, you go ahead, take her! Run back to your master in his ivory tower. But rest assured, your days are numbered!"
Snape reached into his pocket, and withdrew the silver matchbox portkey, given to him by Dumbledore. He took Mira's hand and pressed the box between their palms, and they both apparated to the Hogwarts school grounds, just within the cover of trees in the Forbidden Forest.
Safe within the school grounds, Snape tried a simple spell to bring Mira back to consciousness, but was unable to rouse her. He tried to carry her towards the castle, but he had twisted his ankle when they were knocked down outside the alleyway. He managed to get her a few steps out of the forest and into the clearing before his ankle gave out. He lowered her to the ground, and started calling out for Hagrid.
Hagrid emerged from his hut, crossbow in one hand, the other hand tightly gripping Fang's leash. He recognized the professor, and saw that there was somebody on the ground next to him, somebody not moving. He dropped the crossbow and leash and ran towards them. Approaching them, he noticed that Professor Snape had gray dust on his robes and some minor cuts and abrasions on his face and hands. The person on the ground was a woman, her hair matted with blood, her arms and legs bruised and bloody. He recognized her as Mira from the village.
"Hagrid! Help me! She needs to be taken to the hospital wing immediately, and I've hurt my ankle. You've got to carry her. I'll be following behind. Please hurry! She's badly injured and I didn't know where else to take her."
Hagrid picked Mira up, put her over his shoulder like a rag doll, and ran towards the school. He approached the main entrance and took the steps four at a time. Professor Snape was following behind, limping as fast as he could. He came to the hospital wing just as Madame Pomfrey and Mademoiselle Lowrey were getting Mira situated on a cot.
"What on Earth? Professor, who is this woman? What in Merlin's name happened to her?"
"Her name is Mira, she lives in the village, she was attacked by the Death Eaters. She sustained severe magical and physical injuries, she needs immediate attention. I couldn't wake her with the Ennervating charm."
At about that time, Dumbledore came hurrying into the ward, having been summoned by Hagrid. He rushed over with a grave expression on his face.
"Severus, how bad is it? What did they hit her with?"
Snape sat down on the neighboring cot, ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.
"I know for sure she's directly sustained the Cruciatus curse twice, and probably some minor ones too. Several other curses, including the killing curse were cast in close proximity to her, none of them hit her directly, but she most certainly caught some residual energy from them. She's also taken quite a serious beating and was hit with flying debris from an explosion."
The nurse's young assistant looked at the professor with her mouth open, eyes large and frightened. Madame Pomfrey turned to her impatiently.
"Lowrey! I need you to focus! If we're going to save her life, we must act quickly! Go to the supply cabinet. I need bandages, wound cleansing salve, and curse reversing tincture."
Pomfrey busied herself dabbing blood from Mira's head and Lowrey ran back to the bedside with a basket full of supplies. The senior nurse took the supplies from her assistant and told her to clean the professor's wounds and wrap his ankle in a bandage.
Cleaned and bandaged, Snape went to see what Madame Pomfrey was doing to Mira. She had already removed her bloody and filthy nightdress, cleaned her many wounds, and had her tucked in under a crisp white sheet. A small dish of bloody glass shards and splinters sat on the bedside table, along with Mira's wand, a bowl of curse reversing tincture and a small sponge. Pomfrey started dabbing the tincture on Mira's forehead. Dumbledore was standing at the head of the bed, with his arms crossed across his chest, and a very serious expression on his face.
"Hagrid told me that he found you and your friend, Mira, just outside the woods. He also told me that there had been a Death Eater attack in the village. You did the right thing, bringing her here."
Madame Pomfrey looked at the professor with a pursed look on her face.
"Well, I have done all that I can do for the moment. All we can do now is let her rest. She is in very serious condition. Had she sustained just one more minor curse, she would be dead. She's very weak. She's absorbed a very serious amount of destructive magical energy and will need some time for it to dissipate from her body. I don't know how else to say this, but I believe she also has been raped, sometime within the past few hours.
"No, not raped." Replied Snape.
"But how could you possibly know that, Professor?" Asked Pomfrey impatiently.
"She wasn't, Poppy."
Dumbledore looked at the professor with raised eyebrows. Pomfrey looked at Dumbledore, then back at Snape.
"Oh, I see. Well then... We need to let her rest this morning. She may be out for quite some time, she needs peace and quiet to heal. You may visit her later this evening Professor. In the meanwhile, I suggest you rest that ankle."
Dumbledore turned to the nurse and the professor. "Professor Snape will be joining me in my quarters Poppy. Might I ask you to send a very strong sleeping draught to his quarters via house elf, he will need his rest whether he wants it or not."
Dumbledore placed his hand on Snape's shoulder. The two men walked slowly and quietly from the hospital ward to the headmaster's private office. Once upstairs, Dumbledore rang for a house elf, who stoked the fire and brought a tray laden with tea and scones.
The men settled themselves into the pair of wing-backed chairs near the fire.
"Tea Severus?" Asked the older wizard.
"Something stronger if you have it please." Replied the younger.
With an understanding look, Dumbledore rose from his chair, went to a cabinet and retrieved an ornate liquor bottle and set it on the tea tray. Snape poured two fingers worth of brandy into his teacup and filled it the rest of the way with steaming tea. He downed it in two large gulps and sat forward, his head in his hands.
"I truly am sorry about her Severus. But, she's in trusted hands. I have great faith in Poppy's methods. She will recover."
"It's not that, Albus. I'm sure Poppy will heal her, but it's not just the extent of the curses and other injuries she endured, but how she endured them."
"You were there when it happened? You were summoned weren't you Severus?"
"I was there. I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I had to go along and pretend that she didn't matter, that she was nothing but a muggle loving woman who had some information that might be useful. I nearly blew it and got us both killed on the spot. It's all my fault. I did this to her."
"Severus. You didn't do this to her, you merely allowed her into your life."
"No, Albus. You don't understand. I was forced to perform the Cruciatus curse on her twice, as a kind of loyalty test by Voldemort. I had no choice. Had I refused, we'd both be dead. I had to play along and do what I was told."
"I see." Replied Dumbledore, pouring a shot of brandy into his own teacup.
"Albus, how can I look her in the eye knowing that I was the one who performed that curse on her? She has no idea. All she knows is that she was abducted and tortured by masked followers of Voldemort. She has no idea that I was involved, much less the one who cursed her. All she knows is that I saved her from Malfoy and his toadies, Crabbe and Goyle, in the alley."
Snape poured another shot of brandy into the teacup, and drank it down. He placed the cup on the tray, pressed his fists to his forehead, as if he were trying to soothe a headache, then slammed them down on the arms of the chair with such force that the cups on the tea tray rattled. He stood up quickly from the chair and paced in front of the fireplace, body tensed, hands shaking.
"Albus! She's lying in that hospital ward, she could have died, and I did this to her! I sucked her into the complications of my life, and I performed that damned curse on her. And she thinks I'm her hero because I happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when she came stumbling out of that alley. Some hero she'll think I am when she finds out that it was my wand that cast that curse!"
"I'm sure she will come to terms with it and understand that you had to do it to save her life."
"You weren't there! You didn't see the way Malfoy roughed her up! You didn't see the way she tried to crawl away like a scared animal! You didn't see the blind panic and terror in her eyes after I had to immobilize her, with her knowing full well what was coming! Tell me, just how in the hell is she supposed to come to terms with and understand something like that? And how the hell do I come to terms with having caused it?"
Dumbledore sat quietly while the professor vented, a curious look on his face. "You said that Malfoy roughed her up? Lucius was involved with this?"
"He set me up. He has been spying on me, and watching me with Mira in the village. The sick bastard was probably spying on us earlier this evening when I was having it off with her. He set the evening's events into motion. He was hoping that I would blow my cover and try and save her. He was casting curses with no restraint in that alleyway, he could have hit anybody. I'm surprised she was able to get away from him. She's more of a witch than meets the eye. I must give her credit for that. He's completely out of control. He relished his little role in the night's proceedings. He enjoyed smacking those women around, he was getting off to it. And it was all a game to him."
Professor Snape lowered himself slowly into the chair, staring blankly into the fire, looking very tired and defeated. Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat.
"I'm not sure how else to tell you, so I'll just say it Severus. There was a major Death Eater raid on Azkaban Prison this evening. Several guards were killed, the dementors were chased away from the fortress, and they succeeded in freeing many former Death Eaters who were incarcerated there. Some of the most dangerous followers of Voldemort are now free and back at his side."
The younger wizard paled and gripped the arms of the chair with whitening knuckles.
"No! It can't be. How could they pull off such an attack?"
"I don't know. I just know the facts of what happened, and that the stakes have risen."
"What do you want me to do Albus?"
"There is nothing you can do. Just wait and be prepared for anything. The students return the day after tomorrow, and we must try and press on with as much of a sense of normalcy as possible."
"Surely parents will want to keep their children home this term?"
"No Severus, they have confidence that Hogwarts School is the safest place that their children can be at this time. Very few of our students will not be attending this term."
"I see. But it may not be as safe as you think. Voldemort informed me that there are three teachers who are sympathetic to his cause and who are on the verge of pledging allegiance to him. I was instructed to bring them over to his side."
Dumbledore clasped his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. "Yes, this is a problem. Who are they?"
"Vector, Pince, and Sinestra."
"Oh my. How unfortunate. Sadly, they will have to be dealt with. Get them to incriminate themselves in writing. I will arrange for correspondence between you and them to be intercepted. That way I can have them arrested and your cover will remain intact."
"Yes headmaster."
"Please get some sleep Severus. There is a sleeping draught waiting for you in your chambers. I suggest that you take advantage of it and get some rest. Try to put Mira out of your mind. She's safe here, and in good hands with Poppy. If Poppy says that she will recover, she will. And try not to beat yourself up over cursing her. You had no choice. Your actions ultimately saved your lives. Even though you are unable to see any good in the situation, you must not lose all hope. Because the day you stop hoping, is the day you give up, and then the battle is already won. Try and take solace in the fact that both of you are under the same roof. You can see her whenever you want, and there is more hope there than would have been had you refused to perform the curse. You're both alive, and where there's life, there's hope."
"But she can't stay here Albus. She needs to get to a safer place."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, rest and prepare yourself for the new term. I will arrange for a corner of the hospital ward to be screened off, and her bed moved there so that you may visit her in private. Be strong, you will need all of your skills, intelligence and strength to get yourself through the coming weeks. With the prisoners freed, Voldemort will not have time to listen to the vengeful ravings of Malfoy Sr., your cover should remain very much intact."
"Yes sir."
"Very well then. You may go now. If there are any changes in Mira's condition, you will be notified immediately."
"Thank you headmaster. Thank you for all you have done."
Dumbledore rose to walk the professor to the door. "No,my friend. Thank you for all that you have done to help us with the resistance. Once this is over with, your sacrifices will not go unnoted."
Snape made his way through the school corridors, stopping briefly by the hospital ward to make sure Mira was resting comfortably. He then retired to his chambers, drank the sleeping draught, and fell into dreamless sound sleep within minutes. He slept through the day and night, waking the next morning, the day before students would be returning to the school.