Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 03 : Epithalamium
Part II : Oh What a Difference a Day Makes
Chapter Seventeen : Lucid Confusion
25 October 2003 (continued)
2:25 pm
With the small gifts of healing and time Bethany had given them, the two fugitives made fairly good progress. Lucid, Severus listened to Remus' almost non-stop whispers of what Lucius' wife had told him about Harry and mostly believed it; Bethany had no reason to lie. In his clearer moments, Severus thought about how easy it had been to recognize her after all the years between when he'd first met her as a child and now, seeing her with child. Severus wished Avery's daughter well and hoped her courage and moral decision today would not cost her more than she should have to pay. Just having to live with Malfoy and bear his children was burden enough.
Remus just wanted to find the exit and go home. He could still feel the tingle of Anti-Apparation Wards, so they made their way on foot. Leaving the chamber, they'd made their way to the right. Shortly thereafter Remus and Severus had come to a spot where the hallway divided. Instinct had made him choose the left one. His sense of direction keen, Remus kept them always moving in the same direction, always west along what turned out to be an outer wall passage, each step bringing them closer to freedom. Or so he hoped.
Severus was flagging, and they both knew it. He was holding onto the thoughts of his lover like a lifeline, already running on pure will, but was fast approaching the time when thoughts alone would not keep his body going.
So they made their progress step by ragged step.
Severus interrupted Remus' on-going monologue. "Wolf?"
"Yes?" he asked, Severus' arm over his shoulder.
"You know all those stories we used to hear when we were infants about how the charming prince drags himself, mortally wounded out of the castle by his strength alone, the princess in tow, and they make it back to safety after fighting all the monsters in the magic forest to live happily ever after?"
"Yeah. I remember." Remus chuckled.
Severus' dead weight dragged them both abruptly to the floor. "I think they're full of shit," he declared firmly before his eyes closed.
2:30 pm
Lucius had known the moment he'd set 'The Plan' in motion that the odds were even it would fail. Oh, he'd had little doubt they could capture Snape and Lupin and whomever else Dumbledore might see fit to send after Pettigrew. The circumstances surrounding the timing and placement of the abduction had been easy to control and it took little imagination to reckon that Lupin, in particular, would easily lose sight of the bigger picture to go after Peter regardless of the danger. And Snape, despite his past reputation, had always been a loyal, if moody, person; Lucius could always count on Severus to do the noble thing.
But the rest of 'The Plan' depended on luck as much as skill. Would Esmerelda find the Potter brat? And could she kill him before he charmed her with that gold-tongued Parsel-mouth of his? Would Avery be able to break Snape enough for him to administer the Draught of Despair? Would they be able to keep up the torment for 24 hours without killing either one of the captives? And most importantly, the part none of the others knew about, would he be able to release them without anyone knowing for sure he'd been behind it? These were all questions he'd had while forming 'The Plan'.
No, at best, 'The Plan' had been an iffy proposition.
And so, he'd made an alternate plan--his 'Alibi Plan' as it were--one he'd hoped he would not have to use, but one he'd set in motion as soon as he'd seen Severus and Remus leave the Jolly Mandrake the night before. The moment Lupin had Flooed over to the Cuckoo's Nest (and he knew Snape, at least, had been suspicious of a trap), he'd hurried to the storeroom of the pub with only seconds to spare before the Polyjuice Potion had worn off. Grateful to be rid of the horrid person he'd 'borrowed' (whose body was neatly tucked in the skip behind the seedy establishment), he'd hurried to Natalie's rooms over Flourish and Blotts for a bit of relaxation. Bethany certainly would not miss his presence and so he'd not returned to Malfoy Manor until mid-morning.
Upon his arrival, an excited Maldy had informed him that Esmerelda had been delivered according to 'The Plan' and, at last sight, had already come out of the bag, heading for the bed. Maldy had left Hogwarts, none the wiser of his presence, and had been awaiting the return of his master to give him the good news. It had been early enough that Lucius knew it was unlikely anyone would have found Potter's body yet, but he felt reasonably assured that the brat was dead as Esmerelda would bite anything warm that moved.
Before going down to the dungeons, he'd found Bethany in her morning room catching up on correspondence. After a brief conversation, in which he'd endured with fairly good humour her reproachful looks and subtle innuendo about spending the night with his 'toy', he'd told her to be ready in half an hour to go fetch the robes. With at least her obedience assured, he'd gone to his study, pocketed the Draught, and gone with Maldy down to the dungeons for the final stage of 'The Plan'--the harrowing of one Severus Snape.
It had been beautiful to watch.
Standing behind Snape, he'd felt the urge to once again kiss the neck normally held so straight in its arrogance, now bowed by the heavy weight of Severus' head. While whispering his insidious words to his former lover, he'd felt the tightening he'd always had whenever the boy he'd once tasted had submitted to him freely. He'd wanted to take Severus right there as he'd descended into the hell Lucius had wrought within his mind.
But he'd also needed to put the second half of his 'Alibi Plan' in motion and preservation won out over predilection. Resisting the temptation and staying as long as he dared, he'd left the rest to Avery and Draco. (In retrospect, that had been a mistake; he made a mental note not to do it again; some things actually did require a 'personal' touch.) Fetching Bethany, they'd Flooed to Diagon Alley.
Then they'd seen the Potter brat.
Looking back on it now, it had been, for him, an 'emotionally' difficult afternoon. He'd savoured the triumph of 'Harry Potter's Death', only to have to come to grips with 'Harry Potter's Escape From Death' when he and Bethany had met up with the 'Bloody-Boy-Who-Refused-to-Die-Dammit' in Diagon Alley. Given the dodginess of 'The Plan' in the first place, he'd not been as upset as he'd looked--it was more a thwarted tantrum than a killing rage (small though the difference might be).
The incident at Madame Malkin's had not helped his mood any, although Bethany's suggestion about Natalie had been timely. He supposed she assumed he'd actually gone there, but instead, thinking fast of the consequences should he get caught by Dumbledore in his little game, he'd instead made his way to Knockturn Alley to further his 'Alibi Plan'. Deep inside the district, he'd gone to a little potions shop, hidden from casual view. The three bottles of Polyjuice Potion he'd bought had cost him a small fortune, but Bentley, the owner and his cousin (though on the wrong side of the blanket, to be sure), charged as much for his iron-clad discretion as his wares.
He WAS upset by the loss of his familiar, Esmerelda, though. Upon his return a while ago from the tailor's shop, Maldy reported the portal closed when he'd tried to go back and fetch her. Communication with the one house-elf they still had planted in Hogwarts had indicated his little jewel was dead, but the rumours only went so far as to how it had happened.
Then there was Bethany. He'd at first been suspicious she'd been lying to him about her presence down in the hidden rooms for he could almost taste the magic in the air, some of which 'felt' female. His disappointment and anger were sharp for he actually liked his wife and would have hated to be rid of her. For one brief instant he'd almost thought she'd set the two prisoners free, but the sight of her vulnerability and her sincere vexation with the whole situation (and with him), not to mention the incredibly close and surprising contact with her and their child on the stairs had finally convinced him she was an innocent victim of this whole charade. Seeing the cat with her kitten has sealed it. He'd felt almost pleased when he'd come into the chamber.
However, Lucius' fragile, mellow mood shattered into disgust within moments of entering the room. He stood over Avery's and Draco's unconscious bodies and for a brief moment was tempted to just leave them there until they woke up on their own, even knowing they would probably die of starvation before they did so--he could almost smell the strong spell used to render them unconscious. Male magic. He again was relieved at this further proof of Bethany's noninvolvement.
Unfortunately, he needed them both to help him find the two escapees. With Harry alive, it was even more imperative they delay Snape, although he considered just killing the man when they found him, a thought quickly dismissed because he knew that as long as Dumbledore was alive, this was not an option if he valued his own life. Dumbledore might be old, but he was still powerful, his reach long, and everyone knew how he felt about his protégé. Not to mention the reactions of Harry himself.
Lucius suspected there would not be enough power in the world to protect him should he kill Potter's lover. The Boy-Who-Lived might be one of those foolish Gryffindors, but revenge was revenge regardless of House and the boy had managed to kill his own former master after all. He was already treading dangerous ground having allowed Avery his little 'fun' with Snape, given that his intended was still alive. With careful consideration, he debated putting the last part of his 'Alibi Plan' into play to mitigate and defuse the situation. He supposed sacrificing Avery to the authorities (after assuring he could tell no tales) was an acceptable loss (after all, no one had actually seen him there--Lupin had been unconscious at the time), but he hated like hell to lose his 'enforcer'. And the man was such a master of his work; no one else would be such an artist. He appreciated Avery's uses every bit as much as Voldemort had.
Draco, now, was another matter altogether. Avery had reported that the boy's involvement had been minimal. Lucius could buy his heir's way out of the situation if he had to, or at least claim the follies of being swayed by an older man. This the authorities, if Dumbledore had the balls to call them in, could understand and 'forgive'. Draco certainly had done nothing to warrant a sentence to Azkaban, but if necessary, he could always send him to Europe with Avery. He smiled. That would certainly please Bethany to no end--she loathed Draco, although she was always careful not to show it. And he had to admit that while it would not stop him from using his son, Draco's persistent lack of control did little to endear the boy to him.
No, at this point, he supposed the best option would be to recapture Snape and Lupin, alter their memories so all they would remember was Avery, and then release them as scheduled. It should work--everyone knew how much Avery had been itching to get his hands on Snape. And a little judicious employment of copious amounts of Galleons in the right places would insure Avery's safety back in Europe. Yes, it was a good plan. But only if he could catch his quarry. And for that, he needed Avery and Draco awake. Regardless, there was always the Polyjuice Potion to confuse everyone further should they escape. As insurance, he reached over and plucked six hairs from Avery's head, pocketing them with the bottles in his pocket. These would do nicely.
He sighed in disgust and cast the reviving spell, his lip curling at the low groaning noises made by both men as they regained consciousness. When he realised they were bound as well, he laughed mirthlessly, the sound cold and ringing across the room; he cast the spell to release them. He circled around, his contempt plain on his patrician features. "What a pair of fools you are. Did you even bother to tie the Wolf up?" Seeing the chagrin on Avery's face, he snorted. "No, I thought not. Avery, you know better. And you left their clothes and wands where Remus could get to them and left him alone to do it? I ask you, how stupid can you be? No, don't answer and confirm it."
He stopped in front of them, placing his hands on his hips in an attitude of disdain. "Between my prisoners escaping and that wretched Potter brat still being alive, this has not been one of my better days." Avery and Draco continued to silently rub the circulation back into their limbs. "Do you think you're able to chase those two down and bring them back? Or is even that beyond your feeble abilities? Perhaps I should send the elder house-elves after them."
Avery was the first to speak, his head hanging. "No, sir, we can go get them." He eyed the sun's level out of the window. "Hasn't been all that long, they'll not have got far--Snape could barely walk." Lucius' words sank in at last. "Potter's alive?"
Lucius sneered. "Yes, unfortunately. I saw him myself in Diagon Alley earlier today. And do clean yourself up--" Lucius waved his hands at the drying blood on Avery's clothes. "--That's disgusting."
"Damn! Well, that makes things a bit more interesting if inconvenient--doesn't that brat ever die? Does Potter know?" Avery asked, standing.
As Avery cast a cleansing spell on his trousers, Lucius said thoughtfully, "No, I don't think so. He would have been more suspicious this afternoon. He was merely puzzled. Bethany saw Snape and Lupin escaping, though, but they hexed her before she could do anything about it."
"Why didn't she come get us, sir?" Avery asked, perplexed.
"She didn't know you were here and they hexed her arms; she could not have opened nor knocked on the door. I found her on the steps because she couldn't climb them." He narrowed his eyes. "Being her father, I would have thought your first question should have been if she was all right."
"Why would it? She's your concern now, and you'd have told me if there'd been a problem," Avery commented. At Lucius' glare, he chuckled. "Since when is it acceptable I question how you treat any of your chattel?"
While Lucius stared at him blankly and then started laughing, Avery looked over at Draco and mentally kicked himself that he hadn't realised Remus had hexed Draco in the first place--or had he? In any event, he should have been more careful and was grateful Lucius had not seen fit to punish him for this fiasco--yet. Avery had a few questions for the younger Malfoy concerning Remus' comments about Snape and the cutting.
Draco, on the other hand, remained silent for once. He still could not believe the shimmering in the center of Snape's chest had knocked him out despite his best precautions; he was willing to allow them any explanation they wished other than the truth.
After a brief discussion on the missing pair's possible whereabouts, Draco still strangely silent, the three of them set off to look for Severus and Remus, Lucius going to the left, Avery and Draco going to the right. Neither one of the other two saw Lucius stop to prepare the first bottle of Polyjuice Potion. Drinking it down, he suffered through the change and, within moments, 'Avery' went after his quarry.
2:35 pm
After jogging to the outskirts of Hogwarts, Harry and Dobby Apparated into the lower levels of Malfoy Manor. Dobby took the lead and within seconds, Harry could feel the tingle of an Anti-Apparation Ward. "How far does the ward extend, Dobby?"
Dobby turned around and, walking backwards, said, "The Wards start fifteen feet into the Manor. Dobby was told this was done this way to let people in, but not let them out. The Wards will sound an alarm if there is an intruder, but Dobby is a house-elf and will not trigger it; Dobby protects Harry as well." He smiled tremulously, obviously frightened. "Dobby has brought Harry in on the east side of the dungeons where the house-elves come and go. Dobby and Harry must be very quiet, though. Dobby's former Master may still use these hallways; Dobby's former Master called them 'shortcuts'."
Harry nodded his understanding and that he would comply with the silence. They moved quickly on. Several tense minutes later, having met no one, they came to the hidden room. The door was open and when they entered, Harry with drawn wand, a quick inspection showed them a completely deserted room. After a quick circuit around the chamber, Harry found Severus' plain boxers behind a table in the back bearing lines of hideous instruments, knives, and whips of all sorts. He felt weak when he saw them and, steeling himself, opened the senses he'd held in when they'd entered.
He could smell the blood, taste the pain, and knew fear when he sensed the despair in this room. Closing his eyes, he tried to reach Severus through the bond, but sensed what felt like a blockage. With an effort, he pushed through it and for one brief instant made contact with his lover, who was fading in and out of consciousness. He sent as strong a picture of his love as he could before the connection broke and he was alone once more. He wished he knew he'd been able to help Severus during the brief contact.
"Was Harry successful in reaching his Professor?" Dobby asked watching both Harry and the door.
"Yes, and no, Dobby. I could sense him, but I don't know where he is." Harry sighed. "This is most frustrating! If what you tell me is true, he could be anywhere by now. Do you know where we could look for him? Where is the most likely place he could have escaped?" he asked.
"Dobby is thinking the Professor is well away. There are two different sets of passages--the main ones the people use and the ones the elves use. Dobby's former Master did not want to know when the elves were around. The two sets of passages are curved and run a circle around the dungeons. The people one is to the inside, the elf one is to the outside. They are not a maze and not meant to confuse. If the Professor keeps to one direction, the Professor will find his way out. Dobby is thinking Harry should do what Harry said Harry came for--to look around and leave. Dobby and Harry should be going back to Hogwarts and let the Headmaster know what Harry and Dobby have found so the Headmaster can send more peoples to look. Dobby's former Master will not dare interfere if many peoples come."
Harry sighed. "You have a point, Dobby. And it would do no one any good if WE get caught. Very well, let's go back to Hogwarts and tell Albus what we found."
They left the room, turning left, back in the direction from whence they'd come, leaving the door open as they'd found it. A few yards past the door, the wide corridor divided into two passages. Unerringly, Dobby took the right-hand corridor and they all but ran down the wide way, making it almost halfway to the point where they'd come in, when a small pop and an evil cackle stopped them in their tracks.
"Well, well! Maldy has found a people and a Dobby, who should not be here. Maldy's Master will be very pleased."
Dobby stiffened and before Harry could react, popped the short distance to stand between him and Maldy who had snuck in behind them. "Dobby wants Harry to leave and go to where Dobby and Harry talked about. Dobby will keep the Old One from stopping Harry." When Harry stayed to help, drawing his wand, Dobby got angry. "No! Harry Potter cannot fight a Death Eater. Only Dobby can. GO I SAY!"
With a gesture and another pop, Harry felt his legs moving rapidly without his will. Walking quickly down the hallway the way they'd been going, Harry struggled against it and was amazed he could not resist nor overcome it; the most he could do was slow down. He could hear Maldy's laughter and Dobby's grunts fading the farther he went, but the blaze of magic--raw powerful magic--he could feel increasing every step he took. The hairs on his body rose, tingling with the strong power dancing in the air. On and on he and the magic went until, after several minutes, he had almost reached the place they had entered the mansion. Just as he was about to step through the wards, a move he knew would be irreversible once he made it, he heard a scream and the compulsion disappeared.
He stopped and, without hesitation, turned around and ran back the way he came. Although he knew it wasn't very far it seemed to take forever and about the time he was thinking he'd missed them somehow, he found them. Twisted almost beyond recognition, Maldy was a charred, smoking heap and Dobby--Dobby was a bloody mess from head to toe. He ran up to the house-elf and placed his hand on Dobby's neck, despairing until he felt the faint pulse fluttering under his fingers. Alive, but barely. Harry had no idea how to heal a house-elf, but knew he had to get him back to Hogwarts as soon as possible.
2:35 pm
"C'mon you auld sod. We have to get going. I know you can do it. Severus? Damn it, Severus! Wake up!" Remus tugged on a limp arm; Severus' dead weight didn't budge. Remus sat heavily on the floor, his back against the cold stone wall, weighing his options; there weren't many. Tired of hearing himself think, he said softly, "Well, I could stay here and hope you wake up so we can continue limping our way along." He shook his head. "Might as well just wait for them to take us back for all the good that will do us." He pulled on Severus' arm again, hoping for some resistance. "Or I could try another Enervate with probably the same results, or I can always bow to the inevitable and levitate you out of the Manor." He snorted. "I wasn't joking, you know--"
He listened hard. Had he heard something further down the corridor from where they'd just come? There it was again. He got up silently and peered around the bend. Relaxing, he saw a rat--a real rat this time, not Peter.
Going back to Snape, he drew his wand, saying, "Lovely choices we have here, 'Sevvie'." Remus chuckled weakly. "Only problem is how to get you to Hogwarts without splinching both of us. Right now, I'm not certain I can Apparate myself, let alone both of us."
The other difficulty was that while he'd been teasing Severus about his dismal performance of levitation charms, he hadn't been joking about it at all. He was truly terrible at it and had spent countless hours worrying during his younger years whether that one failing would keep him from passing his NEWT's. He had improved with time and practice--now he could at least get objects or people off the ground in one piece, quite well in fact, he just couldn't steer. He didn't want to hurt Severus any more than he had to; he suspected a few crashes into walls and such would do more harm than good.
Snorting, he decided to wait a moment before deciding--he would take the time to try to cast a few more healing spells. If successful, they could continue on in much the same manner as they had--the exit had to be here somewhere; their way had been fairly straight after all. If it didn't work, well, Severus would just have to take his lumps.
Two spells and an Enervate later, Severus started to rouse, groaning. Remus settled on his haunches in front of him. "C'mon old man, there's the thing. Wake up--we must keep moving."
Remus was about to take Severus' hands to pull him up, when Severus sat bolt upright, eyes wide and staring. "Harry?" he asked on a whisper. "Harry? Where are you?" Wide awake now, Severus stared at Remus. "He's here, Remus, I can feel him. Damn it, he's here."
2:45 pm
Not two steps away from the door, Draco started a low, whining monologue. None of this was fair. Not his fault. Why should he care, anyway? Not his problem. Why should he do the dirty work? Up all night. As the volume rose, so did Avery's temper and not too much farther down the hall, Avery grabbed Draco by the arm and dragged him into a nearby room. Swinging him around, he pushed him against the wall and pinned him there with the main weight of his body. Draco's eye's went wild and he struggled against the older man's greater bulk without success. Avery clamped a hand over his mouth as he hissed, "Listen, and listen well, my little cockaroo. I am not going to let you balls this one up for me. We do this my way, by my rules, the first one being that we move quietly and we don't talk. Got it?" He slowly removed his hand from Draco's mouth.
"And if I don't wa--?" Draco broke off mid-word with the sharp pricking of a knife nicking his balls.
"Let me be perfectly clear, boy. I have more knives on me than you have years and I know more uses for them than you have for your prick. Defy me one more time and I will personally show you how many ways there are to skin a cock. Are We Clear?"
Wide eyed, Draco nodded. Avery grunted and then chuckled. "Well, I will give you that at least you didn't soil yourself." He pulled away and was about to move off when, turning back around to face Draco, Avery said, "And that's my second rule--I don't care who you lie to as long as it's not me." He laughed low, wheezing. "So tell me, boy, what did the werewolf mean when he said he was glad you ignored the Potions master? Snape said almost the same thing to me. I saw the cuts you didn't finish. Why do them in the first place?"
Draco hesitated, but, when the knife moved back to its earlier position, stuttered, "Th--there's a w-w-ward in the middle of his ch-chest--" when Avery lowered the knife, he continued with more confidence, "--it's what destroyed your whip. I tried to cut it out--well, you saw the results. It threw me across the room."
Avery was thoughtful a moment and then stood back and away, putting the knife in a pocket on the back of his robes. "Next time listen to Snape and come to me, first," Avery said with irony. "I need to think on this, but I'm fairly certain we can turn this around to our advantage to mitigate the damage with your father."
Draco's head came up as he said, "You may need it, but I surely do not."
"Oh-ho, so the little boy thinks he's immune to his father's wrath over making him lose his prizes? You had better start reassessing the situation--you are mistaken if you 'think' you will escape unscathed. Your father doesn't like you any more than I do." Avery waited for a response and getting none, he smirked. "Better, Draco--much better. Now let's go find our 'guests'."
2:55 pm
The screaming echoed off the walls. Remus stopped their progress, his head cocked, listening hard. Severus, limping along next to him, continued a pace before turning to face the same direction, standing slightly behind Remus, his visage grim. "House-elf," he muttered, pulling his staff from the belt at his waist.
Remus tensed at another sound coming towards them: the stealthy footsteps of someone trying not to be heard. He cautiously took several paces forward and, around the curve, unexpectedly found himself almost face to face with Avery. Rocking back in surprise, Avery nonetheless prepared to fire a point blank curse. Stepping back, Remus held up his wand protectively, expecting to be hit with Avery's curse--that never came. With a whoosh of air, Severus' staff, extending to its full length, rocketed past Remus' side, the rounded end of which caught Avery full in the chest, knocking him back the way he'd come, arms pin-wheeling to regain his balance.
Draco, coming from behind, neatly sidestepped the staggering man to fire a hex at Snape. Moving to the side, in the path of the flaming curse, Severus brought his stave up and split it, flinging most of it into the wall to the side of him, where it exploded in a flash of light and fire and smoke. The other part of it, greatly reduced in power, hit the old stone ceiling in a shower of sparks flying down on them, making it difficult to see who was where. Taking this rare opportunity of partial confusion, Remus moved back to place himself side by side with Snape.
Recovered, Avery came running, firing a Crucio, which hit Remus full on; he fell to the floor, screaming. With a whirl of the staff, Severus cut the spell and flicked the now-shielded end outwards, sending the remainder of the curse back at its caster. Avery had clearly not been expecting Snape to do this; his wand arm flew up with the force of the returning curse, his body falling back with it. Covering Avery, Draco stepped in and started firing hexes at Snape, who blocked them easily with the glowing stave. As Draco dodged a wild hex sent his way by Remus, still on the floor, Snape took the chance and moved further to the side of the wide corridor to draw Draco away from Remus.
"Come now, boy," Severus panted, "is this the best you can do?" Abandoning his hex at the fallen man, Draco's anger offed his aim and the next one went wide. Severus sneered, "I have First Years with better control."
While Severus blocked most of the spells with the stave, distracting Draco, Remus pulled himself up. He'd no more stood when he noticed Avery approaching, his hand at his back. As soon as he saw the knife, he called out, "Severus, watch out," but too late. Concentrating on the fight with Draco, Severus never saw the dagger sailing end over end towards him. Remus tried to catch it with an Accio but missed; the dagger flew true, and with a sickening thud, lodged blade-deep in Severus' left shoulder. The staff dipped enough that Draco's next hex knocked Snape flat on his back, driving the knife further into his shoulder and knocking the wind out of him.
Remus, enraged, let loose a string of hexes at Draco and Avery, hoping it would be enough to give Severus time to get his breath back. Moving ever backwards, he finally came to Snape's side, trying to give him a clear field; even down, Remus knew Severus could do quite a bit of damage.
With Remus concentrating on the curses Draco sent, Avery advanced, strangely intent and silent, throwing the odd curse here and there as a diversion while he relied on Draco to cover his progress. Marking the rhythm of the duel between Remus and Draco, Avery got close to Severus, another long knife in his hand coming up, fire dancing up and down the blade. Severus, struggling to sit up, saw the danger and, despite the injury, raised his half-extended staff defensively to the fore, lengthwise across his chest, hands placed flat on top. With a whispered spell of his own devising, two daggers flew out in rapid succession from his gauntlets. The first one Avery easily dodged, but Severus 'led' him well; the second one tore through Avery's robes, slicing him in the side in a long shallow cut. Severus smiled evilly as Avery's eyes widened--he knew what was on those daggers, and knew he needed to get away quickly to take the counterpotion for the slow-acting poison Severus had used on them.
Counting on Snape's triumph, Avery turned as if to run, waited a beat, and then, whirling back in place, pointed his wand at Snape as he tried to stand, whispering "Confundus Desparo." The spell to activate the curse marks on Severus' chest hit true; sitting back down, Severus' eyes glazed over and, with a wheezing laugh, Avery turned and ran down the hall, leaving Draco alone to fight with the furious werewolf. Draco took a hard look at the determination in Remus' face and, casting a smoke charm, ran after Avery. Remus threw a blind fire hex after him; if the howl that followed was any indication, he'd at least winged the boy.
Panting, Remus moved down the hallway, wand at the ready to make sure they were truly gone. Seeing no one as far down the corridor as the bend permitted, he returned quickly, dropping to his knee next to Severus. Thinking Avery had cast a simple confusion spell, Remus said "Finite Incantatum." While there was a brief glow and Severus looked a little more lucid, he still sat there docilely, unmoving.
Remus eyed the knife still in Severus' shoulder, studying the haft. Deciding it needed to come out, he quickly cast the appropriate spell Dumbledore had once taught him as a young man for such exigencies. Nothing happened. He said another spell; the knife glowed red. "Damn it--he's got an anti-removal spell on it. I'm sorry Severus, I know we're supposed to either remove it with the spell, or leave it in place if we can, but I don't know what the bastard hit you with and we have to get out of here. Can you walk?" When he got no reply, he sighed, saying, "This is really going to hurt, but I can't move you with it in there; it will just move around and do more damage, not to mention what it could do if I run you into a wall."
Just as he was about to grab the haft and pull, Severus spoke dully, "No. Don't. Serrated edge--back hooks."
Remus sat back on his heels. "Well, this is most inconvenient. I don't know how to take it out without ripping half your shoulder with it." He put his hands on Severus' face. His skin was cold and clammy. Remus moved Snape's robes aside and swore a blue streak at the amount of damage apparent underneath the outer cloak. Severus had taken several hits without him noticing and most of the partially healed wounds had reopened to bleed freely again. "You fool," he hissed, "I'm not worth your life, you silly ass."
"Remus?" Severus whispered, clearly confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Yes, Severus, it's me," Remus said, casting the levitation spell to get Severus floating next to him. "And as to why we're here, well, it's because I was rather stupid." He cast the second spell to get them moving again.
Turning his head to look at Remus, Severus mumbled, "Why am I not surprised." As Remus snorted in amusement, Severus winced, the pain running across his face. "Wolf?" he gasped.
"Yeah?" Remus replied.
He leaned in to hear Severus murmur, "Tell me about that damned prince again."
Moving slowly down the hall, trying to keep the injured man steady while watching their backs, Remus said quietly, "Hmmm. Well, the prince, a strong lad with all the powers of the gods..."
TBC