Disclaimer: None of this is mine.

ShadowedHand- Glad to keep you in stitches. Enjoy it. Always glad to here from people who enjoy my cliffhangers. ;)

AuroraAbbieSnape- Glad to know that my story is different (I thought it was like a lot of others) Thanks for the reviews.

Diane- thanks for the optimism. As for your question of Snape and Harry, you'll just have to wait and see. Hate to do that to you. ;) (Well, maybe I feel a little guilty.)

Shelly101- There's nothing wrong with being insane. (just ask my friends about that one)

LadyLily3- So sorry, but I just wanted to leave it there. That way, I keep people wandering, "What happens next?" so that they have to read the next chapter.

TruthxInxShadow- I like cliffies too. Isn't it fun? Of course, readers don't like it too much, but it's fun to do. I'll read the non-slash version of your story. (Sorry, I just don't like the whole boy-boy thing)

Volleypickle16- glad that you liked it

Rosiegirl- glad that you liked it.

HectateDeMort- thanks. 

And guess what, if you're reading this, I have just published a new chapter! Yay me! So, I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to read and review afterwards, so I know what you all think. You may not like me for all the cliffhangers by now.  whoops! But, anyway, I'm tired and I'm rambling, so here goes nothing. Enjoy it:

Chapter 7: A Truce

"Wake up!" Snape hissed as Harry's head lulled to the side again. They were being led to a place where Voldemort and the rest of his gang awaited. Snape had noticed that Harry was mostly being drug, and saw that he was nearing sleep. 'He won't last long, lucky for him,' Snape thought glumly.

"Welcome back," a voice said, one that was all too familiar. "I hope you enjoyed your brief little jail break. Too bad it didn't last very long at all. You don't realize what you have thrown away, Severus. You could have been great. I would have made you my number one death eater."

"Guess you were wrong about that," Snape said quietly.

"Yes, well, I won't be making that same mistake again."

"Then go ahead and kill me, and get it over with."

Voldemort laughed in a tone that would have made anyone shiver. "You know better than that, Severus. I will make you pay for betraying me. Bellatrix!" he called. From a corner, Bellatrix Lestrange walked out of the circle of death eaters and stood before them. "Hello, Baby Potter," she greeted nastily. "Do you remember our last meeting? When I killed your godfather?" she let out a laugh of malice.

Harry fought against his bindings to attack her. He wanted so much to cause her pain. Instead, he was bound tightly, too tightly to ever have hopes of escaping. The death eaters in the circle laughed. "Do you remember, young Potter, how you tried to place me under the Cruciatus curse?" Snape snapped his eyes toward Harry in surprise, but said nothing. "Let me show you how it is really done. CRUCIO!" she shouted. Harry felt the pain envelope him and burn down to his bones. At first, he refused to scream, but then heard his own voice ringing in his ears, and knew that that battle he had lost with himself.

The curse ended after what seemed like forever, and Bellatrix Lestrange stood there, a look of triumph on her face. He felt weak, and his head fell to the side. There was nothing else to do but to welcome the darkness that waited to consume him.

"I can't believe it," Hermione said in an awed voice. "I never thought this would happen."

"They shouldn't have left it up to Snape to save him!" Ron thundered. "I never trusted that greasy git anyway!"

"Ronald! You know that anything could have gone wrong and they wouldn't have been able to escape. Snape was the best choice to go after Harry."

"Lot of bloody good it did! Now they're both captured, and we'll never see Harry again!"

"Don't say that!" Hermione nearly screamed, tears beginning to streak down her face. Through the whole ordeal, Ron had never seen her cry. This was the first sign that she had given of her true grief. Without another word, she ran out of the room, and straight into Tonks.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Tonks asked, seeing the tears in Hermione's eyes.

"It's nothing," she lied. "Oh forget it! It's everything! I'm so worried about Harry!"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tonks asked. Hermione nodded. "But let's talk somewhere more private." Tonks led the way to her room in a far corner of the house, where hardly anyone went.

"Now, tell me what's troubling you," Tonks urged.

"It's Harry. Everyime he gets in trouble, or kidnapped, or hurt, I worry about him. And sometimes, Ron shares my feelings about these things, but other times, he's so insensitive. I know he cares, but he does nothing to ease my fears. He's convinced that we will never see Harry again. I'm not ready to give up my hope of seeing him again. I know that I will see him again. I know that Professor Snape will help him escape. I KNOW it. It's just that no one else seems to share my point of view."

"I do. I know that Harry will survive. He's a survivor, and he has a knack for pulling through the toughest looking situations. And Professor Snape will help him. As mean and cruel as he may seem, he does keep his promises. He promised Dumbledore that he would save Harry, and he will do it. Even if it is the last thing he does."

"I know. I just needed to hear it from someone who felt the same as I do."

"I understand. And remember, anytime you need to talk to someone, I'm here. I know that there aren't many women around here who you can talk to. Just remember that I'm always eager to talk to someone."

"I will," Hermione said. She smiled, and left the room, drying her tears. As she headed to the kitchen, she bumped into Ron. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so negative. Please forgive me. I can't take this if you're mad at me. We need each other right now."

"I know. I accept your apology, Ronald. Now, let's go see what's in the kitchen. I haven't eaten in days and I'm starving."

Professor Snape was slouching against a wall several hours later, watching and waiting should something happen. He was lucky to be able to remain on his feet after what had just happened. He had been tortured himself immensely, after Potter had fainted. Of course, what could he expect? He started as the boy began to move. Potter slowly opened his eyes and looked around the cell. His eyes stopped on Professor Snape, leaning against the wall.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"You fainted."

"So they brought me back here until their next little torture session?" he asked, raising himself up slowly. Snape nodded, sneering. "Fine situation we're in," he commented coldly.

"Why do you have an attitude? It's not my fault we're here."

"If you had of told Albus Dumbledore of your situation at home, then you wouldn't have been there. Then the wards would not have fallen, you would not have been captured, and I would not be here to try and rescue you."

"So it's all my fault?"

"As usual."

"That's not fair you greasy git!" Harry growled. Snape's temper flared, and Harry could feel the anger radiating.

"I will not tolerate being talked to like this!"

"Really? What do you think you are going to do about it, Snivellus?" He did have a point, but Snape wasn't going to admit that.

"Shut up, Potter. Even behind bars I can do a considerable amount of damage to you."

"I'm quaking with fear," Harry shot back, pacing to a separate corner of the dungeon cell. He appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, before speaking again.

"We don't need to do this," he said. "We need to work together."

"How? As you can clearly see, we have no way to escape."

"I don't know how yet, but there has to be a way. We have to work together though. I don't like you, and I know that you hate me. But for the time being, maybe we should call a truce."

"A truce?"

"Yes. A truce. We need each other's help if we ever plan to make it out of here alive. It's too soon to give up. We still have life left in us, so there is still a chance."

Snape was silent, but when he spoke again, Harry was shocked at what he had to say. "That's probably the most sensible thing that I have ever heard you say."

Harry almost grinned, but caught himself in time. He loathed Snape, and hated his very existence. But he realized the necessity of their being a team, instead of against one another. Now they had only to find a way to escape.

The two occupied themselves in their own minds, trying to surmise a way to escape the dungeons. Their thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of death eaters, to bring them back to the 'torture circle,' as Harry had dubbed it. He had no idea that after this, he would have no more thoughts about escaping.

Please r/r, tell me what you think.