Spoilers: PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, FB, QTTA.. Written between Goblet of Fire and Order of Phoenix.
Genre: Action, Angst
Era: Multiple Eras
Main Character(s): None
Ship(s): None
Summary: Siana Basilica has found the first of many answers, and Severus Snape has returned from his encounter with Voldemort. When Siana finds herself back at Hogwarts to continue looking for answers about her strange abilities, and her even stranger wand, she encounters a Snape entirely different to the one she knew before. The Death Eaters and Voldemort are hunting her, and she herself is experiencing unusual symptoms to the one thing that could possibly help her.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Nightmares and a Boggart

Frederick, no. Frederick, no. You don't understand. Look, I promised Dad that I'd do everything you say. Why are you punishing me again? Frederick please. Please Frederick. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Siana tossed in her sleep, the blankets fell off, and the sudden chill caused by the frosty early morning air and the lack of a crackling fireplace gave her strong goosebumps. It added to her dream.

'Do you like the cold Siana?'

'Frederick, Uncle Frederick please. Look. Please. I don't...'

She was tied to a chair outside this time, the cold freezing her feet, making them go black. It wasn't the first time he had done this, in the cold, the threat of snow and ice all around them. Siana's breath would mist in front of her. Her voice would be shaking from fear and frost. Cold sweat froze on her back and coated her like terror manifest.

'Siana it's very simple. If you ask to take the potion, the cold will go away. Won't you ask to take the potion?'

'Frederick, no.'

'Think of it this way.' He was laughing again, it was all such a huge and comical joke. Meanwhile the glint of red from the clear vial, looked horribly like blood. 'Think of it this way sweetheart, if you don't take it, you freeze. Possibly to death. There's no great loss in that. Is there? Really there's not. We have another girl Basilica to start treatment on. Would you rather I do this to little, sweet and innocent Camille?'

'NO!'

'That's right, because you're not innocent are you? No. Of course not. Now, it's a very simple matter, oh wait.' He chuckled and looked at her feet. 'You're going a strange blue grey colour. Do you want me to explain the mechanics of frostbite to you once again?'

'You're going to make me do things, and I don't know what I'm doing!' Siana whined, frightened. 'I don't like it anymore! Dad isn't doing this for the Ministry is he? Is he? Not anymore. This isn't for them! This is because you like doing it!' she cried out and Frederick's face turned severe, cold.

'Suit yourself. Freeze. I'll see you in a few hours, hopefully death will shut. You. Up.'

Minutes passed of cold, minutes turned into half an hour and Siana could no longer feel her lower torso or her arms. She was desperate, desperate for warmth and she wondered if it would be worth calling him back. Seeing if he'd come back and help her? Would he give her the Insidious if she asked nicely? If she did everything he said? She couldn't bear it anymore.

'FREDERICK! PLEASE!'

He could hear her. He was, he believed, doing a good job ignoring the fear filled sounds which had been going for over an hour now. Tiny moans and shrieks. He condemned his private potions making room, offset from his office and bedroom. The doors here were thin from years of abrasion from corrosive fumes. Sounds pressed their way through easily, he could have heard a mouse running down the corridor, let alone the sound of someone shouting out in pain.

There was only platinum cauldrons in here, anything else wouldn't have been able to handle the sheer amount of deadly or difficult potions Severus delighted in making on a regular basis. He was after all, contracted through most of the potions institutes throughout the world to make the most dangerous potions in existence. He and a handful of other Potions Masters, which included Australia's Gus Whittle, were on voluntary contract.

Right now however he had not been contracted to make the five separate potions he had been working on feverishly. It had all been going well until about four am when the first sounds had started and he had been distracted whilst working on the third potion. It had resulted in him adding too much hedgehog quill, and now he was uncertain whether the potion would work at all. This frustrated him, after all, he rarely liked to go out for potions supplies and working on five complicated antidotes, four of which might not have any use at all, seemed like a wanton waste of ingredients.

Nightmares indeed. They would be nothing to the terror which I have to look forward to on a nightly basis. I can't imagine that... he paused in his thoughts, his snarl frozen, as he went carefully blank whilst pouring out a measured amount into the fifth cauldron. This one, the black liquid that smelt strongly of acetate, was the one that was most likely to work. He could not afford to screw this one up, after all, this required the most complicated ingredients.

'FREDERICK! PLEASE!'

He jumped, and the vial of gryphon bile fell into the black liquid. His eyes widened with horror. When was the last time he had done that? He swallowed and backed away quickly, subconsciously placing covers on the other four cauldrons just in case it started to...

'Siana Basilica I do not have time to rouse you from a nonsense nightmare so kindly wake up!' The voice slashed through her thoughts, it wasn't what she expected. Her eyes flew open and she gazed, unfocussed, at the blurred creature in front of her.

'Wha - ?'

'Good evening.' The blurred creature turned to leave and Siana picked up that stalk. Severus.

'Wait!'

Evidently he wasn't happy, he turned back to her. Whirled around. His face was a rictus of rage and his eyes were dull and black. They did not glitter, they sucked the life out of the room.

'You'd like to waste MORE of my time? I daresay...I never realised just exactly how selfish you were.'

'Anyone would think you hated me as much as Potter,' she said wincing as she stared down at herself. Where was her blanket? She looked down on the floor and then realised that she'd kicked it off. Her robes were pulled tightly around herself as she shivered from the cold and she blinked. It was not so comforting to be woken from one nightmare and thrown into another.

'I'd have left him in the nightmare. The loathing I reserve for you is quite its own thing.'

'I'm privileged,' she bit out, suddenly catching his gaze. Her own face was caught in a mask of anger.

'No. You're a waste of my time now WHAT DO YOU WANT!' he roared and Siana scooted backwards on the bed, her eyes widening with fear. Her mind conjured a horrible image of him with a wand, yelling a death curse. Then she noticed the wand in his hand and swallowed.

'Forget it,' she muttered, unnerved, and Snape's eyes gleamed with suppressed triumph. He was revelling in her uncertainty, he was probably revelling in any fear or pain she was showing. You look tired Severus, you have black marks under your eyes. Have you been up all night? Did you have nightmares like me? Or are you trying to ignore what happened at that meeting too?

'Scared?' he taunted softly and Siana swallowed again, realising how dry her mouth was. She shivered from cold.

'Well I hardly think it's love,' she said blandly.

'No. Accio wand!' he commanded and her wand shot from underneath her bedside table - where she had thrown it last - into his hand. Siana now sat completely upright, moving to stand. Her eyes narrowed.

'Give it back.'

'You're a dangerous murderer.'

Oh fuck off. Not this again. Why does it always come back to this? What about you? Last night? Is that not dangerous? Is that not murder?

'That's not the opinion you had of me in Stow,' Siana threw back on him and noted with some satisfaction the way his eyes widened slightly.

Ah yes. Sibilant Stow. Have you been trying to forget what happened there. Did you block it out of your mind? How we kissed and then I nearly killed you? It's okay, I've been trying to forget about it too. But look now, I've got a reaction from you. Bastard.

'Did you ever stop to think, I suppose not, that it wasn't safe for me to openly accuse you there?'

'It's all sound logic Snape but I still don't believe you. You wanted me. I felt you. You were aroused.' Just as aroused as I was. Why, WHY am I bringing this up? The bed sheets were gripped mercilessly between cold fingers. Sleep was confusing her, her nightmare was confusing her, the fact that she had no idea what time it was, was also confusing her.

'You're body is attractive, on a purely physical level I'll admit I wasn't repulsed by you,' he said coldly and Siana's lip curled in distaste.

'It's a shame I can't return to compliment,' Siana bit out, hating herself in that moment more than ever. His eyes widened and then formed into a scowl. Her wand dropped out of his hand, the bang of it hitting the ground sounded like a door slamming. Final. Without another word he turned and stormed out.

Siana rubbed the back of her bruised neck ruefully, then bent down and gathered up the blanket. She wrapped it around herself and sighed as she stared at the empty doorway. As her legs curled under herself she hissed in pain and moved back a corner of the blanket, then the edge of her creased robe. She pulled back until she was staring at her thigh. The long raking wound that Draco had given her, was suppurating. Thick yellowish fluid was leaking out making two tracks down her pale leg. She tentatively touched the liquid and winced.

'Oh shit.' It was infected. The site around the wound was angry, red and raw. She bit her lip and wondered if there were any salts around the place. Sometimes, when her Dad had hit her, he had split skin and for some unknown reason she did infect very easily. Easily and quickly. She got used to dousing herself with salt from an early age. She didn't want to do it now, she didn't really feel like the sharp pain and it did look like it was too late for salt. Still, she wasn't delirious yet. She checked the temperature on her forehead with the back of her hand and nodded slowly. Nor did she have a temperature. There was still time.

She refused to go to Madam Pomfrey, there could be no chance of being found out. Besides, Madam Pomfrey might report the wound to Dumbledore, and she didn't want the Headmaster knowing that she had been captured by Draco the first time she had gone to the Malfoy Estate. She bit off a shiver and dabbed at some more of the mucus with the corner of her robe. It looked nastily sore, and it hurt to touch. She hadn't been able to sleep on that side for quite some time.

The potion had bubbled over, he had suspected it might. The others were still simmering happily and safely away, but the fifth antidote was wasted. Not only that, but now he was out of gryphon bile, and he had to start again. He hated starting again, it seemed like such a waste of time. He was a firm believer in getting things right the first time, that way mistakes weren't repeated, and you had more time on your hands to get other things right.

He sighed deeply as he made his way over to one of the uncomfortable stools that he forced his students with detention to sit on, if they were helping him in his private potions making room. After all, sometimes he did need an extra pair of hands, and there was nothing better than bullying a student for a few hours for the duration of it. He shifted on the stool and drew his legs up underneath him, rested his elbows on his knees and propped his angular face on his hands. He sighed again.

His eyes rolled to the left when he heard a small squeak and he saw Svelte gamely pushing the heavy door open. He wondered how long she had been head butting the thing for, but from the way she was standing, she hadn't been doing that for very long.

'Svelte,' he muttered and the brilliant red and orange creature looked up at him, eyes bright. Her mouth opened, her tongue lolled out and she scampered inside the potions room and flopped down onto her belly in front of the Potions Master. 'I thought I told you not to come in this room,' he added, looking down at her, his face tired. He blinked slowly and then his mouth slanted. 'Do you know what I did last night?'

Svelte rolled onto her side, pawed at the air playfully. She obviously didn't care what he had done last night. When he didn't respond to her invitation to play, she jumped up and ran around in two tight circles before skidding back down again. This time her plumed tail flopped in the air a few times. She was excited for some reason, he wondered for a moment, could she? No. Could she be happy to see him again?

Some unknown emotion caught in his chest.

He bent down and lifted her up easily with one hand. She wriggled in his grip, licked his hand frantically, leaving cold trails of saliva down it. She pushed her cold nose into flesh and he could feel tiny grunts working their way loose from her ribcage, so quiet they were hardly audible. He lifted her onto his lap and stared at her, a strange smirk crawling onto his face as she burrowed into his robes making delighted squeaking noises.

'Quite, assuredly Svelte, quite pitiful indeed,' he said and looked away before he could smile at her comical antics. After all, he didn't smile. Ever. Well, not unless it was full of malice and malevolence. Besides, he didn't think it would be appropriate to smile after he had just killed someone. Svelte seemed to sense his disquiet and her answer was to snort unpleasantly into the dry palm of his hand. He made a curled face of disgust at the wetness he felt as he pulled away.

'That was unaccountably disgusting,' he groaned, uncomfortably rubbing his hand on his robes and wincing. Svelte looked up at him with bright eyes and pawed at him. He shifted her away when her little sharp claws got a little too close to his delicates, but otherwise the texture of feeling something alive against him was pleasing. He rarely enjoyed pleasures of the flesh, whether platonic or otherwise. He didn't hug, comfort, touch, pet, caress, stroke...he did not like to be touched, and though he certainly could be sexual when he felt the need to satisfy what he found to be hindering hormones, he generally avoided thinking about his body.

So when Svelte snuggled against him, snorted snot into his hand and scrabbled at him desperately he found himself surprised by the fact that he was enjoying her company.

And so the Basilican hates me, that's what you wanted isn't it? Of course. That's what you do Severus, you finely cultivate the hatred of others. After all, respect...you never asked for their respect. You're a murderer, a coward, weak willed. You couldn't keep her alive. If you had been more alert, Lydia would be here, and you wouldn't be responsible for many many deaths which had started such a long time ago, when you blasted an unborn baby into the depths of hell. Of course, I don't believe in hell. Because it's so perfectly reconstructed here.

He stood and cradled Svelte against him, who calmed as he stroked exploring fingers through her fur. Yes, admittedly, he had a soft side. However, he wasn't about to go gallivanting through Hogwarts singing 'look at me! I have a fox and together we make the cutest couple! Can everyone say awww?' He had a reputation that he had to live up to. Not only did he have to live up to his reputation, he wanted to. He harboured no serious desire to become a nice person, a fluffy mushy creature that expressed love with fervent vigour.

In fact, sometimes he wondered if he could be more mean to the students and still manage to get away with it.

'A Boggart eh?'

'Well yes. I need to keep in practise you see, er, we don't get much cause to, er Siana trailed off, there was something about the look in the eyes of Argus Filch which worried her. He seemed suspicious. A light in his dirty eyes alluded to triumph and her own eyes narrowed. Now she was concerned. 'What's the problem?'

'Oh nothing, nothing. There's no problem, is there my sweet?' he added as he looked at Mrs. Norris. Siana blinked at the cat, then swallowed.

'No problem?'

'There's a Boggart in the second layer dungeons I think, it might not be there now, it might have moved up.'

'Second layer dungeons?' Siana said softly, there was a second layer?

'Well of course Miss, you have the first layer, where Head of House Snape teaches students, where classes are run. Second layer is more for storage. There are lots of places those creatures can hide about. I don't clean there much. Nasty place, things hiding down there...' he said, his eyes gleaming nastily. Siana blinked again.

'Nasty things?'

'But if you can handle a Boggart. You'll be fine I suppose. Plus a Basilica, you all dabbled in the dark arts at some stage.'

'Excuse me,' Siana said abruptly, not liking his tone at all. 'My Dad was an Auror.'

'We've all read the papers, Miss Basilica, we all know what the Basilican line is capable of. Meaning no disrespect of course.'

'Of course,' Siana said slowly as she folded her arms. 'So could you should me where the Boggart is please?'

Filch nodded easily and went into one of his stark filing cabinets. There were manacles on the wall and chains hanging down in one corner that was heavily shadowed. Siana's feet shifted uncomfortably and she looked quickly at the door. She didn't get the sense that Filch didn't like her the last time they met. There was a rustling of paper and she noticed Filch had spread out a map of the dungeon layers. He crossed two marks onto the parchment with his quill and then handed her the map.

'You're, you're not coming down with me?' she said softly and he shrugged.

'The hair-brained students are hard enough to go tearing around after without having to chase after teachers too. That's the way it is. Now if you'll excuse me I have a hall to scrub.' He walked past her, brushing her shoulder softly, and Mrs. Norris' tail brushed against her robe. Siana frowned and saw that Filch was waiting by the door for him to leave.

'Um. Thanks,' she said softly and Filch frowned.

'Don't be thankin' me. You're about to slaughter a Boggart. Even if you are good at it, I'd wager it's still a task.'

Severus shifted and groaned when he heard the knock in his door and then stood up abruptly. His muscles ached. He had cleaned up the potion which Siana had caused him to ruin, fed Svelte a mixture of chopped mouse and vegetables, and promptly proceeded to collapse in a fit of spasms. Now his leg muscles were still occasionally cramping, wrenching themselves into pain. He had spent an hour convalescing on his bed, but a knock on the door drew his concentration.

As he moved slowly to the door he was aware that it was literally only a matter of time before he broke down in one of his classes, which could lead to one of the students being injured. He couldn't afford that at the moment. Even if some of them deserved it.

He didn't open his door straight away, instead he leant his forehead against the cool wood and let his tired eyes find the sleeping form of Svelte who was napping after her rambunctious play. He took several deep breaths, his chest rose and fell tiredly. Anxiety was starting to course through him now, since the meeting of the Death Eaters...the very first, when Frederick had, no. Better not to think of that now.

He steeled himself, then opened the door.

'Argus? What's the problem?'

Argus Filch looked around furtively inside Snape's quarters, his eyes fell on the sleeping fox and then he looked down at his own cat and smiled. Now you think you have even more in common with me. Do not envy to be me, Filch. When Filch looked back up, there was a strange expression on his face.

'It's happened. What you alerted me to look out for.'

It took Severus a few moments to realise exactly what Filch was talking about. After all, Severus had Filch practically on call. If Harry was in the dungeons when he wasn't supposed to be, Severus was alerted. If any student was lurking near his quarters, Severus was alerted. If anything went array in the bottom half of Hogwarts, Severus was alerted. He had to sift through and pick the one that was most likely, and when he did, he froze.

'When?'

'Not an hour from now.'

'Where did you send her?' Severus said softly, drawing himself upright.

'Storage. There's a real one down there. Wanted to know how she'd go,' Filch said softly, maliciously, and normally Severus would have laughed. He would have been amused. Not this time. It was simply too dangerous. He opened his mouth to reprimand Filch and then closed it abruptly. He had no time.

She could hear it thumping back and forth inside the cabinet. And she could feel something else thumping back and forth inside her chest. Her wand shook violently in her hand, slipped as her palms were sweating so much. In her pocket was a tiny jar that she wanted to place her quarry in, if the she made it that far. She was well aware of the risks

With a deep breath and a small whimper, she flicked her wand and opened the cabinet door. She had to close her eyes for a second, she knew exactly what would be in front of her.

'Open your eyes,' he commanded, in a voice that carried a smile. Her eyes flew open and she stumbled backwards, automatically forgetting what she had come to do. He looked as real as he had the night past, when he had tortured an innocent girl, when he had insisted Severus kill her. She shook her head, her eyes unfocussed a little and she started to see double. Right now there was only one thing she had to do, but the idea of voluntarily approaching the Boggart-Frederick terrified her.

'You can't hypnotise me, Frederick.'

'No. Oh, but there are so many other things I could do. Hypnotism? Such a cruel word. I wonder if you're still pretty underneath those robes,' he said with a malicious smile and Siana swallowed violently. Her wand clattered out of her fingers and she stooped to pick it up, then danced back more steps away from the Boggart-Frederick, who was chuckling maliciously.

'I was never...'

'No. You were never pretty under those robes. Too many scars. Too many. And besides, it was never prettiness that made me want you. You're rather plain you know. Almost ugly...but definitely plain.'

She blinked and then anxiously took a step forward, withdrawing her jar. The quicker she got this over and done with, the better. Her eyes were stinging and her throat was closing up. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to cry or scream, and she didn't want to follow up on either. How embarrassing. Meanwhile Frederick was slowly thudding towards her, puffs of dust rising at his footsteps. His wand was pointing at her, she hadn't even seen him take it out.

'Do you like pain, Siana?'

'No, Frederick,' she breathed, dropping her jar.

'I can still curse you, you know. It would be very easy for me to...well, why all this talking? Dear me I am such a chatterbox. Yack yack yack, no action. Cruc-'

'RIDDIKULUS!'

'No! ' Siana wailed and dropped her wand. The scent of sandalwood curled around her and she could have screamed. If she hadn't let her wand fall out of her fingers she would have pointed it at Snape, and there was no way she'd get away with that. He'd suspect she was trying to attack him instead of defend herself. Perhaps she would try to attack him. Her last chance was gone. 'No,' she cried out again.

And now I'll have to leave again...do all that work...oh god...

'Do you have ANY IDEA how stupid that was?'

His voice assaulted her, even though he remained frozen. Boggart smoke was drifting upwards, away. 'If you must know, yes,' Siana said, her voice breaking from strain and the other effects of fear. 'Of course I did. I knew the Boggart would turn into Frederick, and I know that should someone chance upon him - they could easily believe that the castle had been violated.'

'Then why did you-'

'Go to the least populated area of Hogwarts during classtime when I was so very unlikely to be interrupted? I don't know. I honestly don't. It couldn't possibly be so that I could avoid students and try and conduct this safely. So this leads me to a question...how much of that, how much of what...what he said. What did you hear?'

Severus said nothing, his black eyes looked at her coldly. She tried a different tack. 'How did you know I was here?'

'Filch.'

'What? He tipped you off didn't he? You filthy, conniving bastard. I'd kill you with my wand but it's so much more tempting to just poke your eyes out and then stick the squishy end up your nose,' she muttered and stared wistfully at the wisps of smoke from the destroyed Boggart, making their way up and away from her. Away forever. That's it, she'd never meet deadline. She was doomed.

Doomed.

'Stop looking so melodramatic,' Severus snapped suddenly and Siana blinked in surprise.

'Excuse me? Melodramatic? Do you have any idea how bad this situation currently is? I may have to leave Hogwarts now, for reasons which only you're aware of. I CAN'T leave Hogwarts because I'm helping Dumbledore in something very very important, so in other words, you've fucked things up again Snape. Royally.'

'How could you help Dumbledore?' Severus said softly and Siana blinked. Oh. She hadn't expected that question.

'Well uh, I'm teaching him the techniques of the second Animagus. What else would I teach him?' she added angrily. 'You know how talentless I am!' She moved towards him and felt the salted scab on her thigh crack. With a wince of pain she tried to turn away before he saw her expression. She felt liquid running down her leg and she wondered if it was pus or blood. She didn't really want to know.

Severus frowned.

'We'll do a trade.'

'What?' Siana said, breathless. Colour flooded her face, this was familiar. Too familiar. 'What? What? You want my body again huh? Well that's just great. You can't have me. I'm celibate now, it's official. I don't care about sex anymore, or ever, at all actually. Why don't you just pawn me off like you wanted to last time? That worked so fucking well.'

'I will make the Insidious potion for you, if you help me make a potion.'

What? 'Okay. There were like twenty things wrong with that sentence. I'll list some. You don't want to make the Insidious potion for me. I'm evil. I killed your sister. I run around deceiving people remember? Also, I can't make potions, I really can't make potions, not only can I not make them, I also stop other people from making them when I'm around them. Another point, if I will help you? If? Help you? Isn't that a moot point?'

'Yes you're evil,' Severus said very softly. 'Yes you killed my sister, blasted her off the face of the planet, and as you said to the Daily Prophet the next day, you not only enjoyed every second of it, but you could have done it again and again. However if you have to help Dumbledore for whatever reason, then I want to have a closer eye on you. If you're close to Dumbledore I can't help but naturally suspect your motives. You will help me, and I will lower myself to assist your purposes, only because it assists a higher purpose.'

'How noble of you.'

'Oh this isn't nobility. The Snape's were never known for nobility. We're underdogs Siana.'

'I thought I was a waste of your time.'

'You are a waste of my time, however perhaps you are not a waste of Dumbledore's time. I am aware that you are talented in your field, even if Transfiguration isn't anything to be proud of. I am also aware that Dumbledore wishes to learn on a daily basis, therefore your reason is sound, even if I don't entirely trust you.'

'What's this potion I'm helping you make? Will it kill the Headmaster of Hogwarts?' Siana said sweetly and Severus glared.

'It too is a situation of which no one must be made aware. Call it mutual blackmail, I know the secrets that you cannot tell Dumbledore. And now you know one of mine. The convenience here is that I can use your secrets against you...easily...frequently. Very easy for me to tell you something I don't want the Headmaster to know, and then manipulate you with the information I already have so that you don't run screaming.'

'Oh I like the sound of this,' Siana muttered but her hands slowly raised to her head. She shook it slowly and then bit her lip. She took another step backwards, wincing a second time at the raking feeling in her leg.

'You're favouring that leg,' Severus said, pointing and Siana shrugged.

'So? You're favouring sadism. I'm not making a fuss about that now am I?'

Siana suddenly choked and gasped as her back hit the dark wall. Slammed against it. She blinked stars out of her gaze and saw Severus leaning over her, his hands against her chest, he was breathing hard. Now it wasn't only sandalwood she could smell, but the kind of sweat that one exuded when they were sick. She wondered, was he sick? His eyes seemed to bore into hers and she realised suddenly that he looked angry enough to kill. Then she wryly remembered that he had killed with a straight face. So maybe she wasn't about to be killed. She blanched as he pulled her towards him and then shoved her back into the wall a second time. Her leg scraped and she hissed.

'Don't tempt me, so help me I'll give you something to fuss about Siana Basilica. You have no idea, no idea.' He paused, but he still did not let her go. 'Do not for one second take for granted the fact that I am helping you, for believe me I don't want to. I like you less now that I've met you, than I did the day you killed Lydia.'

'Let me go,' she gasped and he shook his head.

'No. No I'm happy with you here, pinned against the wall. It makes you much easier to talk to. Now you're going to listen to me. You are going to help me make my potion, and if we...'

'Does it have something to do with that, your, sickness?' Siana said and Severus dropped her.

'What do you know about that?' he snarled as Siana's legs crumpled and she bit her tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth just as her leg seemed to tear itself apart yet again. She took a few deep breaths to clear her mind, white heat blazed across her vision.

'Just that, well. Sirius said something and...by Artemis, Severus I saw you, I saw you collapse. Remember? I mean, I'd want to get that medicated if it were me.'

Severus stared at her for a moment, saying nothing. She watched him as struggled to drag herself upright, and pressed herself back against the wall.

'You realise that the Insidious, should we make it, will be staying entirely in my possession? Your consumption of it, will also be happening entirely in my presence. I'm not going to give you the opportunity to revert back to your natural self,' he said very softly.

'Oh I suppose at least you'll know I'm not hypnotising someone else.'

'It will take some time to acquire it. I'm not going to watch you make a fool of yourself when you're so pathetic anyway, whilst you try and attack a Boggart in the form of your loving Uncle. Why do you hate him so much anyway? You were very friendly the night of the murder.'

'What? I mean, why will it take some time to acquire it?'

'I'll need to get it already made. There is, I'm sure you're aware, a severe ingredients shortage.' Siana suddenly realised that he meant to go back to Frederick and ask for one of the vials. She frowned to herself. 'You have no idea...' he was saying. 'You have no idea.'

'Neither do you,' Siana said weakly. I could just change into a black cat now, and you'd see the scratch, you'd know everything. Would you still hate me then? You would. I bet you would. You'd hate me even if I saved your life. Which isn't likely. 'You don't know either.'

'Then perhaps we should just leave it there...' he said, his eyes glittering. 'I will come to you when I have acquired the potion. Do not bother me sooner, the less I see you, the better.'

'I need that, that potion soon, Severus. It's. Important,' she stammered and a heavy eyebrow lifted. He looked forbidding. 'No I don't mean. I'm sorry. Forget it,' she added, shaking her head. Her teeth clenched to stop from chattering with shock and cold. She had no idea what had just happened really. First her Uncle, then him, then this? It wasn't normal. Severus was already walking away, his cloak stirring whorls of dust.

'Th-thank you!' Siana called after his back and he didn't pause. He didn't even look back at her once. Her leg was shaking underneath her violently, it was wet and sticky against her robes. She needed treatment, and quickly.

There was only one person whom she could trust to go to now.