Mistaken Identity
Chapter 4
By: EckoStalker

Disclaimer: The only peoples I own are Alexis Whyte, Madame Sanya, and all mentioned Muggles along with the story's plot. Artimis Callabella belongs to Deep Shadows. Everyone else belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Author's Notes: CHOCOLATE! ... Um, sorry... just had about six fudge brownies... mmm, mmm good!
Anyways, here is the final chapter of my short novel thingie for those who have read this far. I thank you. R&R pweeease!


Here comes the cavalry... Artimis, please hurry up... having people stare at me all day and throw popcorn at me does not sound too appealing right now...

Alexis worriedly thought, hearing the distant pounding of footsteps as he captors drew nearer. She truly hoped Artimis could come up with a plan to get her out of this and not get booted out of the Ministry at the same time. But right now, Alexis was more concerned about her rescue.

The heavy door at the other end of the cold hall was flung open and held back by an officer to let three others enter. The human in front was decked out in thick gloves and was carrying a leather muzzle along with a wicked looking hypodermic needle. Another fellow came in behind him carrying one of those horrid staff thingies as another man wheeled in a sturdy looking portable cage. Alexis held the distinct expression that she was on death row.

Might as well be...

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"Alright, I guess this is it. And it's full of muggles, so we have to be subtle about it. Got it?"

"Like we don't already know this Callabella."

"Well... I just like saying it so humor me for once Severus, alright?"

"Humor? Severus? A lost cause Artimis."

"I wouldn't say that Remus. This whole 'mission' is pretty humorous."

Artimis suppressed chuckles, already seeing the look on Alexis's face when Snape walks in. Remus shook his head, but couldn't help smiling a little. They were in an alley across from the Humane Society where Alexis was being held, and Artimis didn't know anyone better suited for this job then herself and the two professors.

"Everyone knows their roles?"

Remus nodded, and Severus grumbled impatiently. Nodding, Artimis stood back and started to transform. Her body lengthened and thickened, black fur spreading rapidly over her limbs. She fell forward on new forelegs, growing taller and longer. As the transformation was completed, Artimis shook her silky white mane out of her face, now a full-blooded horse.

She stepped up to Remus, nodding her large head, and he loosely situated a black leather harness with silver fittings over her head, holding the reins lightly.

So, Severus leading the way, all three casually sauntered across the street, drawing numerous stares from the pedestrians around the area. It wasn't every day they saw two sophisticated looking dudes walking down the street with a horse. Severus stiffly held the door open once they reached it, and Remus bowed his head and led Artimis inside the building, Severus following behind.

The few people in the front room of the building froze in surprise as Remus approached the front desk leading Artimis, who cantered obediently after him. He smiled warmly at the woman behind it, and she smiled back hesitantly, watching Artimis. Severus stood near the wall, arms folded and waiting for his cue.

"Ello, m'names's Richard. Sorry to bug you swell peoples, but I had a question to ask." Remus spoke politely in a slightly countrified accent.

"Uh, s... sure. We'll help as best as we can..." The woman replied, watching them curiously. Artimis nickered softly, and Remus patted her nose affectionately.

"Well, you see, my horse Arty and I have been searching everywhere for our wolf friend. She got lost not too long ago on one of our treks, and we think she headed around here. Arty and that wolf, Lexy we call her, are the best of buddies for their kind, and we can't bear not knowing where she is and if she's alright. I was wondering if you had gotten any calls about an white wolf roaming around."

The woman stared at him strangely, and Severus snickered behind them. They ignored him, and the lady quickly typed up some things on a large computer beside her. Scrolling down the page, she replied.

"Well, we had a case brought in yesterday around six o'clock am. The report was of a small white wolf that had been hit by a motorcycle." Artimis whinnied softly and Remus put a hand on her back. The woman read off the road where the creature was found, and Remus nodded in agreement.

"Alright then. I'll see what I can do." She picked up the green work phone and speed dialed a number, relaying the situation to the person on the other line. She listened for a moment, nodding and agreeing once or twice. Remus and Artimis stood quiet and patient. After a moment she hung up and asked.

"Do you have any proof of ownership for the animal?"

Remus froze for a moment, and hesitantly replied, "Well, no. She just showed up one day at the ranch and just grew on us. Otherwise she's wild as can be."

The woman frowned, looking at the computer screen.

"Then I'm sorry sir. She was scheduled to be transported to an animal sanctuary this morning."

Severus snickered once again, and Artimis stomped her foot in agitation, silencing him. Remus looked at a loss for a moment. "But, she pretty much belongs to us. She don't belong in no zoo..."

"I'm sorry sir. The contract is already settled. And you have no registration for her..."

"But Arty here will be heartbroken..."

A mournful howl broke into the conversation, muffled through thick walls but heard nonetheless. Artimis reared upward, tearing the loosely held reins out of Remus's hands and neighing loudly. He stumbled backwards out of the way of her flying hooves.

"She's not too happy now..."

Artimis pranced about, knocking into the desk and sending a pile of paperwork soaring through the air, drifting to the ground around them like fall leaves. An officer ran forward, attempting to grab her harness, but she pushed him down as gently as possible, sending him sliding across the slippery floor. Remus slipped back towards the door, shoving three or four confused and shocked people out the door in their confusion. Severus glided away from his position at the wall and approached the door behind the desk as the woman screamed as Artimis reared again and kicked the front desk, leaving a few large cracks in the wood. Two more officers burst out from the door where Severus was standing, rushing past him and towards Artimis, oblivious to the tall black haired man stealing inside the door as they left.

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Alexis growled deeply as she crouched in the far corner of her cell, eyeing the officers in pure hate. They took their time preparing themselves, seemingly taunting Alexis with the upcoming struggle. She knew she probably couldn't best all four of them at the present moment, but she could at least hold them off until Artimis came to help. The human with a ring of keys stepped forward and started unlatching the padlock on the cage door, the others waiting casually. This seemed all too familiar.

As soon as the human pushed open the gate, two others swarmed in, holding out the wooden staffs. In the tight quarters, Alexis couldn't avoid the coils as they slipped over her neck and tightened. But instead of pulling away, Alexis dove under their feet, pulling the staffs under them and tearing them out of the owners' grips.

One human fell forward into the wall and crumpled onto the ground as the other spun to grab Alexis. She danced around under their feet as the third officer entered the already crowded cell, the fourth holding the gate partially shut. Alexis saw a hand grasping the needle lunge at her, and in lightning quickness, Alexis chomped down on the soft flesh. She heard a sharp yelp and tasted coppery blood, and the needle was dropped.

The bitten man toppled into the other scrambling one, and they both fell against the gate, forcing it the opposite way and thus trapping the fourth man in a makeshift cage of his own comprised of the broken gate and solid wall behind him. Alexis felt hands grabbing her back legs as the man who had tripped latched onto her, and she turned and tore into his arm as well. Alexis wasn't going to play nice anymore.

She saw an opening to the gate, but couldn't crawl over the fallen humans without hurting her broken foreleg worse. A voice hollered in Alexis's mind.

Alexis! Start howling!

Alexis obliged and threw her head back, unleashing a wild but beautiful howl that set the other dogs off in a chorus of barks and yips. She bit the nearest piece of flesh in front of her, and the attached human flinched out of her way with a surprised yell. She squeezed her way out the cage door just as the human who first fell jumped on a moving staff, which was still attached to Alexis's neck. She jolted to a halt as her oxygen was cut off. She fell to her side in her unsteadiness. She felt a quick stab on her flank and saw out of the corner of her eye the end of the needle protruding from her side. She growled lowly and struggled wildly as another human grabbed the second stick latched around the wolf's neck.

Someone stuck his head in through the door at the end of the hallway and yelled something. One of the humans stumbled to his feet and helped the trapped fourth dude from the makeshift barricade, and then they quickly and wearily ran down the hallway and out the door. Alexis gasped for breath, her vision swirling in a mix of distorted images and out of proportion figures. The remaining two humans held the stick leashes tightly, breathing raggedly and shaking their heads in amazement. One leaned forward and quickly strapped the leather muzzle over her snout, drawing back quickly from the creature. Alexis went limp once again, the familiar drug loosening her senses and sending her into delusion thought.

Alexis saw a swirl of black that indicated another man had entered the room. He seemed vaguely familiar, but that thought was slipping away like the rest of her sense.

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Severus slipped past the door and viewed the scene that lay before him with interest. A muzzled white wolf lay half out of a cell with two sticks with a coil of metal rope attached on them over its neck. Two Muggles held on to the end of the sticks for dear life, watching the limp wolf in cautious awe. Severus snickered in amusement, shaking his head and striding forward to them. One of the muggles saw him approaching and scrambled to his feet, his right hand bloody and lined with fang marks.

"Excuse me, do you have permission to be back here?'

"Yes. As a matter of fact I do... my own." Snape shot back silkily. The man stared at him in surprise, and then stated authoritively.

"That gives you no right to be back here..." He stepped forward, putting out a hand as if to push Severus back towards the door. Severus swiftly caught his hand and twisted it around behind the muggle's back, yanking him forward and throwing him into the fence beside him. As the man crumpled to the ground, and Snape calmly stated, "Don't lay your filthy hand on me, muggle."

He turned to the other man, who still remained on the ground holding the wooden staff. He gazed up at Severus in fear as he towered over him. Severus held out a hand and said calmly. "You can either give her to me, or suffer the consequences."

The man hurriedly handed him the wooden leash and scrambled to his feet, scooting around Snape and hightailing it towards the door.

Severus looked down at Alexis, raising an eyebrow as she lifted her head to view him, locking gazes.

(Hi there... is it just me, or is it hard for you to breath too?) Alexis slurred mentally, using Snape's gift at Occlumency to communicate mentally with him with her own mind link. Severus started, and quickly kneeled to pull the metal coils from around her neck, though leaving the muzzle on for reasons of his own. Alexis sighed happily, squinting up at him in confusion.

(You know, your nose looks even bigger from this angle...)

Severus glared, but noticed the needle sticking out of her side and the glazed and lost look in her eyes. He pulled out the hypodermic needle and tossed it aside, asking, "Can you walk on your own?"

(Hmm, let me see... yes... wait... I'm not sure... there's this annoying hard plastic looking thingie on my leg that itches like hell... kinda hard to move in it...

... Hey... I was wondering, can you fly?... you always got those cape thingies that remind me of wings...)

Severus sighed, ignoring her delusional rambling and noticed the thick cast on her left foreleg and the bandages wrapped around her chest. He shook his head. "You can't go anywhere without getting hurt in some way or another, can you."

(Uh... hold on... I know this one... don't tell me! I'll get it...)

Severus carefully set his hands under her, careful to avoid touching her ribs. He smoothly hoisted her up, cradling her in his arms, where she hung limply and half conscious. Moving swiftly, he made his way back down the hall and pushed the door open.

Artimis was still prancing about, but now had a human half on her back, one grabbing her bridle, and another with one arm around her neck. Remus was leaning against the locked front doors, watching her in amusement. Severus ran past the group and up to Remus, who stood straight and looked at Alexis in concern.

"Visit's over. Get her and let's go."

Remus nodded and whistled sharply. Artimis stopped abruptly and looked over at him. He waved to her as they exited the doors. She whinnied one last time and bucked, sending the Muggle on her back careening onto the hard floor. She galloped out the doors, following Severus into an alley as Remus followed. Several shouts and curses were heard after them, but they kept running. Once they were out of sight of all humans, Artimis transformed back to her human form, smiling broadly. All three, Severus holding Alexis close, apparated out of sight, reappearing somewhere in the midst of the woods where this adventure had first begun. Severus carefully set Alexis on the leaf-softened ground, where she lay limp and still.

"What's wrong with her?" Artimis asked worriedly, kneeling next to her and smoothing down her friend's fur on her side.

"Drugged before I got to her, it'll wear off later." Severus sneered, folding his arms. Remus knelt also, touching Alexis's casts gingerly. "Must've been from when she got hit..."

They heard a sharp laugh and they turned to view Severus, smiling.

"What's so funny?" Artimis questioned.

"Think of the dirt I have on her now. Stuck in wolf form, hit by a vehicle, caught by a dog catcher, sent to the pound... how great is that." Severus replied silkily, smirking mischievously.

Artimis couldn't help but smile either, but quickly hid it. "We need to find that lady who did this to her..."

"What's the hurry? I can get used to her staying this way for a while..."

"Shut it Severus." Remus snapped. He tenderly lifted Alexis's head, turning her dazed stare onto him.

"Alexis? You listening? Do you remember where the sorceress is that did this to you?"

(... Your hands are cold...)

Artimis shook her head in amusement and uttered a negative to the werewolf, so Remus tried again. "Alexis! Wake up some! Do you want to be stuck like this?"

(What's with the yelling? ... I'm hungry... Are you hungry? I am... where's the big nose dude? He's probably got something' hidden in those damn blankets he's always wearing...)

Artimis laughed, and Severus glared at Alexis. Remus looked at them questioningly.

"Just insulting Severus... nothing new." Artimis chimed, rising to her feet.

Remus turned back to Alexis and this time shook her a bit roughly, "Damn it, listen! Where does she live!"

Alexis glared at him and yawned.

(Fine, fine... dork...) She looked to Artimis dizzily and sent all the scenes from the day before to Artimis, via mind link. Artimis staggered back at the sudden power surge, her vision bombarded with jumbled scenes and tidbits of conversations.

Alexis yawned again, and went limp in Remus's hands. He gently laid her head down and stood, looking at Artimis expectantly. Severus steadied her as she grew dizzy. Once the spell passed, Artimis shook her head and grumbled, "Thanks for the warning..."

She quickly relayed to Remus the general direction from which witch lived, and he quickly lifted Alexis and they started off into the woods.

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(I really HATE you...)

"Is that so? I couldn't tell..."

(You're such a fucking ass!)

"I'd refrain from commenting Whyte. You're in no good position to argue."

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh Severus?"

"Not in the least. She's the one who wouldn't cooperate."

"You have to admit it's amusing."

"The only time I will agree with Callabella willingly."

(You're not helping at all, Artimis.)

Next time don't argue!

Alexis growled lowly, pulling as hard as she could against the thick leash looped around her neck. She jolted forward as Severus yanked on it, breaking eye contact with her as he turned back to the front. Remus winced in sympathy, but already knowing he had lost this battle. Artimis shook her head, smiling.

She was at the head of the little caravan, Severus and Remus behind her, Alexis at the very end, trying her hardest to go the other way.

(She's gonna try to kill me! I'm sure Dumbledore knows how to reverse this...)

"It'd be better to go to the source. I'm sure if that she had wanted to kill you, it would've been in a different manner." Remus explained, after Artimis had 'translated'.

"I honestly could get use to this form of her..." Severus snickered, pulling the end of the leash wrapped around his hand. Alexis skipped forward, two seconds from killing him despite the muzzle.

(Can you at least take this damn thing off? My tongue is going numb...)

"Severus? Is the muzzle necessary?" Artimis ventured, already knowing the answer.

"For my health, yes it is."

(Please! Let's leave... I don't want to go back th--)

Alexis was cut off as Snape jerked the leash, smirking.

"What was that for Severus?" Remus exclaimed for Alexis's sake.

"For my comfort... and she's going too slow..."

(I'll show you slow...)

Alexis immediately flopped onto her stomach, going limp and glaring at Severus sarcastically. He was jerked backwards by the sudden weight, and spun around to her. Artimis sighed and continue looking for the place. Severus pulled on the leash, but Alexis remained prone. He stared at her contemplating, then shrugged. He turned and started to drag Alexis along the ground. She gagged as the leash tightened, and tried to scramble to her feet as Snape continued walking. He pulled her off balance and she tripped, falling on her injured leg. She yelped loudly, and Remus stepped in front of Severus.

"This has gone far enough..."

"Back off Remus."

"Not if you're going to hurt her."

"I'm not. She's not cooperating..."

"Maybe cause you're not giving her a chance!"

"Do you want her to be stuck like this?"

"Of course I don't! But the leash is ridiculous!"

"Well if you think I'm going to carry her and get myself beat by her stupidity..."

"Who said I'd let you?..."

"Both of you shut up!" Artimis hollered. They quieted, glaring at her and only about three inches from each other's faces.

Alexis lay on the ground, watching amusingly. (Why? This is fun...)

"You too." Artimis scolded. Alexis rolled her eyes and looked away, sitting up gingerly.

"I think we found the place." Artimis explained, moving forward again, approaching a clearing.

"About time. How long have we been going in circles?'' Severus grumbled. Remus bit back a few more stinging comments and moved forward. Severus sneered and extracted his wand, pointing it at Alexis.

"If you don't come willingly, I will stun you and drag you again, taking great satisfaction in it as well."

(But you're not suppose to use magic on this mission...)

"I'd risk the berating for the pleasure of making you shut up."

Alexis glared harshly at him, but seeing the seriousness in his eyes. She rose to her feet grudgingly and limped after the Potion's Master, who smirked triumphantly, still holding the leash.

They cautiously entered the familiar clearing, Alexis hiding as best as possible behind Severus.

The four of them approached the door, Artimis knocking tentatively.

The door blew open, and a woman dressed in seemingly only blankets of orange, red, yellow, bright green and purple scarves gazed at them with sharp eyes.
"What is it you want? It is not 'for sale' as you ignorant Muggles like to think... Madame Sanya will be living here for quiet a while..."

"N, no ma'am... we aren't here about th... the house. It's another matter we have to discuss..." Artimis explained as politely as possible. The woman squinted at her searchingly, then looked behind her at the two men. She looked down as Alexis peeked out from behind Severus's legs, staring at her in tense caution.

The woman's eyes widened, and she smiled, showing yellow, but perfectly straight teeth. Alexis crouched down closer to the ground, prepared for anything.

"So, these your friends, wolf? I expected you back here sometime soon..."

Artimis looked at Alexis confusingly, then turned back to Madame Sanya.

"We're sorry to interrupt you, but... we would like to know if you would be so kind as to turn her back?"

"We understand her ability to annoy and cut in at the wrong times, and we apologize for it." Severus stated sarcastically, Alexis looking up at him in offense.

Madame Sanya put a hand on her chin in thought, staring at Alexis quizzically. Alexis stared back, not knowing what else to do. The other three were exchanging looks of confusion and weirdness. Suddenly, the old witch yelled. "Alright! It will be done! But I must warn you all that Madame Sanya does not tolerate snoops and spies! Take heed wolf, next time I will not be so kind..."

She flourished her wand, and Severus stepped away from Alexis, who sat dejectedly, hoping it wasn't a bluff. The sorceress spoke a complex chant that came easy to her as breathing. The same bolt of electricity that affected Alexis the first time tore into her now, and she yelped as she went rigid, her whole body coursing with electricity and magic. Then she started to transform.

Her soft white fur receded to only her head, her body grew out, and legs reversing to support her two legged form. Her tail vanished and her ears shrank to her normal size. The cast on her foreleg stretched as her arm thickened, and she grimaced in silent pain as it tore and fell apart.

Once fully human, the white energy wisped away like smoke, leaving Alexis lying on the ground breathing heavily and clutching her left arm. The leash hung on her neck still, and the muzzle rested against her chest loosely.

Madame Sanya hmphed, and twirled in a flurry of silky cloth, disappearing back into her house and slamming the door behind her.

Everything was silent, the four getting over the shock of the quick and powerful display of magic. Alexis sat up slowly, looking down at herself happily. She looked up at Severus and scowled, snatching the end of the leash out of his hand. She tore off the muzzle and threw it aside, sighing happily. Remus helped her up and they all stood there in awe. Alexis was the first to speak. "Um... can we go get pizza? I'm so hungry I could eat an entire deer..."


You know, anybody who can illustrate this scene with Severus Pulling Alexis by a leash with a muzzle would make my day... And my birthday is coming up, so i would be such a happy camper... Anyways, Read and Review...
Deep Shadows