WARNING: Violence is in this chapter!
I ACTUALLY FINISHED THIS WEEK'S CHAPTER! But I had to neglect my homework to do so :( I will apologize in advance for this chapter...lol. Listen. Snape's life is messy what else can I say?! I know its getting darker, but I think it takes Snape witnessing the loss of Penny's innocence to bring some self evaluation.
"Of course you can. If won't is what you meant, then say that, Draco," Penny said.
"Why would you come here, he's here. If he knew you were here. . .if I helped you," Draco said, still backing away from Penny as though she were a rabid animal.
Reaching for her magic, Penny closed the door behind him with a soft thud , and locked good it for good measure.
"I understand, I really do. I don't want you to get hurt, but I don't want to end up like her," Penny said, pleadingly.
Feeling like she could only make this appeal if she knew the gravity of what she'd heard the girl endure, Penny set her jaw and turned to look back at the body beneath her. A hand around her wrist stopped her, Draco having crossed the distance between them.
"Don't-just don't," he said, an edge to his voice.
Penny nodded, slowly, noting how his grey eyes seemed dimmer than the last time she'd seen them. It'd been before Cedric. . .Penny had avoided everyone those last days. In her suffering, she'd been an utterly awful friend. She hadn't given a single thought to Draco and what he must have endured and seen since the return of Voldemort. Peering into his eyes, Penny understood there were things she wouldn't be able to understand, and still, even though she hadn't even so much as written to him, he still wanted to spare her.
"I'm sorry-I shouldn't have put you in this position," Penny said, pulling her hand free of his grip and rubbing it over her face several times.
"Why would you come here? Surely Sn-"
"Honestly, don't ask, it was a moment of sheer stupidity."
"That might be an understatement," Draco said, giving an awkward smirk to try and lighten the mood.
"Yes well, as with all things regarding Snape, it's complimented," Penny scowled.
"Did you two have a lovers quarrel, is that why he brought you here? Seems a bit harsh, even for him," Draco said, crossing his arms and perching himself on the edge of a desk just to the right of him.
"Funny. He has a bad habit of leaving before I've finished having my say. This time I had the brilliant idea to not let him."
"So you knew?" Draco asked in what would seem like a casual way, but when Penny locked eyes with him, she noted how on edge he seemed, how he was gauging her response.
"About his part-time job?" Penny asked with an arch of her brow. "Of course I did."
"And you believe him?"
"About what?"
"That he's changed, that anyone can change from. . ." Draco said, gesturing to just beyond Penny at the body she'd forgotten.
Penny's heart beat a little faster at his words. Her mouth opened as though to respond in indignation, but then she paused, feeling it better to consider Draco's words. Penny wanted to believe that she knew Snape, and perhaps she did, she knew a Snape, Snape the Potions Master, but that did not mean she knew all of him or what hid in the darkness of his heart. She'd never thought about who he'd killed, why or how. Draco's question, it wasn't about the Snape Penny was certain of, it was the Snape she'd only glimpsed.
"I trust him," Penny finally said.
The look on Draco's face was one of pity. "You Gryffindors are so ideological, it sickens me. When reality sets in, I'm afraid you won't like it very much."
"And this reality, do you like it?" Penny asked, her voice wasn't accusing but genuinely curious. It seemed to catch Draco off guard.
When he composed his face, he scoffed and turned away from her. "Don't try to fill my head with that 'what life could be like' rubbish. I've seen it take enough people to their death, and I, unlike you, do not run on the suicidal side."
"Yeah well, when you limit yourself to only the worst possible outcomes, that's what you end up with, isn't it? I prefer to make my own options."
"I think you've finally run out of options, Penny," Draco said standing up again.
"Again, Draco, why don't you say what you really mean?" Penny said, taking a step toward him, pretending to be bolder than she felt.
"It's not like I want to, I've said it before, you're alright, for a Gryffindor. You know what my father is, what I have to do," Draco said, trying to cover his turmoil with anger.
"What is your father, Draco? Why are you afraid to say it? And what do you have to do to me? Why don't you say that too? For someone who just gave me a lecture about reality, it seems you try really hard to avoid the reality of your choices."
"You made a mistake, Penny. I won't be the one who pays for it," Draco said, raising his wand.
"So you think I deserve paying for that mistake with my life?" Penny said, taking another step forward.
"I didn't-"
"You didn't, but I'd like to know, for the record," Penny pressed, taking yet another step.
"Stop or I'll hex you," he warned, squaring his shoulders.
"Get out of my way, Draco. . .Please."
They stared at each other, grey eyes calculating, green pleading. Neither moved, stuck in a stale mate, waiting to call the others bluff, waiting for something to force them to move. Penny looked at her friend, Snape's words echoing in her head, mingling with Draco's.
She'd been the bad friend, asked of Draco more than she should have, failed to understand the position he was in. It was because of this, she decided waiting for him to hex her was the selfish thing to do. No matter how he spoke, she knew he did not want to, that he was stuck between in a rock and a hard place.
"You're still my friend, but I'm sorry," Penny whispered before she dove to the floor, rolled, dodging the spell he shot at her. Using her quidditch reflexes, she reached his feet before he'd registered her, and kicked his legs out from under him. He toppled onto his side, letting out a groan as he tried to roll away from her but Penny clambered on top of him and wrestled his wand from his hand.
Reaching her hand into the air, she grabbed the vase she'd summoned to herself, and without a moment's hesitation, she smashed it against the side of Draco's head, knocking him unconscious. She stared down at him for a long moment, breathing heavily and watching the blood trickle out of the limp mouth. Guilt filled her gut looking at the beautiful boy, thinking how often he'd helped her.
Penny took a moment to clean Draco's face, mend his scratch and then put his wand back in his pocket. Then she took a deep breath and got to her feet. The hallway was empty, but she could hear a lot of noise coming from downstairs. The party must have already begun, meaning retracing her steps back the way she'd come with Snape was no longer an option, she needed to find a less traveled route down.
Sticking close to the wall, Penny crept back to the stairwell, listening at doors as she passed, peeking inside when she was certain they were empty. Across from the stairwell was another winding hall that Penny followed. Half-way down she heard voices heading in her direction, so she stuffed herself into the nearest room, listening intently.
"Why are we sent up here to clean up his mess, he isn't even a Malfoy. We're busy enough with the new hire not showing up," a voice complained.
"This is the third one, and dinner is about to be served, why can't he clean them up himself?" a second voice replied.
Penny waited, listening as their voices trailed off down the hall. She had an idea, a possibly stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless. Weaving down the hall, Penny found a small staircase that spiraled downward. Setting her shoulders, she followed it, feeling as though it was taking her beneath the ground floor. As she neared the end, she heard a lot of commotion. The voices of rushed, stressed angry people intermingling with the squeaky ones of house elves. Leaping the last few stairs, Penny stepped into a kitchen that was the size of some small houses. On one side of the room were dozens of house elves working on what appeared to be some magnificent feast which they began lining onto tables.
Nearest Penny were a dozen or so people dressed in finely tailored robes. The girls wore black skirts embroidered with a gold Malfoy crest that matched the ones on their green collared shirts. Of note to Penny was the fact that every single server appeared to be a young woman, no older than 25, with some being barely older than Penny. Additionally, Penny could not ignore how pretty each one was. They looked like a line of contestants in a beauty pageant. The oldest among them was a beautiful, yet severe looking woman in her 30's. She had high cheek bones that sparkled prettily in the light, and her thick brown hair was pulled back in a bouncy pony.
She turned on Penny, making straight for her with a sternness that could give Professor McGonagal a run for her money.
"What're you doing down here, May Queens belong in the cleansing room," she said in an oddly sing-song voice.
"I'm not a May Queen!" Penny said, quickly, pulling out her wand. "I'm the new hire."
The woman narrowed her pretty blue eyes for a moment, but then looked utterly relieved.
"You're late, but late is better than nothing, and with us down two because of Alecto-oh, never-mind, take this and get changed- quickly," the woman said, summoning a pile of clothing with her wand and then stuffing it into Penny's arms and pointing her to a bathroom in the corner.
Five minutes later, Penny stood beside the other girls, all of whom looked nervous and some terrified. The woman, who Penny' learned was called Madam Barlette, worked on Penny's hair before deeming her worthy for presentation. Then she checked the clock on the wall and told them it was time, gesturing for them to exit through a door just beside the tables full of delicious smelling food.
Feeling suddenly terrified she'd made the very wrong choice, Penny walked stiffly after a tall girl who's brown hair fell in heavy waves.
"New girl, if you want some advice, wipe that wide-doe-eyed fear off face, nothing will attract them faster than that," a girl with sleek black hair said, stepping up beside Penny and giving her an unnaturally white smile.
Penny forced a smile, muttering "Thanks."
"You're lucky you're just an escort, the Malfoy's are pretty good about ensuring that they only look. It's the courtesans and May Queens that get torn apart by the wolves. But if you keep looking like that, the Carrows might break the rules."
"So I should act more. . .?"
"Like a Malfoy, duh," she winked. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Lily," Penny blurted out before thinking.
"Merlin, of course you are. You look about as delicate as one too. Well, Lily, I'm Meaka. Just stick with me," she finished in a whisper.
They made it into a brightly lit ballroom, where chandeliers hung from the ceiling, sparkling like thousands of gemstones. Inside, the room was filled with people dressed in vibrant robes, chatting among themselves. As Penny and the other girls entered, whispers ran through the room and everyone craned their necks to get a glance at those who entered.
Feeling it was a good idea to heed the warnings of her new friend, Penny did her best impression of Draco Malfoy. Sticking her nose in the air, letting her eyelids droop heavily in that bored manner he always had. She strode forward, looking straight ahead as though there were nothing else of interest.
"Good," Meaka whispered from beside her, giving her a sideways grin.
They made their way to the front of the room and lined up to the right of what could only be described as a small stage. After them came, what Penny could only assume were the courtesans based on the clothing (or lack thereof) that they appeared older than Penny's bunch, having much fuller figures than any of them, which they did their best to show off.
After them came a group of tentative lookin girls dressed in white and laden with flowers. Judging by the looks of confusion they gave the robes the crowd was wearing, Penny knew they had to all be muggles. They giggled and smiled sheepishly at each other. Their excitement sickened Penny, so she looked away, working hard to preserve her composure.
In stark contrast, the Death Eaters entered next, laden in black billowing robes, their faces covered with the signature grotesque mask. Penny had seen the mask in illustrations before, but the lifelike quality of it, how it seemed to be a face, but lacking any of the normal movements of a face, terrified Penny in a way she'd never felt before.
Many people cheered and saluted as the Death Eaters passed, while others raised their glasses in approval. Once the Death Eaters had lined up opposite all the girls, a stillness fell over the room. Everyone was waiting for something, and when it finally entered, there was collective gasp, as everyone seemed to avert their eyes from something. A horrible prickle creeped up Penny's back as she watched, unable to look away, desperate to look upon the reason Cedric was dead.
He was tall, thin and unnaturally pale. From a distance he looked like a ghost. The way he moved was much too fluid, snake like, even. And Following him was an enormous snake, which several people stepped back to avoid. When Voldemort turned, Penny saw the flash of his red eyes. He spoke several words to his Death Eaters, who laughed and turned to look in Penny's direction at the group of girls. Voldemort took several slow steps toward them, smiling as though it would calm them. Penny looked down at her feet immediately, remembering Snape's warning. She noted how Meaka did the same thing beside her, as did the rest of the escorts.
Ignoring them, Voldemort walked through the courtesans first, looking them over without a word before moving onto the May Queens. He said nothing the entire time, making Penny feel thoroughly uneasy. Leaving them, he returned to the middle of the room and addressed the crowd.
"Am I not a merciful Lord? Though many of you abandoned me in my time of need, I do not hold a grudge. If there were any doubt about whether you could trust I would withhold my retribution - let this be your proof. I have risen again not to punish our own. No, we must focus on reclaiming our birthright, so enjoy," Voldemort said in what Penny felt was not a genuine expression of forgiveness. Something about the energy coming from him made Penny afraid, made her feel as though he were furious.
When Voldemort swept from view, the room began to buzz again, the courtesans moving quickly into the crowd. The May Queens debated among themselves and then decided to follow after them. Penny looked to Meaka, who's eyes were bright with excitement.
"That was him, our Lord. I never imagined-" Meaka said, so full of excitement she could not finish her sentence.
"What do we do now?" Penny asked, trying to avoid the topic at hand, afraid her disgust would be easily readable.
"Try to get a closer look at him while avoiding the Death Eaters at all cost, especially the Carrows."
Meaka led Penny through the room. They strutted past people, ignoring them as they made their way to the drink stations, where Madam Barlette was waiting for them, handing them several trays full of drinks to take around.
"Can't magic do this?" Penny whispered to Meaka.
"Of course, but that's not the point. These rich prats want the half-bloods and mudbloods to serve them,"
"Aren't you lovely," a drunken voice said, reaching for Meaka's bum and getting a swift kick to the ankle. He cursed loudly, calling her several derogatory words before moving on.
"Asshole," Meaka muttered.
Penny did her best to avoid making eye contact with people while maintaining the arrogant air about her, but it was definitely harder than she anticipated. Every time she saw a black robe, her heart raced, fearing Alecto or Amycus hid beneath it, but most of them paid little attention to her. The courtesans did a pretty good job of keeping the attention on themselves, and as the night wore on, had managed to undress many people.
Blushing furiously, Penny all but ran away from the man who was having a very good time in the corner of the room. Meaka laughed and began interrogating Penny about her 'experience'. Becoming irritated with the conversation, Penny decided to take a little breather and made her way across the room to a balcony that overlooked the fountain and garden. She peaked out, made sure it was empty, and then made her way to the corner, taking several slow breathes.
So far the night had been bearable, albeit disturbing. Penny tried hard to suppress the images of public displays of sexuality she'd seen all night, feeling as though she'd of preferred to learn these things the normal way.
When she felt she could linger no longer she made for the door, still lost in thought. It wasn't until she ran headlong into a large, solid frame, that Penny looked up. Before her stood a tall figure, clothed in a long dark robe and a mask covering his face.
"What do we have here?" he said, pushing Penny back onto the balcony as several other Death Eaters followed after him.
Looking back at the man before her, his mask disappeared and he slid his hood off his head to reveal a lopsided grin on his rugged face.
"I found you a young one, Amycus," he yelled.
The terrifying, dark haired brother of Alecto stepped toward Penny, his mask, also falling away. He looked down on her through heavy lids, scanning her face and body, stopping on the crest on her chest. He reached out slowly and tapped it with distaste.
"She's an escort, Nott," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.
"Hang on, didn't she arrive with Snape?" said another voice.
Alecto stepped into view as Penny looked quickly at the floor, her brain whirring a million miles a minute as she tried to figure out how she was going to get out of this one.
"Show me those pretty eyes," Alecto said, tilting Penny's chin up.
Setting her jaw, she scowled at him before stomping on his foot. He took a step back, letting loose a bark of laughter.
"No touching," Penny said, betraying none of the fear she felt welled up in her chest.
"And here a I thought it would be a dull night," the man called Nott said.
Alecto stepped back into Penny's space, pressing her flush against the railing behind her. He took a handful of her hair and yanked hard, forcing her head back, and then he looked down on her, licking his pretty mouth as though she were a juicy steak.
"I think you're lying. Do you know what we do to liars?"
"Alecto, she's wearing the Malfoy Crest, Lucius is already angry-" the dull tones of Amycus said, reaching for Alecto's wrist and giving him a look of warning.
"I know Severus is up to something," Alecto said, his eyes flashing.
"I'm bored of this hard-on you have for Snape. He doesn't want to fuck you, get over it."
Nott tried to stifle a snort, but was not successful. Releasing Penny, Alecto turned on Amycus, his wand out. "And what of your hard-on for mutilation and taking whats not yours. If you did not leave your garbage laying around for others to clean up, Lucius may not be so displeased. She was an offering ."
Before Amycus could respond, two more people stepped onto the balcony.
"Ah, Draco, would you mind clearing something up for us?" Amycus said, icily.
Amycus pulled Draco forward, wrapping his arm over his shoulder, making Draco look extremely uncomfortable.
"My dear brother seems to think this girl is not who she says she is, would you mind confirming if she is indeed one of the Malfoy's or not?"
Penny wanted to do nothing more than throw herself off the balcony, feeling as though her chances of survival were probably better with trying to land in the fountain. It'd only been a few hours since she'd attacked Draco, surely he'd want revenge.
His cool eyes scanned Penny's face lazily, looking thoroughly unsurprised.
"Of course she is one of ours, do you suppose we'd give that uniform out to anyone," Draco sneered.
"You're certain?" Alecto said, finally taking his eyes off Penny to watch Draco.
"Dear me, Alecto, aren't the offerings good enough for you? Shall I tell the Dark Lord that you are displeased with his selection?" a silky voice said.
It took all the restraint Penny possessed not to let out a sigh of relief at the familiar tones, to not look up into the dark eyes when he stepped up beside Draco.
"Not necessary, Severus, it was a mistake," Alecto said, stiffly, before pushing past him and making his exit.
Penny could feel Snape's eyes boring into her, but she dared not look, not at any of them. Instead she pointed her nose into the sky and said
"Young lord, may I return to my duties?"
"Of course, but perhaps I should escort you, Alecto-"
"Allow me, Draco. I need to gather the May Queens anyway," Snape interjected.
Taking Penny by the elbow, Snape led her from the balcony back into the ballroom. However, instead of walking into the thick of things, he veered to the left and to a small door that stood ajar. They walked through it into a small, dimly lit sitting room. Only once the door was shut he finally turned on her and Penny involuntarily recoiled, finding the mask covering his face startling. Her heart skipped a beat as he clung to her arm, those familiar dark eyes that normally made her feel so safe peering out at her through the shallow and sunken curves of the awful mask. When he looked at her, his eyes hard, there was no pretending-Snape was a Death Eater and he wore it well, too well.
"In twenty minutes, you will discreetly make for the door we arrived through. The May Queens should be enough of a distraction. Wait for me just beyond the gate, stay out of sight, you will know when it's me." Snape hissed from beneath his mask.
When Penny did not respond he said, "Show me you understand." Realizing they were having an actual conversation, Penny quickly gave a nod. They remained looking at each other, Penny reaching up, morbidly curious what the mask felt like but he pushed her toward the door before she could make contact. Still somewhat shaken and confused from her encounter on the balcony, Penny walked zombie like back to the room full of jovial people. Most were too drunk to notice her any longer, so Penny made her way to the drink table, where she found Meaka grinning at her.
"I told you to stick with me, what was it?"
"Some people didn't want to follow the rules," Penny said, snapping back to reality.
"Here, no one will notice now," Meaka said, offering Penny a glass of sparkling alcohol.
With a shrug, Penny downed it in a gulp. She'd need some liquid courage for what she was going to do.
"So what's the difference? Between us all?" Penny tried to ask conversationally, pointing to the escorts, courtesans and May Queens.
"You really are new to this. But I suppose you look pretty young. But I thought it'd be obvious. Half-bloods are given the honor of escorts, to serve our masters. Our gracious Lord understands there would not be many wizards left if he only accepted the pure bloods," Meaka said with such admiration, Penny felt like she wanted to vomit.
"The courtesans, they're mudbloods. They arne't allowed wands like we are. They are to serve the more basal pleasures," she went on, sounding disgusted.
"And the May Queens?" Penny asked, afraid of the answer.
"They're just filthy muggles. They think they're here to have some honor bestowed upon them. For a muggle, I suppose being beheaded by the Dark Lord is more than they deserve,"
Pretending to share the same sentiment, Penny turned back and gulped another drink and then asked Meaka for directions to the ladies room. She told her and then bade her to return quickly, because the May Queens were lining up, assuming one of them would be selected.
Penny walked as casually as she could, trying hard to remember from which direction she'd entered the house. She got turned around a few times and ended up in dead ends, but breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the breathtaking entry way. Checking that the coast was clear, Penny dashed across and slipped out the front door.
The warm air hit her face, the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, lighting the path before Penny. A deep sense of relief washed over her with every step she took toward the gate at the end of the drive. Slipping through it, Penny looked around, trying to decide where to wait for Snape when a hard grasp took a hold of her wrist.
"Leaving so soon?" Amycus said, cocking his head sideways just slightly, as he twirled her around to look at him.
"I-I just got lost-" Penny stammered, trying to pry herself free.
"You shouldn't have strayed so far, anything can happen to you out here, things no one can explain." he said, his eyes glittering with malice.
"I'm an escort. If you do anything to me-"
"An escort so far from home. What were you doing I wonder? Your employer might conclude you were running away."
"I wasn't-"
"Of course you weren't, but I feel confident they'll believe me when that's what I tell them you were doing," Amycus said, taking Penny by the hair and dragging her to a grassy patch just off the gravel.
Penny yelled, kicking out at him. She tried to reach for her wand, afraid to do magic without it in hand in case he realized who she was. But she was unable to reach it because Amycus had already reached his desired location and tossed her to the ground. Roots sprang up from the ground and began to coil themselves around her arms and legs, pinning her to the ground, a last night wrapping around her neck and choking her.
Horrible flash backs of being buried alive in darkness flashed before Penny so she forgot where she was. Were those red eyes before her? Pressure on her chest, as they moved closer to her face, hot putrid breath washing over her, disorientating her. The beast had her in it's clutches and it would only be a matter of moments before it struck.
"I don't want to die," was all that Penny could choke out.
The words sent Amycus into cold laughter.
"I knew looking at you that you would not be like the others, that you would know how to please me," he whispered, caressing the side of her face with the long jagged knife he'd conjured.
Penny thrashed and choked, screaming out in anger, wanting nothing more than to fall through the ground beneath her and find herself in her soft bed again with Remus and Sirius beside her. Instead she was staring into death, into the eyes of evil. The fear inside of her was suffocating her, she did not know what to do, her chest was shriveling and the world was tipping.
Leaning his face close to hers Amysucs went on, "I want to know you feel every flick of my wrist," he cooed, kissing the side of her mouth softly.
Penny shut her eyes, not wanting his face to be the last she saw, trying hard to call up a memory of Cedric's face smiling at her. Before she could find it, a flash of red light erupted across her vision and the weight on her chest rolled limply off of her.
Eye's snapping open, Penny looked up as Snape kicked what was left of Amycus from her. He was no longer in his Death Eater's robes, and an icy hatred emanated from every cell of him. He knelt down, finally looking at Penny, preparing to help her to her feet.
"Quickly-" he began releasing her from her binds, but he stopped abruptly, following Penny's gaze to her abdomen.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. She stared down at the knife protruding from her stomach in disbelief. How had it slipped through every layer of skin and whatever was inside so effortlessly? Surely a stab wound like this should hurt more? But all Penny felt was a numbness, and the sickening sensation of hot wet goo trickling down her sides.
"I'm sorry, he followed me," Penny said, a sudden wave of dizziness washing over her.
"This will hurt," Snape said, lifting her into his arms.
Penny screamed as the knife wriggled inside of her, slicing through anything that pressed up against it. Turning on his heel, Snape disapparated. Penny still screaming, every one of his steps utter agony with no way to escape because Penny could not will her own body to move, Snape jogged across the street, taking the steps two at a time. He stopped, repositioned Penny, as hot tears started pouring down her face, "Please, it hurts. Let me pull it out!" Penny begged.
"Don't touch it!" Snape yelled, furiously, as he began banging on the door. "You'll bleed out."
He banged several more times until the locked clicked and a severely harassed looking Mrs. Weasley opened the door. Snape shoved his way past her without so much as a hello. Her eyes apparently told her all she needed to know, or perhaps Penny's screams, which were now indistinguishable from Mrs. Blacks, as Snape raced down to the kitchen.
The door flung open with a flick of his wand.
"Clear a space," Snape yelled, maniacal now.
Several items went crashing to the floor and Penny was laid where they once were.
"My hands, why do my hands feel so cold," Penny said, feeling the hysteria set in.
"What did you do to her," Sirius's voice growled as he reached for Snape.
"Help me," Penny cried. "I don't want to die, not like this," Penny went on through chattering teeth.
"Sirius, get off him now," Lupin said, appearing in Penny's vision and reaching for her hand. "I'm here Penny," he said reassuringly.
"Why can't I feel your hand? There's nothing but coldness."
"Don't think about that, I'm right here, Penny, look at me. You see me, right? That's all that matters, you are right here with me and no one is going anywhere."
"You did this, you snake. Did you get cold feet? Afraid of losing your cushy spot with Dumbledore?" Sirius was saying.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY, BLACK," Snape screamed. The sound of shoving ensued, causing Lupin to disappear from view.
"Sirius! Are you going to let Penny die for a grudge!" Lupin yelled, sounding more angry than Penny had ever heard him. "Look at her! She isn't gone yet, but she will be if you don't move," Lupin implored.
Silence followed, but a moment later Lupin returned, his face streaked with tears, Snape appearing beside him. Penny met the dark eyes for a moment, they were distant, calculating, searching over her, his brain working out what to do next. Penny wasn't fooled, he was afraid. She refused to let him see past her reaching for his hand, "I'm afraid," she gasped, finding it hard to breathe. "I don't want to go, I don't like this feeling."
Ripping open her shirt and pressing his palm on her upper chest just above the meridians, sending a ripple of calming sensations through her body, his other hand holding the handle of the knife, he looked down on her, his face full of guilt and regret.
"I'm not letting you go anywhere-trust me," he said through gritted teeth, yanking the knife from her gut in a smooth motion, sending Penny into another wave of screaming agony.
Ya'll don't worry Penny will get her revenge on Amycus when they reunite in DH when he becomes a teacher? BUT I GOT PENNY/SIRIUS/SNAPE/LUPIN IN A ROOM SO THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A FUN ONE I PROMISE.