She walked for days, intent only on putting as much distance between her and the camp as possible. Food was scarce and hunger pains tore through her stomach, making her gut cramp uncomfortably. It had been a long time since the long cold walk from Hogwarts, a long time since the hunger had rocked her so. She'd grown used to regular meals in the camp, and now with her leg damaged as it was, and the extra weight that she was carrying, she couldn't hunt as she'd done on occasion before, but was still loathe to get closer to the towns and villages for the scraps of food they provided. In fact she'd be quite happy if she never came across another person again.

Eventually though the gnawing hunger and instinct to find nourishment pushed her closer into the city where she was nervous and skittish of every person that past, the smell of fetid water from the polluted river and the rubbish and grime that coated the streets filled her senses, though it was soon that she came to a startling conclusion. Unlike the wealthy and affluent neighbourhoods she'd frequented in the hopes of being adopted before being captured, nobody paid any attention to her. Nobody stopped to pet her, nobody tried to call the dog warden, in this rat infested poor community of the desolate, no one gave a damn about just another stray dog on the street. She was invisible, and people walked around her as though she wasn't there...and that suited her just fine.

Even as her stomach grew heavier, her frame grew thinner and it was with utter shock she found herself coming across the last person in the world she expected to see as she limped her way down a filthy and broken down street, with a damaged vandalised sign that read "Spinners End"

oOo

She was rummaging through his garden it seemed, as she searched for anything that was vaguely edible in his vegetable patch when he burst out of the backdoor with his wand trained on her. She locked eyes with him and could swear his eyes widened in recognition for a moment, but his eyes were soon shuttered once again and his wand hand dropped down to his side. Relaxing, she noted that clearly she was not what he was expecting, when he burst through the door, though since all the fighters of the light were dead and gone she wondered just who might be a threat to him. Another part of her wondered just how he'd survived, and the gruesome scar that decorated his neck almost made her shudder, if it wasn't so similar to her own.

"What are you doing here?" He sneered, then after casting a lumos he looked closer at her, and seeing her condition in glaring detail his expression seemed to soften, if that was possible for Snape, and after a moment where he seemed to be in deep contemplation he reached out a hand and started to make the universal coaxing noises people make when trying to attract an animal to them.

She wished she could roll her eyes. As if.

Instead she bared her teeth in silent warning, and he reeled back and sneered at her. "Suit yourself then" returning to his home and slamming the door behind him. She was about to leave when she heard the window opening and before she could turn back something hit her on the backside. Turning she snapped and then growled upon hearing his chuckle, but he was still firmly inside, and if her eyes weren't to be mistaken he was flipping her the bird through the window. With another growl and turning once more to leave she saw what he'd thrown at her, and came across a delicious smelling block of cheddar cheese.

Her mouth watered and scenting it carefully she noted it was free of any drugs, wizard or muggle, before quickly gobbling it up before he could change his mind and summon it back like the bastard he was.

oOo

She hung around the dilapidated street, and it wasn't morbid curiosity because of Snape's presence she told herself but as was with most poor areas, it was littered with the occasional pub and takeaway. For a dog, drunken people with takeaways meant one thing, dropped food. And she availed herself of whatever dropped chips, kebabs and burgers she could find though it wasn't as often as she would've liked. Seemed when you were poor as dirt, you did your drinking AFTER your takeaway so as to avoid dropping food, but as it was, she found a few mouthfuls every other day or so, and the temptation of having un-spoilt food every other day or so, was much better than rummaging through the bins.

A few days later she found herself passing by Snape's house once more, and was drawn to a delicious smell coming from the back garden. It was sliced turkey, waiting on a plate in the middle of the garden. When she approached cautiously, she wondered why no other opportunistic animals had alighted with it, when she realised it was both warded and had a stasis charm to prevent it from spoiling. She felt the magic tingle across her skin, recognised it but could not interact with it. A thorough sniff ensured that this too was free of tampering, so she quickly swallowed it, having felt the wards break when she stepped through them and knowing it was no longer protected against other opportunist feeders. When she looked up at hearing the door click, he was leant in the doorway. Once more she bared her teeth at him in warning and he sneered back, she growled and he flipped her the bird. After a few moments, they broke apart and she slinked away as she heard him return to his kitchen. Thus a routine was born.

She realised with a start that he was lonely, after a few days of repeated visits, and repeated meals, when she more often than not found him sat waiting on the step. Plus the fact that he'd taken to talking to her, or talking at her as the case may be. Usually rants to do with some 'Imbecile' in the paper, either muggle or wizarding.

She would listen as she ate, for the snippets of news that interested her. Occasionally she would sit, to allow the food he offered to digest. Though always at the opposite end of the garden, and not within his reach.

Occasionally he would send indecipherable looks to her heavy stomach and attempt to make coaxing noises once more. She always left then. Would stay away for a day or two as punishment, leave him to his loneliness.

Though the growling in her stomach never let her stay away for more than a couple of days.

At times, whatever scraps he left her were the only edible things she would find, and she wondered if he realised that in the days between seeing him she often went without a scrap of food.

One thing she was grudgingly grateful for though, was that the food he left was always real food and not dog food. Always meat or cheese of some kind, and he started leaving the odd cooked vegetable, usually sweet potato, remnants from his own food no doubt, after finding her attempting to dig up some from his vegetable patch which had left him swearing and seething and her darkly amused.

oOo

It wasn't enough, she knew. The scraps she got from him and the street. A part of her wanted to swallow her pride and go to him. Let him adopt her, let him feed her daily for the sake of the puppies she was carrying. He was lonely enough to take her in, that much was clear. And he had been good enough to her in his own way, if not typically caustic. That didn't mean that she trusted him not to turn her puppies into potions ingredients though. Nor did her self preservation instinct allow her to walk into the unknown, unarmed and helpless with one of the most dangerous wizards in Britain. No. Better she stay away.

Her stomach had began to hurt, she felt sick and queasy and he looked at her in what passed for concern in his eyes when she only drank the water he'd put down and didn't touch the food. He made the coaxing noise again, and for a moment she almost wavered. He must have seen her indecision because for the first time he made to stand and approach her, but his movement shocked her back into herself and she ran, this time she stayed away.

She should eat. She wanted to eat, needed to eat even, but the nausea that racked through her made it impossible. It had been almost three full days since she'd seen him, the longest she'd stayed away since she discovered him here. When she came across him in the streets.

He walked with a limp now. She'd not really seen it, having old even seen him darkening his own doorstep or through the kitchen window. It was almost as bad as hers.. but not quite. She was fortunate enough to have 3 other legs to favour instead of her injured limb, whereas he only had the 1 spare. He was coming from the shop, a plastic carrier bag in his hands and it was so muggle that she couldn't help herself from stopping and staring as he walked on down the other side of the street, with his head down. A far cry from the way he had sweeped his way through the halls at Hogwarts, with his ever demanding presence. Right now he looked as though he would rather remain unnoticed. The problem was he had been noticed, and not just by Hermione.

A group of 3 young men watched him go passed and after a moments discussion amongst themselves, began to follow. Internally she cursed. She'd seen these men before, and come across a few people they'd jumped.

Her stomach rolled and it wasn't the nausea that had been plaguing her for days, instead it tasted almost like concern. She banished the thought, but she followed anyway. The street where he was walking came past an open alley, so she circled around in morbid curiosity to watch what he would do.

Before she broke through the alley there was already the signs and sounds of a struggle, but when they came into her line of sight she was shocked by what she saw. Instead of the spellfire and curses and eviscerated corpses she expected, was one passed out man on the floor that looked like he'd taken a good punch...and two others delivering a very muggle beating to a bloodied Snape on the floor.

They had both taken a step back, beating an infirmed man takes a lot out of you it seems, and were arguing about the whereabouts of his money, her guess was Snape had a 'notice me not' on his wallet and wasn't about to let the two thugs get hold of his money.

But why wasn't he fighting back with magic? Why wasn't he hexing them?

Then they were saying things that made her stomach turn. They'd rolled him onto his stomach with a kick and were talking about taking payment from him in 'other' ways that made him start fighting against them anew, as much as he could with his injuries both old and new, with little success as they managed to break his belt and get his jeans down to his knees, before landing a vicious kick in his kidney that took the fight out of him.

A part of her wanted to leave. She should leave. It was no concern of hers what happened to him, he was a criminal and a murderer. What did it matter if these men raped him in the alley? Wasn't it as much as he deserved? He was an unrepentant deatheater, he'd killed Dumbledore and probably done the same if not worse to others, In fact she had decided to leave, when she saw he'd noticed her. His eyes widened, and he shouted "No! Don't!" at her. The men laughed, they thought he was begging them to stop, they didn't see his eyes were on her. He was telling her to leave. Not to come closer. He was trying to protect her.

Confused and Discomfitted, she took a step back and the plastic of his carrier back crinkled under her foot. A white powder had spilled allover the floor, it looked like the container in the bag had burst when he dropped it, and when she read the label she turned and committed herself to action.

Welpi. Severus Snape had bought milk for her unborn puppies.

oOo

She started by simply walking into their line of sight. Spending so long with the fighting dogs and trainers had taught her one useful thing at least, always keep your opponent unbalanced and off guard. So she just walked into their line of sight, until they could see her. They stopped talking for a second when they saw her, so she pressed closer.

"No" Snape spat at her through a mouthful of blood. She was pretty certain he spat out a tooth aswell. "Stay back"

Once more however, she didn't listen to his pleas and edged closer to the men, tail stump wagging and a pretty and pathetic whine coming from her throat. She event went as far to pick up a piece of wood and carry it like an offering.

"Is this your little bitch then?" They asked him mockingly "It's just about as pretty as you are, probably the only bit of tail you get right?, ugly bastard" They laughed at him. One of them had him in a chokehold with his knee planted in Snape's back, between his shoulders, keeping him down on the ground, as the other began unbuckling his belt, and still she made her way closer.

His eyes beseeched her to back off, more than once he begged her to stop and leave. But he didn't know who she was, didn't understand what she was capable of.

Men always underestimated her.

Making a mocking kissing noise, the would-be rapist stopped unbuckling his belt and got close enough to pet her. When she made no move,other than to wag her stumpy tail and offer him the stick, he stroked her head "She's as pathetic as you are, some fucking guard dog" he laughed turning to the other man knelt on Snape's back. When his head was turned, she dropped the stick and struck.

With a vicious lunge she sank her teeth into his groin. He was hard already, so it made an easy target and she shook with all the precision of a seasoned fighting dog until she felt the hot blood spurt on her face as something gave way. He buckled forwards screaming and it brought him down to face level, so she quickly sank her teeth into his neck and shook once more, silencing him in seconds.

This time though, she let go and left him on the ground, gasping around mouthfulls of bloody air.

"Shit, Fuck oh shit!" The man on Snapes back was scrambling to his feet as she growled at him. She could feel the blood and gore drip from her teeth as she did.

Snape screamed at her to stop but she didn't listen, lunging for the man she managed to grasp his arm and bring him back to the ground. He was fit, but thin. Lightweight, the gauntness of a drug addict and his bone cracked under her assault and he screamed grasping the injured limb.

Backing off she was ready to allow him to flee, to run and lick his wounds and learn something about picking on those who were perceived weaker. Instead she almost missed his lunge. She managed to dodge just enough that the knife sank to the hilt into her shoulder and not into her throat.

She screamed at the pain, but his attack left him open and she took a hold of his neck and shook once more. This time she didn't let go, his knife had hit bone and she almost screamed again when he tried to pull it out and couldn't. She tightened he grip until she felt his windpipe collapse and his with it his fighting and only then did she let him go.

There was a stirring from beside her, and she turned to face the third man. Snape's punch had downed him it seemed and he'd been out for the entire altercation.

Absently she could hear Snape calling to her and struggling to his feet as she stared at the other man who was now standing.

Taking one look at his dead and dying friends, including the would-be rapist who was also crudely castrated, and another look at her, stood there snarling and blood soaked with teeth bared and the hilt of the knife still sticking out of her shoulder, he made his decision and ran.

She didn't see what happened next though, she heard Snape call out to her, caught a glimpse of his bloody and worried visage as his arms wrapped around her, then the ground rushed up to meet her as everything went black.