She frowned as she backed up and Severus sighed as she touched the wall, her shoulder was a dark color several shades deeper then purple, several shades lighter then black
"If you keep doing that you're going to hurt yourself." He said simply, she ignored him and ran her shoulder slamming into the iron bars of their cell it shifted ad then pushed back at her sending her flying back into the wall another small crack forming from the impact. As she slid down the wall she groaned softly and coughed, the force of the hit had winded her, again. Severus watched as she pushed herself up after a moment rubbing her back but looking determined
"Damn it... I will not let this cage beat me!" she said her voice growing stronger with each word. She stood but stopped as Severus grabbed her hand, she looked down at him surprised
"What's wrong?" she asked somehow completely oblivious to the fact he was getting a little worried about her now solidly black shoulder. How she could keep doing that to herself was beyond him, but he wasn't just going to stand by and let her bloody arm fall off. He was not in tip top shape himself but if he was hurt then she was much worse off, considering all the attention Mamiya spared her with his beatings.
"Stop and rest for now, your arm looks like it's about to fall off, you only just got your strength back, so calm down and sit." He said simply, but with a firm grip on her wrist he pulled and she sat rather abruptly on the floor pouting a little she didn't like being ordered around like a little kid, and his tone made her feel like she was being scolded for being naughty
"Not fair, I said I wouldn't rest till I got out of here, but you made me stay still while you cleaned my back, now let me get you out of here." She said sounding a little annoyed he frowned, that was the thanks he got for caring about her? He knew she didn't mean it, he had learned that when she snapped like that she really did care, just frustrated, he was as well, the waiting was annoying,
"And how do you expect to get me out of here if your smash up your arm beyond repair?" he asked glaring at her slightly, though the confinement with her meant he was softening even more to her presence, and as much as he wanted to dislike it, as much as he wished that he could hate it, he couldn't... something, something he thought long dead, was asking him to give this odd protective, obviously crazy woman, a chance. She smiled and stood after a moment, he grabbed he wrist again and pulled her down with out breaking his train of thought. She made a humph sound and crossed her arm leaning against the wall, he registered a look of pain cross her face but she masked it quickly, after the first beating Mamiya had been back several times more, each time binding Severus to the wall and lashing at his sisters back until she screamed
'Why not just scream sooner so that he'll stop sooner?' the ex-potions master had asked her after the fifth session, she had given him a glare that could have killed almost looking appalled that he dare ask such a question of her. After a second he realized what a dumb question it had been, but part of him hated how much she let herself put up with before she yelled out.
'Because that what he wants, I will not allow my self to sink to such a cowardly level to alleviate a little pain!' She had proclaimed and then curled up in a corner to sleep; she did that after each session hiding each grimace muffling each whimper, not willing to show him the pain that he could see so clearly no matter how hard she tried.
It had been a few 'days' ago that she had come up with the idea of ramming into the cell door. He started counting each time she went to sleep after a session as a day, it seemed that long between sessions anyway, but she had stopped saying dumb things, Severus was mostly spared any attention. Mamiya clearly only interested in tormenting his sister, only attacked Severus if she annoyed him enough or he was in a particularly foul mood. When he had noticed the purple color of her shoulder the first time he had become enraged but instead of lashing out at her he had attacked Severus. Forgetting a moment to bind her she had launched herself at him and tackled him to the ground planting a few good punches in his face before he blasted her away with such force she didn't wake up for a long time.
He had been surprised that she hadn't attacked the man in her panther form, Mamiya had noticed both of their confusion and had explained that the orange blast he had hit her with on the first night had been a preventative charm, as long as she was within the wards of the riddle mansion she would be unable to transform
'And so all I have to do is escape and I'll be able to let the beast rip you a new one!' she had snapped Mamiya had laughed at that
'You make the assumption that you'll be leaving this house alive.' After that he had left the chains vanishing once the door had closed.
"I had an idea..." she muttered so suddenly he missed what she had said; looking at her he raised a confused brow
"S-sorry?" he asked maybe it was just his imagination but he could almost see her working something out in her head. She looked up at him and smiled her eyes glittering with excitement
"The corners are homes of shadows, you ... yes, that's perfect... I need you to get as much attention as possible." She said standing and going over to the darkest corner and backing far into it he watched her confused
"Trust me; I think my brain just started working." She said tucking so far into the corner shifting to that her dark hair concealed most of her frame, the length it seemed was not just to keep her in touch with her feminine side as she had once said.
"All those years following Harry, I learned a lot of tricks and charms to keep myself hidden even when I was without a wand." She explained her voice carrying a slightly lower air; she was falling into a state of concentration
"Now just get their attention, if luck is on our side, then I'll do the rest." She said evenly as soon as she stopped talking it seemed as if she was gone, or rather the shadow seemed denser, bit it was still just a shadow. After a moment he began to yell, spilling out crud and terrible words about the Dark Lord, going on about he had never seen a bigger bunch of wanna be's and various other wonderful slurs against the organization and it's leader. In no time flat someone came in, a flair of dark robes advancing on Severus, chaining him to the wall with a spell, his loyalty to his master clouding his judgment, he hadn't bothered to search for the woman, only wanted to punish the man who had so crassly spoken of their leader. She let out a deep chuckle, a rumbling noise that got the Death Eaters attention two seconds before she was attacking, a punch flew at his face knocking the mask off and another to his gut, the boy was young, sandy blond hair fell into startled green eyes as she kicked him to the ground and sat on his stomach clamping her hands over his mouth
"Quiet child, I would hate to kill one so young." She said softly one hand left his moth the other clamping even tighter, Severus saw the boy wince as she reached for the wand he held, her feet holding his arms in place, she had done this before, he couldn't help but wonder how many people cooperated when she made her demands. He dropped his wand and she grabbed it as he opened his mouth and bit down hard she ripped her hand away in surprise some of her flesh giving way. She bit her lip to keep form yelling out but the boy yelled loudly, Maya jabbed the wand into his chest and muttered something the boys eyes went wide and he went silent his eye rolling to the back of his head
"I said stay quiet." She muttered Severus watched as she stood she was next to him in a heart beat freeing him from his chains. Grasping his hand she dragged him out of the cell He was slightly shocked, sure he had seen death, he had seen people being ripped limb from bloody limb, but seeing her kill, with that expressionless face, it felt like he had been punched in the gut.
Oddly they got through the dungeon level with little opposition, stopping once or twice when Maya was honestly unsure if some one was around the corner or not. Their luck however; did not last and as they were walking down on of the maze like halls, Severus guiding them, chuckling at one point when Maya had muttered something about him being worse then a talking map. It was abrupt, one minute they were alone, Maya still holding his hand tightly, though he wasn't sure whether she was even aware that she was holding on to him. The next minute they were surrounded by death eaters all shouting spells in unison. Maya acted quickly pulling on his hand she dropped to the ground and through up a shield spell among the death eaters back away watching with a amusement was the Dark Lord himself. She spotted him first her amber eyes locking with the crimson for a split second before a death eater moved in to her line of sight.
"You're better at magic then me." she uttered simply shoving the wand in to Severuses hand as the shield already had begun to break down. The first death eater that broke through and stepped into the shield was pounced on, even as a human she was ruthless, and could let the beast take control. Her fingers clawed at his wand hand tearing at his wrist, her other hand shooting for his throat her nails digging into the soft flesh of his esophagus. More and more death eaters poured through and the dark haired potions protégée began to cast spell after spell, even in his weakened state he was a force to be reckoned with, the both of them were fighting, hard
"How annoying, I'll have to kill you both now, and I wanted to prolong your suffering." Voldemort said evenly Even through the fighting Maya and Severus both herd him, but Maya spoke before he had a chance to tell her to stay silent, the woman was going to get them killed he was sure of it
"You make the assumption that you annoying henchmen can beat us!" she said proudly her moment of distraction however meant she was clipped with something sharp that cut across her upper arm rather deeply, she rounded on the offending death eater just in time to see Severus hit the man with a blast of green
"Sevala! Three fast waves up and down! Freezes muscles and causes a painful paralysis!" she said quickly offering an alternative to the killing cure, confusing him slightly, hadn't she just killed a death eater not long before? Why should it matter now if he killed?
"You damned woman!" one death eater yelled Maya turned only to be punched in the gut; the man had forgone his wand hoping to beat the woman to a bloody pulp.
"Vartrance, his brother was one of the death eaters killed by an Animagus a few months ago... someone must have let it slip it was you." Voldemort said a slight grin twisting his snake like features in to something even more grotesque then before. Maya fought back a few death eaters had formed a ring around them while Severus was still fighting others who hadn't stopped to watch two wizards brawl like a couple of muggles.
"You're in my way!" Maya's voice was more of a low growl her gaze was unblinking as she slowly lost the human side, the beast of the panther within her stirring, craving he destruction of the anger obstacle that stood between her and the one she wished to protect. As the death eater lunged, so did she, driving forward she dropped to the ground and pushed off as hard as she could ramming her weight in to the large man who made an 'oof' noise before both of them collapsed in a heap or robes and limbs. She scrambled to get free of the tangle a strong hand gripped her ankle and she was lifted in to the air as the death eater stood, holding up the hem of her skirt she used her free leg to kick him powerfully in the jaw.
"Let me go you caveman!" she yelled kicking him the face till he dropped her, scrambling up she shot past him and launched herself at the ring of death eaters plowing into them her eyes not set on them but Severus who was fighting behind them. Shoving them down and stepping over them she broke through the ring and ran headlong into a death eater who was recovering from a spell and was aiming to attack the former professor
"No you don't!" She said as she tackled him to the ground then pounced up and dashed to him
"I'm no good in this form, we're making a run for it!" she yelled grabbing his wand hand
"Big flash." she said simply, with under standing he raised the wand
"Lumos maximate!" This extreme form of the Lumos spell filled the hall with a blinding flash, using it to there advantage Severus and Maya ran. Their feet pounded on the floor and Mayas heart felt like it was beating in her ears it was so loud. it wasn't long before the death eaters were following them, but their aim, already bad, was made wore by running and as Severus guided them to the front door and the exit they suffered little damage. Behind them, in the hall Voldemort merely stood his arms crossed his dark robes laying limply on his thin frame, they were not safe, there was no were they could hide, and he was going to enjoy every last moment of their tortured screams when he did chose to find them.
"This way! They went down his way!" The shout of some random death eater filled the air, they were close, she could tell because Severus didn't look like he was concentrating as hard now, both of them had stumbled more then once, their bodies reaching their limits after tripping the third time Maya had rather bluntly promised that they could both pass out for a week as long as they got out of there alive. Whether it was the promise or the idea of getting out alive that actually drove them on, she wasn't sure but she didn't trip again after that, they entered a grand front hall but didn't stop to look. Bursting through the front doors into rather stormy weather they kept running, spells flying all over the place exploding on rocks and trees, a fair amount of green among them but they kept missing. A strong tug filled both their guts with a sick sensation, the wards had ended they could apperate ignoring the on lookers, those attempting to kill them Maya pulled Severus in to a strong hug and with concentration and a loud pop, had them one their way.
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They landed with a thump and Mayas knees buckled, Severus, feeling her arms give and her knees buckling grabbed her so she could steady herself, she pulled away insisting she was fine. He looked around to see were they were realization dawned on him as he recognized the road, Number 12, Grimmauld Place , she had taken them to the order. A soft thump to his left and he turned at first thinking Maya had just walked off when he didn't see her by his side, looking down she was sprawled out on the ground her injuries bleeding and her breathing shallow, both of them had taken damage but she had taken it on top of Mamiya's sessions, of course she would be whipped, no one was invincible and as hard as she tried apparently she was not as strong as she liked to think. He lifted the limp woman into his arms and as Grimmauld place began to form before his eyes he held her close, he would be recognized in an instant, But she needed he help he couldn't provide in that state he was in, with a wand that wasn't his own.
Approaching the house he shifted her weight and pushed the door open, for a moment nothing happened. What had he expected? A dozen killing curses flying at him? He wasn't sure what he had expected but it certainly wasn't the nothing he was greeted with. Suddenly he was unsure, had they moved bases? Was the house now just an empty house? A soft groan escaped the woman in his arms and he walked in to the living room looking around, there had to be someone. He set her down on a couch fixing he dress, an area were it had been sliced was exposing unneeded skin and she deserved her privacy
"What are you doing here?" he whipped around standing in the door way was Draco Malfoy his cold eyes on the former professor and his savior, they stared at each other for a moment, Draco in pure shock, though he did not allow the expression to show on his face, he had thought the man was dead.
"I had no were else to go... and she needs help." he said simply Draco looked at the woman on the couch and then back to Severus, had the man honestly just said what Draco thought he said? Who was that woman, and why did she need help?
"Your supposed to dead, every one thought Voldemort killed you." Severus nodded "I would have been dead... she saved me with the intention of killing me... it's... complicated." Draco nodded, the man who had saved his life looked so tiered, the least he could do was get help for them
"I'll go get some one... They're in a meeting right now, potter and his friends are there to... should I say it's you or..." he trailed off looking at the woman
"Tell them Maya has been hurt, they know who she is apparently." he said not even giving thought or care to Harry and his friends, Right now he was sore and more then a little worried for the unconscious woman who looked so much paler then usual. Draco nodded and headed to the kitchen as Severus slumped on to a chair facing Maya his dark eyes trained only on her, he had been here before, he didn't need to look around. The skin on his left for arm burned, and he gripped it tightly, the dark Lord was taunting him, reminding him of what he had once promised, or maybe he knew the extent of the damage they had suffered and he was telling the man that this was only the beginning of their suffering, he was unsure, but he did know this was the first time he had felt his mark burn, even after Voldemort learned he was still alive.
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Harry looked up as someone knocked on the Kitchen door, the conversation stopped and Lupin walked over opening the door, as expected it was the platinum blond boy who had claimed to be saved by Severus from death at the Dark Lords hands. the boy, who had become rather distant after his rescue now seemed almost worried.
"Draco, what's happened?" Molly Weasley asked standing. She had taken a shine to the boy, as he manners where cleaned up and he began to show respect to people she had taken him in as a son just had she had done with Harry not seeing him as the son of a death eater, but as a boy who had merely been led down the wrong path and deserved a second chance, Harry agreed, though begrudgingly at first, after all Dumbledore had gone through the trouble of making sure Draco didn't kill him. Draco had explained to them, the night he had shown up on the door step, that he had been saved by the actions of the head master and the potions master, he had not been told all of the details but he explained (after a cup of warm milk and a moment of calm) that the headmaster had known he was going to be killed by an insurgent student, he had asked Severus to save the student from a fate as a killer and made the potions master agree to kill him in the child's place so that the student could have a chance at redeeming himself. Unfortunately Dumbledore had been wrong, the plan was to say the Dumbledore had killed Draco and Severus had been forced to kill Dumbledore in his place, but one of the death eaters who had witnessed the potions master and the blond boy escape had been able to get a message to Voldemort before his capture, and so when Severus had relayed the story Voldemort realized he was lying. Severus had been forced to alter the boys safe haven, sending him to the order so that he was not found and killed.
"...Is hurt rather badly." Draco's words cut through Harry's thoughts and he looked up Molly gasped and Harry looked at Ron and Hermione slightly confused Hermione seemed shocked and Ron was pale his freckles standing out greatly against the normally well colored skin.
"Were are they now?" Lupin asked the blond his voice though calm seemed to be shaking a little, Tonks stood and touched his arm lightly hers, and all eyes were on the young Slytherin
"In the den, she's looks really bad from were I was standing it hardly looked like she was breathing." he explained, Lupin gave a nod a simple gesture that meant he wanted Draco to lead them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood following the adults as they made their way to the den. Draco side stepped and Lupin walked in his eyes first falling on a deathly pale woman laying on the sofa, just as Draco had said, she looked back, she was covered in cuts, some bleeding a lot, some bleeding very little. Bruises were slowly forming on her skin and her green outfit was torn a few scraps of the fabric tied over wounds, oddly they were older wounds, she noticed as one cut was long peeking out from under the make shift bandage, and looked like it had been healing for a couple of days. His eyes then fell on a form he didn't think he would ever see again. Severus Snape was sitting in a chair facing the woman, he had glanced up when they entered but had gone back to looking at the woman. When Molly said the woman she let out a gasp, she knew the woman
"Maya!" Dashing forward She began to examine the stat the woman was in
"You know her then?" Lupin frowned realizing the croak of a voice was that of the former potions master. He as well looked as if he had taken a lot of attacks, He was shirtless, that hadn't been mentioned, he didn't even seem to notice Remus frowned he didn't like how defeated the man looked and stepped forward pulling of his cloak and setting around the mans shoulders in an attempt to preserve his dignity. Severus looked up and nodded one of his eyes was healing apparently blackened, no more then a couple weeks ago.
"What's going on?" Tonks asked voicing the question he had just been about to ask. She stepped forward and looked at the two injured people before looking at Remus who only shook his head
"I don't know, but I am sure that we'll find out soon enough." he said evenly Severus had returned his gaze to the woman, several people were surrounding her now healing what hey could, Molly made to cast a spell to carry to another room Severus stood and shook his head
"Wait..." he paused as they turned to look at him and he faltered had he just said that out loud?
"I couldn't fix her robes but I think it would be better if they were altered to preserve her dignity." he said quickly Molly nodded
"Yes you have a point." though her words were sharp she didn't have the time to be angry at the man who had killed the headmaster of Hogwarts.
As Maya was levitated out into the corridor, her dress transfigured to a loose set of green cotton pajamas, Harry watched, he didn't know who the woman was, or rather he had never seen her before, but he had to oddest feeling that she had known him a long time, not like the wizerding world, not as the boy who lived... but knew him. He was pulled from his thoughts when his eyes fell on Severus he was about to launch him self at Dumbledore's killer when Hermione grabbed his shoulder
"Harry look." He growled but did as she said, only then realizing Remus was helping him walk, Lupin's outer cloak draped over the dark haired mans shoulders.
"I thought he got killed by Voldemort after he was found out?" Ron said confused Hermione shook her head
"Maybe he escaped." she offered Draco shook his head as he stepped out of the den and looked at Harry
"That woman rescued him apparently... I don't know, he'll probably explain later... right now, I think he's actually worried about her." Harry's jaw dropped
"That greasy bat worried about someone?" Ron said in a fevered whisper Hermione slapped the back of his head
"That man saved Draco's life! And this woman's too, apparently." she said firmly Ron nodded but Harry was still watching them, his eyes on the ex-potions professor
"We'll just have to wait..." he muttered finally, the man was different, and it wasn't just the lack of billowing robes and snide remarks about him and his father, Snape had walked past him without even noticing him. Something had happened, something big, and he doubted it was just the state the two were in now that had changed him.
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OK! So I went with the plot line where they escape I want to expand the story. Delve a little more into Draco's rescue and add a little more romance (I'm a romantic person when I want to be)
Snape: How could you do that to us... I'm calling my lawyer
Maya: (Kisses Snape on the nose) Oh stop, as long as we hook up in the end its fine. Any way you get more lines in these next couples of chapters cause I'm out cold (Laughs)
Snape: Oh all right... but only if me and Potter get to have a confrontation.
Author: Hells yah I'm adding something like that, you character fell OOC for a little while, I got to fix him. Oh yah I accidentally wrote a little more the 4650 words, so forgive me XD (by the way I wroth this chapter while listening to a song called "All These Things I Hate"