Chapter Eight ; 'Breaking Bread'
Severus couldn't remember exactly when it was that he had passed out from the excruciating pain but a cursory glance at his grotesquely swollen right hand told him that Malfoy had steadily worked his way through at least three digits. The dark purple, almost black bruising contrasted sharply against the pale skin of his uninjured left hand.
He had awoken only moments ago, to find himself shivering and all alone in the dingy room, this discovery had unsettled him greatly. Although he had no way of determining the time, he guessed that it was morning and Longbottom had not yet returned. The manacles that had held the student, lay empty on the stone floor.
Shifting ever so slowly to ease some of the pressure from his injured side, Severus glared balefully at the vacant irons. He was surprised that this feeling of 'protectiveness' had arisen in him so strongly. He certainly wasn't known for his 'Mother Hen' attributes in Hogwarts, in fact most students both feared and loathed him in equal measures and spent as little time in his company as possible.
Many would rather turn to a Chimaera for comfort than seek him out and that was exactly how he liked it, he had after all spent years cultivating his dark and formidable image to the extent that some students believed him to be a vampire...fools that they were.
Yes, he was cruel at times but to him it was a necessary cruelness, no sense in molly-coddling students, better to prepare them for the 'real' world, there were worse things than boggarts outside of Hogwarts.
Worse things like Lucius Malfoy.
The fresh feeling of nausea that stirred in his gut once more had little to do now with shattered bones and everything to do with the thoughts of a hapless student at the mercy of that man, for mercy was not high on the pure-blood's list of priorities. Severus had seen first hand on many occasions how cruel Malfoy could be, especially when acting under the Dark Lord's orders nor had he forgotten the look of madness in Lucius' eyes earlier in the forest.
Despite himself, the potions master felt worried for young Neville Longbottom.
Suddenly the door swung open before him and the subject of his thoughts was pushed roughly through the entrance, immediately followed by one snarling Perkins. Neville stumbled into the dim room and was instantly shoved to the left.
"Sit," the Death eater ordered with a growl.
The child offered silent compliance.
"Hands," the man demanded.
Needing no further explanation, Neville held up his two hands and looked on helplessly as his wrists were once again encased in cold iron. A quick charm from Perkins and the manacles were secure.
The look of utter defeat in the child's eyes brought a malicious smirk to Perkin's thin, cracked lips.
He lunged forward unexpectedly, growling at Neville and gloated as the student whimpered and tried to scramble away.
Shame overwhelmed his being and Neville allowed his head to drop in a vain attempt to hide the fresh blush on his pale cheeks. The taunting laughter filling the small room was not helping.
"Reduced to getting your kicks out of ridiculing youths half your size...", Severus tutted while shaking his head from side to side, "what a pity eh Perkins?"
The laughter stopped.
"You shut your filthy mouth Snape!" Perkins shouted as he pointed his wand and advanced towards the Professor.
Without warning the dark wizard lashed out with a vicious kick into Severus' right thigh. He inhaled sharply but forbid any sound of distress from escaping, he wouldn't give the oaf the satisfaction.
"Your time will come Snape," the Death eater promised, "and you'll not get an ounce of pity from me...I'm looking forward to hearing you scream, you pompous git."
With that parting comment, Perkins left and the door slammed shut.
Now that they were finally alone, Severus could turn all his attention to his charge. He tried to cover his swollen hand as best as he could before he spoke so as not to distress the distraught child further.
"Longbottom," he called.
No reaction.
"Longbottom, answer me," he called again.
A soft sniffle, nothing more.
Severus sighed softly, it was time to alter his approach once again.
"Neville."
A slight twitch.
"Neville, look at me," Severus asked as gently as he thought possible.
Slowly but surely the child's head rose…finally he was getting somewhere.
"Good, good," Severus praised as they made eye contact, "are you… uninjured ?" he enquired tentatively.
His query was met with silence.
Severus inwardly cursed himself, he was totally useless in delicate situations such as this and as much as it pained him to admit it…right now he could probably really do with some of those 'Mother Hen' soothing skills possessed in spades by Minerva McGonagall, she could pry information from any member of her brood, without having to resort to harsh threats. Punitive intimidations may have worked well with his own house but the child before him was most definitely not Slytherin.
He tried again.
"Neville listen to me…did they…did they do anything to you?" he faltered miserably but ploughed on, "did they…touch you…in any way?"
At last understanding his teacher's concerns…which only compounded his embarrassment further, Neville answered softly.
"No, no Sir, they didn't do anything," shaking his head emphatically, "I'm alright honestly," he reassured.
Severus' shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly with relief and he silently thanked Merlin. He wouldn't put anything past Lucius and his lackey, he was all too familiar with what heinous acts they were both capable of. That the child remained untouched was a blessing…one which he hoped would last...still, he could not shake the feeling that Longbottom's safety was perilously connected to Malfoy's grip on reality, it was a symbiosis that left him some what unnerved. Now, if anything, the urgency to get him as afar away from here as possible, seemed to have doubled.
"What happened? You were gone for quite a while," he probed, with less obvious trepidation.
"I…I was taken to a different part of the house but it was dark, I couldn't see anything, I was locked up in another room and left alone. I must have fallen asleep for a few hours, the next thing I remember is being dragged out into a hallway this morning. I was allowed use the toilet then that man brought me to a small kitchen. I was given some water to drink and some bread to eat."
Neville momentarily paused his account of recent past events and reached inside his still damp robe.
"Here Professor," Neville held out his hand which contained a small piece of loaf, "I saved you some."
Severus sat temporarily stunned at his student's deed. He was unaccustomed to such acts of generosity from his pupils and he was unsure how to react, that this child had thought of him was unexpected and if he knew Malfoy half as well as he thought he did, food would not be coming his way any time soon. One thing he was sure of however was the minute foreign feeling of warmth gradually building and circulating deep within his chest…Merlin, he really needed to get out of here…any more of this 'quality time' with Longbottom and he would end up toasting marshmallows in the Gryffindor common room singing Quidditch chants and camp fire songs! Shaking this disturbing image from his mind, he focused on Longbottom once again.
"That was most…thoughtful…of you Mr. Longbottom, a most brave and," he swallowed uncomfortably, "Gryffindor thing to do."
He did his best not to have it sound like an insult…after all, years of conditioned responses were hard to ignore but his reply seemed to have done the trick for a small smile spread across his student's face.
"However should the opportunity arise again, I would not have you risk it, if you were caught 'smuggling' food for my benefit the consequences could be…most unpleasant," he cautioned.
Neville hung his head again, his fleeting moment of joy at being called brave had evaporated, he had made another mistake, it didn't seem like he could ever do anything right around this man.
Sensing the sudden downward spiral in the child's mood, Severus spoke again.
"Longbottom," once he had his student's attention, he continued, "I appreciate what you did and to be honest it was most unexpected but I said what I did because I am only thinking of your safety…do you understand?"
Nodding, Neville responded.
"Yes Sir, I understand."
"Good."
"Shall I throw it to you?" he asked.
"Maybe it would be best if you kept it for yourself, it may be quite some time before your needs are considered again," Severus cautioned, at the risk of frightening the child further.
Neville gazed intently at the small lump of loaf resting in his hand, his youthful brow furrowed while he briefly considered his options. In mere seconds however, his decision was made.
"That may be Sir but I'll manage, besides I don't think they have any intention of considering your needs at all!"
The Professor couldn't hold back the tiny smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. Trust Longbottom to get perceptive now of all times!
Before he could try to deny Neville's observations, the piece of bread was sent sailing in his direction.
"Catch Sir!" Neville alerted his teacher.
Caught slightly off guard, Severus instinctively reached out for the morsel of food with his right hand. Before he'd realised his mistake the tips of his broken fingers had made contact. Despite the bread's softness, his hand felt like it had been hit by a flying boulder and he failed to prevent a cry of pain from escaping.
The bread fell to the dirty floor while the potions master cradled his damaged hand.
"Merlin's beard!" Neville gasped in horror.
"What in Cliodne's Cauldron happened to you Sir?"
The Professor cursed inwardly once more, his plan to prevent further distress was falling apart at the seams. He would just have to resign himself to the fact that, in his current state and predicament, he was powerless to protect this child from any harm, physical or mental so long as he remained in the Knock. There was a way to get him out of here, an idea that had a slim chance of working but at the moment he could not act on it. Severus swore viciously, above all, he hated this feeling of helplessness, so much of his being was about maintaining control, with his potions, with his students, with his life. Only now that control had been stripped away…stripped away by one Lucius Malfoy.
The only thing he could do now was to try and make as little fuss as possible and so he hid his hand from view once more.
"Do not concern yourself Mr. Longbottom it is merely broken, a condition easily mended."
He did not mention the fact that he would not likely be ever given the opportunity to do so.
Severus reached for the piece of bread, with his left hand and bit it in half. As he ate the small offering, he hoped he would be able to keep the bread down for Longbottom's sake, his various injuries still had his stomach feeling nauseous.
While Severus ate in silence, Neville inconspicuously studied his Professor in the dim light. The man looked tired yet he was doing his best to hide his discomfort despite the fact that he must be in great pain. Neville had experienced his own fair share of pain over the years, it would be a while before he would forget those nasty boils and broken wrist in first year and while he'd never suffered the horrible misfortune of being hit by the 'Cruciatus Curse'...he was none the less intimately familiar with it's affects.
For Malfoy to have cast this unforgivable repeatedly at Snape, something must have gone terribly wrong between them...something to do with He Who Must Not Be Named. There had always been much rumour and gossip, certainly in the Gryffindor common room, as to where Snape's loyalties lay. Many, including Harry, failed to trust him completely but now it seems as though they may have been wrong...still, he wasn't completely sure, it was all so confusing and he certainly hadn't worked up the nerve yet to ask Snape about it directly. One thing he was completely sure about though was the potions master's genuine concern for his well being...it was an unexpected suprise from coming someone most people believed to be an overgrown bat.
Yet Snape had tried to warn him and Harry before everything went horribly wrong, they should have paid more heed to his words. He had asked after him several times already to make sure he was unhurt and he had even distracted the others from taunting him but most shocking of all...he had actually called him by his first name, it was a big change from 'Idiot boy!'. The Professor had hinted earlier that he may have a way to get them out of this hellish place...he hoped it were true and if they did make it back to Hogwarts, he didn't think he'd ever be able to dislike the man with the same intensity again...turns out he's not such a git after all.
Neville's musings were abruptly cut short when the door to their 'prison' swung open, the candles flared brightly once again and their 'jailer' strode in. He swallowed nervously at the sight of Draco's father. The wizard looked like he'd just stepped out of Warbler & Flax, the priciest tailors in Diagon Alley. He glared coldly at them each in turn as if they were some annoying some insects soon to be crushed underfoot.
A quick snap of his leather clad fingers and Perkins followed him quickly into the room. He was carrying a long narrow wooden table, which he placed against the rough wall, he then quickly left the room and immediately returned carrying a large rectangular wooden box, securely closed with an ornate lock. Perkins eased the box carefully onto the wooden table, he then stood back respectfully out of Malfoy's way.
Lucius peeled off his leather gloves and placed them on the table ,as he did so, he admired his immaculately manicured nails.
"How's the wand hand feeling this morning Severus? A little stiff maybe hmm?" the man practically purred.
Severus ignored the taunt and simply sneered back at the dark wizard.
Malfoy smiled and the temperature in the room seemed to drop, he then calmly removed his dress robe and placed it beside his gloves, the fur lined garment was the most luxurious thing Neville had seen in his life.
The blond wizard turned his back on his 'guests' for a brief moment, wand suddenly in hand, he whispered a spell over the box, the lock split in two and the box eased itself open.
Neither Severus or Neville could clearly make out the box's contents from their vantage points on the stone floor but it wasn't long before Malfoy began to remove some of the items with an air of reverence and lay them neatly on the table...Neville's blood ran cold.
Severus felt a worrying chill creep along his own spine at the sight of the objects, some he had seen before, others appeared to be new additions to Lucius' twisted collection.
"Tell Perkins to take the boy away Lucius," Severus almost pleaded, "he doesn't need to be here for this."
"Oh on the contrary my friend, the boy is about to play the starring role in your untimely demise."
ooOOoo
Author's Note: Hello again folks ! It's been aeons, I know, please accept my most humble apologies but my excuses are genuine...honest. The illness I've had for the past year & a half is practically gone but sadly it did rob me of my inspiration & desire to write. I'm so happy to be able to finally feel like writing again but it's been nearly a year so apologies in advance, I'm going to be a bit rusty !LOL!! Selling my house, moving counties, buying a new home, changing jobs on top of everything else didn't help either but it was so uplifting to get reviews during the year asking for up-dates...you'll never know how much it all meant to me...so many, many thanks & to those of you who wished me well...many thanks also!! Anyway I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter & don't worry, I promise it won't take another nine months for me to up-date.
PS: As you know Wabler & Flax is a non-canon shop, not that there's anything wrong with Madame Malkin's but I just don't see Lucius buying all his clothes from a shop that sell school uniforms...he's too much of a snob !! LOL!
Hugs,
Lai.