Let's see how Severus and his tag-along Muggle work together when things get a little bit hairy, shall we...
Thanks for all the reviews and alerts so far... but please, don't stop there, keep 'em coming - there is that matter of my addiction; which is why I write this stuff for you (and me) to enjoy...
(Have I mentioned yet that I am not JK Rowling... and I'm supposed to be doing a disclaimer...? No... oh well I'm not... and I own less than nothing - especially anything remotely recognisable as Harry Potter and Jo's related world... There, obligation complete... ;) )
*opens gates to rabid audience* Go... flounder amongst the letters and commas...
:D
Chapter 4 – Surrey instead
"Give me the other phials… quick!" Severus hissed to Sarah, fighting against panic and dread.
She scrambled in her seat a little before informing him with an equally anxious tone, "I put them down here with the First Aid kit and stuff… shit, I can't find them! Can you help… can you cover this light so I have both hands?"
Severus felt his face drain, both with dismay that the phials had been misplaced and apprehension for what had been requested of him. He could barely lift his arm, and she wanted him to sit up and block the little red light for her!
"I can't… I can hardly move!" he hissed, frustrated not only with her but with himself and his helplessness too. Nevertheless, he tested his strength by trying to sit up slightly to see if he could indeed reach the light for Sarah. But he was brought up short when sharp sting lanced across his chest and stomach rendering him breathless, shaking and grimacing in pain. Eyes squeezed shut he slumped back to the seat with defeat, huffing through his teeth waiting for the renewed aching to fade again. Against his every effort a soft moan escaped his lips.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Sev… just hold on, I'll find it," Sarah whispered upon hearing his struggle.
His eyes sprung open despite his suffering; not one single person other than his own mother and Lily Evans had ever called him by that moniker. It was both a shock and a painful, yet sentimental reminder to hear it spoken aloud after all these years. And Sarah had not one clue the effect it had had upon him. He mechanically reached out with his hand and gently cupped a hand around her cheek and neck.
"Hurry," he simply said, quietly and gently… but the tone was of such significant difference to his previous treatment of her that had they not been so preoccupied with their dilemma it would have to have been measured and considered with incredulity, suspicion and intrigue by the both of them. He allowed his hand to fall away from her as she got on with her search.
Moments later, "Here… here they are," Sarah announced with quiet triumph, shoving the two phials practically in his face.
"Put the big one in your pocket… don't let it out of your possession!" he demanded in a harsh whisper, only regretful that he could not safely store it easily in his own robes instead. He virtually snatched the other from her fingers, flicked out the cork and downed the pain-relieving brew hurriedly.
This potion was not ordinarily considered to be adequate or effective in taking away pain caused by such an extensive injury as his, it was more suited to relieving a headache or sore muscles, or even perhaps a sprained ankle, but Severus was not about to quibble about its intents. Any relief he could achieve would be welcomed wholeheartedly at this stage.
He waited no more than a further few moments before he tested his strength and injury again and was pleased to discover that despite still experiencing significant pain, it was not so utterly debilitating anymore. He was able to grit his teeth and push through it to lever himself to a sitting position; perched partially sideways on the front of the seat with his back to the driver's seat, supporting himself on the dash.
He immediately surveyed what he could make out in the darkness beyond the windows… which admittedly was not that much.
"We are likely going to have to make a run for it… and I can attempt to Apparate us out of here. It's not likely to be pleasant, but… in view of the alternative…" he whispered to Sarah, considering the gravity of a probable splinching versus what they would be certain to endure if they were caught.
"Appa- what?" his companion queried quietly.
Severus twisted carefully toward the woman, dropping his hands to the seat for support. "Nevermind… just do precisely what you're told, for Merlin's sake!"
"But… we can't get out of the car… it's wedged in. The doors won't open wide enough."
Turning back to the window and upon a closer inspection he realised she was right… they were effectively imprisoned in the Muggle vehicle, unable to escape unless they broke a window or moved the car. And they couldn't operate the car… the engine of the vehicle was unlikely to start again… his spell would likely have worn off long ago now the car had been stationary for quite some time, not to mention the noise the engine would make if by chance it did turn over – the Death Eaters would be on them before they had made it twenty feet. No, they were essentially sitting ducks; relying on luck alone to save them from discovery… it literally made Severus furious.
"Salazar's fucking slut!" he swore softly, his hands curling into tight balls in frustrated anger; wanting nothing more than to drive his fist forcefully into the dashboard.
"If only I had retrieved my damned wand!" he whispered harshly, but his anger swiftly morphed into bitter anguish and he huffed out a discouraged breath and grimaced with pain.
He wrapped an arm around his throbbing middle; the effort of working himself up having had physical repercussions. He groaned quietly again and covered his eyes with his free hand. The girl moved beside him, but he chose to ignore the presence of the useless tag-along for the moment and concentrate on wrangling any sort of solution to their predicament from his frazzled and frantic mind.
"Severus…" the woman's whisper interrupted him.
"What!" he snapped in a hiss, wincing when the effort twinged his wound again.
"I did," she said: cryptically in his opinion.
"Did what?" he repeated, this time with a little more care for his injured torso.
"Picked up your w-wand… here… or, I assume this is what you're after anyway."
Severus snapped his head around to her and once again paid the price for moving too hastily; sucking in a quick, hissed breath. He stared at the ebony wand that was now being held up to his face for several seconds before he transferred his focus to the woman offering it in incredulous amazement. For a tiny instant he found himself wanting to kiss her.
After a short huff of dumbfounded relief he remembered himself, and took the proffered wand slowly; as if it might disappear in a mocking puff of smoke if he snatched at it too eagerly. It was only when he had the instrument securely in his fingers and felt its smooth, solid presence that he could accept the incredible turn of fortune as genuine.
"You've had this the whole time?" he queried at a whisper, knowing it was one of the dumbest questions he'd ever uttered. And though he did not actually intend the comment to sound critical, it was easy to hear the underlying accusation behind the words nevertheless.
"I thought you knew… I didn't try to hide it or anything. I thought you realised I'd got it," she awkwardly defended herself, as expected.
"No… look, never mind that for the moment. At least I have some hope of defending us now," he informed her, re-adjusting his grip on the wand until it felt perfectly comfortable in his hand.
He instantly cast a silent disillusionment charm upon the car so it could not be spotted so easily if the Death Eaters were to investigate beneath the tree. And it turned out that it was just in the nick of time when the Death Eater voices, which to this point had remained a faint muffle from somewhere distant behind them, suddenly became louder and clearer; coming from the road just ahead and to their left.
"There are tracks leading through here!" the male voice exclaimed.
"Oh, shit," Sarah hissed in fright.
"Calm yourself… my spell will ensure that if we stay perfectly still and silent we will be essentially invisible, now hush," he explained in an urgent whisper.
He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye and felt her creep close to him until she was virtually pressed up against his back. Once settled, she remained still as instructed. Severus turned his attention to the approaching Death Eater; his eyes straining through the darkness to maintain his only advantage – his knowledge of the enemy's position – with his wand held at the ready.
Severus all but held his breath as the wizard stalked toward the darkened clearing in which the concealed car was parked. As he came nearer the dark man recognised the man as Arian Curtis, a lower ranked Death Eater who was certainly not one of those considered a part of the inner circle.
Under normal circumstances the man was easily outclassed by Snape, but in his current state Severus was vulnerable to the mediocre wizard and he was very aware of that fact. And against two sadistic Death Eaters, well Severus certainly knew he had very little chance; as a result Severus was extremely tense and anxious.
Abruptly the Death Eater stopped; peering carefully at the exact spot the car stood. It seemed to Severus as though the man was starting straight at him and he momentarily did indeed hold his breath. When his lungs began to scream for oxygen he fought against this basic need along with his reflex to blink until his adversary finally turned away. Quickly he took a succession of quiet breaths in case the wizard was to turn his attention back.
"It leads nowhere," the Death Eater yelled out to his partner, "there's nothing here."
Instantly Severus was afflicted by a sharp burning on his inner left arm. He hissed slightly before he could prevent himself, but thankfully the sound was masked by the wizard standing only meters from him outside the car making his own pained gasp. Severus did not clutch at his mark, but watched impassively as the Death Eater clamped a hand around the spot his own brand obviously resided.
Sarah squeezed her hand lightly on his hip; where he only now recognised she had rested it.
"It's okay," she whispered barely audibly right behind his shoulder.
'Is she warning me to remain silent, or trying to offer comfort and support?' he wondered briefly. Either way he felt a little affronted and consequently he had an urge to exert his dominance and authority over her by putting her in her place somehow, but at the same time he felt compelled to make his own reassuring gesture in return, reinforcing her own claim that things were going to be 'okay'. Sarah's presence and reactions to this intense and stressful event was causing a paradox of emotions for Severus. Was he her leader and protector… or was that perhaps her role toward him?
In the end he did neither; he had enough to be going on with as it was without sparing attention to deciphering the margins that determined the 'relationship' between he and Sarah. He recognised it had been an absurd train of thought anyway.
"He calls," the female stated from a distance, verbalising the obvious. "We are to return immediately; Snape is either found already or not to be found at all and our Lord will be anxious to begin. Either way Snape has laid his path… he will not be welcomed back into the fold again."
Severus swallowed thickly and observed the male Death Eater retreat from the car; extremely grateful for the lack of confrontation at this time. He honestly did not have confidence in his ability to come out victorious the way he currently felt.
"But he can still sabotage the attempt. And besides, he was to brew some potion, wasn't he?"
"I was told Alecto is more than up to doing it, we don't need him," the woman said with audible derision. "She must be finished by now, hence the call. As for Snape sabotaging; I heard someone say he might have been injured… they found blood. He's probably curled up dying in a ditch somewhere… well, we can only hope anyway. Hurry up, let's go!"
Severus frowned. Just how long had he been unconscious for? He'd have to ask Sarah. If the Dark Lord was already prepared then Severus no longer had time to rally the Order. He'd need to get urgent word to Dumbledore and go directly to Surrey instead and retrieve the boy himself.
He almost groaned at his next thought. 'And his family…'
He'd have to face Petunia! As if the boy wasn't bad enough!
Not only that, but he'd recently discovered that Sarah was in need of medical attention - and he imagined he himself did too - but this really couldn't wait. The Potter boy was in imminent jeopardy, and Severus had sworn to protect him… for Lily. However, he also believed, in theory at least, of the boy's prophesised potential.
It had been many years since Severus had genuinely believed in the doctrine of the Dark Lord and in the latent years since the wizard's first downfall he'd had a taste of life without the flavour of the turmoil the fiend's campaign. The idea of freedom now held more than a little appeal to him personally.
Consequently he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.
Severus brought his focus back to the present. The Death Eaters were both now out of sight and a few moments later he heard the sharp crack of Apparition.
"Get this car out of here," he immediately ordered Sarah, twisting carefully in his seat to a hopefully more comfortable position where he could observe the woman.
She was staring at him with toned down incredulousness. "What… they've gone?"
He sighed with visible relief. "Yes."
Sarah nodded, accepting his word without question. She then adjusted herself in her seat and removed her hand from the little red light; reaching for the lever to first adjust her seat to an upright position and then for the steering wheel and car's ignition. The engine fired when Severus flicked his wand and Sarah carefully engaged the gear stick in first gear and set the car in a slow forward motion. They had only moved the vehicle several feet when abruptly the male Death Eater materialised out of the darkness directly ahead of them, brandishing his wand in front of his body menacingly.
Severus instantly realised he had erroneously and foolhardily listened for only one crack of Apparition when there had been two Death Eaters. He mentally kicked himself for his stupidity and lapse in vigilance. He raised his wand for attack…
Sarah shrieked ear-piercingly beside him, and Severus was thrown abruptly backwards in his reclined seat when the Muggle woman suddenly accelerated hard and the car lurched quickly forward.
There was an abrupt flash of green, a sharp scream and a sickening thud a moment later when the vehicle must have ploughed brutally into the wizard in front of them and then Sarah slammed on the brake, sending Severus flying forward again. He could not contain his own cry of pain as he crashed roughly into the dashboard; unable to bring under control the propelling motion in his injured condition. When he came to rest, teetering on the very edge of the seat clutching desperately at his midsection, he groaned deeply, fighting against his renewed shaking and the fresh waves of debilitating agony.
"Oh, shit," Sarah whimpered. "Where is he?" she stressed fretfully, scanning out the windows nearest to her.
"Oh, fuck," Severus moaned breathlessly; unable to struggle his way beyond his distress.
When Sarah had braked hard the car's engine had stalled and now she attempted to start it again. However, to her horror, the starter motor failed to even whir. She tried again repeatedly with the same outcome. Whatever the problem with the car was now, it had nothing to do with the lack of fuel.
"Severus… the car won't go. I don't know where he is, do something!" she demanded of him out of sheer panic.
Sarah finally glanced his way and noticed how badly he was suffering. She reached out to him. "Oh, God… I'm sorry. But we've got to go… please, get better… get better."
In the meantime Severus managed to catch his breath a little; he looked up at her. "Get out… come over to me… around the back of the car. Go!"
She hesitated only a moment before nodding her agreement, checking out her window again cautiously before getting set to follow his directions.
Severus raised his wand and softly chanted, "Finite!" effectively ending the Disillusionment Charm upon the car so his Muggle companion might not be so startled or frightened.
Once Sarah had opened the car door and rushed out into the dark, Severus steeled himself with as deep a breath as he could manage, flicked the door handle and shoved his own door open with his boot with a gasp. Sarah's coat was twisted around his legs and he took a moment to shake them free. Painfully he shuffled himself forward until his feet were resting on the ground.
By then Sarah had made it around the car safely, he reached down slightly and flicked her coat up at her. She snatched it out of the air and adorned the garment quickly before assisting him to stand with a steadying hand under his upper arm.
Severus could already tell this was going to be an extremely arduous and trying exercise upon his much weakened body when he had to fight feverishly to resist clutching at his paining middle.
His breaths increased with the strain and he knew that he would only be able to sustain the increased effort for a limited time before he would collapse with exhaustion or keel over in agony.
He took Sarah's hand and keeping the woman close behind him and his wand held aloft, he gingerly crept forward along the side of the car to investigate the fate of the Death Eater Sarah had apparently run down.
Peering cautiously over the corner of the bonnet Severus spied the fallen man. Wordlessly igniting his wand he examined the body where he stood and determined that Arian appeared unconscious at the least.
Leaning against the car for support, he stared for a moment at the prone body contemplating the Muggle woman's callous act of driving the car viciously into the man. He glanced back at Sarah and noted that she wore an expression that clearly revealed her distress and terror. She turned her head away from the carnage in dismay. She probably had not meant to do any such thing, he guessed, looking back at the fallen man.
Severus could see blood down the man's left cheek and his lower half appeared to be wedged beneath the front end of the vehicle, potentially pinned in place. The wizard's wand was lying idly in the frosted grass several inches from the man's outstretched hand.
He tugged lightly on Sarah's hand to bring her up alongside him. She'd just have to get over her squeamishness.
"Fetch the wand," he requested, indicating with a nod toward the instrument, knowing he would be unable to achieve the task himself. He instead kept his own wand trained intently upon the fallen wizard in case it was a ruse as the woman skirted around the body, ensuring she would stay out of reach, to pluck the wand from the ground.
With the wand now definitely out of Arian's reach and Sarah back safely by Severus' side he found the strength to shuffle closer (ignoring Sarah's gasp of apprehension) and crouched down just low enough to check for a pulse at the man's wrist.
"He's still alive… stand back… turn away," he ordered to Sarah as he straightened up again and aimed his wand.
"What!" she cried out in alarm. "You… you're not going to ki- you not going to do that to him, are you?" she stammered, unable to even say the word; clearly horrified at the prospect.
Taking in Sarah's dismayed and appalled expression gave Severus pause… for getting permanent rid of this witness had indeed been his intention. Severus was surprised at her level of intuition. With a short sigh, after taking into consideration his Muggle, apparently innocent companion, he decided to humour her.
"No," he responded succinctly, shaking his head lightly, his expression blank with the exception of the now permanent crease of pain between his eyebrows. He then proceeded to lift his wand and cast a non-verbal spell toward his victim… however, instead of the deadly green glow that would have basked the scene, thin ropes promptly burst from the end of his wand and bound the unconscious man.
He looked back to Sarah, whose features expressed her relief more than adequately, and shuffled gingerly back to her side.
"His companion will be back for him imminently. Do you have the third potion?" he asked, eager to be gone from here.
"Er…" Sarah stammered as she patted down her pockets. "Yeah… yes, it's here," she confirmed.
Severus moved a little away from the car; his support, and consequently he had to work a little harder to remain standing tall. A slight, shuddering breath told of his effort.
"Alright… ah… come here… close," Severus said, raising his arms a little and gesturing for Sarah to move into his now inviting embrace. He figured that his best strategy for Apparating in his poor condition, along with a side-a-long passenger no less, would be to use the woman for support. The twisting required would more than likely prove exceedingly painful and even if the Muggle woman couldn't lend any magical aid or strength, she could assist him physically; allowing him to focus more intently on the all important 'three D's' with the hope of avoiding splinching the both of them.
Sarah eyed him worriedly. "Um, are you okay?" she asked with concern.
He didn't really feel 'okay', but in the context Sarah was probably asking he answered, "Yes," nodding to assure her. "Now, I'm going to Apparate us. It's magic… a mode of long-distance travel, don't be alarmed. But… I need you to help me. I have to concentrate intensely for success… but I might have trouble with the pain. Can you support me?" He did not alert her to the potentially unpleasant consequences of failure, for obvious reasons.
She was nodding. "Uh… yeah… sure, what do you want me to do?"
"Put your arms around me, hold tight… move with me. And do not, under any circumstances, let go… that's all," he explained, briefly pausing to slip his wand securely up his sleeve.
"Yeah, okay," she answered, a little relieved her task seemed quite straightforward, trying not to think about the Appa-… well, whatever he'd called the supposed 'magic'. She moved closer and embraced him with one arm circling around his chest, grabbing a handful of thick material in her fist at his back, and hooking her other hand under his armpit and up and back over his shoulder, gripping as tightly as she could, pulling her body close to his.
"That alright?" she queried, looking up at him from her quite miniscule height in comparison to his easy six foot.
The woman pressed firmly up against his injury was incredibly uncomfortable, and he barely restrained a gasp, nodding instead. "It is fine," he said succinctly, knowing that her weight supporting his torso would be more beneficial than detrimental in a few moments.
His own arms closed securely around Sarah's shoulders and he felt her tip her chin downwards and nuzzle her face against his chest. He then took a deep breath in preparation; lowering his own chin down to nestle his lips and nose atop her head amongst her hair.
"Move with me… to my left," he reminded her in a soft mumble before he closed his eyes and determinedly deliberated the bright street in which Potter's house resided. With a quick intake of breath he rapidly turned on the spot, holding the woman tightly against his chest.
They had no way of knowing it, but merely moments after Severus and Sarah's crack of Apparition reverberated in the frigid, still, night air, another loud pop signified the abrupt return of Death Eater, Estelle Flint, closely followed by two comrades.
The position Sarah had chosen wasn't as pleasant as it should have been; wrapped securely in a tall, well-built man's embrace. Her face was nestled into his chest and there was a decidedly strong aroma of coppery tang invading her nostrils which she recognised with dismay as blood… and plenty of it. She could feel the cool wetness begin to soak into her own clothes down her front from the moment she hugged her body close to his. The scent and sensation did not sit well with her stomach and Sarah hoped she'd be able to move away sooner rather than later.
She briefly wondered if Severus' wound had started to haemorrhage again after he'd been thrown about so harshly in the car. He had certainly been in sufficient pain to suspect the probability. It belatedly occurred to her that perhaps it may have been a good idea to caution him of what she had been about to do. But with hindsight there was neither the time nor opportunity to give him a warning. And were Sarah to admit it, she would acknowledge that she had hardly formed the idea as a rational thought anyway when she'd slammed her foot down upon the car's accelerator – it had merely been a haphazard combination of pure panic mixed with basal instinct and reflex; a successful outcome of which was alternatively known in some circles as 'sheer dumb luck'.
As Severus began to spin, Sarah sucked in a sharp breath and attempted to go with the flow, automatically tightening her grip around his body.
Without warning she suddenly felt as though she was being squeezed very tightly from all angles, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't draw a breath and immediately thought of the random vision of toothpaste being compressed in a blocked tube. The sudden nothingness that instantly drew in around her and the dark man in her embrace was startling and prominent and… really weird. And just when Sarah was beginning to think she would never breathe again and would die like this in this bizarre, barren universe it was almost like she was shot abruptly back into the world as she knew it; with sound and colour invading her senses in a hasty and intense wave, and the all important breath of fresh, cool air rushed mercifully into her lungs.
"Holy shit!" she heard herself mutter, entirely overwhelmed, trying to take in her new surroundings along with a second quick, very welcome breath whilst their spin came to an unsteady halt.
In the same instant the man in her embrace staggered and cried out harshly in pain. Sarah quickly re-assured her footing and tried to hold him upright. She noticed he was virtually crushing her with his tense, tightened grip around her chest, restricting her new heightened joy for her capacity to inflate her lungs.
As Severus faltered once more and slipped further down in Sarah's embrace his face ended up buried in her neck where his hollers gave way to intense grunting, deep moans and haggard breaths. He was leaning heavily on her and Sarah found she was not going to be able to continue to support his increasing weight. After several moments she eventually conceded the struggle and allowed them both to succumb to gravity and drop to their knees.
Remembering her instructions she did not relinquish her hold on him, if anything tightening her grip on the distressed man.
Moments later she was dismayed when she realised he was now seemed to be sobbing quite distraughtly upon her shoulder.
"Shh… it's okay. Severus, take a breath, try to relax," she crooned, trying to calm him. She turned her face slightly and mechanically pressed her lips in a soft, soothing kiss against his cheek next to his ear.
"It's done now, hon." Her right hand automatically reinforced the gesture by rubbing softly across his shoulder.
Sarah assumed he was hurting intensely and had finally been overcome by the pain. Quite frankly she was astounded and impressed at how well he had coped so far considering the severity of his injury. But now it had become too much and Sarah began to question in her mind what she ought to do for him.
Looking up she quickly scouted the area, determining they were actually kneeling in the middle of the road in what looked to be a very stereotypically suburban street.
Severus had surprisingly fallen silent except for his continued ragged breathing. She brought a hand to his the back of his head, anxious for him.
"Severus?" she queried.
"Are you unharmed?" he whispered unexpectedly, seeming strangely concerned.
Sarah froze momentarily in astonishment. She leaned slightly back from him so she could try to look at his face. "I'm fine… don't worry about me," she reassured him, putting her own concerns far down on their list of priorities for the moment.
He lifted his head; he truly looked awful. He was pale to the point of almost being described as 'white' with profound grey circles shadowing his already dark eyes and deep set creases of pain emphasising an image of vulnerability. He drew in a breath that Sarah could easily see took an increased effort.
"There are potentially horrific side-effects should I have failed to focus effectively," he offered as explanation, Sarah assumed. "You are unaffected, I presume?"
He closed his eyes for a few moments with a soft moan, signifying fatigue and just how much of a toll the past few minutes had taken upon his already weakened body and mind.
Concerned about the potential side-effects Severus had just now enlightened her of, Sarah replied. "Er… I think so. How should I tell?" she said, unsure. She looked down upon herself looking vaguely for some evidence to the contrary.
He sighed around a very soft chuckle. "Oh, you would know, trust me," he assured her, his amusement apparent despite his weariness.
Sarah smiled at him gently, more than glad to see he was feeling well enough to show amusement for anything. But quickly she became serious once more as she witnessed him scan the area around them.
"Are we still in danger?"
His sigh this time was more in relief. "Not immediate I would suggest; though we should not linger here."
"Where are we?" Sarah asked, glancing around once more.
"Surrey," he answered succinctly. "We need to visit number four," he added equally as obscurely.
"Number four?" Sarah queried, eyebrows raised, immediately identifying the number six upon the nearest letterbox to her left. "Why?"