Chapter 85: A Weighty Capture

Unknown Location, Unknown World...

Tight fitting iron fetters had been at the wrists of a newly awakening Severus Snape as he found himself in a cold gray room dangling from the ceiling in the wake of his subsequent imprisonment. The crimson of blood dripped from his broken nose and onto the cold stone floor below him. He had been beaten quite effectively since being brought to this place the numerous bruises that lined his pale flesh along with the new scars suggested as much. He had not known how long he had been here at the hands of his most hated enemies and former brothers but he knew his imprisonment was a long time coming. Forcing himself to take deep breaths from his mouth to lessen the pain in his nose, Severus Snape got a look at his surroundings. It was a relatively small cell that smelled of urine, the weak kind...possibly due to his former brothers taking a shot at petty revenge in the wake of his defection.

There was little air aside from what kept his exposed flesh cold and he had been half naked...dangling only in his ebony trousers like the beast they believed him to be. The fools had even placed silver at the door hoping to keep him at bay...a foolish notion if ever there was one given that silver had no real effect on him. The coppery scent of blood had been all around, but it had been his blood. There wasn't much room for negotiation as the dark lord looked down upon associating with half-beasts such as himself.

Dumbledore had been a vast distance away, although he never expected him to send out a search party.

No.

Severus Snape knew that if he had come under the thumb of the dark lord following his wolfish defection, he was most likely looking at a one way trip. As he dangled there in the darkness of this strange cell, he thought of Hermione and the blue aura he was seeing. He wondered if she could see it as well. He had planned to give her time to calm down before going back to try and explain to her what had truly happened with the Potters. He wouldn't give that idiot Harry Potter the satisfaction of ruining his relationship but the knowledge that his youthful mistakes had once more been thrown into his face despite his efforts to make up for them still hurt.

As Snape hanged in relative contemplation, the heavy door to his cell opened and a trembling Narcissa Malfoy entered with a bowl of warm water and a crisp white towel from her good collection. Her weary eyes looked upon the beaten Potions Professor and she had nearly been reduced to tears. The amount of blood that had come from his numerous wounds had been staggering. She knew all too well the effects of the magical lash after having witnessed her own husband take it following his blunder at the Ministry Of Magic Offices.

"Severus." she said softly getting the weary werewolf's attention.

He treated her to a sad smile as his blood slick raven hair covered one side of his bruised pale face.

"Cissy." he said in a voice that he found to have been weak in the wake of his suffering.

The Lady of Malfoy Manor slowly entered the cell as the door was closed behind her.

Snape looked her in the eyes and noted that this was just another form of punishment for Lucius due to his colossal failure. She would clean the werewolf's blood from his body with the possibility of becoming infected.

"H-How are you?" he asked noting her trembling hands as she held the bowl of water.

"I-I am as well as can be expected..." she replied. "A-And you?"

"About the same." replied Snape doing his best to ignore the stench of fear that had flooded the cell since her entry. "And Lucius?"

Narcissa looked down at the bowl of warm water.

"He's...being made an example of." she replied. "The only reason the dark lord hasn't killed him is because he believes he can use him to control you."

Snape had figured as much. The nature of his numerous injuries had been due to Lucius being forced to beat him with the magical whip to atone for his failures. Due to it being Lucius that committed the act, Snape had not reacted with the beast's rage to protect him.

Narcissa moved a bit closer to Severus, dipping the towel in warm salt water and began washing his body with her trembling hands. The stench of her fear had been getting to the beast as a low growl erupted from deep within him. Hearing this, she jumped back frightened of the half shifting man before her.

"HOLD STILL." commanded Snape, his eyes glowing red as she found herself like a stone statue before him. "Do not fear me...Cissy...I mean you no harm...the stench of fear will make me transform and I cannot...I won't bring myself to..."

The Lady of Malfoy Manor seemed to understand.

She looked at the beaten and bloodied wizard and once more saw the boy she had loved since she had been young and foolish. The trembling ceased and she began to clean his wounds in earnest. Snape had been content to let her as the heated water warmed his flesh and made him feel a good deal better.

"You let him capture you." said Narcissa catching on as she continued to wipe away sweat and blood.

Snape said nothing as she worked.

"You allowed Lucius to bring you here but to what end?" she asked before the answer came to her as it would any self respecting Slytherin.

With a new understanding of his intent, she finished cleaning his wounds and their eyes met.

"You must trust me." said Snape.

Narcissa took a deep breath and met his eyes once more.

The Potions Professor began to allow himself to focus on his new objective the stench of fear, not coming from Narcissa had gotten his attention. He began to shift into the form of the ebony beast easily breaking the fetters that restrained him. Narcissa Malfoy watched at first impressed by the level of power this creature that had been her former lover possessed. His massive body contorted within the small cell and her wondering eyes had fallen on the massive appendage between his legs.

"Oh my..." she said with her cheeks turning red.

Were-Snape caught the scent of her sudden arousal and offered her a wolfish grin as he pressed her rather beautiful body against the cold stone wall. Finding himself pushed into focusing on his new target, Snape broke down the door holding him inside the small cell, Narcissa had been in his arms as he slaughtered death eater after death eater in the wake of rushing through the confines of this strange place.

He found Lucius, equally beaten and bloodied in the wake of the dark lord's fury and it seemed to set him off all the more. Smashing down numerous other doors he had slain every death eater in his wake. It became clear to him that the despot had not been fool enough to bring him to the new headquarters and there had only been a handful of his forces left to stand guard of the unsavory beast..mere lesser death eaters.

Grabbing Lucius and Narcissa had become his primary objective as following Narcissa quite healing of both of them to ensure Lucius remained uninfected. The jump from the strange castle ruins had been more than he had anticipated as the rather clever Slytherin witch took it upon herself to apparate them to safety just as the three of them found themselves in a free fall away from the ruined castle.