Perhaps Another Time, Severus [A Severus Snape Fanfiction]

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“Stay, just a little longer.” Severus mused. His breath tickled her ear as he spoke. 

“You know I can’t. Vex will be waiting for me. Someone let it slip about a little hovel that has been housing Voldemort’s followers.” She cast him a smile as she pulled on her boots. “We aim to shoo them out like the cockroaches they are.”

He rubbed her back with his hand and rested his chin on her shoulder. He still was not dressed, the deep green duvet was pulled around him. “That someone seems to give you a lot of information.” He smiled. “Perhaps you should marry him.” His voice was minced with a sweetness she hadn’t quite gotten used to.

“Severus, you know we can’t. It’s too risky.” She turned to face him and he caressed her face with his palm. His nose brushed against hers as their lips crashed together. When they seperated there was a smile on both their faces. “Do you ever think about how originally we had set out to kill each other?” Shaylah asked.

He waved his finger at her. “You set out to kill me.” He pointed to himself with the same finger.

She snorted. “Fair enough. I have to go.” She ran her fingers through his hair before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

She met Vex outside a dilapidated looking shack. The windows were boarded and broken, the walls looked as if a slight wind would blow them down they were so rotted, and the roof was in pieces. “Are you sure this is the right place?” Shaylah questioned. 

Vex pushed his glasses up further on his thin nose. “Yes, Brawn and Travis have been watching it all day. They should be here soon, they went to get potions from Prix and bring Hutch back with them.”

Vex and Shaylah had taken up a post across from the shack, tucked down into the tall grass over a small hill. They watched several followers enter, but no one had left. “Do we know how many are in there?”

“My guess is about ten. With the five of us, we should be more than capable of taking them down. Hutchinson is quick with protection spells and charms and you’re great at dueling. The rest of us only need to worry about incapacitation.” 

Shaylah nodded as a deep voice whispered behind them. “You guys ready?”

Shaylah’s heart jumped into her throat as she turned to see Brawn standing over her. Hutch stood to his right and Travis to his left. Travis was a thick older man with salt and pepper accents taking over the temples of his dark hair. Hutch was her age with dark blonde hair that he kept cut short and a nose that had been broken several times. Brawn reached out a hand and helped Shaylah to her feet while Travis did the same for Vex. They all looked between each other and then over the street to the crumbling house. “Hutch is going in first with me behind him, Shaylah you’re in the middle and Vex and Travis will bring up the back. Don’t waste time, we don’t want any casualties.” Brawn instructed. 

They made their way across the street as quickly as possible and Hutch threw open the door. It was quiet, considering they were expecting at least ten people to be inside. The outside had definitely been enchanted to look dilapidated, as the inside was new and furnished. The whole place was so dimly lit, they could hardly see each other. Shaylah lit the end of her wand to light their way. A chair laid on its side as if someone had tripped over it but nothing else seemed out of place. Sofas and tables were arranged as they would be in any other dwelling. Portraits even hung on the walls. Shaylah’s insides grew heavier as they continued into the house. “I don’t like this.” She whispered to Vex.

A sudden thump snapped all their heads toward a small hallway to their left. Hutch held his hand behind him to halt the others and continued toward the sound. His wand lit as he was consumed by shadows. Brawn followed him but the other three were stopped by forms that crawled their way out of the shadows. Spells bounded toward them and Shaylah deflected them, causing one to rebound on its caster. She heard a thud as he was thrown over the overturned chair. 

She heard Vex make a gurgling sound behind her but she couldn’t stop to check on him. She continued to deflect as quickly as she could, all of her focus was on the four forms now left in front of her that were shifting in and out of the shadows. Their group was at a disadvantage as they didn’t know the layout of the house. 

Hutch shouted but his words never made it to Shaylah’s ears. Her body thumped to the floor as a Crucio made its way past her defenses. Her nerves caught fire, fraying everything in her body. She did her best not to bite her own tongue as her teeth clacked together. Tears formed in her eyes and her vision began to blur. She heard Vex shouting and could see Brawn’s silhouette return from the dark hallway. Three successive thumps fell around her as the world faded away, her skin felt like it was torn from her muscle and the muscle from bone. Her body was being shredded.

The pain began to subside as she was scooped up in someone’s arms. She couldn’t be sure whose. The world became a mixture of sounds around her as her eyes closed.

Prix’s face was the first thing Shaylah saw when she opened her eyes. Her caramel eyes looked down on her with pity. “What happened?” Shaylah’s muscles were still recovering, the fiery feeling still dancing just under her skin. “Where are the others?” She pushed herself up to sit against the protests of her body.

“You were hit several times. Travis didn’t make it but the other three are fine. I’ll send Vex in, he’s been wanting to see you.” Shaylah nodded and ran her fingers through her hair. Prix had set up a perfect little office for herself, the small cot Shaylah sat on wasn’t uncomfortable and the potions were lined neatly in an open faced cabinet. Several cauldrons lined a table to the left of the cabinet waiting to be used. 

Vex swung the door open and wrapped his arms around Shaylah’s neck. She felt him relax as she wrapped her arms around him. “I thought we were going to lose you.” He whispered. It was no secret that Vex had fancied Shaylah since they first met. She felt a tear land on her shoulder. 

“What happened? Travis?” She whispered into his ear. He gripped her a little tighter before separating from her. His fingers brushed through her hair as he pulled his hands back.

“Brawn and Hutch got ambushed in the hallway much like ourselves. Brawn said he got two of them and Hutch got one but one of them just kind of fell over. After you were hit Travis and I dropped two but one of them hit him with the killing curse. Then the same thing happened to the last two, they just kind of fell over. It was the oddest thing, kind of like what happened in Hogsmeade.” Vex rubbed his finger over his chin as he spoke.

Her eyes widened. “Do you think someone helped us again?”

Vex shrugged. “I’m not sure but something happened and we were able to get eight of them. I just hate that they got one of us too.” Shaylah placed a hand on his shoulder and he covered it with one of his. 

“It’ll be alright Vex, everyday we get closer.” She watched as a glass filled with firewhiskey floated in through the open door and levitated in front of her. She cocked a brow at it before scooping it out of the sky.

“I knew you could use a drink.” chuckled Brawn and he entered the room and took a seat on the end of the cot by Shaylah’s feet. “How you holding up?”

“I’ll be fine,” she answered, raising her glass to him. “How are you and Hutch?”

Brawn drew in a deep breath and placed a hand on Shaylah’s shin. Her body had begun to feel normal again but his heavy hand on her sent a fresh wave of fire over her nerves. “Hutch is taking it pretty hard, you know he’s new to this whole thing. He thinks it’s his fault. Prix gave him a calming draught so he could get some sleep.”

She knew it was Severus who had shown up tonight but she wouldn’t be able to go to him. Her friends were worried about her and she needed to rest, she would question him another time.