Chapter 36

It took Severus a good 30 minutes to gain access to the prison. He reasoned it probably would have taken longer if the guard had not been an Order member. So many of them took other jobs, as their Order of the Phoenix duties were at a minimum now.

Severus remembered the guard and was wary when he first stepped up to the gate.

"Well as I live and breathe, if it's not Professor Snape. I heard you was back amongst the living." The older man swung the gate open, and Severus stepped into the search area.

"I need to see Lucius Malfoy. He may have information that will help Molly and Arthur Weasley," he told the guard. Grimmley Hinckernill, if he remembered correctly.

"That's one sorry mess of a man. Can't say as if I'm sorry to see him here."

He ran his wand over Severus as Severus stood with his arms out, feet planted apart.

"I suppose you think I should be in the next cell," Severus stated matter-of-factly.

"No, sir. Harry Potter stood up for you after the war, and most of us believed him. I know what you did. You may have not realized, this but there were those of us sent to trail you."

He cringed when Severus turned a nasty stare his way.

The man hurried to explain, "We was sent to back you up, if necessary, but only if we were sure death was coming down on you. I saw some of the things you went through. No, sir," he said as he turned to examine the things Severus had brought with him. "I'm very happy you're not here in this cesspool. Why you bringing these things? His son tried to get stuff through here, but I wasn't having nothing to do with it. I don't take bribes." He spat on the ground. "That man deserves less than what he has. It was for kidnapping your wife that he ended up in here, wasn't it?"

He looked at Severus with a hint of confused suspicion in his eyes.

"Yes, but the Weasleys are paramount in my mind for now. If I can bribe the man with a few comforts, then I might be able to get the information I need to help them."

He did not tell the man that Lucius was still his friend of sorts and that loving Hermione had taught him the value of a man's wife and the devastation Lucius might feel at the loss of Narcissa.

"Grimmley, is it?" he asked.

The older man looked pleased that he'd remembered. "Yes, sir." He stood a little prouder.

"I have little time to waste, and I need answers now. Please, allow me to take these things to Malfoy for the sake of the Weasleys."

The old man nodded but took some time checking each item over. Finally, he took Severus' wand and placed it in the lock box, and then he used his wand to open the great door.

The stench hit Severus' nose, but he didn't comment as he followed the old man down the hall to the stairs that lead upstairs to Lucius' cell.

Lucius lay in the same balled-up place he'd seen him the last time. The stench of his unwashed body hit him. He turned to Grimmley and said, "I will wash him, if you will allow us use of the showers."

The old man looked concerned, but he owed Severus like so many others. He nodded.

"Lucius, it's Severus. I have permission to help you shower."

Lucius turned to look at him. "You came back." He struggled to sit up.

Severus helped him and then actually picked the weak man up and followed Grimmley down the hall to a shower room that had bars. Once Severus was locked in with Lucius, Grimmley promised to return in 30 minutes.

Severus stripped off his own clothing to the waist and carefully undressed Lucius. The man was far worse off than he'd imagined. His skin was bitten by mites and lice, and it also hung from dehydration and starvation.

Severus found the delicing soap and carefully washed his old friend. Thirty minutes later, with a worn but cleaner robe on and his hair clean, he looked a lot better. Severus was furious at the treatment he was getting. He was a murderer and kidnapper, but Severus knew himself to be not much below that. These people in Azkaban didn't deserve treatment that wasn't even meeting basic needs. They should have clean cells, clothing, enough food to be reasonably healthy, and blankets for warmth. He'd heard some Muggle prisoners had tele and game courts. That was going way too far. But basic needs were important. He decided then and there this would be a cause of his once the Weasleys were cared for. He knew this decision might not be easy for Hermione, but he was sure she would support him and try to understand. If she had worked for house-elf rights, why not prisoners rights? He wasn't at all sure if he was right or not. She would certainly let him know if he was asking too much. He smirked at the thought.

When Grimmley came back and led them back to the cell, Severus was pleased to see that it had been cleaned and sanitized.

"Thank you," he said as he helped Lucius to the chair by the table.

Grimmley nodded, a slight smile on his face as he backed out, locked, and warded the door. "Just yell when you want out. I will be on duty several more hours. Best you be out by then. Oh, I placed a spell on this cell; the other guards will not see the improvements."

"Thank you," Severus said with a tiny bow of his head.

He turned back to Lucius, who was eyeing the bundle that now sat on the bed. Severus went and got it and sat it on the table before him . He untied the bundle and let the blanket roll open. He moved the items off it and placed the warm blanket around Lucius' thin shoulders.

"Thank you," the man said, in a thin voice, as he watched Severus sort through the other things.

There were several novels...books Lucius had liked as a boy. The broken wizard put his hand out to caress the covers, and his eyes teared up.

Severus handed him a potion bottle. "A drop every day will help you with your strength. It's a concentrated vitamin supplement. I compressed quite an amount of it in there; it should last months."

He took another bottle and opened it. "Drink it," he said. "It will heal your lungs."

He watched as Lucius drank the potion down with a grimace.

"Lucius, you deserve to be locked up for this crime, but not in this state. You only have seven months left of this sentence. You can go back home, enjoy your son and grandson, but only you can decide to live. If you do not help yourself while in here, no one else can."

Lucius nodded. His eyes turned to the tied bag with hopes of food.

Severus opened the bag and handed him a bar, like a Muggle protein bar. "This bag is also enchanted by the house-elves. They made this for me on Dumbledore's orders. This bag will never empty. I carried it with me when I was traveling."

The tears now spilled down the man's cheeks.

"Now, you have to get up, drink the water they give you, and eat this food. This is the only way you will survive this hell hole."

"The books are also enchanted. You hold one in your hand and tap the top three times, and it will change to whatever novel you are thinking of reading."

"How did you manage to get this all past the dampening field?" Lucius asked with a gleam of mirth in his eyes.

"Old magic, house-elf magic. This place won't affect it. Now this will all turn to dust if you are in any way tempted to harness the magic for your own use. There are safeguards. Use the items as I've explained, and you will find your life a bit more bearable, but that's all."

Lucius nodded. "What do you want, Severus? I know you are not doing this out of the goodness of your heart." His voice was stilted with sarcasm and suspicion.

"No." Severus sat on the edge of the cot. "I do want you to be more comfortable, but I do have a reason for this visit. I told you about the Weasleys the last time. We have made some progress. They are more stable for now. Scorpius and Albus Potter have created a potion that has stalled the inevitable. Hermione also found part of a spell in Voldemort's office."

"Part," Lucius sneered with a nasty laugh that ended up in a cough.

"Yes," Severus intoned, disheartened by the look of mirth in Lucius eyes.

"Sorry," the emaciated man said, "old habits."

"Yes, they are hard to break."

A bit of sparkle appeared in the imprisoned wizards eyes. "Despite what I've done, you still are willing to help, or at least bribe me, Severus. I can respect that. Tell me about the spell."

It took the good part of an hour to tell Lucius about the spell, and they discussed the meanings of the words. Lucius told Severus he was not aware of the spell, but he would think on it and send word through Grimmley if he remembered anything. He did share some of his knowledge of spells, and it gave Severus several things to try when he got back.

Finally he called out to Grimmley, and the wards let the man know he was ready to go.

When Severus stood again on the other side of the locked cell, he glanced in to see Lucius turn away and reach for one of the books. There was a faint smile on the man's face...not an evil look of one who was getting more than he deserved, but a touched look as his fingers caressed the gifts given to him by an old friend.

Severus turned away and followed Grimmley from the prison. At the gate he said, "Please send me word if Lucius should ask to see me. It's of utmost importance."

The old guard nodded. "I hope this works for the Weasleys' sake. They served our people well. They are what wizarding families should be."

Severus nodded. "Thank you Mr. Hinckernill." He Disapparated.

Hinckernill finally began to feel that his days as a spy for Dumbledore and the Order had been worth it after all.

*******

Back at Hogwarts, Severus continued to study the spell and try different things. Hermione stayed at the Malfoys' for five more days but did not find anything. So she returned to the Hogwarts library to look for more references to similar spells.

Severus came to the library one night and found Hermione asleep with her head against a book she had been reading. He picked her up and carried her to the library Floo and into their quarters. He knew she was exhausted, and he wasn't much better off. The Weasleys were starting to lose ground again. It was slow and still gave them weeks, but time was running out. Subsequent variations of the potion no longer worked. Albus and Scorpius were frustrated, tempers were getting the best of all of them. Severus had sent the boys to bed, and he administered a sleeping draught to them himself to make sure they got at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. He planned to do the same himself. He placed Hermione in their bed and used his wand to change her clothes into a gown. After a quick shower, he slipped into the bed and downed the potion; drawing her close, he fell into a deep sleep.

A soft finger trailing over his lips woke him, and he kissed the teasing finger and opened his eyes to see Hermione peering down at him. Her hair was a tussled mass of curls, but he had never seen her look more beautiful. He reached out to kiss her and found her breath sweet from mint toothpaste. She'd slipped out to shower before waking him.

He gathered her close and kissed her; it had been nearly a week since they'd slept together. His need for her wouldn't be denied, and she surged forth with her need as well. They caressed and touched each other with urgency and desire. He thrust into her, looked into her eyes, and whispered, "I love you."

Hermione caressed his face as she wrapped her legs around him, trying to match his rhythm. "I love you, too, Severus. I can hardly stand sleeping without you." The rest of the conversation came to a halt as their climax neared, and they let themselves slip into abandon as their cries rang out with pleasure.

Hermione pressed her ear to his chest, listening as his wildly beating heart begin to calm, and ran her hands over his stomach.

"This has to be over soon. It just has to, Severus. How much more can we all take? Harry said Ginny is just beside herself. She cries herself to sleep every time they have managed to be together."

Severus gathered her closer and caressed her hair with his large hand, trying to impress the memory of every part of her body that touched him: the touch of her thigh along his leg, and the softness of her breast against his chest. He felt her fingertips as they trailed over his stomach and her fuzzy hair as it tickled his nose. These things comforted him when they could not be together.

"I am trying as hard as I can. We have nowhere else to look. You and your helpers have nearly exhausted this library. Others are double-checking the Voldemort Library and the Malfoy library. I don't know what else to do."

Hermione raised herself up along his body and kissed his face, gently touching his eyes, nose, cheeks, and lips. He left his eyes closed as he relished her touch. It was always a thrill to have her touch him. He knew he would never grow tired of her.

"Each touch is as the first..."

His voice trailed off as she covered his mouth with hers. They made love again and then spent more time than they knew they should just being together. Finally they crawled from the bed and showered. When they came from the bathroom, an owl was sitting on the table with a note in its mouth; it was black with Floo ash.

Severus glanced at Hermione and saw her eyes widen with fear.

"If it was bad, they would have sent a Patronus," he tried to assure her as he undid the note. "It's from Azkaban. Lucius has remembered something. I will go at once," he said, grabbing his cloak and a small bag he had been preparing to take the next time he went.

"You're taking him gifts?" she asked, a bit surprised.

"Hermione, call it a bribe. We can talk about it when this is all over." He wished now he'd told her about the other things he'd taken, but they'd had no time.

He kissed her fiercely. "I love you. I will come to you when I get back."

She watched him disappear into the Floo and knew he would come out in Hogsmead and Apparate from there. She stood there, not sure if she liked the fact that he was making Lucius' life easier.

She went and crawled back onto the bed and held the blankets to her nose, smelling his scent. She sent a prayer heavenward for the Weasleys and the hope that Severus would find the answers they needed.

Severus went through the process of security more quickly this time. Grimmley Hinckernill trusted him and did not check the bag he carried.

If this had been any other situation, Severus would have scolded the man for his lax security...never trust anyone had always been his motto as a spy...but as he followed the old man to Lucius' cell, he realized this man would not have done it for anyone else.

Lucius was sitting up at the table, and he looked a lot better than he had the last time. He had put on a few pounds, and his color was better. A bit of sparkle had returned to his eyes. He'd been able to shower on a more regular basis since he was able to walk to the showers himself.

Lucius said, "Come, Severus, sit. I have had a memory. It may be of help. I have no idea."

Severus said, "Grimmley, we will need your wand help."

Severus sat on the bed, and Lucius pulled his chair to face him. "You will have to view it for yourself."

Severus looked surprised as he reached out to his friend and touched his face. Without his wand, direct contact would be needed.

"Grimmley, stand behind me and command Legilimens," Severus instructed.

The old guard looked a bit perplexed but did as he was asked.

Severus found himself at a revel. Death Eaters were dancing around in the firelight, and Voldemort was watching the merriment through his snake-like eyes. Bellatrix was kneeling before him. She fawned over him and tried to seduce him and take his mind off whatever it was he was taking her to task about. She seemed afraid and was begging for mercy.

"Dark Lord, we were outnumbered. There were Order members there."

"This party was set for your success. They should have been no match for my best," he said, leaning and pressing one long nail into the flesh of her cheek and drawing blood, which he licked from his fingertip. "My followers deserve to let loose, but you were in charge. Perhaps you will be the entertainment for tonight."

There was horror on her face as she tried to draw away. It was then that Severus realized Voldemort was holding her there with an unseen spell.

Severus shuddered at the realness of being in Voldemort's presence again. He felt dirty, and he nearly stepped back out of the firelight when he felt Lucius' hand on his back.

"We must go closer. You need to listen to what he is telling Bellatrix."

Severus had to remind himself that Voldemort could not see or hear him, but he found his feet felt like lead as he forced himself closer to the monstrous despot.

Voldemort stood, knocking Bella down to the ground as he kicked her. The merriment stopped and fear permeated the place. No one liked it when Voldemort was angry. Severus wondered where he had been that night. This was not in his memory. Had he been off on another mission for one or the other of his two bosses, or had he still been at Hogwarts? By the looks of what was coming, he was happy to have missed this party.

Voldemort strutted around, scattering his followers as they tried to shrink further back from the fire in the hope of not becoming a casualty of this revel.

"This woman failed to destroy the Weasleys as she was commanded. They and the others at the now destroyed Burrow all walked away unscathed," he hissed as his snake like eyes narrowed.

Bella shrunk further onto the ground, prostrating herself before him.

"Please, Dark Lord, let me try again. I will not fail."

"Oh, you will try again but not before you get a taste of what I plan for the Weasleys. They will not know what has befallen them, but they will feel my wrath until their death. Water is life and life will be denied to them. You will demonstrate to us what their lives will be like," he bent toward her and hissed, "at a much accelerated rate."

His wand flashed out, and he began to chant a spell, in song.

Severus recognized the words; it was the spell Hermione had found. He moved closer and tried to clear his mind of whatever else was going on around him as Voldemort chanted out the spell. Bellatrix started to squirm uncomfortably, and then she raised herself to her knees and moved her hands into her vision. Her skin was starting dry. Her flesh sunk in. She raised her hands to her face as it dried, and she cried out in horror as she felt her face age.

"Water! Please, I'm thirsty."

"No water for you. Water would prolong your life for years, my dear, but eventually you'd have to swim in it to keep yourself alive," he teased. His eyes were alight with devilish pleasure at her now obvious pain.

She began to scream with pain, and her flesh began to recede more, causing cracking and bleeding.

Then Voldemort began to chant again. The spell was backwards, and the last line was spoken first. The missing line was now cemented into Severus memory. He backed away, dragging Lucius with him, anxious to be away from the filth that was Voldemort. He did not want to see how Bella would beg for forgiveness; he'd seen enough of the woman to last a lifetime. Thankfully, she was as dead as Voldemort.

He pulled himself from the memory and found himself breathing in the foul air of the prison, but it smelled sweet compared to being in Voldemort's company. He felt his stomach heave, and he fought the bile in his throat down. He grabbed Lucius and hugged him and said, "Thank you. I must go now, but I will come and we can talk." Leaving the bag behind, he urged Grimmley out the door, down the hallway, and out into the fresh sea air.

Severus turned and said, "Thank you, sir. You did a great service for the Order. If you ever need anything, please contact me."

He stepped away and Disapparated.

Lisa, thank you for being my beta. I could not do this without you.

Angela, thak you for pre-reading and for your encouragment.