Mist and Vapors

For the space of one collective heartbeat, the room was quiet. Then, everything seemed to happen at once: Pettigrew let out an oath as he watched Hannigan fall. Behind him, the cat started to stretch, grow, change shape. And Severus got his wand back.

Maybe Minerva had counted on Pettigrew being too stunned by Hannigan's death to pay attention for the few seconds it took fully to transform, seconds during which she would be completely defenseless. If so, she had figured wrong. Pettigrew wheeled around, his spell hitting her in half-transformation, freezing her in a grotesque in-between stage, half woman, half cat. Yet those few seconds when Pettigrew's attention was directed elsewhere were all the time Snape needed.

He had been released from the body-bind as soon as Hannigan was hit by the curse. As the heavy body fell across him, immobilizing him, Severus desperately groped for his wand, still loosely clasped in the dead man's hand, almost out of reach. Almost, but not quite. The relief when he finally felt the slim piece of wood against his palm was indescribable. Still-trembling fingers closed tightly around the handle. He wasn't helpless any more, no longer at their mercy. He had a chance now. He pointed the wand. "Stupefy!"

A beam of red light shot from his wand tip, flying towards Pettigrew. But the small wizard had stopped paying attention to Minerva just in time. With a breathless squeak, he dove out of the way.

A split-second later, the lamp shattered, hit by Pettigrew's spell. The light went out; the smell of kerosene filled the air. Out of the darkness came a green beam, blindly aimed at the general area where Snape still lay on the ground. "Avada Kedavra!"

It took an instant for it to reach him. He could see it, almost as in slow motion, slicing through the blackness, green death, coming for him. Dimly, he was aware of someone shouting... And then it hit - Hannigan's body, still pinning him to the ground, hindrance and shield at the same time.

"Expelliarmus!" He fired the spell at where the green beam had come from, silently, blindly, in a sweeping arc, hoping for the best. He held his breath - and then heard the sound of a wooden rod hitting the farmhouse floor, bouncing once, then rolling away. This time, the spell had connected.

"Accio wand!" With grim satisfaction he felt the wand fly into his outstretched hand. He had the Rat by the tail now... "Lumos!" His wand tip lit up with a bright, bluish light, casting shadows across the room.

Minerva still lay in a silent heap on the floor. Hannah sat hunched on the sofa, looking at him with wide, scared eyes, as if still stunned. Best thing she could do, really, to stay out of the way of the flying curses. No sign of Pettigrew. Snape cursed under his breath. Had he Disapparated? He hadn't heard the typical "pop." Transformed, then?

"I think he is under here," Hannah whispered at him, her face pale against the darkness. "I heard something move..."

He nodded. It stood to reason - under the sofa was virtually the only shelter in the room.

He pointed his wand at Minerva. "Finite Incantatem." Rat hunts were her specialty. As he took off the spell, she lay still for a moment.

"Go get him," he said, sotto voce. In response, her form shrank, one second, then two, changing back, assuming her cat-shape once again. She got on her paws, stretched - and ran under the sofa.

Scuffling. Hisses. Panicky squeaks.

"Hannah?" he called out. Since she could speak, he assumed the spell had fallen off her, too. He had to get her out of the way. If the Rat should run out, he needed to have a clear shot, without having to worry about hitting her. In an instant, she was kneeling by his side, rolling the heavy body of her father off him.

"Are you all right? What can I do?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Lord, Severus, that was horrible. You must be in so much pain."

"Help me sit up." One arm around his shoulders, one at his elbow, she helped him into a sitting position as a loud, screaming yowl came from under the sofa. She slid in behind him, supporting his back, her hands against his shoulders. "Stay back there," he ordered in a low hiss. Knowing Minerva, this shouldn't take long....

A moment later - a sharp squeak, scrabbling, silence, and then the tabby emerged from under the sofa, bleeding from a bitten nose and paw, the struggling rat in her mouth, firmly grasped by the scruff of the neck. She gave him a good shake as she walked towards Severus.

"Well done, Minerva," Severus said grimly.

"That's McGonagall?" Hannah asked, blank astonishment in her voice.

"You didn't know she was an Animagus?" Severus watched as the cat, looking as grim as a feline possibly could, dropped the rat on the floorboards a few feet in front of him, pinning the rodent down with one paw.

Hannah shook her head. "No, I didn't. Too bad we can't just tell her to finish him off," she said in a hard voice.

"Tempting, though." Snape looked down at the shivering rodent. "Well, Pettigrew, do you want to die as a rat?" he said, his voice cold and mocking. "Shall I tell the cat to finish you off?"

A convulsive shudder ran through the rat at those words; his pink, quivering nose turned frantically; beady eyes looked from the glowing wand tip pointing at him to the green eyes of the cat, still unblinkingly staring down at him. There was no chance of escape. A moment later, his body stretched and bulged, and then Pettigrew, restored to human form, knelt on the floor.

"You wouldn't kill an unarmed man, would you?" the slightly wheezy voice of the Animagus wheedled. He was kneeling on the floor, arms wrapped around his chest, hands hidden in his armpits, slightly rocking himself. "You wouldn't hurt a defenseless wizard?"

"Why wouldn't I, Wormtail?" Snape said coldly. "It didn't stop you."

The cat had begun to transform. A moment later, the regal, unbending shape of Minerva McGonagall stood between Pettigrew and the sofa, lips pressed together tightly, her face and hand bleeding slightly, her wand pointed at Pettigrew

"Are you all right?" he asked, glancing at her, his wand still trained on the pudgy wizard.

"I'm fine," she said grimly. "Just minor cuts. It can w--"

"Watch out!" Hannah shoved Severus hard, out of the way, as Pettigrew lunged forward, right hand stretched out, the fingers transformed into something long, thin, and lethal, glinting a dull silver in the wand light. Even as Severus fell, his wand arm shot forward, his spell hitting their attacker in mid-motion.

A shout, and then Pettigrew was yanked up, hoisted into the air by his ankle, still slashing madly at thin air with his silver hand.

"Oh no you don't!" Snape's voice was laced with venom.

Limbs trembling, he attempted to get up. Hannah quickly rose to help him, snaking an arm around his waist, holding him steady. He stood shakily, leaning on her, waiting for the world to stop spinning. For a moment he was afraid he would black out, but then his vision cleared and the room moved into focus. He tentatively let go - his knees felt weak, but they did support his weight. Good.

He turned towards Pettigrew, anger surging like poison through his veins, contempt written on every line of his face as he stared at the hated wizard, whose drooping visage was inextricably linked with pain, fear, and humiliation. As it had been since the time they had been in school. There were so many bad memories with Pettigrew's face in them.

"Remember that spell, Wormtail? It used to be quite the fashion, didn't it?"

The wizard's arms flailed as he dangled helplessly by his ankles. His robe had fallen down around his chest to reveal a pale, round belly, short, hairy legs, and underwear that had seen better days.

"One of your favorites, wasn't it? Always happy for Potter and Black to entertain you, weren't you?" He was breathing hard. "It's my turn now."

Pettigrew's beet-red face, eyes bulging with fear, looked out between the dangling folds of his robe.

Snape took a menacing step towards him. "Did you know I invented that spell? There are other spells I invented, spells much more impressive. I could gut you, Wormtail, gut you like a pig..."

"It's over, Severus," the urgent voice of McGonagall broke in. "Don't do anything that will land you in Azkaban now. Flitwick and Lupin should be here any minute."

There was no indication that he had heard her as he took another step towards the wizard, a mad glint in his eyes, lifting his wand. Pettigrew started screaming, high-pitched, falsetto screams, begging for mercy. Out of the corner of his eye Severus saw McGonagall, her wand now pointed at him.

He felt Hannah's hand on his shoulder, holding him back. "Don't," she whispered. "Please don't."

For a moment he stood motionlessly, and then lowered his wand a fraction of an inch. "These ladies just saved your life," he hissed at Pettigrew, his face contorted in a rictus of hatred. "You'd better be grateful." He lifted his wand again. "Tell them how grateful you are, Wormtail."

When the small wizard only whimpered in response, he twitched his wand, and Pettigrew jerked up and down in mid-air, like a puppet in the hands of an angry puppet master.

"Thank you," Pettigrew squeaked, babbling now, "Thank you for not letting him hurt me...so kind of you..."

"Don't, love," he heard Hannah's soft voice in his ear. "Please."

He stood still again, his body tense, looking into Pettigrew's hated face. He could feel Hannah standing behind him, one arm wrapping lightly around his waist, her other hand gently rubbing his shoulder. For a second, he closed his eyes. A long exhalation, and he lowered his wand. He could hear her softly let out her breath behind him. "You take him, Minerva," he said, his voice cold and empty. Hannah's hand slid down to his upper arm, turning him around, and a moment later he found himself held tightly, her hands running over his shoulders, his hair, his back.

He let his forehead drop against her shoulder, closing his eyes, shivering with exhaustion, for the moment not caring if Pettigrew or McGonagall saw him. He was so tired all of a sudden, tired and empty, aching and cold. All he wanted was to go home, lie down, just hold her. And let her hold him. "I wouldn't have done it," he murmured. "I just wanted to see him scared for once..."

"I know," Hannah whispered, holding him close, one hand rubbing soothing circles against the back of his neck. She could understand the desire for revenge. After all, part of her was still searing with the memory of the pain Pettigrew had inflicted on him. And that part wanted to watch the Rat suffer and die an agonizing death. If anyone deserved to die, he did. It would have been one thing if McGonagall had been carried away by her feline instincts - that would have been a nice, tidy end for the vermin. But not like this. Not with him...hanging there. No, better to let the Aurors take him, to let him get the Dementor's Kiss he had planned for Severus.

"Stupefy," she heard the voice of McGonagall murmur before she lowered Pettigrew's limp body to the ground next to the sofa. "No use running any more risk than necessary..."

Severus lifted up his head, Hannah's arms still around him. "Lupin and Flitwick are coming?"

"Yes. I sent Tonks back to get them."

"Tonks?"

"Well, yes, she was the only one who could find you."

His face must have shown his confusion, because Minerva smiled up thinly from where she was kneeling next to Pettigrew, ropes shooting from her wand tip to firmly tie his hands and wrists together.

"Remember what you did with the paperclip that we charmed to track Hannigan?"

For a moment, the blank look persisted, and then, comprehension dawning on his face, Severus stuck a hand in his left robe pocket - and pulled out the paperclip.

"That's how," Minerva said dryly. "I just wish it had occurred to me a bit earlier that you might still have it, or we would have been here sooner."

Hannah looked up at him, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Long story," he said, bending down to kiss her hair. "I'll tell you later."

"Don't know what's keeping them," McGonagall murmured, pulling Pettigrew's robe down over his legs. "Pomfrey should take a look at you, but I really don't want you Apparating by yourself in your condition."

Severus didn't seem to be listening to her as he gently ran a finger over Hannah's swollen lip. She could feel her heart beat faster at his touch.

"Kiss me?" she asked. "Please?"

"I want to," he murmured, "but I don't want to hurt you..."

She looked up at him, half laughing, half crying. "It's all right, really, it is..."

He kissed her carefully, and she closed her eyes, enjoying for a moment the warmth of his body against hers, his smell, his breath on her skin. Then a shiver shook his frame, bringing her back to reality.

She pulled back slightly and kissed the tip of his nose. "Come and sit down now; you're exhausted. I don't know how you're even..."

There was a loud bang as the door flew open, the handle hitting the wall behind it with a resounding crash. Both their heads turned with surprise. Grey daylight poured in around three figures, outlined against the brightness. A split second passed, as the intruders took in the scene and Hannah registered half-subconsciously that their wands were drawn and that not a single one of the outlines resembled Flitwick. Then Severus half turned, shoving Hannah away from him with force. Scarlet light flashed from three wands, hitting him in the chest, lifting him off the ground. His wand flew away in a high arc as he was thrown backward, hitting the enclosure of the cold fireplace with a dull thud, then landing in a crumpled heap on the stone hearth.

From where she had fallen, Hannah looked on wide-eyed, rigid with shock. No. This was wrong. It was supposed to be over. They were supposed to be safe

As one of the Aurors crouched down next to her father's body, the other two still standing with their wands at the ready, she scrambled across the floor, kneeling next to Severus.

He lay in front of the fireplace, his face the color of skimmed milk, his eyes closed, a trickle of blood running out from under his head. There was something dreadfully wrong about the angle of his leg.

"Get away from him," a harsh voice shouted at her.

"You drop your wand this instant, young man." She heard McGonagall's angry voice as the witch stepped between them and the Aurors. "Is that you, Astley? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

While McGonagall was talking, Hannah pressed her finger against Severus' neck, feeling for his pulse, cold panic filling her chest. "Severus?" She could feel his blood pulsing, thready and thin under her fingertip, much too fast. His chest was lifting in quick, shallow breaths.

"Professor McGonagall?" Another voice spoke up, vastly more respectful. "Is that you?"

The Auror who seemed to be in charge spoke up sharply. "Ma'am, you will lower your wand right now or I'll..."

Rapid footsteps, more noise behind her - and then the voices of Lupin, Fitwick, and some woman she didn't recognize, out of breath, shouting at the Aurors to drop their wands...

Hannah looked over her shoulder, her voice frightened, panicky. "Someone, please, can't you do something? He's hurt!" She quickly turned back when she heard a low moan. Severus' eyes fluttered open. He looked at her, disoriented, frowning as if trying to remember, grimacing with pain.

She put her hand against his cheek, her voice quivering. "Severus? How bad is it?"

Before he could answer, the lead Aurors walked forward. "Ma'am, I have to ask you to step away. He's the suspect in a murder."

"Pettigrew killed Frank," Minerva broke in obstreperously. "I saw it. Severus did absolutely nothing wrong."

"I'm afraid I have to follow protocol." The Auror turned his back to her dismissively.

Flitwick pushed his way through the group, shaking with indignation, looking fire and brimstone at the Auror. "He is injured, can't you see that? Whatever you want to ask anyone has to wait until he is properly taken care of. Now get out of the way!"

With raised eyebrows and a smirk, the Auror took a step back. As Filius knelt down next to her, Hannah could hear snippets of excited voices in the background, Remus, Minerva, and the young witch trying to explain to the Aurors what had happened. She gently stroked Severus' forehead, looking into his eyes, coal black against the pallor of his skin, as she waited for Flitwick's verdict. Please, be all right.

Filius ran his wand over Severus' body in quick, careful examination. "His leg is broken; his wrist, too. And a concussion. There might be internal damage I can't see. This isn't my area of expertise. We should get him into Madam Pomfrey's care as quickly as possible." A flick of his wand, and a stretcher appeared. He spoke gently to Severus. "I'll have to immobilize you, stabilize your bones, so that it doesn't hurt you more when we move you. Do you understand me?"

Snape nodded weakly, his face tight with pain. Another wave of Flitwick's wand, his injured right side stiffened in position, and then Flitwick gently floated him up onto the stretcher. Hannah had got up, too.

"Where do you think you're going?" the lead Auror accosted her.

"To Hogwarts," she said, her voice hard and brittle. "He is seriously injured. Do you really want to be responsible if anything happens to him? Do you imagine having an innocent man die in your care would do much for your career?" She fairly spat the words at him.

The Auror looked uncertain. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind. He looked back behind him. "Astley, take him to St. Mungo's. Book him into the secure ward until we get this sorted out. We have two other eye-witnesses; we can wait to interview him."

At that, Severus' hand shot out and grasped hers so tightly it hurt. There was panic in his eyes. Hannah's felt something twist painfully in her chest. After his experiences in the Ministry's tender care...

She turned on the Auror, cold anger on her face.

"You are taking him nowhere." Such was the tone of her voice that the man took an involuntary step back. "He was treated like dirt the last time you people took him. I'll be damned if I let you do that do him again when he did nothing to deserve this. We will take him to Hogwarts' infirmary, and one of your men may come along if you think it necessary." She looked at him bitterly, the corners of her mouth turning down in a cold sneer. "Do you really think that after what you did to him he is in any position to run off? Even if he wanted to?" She motioned to Filius. "Let's go!" The old wizard nodded at Remus, who moved to the other side of the stretcher.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear," the Auror said sharply, stepping in her way. "I might consent to his transport to Hogwarts - under guard, of course - on the condition that you remain here. This is a murder scene. From what I understand the other witness" - he jerked his head in McGonagall's direction - "was not on the scene for the entire sequence of events. So you and he are the only people who know exactly what happened." He gave her a hard, half-mocking look. "One of you is going to have to stay. Your choice."

She wanted to argue. Lord, she wanted to argue, telling this lout exactly where he could stuff his delusions of omnipotence. But it wasn't worth it - Severus needed help as quickly as possible, and every second that she argued with this stiff-necked buffoon postponed when he would get it. Dejectedly, she nodded to Flitwick and Remus. "You take him." She bent over the stretcher and kissed Severus lightly on the forehead, one hand cupping his cheek, her thumb caressing his face. "I'm so sorry. I'll see you as soon as I can." Her voice quivered and bent. "You just be all right, you hear?"

One corner of his mouth curled up. "I'll try," he answered, his voice barely audible.

"You'd better," she said sternly, her crooked smile and the tears running down her face making a liar out of the tone of her voice.

The young witch with the oddly colored hair had stepped up, as well. "Don't you worry, Snape, I'll make sure she's treated decently. I'll get her to Hogwarts as soon as Davis here," she said in a low voice, casting an irritated glance at the Auror in charge, "gets off his high horse."

As Filius and Remus left with their charge, trailed by one of the Aurors, the witch put her arm around her. Hannah noticed distractedly that she was wearing Auror insignia, too. "He'll be all right now," she said soothingly. "They'll take care of him."

Hannah closed her eyes for a moment, hoping fervently that the witch was right, willing the tears to stop. It wouldn't do to appear weak in front of that - Davis, was his name? She could have cheerfully scratched his eyes out right now. He was responsible for Severus being hurt. And the only reason he and his men would have even shown up when they did was that at least Davis, if not all of them, had to have been in on the plan to at least some degree in the first place.

Davis looked at her coldly, pointing to the sofa. "Have a seat."

Within a few minutes, the room was swarming with Aurors, some of them taking the still-unconscious body of Pettigrew off to a Ministry holding cell, others removing her father's body, taking it away to the Examiner's office to determine cause of death, still others performing wand checks and gathering evidence. Davis took turns interviewing her and McGonagall, first separately, then together, asking about the timeline of events, every little detail, over and over again, until she was trembling with aggravation. Finally Tonks, as she had found out the green-haired young Auror was called, stepped in.

"Look, Sir, she's told us everything she knows, you've got it on your Dicto-Pad, and Professor McGonagall is willing to come back to the Ministry to give a sworn statement to anyone you think needs to hear it. Now would you please let her go? And, Sir, it mightn't hurt to tread a bit more carefully. No matter which way you turn it, what happened here doesn't throw a good light on the Department. And you did use a bit of excessive force - Snape would be within his rights to sue for assault and battery. And she's Snape's fiancée."

Davis looked at the two women, his lips pressed into a thin line. "We only used a Disarming Charm," he said. "Nothing illegal."

"Three of you used a Disarming Charm," Tonks said. "On a wizard whom your boss tortured and almost had Dementor Kissed. Putting that wizard in hospital. Now, just humor me, but I think the Wizengamot might just take a dim view on..."

"Frank told us he was trying to trap two Death Eaters," Davis interrupted petulantly. "How were we to know..."

"Look, I really don't care right now," Hannah broke in, almost crying with impatience. "I just want to go."

She could almost see the conflicting thoughts doing battle behind the smooth façade of Davis' face. Finally, he forced a smile on his face as he turned to her. "You say you would be willing to come to the Ministry tomorrow to tie up any loose ends?"

Hannah nodded impatiently, hands balled into fists. "Anything."

"Fine." He looked at McGonagall. "You'll come with me, then. Tonks, take Miss Hannigan back to Hogwarts. You may relieve Astley and make sure Mr. Snape doesn't escape before the situation has been cleared up for good." There was an audible snort from Tonks at that, but she said, "Yes, Sir," quite respectfully. "Let's go before he changes his mind," she whispered into Hannah's ear, taking her arm and pulling her through the front door, tripping over the threshold as they hurried out. "We have to go outside, there are Anti-Apparition wards covering the house."

Hannah looked at her, feeling the blood drain from her face as the realization hit. Apparate? With this witch? She looked like she was barely old enough to be out of Hogwarts. And her looks did not inspire confidence in her professional abilities.

"What's the matter?" Tonks looked at her inquisitively. "It's no big deal, I've done it a million times before. Well, maybe not quite a million." She laughed.

I can't do it, Hannah thought, feeling like she had ice-water coursing through her veins, strangely lightheaded at the same time. Not with her.

Tonks was starting to look offended. "Really, it's not a problem."

"I'm sorry," Hannah stammered. "It's just that..." Merlin, Severus, the things I do for you... She had a sudden hysterical urge to laugh. If Severus thought that she was worth putting himself into the hands of two deranged wizards, then he was certainly worth Apparating with...this. With an effort, taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together. "All right." With a jerky motion, she grabbed on to Tonks' arm, pinching her eyes closed tightly. "Quickly, please."