Death Whispers

Chapter Sixteen - Some men see things as they are and saw why, I dream things that never were and say why not?

Auchou, August 1st 1980

"Snape," the word was hissed, like a serpent, with a familiar loathing.

"I have heard an interesting story..." he began as he walked across the room and closed the door with a thud. Severus wondered what time it was. The light shone in through Dolohov's office window, he must have fallen asleep sometime in the early hours of the morning. A young Death Eater woke him but not five minutes ago to report to Blair Dolohov immediately, Severus could think of no excuse, and was now trapped alone with the monster.

He stood silently. Dolohov's office was bland, with a small desk and concrete floor. The floor seemed to have a large bloodstain that spread under the desk. The morning light made the blood appear wet and moving in a slither across the floor.

"....about Lallie," Dolohov finished punctuating the words fiercely as he sat in his chair.

Severus remained silent and merely lifted an eyebrow. Dolohov stared at Severus waiting for him to take to the bait however Severus' demeanor looked almost bored. The room buzzed with nerves, even sitting Dolohov radiated power. Could he have found out?

"She is organising an escape," Dolohov said slowly.

Severus snorted, "Impossible!"

"Crucio" Dolohov scolded merrily as Severus fell onto the concrete floor screaming. The fall smashed his head and the pain was so unbearable it should have been impossible to feel anything else. Yet, he could feel the blood slowly trickle down his back.

The curse was lifted. Severus tried to open his eyes but everything was hurting. He had not been prepared when the curse had hit him. The edges of his vision were marred and he began to shake with fear, anticipation and the aftereffects of the curse.

"You don't think it is a bit odd, Severus," he felt hot breath next to his face, "that young Lallie is organising this?" The man's broad face came slowly back into focus. Dolohov's eyes were moving like rough seas and his lips moist with blood covering his teeth red as he smiled callously.

"I did nothing," Severus began his voice hoarse and shaky.

"Liar!" Dolohov shouted, spitting blood and saliva onto Severus' face. This time the curse was tenfold. Severus who had always been strong at resisting the curse felt weak, helpless and the pain, oh the pain! His screams were guttural like a desperate animal howling.

"Who else?"

"I didn't.." Severus began helplessly.

"Wrong answer!" Dolohov called as Severus felt the curse pulse rapidly through him again increasing the blood loss making him feel empty as though the room was spinning. Dolohov's eyes rolled back in sick pleasure.

"Wait!" Severus heard himself shout through his own screaming.

The curse was lifted and Dolohov knelt over Severus grinning. He straddled Severus' sitting on him and pinning his arms to his sides. Dolohov's large cock pushing onto Severus' abdomen. Severus tried to keep the fear from his eyes but the blood that covered Dolohov glistened and dripped onto him.

"Yes?" Dolohov asked, his breathing deep and ragged. Severus tried to reach his wand but Dolohov's body weight as holding him down. Dolohov watched the action grinning, his wand already thrust in Severus' face. He pushed down further, knocking the wind from Severus' stomach and pressuring his ribs. As the air pushed out of his lungs his head was lifted from the ground in a gagging motion. He felt nothing but disgust and anger replace the air in his body.

"Expelliamus!" he cried, and the wandless magic caused Dolohov to fly to the opposite side of the room.

The sudden release of weight caused the blood to rush back through his body and he gasped for air. At the same time Dolohov thudded with great force against the wall opposite.

Sliding back and pushing himself into a siting position Severus rested his body on the side of the table. His breathing was desperate and painful. Dolohov wasn't breathing at all. Severus cautiously made his way over to the fallen Death Eater, sliding along the floor. He looked into the deep eyes of Dolohov, they now looked empty, his face still frozen with a deathly sneer.

Severus cast a few simple healing charms on himself and managed to get to his feet. His body still felt the after effects of the curse, Dolohov had used it with much more aggression than the Dark Lord himself. Severus, who was trying not to panic and transfigured the body into a dark gray paperweight.

He looked around Dolohov's office and his eyes fell on the papers on his desk. Dolohov had been writing - the parchment and ink were strewn across the desk. It was too late now however and Severus dropped the transfigued Dolohov in the top drawer. Pulling open the lower draws Severus found papers that held him responsible for the atrocities here. He found information about everything. There were papers about the prisoners, all of Severus' discoveries, maps, plans..... In desperation Severus pulled all the papers from the draws and thought about burning them.

"Dolohov?" he heard a voice call and footsteps approach the office.

Hurriedly, he found an empty folder and pushed all the papers into it. Locking it with a curse only he could crack and slipping the black folder back into the draw.

"What do you want?" he barked at the man in front of him as he closed the door to Dolohov's office with a lock.

"Ve vere hearing some noises and seeing some smoke?" the man answered gruffly.

"Well, Karkaroff is it?" Severus asked cruelly, thanking himself that they had sent the dummy of the group, "as you can see there is nothing to worry about so return to your post."

The man looked at Severus' bloodied robe and then let his eyes linger on the silver sash around his waist and nodded.

"Yes sir."

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Severus sat in his room sipping laced tea as he watched the Aurors appear right on time. The Death Eaters had no warning. Those at the perimeter Apparated offsite while others tried to escape. The Aurors weren't aiming to kill trying to capture as many Death Eaters as possible throwing hexes, Severus' crew were putting up a good fight.

It was no use escaping now and he wasn't going to Azkaban.

Severus watched the prisoners as they were liberated. A redheaded man shouted and they moved as a unit towards the animal cages. One Death Eater was throwing memory charms at the group so that they were struck confused and stranded in the middle of the battle. Severus spotted Lallie, barely walking, hidden from the fray near the back of the camp clutching her side. She fell over, hit by an offshot curse.

Idiot!, Severus cursed.

Furiously he drank the antidote that he held in his hand. Who? He wondered aloud, when planning their death makes an antidote?

Severus scrambled to the door, he jumped through the hexes and rushed down the side of the building. Lalllie was leaning against the wall gripping her side.

"Lallie, are you okay?"

"What the hell did you think you were doing? Promise me you won't ever attempt that again," she asked in agony.

Severus looked down at the dead man beside her. The man insides had been filleted outside his body. They lay spread across the alley, Dolohov's work, the informant lay spread, there was no bargaining with evil.

"You can't save everyone, come on, let's go," he reasoned and he pulled her up drawing his robe to cover his face.

"Promise me," she urged.

She grimaced in pain grabbing on to him for support, an Auror appeared at the front of the alley.

"Let her go Death Eater!" he shouted and Severus looked stupidly down at his clothing.

"Go! Quick!" urged Lallie, and she reached into his pocket and then pushed herself infront of him.

The Auror was surprised for a moment and the two took this as their chance to escape.

She pushed him further down the side of the building towards the fence. "Just go!" she begged and Severus ran.

He thundered across the barrier and hid in the trees.

He didn't know whether he was upset or relieved. He watched closely hopeing for another glimpse of Lallie. The camp seemed to be on fire. He watched Dolohov's office, where an Auror burst out the door covering his face to protect himself from the smoke, had flown up in flames.

There would be nothing left of it soon and Severus was bitterly relieved.

But where would he go now?

He whispered an incantation of the only place he knew where to go.

xxxxxx

"My lord," he whispered on his knees, "the camp is under attack."