Disclaimer: Not mine, JK's people. Ratings: PG 13 Pairing: SS/LM Category: Drama/Angst Plea to my muse: Go and inspire someone else, I have work to do! Summary: Voldemort's defeat did not only leave happy faces One last time By Ratwoman ratwoman02@yahoo.de The music in the Muggle club was noisy, the air filled with smoke and the clothes the people were wearing had that cheesy brightness of the early eighties. Though dressed as a Muggle, Severus Snape refused to wear bright colours; black jeans and a black T-shirt should do. With his pale complexion he resembled these Muggles from that new movement called Gothic. His friends kept to the same dark style, and thus they were not quite fitting to the happy people in that bright club. Severus knew, his duty to Dumbledore was to report back to him where they were hiding. His duty to his friends was to stay with them during the last few hours they spend in freedom. It had been Lucius' idea to hide in the Muggle world. Chances that the Aurors would not expect to find Muggle-haters in their realm were almost high; plus, the Aurors were unlikely to start a massacre in the middle of a Muggle club. Narcissa and the baby were hiding somewhere else; in case she was caught it was better for her and the boy if it looked as if she had separated Lucius. Severus let his gaze travel over the faces of his friends. Joanna Lestrange looked as if she could break out in tears any second. She had really believed in their Lord's cause, with her heart and soul. Severus appreciated that, even though he was thinking that she had been misled. Just as he had been misled. Joanna's husband William was not quite as fanatic as she about the Dark Lord's aims, but he was devoted to HER. Severus could not respect William as much as her, because the way he doted on his wife was quite ridiculous, but sometimes he envied him for being with his one true love, and having her loving him back. He hardly knew the boy they had brought along, Barty Crouch. From all he could see Barty was a very angry young man; Evan said his father was working at the Ministry, known for being very strict. Evan Rosier had tried to become Severus's friend from their first day at Hogwarts on. Severus had been suspicious at first, not intent to socialise with other kids; but Evan had been very persistent. Snape still had no clue why, but Evan had stayed his friend over all the years. Severus briefly closed his eyes. He had betrayed them all. There was David Wilkes, who had the gift or rather the curse of the second face. Fortunately he had not seen that Snape was a spy - or had he? He sometimes was looking at him in such a strange way. Dave had, however, told him a few years ago that he had foreseen his own death; that he would be killed by Aurors. It was more than likely that it would happen soon. Pale and scared as he looked, Dave probably thought the same. Dhalan Avery was another of his earliest friends; and of course there was Lucius. If they knew that Severus had been a spy for months... Joanna drank another sip of her wine and suddenly said: "Let us make a pact; let us vow that we will never ever betray the Lord's cause; not even if they threaten us with the Dementor's kiss!" Snape hoped his friends would disagree; else this would be the second pact he would break. "I certainly won't." Lucius snarled. "I'm planning to bribe everyone who is in the position to decide about my fate. If necessary, I'm going to shag my way out of Azkaban." Joanna and Barty stared at Lucius with open disgust: "You're filth!" Barty hissed. "You've sworn to stand by our Lord until the end of times; you've signed a contract with your own blood. And now you're going to betray him at the first opportunity!" "You're disgusting, Lucius!" Joanna fell in. "He's not." Snape said. "He is just rational. And honest." Joanna smiled condescendingly: "I knew you would be on his side! You follow him around like a puppy-dog its Master! Does he put you on a leash when you're alone?" With a snarl Snape stood up, about to attack her, but Lucius and Dhalan held him back. "Joanna, you're going to far!" Lucius said sharply. "I too am grieved about what happened, but what counts now is that we survive." "Even by betraying him?" Joanna said. "He is dead, Joanna!" Lucius called, his handsome features marked by grief and despair. "We have to learn how to get along without him now!" "He will come back." Dave suddenly said. "He's DEAD, how often do I have to repeat it?" Lucius was shouting now. "He's not." Dave said, an absent look on his face. "His spirit lives on." The friends stared at Dave, new hope brightening their grief-stricken faces. Severus on the other hand felt fear in a vice-like grip strangling his chest. If he was not killed by Aurors in the next few hours, his punishment for his betrayal would one day come from the Dark Lord in person. "When will he come back?" Lucius asked. "Years from now." Dave answered. Then his face cleared and he smiled slightly embarrassed. "Can't see more, sorry." Joanna virtually beamed at him. "That's more than I ever hoped for!" Nevertheless they fell into a dark mood again. What did it help to know that Lord Voldemort would come back if they did not even know whether they would survive the following hours? Severus probably felt worse of them all. When he'd seen through the Lord's lies, he had decided to change sides, but by that he had also betrayed his friends, the only people who had ever accepted him the way he was. Funny, how the words of one Muggle song described their feelings: >>At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinkin' I could never live without you by my side<< A strong woman's voice mourned being left by her lover. They had not lost their lover, but their master; and though Severus mentally had months ago dissociated himself from the Lord, he vividly remembered the admiration he had felt for him at first; how he was caught by his charisma, set on fire by his speeches. William stood up, beckoning to Joanna: "One last dance, my love?" he asked softly. Joanna raised graciously and the couple went to the dance floor. Severus and the others gazed at each other and, in silent agreement, joined the Lestranges. The woman's voice was challenging now: >>Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lie down and die?<< Slowly getting lost in the rhythm, Severus kept a watching eye on his friend, aware that that this might be the last evening they spent together. Joanna, dancing closely with Will, was crying openly now; Barty was putting all his rage into his movements. Dave was dancing as if he knew it was the last time (which maybe he did?) Though less restricted than usual, Lucius's movements had the same aristocratic grace as always. Even Evan and Dhalan, under normal circumstances very reserved men, let all restrictions fall. They fell in singing, or rather shouting the refrain at its second repetition: >>Oh no not I, I will survive As long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive I've got all my life to live And I've got all my love to give I'll survive I will survive<< Dancing with tears in their eyes, franticly clinging to the lyrics of that song, they did not mind the odd looks the Muggles gave them. The song was nearing its end when Severus was whirled around by Lucius and caught in a tight embrace. Lucius' mouth closed on his in a fierce, desperate kiss. It was an open secret among the Death Eaters that he and Lucius shared more than just friendship, but in regard to Narcissa they had never shown their affection in public. Severus did not hear the music nor noticed the people around him while he submerged in the sensations, sucking on the tongue that was invading his mouth, tangling his fingers in Lucius' silver blonde hair, feeling Lucius' hands on his back, on his butts, grinding their groins together. He did not know whether seconds or hours passed, he only knew that he truly loved Lucius, no matter how many people Lucius had tortured and murdered. A loud voice, magically enlarged, brought him back into reality: "DO NOT PANIC! I REPEAT: DO NOT PANIC! THERE ARE CRIMINALS IN THIS CLUB; IF EVERYONE STAYS CALM AND THE CRIMINALS GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT, NO ONE NEEDS TO BE HURT!" Aurors, masked as policemen. Telling the Muggles not to panic was as futile as asking the Death Eaters to give up without a fight: The Muggles started screaming and running to the exits, stumbling across each other on the way, while the wizards ducked and drew their wands, ready to fight. Soon the first curses pattered down on them from out of the crowd. "Let's get out of here." Lucius whispered. Severus nodded his head and slowly they started to retreat. They didn't get far; someone called: "Immobilus!", they got hit by green light and were frozen to the spot. 'Shit!' was all Snape could think. All around him Muggles were running and screaming, behind him he heard fighting sounds and explosions. At least, the Immobilus was a curse Snape could fight. Concentrating all his will power, he forced his feet to move, gradually, like in slow-motion, inch for inch... However, he just managed a few steps before a white haired Auror stepped right in front of him, raising a bushy eye-brow in amazement. Snape knew this Auror from pictures: a scar- marred face, a white mane - the legendary Alastor Moody. In real life he looked even scarier than on pictures. Moody pointed his wand at him, shouting: "Fascio!" Still slowed down by the Immobilus, Snape had no chance to defeat the hex. Thin ropes shot out of Moody's wand and wrapped themselves tightly around Snape's body. Severus lost balance and fell hard to the floor. Obviously not wanting to risk that Lucius' will, too, was strong enough to fight the Immobilus, Moody used the same hex on him as on Snape. With growing desperation Severus watched Lucius collapsing on the floor not far from him. From his position Snape had a good view on the dance floor, which had turned into a battlefield. The Lestranges and Barty Crouch were ducking behind an upturned table, throwing curses at the Aurors, who, too, were hiding behind tables and chairs. Dave Wilkes and Evan Rosier had conjured a protective shield before them, but it was likely to break soon with the Aurors throwing uncountable hexes against it. Dhalan Avery was crouching behind another table, his head buried between his hands, trembling in fear. Severus could do nothing but watch when Dave's and Evan's shield shattered and his friends were thrown backwards across the floor. Some of the Aurors made the mistake to leave their hiding places; but Evan and Dave scrambled to their feed and threw the Killing Curse at the proceeding Aurors, slaying quite a few. But at the same second some of the remaining Aurors used the Avadra Kedavra on Evan and Dave. Snape screamed in rage when he saw his old time friends sinking dead to the ground. Blinking back tears, he watched Barty Crouch leaving his guard and running at the Aurors, shouting in anger. "Expelliarmus!" The Auror Snape had recognised as Alastor Moody shouted, blowing Barty backwards over the floor. "Reticula!" Moody added quickly, and a net shot out of his wand and over Barty. The raving Death Eater's fight only entangled him more and more in the web. Realising that they were the only ones who were still fighting, Joanna and William Lestrange turned more and more desperate, throwing darker and deadlier curses at their attackers. But they did not last long; first William, then Joanna were hit with a Stupefy hex, and sunk unconscious to the floor. Dhalan Avery came out of his hiding with raised hands, calling: "I'm innocent, they forced me, they put the Imperius on me!" One of the Aurors bound him with the full body bind. It was over. Severus watched the Aurors walking towards the prisoners. Alastor Moody obviously was the leader, giving instructions as to inform someone from the Ministry that an awful lot of Muggles needed to have their memories changed. Severus saw that Joanna and William were bound and that Barty was extra secured with more nets. His eyes met Lucius'; he saw utter despair in them. Severus wished nothing more than to be able to comfort his lover, but how? With growing alarm Snape watched one of the Aurors crouching down beside Lucius, with a mocking sneer passing his fingers through Lucius' blond hair. "Such a pretty one." The Auror said. "Azkaban won't be good for your beauty, you know?" Snape wanted to scream something, anything, at him, but then his head was brutally torn back at the hair. "You tried to get away, eh?" another Auror said and spat him in the face. Snape quickly closed his eyes. "The Dementors are already waiting for you, scum!" the Auror hissed. "Winterfield, O'Hara, that's enough!" a rough voice called. Snape opened his eyes and saw Alastor Moody standing above them. "They killed and tortured hundreds of ours!" one of the two Aurors replied defensively. "No reason to sink down onto their level!" Moody growled. Despite, or rather because of their stupid threats they were not half as frightening as Moody. "Get them to the portkey!" Moody ordered. *** Fifteen years had passed since the Dark Lord's fall. Snape's name had been cleared when Dumbledore had given evidence that he had been working as a spy for him, Lucius had bought himself free and Avery had claimed that he had been under the Imperius curse all the time. As for Joanna and William Lestrange... Severus could imagine that they were stark raving mad by now. As Snape knew now, Barty Crouch had been out of Azkaban and alive for quite a few years; he could hardly believe that the angry young man from back then had lived right under his nose for almost a year without him recognising him. But that did not matter now. All that mattered was that HE was back. Snape looked at the black cloak and the mask that had been hanging unused in his cupboard for years. The lines of that Muggle song they had heard in that club fifteen years ago were on his mind. "So now you're back from outer space." he quoted. He had survived the last fifteen years. The question was whether he would survive the next few hours. THE END In case you didn't recognise it, the song is Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive"