A Song for Severus ~ (Not Update, but Edit)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 39 ~ In the Lion’s Den

Draco entered the manor just as Rosier mounted the dais, holding up his hands to stop the orchestra. The music stopped and everyone gave the wizard their attention.

“Dear guests. We are now going to move to the lower floors of the manor for a bit of entertainment,” Rosier announced, gesturing to several robed and half-skull masked wizards standing by a set of large double doors.

“Is this also a costume party?” one muggle man asked a pretty blonde woman in a blue sequined ball gown.

Elizabeth smiled at him. He was quite handsome. Tall, brown-haired and blue-eyed.

“Something like that. Rosier is full of surprises,” she purred at him.

“Now,” Rosier continued, “All of our non-magical guests please step forward and follow our escorts to the lower levels.”

About thirty muggles stepped forward, looking confused but excited. The Death Eaters opened the door and walked through it, followed by the unsuspecting victims. The doors magically closed behind them.

Rosier looked toward the door, then back at the remaining guests.

“You may all don your robes now,” he announced.

All around the ballroom spells were whispered. Suits and gowns disappeared to be replaced by black robes with the Morsmordre symbol on the left breast in silver and all faces were covered in half skull masks. Rosier looked over the crowd of Death Eaters.

“Are you all ready for the night’s activities?” he asked them.

A roar of assent went up as Rosier left the dais. Only he remained in a suit.

“Then follow me, my friends,” he said loudly, throwing open the double doors and walking through. Chattering and laughing Death Eaters followed. Both Severus and Draco held back and saw each other. The Potions Master strode over to the younger wizard and caught him by the arm, pulling him aside. He lifted his mask. Draco did likewise.

“Draco, Rosier has decided to give the muggles weapons to try and defend themselves from the lions. If they manage to kill the beasts, he will let them live,” Severus said.

“What kind of weapons?” Draco asked him.

“Knives and spears. There will be three woman and two men in the pit with the creatures,” Severus said.

“Untrained muggles given knives and spears. Very gracious of Rosier. He knows they will be frightened and unable to defend themselves,” the blonde wizard said, frowning.

“Perhaps we can help them,” Severus said, “Are you willing to try?”

“Yes,” Draco responded, “What do you have in mind?”

Severus began walking toward the double doors.

”Come on. I’ll tell you on the way,” the wizard said, both of them lowering their masks.

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A long flight of stairs hidden behind a wall led deep below the manor and into a large, round, open area, the walls made of hewn stone. Above the joists of the manor was visible. Torches attached to the wall gave off a reddish light as flickering shadows danced on the rough stone. Several dark doorways were cut into the stone, leading to other areas.

The confused muggles all stood in a huddled group as the masked Death Eaters entered and surrounded them.

“What’s going on here?” a blonde haired muggle demanded, his eyes narrowed as he eyed the people surrounding them. Why were they wearing masks?

Rosier pulled out his wand.

“Crucio!” he cried, hitting the young man with the Cruciatus curse. He fell, screaming and shuddering as the horrible pain hit him, the Death Eaters cheering as the rest of the muggles looked on in horror.

Finally, Rosier released him. The muggle lay shuddering on the floor, and had pissed and defecated on himself. Rosier put his wand away.

“You are all tonight’s entertainment,” the wizard announced to the muggles, “and subject to our wills. If you cooperate, it may go easier for you…though I doubt it.”

Evil laughter went up all around them.

“I want to go home,” a red-haired woman said in a small voice, trembling. It was the one who had danced with Severus.

Rosier sneered at her.

“I hope you’ve lived a good life, muggle. The only home you’ll be going to tonight is the heavenly one, if you are fortunate,” he said darkly, pulling his wand out and pointing it at her.

“Divesto!” he breathed.

The woman’s clothing disappeared and she screamed, trying to cover her nudity as hisses and growls went up all around her.

“Oy! She’s a natural redhead!” a male voice shouted out of the crowd.

Several Death Eaters pushed forward towards her. Three muggle males crowded around her protectively, one taking off his suit jacket and draping it over the sobbing woman as best he could.

“No…not yet!” Rosier said to the advancing wizards who had drawn their wands to blast the men out of the way. They stopped, their eyes glittering.

“Bind them! All of them,” Rosier cried.

Several wands pointed at the muggles and immediately their arms were bound tightly behind their backs. They struggled uselessly, including the naked woman, her assets open for all to clearly see.

“Can’t wait to get a bit of her,” one Death Eater said to the other.

Draco and Severus arrived, pushing their way to the front of the crowd. Severus’ eyes washed over the bound muggles, and rested on the naked woman…the one he danced with. He was glad he was masked. Being considered part of this horror sickened him.

Rosier looked at the muggles, walking past them with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Her. Her. Him. Him. Her,” the wizard said, pointing to five of the muggles, “Bring them this way.”

Rosier walked through one of the carved doorways, torch light flaring up, silhouetting his form. One of the muggles he chose was the naked woman. Several Death Eaters grabbed her and fondled her, the woman screaming as they dragged her forward, fingers grasping at her breasts, thighs and ass. The other muggles who weren’t chosen had body binds put on them and fell to the ground unable to move.

The Death Eaters followed Rosier, pushing the struggling muggles before them, cuffing and cursing them as they did so. Presently, they arrived at another large, round room of hewn stone, torches in sconces on the walls. In the center of the room was a large oval pit, with a wooden door at one end. Torches ringed the pit as well, illuminating it brightly. In the pit were two spears and three long daggers.

“Bring the muggles here,” Rosier said, a look of excitement on his face.

Severus and Draco hurried to the edge of the pit, looking at the wooden door. No doubt the starved lions were behind it. The Death Eaters brought the five prisoners forward. Rosier took out his wand and one by one lifted the muggles and lowered them into the pit. He then removed the bindings.

“Hey, what’s going on, Rosier?” one of the Death Eaters called out as they surrounded the pit, looking down at the muggles.

“A contest,” the wizard said, “These five muggles will be pitted against two ravenous non-magical beasts, known as lions. They are ferocious creatures, with great fangs and claws. They are starving for meat.”

The muggles all looked up at Rosier in horror.

“You’re mad!” yelled one of the men, “Let us out of here!”

Rosier smirked down at him.

“Whether or not you get out of here alive depends on you, muggles. I have provided weapons to protect yourselves,” the wizard said.

The muggles looked at the spears and knives.

“You call these weapons?” the same man yelled up at him. “We need guns, not spears!”

”Now, now. We want to give the lions a sporting chance. However, if you manage to kill the beasts, the survivors will be obliviated, healed and allowed to leave this place intact.”

A murmur went up from the crowd.

“Aw, Rosier, why’d you have to put the redhead in there?” a voice chimed out from the crowd. “I wanted a go at her!”

”There are plenty other women to rape,” Rosier said, “Now I am covering bets as to who will win this confrontation. It pays better if you include how many will survive. Cross betting is allowed. I will give you several minutes to place your bets before the fun begins.

“You’re an animal!” a brunette muggle screamed up at Rosier.

He looked down at her disdainfully.

“I assure you, Madam, you will meet the ‘animals’ in a few minutes,” he replied.

Severus and Draco watched as the muggles gathered up the weapons…the men taking the spears and the women taking the daggers, holding them gingerly. They were all scared to death.

“Think we can pull this off?” a masked Draco asked the Potions Master.

“Perhaps…but someone will have to be sacrificed,” Severus replied darkly, “Everyone has to be distracted. I’m afraid only a death will distract them enough. Go place a bet on the lions. A large one.”

“What?” Draco said incredulously.

“Go place a bet. You won’t be suspected of interfering that way if what we do is found out,” the wizard said.

“But what about you?” Draco said to him, frowning. He did have money, but he didn’t like throwing it away.

“Gambling is a nasty habit,” the Potions Master replied blithely, “Now go place the bet.”

Severus folded his arms as a sign he wasn’t going to discuss the matter any further. Scowling, Draco disappeared into the clamoring crowd to place his losing bet.

In the pit the muggles talked among themselves.

“I’m going to piss myself the minute those lions walk in here,” one muggle man said as the women shivered.

The redhead’s nakedness wasn’t an issue now. Their lives were.

“Well, I suggest we stay in a small group and back up against the wall, with me and you holding the lions off with our spears. We might get lucky and stick one hard enough to do some damage,” the other man said.

“We’re going to die,” one of the woman said, her voice shrilly, “we can’t beat lions.”

”Shut up!” the first muggle said, “We’ve got to try. If we can kill them, we’ll get out of this. If we get them down, damn it…you all better start sticking them with those knives! I mean it!”

The women all nodded, tears running from their eyes. All five looked up at the robed witches and wizards placing bets on who would win. From the sound of it, it seemed everyone was going for the lions.

“I’ll never play the derby again,” one of the men muttered.

Draco walked up to Rosier.

“Two hundred galleons on the lions,” Draco said as Rosier wrote it down with a quill.

“Only one and one half to one odds on that, Draco. Care to wager on who dies first?” Rosier asked him, “More money that way.”

“No,” Draco said sullenly.

“All right then, “ Rosier said, turning as another wizard walked up to him.

Draco returned to Severus’ side, looking down at the muggles, who had back up to the far wall, the women behind the men, who had their spears pointed at the door at the other end of the pit, determination on their faces. They didn’t plan to die easily.

Presently the betting was completed and the Death Eaters once again surrounded the pit, looking expectantly at Rosier, then the muggles. Rosier pulled his wand.

“Let the entertainment begin,” the wizard said, pointing his wand at the door. It flung open wide, a yawning blackness within. Nothing happened.

“Well, where are they?” a voice rang out in the crowd.

The moment it did, a terrifying roar sounded from within the darkness, then another. Suddenly a male lion ran into the pit, followed by a snarling female. Their ribs could be clearly seen. They must not have been fed for a couple of weeks at least. The beasts eyed the muggles cowering at the other end of the pit, and began walking toward them, snarling, their jowls dripping with saliva.

The Death Eaters were cheering the beasts on.

“Go get ‘em kitties!”

”Fresh meat!”

The lions separated and approached the muggles from either side, slinking, stalking, moving in for the kill. The two men jabbed their spears at the beasts while the women were silent, shaking with fear and terror…too frightened to scream.

The male charged first, pulling up short as both men struck at it with the spears, the lion swiping at the pointed weapons with his claws. As both men battled with the male lion, their position changed slightly as they stood side by side, leaving the redhead unprotected.

Suddenly the lioness charged at her, grasping the woman by her dagger arm and dragging her screaming from the group.

“Oh my gods!” the other women screamed as the Death Eaters went wild, the female lion engulfing the woman’s head with its mouth and biting down, her huge teeth piercing her skull.

The other lion broke away from fighting the men and ran over, grasping the dead woman by her leg and pulling shaking her body viciously until a limb was torn off, blood flowing everywhere.

The Death Eaters cheered as Severus looked on, his dark eyes somber. She had been so full of life on the dance floor. What a waste of life. Draco stared at the horror going on in the pit, unable to turn his gray eyes away.

The lions began to feast, ripping and tearing hunks of flesh from the body, entrails pouring out as they ate, snarling at each other, mouths and chests covered in crimson.

The other muggles were pale and one woman threw up.

Suddenly, the two men broke away from the women, their eyes wide as they approached the feeding lions, whose backs were turned toward them, raising their spears and moving quickly. The looks on their faces were fearful, despite how courageous they were acting.

The Death Eaters started yelling at the lions, telling them to turn around…but the beasts paid no attention. They couldn’t understand human after all, and even if they could…they were so hungry they probably wouldn’t have responded anyway.

Both men suddenly charged, driving their spears into the unsuspecting lions’ sides, the beasts leaping up and roaring, scrambling away, the men pursuing them, stabbing viciously, the lions stumbling as blood poured from their wounds.

They tried to claw the men but they were weak from starvation and pain-wracked…the muggles plunging the spears into the dying creatures over and over, shock on their faces as they continued stabbing until the beasts fell still. And still they punctured the beasts, sweat rolling off them. Finally, they stopped…their suits splattered with blood, their chests rising and falling from their exertion. The lions lay still, bloody mouths open, their tongues lolling out in death.

The crowd of Death Eaters fell silent. The muggles had killed the lions with just spears. It was amazing and totally unexpected.

The two women still against the far wall collapsed on the floor, their arms wrapped around each other, sobbing with relief as the muggle men wiped the sweat from their brow and looked at the torn remains of the redhead. Then they looked up at the silent wizards.

“We won. Now get us the fuck out of here!” one of them called up to Rosier, whose face was black with rage. He would like to kill the smug bastard, but he had given his word they would go free.

Cursing to himself, Rosier levitated each muggle out of the pit, obliviating them as he did so. They stood there dazed as he scourgified them.

“Someone take this trash out of here,” he snarled bad-temperedly.

“I’ll do it,” Draco said, walking forward, “I can’t do the revel anyway…because…you know.”

Rosier nodded and all the Death Eaters began to mutter, suggesting it was a fix because they all lost their money. But they knew it wasn’t because of the contorted look on Rosier’s face. His entertainment hadn’t been what he wanted it to be.

Pumbleberry trundled up to him, swaying slightly.

“Next time get weaker muggles, Rosier or stronger lions,” he said chuckling, his face red.

“Go fuck yourself, Pumbleberry,” Rosier hissed, wanting to punch the fat pervert in his face.

“Temper, temper, Rosier,” the wizard said, pulling on his mustache and grinning broadly.

Draco herded the muggles back up the corridor, Severus watching him soberly. They had managed to save four victims tonight. It was a record.

He believed this was the first time the Imperious curse had ever been used for good.

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A/N: At last a chapter! Yay for me...and yay for Draco and Severus! Four lives saved. They did well. Thanks for reading.