Chapter 40

Snape was never sure how long he sat in that jail cell. It could've been hours… or days. All sense of time and space seemed to have deserted him. It was only emptiness… and the dementor's occasional passing which included sucking and rattling coupled with the unmistakable sensation of all of the happiness in the building being unceremoniously sucked out. Every now and again he heard a loud shriek of agony or the senseless babble of the other prisoners who were slowly losing their minds and all sense of self.

There was nothing more in the cell than a toilet and simple bed. A wooden frame and a mat covering it. He sat on the bed with the heels of his hands digging into his eye sockets. He tried not to let his surroundings take him over. Lucky for Snape that he'd had a lot of practice in disassociating himself with things going on around him and closing his mind from unwelcome thoughts and intrusions.

His mind kept stubbornly drifting back to Lexie. He wondered if she was alright… if she was alive. But there was no way of knowing. Azkaban was surrounded with so many protective spells that it was impossible to gain access to her thoughts. Of course, it was entirely possible that she wasn't having any thoughts at all.

All of the time that they'd spent together wanted desperately to push itself to the front of his mind, as some sort of defense mechanism for worry. But he pushed it out of thought for fear that the dementors would feed on them.

When Sophie Storms had caught him with Lexie in his arms during a Death Eaters vs. Aurors battle, she'd seen red. She ordered Snape to put her on the ground, then had Shackleboltescort him to Azkaban while she personally rushed Lexie to St. Mungo's hospital right away.

He was thankful that no one had really been around to see that particular sight; Snape, the one Dumbledore had vouched for, the villain redeemed, Dumbledore's brave spy, who'd turned against his former allies to pass information to the other side; in cuffs and shackles. He could only remember a few occasions on which he'd been quite so embarrassed and humiliated.

Shacklebolt hadn't listened to his one attempt at escaping the dreaded wizard prison. He was completely silent the entire journey and didn't seem to care that Snape had been vouched for by Dumbledore. He had stayed long enough to see to it that Snape was thrown, unceremoniously into the most rundown cell that was currently available before he'd set of to check on Lexie at St. Mungo's.

"Well, well, well…" said Sophie Storms, who was looking through the rusted, yet sturdy bars of the cell at Snape.

"Severus Snape… exactly where he belongs." She tisked, letting herself inside and standing in front of him, with a distinct aura of triumph surrounding her.

Snape was still sitting on the long, low bed with his forearms resting on his thighs. Sophie, looking regal and important (exactly the opposite of Snape at the present time), stood, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet with her hands clasped in a businesslike way, behind her back.

"Is she alive?" Snape asked in a monotonic voice.

"I must say…" Sophie began, disregarding his question. "The décor suits your personality to a T." she said as she paced around the tiny cubicle.

"You should feel right at home here!" Sophie finished, coming to a halt in front of Snape again.

Snape's eyes bored into hers for some time before she spoke again.

"You know… it's a shame that you had to find out about Lexie from Malfoy. I'd so hoped that I'd be the one who had the pleasure of telling you that you'd been played by a fool." Sophie's lips pressed together, suppressing a smug smile.

"Tell me… what was it about Lexie that turned you into such a sap? Was it her looks? Her pretty face? Her quiet strength? The fact that you thought she was a teenager who actually had an interest in you beyond your mind-numbingly dull Potions lessons? Was it that sexy little school uniform? Lack of female attention? Or was it just that your mother never hugged you enough?"

Snape looked murderous, but made no reply.

"Well… whatever it was… you were certainly putty in her hands… weren't you?" Sophie wondered aloud.

Sophie paced back to the bars and turned her back on Snape.

One of the prisoners from a nearby cell shrieked in horror, or agony as a dementor swept silently past.

"You know… no one else wanted this happy errand that I'm here on today. I only took it as a favor to Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?" Snape asked, puzzled and finally speaking.

"I'm afraid he wasn't very happy when he got the news that we'd arrested his Potionsmaster on fraudulent charges. Damn old man seems to always get wind of everything we're doing, even if we're careful not to let it leak out."

"What do you mean… fraudulent?" Snape pressed, standing up. "You were there… You were the one that took me into custody. You ordered Shacklebolt to bring me to this bloody place. What has changed that now makes me innocent? Pray tell?"

Sophie didn't answer right away.

"Someone has vouched for you Snape. Adamantly proclaimed your innocence." Sophie said, turning around to face him and looking regretful.

"Dumbledore?" he asked, feeling as though it was the only logical answer.

Sophie surveyed him. He looked like the walking dead.

"Alexandra Bane." Sophie told him.

Snape stared at her incredulously.

"Is she alive?" he asked for the second time. He waited with baited breath.

Sophie drew a deep breath and tried to keep her face emotionless. She swallowed before saying, "I'm sorry…"

The bottom of Snape's stomach dropped out.

"They pronounced her dead about two hours ago at St. Mungo's." Sophie said solemnly.

Snape collapsed into a sitting position on the bed again. He knew her injuries were serious, but never had he actually considered the possibility that she wouldn't survive them… that there, in that forest clearing… would be the last time that he saw her face.

"The Medi-wizards did all they could… but… her injuries were just too extensive. She bled out shortly after she was admitted." Sophie sniffled a bit.

There was a heavy silence between them in which Snape wasn't being snarky and Sophie wasn't gloating.

"But she did insist… that… you were 'good'. She said she knew you were on our side. She made me swear that you wouldn't rot in here… that you'd go free." Sophie told him. "And that's a promise that I intend to keep."

"This is my fault…" Snape muttered after a long pause. "I should have protected her…"

Sophie heard him… though she wasn't sure she was meant to. "You almost say that like you love her." Sophie said curiously.

Snape scowled at her. "Am I free to go?"

"Yes." Sophie said opening the door and stepping aside.

Snape brushed past her. He swished silently down the corridor, oblivious to the moaning and chattering of the other prisoners, completely ignorant of the dementors who were rasping and sucking more than ever as they opened the main gate for him.

He stepped out into the salty sear and gazed out over the water… a free man… again.

He knew that Sophie Storms had been trying to read his mind when she'd asked him that last question. But he also knew that she'd failed. No one could see his thoughts or read his true emotions, not when he wanted to stop them.

Though, no sooner than had he thought this… than did the weather seem to contradict him. It was as though the Heavens were reading his most candid thoughts… for with a low rumble of thunder, the sky opened up and it began to rain.

:The End:

A/N: OK, I know I've opened myself up to a WHOLE BUNCH of frustrated readers here… and, for that I am TRULY sorry! I hadn't planned on letting it end like this… it was just where it took me. Anyway – I want to thank all of my fantastic reviewers! You guys have been GREAT! The few of you who religiously sent me reviews, "You-Know-Who" you are! You guys have stuck with me through 40 chapters and… wow… over a year! I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the motivation to finish this… as I've said so many times before – I've NEVER… EVER… finished any story I've ever started to write! This is TRULY an accomplishment for me! I feel like my writing's come a long way since I started this… ages ago! I learned a lot from my reviewers! So thank you, AGAIN for all of your help and suggestions and dedication!...

Also… I've been considering the possibility of a sequel… with a wicked twist somewhere in the first 5 chapters… something that will shock anyone who's read THIS story! And, the greatest part is… (I SO feel like JKR right now! Lol) I haven't told ANYONE this ending, or what I plan for the next story! (should there be one!) I used to bounce ideas off of my co-workers or my roommate college – but I haven't done that this time around! I'm the ONLY ONE that knows how your jaws will all hit the floor during this potential sequel…

Anyway! Thanks again to all who reviewed! Getting your reviews was something I REALLY looked forward to! It gave me satisfaction as a writer and helped me realize that I'm not a COMPLETE failure! So put me on your author alert list so you can check out the newest installment as soon as it gets underway!

Cheers!

Kenz