"Poor Severus, poor sweet Severus," Bellatrix exclaimed in her singsong voice as they walked towards the trees. Her hand was still grabbing his outer robes and dragging him.

Biding his time carefully, Snape allowed her. It wasn't as if he wanted to go anywhere with that crazy witch. However, he knew if he cursed Bellatrix right then in front of the Dark Lord, it wouldn't be his wisest move ever. So being the patient Slytherin he was, he waited.

A sharp wolf whistle from the trees caught his attention, though. Snape's eyes darted towards where he heard it. He knew Bella heard it too because she visibly stiffened and released him. A bright white light then appeared, which meant only one thing, the Order had arrived. He nearly groaned when he noticed the all-too familiar frizzy dark-haired witch who apparated in front of Bellatrix and him.

"Hey, Bella," Aurora Sinistra replied before she threw a punch towards Bellatrix. Offhandedly, she flicked her hand towards Snape. She didn't check to see if her spell hit him or not, but she did hear a soft groan. However, her attention snapped back to Bellatrix within seconds.

"AVADA—" Bellatrix screamed as soon as she hit the ground.

"Flipendo," Sinistra yelled back. It caught Bellatrix off guard and threw her a good five feet. "Want to try again?" She watched the witch's eyes darken. "You may have got an 'O' in Dark Arts, Bella, but I got an 'O' in Defense." She threw up a quick Protego when she saw the red jet of light heading towards her. "Oh, that's just pitiful, Bella. My third-years can cast better spells than that."

Snape glared at Sinistra as he tried to wiggle himself out of the damn ropes she casted on him. He couldn't believe the nerve and arrogance of that witch. She taught Astronomy for Merlin's sake. While he would admit that she did seem to be holding her own against Bellatrix so far, he couldn't help but wonder how long that sheer blind luck would last. He had first tried his magic to cut the ropes, but Sinistra somehow had managed to make it so that didn't work. Suddenly, the ropes loosened, which gave him enough slack to yank the horrid thing off him. However, his head immediately whipped to the two frizzy haired witches locked in a duel to the death when he heard his spell. He couldn't tell which one casted and which one got it as they both fell to the ground in the mud. Neither witch moved.

Snape scrambled to his feet towards them. He slipped at least a dozen times in the mud before he finally reached the two witches. He cast a quick Lumos to see which one the spell hit. His eyes uncharacteristically widened when he realized both witches had casted the spell at the same time. In the mud and darkness, both witches looked alike so he didn't know which one was Sinistra.

"Who's known for the heliocentric system?" Snape shouted. Only Sinistra would know that, and he knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from answering.

"Copern—" a weak voice to Snape's right rasped.

Snape immediately picked the witch up and started to recite his counter curse. He concentrated all of his magic on healing her. A few seconds later, he heard her soft coughing.

"That was very foolish of you, Sinistra," Snape harshly hissed.

"I…I still won, Severus."

"Only because it's my bloody spell and I know the bloody counter curse," Snape bellowed. He then reached a hand towards Bellatrix and calmly pressed his forefingers to her carotid artery. There was no pulse. He sighed heavily before he slowly got to his feet. "Why was the Order here?"

"Dumbledore," Sinistra started to say before groaning. "He learned that Bellatrix escaped and thought you might be in trouble. Ministry's not reporting her release, though."

"Of course," Snape drawled. He then glanced down towards the pale witch who tried and failed to get up on her feet. He sighed heavily before he offered her a hand. He silently pulled her up and groaned loudly when she stumbled into him. There went his idea of not getting any more mud on his robes. "I take it your sidekick isn't here tonight?" His hands didn't move from her back as he held her.

"If you're referring to Tonks, she's here. I think her and Moody are up ahead with the rest of the Order. I saw you with your little girlfriend there and thought I should save you."

"How nice of you, Sinistra," Snape replied before glancing to the clearing. The raid was over. He wondered if the Dark Lord caught any of this before fleeing, but he guessed not. He then turned back and caught her dark eyes on him. Her muddy hand reached up and gently touched his cheek before apparating away. The mud was dry already. "Damn you, Aurora," he muttered before he too apparated.