Ron and Hermione immediately rushed to Harry's trunk. Why they hadn't thought of it sooner, Hermione couldn't understand. They pawed through Harry's possessions - meager though they were - and found the Marauder's Map quickly enough. They unfolded it and began to search for any sign of a dot labeled "Harry Potter."

"There! There it is!" Ron sighed in obvious relief.

There was his name, certainly, but with an arrow that pointed off the map, towards where the Shrieking Shack would be, should it have been included on there. Four other names also appeared with Harry's.

Draco Malfoy.

Severus Snape.

Lucius Malfoy.

Alistair Moody.

"Wait," Ron said slowly. "Isn't Malfoy supposed to be in Azkaban? Malfoy Sr., I mean?"

"Yes," Hermione agreed, clearly puzzled, "but it would seem his isn't."

"Well, let's go get Harry and the ferret out of whatever situation they're in," Ron sighed.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished him. "They're with teachers."

"A teacher," Ron corrected her. "And need I remind you that Harry's been beside himself this year because of something? It's got to be this! I told you Snape was in on it."

"Ron, Draco wasn't lying when he said Snape had nothing to do with it," Hermione sighed. "He was panicked and he wasn't capable of lying in that state. Snape isn't behind it. Snape has only been saving Harry for the past five and a half years. I don't think he'd want his hard work to go to waste."

"Hmph," Ron replied.

"We should take this to Professor McGonagall," Hermione stated, grabbing the map. "She'll know what to do." She rushed out of the dormitory.

"Fine, fine!" Ron said, sighing and following her.

"What is this I'm looking at?" McGonagall asked.

Ron, Hermione and McGonagall were leaning over her desk looking at the map. Ron pointed to the far corner where the list of names, Harry's being one of them, were.

"We think Harry's in the Shrieking Shack," Ron said. Hermione nodded to agree. McGonagall looked at both of her students and then back down at the map.

"Mr. Weasley," she drawled. "Please do not waist my time with your little trinkets."

"But Professor," Hermione gasped out.

"This is clearly one of the twins' products," McGonagall dismissed, started folding the map back up. "Now would you two be so kind as to not bother me with jokes and trinkets that mean absolutely nothing to me. Good day."

"Alright," Moody said. He walked up to them on the floor. "Rule number one: You do not say no to me."

Moody looked at Draco. Fear was in the boy's eyes. He really didn't want to feel that pain again.

"Rule number two: You will cast Unforgivables on each other."

Draco and Severus looked at each other. Harry had his eyes closed, still leaning against Severus' chest. Severus still had he arms protectively wrapped around Harry's chest. Severus held Harry closer, if that were possible, fury burning in his eyes as he glared at Moody.

"Rule number three," Moody said, standing next to Severus and Harry. With a swift swing of his metal leg, he kicked both Severus and Harry. Harry cried out, but Severus did not make a sound, just gritted his teeth. He wrapped one arm around Harry's head, guarding against an attack directly to the boy's skull.

"Stop coddling them," Moody said to Severus. "Let him go."

"And what if I don't?" Severus snapped back. "I'm not your pawn!"

"Professor," Draco hissed, placing his hand on Severus' shoulder. "Stop being stupid."

"Detention, Draco!" Severus hissed back at him. Draco smiled gratefully, understanding the veiled words of comfort; Snape was still planning to get out of there alive.

Moody tilted his head to the side. With a wave of his wand, both Harry and Draco were screaming in pain. Draco fell forward.

Severus, still holding on to Harry, reached out with is other hand caught him, and pulled Draco towards him. He now had both children, writhing in pain, in his arms trying to give them some kind of comfort.

"Let them go!" Severus begged, one boy in each arm. "It wasn't their defiance! Or are you simply afraid of bullying an equal?" Severus sneering by the end, trying to goad Moody into forgetting Draco and Harry.

Moody let a evil smile come across his lips and there was anther wave of his wand.

If Severus thought that the boys' screams were loud, he was greatly mistaken. The screams and wailing that came from Draco and Harry totally surpassed the cries that they were doing before. Severus just held both boys tightly.

"Stop it!" Severus screamed. There was only so much pain a human could take, and he was well aware that both Harry and Draco had been cowed into submission. There wasn't much more either boy could take. He, on the other hand, had a higher, untaxed pain threshold. "Stop it! Fine, I'm sorry! What do you want from me? Leave the boys alone!"

As if to emphasize his point, Severus broke his contact with Harry and Draco. He rose and stepped out from behind them.

"There," he said calmly, raising his hands, palms outwards. "I am not comforting them." He winced as Draco screamed.

"Finally, Snape," Moody sneered. "You finally realized that you do not control things here." Moody waved his wand and the screaming stopped. "I am."

Once the boys screams turned to whimpering, Severus wanted to check on them, but Moody had other plans.

"If you so much as touch them," Moody ominously said. "I'll grant both their wishes."

Severus' eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't kill Potter," he sneered, but he didn't make a move towards them. Draco grabbed his temples and moaned, then blindly reached a sympathetic, if shaking, hand to Harry.

"Yet you don't want to test this theory," Moody smirked. Severus glowered at him.

"What do you want, Moody?" Severus challenged. "I'm ready to give you anything. Anything!" Then he added, under his breath, "Even if you are psychotic." He risked another glance towards Draco and Harry, who watched them with gaping expressions.

Moody walked up to Severus till they were almost nose to nose.

"Do you really think this is about you?" Moody asked. "You are nothing but a speck in the design. A way to get the chosen one to his next step in development. This is not about you."

Severus trying to school his features on his face, couldn't let pass the mild shock after listening to Moody talk. He then turned and looked at Harry, who had his head down.

"Not about me?" Severus asked calmly, though his quiet tone only stood to mask the fury that boiled inside him. "It would seem that threatening my life, and those of my students, is intensely about me. And so that you have been fairly warned, if Dumbledore doesn't stop you from killing any or all of us, then let me remind you that the Dark Lord will not rest if you harm any of us. He has Draco and Harry marked as his own, and he would not take kindly to my death either. If you do irreparable damage, you will have a manic Dark Lord hunting you and you specifically. Not even you can escape him.

"Now for pity's sake," Severus continued, now sounding like he was speaking to a particularly trying student, "take whatever sick pleasure you get from torture out on me." He stepped close to Moody and lowered his voice. "Or are you too afraid of me to take me on? Even when I'm unarmed? I'm a dangerous man, and you know it. Coward."

Moody looked at Severus for a while. Both men looked at each other seeing what the other was going to do. Then Moody turned to Harry.

"Harry," Moody called out. "Why don't you demonstrate the basin of water?"

If Harry wasn't deathly pale before, he was now. He looked at Draco and Severus with pure unadulterated fear in his eyes. Tears began to pool up in his eyes as he began to shake.

"Please, no," Harry begged. "Not the water. I'll do anything." His voice was almost a whisper.

"ANYTHING!" roared Moody. He rushed over to Harry gripped his arms and stood him up. "Anything." Moody spat in Harry's face. "I've told you to curse these two Death Eaters and you begged and pleaded not to. Now that I have your old teaching tool, now you want to do it."

Harry was shaking in Moody's hands. He didn't want to curse his friend or his professor, but he didn't want to feel the sting of that basin either. For a moment, indecision flickered on Harry's face.

"Harry," a smooth voice from behind Moody came through. "Just cast it. It will be alright."

Moody let go of Harry, turned towards Severus and with a wave of his wand Severus' collar activated.

Severus sank to his knees and a strangled scream escaped his lips. His hands groped at his throat, trying in vain to remove the collar. The pain was unbearable, worse than any torture at the hands of the Dark Lord. What was Albus thinking, letting Potter be exposed to this? Severus screwed his eyes shut against the involuntary tears that were beginning to rise up. Another half-scream.

"Holding up better than I would have expected," Moody commented lazily as Harry and Draco watched in horror. Both knew what Severus was suffering, but felt helpless to offer any comfort. If they had tried, Draco thought, they wouldn't have to wait for Moody to kill them. Severus would have seen to that for such an unseemly display of emotions.

Moody stepped close to Severus and grabbed him by the roots of his long, black hair. Severus didn't react, too concentrated on his personal agony to notice a human touch. Moody dragged Severus after him, as he stepped towards the water basin. Severus fell and made a half-hearted attempt to follow, though through his pain, his ability was severely limited.

"Well, now it's time for the rules." Moody dragged Severus after him, as he stepped to the water basin. "Rule number four. You are not in control." Moody put emphases on each word. Without warning, Moody shoved Severus' head into the water basin. Severus could feel the water around him, and was immediately aware of the dire consequences. If he screamed, or panted, or in any way expressed his discomfort, he would release what little air was left in his lungs. He would unable to breathe in more air. He was being forced to control himself or drown. Neither thought was pleasant, as he had been gasping for air only a few moments before. Severus shuddered in the attempt to hold his breath past all the pain.

He began to breathe anyway. He couldn't hold his breath any longer. Moody pulled him out of the water and released the spell.

"Rule number five," This he looked directly at Severus. "You have no say on what I do and to whom I do it to. You. Are. Not. Important. You are nothing." Severus sat down hard and coughed the little water he had breathed out of his lungs. Nervously, he glanced at Harry and Draco.