The shadows of the trees stretched long across the ground. A little girl stood timidly in the oak's shade, her fingers clutching tightly at the wicker handle of a flower basket.
She looked about seven or eight years old, dressed in a linen dress so washed-out it had turned pale white, and her bare feet were speckled with mud.
Beside her stood a dull-eyed, filthy man. His skin had a sickly greyish pallor, his arms hung lifelessly at his sides, and he seemed utterly devoid of spirit.
"It's late already, sir," the old woman said when she noticed Snape's arrival. Her cloudy eyes brightened and an exaggerated smile stretched across her wrinkled face, exposing the three blackened yellow teeth that remained. "Are you lost? Do you need help?"
"Thank you for your kindness, but that won't be necessary." Snape's fingers drifted subtly toward the wand hidden in his sleeve. "I'm merely... passing through."
"Oh, look at your face, so pale, poor child, you must be starving." The old woman stepped forward before he could protest. "Why don't you come home with us for supper? My granddaughter just picked some fresh mushrooms. And we can show you the way while you eat."
The little girl shrank back, apparently shy, hiding behind the old woman, though she couldn't resist peeking out at the stranger from behind her.
Snape noticed the dull-eyed man take two slow, unconscious steps in the girl's direction.
"How... touching, such hospitality," Snape said slowly, his fingers tightening on his wand.
"Stupefy!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The two spells burst across the twilight almost simultaneously.
Snape rolled hard to the side. The green light grazed his shoulder and struck the tree behind him, burning a blackened hole in the bark.
His hastily cast Stunning Spell veered wildly off-course, missing even the hem of the old woman's robe.
Worse still, the wand in his hand gave an unnatural shudder. The ancient wand he had found in the cave was clearly near its limit.
"Young people these days!" the old woman screeched, her voice suddenly rising to a piercing, shrill tone. "No respect for their elders!"
Her bony fingers moved with shocking agility. A flurry of curses shot from the tip of her wand.
Under the storm of spells, Snape was forced to twist and dive clumsily for cover. His robes tore open in several places where branches caught the fabric.
"Where's Nagini..." he thought irritably. "Why isn't she showing up now of all times..."
The little girl seemed frozen in terror, standing motionless where she was. The dull-eyed man beside her remained the same, completely vacant.
"Grandmother, look out!"
In an instant, the frail-looking little girl exploded with unexpected strength, shoving the old woman with all her might.
The witch screamed, pitching forward face-first into the mud. Her last few teeth flew out as her wand spun away into the undergrowth.
Snape didn't waste the fleeting chance. He lunged like a leopard toward the wand. Just in time, his fingertips brushed the polished wood.
When the old woman managed to push herself halfway up, she saw Snape standing before her, her wand now in his hand.
"Goodbye, grandmother," Snape said, baring his teeth in a grim smile.
A flash of red light burst from the newly acquired wand.
The old woman was lifted off her feet, flung backward like a kite, and slammed into the trunk of an oak tree before crumpling to the ground.
"Thank you, sir!" The little girl's face lit up with relief and surprise. Big tears rolled down her cheeks, carving two pale tracks through the grime. "That old witch killed my mother and brought me here, she did horrible experiments on me..."
She trembled as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a forearm covered in dense, irregular scars.
Then she pointed at the dull man, sobbing. "That's my father! She turned him into that!"
Snape's expression shifted subtly. He lowered his wand and softened his voice. "Thank you, little one. Don't be afraid, you're safe now."
The moment the girl's shoulders relaxed, he raised his arm again. "Incarcerous!"
A thick rope materialized, wrapping tightly around the girl and pinning her arms to her sides.
Her tears froze mid-fall, replaced by a look of utter shock.
"Always stay vigilant," Snape said gruffly. "I'm sorry, but I have to make sure it's safe first."
He flicked his wand twice more, binding the unconscious old witch and the dazed man.
The old woman's wand spun deftly in his grip. It wasn't as perfectly suited as his own had been, but it was far better than the battered relic from the cave.
He tapped the witch's chest lightly. "Rennervate!"
"Well then, grandmother," Snape said, crouching beside her with a calm tone, "what are you and your lovely granddaughter doing here? Care to tell me how to get out of this forest?"
"Oh my, my, handsome young man, must you be so rough?" The old witch opened her murky eyes and, seeing herself tightly bound, gave an unexpected chuckle. "Let me go, dearie, and I'll lead you right out of the forest..."
"Do you take me for a three-year-old troll?" Snape said coolly. His wand lowered until it pointed directly at her forehead. "All right then, let's make this interesting. Perhaps the Cruciatus Curse will loosen your tongue."
He drew in a breath and began, "Cruc-"
The old woman suddenly let out a shriek like the cry of an infant.
"Watch out!"
Before Snape could finish the incantation, the little girl's scream tore through the air behind him. The next instant, there was a sharp crack, the rope snapped, and a bestial roar followed.
Snape barely managed to half-turn before a massive force slammed into him, hurling him through the air.
He crashed through several branches before landing heavily in a tangle of bushes.
When he staggered back to his feet, he saw that the dull-eyed man's face had elongated into a snout. Grey-black fur spread rapidly over his skin, his fingers curled into claws.
Within seconds, a full-grown werewolf was standing upright on its hind legs in the clearing, drool dripping from its fangs.
"You're not nearly vigilant enough," the old witch hummed in a strange, sing-song tone.
At her command, the werewolf carefully sliced through the ropes binding her with one of its claws.
Just then, a familiar rustling came from the thicket.
The old witch spun around, shouting, "Who's there-"
A huge black shape burst out of the forest, slamming into the werewolf from the side.
Nagini's massive body coiled around the beast, the rasp of scales against fur setting Snape's teeth on edge.
Her fangs sank into its shoulder, and the werewolf howled in pain, its claws scraping against her scales, throwing off sparks.
Snape seized the moment, grabbed his wand, and shouted, "Crucio!"
The old witch screamed, writhing in agony.
The curse threw her to the ground. She tried to rise but could only flop and twist helplessly like a fish out of water.