"Among us kneels a traitor."
Panicked murmurs moved among the circle. From beneath their dark masks, eyes flickered – blue, grey, green, red, black, brown. The graveyard held an already unsettling chill; thick mist had enveloped their bent knees, swirling between the large gaps between some of them – those who had been too afraid to return.
"A slippery fiend. One whose loyalties I questioned briefly before my downfall-" a murmur of disgust and contempt passed around the circle. "- but they were the one who delivered all the key information to me. Without their cunning ways, I would never have known of the Potters and their sons capabilities."
The circle tensed. Slight shifting and rustling could be heard as knees adjusted into the wet, mucky grass. If one listened close enough, dry swallows could be heard and the nervous flicker of eyes as each one tried to make eye contact in some silent plead to hand themselves over, whoever they were.
"Stand, traitor! Show yourself." The Dark Lord lifted his wand, sweeping it in a rigid circle until it came to rest on one body.
"My Lord," a deep whisper came from the hunched figure. All eyes flickered forward. They did not know who hid beneath the mask; it's heavy duty wear muffled their voices. Whoever they were shuffled forward, head bowed and hands bared in a pleading fashion. "My Lord, I beg of you to reveal where this knowledge has come from."
"Do you mock my judgement?"
"Never my Lord."
The Dark Lord leered; he brought his wand to his chest; long, thin and ghostly grey fingers caressed it's length while his tongue poked between angular teeth. "Stand, traitor," he hissed, "Do not tempt me further."
The Traitor stood, his knees wobbled slightly, though his composure remained stiff. His eyes flickered throughout the circle. He dared not meet their gaze; he could sense the sickening excitement in the atmosphere, the very same he had felt in his youth right before a killing.
"Crucio!"
It was a forgotten pain; one the Traitor had banished from memory and hoped he would never have to relive. Yet there it was, a pain so intense he almost forgot his surroundings. Sharp, hot, piercing. The inferno swept through his body, flowed through his veins and pierced every inch of his skin.
His knees buckled, bringing him to the floor. His mouth hung open in a silent scream; one he knew that if he were to release it, would bring laughter, encouragement and further torture. The pain seized for a moment, but he continued to spasm on the floor, still hunched over in that begging fashion he loathed.
"Rise once more, traitor. I will give you this moment to stand and face death." His muscles twitched uncontrollably against his aching skin and he struggled to move. He had forgotten the effects of the cruciatus curse; forgotten the pain, humiliation and the lasting burn.
"Or not," The Dark Lord spat. "Crucio!"
It was unforgiving, unrelenting and carried on until he succumbed to the pain, with one crippling roar of agony. It echoed among the graves, hitting the tombstones and rattling leaves from their branches. Laughter erupted among the circle, some cheered and begged for "More, my Lord. More!" They were silenced with glares and sometimes a taste of crucio for a second or more, before they scuttled back into the fold.
"My Lord, I beg of you." The Traitors voice was feeble, his breathing rattled and a slither of blood made it's way from under the mask and across his robes. "I am as honest and true as the day I took your mark, my Lord. I remained hidden to protect my identity and to fool Dumbledore. Had I left his side immediately, he would have been suspicious and threatened your greater plan, my Lord."
"All these years," he continued, shuffling forward on burning knees to bring his lips to the hem of The Dark Lords robe. "All these years I never gave up hope. I remained in my position at Hogwarts, my Lord. I have gained Dumbledore's trust. He believes me to be wholeheartedly on his side and he confides in me his deepest thoughts."
"Do not try to soften me, Severus." The Dark Lord lowered his wand. "You have made a grave mistake in not seeking me out. All of you!" He turned, extending his wand to each bowed head. "You have all coward behind your names for years, hiding among your riches and status, believing me gone for good!"
"You have all betrayed me!" he roared; a flash of red light erupted from his wand, hitting the nearest figure and sent him writhing into painful screams.
One after the other they fell to the floor, twitching and shaking until they echoed Severus Snape's screams; only then did The Dark Lord lift the curse. He turned to Severus's hunched figure, still on his knees, head bowed and breathing now even.
"Look at me," he hissed, bringing his hand to tilt Severus' head. "You have made mistakes, my friend. You chose to hide comfortably beneath Dumbledore's protection. You did not seek me. None of you did! While our brothers and sisters met their downfall, confined within the walls of Azkaban, murdered by the Ministry, and slayed at the hands of Albus Dumbledore - you all forgot."
"I beg your forgiveness, my Lord," Severus whispered, his lips coming to meet the hem of The Dark Lords robe once more. "I was a fool."
"Yes, Severus. You were. But unlike these other fools, you were cunning and sly, as always. You may have been a coward, my friend, but your slippery ways have given me deeper access into Dumbledore's world. I forgive you for your lax in loyalty."
"Thank you, my Lord."
"But be warned, Severus. Twice you have come to my attention and twice you have made your way back into my favour. Luck will evade you eventually, my sly friend. For now, you may leave me to deal with these other fools."
"Thank you, my Lord. This is more than I deserve."
Severus shuffled backwards, breaking the circle before he rose to his feet; still wobbling and holding back whimpers of pain, he made to turn.
"Before you leave, Severus. One more thing."
"My Lord?"
A haze of white light hit him in the shoulder. He gasped, grunting deeply and clutching it with his free hand. His knees threatened to give way as a steady flow of warm blood slipped between his trembling fingers.
"Until our next meeting, Severus. It will give you something to think about," he hissed, turning his back and unleashing a series of red cruico's at the remaining death eaters, all the while cackling before he dismissed them.
Second Impressions Chapter One - Complete. I've been wanting to write a story with chapters for a long time now. I was adamant that it would be a Snupin, and this is the result. Do get on board for the journey! The more the merrier. See you all in chapter two .