Here's the promised story. Enjoy!

Summary:

After Severus is tortured by his master, he returns to the clearing near Spinner's End for the first time after he and Lily departed. An old companion awaits him.

Rating: T

Warning:

torture, implied child abuse

(honestly, do I ever write a story without of one of these?)

Author's Note:

Not quite canon, at least I don't think so. But I like the idea.

This time a lighter story. Well, not really actually, but the end is a bit happier than the last one.

And, as I'm not made for multi-chapter stories, a one-shot again.

The hardest part about this story was the summary...

Disclaimer:

Everything, that in some way sound like JK Rowling (characters, plot, dialogues, etc.) belongs to her.

The mistakes (spelling, grammar, whatever) are mine, though. So, if you find some which escaped me, please send them back. I'll care for them.

Black Butterfly

A faint 'plop' indicated Severus' arrival to the Dark Lord. An evil smirk curved his lipless mouth. He liked to teach the half-blood his place. It was an even greater joy when there was a reason. Like this time.

"My Lord", the young Death Eater whispered respectfully, kneeling in front of Voldemort. He was a whelp, nothing more, barely nineteen years old. And yet he had a sharp mind and was able to control himself. Better than most of his older followers. Though this didn't prevent him from failing his master.

Slowly he walked around Severus. Most would have been anxious by now, trembling with fear. Not him. He remained still, didn't move a single inch. He just waited for whatever was coming. Voldemort smiled to himself. Deep inside he admired the boy for his courage. But all of his followers knew he regarded this behaviour as disrespectful.

The Dark Lord didn't say a word for a long time, just kept walking around his kneeling servant. Finally he decided to break the building tension. He pointed his wand at the whelp and greeted him with a whispered 'Crucio'.

Immediately the boy bent forwards, his body controlled by the pain the curse was sending through his nerves. He flinched and closed his eyes, desperately fighting against the agony. Yet no sound escaped his lips. He refused to scream out for his master, again.

After almost three minutes he granted the young man a pause, not wanting to cause permanent damage. Not yet at least. Satisfied he heard him gasp for breath. So he was able to make some kind of sound to express his pain.

"Your silence earns you only more of this. You will learn to scream!", Voldemort hissed. Then he cast another curse. The boy crumbled on the ground at his feet, writhing in pain. But he still held down a scream.

This time he stopped after a few moments. Severus would receive more of this later. He didn't want to kill him. The older Slytherins had told the Dark he had been quiet good at school. Especially in potions or inventing new spells. It was always good to have someone who could create new ways to torture someone, whether with a poison or a curse.

Voldemort almost laughed at the irony of his thoughts. This exactly was the reason why he was so angry with the young man tonight. His failure to fulfil his master's orders.

"Enough of this for now. Kneel!", he commanded. Immediately the boy obeyed, though he was trembling because of the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse. He clenched his hands into fists to prevent it from showing, but Voldemort had already seen it.

"I'm disappointed with you, Severus", the Dark Lord started what he had originally planned to say. "I ordered you to hunt down those muggles. Well, did you as I commanded?"

"They are dead, my Lord. I killed them." Not a clear 'yes'. So he knew he had done something wrong.

"Of course you did." His other Death Eaters had told him that. Severus still had to proof himself. He was not allowed to go on a mission alone. "But didn't I say clearly I don't want my servants to show mercy to their victims? Didn't I?"

"Yes, my Lord", came the whispered answer. The boy seemed to sense this would not end well for him.

"Then why did you show mercy?", Voldemort hissed dangerously.

"My Lord?", his young servant asked. He seemed not to understand what he had failed to do, why his master was not pleased with his actions.

"You spared them the pain they deserve. They were only filthy muggles. I thought we settled that." He couldn't understand why Severus didn't just torture them like all his fellow Death Eaters would do. They had to learn their place in this community. And like animals they had to be trained with pain. Only then they would obey.

The boy lowered his head even further, but didn't reply. At least in this matter he knew how to behave. Or maybe he couldn't think of an explanation. As if there would be one. There was no way for him to evade his punishment.

"Or maybe you just didn't know the incantation. I guess I have to teach you then", Voldemort muttered, an evil smirk curving his mouth again. Severus winced barely notable at these words, but gave no more reaction.

"Crucio!", the Dark Lord said, louder this time, and the whelp crumbled on the ground once more. Severus seemed not to have understood what his master had said earlier, as he still remained silent. He failed to suppress any sign of pain, though. He flinched violently and bit on his lip.

Voldemort broke the curse, leaving his young servant trembling and gasping for breath. "You are not a worthy servant if you can't follow the simplest orders." Then another curse hit the boy.

"Yes, my Lord", Severus pressed through clenched teeth after the curse was lifted again several moments later.

"Make sure you behave yourself better in future." The same procedure. The young Death Eater curled up, shaking with pain. His lip was bleeding and he had to close his eyes again.

"Yes, my Lord", he whispered shakily in the next pause.

One final time the curse hit the whelp. It lasted long enough to teach him the Dark Lord showed no mercy and that he expected the same of his followers.

"You may go", Voldemort released him and turned around. After a while another faint 'plop' told him the boy had disapparated.

Severus appeared out of thin air on the riverbank near Spinner's End. It was almost completely dark as no street lamps lighted this part of Cokeworth. But even in daylight it wouldn't be much better. Somehow it was always depressing here, even when there were no clouds and the sun was shining.

How Severus hated this place. But he had nowhere else to go. At least his father was no longer around. The only good thing about his alcoholism, he had died young. Almost two years ago now. Sadly he had made sure his wife was waiting for him in the world beyond.

Lost in thoughts he tripped over his own feet and almost fell. Quietly he cursed himself for his carelessness. He should be used to the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse by now. After all it wasn't the first time he was submitted to it. Why Voldemort disliked him that much he didn't know. But why shouldn't he? Severus had never been the popular one.

He was half-way across the bridge which crossed the small stream when he stopped and turned around. He headed towards the clearing where he used to meet with Lily in his childhood. It had been a long time since he was there last, but he would always find the way, even if he were blind.

Why most people were afraid of the dark was a miracle to Severus. You could easily watch without being seen. Or hide from horrors, whether it were real monsters or the own father. You couldn't hide in the light though. Well, at least this meant that it was unlikely he would meet any other people in the forest this late in the night.

Only moments later, as it seemed to him, Severus reached the clearing. It looked exactly the same as he remembered it, though it was dark now. The small stream, which later passed the edge of Spinner's End, glittered in the faint moonlight, the water was still clean here. The branches of a willow gently touched the surface. Only Lily was missing, and she wouldn't show up.

He hesitated for a moment before he stepped out of the shadows of the trees. He had no right to be here. He bore the Dark Mark now, brought evil to this peaceful place. But the peace was exactly what he needed now.

With a sigh Severus walked into the moonlight. He went over to the willow and sat down, leaned against it's trunk. His hands were still trembling from the curse. It would take a while for it to wear off. There were some potions which would ease the effects, but he had no access to them, or the necessary ingredients at least.

He closed his eyes. No matter what the Dark Lord said or did, he wouldn't torture muggles. What difference would there be between him and his father then? Severus had sworn to himself not to fall to that level. Yes, he wanted to be powerful. But if the price was to treat these people similar to how his father had treated him, he didn't know if he was willing to pay it.

Severus leaned his head against the trunk and looked up at the branches. Something dark was slowly falling down from up above. Instinctively he reached out to catch it. He had a feeling that he knew what it was.

Indeed a large black butterfly landed on his palm. It seemed to watch him with its small eyes. Severus knew it all too well. He had seen it many times in his childhood. The butterfly often visited him after a harsh beating. It waited outside the window to his room in the cellar or came to this clearing when he was allowed to leave the house. But it had always been around at these times.

After he met Lily its visits became rare, but never stopped completely. Usually it showed up when he wasn't able to see her. It was then when he started to see the small insect as some kind of healing, an easement no one cared to give him before Lily came into his miserable life.

The black butterfly still came after his fifth year at Hogwarts, after he lost Lily. Though not as often as before. Maybe because he took the beatings, the pain, willingly now. A well deserved punishment for how he treated his only true friend.

Severus hadn't seen it again since he didn't come back home after he finished school. Not until tonight. Why now out of all nights he didn't know. What was different? Probably it was his visit to the clearing. He couldn't find another explanation. It had never showed up after a torture session with the Dark Lord before.

Suddenly a wave of exhaustion washed over Severus. But he didn't feel like going home at all. The gloomy and depressing atmosphere of the house wouldn't allow him to rest tonight. Not that he would sleep anyway, not there.

Instead he lay down beneath the willow. The butterfly flew up in the air when he moved, but landed next to him a moment later. Severus smiled weakly, a rare expression on his normally calm face. It was only a small creature, not even as big as his palm, but he felt safe when it was around. At least a little bit. He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

The black butterfly remained by his side, watching over him while he was sleeping. As it always had done. And always would do.

I don't believe that Severus really liked being a Death Eater. He's just not an evil person. Poor boy.

Why was it so easy to write Voldemort's POV? I don't agree with his opinions, no matter if JKR wrote them or I did. But, well, it kind of writes itself, you know?

And about this one part about muggles and animals and training: I'm absolutely against these methods! We have no right to beat another creature to make them do what we want! There are better ways to do this, through friendship and trust.

Oh, and to why I chose this title, as it may not be clear to some: The black stands for darkness, pain and suffering, the butterfly represents innocence and easement, at least in this story.