Dance Upon a Faery Mound

A.N /Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter, if I did, I'd be rich and Severus Snape would be mine. But alas, no, I can only borrow and have fun with the character, pity. I also own nothing related to Karen Monings works, that includes Tessa Black - though, I guess you could say I own her personality, considering she's like five in the book. And here she's like twenty-four. I do own the youngest black child, well, kind-of, once again, said child was in womb when book was written, technically its mine. I get to name it. LOL. Eryn Black. Conner Ain't mine, only his grown up personality, actually that goes for the Keltar kids as well (have to find names for them.)

Summary: Severus, found as spy, is close to death, when he's dumped on Keltar land. Only to be found by Tessa Black, daughter of Amadan/Adam Black, a Sidhe-seer. Everything Happens for a reason, as they are about to find out.

Prologue

December 22, 12:00 am, Unknown Location, United Kingdom, Britain.

By the Gods!

Pain laced through Snape's body. It trembled and ached for relief, but none was forth coming. A swift kick met his ribs, another his temple and his already blurry vision developed black dots. Harsh laughter and muttering whispers swept across his hearing, but he was in too much pain to make out anything.

For people who hated muggles, they enjoyed doing things the muggle way. But then again, this wasn't about the muggle way, this was about power. With each kick, each muscle dealing a blow, power and strength and adrenaline flooded the body, intoxicating it, making it feel as if nothing could stop it.

How did he know? He was like them once, along time ago - when youth made him idiotic. Glory! Power! Respect! None of it came from joining a group who dressed up like children on Halloween. He learned not to hate his muggle heritage, if not for it he could have developed some birthing defect from the constant inbreeding that most Pure-Bloods do. Everything he desired, he could have gotten himself, he was such a fool at sixteen. But then again, he was overcome with heartache over the love of his life, his sweet Lily Evans. He would have laughed bitterly if he could get enough air into his lungs, he knew better now - Lily Evans, no Lily Potter, was a poison.

But it was his fault Lily and James were dead. His fault a little boy was left without parents. Spying had been his atonement. His escape from guilt. But now it was fruitless. Their was no redemption, no freedom in his future - he had murdered the greatest wizard alive. Albus Dumbledore. A man he loved like he were his own father, a mentor and his only friend. The only man to ever vouch for him, to ever believe in him, to ever trust him. The only soul alive to give him a second chance. The man who saved him from Azkaban, become his one way ticket.

Physical pain wasn't the only pain to flood his system at the thought of the old wizard. A swoosh lit the air followed by the heat and weight of something solid onto his back - if he took a guess, he'd say it was Lucius' snake-headed cane, a gift from the Dark Lord many years prior.

His duplicity out in the open - his alliance known. He failed. He had the students to protect; he knew they hated him, wished him dead. If only they knew the trouble it took to keep them alive and not mindless drones drooling into their oatmeal. It was so hard. He had promised - it looks like he couldn't keep it.

Sorry Albus, so sorry, his mind whispered into the nether.

He didn't notice the stillness around him, his mind elsewhere, his body yelling at his mind that it was in pain. He never noticed the tears that left tracks and continued to fall. He didn't notice the Dark Lord enter the room, his skinny frame tall and regal, his snake like face twisted into a malicious smile, his red eyes gazing at him.

But he did notice the hissing that filled the room and the large snake that slithered into his fading eyesight. Negini. A magically enhanced Giant Burmese python. Dear Merlin, were they going to feed him to her like Charity Burbage? Parseltongue had always unsettled him - it was just unnatural. It left one questioning just what the megalomaniac and his pet snake were discussing. Probably the best way to eat him.

"Poor Severus." cooed the Dark Lord as he lifted his face from the dungeon floor with one of his skeletal hands, while the other free hand trailed the tip of his wand down his cheek. Severus couldn't stop the flinch that racked his body or the sob that stole his breath.

"I had such faith in you, you were so promising. I can see how I have fallen before your tricks; only like can fool like." Voldemort released him and his head slammed into the hard stone of the dungeon floor. Voldemort turned and paraded around the room, his words echoing across the large dungeon space.

"Though not many can kill their own friends, how was it? Liberating? We are the same in that fashion. But their is a difference between us. It is regrettable that I alone could not satisfy that which you craved. What did that old fool offer you that I could not? Never mind. It's not all that important. It is not the fact that you deceived me, Severus, I would have done the same I have no doubt. It irks me that you could hide secrets from I, a Master Legilimens. I now understand how you've continued to fail in retrieving the boy for me. Such lies you've weaved, Half-blood. Tell me, how does it feel to lay at my feet, defeated and about to die? Tell me, what are the Orders Secrets? Where is Potter?"

Severus remained silent, his chested heaved for breath and he could feel the cold seep through his tattered robes. His body shook with tremors, sweat beaded at his brow and blood ran in rivulets onto the dungeon floor. Voldemort inscenced at his silence, swirled around in a flurry of robes, his white skeletal bone wand raised and he hissed the first curse to come to mind; a personal favorite of his.

"CRUCIO"

Severus jerked as the spell hit him, he could feel it embedding itself within his skin tissues delving deep to incinerate the nerves and as it claimed its destination with a ferocity that could rival Minerva McGonagall at her fiercest.

Pain unlike anything ever felt burned him alive. His screams pierced the air, anguish coating it. Soon those screams turned to animalistic howling, then into inhuman shrieks. Fire burned his body and boiled his blood - his mind itched and inflamed. It was an immortal agony, it seemed as if it would never end. It stole his breath. He was sure if it didn't stop soon, it would steal his mind and soon his life. As his muscles contracted tightening on his already thin bones, he felt tendons snap, and bones bend and splinter.

"Answer me!" Voldemort hissed as he ended the curse. But Severus was beyond coherent thought, his body incensed with pain, his mind clouded. He was beyond speech.

He sobbed as he choked for breath. He knew nothing, felt nothing, other than the pain. He was the pain and it was him. There was no difference between them. Scowling and quickly loosing patience, Voldemort flicked his wand, Severus released a pathetic mewl as his body became suspended mid-air. He coughed and he tasted blood upon his tongue.

Voldemort stepped forward his hands reaching out cupping Severus' face almost tenderly at first glance, but soon a groan of pain escaped the dark wizard as the Dark Lords nails dug into the flesh of that which he cupped. Voldemort forced his swollen eyes open. Black eyes dilated, whites stained pink. Tears and sweat and blood marred his vision of the Dark Lord as said monster locked eyes with him. He found himself drowning in the monsters bloody gaze.

"If you will not speak, then I will retrieve what I require forcefully. Legilimens..."

White hot pain blinded him and he screamed as the Dark Lord forced himself passed his shields. And soon all his secrets lay bare. The Order, Hogwarts, His thoughts and feels, his heritage. Flecks of blood spattered onto the Dark Lords face as each secret tore a scream from Severus.

"My, my, my it would seem that our dear Potions Master has been hiding secrets, not only from us, but from his comrades in arms as well. Such deception Severus. But you see Severus, you aren't the only one keeping secrets so close." Voldemort hissed as he ended the spell.

"You see, I've learned through the years that placing all your eggs into one basket, that they tend to break. I know of Potter's goal. The thing is, he can find and kill all of my Horocruxes, but that still doesn't mean he can finish me. No. I have finally found it, after all these years - the possibility of immortality. It's within my grasp. Soon, no one can stop me.

Not you, or your pathetic Order. I will rise above and you will all fall before me, begging for me to spare you. What say you Severus, if I let you live, will you beg?"

But Severus was far beyond listening to him monologue. Too caught up in his own pain to ever consider the words that were spewing from his lipless mouth.

"Hmmm, somehow, I don't think you will. Lucius..." Voldemort turned to the platinum blonde aristocrat, who had his silver eyes trained on the battered body of his friend. Betrayal and Pain and hatred swirling in his gaze.

"My Lord?" Lucius left his place beside Bellatrix, who cackled and licked her lips as they racked over Severus body, her mad eyes lit with a sick fascination and excitement.

"It's time to earn your place once again, and make up for that pathetic boy of yours - though, I suppose he did get my Death Eaters into the castle." The Dark Lord contemplated his wand smacking his cheek lightly. "Take away the Half-blood, dump his body somewhere, let nature take the rest of him. Should he live, well -" Suddenly a silver blade materialized before the Dark Lord, it glowed a faint aura of blue, Celtic knotting laced the handle and the blade itself was etched with ruins. He turned swiftly on his heel and slammed the blade just below Severus' rib cage, it slid easily into place. Severus coughed as the pain made itself known, blood sliding from the corner of his mouth down his cheek.

"- at least, he'll never forget his punishment. Do you understand, Lucius, if you fail, you will meet the very same fate."

"Of course, My Lord." Lucius said bowing, his blonde hair spilling over his shoulder like water.

With a lazy wave of his wand, the Dark Lord released Severus from the spell and with a resounding bang, he landed heavily. Ragged coughing and choked sobbing washed away the Dark Lords monologue and the silent laughter that fell from Skeletal masks of the Dark Lords eternally faithful. But the look in the creatures blood red eyes, that he would never install such faith in them as he had once in the man that now lay dying behind him. Never again would fool himself into thinking, he could trust one of his followers. They were nothing but thieves and beggars and dungeon rats - they were Slytherin's first and foremost.

Lucius approached the man, his eyes trained on the straining swollen face, the twitching body. And with an irritated flick and a quite moblicorpus the thin damaged body rose into the air and followed him as he headed towards the door, he was halted by his Lord.

"Oh, I almost forgot. A parting gift for our dear friend," Voldemort did a complicated series of wrists movements that ended in a sharp jab and he hissed the smell that eveloped the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. "Eterna Expergenfactus."

"I'd leave him somewhere muggle, but not too close wouldn't want him to be found so soon." Lucius glanced from the body to his Lord and he bowed before he excited the room with a soft,

"Yes, My Lord."