This is a one-shot. Something I've been mulling over inside my mind. Set before Harry Potter comes to Hogwarts. Let me know what you think! :-)

Arrest

Severus Snape's finger taps the wooden table as he sat in the staff room in front of a plate that lays empty above his crossed arms. Dessert snacks were always the fashion for after dinner staff meetings, many of which the staff had made themselves and shared between the faculty. Most were talking to each other, others laughing over drinks... But tonight, Severus held no appetite and his mind held no desires. The school was near midway through a year like all the others and the occupants had settled into the usual comfortable routine but under the stone and curriculum timetables, things among adults had become very stressed indeed. Severus glanced up with his walled black onyx eyes and surveyed around the room as his fellow staff talked about what the Headmaster had said along with other passive talk that hardly held his attention. Meeting eyes with Minerva for only a moment, he saw the worry in her that he tried so hard to hide away himself.

There had been an invasion at the Ministry last week, an abrupt use of official powers that poisoned the creeds the government had sworn on. Actions that were said to be connected with the Dark Lord, who had since been destroyed but had not yet left the minds of many. There were shadow happenings, things only to be collected in the miscellaneous and few word police log section of the Daily Profit as Muggle news. Randoms too many, but meaningful to some, the Ministry was now making sure they wiped clear any thought of a connection with Tom Riddle before Harry Potters first year of Hogwarts.

And as predicted, soon, this behavior led to what could be seen as 'illegal" arrests.

The most recent being a published running clip of the arrest of long time friend, Lucius Malfoy. The clip ran with an image of the Ministry Aurors approaching the front gates of the Manor, finding Lucius standing there raising his open palms to shoulder height, giving himself up quietly. It was known the paper wanted a fight, and it was also known Lucius was one to give Aurors a run for their job, quite literally. But, he had a child now and he had changed as far as Severus could see, and mostly for the good oddly enough. So the running image ran in print and Lucius was patted verbally on the back, as well as complemented by Aurors as they walked away from Narcissa who held a straight face and stood alone. Young Draco had been with him in the Manor at the time, the two of them hidden away... It was known that Lucius was going to be taken first and money and influence had the Malfoy's receiving names and dates of next scheduled arrests. Which, of course, meant Severus knew them too. On the day planned, Lucius had received an official letter giving the warrant for his arrest, his bounty and legal notices along with the standard request for a quiet turnover which was given in the flawless Malfoy manner.

And now, it was his turn.

His finger was numb by now with his tapping, and he slowly felt the thickness rise in his soul as intuition counted down the unknown minutes.

"Severus."

It Minerva's quiet voice came from nowhere, but suddenly very close, and he looked through his hair to see her sad eyes that had him looking away immediately after. He hadn't realized he stopped breathing, and he let out the breath as he felt most of the stress release with it.

What he thought was an e-xhale of weight, quickly became the release of the event that came through the single wooden door that very moment. Three Aurors, dawned ready with wands out though pointed at the floor, waved into the staff room at a brisk walk, eyes either on their target or on the sullen looking Headmaster who had stopped mid-sentence and lowered his hands to his sides limply. A sudden chill slipped through his clothing as a hard force landed upon the skin between his collar and his hair line which brought his neck to curl back. Refusing to look at the large, muscled duel team of Aurors that had come through the door and now stood behind him, Severus glanced through his peripherals and saw Minerva look up for him and nod his assumptions before looking back out at the rest of the staff.

He stayed quiet while his mind yelled to run. He kept his hands on the table while his fingers ordered for his wand. He kept his eyes on the wood, and breath in his chest.

If Lucius could do it, so would he.

He would not lose it like Sirius Black had.

No.

Not again.

Albus stood ready and took the parchments from the taller, short blond haired man who acted as leader, whose piercing blue eyes glanced between Albus and the others while the room held for a stiff moment.

"Severus Snape... If you would go with Mister Alamond, please?" Albus said with a hand gesture and a hard voice but broken features.

The supposed leader, Joseph Alamond, was no stranger to Severus. In fact, in earlier years, at the time of Severus's first arrest, Alamond accompanied with his first group of arresting five, broke the front door down of his flat and chased the man into the woods. Two died that night from Severus's hand, and the one was injured past his working point. Alamond who was left standing had wrongly sacrificed the two dead for the ability to arrest Severus himself.

But that was something only the two of them knew as true. Something that would never be spoken mostly because no one would believe Severus if he said otherwise.

A slick and grotesque smile formed on Alamonds face as he turned to the Potions Master, keeping his face blocked from the others.

"You know the drill, Severus." Joseph stated in an uppity tone as he adjusted his sleeve impatiently.

Releasing the wand from his arm holster, Severus raised his right hand and felt a larger grasp around his wrist and slip the wand from its protection before letting go. Lowering his hand on top of the table, Severus waited with his eyes drilled on his fingers for Joseph's next orders. The air in the room was incredibly thick, the weight of eyes felt like gathering boulders, but the room was silent beside Alamond and the crackling of the fire which held contained in the massive stone hearth.

"Do you have any more weapons or anything that could be used as a weapon on your person?" The dialog was ran and Severus nodded and started to his feet.

A large hand was on the back of Severus's head at once and pushed into the tabletop with a hard slam, sending the teacher back into his seat and his hands to his forehead.

The room sat quiet; the teachers looked away.

"What was that Severus?! You know the rules." Joseph called in mockery as he stomped up and landed across the table from the still wincing man.

It took a moment of balance but soon enough Severus, voice darkened and coming between threads of hair.

"Permission to stand?" The Professor asked through grit teeth as he dropped his hands from his forehead.

"Permission Granted."

Minerva looked away as Joseph beat Severus's ego into the ground with every publicly demoralizing statement.

When his fingers fell as his seat raised, the red of fresh blood glistened as a line dripped down, following the inward curve of his nose from a fresh wound that now broke his forehead.

"You have… a little.. something." Joseph smirked, motioning to his own forehead..

Severus glanced up from dropping three thing cutting knives he kept on his person onto the table in front of them.

Touching his own wound and fast dripping line, Severus pulled back two fingers once again and looked at the red fresh strains that dripped past his knuckles and he swallowed his vomit, roughly.

"What's that?" Joseph asked with shining eyes.

Severus said nothing and Joseph curled his anger at the man.

"What is that, Severus!"

"Ketchup." His voice was dark enough to send chills, "It was likely on my hand when I placed my head down.."

"Good boy," The large Auror coo'd in a deep voice from behind.

"If that's all your weapons," Joseph sighed pulling the potions and objects into a box that was quickly sealed, "let us go."

Restraints were placed around Severus's wrists and ankles and a hand was placed on his shoulder by Joseph who looked at Severus as if he were a prized buck as he lead the group out of the room.

That night, the faculty whom had sat quietly during their colleagues arrest and abuse came to realize, that the Deatheaters were not their worst worry of evil anymore.