This was written for Mrs Bella Riddle's Success challenge on The Dark Lord's Most Faithful Forum. Some Severus goodness!
Success
The challenge is to focus on success. It can be success as achieved, observed, failed at or anything else. However, you choose to interpret success.
Please, the old man whispered, and Severus tossed the curse like a loathed act of mercy.
It'd been their plan, discussed at secret evening hours, forced upon his loyalty. It was their plan and never his – he, the killing hand, he the two-faced player, pushed further into the darkness. It succeeded. Draco Malfoy's failure spared his soul and Dumbledore triumphed in his last fall, undefeated.
To Severus, the plan granted respect and praise from what he despised, and the mighty hatred of the self-righteous.
Success burned him like flames, and he longed to give up – but had no right to.