so this is it. my first Snape fic. Let's go!
The air outside Spinner's End was frigid and the thunderclouds looked darker by the minute. The entire neighbourhood had the feeling of neglect, and the sharp crack of apparition was the only sound to be heard for miles, aside from the howling wind.
A shaking figure, bundled in black robes and dripping dark crimson onto the doorstep, gingerly entered through one of the grey doors and shut it loudly behind him.
Finally inside, Severus Snape all but collapsed onto a nearby chair, dust billowing up as he did so. He hadn't returned to the house in a long while, and he had only done so tonight as he had no less than a scrap of energy left, and would likely have collapsed before he made it to Hogwarts.
That night's Death Eater meeting had been one of the worst since Voldemort's return a few months earlier. The Dark Lord had been in a foul mood, and Snape, unable to provide adequate information on the Orders' latest doings; Dumbledore had strictly enforced to him that none of the Order's recent doings could be relayed back to Voldemort; had borne the brunt of his anger.
With a crack, a house elf appeared. Snape looked surprised to see her.
"Winky, you have no right to be here. Go back to Hogwarts. I am perfectly alright," Snape admonished, the slight shake of his voice and the twitching of his hands giving him away.
The small house elf peered up at him. "Winky was feeling Master Snape's distress, sir. Winky came to see if Master Snape required any assistance!"
Snape sighed. "Well, if you must be so persistent, tell Albus I will arrive at Hogwarts later this evening."
Winky's eyes lit up. "Of course, sir, of course. Would you require anything else, sir?" Winky enquired hopefully.
Snape's only response was a long-suffering glare at the house elf, who disapparated hurriedly with a sharp crack.
With that, Snape slowly rose from the armchair with a groan. Glaring daggers at the large bloodstain left behind, he tenderly pulled out his wand and with a quick Scourgify rid the dusty old armchair of both its dust and the stain. Moving slowly to his potions lab, Snape ignored the way his hands twitched - another side effect of prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus curse. Upon reaching the cupboard where he stored an abundance of potions, Snape retrieved a vial of pain reliever, blood replenishing potion, a muscle relaxer potion; and although hesitantly, a healing potion. The healing potions rarely were of much use to him recently; its effectiveness had ceased as a result of taking it too often.
Downing each potion in quick succession; Snape then relieved himself of the heavy Death Eater robes and slowly set about healing the slashes that marred his back and side. The bleeding had slowed considerably and the wounds; although fairly deep, weren't life-threatening and the Blood-Replenishing potion he'd taken earlier had already begun to take effect.
Right now, all Snape wanted was a long, hot shower. It had been a long while since he had this much free time and he wanted to make good use of it.
As it happened, Albus Dumbledore stepped out of his fireplace that very instant, having just Flooed over. With a flick of his wand and a long-suffering sigh, Snape was dressed in black sweatpants and shirt, his casual attire. Casting a quick Glamour charm which hid most of the bruises and wounds which could not be hidden by his clothing, he then stepped into the living room where Albus was waiting.
The Headmaster looked him up and down, peering closely at him, then frowning as if he saw through the Glamour. But the warning glint in Snape's eyes, daring him to say something, kept Dumbledore's mouth shut.
"Well, Albus? Did you not receive Winky's message? I clearly stated I would meet you later this evening," snapped a very irritable Snape, extremely annoyed at having been diverted from his hot shower.
What the Headmaster said next, however, Snape did not expect in the least.
"Severus! I'm so glad you're here. The whole wizarding world is in a frenzy- Harry Potter has disappeared!"
((and, a little snippet of the next chapter))
"Disappeared? That arrogant, unbearable, good-for-nothing child? How very convenient," sneered Snape, disdain written across his face.
"Severus, this is a matter of high importance. You must put aside your differences with him, for we have reason to suspect the Death Eaters are responsible for this," Dumbledore responded calmly, his face imploring Severus to understand.
"Oh wonderful. Am I now supposed to go out and save The Boy-Who-Lived from the very clutches of Voldemort?" Snape's voice hissed, laced with sarcasm.
But Dumbledore was very, very serious. "Yes, my boy. That is exactly what you will do."
Huzzah, hello all!
So this is my first HP story, and also my first Snape fic. I hope you like it.
If you did, please feel free to favourite it so I know if I'm doing OK on my first attempt.
Also, please don't forget to review as i would love some feedback. Constructive criticism is very welcome. :)
-one more thing: this will be a mentoring fic - there shouldn't be much slash at all :)
I'll see you later. I hope to get a new chapter out soon!