Treachery
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his friends and foes don't belong to me, I just borrow them from time to time to let them experience a whole different reality before returning them to their rightful owner.
Creator of the story: Fiction-Goddess
Side notes: This story is about Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy, the actions in this story do not follow the original Harry Potter storyline and will differ from the actual happenings in the book, how sad it might be at some points.
Hope you enjoy the story.
Fiction Goddess
Chapter 1 – Feelings of one man.
In the darkness of the room, somewhere hidden in a bewildered forest, Severus Snape sits in front of a partially died out fireplace.
His eyes seem off focus, his posture shows nothing of his former superiority.
Although he has completed the task that was given him and Dumbledore is now dead, his actions were not much appreciated by the Dark Lord.
He shouldn't have been the one to kill Dumbledore, he should've remained at Hogwarts, if it wasn't for his treachery.
Draco should've been the one to kill Dumbledore, of should've died trying, but seeing that Snape had made the Unbreakable Vow, he couldn't just let Draco die, he himself would've been killed as well. Honest as he sometimes is, he has to admit that this was not the only reason for him helping Draco. He couldn't stand seeing such a pure and whole soul commit a murder, he was much better off doing this himself.
But now, in the dark of night, he doesn't feel so sure about his actions anymore.
During all his years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had been his sole protector, only he was the one that kept him out of the grasp of the ministry and let him live a life at Hogwarts, the place where he felt most at home.
Now he's here, at the Death Eaters hideout, the place where he fled from all those years ago, just because his task as a spy had gone out of hand. He can't go back now, but going forth feels equally impossible.
Everything has changed since his leave.
For the up tenth time in the past few days he thinks about Dumbledore. How he begged to be saved from his upcoming doom, how he go tan injury of that calibre remains a mystery until today, how he ignored the begging of the Headmaster, just to be able to safe his student, the green light, the murdering light from the tip of his own wand.
He shivers violently and doesn't want to think of it anymore, but the thoughts keep coming, he can't stop it.
Dumbledore's face has a split second to change into a shocked grimace, before he gets launched into the air, over the balustrade and toppling down, where he lies still, broken and dead on the ground.
The next moment he's on the run, Draco at his side, subdued by what's just happened, too confused to think clearly, Harry Potter's behind him, trying to curse him, but of course he cannot hit them, just because he's always been terrible at using non-verbal spells.
The little brat, so much like his father, just as arrogant and seeking recognition, he can't help but fighting back, just to make him look bad. 'I am the Half-Blood Prince' he even told the boy, something he'd much rather had kept silent.
After a small struggle he gets to reach the gate with Draco and he Disapparates just behind the boundaries of the school.
The memory fades and Snape sighs deeply. It had all been a mistake, he had fallen back into his old pattern.
'No,' he thinks, 'I didn't, I'm still the same as I was before, I'm no longer loyal to the Dark Lord.'
But his actions seem to be telling him otherwise. During the time he spent with the Lord, he has intentionally and unintentionally given away secrets about the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation against Lord Voldemort, from which he was a member before he had betrayed them all.
The secrets might not have been vital to the survival of the Order, but he'd much rather have stopped himself from revealing them.
His thoughts get interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Astonished, he gets to his feet and he walks to the door, keeping his guard up, his wand at the ready.
In the past few days, he had to cope with a fast amount of angry Death Eaters, enough to be sure that he could expect a curse of some kind at any moment if he isn't careful.
Once he has finally opened the door, he notices Draco, dressed in his pyjama's, but perfectly awake, on his face you can read how he's feeling, lost and pained.
Snape lets him in, knowing he's in need of a conversation with the one who is going through the same.
He motions he boy to sit down on a handsome leather chair near the almost died out fireplace and seats himself on a different, similar chair.
They don't talk, they are lost in thoughts and feelings that are above a Death Eater's understanding.
"I want to get out of here…" Draco murmurs, his voice no more than a whisper in the silent room.
Snape doesn't know an answer, so he merely nods.
"I can't stay here, Severus, I don't belong here." Draco then says, his voice a little louder this time, bordering somewhere close to panic.
Snape sighs and falls on his knees in front of the boy, his hands folded on his lap. "I know you want to get out of here, I don't wish to be here either, believe me on that, but we must endure, we need to have faith in the Order of the Phoenix, trust that they have an idea to vanquish the Dark Lord, else we'll be all lost." He says as calmly as possible, but seeing the look in Draco's eyes, he has said something wrong.
"Listen, Draco, I know things don't seem to go so well right now, but you have to keep hoping, only then can we survive in this situation. I will try to help you in every way possible, to help you find your way in this world and I will protect you, just like I promised your mother." He stands up and watches the flames. Behind him, he can hear Draco breath rapidly, but he can't do more for the boy. His whole family consists of Death Eaters, if there is someone in this as deep as this, it's got to be Draco, how can he, as a former deserter, make sure that Draco can live a safe life in an environment like this? How can he make sure he'll not undergo the same fate as his parents?
He shakes his head, he doesn't have an answer to this. He just knows that he needs to be there for the boy whenever he needs him. There's nothing more he can do.
"Severus… why don't we try to escape?" Draco's voice sounds uncertain, but there's a slight hint of hope in it, a silent wish.
Snape closes his eyes and turns around, with a silent sigh he says: "Don't you think I haven't thought of that? I just can't think of a way in which we can safely escape from this hell." His voice sounds bitter. It is true, in all those days he has barely thought of anything else, whenever the vision of a dead Dumbledore has left his retina, he thinks about running away, leaving, and never looking back.
Draco seems to see this in his eyes and sits back down on his chair, his face possibly even more in panic than it was before.
A second, harder knocking silences their conversation, they exchange a somewhat frightened look, what if the person on the other side of the door has overheard their conversation? They give each other a hesitant nod and Snape opens the door, his wand once more raised.
The next moment Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, is standing in the middle of Snape's quarters.
"My son, where's Draco?" she screams almost frantic. Draco slowly rises from his chair and walks up to his mother. "I'm here mom." He says softly.
Narcissa starts to cry and closes her only son in her arms. "Please don't ever walk away again without me knowing, Draco. It's too dangerous here." She stammers. She looks at Snape with a look of complete gratitude in her eyes.
"Bella wants to betray you to the Dark Lord, she says she has evidence that you're not really at our side." She whispers softly in Snape's direction.
Snape nods. "Bella doesn't worry me much. She's such a fanatic that she talks herself into trouble, the Dark Lord would be more reluctant to believe her than he would with me. He says darkly. "I wish you a peaceful night, Narcissa." He opens the door for them and the two walk onto the hallway.
Once he's alone again, he sits down in his chair in front of the fireplace. 'Escape…' he thinks.
If that were possible… he would give anything for it.
Sitting in his chair, he falls asleep, in his dreams still afflicted by the memories to the School and his betrayal.