Chapter One
A lone figure limped down the empty lamp lit street of London. The crumbling houses that lined the block of Spinner's End were devoid of light and showed not the slightest signs of human life. Said figure, breathed heavily, eyes flickering over the area. The man, better known as Severus Snape in the wizarding world and a nameless stranger to those who unknowingly carried the title as 'muggle', suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching his left arm. He gritted his teeth trying to repress his cries. He rolled up his sleeve revealing a grotesque tattoo. It depicted a skull with a long contorted snake protruding from its mouth. The tattoo, the Dark Mark, seared with ferocity as if someone was pressing hot metal against his skin.
He fell to his knees, gasping for breath as the pain slowly faded. The Dark Lord was beckoning his followers, and judging by the intensity of the call he was furious, which was never a good thing. It meant that someone would die tonight and he hoped it wouldn't be himself.
Severus gathered his thoughts and cleared himself of any emotion, and apparated to meet with the most feared wizard of the time.
When he arrived he took notice of other death eaters, most of them were here; Lucius Malfoy among them. He bowed deeply to the cloaked figure in the center of the dimly lit room. They waited in suspended silence until the rest of the lot arrived.
The Dark Lord's gaze slowly moved from one death eater to another until it landed on Severus. He felt his eyes in him and stiffened. His breathing remained controlled and he forced himself to not show fear, even though everything in him screamed to run, to flee, to get away from the dark being before him. But it was no use, there was no escaping. There was no leaving the circle of death eaters; the only resignation he could ever achieve was death.
"Why Severus, you seem rather tense. Relax. You're among friends." hissed the Dark Lord.
He sighed inwardly, not letting his guard down. He knew what was coming and hoped he was prepared for it.
He sensed some one trying to probe his mind and quickly emptied it of all vital information, leaving only pieces of seemingly perplexing knowledge; a few Ministry uprisings, background info on the new Defense teacher, higher security measures placed on Potter, tasks given to him by Dumbledore. The Dark Lord seemed content.
"I take it you didn't gather any useful information, Severus?" he asked calmly, waiting for any sign of a lie.
"Nothing, critical I'm afraid, my lord. Although you may want to know that Potter has returned with his muggle guardians under strict watch by aurors. So any attempt to 'do away with him' would prove most difficult." Severus answered in an even tone.
"Good, good, Severus, you've served me well." He said with a small yet frightening smile. He turned to the rest of them who were now standing. "As for the rest of you," he growled, his mood switching from pleased to predatory. "I must say I am…disappointed. Among us stands a traitor,"-Lucius' head snapped up and he scanned his fellow death eaters with a sneer on his face- "I know who you are… and I give you a choice to expose yourself, and face your fate with honor."
Then without warning a death eater, Avery, threw himself at the Dark Lord's feet, groveling.
"My lord! My lord, I've always remained loyal! I swear it! Please have mercy!"
Avery attempted to kiss the hem of his black robes but the Dark Lord took a step back, repulsed. "Crucio!" he yelled pointing his wand at the cowering man.
He writhed in pain, his howls of pain echoed off the stone walls. Severus felt no pity towards him at all; he had bore witness to Avery's unmentionable acts of cruelty and did far worse to others than what was being done to him. He got what he deserved.
It continued like this for a few minutes until the Dark Lord grew tired of his screams. He stopped the curse and watched impassively as the once strong and proud wizard lay shaking on the floor.
"Finish him." He said to no one in particular.
Bellatrix sprang forth, a wild gleam in her eye. "Avada Kedavra!!" she screeched. His shaking subsided and he lay motionless, dead. She glared at the dead body of her former comrade with a fiery hatred.
Feeling it was an appropriate moment; the Dark Lord's followers sank to their knees in a respectful bow. "May this act as a warning to all whose faith is wavering. I advise you regain your confidence in me or you shall face the same end as Avery." He said gesturing to the corpse.
He dismissed them and Severus apparated as quickly as he could manage to avoid any conversation or interaction with 'them'.
The chilled night air assaulted him as he arrived back on Spinner's End. He ambled over to his home. Once at the wooden door, he glanced over his shoulder making sure he was alone. He pulled out his wand and muttered under his breath, "Alohomora." And the door clicked open.
He closed the door behind him, removing his outer robe and tossing it to the side. Severus sighed loudly and plopped into an armchair. His muscles ached and he could feel a migraine coming on. He closed his strained eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. When the slow throbbing of his head subsided, he rose and went to his cabinets. Looking over many labeled bottles, he grabbed a small purple vile. He carried it upstairs and laid on his bed, not bothering to change in his night clothes. He uncorked the vile and quickly downed it, making a face at the potions bitter taste and placing the empty vile on his nightstand.
It was a dreamless sleep draught. No visits from the Sandman for him. Ever since he was young, he was plagued by terrible nightmares and would wake up frantic and terrified to return to slumber. He never got much sleep because of that, which wasn't very good since his job required him to be at the top of his game. He finally relaxed; his eyelids becoming heavy… he watched the shadows on the walls and ceiling. They were always the same, every night. It was somewhat comforting to him for some strange reason, he didn't know why and was too tired to try and figure it out.
The room went in and out of focus a few times then everything became hazed but he could still make out the shadows sitting in their places… Then they seemed to grow… blending together, enveloping the room in a soft blackness…