Oblivion
By K. Cloak
Summary: Peter Pettigrew was the man who led to the deaths of Lily and James Potter on October 31st, 1981. He was a Death Eater – so why didn't Severus Snape know about him? Maybe he did know. When Albus Dumbledore receives word that there may be a Gryffindor in the Death Eaters, Severus is sent to investigate. What went wrong? Why did the Potters die? Why was Snape so convinced that Black was to blame? You'll see…
Category: I find that my angst doesn't quite live up to "torture Severus for 36 chapters," but I found while writing this that a lot of it is depressing. Angst addicts, line up.
Rating: PG to PG-13 for violence, language, and, if you want to be nitpicky, alcohol use.
Notes: This is a work-in-progress – please be kind and review. It looks like it will be about five or six chapters. Also, there are bound to be inconsistencies with HBP, since this fic was started before HBP came out.
Chapter 1: Friends, Enemies, and Those in Between
Severus Snape woke on the morning of October 18th, 1981 to a screeching sound that, while common in the wizarding world, was not quite welcome at the crack of dawn. Severus raised his head from the desk on which he had fallen asleep and sneered at the source of the noise: an owl, and crafty enough to sneak in through a window in another part of the house and find its way to Severus's windowless study. Even if Severus hadn't recognized the bird, he would have immediately been able to guess its owner: Only one wizard that Severus knew would own such an inordinately perky creature.
Scrubbing at his face with one hand, Severus reached out to the snowy owl, which had had the audacity to perch on top of a pile of Severus's favorite books. Now hooting in a self-satisfied manner, the owl hopped down onto the desk and allowed Severus to read the note attached to its leg. Cryptic as always, the note read:
Severus,
You are needed. Come to the gates. Kitty will shield you. Bring your hands, not your head.
W.
Severus sighed as he read the note. Translated from Albus Dumbledore's minimalist code-script, the note had said that there was something new that Albus wanted Severus to check up on from the inside of the Death Eater circle. Severus was to come to the gates of Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall would meet him in order to spell him against the strangling anti-Death Eater ward that surrounded the school. Severus was not to bring any of the potions he had been working on – it looked like Albus wasn't interested in those right now – and there would be no Occlumency practice today... a rather good thing, considering the fact that Severus was still exhausted from hours of sustained practice with Albus the night before.
Severus sighed and let his head fall back onto his crossed arms. Albus Dumbledore was subtly manipulative in a kindly way, which tended to put people off their guard. Severus was difficult to manipulate, but owed Albus enough to do his bidding anyway. Receiving that owl message less than six hours after he'd seen Albus was no coincidence, and Severus knew it. Wearily, he got to his feet, found his wand, cast a de-wrinkling charm on his clothes, and Apparated out of his study and into the Forbidden Forest that bordered Hogwarts. He didn't even take the time to wonder what Albus wanted.
-o-o-o-
"Good morning, Severus!" called Albus Dumbledore cheerfully as Severus grumpily walked onto his office. Through the windows, the rising sun could just be seen peeping over the horizon.
Severus crossed his arms and sat in the chair opposite Dumbledore's desk. "What do you want?" he asked flatly.
Albus chuckled. "You never are one to take part in small talk, are you Severus?" The twinkle in the man's eye was as irritating as always. "Would you like some coffee?" he continued. A tray stood on the corner of the desk, complete with coffee and everything one could possibly want to put in it.
"Considering the fact that four hours of sleep on top of two the night before and several hours of keeping you out of my head doesn't count as restful in my book, yes."
Albus nodded and poured two cups of coffee. "Cream and sugar, Severus?" he asked.
"You know I don't like cream and sugar." Albus shrugged and passed him the cup. Finding the coffee only warm, Severus downed half of it and set the cup down on the desk.
"I can't see why you drink it that way," said Albus.
"It's more effective when you don't dilute it."
"You're so potions-minded, Severus."
"That's what I do for a living," said Severus, reaching for the cup again. Midway, his hand suddenly stopped, and he shook his head. "You are so manipulative," he muttered.
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Small talk. I don't usually devote time to talking about my beverages."
"Well, it looks like you just did. I win again, Severus."
Severus couldn't help it. After more than a year of working with Albus Dumbledore, he'd actually started to like the man. Severus gave Dumbledore a weak smile and leaned back in his chair.
"So why am I here? And why now? I was just here."
"I knew you would be worn out from last night. Are you?"
Severus rolled his eyes at the old man. "No, Albus, practicing Occlumency against the strongest wizard I know isn't tiring at all. Would you like me to do some juggling as well?"
"Good, you're tired. The reason I had you come here now is that I'm pretty sure you're exhausted. There's a side effect to exhausting your Occlumentic skills… memories gained when your mind is essentially laid bare are easier to cover later."
"Ah. So you want to tell me a secret. Why didn't you just tell me last night?"
"You were barely coherent, Severus. You had to Floo home." Severus scowled at the memory. He hated admitting that Albus was right: He'd sat down at his desk for "just a moment" and had fallen asleep right there.
"So what's the secret?"
"I want you to drop your defenses first."
Severus snorted. "They're still out of commission, Albus."
"You're wrong. You're very good at Occlumency, Severus. By now you're better than I am."
"Albus, I'm tired. Just tell me what it is."
During the course of their conversation, Albus had moved from behind his desk and now stood in front of Severus, who looked up at him with no small amount of defiance. He did not at all expect Albus to slap him.
Albus slapped him. It wasn't hard, and it didn't hurt, but it made Severus suddenly, irrationally angry. Abruptly, he stood and prepared to give Albus a piece of his mind, only to find Albus in it already.
Reeling, Severus reflexively clapped both hands to his head and sat back down. After a few moments, he removed his hands and looked at Albus, who had pulled a chair from the side of the room and was now sitting near Severus.
"I'm sorry I had to trick you like that, Severus. If you hadn't been so worn out, I probably wouldn't have been able to get the trick to work either. I'm not nearly as good a Legilimens as Voldemort."
"Do not-" Severus began, and stopped himself. Albus could shout the Dark Lord's name at the top of his lungs in the middle of Hogsmeade and nobody would tell him to stop. Severus took a deep breath and forced his suddenly powerful emotions to the side.
"What's the secret?" he asked again
"I think we have a traitor on our side."
Severus raised his eyebrows at that. He considered using the opportunity to take a jab at the angelic Gryffindor house, but bit back the comment. Instead, he nodded at Albus.
"I think you may be right," he said back. "The Death Eaters always wear masks at gatherings, but they- we- know each other anyway. Usually you can find out who a new initiate is after a few meetings. There is someone whose identity I don't know. He's been coming to the gatherings for about two months now. The others think he's a favorite of the Dark Lord's and that he's trying to root out possible traitors."
"You have no idea who he is?"
Severus gave Albus a somewhat irritated look. "I haven't really wanted to get close to someone who could expose me."
"We need to know who he is. Can you find out?"
Severus nodded. "I'm sure I can."
"Find out as soon as possible, Severus."
"Is there any reason for finding this person? Besides removing him from the Death Eaters before he discovers that I'm a traitor too?"
Albus sighed. "We have reason to believe that Voldemort is planning another attempt to kill two of our best Aurors. This traitor is believed to be connected to them. Finding him could save their lives."
"And who are these two?"
Albus paused for a moment, as if wondering how to phrase his next statement. In a way, he actually looked uncomfortable. "You don't like them, Severus."
"I don't like a lot of your golden Gryffindors, Albus. I don't like a lot of people."
"You really don't like them, Severus." Albus said the words with an almost apologetic look. It completely answered Severus's question for him.
"Potter," he spat. His face twisted into a sneer.
"James and Lily Potter, and their infant son, Harry. They're already under high security, but this traitor could get past that."
Still sneering, Severus stood and began to pace the room. "It's amazing, Albus, how blind you are sometimes. Their best friends are a werewolf and a sadistic asshole, both of whom have tried to kill me!"
Albus sighed. "You've had meetings on the full moon, Severus. It's isn't Remus."
"And Black?"
"I doubt it's him, Severus."
Severus gritted his teeth for a moment, furious at the dismissive tone in Dumbledore's voice. Of course, it couldn't be Black. Dumbledore had already demonstrated his preference for Potter and his friends enough times in the past. Severus wanted to curse Albus right out of his seat.
Instead, Severus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, forced the anger into a corner of his mind where he could manage it, and pushed.
Now it was Albus's turn to reel as Severus's Occlumency reasserted itself. Once more feeling cold and in control, Severus stood and took a step towards Albus.
"I'll find out who it is, and I will sincerely enjoy the look on your face, Albus, when one of your precious Gryffindors is exposed as a traitor."
Severus swept out of the room, not bothering to listen as Albus called after him to stay.
-o-o-o-
That night, Severus got the opportunity to start his investigation when the Dark Lord summoned the Death Eaters for a meeting. As usual, the meeting had been outside, but unusually, Voldemort had seemed somewhat irritated. Nearly half of his followers had found themselves cursed by their Master for mere trivialities - Severus himself had been lucky and had escaped the Dark Lord's wrath. As Voldemort had called his followers to the center of the circle they had formed, Severus had identified the Death Eaters present: all but one. Standing at a bit over six feet tall, the unknown Death Eater occupied the place directly opposite where Snape was standing. When Voldemort left, Severus immediately set out toward the Death Eater, hoping to catch him before he left. He was thwarted when a rather short Death Eater stepped in front of him, pulled off her mask, and crossed her arms.
"Where the hell were you last night?" she hissed. Severus glanced down at his unhappily wedded wife and crossed his arms in a mockery of her posture.
"Although it's none of your business, I was out for a few drinks and fell asleep downstairs." Falling asleep downstairs was true, but the rest of it was a bare-faced lie: Severus rarely drank at all. He'd begun to use drinking alone as a cover for his meetings with Albus. Juliette knew of his father and had fallen for his little ploy – in her eyes, he was a burgeoning alcoholic.
"Idiot. Did you get to work on time?" Severus felt his upper lip begin to curl beneath his mask.
"Yes," he sneered.
"Fine. Don't draw attention to yourself at work." Juliette put her mask back on and disapparated without a word of goodbye. It was no loss to Severus – he only put up with his businesslike arranged marriage because the Dark Lord had insisted upon it.
Refocusing his glance as Juliette disappeared, Severus discovered with dismay that the unidentified Death Eater had already left. He cursed under his breath.
"What's the problem, Severus? Somebody leave before you could say goodbye?"
Recognizing the always-arrogant voice of Lucius Malfoy, Severus turned around. Lucius had removed his mask to reveal his perfect features, and seeing that Severus's face was still covered, he lifted his companion's mask as well.
Severus frowned at him. "What would you know of it?" he asked. Lucius smirked back.
"Looks like you were after Mr. Mysterious over there. Did Juliette get in your way?"
"Yes," Severus answered flatly.
Unexpectedly, Lucius's face darkened. "That's a shame, Severus. That man is trouble. Why don't you come home with me – maybe we can figure out something to do about him."
Severus, who really wanted nothing more than uninterrupted sleep, had no choice but to agree.
-o-o-o-
Severus and Lucius Apparated to the front door of Malfoy's very large home, appearing several feet in front of the threshold and thus materializing several feet from a very unpleasant and illegal anti-Apparition ward. Lucius opened the door and gestured for Severus to enter; he walked into the front hall as Lucius shut the door.
"Quiet," whispered Lucius in a tone that did not at all match his arrogant personality. "Draco's sleeping, and Narcissa will curse us both if we wake him up."
"Library?" whispered Severus. Lucius nodded and Severus began to walk, knowing the way already. Wordlessly, he left the hall, climbed some stairs, and made his way down a corridor to the large and quite comfortable library that lay at the hallway's end.
Severus himself felt the complete opposite of comfortable. He'd spent many weeks in Lucius's house since he had finished his first year of Hogwarts. Lucius had been like a big brother to him when he was younger – he'd even saved Severus's life once. Lucius knew more about Severus than Severus cared to admit, and up to a particular evening a little less than a year and a half ago, Lucius had been his closest friend.
Realizing that being a Death Eater was a huge mistake had shattered Severus's world, had driven him to try to kill himself and, when that failed, had driven him to Dumbledore instead. When he'd returned to the Death Eaters as a spy, Severus hadn't known what to feel about Lucius. The man was a murderer and sadist, someone who had extensive experience with all three Unforgivable curses and was proud of it. He was more of a monster than Severus had ever been, and yet he was still the person who had been around for Severus to talk to, who had laughed at Severus's sardonic comments, and who had provided a place to go when the long teenage summers at home had bent Severus past his breaking point. Although Severus was repelled by what Lucius was, he found that he still liked him. Severus always left meetings with Lucius mired in a sea of conflicting emotions.
Outwardly composed but inwardly squirming, Severus opened the door to the library and sat down at a table in the back of the room. The table was too low for him now, but had once been just the right size for his eleven-year-old frame. Severus sighed and pressed his palms against his closed eyes as Lucius took a seat opposite him.
"Severus, you look awful."
"I've been doing a lot of work," he muttered, brushing the comment aside. "Anyway, we didn't come here to discuss me." Removing his hands and opening his eyes again, Severus gazed over at his friend… enemy… whatever Lucius was.
"You always do get straight to business."
"I've never been one for small talk, Lucius." Lucius gave him a thin smile, but then his face fell.
"That man has been a Death Eater for two months, and hasn't talked to anybody. Nobody knows who he is."
"I know – he leaves as soon as the Dark Lord does. He works alone."
"It's suspicious," said Lucius, wrinkling his nose. "You know that I think he's a spy."
Severus's heart skipped a beat at the word "spy," but he showed no outward sign of it. Seeing an opportunity to legitimize his own spying in the eyes of the other Death Eaters, Severus stepped in.
"Do you think I'd be able to find out who he is?"
"You want to?"
"What do you think, Lucius. Inquisitors are always a threat. They see disloyalty everywhere – he could have a list fifty feet long of things we do 'wrong.'"
"We should just kill him," muttered Lucius. "Simple killing curse and poof! No more problem."
Severus hated Lucius's nonchalant attitude toward murder. "We can't do that," he said. "If he really is spying on us, don't you think the Dark Lord would be suspicious if he disappeared?"
Lucius sighed. "I know. It would just be so much easier. Send the message to all the other Death Eaters that we were going to kill this guy and then as soon as the Dark Lord disapparates, we off him." He sounded almost wistful. Severus's guts twisted at his tone.
"We can't do it that way – it's suicidal."
"What do you suggest?"
Severus gave Lucius a cold, calculating look. "Capture him, interrogate him, Obliviate him, and if necessary, brainwash him."
"And I should leave this to you? Well, you are the resident Master Interrogator here." He smirked at Severus, but his mention of Severus as a top interrogator – quite true – made Severus feel thoroughly disgusted with himself. This was the reputation he'd developed.
Scowling and suddenly in a black mood, Severus stood and leaned over Lucius. "You have a son, Lucius. I have no one. I'm more expendable if I'm caught." He spoke the words in a biting, nasty tone. Lucius brushed them off.
"Nonsense. But anyway, one person is less likely to get caught than a number of people. I'll inform some of the others to stay out of your way, but I won't tell them what you're doing." Sensing Severus's desire to leave, Lucius stood as well.
"I know the way out," said Severus. He turned to go, but Lucius caught his arm.
"Be careful, Severus. If he is a spy and the Dark Lord catches you, he'll kill you. I would find that to be… quite a loss."
Finding no words to say, Severus nodded at his friend… enemy… whatever, and swept out of the room, down the corridor, down the stairs, through the hall, and out of the Malfoy home. Gods, he hated himself tonight.
Usually, on a night like this, Severus would have gone to see Albus. It was the night of a meeting, after all, and Severus was in desperate need of a friend who didn't scare the hell out of him. Leaving the boundaries of the Malfoys' wards, Severus prepared to Apparate. He stopped mid-thought, remembering the unpleasant manner in which he'd parted with Albus that morning. He couldn't go back now.
Instead, Severus Apparated to a bar in Germany, where nobody knew his name and he barely knew enough of the language to place an order. He sat down and had a drink, and then another, and then another. The next day, he missed work, yet he couldn't bring himself to care.
Notes: There will be more action in the next chapter, as Severus gets closer to finding out the identity of the "Mystery Death Eater," and the month of October, 1981 draws to the close that we all are so familiar with… Review if you like it … it motivates me to write instead of do homework.
