Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine

A/N: I finally decided to type write this fanfic, it took me a LONG time to just start it and now it's finally done.

"Curse this stupid mark," Severus swore loudly; then gasped and stumbled forward as the dark burned again, mocking him. "Damn it to hell", he hissed through clenched teeth,

Severus was grateful that the corridor he was walking was empty; he could easily maintain his usual facial expression and not falter but he couldn't do much about his body's involuntary responses. It was February and freezing yet Severus was sweating profusely, he leaned against the cold stone wall and waited for the burning to stop, the cold from the wall seeped through his damp robes and felt like ice on his hot skin. His office was another two floors down but it could've been cross-country, he leaned harder on the wall wishing he never had to leave that spot.

The Dark Lord was getting stronger, possibly had gained more followers, and so his need for vengeance against those that betrayed him grew. Severus had left the dark side and now he felt the hate the Dark Lord had for him every time the Death Eaters were summoned.

The bell rang, students would be flooding the corridors in a matter of seconds, and Severus had no choice but to make his way down to his office. His arm no longer burned from the Dark Lord's most recent calling instead it was more of a dull stinging of the raw red flesh around the mark. Severus dared not look at it till he was locked in his office, it was only there that he examined the ugly black mark that was bore in to his left arm, the mark was brightly accented be the raw red skin surrounding it. It seemed like the dark mark was digging deeper into his skin more all the time, a constant reminder of a commitment he had made a little over twenty seven years ago.

Another wave of sharp pain sliced through his arm, feeding new life into the dull stinging that had lingered from before. Severus reflexively clamped his right hand over the mark, causing more pain to the irritated area than comfort, and a warm liquid filled his palm. Leaning against his desk for support he removed his hand from the painful spot, his palm glistened in the flickering candle light, sticky and red, with fresh blood.

Severus watched as his blood trickled down his arm, a thin line of red that pooled and then forked around the raised scar 10cm. under the dark mark. He ran a shaky finger over the pale raised skin, he had his mother and fire whiskey to thank for that one, Severus thought back, He had been only seven when his father had left to join the Dark Lord and fire whisky had become his mother's new best friend. From that day one his mother had taken out his anger on him and it had been on one of her particular bad days that she had thrown a broken whiskey bottle at him, its jagged edge slicing his arm.

Diving deeper into his past Severus discovered other wounds his mother had caused, wounds that couldn't be seen and whose blood had dried up long ago. Wounds that had remained open and were now nothing but gaping black holes of despair in which for him to fall. "God, will this ever end?" Severus screamed as he seriously considered lobbing his left arm off and being done with it all. A sharp rapping echoed his scream.

Severus stood stock still and listened hard, and the noise came again, there was someone at his office door, the noise requesting entrance came again more urgent. Severus shifted his weight from his desk back to his own two feet and hastily pulled the sleeve of his robe to cover the dark mark and used it to wipe the sweat from his pale, pasty face. "Who's there?" he finally asked, his voice raspy from exhaustion. No answer came and Severus made his way over the door, but before he got there the door exploded from its frame.

Splinters of wood flew through the air, showering Severus, the shock caused him to inhale sharply through his nose and hew was rewarded with a lungful of dust. Coughing and choking, Severus blinked several times trying to rid his watering eyes of the dust, but it was no use, all he could see through his blurred vision were three tall and shadowed figures coming towards him. He couldn't be sure but they looked to be wearing hooded robes and they were drawing their wands. It was then that Severus noticed he was sitting on the floor, the blast having knocked him of his feet, making him most vulnerable at the moment.

Severus knew the end of his life was near, he knew he would be dead before he would have the chance to draw his own wand. He was surprised however that he felt so calm, that he wasn't afraid to die. As the wizard on the left pointed his wand at him and said the killing incantation, Severus could hear the words Dumbledore had once spoken to him when he was only but a student; 'To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'

Fin

A/N: Review!