Voldemort, The Snake God

Severus Snape entered a darkened room within Malfoy Manor. The room was bare except for a few chairs and a round table upon which stood some unused candles and a book. The Dark Lord Voldemort stood at the opposite side of the room staring out a window into the night beyond.

"You wanted to see me, my lord?"

"Severus, come in," Voldemort turned to survey who he believed to be his most faithful servant, "How is our experiment coming along?"

"We are nearing completion, my lord. We are merely testing it for functionality. We will know by tonight if it is ready," Snape replied, before asking, "If I may ask, for what purpose will we need it?"

Voldemort's mouth twitched into an almost smile that would make a cat's fur stand, "Since we have nearly conquered all of wizarding Britain, I have found more time to catch up on my reading," he pushed the book across the table toward Snape. As Snape walked forward and picked the book up, he saw that it was a book on Ancient Greece, "It is really very interesting. Do you know that there once existed beings whose powers far exceeded those of any wizard? They could reverse death, create terrifying beasts to do their bidding, and even punish whole societies with just a thought. Most of all, they are ageless and immortal. They were called gods,"

"Yes, my lord, I have heard of such beings. Muggles and wizards alike have passed down stories of them through the centuries."

Voldemort sat at the chair that was facing where Snape was standing, "You doubt their existence, Severus?"

"I believe that you are the closest to a god that is alive today," Snape lied while expertly shielding his mind.

"The closest, yes; but that is not good enough!" In his master's fury, Snape did not even blink; he kept his face as emotionless as ever, "But there is something that can grant me immortality and godhood."

"What might that be, my lord?" asked Snape.

"There is a substance known to the ancient Greeks as Ambrosia."

"The nourishment of the gods," said Snape in understanding, "My lord, witches and wizards all over the world have spent centuries trying to find Ambrosia. It has never been found."

That creepy almost-smile was back on the Dark Lord's face, "which is why we must travel back to a time when both gods and ambrosia still existed."

Later that night:

In the cellar of Malfoy Manor, there was a solitary figure lying in a heap on the floor covered in dirty and torn robes. There was no window for Draco Malfoy to tell what time of day it was, but it had to be late, since it had been several hours since Wormtail had brought him his bread and water.

He had been down here since the night that he was unable to kill Dumbledore. The Dark Lord punished him severely, and then ordered him thrown down here until he saw fit to release him. His parents begged Voldemort to release him, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Mrs. Malfoy took it upon herself to bring her son extra food and water whenever she could, though.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of the lock clanging before the door swung open. Urging his aching body into a sitting position, so as to see who was paying him this late night visit.

"Draco," said Snape, in the same cold manner he used when teaching at Hogwarts. He then pulled his wand and aimed at the door, "Muffliato," then he pointed it directly at Draco, who flinched as he saw it coming, "Crucio!"

Seized by pain, all he could do was scream out; toss his cool Malfoy image. It only lasted a few seconds before Snape lifted the curse and spoke again, "You know why we have to do this, Draco. We cannot have anyone in our ranks whose convictions are in question. This will continue until you are ready to pledge yourself fully to your master." When Draco didn't speak, but only glared at his former teacher, the man cursed him again. It went on for about an hour like this; he would be cursed, each time he kept it on longer; in between curses, he would ask if Draco would pledge himself to the Dark Lord. Draco could not answer though.

There was a time when he though it a high honor to have that blasted tattoo on his arm. He thought he would find glory in siding with Voldemort. Then he saw what he would have to do to find favor in the Dark Lord, and he started to get scared. He was no murderer. And Dumbledore, he had tried to kill the man several times, yet he still offered sanctuary to him and his mother. Now it was time to make a decision. He was terrified of dying, but what kind of life would it be bowing down to that monster.

Finally, Snape lifted the curse and asked one last time, "What do you choose? And remember that there's no way that you can shield your mind after what you have just endured, so I will know if you are lying."

Draco took a minute to catch his breath. Then he stood up as dignified as possible, "Just… go ahead… and kill me… cuz I'll never bow down… to him!" He exclaimed between breaths and twinges of pain. He braced himself for the inevitable green light, but was surprised to see that Snape's face had softened.

"In that case, there is no time to lose," he pulled a vial from beneath his robes, "Drink this,"

Draco eyed the dark green potion suspiciously, but downed it when he recognized it as a simple pain relief potion.

"Forgive me, Draco. It is a necessary but loathsome part of my cover to follow the Dark Lord's orders. Plus I had to determine if you were really opposed to the Dark Lord."

"You mean you're a spy?" asked Draco in shock. Snape snorted a little in amusement.

"May as well not be as the only man I reported to is now dead. And all of his allies believe me a murderer," his face suddenly became serious as he pulled a bag from under his robes as well, "There is not much time to explain," he pulled a wand from the bag, which Draco immediately recognized as his own, which was then handed to him. He then pulled out an ordinary muggle garden gnome, "This is a portkey. It will take you to the end of a muggle street. Look for the house with the number four on it. You will find Harry Potter there…"

"Whoah, wait a minute. I may not want to join the Dark Lord, but it sounds as if you expect me to join Potter. That would be suicide!"

Snape sighed, "Draco, if you ever want to be truly free, then you must put your faith in Harry Potter to defeat the Dark Lord, and it is now up to you to take him the objects in this bag. There are things in here that are key to defeating the Dark Lord."

"But Potter hates me!"

"Then you will both have to merely get over it!" he snarled, impatient with teenage squabbling, though he wasn't one to talk, "Potter will keep you safe for the time being. There is a note in the bag that will explain everything that he needs to know."

Draco reluctantly took the bag and the gnome.

"There are heavy wards around the house that Potter is staying in. Even the Dark Lord cannot enter. But as long as you have no ill intention toward anyone in the house, you will be able to enter untroubled."

"What about my parents? Won't he suspect them of freeing me? And they'll know that you were the last one with me."

"I already have it planned out. The Dark Lord need only check their memories to tell that they did not free you, and I have already confounded Wormtail. It will be said that he left the door unlocked and fell asleep. He will have a false memory stating as much. Now get ready, the portkey will activate in a few seconds."

Draco was scared of leaving his parents and aiding the enemy of a man that he greatly feared. But at least he'd be away from old snake-face's clutches.

"Thank you," said Draco, just before he felt that familiar tug behind his naval.

I'm surprised no one's thought of this idea before. Voldemort craves infinite power and immortality, so it makes sense that he would want to gain that through becoming BTWa god.

BTW: I know that what Snape did to Draco was kinda harsh, but I thought it'd be realistic that he has to play along with the torure game until he finds out if Draco's a good guy or not.

Can't wait to see what people think of this.