"Severus... I need you to go back to Hogwarts and find Potter and bring him to me,"
Came the ghostly, ghastly voice of the Dark Lord himself, penetrating my mind like he had been doing all the way throughout the final battle build up. I sighed at his request.
"Of course, my lord,"
I responded back to him, despite how I didn't want to go back to Hogwarts after my abrupt departure when I nearly had a full on duel between Minerva and myself.
A verbal answer would be better; and it meant that he wouldn't look into my thoughts for the answer - if he were to look through my true thoughts about his request, then he would kill me without a second thought. It didn't hurt like it once used to when he read my mind, and I had learnt not to instantly try and block him out through fear of him seeing my old memories.
I had managed to keep my memories and thoughts under wraps since I was a student at the shambles of a school, but now Voldemort had seen them all. I didn't mind; because I knew he took none of them into account. He cared about the whereabouts of Potter, Granger and Weasley.
I sighed as I thought of Granger, my eyes falling closed for a second. I shrunk back in the chair that I was situated in, disregarding the order that Voldemort had given me only a minute or so before. I couldn't go back to Hogwarts and give up Granger, could I? I could give up Potter, certainly. And Weasley? I could give him up indefinitely. He was a waste of space, and he had something that I didn't. He had Granger. I snarled at the thought of him having her, when I had actually claimed her as my own whilst she was in her school years. I had taken away her innocence, and from then I had believed she was mine. But clearly I was wrong. I had given my time to Voldemort, believing that I had to give him everything to earn loyalties.
"Severus! I demand you come to Hogwarts. Now."
Came the voice of Voldemort again, just as cold as before, if not colder, and I stood from the chair.
"Yes, sir," I quipped quite sarcastically before I apparated myself without a second thought, and I ended up in an old room, stood with Voldemort himself.
He looked pained, annoyed. Next to Nagini, who seemed to be feeling the same emotions as his master.
"Severus. I requested you over five minutes ago,"
He said to me, his voice colder than ice.
"My lord, I got sidetracked,"
I responded back, just as coldly as he had spoken to me - if not more so.
"I will not accept this kind of attitude from you, Severus. Do you not find that you have been very unfaithful to me over the years?"
I couldn't help it - I scoffed as he said that.
It was funny; because everyone else had cowered away whilst I went back to the Dark Lord and gave him my help; and here I was, still giving him the help. I was aiding everything here for him, whilst he managed his own things.
"I think, my Lord, that you will find that to be untrue, as I have proven since you first requested-"
He cut me off, laughing that menacing laugh I had grown to progressively hate. I grimaced at the laugh, but other than that I remained calm and collected - trying my best not to respond back unless it was a question, or something that I knew he wished for a reply to.
"I have found, Severus, that this wand-"
he paused to hold up the elder wand that was oh too familiar.
"-does not quite... listen to me... and I'm sure it keeps failing me..."
he mused quietly, turning the wand between his slender, pale fingers.
"My lord, you were the master of the wand since you gained it..."
I responded back, confused by how he thought the wand was not quite to his standards.
"That is the most powerful wand in existence, my lord, it cannot fail you,"
I arched my brow as I stated this, but he just let off a grunt of annoyance.
"Severus, you do not quite understand me, I fear. This wand belonged to another, did it not? And the wand shall belong to them until I kill the one that it truly answered to."
He gave me a look which suggested that I was the one that the wand truly answered to.
And then I remembered. I had killed Dumbledore that night. Therefore the wand answered me. I knew Voldemort's solution to this would be to kill me; but I couldn't quite understand that.
"And you know what the solution is, don't you Severus?"
He mused to me, and I nodded my head slowly. It appeared that I, the sarcastic, snarky Professor was crumbling down in front of the Dark Lord. What else could I do? If I fought back; I'd get killed. If I let him do it; I'd get killed. So I remained silent, awaiting the faithful moment.
I heard shuffling outside, three pairs of footsteps, and I knew Hermione would be one of those. My heart swelled as I thought of her. The thought, however, trailed away from my distant mind as I felt pain instantly slashing at my throat; I knew this was it. I fell to the floor without realization of anything else that I could do. I looked up at him, then down at the snake.
"M-my Lord..." I murmured.
"Nagini, kill..." he said, a gentle chuckle escaping the pallid lips the words had fallen from only a moment ago.
Nagini wasted no time slithering towards me before biting me harder than I thought any snake could. His teeth sunk into my almost translucently pale flesh, blood instantly surfacing, trickling down the offended body parts. The pain was blinding, and I hissed as the pain rocketed through my body. With every bite, my head hit the wall behind me. When Nagini did the final strike, his teeth lingered in my thin flesh for a few seconds, draining some of the life out of me - before finally drawing away.
Only seconds passed and the crack arose, telling me that they were gone. I heard the shuffle again, and Potter, Hermione and Weasley walked in. I looked between them three, but my eyes fixed upon Hermione.
"Snape..."
Came Harry's voice first, only a mere whisper.
Hermione ran over to me, pressing her hand to my neck straight away, tears gathering in her eyes straight away. A stray tear trickled down my right cheek, and I looked her dead in the eyes. I said nothing, but after a few moments, I looked away. I heard the rustle of Hermione rummaging through her bag, and I looked back to her. She withdrew some items - including her wand.
"Look... at... me..."
I whispered, the words coming out only as a whisper, my body too weak to manage more. Hermione looked at me with wide, tear filled eyes.
It broke my heart to see her like that; but I couldn't let Potter or Weasley see me breaking down, see the softer side of me. "Help me," I ordered of her. She nodded, no hesitation involved. She grabbed the small vile of Essence of Dittany and took the stopper out of it, taking the pipette out too and dropping the liquid onto the wounds of which Nagini had bit me.
"It... won't... work like that..." I whispered to her, my voice getting croakier as I tried to squeeze the words out. Hermione scoffed at what I said, and rolled her eyes.
"yes it will."
she whispered, though I could hear the traces of her sobs in the words that she spoke so gently, lifting her hand to trace the wound that was slowly healing. Surely the venom would continue penetrating my body?
"Episkey,"
she whispered, and I felt the rush of my body going hot and then cold. I kept my eyes fixed on her the entire time. She truly was wonderful. Brilliant minded...