"Solitude gives birth to the original in us, to beauty unfamiliar and perilous - to poetry. But also, it gives birth to the opposite: to the perverse, the illicit, the absurd."
-Thomas Mann
It was the first day of Yule. December twenty-first. As a quarter six approached, their guests started to arrive. Even the Potters showed up once again, but it was clear that Sirius had insisted and forced his friend to boast and degrade the other students because they were quite horrible. James Potter sat beside Lily, taking the seat that Severus had already claimed. Severus didn't say anything though, he sat beside Lily, on her other side, and levitated his glass to him because he didn't want to have Potter's lips touch his cup no matter how hilarious it would be to see Potter get embarrassed, he was sure it would make him much more embarrassed. Severus and Eileen, who had come home around noon after Severus also got checked while at the hospital and his fingers healed, thankfully with no permanent damage, didn't have very nice clothes, but Eileen transfigured their ragged clothes the best she could, as she had done for the summer meeting. Severus' hair had grown back somehow, and he suspected it was due to whatever potion Hades had given him the previous day. Also why his fingers were healed without any complications even though he had been hurting them and probably causing tons of scar tissue to build around his bones and ruin his potion-making hands. Yes, it was most definitely due to the potion he had taken the previous day.
The same people from the summer meeting were invited, but the Malfoys brought a guest who happened to be quite handsome, but he was obviously the Dark Lord. Hades rolled his eyes as he could see right through his glamour and into his tainted, red eyes. He was feeling the aftereffects of using dark magic while not grounding his magic, without ridding his body of the excess darkness that could gather on one like mold grew on old breads, and most importantly, using magic that was far too advanced and powerful for mortal use. He came as Tom Marvolo Gaunt, and Sigrun insisted that he sit beside her so they could catch up, they were from the same family, just two different lines. Tom was slightly angered by a young boy being the more official heir to Slytherin due to all the bloodlines and things like that, he was a halfblood and Hades was most definitely a pureblood which gave him a higher standing in the old world much quicker.
Hades had been respectful and polite to everyone. He sat beside Severus and then to his side was Petunia who had shown a few bouts of accidental magic since she was growing a magical core so quickly. Her parents had been curious as to what had been happening and Lily said it wasn't her. Petunia had sat with Hades, who helped her draft a letter to a place that would tell her if she was a 'squib' or not. Hades sent it with one of their owls and helped Petunia button up her dress. She felt much more comfortable around Hades than she did around her sister. She and Lily had been separated by their circumstances, but Hades had given her what she wanted most, to be magical, and she felt as if she could trust him. From the looks that Hades was receiving from the boys that Lily had mentioned were 'Gryffindors' like her, she wasn't sure if she had misplaced her trust. They stared at Hades as if he was the devil reincarnate or something equally as terrible.
Lucius Malfoy sat beside his father who sat beside Tom. He was diagonal from Hades and he watched him with intense eyes, just waiting for something interesting to happen. He knew that Hades had raped his mind before, dug into his memories to find what he wanted, but it had been so gentle, the Dark Lord had done so just earlier to find out what Lucius knew about the new Slytherin heir, and he was brutal. He had to take a headache relief potion and a pain relief potion it had been so painful. His eyes, neck and ears had hurt, the pain radiating from his head after Tom had viciously ripped into him to find what he wanted. Lucius wasn't sure if Hades had been more gentle because he was better at the skill, worse and therefore not as powerful, or if he just had some for of care, likely respect, for him. Lucius looked at the muggle disdainfully. He along with the others at the table were about to storm out calling the Peverells blood traitors but then Hades put them in a silencing bubble.
"They are here because of what I want with Severus. If I gain his favour, then I gain what I want. I can hear your thoughts, and you'd do well to either think quieter or don't think at all. I am more than strong enough to hurt you for a long time in a very painful manner, over and over again. Have we come to an understanding, boys and ladies?" They nodded before he cancelled the bubble. Now that he had done what needed to be done, he conversed with them as if he hadn't just threatened to torture them which just made everyone more uncomfortable. How inhumane did someone have to be to just compartmentalize such violence and hatred. Hades spoke with Bellatrix about a new form of magic that she was learning, obviously she was trying her hand at alchemy and necromancy, but with the terms they used, nobody, unless familiar with the art, would understand or catch on to what they were saying. Tom grew even more impressed with the thirteen year old while he spoke of such promising dark magic with the woman he knew would grow into one of his most loyal. All he had to do was convince her to join him, then her mind would likely subside to the Black Madness, leaving her vulnerable but more importantly, it would leave her malleable.
Hades turned to look at him after his thought and for a second Tom grew nervous. Had the boy heard his thoughts? That wasn't possible. He was the best occlumens aside from Dumbledore, a child had no chance of hearing him but at that though Hades just smiled and raised an eyebrow, taunting him. Hades shook his head before turning back to a conversation with the eldest Black sister, ignoring and being ignored by Narcissa who clearly did not like him. Lucius was also quite fascinated by Hades' and Bellatrix's conversation, interrupting them to ask them questions about what they meant in relation to their topic. The Dark Lord found himself wanting Hades as much if not more than he wanted anyone else at the table. Everytime he spoke, he spoke with a eloquence that only the old had as well as with the knowledge of a sage or Necromantic Master.
Soon, after a good half hour conversing, some less polite than others ( James and Sirius' 'whispered' crude and lewd words about the ladies around the table, mostly Lily, to which Severus grew more and more infuriated. It was amusing but it had quickly stopped after Sigrun's insistence on speak with James about school. She had looked over at Severus and Hades and nodded to them, purposely taking his focus from Lily. The Potters were either intimidated by their son or simply didn't think they had any control over him, so why bother? Walburga felt the same way with Sirius but she let everyone know how she would rather just disown him but it was cruel for a family to disinherit a child who could still be moulded into a proper young man) the house elves lay out the delicious displays of food. Hades helped Petunia by moving as a pure blooded woman would move and then having Petunia imitate his movements while she tried to be as respectable as possible. Lily didn't like the way her sister was behaving around Hades, she felt like she was mocking them or disrespecting them by trying to act proper when she was nothing but a squib, lower than a normal squib even.
Light conversation was taken up. The topics were much lighter than their previous conversations so they could answer mindlessly while eating. Nobody wanted to speak while eating but it was in good form to do so as long as it was done politely and manners were used. By dessert, three courses later, the muggles, who hadn't expected so much food, were stuffed but saw the others still eating and therefore they continued to eat. Petunia was fine as she had been imitating Hades who had whispered what would happen, letting her know that she shouldn't eat too much because there would be a lot of food offered. Lily wasn't feeling well since all the food looked so good and Severus looked ill as well. He hadn't eaten such rich food, or so much of it, ever. Not even at Hogwarts did he indulge in the luxury of the food offered, but he was still hungry for food, but his body wasn't able to hold anymore food. He politely pushed the half finished mini (which was actually quite large) trifle that they had all been served.
After dinner, they moved to the sitting room which had tall windows that curved out with dark green drapes hanging over the brass rails. Outside was beautiful and covered in snow, fresh undisturbed snow everywhere except small patches where there were green stems poking up out of the ground with a hanging white flower: snowdrops. There was a lit fire, being tended to by a house elf when they entered the room. Nobody made much note of it, even Petunia who looked far more dignified than the rest of her family. She was adapting fast and well. Lily asked Severus what those creatures were and Severus told her they were house elves, that they worked for wizards. Lily told her parents what they were and the Evans' opinions on wizards dropped slightly. Those 'house elves', or whatever they were called, didn't look very healthy and were dressed in pillow cases, albeit they were very nice pillowcases, they couldn't be enjoying themselves. It was winter than they had bare feet!
Everyone took their seats and Hades waved to his personal house elf who bowed and popped out of the room. Hades' personal house elf had been helping his parents take care of him since he was born, and though she wasn't need until he went into a coma, he had grown to like her very much. She was kind, polite and she was just better than the other house elves in his opinion. Her name was something weird, but Hades named her Orphne like one of the lampades of the Underworld. Hades turned his attention to Lily and her parents, as Petunia was clearly not going to talk to them, she seemed angry at them for not noticing her the entire meal and rather ignoring her, even after when they were walking they were muttering to each other and looking back at Lily, paying her, their other daughter, no attention at all. Hades understood why she was jealous and despite looking at Lily and the Evans, he held one of Petunia's hands.
"I hope you enjoyed supper," he started and both Evans thanked him again for inviting them. Hades just nodded and repeated 'you're welcome' again and again until they stopped thanking him. Silly humans. A pureblood wouldn't lower themselves to give thanks so many times for something as common as a dinner party.
"Does you mother have the recipe for the trifle? It was delicious and I would like to try and bake it as well. It tasted like gingerbread almost," Mrs. Evans asked and Hades glared up at some of the snickering purebloods across from them. He glared them into obedient silence before answer Mrs. Evans' question.
"I don't know. My mother doesn't cook nor does she bake. I can ask the house elves to write a recipe, Orphne can write the language so she could transcribe it for you," Hades saw Mrs. Evans look guilty.
"The house elves? Do they work for you?"
"Yes, they work for us. We had to buy them of course, but they are treated very well within the Estate," Hades stopped Mrs. Evans before she could open her mouth again, "There are some things that is harder for humans - I mean mug… non-magical people - to understand some of our laws and concepts, but I assure you, we treat our house elves kindly and they enjoy working for us. It is considered shameful for them to want to be paid, it is their culture. Orphne?" He called and his house elf popped in and bowed respectfully.
"Master Hades be wanting Orphne," she said, her voice was always rather deep for a house-elf, almost masculine but still very much a voice of a house-elf.
"Yes. Do you enjoy working for us, or do you think that you are a slave? A slave is someone who is forced to work for other people who treat them like animals rather than beings."
"Oh no, Master Hades be nice to Orphne. Master Peverell and Mistress Peverell have Orphne since Orphne was a baby. They raise Orphne to be polite and I's be a good house elf," she turned to Hades. "Has Orphne been a bad elf?"
"No, no, you've been very good. You are dismissed," Orphne wiped away the almost-tears in her big eyes before popping out of the room. Hades looked at the Evans who didn't seem impressed and Lily looked at him with the same sort of disgust that muggles had for people they didn't understand. Severus put his hand on Lily's shoulder and started whispering to her. She pushed his hand away and whispered back to him. Hades sighed, he hated humans sometimes. Before Lily could start yapping at him, as she was about to do when she turned to him, her mouth even opened and she took a breath of air into her lungs, Hades stood up and moved to sit beside Bellatrix who wasn't with her husband at the moment. Lucius and Bellatrix resumed their conversation of necromancy and alchemy but this time they didn't have to disguise it too much since they could politely put up a silencing charm around them. Lily glared at Hades but then sighed turning to Severus.
"That was extremely rude of him," she said quietly and Severus didn't know how to reply.
"You insulted wizarding tradition. It's normal to have house elves, especially wealthy families such as the Peverells. My mother had house elves growing up, and she's not some slave master. I know that it is a new concept but even Hogwarts employs house elves to help them run the school, make food, clean up the dormitories and help the teachers clean up and move things in their offices and personal quarters. It is not horrible, and the house elves don't dislike-"
"I can't believe you are condoning people having slaves. Slaves, Severus," when his full name is used, he is in trouble, "That's what they are," Lily crossed her arms and looked up at her parents who were once again talking to each other quietly. They couldn't hear the conversations happening around them so they assumed that nobody could hear their conversation either but they kept quiet just in case. Hades had completely forgotten the muggleborn and he had both Lucius and Bellatrix asking him questions. Severus didn't know how to reply to his best friend, and he really didn't want to fight over something as inconsequential as house elf and laws regarding them. She continued on about how wrong it was to have slaves, that it was inhumane to keep them even if they are living well, they should be paid and should be able to dress in any clothes they want. One of the house elves came to serve tea and he heard Lily talking about giving clothes to house elves and he started crying before he left. That didn't stop her though. She was on a warpath. Her parents both agreed with her and added things in every now and then, since they attending muggle school and knew muggle history better than Lily did. Severus finally gave into acquiescence so she would stop talking, he just nodded his head and mentally rolled his eyes. He loved her dearly, but she was annoyingly stubborn. He knew he was stubborn too, but hopefully he wasn't that persistent.
"Mr Evans, Mrs. Evans, would you like to go home, it's rather late. We can take you home if you'd like," Sigrun offered, smiling despite having listened into their entire conversation and Lily's lecture to poor Severus, who looked like he wanted to bury his head in hot sand.
"I think that would be for the best," Mrs. Evans, Rose, said standing up and reaching her hand out for her daughter, Lily. Petunia stood up and one of their dark artifacts flew off the mantle. Petunia looked at it nervously, before moving to stand behind her father and mother. Sigrun knew what happened, it was clearly the squib sister, but if she was a squib, how was she using magic? Hades excused himself from his conversation so he could say goodbye like a good host. He walked to the Evans and smiled at Petunia. Mr. Evans followed his eyes and twisted around to see Petunia who looked scared, a look she never wore. Or at least he'd never noticed it.
"Would you mind if I write to you?" Hades asked and Lily opened her mouth to answer, because she was the only witch in her family. "Petunia?" Tunie turned red, her cute horse-like face twisting before she looked down at her feet. She had never felt so out of place. She had magic now, she was like them, but she felt so distant from her family now, she didn't want to stay with them with muggles, she was a witch and it was only proper for witches to live in the world for witches. Lily turned to look at her sister.
"Well Tunie?" Lily asked, she seemed to be happy for her sister, but that was likely because she didn't care for Hades or anyone at the dinner besides her family, Severus and Mrs. Snape.
"Yes, thank you. How should I get in contact with you?"
"I'll send an owl to you so you can use him to carry your messages. He can hunt himself but if you give him a little bacon he'll love you forever, I promise. He's really a sweetheart. Goodbye," Petunia looked up at him and nodded before holding her father's hand while Lily took her mother's hand. Titus and Sigrun apparated them back to Spinner's End before disapparating back soon after. Sigrun collapsed in her chair and held her temples.
"Hades, why did you offer to send that muggle-squib letters?"
"She isn't a muggle, nor a squib, she has magic, it just didn't start to show until recently. Her parents don't pay much attention to her because they are busy with Lily. She was lonely so I offered to write to her. I have a request, but we can discuss this once our guests leave," he looked down at Severus. "Would you like to join our conversation, I'm sure you will be interested to learn about our topic."
Severus sat down beside Hades, Lucius and Bellatrix. Narcissa was discussing something, very politely, with Walburga and Sigrun, both of whom seemed bored out of their minds. Bellatrix laughed, not scaring anyone because they were still surrounded by a silencing charm. She slapped her leg and twisted a strand of hair.
"You know, that was very clever. You showed that little mudblood," Bella said. Severus frowned, he hated that word, not just because of Lily but because he had been called one for a long time even though he wasn't a muggleborn. It wasn't just for muggleborns but for everyone with 'tainted' blood. The child of a muggleborn and pureblood are considered much less dirty than a muggle and a pureblood, and he was the filthy muggle and witch offspring.
"Is she really a witch though? The blonde?"
"Yes, she is. I helped her achieve her magic, of course. It was just a potion and rest and she is displaying the signs of magic that we had displayed as young children. Soon it will be mature to her age and she will need to have tutors to help her learn. I am planning on asking my mother and father to allow me to start paying for tutors for Miss Evans."
"But why?" Lucius looked at Bellatrix. She had never been 'high society' in the same way as either of her sisters, rather she did was what expected of her, but she was always purely Bellatrix Black, nothing more or less. She was quite a wonderful specimen as well, insane, truly, with the Black Madness due to all the inbreeding, the curses on the family and the ungrounded, untrained, overpowered dark magic their ancestors had cast that had hurt their souls. They then passed their corrupted minds and magic to their posterity.
"She is quite useful. She feel indebted to me, does she not? If I give her the best tutors available, they will teach her what I ask them to teach her, and she will never know anything different. She can also be a brilliant spy on the outside and send us updates on the filthy muggles while we're at Hogwarts, or at least Severus and I. She will owe me, and I will collect her debt one day, when the time is right. When I take over the world as I have been planning with my father for fifty years… Would either of you be interested in joining me?"
Lucius glanced at the Dark Lord only a few seats away before looking back down at Hades who could see through him, he saw everything about Lucius Malfoy, even the things he didn't want to see. Bellatrix was a little more complex but once inside her head, if someone really wanted to be in there (it was a right mess) you could see into her just as easily. Now that Severus had his protection, had his power, he could not be read by humans or anything that originated in the overworld or heavens. They could only be read by other chthonic beings. Lucius stretched his arms out along the back of the couch, his new cane resting against the arm of the sofa they all sat on. His legs were crossed, they were long and covered in light grey slacks. He was in beautiful light gray and white, wearing rather queer clothing but nice nonetheless. He had a fur collar that made his shirt seem much more feminine but it had been acceptable to Abraxas, and Hades didn't mind getting a good view of someone he wanted. Lucius was smart, when he had been in his head, he saw so many ideas, his ambitions, his aspirations, he could help the politician do those things. When Hades is busy conquering other territories, it would be nice to rely on someone to take care of their country and Lucius would be a great ruler, at least he thought he had the potential.
"Why would we join you? You're a little boy, the Dark Lord-" Bella was silenced by Hades who ran the tip of his wand against her hand. He lifted it up and pressed it to her neck, prodding into her soft skin.
"Do you think me incapable of ruling? What should I do to prove my power? I have chosen few people that I believe will be the best to help me build the world in our image, these people I would put much faith and trust in. I would give you gifts that grant you power beyond human capability. Severus," Hades lowered his wand and pulled Severus to him before casting a charm around their sofa to compel others to look away. A modification on the spell to make muggles notice not the wizards in their world, rather this affected everyone around them. Hades pulled Severus closer to him, holding him in a way that seemed too intimate and graceful to be from a thirteen year old.
"I would like you," Hades said, running his wand against Severus' chest, quickly severing the front of his shirt before pulling it off of him. He tried to cover himself but Hades held his hands and pulled his arm out, as if he were to be crucified. "To hold you arms up, like this. Are you watching?" He was too focused on Severus and the changes that had begun to make him better than any other wizard had ever been besides Hades of course. Hades snaked his hand under Severus' arms, his wand resting against the sofa, while his hand turned bone-like, skeletal and sickly. He brushed his fingertips up Severus' chest, a torso littered in scars from all kinds of unpleasant things, before he reached up and gripped Severus' jaw, he forced his magic into Severus causing the other boy to squirm before going limp in his arms until he started to change into something beyond human. He was still Severus, with his long hair, dark, almost unfeeling, eyes and a crooked nose from it being broken and left to heal improperly, but there was an ghostly glow to him, like he was something beyond human, because he no longer was. Hades let Severus lay back, his head on Hades' lap while he legs were bent and pulled up slightly, as he had previously tried to take up little space. His arms lay limp, one against Hades' shoulder and the other had his knuckles brushing against the carpet.
"What did you do to him?" Hades brushed his svelte fingers against Severus' cheek, in a gesture showing affection as if he had known Severus for far longer than mere months. In fact, Hades had bonded, as in tasted and sampled his magic, much earlier. When he realized that he wanted a companion, when he wanted many, to join him and love him while they let him love them. Hades looked up at his other two guests and they flinched. His eyes appeared to be blind, his teeth were too sharp and perfect to be human, his skin was so pale it was nearly translucent, green and blue veins running up his arms and neck while his eyes were dark and had decaying veins, dark and foreboding, surrounded his milky eyes.
"I offered him something similar. He accepted last night, and look at how much he has changed. Don't you find him absolutely gorgeous?" Severus could hear everything but his body was in a place between immense pain from shifting into a different form, of spending so much energy and magic, most of which he hadn't even known he had, and pleasure as he could feel all the touches Hades was giving him against his skin like fire, ice and electricity at the same time. Bellatrix loomed over him, trying to see his face, the face he had been wearing a moment earlier, but he was different. Celestial. Godlike even. Bellatrix looked around the room but nobody seemed to be paying any mind to them at all. They were all engaged in their own conversations.
"Is that all? Beauty?" Lucius scoffed. He was truly quite handsome, why would he follow someone for such a low price. He didn't need to be radiant but just beautiful, as he was then.
"No, he has power, more power than any of you. More power than the Dark Lord himself," Hades didn't let Lucius comment, because he had his mouth open and ready to start demeaning him. "No. He is. He has power beneath me but above all humans, no matter how powerful they are in relation to other of their kind. Your Dark Lord," Hades nodded towards Tom, "is going to kill himself if he continues using magic he knows nothing of. He doesn't have the proper tools to safely perform the rituals that he stinks of. His body will die in, I give him no more than ten years but no less than six. I can see his soul though and he has damaged it quite horrifically, so he will be tied to this earth for a long time before he can properly move on and be reborn, or likely, be left on the bank of Cocytus. I doubt he will receive a proper burial."
Hades' stroked his fingers up and down Severus' side in an absent show of his care as he was much too focused on his plans now and how he could take what, and who, he wanted.
"We will be stronger than the Dark Lord? What are your plans for the world if you take it over?" Bella asked, her body vibrating with excitement. She nodded as Hades spoke and told them of his plans, of what he wanted. Hades, every now and then, caught a longing look from Regulus, who was staring into empty space due to the charm. He was folded in between a plush couch cushion but also sandwiched by his parents who he was happily hiding behind. Sirius and James were in the corner discussing all the 'slimey snakes' around the room. Particularly hating on Hades and Severus who he they were sure had to be doing some sort of weird dark magic thing together because nobody would want to actively befriend Snivellus. Sirius would wave his arms frantically every now and again.
Hades finished his plans and Bellatrix stopped her approving nods and Lucius let out a curious hum. He sounded adamant, and his ideals were very nice, not the best for blood elitists, but he was correct and offered a solution to their muggleborn problem.
"So, I offer you the same gift I gave to Severus, for the same price. You won't be getting it tonight, I'm not foolish enough to trust you with the power I could give to you. Severus thought similar things but I have faith that he will find reasons to be loyal to me, but you two were raised to follow another man, therefore your nature and nurturing will be pulling you in different directions. I would like for you to think about what I said, and if you go to your Dark Lord and tell him about me," he chuckled darkly, "I think my earlier statement about his death would have to be rescinded because I will have no patience to keep me from killing him. I plan on destroying him and Dumbledore eventually. They are the two opposing forces in this war, and I know that it won't be easy for us but it will be easier for us than it would be for either of the two humans," Hades slowly withdrew the overflow of magic from Severus until he could take control of his body. He sat up and pulled his ripped shirt on. Hades mended it with a simple charm and then offered him the kindest smile Severus had ever seen from someone not Lily or his mum. He cared. Hades cared about… him? Hades pulled his body up and Severus pushed himself away from him. To his surprise, Hades didn't grab him and force him to come back, he didn't do anything but nod at him, he then turned back to Bellatrix and Lucius to continue speaking, attempting to woo them to join him. He kept the charm to keep them hidden up because soon after, he was holding Bellatrix's face, hands in her hair as he kissed her with passion that should have been unknown to someone so young, but it was there, as was the desire. When Hades felt he neglected Lucius long enough he turned to capture his lips as well. Hades wasn't going to throw himself into immediate sexual contact with either of them, but they could satiate his desire for something more than apprehensive touches and insecure caresses from Severus. He also knew that they would be easier to control them if they were to surrender to him in such an intimate way. They were both also very attractive, in very different ways, but he could appreciate their beauty and their experience with sensual pleasures that he had never experienced himself, but rather seen countless times when helping his father take souls.
Severus wandered out of their bubble and everyone turned to look at him.
"Have you seen Bellatrix, Lucius or Hades perhaps?" Sigrun asked, halting her conversation to question Severus so she could figure out where her son had wandered off to. Severus just shook his head and Eileen excused herself, walking away with her son and into the hallway. Eileen cast her own silencing bubble around them.
"Where were you? You just appeared? You were there one second and then you were gone," Eileen didn't realize she had such a tight hold on his skinny arm and he tugged his arm away. She whispered and apology.
"We were all discussing some things, about Petunia, Lily's sister. Lucius and Bellatrix were also enchanted by the way Hades used words, and his knowledge on such dark and lost magics. I think they moved after I left though since Bellatrix said she needed to look at a certain book so she could cross-reference the information and Lucius wanted to find a way to start recording this knowledge so he could learn the magic and become a powerful necromancer like Hades. I think he is jealous that Hades is stronger than him," Severus saw his mother's nod of approval before she kissed his forehead and excused herself to return to the conversation she had abruptly left.
Severus made his way back to the room he had been permitted to stay in. He stripped out of his clothes and turned the shower on. He stepped back and waited for it to adjust but it had come from the tap the perfect temperature. He couldn't find anything to change the temperature with either. He nearly hit himself in the head. Of course their bathrooms would be magical. This was a magical Estate while he lived in a muggle house with muggle problems. He stepped into the shower and held his hair. He had been shocked when his father had cut it off, and he had an idea why he had brutality dragged him through the kitchen and threw him into chairs as if he were a bowling ball and the chairs were pins. He had chopped off his hair and threw handfuls of it on the ground for Eileen to try and clean up only to be screamed at when she did so. His father thought his looked far too much like his mother, and he felt guilty, Tobias did, because he saw his son and wanted to treat him like Eileen only to realize that it was his child. Then he was filled with rage, more so than usual, and cause extra damage. There were other reasons too, but Severus didn't like thinking about them. He had heard his mother begging his father to stop hurting him, to just take it all out on her, but then he had yelled back about how much he was like his mother, followed by some vulgar muggle words that he, although mature, didn't like to repeat. They made him feel dirty.
His thoughts drifted from abuse and onto much more enjoyable things. His forehead was pressed against the shower wall, cool tiles pressing against his skin as warm water trickled down his hair, over his body and off the tip of his nose. He touched his sternum, wishing that his hand would somehow turn into the skeletal appendage that Hades had when he went all whatever he was, half Death perhaps. Death Jr? That sounded like some bad program on the telly but it made Severus smile. It was ridiculous. He would have never believed he would have ever been in the position he was in at that moment. He normally would have either stayed at Hogwarts to escape his father or been at home, hiding and cleaning up his mother's wounds, trying his best to help her heal so she could be strong enough to fight back at least. He never understood why she didn't fight back, but he knew that she couldn't legally use magic against him, at least not to murder him. He was glad he took the bastard's thumb with a cutting hex.
Severus shook his head, rolling his forehead against the tile before he leaned back and sat down in the shower, just to let the water run over his body. He leaned to the side and felt himself grow tired under the warmth with the soothing sound of rain, but much more controlled. He felt a ward on his door alert him to someone's presence in his room. He didn't want to get out of the shower yet, so he didn't move. Eileen knocked on the bathroom door and Severus didn't answer. She walked in anyway, knowing the water was still running, since it was rather loud, so she assumed he was still in the shower stall. She sat outside the round shower stall, closed with grey sliding glass and tall pillars connected to the wall tiles. The bathroom looked dark, like something one would expect to see in some kinky sex club, not in an Estate like this. It was almost modern. She had walked through Sev's room as well and it looked rather different from the rest of the house too. She didn't think much of it, or at least she wasn't going to let it occupy too much of her mind, though.
"Sev, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Severus raised an eyebrow to himself. He was a teenager and she decided to check on him in the shower. What if he had been… doing teenager things? He would have been mortified, he was glad he hadn't acted on the small urge to do such things earlier. His fingers had grown pruny and so had his toes but he didn't want to leave yet. It was so nice. He normally didn't get to take showers, baths or anything while at home during the holidays and he was too self conscious of his scars and his 'ugly' body to shower with the rest of the boys, so he showered less frequently, quickly and at odd hours when there was less of a chance of someone walking into the bathroom to shower.
"I heard Lily today. About the house elves. Did that upset you?"
"No. I understand why she thinks what she thinks. I don't agree but we don't have to agree on everything… would you please relocate to my room while I dry off and get dressed?" Eileen nodded and left the bathroom. Severus, begrudgingly, turned the water off after rinsing out the last bit of conditioner that he had been letting sit in his hair, before he stepped out of the shower and toweled himself dry with fluffy, warm towels. It was so amazing. Hades must have such a great life, living in such a nice place with anything he could ever want. He got dressed in the usual threadbare pyjamas that he always wore. He didn't have any other pyjamas clothes. He pulled one of his only jumpers on over his thin, long-sleeved shirt as he walked into his room. His mother had pulled a chair to the bed and sat, anxiously awaiting her son's arrival. Severus sat down on his bed, his legs hanging over the side of the bed. He pulled at his sleeves, nervous because Eileen looked so concerned and serious.
"Did something happen that upset you? What did you leave so suddenly? I'm worried," she reached out and ran the back of her fingers against his cheek, "you can tell me. I'm your mother, I will try to help the best I can. I will always try to help you because you're my precious little boy, and I love you unconditionally."
"I can't talk about it," he looked away from his mother and leaned forward to rest on his elbows. "I love you too."
"Why can't you talk about it. Whatever it is will stay between us. You can trust me."
"I can't tell you, I'm sorry," Severus pulled his legs up on the bed and lay on his side, looking in his mother's direction but not at her. He kicked the covers out from underneath him and then slipped his body underneath them. He wasn't cold, he just needed the protective warmth that mimicked being held and comforted by another human. Eileen tried, but it wasn't the same with her. She loved him, he knew that, but even when he was in her arms, she was cold, too cold to be comfortable. He pulled the blankets up over his ears and face, leaving to top of his head and eyes exposed.
"I see," Eileen stood up and kissed Severus' crown before she moved the chair back to its original place before she left, closing the door behind her. He rolled onto his stomach, rubbing his face against the soft, cool pillowcase and letting his body heat warm the covers then retain the heat to keep him warm. His feet were cold, but they were nearly always cold. He went to sleep, he didn't want to be awake for any longer. He had felt things he didn't want to feel, at least not while in that situation or with those people, but the feeling itself was pleasant and he craved more touches and love. He wanted to be held and caressed; he needed affection from someone other than his mother, he needed romantic affection and while he thought of Lily satisfying those desires, he knew that she would never feel that way about him or at least not to the extent of wanting to act on those feelings.
Hades had parted with Lucius and Bellatrix for the night, seeing them to the floo with their families. Hades didn't have to speak the words but they received a look that gave them all the information needed. Choose wisely. Then they were gone. All of their guests were gone soon after and Eileen ran off to be with Severus. She had been worried about him but couldn't pull out of a conversation indefinitely to check on him when she had wanted to. She would likely never know about Severus, she was but a mortal after all, he doubted that she would live to see their empire in it's beautiful entirety, but he could always help ferry her soul into a designated body so they could raise her, even though she would not be able to remember her previous life.
It was Christmas day and Hades had helped give coffee and tea out before he went to wake Severus. He, as quietly as he could, opened the door and walked into the room. He wished he could have taken a picture because his new true equal was so beautiful, cute and serene in his slumber. Hades pressed a gentle kiss to Severus' forehead and eyelids, but he didn't stir. Hades tapped his shoulder until Severus woke up. Of course, Severus wasn't a morning person no matter the day. He actually hated waking up on Christmas day more than he hated anything else because most of his memories of the day were not very pleasant. He sat up, his eyes blinking slowly as crust broke and fell down his face from his eyelashes. Hades waited for Severus to wake up before he summoned one of his own coats for Severus to wear. It wasn't too cold, but he knew that Sev had to be freezing in such thin clothes. He also forced Severus' feet into fuzzy socks since he was sure they would be sitting on the floor near the large, true to ceremonial tradition tree that was surrounded by presents. Severus stayed still and let Hades finish dressing him like a child. He didn't feel awake enough to be angry nor was he awake enough to care about being treated as a toddler.
They entered the sunroom where the large tree was decorated and placed in the center. There were enough chairs for the three adults around the tree and there were soft, plush pillows on the floor for the two boys to sit on. This was Hades' first Christmas with his parents, or at least the first Christmas he would remember, so they got him quite a lot. However, they didn't think it was fair to just get Hades things if Severus and Eileen would be staying with them, so they bought the both of them presents as well. It wasn't like they didn't have the money to do such things. Eileen was handed a gift by Hades once he sat down and then he picked out a present for Severus before handing one to each of his parents.
"I gave you the presents I bought for you first, I've been dying to let you open them," Hades got a smirk out of Severus who looked back down at the present in his hand before frowning. He didn't have the money to pay them back, he bought the entire Peverell family one, cheap present. He had already asked the Evans to put the gift for Lily under their tree, and his mother's he had put in her room, and he could see it in her lap, under the gift she had gotten from Hades.
The Peverells hesitantly opened their boxes. They never thought they would receive Christmas gifts from their son, they never gave their parents anything, at least not since they learned that they didn't have to at the ages of six and seven, respectively. Titus and Sigrun were impressed with their gifts. Sigrun got a notebook in parseltongue filled with the spells that Sigrun had learned and the few he had created in the underworld. Titus had received a pair of dragonhide gloves in black, but that wasn't the only thing about them, they were charmed to stay warm and they would tether the wand to his hand so he couldn't be disarmed in a duel or in combat. Hades was happy that his parents were excited and pleased to receive gifts from him, but he was truly only interested in Severus' reaction. Eileen had gotten some of the rarer ingredients and a copy of one of the old potion texts that they had in their massive library. Severus pulled the wrapping paper from the box and then opened the box. Inside was paired journal, copies of a variety of Dark Arts books and then there was something that Severus was unusually drawn to.
Eileen and the Peverells watched the interaction with curiosity, Severus had gotten quiet and Hades had leaned forward.
"Thank you," Severus said, holding the ring in his hands. It wasn't the resurrection stone, but it was a silverring with the symbol of the Deathly Hallows carved into the jet stone.
"You're welcome," then they dropped it for the the time being and continued on with opening the gifts given. Severus had gotten the Peverells an ornate, coin pouch for their money. It had expanding charms on it and if keyed into the vaults by the goblins, they could access their vault through the bag. The coin pouch had so many anti-theft charms on it, Severus had a hard time detuning it from his magic and gifting it to them. He did it however and they were polite about the gift, even though it was clear they had several similar bags. They thanked him for his gift. Severus was excited for his mother to open her gift. His mother had been raised in a rich pureblood family, she had luxury and lived lavishly for most of her childhood and through her teen years. She only left when she married Tobias and birthed him. Severus believed that the Princes had disowned both him and his mother, so he never brought them up. He knew that at one point she had all the clothes she could ever want. So, he bought her a full new outfit, all first-hand, purchased at Madam Malkin's (since he still couldn't afford Twilfit and Tattings).
"Severus," she had said upon opening her gift. He moved so he could look into the box he got for her. On his knees, peering into her lap where she had the folded clothes pulled out and resting in her lap. She offered him a sad smile. Her baby was so precious, so sweet. What had she done to deserve someone like him? She almost started crying, but she held it back. She could cry in her room later. She looked at the clothes. There was a white button up shirt, but it was thin and long sleeved, covered in white lace. Then there were a pair of slacks, long that tightened around the knee before flaring out as most of the wealthier people's clothes had. The slacks were high waisted as well and had three buttons on the top. There was a pair of shiny black shoes with a thick heel at the back but they were comfortable enough to walk around it. Much like the shoes that the Hogwarts students wore. There was a nice robe as well, which was dark green with black stitching, not that it was noticeable, but Eileen thought it all so nice. He was such a sweetheart! She pulled him to her and kissed his temple.
"Thank you so much," she said and Severus felt like he did something right, something good.
"I'm glad you like them. I didn't know what clothes you like, we don't… you know," he got another kiss to his clean hair before the Peverells had the house elves take their gifts to their rooms so that they could all eat breakfast. The Snapes would be staying for another three days, but Hades wished they could stay longer. He didn't mind Eileen, but he really just wanted to be with Severus, who had seemed to ignore him. Hades ate breakfast and waited at the table for everyone else to finish before excusing himself to write a letter to Petunia and send her an owl of her own. They had two owleries, they had more than enough owls to spare. He wrote a note to her telling her to keep the owl and that his parents said she may live with them for her schooling. He said they could pretend that she is expected to go to a second wizarding school but stay with the Peverells. Why they were doing this? It was much easier to get tutors to teach in a magical environment and because Petunia seemed to express an interest in wizarding culture and tradition, since she accepted concepts and beliefs that her sister didn't. She was a different kind of muggleborn and Hades prefered her. She wouldn't have to pay for anything since he and his parents have more than enough money. When Hades sent the letter off and instructed one of their owls, Hortolanus, to stay with Petunia and her family and come back when Petunia arrived back at their Estate.
Lily saw the owl first and she went to get it because she suspected she was in trouble. There was so much magic around the house and she didn't know if she was dying or what was happening. Petunia seemed to hole up in her room and go through her clothes, picking out what she wanted to keep and what she disliked according to what she assumed the witches that the Peverells would like. She had to admit, she prefered the other witches' clothes as they were so elegant but you could tell that they could kick serious arse in those clothes as well. Practical yet beautiful, she liked it.
Lily followed the owl and then ran inside to Petunia's room. Petunia had already let the owl inside and was reading the letter. Lily groaned and pulled the letter out of her sister's hand.
"Give that back!" Petunia tried to grab the letter but Lily was already walking away. Lily looked down at the letter, forgetting that Hades had said he would write, and looked to whom it was addressed to. She ran back up to Petunia's room and handed the letter back to her.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were reading a letter for me."
"Have I ever done that to you?" Tunie glared and flattened the letter in her hands before she continued to read it. She went to the owl. Lily was about to warn her that the owl would bite but Hortolanus just moved his head around to let the child ruffle his feathers better, preening under such attention. Lily sat on her sister's bed and waited for her to finish playing with the new owl that didn't seem to want to leave.
"What did it say?" Lily blurted out, she was just so curious.
"It is a letter from Hades. He has gotten my test results from the company that checks for magic and he says that I am a witch as well. That is just didn't have enough time to grow and therefore was somehow blocked. He has offered to help me into a school for witches and wizards who don't know anything about magic who are too old to just start Hogwarts. He also gave me this owl, his name is Whore-tall-anus?" Lily reached out to take the letter and read it for herself but Petunia pulled it away from her. "No, this is my letter, I don't want you to read it."
"Is there something dirty on that paper? Why can't I, your little sister, see it?" Lily did a thing she almost never did, "Do I need to go tell mum and dad?"
Petunia tossed the letter to her feet before sitting on her pale pink and white lace bed, her fingers twisting in the lace frills along the comforter and then she batted at the circular overhand that draped a matching pale pink curtain around her bed. She fingered the white frills along the hems of her drapes, staring at her hands. The longer she thought about it, the angrier she got. Lily sat on her sister's bed and held the letter in her lap. Lily stared at Petunia, but Petunia thought her sister would get bored and run along to pester someone else. Petunia, although knowing logically it wasn't true, let herself get even angrier, just for the sake of anger, at the thought of Lily being jealous because now she wasn't the only witch in the house. Petunia had taken part of her spotlight, and she wanted to be angry, so she grasped for whatever she knew would help enrage her.
"I don't think you should do as he asks. He's, well, he's not a good person. He scares everyone, and he has somehow manipulated Sev, my Sev who is never manipulated, into staying with him or whatever. He has taken my friend away. How can you go and associate with someone who hurt me like that? I would stop talking to people who are mean to you too," she sighed. She knew she was being whiny, and she hated it. She was not a whiny girl, she was an intelligent young witch with the potential for great things if she had the help from the right people. Albus Dumbledore was one of those 'right' people as well as her head of house. Petunia picked the letter out from between Lily's fingers and folded it neatly before opening her jewelry box. She slid the letter inside the bottom compartment, where only her most precious and secret jewelry was hidden, and she turned to her sister.
"May I borrow some parchment? I think I will use a pencil until my penmanship with a quill gets better. I know for a fact I will not be a master since I've never so much as touched one even less used one," Lily frowned and stood up running across the hall and into her room. She got parchment like her sister asked but she held it in her hands and hesitated. What if Tunie was going to be hurt by Hades? The boy and his family had slaves. They treated witches like them like dirt. They had been snickered at and mocked the entire night. How could Petunia still want to associate with him? She walked back across the hall, slower than she had left, and finally handed Petunia a square of parchment. She sharpened a pencil and went to her little desk in the corner of her room. Flipping the light switch on, she got ready to write her first letter to a magical person. She erased her first sentence many times. The sentence following Dear Hades, and finally she just didn't let herself erase it, forcing herself to move forward. She wrote to him about how she would love to stay at the Estate and learn all she could. She informed him that she had nothing to give him in return and then she started thinking about their offer. What was he going to have her do? She did owe him something, but he hadn't specified what he wanted. She had been so enraptured with the idea of being a witch, like her perfect sister, that she would have done anything but perhaps that was the wrong choice. She continued on in her letter with things about how Lily didn't like him and how she is afraid that he had stolen her best friend away from him. She ended the letter with a common Sincerely, Petunia Evans before she folded it and used a little tape to keep it together. She didn't have any wax and Lily was still in her room, but she was sitting on her bed, waiting for her to go to her. She called the weird-named bird to the window and sent him off with the letter.
Petunia sat down on her bed and Lily finally stood up, this time she bent over slightly as she started to motion with her hands. They moved as erratically and angrily as her words.
"I know you didn't tell him no! You are a horrible sister. Why are you doing all of this? You just want magic too? What did he do to you? Why aren't you my sister anymore? You turned your noses up at us all night and now you're sending his owls, you're a muggle. A squib! You have no magic. Whatever is happening isn't you because you don't have it!" Lily calmed down and Petunia masked her rage.
"I'm sorry. I just have a hard time believing that all the sudden you can start doing magic. People say he's really weird at school. Are you sure he didn't do anything to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me… will you please leave me to myself?" Lily huffed. Tunie was even talking like those damn pure blooded bastards and it made her blood boil. Petunia wouldn't know the half of how she got treated by purebloods, how they would treat Petunia if she had magic. They are cruel yet her sister was mimicking them, trying to be like them, some sort of 'high/polite society'. Lily wouldn't say it aloud but she thought 'fuck that shit!' Why should she have to learn their crappy, old, tired society's traditions when they were so much more advanced. Witches didn't even have refrigerators or electricity and people were still call 'Lord' and 'Madam' and all that weird stuff that she didn't understand. They needed to modernize themselves, it was ridiculous! And some lunatics didn't care for the 'corruption' of muggle influence. The muggles were better, they could do everything that witches could do and more but instead of some mystical power from someplace unknown they made it themselves, with science because they were intelligent and worldly!
Lily paced her room for a good hour before taking a shower and washing her hair with fury. She didn't feel too much better when she went back to her room, but the rage was starting to subside. She couldn't sleep and her clock was moving so slow. Time was so slow… She got out of bed around one in the morning to eat the raspberry thumbprint biscuits they had on the kitchen counter. She had been thinking about eating an entire plate in an attempt to calm her down. The vicious chewing, the idea of destruction, was satisfying no matter how dull it seemed to those who knew real violence and true destruction. Lily collapsed on the couch with the plate of cookies on the carpet to the side of the couch. Her fingers brushed against the tacky jam and she got her hands on the rest of the cookies as she slept.
In the gloriously peach and pink room, Petunia had stewed on her thoughts and she had just gotten more and more upset until she finally couldn't handle all the anger and the overwhelming emotions and cried until she fell asleep. Neither sister paid each other much attention for the rest of the break, in fact, Petunia went back to actively avoiding Lily, but now, Lily did the same ensuring that they were always away at opposite sides of the house.
On the end of Yule and at the start of the new year, Severus came back to the Estate, this time he was in worse condition and his mother, well, they didn't know how Eileen stood up without falling right back down. Severus had tried to take the brunt of the punishment, tried to get the abuse directed at him so his mother didn't have to suffer through it. He could care less about himself but if anything happened and his mother died, it would be his fault, and he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Due to Severus' new more-than-human status, his wounds healed themselves very quickly, even faster than a normal wizard. His mother however went back to the hospital and this time Sigrun stayed with her to try and get her to take advantage of their 'friendship' and stay at the Estate. Sigrun let Eileen know all of her opinions on muggles. Her words had heads turning and people gasping, her opinions sounded like something the Dark Lord would say. Eileen told Sigrun a few things, but it came to a consensus that Severus would stay with the Peverells and she would visit as often as she could. She would rather have her son safe than herself and since she was staying because she needed to stay with Tobias, she wasn't going to subject her son to any more of the man's abuse. There was also the unspoken laws being built by both women, one of them was their terms of agreement with this 'friendship' business. While Sigrun had much to offer, Eileen had little more than a pauper, so she had used Hades' affection and friendship with her little Severus as a power, she held it above Sigrun who wouldn't do anything to jeopardize any relationship she had with her son. Eileen had won, and she had the power, but Eileen knew that Sigrun and the Peverells would be the ones chipping in a bigger part. It didn't bother her all that much. They were wealthy purebloods that followed to tradition and bathed their children and love, knowledge and attention so that they could grow into an adult and take on their family's business or career choice. It seemed like a loving family but even down to its bones, it was all a powerplay.
Once back on the Hogwarts Express, the remaining Slytherins in Hades' friend group (Severus and Regulus) and Regulus' acquaintances boarded together before the new creature slipped away to find Lily. Hades stared at a few first year Hufflepuffs until they vacated their compartment before taking his seat next to the window. Regulus sat beside him and despite his nerves and everything telling him to stay away from Hades because he was dangerous, his side was pressed against Hades' arm. For a second, he feared that he would be rejected. Why would Hades Peverell want anything to do with him? He was a Black, yes, but so was Bellatrix and she was much smarter than he was, more powerful, well spoken if not a little insane, but she was by far better than him. Hades pulled his arm away from Regulus and the youngest Black decided he would move away but Hades' wrapped that arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer before crossing his legs and tilting his head and straightening his back until he looked more like a king, or an emperor, than a student. Hades looked down only to smile at Regulus who was staring up at Hades. He was respected at school and most people stayed away from him, but he was timid due to the circumstances with his family. Sirius was cruel, his mother was always asking for his opinion (which would then be insulted and laughed at by Sirius) and his father was nearly as shy as he was, but Orion Black, at one time, had been the Lord of the most noble and ancient house of Black, but his wife, who was also his cousin, nearly made him a mute and shoved him into the corner causing him to start doubting himself and eventually lose all self-esteem. He was really a shell of a man, and definitely not the best father, but Regulus loved him, as he loved his mother and he even held some form of love for Sirius (who he also disliked greatly).
Hades held Regulus against him, tracing patterns on his shoulder every now and then, as he listened to Dolores or someone equally annoying talk and brag about who had the better, wealthier, higher social family family. Hades stayed near silent the entire ride, not wanting to give his ten cents, he felt as if he did start to talk about his family, he would either be disliked due to his distinctly better family, abundance of wealth, and a truly awesome family. He didn't need to make enemies (more enemies) and he listened on, paying attention to their tones and mindless gestures, finding their insecurities about themselves and their home life. Those would be easy to pick apart and unravel if he ever needed to do such a thing to them. Somewhere along the ride, Sirius made his presence known by opening their compartment door, throwing in lit fireworks and then slamming it. He held it shut and watched through the glass. James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew stood beside him, all very different. James looked as enchanted with the fireworks, and it made him even giddier knowing that those fireworks were torturing bastard Slytherins; Remus was looking around, just hoping that they wouldn't get caught or anything. He didn't know why he hung around the three, but they knew his secrets and he had to ensure they never spoke about it. It was as much as a safety precaution for them as it was for himself; Peter just followed along as he always did, truly a useless rat. Hades cut their fun short picking up the fireworks and burning them out in his palms. Sirius looked down at the boy who had picked up live fireworks and snuffed them out with his skin. What a crazy motherfucker! He turned to his friends to see if they had seen what he had. He then turned back to where Hades had dropped the half burnt fireworks while Regulus started trying to fix any damage on Hades' hands. Hades held his hands up and they were perfectly fine, flawless even. Sirius was about to open the door and drag his little brother away from that beast. He may not like Regulus, he may even detest the little brat, but he wouldn't let someone he was expected to watch fall prey to some psychopath. Sirius slammed the door open, causing the windows to vibrate in their frames. He grabbed Regulus' collar and pulled him forward before he fell back, hands going limp.
Hades pulled Regulus back up to him and then sat him down on the bench before he picked Sirius up and pulled him out into the hall. The other Marauders were watching, part petrified and part stunned in awe, and when he dropped a stunned Sirius at James' feet he turned back, just as quietly, and walked into their compartment, sliding the door shut gently before taking his seat up once again. As imagined, the rest of the conversation was on how epic Hades' display had been or how horrible Gryffindors were.
Lily had told Severus all about her sister and how much she hated Hades. She never said the word 'hate' as she never would, she was by far too gentle for such vulgar words, but she disliked him greatly, going so far as to ask Severus to avoid him, if not because of her then because he was dangerous and cruel. Severus never liked lying to his first friend and best friend, but he agreed to do as she asked, knowing that he would not actually follow her suggestions. Other than that, Lily was glad to be back at school, saddened by how distant she and her sister had grown, but more than that, she was growing jealous of the attention that Petunia was getting from the aristocrats of their world. She had been there for three years and one party later, Petunia was being asked to be privately tutored at a lavish estate while she had to go to Hogwarts (not that she would complain, but she did feel it was unfair). She was angry that Petunia was being accepted into circles that she had been rejected from because of her blood status, a status she shared with her sister. It only made her loathe Hades Peverell even more.
Once back at Hogwarts, things went smoothly, almost so smoothly that Severus was expecting something bad to happen. He was right because a before the summer holidays, Hades and the Marauders had a little issue.
Severus was walking out to his tree, the tree he had sat under every year since he started Hogwarts. Not the Whomping Willow, although it was rather small, no, it was a tall walnut tree about ten feet from the Forbidden Forest, which was close enough for students, usually only Severus and/or Lily, to occupy the space under its shade. He was walking towards the common walnut tree and then, for the first time all year, since Hades scared them away, the Marauders had grouped up on some poor Slytherins. Severus watched on, unsure how to help but then again, why should he help? Nobody ever helped him before, nobody but Hades. He had new power, but even that didn't tempt him to use it. It was best if his true abilities were hidden so that he could surprise others when they underestimated him rendering them weak to him in battle or similar situations. That's when he saw it, the flash of white eyes. He didn't know anyone with those kind of eyes. There weren't usually magical people with disabilities like blindness due to the inventions and potions they had which could give them their eyesight back. The only true thing that he knew likely couldn't come back or be fixed was being mute or being muted by severing of the vocal cords or another horrible act of violence.
Then James was on his back and Sirius flew up into the air, his feet being kicked out of him before his body was punched into the sky only for gravity to slam him down into the ground once again. Hades had been in their circle. Remus Lupin, that weird kid, Severus didn't know what his problem was since he seemed to be decent, but then were Gryffindors ever truly decent? Remus tried to stand up for his friends, pulling his laurel wand wood from his pocket and aiming it at Hades. Their rat-like friend had scurried off to hide behind one of the pillars holding up the archway that supported the bridge over the deep, steep dip in the earth.
"Put your wand away. You look ridiculous," Hades said, waving his hand dismissively. Remus looked at James and Sirius who were slowly regaining themselves and rising to their seats. From behind Hades, Regulus Black peeked out and saw Severus staring at them. He looked away and leaned up to whisper something in Hades' ear. Soon he had the eyes of Hades, the boy who had granted him power and immortality, what else could he ask for, but now he was indebted. Hades looked at him for a moment, as if he wanted to have assistance but then the demon shook his head and laughed to himself. Why would he expect someone to come to his aid. He was becoming too human; he was to aid those he wanted and to make the others bow to him. He was superior to lowly mortals. Hades turned around and placed a hand on Regulus' hip before his other hand went to brush his cheek. There were more whispers but soon, Regulus was running off with a book he had been reading, his wand, and a potion that reminded Severus of the potion he had taken to gain new abilities, to turn into something that Hades had wanted him to be. He almost felt cheated, but he also knew, in his logical mind, that Hades was only using all of them, he said what others wanted to hear in order to gain favours and he gifted those he wanted under his control with gifts to keep them by his side and under his control, separating those he considered above the mortal filth that populated most of the overworld from those he knew to be his helpers, those he could trust, implicitly, with tasks that he could not pass off to any other.
"What are you lookin' at Snivellus?" Sirius shouted, not liking the fact that he was kicked on his arse by some stupid brat and now had some greasy burden staring at them, probably overjoyed that they were getting it handed to them. Hades was six inch shorter than Pettigrew and nearly as skinny and sickly as Remus, how did the little twerp have so much power behind him? James and Sirius drew their wands, almost angry at Remus for not hexing the brat when he had turned away to talk to Sirius dumb little brother. It didn't take long before Hades just turned, smiling at them all one last time, and walked away. As soon as Hades had gone, Sirius started shouting and before anything could really register in Severus' head he was being tormented and hexed with hexes he swore he was learning from Hades because they were dark. Either way, they hurt and he had scurried away as cowardly-like as Pettigrew with his tails metaphorically tucked between his legs. He spend the rest of the day in the infirmary having the hexes removed and being demanded to tell him who really hurt him. The Headmaster didn't believe his golden Gryffindors could have known such dark hexes. It was as if he forgot that they were from usually neutral or dark pureblood families. They were nearly all well versed in all kinds of magic, but it was most infuriating when he disregarded Black's ability to cast darker magic. The headmaster had always been blind to those he considered on his good terms and with a sigh and a 'I'm disappointed in your inability to tell the truth,' followed by a 'if you have anything to tell me, I'll be in my office, Mr. Snape', the Headmaster left the infirmary to let Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have always been at the school despite not looking very old, fuss over him and try to incriminate Hades or at least get him to word something in a way to get Hades in trouble. He was truly most curious about why they all seemed to hate Hades. What had he done to anger the entire school, or at least those who explicitly trusted the Headmaster, like Pomfrey and Hagrid, or those who had witnessed his evil, like Slughorn.
The last day of school and Hades had his curtains closed on his bed. Severus wanted to pull them open and expose what he was doing, but he decided against it knowing how awkward so many possibilities would be. He was also quite aware that Hades would likely make it even more awkward in order to get a rise out of him, he loved to try and tease Severus, but the dour child was rarely susceptible to such childish, attention-seeking actions. It was only when he heard a light gasp that he made his way over to the curtains. They were sheer, as all their bed drapes were, but Hades' were charmed to look empty, they always were, even when they knew he was in bed.
Hades laughed and sat up, pressing another kiss to the Regulus' lips before he pulled his curtains open. He raised an eyebrow and waited for Severus' reaction. Sadly, the boy didn't give much of an outward reaction besides a scowl.
"Did you need something Sev?" Hades asked, pulling his wand from his pillow and sent the last of his items, a quill and two pots of ink, to his trunk. Good thing Severus reminded him that they were leaving, he would have forgotten his ink (but then he didn't care. He could buy an entire ink company and still have plenty of money to live far more than 'comfortably'). Severus took a moment to regroup, although he truly did let a flash of himself in a similar position cross his mind (and it was promptly shoved far into his subconscious and locked away with a million locks without matching keys).
"I just wanted to let you know that we are to be in the Great Hall in ten minutes according to Professor Slughorn. We are to eat breakfast and then board the train," Hades smiled at him and nodded.
"Thank you for letting us know," he tapped the side of Regulus' leg and the slightly younger boy slid off of Hades' legs and onto the floor. He looked down at the ground before walking out of the third year dormitory and to his own to fix himself as he had gotten a somewhat tousled. Hades threw his legs over the bed that he would never sleep in again, in fact, he hoped that Regulus got his bed, that would have been very interesting, seeing as he had left all the charms on the bed, not finding a reason to take them off ; even if a professor did a sweep to clear spells ad charms, they would have a difficult time removing all the wards on that particular bed. Hades stood up, nearly knocking Severus back despite Severus being taller than his housemate.
"I suggest we head out," As if he had been caught doing something purely innocent, Hades walked away and soon the trunks were being loaded onto the train by the house elves and Severus wondered if Lily knew that there were so many more house elves at Hogwarts than any pureblood had.
Breakfast was full of noise as the students all planned who they were going to sit with and then people started the long discussion of what they would be doing over the summer. In Slytherin, the less you did, but the more you did (managing to do both at the same time) was what made you seem much better, and it let you appear to be grand rather than whatever people like Severus were considered (dirt perhaps?). Then everyone loaded onto the Hogwarts Express to go back to their homes. Two days earlier, Severus had received a letter from his mother. He had heard brief mentions of him staying with the Peverells, but his mother confirmed that he would be staying with them for the summer holidays. He wasn't sure if he was happy or not. On one hand he was free from Tobias, he would have food, a nice shower, a soft bed, access to a potions lab and a library full of books on every topic imaginable, but opposing all that seemed good in the world, he wouldn't be able to see Lily (he doubted she would ever come back to the Peverell Estate, even for him) and Lily would likely be angry with him for staying with someone she clearly disapproved of; the most important thing however was that he couldn't be there to protect his mother, or attempt to, and then he also wouldn't be there to help heal her when she was too injured to take care of herself. Who would do that for her? She couldn't just send him away, she was practically committing suicide! He pushed these thoughts from his mind as Lily started to try and make plans for them, mostly them going to Diagon Alley and reading the books in Flourish and Blotts (she even promised to buy him a book), and Severus let her continue droning on about all the things she wanted to do. Sometimes he was jealous of how nice her life seemed, but he also knew that he was getting a chance at having a life just as perfect as hers.
"I won't be staying at Spinner's End this holiday, Lily," Severus finally said, interrupting Lily and her proposal to take him shopping for new clothes. He dreaded shopping and shopping with someone who enjoyed shopping was even worse.
"Well, where will you be staying? Where can I reach you? I can't just leave my best friend alone for a whole summer," she offered a sweet smile. Severus was reminded of the Lily he knew before everything with Hades seemed to ruin his life, turning everything he loved and knew upside down and confusing him to high heaven. He looked out the window at the rolling fields that he could see. It was bright outside but their windows were charmed to have a comfortable amount of light let it to keep from blinding students.
"I will be staying at the Peverell Estate," she started speaking and he sighed, causing her to stop. "My mother made a deal with Hades' mother. Mrs. Peverell has offered to take me in over the summer for my mother to do whatever she is really doing. I highly doubt her reason she gave me was the truth," he shook his head, "I don't think I will be able to see you much this summer." He was frightened because he loved Lily with all his heart, and a year prior he would have never claimed anything else. He had been outcasted in his own house and by all the others, he was good at potions and knew little of the wizarding world despite his mother being raised purely in that world. He had been ignorant to many things, but now he had a chance to learn and he had someone who wanted to care for him. Lily loved him, but Hades offered him things that he felt he could never attain on his own and things he knew he could never reach by his lonesome. He would never forget Lily, she was always his best friend, and he would love her forever no matter what (or so he loved the Lily he had know for the first half of the year and all the years previous), but she could only heal him so many times before she grew bored and tired of him. She could only put up with him for so long, he didn't expect her to want to be around him forever, he wasn't so optimistic to believe such a thing, he knew that nobody could stand him for very long. He was truly as burdensome (at least he thought so) and he knew it, so he wouldn't make anyone suffer for too long. Even his mother was pushing him away! Was he that intolerable that his own mother pawned him off to the family she thought could stand him the longest? Before Lily could say anything, he stood up and left.
He walked down the thin aisle between the compartments and he passed by the Marauders. They didn't even move to try and belittle him or mock him, not even to harass him into getting himself into trouble by trying to fight them or worse. He continued down the aisle. He had finally exited Gryffindor territory, the front half of the train had always been for the Gryffindors and Severus had always been fine to endure through his discomfort around such boisterous people to be close to Lily where she wouldn't tolerate his silent but manipulative Slytherins where he would be uncomfortable as well but not as much. He couldn't find it into him to recognize these faults of Lily's and if he did see them, he pretended he didn't and hid them away in his mind where they couldn't bother him again.
Severus knocked on the compartment door and it was pulled open by Hades. Rather than having all his groupies, Hades was just with one of his little puppies. Regulus had just jumped across the seat and off of Hades from the looks of it, but Severus didn't care that he had interrupted something. They were children, they shouldn't be doing such things anyway. The door shut behind him and then the compartment door faded from sight and darkened as did the window yet it was still bright enough to see each other.
"What do we owe the pleasure of you joining us?" It was clear that somehow Hades felt slighted by Severus. It was because Severus had been avoiding Hades. This morning had been the first time he dared approach him since the school year started. Hades knew it was because of that muggleborn that Severus was pining after, but he didn't like being ignored, nobody did unless that was their goal.
"I'm staying with you for the summer," Severus stated and Hades nodded.
"Yes you are and from what I'm aware of, you will be staying in the same room you resided in during the winter holidays… Let's talk about something else. How have the changes been affecting you?" Severus flinched, he didn't want to talk about that. He felt wrong. He had accepted a gift and he had thought about it after he accepted and knew that there was truly no way around it. He was truly indebted to him, he should just get used to it, but he couldn't. He had been feeling rather inhuman though. He had swore to astral project more than a few times since he took the life-changing potion.
"I've been fine? How have they gone for you, Regulus?"
"I've been well, thank you," Regulus looked out the dimmed window as if there was something interesting out there. He was just trying to avoid Severus. He had gained some things from his new whatever it was called, this new power he had. His body had changed but not drastically so. If he hadn't been so curious of his form, he would have never found out the slight differences of his appearance, but the most prevalent thing he had inherited was the ability to take other's emotions and feelings and gain energy from them. He wondered if that is what Hades felt when he did that soul-sucking-thing that the common room still whispered about when Farley walked into the room or when he and Hades happened to brush close together or make eye contact. He had asked Hades about it and he had told him that everyone who grew into a quarter what he was would have their natural abilities enhanced, so he must have always been able to feed on others' feelings but it was just more pronounced due to his shift in humanity. That's how he could tell what Hades felt when he saw Severus and he wasn't jealous but he was almost interested to see what happened next.
No, he would never be jealous because he knew that Hades only gifted a few people the gift that he had been granted and therefore he would always be special. He had made him immortal, that meant he wished to have them with him, or at least by his side for eternity, did it not? He hoped so. Regulus didn't think that whatever it was that he felt was just a crush, he never even considered it. He didn't need to when he was so sure that it was more than that. He saw the other boys in his dorm have crushes on girls or boys or even professors, and it was annoying and made him anxious because they all acted so stupid around those that they 'liked'. He hoped he didn't act in such a horrifically ridiculous manner around Hades, he would be mortified if he had acted like that. There was something about Hades that drew him in, and he noticed that it didn't affect others, in fact, it had the opposite on most everyone else, all but four people and those people had all been chosen, and he had wished to bless them with the gift of power beyond mortal comprehension, immortality, a thing that many have wished for but only get at great prices, and he offered them companionship, something that all four of his chosen lacked in their lives. Perhaps this made them easier 'targets' but Regulus didn't like to see it that way. They were just better than the others. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been chosen, right?
Hades reached forward and held Regulus' wrists before leading him back to straddle his thighs. Severus turned away. The audacity to do such a thing in front of someone unfamiliar to them! He was unfamiliar, he supposed. Hades knew more about Severus than he liked people to know, but he also had things that nobody but a select few have because of Hades. But even better, he had the privilege to see Hades in a different light than the rest, to be able to see him when he wasn't at his most 'human' as he was sure Hades would say. He had such a dislike towards humans, it was amusing because he knew that Hades was half human at least.
"Does this bother you?" Hades looked over at Severus. "Have you not been exposed to such displays of affection before?"
"No, I am aware of it. I just never felt the need to partake in such actions. I will leave if you wish," Hades reached out one hand to hold onto Severus, sliding his hand down Severus' arm, from his shoulder to his fingers.
"It is quite pleasant," Hades leaned forward to press kisses against Regulus' lips and jaw. "Perhaps you should experience it before you dismiss it as unimportant. I'm sure I could lead you to believe it is enjoyable, or Regulus could show you," Regulus gasped at the thought of being handed to Severus. He wasn't sure if it was because of the idea of someone else having control, and being in a relationship with someone (it didn't even have to be romantic or sexual at this point) who could provide stability and help him grow into someone who didn't doubt every move they made or thought for hours on the past mistakes they've made, someone who made themselves sick worrying over inconsequential things that would go on despite any inconsistencies on his part. He also really enjoyed the romantic aspect because he was being showered in affection and it felt good to be praised and enjoyed. He wasn't sure if it was because he felt so dejected at home that he was seeking attention elsewhere, or not, but he trusted Hades to do what he thought best (and keep him safe), he wasn't exactly sure why, because he didn't seem very trustworthy at face value, but there was something about him that made Regulus feel so protected, shielded from anything bad and lavished in everything good.
"I wouldn't be opposed…" Regulus said quietly, since it had gone rather silent. There were lips kissing his skin again, along his neck and along his sharp jaw near his ear. Severus huffed and crossed his arms and turned to look out at the darkened glass door in an endeavor to ignore Hades and Regulus. He had seen more than enough to know what was happening, but he didn't want to… well, there was something that he didn't want to have to think about when he saw Hades. They were teenage boys, they did things, but it didn't mean that Severus wanted to witness anything sexual.
The rest of the ride to the platform, Hades and Regulus didn't snog, thank Merlin, but Regulus clung to Hades like a scared kitten. He didn't want to leave, he didn't want to give up someone who made him comfortable so he could go back to his horrid house and even more, his foul family. Hades whispered sweet things into his ears and promised to invite him to the Estate often. Severus just knew it was going to be a long summer.