I swear that I didn't mean to stop writing for a week...life hit me pretty hard. BUT I'm back on track again!
I think it's time for an update on Severus.
Enjoy! :)
Severus Snape was at peace.
It was quite a startling thing to experience after so many years of lying and manipulating his way through life and death situations. He almost couldn't remember the last time he was in a location where no one could contact him.
Severus was currently standing on the back patio of a large manor. White columns lined the rim of the area, giving a picturesque frame to the mountains that were in the distance. There wasn't a sight of a cloud in the sky. It was surreal. The house was somewhere within the borders of Switzerland, but not even Severus knew where exactly. The only person who knew the exact location had been dead for many decades. The wards around the estate where extremely powerful, connected to the power of the earth itself. Whomever had erected them must have had a strong affinity for earth magic.
Severus walked slowly down the porch steps to the expanse of green lawn. To the right was the entrance of a small maze where a garden grew in the center. The edge of the forest was just within sight, promising to hold a number of wild animals, magical or not.
While Severus knew that he should be working himself to the bone back in England to help the Dark Lord recover, he almost didn't care. Almost. The thought intruded upon the peace of the moment, and Severus stopped walking. The man stood still in the lawn. His dark robes were an interesting contrast with the brightness of his surroundings. He didn't necessarily look out of place though.
His situation with the Dark Lord was an interesting one. Since his return, Severus had been called into the man's presence only one time. The conversation had been short and blunt.
"Severus." The Dark Lord's voice was raspy from the lack of use, but his eyes were as sharp as ever. They held Severus' gaze until the younger man slowly knelt as a sign of respect.
"My Lord." Severus was quite as he murmured his response. He didn't need to speak so softly, but the atmosphere seemed to command him to do so. Both men were alone in a dark study filled with dusty tomes. The only light came from a flickering lamp that sat at the edge of the desk behind which Voldemort sat. His eyes were a dark red in the yellow lighting, glimmering dangerously as they observed the man kneeling in front of me.
"Tell me, Severus." The Dark Lord leaned forward in his chair. "What proof is there that you are still loyal to me? You did not try to search for me in all of these years, yet you still answer my call."
Severus knew that he was going to ask something along those lines. There was a small movement in one of the shadowed corners of the room. Severus knew at a quick glance that it was the Dark Lord's familiar, Nagai. The snake had an uncanny way of knowing when someone was lying, so Severus chose his words carefully. He had seen one too many deaths caused by the venomous snake as a result of poorly crafted lie.
"I have been working to gain the trust of the Light, my Lord. I knew you would return because you said that you would, but I did not search, knowing that you would only be found when you wished to be found. I wanted to be prepared to aid you and have done everything in my power to extend my resources for your use. My work is your work."
There was a silence in the room as Voldemort stared into the eyes of Severus Snape, with the occasional soft hiss coming from the corner.
Severus didn't really care all that much if Voldemort ended up killing him. He used to, but that was years ago, and he had since accepted that he would die young.
"Open your mind to me." The Dark Lord finally broke the silence. Severus did so, already pushing forward the memories that would back up his loyalty. Him creating several potions that were later stored in secret and given to fellow Death Eaters. A handful of conversations between him and Lucius on how to best prepare for the return of the Dark Lord. The feelings of hatred towards those who belonged to the Order of the Phoenix and the Potter brat. The willingness to help the Dark Lord recover to the best of his abilities.
When the Dark Lord pulled out of his mind, Severus shivered, suddenly glad that he wasn't standing. He appeared to be satisfied with what he had seen and felt.
"Very well, Severus. I look forward to your brilliancy aiding my cause once more."
"My Lord, there is a matter that you must know about."
"Yes?"
"I have recently been made aware that due to the death of some extremely distant relatives that I have inherited the fortune of the Prince family. With that comes a handful of dealing that I must attend to outside of Britain. I may not be able to return on a moments notice depending on the wards existing around the estates as the Prince family appears to have been extremely paranoid."
"I see." The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes, clearly a little displeased at this. "Attend to your affairs as you must, however, I do require a handful of your potions before you leave to regain my strength."
"Of course, my Lord."
The conversation had moved quickly into what Severus would provide the Dark Lord with and when, and soon, Severus had been gone.
The only thing that he had needed to do before leaving was check on the blood wards at the Potter girl's home. Ignoring the sameness that characterized the neighborhood of Little Whinging, he ran a few tests on number four Privet Drive. He did this extremely early in the morning before he left Britain to reduce the chances of seeing one Hope Potter. He was surprise that they were a little dim, but it was nothing to be worried about. Blood wards were extremely stable, and even if they weren't working at an hundred percent, they were impenetrable.
After sending the report back to Dumbledore that he found nothing wrong at Privet Drive, Severus had used a portkey to leave the British wizarding community for the next several weeks.
Severus shook his head to clear his mind. He was only at the first estate, and had a total of five to visit. He turned and strode back into the house to figure out how many special tools, devices, and artifacts he could find that would come in handy eventually. Severus was determined to enjoy this time while he could.
