Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Harry Potter. Doesn't that suck? Guess I'll just have to come up with my own genius, millions-making story idea, but in the meantime, I'll just stick to writing fanfiction.
LAST TIME:
'They were no longer his.'
Chapter 10
Severus was tempted to immediately rush to Albus' office, but he restrained himself. After rushing to the Dark Lord with Trelawney's partial prophesy, he didn't dare run headlong into anything. So he sat on the edge of his bed, and waited for his hands to stop shaking from the pain.
Then he summoned the bottle of Firewhiskey from his dresser and a glass from across the room and poured himself a drink.
And that he had a good, long, think, glancing at his left forearm every few minutes or so. It was actually gone. His arm hadn't looked that good since he was seventeen.
###
Meanwhile, in Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy was having a similar situation, as his muffled agony had woken his wife. After all, she had been asleep next to him.
He initially tried to resist her well-practiced glare, but failed.
"My Mark," he finally rasped. "It's gone, it's actually gone. "
"What?!" Narcissa exclaimed. She had guessed that something was very, very wrong, given how Lucius had had a vice grip on his left forearm
"It's actually gone." He rolled up his pajama sleeve to show the only proof he needed - the pale, unblemished skin of his arm.
Narcissa swallowed a gasp. "Well, I guess you won't be needing the mask hidden in the compartment at the back of your wardrobe, will you?"
Lucius looked at her with a look of blank shock. "How did you know?"
"I'm your wife Lucius, and a daughter of the House of Black. Are you really that surprised that I know one of your biggest secrets? You never wanted the Dark Lord to return, but you knew that if he did, you would have to be ready to answer his call. I watched Regulus endure the same. The wait for that Mark to burn until you responded and rushed to his side. But now you're free. You will no longer live under the shadow of the shade that was Voldemort."
"We're all free, Narcissa. Never again will I bow to another lord."
###
After a long night of more thinking than sleeping, Severus finally decided to go to Dumbledore with his news. At breakfast the following morning, he spoke in a soft tone to the headmaster. "I must speak to you later, in your office. It's important."
Albus must have seen something in his eyes, as he simply nodded and said, "Of course, Severus."
After enduring a long day full of several dunderheaded Gryffindors, and even more dunderheaded Hufflepuffs, Severus was able to finally escape the dungeons and
ascend the many steps to the headmaster's office.
"Ice mice," he said with a snort to the statue of a gargoyle that protected the entrance. The stone guardian slid aside and Snape stalked up the spiral stairs that lead to the headmaster's domain.
Before he could raise his hand to knock on the door, Albus called out, "Come in, Severus."
He pushed open the door and walked inside, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of the headmaster's desk.
"Lemon drop?"
Severus shook his head. He would never, in a thousand years, like the Muggle sweet. But Lily had; she had taken one every single time that the headmaster had offered one to her.
"It's gone."
"What do you mean?"
Severus unbuttoned the cuff and jerked up the left sleeve of his severe black robes. "The Mark...his Mark, it's gone."
Albus' white eyebrows rose towards his hairline and his eyes instantly sharpened, zeroing in on the limb in question, which had formerly been branded with the serpentine mark of the Dark Lord. "What? How did this happen? Are you just telling me?"
"It happened last night, I thought it to be wiser to leave you to your sleep than disturb you in the middle of the night. The pain was...excruciating. As to how it happened, I have no idea of the cause."
"Are you sure that this isn't some kind of…"
Severus cut him off. "Diversion? Misdirection? That Mark has been a part of me for nearly half my life. I'm quite certain that it's gone for good, and so is the Dark Lord."
And with that, he stood up from his seat and left.
###
After Severus left, Dumbledore took his time to ponder.
Don't forget to review, and in case you're curious, Sirius meets Harry is coming up next, so stay tuned!
Update, 5/25/2016: As of this 6 AM morning, I am currently laptop-less; it kicked the proverbial bucket. Terrible, I know. The upside is that my hard drive is safe, meaning that I haven't lost any of he chapters that have yet to be posted, but y'all will just have to wait a little while to (hopefully) enjoy them.