Anyone even reading this anymore?
Two weeks passed; another order meeting was held in anticipation of Severus' initiation into the ranks of Lord Voldemort. They gathered in the sitting room of Grimmauld place, the room much more solemn than before.
Juliet sat in a chair by the fire, wringing her hands in worry as the rest of the room watched her. Many had asked what their future was, but Albus refused. Juliet was in no fit to speak of such things, her Demon had been sent to the Devil himself.
The flames before her flashed green, she jumped to her feet and waiting impatiently for him to step through. Concern grew when a longer moment passed. The floo was surely to close before someone passed through.
A black mass tumbled out, as if thrown by an unseen force from the other side. It remained still.
Moody reacted first, looking to Molly and Minerva and barking an order, "Grab her!"
Then he stepped forward quickly with his wand out, the Gideon Twins flanking him for backup. Both women grabbed Juliet as soon as her body started to lean forward. Their job, as discusses prior, was to keep her out of the way and calm. Minerva reaching up her sleeve of the arm she held, taking the wand and leading her back towards the chair she recently vacated.
The Aurors advanced, keeping their wands steady. Moody reached over with his wand and investigated. He rolled, the cloak falling open as he turned him. A bloody mangled mess lay on the floor by the fire. A silver ornate mask covered their face, it too was splattered with blood.
He tried to take the mask off of him with the tip of his wand, but it did not budge. She knew it was Severus. Juliet lunged against the hands that held her, fighting to get to her husband who was not responding to her high-pitched whistles.
"Let 'im breathe! Give way!" Moody jumped into action, waving his free hand out to push the others away while he wand made quick work.
"My word!" Molly gasped as she watched the men jumped around the room trying to help.
The Marauders stood in shock on the side of the room near the shelves of books. None of the recently graduated Gryffindors were able to move their feet. They'd never seen such gore before, even in a quidditch accident.
"Clear the desk! I need him up there!" Moody yelled to them.
No one moved.
"Fuckin' pointless- the lot of ya!" he growled and went to throw everything off it himself.
James snapped out of it, running to the large wooden desk and swiping his arms to clear the previous Lord Black's effects. Looking over his shoulder, his friends and wife chose not to help.
Severus was thrown on the table, his arms and legs spread at his side. One couldn't make sense of his damaged body with the amount of blood everywhere. Gasps were heard through out the room. Juliet continued to fight against the hands that held her, her voiceless cries unheard by her husband.
Moody pointed at Arthur, "Get them all out of here!" he looked to Albus and pointed an angry finger at him, "I told ye, we needed a medic on hand in this shite group you run!"
"I'm sorry the staffing isn't up to par with you. As you can see, not many people rush to join." Albus said sarcastically, moving to the head of the table with his wand out.
The room was in chaos, with everyone running around trying to get leave the room or help in one way or another. Moody and Albus were arguing with each other over Severus' body while trying to simultaneously heal him.
James was at the far end of the desk, where Severus' head lay. Looking down at the Death Eater mask still covering his face. He could hear the labored, wheezing breaths through the small slit of the mouth. "I don't think he can breathe," James said with concern.
He reached for the mask, trying to take it off Severus' face; he pulled his hand back quickly. "Son of a bitch!"
"What is it?" Moody looked over to him, his wand never pausing.
Nursing his burnt hand, "I can't take the mask off. It burned me or something."
Moody shoved him out of the way and waved his wand again, using his left hand wandlessly as well, "Move out the way. It's cursed, only the wearer can take it off."
Albus perked up, "You mean-"
"Not now for your meddlin' we gotta save this boy." He cut him off.
Juliet whistled loudly, still fighting to stay in the room. Moody noticed her hands trying to sign, he held his hand up to the women holding her, "Let her."
Her hands moved quickly, 'I can take the mask off. Let me help. I'm the only one who can."
Shaking his head firmly, "Nay, I won't be letting ya touch something that dark. You just heard me say it's cursed."
'It's a blood curse- he and I share blood now.' She signed with a matter of fact tone. She was referring to the soul bond from their wedding. The ceremony involved the mixing of their blood. One in life, death and eternal. As the ceremony required in the Latin incantation.
"Forgot about that…" he mumbled to himself and looked back down at Severus. "Fine. Make it quick then get out the way."
James stepped aside but remained close. Juliet rushed around the desk, fearlessly grabbing the mask that had just burned James and pulled it off quickly. Severus' eyes were open, though just barely. His face was the only part of him that wasn't covered in blood, yet his hair was stuck to various parts of his face with sweat.
She brushed his hair away, 'Demon…'
His eyes registered her, pupils dilating and catching her gaze, yet his body still lay motionless. With a wave of his wand, Albus vanished his tattered bloody clothing. Leaving only his pants and boots on.
Those remaining in the room coughed and choked, gagging on the sight before them. Severus' torso was cut open much like a muggle autopsy. The large incision shaped like a 'Y' started at each shoulder, they met in the center of his chest near his sternum, then ran down his torso. The thick cuts bleeding profusely with every breath and movement.
"Oh Merlin, those his guts?" Frank gagged.
Severus was barely conscious, staying awake until he saw her again. That was the only thing holding him together. If one saw his wounds, they would say literally as well. She hugged his head while they made work of healing his wounds. She seemed to help him, they let her stay.
When the first healing spell was cast after initial 'clean up', Severus convulsed and the wounds bled.
"Hold 'im!" Moody ordered as he waved his wand several more times.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"
Severus let out a scream that sent shivers down their spines. His muscles spasmed and his back arched; lifting him off the table and trying to fight them off.
'Stop! You're hurting him!' Juliet begged.
"S'not coming together." Moody wiped the sweat of his brow with the sleeve of his jacket.
Albus was sweating as well, running multiple diagnostic spells over the sanguinary body, "I can see that!"
Once they stopped briefly to reassess, Severus' screams and writhing stopped. "Stitches."
"What he say?" Moody pointed at his head, "Speak." He shoved Fabian and James out of the way as he moved around the desk.
Leaning in to listen to his gasping words, "Stitches."
He stood up straight again, scowling and rubbing his forehead. Looking at Albus, "What you reckon, Albus?"
The older man was hunched over the desk, stroking his beard, "I've never seen anything like this before. This is dark magic."
Minerva tilted her head and scowled, "Aye, you don't say."
Had it not been a dark scene, one would have laughed at her sarcasm.
Moody bent down again, motioning for Juliet to give him some room, "Come on boy, tell me what they did to yeh. Try."
Severus' eyes couldn't focus, his mouth moved slowly, "He took the muggle out of me..."
"Only pureblood can have the mark…" Albus trailed off while staring at the sickly skull and snake cut into his skin, "The mark wouldn't have taken were he a half blood."
"Still a half-blood, you mean." Minerva added gravely and pointed to the mark.
Moody's jaw dropped at the realization of what was done to Severus, "He brought him to the brink of death… forcing his magic to save him."