Quidditch League
Team: Falmouth Falcons
Position: Beater 2
Round: 4
Prompt: AHS - Cult
Optional Prompts: Severus Snape (character) Clock (Object)
Words: 2421
A/N: written in British English. Warnings: General cultish behaviour, use of sleeping potions to induce unconsciousness. Beta'd by the always spectacular and fantastic, CatherineMorganstern!
Severus stepped through the trees, placing each foot carefully so as not to damage the delicate plants littering the ground around him. He'd been collecting herbs for the community for years and knew every corner of these ancient woodlands that surrounded their manor as intimately as the back of his own hand. The trees were like guardians that watched over their community, reminding Severus of an army of crooked soldiers frozen in time and even the village had a stillness to it that you couldn't find anywhere else. They had been right to choose Little Hangleton as their home.
Tom had made only two changes since their arrival all those years ago. First, he'd had a tall, steel fence erected that circled their land - Severus had yet to decide whether it was to keep them in or strangers out - and then he'd commanded them to build a large clock tower in the courtyard of the manor. Its four sides displayed a painted silver clock face that flashed in the sunlight like a confused lighthouse which had found itself landlocked. Hidden inside was a massive, bronze bell that one of the members struck every third hour, day and night, without fail. It would be Severus' turn once he returned to the manor.
The pungent scent of wild garlic caught his attention and he wandered over to harvest a patch for the upcoming ceremony. After he'd filled his bag, Severus made his way home, treading the familiar path with ease. The closer he got to the manor, the more members he saw milling about; their dark robes swept the ground as they moved. He bowed his head to one or two as he passed, murmured a few words to others and ignored the newer members, who had yet to earn a permanent place amongst them, entirely.
His first job was to take the plants he'd collected to the storeroom; a large box of a room that used to be a kennel. The walls still contained the steel rings that the dogs had been tied to which Severus now used to hold the cloth sacks stuffed with dried herbs and fungi. He walked to the table set in the middle of the room and tipped the contents of his bag onto its battered surface, spreading the plants out in preparation for sorting and drying.
He reached for the wild garlic, but as his fingers closed around the broad leaves, the bell in the clock tower chimed. The sound seemed to resonate through the air, spreading outwards in all directions. Severus immediately dropped to his knees and leaned over until his forehead touched the pitted ground. He remained in that position for a long time, recalling the first time he'd bent down in supplication to the passing of time.
"It's merely another form of meditation," Tom had said to the gathering of five people, Severus among them. "To truly honour time, we must first acknowledge and observe it."
They'd nodded as if they understood what he'd meant. Tom had smiled and gestured for them to stand. "Life is merely preparation for what comes next. Each second that passes is a second closer to death. We're already closer than we were before I started to speak. Time is our master." Tom had fixed each of them with a long stare. "Kneel."
They had knelt.
"Press your foreheads to the ground."
They'd looked at each other, a little bemused, but had ultimately done as commanded.
"Now honour time and honour me for sharing my knowledge with you," Tom had said before sitting in front of them.
Severus had tried to count the seconds, but he'd been too distracted by the breathing of the others and the rhythmic thud of his own heartbeat. In the end, he'd closed his eyes and pictured the face of a clock, its second hand ticking slowly around until he'd felt a glimmer of understanding of what Tom had alluded to. He would never get that time back. It had trickled away, never to be returned.
"How long do we stay down for?" a girl had asked Tom.
"For as long as you think you need to."
There had appeared to be like a trick hidden within the words and Severus had felt his confusion mirrored by the others as they had all tried to figure out what Tom wanted them to do. In the end, Severus had remained lowered for several more minutes before becoming the first to rise. Tom had smiled at him and Severus knew he had passed whatever test had been set.
Severus pushed to his feet, forcing the memories to the back of his mind as he returned to the table. He stowed the garlic in a terracotta pot and quickly removed the dirt from the roots of the plants he'd gathered before setting them aside to dry. Once done, he left the storeroom and headed to the large clock tower to take over the job of striking the bell. They called the room at the base of the tower the Chamber. The only thing it contained was a flat, thin cushion and a battery-operated lamp. Severus entered to find Barty already standing beside the door, waiting to be relieved of his duty.
He frowned upon seeing Severus. "You're late."
"I had herbs to tend to."
"We all have duties, Snape," he said as he walked past Severus to head out the door, "and yet, we manage to abide by Tom's rules regarding the wastage of time."
"Indeed," Severus replied before closing the door.
He and Barty had been among the first to be invited into Tom's group, and although they mostly got along, there were moments when they couldn't stand to be around each other. Severus recalled Tom smiling when he'd mentioned his occasional dislike of Barty, saying that it proved they had formed a familiar bond, as was Tom's goal when he'd created the community he had affectionately taken to calling the Death Eaters.
Severus sat on the cushion and thought about Tom's words that day. He supposed they had become a family of sorts over the years. They were certainly better than Severus' own flesh and blood. He'd thought everyone had lived in fear of their drunken father and quick-tempered mother until Tom had come along and showed him a different way of living. He closed his eyes and allowed the steady ticking of the clock to soothe him as it had so many times before.
The ceremony was an annual event held on the day of the Spring Equinox when the community would gather together to celebrate life and the rebirth of nature, but this year would be different. Tom would be choosing the first of his members to fall into The Deep Sleep; a state he'd described as an unending dream like no other they'd ever experienced. It was a dark, safe space where they could heal before making their way to the doorway and into The Place Beyond. Once there, they would prepare for Tom's arrival.
Excitement hovered around the members, dressed in their best robes and silver masks, as they waited in the shadow of the clock tower for the ceremony to begin. There were many who wished to have their name called and each person had made sure to supplicate themselves for longer than usual in the previous weeks in hopes that Tom would notice them.
Severus thought them fools to think Tom could be so easily swayed. It was clear to him that Tom would've chosen months ago, if not years. He glanced around at the twisted ivy decorating the table where the feast would be held after the announcement had been made. They rarely ate so decadently, but Tom had made an exception, and they were all eager to gorge themselves on the succulent meat and rich desserts that covered the table.
Finally, Tom arrived, striding into the centre of their circle in a robe that flowed around his ankles like smoke. His feet were bare and Severus watched in amusement as the rest of the group glanced down at their own booted feet, no doubt wondering if they should remove them as Tom had done.
Tom slowly turned. "One among you has shown me unwavering loyalty over the years. They have followed my teachings and accepted my love without question." He settled his attention on Barty. "They have suffered in this life and only those who have known suffering understand the misery that unending time can bring." Tom smiled. "And so I have chosen the one who will go forth and enter into The Place Beyond."
Severus watched the group shift forward in eagerness, hardly aware that he was doing so himself. The moment stretched on and on in silence, broken only by the distant sound of birdsong. Tension thickened the air until it felt like it held him in its powerful grip.
"Severus."
Time seemed to stand still, but Severus knew that couldn't be the case since he could still hear the clock and the murmur of voices around him. His eyes lifted to see Tom staring at him with an indecipherable expression. He inclined his head, pride swelling inside him at being singled out and given such an important task.
A smile hovered around the corners of Tom's lips as he glanced at the others. "Let us celebrate Severus' good fortune."
The days flew by after that. Severus watched them disappear with a curious kind of detachment, each hour accompanied by the sound of the ticking clock that somewhere along the way had synchronised to match the beat of his heart.
He was to be placed into The Deep Sleep tomorrow and his last day awake would be spent doing what he loved: chopping herbs and grinding seeds, all to be mixed into teas and potions that would soothe the mind and heal wounds. He took extra care preparing the sleeping draught, meticulously measuring each ingredient twice before decanting them into a glass jar filled with water. It would be left to steep overnight and, once ready, should be strong enough to knock him out for several days. Tom would continue to administer the draught until Severus located the doorway and entered The Place Beyond.
He carefully wrote instructions in his messy script on the label. After he was done, he placed it on the shelf next to the potions that were to be fed to him should he fail to find the doorway. Then he cleaned the storeroom from top to bottom which he did with a thoroughness that left his hands red and chapped.
Tom arrived as he was folding his gathering sacks into neat squares.
"I thought we could spend some time together, Severus, I'm sure you have some questions."
Severus frowned. "I have none."
"Come now. We both know that isn't true." Tom moved closer to place his hand onto Severus' shoulder. "Ask."
"The Place Beyond," Severus began with hesitation, "how will you know I've found it?"
Tom smiled. "I will know because you hold a piece of my soul inside of you." He tapped the centre of his chest. "Here. Can you not feel it?"
Severus frowned and pressed his hand to his own chest, just below his heart. He felt his ribs and the thud of his heart, but there was something else beneath his skin and bones; a dull ache that was only noticeable now that he was paying attention. He looked at Tom and nodded. "I feel it."
"There is a home for us there, Severus. We need only take it in our hands and shape it into my vision of what the world should be."
"And the Sleep? What if I can't find the doorway?"
"You will find it, Severus, because failure isn't an option for either one of us." He tightened the fingers on Severus' shoulder. "You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you?"
"No. I will endeavour to do my best."
"I know you will. That is why you were chosen." Tom wandered over to the old bookcase that Severus used as shelves for his concoctions. "This is the sleeping draught?"
"Yes."
"Excellent." Tom reached up to take it. "Allow me to prepare it for you tomorrow."
"Of course. Three teaspoons mixed with water will be enough to knock me out for several days."
Tom merely smiled and nodded. "All you need to do is drink. Let me take care of the rest."
"But-"
"I insist."
"Yes."
Severus went to bed that night with a clear mind and, for the first time in years, he did not dream.
Grey clouds rolled in like giant waves the next morning, matching the sombre mood which had settled over the manor during the night. Nobody would meet Severus' eyes as he wandered into the courtyard and knelt on the cold flagstones, ready to commence with the ceremony. They shuffled closer, surrounding him on all sides.
The first chime sounded as Tom entered the circle.
Tom carried a large goblet filled with the sleeping draught Severus had made the day before. He offered it to Severus who drank it in one go. It didn't taste as bitter as he'd expected and he speculated that Tom had added honey to sweeten it.
An hour passed and the second chime rang out.
Severus felt the herbs begin to work. His limbs had grown heavy and he found it hard to focus for more than a few seconds.
The third chime seemed louder than the others.
He glanced up at the clock-face as the noise faded before lowering his gaze to Tom. He nodded and Severus moved to spread himself on the ground with his face turned to the side so that he could breathe. The other members began to murmur softly around him.
The fourth chime was accompanied by a gust of wind that blew Severus' hair away from his forehead.
Severus pushed to his knees and stared at his clenched fingers.
The fifth chime.
Tom bent down to whisper his final instructions into Severus' ear.
"Wait for me. I will arrive when the time is right, but until then, you will wait for me in The Place Beyond."
Sixth chime.
Each time he blinked, it took him longer to open his eyes again. His breathing had slowed to shallow breaths that he could barely feel. All he could hear was the sound of the clock ticking somewhere above him.
Seventh.
The world went blurry before Severus fell into darkness.
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