His Greatest Wish, by AndromedaMarine
A Tainted Celebration
The blood drained from Sev's face as he stared at the distraught, jumpy Alice Nelson. He could feel Lily clutching at his arm, and the yells from down the corridor and staircases began to get closer as students ran toward them. "The caretaker's dead?" he asked, not sure if he believed her. In his first life, Ward Arcturo had resigned over Christmas, not died in early January. "What happened?"
Alice shook her head at him and glanced over her shoulder. She moved against the wall as students started to appear. "I was coming out from an early lunch and—and—one of the teachers found him in his office, dead! You know it's on the first floor, off the Great Hall—Professor Vector just ran right up to the High Table and told Dumbledore, except some other student went into his office and ran out screaming!"
It had to have been Slytherins, he thought immediately, not recognizing that his love and devotion to Lily had begun to cloud his judgment. For five minutes, he actually forgot he'd been in Slytherin too, and had once defended those students to Lily. He wanted so much to begin a counteractive measure against the Death Eaters at Hogwarts (if indeed there were any—neither Lily nor he knew if Malfoy or Lestrange or any of the others known to be interested in Voldemort's circle had actually taken the Dark Mark), but this faded when he heard Lily speak.
"What if the students are under attack?" she whispered to Sev and Alice.
"Whoever it was knew that Arcturo couldn't fight back, not really—he's a Squib, and can't do magic. He might've been caught unaware." Maybe it was an initiation, he seethed, again forgetting his ties to the House of Snakes. Maybe someone was inducted and required to kill in order to fully join ranks...I had to. It had been years since he really thought about the murder he'd committed in order to gain rank into Voldemort's circle. He'd tried to forget the horrible memory, knowing that it hadn't been right, and he had never forgiven himself for that. With a sudden feeling of sickness, he realized he would not be able to use his mother as an excuse for his knowledge of the inner workings of the Dark Arts and Death Eaters.
Arthur Weasley approached them from the staircase leading down. "Lily, Alice, Severus," he greeted hurriedly, "Professor Dumbledore wants all students to go to the Great Hall. I will escort you—we don't know if anyone's still in danger." He gestured for them to follow him, and the three students walked quickly after the ginger Prefect. Arthur collected more students as they continued downward, not just Gryffindors but Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as well. They passed no Slytherins, and Sev took note of this.
In the Entrance Hall, two teachers—Professors Hardgrave and Eros—stood blocking the corridor to Ward Arcturo's office. Prefects escorted students in and left again to find more, and before long the Great Hall was filled with the students and teachers. Sev looked over at the Slytherin table and instantly noted two absences: Narcissa Black and Rabastan Lestrange. Dumbledore stood at his podium and the noise began to fade.
"I do not doubt that this news has traveled swiftly," he began in a stern, serious voice. "Our caretaker, Ward Arcturo, has been found dead. Precautionary measures will be taken in that students will not travel the hallways alone—as we may very well have a murderer in our midst."
At this about half the younger girls throughout all four Houses screamed, and gasps could be heard echoing off the ceiling. Dumbledore silenced them with a lifted hand.
"If you do not feel safe at any time, inform a teacher, a ghost, a fellow student, a Prefect, the Head Boy or Girl, or myself. The teachers and I will work in conjunction with all Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl to find out what happened. Prefects, escort your Houses back to your dormitories, and return here."
All at once the students began to move and Sev lost Lily in the tidal wave of children pushing towards the enormous double doors. As soon as his hand left hers she was gone, and the students flowing around him were much older—the first and second years had scurried to the front of the crowd. Sev immediately ducked sideways behind the last of the Slytherins and trailed the distinctive blonde head of Lucius Malfoy. He was far enough behind that the Slytherins didn't notice him, but he knew instinctively that Lily would be piping mad at him for disappearing and not showing up in Gryffindor Tower a few minutes after her.
Lily had felt her heart drop when their contact disappeared—a murderer in Hogwarts Castle and Sev has melted into the crowd? She didn't know what to think, but continued up the staircases, her arm linked tightly with Alice's.
Sev expected Malfoy to slide into the Slytherin common room with the rest of his House mates, but instead he continued down the corridor. Sev followed at a great distance, careful to keep to the shadows and make his steps as light as possible. He'd had experience, so it wasn't exactly challenging to follow Lucius Malfoy unnoticed. The dungeons became deeper, colder and darker, less inviting and giving off a creepy vibe Sev had never felt before. He could see his breath fogging in front of him, and his hand gripped his wand tightly. His heart thudded in his chest. What am I doing?
Suddenly Lucius seemed to melt into the wall. Sev stopped in front of the section of stone and vaguely recognized it as a door pretending to be a wall. Cautiously he stepped through the fake stone and immediately slid into a corner where he wouldn't be seen. He heard Lucius speaking, but couldn't make out the words...
Sev moved closer to the antechamber where Lucius Malfoy stood talking with a very familiar blonde woman. Narcissa! Sev realized after a moment. The dim lighting of the dungeon shrouded Lucius and Narcissa in shadow, but Narcissa had her wand out and lit. Lucius's face gleamed in the blue light, and Sev saw that the seventh year Slytherin harbored worry on his face.
"...I chose the greater honor, Narcissa," he whispered to her. "To be accepted...this young—"
"You thought I would be pleased," she interrupted softly, her own eyes boring into Lucius's.
"Aren't you? You told me once you yourself had the same ambition—the same direction as I did—as I do! Were you lying?" His last words sounded dangerous to Sev. And he didn't doubt that they were.
"No! Of course not, Lucius, of course I wasn't lying!" she pleaded, bringing up her free hand to grasp at the robes of his chest. "I only thought...that you would wait, until..." her eyes said the words for her.
Lucius stared at her. "You thought we ought to be married before?"
Narcissa nodded at him.
"One does not refuse the Dark Lord when he pays visit over holidays," Lucius stated coldly. There was no love in his voice, but Sev knew that Lucius and Narcissa were in love with each other. "He offered me a chance, Narcissa, one that I gladly took."
"But it's dangerous!" she said loudly, only to have Lucius clap his hand over her mouth.
"There are no private places in Hogwarts, Cissa, and that includes the dungeons!" he hissed, before releasing her. She did not step back. "I recognize the danger, you know this, but the Dark Lord has required a spy within these walls for many years."
"You intend to be that spy," she surmised.
"For as long as I have left in this atrocious excuse for an educational system, yes. A little inside information is preferable to none, as the Dark Lord well knows."
"Six months is hardly anything of significance," Narcissa protested. Sev could feel his left leg starting to fall asleep, and he tried to shift without making any noise. He succeeded. "By having you tested now he is risking losing you to the Aurors! What if Dumbledore finds out?"
"Dumbledore doesn't know anything," Lucius shrugged off. "It's not as though Rabastan, Crabbe, or Goyle are stupid enough to go blabbing, and the poison was carefully brewed so that traces will not lead back to me."
That was the confirmation Sev needed, but he daren't move—obviously Narcissa and Malfoy were far from done speaking.
"You underestimate him. Rabastan has already been punished once this year for attacking that Pettigrew pipsqueak in Gryffindor, and he will not go unnoticed in this! Crabbe and Goyle, perhaps, probably you, but Rabastan has a history, and Dumbledore has the authorization of the Wizengamot to use Veritaserum on any suspected Death Eater!"
If Lucius had paled, it was unnoticeable in Narcissa's wand light.
"I only worry for you, Lucius," she whispered. "I don't want this to be your death warrant." Sev saw Narcissa rest her hand on his left forearm. "Show it to me," she requested in a voice no man could refuse. Lucius dragged his sleeve up and Sev saw the ugly, writhing serpent of the Dark Mark seared into Lucius's flesh. Narcissa's eyes grew wide.
"As I said, a great honor to be personally invited into his circle," Lucius murmured, and without warning he dipped to kiss Narcissa Black. Sev curled his lips in disgust and was about to back away when the two broke apart. "Will you refuse to join until we're married? Or will you take it right after the end of term?" he asked, breathing a little heavily. Sev decided not to move again.
Narcissa averted her eyes and turned out of Lucius's arms. Sev got the feeling whatever she was going to say, Lucius didn't want to hear.
"You know I wish to take the Mark as well," she began, "but...but I am not yet of age! And I will not be until just before the start of my seventh year! I do not want to take that large of a risk while Dumbledore has his long, crooked nose stuck everywhere."
Lucius's voice dropped to dangerous tones again. "He looks on loyalty with favor, Narcissa. Even if you were caught, you would only be expelled—and be free to join him then. Without boundary."
"Expelled—Lucius, I would go to Azkaban for wearing the Dark Mark! Do you understand now why I am so scared for you? What if they see yours?"
At that exact, unfortunate moment, Peeves wrecked something in the hallway just outside the hidden antechamber. Of course, Lucius and Narcissa had no idea it was Peeves and neither did Sev, but just as Lucius lifted his wand, Sev cast a nonverbal spell to shield him from the homenem revelio he knew the Slytherin was casting. He felt the spell deflect off him but Lucius wasn't satisfied—he trundled towards the entrance and in what he later described as a calm panic, Sev tapped his wand to his head and cast the nonverbal Disillusionment Charm.
Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black sped right past him without even seeing him. When he lifted his hands to examine the effect he was very surprised to see exactly nothing—he couldn't even see his hands. With the satisfaction that his Disillusionment Charm (nonverbal, mind you) was probably more powerful than McGonagall's or even Mad-Eye Moody's, Sev carefully made his way back to the Entrance Hall. Teachers were still guarding the corridor entrance and nobody noticed when an invisible Severus Snape crossed the flagstones and mounted the marble steps to make for Gryffindor Tower.
He knew that Lily would be wondering where in Merlin's name he'd disappeared to.
Before he rounded the corner to the Portrait he lifted the charm and hurried up to the Fat Lady and gave her the password. She glared at him sternly before swinging open to reveal the packed common room. Lily immediately rose up from the crowd and descended upon him.
"Where on earth did you disappear to? It's been over an hour, Sev, an hour since Dumbledore sent us up here! I thought—we all thought—something had happened to you!"
"We've all been worried, mate," Frank said, his face clearly agreeing with his statement.
Alice approached him. "Why didn't you come back with the rest of Gryffindor?"
Remus and Peter spoke at the same time. "You followed someone, didn't you," and "Do you know who did it?"
Sev scanned the room and saw Sirius giving him a curious look, and beside him, James looking at Sev as though he were an idiot. It took Sev a moment to decide who to answer first. He purposefully did not choose Lily, but when their hands met he didn't protest. Since the common room was completely full and silent, Sev without a word ascended the boys' staircase and under mutual agreement the rest of his friends did as well. They stopped in the first year dorm.
"Remus," he started, "I followed Lucius Malfoy."
Peter gave a frightened squeak, and if Frank looked shocked, Lily looked angry. When she opened her mouth to yell at him he glanced at her with such a pleading light in his eyes that her protest died prematurely. Remus stared at him with the same expression that had graced Sirius's face downstairs.
"I followed him into the dungeons and he was talking with Narcissa Black. I overheard him admit to poisoning Arcturo and also taking the Dark Mark over Christmas holidays." With that he stared right into Lily's eyes. "He's a Death Eater, Lil. At Hogwarts. He's a spy for Voldemort."
All five of them began to talk all at once. Sev remained silent, wanting to try to follow the separate threads of words, but ultimately he couldn't.
Finally, Lily's voice rose above the rest: "We can't go to the professors!"
Silence descended. And then, from Frank: "Why not?"
"If Malfoy finds out it was Sev," Remus supplied, "Sev'll be a target of the Death Eaters."
"We're only first years," Alice offered weakly.
Sev shook his head at her. "That doesn't matter. You know that Rabastan attacked Peter when barely a month had gone by. They don't care who they hurt, as long as they hurt people who don't support You-Know-Who's cause."
"Total control and extermination," Lily whispered so softly only Sev heard.
They could not say anything to McGonagall or Dumbledore. Molly and Arthur were not told that Sev came late to the common room, and apparently none of the other students did either, because they transitioned into Sunday without anything happening. Lily and Sev walked within their circle of friends down to breakfast the next morning, in a group of first and second years lead by a fifth year Prefect.
"I'm sorry today isn't happier," Lily said to him as they sat down on the bench.
He glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
"It's January ninth, Sev," she said slowly, staring at him. "Oh, you can't have forgotten! It's your birthday today!"
Sev started as he began filling his plate. "Oh, yeah!" he said. "I guess I did forget, with all that's going on."
"That's why I'm sorry it wasn't happier," Lily repeated. She dug into her pocket and fished out a present. "A birthday gift for the twelve year old," she said with a little smile. Remus and Frank exchanged glances.
"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday today?" Remus asked.
Sev cracked a grin. "I was sure Lily would've told you. But apparently she didn't. For the record, her birthday is on the thirtieth."
Alice looked positively delighted at this news, and Sev could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she thought up how to celebrate it when it came. He carefully unwrapped the gift from Lily, smiling when he discovered a leather bound journal with his initials etched on the back.
"Thanks," he said softly, stowing in his robes. But his mind didn't linger on it for long.
So Death Eaters really are making a presence here. I was right. Arcturo was an initiation. For Malfoy...and maybe Lestrange. Why in Merlin's name have things changed this much?