Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Note: this story will continue in "The Trouble with Love". That will be told from James's POV while he is at Hogwarts, around his fifth, sixth, and seventh years. And it features Severus very heavily, of course. The poor Marauders.

A Son for the Dark Lord

by: Serenthia

Chapter 8: Epilogue

Training Severus to be evil wasn't that hard. The boy had a natural affection for all things dark and morbid. His favorite subject was the Dark Arts, though he was best at Potions. And man had the boy learned to move! He prowled around the mansion, his cloak billowing out behind him quite effectively, making him look sinister, even though he was only a child. And the boy loved to burst into a room, making no noise until he banged the door open, and nearly run to whatever it was he wanted.

The boy had memorized all the curses Voldemort had taught him, knew how to make advanced Potions, and could fly on a broom quite well. He hated Quidditch with a passion though, and ripped up all the books that Voldemort had had on the subject. Any sport that led people to cheer was considered evil incarnate in Severus's point of view.

And then after years of hard work, Voldemort finally succeeded! Severus had grown into a fine specimen of a boy; sinister, dark, cunning, intelligent, and accepted into Hogwarts! But there was no way that Voldemort was going to go through that again. One half-Dementor in existence was more than enough.

"Father?" Severus asked as he surveyed the Hogwarts Letter with distaste. "I don't want to go."

Voldemort frowned. The two of them were sitting at their dining table, eating a delicious repast of duck, dumplings, and vegetable stew. At least, Voldemort was eating that. Severus was eating live worms (Voldemort had learned not to look at his plate while he ate), squashed beetles, rat, and vegetable stew (made of rotten vegetables).

"Why not?" Voldemort asked in his most dangerous voice.

Severus looked at him, bored. Voldemort had yet to figure out how to intimidate the boy. Threatening him with marshmallows only half worked since Severus would eat the things and then promptly vomit on Voldemort. The boy had good aim, he never missed.

"I hate kids," Severus said, slurping two worms at a time. Voldemort cringed. "They keep laughing and giggling and...." Severus winced, "they get crushes on each other and fall in love!" he spat out some worm pieces and Voldemort quickly drank some water, fighting a churning stomach.

"Well," Voldemort said, wiping his mouth, "you'll just have to live." An idea popped into Voldemort's evil brain. "I could visit you once in a while, in the form of an owl, and put you under the Cruciatus Curse once we are safely locked in a room alone."

Severus, who rarely got put under the Curse, was delighted. (He was too bad to get the Curse on him much.) "Okay! You'll do it really hard, right?"

"Very hard," Voldemort assured him. "And you'll have plenty of friends at Hogwarts too. I've already owled all the Death Eaters that have children attending in your year. There will be Evan Rosier, Martin Wilkes, Nicholas Avery, Florence Taylor, and Sean Lestrange. They have all be instructed to be nice to you or they will have to answer to me."

Severus smirked. "Can I make them gather worms for me?"

Voldemort, liking how Severus thought, smiled evilly. "You can make them do anything you want, even sing in their underclothes on top of the Head Table."

"I hate singing," Severus said, wincing. "But I do need some worm gatherers, beetle squashers, and rat catchers. It's hard work doing it all myself," he said, looking at Voldemort reproachfully.

Voldemort shrugged. "You're disgusting and I refuse to help you in your meal time preparation."

"You're disgusting, Severus," Severus mocked, moving his head side to side in a sarcastic gesture he picked up from somewhere, "and I won't help you! Even if you are my son! I much prefer swooping around the mansion like a big giant bat than helping you!"

Voldemort stared at Severus. No one, no one had ever dared talk to Voldemort like that, but it was something that Severus had picked up and wasn't quitting.

"If you don't want to end up like that rat," Voldemort hissed, pointing to the lifeless form, "you will quit using that tone of voice with me."

Severus looked at his rat and then at Voldemort. "Being your son is awfully difficult," he whined, folding his arms, and looking away from Voldemort, pouting.

"Being your father is nigh unto intolerable," Voldemort hissed. "You're insane!"

"And you're not?" Severus asked, glancing back at him, his little face serious.

Voldemort lost it. His plate went crashing off to the side, the duck found itself on the ceiling and the vegetable stew landed against the far wall.

Severus smirked and Voldemort lunged for his throat. They tussled, they rolled on the table and then onto the floor, splattering each other with spilled food and then, when the duck had fallen off the ceiling and landed on Severus's back, they quit.

"I'm going to miss that," Severus moaned. "Do you think, maybe, that someone at Hogwarts will fight me?"

Voldemort got to his feet, regally brushing away the food from his awesome person. "I don't know. Your five friends will be too worried about me to fight you but try picking on some Gryffindor. They are always easy to provoke into a fight," Voldemort said, ignoring the fact that he was quite easy to provoke into a fight, too.

"I'm going to miss you, father," Severus said, climbing to his feet and staring at Voldemort with a rather sad face. "Do I have to go?"

Voldemort stared at him. Of course he had to go. How else was he going to learn magic?

"Be brave, son," Voldemort said, his voice cracking due to an unknown reason. "I'll see you off at the train tomorrow. Be brave."

Severus had his own bedroom now but that night he slept in Voldemort's room, in the fireplace where he belonged. Voldemort stayed awake the entire night listening to Severus's breathing and wishing the Christmas Holidays were already here.

The platform was a mess but, thanks to Voldemort's old man disguise and Severus's scowl, they were given plenty of room. As the kids boarded the train, Severus turned around and stared up at Voldemort, and then hugged him.

Dark Mark was by Severus's side, having resigned himself to his life as a cat.

"Write to me, often," Severus said.

"I will," Voldemort promised. "And be sure to tell me when all the laughing and giggling has become too much for you so I can come and torture you."

Severus looked content, turned around and boarded the train.

Voldemort, being the completely unemotional Dark Lord he was, watched the train leave, went home, and promptly cried himself to sleep in Severus's play room, willing the Christmas Holidays to come so he could have his son back.

On the train, Severus quickly found the compartment that had been secured for him by the five kids that had to be his friends. Severus sat down next to Lestrange.

"I'm Severus Snape," Severus informed them. "My father has told me you all have to be nice to me."

They gulped and quickly nodded their heads.

Severus smirked. "Good. You," he pointed at Avery, "will catch worms for me, make sure they are live and nice and juicy! And you," he said, pointing at Florence, "will capture beetles for me and you," he said, pointing at Wilkes, "will squish them for me and you," he said, pointing at Rosier, "will capture rats for me and you," he said, pointing at Lestrange, "will kill the rats!"

Lestrange licked his lips. "Make that two, Rosier, I love the taste of rat."

Severus was delighted. "Really?!"

Lestrange nodded his head. "Delicious things, really. Right, Florence?"

Florence smiled evilly, looking at Lestrange in what Severus realized, to his disgust, was a crush and nodded her head. "Very delicious. Though not as good as snake."

"I've never had snake," Severus admitted. "Father likes them too much for me to eat one."

Florence licked her lips. "I'll catch one for you and kill it. You'll love it."

Severus picked Dark Mark up and settled back. Maybe going to Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all. His father certainly knew how to pick good friends for him.

A commotion at the doorway brought Severus's head around and he stared at two black haired boys. One was looking around, neither happy nor sad, but the other one, he was.. he was... grinning.

Severus grabbed Lestrange's wand and threw it at the grinning idiot.

"Hey!" the other boy screamed, furious, and then his eyes widened. "It's you! From that playground when I was six! You made everyone cry!"

Severus didn't remember that. Everything before the age of nine was quite blank in his memory but it sounded like something he would do.

"I enjoyed it, too," Severus said, noticing, to his horror, that the grinning boy had returned Lestrange's wand and was grinning some more.

"Quit smiling!" Severus hissed. "You're, you're ugly!"

The other boy turned red but the grinning boy didn't seem to notice Severus's insult.

"Come on, Sirius," the boy laughed, and Severus scrunched his face up. "We aren't wanted here."

"James," Sirius said, "he insulted you!"

James shrugged "I'm not ugly, I know that. So what's the point of arguing? He's jealous of me. Everyone is. I understand," he said, smiling at Severus.

Severus held Dark Mark close to his body. This James person was evil!

Sirius rolled his eyes, snarling at Severus. At least Sirius was normal. James grabbed Sirius's robe and hauled him away.

"James is evil!" Severus informed his new friends. "Did you see him smiling like that? What is he? The son of an evil Dark Lord?"

His five friends exchanged glances and then looked at Severus.

"Um, no, you are that," Evan Rosier said carefully.

Severus rolled his eyes. "My father is the best and goodest person in the world. Dumbledore is the evil Dark Lord. I bet... I bet.. James is Dumbledore's son! That would explain how evil he is!"

"Sure," Martin Wilkes agreed, looking at Severus nervously. "That's it, yep."

Secure in his newfound knowledge that James was someone that Severus would have to avoid, Severus waited to arrive at Hogwarts.

He had to run that horrible lady off with the cartload of sweets, not allowing any of his friends to be contaminated with candy! They looked unhappy about that, which suited Severus just fine. The more unhappy people were, the better off they were.

*********************

Looking through his mail, Voldemort smiled. His first letter from Severus!

Dear Father,

Come and save me! James Potter and Sirius Black are always running around, making people smile and laugh! I can make Black really angry but Potter can't be stopped! He just smiles at me no matter how much I insult him!

And, and Dumbledore gave me a lemon drop when I ran out of Charms because Potter was laughing at himself for making something blow up. Save me!! Potter and Dumbledore are evil! I just know it! They want everyone to smile and laugh! Help me! I don't want to laugh or smile! Don't let them win!

Your son,

Severus Snape

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. Another Potter? He'd have to kill that one too, and his parents. He could have sworn he had killed them all.

Severus needed help, though, that was obvious.

The next day, in owl form, Voldemort headed to Hogwarts and delivered a package of roasted beetle eyes to Severus. He perched on his son's shoulder and surveyed the scene.

The five friends that Voldemort had appointed to Severus were all around him and seemed rather sinister. They didn't smile and they brooded as they gazed at everyone. Perfect friends for his son, Voldemort had chosen well.

Severus, the only one that knew Voldemort was the owl, picked Voldemort up and hurried away from the Great Hall, his little body shaking.

But Dumbledore was there!

"Severus?" he said kindly, standing in their way of escape.

"Yes?" Severus cringed, holding Voldemort tight enough to hurt. He was really shaking now.

"It's okay," Dumbledore said, smiling.

Severus burst into tears. "Stop it!!" he screamed.

Severus tried to run around Dumbledore but Dumbledore grabbed his arm, offering him a lemon drop with his free hand.

Severus really screamed this time. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and he ran.

He took Voldemort into the Slytherin dungeons, how Voldemort missed that place, and up to his empty dorm room. Voldemort changed back, locked the door with a spell, and turned to Severus.

Severus was shaking, tears running down his face, and looked completely terrified.

"Is he coming?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Did he follow us?" he asked softly.

Voldemort shook his head and sent the Cruciatus Curse at his son. Severus turned to mush, his body relaxing, and Voldemort gathered him up in his arms, calming him down further.

"He's evil," Severus said, snuggling closer. "I didn't realize how evil he was. Him and Potter are just really evil."

"I know," Voldemort said. "I'm sorry I have to make you stay around people like that but you have to learn to fight evilness and recognize it when you see it."

"I know evil when I see it," Severus said, pulling away a little and staring up at Voldemort. "Trust me."

Voldemort grinned evilly as he wrapped his arms around Severus. "I know you do."

Over the next few years, Voldemort was pleased to see Severus adjust to life at Hogwarts. Sirius Black had become Severus's play toy and Voldemort decided not to kill the Black's, just yet. He didn't want Sirius to get all depressed over the death of his parents and be an unfit plaything for his ickle son. Potter was the bane of Severus's existence, as was Dumbledore, but Severus had learned to mostly avoid the two of them, so even the bad things about Hogwarts weren't so bad anymore.