Chapter 5

revenge \Re*venge"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Revenged, p. pr. & vb. n. Revenging.] [OF. revengier, F. revancher; pref. re- re- + OF. vengier to avenge, revenge, F. venger, L. vindicare. See Vindicate, Vengerance, and cf. Revindicate.] 1. To inflict harm in return for, as an injury, insult, etc.; to exact satisfaction for, under a sense of injury; to avenge; -- followed either by the wrong received, or by the person or thing wronged, as the object, or by the reciprocal pronoun as direct object, and a preposition before the wrong done or the wrongdoer.

To revenge the death of our fathers. --Ld. Berners.

The gods are just, and will revenge our cause. --Dryden.

Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius. --Shak.

2. To inflict injury for, in a spiteful, wrong, or malignant spirit; to wreak vengeance for maliciously.

Syn: To avenge; vindicate. See Avenge.

"Are you sure it's safe here?" she whispered.

He nodded. "No sane person would come here in the dead of night. And I've put a fair amount of protection spells up, myself." Seeing her inquisitive look, he added, "I come here sometimes, to think."

The moonlight created a surreal feeling in the clearing. Severus paced back and forth, trying to collect his thoughts. Rebecca stood silently and watched. After a moment, he turned to face her. "I joined the Death Eaters because I thought the Dark Lord-" he struggled with the word "-Voldemort could give me power. All my life, I'd been powerless, at the mercy of those, like Potter, who chose to make my life a living hell."

He scowled at the ground. "It did just the opposite. I have the lives of the entire world in my hands and I can't stop my fiancée's best friends from being killed."

Rebecca cried out, and Severus moved forward to put his arms around her. "I have the power of death, but not of life, and I see now that life is indeed the greater power."

She pressed her face against his robes, willing herself to wake up. But she knew she would not. This was no nightmare. This was her life. Finally, she managed to choke out, in a shaking voice, "who is going to die, Sev?"

Tenderly, he brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes and murmured, "It's not official. The Death Eaters don't know about it, but I heard the Dark - that is, Voldemort telling his snake his plans to kill James and Harry Potter."

Suddenly, he released her and slammed his fist into a tree, cursing loudly. "I want Potter to suffer, not die! I want him to feel the pain of everything he ever did to us. I want him to grovel on his hands and knees before me, begging for forgiveness, forgiveness that I will never grant. Then I want him to live. I want him to suffer his whole life, just as I will!"

A ringing silence followed this proclamation. Rebecca stood frozen. Severus was talking more to himself than to her. Her heart ached. The man in front of her was her best friend, and he had vowed to repay every unkindness James Potter had ever done to her. He had taken steps to do this, and now, with one stroke, Voldemort was going to shatter all his work.

"If he only wants James-" she started, but Severus cut her off.

"He wants James and Harry, and Lily will never let that happen. When he strikes, all three will be dead. I don't care about their boy, but it will only cause you more pain to loose Lily now, and I want Potter for myself!"

"Harry is my godson," she reminded him.

"I know, I know," he moaned. "Yours and Black's. That b-" she cut him off before he could express his feelings about Sirius.

"Why, Severus? Why does Voldemort want them?" Severus only shook his head, and Rebecca knew he would tell her when the time was right.

After a moment's silence, Severus spoke again. "There's only one thing for it, then. I have to go to Dumbledore. You go to Lily!"