Disclaimer:

It's JKR's world, I just play in it.

Snape torture — you knew I could only stop myself for so long.

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The morning of the speech was almost preternaturally calm. They got up early, ate the sumptuous and butter-laden breakfast the house elves had sent up and quietly went about their preparations. About an hour before Snape's presentation, Adrimori showed up, offering to escort Allosia to the hall.

"Have my habits changed so little?" Snape asked.

"I wouldn't presume to test them right now," Adrimori said with a sharp laugh, before holding his hand out to Gabriel who ran to him. "We'll be outside, Sia."

Allosia smiled and nodded. So few people presumed to call her Sia, but it did not feel wrong coming from this man.

Taking both of Snape's hands in hers, she looked up into his face for a long moment. "You're going to be wonderful," she said.

A smile played at his lips for a long moment, before he whispered smugly, "I know."

Allosia raised and eyebrow but decided against teasing or arguing. She stretched up to kiss him chastely and whispered "I love you."

He kissed her forehead then and squeezed her hands. "And I you, now go on," he said, tilting his head towards the door.

"I'll see you after," Allosia said over her shoulder as she left.

Snape nodded and returned to running through his performance in his mind. After all, that's what this was. That's what almost any interaction was. The words he knew, the material he knew, it was his physical bearing he had to focus on as it would be far too easy for him to take the tone he used with his students or perhaps worth, with the Death Eaters, with an audience that deserved neither. It was at times like these he was grateful for his reputation. He grimaced as he noted it was unlikely he could do anything but be less distressing than most of the audience expected.

Allosia smiled when she realized most everyone who knew Snape personally had arrived at the hall early. She, Gabriel and Adrimori quickly fell into a small chattering klatch of people that also included Hermione, Durefhan, Dumbledore, Koureha and, oddly enough, Gilderoy Lockhart whom Koureha was busily putting in his place. Across the room, she noticed Draco Malfoy take an aisle seat and quickly turned her head away. If she didn't meet his gaze, she wouldn't have to talk to him.

Eventually, it was Durefhan's fussing that got everyone to sit down, with Lockhart going in first as no one but Koureha wanted to sit next to him. She was followed by Durefhan, then Hermione, Adrimori, Allosia with Gabriel and Dumbledore.

When Snape finally took to the stage, Allosia was pleased that he didn't even spend a moment looking for her. He surveyed the room, took a deep breath, and began his lecture, making eye contact with different sections of the audience and pacing in a rhythm that worked with his words. He seemed confident and as if he were enjoying himself. It was all she could ask.

Until, of course, she saw his jaw set with the familiar pain of the Dark Mark. He covered well, and for a moment, she was the only one who noticed, as he paused briefly, gripped the lectern and continued speaking. Her mind froze for a second, unsure of whether she should will him to flee the stage, with a good hour left in his presentation, or hope he could somehow continue on with what had been so important an engagement for him.

She saw Draco stand, smooth a hand over the front of his robes, and leave, casting a pointed glance at Snape as he did so.

"Shit," Allosia muttered under her breath.

Adrimori looked at her then and grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He knew, and Allosia breathed a slight sigh of relief. It was like a ripple then, with Hermione craning her neck to catch Allosia's eye, Durefhan's shoulders tensing as he did his own imperfect calculations, and Dumbledore unable or unwilling to take his eyes off Snape as he very quietly whispered spells to ease the man's pain.

So he would finish his speech. It was dangerous, and foolhardy, but it was what all of them seemed to want. Gabriel fussed then, and Allosia hugged him to her, probably too tightly.

The second Snape left the stage, Allosia was on her feet, trying to press past Dumbledore, but he stood and stopped her.

"Child, come upstairs, we will worry there.," he said and caught Adrimori's, Durefhan's and Hermione's eyes as well. Considering how tightly Koureha had wound her fingers into Lockhart's hair he doubted they would even notice being left behind.

Snape did everything in his power not to storm off the stage. Aside from being in agony, as the pain had worsened over the hour, he was absolutely furious. How dare Voldemort constantly ask his followers to make impossible decisions? It was a habit that revealed a weakness and for that Snape was glad, but it was still unfair, and absurd. He despised anything intentionally designed to have no correct answer.

Backstage he navigated quickly past well wishers, hoping somehow, but realizing it was impossible, that Allosia would have found her way back there. Well, after was after, and he would see her, he just had to attend to this first. He ducked behind some curtains and touched the mark. As he apparated into the Dark Lord's presence he found he was already screaming with fury.

"How dare you?" He said, pacing back and forth. "How could I have left the stage and no created a huge scene, not alerted the audience to something being wrong, to my being anything other than what I seem? It was bad enough one of my former students getting up and pointedly excusing himself. What logic is this?!"

As Snape silenced himself, he felt all his momentum ebb. He looked around at the circle of Death Eaters, all of them staring at him, most feigning a lack of emotion, but their shock was evident. While Severus Snape was known for his temper, he was not known for his foolishness or such a lack of self-control.

"Severus," Voldemort said affectionately.

Snape sighed, raised his eyes to the ceiling briefly and sank to his knees, defeated. He was a fool and with a shuddering sigh, bent over to place his forehead against the cool marble floor. The coldness of tiles had always helped him find his way through pain and fear. It was the best thing to focus on, when you were down.

Voldemort walked to him and crouched beside him, running a hand gently through Snape's hair. The potions master gave an involuntary shudder as Voldemort caressed him, and whispered his name in a way that was too kind, too loving, too dangerous.

"I am sorry My Lord," Snape said. "I forget myself."

"You do, boy," Voldemort replied, his voice becoming sterner, the grip on Snape's hair tightening. "I find it a relief though," he said, the voice becoming pleased, clever. "Your control makes me suspicious, but to see this, such naked need, and desire and ego, it reminds us both why you joined me, doesn't it?"

"Oh yes, my Lord." Fear. Kill the fear. You've given this creature enough sincerity. More than he deserves, perhaps, enough to save yourself. Snape let out another sigh, letting the tension go from his shoulders. The more relaxed he was, the less damage could be done to him.

"Ah, better," Voldemort said with an obvious smile and stood. "I should give the honors to Lucius. You two do so love humiliating each other. But I think you need to learn from my hand today, don't you agree, Severus?"

"Of course, Master." Even as a calculated choice, Snape wanted to retch at the word, at the truth of it, even in the face of all his bargains and promises.

The torture began, not with the Cruciatus, but with very directed attacks on specific nerves, preventing Snape from escaping into the pain. This would not be good, or easy. He willed himself then to forget there was such a thing as time.