{Disclaimer: I get nothing for these tales other than the happiness or sorrow from being able to bear my soul to others.}
{This is for all you Snape fanatics out there. I finally forced myself to write a chapter dedicated to him and him alone.}
Chapter 6
Fade to Grey
**And then I see you there/ With your arms open wide and you try to embrace me/ These lonely tears I cry/ They keep me in chains and I wish they'd release me/ Cold is the night but/ Colder still is the heart made of stone turned from clay/ And if you follow me/ You'll see all the black, all the white, fade to grey. ** "Fade to Grey" by Jars of Clay **
Snape yet again was in a foul mood. Voldemort had found it rather lucky that Snape would be having an assistant Potions instructor and Dumbledore had been quite agreeable in letting the beloved Potions Master have a well deserved vacation. Of course, he would not be sent off to a prime vacationing spot, now would he? No, not at all. In fact, he was being sent to a place that had once been used to send prisoners or people that needed punishment to. It was the same place where a Russian Czar and his family had been sent before they disappeared and were murdered. To make it worse, the place was in the middle of no where, cold, and prone to snow. Think about it for a moment. Could there be any places worse to be sent? Snape couldn't think of any at the moment other than Azkaban.
Yes, our dear Severus Snape was in Siberia. It was not the vacation he had wanted to go on, but the Dark Lord had forced him to go. Well, not exactly forced, but if Snape disobeyed, he could have been slain by his master after a good round of torture. So Snape was located in Siberia, it was snowing and freezing cold, and he was in a horrid mood because of it.
That does sum it all up quite nicely, but then you ask 'why the hell did Lord Voldemort want Severus Snape in Siberia?' There was actually a very excellent reason behind it.
In the times of Merlin, a potion had been created in order to protect people from magic. It worked like a shield, warding off any spells cast upon the person. The potion had been highly effective in use, but unfortunately, only a list of the ingredients remained. No one knew what to do with them, how long to brew them, or even how much to add or in what order. It was considered a complete disaster and rarely were any attempts made to create it once again.
Merlin's Potion, as it had been dubbed by those that had discovered the volume it had been stored in, was kept as a carefully guarded secret in the wizarding world. Who ever could find out how to make it work would be able to, if their goal be so, rule the world. Thus the reason Voldemort wanted it.
Even so, a good number of capable wizards had attempted to solve it and failed miserably. A few years back, a couple of wizard scientists set up a laboratory in one of their garages. Their goal was to experiment in finding the potion that would protect any who had drunk it from the forces of magic. The wizards began their experiments, hoping to find something. Unfortunately, the only thing they did figure out was an awesome recipe for kiwi lime punch. Over the years, many had tried a hand at the potion, but none had found the true measures.
Voldemort wanted that potion. With it he could be invincible and take over the world just had he had planned. It would the entire plot much, much easier to follow through with if the Aurors would not be able to kill off his Death Eaters with magic.
Severus Snape happened to be one of the best Potions Masters in the Death Eater ranks, so naturally Lord Voldemort wanted him to work on the project. The project was housed in the middle of Siberia. Sure, there would have been other places that the research could have been done, but Siberia was the least likely place that people would think about looking for Voldemort's research lab.
Snape muttered to himself under his breath. He worked alone in the dimly lit room. People bothered him with their ignorance. The other morons that his Master had assigned to work here were all blathering idiots, in his opinion. They knew what they were doing, but there was no finesse in the work, not an ounce of pride put into what they were attempting to accomplish. The quantities were tried and if they didn't work when tested, discarded without a word. Damn pathetic excuses for human beings.
He squinted at the list of ingredients that had been hand copied from a large tome. They were all familiar to him. Some Snape had personally used. Others he had only heard of and studied. There had to be some logic in what was written, but it was no use. He raked his fingers through his dark hair. There was no logic to this. Half these ingredients were known poisons that could easily kill a man with one drop. The other half was strange, uncommonly used items, rare in the wizarding world. Some of them were just not right. Well, the recipe was correct since the potion had been proven to work by the great Merlin himself, but who would want to put a knitted sock or two in a potion? It was certainly unheard of!
A knock at the door brought another scowl to Snape's face. Before he could say a word, a short, balding man banged open the door.
"Severus!" he beamed joyfully, even after noticing Snape's grim disposition was worse than usual. "How's it coming? Have you had any luck yet?"
Snape stood up from where he had been trying to puzzle out the conundrums of Merlin's potion. "No. I will have better luck if you leave me alone." He towered over the other man, not only in height, but in the force of his personality.
"Oh, okay. If you say so. The other guys and I were wondering if you wanted to come show-shoeing with us."
Snape glared again. "No, Lennex, I have work to do. If the rest of you would like to go out to make complete fools of yourselves while the Master waits for us to find his potion, then go right ahead. I am going to stay here to see if I can get any closer to solving this puzzle."
Bradley Lennex had to crane his neck to meet the taller man's dark gaze. "Fine, go right ahead, Severus. You'll be missing all the fun." He walked quickly out of the room and let the door close with a loud bang behind him. For some reason the smile that Lennex had on his face when he had entered the laboratory had disappeared.
Snape noticed, of course. He had never lost his touch of being able to make people fear him. A slight grin echoed on his lips, but looked more like a grimace or a smirk than an expression of pleasure. He went back to work.
Hours that seemed to last forever slowly turned to days. The days became weeks, and the week piled themselves together into months. Merlin's Potion was coming no closer to where it had been before. Nothing had worked. No exact amounts could be found that when tried were true. Yet Lord Voldemort wanted it by Halloween.
Voldemort sat on his throne in the empty hall. He knew that things were not going as well as expected with his potion. He knew that even though his most trusted Death Eaters were working everyday for long hours, nothing was being found that was even remotely helpful to what he wanted to do.
Yes, Lord Voldemort had plans. They were a great, long, numerous plots that usually involved either murder, torture, or taking over the Muggle-loving scum that inhabited the rest of the wizarding world. There was one in particular that Voldemort felt had waited quite long enough. He rubbed his hands together in gleeful anticipation of what he would do. Alas, he was not direct participating in his planned escapade. Only after would the true fun begin. Only after he had Potter, would the true fun begin.
Halloween was two days away. Snape and the rest of the Death Eaters stationed in the small Siberian outpost were sweating, frantically attempting every last combination of the list of ingredients. People rushed around, set on their tasks. Tempers were strung tighter than a stretched rubber band. If pulled even the slightest bit, they would snap and break. No one even thought about sleeping through the days ahead. The adrenaline kept them going. If they didn't find it by Halloween… Nobody wanted to think about what would happen if they didn't find it, yet they did without a doubt. Each had their minds on separate tortures that might be inflicted upon them. The mere thought of what their Great and Wonderful Dark Lord would do them if they failed forced them to work harder, faster, longer.
The dreaded day came at last. Voldemort had summoned them just as the sun had begun to set in its magnificent blazes of red and orange. It reminded them of fire burning bright, fire that they would soon feel the wrath of. The dozen or so Death Eaters were noticeably worried. Snape was the only one that managed to remain outwardly unruffled though inside he was just as nervous as the rest.
They were brought inside Lord Voldemort's throne room. It was a room specifically made to be intimidating. The group immediately knelt before their Lord and paid him the homage that Voldemort felt he deserved.
Though he knew the answer, Lord Voldemort asked his question anyway. "Have you found my Potion?" His voice echoed in the empty halls. No one moved to answer the query. "Well?" he boomed.
"N-n-no, my Lord," one of the men answered.
"I do not take 'no' for an answer, Lennex. You shall pay for your failure. Crucio!" Bradley Lennex, once jovial and happy, writhed in complete and utter agony on the floor. His screams could be heard from outside the castle walls. Voldemort waited patiently. It was only a matter of time… Lennex's screams grew weaker and softer until they were only whimpers and then no more. He was dead. Voldemort left him where he had died as an example for the other Death Eaters.
Another man spoke up. "Master, we need more time. You cannot expect us to solve a mystery that has not been completed, though others have tried, in over eight hundred years."
"Yes, I can and I do expect my Potion now." Voldemort pointed his wand at the man. "Avada Kedavra!" The other man lay dead, no pain, no suffering, just death. "Anyone else?" His voice reminded them of a viper waiting to strike.
No one spoke up. They knew their fate. There was no use trying to deny what would happen next. They would die. They had failed miserably and would pay for what they had not accomplished.
Voldemort looked over the remaining Death Eaters. Most of them were visibly shaking. A quick death was too good for them. He would make them suffer for their failure. He would make them suffer greatly. They would never fail him again if they survived. He pointed his wand at them, muttering a few quick words. Nothing that could be seen by the Death Eaters occurred. A malicious grin slowly spread across his face. This was going to be enjoyable. He pointed his wand at them and spoke another word. The remaining, living Death Eaters disappeared from sight.
The first thing that Snape felt was cold. It was a deep bone wrenching chill that stole any hope of warmth away. He could see nothing for miles around. Where was he located was the first question that came to mind. Snape thought about a familiar place and spoke the spell to apparate. He did not move from the spot he was standing in.
"Damn!" he cursed and added a few other choice words not worth repeating. Lord Voldemort had thought enough to block them from Apparating away from the places that they had been sent. Snape shivered involuntarily. It was so cold… He looked around.
The land was empty, desolate, and had a lonely feel to it. He could see no one and no thing save endless expanses of snow and ice. The white was a stark contrast to the brilliant blue of the sky. He could see no actual sun yet the reflections off the snow were enough to nearly blind him. He shivered again. Though his robes were thick, they were no protection against the chilled air. He took out his wand and conjured a hooded parka, a pair of ski pants, mittens, and thick, warm boots. They would do for now. At least Lord Voldemort had not thought it hilarious to let him die this way with no magic. Snape began to walk.
There was no where that he planned to go. Moving would keep him warmer than simply standing still. He walked at a steady pace, head down and hands stuffed in his pockets. He was still cold, but not nearly as much as he had been before.
The scenery changed little with only an occasional hill or cave. There were no plants, no trees, and no creatures that he could see unless they were hiding purposely from his presence. Snape lost himself in vague trains of thought until he noticed the light beginning to fade. He quickly glanced up. It was noticeably dimmer than it had been before. He should stop and rest if he was going to keep going like this.
There was a cave in the distance, far enough away to reach maybe before the sun set completely. Snape lengthened his stride. The cave was empty or so seemed to be. There was no trace of any inhabitants. No foot prints showed in the light snow except for his own. It would do for now. It would keep out the wind. Snape conjured up a quick meal and a few survival blankets that would keep him warm through the cold, relentless night. He ate quickly and cleared away scraps that creatures would have taken from him during the night. Still completely clothed in his snow gear, Snape pulled the blankets around himself and fell into a deep, yet troubled sleep.
Snape awoke as the first rays of light entered the dark confines of the cave. A soft blanket of snow had blown inside, covering the blankets that protected him. He stood up, shook them off, and magicked them away. Snape still felt the cold throughout his body. He would have to keep going.
The white expanse had not changed since yesterday. A new snow had wiped out any tracks, leaving only a pristine whiteness behind. Snape stepped out of his shelter, leaving only imprints in the snow to say he had ever been there. He picked a likely direction that he did not think he had traveled from and went out into the great unknown.
Snape did not know what his future would entail. He could only hope that he would get back to humanity eventually. Yes, he was a loner at heart, but everyone needs to be around people unless they want to go crazy. Snape was not one to follow that path of life. He felt almost a slight need to be back at Hogwarts, as if invisible strings attached him to the place. He missed his dark dungeons; it was too bright here for his liking. And too cold as well. He daydreamed of fire places with warm, merry blazes burning.
A slight breath of wind awoke him from his meandering thoughts. Snape looked out into the distance. Yes, something was there. He could see a line of black on the horizon. A grim look of determination was cast upon his face as he turned his path toward what ever was there, be it friend or foe.
For hours he plodded onward. Right, left, right, left like some deranged marcher in an army of one, too obstinate to know when to stop. Snape watched only the snow pathless in front of him. He raised his head as the snow darkened to a pebbled road. He had reached a town. It seemed deserted at first glance, but there were signs of people. Footprints on the snow bank edges, toys in the streets, a bicycle's wheel still spun in the breeze. Where were they? All the signs pointed out that people had to be there. Snape walked down the street, glancing into the empty, lifeless structures.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. Snape only felt a stunning blow to his head then all faded from sight to the grey of unconsciousness.
{Author's Note: I am highly impressed with all the reviews that I have received for this fic: a whole thirteen! WOW!!! I apologize if this chapter was rather dark and dreary but it fits into the plot which was roughly figured out at a time when there was no computer available to me. I think the chapter was dark because of the music I was listening to while composing it: the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I am completely ecstatic that I finally got it! You have to understand that I'm a huge LOTR fan. I probably shouldn't say that in a HP fan fic, should I? Oh, well. Thanks to those of you who read and review this. The next chapter will be up as soon as I get around to writing it. Enjoy!
Agent 99: Thanks for taking the time to review my fic. If you need any more help with the swords, I'll be here. Good luck!
Jackie: Thanks, but not right now. I will learn French later. Hope you had fun in Myrtle Beach.
Anna Black: You see, right now I'm in Spanish 3 with an over 100 average. My best friend, Jessica, and I have spent a day at a Spanish speaking elementary school and participated in a play completely written in Spanish. At my new school, I attended a week long camp in which we could only speak Spanish. So I better be half way decent by now. I assume you were talking about Sirius in your review? I hadn't thought about clearing him, but we just might do that if I can fit it in. Actually, now that I think about it, that idea might fit rather nicely… Insert Evil Laughter here at brewing idea. Boy, could we have fun with that! Be terrified. Be extremely terrified.
Kat Morning: I try to keep Snape in character. It's not too hard if you think like him, i.e. dark, cynical, sarcastically evil, et cetera. It's rather easy for me since I tend to have the same qualities.
Sophie W: I can only write so fast, but here's the next chapter and thanks for reviewing quite rather nicely. I do enjoy reviews like yours with "Post More Soon Please" written with cap locks and many exclamation points.
Thank you all. Peace, Love, Ice Cream, and Chocolate, Nataly Ravenlock}
