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PATH to DARKNESS by Tyde
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Chapter Fourteen – The Cold Years
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His once warm brown eyes had turned the colour of charcoal over the summer. Lily shivered just looking in his direction. He'd changed a lot that was for sure. Not just in the confident way he strutted through the Great Hall towards the Slytherin table but there was an air about him. Severus Snape seemed dangerous. He didn't look her way like he'd done in the years past. Sure, she'd put their once close friendship behind her but she thought they might be the type of people that said hello as they passed each other in the halls, but she could never imagine this Severus doing that. He wouldn't even see her, she was certain. If his eyes ever drifted in her direction they would stare straight through her like she were a pane of glass.
She watched him take his seat among Malfoy, Goyle, Nott and Macnair and they simply nodded their heads at each other. A nod of knowing. A blonde sixth year she didn't know gracefully slid into the seat next to Snape and smiled at him, a smile of admiration. She ran a long nailed finger down Severus's cheek with a smirk on her face. Lily couldn't help thinking they knew each other very well. Lily frowned when she noticed that Snape's faithful friend Quirrell was up the other end of the long table, looking at them miserably. The Slytherin group ate quickly and Lily found she'd barely picked at her steak and kidney pie before they had risen from their seats and were drifting out of the room.
'Severus, wait up!' Lily jogged up beside him as he walked through the Entrance Hall. The blonde girl glared at Lily but left them alone none the less.
'Yes?' his mouth enquired but his eyes were blank.
'I...ah' now that she'd caught up and was standing right in front of him the words that were on the tip of her tongue seemingly disappeared. 'Er...did you have a nice summer?' she cringed at the lameness of her words as they spilled from her mouth.
'Very enlightening' he turned to leave.
'Sev' the familiar warmth of the way she almost pleaded his name washed over him. He had a quick intake of breath and then his heart and mind turned cold again.
'What do you want Mudblood? You said so yourself last term – we AREN'T friends. Why do you insist on carrying on this charade?' Snape stalked off towards the dungeons, the darkness swallowing him.
She sat down quickly on a bench, crushed. He's never stooped to calling me Mudblood before. Something must be very wrong. She felt a little wetness behind her eyes and she swallowed her sorrow down quickly before it had the chance to spill down her cheeks. Guess we can't even be civil to one another. Good bye Sev.
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Narcissa had a scowl on her face that entirely spoiled the notion that she was an attractive girl. 'Leave!' she snarled. Quirrell didn't need to be told twice, he scurried up the ladder and out into the common room almost running head long into Snape who looked positively furious. He snapped at Quirrell who looked ready to poop his pants. Not bothering to climb down the ladder to his chambers Severus jumped into the hole and his robes flew back behind him giving him the impression of being a bat. Landing hard on the floor his eyes flicked over to where Narcissa was seductively draped across the velvet bedspread, her robes undone at the top to clearly indicate she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Getting up from his crouching position on the floor he sauntered over to her. A smile spread across her lips and she closed her eyes awaiting his kiss. To her shock she felt the sharp slap sting her cheek.
'Get out.' He said it quietly but not without malice.
Her hand upon her cheek she looked at him questioningly 'Severus, what's the matter?'
'I told you to get out, girl.'
'Sev?'
'ARE...YOU...DEAF?' He spaced the words out like he was talking to someone with diminished brain capacity. 'I said get out'
Gathering her robes around herself she shot him a look. 'It's because of her isn't it? You bastard'
Sitting down on his bed Severus's hands started to shake. He'd been close to wrapping his hands around Narcissa's throat and holding on until she passed out. Would have taught her a lesson. What type of lesson he didn't know, he couldn't really figure out why he'd told her to leave in the first place. His brow furrowed. He'd had a great summer, Voldemort had planted the seeds of greatness within him. He remembered the practice of several curses, especially the Cruciatus curse. He'd only been practising on rats but he'd transfigured them to look like Potter and Black and he fondly remembered the screams issuing from their lopsided mouths. Voldemort had been very pleased with his progress and said maybe by the end of the year he'd advance to larger animals. He'd been dying to try it on the next door neighbours dog but knew the instant he tried magic outside of the protective cocoon Voldemort had created for them to practise in that he'd be picked up by the Ministry of Magic and fined for improper use of magic and underage at that!
A tentative foot was placed on the ladder above him and he saw a petrified looking Quirrell peering down to see if the path was clear.
'Come in' Snape drawled. Quirrell looked at him quizzically. 'Well what are you waiting for? Come in you little git.' Not for the first time Quirrell lost his footing on the ladder and fell into a heap on the floor.
'S-s-sorry S-s-severus-s. I-I-I just th-thought you...m-m-maybe' He was interrupted by a thunderous looking Snape.
'Don't think Quirrell, your brain can't handle it'
A wash of pain surrounded Quirrell's heart. Why was Snape being so mean to him? What had happened that summer...did it have anything to do with those mysterious letters he kept receiving? The quivering stutterer scrambled into bed and magicked his curtains closed. He didn't sleep well at all that night as he kept imagining Snape would come over and curse him while he slept. He'd never made a big thing out of it but Severus Snape was a formidable force in a duel. There wasn't a curse in a book that he hadn't mastered, except for the Unforgivables and he'd shown good form on one of them over the summer. If Quirrell had known this it was safe to say he'd never be able to sleep again.
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Quirrell moved out of the chambers he shared with Snape the following day. He didn't have much of a choice really when he discovered all his belongings sitting in the common room with a piece of parchment saying EVICTED on it. A serenely calm Snape sat in an armchair by the fire and as Quirrell tried to hoist his trunk onto his back Snape laughed. A cruel, booming laugh that filled the common room. Several of the seventh years looked at the two of them and then back at their papers. They could smell the power emanating from Severus and none of them wanted to get in his way.
'Are you a wizard or Muggle, you fool?' Snape looked derisively at him. 'Put a charm on the trunk and make it feather weight. Honestly Quirrell I really wonder how it is that you manage to get through a day without dying'. As he said the word dying Quirrell shivered involuntarily. With a flick of his wand Severus magicked a Slytherin scarf around Quirrell's throat and he was soon hanging in mid-air choking slightly while Snape looked on with a look of sick pleasure dancing across his face.
'SEVERUS SNAPE!' The voice of the head of Slytherin house rang out across the room causing Snape to lose his concentration and Quirrell to clatter to the floor. Professor Lapsus stood with her hands on her hips and looked at Snape in disbelief. 'What in Merlin's name were you doing?'
'Rehearsing' A look of contempt crept over his face.
'I beg your pardon?' Her eyes narrowed at him.
'Quirrell and I like to entertain the seventh years with a little fun and frivolity to take their minds off the stress of the N.E.W.T.S. Professor.' His eyes now held an innocence that Subire Lapsus hadn't seen since Snape's first year at Hogwarts.
'Is this true Mister Macnair?' Her gaze fell on the seventh year who was scratching his head absentmindedly.
'Yes Professor.' She stooped down to help Quirrell to his feet.
'Are you alright Slatero?' She dusted his robes off and he felt for a moment like a five year old that had scraped his knees and mummy was making him feel better. He liked that feeling and he had a sudden urge to hug Professor Lapsus and ask her to take him away. He resisted this urge however.
'A-a-absolutely. I was g-g-going for The Incredible Flying Scarf Boy look b-b-but it didn't really work. Sl-sl-slipped up a bit as you can see' he made a funny noise that was in-between a squeal and a snort and lifted his eyebrows at her dazedly.
'Hmmph' Professor Lapsus was reluctant to believe this explanation but when she saw Snape shoot a healing spell at Quirrell's swollen knee she finally softened. 'Right you are then. Do try to be careful in future though boys, I don't wish to have half of Slytherin house splattered over the dungeon floors. We've got to have our Seeker in top condition – don't want him missing out on any games this season or those ruddy Gryffindors might just come up and beat us this year.' She exited.
Snape looked at Slytherin's new Seeker. Sally Janvier, the former Seeker, had left Hogwarts last year and in her place Professor Lapsus had chosen Quirrell. Severus couldn't for the life of him think why although Quirrell did seem to be a good flier. He supposed he'd find out in the first Quidditch practice they'd have in a few weeks.
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A Slytherin Quidditch cup victory was not to grace them that year. Gryffindor did come up and win the cup and Quirrell although quite a good Seeker didn't quite match up to James Potter who was steadily making his way to the top of the People to Hate list Severus was constructing in his head. He was in second place behind Sirius Black who Snape would never as long as he lived and breathed on this earth would forgive. James would eventually make it to the top of Snape's list and he did it not by trying to kill him but by becoming Head Boy along with Lily in their last year at Hogwarts. It was around this time that they also openly admitted they were besotted with one another and were seen wandering the halls hand in hand. This further caused Snape to slip deeper into Voldemort's world and although he loved to plan things down to the letter he'd never get the measure of James Potter.
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Author's note: I really thought that scene with Narcissa was going to turn into wild monkey sex but then look what happened. Go figure. There are some parts of my brain that like to form alliances against other parts and then they talk to my fingers and get them on side and before you know it – BOOM! No sex and a cranky Snape. A sexy, cranky Snape. I really do have to stop thinking about sexy, cranky Snape...makes me drool on the keyboard.
Carasiel – Enough dark Snape for you? Still loving it? :o) Thanks for the kind words. Up next – more raw power and Voldemort evilness. Ah yes, the bad boys are the best aren't they?