Disclaimer: Again, don't own them. Well, I own Sage, but she's a bit of a pushy brat at times, so I don't like to admit it.

"Severus." A smooth voice asked, a white haired man sitting down next to him gracefully in the Slytherin common room.

"Lucius." Snape replied, his voice monotone. It was two days after his parents' funeral, and not even his beloved Sage Cartonis could pull him out of his depression. "I'm not helping you with the Potions finals."

"Dear boy, that's not what I wanted to say." Lucius replied, his tone falsely calm. Severus knew better. He had angered Malfoy, and would certainly owe him his pound of flesh later. "I simply wanted to ask you if you've given any more thought to my Lord's offer. Considering recent…developments…he wanted me to speak to you. You could be an asset to our cause, Severus."

"Leave me be, Malfoy. I'm busy." Severus said, never looking up from the book in his hands.

"Certainly you want revenge, Severus. Revenge against the Aurors who killed your parents. Don't let the deaths of Dimitri and Meela Snape be in vain, Severus."

"Malfoy, you will not use the deaths of my parents as leverage to your cause." Snape spat, his face twisted in a mask of pure rage. He stood up, dragging Lucius out of his chair and shoving him against the cold granite wall.

"Calm yourself, Severus." Lucius commanded, his voice no longer calm, but taking its usual cold manner. "Think, boy. Voldemort has many followers, followers in high places. Do you really fancy living in an orphanage over the summer? You're only sixth year. You've nowhere to go, no one to turn to."

Severus released Lucius before falling back into his seat, running his hand through his blue-black hair. Before he could say anything, the door to the common room swung open, Sage walking in, her long blonde hair swaying behind her. An errant thought hit Severus, regarding Sage and her strong resemblance to the Veela. Her light blue eyes searched the room quickly, spotting her lover and heading his way within seconds. She shot Lucius an icy look before sitting down on Severus' lap, a warm smile on her face.

"Think about it, Severus." Lucius stated simply, turning on his heel and walking up the steps to his dorm room.

"What was that about, dear heart?" Sage asked, kissing Severus lightly on the forehead. She saw the anguish in his eyes and snuggled in closer to him, wrapping his robes around her small form.

"N-nothing."

"Sev?" Sage asked him, her light eyes boring into his beetle black ones.

"Nothing!" Severus bellowed, standing up gracefully, setting Sage down on the chair in his place before storming out of the common room.

"Severus…" Sage whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Severus sat silently up in the Astronomy tower, his thoughts filled not only with images of his parents, as they had been, but with images of power, of revenge. His mind swirled around images of the Aurors responsible for the deaths of the elder Snape's being flayed alive, being stretched on racks, being tortured with two of the unforgivable curses before finally casting the third.

He shivered slightly, sitting down on the window ledge, pulling his long, thin legs against his chest. He knew that what Lucius had said was true: he would be sent to an orphanage, and the murderers of his parents were walking free. He didn't fancy turning towards the most powerful dark wizard of all time for revenge, knowing that in return for whatever damage he could inflict on others, the law of Karma would bring it back to him, three fold.

He was raised to believe in Karma, that all harm caused to someone intentionally would be returned, a reflection on the pain that the 'victim' suffered. His father often thought this was rubbish, but his mother was a firm believer.

Severus had always been very close to Meela Snape. Whilst Dimitri Snape was often away on business, Meela was always there. She'd taught Severus to read, she'd taught him basic charms. Severus had loved his mother dearly.

And now she was gone. Simply because his father was a firm believer in pureblood families not interacting socially with those of mixed heritage; he had always said it was 'bad for business.' He would never publicly begrudge those of mixed blood; he simply lived according to his fathers' ways, and his fathers' father before that. Dimitri Snape was a pure blood, and proud of that fact.

When Severus came of schooling age, his parents saw him off happily, proud that their son had been accepted not only to Hogwarts, but also Beaxbatons and Durmstrag. He'd actually listened to his parents argue fiercely one night over which school to send him to. His mother was set on Severus going to Hogwarts, like she had, while his father wanted him to attend Durmstrag.

"He has to learn these things, Meela! He can learn the dark arts much more efficiently at Durmstrag than at Hogwarts!" His father bellowed.

"He already knows more than most seventh years, Dimitri. Not just in the dark arts, but in potions, transfigurations… We've taught our boy well…" Meela said, her voice oddly calm. "And I am not sending my only son to Scandinavia, when we have an even better school here in England. I am not sending Severus to the middle of nowhere."

"He's got to be on his own sometime!"

"He's not even eleven years old, Dimitri. He is not an adult, and he does not deserve to have his childhood ripped away because you want him grow up sooner than any child should have to!"

Obviously, his mother had won the argument, and the only child of Dimitri and Meela Snape was sent to Hogwarts. Dimitri hadn't been very happy with the decision, acting surly and sulking for days afterwards.

Severus smiled slightly at the memory of his father. He'd gotten most of his physical features from his mothers side: his high cheekbones, his eyes the color of pitch, with hair to match, his long, thin fingers. 'Perfect for piano,' his mother had always said. (And so he was forced to take lessons.) Many of his psychological traits could be traced back to his father: his fierce temper, his problems with authority. He had all of his fathers' detrimental psychological traits, but to even it out he held onto his mother's placid attitude.

His mother was always quite quiet, preferring to sit at home in front of a roaring fire with a good book (generally of the Muggle variety. She's always been a fan of the tomes of a man called Lewis Carroll; she had enjoyed his stories as a child, growing up in Eastern Europe.) and a glass of wine as opposed to going to the extravagant balls often associated with their social class. Severus had stayed up late with his mother, reading in the library, countless times, avoiding Dimitri's vodka soaked parties.

And now Severus would never sit under a blanket with his mother, reading their own respective novellas. He'd never argue with his father again. Never again would he be able to sit down to a quiet family dinner at Snape Manor, sipping calmly at wine his mother would slip him on holidays.

"Lumos." Severus whispered, pulling out his wand. It had gotten dark while he had been sitting up in the tower, reminiscing, not that he cared much. He glanced down at the watch on his wrist and cursed.

He stood up quickly, dusting off his robes unconsciously as he ambled irately towards the door of the tower. Severus finally stopped once he reached the Great Hall, standing outside of the colossal doors leading in. He snuck a glance into the massive room.

He saw Lucius sitting with Crabb and Goyle in their usual spots; Lucius looked pre-occupied while his lackeys shoveled foods into their insatiable gullets. He looked beyond the trio to Sage, sitting with several friends. Severus tried to hide the slight pang of guilt that passed through his body at the sight of her. He turned on his heal and stormed back down to the dungeons, to the Slytherin common room, his head swarming.

He tried to ignore the nagging voice in his head, telling him that Lucius was right. He tried to concentrate on the other voice, telling him to grieve in peace. An image ran though his head of a tiny Lucius and a tiny Sage on each shoulder, tugging at his ears and pulling his hair.

"Merlin, this is insane." Severus mumbled, collapsing onto his knees before the fire. He ran his hand through his hair, thankful that everyone else was at the Great Hall eating supper.

Suddenly, another vision ran through his head, of his mother crying in their sitting room, draped across his father's corpse; Aurors swarming around the two, their wands out and ready to strike. Severus shook his head, trying to rid it of the sight, wondering where on Earth it had come from. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his already exhausted nerves, and pulled his long legs up against his chest, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Snape."

"Malfoy." Snape garbled, not even bothering to turn around. "What do you want now?"

"Professor Wilkins asked me to come and find you; you're missing supper." Lucius sauntered over to where Severus sat, falling into a chair nearby. Snape shot him a sneer and turned back to the fire. "Not hungry? Oh, well. I guess this gives us a chance to talk, then, doesn't it? The rest of the house won't be back for another thirty minutes at least…

"Have you given anymore thought to my Lord's proposal, Severus?"

Severus sat silently for a moment, the image of the tiny Lucius and Sage on his shoulders playing through his head. A small smile almost played at his lips before another replaced the vision. The sight of his parents in the sitting room, Aurors all around; Dimitri Snape bellowing hexes at the Aurors who dared to attempt to hurt his Meela. The sight of the Killing Curse being cast on his father, of his mother falling on top of his body in hysterics.

Severus swallowed a small sigh before speaking.

"When do I meet him?"

A/N: I'd like to send out a thanks to Lost in the Forest, whose review of my other HP story, "I Know", inspired this whole thing…