The little boy watched as He struck the woman, his mother, His rage
fashioned by His own twisted delusions, and the little boy was too afraid
to help. He watched blow after blow after blow, watched as his mother's
nose began to bleed and lips were split and could do nothing but cry.
But even crying didn't help.
He heard the boy crying, turned on him and began hitting the poor little boy. He tried to get away, to run away from His fury, but couldn't get away.
He could do nothing but cry and scream for his mother.
Severus awoke suddenly, his face wet and sticky with tears. He was gasping and sniveling fearfully, his breaths coming in short little hiccups.
It took awhile to calm himself down; he instinctively knew what time it was, because he always woke up at this time. 3:14 am.
Severus couldn't bring himself to fall back asleep, as the vividness of the nightmare was poignant. He decided to go down to the common room for awhile until he felt able to sleep.
He made his way inaudibly, not wanting to wake anyone. He heard soft voices from the common room as he approached; he slowly and silently peeked around the corner.
He saw a blonde boy, and he had to take an extra glance at before apprehend who it was. Lucius was tryinf to latch lips with a giggling girl whom he knew as Narcissa Black, but she pushed his lips away with two fingers.
He felt all the blood flow from his face and leave him cold and pale. Narcissa pulled away as Lucius tried to put his hand up her shirt.
"No, tomorrow," she whispered. "I just got dressed again, we'll get caught."
"Once more, Cissa, please."
"Tomorrow."
They kissed and Narcissa rose, disappearing up the staircase to the girl's dorm.
Lucius glanced over at Severus, who had found himself frozen in place. He seemed not to react except for a twitch of his eyebrow and one corner of his mouth.
"Oy Sev."
"H-hello Lucius," Severus heard the shake in his voice.
"What are you doing up at this time in the morning?"
"Couldn't sleep," Severus said, sighing deeply.
He felt his lip quiver. "Lucius...about the other day..."
"What about it?"
"Why did you...I mean.....Why did you not let me sit with you?"
"Because everyone would think I was insane, letting you sit with me."
"Then why did you..." Severus' chest felt heavy.
"I was bored."
"You and Narcissa..." Severus ventured hesitantly
"Yeah."
Severus swallowed hard. He knew it was too good to be true.
"Well you...I mean, I've never had a girlfriend."
Lucius seemed to raise his eyes and curl his lip slightly.
"I know. Not everyone...is exceedingly attractive."
Severus grunted.
"Come here," Lucius said, and patted the place next to him on the couch.
Severus was rooted to the floor for a moment, unsure. Grimly he compelled his leaden legs to move, and perched himself so lightly next to Lucius that he barely made an indent on the seat cushion.
"This is very important. I've been watching you and, well... I don't know what's wrong with you, but, I know how to fix it. Who can fix it."
Severus continued to stare ahead of him, sighing profoundly.
"Do you want to know?"
"You don't know what's going on." Severus whispered dangerously.
"But I know how to fix it." Lucius leaned forward and said tempting.
"It can't be fixed."
"Severus -"
"It can't be fixed! I have to go to bed -" 'Severus began to stand but Lucius restrained him by grabbing a hold on the boy's clothes'
"Severus, listen to me -" Lucius said, drawing him close and brushing his lips against Severus' ear.
"Don't touch me, please -" Severus said, pushing Lucius back.
Lucius seized him again. Severus fought against the older boy's grasp, knocking the taller Slytherin in the face with his elbow in his effort to be free.
There was silence, and the moment felt too thick to breathe.
"I'm sorry." Severus whispered through a dry throat.
Lucius didn't reply. He gingerly touched his nose, where a fat glob of blood began to ooze from one nostril. He wiped it in attempt to collect his dignity.
Severus felt a lump come up in his throat. There sat Lucius, so much stronger and superior than Severus. And Severus had easily fought him off and made him bleed.
As easily as He would be able to.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't get it."
"Hmm? What, Pete?"
Remus rolled over to his stomach and glanced over at his mousy looking friend who sat cross-legged on the bed next to his.
"Well, I don't know."
"What is it?"
Peter Pettigrew screwed up his face in the way he did so often, his nose wrinkling and his eyebrows curving downward. Despite Wormtail's goofy countenance, Remus had to admit he was cute. He still looked somewhat like a baby. Baby-face.
"Well, Slytherins. I suppose, it's strange that most of the...the Death Eaters, well, that they used to be in Slytherin."
Remus shrugged and rolled to his back. Peter got off his own bed and crawled onto Remus'.
"Isn't it weird?"
"I suppose, in a way." Remus said sighingly.
Peter rocked gently. He was constantly wiggling; Remus sometimes told the others he worried about him, it wasn't normal for people to wiggle so much. He even wiggled when he slept. James said it was because of his nerves; Sirius said it was because he was a dipshit. Whatever it was, it could get damn annoying.
"It's scary, though. Every year, it gets worse and worse. Someday people won't be able to fight back. You-Know-Who gets more powerful. And he gets more supporters, all the time."
Remus put a firm hand on Peter's leg to stop its constant fidgeting. Peter got the point and stopped moving his leg but instantly put his pinky finger in his mouth and gnawed on that.
"Dumbledore will be able to take care of it." Remus said reassuringly.
"What if there's a revolt? If the Slytherins that support You-Know-Who -" Peter persisted.
"Like who?"
"You know. Severus, he's gotta be in with it. And, you know...all the rest of `em."
"Look, mate, it doesn't matter. Quit worrying, it's not worth it."
"I can't help it, I'm worried."
Peter lay next to Remus, resting his head in the crook of Remus' arm. Remus ran his fingers through Peter's blonde-brown hair.
"You worry too much."
Peter's fidgeting slowed and his breathing became a steady troupe of sighs. Occasionally he would let out a babyish snore. Remus pulled his arm out from under Peter's head.
"Night, Pete."
But even crying didn't help.
He heard the boy crying, turned on him and began hitting the poor little boy. He tried to get away, to run away from His fury, but couldn't get away.
He could do nothing but cry and scream for his mother.
Severus awoke suddenly, his face wet and sticky with tears. He was gasping and sniveling fearfully, his breaths coming in short little hiccups.
It took awhile to calm himself down; he instinctively knew what time it was, because he always woke up at this time. 3:14 am.
Severus couldn't bring himself to fall back asleep, as the vividness of the nightmare was poignant. He decided to go down to the common room for awhile until he felt able to sleep.
He made his way inaudibly, not wanting to wake anyone. He heard soft voices from the common room as he approached; he slowly and silently peeked around the corner.
He saw a blonde boy, and he had to take an extra glance at before apprehend who it was. Lucius was tryinf to latch lips with a giggling girl whom he knew as Narcissa Black, but she pushed his lips away with two fingers.
He felt all the blood flow from his face and leave him cold and pale. Narcissa pulled away as Lucius tried to put his hand up her shirt.
"No, tomorrow," she whispered. "I just got dressed again, we'll get caught."
"Once more, Cissa, please."
"Tomorrow."
They kissed and Narcissa rose, disappearing up the staircase to the girl's dorm.
Lucius glanced over at Severus, who had found himself frozen in place. He seemed not to react except for a twitch of his eyebrow and one corner of his mouth.
"Oy Sev."
"H-hello Lucius," Severus heard the shake in his voice.
"What are you doing up at this time in the morning?"
"Couldn't sleep," Severus said, sighing deeply.
He felt his lip quiver. "Lucius...about the other day..."
"What about it?"
"Why did you...I mean.....Why did you not let me sit with you?"
"Because everyone would think I was insane, letting you sit with me."
"Then why did you..." Severus' chest felt heavy.
"I was bored."
"You and Narcissa..." Severus ventured hesitantly
"Yeah."
Severus swallowed hard. He knew it was too good to be true.
"Well you...I mean, I've never had a girlfriend."
Lucius seemed to raise his eyes and curl his lip slightly.
"I know. Not everyone...is exceedingly attractive."
Severus grunted.
"Come here," Lucius said, and patted the place next to him on the couch.
Severus was rooted to the floor for a moment, unsure. Grimly he compelled his leaden legs to move, and perched himself so lightly next to Lucius that he barely made an indent on the seat cushion.
"This is very important. I've been watching you and, well... I don't know what's wrong with you, but, I know how to fix it. Who can fix it."
Severus continued to stare ahead of him, sighing profoundly.
"Do you want to know?"
"You don't know what's going on." Severus whispered dangerously.
"But I know how to fix it." Lucius leaned forward and said tempting.
"It can't be fixed."
"Severus -"
"It can't be fixed! I have to go to bed -" 'Severus began to stand but Lucius restrained him by grabbing a hold on the boy's clothes'
"Severus, listen to me -" Lucius said, drawing him close and brushing his lips against Severus' ear.
"Don't touch me, please -" Severus said, pushing Lucius back.
Lucius seized him again. Severus fought against the older boy's grasp, knocking the taller Slytherin in the face with his elbow in his effort to be free.
There was silence, and the moment felt too thick to breathe.
"I'm sorry." Severus whispered through a dry throat.
Lucius didn't reply. He gingerly touched his nose, where a fat glob of blood began to ooze from one nostril. He wiped it in attempt to collect his dignity.
Severus felt a lump come up in his throat. There sat Lucius, so much stronger and superior than Severus. And Severus had easily fought him off and made him bleed.
As easily as He would be able to.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't get it."
"Hmm? What, Pete?"
Remus rolled over to his stomach and glanced over at his mousy looking friend who sat cross-legged on the bed next to his.
"Well, I don't know."
"What is it?"
Peter Pettigrew screwed up his face in the way he did so often, his nose wrinkling and his eyebrows curving downward. Despite Wormtail's goofy countenance, Remus had to admit he was cute. He still looked somewhat like a baby. Baby-face.
"Well, Slytherins. I suppose, it's strange that most of the...the Death Eaters, well, that they used to be in Slytherin."
Remus shrugged and rolled to his back. Peter got off his own bed and crawled onto Remus'.
"Isn't it weird?"
"I suppose, in a way." Remus said sighingly.
Peter rocked gently. He was constantly wiggling; Remus sometimes told the others he worried about him, it wasn't normal for people to wiggle so much. He even wiggled when he slept. James said it was because of his nerves; Sirius said it was because he was a dipshit. Whatever it was, it could get damn annoying.
"It's scary, though. Every year, it gets worse and worse. Someday people won't be able to fight back. You-Know-Who gets more powerful. And he gets more supporters, all the time."
Remus put a firm hand on Peter's leg to stop its constant fidgeting. Peter got the point and stopped moving his leg but instantly put his pinky finger in his mouth and gnawed on that.
"Dumbledore will be able to take care of it." Remus said reassuringly.
"What if there's a revolt? If the Slytherins that support You-Know-Who -" Peter persisted.
"Like who?"
"You know. Severus, he's gotta be in with it. And, you know...all the rest of `em."
"Look, mate, it doesn't matter. Quit worrying, it's not worth it."
"I can't help it, I'm worried."
Peter lay next to Remus, resting his head in the crook of Remus' arm. Remus ran his fingers through Peter's blonde-brown hair.
"You worry too much."
Peter's fidgeting slowed and his breathing became a steady troupe of sighs. Occasionally he would let out a babyish snore. Remus pulled his arm out from under Peter's head.
"Night, Pete."
