e"I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds
Have rived the knotty oaks, and I have seen
The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam,
To be exalted with the threatening clouds:
But never till to-night, never till now,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
Either there is a civil strife in heaven,
Or else the world, too saucy with the gods,
Incenses them to send destruction…"

            - Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 3

Chapter Five: Storm's Eye

            Severus slumped to his knees in defeat, not really acknowledging the pain that shot through most of his body. His mind was swimming and there was a ringing in his ears he couldn't drown out. His left eye was swollen shut and a rancid mixture of blood and vomit welled up in his throat. His entire being cried for rest, for comfort or for an end, but Snape knew it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until he was dead and he was alive.

            But it was only a matter of time.

            Eoin Malone was standing off to a side, holding both of Severus' wands and watching with that impassive face Kagas always had and that Snape passionately hated. Erskine was pacing in front of him like a hungry animal as he prepared to finish off the Dark Prince. Snape was sure the thought gave him no end of pleasure. Severus looked up, eyes searching and mind racing. He had to do something, but what that something was he had no idea.

Then he noticed Eoin's eyes; sharp gray, and sad, and focused on Erskine's back, or the wall, or the floor but never on Snape. The Kaga wasn't making eye contact. At first, Snape was confused until the reason occurred to him and caused him to smile. Eoin still retained that respect for Aurors that he had learned as a child. Snape almost laughed, partially because he knew how annoying that old habit could be.

            "You know," Severus mused as a plan began to form, "In this light, you look like your sister." Eoin lifted his head, tilting it carefully. "You punch like her too."

            "Are you going let him insult you like that?" Erskine paused to listen to Severus' jibes.

            "Actually, if you've ever met his sister, you'd know that was a compliment. His sister could take down three full grown men during one of her bad days."

            "Four." Eoin corrected, softly.

            "Too bad Erskine's wife didn't share that talent." Snape continued. "All she did was moan like a whore when I killed her."

            Erskine's first reaction was to start towards the door before he stopped and allowed a reluctant, unsure smile to capture his features, speaking words meant more to reassure himself then counter Severus' remark. "You're lying. There's no way…"

            "…I could have known that my place was challenged?" The Prince asked, calmly. He straightened himself, sitting up. "Come now, Throne, surely you give me more credit."

            "You're lying." He turned to Eoin and began to stumble over his words. "Tell him, he's lying."

            "Of course he's lying."

The Prince nodded, in agreement. "Of course I'm lying. These nail marks on my hand belong to some other woman I raped, and beat to death. I must admit Hester could have stood up against old Ashwinder any day. I imagine both of them would go down fighting. What do you think, Eoin? Out of Hester and Ash, who would survive me?" He allowed himself a sordid little chuckle. "Actually, I wonder if Ash would still fall on her back for me…she was a marvelous ride but you know all about that, don't you brother?"

Eoin's precious control was lost. He crossed the room and slammed his boot against Severus' jaw, causing the man to topple. Snape cursed to himself and straightened himself, resetting his jaw. "Um, yeah. I think I deserved that one." He looked up and smiled. "But how bout you give me my wand back and we'll dance?"

"Kill him, Malone." Erskine ordered.

Eoin shook his head. "I will not kill a man on his knees."

"He's not a man."

"No, but he was once and I'll honor that fallen soldier."  Eoin dropped to his knees, running his hand through Snape's hair. "Because the memory of that man tears him apart."

It was Snape's turn to lose control. "Go on and get this over with!"

Snape cursed himself for that comment as soon as he made it. He needed to survive this, he forced himself to remember. He needed to survive and get to Godric's Hallow before something happened.

Before he lost his brother.

Snape stifled a shiver and lifted his chin to smile at Eoin. His voice took on a soft, singsong voice. "Fine, fine…I know, no more boasting about past conquests, I'm sorry…that wasn't part of the game."

"Is that all you think this is?" Eoin asked, anger creeping to the edges of voice.

"That's all this ever was." Snape countered, getting an eerie feeling of déjà vu. Eoin really was too much like his sister at times. "I kill one of yours, you kill one of mine, and over and over and over until there are just us and ranks of fallen, disillusioned dead behind us. Then what? It's just us…" He smiled again. "Two old war dogs with no more chess pieces to play with."

Erskine was staring at the door, "Hester…"

"She's already dead." Snape called, keeping his voice cold. "Galen and Jackie would have made sure of it by now." Now confronted with that possibility, Erskine swung about and stared at Eoin. Malone shook his head, himself pausing to think of loved ones. Snape licked his lips and considered standing. "Oh, I know what who you're thinking, Eoin. You're thinking about your beloved Maude, and her new baby. I mean, after you went through all that trouble to get her, killing her husband and all, you'd think you might want to keep her. Too late."

Eoin grabbed Snape's collar and hauled him to his feet. Snape cried out against the sudden in flux of pain. "Say your lying, you fucking bastard, say your fucking lying!"

"Tsk, tsk, Eoin…your Kaga training is waning. Where's that prized discipline your kind is known for?"

"Say your lying!"

"By now, Jackie's looking for Ashwinder." Snape said, surprised that his voice softened. He swallowed, looking into Eoin's eyes. "Tell her to watch out for Dora until I get there."

Eoin threw Snape into Erskine's arms and disappeared into the darkness to check on his family. Snape watched him go, and buried the intense self-hatred he felt.

After all, he knew how it felt to go in search for a family you dreaded wouldn't be there. The only difference between Eoin's trek now, and the one a young man named Alex had gone through years ago was that Snape had been lying through his teeth.

Eoin would find his family safe and sound.

The man Alex would never see his love ones again.

Snape bowed his head. "Erskine? Have you made your peace?"

"What?"

Snape swung around, grabbing Raine's left arm and flinging him away. He took hold of his wand and leveled against Erskine's throat. "You can do one of two things, Raine…go check on your family or try your luck against me."

Erskine's eyes were wide with fear. The man looked up, into Snape's eyes before darting towards the door. Snape let him go, dropping the wand and falling against a wall to steady himself. He looked around the room, wiping the blood from his left eye, and started to laugh.

"Well, I sure know how to end a party, don't I?" He asked the room. He exhaled, angrily. "I need a drink."

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted through his body, drowning any sense of self or reality and throwing Snape to his back. He vomited, and choked on the blood and bile that came from his ragged cries. Another sharp wave of something akin to pain ripped through his body, causing him to convulse. This happened twice more before he was allowed to collapsed, and force air back into his lungs.

"What the…" He choked out. "Hell?"

            At first Snape couldn't understand what was going on. It had felt like he was dying but even that didn't make sense. He wasn't dying…

            But someone else had…

            And that's what he had felt, he realized. He had felt someone dying, through a type of magic that was so ancient and dark, its very name had been lost through the ages.

            Coven magic was stirring. He could sense it, even now, after the attack. It felt like the ozone left after a dangerous storm.

            But he was not Coven. True, he had studied it, but he understood only the most rudimentary skills of that type of magic, only the most simplistic spells and gestures. It made no sense that he should feel such a violent wave.

He was not Coven.

            Only those 13 linked through the nameless magic should be able to feel that pain. Only those who were connected to each other, by birth or by that magic would be able to feel each other's pain. His daughter was Coven, but she was far away from England and the magic passed down the generations, not upwards. He took some comfort in the fact that his daughter was safe, but there was still no answer concerning how he had felt Coven. He was only connected to her…

            And Lord Voldemort.

            Something had happened to Lord Voldemort.

            "James…" He whispered, paling slightly. "God, if you're listening…please, give me this one thing."

            He Apparated without waiting for a reply.

It was like walking into a dream…

Green light.

Green light in the shape of something.

A skull.

No… he thought, it wasn't possible...

Green light.

Green light over his house. He looked up and saw the Dark Mark blazing over the house, his house. He had never felt fear like this before and he had faced Vampires and Werewolves. But he was afraid of the green light.

"No." The man called Alexander Rouge said, pulling the last shreds of strength and running to his house.

"Alex, don't go in there."

No, this time was different. There was no green light. No Aurors surrounding the house like it was some other crime scene, like if the people in this house didn't mean the world Severus Snape. There was no green light.

That meant the people were alive in there.

"Thank God." The man once called Alexander Rouge said as relief flooded his entire being. This time had been different. He had gotten there in time.

This time there would be the happy ending.

Snape smiled to himself as he began to walk towards the home, then, as soft as the air itself, a voice spoke from behind him, and came straight from his memory. "Don't go in there, Severus."  

Jude Remington pulled him back. The Auror was looking at his friend and keeping his hands planting firmly on his shoulders. "Don't go in there, Severus."

He looked at Jude but didn't see him. He only heard him call him by his real name. That was all the Auror training that had been drilled into him needed to know his fears were true.

            "Don't go in there, Severus." Eoin repeated, walking forward. "There's nothing for you in there."

Snape turned around and stared at the man who only minutes before had tried to kill him. Eoin walked towards him and did something odd. He kneeled. "My Lord, we were too late. Voldemort has fallen." The Kaga whispered. "You are now our leader."

Snape looked at the home, too stun to really understand what was happening. "How?"

"I don't know, sir. Voldemort had received information from a mole in the Order of Phoenix. He used it to discover where the Potters were hiding."

"Did Dumbledore know?"

"We think that Albus was already alerted by the Rouge spy." Eoin answered. He looked up, "Which is why Voldemort wanted us to keep you tonight. He thought you were the Rouge."

"What do you think?"

"It is not my duty to think. I am the guardian of the Dark Lord. That's you now. The King is dead, long live the King."

For the first time, Snape really looked at Eoin and understood what the man was saying. Voldemort was gone, and he was the only one standing between a hellish continuation of an 11-year war or peace.

Finally, peace.

Malone was holding Snape's wands up for him to take them. He placed them silently where they belonged and turned his attention back to the house. Billy's death had made him a Prince.

James' death had made him a King and somewhere in that second he thought about this, Snape was tempted to continue Voldemort's war.  He was now the ruler of the Dark World…he could be immortal…

"My Lord," Eoin whispered. "What are you going to do?"

Snape looked at Eoin's eyes. They were gray, like his sister's…

Alex's angel…someone who, like James, had always believed that he could move mountains or part seas...

Someone who knew with ever fiber of their being that Snape could be a hero.

That he could end a war…

"Roll up your sleeve, Eoin." He obeyed and Snape tapped the Dark Mark with his wand. He really didn't expect it to work, and was surprised when Eoin's Mark turned black, calling together the Death Eaters. He really was King. "Tell them their Prince claims his rightful place and is now Lord…"

"They shall await your appearance." Eoin nodded.

"And then, they shall swear their loyalty to me."  Severus looked at him, coldly. "Do I have yours?"

"You are my king by default." Malone said simply. "But you are not my Lord."

Snape laughed. "That Kaga stubbornness eh?"

"We chose who we serve because we respect them." He continued. "And you're nothing to me."

"Mark your works carefully, Eoin…before this day is done. I will have your loyalty." Snape looked up, staring at the house. "Destroy this place. I want it a memory…"

"As you command, milord." Eoin said, bowing deeply.

"Tell me, Guardian." Snape watched him. "Who was Voldemort's mole?"

Eoin licked his lips, looking back and secretly knowing why this new Lord was asking such a question. He knew Snape was going after the traitor, but he also knew that there was no way in hell, he was going to let the likes of Snape take the throne to a kingdom his family had fought and bled so hard to establish.

"His name, milord," Eoin lied. "was Sirius Black."