Disclaimer: I don't own anything . . . or do I?
Forever
By Dragon's Dreams
Chapter One
"To be an angel, one need not have wings.
In giving love there is an equal grace.
Nor need one seek the aura in the face,
As love unveils the beauty of all things."
-Francois Couperin
Severus shifted his weight uncomfortably as he arrived at the large door of a
mansion on a bleak field. The doorknob consisted of a single serpent entwined
with a long vine. Severus knocked at the door as he looked at the dreary trees
that shadowed the dry flowerbeds. The sun on the horizon was a glowing mass of
orange light. The door swung open, screeching loudly on its rusty hinges. He
was greeted by a small, putrid smelling house elf. The house elf refused to
look him in the eyes, too afraid of disrespecting him. Its ears flopped as it
shook its head and looked up at him, wincing slightly.
"Mister Snape. Please come in. Master is expecting Mister Snape. Please come in
before Drabble gets beaten," the house elf said with a high voice that cracked
slightly. Severus swept past the pathetic creature, sneering at it. His black
robes billowed behind him, making no sound. The lighting was very dim and
Severus could barely make out the graceful figure making his way towards him.
Soon the figure's strikingly blond hair came into view. Severus raised his
eyebrow questioningly as Lucius Malfoy smirked at him knowingly.
"Ah, Severus, you have arrived. I have been expecting you," Lucius said, his
eyes sparking maliciously. Severus sneered back at the smaller man.
"Your house elf informed me already," Severus told his former classmate, whose
thin eyebrows rose to beyond his hairline. A small chuckle emitted from the
younger man's mouth. Lucius put an arm on Severus' shoulder, guiding him
towards the main room. Severus shook off the arm, sneering at the man beside
him.
"Ah, that little bugger. Told him not to tell you that, but he did it anyway.
Aren't you going to have any of this most delectable whiskey?" Lucius said, a
bit tipsy, while picking up an almost empty bottle off of a side table in the
darkened hallway. Severus shook his head wearily. Lucius had always gotten on
his already thin nerves easily.
"Of course, Severus, never took you for an alcoholic. You seemed to prefer the
little muggle whores that I provide," Lucius slurred while smiling widely,
showing off all of his sparkling teeth. He gestured through the open door to a
room full of drunken Death Eaters and beaten, raped women. Some of the women
were unconscious and pushed to the side of the room. Severus' eyes widened to
see Draco Malfoy brutally kissing one of the women. He had a delirious smile on
his face as he pulled away from the slut. "Take your pick."
"I prefer not to use sluts, whores, muggles, and mudbloods, Lucius. I prefer .
. . more willing ones," Severus replied in his velvety voice. Lucius' eyes
popped out at what Severus had just told him. He shook his head vigorously. His
silvery hair flew into his face.
"You . . . don't like them? Would you just like to kill one of the pathetic
sluts? They were free," Lucius explained to Severus, his mocking grayish blue
eyes staring deep into Severus' dark green orbs. He glared at Severus and
turned away from him. His arms flew out in a shrug.
"You're no fun anymore. Not as willing, they say. Maybe I should have a talk
with the Dark Lord. He doesn't like unwilling followers, I've heard," Lucius
replied threateningly, pointing a single pale finger in Severus' face. And with
that he stormed out of the room leaving a very confused Severus. He walked
through the room, glancing about at the sweating bodies that lay upon the many
green couches. The walls were a deep blue, giving the room a very dark look.
The light was dim and shadows crept upon the deep emerald carpet. Finally,
Severus found an unoccupied chair that no one had sat on before. He sat down
and waited for Lucius to return. After ten minutes of sitting in silence, one
of the women came up to him. She had blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. She
was short, perky, and had blood red nails that seemed to be as long as the
diameter of a galleon. Severus shuddered, involuntary.
"Wanna have a go, handsome?" the whore asked him while tracing the outline of
his jaw with one of her hideous fingernails.
"No," he stated monotone. The woman licked her lips, trying to be seductive,
and then she pounced. She rammed her lips upon Severus' closed ones. Her hands
went to his silky black hair and began to scratch his scalp. Severus arms moved
to her shoulders attempting to push her off, but the move just motivated her.
She stuck her tongue into his mouth making him wince and throw her off his lap.
Just then, Lucius came in, smiling maliciously. His cold eyes were on fire with
mischief. He clapped his hands, gaining all of the Death Eaters' attention.
"Master would like to see everyone out in the graveyard for some . . . fun,"
Lucius told the room, smirking. The Death Eaters marched out of the door in a
very thuggish manner. Many of them didn't mind if they smacked into each other,
instead the just kept on walking. Lucius waited behind with Severus, shaking
his head, ashamed.
"They are so barbaric, Severus. They're ruining my beautiful room . . .
Merlin's balls! We have to get out there," Lucius drawled. Severus followed him
out of the mansion and to the graveyard. Tombstones were set in neat rows
making the yard look even more eerie. Off in the distance, the sun was setting
slowly, barely even shining rays of light. Something was odd in the air. A
heavy feeling settled in his chest as he continued walking with Lucius through
the cemetery. Soon, a gathering of cloaked and masked men appeared into sight.
Their silver masks sparkled in the last rays of orange light. Lucius and
Severus joined the group of men and pushed their way through the burly men to
the center. At the very center were Voldemort's most trusted followers. There
was Rookwood, Avery, Nott, Pettigrew, and both Malfoys present in the Inner
Circle. A cracking noise resounded through the still air and Voldemort appeared
out of thin air. His hollow red eyes were squinted in a snake-like fashion. His
spidery pale hand rubbed his temples. He seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Goyle, Crabbe, come up," he spat out in his high, cold voice. The two massive
figures walked through the crowd and hung their heads, cowering. Voldemort
smirked and took his wand out from within his robes. He pointed it at the two
of them as they winced, preparing them for what he would do.
"Yes, Master?" They asked him in unison. Voldemort's eyes narrowed, as he
looked them over. Severus raised a single eyebrow.
"Did you retrieve the girl yet," Voldemort asked them, as his red eyes glowed
maliciously in blood thirst.
"N-no, Master," Goyle senior replied, trembling. Voldemort sneered at both of
them, shoving his wand forward.
"No, you sssay. What happened to the girl? Are you too thick to even bring me a
mere girl? I will have to ussse a different tactic after I deal with the both
of you," Voldemort replied harshly. He whispered one word and both Goyle and
Crabbe were on the cold ground, writhing in pain. Soon, both of them screamed
out in pure agony. Voldemort cackled, high and cold. His laugh made the hairs
on Severus' neck stand erect. Voldemort took the curse off of Goyle and Crabbe
with a flick of his wand, both of their still shaking bodies were pushed off to
the side.
"Severusss," he hissed. Severus bowed his head to him, silently, "Luciusss has
told me that you are less willing with your . . . dutiesss."
"Yes, Master," Severus answered in agreement.
"Maybe you need a little . . . encouraging," he said and raised his wand once
more. Severus braced him self for the onslaught of pain as Voldemort hissed,
"Crucio," mercilessly. The pain came in great jolts, but Severus knew that it
would not affect him in the long terms. Soon the pain became dull and he
remained standing, making no noise. Voldemort looked confused that Severus had
not screamed in pain, so he lifted the unforgivable.
"Severusss, is there something that you would like to tell me," Voldemort
demanded angrily. Severus looked his 'Master' straight in the eyes, which many
Death Eaters never dared to do.
"No, sir, I do not think so, other than the fact that I have the potion you
requested," Severus half-lied, so Voldemort couldn't catch his lie. Voldemort
looked him over, from head to toe, making sure he wasn't lying to him. He held
out one of his hand in a silent request for the potion. Severus brought out a
red tinted vial from within his black robes. Voldemort took it eagerly and
pocketed it. Severus stepped back into the pack of Death Eaters.
"Petigrew, bring me the other potion immediately," Voldemort hissed at his
minion who scurried off quickly. He returned with a small glass beaker that was
filled to the top in a dark smoking potion. Voldemort took it from the small
man hastily and mixed the potions together. Severus stood back and watched in
amazement as a shadow of a creature arose from the frozen ground below them.
Its eyes glowed a ghostly yellow as it took off into the setting sun. Many of
the Death Eaters were shaking in fear, their feelings sucked from their souls.
Voldemort laughed again. After some more punishing of unruly Death Eaters,
Voldemort told all of his followers to go back home. Severus apparated
immediately back to the edge of the forbidden forest. He walked swiftly through
the dense bramble just outside of the forest. He soon made his way through the
trees and roots that crowded the misty wood. The sun had just set and stars
above began to twinkle. He made his way to the other side of the forest, just
to see something lying on the ground under his favorite tree. He ran over to
the willow following a path of dried plants.
"Hello?" He asked, but no one answered. He bent down and squinted, trying to
see in the pitch-black night. A young woman's body came into view from his
night-impaired vision. She seemed so still, not even her chest moved for
breath. He scowled as a few strands of black hair fell into his face. He pushed
them away in frustration and reached down to check the woman's pulse. He could
not feel anything except her smooth skin. She was dead...
A/n: Hey… Happy {Belated} Valentine's day! Whatever. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my really sucky prologue:
Lindsay and Nore! Thanks… also lama and random gurl… yep… See ya!