Title: Snape's Betrayal
Author: Stardrops
Genre: Adventure/Action
Rating: PG 13 : There will be violence and murder, so I've got a high rating just as a precaution.
Summary: Severus must conceal his treachery and continue to assist the Dark Lord. While Dumbledore remains oblivious to this treason, people are dying. Will Voldemort finally manage to dominate the wizarding world? For readers who are sick of Harry winning all the time!
Disclaimer: I own practically nothing. Yay for me.
Chapter Two: The Traitor
Severus looked uneasily over his shoulder. He was back at the Hogwarts Grounds, with students by the hundred surrounding him in the corridor. He curled his lip in disgust. So many happy, laughing children milling about. It was sickening. They should be working as hard as he.
He was on orders from Voldemort to keep a close watch on Harry, Hermione, Ron and especially Luna. If she learnt that her father was a Death Eater or similar, she would pass the information to the Order, which could possibly slow down Voldemort's plan.
Harry and his friends were in the courtyard to Severus's left. He stood still where he was and looked to them, trying to hear what they were saying.
It had to be something about the Order because they were speaking in quiet tones in a secretive manner.
As he edged closer, he caught slight snippets of their conversation. He had to be sure to keep behind the walls or bushes that surrounded the courtyard, or else they would see or hear him, and he did not want that. So he stepped quietly and strained his ears, listening with all his might.
"– can try again. He's not stupid enough to attack Hogwarts."
"I wouldn't be so sure." He could hear Hermione speaking now. "He probably hopes to gain lots of followers, and fear is a good weapon to scare people into siding with you."
"Dumbledore reigns here, Hermione. He wouldn't be dumb enough to attack a school with Dumbledore there. He's afraid of him."
Snape stifled a growl rising in his throat at the insolence of these three. He could see other students milling about and realized with a start that this would look rather odd if anyone was to look over and see him hiding behind a brick wall. He straightened and crept as quietly as he could out of sight of the courtyard.
So they didn't think Voldemort could take on Dumbledore. Well, they would see that Voldemort's forces were far greater than they had ever imagined. The school was not of great value to the Dark Side, but then, it might be the perfect way to get to Harry. Defeating Harry would mean nothing could stand in the way of Voldemort. Nothing at all.
Lucius was standing over the quivering figure of Lovegood – the man, not the child. He lay hunched on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Lucius was guarding him, waiting for Voldemort to enter and deal with the traitor.
Lovegood raised his head slowly to look at the guard. "W-what are you going to do to me?"
Lucius smiled coldly. "That all depends on the severity of your crimes. Chances are - " he stopped to survey the look of growing fear on the face of his captive, "– you won't make it out of this mansion alive."
A door began to creak open, and Lucius's sneer became more pronounced at the startled expression on Lovegood's face. The figure of a man stepped into the room, twirling a wand around his fingers gracefully. He lifted his head into the light from the fireplace. Voldemort had come to see his traitor.
Lovegood's face lost all its colour.
"You made a very foolish choice, Lovegood." Voldemort's voice was soft and menacing. His fingers twirled the wand faster and more deftly. "You entered into my service with the promise you would never betray me or my followers. From what I believe, you have been passing information for the better part of two months now. How much did you feed them?"
Lovegood opened his mouth, but nothing escaped except a tiny, frightened squeak.
"How much did they have to offer you? Money? Glory? Or even - " his eyes widened and glinted evilly, "– safety for your daughter?"
Crouched on the floor, Lovegood's eyes widened and he looked up in fear at the mention of his daughter. Voldemort grinned and raised his eyebrows.
"You are a fool, Lovegood. There is nothing that can save you now, and certainly nothing that can protect your child."
"Please," Lovegood croaked. "Leave Luna. Kill me, but leave her. She's only young."
"Oh, never mind that. I will kill you. But she's not as young as some that I have killed."
"You cannot harm her! She has done nothing wrong."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed in quite fury. "I cannot?" He uttered a laugh that was more a bark than anything humorous. "Do not try telling me what I can and cannot do, Lovegood. You are a traitor. I am the greatest wizard that has ever roamed the wizarding world. Those who assist me are rewarded. Those who repel me or become obstacles are killed. And those who swear themselves into my service and then betray me – well. Their punishment is worse than death. They will eventually wish they were dead. And they will die. But they will endure such suffering – such emotional and physical torment that they will beg for death before it is granted. This is the fate that awaits you, Lovegood."
Lucius stepped forward to begin the torturing, but Voldemort nodded to him. "You may seat yourself, Lucius. We have questioning to do before the torture starts, and then you may assist me in my duty. That is – depending on how badly traitorous you are, Lovegood."
There was silence in the room except for the whimpering of Lovegood.
Harry awoke in the middle of the night. His head was pounding. The scar was throbbing so badly his vision was slightly impaired.
"Harry? Is something wrong?"
Ron was sitting up in the common room when Harry stumbled out half-blinded by the pain in his head. Running for a glass of water, Ron waited til Harry was seated before questioning him.
"What? Did you have another nightmare?"
Harry could only nod. His stomach was turning over and he feared he would vomit if he opened his mouth.
"But, Harry – that's what you've been seeing Snape about for the last two years. You were supposed to have stopped having the dreams by now!"
Harry took a long gulp of the cold water and nodded weakly. "They did stop for a while. But I had another vision last night. I-I think I forgot to clear my thoughts before I went to sleep."
Ron's eyes were wide and his stance attentive. "What did you see?'
Harry shrugged. "I'm not really sure – it was Voldemort. And he was hurting someone. They were screaming and writhing and yelling out that they were sorry, but I don't know who they were. I'd never seen them before."
Ron frowned. "Do you think it was a vision or are you seeing things through Voldemort's eyes again?"
"I don't know. It seemed real – But then, so did a lot of things. This could be another trick of Voldemort's to try and kill someone from the Order," Harry said bitterly, remembering Voldemort's trick involving Sirius.
Ron clapped him on the back bracingly. "Come on, mate, let's get back upstairs. You can go see Dumbledore in the morning about it."
Harry nodded. It wasn't that serious that it couldn't wait – surely.
Meanwhile back in the mansion, Lovegood was thrashing about in pain, lying curled in a ball on the floor with his arms flailing wildly. Voldemort's wand was held delicately between three fingers while the powerful spell pounded out, the skill Voldemort executed truly marvelous. The screams were loud enough to wake the dead, and Lovegood wondered briefly why no one had come to his rescue. His yells were echoing in the darkened mansion, and surely there would be people around who could help him?
"Is that enough pain for you?" Voldemort asked Lovegood coldly. "Would you rather death now?"
Lovegood just sobbed into the floor.
Voldemort uttered another, more painful dark curse and Lovegood was immediately struck with such torment that he could not breathe or scream.
When the curse was lifted, he lay panting, tears streaming down his face. His screams ceased, leaving a ringing silence that was somehow louder than his screams.
"Think of Luna, Lovegood. You'll never see your child again. And believe me, she will suffer as you are now."
Lovegood gasped for breath between spasms of pain still circulating through his systems. "Please – don't punish – don't take her – she has not done anything to you!"
"But you have."
Screams and shrieks of intense pain were loud enough to be hear miles away, but because of the clever Silencing Charm Lucius was holding over the mansion, nothing could be heard.
Back at Hogwarts, Severus woke in the early hours of the morning with a start. His Dark Mark, on the left forearm, was burning anew. Voldemort was angry. And Severus knew that Lovegood was dead. It filled him with pleasure – the world would soon be purged of the stupidity of people such as Lovegood.
And with the new world would come the dominion of Lord Voldemort – with his most faithful servant alongside him.
TBC
A/N: Huh. New Chapter. Hope it's up to your standards, anyone reading this; especially the person I fear will be my only reader/reviewer, Mousie. So I hope it was what you wanted, Mousie my dearest.
Author: Stardrops
Genre: Adventure/Action
Rating: PG 13 : There will be violence and murder, so I've got a high rating just as a precaution.
Summary: Severus must conceal his treachery and continue to assist the Dark Lord. While Dumbledore remains oblivious to this treason, people are dying. Will Voldemort finally manage to dominate the wizarding world? For readers who are sick of Harry winning all the time!
Disclaimer: I own practically nothing. Yay for me.
Chapter Two: The Traitor
Severus looked uneasily over his shoulder. He was back at the Hogwarts Grounds, with students by the hundred surrounding him in the corridor. He curled his lip in disgust. So many happy, laughing children milling about. It was sickening. They should be working as hard as he.
He was on orders from Voldemort to keep a close watch on Harry, Hermione, Ron and especially Luna. If she learnt that her father was a Death Eater or similar, she would pass the information to the Order, which could possibly slow down Voldemort's plan.
Harry and his friends were in the courtyard to Severus's left. He stood still where he was and looked to them, trying to hear what they were saying.
It had to be something about the Order because they were speaking in quiet tones in a secretive manner.
As he edged closer, he caught slight snippets of their conversation. He had to be sure to keep behind the walls or bushes that surrounded the courtyard, or else they would see or hear him, and he did not want that. So he stepped quietly and strained his ears, listening with all his might.
"– can try again. He's not stupid enough to attack Hogwarts."
"I wouldn't be so sure." He could hear Hermione speaking now. "He probably hopes to gain lots of followers, and fear is a good weapon to scare people into siding with you."
"Dumbledore reigns here, Hermione. He wouldn't be dumb enough to attack a school with Dumbledore there. He's afraid of him."
Snape stifled a growl rising in his throat at the insolence of these three. He could see other students milling about and realized with a start that this would look rather odd if anyone was to look over and see him hiding behind a brick wall. He straightened and crept as quietly as he could out of sight of the courtyard.
So they didn't think Voldemort could take on Dumbledore. Well, they would see that Voldemort's forces were far greater than they had ever imagined. The school was not of great value to the Dark Side, but then, it might be the perfect way to get to Harry. Defeating Harry would mean nothing could stand in the way of Voldemort. Nothing at all.
Lucius was standing over the quivering figure of Lovegood – the man, not the child. He lay hunched on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Lucius was guarding him, waiting for Voldemort to enter and deal with the traitor.
Lovegood raised his head slowly to look at the guard. "W-what are you going to do to me?"
Lucius smiled coldly. "That all depends on the severity of your crimes. Chances are - " he stopped to survey the look of growing fear on the face of his captive, "– you won't make it out of this mansion alive."
A door began to creak open, and Lucius's sneer became more pronounced at the startled expression on Lovegood's face. The figure of a man stepped into the room, twirling a wand around his fingers gracefully. He lifted his head into the light from the fireplace. Voldemort had come to see his traitor.
Lovegood's face lost all its colour.
"You made a very foolish choice, Lovegood." Voldemort's voice was soft and menacing. His fingers twirled the wand faster and more deftly. "You entered into my service with the promise you would never betray me or my followers. From what I believe, you have been passing information for the better part of two months now. How much did you feed them?"
Lovegood opened his mouth, but nothing escaped except a tiny, frightened squeak.
"How much did they have to offer you? Money? Glory? Or even - " his eyes widened and glinted evilly, "– safety for your daughter?"
Crouched on the floor, Lovegood's eyes widened and he looked up in fear at the mention of his daughter. Voldemort grinned and raised his eyebrows.
"You are a fool, Lovegood. There is nothing that can save you now, and certainly nothing that can protect your child."
"Please," Lovegood croaked. "Leave Luna. Kill me, but leave her. She's only young."
"Oh, never mind that. I will kill you. But she's not as young as some that I have killed."
"You cannot harm her! She has done nothing wrong."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed in quite fury. "I cannot?" He uttered a laugh that was more a bark than anything humorous. "Do not try telling me what I can and cannot do, Lovegood. You are a traitor. I am the greatest wizard that has ever roamed the wizarding world. Those who assist me are rewarded. Those who repel me or become obstacles are killed. And those who swear themselves into my service and then betray me – well. Their punishment is worse than death. They will eventually wish they were dead. And they will die. But they will endure such suffering – such emotional and physical torment that they will beg for death before it is granted. This is the fate that awaits you, Lovegood."
Lucius stepped forward to begin the torturing, but Voldemort nodded to him. "You may seat yourself, Lucius. We have questioning to do before the torture starts, and then you may assist me in my duty. That is – depending on how badly traitorous you are, Lovegood."
There was silence in the room except for the whimpering of Lovegood.
Harry awoke in the middle of the night. His head was pounding. The scar was throbbing so badly his vision was slightly impaired.
"Harry? Is something wrong?"
Ron was sitting up in the common room when Harry stumbled out half-blinded by the pain in his head. Running for a glass of water, Ron waited til Harry was seated before questioning him.
"What? Did you have another nightmare?"
Harry could only nod. His stomach was turning over and he feared he would vomit if he opened his mouth.
"But, Harry – that's what you've been seeing Snape about for the last two years. You were supposed to have stopped having the dreams by now!"
Harry took a long gulp of the cold water and nodded weakly. "They did stop for a while. But I had another vision last night. I-I think I forgot to clear my thoughts before I went to sleep."
Ron's eyes were wide and his stance attentive. "What did you see?'
Harry shrugged. "I'm not really sure – it was Voldemort. And he was hurting someone. They were screaming and writhing and yelling out that they were sorry, but I don't know who they were. I'd never seen them before."
Ron frowned. "Do you think it was a vision or are you seeing things through Voldemort's eyes again?"
"I don't know. It seemed real – But then, so did a lot of things. This could be another trick of Voldemort's to try and kill someone from the Order," Harry said bitterly, remembering Voldemort's trick involving Sirius.
Ron clapped him on the back bracingly. "Come on, mate, let's get back upstairs. You can go see Dumbledore in the morning about it."
Harry nodded. It wasn't that serious that it couldn't wait – surely.
Meanwhile back in the mansion, Lovegood was thrashing about in pain, lying curled in a ball on the floor with his arms flailing wildly. Voldemort's wand was held delicately between three fingers while the powerful spell pounded out, the skill Voldemort executed truly marvelous. The screams were loud enough to wake the dead, and Lovegood wondered briefly why no one had come to his rescue. His yells were echoing in the darkened mansion, and surely there would be people around who could help him?
"Is that enough pain for you?" Voldemort asked Lovegood coldly. "Would you rather death now?"
Lovegood just sobbed into the floor.
Voldemort uttered another, more painful dark curse and Lovegood was immediately struck with such torment that he could not breathe or scream.
When the curse was lifted, he lay panting, tears streaming down his face. His screams ceased, leaving a ringing silence that was somehow louder than his screams.
"Think of Luna, Lovegood. You'll never see your child again. And believe me, she will suffer as you are now."
Lovegood gasped for breath between spasms of pain still circulating through his systems. "Please – don't punish – don't take her – she has not done anything to you!"
"But you have."
Screams and shrieks of intense pain were loud enough to be hear miles away, but because of the clever Silencing Charm Lucius was holding over the mansion, nothing could be heard.
Back at Hogwarts, Severus woke in the early hours of the morning with a start. His Dark Mark, on the left forearm, was burning anew. Voldemort was angry. And Severus knew that Lovegood was dead. It filled him with pleasure – the world would soon be purged of the stupidity of people such as Lovegood.
And with the new world would come the dominion of Lord Voldemort – with his most faithful servant alongside him.
TBC
A/N: Huh. New Chapter. Hope it's up to your standards, anyone reading this; especially the person I fear will be my only reader/reviewer, Mousie. So I hope it was what you wanted, Mousie my dearest.