Chapter dedicated to sopybubbles my 2000th reviewer! WOW got a LOT of reviews!!
In Every Darkness
Chapter Fifty: Little Whinging?
17.9.1996
Severus felt sick.
It had been two weeks since the meeting with Voldemort, and he'd been feeling sick ever since. He would have to lead an attack on helpless Muggles, or unsuspecting halfbloods.
Never before had the Dark Lord asked Severus to lead an attack. It had always been that he would follow someone in to the attack, change his clothes and attack the Death Eaters. Leading though … he would not be able to escape. He would have kill at least a few people.
Voldemort had already begun sending his Death Eaters out to secluded wizarding families who weren't pure blooded, but Severus knew that it would be only a short time before the Dark Lord tired of this and sent people into towns.
Severus himself would lead the first attack within a settlement, and he really wasn't looking forward to it. To take his mind of things, he was trying to work on the Caducus potion, though this hardly made him feel any better.
Certainly, it was the most complex potion that Severus had ever seen, and one of the darkest. Had the potion been for any purpose but the one it was, he would have happy to let it challenge him … But this particular potion just made him sick.
Are you being stupid again? Lupin wanted to know. The annoying deceased werewolf had called Severus's dark moods 'being stupid' for some time now.
Shut. Up. Lupin, Snape growled.
That's not nice, Lupin admonished sternly. You need to stop worrying. When you find out where the attacks going to be, I'll find a way to inform Dumbledore ahead of time. The Dark Lord cannot suspect you of betraying the secret of the attack, after all, since you've been under his eye the entire time.
I don't suppose you are going to tell me how, exactly, you planned on getting the information to Dumbledore? Severus wanted to know, knowing the answer long before he got it.
Of course not. Why would I do that?
Severus felt like screaming in frustration, as he had so often in the past two weeks, since he'd arrived here and found that Lupin had come with him.
Hey, Sev, Lupin spoke again after a few moments silence.
How many times must I tell you not to call me 'Sev'? Severus snarled.
At least once more, was in the infuriating response.
Alright, Severus gave in. What do you want Lupin?
How many times must I ask you to call me Remus? Came the response.
I'll call you Lupin until you stop calling me 'Sev' now what do you want, Snape repeated.
You know how you're always dreaming of Sirius? The question seemed innocent, but it hurt – Severus hated Black.
I could hardly not be aware of them, Lupin, Severus replied coldly. Considering that it is me that dreams them.
That's true, Lupin agreed. But maybe if you got Pettigrew caught, the dreams would slow down a bit. You know, like letting Sirius rest in peace.
I see no reason what so ever to do that, Severus replied, going back to his book and ignoring Lupin's further attempts at conversation.
Severus could not know when was night and when was day, and so he tended to sleep when he was tired and start working the moment he woke up. There was no way of telling the time precisely, so he did not know how long he worked, or how long he slept.
He was becoming tired now, and was just contemplating going to sleep for a while when the mark on his arm blazed.
Severus hurriedly dressed and bounded out of the door, wondering what was happening now. Maybe he has decided to start attacking towns, Lupin sounded worried.
Lupin, for once in your life, shut up. If he has decided to attack towns, I don't need to find out about it while arguing with you. Leave me alone.
Fine then, Lupin sounded a little sulky, and, to Severus's amazement, he stopped talking.
With no time to contemplate this bizarre change, Severus hurried onwards, hoping that Lupin wouldn't start talking, and at the same time waiting for the dead man to do so.
With an angry shock, Severus realised that he felt odd without Lupin chattering at him. That he almost wanted the werewolf to start talking again.
Shaking his head angrily to clear it of such blasphemous thoughts, Severus knocked on the door to Voldemort's chamber.
"Enter," the high, cold voice of his former master called out.
Severus pushed the door open, catching himself listening for one of Lupins sarcastic comments.
He walked inside and knelt. "How may I serve?" he asked.
"You will be leading my faithful family to attack the town called Little Whinging," Voldemort's voice was high and sharp.
"Little Whinging, Lord?" Severus asked. "That's where … Surrey?"
"Yes Severus, where that boy lived, before his relatives died." That boy – Harry Potter.
"When am I to attack, Lord?" Severus asked carefully.
"Tomorrow," hissed Voldemort. "At noon, you will attack both the squib Arabella Figg's house, and the court house. Potter will be there, he is to be left alive."
"Who will accompany me, Lord?" Severus wanted to know, glad that his voice did not even tremble. Dumbledore would be at the court house too – would he recognise Severus, or would Dumbledore think that he was just another Death Eater? Would he, Severus, have to kill the man that had first given him a reason to live?
At least the other was Arabella Figg – she was at Hogwarts, obviously Voldemort had not been informed of this yet. Severus could simply say that she had arrived after he'd left, since he had gone the night after school started.
"Those who wish to," was the reply. "Wormtail will go, though. I begin to weary of his constant presence here. Go now, Severus, in five hours I will call you again."
Severus stumbled back to his room, feeling even more tired than before. He just hoped that he didn't have to destroy Arabella's home – he'd liked the old lady, as much as he'd liked anyone, that is.
He headed back to his room in the Dark Lords fortress, dreading the time five hours from now.
Lupin, are you there? Severus asked, cursing himself for bothering.
Why Sev, I didn't know you cared, came the reply.
I don't. I was hoping you'd still be gone, Severus replied. And don't call me Sev.
When you call me Remus I'll think about not calling you Sev, Lupin replied. And you won't get rid of me that easily. I just initiated my warning system. Dumbledore will be ready for the attack at the court house.
How did you do that? Severus asked.
I've already told you – I'm not going to tell you! Lupin replied.
Severus sighed faintly and walked into his room, collapsing on the bed, not sure if he was happy or annoyed that Lupin was back. In a few moments, he thoughts were disrupted as he fell into a restless sleep.
He drifted in and out of waking ness, and no dreams of Sirius Black came this time. Of that he was grateful – he didn't need to be fighting the people he wanted to protect while he was trying to block out the images that Black threw at him constantly.
The mark on his arm was burning.
Severus rose quickly hurrying from the room, checking that his wand was in place. Don't worry, no one will get too badly hurt, Lupin addressed him quietly. Your allies know what to expect.
I wish you would tell me how you did that, Severus muttered waspishly.
You want me to tell you something? Lupin was amused. You are sounding dangerously close to begging, Sev. I won't tell you anyway. It's someone else's secret.
Snape resisted the urge to grind his teeth and stepped into Voldemorts room. There were some fifteen Death Eaters there before him, and he knew that at least two of them were from the inner circle.
"My lord," Severus bowed, ignoring the other Death Eaters for the moment.
"Severus," the dark lord hissed in greeting. "You will go now, it is almost eleven, at twelve you will attack the squibs house. When you finish there, go to the court house and cause as much mayhem as possible."
"Your will, Lord," Severus forced the words out, thanking the fact that his voice remained, as always, emotionless.
"Go now," Voldemort ordered, turning his back on his servants, seeming to forget them almost immediately.
Severus knew that the Dark Lord only pretended that he was ignoring his servants, knowing that they were more likely to go against his wishes if they thought his eyes were not upon them.
He's not very nice, is he? Lupin remarked suddenly.
Lupin! What a stroke of brilliance, I would never have believed it possible to come up with an idea like that on your own! Severus thought sarcastically.
If you're going to be like that, I won't let the victims of your attacks know in future, Lupin sniffed in reply.
It's not me that gets in trouble for that – it's them, so it's hardly punishment, Severus pointed out.
Lupin did not respond, as Severus led the Death Eaters through the maze of passages that was the Dark Lords fortress. Not for the one hundredth time, Severus wished he knew where the fortress was located.
Soon enough, they reached the 'Floo Out' room, and, one by one, made their way through the fire to the Riddle House. Snape went first, and made sure everyone stayed in the house until they were a group again.
"I was sent to keep you from getting in too much trouble," Severus said, glaring at the Death Eaters around him, though they couldn't tell what he was doing through the mask he wore.
"You are here to cause as much mayhem as possible, but if anyone of you gets caught, we aren't going to be sticking around to get you out again. You have been warned."
Mutters passed momentarily around the small group of Death Eaters. "Dissaparating," Severus ordered, and his ears filled with pops as he disaparated himself.
They appeared some way away from Little Whinging, and everyone cast varying concealment charms upon themselves, before Severus led them on again, towards the town.
"Surround the squibs house," he heard himself order, as they reached the street that the house was one. He checked his watch, five minutes to twelve …
All too soon, the town clock boomed out the hour over the town, and the Death Eaters slipped forwards without waiting for orders. Severus was the first indoors.
"Search every room," he growled. "Kill anything you find. Go!" the Death Eaters scattered, Severus finding himself among them, praying that no one would get hurt.
He went to the kitchen, one other Death Eater, a new one, by the looks of him, and the way he stuck to the commanding 'officer'.
On one wall. He saw a calendar on the wall, and looked over it. On the second of September he saw To Hogwarts. Begin job as caretaker. "Look," he growled at the other Death Eater, who did so obediently.
"She's not here," he muttered.
"No," Severus agreed. "Get the others now. There's no point in staying here any long. Make sure they clean everything they've disturbed up, we don't want her to be alerted that we've been here."
The Death Eater saluted, of all things, and raced away, obviously feeling important to be entrusted to the message. Severus had only told the boy to do this because he knew that the Death Eaters hated giving up on something like this, and were likely to be more than a little violent towards those who told them to stop wrecking things.
Severus waited for his men to assemble outside, and gulped.
Now it was time to attack the court house.
***
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