I apologise to all Snape fans in advance for this chapter. I love Snape, really I do but I love angst too. Anywho, this contains an ickle bit of rape so beware! Review!
Chapter 6: Pain
"The wish to hurt, the momentary intoxication with pain, is the loophole through which the pervert climbs into the minds of ordinary men"
J. Bronowski
Over a month had passed and Ella was really beginning to enjoy herself. She had picked up magic quickly as her father had said she would and, after a few extra on-to-one lessons, she was up to OWL standards. She had quickly made friends with her fellow Griffindors and had found herself thinking of Harry Potter as more than just a friend and this was the way he saw her as well.
All of the Griffindors were now enjoying Potions and liked the new Professor Snape. Many of the Slytherins, however, were less than pleased with his transformation. Surprisingly, Draco Malfoy was not one of them. He was one of the few people who had known about Snape's daughter and, although, he had been less than happy with the way Snape was treating Griffindors he soon realised that, for the first time the boy had known, Severus Snape was happy. The man had always treated him well, in his youth he had come to think of him as the father he wished he had. He played with him and never hurt him: unlike his own father.
He was pleased for him to have his share of happiness.
The fifth year Griffindors and Slytherins had potions again. They were in the middle of making an invisibility serum when they suddenly heard a strangled voice telling them that they were dismissed. It took them a while to work out that the voice belonged to their Potions teacher. "Go!" he shouted and the students filed out. The Griffindors were concerned when they saw the pain that lined their professor's face, as were most of the Slytherins. Some members of the serpent house, however, were looking at each other knowingly. Six students, who blatantly refused to leave, walked towards Snape.
"Dad?" one worried voice questioned, reaching out to touch her father. He recoiled at her contact and slid down the wall of his classroom. "Dad?" she asked again, panicking now. Draco Malfoy stepped forward and said quietly yet urgently "Roll up his left sleeve". Ella did so and her fellow Griffindors shuddered at the sight of the burning Dark Mark.
Draco performed a spell that seemed to ease Snape's hurt. "It must be urgent" Snape nodded, his face ashen.
"You can't go, you can't!" Hermione could hold herself back no longer.
"Go where?" Ella was confused.
"I must go to Dumbledore" Snape said in a disconnected way.
Neville Longbottom gasped. He had stayed behind out of concern for the man who was now on of his favourite teachers.
Harry saw his distress, he didn't know about Snape. "He is a spy for Dumbledore" he told the boy who instantly understood.
"He can't make you go!" Hermione shouted as the older wizard left. Ron grabbed hold of her to stop her from rushing after him though he too thought that they needed to stop him. "Where is he going?" Ella demanded.
"He's going to a Death Eater meeting" murmured Harry Potter, defeated.
"They know he's a traitor" Draco added. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. "They will kill him."
No one could have prevented Gabriella Snape from rushing after her father.
When the girl reached the headmasters office it was already too late. She was angry with the elderly wizard for sending him.
"They know he is a traitor, you have just sent him to his death!" Ella bellowed. Dumbledore paled visibly at the news.
"How can you be so sure?" he asked, hoping that she was mistaken.
"My father sent me a letter" a third voice supplied. "He said that they had found the traitor in their midst and that their next meeting would be a pleasurable one" Draco was sickened by the thought "I didn't know until just know that Severus was a spy".
The boy had always used his first name when he was alone with him and now he didn't feel that formality was needed.
"My God!" Dumbledore whispered. He closed his eyes and prayed for the boy he saw as his very flesh and blood.
Pain coursed through his every muscle and organ. He had suffered the Crutiatus curse before but never like this. He was in the centre of the circle of Death Eaters and they had each performed the curse on him in turn and then the task was handed to their master who had welcomed it.
Snape knew not to scream it would only make it worse for him. He had bitten his tongue to prevent himself from doing so and now blood streamed from his mouth.
He was then placed on a cold stone slab, bound, undressed and then beaten until he was barely alive. The Dark Lord then muttered "Ennervate" and Snape did not even have unconsciousness to take away his pain.
He was beaten again, worse this time, and every time he faded away he was brought abruptly back to life. He longed for death now; he could so easily just fall asleep and never wake up. Voldemort would not allow that though.
He unbound him and turned the battered wizard onto his stomach. As Voldemort plunged himself into him, Snape was plagued by images from his past. He remembered his father raping him as a child, he remembered his mother's death at his father's hand and how he could do nothing but watch. Voldemort had broken his body and he was now breaking his mind. As he felt the Dark Lord swell inside him he could not hold back the screams. He was lost in darkness and then felt himself reawaken as cold, bony fingers caressed his cheek. He shuddered.
"Now, I am going to send you back to that school of yours. If you survive the journey, and I will know if you do Severus, you will bring me the Potter boy. You will not disappoint me again. If you do then one can only imagine what might happen to that precious daughter of yours."
Voldemort laughed coldly and Snape's muscles tightened. He knew about Ella and yet he still thought that Harry was the child in the prophecy. So there was hope then! With this thought, Snape passed out.
Next Chapter: Suffering- ah well, angst
