Chapter Six: The Plot Thickens
"Crucio!" A cold voice cut through the night air. Snape shuddered. He was late. The Dark Lord would not tolerate lateness.
Snape took his place at the circle, hoping not to be noticed. The Death Eater on the ground writhed for several moments, and tehn all movement sopped, but for countless trickles of blood.
"Avery! Goyle! Deal with it!" cried Lucius Malfoy, kicking the corpse.
"Severus." Voldemort hissed, his back slowly turning from Snape, reavealing a gaunt white face and flowing red eyes. "So. kind of you to join us." Ice dripped from every syllable.
"Forgive me, my lord!" Snape whispered, falling to his knees and scrambling forward to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"Get up!" shrieked Voldemort, kicking out. Snape obliged, only to find the Dark Lord's wand centimeters from his forehead. Then-"Crucio!" hissed Voldemort again.
It was agony beyond agony. He had been tortured before, bur never like this. His skin felt as if it was ripping off, his muscles were shedding, his very bones were ablaze. And then it stopped. Snape raised his head, determined to show no emotion.
"That is for your Muggle-loving fiancée and her father, Snape. Not to mention your lateness."
"Snape, old boy." Lucius Malfoy whispered, "Why would a respectable man such as yourself want to marry that slut of a pure-blood?"
"That may have something to do with the fact that unlike you, Lucius, I find the idea of beating my children half to death repulsive." Hissed Snape furiously.
"How dare you!" shrieked Malfoy, and Snape found himself hit again with the Cruciatus Curse, this time from two wands. He clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, determined not to scream. It took more energy than he expected. He felt the energy draining from him as he fought against the want to scream. Finally, mercifully, he blacked out.
---
Even the next day, Snape didn't remember how he had gotten back to Hogwarts. He only knew that he was infinitely relieved to be in the hospital wing, for the first time, glad to see Poppy Pomfrey.
---
The door to Dumbledore's office burst open.
"I need to" Rayna Dumbledore stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the look on her father's face, abruptly changing her line of inquiry. "Is he dead?"
"Very nearly."
"But-why?" Rayna sank into a chair, wondering if she was doomed to spend the rest of her life crying.
"My best theory is that Lucius Malfoy has his own spies, and he informed Voldemort that Severus was a traitor."
"Did he actually say Severus was a traitor?"
"Not that he remembers." Silence fell. "What did you want to tell me?" Dumbledore coaxed gently.
"This probably isn't the best time."
"I suspect that it is as good as any we will soon encounter."
"I was with Sirius last night." Rayna's eyes were downcast.
"Are you still in love with him?"
She nodded.
"Well, you should not marry a man if you are in love with another. But use caution, and do not be hasty. Time will tell you what to do."
"Yes, but what do I do now?"
"Severus was asking after you."
---
Rayna Dumbledore blinked back tears yet again at the sight of her fiance, one of the men she loved so much, bedridden and so obviously miserable. She didn't know now long she sat there, looking at him, but before long, Poppy Pomfrey bustled over.
"It will probably be a while before he wakes up," she said kindly. "He got hit with the Cruciatus Curse quite badly. He was with us long enough to recount what happened, but I suspect he's unconscious for quite a bit now."
"Will he be all right?" Rayna asked, her words laced with unfeigned love and concern.
"Don't worry. He'll be his usual grouchy self in a few days."
Rayna laughed, filling the room with a truly magical sound. "That's a relief." She looked sadly at her fiancé. She had to choose.
---
"My Lord, I'm not sure that will work." Lucius Malfoy's oily voice seemed to slip through his lips without his consent.
"Work?" spat Voldemort. "Of course it will work!"
"But kidnapping Dumbledore's daughter?"
Voldemort laughed, an evil, mirthless sound. "You don't know the half of it."
If Malfoy was surprised, he didn't show it. "Don't I? You are going to kidnap Rayna Dumbledore as bait for Snape."
"And you, old boy, are going to be the bait for her."
When Lucius Malfoy spoke, there was sarcasm dripping from every word. "And why, My Lord, would you want to that?"
"Because she has always wanted to land you in Azkaban."
To argue would be fatal. Lucius Malfoy obliged.
"Crucio!" A cold voice cut through the night air. Snape shuddered. He was late. The Dark Lord would not tolerate lateness.
Snape took his place at the circle, hoping not to be noticed. The Death Eater on the ground writhed for several moments, and tehn all movement sopped, but for countless trickles of blood.
"Avery! Goyle! Deal with it!" cried Lucius Malfoy, kicking the corpse.
"Severus." Voldemort hissed, his back slowly turning from Snape, reavealing a gaunt white face and flowing red eyes. "So. kind of you to join us." Ice dripped from every syllable.
"Forgive me, my lord!" Snape whispered, falling to his knees and scrambling forward to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"Get up!" shrieked Voldemort, kicking out. Snape obliged, only to find the Dark Lord's wand centimeters from his forehead. Then-"Crucio!" hissed Voldemort again.
It was agony beyond agony. He had been tortured before, bur never like this. His skin felt as if it was ripping off, his muscles were shedding, his very bones were ablaze. And then it stopped. Snape raised his head, determined to show no emotion.
"That is for your Muggle-loving fiancée and her father, Snape. Not to mention your lateness."
"Snape, old boy." Lucius Malfoy whispered, "Why would a respectable man such as yourself want to marry that slut of a pure-blood?"
"That may have something to do with the fact that unlike you, Lucius, I find the idea of beating my children half to death repulsive." Hissed Snape furiously.
"How dare you!" shrieked Malfoy, and Snape found himself hit again with the Cruciatus Curse, this time from two wands. He clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, determined not to scream. It took more energy than he expected. He felt the energy draining from him as he fought against the want to scream. Finally, mercifully, he blacked out.
---
Even the next day, Snape didn't remember how he had gotten back to Hogwarts. He only knew that he was infinitely relieved to be in the hospital wing, for the first time, glad to see Poppy Pomfrey.
---
The door to Dumbledore's office burst open.
"I need to" Rayna Dumbledore stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the look on her father's face, abruptly changing her line of inquiry. "Is he dead?"
"Very nearly."
"But-why?" Rayna sank into a chair, wondering if she was doomed to spend the rest of her life crying.
"My best theory is that Lucius Malfoy has his own spies, and he informed Voldemort that Severus was a traitor."
"Did he actually say Severus was a traitor?"
"Not that he remembers." Silence fell. "What did you want to tell me?" Dumbledore coaxed gently.
"This probably isn't the best time."
"I suspect that it is as good as any we will soon encounter."
"I was with Sirius last night." Rayna's eyes were downcast.
"Are you still in love with him?"
She nodded.
"Well, you should not marry a man if you are in love with another. But use caution, and do not be hasty. Time will tell you what to do."
"Yes, but what do I do now?"
"Severus was asking after you."
---
Rayna Dumbledore blinked back tears yet again at the sight of her fiance, one of the men she loved so much, bedridden and so obviously miserable. She didn't know now long she sat there, looking at him, but before long, Poppy Pomfrey bustled over.
"It will probably be a while before he wakes up," she said kindly. "He got hit with the Cruciatus Curse quite badly. He was with us long enough to recount what happened, but I suspect he's unconscious for quite a bit now."
"Will he be all right?" Rayna asked, her words laced with unfeigned love and concern.
"Don't worry. He'll be his usual grouchy self in a few days."
Rayna laughed, filling the room with a truly magical sound. "That's a relief." She looked sadly at her fiancé. She had to choose.
---
"My Lord, I'm not sure that will work." Lucius Malfoy's oily voice seemed to slip through his lips without his consent.
"Work?" spat Voldemort. "Of course it will work!"
"But kidnapping Dumbledore's daughter?"
Voldemort laughed, an evil, mirthless sound. "You don't know the half of it."
If Malfoy was surprised, he didn't show it. "Don't I? You are going to kidnap Rayna Dumbledore as bait for Snape."
"And you, old boy, are going to be the bait for her."
When Lucius Malfoy spoke, there was sarcasm dripping from every word. "And why, My Lord, would you want to that?"
"Because she has always wanted to land you in Azkaban."
To argue would be fatal. Lucius Malfoy obliged.