Disclaimer:  All characters represented within belong to J.K. Rowling.  Not me, though I would love it.  Then I could get the rest of the Alan Rickman movie collection.  Damned rare and collectable movies.  Also, the title for this chapter is borrowed from the new Placebo CD.  I recommend the title track…  SO GOOD.  Inspired this chapter.

Warnings:  This is slash.  Also, if there were a step between PG-13 and R, this would be it.  Nothing terribly graphic, but you've been warned. 

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Chapter 7: Sleeping With Ghosts

Severus stood silent next to Lucius, his nerves on edge.  They stood in front of a dark haired man.  The man looked down at the students, an eerie smile playing across his blood red lips.

"I bring you Severus Snape, Master."  Lucius bowed his head in reverence to the man before them.

"Ah, Snape the younger…" Voldemort looked Severus up and down.  The sixteen year old kept his eyes to the ground, not in respect, as Lucius had, but in fear.  He tried his best to not show the effect that elder man was having on him.  "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Severus looked up at the man finally, his onyx eyes latching onto ones of red.  He tore his eyes away quickly, not wanting to disrespect the Dark Lord.  "The pleasure is all mine, sir."

Voldemort chuckled, a noise that Severus decided he would be quite happy to never hear again.  "And what can I do for you, Severus?"

Severus stood, thoughtful for a moment.  He phrased his response carefully.  "Revenge.  I want revenge against my father.  I cannot do it alone."

"Yes…  You want to avenge the deaths of your sister and mother."  Voldemort hissed.  "You want him to hurt, as he has hurt your family."

Snape nodded.  "Yes, sir.  I want to flay the flesh from his body.  I want him to scream out in pain…  I want to curse him until he can no longer hold a coherent thought.  I want him to bleed."  With every word that flowed from Severus's mouth, he felt himself losing more and more of his hard learned control. 

The officials at the Ministry had done next to nothing regarding the role that Silas Snape had in the deaths of his wife and daughter.  His father had bribed his way through life, and this time was no exception.  Anger flowed through Severus's body at this thought.  The anger manifested itself in his eyes; they crackled, tiny shots of lightning streaming from his eyes.  The same bolts flowed from his hands as he balled and un-balled his fists.

"Wandless magic…" Lucius whispered to himself, shock visible in his eyes.  He'd never seen Severus as he was then, so full of anger, so passionate.  So…terrifying.

"Yes, Lucius.  It appears that our young Severus has not only a gift for potions, but for controlling his anger as well…" Voldemort placed a hand on Severus's shoulder.  "I think that you would be a wonderful addition to my ranks, Severus."

Severus smiled slightly.  "Thank you, my lord."

Voldemort turned to Lucius, a wicked smile playing on his features.  "Let it be known that he will be initiated the night of the new moon…  After he proves himself."

"Prove myself…?" 

"Yes, Severus.  You will get your revenge.  Tonight."  Voldemort's voice was low, a dangerous tone.  He took one of Severus's hands in one of his own, then reached for Lucius's hand.  A lustful smile played across his features, sending a chill of fear down Severus's spine.  "But first…

"Let's celebrate."  Voldemort smiled, pulling both boys through a door off to the side of the room.  He glanced back at the door, slamming it shut with a single thought.

Several hours later, Severus stood in front of Snape Manor, shrouded in a cloak the color of midnight.  His face was covered in a white mask, only his black eyes visible through it.  To one side stood Lucius, who snaked a hand to Severus, resting it on his shoulder.  Though Lucius wore the same mask as he, Severus could see the small, slightly nervous smile on his face. 

"If you want to back out, now is the time, Severus."  Lucius whispered, his hand falling to Severus's upper arm, squeezing it affectionately.  "We can go back to school and pretend like this never happened."

"No.  I will do this, Lucius, whether you want me to or not."  Severus said, his voice not quite as forceful as he would have liked.  "This bastard killed my mum and my only sister.  What would you do in my place?  Leave him sit here, proud of himself that he got away with murder?  Or would you want your revenge?"

"I would tear him to shreds…" Lucius admitted, nodding his head beneath the hood of his cloak.

"Alright, let's go."  Severus took Lucius's hand in his own, leading him through the wards surrounding his home.  The younger man's face was stuck between a manic smile and a grimace as they two boys removed their masks.

Severus snorted cynically when they reached the main foyer.  "The git was dumb enough to leave the old wards up…  Left you and me keyed in…

"Glad I got my intellect from my mum.  If I'd gotten it from him…"

"You would have realized that I am indeed smart enough to change my wards when it's needed, boy."  A cold voice said, sending a shock of fear into the raven-haired boy's body. 

Silas Snape stood before them, his arms crossed in front of him.  His eyes, so similar to his son's, were locked on them.  "You should never have come back here.  Do you really want to suffer the same fate as your mother and your sister?"

Severus took a deep breath before answering, his hand still tightly gripping that of Lucius's.  "I'm not afraid of you anymore, old man."

"Old man?  Who do you think you're talking to, you little nancy boy?"  Silas bellowed, pulling his wand from one of the sleeves of his robes.  He pointed it at the two boys.  "Show some respect, you little bastard."

"I show respect to those who've earned it.  Sadly, you're not one of them."  Severus's eyes flashed beneath the bone white mask.

"Placious."  Severus whispered.

Silas fell to his knees, his body trembling.  Blood dripped from his lips as he screamed, his voice echoing through out the home.  The man attempted to fight off the curse, his face twisted in agony.  "You l-little…"

"Mandidulous."  Severus no longer whispered the curse, but shouted it, spittle flying from his lips, his hair falling into his face. 

Lucius jumped slightly at the loud popping that came from the body of the man, every bone in his body snapping like so many pieces of dried kindling.  He looked between the father and son.

Lightning once again crackled about the lithe form of Severus.  The black eyes were slightly blank, as if his soul had been pushed from his body.  For the first time, he was actually afraid of Severus.

No longer able to look at his lover, he forced his gaze on the man on the floor.  His body was mangled, misshapen, from the broken bones.  The blood flowed more freely from his mouth, pooling on the floor.

"End it, Severus…  You've had your revenge."  Lucius whispered, his normally stoic voice now showing his no longer well-hidden fear.  "He's suffered."

Severus turned his head toward the blonde quickly, anger in his face.  The anger quickly melted into a look of slight fear, of exhaustion, or mourning. 

He turned back to his father, disgust in his eyes.  "Patrucio."

Before Lucius could say another word, Silas Snape was dead.

-

It takes me surprisingly little time to find myself in front of the Headmaster's office.  I stare at the gargoyle for a moment, deciding how to go about this.  I'd like to say that my anger has gone down, but it seems that with every step towards the elder wizard's office it seems to build. 

"Blood pops."  I say quietly, watching as the gargoyle moved out of my way, revealing the stairs leading to Dumbledore's office.  I step up the stairs quickly.

"And what can I do for you at this late hour, Mr. Lupin?"  Albus asks me as I step into his office, an eyebrow quirked.  His desk is covered in scrolls of different colors, lengths, and handwriting.  For a moment I feel bad for interrupting his work, but the image of Severus covered in scars springs back into my brain.

"It's…  It's Severus, sir."

Dumbledore's eyes flash.  "What of him?"

"You let him go back to Voldemort.  You keep him there, knowing full well what they do to him, what they make him do…"

"To what are you referring?" 

"You know what I'm talking about, Albus.  You know of everything that goes on in this school, so don't even try to feign innocence here."  I spit, surprising myself at my hostility.  Dumbledore seems surprised as well.  I decide to salvage what little of the conversation that I can, attempting to reign in my temper.  "Albus…  They beat him. They torture him.  They-they rape him."

"I did not make him go back to Voldemort's ranks, Remus."  Albus says, getting to his feet.  "He wanted redemption for his past sins, and saw that as a way of paying his penance."

"By letting them tear him to shreds for the past, what, twenty years?!"  I spit, my temper yet again getting the best of me.  "And you didn't try to stop him?!"

Albus sighs.  "He is a very stubborn man…  He did…is doing…what he thinks is best.  In my eyes, he's done more than enough to free himself from this…torture…  But what I think doesn't matter.  It is solely up to him.  He is an adult, capable of making his own decisions."

"But…" I stammer, my mind racing, attempting to find some form of an argument.  Dumbledore holds up one hand, his own polite way of telling me to shut the hell up.

"Talk to Severus about this, not me…"

And with that, I leave the office.  My head is filled with more questions now than it was before I went to Dumbledore. 

Severus chooses this.  He chooses to let those bastards hurt him, to take him. 

I decide to walk around the school grounds to clear my head, attempting to force out my emotions along with my energy.  Times like these, I wish I were an animagus, not a werewolf.  To simply turn into something else, to run through the Forbidden Forest to clear my head whenever I wanted to.

But I know that it wouldn't do a damned bit of good.  I'd change back eventually, and the same problems would plague my mind. 

I head back to Severus's rooms hours later, just as the sun comes up, my body and mind exhausted.  I find him dozing lightly in bed, his potion still running through his body.  I kick off my shoes and clothes, and climb into the bed.  He snuggles up against me instantly, sending a smile to my face. 

"Mmm…  Where'd'you go?"  He asks me, his eyes still closed.  I run a hand through his hair slowly as I respond.

"Just for a walk…  Couldn't sleep."

"You're a piss poor liar, you know that, right?"  He mumbles, his face buried in the crook of my neck. 

"Yup."

"Jus' so you know."  Severus says, the words trailing away as he falls back to sleep.  I put my arms around his too thin body, still stroking his hair. 

"Sweet dreams, Sev.  I love you."  I whisper, and am surprised to hear him mumble back in his sleep.  I can't make out exactly what it is that he's saying, but I don't really find myself caring as much.

I just chuckle, kissing him on the forehead.  "You're an odd duck, Snape." 

He mumbles again, and this time I'm sure of what he's saying.  A garbled curse that brings a smile to my lips…  "Fu' you."

"Maybe later."  The smile still plays at my lips as we fall asleep together, him still held tightly in my arms.

- - -

A/N:  Sorry about this chapter.  I'm not really happy with it.  My muse took off the other day and just won't come out of that damned strip club.  Never mind.  Sorry about the delay and the extreme horror that was the seventh chapter. 

And I feel like such a slacker.  It's so short.