Okay I'm back!!!
Okay! Thanks once again to my reviewers, I've said it before and I shall say it again, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! Trust me, I read each and every review so don't think you are reviewing for nothing....
OKAY something I forgot to mention is that the werewolf challenge has been altered slightly. A reviewer of mine seemed to think that I was asking for to much and I agreed so I got rid of a few requirements, but it's still basically the same thing!
I'll stop blabbering (I do that a lot don't I?) and here's the next chapter!!!!!!!!
Chapter twenty- Recovery and the Death Eater meeting
Damien didn't quite remember what happened during the next couple of days. It all seemed like a blur, a rather painful blur and everything seemed to be going far to fast for Damien's comatose brain to comprehend.
He could no longer keep track of the days and nights. The only morning he remembered was the morning after his midnight visit from Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. He had drunk some water, too thirsty to even pay the least bit of attention to his turning stomach.
Big mistake.
Let's just say the water didn't stay down, it seemed to make Damien's healing process slow down.
The only thing that Damien could really keep track of was waking up, drinking the murky potion his father gave to him and feeling the wet cloth that was placed on his forehead, before he would slip back into unconsciousness once again, only to wake up what seemed like minutes afterward, retching all over the place.
His father had told him (when he had had trouble falling back to sleep) that the potion he was giving him was intentionally making him throw up so he could get the poison out of his system.
Damien wasn't pleased at all.
The worse part was that his father had said that it could take up to a week and a half to get the poison out of his system.
So the last couple of days had seemed like just a pain-filled whirlwind for Damien, he constantly felt dizzy, hungry, thirsty, hot, and nauseous which was, by far, the worst feeling in the world.
The only thing that Damien could really remember was his father. The man was always, ALWAYS there when he woke, to personally give him the potion and to personally apply the cloth to his forehead. He was always there when Damien woke and was always there to sooth him after he had been violently sick.
So this is what it felt like to have a parent...to be loved...
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"Oy, Mate!"
Damien nearly toppled out of bed. He looked up to see Ron, looking at him uneasily.
"What is it!" Damien hissed quietly, feeling quite light-headed. He shook his head to clear it and glanced around the dark infirmary, "Where's my dad? He's never not been here before...."
Ron looked slightly uncomfortable as the redhead nodded toward a curtained off bed beside Damien's.
Damien's eyes widened as realization hit him. "W-What happened to him? Is he okay?"
Ron frowned and shrugged, "Not sure but Dumbledore told me to wake you up, he's coming down to explain everything in a couple minutes...."
"Actually, Mr. Weasley, he is already here," said a quiet voice and the two boys turned to see Dumbledore, gliding over toward them, "Thank you for waking up Damien but if you would be so kind as to excuse us, Mr. Weasley, I would very much appreciate it...."
Ron nodded and glanced at Damien uneasily before he walked out of the Hospital Wing, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Damien looked expectantly at his headmaster, "What happened to Dad?" he asked nervously, dreading the answer, "Is he going to be alright?"
Dumbledore sighed, suddenly looking ten years older.
"Severus will be fine after a couple days' rest," the old man said. "Do you know what the date is, Damien?"
Damien furrowed his brow in concentration, "No.....I've....lost track..."
Dumbledore nodded, "Quite understandable considering your current condition. It is December the third, Mr. Snape....." Dumbledore paused and looked at Damien, "Do you know what was supposed to happen at the beginning of December?"
The Slytherin blinked in confusion before his mind clicked, "I...I was supposed to be.......marked in the first Death Eater's meeting....." he trailed off and his eyes widened.
"Don't tell me that there was a meeting last night!" he almost begged. Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, my boy.....and your father couldn't and wouldn't bring you because of you being sick...."
"...so Voldemort.....punished him didn't he?" Damien began to panic. "So Voldemort knows that Dad is a spy?!"
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, we got lucky at that part. The young Mr. Malfoy covered for Severus by telling Tom that you were ill, so Severus was spared......"
Damien breathed a sigh of relief before he shot up, "Draco's marked now, isn't he?" he whispered in fear.
Dumbledore once again nodded solemnly, "He is......Draco was very lucky that Tom wasn't in a bad mood, or else I daresay that he would've came to us in the same condition as Severus...."
Damien swallowed and glanced at the bed beside him. "Can I see him, sir?"
"Damien, though you are very close to recovery, you are still unwell and Severus would probably have a fit if you were to risk that by getting out of bed to see him..." Dumbledore told the boy.
"But I have to see him!" Damien exclaimed. "I have to see if he's okay! I don't want to loose three fathers....."
Dumbledore felt his heart crumble as he looked at Damien's face, the boy looked absolutely forlorn. "I'm sure he will be well enough to get up and see you tomorrow, Damien, that post-Cruciatus Curse potion really can do wonders...."
The old man smiled at Damien and took something off the bedside table. It was the murky potion and the damp cloth.
"Cheers...." He said in an amused voice as he handed Damien the potion.
The boy sneered at him before downing the potion, pulling a disgusted face. He laid back down and Dumbledore gently applied the damp cloth to his forehead.
"Get some rest or your father will eradicate me..." the man smiled and the boy sank back into the pillows.
The door shut softly as the headmaster left and Damien yawned widely, turning to look at his father's bed with apprehension, "Get well soon Dad.......I need you..." he whispered forlornly.
He woke up a couple hours later, there was just a bit of light rising over the horizon, informing Damien that it was about six or seven in the morning.
But at the time, Damien didn't really care about the time.
His stomach was turning, he felt queasy...and he was burning up. He opened his mouth to call for his father, only to remember that the man was unconscious, in the bed next to him, so he tried to call for Madame Pomfrey, his stomach protested immediately and Damien turned over the side of the bed, retching all over the floor.........again.
He groaned, his head was on fire! He felt clammy, shivers coursing through him despite the scorching heat he was feeling. His head was pounding, his throat sore and scratchy from just recently being sick.
He rolled over onto his back, wrapping his arms around himself as he lay there, shivering miserably and whimpering involuntarily. He tried opening his eyes only for his head to explode in pain, blurring his vision horribly and making him unwilling clamp his eyes shut once again. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his forehead.
"Lay....still Damien...I'll.....I'll get you a cooling cloth...you're to warm...." The voice sounded weak and raspy, though Damien recognized it immediately.
"...Dad...?" he asked feebly.
"Hush..." his father told him, sounding as if he were pushing something heavy. A moment later Damien felt a damp, cool cloth being placed on his forehead. He had never felt anything so soothing before and he let out a relieved sigh.
"Dad...you shouldn't be out of bed, you're injured...." He said quietly.
"That's my business, Damien...." His father told him softly, "The poison is almost completely out of your system.....only about another day or two and you should be fine..." he seemed to pause once every couple seconds to catch his breath.
"W-What about you? Are you okay?" Damien asked in concern.
"Yes...I'll be alright...." Severus didn't really seem to care about his own health as he continued to keep his hand on Damien's forehead. Damien frowned, "He....he still wants me marked, doesn't he?" he asked quietly.
Severus nodded also frowning.
"Is Draco okay?" Damien asked. Severus sighed, "He's fine.......marked, but fine..."
"When am I to be marked....?" Damien whispered, dreading the answer. "Next Death Eater meeting....." his father responded with surprising iciness. "Which will be rather sooner then later, he's planning an attack...."
"Where?" Damien shivered slightly at the thought of being one of the Death Eater's in the attack.
"Not quite sure yet.....somewhere close to Hogwarts.....I think Hogsmeade..."
Damien's eyes widened and a sense of dread washed over him as he realized that this was actually happening, it wasn't some game that you could just start over again if you failed. Of course he had always known that the war was happening and was real, and he had always known that it was going to be a cruel and lethal war no doubt but........he just never knew HOW cruel it was going to be until he realized that it could be possible that Voldemort would attack somewhere so close to Hogwarts........so close to his friends and the ones that he loved.....
He felt a hand on his shoulder and finally opened his eyes to see his father sitting on the floor next to the bed. "That really can't be good for your injuries..." he told the man.
Severus shrugged and remained on the floor.
"I'll be alright."
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Unfortunately, Severus was correct about the Death Eater meeting and only two days after Damien had been released from the Hospital Wing, Severus came hurrying into the Snake Pit, clutching his left forearm.
He and Draco had been playing Wizard's Chess when the man came hurrying in.
"It's time to go...." He said quickly, glancing around at the other Slytherins cautiously. He nodded to Draco.
"Hey, good luck....and be careful..." Draco murmured quietly, his light blue eyes filled with unease. Damien nodded soberly to him.
"If you happen to see Ginny or Hermione or Ron..."
"Don't worry.....I'll let them know where you are..." Draco reassured him.
"And tell them not to worry..." Damien added quickly as he stood up to put his cloak on. Draco merely nodded.
Damien followed his father out of the Snake Pit and up into the Entrance Hall, it was around nine at night, past curfew, so the only ones who were up were teachers and prefects.
Severus slipped mask on and looked at his son, "Are you sure you want to do this? You can still back out, I don't have to be a spy...."
"Yes you do!" Damien exclaimed quietly. "Draco needs you now and you're not going to get tortured on my behalf." He told his father.
Severus eyed him wearily as they made their way out onto the grounds. "I really don't want you to do this...." He whispered to him, letting his emotions show for once. "I would rather die then see you wear his mark....."
"But I wouldn't rather you die!" Damien cried out desperately. "I don't want you to die, I've already lost my step-father and my godfather.....I don't want to loose my father too." He sounded downright miserable and Severus put an arm around him. "And I don't want to loose you...."
Damien said nothing as he stared straight ahead.
Severus suddenly stopped and plucked something out of his pocket before handing it to Damien. It was a bright green potion, glowing slightly in its small vial. "Drink it..." his father told him.
"What does it do?" Damien asked as he took it into his hands, the potion felt warm and almost soothing in his gloved hands.
"I've been working on it for a couple months now...." Severus told him. "It's supposed to break the connection you have with Voldemort for a couple hours....."
Damien stared at his father, "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed. "I'd almost forgotten.....and my cover would definitely have been blown...." He stared at Severus with esteem, he knew his father was a good Potion's Master but this was absolutely genius, and to Damien it was a lifesaver.
He quickly downed the glowing emerald potion and felt warmth spread through his body.
They walked past the Anti-Apparation wards and Severus pulled out a quill. He tapped it once with his wand and threw his arm around Damien again. "Hold on..."
Damien grabbed one end of the quill and felt the tug behind his naval before a rush of color and sound surrounded them both.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Damien felt a rush of trepidation as they both landed just outside the Riddle House and they both walked in.
Severus still had an arm around Damien and the man tightened his hold briefly before he took his arm off. Damien all of the sudden felt as if he were completely and utterly alone now, without the warm arm draped around his shoulders that had given him some sense of comfort and reassurance. He quickly occluded his mind as they walked in the meeting room.
They were the only ones, was the first thing that Damien noticed as he glanced around the room.
"Ah Sseveruss..." he heard a raspy hiss from the chair in front of them, which was turned so they couldn't see Voldemort. "Your son comesss at lasst...."
Damien felt a shiver go down his spine as the chair turned and Lord Voldemort stared at him through slanted red eyes. Unlike the last time Damien had met Voldemort, the man actually looked a little bit human. He had a new body, not the reptilian one that he had obtained at the end of Damien's fourth year, but instead his body looked like an older version of Tom Riddle. His skin was still as pale as ever and he had raven black hair that looked a bit like 'Harry Potter's' had. His face was human enough, besides the rather unusual pale skin and red eyes. But even if Voldemort did look human now, he would always be a monster.
Severus bent down to his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes, "My Lord..." Damien heard his father murmur humbly.
Damien stayed where he was, bowing his head respectfully to the monster, avoiding eye contact.
"Damien Sssnape," the Dark Lord hissed. "I have heard great thingsss about you from your dear father here....and I expect great things from you," Voldemort paused to look at him up and down as if sizing Damien up. "You have a lot of potential.....I can tell...you will prove to be a valuable asset to me....but are you loyal?"
Damien took a deep breath silently as he stepped up to the Dark Lord and fell to one knee in front of the monster, his head bowed low.
"I live to serve you, my Lord..." his voice remained emotionless, his eyes averted to the floor.
"You sssay thisss as if you have alwaysss been in my ssservicce....yet you only learned about me a couple monthsss ago....when you were firssst moved to England...." The raspy voice sounded slightly suspicious, "Tell me, Damien Ssnape, you lived with muggless your whole life and yet you pledge your loyalty to wizardsss and witchesss who ssslaughter them....makess me wonder if you were told what to sssay and do..."
Damien winced inwardly, he heard his father shift slightly from his place beside Voldemort.
"I pledge my loyalty to you, my Lord, not only because it was muggles who killed my mother but also because I want power......and I was told that I could seek power from you, my Lord..." he said quietly and what he hoped sounded sincere.
He heard his father inhale sharply as silence met his ears.
Damien kept his gaze on the ground, his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he hoped and prayed with every cell of his being that the Dark Lord would believe him.
Then suddenly Voldemort started to laugh, quietly at first before it got louder and Damien shivered slightly.
"Well young Ssnape..." Voldemort said once he had regained his composure. "I musst sssay that you have got guts...and I like that in my Death Eaterss....mosst of my mosst loyal Death Eaters can't even ssspeak their mind because they are to afraid...." Damien could feel the Dark Lord's gaze burning into him.
"Oh yesss, you will be mosst valuable to me indeed Damien Ssnape..." Voldemort hissed. "Come here, Damien...." The monster commanded him.
Damien stood up gracefully and walked over to Voldemort, who had one hand outstretched.
"Give me your left arm...."
Damien swallowed, there was no turning back now....he chanced a glance at his father, but he couldn't see the man's face of course.
He extended his left arm and Voldemort grabbed it tightly, yanking up his sleeve to reveal the boy's pale, unmarked forearm. He touched Damien's forearm with his pointer and middle finger and murmured softly, "Mordsmordre!"
Damien suddenly felt as if someone had put the Cruciatus on him but the pain all went to his forearm. It felt as if hot needles were piercing into his flesh followed by something traveling through him that felt akin to liquid fire.
He bit his lip to suppress the scream welling up in his throat and squeezed his eyes tightly shut to hold back the tears. He knew Voldemort would not like it if he were to start tearing up.
And finally, it was over and Damien felt the Dark Lord release his arm as he stumbled back slightly, clutching it tightly with his own hand. He could feel fresh blood pouring out of the gash.
He clenched his teeth and willed himself to proceed as he looked up at his father and his new 'master'. His father had stayed by Voldemort's side even though he was shifting slightly, as if he were itching to run over to Damien and hold him.
The Dark Lord smirked maliciously and said, "You are to serve me and only me until the day you die Damien Snape, if you betray or disobey me in any way then you will be not only tortured but butchered as well, understand?" Voldemort snapped, his raspy hisses long gone as he spoke hard and cold to Damien.
Damien slowly nodded, feeling fear rise up in him as he thought, What have I done?! He swallowed and quickly reassured himself that this was saving his father's life as well as others and he was willing to pay any price for that....
"Good..." the monster smirked and whipped out his wand.
"Crucio!"
Damien fell to his knees as the searing pain ripped through his young, unbroken body......he only hoped that he would stay that way before the war was over.... The pain seemed so much more painful then when he had been in the graveyard almost two years ago. Voldemort held it much longer and finally he lifted the curse and Damien fell to the ground unceremoniously.
Voldemort sneered and spat to Severus, "Teach him manners or I will!" before he dismissed them and marched out of the room.
As soon as the hem of Voldemort's robe whipped out of sight, Severus dropped down on his knees beside Damien and gathered the boy up in his arms.
"Damien? Damien! Are you alright? Can you hear me?!" the man whispered desperately as he shook Damien gently.
The boy groaned and shifted slightly, hissing in pain as he tried to sit up. "Don't move..." Severus told him softly. "We'll get you back to the Hospital Wing and get you some Post-Cruciatus potion just hold on..."
Damien nodded slowly but stopped as his head pounded. His arm was still bleeding freely and Severus tore off a piece of his Death Eater robe to wrap the arm around in tightly.
Tenderly, as if he were holding glass, Severus picked Damien up and held the boy against him as he gently brushed some hair out of the boy's face absentmindedly.
He hurried out of the Riddle House and took out the portkey, activating it immediately and instantly disappearing with a rush of color.
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"POPPY!!" Severus bellowed as he hurried into the Hospital Wing, taking no notice to Pansy, who had taken a bludger to the head during Quidditch practice.
The nurse came bustling out. "Severus, what in the name of....oh my!!" she immediately switched into nurse mode as she hurried over to Severus to help him, "Here lets put him on the bed right over there!"
"Be careful with him!"
Pansy sat up on her bed and looked at her head of the house as they surrounded someone that she couldn't see frantically. She listened to the hysterical conversation.
"Get the Post-Cruciatus Potion, it's in the cupboard over there-"
"We need to dress his arm...it won't stop bleeding!"
"He's convulsing! We need to calm him down!"
"It wasn't bleeding this much when I got marked..."
"Get the Calming Potion too!"
"Damien! You need to calm down, son..."
Pansy's eyes widened in shock. That was Damien!! Well, she knew he was getting marked.....Draco had gotten marked a couple days ago and he had told her that he was.... Was he okay? Why would he be convulsing? Why did he need a Calming Potion?
"Did you speak to the headmaster?" Poppy asked Severus as she uncorked the Post-Cruciatus Potion. Severus shook his head.
"Come on, Damien...." The Potion's Master said warmly, "You need to drink these potions, you'll feel better after you do..."
Damien groaned in response and Severus helped his son sit up as Poppy carefully poured the first potion into the boy's mouth. He choked it down awkwardly and took several breaths before downing the second potion.
The doors to the Hospital Wing burst open and in strode Dumbledore, his normally cheerful face completely grave and lined with worry. The old man made his way to his student's side and looked down at the boy in concern.
"Is he alright? The Cruciatus Curse I suppose?" Dumbledore said, staring at Damien. Severus nodded shortly and said to Poppy, "Give him the Anti- Bleeding Potion also, his arm won't stop bleeding..."
"How'd he do?" Dumbledore asked quietly and Severus sighed. "Fine....too fine, Voldemort seems very interested in him. Says he has potential and will probably want to train him in the future...." The normally cold man sounded forlorn as he stared hopelessly down at his son.
Dumbledore put a hand on Severus' shoulder, "He'll make it don't worry. He has a part of both Lily and you in him.....he's the best of both of you...."
Severus nodded, still looking worn. "I shouldn't have let him do it! Why did I let him?! How could I be so stupid!"
Dumbledore gave Severus' shoulder a tight squeeze, "What's done is done, Severus and there's nothing you can do about it..."
Damien opened his eyes tiredly and looked around, everything looked to blurry.
"Get some rest, Damien," his father told him from beside him. He groaned and tried to tell the man that he couldn't, that he was in far to much pain to even think about resting.
The man seemed to read his mind as he looked up and said to someone, "Give him some Dreamless Sleep Potion also..."
Damien choked down his fourth potion, and a moment later, he fell into the blissful, painless thing known as sleep.
() Whew!! Okay done with that!
I know that many of you didn't want Damien to get marked but......he has to.....it fits into the plot.......sorry.....
#grins apologetically#
If anyone has any requests for the story then I'll be happy to comply. It's not that I'm running out of ideas, its just I think that you, the readers, should get to pick some stuff to, don't you?
Well thanks for reading and please,
Be kind, review!!
Bye!
(
Okay! Thanks once again to my reviewers, I've said it before and I shall say it again, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! Trust me, I read each and every review so don't think you are reviewing for nothing....
OKAY something I forgot to mention is that the werewolf challenge has been altered slightly. A reviewer of mine seemed to think that I was asking for to much and I agreed so I got rid of a few requirements, but it's still basically the same thing!
I'll stop blabbering (I do that a lot don't I?) and here's the next chapter!!!!!!!!
Chapter twenty- Recovery and the Death Eater meeting
Damien didn't quite remember what happened during the next couple of days. It all seemed like a blur, a rather painful blur and everything seemed to be going far to fast for Damien's comatose brain to comprehend.
He could no longer keep track of the days and nights. The only morning he remembered was the morning after his midnight visit from Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. He had drunk some water, too thirsty to even pay the least bit of attention to his turning stomach.
Big mistake.
Let's just say the water didn't stay down, it seemed to make Damien's healing process slow down.
The only thing that Damien could really keep track of was waking up, drinking the murky potion his father gave to him and feeling the wet cloth that was placed on his forehead, before he would slip back into unconsciousness once again, only to wake up what seemed like minutes afterward, retching all over the place.
His father had told him (when he had had trouble falling back to sleep) that the potion he was giving him was intentionally making him throw up so he could get the poison out of his system.
Damien wasn't pleased at all.
The worse part was that his father had said that it could take up to a week and a half to get the poison out of his system.
So the last couple of days had seemed like just a pain-filled whirlwind for Damien, he constantly felt dizzy, hungry, thirsty, hot, and nauseous which was, by far, the worst feeling in the world.
The only thing that Damien could really remember was his father. The man was always, ALWAYS there when he woke, to personally give him the potion and to personally apply the cloth to his forehead. He was always there when Damien woke and was always there to sooth him after he had been violently sick.
So this is what it felt like to have a parent...to be loved...
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"Oy, Mate!"
Damien nearly toppled out of bed. He looked up to see Ron, looking at him uneasily.
"What is it!" Damien hissed quietly, feeling quite light-headed. He shook his head to clear it and glanced around the dark infirmary, "Where's my dad? He's never not been here before...."
Ron looked slightly uncomfortable as the redhead nodded toward a curtained off bed beside Damien's.
Damien's eyes widened as realization hit him. "W-What happened to him? Is he okay?"
Ron frowned and shrugged, "Not sure but Dumbledore told me to wake you up, he's coming down to explain everything in a couple minutes...."
"Actually, Mr. Weasley, he is already here," said a quiet voice and the two boys turned to see Dumbledore, gliding over toward them, "Thank you for waking up Damien but if you would be so kind as to excuse us, Mr. Weasley, I would very much appreciate it...."
Ron nodded and glanced at Damien uneasily before he walked out of the Hospital Wing, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Damien looked expectantly at his headmaster, "What happened to Dad?" he asked nervously, dreading the answer, "Is he going to be alright?"
Dumbledore sighed, suddenly looking ten years older.
"Severus will be fine after a couple days' rest," the old man said. "Do you know what the date is, Damien?"
Damien furrowed his brow in concentration, "No.....I've....lost track..."
Dumbledore nodded, "Quite understandable considering your current condition. It is December the third, Mr. Snape....." Dumbledore paused and looked at Damien, "Do you know what was supposed to happen at the beginning of December?"
The Slytherin blinked in confusion before his mind clicked, "I...I was supposed to be.......marked in the first Death Eater's meeting....." he trailed off and his eyes widened.
"Don't tell me that there was a meeting last night!" he almost begged. Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, my boy.....and your father couldn't and wouldn't bring you because of you being sick...."
"...so Voldemort.....punished him didn't he?" Damien began to panic. "So Voldemort knows that Dad is a spy?!"
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, we got lucky at that part. The young Mr. Malfoy covered for Severus by telling Tom that you were ill, so Severus was spared......"
Damien breathed a sigh of relief before he shot up, "Draco's marked now, isn't he?" he whispered in fear.
Dumbledore once again nodded solemnly, "He is......Draco was very lucky that Tom wasn't in a bad mood, or else I daresay that he would've came to us in the same condition as Severus...."
Damien swallowed and glanced at the bed beside him. "Can I see him, sir?"
"Damien, though you are very close to recovery, you are still unwell and Severus would probably have a fit if you were to risk that by getting out of bed to see him..." Dumbledore told the boy.
"But I have to see him!" Damien exclaimed. "I have to see if he's okay! I don't want to loose three fathers....."
Dumbledore felt his heart crumble as he looked at Damien's face, the boy looked absolutely forlorn. "I'm sure he will be well enough to get up and see you tomorrow, Damien, that post-Cruciatus Curse potion really can do wonders...."
The old man smiled at Damien and took something off the bedside table. It was the murky potion and the damp cloth.
"Cheers...." He said in an amused voice as he handed Damien the potion.
The boy sneered at him before downing the potion, pulling a disgusted face. He laid back down and Dumbledore gently applied the damp cloth to his forehead.
"Get some rest or your father will eradicate me..." the man smiled and the boy sank back into the pillows.
The door shut softly as the headmaster left and Damien yawned widely, turning to look at his father's bed with apprehension, "Get well soon Dad.......I need you..." he whispered forlornly.
He woke up a couple hours later, there was just a bit of light rising over the horizon, informing Damien that it was about six or seven in the morning.
But at the time, Damien didn't really care about the time.
His stomach was turning, he felt queasy...and he was burning up. He opened his mouth to call for his father, only to remember that the man was unconscious, in the bed next to him, so he tried to call for Madame Pomfrey, his stomach protested immediately and Damien turned over the side of the bed, retching all over the floor.........again.
He groaned, his head was on fire! He felt clammy, shivers coursing through him despite the scorching heat he was feeling. His head was pounding, his throat sore and scratchy from just recently being sick.
He rolled over onto his back, wrapping his arms around himself as he lay there, shivering miserably and whimpering involuntarily. He tried opening his eyes only for his head to explode in pain, blurring his vision horribly and making him unwilling clamp his eyes shut once again. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his forehead.
"Lay....still Damien...I'll.....I'll get you a cooling cloth...you're to warm...." The voice sounded weak and raspy, though Damien recognized it immediately.
"...Dad...?" he asked feebly.
"Hush..." his father told him, sounding as if he were pushing something heavy. A moment later Damien felt a damp, cool cloth being placed on his forehead. He had never felt anything so soothing before and he let out a relieved sigh.
"Dad...you shouldn't be out of bed, you're injured...." He said quietly.
"That's my business, Damien...." His father told him softly, "The poison is almost completely out of your system.....only about another day or two and you should be fine..." he seemed to pause once every couple seconds to catch his breath.
"W-What about you? Are you okay?" Damien asked in concern.
"Yes...I'll be alright...." Severus didn't really seem to care about his own health as he continued to keep his hand on Damien's forehead. Damien frowned, "He....he still wants me marked, doesn't he?" he asked quietly.
Severus nodded also frowning.
"Is Draco okay?" Damien asked. Severus sighed, "He's fine.......marked, but fine..."
"When am I to be marked....?" Damien whispered, dreading the answer. "Next Death Eater meeting....." his father responded with surprising iciness. "Which will be rather sooner then later, he's planning an attack...."
"Where?" Damien shivered slightly at the thought of being one of the Death Eater's in the attack.
"Not quite sure yet.....somewhere close to Hogwarts.....I think Hogsmeade..."
Damien's eyes widened and a sense of dread washed over him as he realized that this was actually happening, it wasn't some game that you could just start over again if you failed. Of course he had always known that the war was happening and was real, and he had always known that it was going to be a cruel and lethal war no doubt but........he just never knew HOW cruel it was going to be until he realized that it could be possible that Voldemort would attack somewhere so close to Hogwarts........so close to his friends and the ones that he loved.....
He felt a hand on his shoulder and finally opened his eyes to see his father sitting on the floor next to the bed. "That really can't be good for your injuries..." he told the man.
Severus shrugged and remained on the floor.
"I'll be alright."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Unfortunately, Severus was correct about the Death Eater meeting and only two days after Damien had been released from the Hospital Wing, Severus came hurrying into the Snake Pit, clutching his left forearm.
He and Draco had been playing Wizard's Chess when the man came hurrying in.
"It's time to go...." He said quickly, glancing around at the other Slytherins cautiously. He nodded to Draco.
"Hey, good luck....and be careful..." Draco murmured quietly, his light blue eyes filled with unease. Damien nodded soberly to him.
"If you happen to see Ginny or Hermione or Ron..."
"Don't worry.....I'll let them know where you are..." Draco reassured him.
"And tell them not to worry..." Damien added quickly as he stood up to put his cloak on. Draco merely nodded.
Damien followed his father out of the Snake Pit and up into the Entrance Hall, it was around nine at night, past curfew, so the only ones who were up were teachers and prefects.
Severus slipped mask on and looked at his son, "Are you sure you want to do this? You can still back out, I don't have to be a spy...."
"Yes you do!" Damien exclaimed quietly. "Draco needs you now and you're not going to get tortured on my behalf." He told his father.
Severus eyed him wearily as they made their way out onto the grounds. "I really don't want you to do this...." He whispered to him, letting his emotions show for once. "I would rather die then see you wear his mark....."
"But I wouldn't rather you die!" Damien cried out desperately. "I don't want you to die, I've already lost my step-father and my godfather.....I don't want to loose my father too." He sounded downright miserable and Severus put an arm around him. "And I don't want to loose you...."
Damien said nothing as he stared straight ahead.
Severus suddenly stopped and plucked something out of his pocket before handing it to Damien. It was a bright green potion, glowing slightly in its small vial. "Drink it..." his father told him.
"What does it do?" Damien asked as he took it into his hands, the potion felt warm and almost soothing in his gloved hands.
"I've been working on it for a couple months now...." Severus told him. "It's supposed to break the connection you have with Voldemort for a couple hours....."
Damien stared at his father, "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed. "I'd almost forgotten.....and my cover would definitely have been blown...." He stared at Severus with esteem, he knew his father was a good Potion's Master but this was absolutely genius, and to Damien it was a lifesaver.
He quickly downed the glowing emerald potion and felt warmth spread through his body.
They walked past the Anti-Apparation wards and Severus pulled out a quill. He tapped it once with his wand and threw his arm around Damien again. "Hold on..."
Damien grabbed one end of the quill and felt the tug behind his naval before a rush of color and sound surrounded them both.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Damien felt a rush of trepidation as they both landed just outside the Riddle House and they both walked in.
Severus still had an arm around Damien and the man tightened his hold briefly before he took his arm off. Damien all of the sudden felt as if he were completely and utterly alone now, without the warm arm draped around his shoulders that had given him some sense of comfort and reassurance. He quickly occluded his mind as they walked in the meeting room.
They were the only ones, was the first thing that Damien noticed as he glanced around the room.
"Ah Sseveruss..." he heard a raspy hiss from the chair in front of them, which was turned so they couldn't see Voldemort. "Your son comesss at lasst...."
Damien felt a shiver go down his spine as the chair turned and Lord Voldemort stared at him through slanted red eyes. Unlike the last time Damien had met Voldemort, the man actually looked a little bit human. He had a new body, not the reptilian one that he had obtained at the end of Damien's fourth year, but instead his body looked like an older version of Tom Riddle. His skin was still as pale as ever and he had raven black hair that looked a bit like 'Harry Potter's' had. His face was human enough, besides the rather unusual pale skin and red eyes. But even if Voldemort did look human now, he would always be a monster.
Severus bent down to his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes, "My Lord..." Damien heard his father murmur humbly.
Damien stayed where he was, bowing his head respectfully to the monster, avoiding eye contact.
"Damien Sssnape," the Dark Lord hissed. "I have heard great thingsss about you from your dear father here....and I expect great things from you," Voldemort paused to look at him up and down as if sizing Damien up. "You have a lot of potential.....I can tell...you will prove to be a valuable asset to me....but are you loyal?"
Damien took a deep breath silently as he stepped up to the Dark Lord and fell to one knee in front of the monster, his head bowed low.
"I live to serve you, my Lord..." his voice remained emotionless, his eyes averted to the floor.
"You sssay thisss as if you have alwaysss been in my ssservicce....yet you only learned about me a couple monthsss ago....when you were firssst moved to England...." The raspy voice sounded slightly suspicious, "Tell me, Damien Ssnape, you lived with muggless your whole life and yet you pledge your loyalty to wizardsss and witchesss who ssslaughter them....makess me wonder if you were told what to sssay and do..."
Damien winced inwardly, he heard his father shift slightly from his place beside Voldemort.
"I pledge my loyalty to you, my Lord, not only because it was muggles who killed my mother but also because I want power......and I was told that I could seek power from you, my Lord..." he said quietly and what he hoped sounded sincere.
He heard his father inhale sharply as silence met his ears.
Damien kept his gaze on the ground, his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he hoped and prayed with every cell of his being that the Dark Lord would believe him.
Then suddenly Voldemort started to laugh, quietly at first before it got louder and Damien shivered slightly.
"Well young Ssnape..." Voldemort said once he had regained his composure. "I musst sssay that you have got guts...and I like that in my Death Eaterss....mosst of my mosst loyal Death Eaters can't even ssspeak their mind because they are to afraid...." Damien could feel the Dark Lord's gaze burning into him.
"Oh yesss, you will be mosst valuable to me indeed Damien Ssnape..." Voldemort hissed. "Come here, Damien...." The monster commanded him.
Damien stood up gracefully and walked over to Voldemort, who had one hand outstretched.
"Give me your left arm...."
Damien swallowed, there was no turning back now....he chanced a glance at his father, but he couldn't see the man's face of course.
He extended his left arm and Voldemort grabbed it tightly, yanking up his sleeve to reveal the boy's pale, unmarked forearm. He touched Damien's forearm with his pointer and middle finger and murmured softly, "Mordsmordre!"
Damien suddenly felt as if someone had put the Cruciatus on him but the pain all went to his forearm. It felt as if hot needles were piercing into his flesh followed by something traveling through him that felt akin to liquid fire.
He bit his lip to suppress the scream welling up in his throat and squeezed his eyes tightly shut to hold back the tears. He knew Voldemort would not like it if he were to start tearing up.
And finally, it was over and Damien felt the Dark Lord release his arm as he stumbled back slightly, clutching it tightly with his own hand. He could feel fresh blood pouring out of the gash.
He clenched his teeth and willed himself to proceed as he looked up at his father and his new 'master'. His father had stayed by Voldemort's side even though he was shifting slightly, as if he were itching to run over to Damien and hold him.
The Dark Lord smirked maliciously and said, "You are to serve me and only me until the day you die Damien Snape, if you betray or disobey me in any way then you will be not only tortured but butchered as well, understand?" Voldemort snapped, his raspy hisses long gone as he spoke hard and cold to Damien.
Damien slowly nodded, feeling fear rise up in him as he thought, What have I done?! He swallowed and quickly reassured himself that this was saving his father's life as well as others and he was willing to pay any price for that....
"Good..." the monster smirked and whipped out his wand.
"Crucio!"
Damien fell to his knees as the searing pain ripped through his young, unbroken body......he only hoped that he would stay that way before the war was over.... The pain seemed so much more painful then when he had been in the graveyard almost two years ago. Voldemort held it much longer and finally he lifted the curse and Damien fell to the ground unceremoniously.
Voldemort sneered and spat to Severus, "Teach him manners or I will!" before he dismissed them and marched out of the room.
As soon as the hem of Voldemort's robe whipped out of sight, Severus dropped down on his knees beside Damien and gathered the boy up in his arms.
"Damien? Damien! Are you alright? Can you hear me?!" the man whispered desperately as he shook Damien gently.
The boy groaned and shifted slightly, hissing in pain as he tried to sit up. "Don't move..." Severus told him softly. "We'll get you back to the Hospital Wing and get you some Post-Cruciatus potion just hold on..."
Damien nodded slowly but stopped as his head pounded. His arm was still bleeding freely and Severus tore off a piece of his Death Eater robe to wrap the arm around in tightly.
Tenderly, as if he were holding glass, Severus picked Damien up and held the boy against him as he gently brushed some hair out of the boy's face absentmindedly.
He hurried out of the Riddle House and took out the portkey, activating it immediately and instantly disappearing with a rush of color.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"POPPY!!" Severus bellowed as he hurried into the Hospital Wing, taking no notice to Pansy, who had taken a bludger to the head during Quidditch practice.
The nurse came bustling out. "Severus, what in the name of....oh my!!" she immediately switched into nurse mode as she hurried over to Severus to help him, "Here lets put him on the bed right over there!"
"Be careful with him!"
Pansy sat up on her bed and looked at her head of the house as they surrounded someone that she couldn't see frantically. She listened to the hysterical conversation.
"Get the Post-Cruciatus Potion, it's in the cupboard over there-"
"We need to dress his arm...it won't stop bleeding!"
"He's convulsing! We need to calm him down!"
"It wasn't bleeding this much when I got marked..."
"Get the Calming Potion too!"
"Damien! You need to calm down, son..."
Pansy's eyes widened in shock. That was Damien!! Well, she knew he was getting marked.....Draco had gotten marked a couple days ago and he had told her that he was.... Was he okay? Why would he be convulsing? Why did he need a Calming Potion?
"Did you speak to the headmaster?" Poppy asked Severus as she uncorked the Post-Cruciatus Potion. Severus shook his head.
"Come on, Damien...." The Potion's Master said warmly, "You need to drink these potions, you'll feel better after you do..."
Damien groaned in response and Severus helped his son sit up as Poppy carefully poured the first potion into the boy's mouth. He choked it down awkwardly and took several breaths before downing the second potion.
The doors to the Hospital Wing burst open and in strode Dumbledore, his normally cheerful face completely grave and lined with worry. The old man made his way to his student's side and looked down at the boy in concern.
"Is he alright? The Cruciatus Curse I suppose?" Dumbledore said, staring at Damien. Severus nodded shortly and said to Poppy, "Give him the Anti- Bleeding Potion also, his arm won't stop bleeding..."
"How'd he do?" Dumbledore asked quietly and Severus sighed. "Fine....too fine, Voldemort seems very interested in him. Says he has potential and will probably want to train him in the future...." The normally cold man sounded forlorn as he stared hopelessly down at his son.
Dumbledore put a hand on Severus' shoulder, "He'll make it don't worry. He has a part of both Lily and you in him.....he's the best of both of you...."
Severus nodded, still looking worn. "I shouldn't have let him do it! Why did I let him?! How could I be so stupid!"
Dumbledore gave Severus' shoulder a tight squeeze, "What's done is done, Severus and there's nothing you can do about it..."
Damien opened his eyes tiredly and looked around, everything looked to blurry.
"Get some rest, Damien," his father told him from beside him. He groaned and tried to tell the man that he couldn't, that he was in far to much pain to even think about resting.
The man seemed to read his mind as he looked up and said to someone, "Give him some Dreamless Sleep Potion also..."
Damien choked down his fourth potion, and a moment later, he fell into the blissful, painless thing known as sleep.
() Whew!! Okay done with that!
I know that many of you didn't want Damien to get marked but......he has to.....it fits into the plot.......sorry.....
#grins apologetically#
If anyone has any requests for the story then I'll be happy to comply. It's not that I'm running out of ideas, its just I think that you, the readers, should get to pick some stuff to, don't you?
Well thanks for reading and please,
Be kind, review!!
Bye!
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