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Chapter 1

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With a swirl of his still battle-stained robes, Snape knelt down before the Dark Lord. He could feel the heat coming from the fireplace behind him. A private meeting. There were faint sounds from the room next door where the main contingent of the Death Eaters were gathered.

"Rise, Severus," the Dark Lord said and Snape did so. "Bella has informed me that you killed the old man. Is this true?"

Snape kept his head bowed as he spoke. "I apologise for my actions, my lord. It was presumptive of me to act without your bidding."

He was surprised when the Dark Lord laughed. "I am not displeased at i you /i , Severus. In fact, I am very pleased that our goal has been achieved."

"Thank you, my lord," Snape said. There was no denying the wash of relief through him. It was unlike the Dark Lord to grant such clemency even for an act that fulfilled his purposes. "But I am sorry for compromising my position as a spy within the Order." He sneered at the last word.

The Dark Lord waved a dismissive hand. "Your public loyalty to me is far more important." He paused. Snape looked up and could see a glitter in the red eyes. "I'm afraid that Narcissa and Draco Malfoy will be punished. My dear Severus, you didn't think you would be able to hide the Unbreakable Vow from me, did you?"

Snape sank down on one knee and shook his head. "My lord, the requirements of the Vow do not allow me to speak of it." He gulped as he felt the Dark Lord's gaze fix upon him.

"Look at me, Severus," the Dark Lord commanded. Snape looked up. "This I know. Bella has told me everything. She professed to be quite surprised when you agreed to the Vow."

"Lestrange has always suspected me," Snape said, careful to keep his voice neutral. Bellatrix was one of the Dark Lord's favourites and disparaging her was never a good idea. "It is unfortunate that my position of spy kept me from publicly supporting your esteemed plans. I feel glad that this is no longer the case."

"You have played your role spectacularly well over the years." The Dark Lord's tone was casual but Snape knew that it was anything but a normal conversation. One step wrong and he could be writhing on the ground, shuddering under Crucio. "Even I suspected at times that you were wavering." Snape felt his body stiffen imperceptibly. "But you have proved yourself tonight. You deserve a reward. What would you like, my Severus?"

"My lord," Snape said. "I would like to be there when you finally kill the Potter boy." Snape couldn't help but remember the darkened green eyes as Potter screamed Coward at him. The word burned him and he felt a wild twist of loathing leap out of him at the mere memory of it. He sneered. "That boy has been the bane of my teaching career for the past six years."

"And the bane of my existence for the past fifteen years," the Dark Lord said softly. "Very well. You shall have your wish Severus."

"Thank you, my Lord." Snape kissed the hem of the velvet robes and was genuinely grateful.

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Snape found the hero-worship coming off in waves from Pettigrew rather repulsive. Ever since he had set foot inside the front door, the small rotund man had followed him everywhere with a look of awe. It was not much of an improvement over the fear Pettigrew usually regarded him with.

"Wormtail, kindly stop following me," Snape said acidly as he stopped at the doorway to his bedroom.

The other man quivered under his gaze. "I'm sorry," he muttered and scurried off, not before shooting another look of admiration at Snape.

With barely contained anger, Snape slammed his bedroom door and threw himself down on his favourite armchair. It had been a trying day but worth it. Dumbledore was dead and he was back in the Inner Circle of Death Eaters.

Avada Kedavra

Was it really that simple to kill the most powerful wizard of the time?

Snape knew that Dumbledore had to have been weakened. It was all in the way he was standing (or rather, leaning) on the ramparts. Still. He, Severus Snape, had managed to kill Albus Dumbledore.

It was all rather unbelievable.

Snape wondered what came next. Revolution was simmering in the Dark Lord's words as he addressed his followers that night.

The old man is dead! We are now poised at the brink of a new world order and we must seize it with both hands. There is no room for the faint-hearted.

Snape could feel ripples of magic flowing off everybody Marked and into the Dark Lord as he spoke. There was pure power in his voice.

But, Dumbledore's last words refused to stop echoing in his mind.

Severus … please…

His colleagues had congratulated him on making the old man beg for his life. Snape had fought the urge to laugh hysterically as he heard their praise.

They were innocuous words. Pleading words.

Yet, they meant so much more combined with the mental image blasted into Snape's mind as he stared into Dumbledore's eyes for that microsecond. He was forcefully reminded of his promise and it made it so much easier to say the words.

Avada Kedavra

There was roiling power in those six syllables. The full power and lure of Dark Magic contained in two simple words. And with the words, Snape felt the old pull of knowledge and power that had led him down this long and winding path in the first place.

Albus, Snape thought tiredly, I need your guidance, damn it. I can't do this by myself.

He clenched his hands on the intricate woodwork of the armchair until his fingers felt numb. He might not be a spy in the Dark Lord's eyes any longer but he was still a spy. A spy with no masters and nobody to report to. In some eyes, he was now the perfect spy.

The next few months would determine the future of the wizarding world. Snape was sure of this. And he was at the forefront of the whole mess.