"I never expected Draco to do it without your help," Voldemort said. "He's still only a child."
And will remain so as long as Narcissa continues her coddling, Severus thought. Aloud, he only said, "Yes, but now I've lost my position as a spy.""Of course, of course, but now that the doddering old fool is gone, it really doesn't matter that much, does it? None of the rest of them ever really trusted you anyway. And now with their leader gone..." Voldemort was more relaxed than Snape had ever seen him. He was actually—lolling--in his chair in front of the fireplace. For someone who was intensely private and closed off from even his most trusted servants, the fact that Snape was sitting in Voldemort's private quarters was a testament to just how very pleased Voldemort was with the events of the day. He seemed almost—human.
Snape ruefully smiled as he thought of what the Order were most likely discussing now. How they'd all been betrayed by their own spy—how Dumbledore had never really told any of them why he truly trusted him in the first place. No doubt the Potter brat was regaling them with the tale of how he'd seen Snape kill Dumbledore with his own eyes. Why Dumbledore had ever given the boy (as a first year, no less!) that invisibility cloak was beyond him. But so was the fact that the man pinned ALL of their hopes in winning this war on Potter. He burned with anger again as he thought of the events of that day. The unending gall of the boy! He could still see Lily's rage-filled eyes as the boy screamed at him in a voice that sounded more and more like James' every day. Courage came in many guises, and for the boy to call him a coward had been enough to make him snap. The child was very lucky to be alive and unharmed, particularly after attempting an unforgivable curse for the second time in a year. The twit apparently still had absolutely no conception of the mental strength needed to master any of the three Unforgivables. Really, the thought that the wizarding world was relying on Potter to save them from Voldemort was a cruel joke. Severus remembered practicing all three Unforgivables as a boy on various large insects and small animals, and he had no doubt that Tom Riddle had done the same. Heremembered havingbeen well on his way to mastering all three by the age of fifteen. Of course, the Potter brat would never think of doing such things to innocent animals. Oh no, he'd wait until the heat of battle toattempt an Unforgivable—the worst possible time to practice! Oh, how Severus hated the arrogant, meddling brat. How he truly wished he'd never been born. Or better yet, that James had never been born. Severus roused himself from his reverie when he realized that Voldemort was still speaking.
"Oh, and, out of curiosity, was Pettigrew the help you hoped he'd be in this operation? No? I still am not quite sure what use you thought he'd be, but I'm glad you took him off my hands." Voldemort chuckled at his own play on words, but Severus cringed at the thought of the treatment Peter Pettigrew had received after he outlived his usefulness to the Dark Lord. If Severus retained any thought that Voldemort still had human feelings, he would think that the sight of Pettigrew with only one hand induced feelings of guilt in the Dark Lord, but Snape suspected that it was more a case of Pettigrew's stupidity and fawning finally getting to be too much even for Voldemort.
"I don't care what you do with him, Severus—just keep him out of my sight" were the words that had greeted him several months earlier when he had arrived in response to a late-night summons from the Dark Lord. "Perhaps he could be useful as a lab rat for testing potions. Just get him out of here before I kill him!"
Of course, Voldemort understood the possible ramifications of killing Peter. One did not lightly dispose of the one who had contributed the "flesh of the servant, willingly given" in the resurrection rite which now seemed so long ago.
Snape finally apparated to his final destination late that night—an abandoned shepherd's hut near Dundee on the banks of the Firth on Tay. It was on the grounds of what had once been the ancient seat of the Snape family, but since very few people knew that, and no other buildings remained on the property, the chance of ministry aurors lying in wait for him here was slim indeed. Severus fondly thought of the summers he'd spent here as a boy, practicing charms and hexes to his heart's content. He'd burnt the hut down uncountable times experimenting with destruction hexes and recreated it as many times practicing reconstitution charms. The place had been "condemned" by the muggle authorities, and as far as Snape knew, no one had been near the place in 20 years, besides himself and two others. As Snape grew older, he found that his fondness for the place did not wane, and when he decided he needed a place held in readiness for the inevitable day when he would be the subject of a manhunt by either the ministry or the Dark Lord, the old hut was the first place to come to mind. Over the years, particularly during the summers, he had steadily strengthened the wards around the boundaries of the property, as well as expanded the wizarding space within the "hut", transforming it into one of the few places on earth where he could be truly comfortable. This was the place came when he was brewing experimental potions that he had no desire to discuss with either of his Masters.
He arrived at the door, feeling the magic of the place settle down around him in pleased recognition. There was no need of a password to enter the hut—no one would have gotten to the door in the first place without the express permission of the powerful wards on the perimeter. He then stepped into a charming sitting room—one his students would have been shocked to see, given his supposed preference for the dank dungeons at Hogwarts. A fire was burning in the fireplace and bookshelves lined the walls. Many of his students would also have been shocked by Snape's book selection here as well, for books of both poetry and literature were interspersed with potions, dark arts, and other experimental magic books. There were three doors leaving the sitting room, behind which were a bedroom, kitchen, and laboratory space. Snape paused in his walk toward the kitchen when he heard a noise from the bedroom.Heopened the door to the bedroom andlooked over at the bed from which loud snores were emanating. A garishly decorated night cap peaked out from under the bedclothes. A huge trunk was open at the foot of the bed, displaying robes of various bright colours. Snape walked over to the bed and poked the slumbering man in the shoulder. The man rolled over, opened his eyes and blearily stared up at Snape.
"You're back," he yawned and started to sit up.
"Hello, Albus," Snape replied.