Threesome at Spinner's End
Chapter 2: Severus Snape
He lounges in the scruffy old armchair, it's his favourite place in the whole house, the armchair he used to curl up into when he was a little kid, watching TV, and ignoring his father shouting at his mother in the kitchen. There's no TV in the sitting room now, he can't indulge in Muggle amusements while the vermin is in the house, ready to run to the Dark Lord with any little tale that might get him, Severus Snape, into disfavour, and the Dark Lord can get really weird about his Dark wizards messing around with Muggle stuff, lack of proper wizarding pride, as Lucius would say. And what the fuck is the Dark Lord thinking, billeting Pettigrew on him like this? He wonders if it's meant to be a punishment, but probably he's reading too much into it, occasionally the Dark Lord doesn't have a hidden agenda, he probably just can't stand having the whinging little creep hanging around him but realizes that it's not a good look to bump off the faithful servant, the flesh willingly given to furnish him with a new body.
At least he has the satisfaction of making Wormtail's life as miserable as he dares, he keeps the rat confined as much as possible to the dark little bedroom where he spent so much of his youth, hiding from his father. When he was young he was afraid of the man, and when he grew older he was afraid of what he might do to him, and where that would lead, expulsion from Hogwarts or even to Azkaban.
He's finally finished marking his Potions exams, this time would normally be his own, and it's a Saturday night, he'd be cruising a Muggle singles bar in London looking for a divorced mother of three or a career woman who forgot to get married, but he doesn't like leaving Pettigrew alone at Spinner's End, he doesn't like the thought of the rat sneaking around, touching his things, prying. So he's staying home tonight, he'll knock back a bottle of firewhisky, have a couple of cigarettes - so what if smoking is a filthy Muggle habit - and scour through his Dark Arts books, and if he says so himself, he has a remarkable collection, all of it's on the Ministry's banned list, you'd want dragonhide gloves to touch most of the books, it's not the piss-weak stuff they keep in the Restricted Section at Hogwarts.
Somewhere in those books is the hint he's looking for, the diary is the key, there's some link between the diary and the Dark Lord's claim – well, it isn't just a claim, is it? – that he's achieved immortality. Albus knows something, the old goat, he'd looked disgustingly smug when he'd told him how viciously Lucius had been punished when the Dark Lord found out how the diary had been destroyed, and by whom. Merlin, it had been scary, the Dark Lord very rarely lost control like that, he usually had a very deft hand in punishment for failure, just the right amount "to encourage the others". As demonstrated by the recent lamentable screw-up in the Department of Mysteries - Bellatrix had been given a severe hiding for being too busy resolving her personal issues with her cousin, the mutt, to concentrate on the prophecy, and he'd been given a taste of crucio, too, for failing to ensure that it was Potter alone who left Hogwarts to go to the Ministry, but nothing that they didn't expect or couldn't handle.
Potter! Bloody Saint Potter! But Potter had attempted the Cruciatus Curse during the fighting at the Ministry, that had been a delicious little tidbit of news to carry to Dumbledore, he'd thought Dumbledore would be pleased, the brat was finally showing some glimmering of understanding of what he would have to do – of what he would have to become – to defeat the Dark Lord. Of course the boy had no understanding of the fact that there is much, much more to casting an Unforgiveable Curse than pointing your wand and saying the words, it takes time, training, discipline – the same as with any other powerful spell.
So he'd offered to teach the little bastard the Unforgiveables over the summer break, OK the Occlumency tutoring had been a total fiasco, the kid just refused to apply himself, but since the death of his dear godfather he should be a bit more motivated. He'd even mapped out quite a study plan, the Muggle cousin would be an excellent test subject for the Imperius and Cruciatus, from what he'd seen during the Occlumency lessons there was plenty to work with there, and Umbridge was a possible for the Avada Kedavra, the kid must loathe her, and Dumbledore had been severely pissed off when he found out about her detention quill and how often it had been used on the Golden Boy, so there was a chance he'd grant permission.
And, oh, he'd been looking forward to seeing how precious, virtuous, Gryffindor Harry Potter dealt with the after effects of the Killing Curse, the student textbook was very coy about that, all it said was "a surge of visceral energy is released by the death of the victim", correct, yes, it was a huge rush, but what the book didn't mention was that it was followed by a massive hard-on, at least if the person casting the curse is a hormone-raddled teenage boy. Interesting to see Potter's reaction to that, particularly as bold, beautiful, sexy Bellatrix Black - as she was then - wouldn't be on hand to provide relief. The first kill was always the most difficult, he'd hesitated a little, yes, he'd wanted the power, but the wretched old Muggle tramp hadn't done anything to him, he'd found it difficult to summon the energy needed for the curse until Bella started purring in his ear and rubbing herself against him, and then it had been easy, he'd been hard even before he'd cast the curse and the sex afterwards had been explosive. Bella was so hot in bed he could forget about Lily when he was with her, oh yes he'd been more than a little bit infatuated with Bella in those days, even though he'd realised that to her he'd been nothing more than an assignment, she'd moved on to her next target the day that he took the Dark Mark.
But Dumbledore hadn't been enthusiastic about his proposal, his reaction had been quite odd, at first he'd thought the Headmaster was angry, but Dumbledore was never angry with him, he hadn't even been angry when he told him that he'd stopped giving Potter Occlumency lessons, just looked sad and disappointed, well of course he'd be disappointed with the boy, disgraceful behaviour, looking into a Pensieve without permission, typical of the vile, arrogant, undisciplined brat. Yes, he'd thought Dumbledore was angry with him and that was … disturbing … he was used to the Dark Lord's anger, but Dumbledore's anger was an unknown quantity, for a wild moment he'd thought the Headmaster was going to hex him, and then he'd seen that Dumbledore was close to tears. All he'd said was, "Harry will not be taught the Unforgiveable Curses while I am Headmaster of this school, and now, Severus, if you don't mind, I have quite a lot of paperwork to attend to," and he'd felt that he'd stepped over a line that he didn't even know existed, that he'd hurt Dumbledore in some way. It had been very odd, and quite disturbing, though he couldn't quite work out why.
He settles back into the armchair, distracted for a moment by some rather graphic illustrations in the book he's holding, this is the stuff, if he was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts he'd put some of these kinds of pictures up in the classroom, the kids need to know what they're up against, and reaches for the bottle, Ogdens Old Firewhisky, cheap stuff but on his salary what can you expect? But before he can pour another glass, there's a knock at the door.
He smirks, he has a very good idea who it is, only a handful of people know how to find his lair at Spinner's End, it isn't on his Ministry file or in his personnel records at Hogwarts, his anti-Apparition wards reach as far as the river, basically, there isn't a welcome mat at the door and an uninvited visitor is likely to have a nasty accident, and we are not talking enchanted dustbins … But he's been wondering how long it will be before she comes to beg him to intercede with the Dark Lord, and just how desperate will she be? Exactly what inducements will she be prepared to offer? And Lucius has been in Azkaban for weeks now, even if it wasn't for Draco, he would have expected a visit from her anyway, she must be getting a bit lonely.
He finds the restrictions she places on their relations when she comes to him - when she comes to him because she must be bored or feels neglected or has quarreled with Lucius – frustrating, if she doesn't allow him to actually penetrate her it isn't technically adultery, but he doesn't resent them, she had been a beautiful girl and she is still a damnably attractive woman, she has the upper hand and it is natural that she should exercise her power, but should the balance of power shift in his favour … Any Slytherin would understand, he regards Lucius as a friend, as much of a friend as is possible given the differences in where they stand in relation to the Dark Lord, he's genuinely fond of Draco, and if he had ever considered marriage, it would only have been to Narcissa, she's a true Slytherin princess, but if he has the power to get what he wants he's entitled to take it. Those goody-goody Gryffindors just don't get it … but a little voice at the back of his mind is saying, remember the wine-cellar, Lily would never have put her hand down her husband's best friend's trousers, Lily would never have stroked Sirius Black until he was on the point of coming, and then left him, aching and alone, because, darling, I'm a married woman.
He stashes the firewhisky bottle behind the armchair, replaces the book in the shelf, and opens the door. Shit! She's brought Bellatrix with her, what the hell is she playing at? Bella hates his guts now, and with good reason, Lily's death protected her brat and destroyed the Dark Lord's body because she had a choice, a choice to live or die, and she willingly gave her life, and she only had a choice because the Dark Lord was minded to give Lily to him as a plaything. At best, he won't be getting even a hand job tonight, and at worst he's going to seriously compromise himself, and now Bellatrix knows where he lives. Shit, shit, shit.
Wormtail has of course come creeping downstairs to eavesdrop, he squeaks out some insolence and has to be reminded that he could be sent on more dangerous assignments, breaking Lucius and the others out of Azkaban for example, that would be too much to hope for, so easy to get caught in friendly fire in a pitched battle, isn't it? He's sworn that one day he will kill Wormtail, and Merlin willing, it will be painful.
He can't offer two pureblood princesses cheap firewhisky, it will have to be the elf-made wine, he toasts the Dark Lord, and waits for them to make the first move. Narcissa really is in a state, she'll be in tears soon, and Bellatrix is as coiled and wary as a snake.
Narcissa starts hinting, but she's afraid to come out and say what's on her mind, and Bellatrix is itching to throw her accusations in his face. Best to get it over with, best to let her rave. He reminds her that the Dark Lord ordered him to apply for a position at Hogwarts, like he'd have ever returned to the bloody place of his own free will, he'd suffered seven years of misery there and he couldn't wait to leave. She knows that even if she doesn't want to admit it, she'd been in Lucius' year so they'd only been at school together for three years but the rest of the gang knew well enough how the Marauders tormented him.
He points out that he'd had sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give the Dark Lord when he returned, speaks dismissively of the time she's spent in Azkaban, but that's an act, Bella was always a wicked bitch but Azkaban has destroyed her, turned her into some kind of vengeful automaton, and she looks like shit, hardly anything remains of her once-fabulous good looks. He'd feel sorry for Bellatrix Lestrange if it wasn't for the fact that sooner or later she's going to try and kill him.
Azkaban! He's never going there, it had really rocked him when he'd found that shoe box full of clippings from the Daily Prophet under his mother's bed, the day after she died, all about her father's trial, the sentence was excessive for the crime but it seems the Wizengamot was convinced he was guilty of a hell of a lot more than the offence he'd been convicted of, and the letter from the Ministry, "We regret to inform you that your father died in Azkaban yesterday and was buried in an unmarked grave in accordance with usual procedure." Hell no, death before dishonour may be un-Slytherin, but he is not going to Azkaban, ever. It's a living death in Azkaban, god knows how Lucius is bearing up, it may not be quite so bad now the Dementors have gone, but he is utterly determined, he'll die before they drag him into Azkaban, and he'll take as many of the bastards with him as he possibly can.
Bellatrix is demanding that he explain why he stayed on at Hogwarts after the fall of the Dark Lord, it was a god-damn job, wasn't it? Of course, Bellatrix had never had to lift a finger in her life, the Blacks and the Lestranges had plenty of money, and he was a penniless half-blood, not the least of the Dark Lord's lures for him had been the promise of wealth. Power, money and sex, that's what had interested him, he was basically indifferent to Muggles because they weren't magical, they didn't have power of the kind he respected, but the purity of blood bullshit went right over his head, it was clearly crap, some of the most talented wizards and witches were Muggle-born, look at Lily, look at Hermione Granger, she was an infernal know-it-all but she was also a very capable young witch. Ironic, really, hiding what he really thought about the pureblood nonsense was how he'd started off lying to the Dark Lord. Not that he had dared to try to hide from the Dark Lord the fact that he was a half-blood …
But why had he stayed with Dumbledore for fifteen years? When things had quieted down, he could have looked for another job, hell, with his talent … he was one of only half a dozen wizards in Europe who could brew the Wolfsbane Potion … and his pay at Hogwarts, even taking into account his allowance as a Head of House, was pitiful. So why hadn't he looked for another job? Hard to say, although it was true that he wasn't so interested in money any more, he'd been pretty washed out when the Dark Lord fell, Lily's death had really upset him, he couldn't remember much about that night and the next few days, it was all a bit of a blur, he suspected that a hell of a lot of firewhisky and perhaps some mind-altering potions of the kind that students should definitely not try to brew had been involved, and he'd known in his bones it wasn't really over, Dumbledore was right, sometime the Dark Lord would return.
In truth, he'd stayed at Hogwarts because Dumbledore was there, Dumbledore is one of only a handful of people whose good opinion he values, and whose company he can tolerate. And the Headmaster is certainly the only person he ever permits to touch him, outside the bedroom anyway. Not that Dumbledore is queer or anything, not like that raving faggot Lockhart. He likes it when Dumbledore comes into the staff room, stands behind his chair, and lets his hand rest on his shoulder, it's a pleasingly subtle and un-Gryffindorish way of signaling his status as Dumbledore's favourite to the rest of the teachers. He thinks, Minerva may be technically the Deputy Headmistress, but it's me that Albus relies on, it's me he turns to, and Minerva is getting on, she won't be around for ever, maybe one day when the Dark Lord has gone and Dumbledore's ready to retire I'll be Headmaster, the first Slytherin Headmaster since Phineas Nigellus.
Bellatrix is banging on about his failure to immediately Apparate to the Dark Lord's side when he felt the Dark Mark burn, bloody hell, is Hermione Granger the only person in the world besides himself who has ever read "Hogwarts: A History"? Doesn't Bellatrix know that you cannot Apparate or Disapparate in the grounds of Hogwarts? Yes, the Dark Lord had been a little displeased when he'd finally answered the summons, but the crucio had been merely for the sake of propriety, the Dark Lord was so anxious to find out what had happened to young Barty Crouch, and what Fudge and Dumbledore's next move would be. The Dark Lord had been delighted when he'd told him, "Dumbledore made me show the Dark Mark to Fudge, but he doesn't believe you have returned, he thinks Potter is raving and that Dumbledore is scheming to become Minister for Magic."
He taunts Bellatrix a little – her position with the Dark Lord has slipped since the fuck-up at the Ministry – and Bellatrix boasts again of being entrusted with precious secrets, he's dying to know what that's about, he suspects that the diary was a precious secret, this hints that there are more objects with the same curious properties as the diary, he will definitely be following up on that …. Oh, things have changed since the old days, when Bellatrix and Lucius were the most favoured out of the younger Death Eaters, the younger ones who hadn't been with the Dark Lord from the very beginning. He'd been junior then, though rising fast in the Dark Lord's favour, the Dark Lord had been pleased with him for bringing the information about the prophecy, even though it had only been the first few words, but he'd still been junior, so he hadn't known about Pettigrew. Pettigrew made a fool of him then, and again in the Shrieking Shack, oh yes, when he kills Pettigrew it will be painful, the vermin will wish that Black and Lupin had finished him off that night, Wormtail will be just a sticky patch on the floor by the time he's finished with him.
Narcissa has flared up, defending Lucius, he feels a stab of envy, Lucius is a lucky man to have such a devoted wife, Narcissa really loves him, it's practically Hufflepuff how loyal she is to him, though certain aspects of their marriage are definately Slytherin. Lucius doesn't mind her amusing herself with other men, provided she keeps within limits, but he wonders, does she know what Lucius really gets off on? Lucius likes to share a woman with a friend – or friends – provided he gets to go first. Personally, that's a bit too Slytherin even for his taste, he's made it clear to Lucius that he doesn't want to play, it's very much not his thing.
Now Bellatrix is asking him why he hasn't killed Potter, and he thinks, one reason why I haven't killed Potter is because Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the world, has made it his personal business to make sure that nobody kills Harry Potter. The Dark Lord hasn't managed it yet, has he? Albus is protecting Potter because he's the weapon, Bellatrix, the weapon foretold by the prophecy, you should have gone for Potter in the Department of Mysteries and not wasted your time on one of the bit players, on Sirius Black – not that I'm complaining that the mutt is dead - though for the life of me I can't see how the little twerp is ever going to have the kind of power that's needed to take the Dark Lord down. Dumbledore seems so confident, though, and he wonders if Dumbledore's confidence has something to do with the rest of the prophecy, the bit that he didn't hear? Then he feels a bit uneasy, he's been harsh with Potter, for his own good of course, but the boy doesn't like him, hates him, and when he's got the power to destroy the Dark Lord he'll definitely be a danger to Severus Snape. Damn him, how dare the boy be the living image of James but have Lily's eyes? He thinks, the little shit's got me coming and going … no wonder I get a little bit out of control when he's around.
Bellatrix has run out of things to say, and Narcissa finally comes out with something about a secret plan, he cuts her off, saying that if the Dark Lord has forbidden it, she ought not to speak. Then he relents, tells her that he knows of the plan, more to piss off Bellatrix than for any other reason. Narcissa is openly crying now, she's in a terrible state, what is it with witches, is there nothing they won't do to protect their wretched offspring? Well, not his own mother, she'd been a powerful witch, but she wouldn't use her magic to protect either him or herself, if it was "love" she felt for the filthy Muggle who'd fathered him, he was damn glad he'd never fallen in love.
It's ludicrous to think that Draco, an untried sixteen year old, could be capable of killing Dumbledore, even with the injury he's sustained, caused by a truly exceptionally nasty curse, he'd been frightened at first when he saw how bad it was, he'd been able to stabilise the damage, but he couldn't cure it. If Dumbledore died … it would be the end of his world, just the thought of it makes his throat start to close up, there's just a black curtain, with nothing, no future, beyond it. But it's pretty clear that Draco's mission isn't intended to succeed, it's one of the Dark Lord's more inventive punishments … and a message to his Death Eaters, the Dark Mark means a lifetime of service or death, not just for you, but for your children, too … but the Dark Lord is playing with fire here. Narcissa is absolutely desperate and what Lucius might do when he finds out that his only son and heir is dead will be interesting to see, it might even be enough to break his loyalty to the Dark Lord. Poor bloody Narcissa, poor bloody Lucius, now it's their turn to find out what it's like when the Dark Lord, the Dark Lord you've always given unquestioning loyalty to, threatens someone you … care about … when it gets personal.
Narcissa is trying flattery now, she gasps, "You could do it. You could do it instead of Draco, Severus. You would succeed, of course you would, and he would reward you beyond all of us …"
She's right, he could do it, and in the end, the Dark Lord will expect him to. Sure, the Dark Lord has given him no direct orders, he can be like that, makes sure he leaves himself some wriggle room in case it all goes pear-shaped, anyone would think he'd been reading some of those Muggle books on creative management theory, the books that teach managers how to put the blame on the worker bees for stuff-ups. And he's always known that at some point his role at Hogwarts was going to shift from spy to assassin, but he's never thought too hard about he's going to handle it, he'll discuss it with Albus when it comes up, and they'll work something out. While Albus is Headmaster and the leader of the Order, while Potter still lives, the odds are just a shade in favour of the side of the Light, as Dumbledore likes to call it, the melodramatic old bugger.
Narcissa is practically hysterical, he sits her down on the sofa and gives her another glass of wine and considers the situation seriously. Narcissa is right, Dumbledore is in no danger, Draco is the one in deep shit, he has no idea what he's getting himself into if he's trying to step into Lucius' shoes. Well, he's known the kid since the day he was born, and he's not his father. He looks like his father, he talks like his father, but he's not his father. He wonders, not for the first time, if sweet little Narcissa really has any idea of what the Dark Mark means, of what her husband and her sister have done, of what they still do? And then he thinks, she knows it very well, and she knows her son, too, knows that he's another Regulus Black, full of talk but when it comes to the crunch, he just won't have it in him, and she's terrified for him. Perhaps he can do something, perhaps he will do something … he suggests it might be possible to help Draco, to look after him, see he comes to no harm. Not that he's entirely disinterested - if Draco thinks they're working together he'll learn the details of any half-baked scheme the boy comes up with. But he's careful with his words, he makes no promises, all he says is "I can try".
Narcissa is pathetically grateful, she's kissing his hand, but she's a Slytherin, she doesn't have to be told there's a price attached, and she'll be back, maybe tomorrow night, and without Bellatrix, mmm, she'll be back on her knees in front of him but she won't be kissing his hand, a very pleasant prospect indeed. He feels smugly pleased with himself for the way he's handled the evening, but now Narcissa is asking him to make the Unbreakable Vow, fucking hell, did she work this out with Bellatrix before they came? It's possible … but unlikely, neither of the sisters are great dissemblers, Bellatrix knows something of Occlumency but being able to close the mind isn't much use if your face and voice betray your thoughts and feelings, and it's blindingly obvious that Bellatrix was very much opposed to Narcissa coming to him for help tonight. And it seems … innocuous … he's only binding himself to do what he's already prepared to do, and here's a chance to really discomfort Bellatrix.
Bellatrix is visibly stunned when he offers to take the Vow, excellent, though it won't make any difference in the long run, Bellatrix will hate him just as much because he's the Dark Lord's favourite as because she suspects him of treachery, she's one jealous bitch, stupid cow, doesn't she realise that the Dark Lord values no one, cares for no one, he's a "but what have you done for me lately?" kind of guy. It will still come to blows between them in the end, the Dark Lord knows that, he'll shamelessly pit them against one another and wait to see who the victor is, the winner is worthy of the prize.
He kneels, takes Narcissa's hand, Bellatrix places her wand on their linked hands, and he prepares to take the Vow. He vows to watch over Draco and to protect him, and then just as he's preparing to withdraw his hand from hers, Narcissa speaks again.
"And, should it prove necessary … if it seems Draco will fail … "
He knows what's coming, he's been an idiot, letting his feelings influence his actions, Narcissa has outsmarted him, but he can't really hate her for it, she's just done what any mother would do and deep down he would have thought the less of her if she hadn't. He makes up his mind, he wouldn't still be alive if he couldn't make this kind of decision in a split second.
"Will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?"
His hand twitches within Narcissa's but he does not withdraw it.
He says, "I will".
And it's over.
Bellatrix is clearly astonished, Narcissa is overwhelmed with joy, he ushers them out the door as soon as he can, then sinks into the armchair. He thinks, I'm still alive, it would have been instant death of a particularly unpleasant kind if I'd tried to escape the spell, but I'm still alive and while there's life there's hope.
He has no idea how he's going to sort this out, he doesn't even know whether he's going to tell Dumbledore, but he remembers an old Muggle story, about a couple of thieves condemned to death, and as they are dragged away for execution, one shouts that within a year he can teach the King's horse to talk. The King is impressed and orders the man released. The other thief asks what he thinks he's gained, it's impossible to teach a horse to talk. The freed thief replies, "Within a year, the King may die; or I may die; or the horse may talk." He thinks, I'm like that thief, perhaps the horse may talk ….
And then, because he's been a spy and a double agent too long to fret about the things he's had to do to keep his cover, and he knows from hard experience that sleepless nights are a killer and he just wants to empty his mind, he goes upstairs to his bedroom, wards the room, climbs into his bed, and drinks a goblet of Dreamless Sleep potion.
