Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters or any part of Harry Potter. Please don't sue, I have nothing to give you except my "Katamari Demacy" and "We Love Katamari" games which I will defend with my life.

This story is dark and there will be a death. I'm not saying who yet. You have been warned, it will be a very dark piece.

Reviews: I love reviews. Please, please, please review. Since we are no longer allowed to put review answers in our fic chapters I will reply to each review individually through the PM system.

This is the final chapter and it ends with a death. You have been warned.

Severus awoke to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Not knowing where he was caused panic to form in the pit of his stomach. He forced the feeling back down for the time being and surveyed his surrounding. It took him a couple minutes but he abruptly realized that his hands and wrists no longer hurt as badly as they had. The pain, which had been like white hot knives before, had dulled to a general ache.

He didn't want to look though. The lose of pain was probably just due to the fact that the nerves of his hands had been destroyed. As an experiment he tried to flex his fingers and was more than a little surprised when they actually responded.

/What the hell is going on/ He wondered. Working up his courage he finally forced himself to look down at his hands. Rather then the swollen mass of crocked tissue that he remembered all he saw now was his normal pale skin. Despite the normal appearance he quickly realized that his hands had been changed by the whole ordeal. The joints were sore and his hands and fingers were littered with thin white scars from where the bones had broken through the skin.

Once the shock had worn off the memories of what had happened quickly returned with such a force that he was left shaking. He remembered how angry his father had been and the phantom pains of his broken fingers still haunted him. He remembered lying in bed as a fever overcame him and the panic that had gripped his chest when he had realized that he might just end up dead before someone found him. With a sob he curled up in a ball with his back to the door and pulled the blanket close to his chin.

/Maybe I'm dead./ The possibility wouldn't have surprised him in the least. He had never really expected to live long after the fever started and he had begun to slip in and out of consciousness. Suddenly he heard the sound of the door opening and he tensed involuntarily.

"Severus?"

/Was that Slughorn's voice? It can't be./ A shiver passed down his spine and he tried to pretend that he was still asleep. His professor couldn't be there. It was impossible. Despite his continued denial the man was still talking to him.

"Are you awake? It's all right now." He could hear Slughorn's slow measured footsteps as he moved closer to the bed. Despite himself Severus was terrified. He didn't think Slughorn would actually hurt him but he had never thought that his father would actually hurt him either.

The bed creaked as Slughorn sat on the edge of it and Severus felt his shoulders start to shake. He tried to stop them but the couldn't. Slughorn placed a hand on his shoulder and Severus almost cried out but managed to stop himself.

"It's all right Severus. It's over I'm not going to hurt you. You are at Hogwarts. In my spare bedroom. You are staying here for the rest of the summer. Just calm down. If you want to talk I'll be out in the main rooms." With that the bed creaked again and Slughorn left the room. Severus was confused. How had he gotten here? Why was he here? In the end his questions far outweighed the answers he had so he forced himself to stand.

A quick glance around the room revealed his trunk sitting at the end of his bed. He opened the lock and was immediately relieved to see his wand lying on top of the pile. The rest of his things from his room were also there. He grabbed clean clothes and and changed quickly before shoving his wand into his jeans pocket and making his way to the door of his room. As he touched the door handle he hesitated. He didn't really want to do this but he had to know what had happened.

When he entered the main room he found Slughorn sitting in an armchair. The man turned to face him and nodded his encouragement. When Severus was sitting across from him he pulled out a flask and poured the liquor into two glasses, one of which he pushed to Severus.

"Fire whiskey, drink it." Knowing that he would need all the help he could get to make it through whatever he was about to go through he gladly accepted the drink and downed it in one shot. The liquid burned down his throat and warmth spread through his system.

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You have to talk about it sometime." Severus' eyes narrowed.

"No I don't."

"Fine I won't push. Anyway I'm sure you want to know how you got here. When you missed your second batch of potion samples I decided to come check on you. I found you and brought you back here. You've spent the last couple of days sleeping." Severus nodded and leaned back against the couch." The two sat in silence for several seconds before Slughorn continued. "How are your hands?" He asked quietly. He could see Severus flex his hands experimentally and he could see the wince of pain as he did so.

"Still sore I see."

"Yes." Slughorn sighed.

"Fine you don't have to talk to me. You will be staying here. If you wish to continue your apprenticeship you may use my potions lab. When you decide to talk to me I'll listen." Realizing that he was dismissed Severus stood and made his way back to his room.

The next weeks passed by in a haze. Severus retreated into his music and continued the potions timetable and even managed to make up the potions he had missed during the first two weeks of the summer. Slughorn had complimented him on his ability to make muggle technology work inside the castle. He had ignored the praise. Slughorn had hoped that as time passed that Severus would open up but Severus remained distant and refused to acknowledge Slughorn when the man tried to bring up the incidents at the beginning of the summer.

He could tell that Slughorn was frustrated with his refusal to speak about the whole ordeal but he stubbornly refused to talk about it. It was just too much for him to think about. Every time he tried to rationalize what had happened it sent him into a series of flashbacks and he would find himself in tears. Seeing that this would always be the case he simply refused to think about it.

As the beginning of his seventh year approached he became more and more withdrawn and focused all of his time into his potions studies. At all hours Slughorn could find him in the potions lab with his headphones on and loud muggle rock music playing. He dreaded the return of his fellow students and especially the return of Potter and his friends.

He didn't even bother to celebrate his seventeenth birthday. His coming of age had come to late for him to celebrate. If he had turned seventeen just a few months earlier he would have been able to prevent the attack by his father. The realization had sent him into a spiral of depression that Slughorn had been powerless to stop and to watch Severus simply retreat into his potions and music tore the older man apart.

By the time that the school year had started Severus had completely withdrawn from anyone and everything but his potions and his music. He only ate or slept when he had to and when the other students arrived he quietly took his place at the end of the Slytherin table. He doubted that anyone on the train had missed his presence and he simply decided to stay out of the way.

The year progressed more rapidly then any other year of school but he hardly took notice of the fast pace. He was still tormented by Potter and his friends but he simply refused to fight back. Letting them do whatever they wanted simply became part of his survival method. The day to day teasing was simply became part of his routine. He ignored them when he could but he knew that his lack of reaction infuriated Potter and Black to no end and they began trying to find more and more ways to humiliate him. If he had actually cared it might have actually bothered him but he didn't let it bother him until the end of the year. As the week of their N.E.W.T.S. approached he suddenly became aware of just what his uncaring state had brought on him.

Potter and Black had been particularly brutal to him and started escaping the castle to avoid them. During these times he would often stay down around the lake where it was relatively quite but since it was so close to the end of the year it was more crowded then usual as students attempted to escape the oppressing feel of the castle.

He had never dreamed that Potter and his friends would find him while he was there or that they would take the opportunity to utterly humiliate him in such a manner or that Evans would attempt to come to his aid. He knew that it was hypocritical of himself to treat her in the manner that he did but he didn't really care. Her friends had completely humiliated him in front of half of the school.

They hadn't let him down until one of the teachers came to investigate the crowd by the lake and even then Potter and Black had only gotten off with minor warnings and a couple detentions. The experience, however, had completely destroyed any progress that Severus had made over the last few months.

By the time he had escaped the laughing crowd and made it back into the castle he was barely holding onto his fragile control. He wanted to cry but he held himself in check until he made it back into Slughorn's quarters. The room he had used during the summer was still set up for his use and he immediately threw himself on the bed and began to cry.

How could they have done something like that to him? He knew that they hated him but they had no right to make him feel so vulnerable. It was almost like he was with his father again. It had been a situation that he had absolutely no control over and the sudden lose of control had torn down his fragile barriers that he had built around the memories of his father.

Slughorn found him several hours later and gave him calming potions and a dreamless sleep before leaving him to manage his emotions by himself. By that point he didn't even care anymore. His N.E.W.T.S. were finished and he had done extremely well on the ones that were necessary for him to continue his apprenticeship under Slughorn. He was not concerned with what would come after. He would finish his apprenticeship and where he went from there was still undecided.

He had heard quite a bit from his fellow Slytherins about a wizard named Voldemort who was quickly gaining power. He knew that the man was looking for promising students and followers and that the man hated muggles and mudbloods more then anything in the world. The opportunities that presented themselves if he joined were numerous and his skills as a potions master were always in high demand. With his mind made up he made a rare appearance in the common room that night.

It was easy to isolate the students who knew the most about this man named Voldemort. Most of them were in his year and two of them even wore the man's mark already. They were all too eager to gain favor in their lord's eyes by bringing the man new followers and one of them agreed to take Severus before Voldemort immediately after they left Hogwarts for the summer.

Severus had quickly agreed and eagerly awaited the end of term. As the occasion grew closer he had to force his nervousness away. He knew that he was only a half-blood and if Voldemort realized the truth he could very well end of dead. At least if he were killed it would end his miserable existence and he wouldn't have to suffer anymore. The idea that he might die during the encounter brought a strange sense of peace to him that had been missing since he had failed to receive his mother's letter well over a year ago.

The night of the meeting finally arrived and he met his contact as he had been instructed to and the former student, who called himself a death eater, took him by port-key to the place where the meetings of Voldemort's followers took place.

They arrived early and Severus was able to observe as the other followers arrived. Each of them wore their black robes and ivory masks with a pride that frightened him. Their masks glowed in the torch light as though they were alive and he realized that what he was attempting to join was something very dangerous and evil. It would be a force that would change the face of the wizarding world.

Suddenly there was a final crack as a hooded figure appeared. All the men around him immediately fell to their knees and Severus joined them in revering the figure. The amount of power that Severus could feel coming from the man was enormous and he felt himself admiring the sheer amount of power that the stranger possessed. It was awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time and he could not believe that he was in such a man's presence.

The meeting proceeded in what he assumed was a normal fashion and then the man, Voldemort, called for all new hopefuls to step forward and state why they wished to join his forces. When it was Severus' turn his reason was simple. He wanted revenge against his father and against Potter and Black for humiliating him.

The figure had laughed quietly and told him that his revenge would be his if he agreed to take the mark. He had hesitated for only a second, was he really ready to simply hand over his life like this? The decision was made for him when a bound figure was thrown at his feet. A quick glance revealed that the figure was his father.

"Pledge yourself to me and his life is yours to do as you please with."

Those simple words were all it took and he eagerly bared his forearm for the man to mark. What followed was a blood bath as he allowed all of his pent up anger to be unleashed on a terrified man. He did things that he never would have considered doing at any other point in his life and all because he had suppressed his pain and fear for so long.

When he apparated outside the Hogwarts grounds hours later he was still covered in the man's blood and he was haunted by the screams of a man who had died simply because he had defied forces that he could have never understood. It was there on the edge of the Forbidden Forest that Severus realized exactly what he had done that night.

He had allowed himself to become no better then his father. He had done the one thing he had promised never do and he had sunk to the man's level of playing cruel games with a captive audience. The fact that he had become just like his father destroyed what little amount of self respect that he had built for himself.

It was there, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest that he finally broke down and cried honest tears for the first time in over a year. His innocence had been shattered by his father but he had shattered his own humanity in one fell swoop. He realized exactly what he had given up by allowing himself to be branded and he realized just what the brand on his arm meant.

It was a badge of death and he knew that for as long as he lived more would die if he continued to wear the mark. It was a binding contract though. He was permanently bonded to his new master and only death would break the bond that they now shared. The reality was that only by his death would he manage to safe the innocent lives of a thousand faces.

With his mind made up he made his way back into the castle. When he entered Slughorn's apartments he was glad to see that the man had not decided to wait up for him. He made his way to his room and got his CD player before returning to the main room to wait.

Slughorn found him there the next morning. The image of the boy frightened him. Slughorn had never seen Severus look so serious and so emotionally detached. The loud rock music that played in the background provided a haunting soundtrack that only served to accentuate Severus' words.

"I joined Voldemort last night." The quiet dead voice fell on Slughorn's ears like a sledgehammer and he watched in growing horror as Severus rolled up the sleeve of his robe to reveal that mark that was burned into his flesh.

"He gave me my father and I killed him for everything he had done to me. I hate myself." Throughout his whole speech there wasn't a flicker of emotion and Slughorn marveled at the changes that had occurred in his apprentice in such a short time.

"I just wanted to say good bye. You were the only one to ever treat me with any respect and I just wanted to let you know how much it meant to me that you actually cared." Slughorn watched in shock as Severus slowly removed his wand from its holster and held the slim wooden shaft to his throat.

"I have to die so I won't kill any others. As long as I remain bonded to him I'll kill again and I can't allow myself to do that. One life is worth a thousand others." He fell silent and the only sound was the blaring of Severus' CD player. The song had switched as he spoke and the haunting melody and words of a truly sad song hung in the air.

"I don't think you trust,

In my, self righteous suicide,

I, cry, when angels deserve to die.

The haunting song continued and Severus tightened his grip on his wand.

"Goodbye professor." Slughorn moved forward to stop him but the words were already out of his mouth before he could take a single step.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Trust in my self righteous suicide,

I cry when angels deserve to die

In my self righteous suicide

I cry when angels deserve to die."

The song's melody slowly ended as Horace Slughorn ran over to the boy that was now slumped on his couch. It simply wasn't fair that one had chosen to end his life for the sake of unknown others. To save the the lives of a thousand unknown faces.

For some strange reason however it felt right. It felt right because the boy who had never found peace in his life had finally found peace in his own self righteous suicide. The words of the song haunted Horace Slughorn as he held the boy he had considered a son to his chest and wept tears that he had not wept in years.

When the body in his arms finally grew cold he lowered Severus back onto the couch and went into his study where he opened the locked drawer of his desk. He removed a perfectly preserved sheet of parchment from inside and slowly signed his name at the bottom. The letter was his resignation letter. He had not planned to use it for a couple years but somehow the thought of teaching any other students seemed inappropriate. This would be his tribute to a child who had given his life to save a thousand unknown faces.

The song lyrics come from "Chop Suey!" by System of a Down. The last part of the last chapter is made far more powerful by actually listening to the song when you read it.

I in NO way condone suicide. It is now said and made very very clear thatsuicideis an answer to NOTHING. I'm not suicidal so don't get that idea from my writing.

Please review and no flames please.