Bitterly Unrequited

Chapter 3 - The Half-Blood Prince

Spoilers and warnings: This story is full of OotP and HBP spoilers. Just to let you know. This story is very angsty and quite dark, and it does contain suicide attempts, self-abuse, and eventually murder. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, etc. No profit is made, and so on...

The end of the term seemed to go by more slowly than it ever had before. The fights between Severus and Potter's gang were more constant and often, oftentimes resulting in Potter and Black receiving detentions and Severus slithering his way out of trouble. He watched from the sidelines as Lily and James began dating in the last two weeks of the term, which made him even more willing than ever to hex Potter whenever he came within sight. The thoughts, regrets, and bitterness that followed Lily's rejection of him built up day by day, always growing stronger, taking over him...

It was the last week of school when Severus first seemed to truly meet Lucius Malfoy. Of course, he had noticed Malfoy before then - he was tall, gracefully, rich, popular, and the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, but Snape had never met him - Lucius was two years his senior and too popular to be seen with such an outcast as Severus.

But the last Monday of the year, everything changed. Snape and Potter had, as usual, been dueling in the corridors, and Lucius happened to be walking by on his way to the Great Hall. Severus had obviously caught James at a bad time - he had no Sirius, Peter or Remus to back him up, and it soon became apparent that the Slytherin had been practicing quite a bit since their last big encounter. Potter was practically at his mercy - he never was the greatest at defending himself from the Dark Arts, and his precious Transfiguration spells were of little use to him now. Snape also had the advantage of being a master of non-verbal spells, so his opponent didn't know how to block him most accurately.

Lucius stayed and watched the Gryffindor practically be cursed into a pulp, an amused smirk on his fair, pale face. When Snape performed the Sectumsempra spell on his enemy, Malfoy looked at him with a newfound respect and renewed interest. He knew then that this boy before him needed to be introduced to his...group of friends.

Later in the Slytherin Common Room, Malfoy approached him. "Snape, isn't it?" he asked casually, offering a pale, slender hand.

"Yes, Severus Snape," he replied, shaking his hand.

"Malfoy - Lucius Malfoy. I wondered if I may have a word with you, privately?"

Snape followed him up to the Seventh Year boys dormitory, feeling apprehensive and excited. They entered the dormitory, and Lucius threw himself carelessly into a chair beside his bed, motioning for Severus to do the same. "Now, you may wonder why I've brought you here, what I couldn't say to you in front of eveyone else." His voice was cool and drawling, the passion and intensity hidden beneath his nonchalant tone. "I saw you today, dueling with that Gryffindor idiot Potter."

"Yes...what about it?" he asked defensively.

"I was quite impressed," he said simply. Severus was taken aback - praise was a new concept for him. "You obviously have a large amount of knowledge of spells, and also apparent intuition and creativity. There was one spell you used," he continued, looking thoughtfully at Snape, "that I did not recognize the outcome of it...what was it?"

Severus looked at him, untrustingly for a moment, then murmered grudgingly, "Sectumsempra."

The older boy's brow furrowed. "I've never heard of it, and I must admit that I do know quite a bit of the...darker spells...where did you learn it?"

"I created it."

The other boy's eyes widened. "You created it? As a fifth year - you created your own working, legitiment spell?"

"Actually," he said quietly, "I created it two years ago...I perfected it last year...it works well."

"A thirteen-year-old wizard creating a spell like that," he said, sounding a little amazed. "I won't deny it - that shows truly exception talent. When I saw you dueling, I know that there was something unique about you...you are quite the genius, aren't you? Are you Pureblood?" he asked unexpectedly.

Severus was a bit taken aback by the question, and hated hearing his own answer. "Half," he replied bitterly. "My dear mum decided to ruin her bloodline with that Muggle I venture to call my father."

"Ah, I see," replied the other softly. "I take it, then, your mother was a Pureblood?"

"Yes."

"Her surname?"

"Prince." Here he lifted his head a little higher, obviously proud of his ancestry on his mother's side.

"Prince...I've heard the name. Formerly quite a predominant wizarding family, I believe. So really, you're the last in the line of Princes, in a way. The...Half-Blood Prince, if you will."

Severus felt a proud grin cross his face. The name was undeniably appealing.

"The reason I asked," continued Malfoy, "is because I would like to introduce you to some of my...friends. Normally we only accept the purest bloodlines, but I think they'd be willing to make an exception for you, with my recomendation, of course. After all, they say even our leader was Half-Blood - Muggle father and Pureblood mother."

"Who is the leader?" he asked, instantly curious.

"Surely, Snape, you have heard of him...his name is Lord Voldemort, though we call him the Dark Lord." He paused, smirking at the look of surprised shock on the other's face. "You have heard of him, I take it. You have undoubtably heard that he is 'evil.' One thing that the Dark Lord has taught me, Snape - good and evil are merely figments of idealists' imaginations - they do not exist in cold reality. The only thing that truly exists is power. And the Dark Lord has power...more than you've ever dreamed - power to spare, power that will be given to those he trusts...

"I have watched you from time to time over the years, Snape, and I see your lust for Power. Power will be granted to those who sere him...power to defeat your enemies, power to prove the world wrong...even, perhaps, power to gain the one you love."

Images of Lily swam before his eyes...if this master could gain him the woman he loved, then he would be willing to do whatever it took...Malfoy posed his quesiton, "What do you say, Snape?"

He paused, the thoughts of Lily and making her completely his still raging in his mind, and replied, "The Dark Lord has the service of...of the Half-Blood Prince."