Chapter 2 Decent into Darkness.
Fighting back her fear, Raven quickly composed herself. Thorne... get ready, she sent out, as she walked boldly towards Voldemort.
"You won't stop us from closing this rip," she hissed softly, venom dripping from every word.
Voldemort raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ah... you think to thwart my plans..." the dark wizard chuckled. "No matter... You won't be around long enough do anything about it..."
Masked Death Eaters appeared out of the thick of the forest, their wands trained on Deanna and Raven -- they were outnumbered three to one.
Voldemort's gaze turned to Deanna. "You were here before... It would have been wiser to stay out of the Dark Lord's way... Or have you come for revenge?" He snorted derisively, "How… predictable."
The Death Eaters closed in on the two, and Raven realized they were being pushed towards the swirling mass. Quickly and quietly, Raven muttered a charm under her breath.
As they faced off, a green light sparked just inches from Voldemort's head.
"Run!"
Both of them looked around for the source of the voice, but Thorne returned it with a snarling force.
RUN NOW!
Thorne bulldozed through the phalanx of Death Eaters.
Without further prompting, Deanna and Raven ran towards the black swirling mass. Voldemort saw this and raised his wand, but he was prevented by 600 pounds of coiled muscle wrapped in midnight fur. Thorne had taken his true form and had plowed right through Voldemort with the force of a freight train. His wand had been knocked from his hand and sent tumbling into the forest.
Thorne kept running, passing Raven, who easily grabbed onto the scruff of his neck and mounted his back as if he were a horse. As they followed through the door, Raven called out, "We will close this door. Voldemort, and we'll be back to send you to join my father in Hell!"
Blackness swirled around Raven as she was carried through the portal. She felt as if her body was being ripped to shreds and melted back together again. Suddenly the shredding and melting stopped and Thorne skidded to an immediate stop, as Raven hopped off his back.
She muttered incomprehensible words in a strained voice, slicing her hand with a knife and marking the stone archway with blood. The portal was instantly covered with the same writhing black mass that had previously blocked their path from the other side, "That should keep them from re-entering here again." Raven stood back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Thorne brushed up against her and licked the wound on her hand. After a few swipes of his tongue the gash had closed completely, without even leaving a scar behind.
look what the cat dragged in. Entwined in one of Thorne's serpentine tails was the haggard form of Severus Snape.
"It's you!" Deanna drew her wand, "I thought you had the looks of a Death Eater!"
"If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead by now." Snape growled as Thorne set him down like a toy soldier. In a flash Snape had out his own wand.
"Just stop it, you two!" Raven growled to herself, her hand pressed to her temple, as a migraine was beginning to form. "That was the easy part..." she said softly, "We now have a long way to go, getting in was fairly simple, but getting out…."
"Where are we?" Snape asked. Raven looked around the room that the portal had deposited them in. It looked vaguely familiar.
Do you remember this? she asked Thorne.
yes.. and we should all go back now... he hissed uncomfortably, you're in no shape to deal with what's to come...
I have to... It was my bright idea to drag us in here anyways, she replied tiredly.
"Where are we?" Snape repeated. "And how do we get back?"
"We're in an alternate dimension... Not sure where exactly in the dimension we are... I was pretty incoherent the last time I was here," Raven replied as she leaned heavily against Thorn's leg. "As for getting out... Well, we definitely can't go out the way we came in... Otherwise we'll be attacked by Death Eaters."
Silence settled over the group before Snape finally spoke again.
"Uh... Is that -- that isn't your cat, is it?" he asked suddenly, eyeing the large feline with a mixture of fear and awe.
"Yeah, this is Thorne... He's... Hard to explain. He's part of a native and dominate species in this dimension called Draven cats." She pushed herself off of Thorne's shoulder and made her way to the back of the chamber where a doorway stood.
The archway was covered strange script and it led out into a miasma of darkness. Thorne followed her, scanning the arcane signs with mild interest.
Can you help me with this? she sent to him.
Thorne nodded, and scanned the carvings, his large eyes narrowing in thought.
"What does it say?" came Snape's voice from right behind them. Raven jumped a little, startled.
"I... umm, Thorne's helping me translate..."
The Draven eyed the Potions Master critically for a moment.
it says that to get beyond this chamber to the outside we must face our worst fears, he hissed into everyone's minds.
Apprehension washed over Deanna's face. "Our worst fears... That shouldn't be too bad... Should it?"
Snape sneered at her slightly. "Love to see what yours is…" he muttered.
Deanna scowled but said nothing.
"Let's go. We don't have time for dallying about." Snape said before crossing the threshold, enveloped by darkness. Not to be outdone, Deana plunged right in after him, before Raven could stop them.
"Dammit!" she hissed as she smacked her hand into the door's archway before sliding her glove back on. Thorne shook his head before looking at her.
would have been easier if we had all gone in together, he rumbled, hope they haven't lost themselves in their fears...
Raven sighed and held onto Thorne's scruff, "Let's go... You can find them... right?" Thorne nodded, his tails twitching in agitation. Both of them stepped through the portal, Thorne leading the way.
Snape prepared himself for a werewolf attack as he stepped through the threshold. . .
And straight into Dumbledore's office.
He blinked, totally surprised by his surroundings. Dumbledore didn't look up, but Snape could tell he was not in a very good mood.
Dumbledore began, "Sit. Now." Yes, definitely not a good mood.
He took the chair as Dumbledore rose from his desk and paced the room. This was reminding Snape of something, although he couldn't quite place what it was. Dumbledore continued to pace in silence until Snape thought the headmaster had forgotten he was in the room.
"Do you need to speak with me, Headmaster? Or should I leave?" Finally, Dumbledore faced him and Snape's blood froze. Dumbledore's face was twisted into a look of such sadness that it made Snape want to disappear. He had seen that face on him only once before. It was the day Snape had confessed he was a Death Eater.
This face, however, seemed ten times worse.
"You cannot fathom how ashamed I am of you." Dumbledore began quietly, "I risked my life, my career, my respectability by taking you under my protection and this is how you repay my kindness?" It was merely a question. There was no anger in his voice, only deep disappointment. "I trusted you, Snape. I see now that I was wrong."
Snape. Dumbledore never called him just plain Snape. "Headmaster," Snape started, surprised by the quiver in his own voice, "if I may speak--"
"No, you may not. There is nothing left to say." Snape was totally unprepared for this. If only Dumbledore would become angry or yell or hex him or do anything but be disappointed in him. He swallowed and could feel a lump forming in his throat.
No. I am not going to cry. This is silly. It's not even real. It's not real. . . But his face still burned horribly.
"I'm afraid I no longer can allow you to stay at this school. You are hereby relieved of all your duties at Hogwarts. I'll ask you to never set foot on school grounds again."
"Albus!" Snape breathed, standing up.
"We are no longer on a first-name basis, Mr. Snape. I bid you good day. Please leave."
Raven and Thorne wandered through the swirling blackness. Thorne seemed to know where he was going as Raven held on tightly on to his scruff. She kept her eyes tightly shut, muttering to herself, "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real..." over and over again like a mantra.
raven... i found the professor.
She slowly opened her eyes, trying to keep her mind clear, her thoughts focused. She saw Snape and Albus... The look on Dumbledore's face... how many times had she been afraid to see that very expression? Especially after what she did, after what had happened? But no.. there were worse things to be afraid of.. The scenery began to waver slightly.
raven, Thorne hissed, focus...
She took a quavering breath, clearing her mind.. The scenery stilled and came into focus again. While still holding onto Thorne's scruff with a death grip, she made her way to stand behind Professor Snape. She placed a trembling hand on his shoulder.
"It... It's not real..." she whispered, her voice shaking, "Don't let it suck you in.."
"It... It's not real... Don't let it suck you in.."
Snape turned around sullenly. He could have sworn he heard something, but there was no one there. He took a deep breath and headed slowly for the door.
Severus' quarters had already been cleared of its contents. The house-elves must have done it. There was nothing left for him to do here. He wandered listlessly through the corridors for the last time and found himself in front of his office. He went inside. Everything was rearranged. The same, but different. He noticed several personal items on the desk and picked up a picture. James Potter was smiling and waving with one arm on Sirius' shoulder. On Sirius' other side, Lupin stood smiling and making multicolored sparks fly out of his wand at the camera.
The door opened and Snape quickly replaced the picture.
"You still here, vampire?" The new potions master spat. He couldn't believe who it was.
"Sirius! But you're. . .you can't. . ."
"I believe you are in my office...Snivellus."
"He gave you . . . but he. . .my job?"
"Dumbledore happens to think you're the one who caused my death. I think you should leave now. Or do you want me to call the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? I think he knows how to deal with vampires."
"Who's teaching the DADA?"
"Me." The door opened, it was Lupin.
"You!"
"I think you should go now Severus," Lupin tossed him a smug look, "we don't need your kind here."
"You should talk, Lupin!" He growled, clenching and unclenching his fists.
"We're lucky Harry enlightened us to what really happened with Sirius." Lupin said while Sirius pulled a small vial from his desk drawer, "I mean, I'd always known you were a slimy git, but I never figured you'd push someone into-"
"But I didn't. . ." Snape spluttered, "I was only... It is NOT my fault, Lupin! It was his own damn fault if he threw caution to the wind and charged into battle like a fool!"
"You're a much craftier Death Eater than the rest, Snivellus, I'll give you that," Sirius said, "All this time we thought you were just being an ass when really you were putting us through psychological torture."
"I'm not...I didn't! After I risked my life in the service of Dumbledore? Surely you're not serious Sirius! Lupin! You believe me don't you? Don't you"
Lupin wouldn't meet his eyes, disgusted.
"Now!" Sirius yelled suddenly. Before Snape could react, Lupin had pinned Snape's arms behind his back. He struggled, trying to get loose, but he held Snape fast by the shoulders as Sirius walked out from behind his desk holding the vial.
"What are you doing?"
"I was hoping you'd try this potion I cooked up, I got the recipe from one of your own journals" Sirius' eyes appeared slightly crazed. He uncorked the vial and advanced towards Snape, who knew on instinct which potion that was.
Snape began to panic and struggled wildly against Lupin's iron grip. The tears he had successfully fought to conceal while in Dumbledore's office spilled forth with an urgency he had never before experienced, "Lupin! Please! Let me go! Dammit Lupin! I'm innocent! I swear to God I'm not a Death Eater anymore!" The vial was shoved in his face and he clamped his mouth shut, wildly fighting against his bonds and the vial. Sirius grabbed his nose and twisted it. There was a sickening crunch and Snape couldn't help but yelp in surprise.
The liquid was forced into his mouth and he spit it out (In Sirius' face, to his satisfaction). He spluttered as the bitter residue of the liquid stung his throat and lungs. His lips became numb and his throat felt as though it were on pins and needles. Blood and tears flowed freely.
"Damn you!" He wheezed. Lupin finally released him and he fell to the floor. Severus felt his insides give a sickening squelch.
"Do you know what it's like falling through the Veil?" Sirius drawled, savoring each syllable, "I do."
Snape's throat felt raw and hot as it disintegrated. He was suffocating in his own fluids. He turned to Lupin, who looked quite sick to his stomach. His lungs screamed for air even as they began to break down. He ears rang and his stomach bloated as the gasses collected. In his mouth he tasted bile and blood and death. Blackness creped around the edges of his vision and he thought that death could not come soon enough.
