Disclaimer:  They aren't mine.  Not now…not ever.  Anything recognizable belongs to JKR and Company.  Anything else is simply me having a bit of fun!

A Tense Situation

~Chapter One~

Albus Dumbledore sighed heavily as he removed his half moon spectacles and rubbed his weary eyes.  How he hated sending his friend and colleague into such a dangerous situation! The reality that he may have just seen Severus Snape for the last time wasn't lost upon him and it was yet another item to add to his already overly burdened conscience.

He frowned as he studied the lenses in his spectacles and noticed the slight spattering of dust particles that rested quietly on the surface.  Lifting wrinkled fingers, he softly grasped a small portion of his brocade-encrusted robes and gently dabbed at the lenses until the dust was no more.  'Funny how you don't seem to notice something so small when it sits so very close before your eyes,' he mused and sighed yet again as he realized what an accurate depiction of life in general his little thought offered. 

Absently stroking the fiery plumage of the proud Phoenix resting quietly on its perch, the Headmaster thought back to the days when Voldemort had attended Hogwarts.  'Of course he was Tom Riddle then…' Still, he wondered if there might not have been something he could have said or done to change the eventual path of destruction on which the young man would soon embark.  He remembered the anger that always seemed to lurk behind the eyes of the Slytherin and the ease in which the boy used his charm and natural ability with words to persuade others to do his bidding.  'Perhaps if I had taken more time, directed his interests to more worthwhile pursuits…' He shook his head sadly, knowing that it was far too late for recriminations and thoughts of what might have been.  The truth of the matter was that the young boy that was once Tom Riddle had enjoyed the darker side of life just as the adult that had become Voldemort enjoyed it now.  The Headmaster only hoped that Severus would be able to counter whatever had happened to raise such unexpected anger in the former student, without it costing the Potions Master his life. 

The elderly Wizard's thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise just outside the entrance to his office. Faster than he could have said 'Fizzing Whizbees' the lanky form of Ronald Weasley came bursting through the door followed by a very aggravated looking Minerva McGonagall.

"Prof…Professor Dumbledore," the red haired Gryffindor panted, clearly out of breath as a result of his haste to reach the Headmaster. "Harry… common room… scar… hurting… passed out… have to come… quickly..."

The Deputy Headmistress' eyes widened upon hearing the boy's disjointed explanation and she looked to the Headmaster in concern. She had been dismayed by Ron's behavior just moments before when the youngster ran past her in the hallway and had failed to either slow down or offer an explanation for his uncharacteristic display. Unhappy with the concept of being ignored and determined to deduct house points as a result of such an obvious disregard for school rules, she had hastily followed. It was with more than a little trepidation that she ascended the staircase to the Headmaster's office after realizing young Mr. Weasley's true destination.

"Mr. Weasley…" she began but was quickly hushed as Dumbledore raised his arm in a gesture that clearly signaled his desire for silence. 

"Please, Mr. Weasley, take a moment to catch your breath so that we may understand what has taken place that has so obviously unsettled you," the Headmaster told the boy in a calm yet authoritative tone of voice.

Ron managed a quick nod and allowed himself a brief moment of rest as his lungs gratefully took in several large bursts of air.  Although his recent years of Quidditch training had conditioned his body to vigorous activity, it still was not accustomed to sprints through the corridors of Hogwarts at breakneck speeds.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was actually less than a minute, he looked at the Headmaster and delivered his message.

"Professor Dumbledore, it's Harry," he began and the earnestness of his voice left no doubt in either adult's mind as to the sincerity or the concern the young man was feeling at the moment.  "We were talking in the Common Room and all of a sudden he grasped his head and fell over in pain. His scar is really red and we were going to take him to Madam Pomfrey but he wouldn't let us.  He told us that You-Know-Who was really angry but he didn't know why.  Hermione's with him now because he passed out."

"Oh my!" Minerva gasped. Not bothering to wait for any further explanations, the Head of Gryffindor turned and determinedly made her way to the door, intent on reaching her ailing student and rendering aid.

"Oh my indeed," Dumbledore agreed quietly, instinctively knowing that Harry's sudden predicament was directly related to the Potion Master's recent summons.  It was with a heavy heart that the worried man followed his student and Deputy Headmistress to the Gryffindor Common Room displaying a level of speed and agility that some would consider surprising in a Wizard his age.       

/^\^/^\^/^\

It was dark inside the tiny room Severus had Apparated into, with the exception of one corner bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight.  Allowing his eyes a moment to adjust, he looked up to see the Dark Lord sitting on a grotesque throne-like chair made of stone.  Each arm of the chair boasted a three-dimensional image of a single skull on which Voldemort's skeleton-like hands calmly rested.  Coiled around and through the skulls in various positions were several species of snakes, their eyes inlaid with blood red gemstones that glowed in the dim lighting.  Overall it was a macabre piece of 'artwork' and an even more garish, not to mention disturbing, sight to behold.  Snape was unable to halt the momentary shiver that ran throughout his body and prayed to Merlin that Voldemort's mood wasn't as daunting as this particular display.  Given the events of the afternoon and the previous evening, he sincerely doubted his prayer would be answered.

Strengthening his resolve and having seen upon more than one occasion Voldemort's impatience at displays of timidity, he quickly walked toward his Master and knelt reverently at his feet. Bowing his head in a display of submission, he lifted the hem of the Dark Lord's robes and placed a kiss at its very edge.

"What is your bidding, Master?" he asked, projecting a level of confidence into his words that he certainly did not feel. 

"Ah, Severus," the snake-like figure hissed. "You are one of my most loyal Death Eaters, are you not?"

Snape bowed his head even lower, feeling a quick 'pop' in the back of his neck as his joints and muscles protested such movement so soon after the torture he had been dealt the previous evening.  "I am loyal to only you, Master," he answered humbly, though the mask he wore muffled his words ever so slightly.

"As you should be," Voldemort hissed and rose from the throne to stand directly behind the kneeling man. 

Snape suddenly felt a sharp pain as Voldemort's foot connected with the base of his spine.  The force of the kick was unexpected and he struggled to maintain an upright position as he bit back the cry of pain that threatened to escape his lips. It was mere seconds before an even more intense pain wracked his body and he found himself sprawled helplessly on the floor valiantly trying to resist the urge to cry out and curl up into a fetal position.  Once again, the Dark Lord had cast Cruciatus.

"Severus my boy I do hate doing such wretched things to those who serve me," Voldemort mocked as he calmly returned to his throne.  "But for those of my servants who would betray me…"

"I am loyal to no one but you, Master," the writhing man reiterated, gasping as yet another intense wave of pain shot through his slender body. It was a bad sign when Voldemort adopted a 'concerned and caring' tone of voice and it was during such times that the Potions Master had learned to be on his strictest guard.  Years of proximity had taught him to recognize Voldemort's various methods for extracting information and the 'fatherly' approach was an effective form of deception as it hid the true malice behind the snake-like creature's actions. 

"So you have said upon many occasions," the Dark Lord spat contemptuously.  "However, it has recently been brought to my attention that you have bestowed your loyalties upon that doddering old fool of a Headmaster and his precious Order of the Phoenix.  Tell me Severus, is this true?"

"No, Master," Snape protested.  It was then that he sensed the unknown presence standing in the background.  The person wore concealing robes though they were not the garments of the Death Eaters. He had just enough time for his subconscious to recognize a fleeting familiarity about the person though under the circumstances he couldn't fathom what that might be. "I pretend to serve Dumbledore to obtain information for you and no one else, My Lord." 

"And what of the Order of the Phoenix? Where do they meet?" Voldemort demanded.

"As I have said before I do not know, Master," Snape gasped, wondering how much longer he would be able to hold out against such pain.  Briefly he longed for the serenity of unconsciousness but knew with absolute certainty that the Dark Lord would merely revive him and continue the interrogation. "I have only been there a few times and Dumbledore Apparated us directly.  The location was never revealed to me and I saw only a handful of people."

Several moments passed in silence as Voldemort contemplated Snape's words. "Finite Incantatum," the reptilian-like voice finally hissed as he lifted the curse from the writhing Potions Master. "Severus, I have a new spy that would have me believe that your stories are mere lies. Imagine my dismay in learning of such treachery and deceit in one I have considered loyal to me for so many years."

"I have not deceived you, Master.  You have seen into my mind and you know that I have spoken nothing but the truth," Snape insisted, wondering at the identity of this unknown spy.

"Ah yes, my use of Legilimens," Voldemort acknowledged thoughtfully. "It is true that I have not detected any signs of deceit from you, Severus.  However, you are a powerful Wizard in your own right and while it is unlikely that you would be able to resist my superior abilities, it is possible that you may have found a way to counteract my methods."

"I have not nor would I be foolish enough to attempt to toy with you like that, " Snape answered, rising unsteadily to his feet to stand quietly before the Dark Lord.  "You may look into my mind now and see for yourself that I still speak the truth, Master."

"I do not need your permission!" Voldemort snapped.  His eyes narrowed as he looked at the unnamed figure cowering behind him and then back to the Potions Master. Speaking in a softer tone of voice, he directed his next words toward Snape.

"Legilimens will not be necessary this time as I have devised a much better way in which you may prove your unswerving loyalty to me," the snake-like creature hissed and Snape was appalled to see a sinister smile grace the corners of the Dark Lord's mouth.  Severus had seen that smile before and a shudder ran through his body once again that had nothing to do with the recently cast Unforgivable.  

"Anything, Master," the Potions Master replied with a deep bowing of his head.

"Let us see if you still say that once you have heard my demands," the Dark Lord hissed, angrily pushing aside the urge to inflict permanent damage upon the dark haired man. "I want Harry Potter…"

"But, Master…" Snape sputtered, thinking frantically how he could prove his loyalty and still protect Potter.

"Do not interrupt me!" Voldemort commanded.  "I realize that Harry Potter is protected by that meddling old fool while he resides at Hogwarts.  I know that Dumbledore has cast various protection spells on the boy that prevents you from unobtrusively removing him from the grounds and bringing him directly to me."

Severus breathed a momentary sigh of relief as he listened to Voldemort speak.  Unfortunately this newfound feeling of relief was but fleeting as the Dark Lord continued to outline the details of his plan.

"While we are not ready to wage a full fledged attack against the meddlesome brat as of yet, we can break his spirit or at least dampen it a little," Voldemort said, a twisted smile playing about his almost translucent lips as he thought about bringing the Boy-Who-Lived to his knees once and for all. Turning his attention back to the man who stood before him, he continued.  "Do you have any idea how we are going to accomplish this, Severus?"

"No, Master," Snape replied now undeniably certain that he would not like the answer that was so obviously forthcoming.

"By depriving Potter of that which means the most to him," Voldemort cackled, obviously delighted with his plan to cause Harry Potter pain.  "Severus, you will prove your loyalty to me once and for all by bringing me that which means the most to him by the end of this week."

"Master, I cannot bring Dumbledore here," Severus protested in an attempt to stall for time so that he might find a way to dissuade the Dark Lord from this particular path. "The old fool would never fall for it."

"Not Dumbledore!" Voldemort hissed, angrily slamming his hand down on the arm of his chair. The red eyes of the serpents sculpted on the arms of the throne seemed to glow brighter in response to the Dark Lord's increasing anger.  "Though that is a nice thought…"

"Then what am I to bring you, Master?" Snape asked, still playing the part of the obedient Death Eater.  He was almost certain that he knew what the Dark Lord was about to demand of him and he hoped with every fiber in his body that, in this particular instance, he was wrong.

"Not what, Severus… who," the snake-like figure replied softly with a cackle that would have terrified the bravest of men.  "By the end of the week you will prove your loyalty by presenting me with his two closest friends. Come this Saturday, by no later than midnight, you must bring before me, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger or you will suffer the consequences personally."

/^\^/^\^/^\

TBC

Author's Note:  My many thanks to OzRatBag2 for taking the time to beta this chapter and lend her talents and insights.   I would also like to say a quick thank you to those of you who reviewed the Prologue.  Hopefully, you've enjoyed this chapter as well.. 

~Jules