"NO!"

Bellatrix Lestrange clawed at her thick black hair, her face twisted with anger and humiliation. "This cannot be happening!"

"Temper, temper," Snape drawled, "The Dark Lord is already displeased with you. He wouldn't want to see you in a fit like this."

"Oh, shut up!"

Bellatrix picked up a rock off the floor and hurled it at Snape, who sent it flying sideways with a lazy flick of his wand. She seethed inwardly, looking at his calm.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she cursed at him, "You knew he would fail!"

"Of course he was going to fail," Snape replied snidely, "He's seventeen years old. He's very devoted to his mother. I knew once he saw her, he'd never be able to carry it out. I'm not surprised, however, at your blind faith in the loyalty of your family. One by one, they fail every mission they're given – "

"Not me!" Bellatrix shouted, "I alone have remained faithful!"

"So you have," Snape replied graciously, "Unfortunately, the Dark Lord seems to have tired of your excuses."

Bellatrix's eyes blazed.

"Tired of my excuses? I have fallen from favor?"

"So it would seem."

She shook her head.

"I won't let it happen – I just won't. There has to be a way to take care of this problem – to show the Dark Lord that I'm still his most loyal servant, no matter what my family is like."

She bit one ragged fingernail and stared out of the window pensively.

Inwardly, Snape breathed a sigh of relief. So Draco was safe, then. And so was Narcissa. He knew that, sooner or later, the Dark Lord would send someone after them, to finish them off. He figured that, when the time came, he would be the one to do so – and he could figure out where to go from there.

Snape had never quite forgiven himself for telling the secret behind Narcissa Black's engagement to Remus Lupin to her fiancé, Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa had always been a decent sort of girl – too quiet to be hurtful, like so many of the other students were. He'd really liked her, as a friend, for the first six years they'd attended Hogwarts.

And then she became friends with Lily Evans!

Snape's face burned just thinking about it.

His very first evening at Hogwarts had been cold and rainy. He'd arrived soaking wet, shorter than most of the other boys in his year, with no friends to stand with during the Sorting Ceremony. He'd been unpopular in grammar school, and as he walked in, he could hear the whispers of the other children around him, whom he'd known since kindergarten:

"Watch it, there – that's Snivellus Snape." "He's only half-blood, they say."

Snape's pride had been hurt. His mother, who had always prided herself on her bloodline, who had been so plain-looking that no pureblood family would have her, had always told Severus not to worry – he was so talented, nobody would notice that he wasn't pure-blood. But it was too late – the other children knew it, and would be cruel enough to bring it up in public. His face was hot with humiliation.

As he filed in, he saw two boys standing close to him. One was tall for his age, with shaggy hair and bright brown eyes, and a laughing face. The other was much shorter, almost stunted, with jet-black, messy hair, and huge hazel eyes. They were laughing and talking, not at all nervous, but excited to be there.

He wanted so badly to talk to them. Maybe they would speak to him. Maybe – they would be his friends?

But the sorting hat called out one of their names almost immediately.

"Black, Sirius!"

The tall boy with the shaggy hair winked at his compatriot and swaggered up to the stool. The Sorting Hat was dropped onto his head and shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Everyone applauded, and the boy jumped off the stool and hurried over to the Gryffindor table.

Snape kept his eye on the other boy as the ceremony continued. But he did not so much as glance Snape's way. He kept his eyes on the tables around him, at the teachers, at the girls in their year, at anything but Snape. It was almost as if he was avoiding him. Finally, Snape reached out to pull on his sleeve, to get his attention. But before he could touch him, the boy whirled on him, saying loudly:

"You have a problem, slimy?"

McGonagall's voice died away. The other children turned around and started staring at them – staring at the short boy with black hair and Snape. Snape felt his face go even redder at the sound of muffled laughter.

McGonagall gave them both a nasty look.

"Potter, James!" she called out.

The boy shot Snape a disgusted look, then mounted the platform. Within seconds, the hat sent him to Gryffindor amidst cheers. He sauntered off and sat down next to Sirius Black, who gave him a high-five. Snape watched as James Potter whispered something in Sirius' ear. Sirius looked revolted and then cast a glance around, looking for Snape. Snape shrunk down behind a tall blonde girl, hoping nobody could see him.

But then, McGonagall shouted.

"Snape, Severus!"

Everyone started tittering again. His ears flaming, Snape slunk towards the stage, mounted it, and sat down with a thump into the chair. The hat was dropped over his eyes. He couldn't hear what it was saying; his heart was pounding too loudly. Finally, he heard the shout of "SLYTHERIN!" He ripped the hat off, tossed it onto the chair, and hurtled towards the Slytherin table, where everybody gave him plenty of room.

He escaped as soon as the Sorting Ceremony was over, saying he had to go to the bathroom. He hid in the boys' room until he could hear the other children leaving for bed. As he slipped, unobserved, into the hallway, he heard a familiar voice:

"I guess what my dad said about the feasts was true, then. That was excellent."

James Potter! Snape burned with the desire to get back at him for publicly humiliating him. He hugged the wall and followed the voice.

He could hear an unfamiliar voice now, "What the hell happened with that Slytherin kid, James? What were you doing to him?"

A short laugh, "I think he wanted to be friends with me. Slimy beast of a kid, wasn't he? Looked as if he hadn't washed his hair in years. I took no notice of him, but he kept staring at me. Thought he could do with a come-down."

James sounded PLEASED with himself!

Snape had heard enough. He took his wand out of his pocket, aimed it at James' back, and whispered, "RICTUSEMPRA!"

Silver shot from Snape's wand. But he misaimed – it hit Sirius Black in the back instead. Sirius shouted and doubled over, wheezing and coughing. James whirled around. His eyes met Snape's.

"You!" he shouted, "I'll get you for that!"

Snape shoved his wand in his pocket and bolted down the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him.

Such was the beginning of their school years of out-and-out hatred. Sometimes Snape had the upper hand, and sometimes James did, but they always fought, whenever they saw each other. Snape became one of the outcasts of the school – his only friends were members of Lucius Malfoy's group, who were all a few good years older than he was. But James – good-looking, smart, and talented at Quidditch – became one of the most popular boys in school.

But fifth year was where things went from bad to worse.

Ever since she had set foot at Hogwarts, Lily Evans had been one of the prettiest girls in the school. She was almost as pretty as Narcissa Black, who was in her year, but who was off-limits, since she was betrothed to Lucius Malfoy. Lily, with her long red hair and sparkly green eyes – the most beautiful, entrancing eyes he'd ever seen - simply captivated Snape, and anyone else who noticed her.

Snape was far too shy to do anything about his feelings. Lily was in Gryffindor, which meant that she probably hung around with gits like James Potter and Sirius Black, and their friends. The whole situation was hopeless.

Nevertheless, he allowed his imagination to run wild, as he imagined taking walks with Lily on the grounds, or visiting Hogsmeade with her. Of course, they were only fantasies – he didn't REALLY think she'd ever give him the time of day. But, in a blast of insane recklessness, Snape anonymously sent Lily some roses for Valentine's Day.

Later that day, he saw her in the Great Hall, but she wasn't carrying the flowers. He saw James Potter and Sirius Black sit down across from her.

"Who is your Valentine, Evans?" James asked carelessly.

"Nobody," she replied coolly.

"I heard you got some flowers sent to your room," Sirius teased, "Who were they from?"

"They were anonymous, if it's all the same to you!"

"Anonymous, eh?" James sneered, "You're not going to believe this, Evans, but I saw Snivellus Snape at the flower shop in Hogsmeade, yesterday!"

Snape's insides had turned to water. He lifted up the book he was reading over dinner, so nobody would see him.

But over the top of it, he saw Lily Evans look over at him and give him a sad expression – of pity.

Pity!

Snape's insides had roared. God DAMN Lily Evans! He didn't need her pity! And he would get James Potter back for that if it was the last thing he ever did!

It was bad enough to be silently rejected by Lily. But two years later, when she'd started dating James Potter – that had been the last straw. His rage had known no boundaries.

He'd taken it out on Narcissa. He'd told Lucius Malfoy about her and Remus Lupin. To be fair, it wasn't all his doing – Lucius had asked him to "keep an eye" on Narcissa all along. But he'd done it – he'd told Lucius, fully knowing how much it would hurt Narcissa in the end.

The last time he'd seen her – the night she'd left Hogwarts – her pretty face had been swollen and tear-stained. Good, he'd thought savagely. She deserves this.

It wasn't until years later that he realized that she hadn't deserved it – any of it.

But by that time, there was no way to make it up to her.

Until the Dark Lord had announced that Draco must kill Narcissa. Snape found his way of repaying her. He would keep her safe. Somehow.

"I'll do it."

Snape broke free from his reverie. "What?"

"I'll take care of them," she announced. "I won't even tell the Dark Lord what I'm doing. I'll take care of Narcissa and Draco and the werewolf, too."

Snape's eyes widened.

"What about Potter?" he demanded, "Are you going to kill him, too?"

Her eyes blazed with insane zeal, "Why not? I'm more than a match for him. I can finish him off – it will be the perfect display of devotion."

She stuck her wand in her pocket and swirled her dark cloak over her shoulders. Snape hurried after her.

"Bellatrix, you may want to think about this for a moment – you're not in your right mind."

"I'm perfectly capable of what I'm going to do, Snape," Bellatrix scoffed, "You think I haven't murdered anyone before?"

"She's your own sister!"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning – you might not be – emotionally prepared, for the task."

Bellatrix smiled, "Oh, I think I'll be all right. Anyway, just to be safe, I'll get in a practice round – and I'll take an old friend with me."