Crowds of people pushed and shoved, wanting to get home to their families. Groups of people were chattering about the Dark Lord. Everyone knew by now what he was about, and fear spread amongst all those who dared to enter such a topic of conversation. The most feared wizard in over a hundred years, he had already affected many of the families of Hogwarts students. While some students were swapping stories about their brave, surviving relatives who had had a close encounter (for only his Death Eaters actually encountered him and lived) with him or one of his Death Eaters, others were swapping sad stories about those they knew who had been killed at his hands.
There was one boy, however, who was not keen to leave Hogwarts for a completely different reason. He drooped behind the others, thinking over his past exams and sadly realising that he would never come back to Hogwarts as a student again. It seemed for this boy that all the fun and excitement of magic was over and now he had to enter the real world where magic was more a responsibility than a source of entertainment and interest.
Turning around, he stared at the place that had been his home for the past seven years. He tried to blink back tears, not wanting to give the dreaded James Potter another excuse to pick on him. He loved Hogwarts - however much he hated to admit it. But it was better than the alternative. His parents were now divorced and it appeared neither were interested in having him live with them.
In his hand, he clutched the letter his mother had sent him that morning, the letter that finalised everything and told him that his parents really did not care anymore. His father, once protective over him in such a way that he cursed anyone who harmed his beloved son; his mother who had once loved him so much that she had called him 'Sevvy' and molly-coddled him - neither wanted him anymore. He supposed he should have been grateful for the attention while it had lasted.
Looking down, he glanced at the letter once more before screwing it up and throwing it over his shoulder, causing it to land on a disgruntled Hufflepuff. But what did he care? Nothing would ever work out for him now, so why should he care if a ball of parchment hit some stupid Hufflepuff?
A friendly voice suddenly stood out against the mindless gossiping. "It's Severus isn't it?" the voice asked kindly. "Are you okay?"
Severus Snape looked up and saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her hair was midnight black, her eyes were sea blue, her skin was chalk white and her smile was more breathtaking than the sunrise. Many of the Slytherin boys at Hogwarts admired her - even boys from other houses liked her. She was the reason that Severus was still alive. He remembered that if had not been for her mere presence at Hogwarts, he would probably not have survived his parents' divorce. She was the most beautiful person he had ever met and he was utterly in love with her.
Yet, through the whole of Hogwarts, she had never shown an interest in him. She had been with others but never with him. She was out of his league. Everyone knew it. If James Potter had ever found out, he would have made Severus's life a living misery - teasing him. In fact, she had been one of James Potter's many conquests before the know-it-all, Lily Evans.
So, as Severus surveyed the girl of his dreams, he wondered why she was finally talking to him. And she knew his name! How? Since when? He didn't know she even knew he existed - despite being in the same classes, the same house and the same year.
Slowly, he nodded. "Yes. Thank you," he replied quietly.
She extended her hand, smiling. "I'm Ebony. Ebony Meliflua."
Ebony. It was the most beautiful name in Severus's opinion. It suited her dark appearance.
"H - hi," he breathed. "Yeah, I'm Ebony - I - I mean Severus." He felt himself flush - or flush as much as his naturally pale skin would allow him. He was so nervous around her, he found it hard it to talk.
She laughed sweetly. Her laugh was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. It was probably nicer than the sound of James Potter being tortured - though unfortunately he had never heard such a sound in order to be able to compare them.
A thought suddenly occurred to him. Would he ever see her again? The only time he had ever seen her out of Hogwarts was in Diagon Alley in their fifth year and that was only because he had been there every day - he had had to stay in the Leaky Cauldron when he had run away from home. His parents had argued so much that he had not been able to take it any longer. But what was he supposed to do now if he wanted to see her again? He could not hang around Diagon Alley every day of his life … unless he got a job there? No - that was ridiculous. Even if he did get a job in Diagon Alley, he would not see her as much as he wanted to.
"Well, I'd better go - it was nice talking to you though," she added.
Severus tried his best to smile and nod, though his head was swimming and his heart was beating faster than a racing broom. Then, he began to panic again. He had to tell her how he felt. Or at least say something that would mean she would keep in touch.
"E - E - Ebony?" he said nervously, quite an uncharacteristic emotion for him.
She turned around, still smiling that gorgeous smile of hers. How could he live without that smile?
"I - I - I like you," he said, cursing himself in his head at the same time for saying such a stupid thing. Surely there were other ways of keeping in touch?
"I know," she replied with a smile and a giggle that made Severus weak at the knees.
Then, turning around, she made her way down to the Hogwarts Express. He stared at her as she walked off towards Hogsmeade Station, gaping at her beauty. How did she know that he liked her? Was it that obvious? Or was it just that so many boys liked her, it was impossible for him not to like her?
Slowly, he followed, trembling as he walked. He kept his eyes on her as he walked, knowing that the minute he lost sight of her would be the last minute he ever laid eyes on her.
However, he had only just come out of the Hogwarts grounds when he bumped into someone. He began to get angry - people should watch where they were going. He looked up and saw Lily Evans, or Lily Potter, as she would soon be calling herself - rumour had it she and Potter were engaged.
He glared at her and made to continue but she stopped him.
"So, Severus, do you know what you're doing now we've left Hogwarts?" she asked him conversationally.
Severus looked around. There was no sign of Potter. He wondered where he was - the two were never far from each other so he knew he should get away from Evans as quickly as possible.
"Why should it interest you, Evans?" he spat, hoping she wouldn't detect the nervous tone in his voice, having not fully recovered from his encounter with Ebony.
Evans raised her eyebrows but continued. "I just wondered. I'm hoping to go into Auror Training - James and I both want to become Aurors."
"Ah, I see Potter is showing his heroic side, then?"
Sighing, Evans shook her head. "Well, you can't say I didn't try to be nice to you, Severus."
"Oh I see - Potter the hero and Evans the saint! What a couple the two of you make!" he mocked, "Now move out of my way, mudblood!" He pushed her out of his way as he stepped into Hogsmeade Station.
The station was packed and he could not see Ebony anywhere. He sighed. If he could not find which compartment she was in, it was almost definite that he would never see her again. How was he going to live without her? He hated every other human being on the planet except her. He had never ever felt this way about someone. Never before had he had a crush on someone - it took a lot to weaken the defences of Severus Snape - yet he could not recall ever being happier than when she was around.
"Hey, Snape!"
A rather annoying voice stole Severus' thoughts from Ebony. Turning, he saw the source of the voice and groaned: his fellow Slytherins, Rosier and Wilkes were walking a few paces behind him. Joined at the hip, the two were quite annoying: Rosier was tall and muscular with dark hair, a rather large chin that Severus would have loved to make fun of, had Rosier not been such a threat, and a rather annoying laugh that never failed to draw the attention of everyone around, while Wilkes was skinnier than Rosier, with dirty blonde hair and one eye smaller than the other due to a fight with a Ravenclaw in Potions and who never let Rosier out of his sight, for fear of being approached by an enemy, but Severus found he had no other friends.
"What?" he snapped, aware that Ebony was getting further and further away from him for every second he wasted.
Rosier glared. "You've got an attitude problem, Snape," he said angrily. "I'm not some arrogant Gryffindor, I'm a Slytherin and I'm supposed to be your friend! Where the hell do your loyalties lie?"
"With Slytherin," Snape huffed reluctantly.
Severus hated the way he was constantly questioned as to where his loyalties actually lay, simply because he didn't always see eye-to-eye with every member of his house and because he hadn't shown much of an interest in using the dark arts against anyone, other than James Potter of course.
"Good to hear it," Wilkes said cheerfully. "Well, in that case, we've got a proposition for you."
Wilkes turned to ensure that no one could hear before beckoning Severus to follow him and Rosier into a carriage full of Slytherins, including - Severus' heart performed somersaults inside him - Ebony. She was sitting next to the window, her dark hair cascading down her shoulders, a pretty smile on her face as she chatted animatedly to Rose Bullstrode.
Severus tried not to look at her, tried to act normal around her as he stepped into the carriage. Wilkes shut the compartment door behind him before sitting down.
It took Severus a while to realise that everyone had gathered here for a reason, and that some important meeting was about to take place, after catching sight of Ebony once more he had temporarily forgotten the proposition Wilkes had mentioned.
Narcissa Black and Rudis Avery seemed to be the ringleaders of the gathering, as was usual - it was common knowledge in Slytherin house that Narcissa was in a serious relationship with Lucius Malfoy, who had been at Hogwarts a few years ago and had joined The Dark Lord as soon as he had left, and that Avery himself was a loyal supporter of The Dark Lord. The Death Eaters were always in control when the Slytherins met up.
Once the train had begun to move, and after Avery had rudely slammed the compartment door in the face of the witch with the food trolley, Narcissa began to speak. Severus had always thought Narcissa quite beautiful with her long blonde hair and piercing stare, though never as stunning as Ebony, and as she spoke, she drew the attention of everyone in the carriage, as only she, her sisters, and Ebony could do. Severus was sure that he had heard once that Ebony was related to the Black sisters, a cousin or something, he was sure, but this bore no surprise to him: everyone spoke of the beauty of the Black sisters, but their beauty was nothing in comparison with that of Ebony.
"Friends, the day has come for us to leave one family, and join another," she announced in her silky voice.
"As you all know," Avery continued, "The Dark Lord is strong and presents a big threat to the Ministry. He promises anyone who follows him a world free of Muggles and Mudbloods and more power and wealth than you can dream about."
"The Dark Lord has many followers and can provide a family for those of you whose family have deserted you," Narcissa said, and Severus felt her eyes rest on him for a moment, clearly knowing full well that his family no longer wanted him.
"But you have to prove your worth," Avery informed them. He looked around from person to person as he spoke. "We Slytherins must stick together, and we must prove our loyalty."
Silence followed as people began to mull over Avery and Narcissa's promises. Severus was unsure of how he felt about this proposition. He knew that his parents were both big supporters of the Dark Lord, but after their latest letter, he wasn't entirely sure what this fact meant to him anymore. Besides, he had always assumed that once he left Hogwarts he would keep his head down, lose contact with all of his house-mates and get a well-paid job, perhaps with the Ministry of Magic or maybe even as a teacher - he quite fancied teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.
"What do we have to do?" asked Violet Parkinson, a hard-faced, dark-haired girl, who's older brother was a well-known Death Eater.
Narcissa turned to her. "You must pass the initiation test," she informed her.
Severus looked at her quizzically. There was an initiation test? He wasn't sure what he had imagined when one spoke of joining the Dark Lord, but he had never really pictured an initiation test. What sort of barbaric activities would this involve?
"Which is?" Pug-faced Parkinson was clearly thinking along the same lines as Severus.
"You must kill a Muggle or Mudblood," Avery answered simply, as though this were an everyday activity, such as cleaning a cauldron or sending an owl.
Severus tried to hide his shock. A Slytherin he was indeed, but that was simply because of his ambition - the Sorting Hat had recognised his ambitious dreams to be noticed, to make people notice him somehow - but Severus had never considered joining the Dark Lord in order to get himself noticed. He wasn't sure if he had it in him to kill, however much he disliked certain people. Yes, it might be funny to think about torturing Potter and his Mudblood, but he wasn't sure if, when push came to shove, he was actually capable of such a disgusting act.
He turned to look at Ebony. Would she think that Muggle hunting was a good idea? Would she enjoy murdering a Muggle or Mudblood? Was she cut out for that sort of work?
"Wow!" a delicately beautiful voice exclaimed excitedly.
This utterance, Severus was dismayed to notice, came from Ebony. A smile on her face, she seemed to be more than ready to take the initiation test. Severus felt his heart plummet. If she was a follower of the Dark Lord, he would never catch her eye unless he too was a follower. He assumed he would have to become quite high up, perhaps gain access into the Dark Lord's inner circle, in order for a dark beauty like Ebony to even look at him, and he wasn't sure he was capable of the amount of cold murders that would be necessary to gain such a position.
"I knew we could count on you, Ebony," Narcissa said with a smile.
Ebony took the parchment and quill that Narcissa offered her and Severus watched as she signed her name in a bright red ink. However, when Ebony had finished, she let out a little gasp, and it was then that Severus realised that it was not ink she had been writing with but her own blood.
"What are you trying to do to us?" Parkinson exclaimed when Narcissa cast a charm on Ebony's hand causing the mark on her hand to become more permanent.
Narcissa glared at her. "Do you not trust us?" she snapped. "Do you not think we have a good reason for needing you to sign with blood rather than ink?"
Avery too looked coldly at Parkinson. "For your information, Parkinson, it is so that you are reminded of the depth of the promise that you have just made, just until you pass the initiation test and the Dark Lord can make his own mark on you."
"Stop the insolence, Parkinson, or your loyalty will be questioned and you will be excluded from the rewards of following the Dark Lord," Narcissa said angrily, before handing the parchment to Rosier and Wilkes.
"So, say we take this test," said an ignorant looking Godfrey Crabbe asked, "when do we actually get to meet Voldemort?"
"You shall not speak the Dark Lord's name!" Narcissa hissed, as though terrified they would be overheard. Avery, too, looked livid and numerous others looked aghast at him daring to utter the name. Severus, however, was more of the opinion that it was not a matter of Crabbe's daring; it was simply a matter of his stupidity.
"You will meet the Dark Lord," Avery began, emphasising the proper form of the Dark Lord's name, "when he sees fit, which is probably never, for he only sees those who are truly worthy of his presence. If you carry on being so impudent you shall never meet him, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut." He glanced round the compartment. "That goes for all of you."
Unsurprisingly, it was not long before most members of the compartment had agreed to take the initiation test, even Crabbe, who had been slightly disappointed that he would probably never meet the Dark Lord.
Severus, however, was not all convinced. After being sworn to secrecy by Narcissa and Avery, after being threatened with the Cruciatus Curse if he ever so much as breathed a word of their identities to the Ministry or anyone else, Severus slumped off the Hogwarts Express.
As he glumly walked through the barrier, he felt a smooth hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was met with the ever awe-inspiring beauty of Ebony.
"Sevvie, won't you join us?" she asked, a note of sadness in her voice.
"Wh - what?" Severus stammered nervously.
Ebony gave Severus a look that reminded him of a small puppy he had once seen in the window of a Muggle pet shop, a puppy he had seen an annoying Muggle girl coo over.
"Sevvie, you want a family don't you?" she asked.
"Y - yes," Severus replied, not sure what Ebony was asking, for he was too busy gazing at her beauty.
"Well, why won't you join ours? The Dark Lord will provide anything you want - he is a great wizard!" She paused. "Is it the initiation test? Is that what's putting you off? I know that you don't like that Evans girl - that Gryffindor Mudblood - wouldn't you like to wipe the smile off her face?"
Severus had to admit that when Ebony so sweetly put it like that, and when she looked at him in that adorable way, it was quite tempting.
Finally, he mumbled that he would do anything for her, still staring at her and noting how hypnotising her smile was. If she thought it was a good idea, then why not? After all, could being a follower of Lord Voldemort be that bad?