A Fate Worse Than Death
By West Dean
Chapter Nine: A Fate Worse Than Death
Authors Note: Apologies in advance, this chapter is going to be a chronic case of monologing by the Villain. But "Mr Bond" will not manage to get off the table before the laser reaches him.
ssHGss
With a "crack" of Apparition, Severus Snape appeared in the drawing room of what had once been a grand Muggle house. Its former grandeur was still reflected in the huge grey marble fireplace, the faded tapestries lining the walls and the shabby but beautifully wrought furniture. Snape was dressed in the midnight black robes of a Death Eater, the hood covering his head, the featureless white mask covering his face. The room appeared empty and he immediately lowered the hood and took off the mask with a twist of his elegant fingers.
A figure stirred in the depths of a red winged-back chair situated by the dully-glowing fire. It was a short fat figure with thinning hair standing up in all directions and arms moving in an unceasing twitching motion … Peter Pettigrew.
Snape looked at him with barely concealed dislike. Pettigrew had made a fool of him in front of the pathetic remains of the Marauders, actions reminiscent of the time when they had been boys and he would never forgive him for that. The devious little man retained the ear of Voldemort however, so Severus contented himself with just a sneer.
A Textbook example of the dangers of running as an unlicensed Animagus, was his thought, and of holding form too long. Look at the way his hands are creeping up towards his face to stroke the whiskers that are no longer there. It is disgusting. Peter suddenly realised that Snape's attention was focused on his moving arms and with a start pulled them back. A sly smirk of glee remained on his face.
"He's waiting in the bedroom." Pettigrew grinned. "Most eager to see you."
His normal hand, still unselfconsciously curling itself into a claw, pointed towards the double doors that, stretching from floor to ceiling, dominated the end of the room.
Beyond them lay the former withdrawing room, which had been converted into a bedroom for Voldemort, with sumptuous velvet hangings on the windows, ancient rugs piled on the floor and crowned by a canopied four-poster bed in the 18th Century Oriental style.
All that concerned Snape was that the door and walls of that room crackled with protective wards and he welcomed the opportunity to examine them more closely. With a non-committal grunt of acknowledgement in Pettigrew's direction, Severus advanced to the doors and threw them open in his most melodramatic style.
He walked into the room focusing his attention on the bed, which he noted with a slight frown of puzzlement, was empty.
"So lovely to see an old friend again," drawled an aristocratic voice.
Snape spun around. Standing in the corner of the room was Lucius Malfoy. He was wearing a burgundy cloak trimmed with ermine, which gave the illusion that his blond hair reached all the way to the ground to gather in a white pool. He held a silver goblet in one hand and his wand, its tip pointed directly at Snape's heart, in the other.
Somehow Severus instinctively knew that the wards dampening wand magic were not operating at this moment. His hand flew to his sleeve but his fingertips had only touched the end of his wand when Lucius made his move.
"Petrificus Totalus."
Severus felt his body snap rigid under the effect of the spell. He fell backwards onto the carpet, like a tree being felled, his eyes fixed rigidly open. Lucius advanced across the room closing the doors with a flick of his wand. Still holding the goblet he reached down to pluck Snape's wand from his stiff fingers and then stood looking down upon the prone man.
"Were you expecting to see our Lord, Severus? He did summon you, by placing his hand upon my mark in fact. But he has now departed, content to leave the rest of this evening's activities in my hands. Shall we get to it then?"
With another slow wave of his wand Lucius raised the petrified body of Snape into the air and floated him over to the bed. He arranged his body carefully, making sure that his head descended onto a pillow and then moved out of Snape's line of sight to place the goblet on a bedside table. All that Severus could see from this angle was one of the bedposts, which had the carved wooden figure of a Chinese dragon chasing a bird of paradise into the canopy above. His eyes were blind to its beauty as his mind whirled in turmoil.
DAMN, damn! It really is Lucius. Granger was right – why in Hell's name didn't I listen to her! I didn't really believe her despite what I saw with Legilimancy. Damn my lack of trust. And WHY didn't I know of his escape? WHAT did I do wrong? HOW have I given myself away? I've been so careful.
The mattress sank down beside his head as Lucius sat. He rearranged Snape's hands at his sides, replaced his wand into the sleeve of his robes and started to smooth the locks of his black hair from their disarray.
"Ah, this brings back old memories Severus. Do you remember? Those golden days between the end of your Schooldays and our arranged marriages, when we were free and willing to indulge our fancies, to store up good memories for the years of duty that lay ahead."
Lucius trailed a long strand of Snape's hair through his fingers.
"A little bit of Fun after our betrothals,I to Narcissa and you to ……Vervain wasn't it? A pale insipid blonde with a face like a horse, if I remember correctly. She had the best of blood but was so inferior to you in intellect and magic that even the arrangements that make such marriages palatable you would have found unbearable. You must have been glad to be shot of her even though it took place in a rather dramatic fashion!"
No! Not in that way. Snape thought in anguish. No one deserved to die like that.
Lucius continued to run Snape's hair through his fingers, a melancholy look now on his face.
"That's where the problem began didn't it? The announcement of your betrothal brought you to the Dark Lord's attention. He had been so triumphant – his armies were growing, fear was smoothing his path through the Wizarding community. He began to look to the future and what his kingdom would look like and it was then he decided that he wanted you at his side and in his bed. You were so beautiful in those days Severus. Flush with power and the promise of the future. It all ended in a night of blood and pain…….."
Lucius fell silent. Both men could recall, with unwanted clarity, the night when the former Tom Riddle had made it clear to Severus that there would be no one else in his life but Lord Voldemort.
………… The Death Eaters had been standing in their customary circle, each holding themselves as still as possible to avoid unwelcome attention. In the centre of the circle a soft formless mass lay on the ground, a dark stain spreading across the cloak that had finally been thrown over it. The only sound had been the harsh panting of Lord Voldemort as he stood at the head of the circle. The fingers of one hand were entwined forcefully in the hair of the kneeling man before him, forcing him to bare his neck, and the other hand was holding his wand firmly against Snape's throat. Severus had been shaking from the effects of repeated Cruciatus but was forced to look up into Voldemort's gleaming eyes.
"Never forget, my beloved, that this is the fate that will await any who come between us. Your heart, your soul and your life are mine! You will never let even the thought of another person into your heart without knowing that I will tear them apart!" Voldemort had hissed…………
"And you never have, have you?" The voice of Lucius broke the silence.
"All these years, you have never dared a relationship with anyone, never let anybody near your frozen heart, even when the Dark Lord was a casualty of war. He marked you that badly? You always hold onto events that happened in the past for far too long, my dear boy!
"What an irony that you have spent most of the intervening years living in the one location where all the most beautiful and eligible young witches (and wizards!) of Britain have paraded before you year by year." Lucius gave a mirthless chuckle.
"Never even set your eyes on one of them Severus? Never entertained the thought of seeking their affections? I know that night affected you – you vanished for weeks. I knew that the death of Vervain had drawn a natural close to our relationship; I felt it quite prudent to create some distance between us in fact. Narcissa was most obliging, I believe that Draco was soon on the way. But I was still worried for you, what the Dark Lord would do upon your return.
"I knew that you would return – none of us is willing to risk the Death that our Lord can inflict through the Dark mark. Then suddenly you were back, no explanation of where you had been but seemingly willing to accept the Dark Lords terms and his favour. He welcomed you back without question but did not have time to savour his triumph. The prophecy came to light and then in his desperate urge to prevent it taking place he precipitated his downfall and ours."
Someone else might have felt a glimmer of hope that their captor was showing some empathy towards them but Severus knew that once Lucius started waxing nostalgic or, even worse, showing emotion he was not going to be leaving that room alive.
That would be the best solution, was his desperate thought. No one would ever know that one person has finally touched my heart. That the most brilliant young witch that Hogwarts has seen for generations has become so dear to me. I will NOT allow Vervain's fate to befall Miss Granger – Hermione!
Lucius abruptly rose from the bed and moved out of Snape's line of vision. He heard a chink of glass then the sound of pouring liquid. Lucius returned holding a crystal goblet full of ruby coloured wine, which he commenced to sip while regarding his captive thoughtfully.
"I think we've had enough of revisiting the past. What you are wondering is why we are not sharing these old memories seated at the fire next door sipping 100 year old Fire-whiskey? Why indeed you only learnt of my state of freedom when you walked in through those doors. Blame it on too much thinking on my part Severus. Too much thinking over the past few months while I've been locked up in that accursed prison.
"You were never in Azkaban over the winter months were you Snape? The very walls vibrate with the sound of the storm force waves hitting the island and the cold does not need the assistance of a Dementors touch to leech the warmth from your blood. There is time for plenty of thinking and what I was thinking was how I had come to find myself in this position? The loss of my freedom, my reputation and possibly facing the loss of my life or sanity?
"What had really happened in the Department of Mysteries? Something did not add up.
"On the night of the final vision sent by the Dark Lord to Harry Potter, the boy should have found himself without aid at Hogwarts. Dumbledore and all the adults that the boy trusted had been disposed of. All avenues of communication between Potter and Black were covered and inaccessible ……and yet, at the very moment of seizing the prophecy glass, help arrived including that thrice damned Dumbledore. How had that happened I wondered – the only person left in the castle of any consequence was you!
"It occurred to me then that perhaps that was not a coincidence, that a common thread running through our failures over the past few years has been the presence of yourself in the background. I had not previously seen a pattern but in Azkaban perhaps I went a little mad and started to see that the double game you appeared to play might be leaning towards Dumbledore rather than our Lord. I vowed then that if I found you responsible for my position, I would have my revenge. I would plan a fate worse than death for you."
Lucius was now pacing the room, occasionally coming into Snape's line of sight. Severus had no choice but to listen carefully, an ever-mounting sense of dread was stealing over him.
"Things may have remained as sheer speculation on my part but the Dark Lord had been going through a bit of a sticky patch lately. There was the loss of some of his top aides at the Ministry of Magic, the absolute cack-handed mess of the Hogsmeade affair. The only result of that was the loss of five Death Eaters and that young fool Morris who, having failed in his task of taking Trelawney, showed a sad lack of stamina under Cruciatus and had to be returned as a bit of a vegetable to his family. They didn't seem to mind too much. I understand that they are the sort of good wizard family that has a chair reserved by the fireplace for family members who succumb to their lust for power.
"The Dark Lord became determined to free at least one of his captured followers but, fearful of the effect of failure on his wavering supporters, decided to carry out a plan without informing any of the Death Eaters except those closest to him. That doesn't include you now, does it Severus? He has had his suspicions about you ever since your tardy return two years ago and his current form has precluded renewing the sort of closeness that he wished from you. Though you may be surprised to learn that that has changed."
Lucius gave another chuckle that contained no humour and moved to refill his glass. He returned to the bed, careful to position himself where Severus could see him.
"Then of course, the opportunity came just a few weeks ago. Do you remember Rottwell? That Auror that got enlisted by the Dark Lord after our little rat Pettigrew managed to winkle out his little fetish. He finally managed to arrange his transfer to Azkaban in personal charge of the captured Death Eaters. After that it was simple. Lestrange recovered Morris from the loving arms of his family with a promise of a partial cure. Judicious use of PolyJuice Potion got Morris into my Azkaban cell and myself off the island.
"Rottwell is currently controlling the situation, at great personal risk, through continued use of Polyjuice and a bit of Imperio for when Morris has to perform. I would love to see the looks on the Aurors faces when they decide to have a little question and answer session. By the time the deception is found out it will have served the Dark Lord's purpose and mine."
Lucius raised his glass in a toast to the absent Rottwell.
"I returned in triumph to the Dark Lord's side, acknowledging my debt and aware that I had to give him a great gift. And if I was careful, one that would also strengthen my position above that of all the others.
"I decided to give him you!
"My suspicions were not enough to sway the Dark Lord's opinion, although he agreed not to inform you of my newfound freedom. Our circle is too fraught with paranoia and backstabbing for that to have succeeded
"I decided however, with the permission of the Dark Lord, (his own paranoia can be most useful) to look into your current role of undertaking to restore him to the form and function of a more normal human being. The effects of snake venom and unicorn blood have not really given him a form with which he wants to rule the world.
"Ifound that your Potions, though naturally requiring a great deal of complexity, were very slow acting and seemed to be giving rise to unwanted side effects. I regard myself as a fair brewer of Potions and undertook to provide some restorative recipes of my own.
"The effect has been remarkable Severus. The Dark Lord is now fully restored to his original health and vigour. Do you not think that interesting? I examined the Potions that you had been administering more closely and found them to be tainted. Suddenly everything fell into place and your treachery was revealed.
"He certainly thought this discovery to be very interesting and was therefore willing to listen to a little proposal that I had come up with. This was that I create and use against you a Potion (what delightful irony!) that would deliver you pliant to his will and, if you were the Traitor that I now believe you to be, all your treachery would be revealed to our everlasting advantage.
"I undertook to brew the potion. A small problem in obtaining some of the rarer ingredients was overcome by enlisting my son Draco. I could not resist using your own store of ingredients against you. The boy, fearful of losing his father's favour in the future that I have placed before him, only needed to be told of a night when you would be absent from the castle and the wards that you were likely to use. He used his Slytherin cunning to good effect. I read the Owl that you despatched to Narcissa informing her of his detention for brewing an illegal potion. That enabled your suspicions to be carefully laid to rest on a bed made out of a student prank You've had no inkling of this have you Severus? And you pride yourself on your analytical mind."
Oh I was warned Lucius! But my damned pride has destroyed me!
" An Amor Velox Potion wasn't it? What an interesting set of ingredients it contains. They are so willing to change their effects when exposed to items of great magic … the scale of a Siren for example." Lucius' smile of malice was radiant.
Severus had not thought that his mental anguish could intensify but if he had been able to he would have cried aloud at hearing this!
"A very old heirloom of our family. Family legend has it that Trajus Malfoy picked some up in Constantinople while using the cover of the Second Crusade to liberate items from ancient eastern magical families some eight hundred years ago.
"What do you get if you add a Siren's scale to a base of Amor Velox Potion? No answer? Twenty points from Slytherin, Mr Snape!
"You get Amor Animus Despero also known as Soul's Love Without Hope. A most interesting little concoction.And what does it do Mr Snape? Quickly now! Still no answer?
"I shall remind you! It incites overwhelming sexual lust in the person who takes it. They cannot help but seek a partner to quench the fire that is set burning in their flesh, but the moment their love is consummated their ability to control their passion, indeed, all their emotions is taken from them, control passed to their partner along with a significant transfer of their magical power. They become in effect enslaved; never wishing to be free, gradually weakening over time until the magical transfer is complete and they are left lingering in mindless need.
"This is the fate that you deserve, you Traitor! Death is far too good for you and this will achieve so much more. The Dark Lord is willing for me to do this because he simply cannot lose and neither can I. If you are the Traitor that I have claimed you to be … the effects of the Potion will finally pierce the barriers that you have put up before the Dark Lord's Legilimency. You will deliver to us Harry Potter, Dumbledore and all his supporters and nothing will be left to stand in the way of our triumph. Your magic will augment that of the Dark Lord to make him powerful without equal. Finally, and best of all in his opinion now that his normal urges have reawakened, he will have you as the most willing partner that he desired so many years ago.
"And if you are not? If under the influence of Soul's Love you reveal that you are true to our cause? Well the Dark Lord still gets his paramour and the magical augmentation that goes with it and the guarantee of having at least one truly loyal follower. As for myself? Well, there will be one less Death Eater competing to wield the power at the Dark Lord's side. My favour in his sight will lift me beyond any other.
"But if you are not?" Lucius repeated softly, sitting back down besides Severus on the bed, lifting his face between his two hands to plant a gentle kiss on his lips and touching his forehead to that of Severus so that their black and blond hair mingled.
"Then I promise that you will not remember that I betrayed you and I also promise you a merciful death as soon as circumstances allow. But ….. I know I am right in this!" He spoke more forcefully, reaching over to the table to lift the silver goblet that he had placed there. He put it to Snape's lips and, using the wand in his other hand to release the paralysis from Snape's throat, poured the Potion down, watching carefully to make sure that his captive swallowed it.
Severus truly wished to die at the moment that he felt the liquid trickle down his throat. He could feel the tendrils of magic expanding to fill every part of his body.
No, NO! I cannot let the barriers of my Occlumency be breached. The Dark Lord will destroy everything! He'll destroy ……Her!
"Now here is my little scenario. It has been carefully planned so that neither you nor that meddler Dumbledore will realise that anything is wrong until it is too late. I am now supposed to follow your consumption of the Potion with an Obliviate Charm. You will awake tomorrow morning with a memory of having successfully attended to a side effect of a Regenerative Potion on the Dark Lord. Following which you returned to your chambers for a glass of Fire-whiskey before bed, whichwill cover the slight headache and nausea that you will be experiencing.
I would love to witness breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow morning at the moment when you realise that the dining tables appear to have transfigured themselves into a sexual version of Diagon Alley and that you are suffering from inexplicable lust. The Dark Lord was concerned that this element of the Soul's Love Potion might result in you choosing a partner before he gets his hands on you but I believe that your own self-control and the ability of the Dark Lord to use the Dark Mark to influence the subject of your desires will suffice for the next two days. Your feelings of unrequited lust will build to the point of insanity by the night of the New Moon when the Dark Lord will declare you to be his right hand man and take you to his bed, which you will imagine in your potion confounded state to be the summit of all your desires. And then we will see!"
Lucius stood up and replaced the Goblet roughly onto the side table. He took Snape,s chin in his hand and turned his head to face him.
"But I have decided that I'm not going to do it quite in that way. In defiance of His direct orders, I am merely going to use a Conceal Memory Charm rather than an Obliviate because, one day in the far and distant future when the Dark Lord tires of his mindless pet and I rule at his side over a world in which everything that you have worked so hard to protect has been reduced to dust, … I'm going to let you remember this night. "
Lucius stood beside the bed, his face alight with triumph, his wand held in his hand and pointed at the helpless wizard before him.
Snape only had time to allow a weight of despair to descend upon his battered mind before he fell into the darkness.
T.B.C.
Authors Note: And so the answer to the question posed in the story summary is --- No!
Author runs for cover from wrath of Pure!Snape/Hermione Shippers!
Next Chapter will be posted within a couple of weeks entitled "Sleepwalking Towards Disaster"
Canon suggests that the Dark Mark cannot be used in the ways suggested above (or else Karkaroff would have been toast!) but in this story it can!