Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Severus's heart pounded during the hours of anxious waiting that followed Ronaldo's chilling statement.
The tattered ship deftly navigated through the craggy rocks that jutted from the dark waters, yet no threat came.
As drowsiness pulled his eyelids downwards, Severus felt himself threaten to relax in the lull of the black night.
The lanterns around the ship burned brightly as he took a brief walk to wake himself.
He yawned as he stretched his arms and looked out over the deck at the endless void in which he had become enveloped.
It almost seemed otherworldly, surreal, more than-
A flicker of movement next to him revealed his privacy had been disrupted.
As Severus blinked the sleep away from his eyes, he snapped his head over to glance beside himself.
His mouth fell open as his dark gaze fell on a very wet and very naked woman.
With black hair and black eyes that nearly matched his, she gave him a confident smirk before Severus heard gasps of surprise from the crew behind him.
As he turned away, he sucked in a deep breath.
Crawling and walking onto the ship from the waves themselves, one nude woman after another boarded the vessel.
Their eyes, which ranged in colour, glowed as brightly as Lily's had a few nights prior. Their skin lacked the human flaws of blemishes or freckles, and their hair, whether black, red, or blonde, had been placed into intricately woven braids, varying in length.
Ronaldo nodded over at Severus once he glanced in his direction before a heavy thud caught their attention.
Both looked over to see an impossibly tall, red-headed, bare woman land on their boat.
For a split second, Severus was certain it was Lily until he saw her face; fair, but not as fair as his flower's.
Not at all.
Although he ignored her nakedness, he couldn't help but stare at the huge wings which ran from her shoulders to the small of her back, outfitted with heavy, dark feathers.
"A lovely evening….Don't you agree, everyone?" The tall, red-headed woman….creature…..called.
Severus watched the crew sheepishly nod as she took the talons at the end of her fingers and ran them across the nearest paneling to send wood shavings falling to the ship's floorboards.
Ronaldo cleared his throat and bravely stepped forward as he addressed her, "It is, perhaps, but not as lovely as you, my lady!"
The red-headed woman laughed as she looked over and scoffed, "Flattery is not sustenance for a siren, sir……Surely this ship has brought something more…..substantial?"
As Ronaldo snapped his fingers, Severus watched several crew members wave their wands to transfigure nearby objects into musical instruments, which they hurriedly began to play.
Severus then saw him nod at the two wizards who had carried the chest onboard.
They both scrambled to grasp the heavy object and pull it forward as Ronaldo smiled at the winged woman and gestured with his hands, "Only the finest for the rulers of the sea…..Please! Come and enjoy!"
The winged woman narrowed her eyes as she jumped down from the platform near the steering wheel and landed with another devastating thud.
Severus blinked as he gazed up at the tall creature while Ronaldo opened the chest to reveal thousands of glittering gold coins.
Behind the winged woman, the others gathered around to greedily eye the chest's contents.
"Behold!" Ronaldo exclaimed as he swept a hand over the gold coins, "Our payment for passage!"
"Very well………We will test the payment for acceptance now." The winged woman nodded.
Ronaldo flashed her a tense smile after a split second of shocked hesitation.
Severus easily sensed his nervous dread.
He furrowed his brow as he watched the winged woman reach into the chest with one of her large hands, scoop up several gold coins, and shove them into her mouth.
Everyone on board stared at her anxiously.
Sweat beaded on the back of Ronaldo's neck while she chewed as he spoke, "They were produced from the finest mines in the far east. Top grade!" He nodded reassuringly while the music drifted on in the background.
Severus watched the winged woman's vague expression change to one of pure disgust.
Without warning, she leaned forward and gagged her mouthful of metal onto the ship's deck.
Severus's own face contorted as he watched molten ore, not gold, drip from her tongue.
The others behind the winged woman narrowed their eyes in dangerous scowls at Ronaldo, Severus, and the crew.
"What sort of fool are you…….?" The winged woman asked Ronaldo through her ragged breathing as she looked up through her red, braided hair, wiped her mouth, and straightened her spine, "To assume sirens would not sample what has been presented to them?...And to insult us with false riches?! It is a pity you lack sense, your ignorance will cost you your life!"
Severus's eyes widened as she took a heavy, threatening step forward.
A look of pure terror came across his face as she reached a massive hand out and grabbed him by the throat.
"N-No! P-Please! It wasn't me! It was them!" He shouted as he pointed to his two assistants, "T-They assured me it-"
"-If man refuses to pay the fee for passage in gold…." The winged woman snarled as she sunk her talons into the flesh of Ronaldo's side, eliciting a wild scream of pain.
"AAAAAGGGH!"
"...Then the ocean demands it be paid in blood."
The horrors Severus had already witnessed as a young Death Eater had not been as brutal as the sight of the winged woman ripping Ronaldo to pieces with her razor-like claws.
The moment his blood splattered onto the wooden deck, the scene on the ship collapsed into chaos.
Gasps and screams rang out as the sirens screeched and ran amuck.
Severus's heart pounded as he skittered here and there, watching in helpless terror as one person after another was slaughtered under their talons, teeth, or dragged off the ship into the depths below.
The occasional defensive curse was fired from a witch and wizard who had enough time to try, but Severus noticed those enchantments ineffectively bounced off the sirens in a mysterious, watery mist.
Slim and slight, he managed to conceal himself in the narrow nook beside the door that led to the captain's quarters.
Although his arms trembled, he slipped his wand from his pocket and pressed its tip against his Dark Mark tattoo, hoping desperately that Voldemort would come to the ship's rescue.
A second later, his view of the deck suddenly became obscured as the winged woman found him and began to approach.
Severus gasped as he took a step backwards and defensively pointed his wand at the creature.
Useless or not, his wand offered him the comforting illusion he may actually stand a chance of defending himself.
"D-Don't come any closer." Severus warned her in an attempt to sound brave.
"I am Circe, one of the ancients." The winged woman revealed to him.
"You're a siren." Severus scowled.
"Yes, clever boy….." She chuckled mockingly, "There are many of us now, yet only four of us at first……Of that four, I am one."
As Circe stepped forward, Severus stepped backwards.
He couldn't ignore the sound of liquid dripping onto the ship's wooden planks as the blood of her victims fell from her fingertips.
"I…..I'm a very powerful wizard." Severus fibbed as he puffed out his chest, "My name is Severus Snape and-"
"-The details of land dwellers mean little to me." Circe laughed as she reached a bloodied hand towards Severus's face.
He shuddered with fright as he raised his wand.
Instead of killing him, Circe merely used her cleanest finger to brush his black hair aside as an arrogant smirk crossed her lips, "No harm will come to you, Severus Snape. You have already been claimed by the sea."
Before Severus could ask what that meant, an angry shout from somewhere behind them sounded before an explosion sent them both flying through the air.
Severus could sense it as he crashed towards the water.
His effort had been successful.
The Dark Lord had answered his call.
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Severus tumbled into a black hole of unconsciousness somewhere between the fire that erupted and burned the ship into pieces, the shrieks of the sirens, and the Dark Lord's ominous bellows.
He wasn't entirely sure when the battle had ended or how.
Although once he opened his eyes, the gentle sound of lapping water let him know in no uncertain terms that he had yet to escape his watery prison.
Severus heaved a deep breath as he glanced around blearily and squinted at the throbbing pain in his head.
The lifeless bodies floating on the water were nearly as frightening as the stark blackness of the sea, illuminated only by the flaming chunks of ship and cargo the water had not yet succeeded in snuffing out.
Against the hypnotic depth of the night sky, Severus noticed the vague outline of something with wings soaring near the stars before plummeting down, down, down towards………
"...Sev?"
His injured body jolted as he noticed a pair of familiar, glowing, emerald eyes gazing down at him.
"LILY!" He gasped.
Regardless of the lingering tension between them, as Lily clung to the scrap of wood he floated on, she stared at him with all the soft sentiment Severus could imagine.
"Lily……" He breathed as he reached a trembling hand out to touch the softness of her wet, crimson hair.
He was tempted to let his gaze flicker down to her bare breasts, but the brilliance of her sparkling, green stare held him prisoner.
Severus wasn't interested in Lily for her body, he was interested in her.
Finally, at last, she was beside him again, where she belonged.
He frowned while a scowl of disapproval twisted her lips.
"You shouldn't be here, Sev." Lily chastised him as she slipped her hand into his, "Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?"
"I wasn't following you tonight….." Severus rasped, "I came…..on orders…I-"
As they bobbed in the water, both Severus and Lily sensed a dark presence approach.
Severus could not move his head to turn and look but as he watched Lily's gaze travel beyond him to sneer at something particularly vile, he understood the Dark Lord had finally come to what would hopefully be his aid.
"Lily, run!" He whispered.
Severus watched the odd glow in Lily's eyes slowly transform as if the colour of her irises deepened with her rising anger.
"Severus…….?" He heard Voldemort's unnaturally calm voice ring out, "Well, well, what do we have here?"
"He'll kill you!" Severus hissed at Lily.
With her eyes still wild and her teeth barred, Lily merely glanced at him before she turned her attention back to the oncoming enemy.
Severus mentally reviewed his few options.
Above all else, his greatest desire was for Lily to stay alive and well.
He would gladly sacrifice himself for her if that's what it took to reach his goal.
Before Voldemort reached them, Severus used his remaining strength to push Lily off of his makeshift raft and into the water.
She cried out in protest, but for some merciful reason, she chose to obey Severus's wishes, much to his relief as he flopped back against the waterlogged wood in time to face Voldemort who effortlessly floated in front of him with his wand illuminated from the continuous spell he cast.
"What a fortunate young man you are, Severus! And I, a fortunate leader to have such a loyal servant!" Voldemort chortled.
Severus frowned at the Dark Lord.
He silently prepared himself for Voldemort's wrath about the failed mission.
As the lone survivor of the ship wreck, Severus knew his dark master would most likely end his life as a punishment.
He took a deep breath and winced at the ache from his cracked ribs while he readied for oblivion's embrace.
It gave Severus the courage to face his death knowing that he had seen Lily one last time, felt her touch, and listened to her soothing voice.
In her eyes, her beautiful, emerald eyes, he had seen forgiveness……desire.
Lily still held him in her heart and that notion alone would be enough to send Severus into the land of the dead with an unemptiable meter of patience as he waited for her to join him one day.
Voldemort stared down at him with a wicked grin on his face.
"Did you see that, Severus?" He asked.
"I beg your pardon, my lord?" Severus frowned.
"The siren…….Severus……the siren!" Voldemort exclaimed as his grin widened, "She did not even try to drown you! I dare say you very well may have won her favour!"
"Forgive me, my lord." Severus said as he maintained his Occlumency while he fought against the pain in his battered body, "My wounds distracted me from making any real observations. I can't be entirely certain of what I saw."
"Then allow me to jog your memory, Severus." Voldemort snarled hatefully.
Severus clenched his jaw in dread as Voldemort flourished his wand in one quick swish over his body.
His cry was raw and primal while his injuries instantly healed.
Voldemort possessed the great power to bend and tweak Dark Magic for his own personal use, including mending wounds, but not without pain.
Torn ligaments and splintered bones did not feel particularly wonderful as they mended themselves in a single second, but Severus was grateful that's all it took……a single second.
He let out a breath as his dark eyes widened while his body recovered from that intolerable instant, only to feel a surge of powerful excitement coursing through his system like never before.
"You have failed me, Severus." Voldemort sighed as he gazed down at his servant, "For that, you must find a way to atone for your wrongdoing."
"And…..And how may I do that, my lord?" Severus asked.
He would agree to whatever Voldemort demanded, all he wanted to do was get back to Lily.
"Seek the girl, Severus." Voldemort smirked, "...Seek the girl."