House: Horned Serpent
Class: Xylomancy
Task: #1 - Twigs and Branches. Write about starting on a new path or a quest (the path/quest can be metaphorical, as long as someone is starting something new)
Prompts:(Setting) The Forbidden Forest; (Quote) "The difference between a weed and a flower is judgement." - Dakota Johnson;
(Genre) Adventure
WC: 3012
He didn't remember how he'd ended in the Forbidden Forest. It was like his latest memories had been whipped away and replaced by things he'd thought long forgotten. In that instance, his childhood seemed closer than ten minutes ago.
Severus remembered a war, but everything was foggy. It was so foreign. So far away. He wondered if it was hours or decades ago. The Dark Lord had summoned him. The spy wondered if he'd gone and if he had, what happened? He had even forgotten his revenge and his mission.
There wasn't a soul around. The forest was cold and silent like a grave. Yet he kept walking, dragged by an unknown force. As the forest got thicker and almost impassable, Severus finally noticed a green fire dancing in the distance. Soon, his tiredness was gone, exchanged by a rush of energy. The path towards the light was smooth, and it got easier with every step he took.
There, a girl around sixteen was bussing around a bubbling cauldron while a dark tomcat was surviving the preparations from his spot, up above the cauldron.
"We have a guest, Beelzebub." The girl announced to her cat. The cat nodded. Then she walked some steps towards the potion master and, taking him by the hand, she guided him to a spot next to the fire.
She was quite small, yet healthy and red-cheeked like a fresh spring flower. There was such a sweetness in her voice and innocence in her blue eyes that Severus couldn't help feeling confident around the little creature. What was indeed peculiar about her was her dress.
Initially, Severus had thought he was imagining things and so he took a second glance. Her dress was made of green flames which cover most of her body. Yet he could see the delicate skin of her neck as well as her seducing curves of her body.
"Hello, Severus." She spoke again. This time addressing him directly. She finally released his hand and returned to her potion.
"You know my name. How? Who are you?"
Socializing had never been his cup of tea, but once he was there and she seemed to know him, Severus couldn't see a reason not to speak with her.
She smiled mysteriously as the words formed on her lips. "I've been watching you for a while."
"Why?" Severus Snape couldn't figure out what a child like her would want from him.
She abandoned her potion and sat next to him. Her blue eyes never left him.
"Do you need help with brewing?" He asked again, trying to figure out her intentions.
She smiled again. He felt her long hair on his face as she got closer. He heard a soft whisper in his ear "Maybe"
He stood up and went to inspect the potion, but soon he realized he'd never seen that type of ingredients. He wanted to ask her, but he stopped as the smell reminded him of the odor of his father's alcohol as he used to drown his life in the company of his bottles. It made him revive the fury he felt as a child. The same desire to be strong, to have his revenge for each of the nights he spent fearing his father's words and actions.
A breath of wind cleaned everything. Yet the hate and the bitterness were still there. Another smell emerged. It was an expensive perfume. Severus recognized it as James'. Suddenly, he remembered every of James' offenses, his arrogance and the fact he'd taken Lily from him.
The green liquid bubbled a bit and then it smelled like a potion laboratory - the smell the teenage Severus used to immerse himself into while dreaming of future glory and power. The smell that led him to the Dark Lord. It carried the memory of spilt blood, of lives sacrificed for the fancy of one man. The blood of the only one Severu loved more than himself, but whom he lost like an idiot.
The girl smiled. She had pearl-white teeth and a smile that inspired confidence. The potion master couldn't figure out the reason why, but he felt he could trust her. He had hardly given this privilege to anyone. Suspicion had been in his veins, but not while around her. She was like an old companion. He knew her and yet, he hadn't the slightest idea who she was.
"Do I know you?" He finally dared to put into words his own thoughts. He was desperate to understand what made him be attracted to her.
"We haven't met directly, but I've always been around." She answered mysteriously. The girl sat next to him, her cat in her lap. Her dress almost touched his legs and he instinctively moved a bit farther.
"Your dress" He tried to justify himself as he'd noticed her reproachful glance.
"Of course" She muttered. "Caution. You don't have to be like that. Playing with fire is good fun. You'll see." If she were to ask him, he wasn't curious and least of all willing to see. He'd tried once or twice and played with fire never ended well for him. Now he only wished for some peace.
"This is a chance for you. A new path waits for you. The past is already gone, but this is real. Whether you want it or not, that chapter has ended already and you have to start from scratch. There must be a lot of things you wish to have or do. I can help you. I will follow each of your steps. I can fulfill any of your dreams. No matter what you'll ask from me. I'll always be around. There is nothing that's not in my power." There was such confidence in her words, yet he knew better than to believe some words thrown in the wind. He was curious, though, what she meant about the new path.
"I doubt that. What I want no human can accomplish." He decided to ruin her confidence. She should know better before making promises next time.
"Who said I'm human?" The girl replied playfully. Yet he couldn't tell if she was honest or was joking. "Test me. I can give you glory. I can put the world at your feet. Make you handsome and charming or make the girl of your dreams fall in love with you. A new life awaits you and you have the power to design it."
"What if the girl died? What if she hates me?" He presented the flaws of her promises.
"The dead can return. She may forget. If you want her, just tell me." She added while the cat meowed as if to enhance the words of his mistress.
He wanted Lily back, but he wanted his stubborn, kind, full of life, Lily. The Lily who ended up despising him. Not a slave, as the girl suggested. He'd once believed similar promises and because of it he'd lost everything. She may not be the Dark Lord, but he was sure she had a secret agenda -if she really had the power she pretended to have, which Severus Snape doubted. And if she wasn't human, if she was that strong, he was sure she wasn't a gift from heaven, but a punishment from hell. Anyway, Severus was sure he wouldn't like whatever she hoped to achieve by helping him.
He took a second glance towards her and he noticed that the eyes he'd initially thought to have read innocence, were full of malice. It lasted only for a moment, but it was enough to see beyond her appearances. She tried to disguise it with a smile. It was such a pity life had taught him to pay attention to people.
"What do you want in return?" He asked bluntly. He'd never been one for pleasantries.
"You don't need to worry about it." Yet Severus wasn't willing to give up.
"Who are you?" He changed his tactics, hoping to find something about her.
"Me?! Just a very young devil."
Severus Snape watched her with confusion. He didn't know if he should laugh or he should be afraid. "But don't worry. I'm pretty competent. So you want Lily back, and you want her to be deeply in love with you, don't you, Severus? That's easier than brewing a first-year potion." The little devil laughed.
"You haven't answered my question. What do you want in return?" Devil or not, he wouldn't be intimidated. Anyway, he wasn't willing to have a deal with the devil. Some years ago, the things she was promising in that instant would have looked tempting. He would have certainly accepted without a second thought. Yet, he knew it was wrong.
Lily wasn't an object one could have over a gamble. Moreover, she loved another man. Even if he managed to bring her back, Severus knew she wouldn't be happy. If she were to find out everything he'd done, not even the she-devil's spell could prevent her from hating him. He would never forgive himself if he were to hurt her again. Though, he wanted to see her so badly. Every inch of his body fought against refusing the she-devils proposal.
"Your soul." She went on as she noticed the look on his face. "But only after you die."
"Why? It's not like it doesn't belong to you anyway. I've done a lot of bad things. I sympathized with the wrong people. I allowed people to be tortured and killed. I hurt and even killed. If only I could turn the time back."
"Don't." She cut him off. "Don't regret anything." Now she seemed worried. Scared actually. "I can turn back time, if you want."
"What use will it be? How could I look her in the eye knowing what I did? How could I meet all those people, people whose lives I ruined and pretend to be a good person?"
"Then, I can give you such power that people would worship you as a god. None would dare to do anything against your will. The wealth of the world would be in your hands. Think about the influential people you'd be surrounded by. Think about the armies you would command. No girl would be able to resist you. I can give you eternal life." Her words were meant to raise desire in every heart. None could have resisted the temptation of power. "Your enemies would be at your mercy." the she-devil continued, this time certain she'd hit a soft spot. "No one would ever humiliate you again."
Her words made him imagine how he would have made the Marauders regret every offense they'd thrown at him. His professors would have praised him. He would have been at the top of the class. His father would have never dared to touch him or his mother. If he'd been rich he would have been able to buy a new house: a big one, with a nice garden and a huge bookshelf. He would have bought every book he'd wanted. He would have had his own laboratory. The Dark Lord would be nothing against him. He would have been able to save Lily that night. She would have been alive now. Yet would have she forgiven him? She would have been James', not his. Though she would have been happy and maybe she would have spoken with him again. Yet he wondered if he had been that strong to let go of the opportunity of having his worst enemy removed. Would he be able to endure the pain of watching James be happy with the girl Severus loved so much?
Deep down, he knew that power wouldn't make him any happier. He would still be alone. People would only be around him because of his power, but as soon he would have been defeated, they would have been gone. He was aware he would have used that power for the wrong ends. He wasn't a good person. He'd done bad things and only thinking what he could have done, had he'd had that much power, made his blood freeze in his veins. He knew he wouldn't have allowed Lily to be happy with James. That he wouldn't have protected the weak and poor. He wouldn't have defeated the Dark Lord because of the evil he'd caused, but because he didn't want a rival as strong as him. He wouldn't have enjoyed the company of his mother as he hadn't when he was young. He would have considered her weak and without ambitions. He would have been ashamed of her.
He laughed at the irony of the situation. "What would I have to give you in return for ruining my life and the lives of everybody I know?" He asked sarcastically.
"Ruin? Your life would be great. You would be able to do everything you want." She tried to tempt him.
"Then you will have to give me a new personality. Can you make me that strong to put everybody else's happiness beyond me? Is it your power to offer me the wisdom to use that power to protect rather than conquer? To use the wealth to feed the poor rather than turning them into slaves? Even if you have that power, I fear I have nothing to give you in return. I have nothing left. I lost my own soul. I lost it for much less than you're offering me today.
"You have to put a wish. You said yourself. You had nothing to lose." The she-devil made a last attempt to convince him. Her voice was honey-sweet and her smile promised so much.
"There is nothing you can offer me." Severus threw at her.
Her appearance changed. Her beautiful eyes turned into two fireballs and her face got as cold as ice. The air got colder and colder and a strange fear took over him. He'd never felt so afraid, so empty. It was like she'd taken him all the happiness, the desire to live. He was a puppet in the hands of her.
"MAKE A WISH" She ordered and her voice echoed inside him as if he had been a cave and not a human. Severus knew he couldn't escape. All he could think was he wanted to make that feeling go. Crucio would have been ten times better than that. The memories of the things he'd endured humiliations and pain, of the moment he hadn't had the courage to listen to his heart. Shame, grief, pain. Those feelings took a strong grip on him and they didn't want to go.
Desperate he said, "I want that bloodshed gone. I want Lily to be happy wherever she is. I want my friends to be happy."
"Even if you wouldn't enjoy it? What are you going to do? Watch?!" the she-devil asked sarcastically. "Even if they would never thank you?! Come on. You can defeat Voldemort yourself. That's what you want, don't you?"
"I don't care who defeats him. I only want him and his people not to have the power to harm innocents anymore."
"What about Lily? Don't you want her?" He could sense the desperation in her voice.
"She won't be happy with me. I don't care if my friends will be happy without me as long as they're going to be alright. I only wish they'll find the peace and love I've never enjoyed."
"You're an idiot. The difference between a weed and a flower is judgment. It's their problem if they can't see your value. Don't waste your potential. Don't let other people's misconceptions dictate your life. Who said that what they think is right? That Lily is right about choosing James over you? Do they deserve your protection and your compassion after everything they thought about you?" she shouted, but it had no effect on him. The air was fresh once again and the nightmarish memories had disappeared from his mind.
"I don't care if she's right or wrong as long as she's happy. I don't care what they say or think. Maybe you're right. I've wasted my potential, but I'm too tired to try again. I'm too tired for a life of unhappiness. I would rather watch from the shadows and let others enjoy the glory. You said you can grant me any wish. That's what I wish for." Severus laughed in her face. "Isn't it in your power?" Whatever Severus expected when he'd uttered the last words it wasn't definitely her answer.
"No, it's not. Everyone is the master of his own happiness. All I can do for you is to promise that I will leave them alone. The bloodshed has ended tonight, but you won't be around anymore to enjoy the peace. Don't worry about Lily. She's happy."
"What do you want? You refused to tell me." He didn't care anymore as long as he knew everybody would be alright.
He took a last glance towards Hogwarts and he noticed the first sun rays shining over the castle. Then he lifted his eyes towards the sky and he noticed the dark mark was gone. He never felt so happy, so pleased. Even the forest seemed to shine under the rain of light. He'd never seen the Forbidden Forest so bright. The she-devil was still there, but she looked so ordinary. Gone was her aura of mystery and confidence in her posture. Gone the perfection of her features and the power of her voice. She was a girl like any other girl. Though, there was no trace of life on her face. She was as pale and cold as a corpse. A seducing, but frozen beauty, foreign from that world.
"What do I want?! I wanted your soul. You were wrong about it. It belongs to you and it will always be yours. A selfless wish like you makes me have no power over you. It's such a pity. I've spent so many years trying to gain it. I was so close, but you defeated me tonight. Goodbye, Tobias Severus Snape. We're not going to meet again."
