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Chapter 12
Nagini
Before they apparated to Voldemort's hideout, Snape had cautioned Draco to clear his mind. He had been training the boy in Occlummency, picking up the instruction where the crude attempt of the boy's aunt, Bellatrix, began during the school year.
Snape had been dismayed to discover that Bellatrix had not opened a sympathetic pathway between she and Draco, as was usual when one instructed a relative. Establishing the pathway had been easy enough for Snape, as he and Draco had developed a strong bond when the boy was just a toddler. The pathway meant that while Draco and Snape may be able to occlude their thoughts from others, it would be impossible for one to deceive the other while concentrating along the pathway.
"We will speak of your doubts later," he told the boy firmly. "But you mustn't let the Dark Lord see these thoughts regarding your loyalty to him in your mind." Snape stated, regarding Draco's declaration that he wanted out of his service to the Dark Lord.
"You're not angry with me are you?" Draco wanted to know.
"I will be if you don't clear your mind you little dunderhead," Snape answered in stern irritability. "Now focus and do as you're told. It will be enough of a job saving your hide regarding Nagini, never mind this newest development."
After only a few short weeks of training Draco in Occlumency, he was already much more adept than Potter could ever dream of being. Of course to be fair, Snape had been training Draco with the more traditional method of Occlumency. It was the way parents who were Occlumens taught their children, the way Albus had taught him. But for this method to be effective there needed to be a certain amount of trust and love.
Despite there being no pathway between he and Potter. The boy had been able to send a message into Snape's mind the night Black was killed. Potter had fairly screamed into silent comprehension.
"They've got Sirus in the Department of Mysteries!"
Snape had later regretted that he hadn't sent something reassuring back. The boy was a natural Legillimens, and would have gotten it. But Severus had been too busy wondering how the boy had gotten into his mind, when no pathway had been established. And there certainly wasn't anything remotely similar to love or trust between the two. Albus had confided, after Potter's lessons had ended in disaster, that he had hoped that such a bond might develop between Snape and the boy as the lessons progressed.
"You are a daft old man aren't you, Albus," Snape had barked in mirthless laughter.
"Not at all dear boy," the Headmaster had countered, offering a lemon drop. "You and Harry have similar backgrounds, as you surely have noticed. And I think it is impossible to spend time with the boy and not find him likable," the Headmaster had fixed Snape with an affectionate blue-eyed gaze. "I also think the same to be true of you, Severus," the eyes twinkled madly at this. "Although with you it is hidden significantly beneath the surface."
Severus had flushed slightly at the affectionate tone, so rare since Potter had come to Hogwarts, and less frequent still since Voldemort returned to power. Severus longed for the days when Albus used to summon him for tea unexpectedly. Often it was for no other reason than to catch up on how the younger wizard was getting on. Sometimes it would be to give him a good telling of for something he had done wrong.
No matter the topic, Albus had always managed to end these teas on a positive note that made Snape feel confidence in the Headmaster's feelings for him. Things had changed in recent times. Not only was there usually no tea at their meetings, the only thing Severus felt confident about afterwards was that the Headmaster was disappointed in him.
"I found him snooping in the pensive, Headmaster," Snape had explained miserably, regarding why he had decided to end Harry's Occlumency lessons. All the while he was trying not to sound like he was whining, and failing miserably.
"And for that you discontinued his lessons?" the Headmaster's tone had been both stern and incredulous.
"But, you don't know which memory he saw, Albus," Snape had told the older wizard. The whining tone growing more obvious.
"I need not know, Severus," the Headmaster admonished, though his tone was not severe. This surprised Severus, and reminded him of earlier times because he had fully expected Albus to lay into him. "You are the adult, Severus. It is high time you began behaving like one."
Dumbledore had gone on to say that if Snape had caught Harry up to such mischief, he should have given him consequences, reasonable ones, and been done with it. He insisted that Snape's reasons for ending the Occlumency lessons were insufficient.
"That is how adults behave, Severus," the Headmaster's tone was still gentle, despite the obvious rebuke.
Perhaps that is what he would tell Albus when he found out about the hiding he'd given his precious Potter, Snape thought wryly, as Draco cleared the last of his thoughts and the two prepared to apparate. He would tell the old man that he had been trying to be the adult, and the consequences he had meted out had seemed reasonable at the time. Wouldn't that just go over like a dung bomb in the dining room?
"Are you prepared?" Snape asked Draco. He scanned the boy's thoughts and was satisfied with what he saw.
Snape's first order of business when they reached Voldemort's lair would be to see to it that Pettigrew, and himself if necessary took as much responsibility for losing Nagini as possible. As Voldemort would not be anxious to kill two of his senior members with so many in Azkaban, even before today, chances were he would be forced to spare Draco as well.
Pettigrew was waiting for them when they apparated at the entrance to the stone encampment, as Snape knew he would be. All of the Dark Lord's followers knew of their master's tendency to severely punish the bearer of bad news.
"Let us seek audience with our master shall we?" said Snape smoothly, as he took the lead. Wormtail, for his part, brought up the rear, his nose twitching mournfully in anticipation of things to come.
In all his years, Snape had never seen another Death Eater who acted a bigger coward than Pettigrew in the face of Voldemort's wrath. Even young Draco managed chastisement with more dignity. The rodent would crawl about on his belly and wail, begging the master not punish him further, all the while professing his love and obedience. It was both disgusting and fascinating to watch. And of course, Voldemort loved that sort of thing, and he never seemed to hit the rat with anything near full force. It had been a while since Snape had caught Pettigrew's act, and he had to admit he was rather looking forward to it. Even if he too might be subjected to substantial unpleasantness during the course of events.
It was with this thought in mind that Severus entered what the Death Eater's referred to as The Throne Room. It was so named because of the enormous throne which stood at the room's center. The stone chair was grotesquely carved with detailed images of snakes in a variety of threatening poses: fangs bared, devouring vermin, and sinking ravenously in to fleshy bits of human looking appendages. The first thing that Snape noticed was that Voldemort was not in his usual seat, and the throne stood empty at the center of the damp, cavernous chamber.
Many of the Dark Lord's number had not been assigned to the raid at the Burrow, as intelligence had reported Potter would not attend. Those who had stayed behind congregated around the returning Death Eaters. Some were offering comfort to the injured, but most leveled insults and further torment in typical Death Eater fashion.
"Professor," called one young man. Palini. Severus recognized the Slytherin, as one of his former students who had joined the Dark Lord just after leaving Hogwarts last year. It always jarred Severus slightly when his former pupils-turned-Death Eaters referred to him as Professor or Sir. Although he didn't know what else they might call him, as he had never invited any, save Draco, to use his given name. And he would certainly teach them a hex they'd not soon forget, if any attempted to call him Snape.
Severus always made certain to show these former students as much disdain as he would a freshly sorted Gryffindor, even if they had been some of his favorites at school. Many of these youngsters were confused and hurt by his treatment of them, and few would have guessed it was actually due to his disappointment at their stupidity in joining Voldemort. However, as any of the Death Eaters would attest, Severus was always generous with healing potions. Unlike most of their number, he would never heap further suffering on one who was injured.
"Professor," Palini asked, with all the vulnerability of a first year. "It's my arm, Sir. Can you help?"
Snape examined the charred appendage and incanted a healing charm while offering one of the small vials of the pain reliever he always carried on missions.
"Where is the Dark Lord?" Snape asked the boy curtly. Voldemort was usually front and center following a mission. Offering rewards and chastisements at random and generally far too many of the latter.
"He is in his chambers," the young man informed. "Bellatrix is with him."
Snape heard the rodent, who was just off his to his left, give a lusty chuckle. Draco, for his part, looked slightly ill. He was still repulsed by the Dark Lord's habit of bedding any of his Death Eaters who were the current fancy.
"No," Palini addressed Wormtail, covering his own small grin. "I think she is being chastised. She has been in his chambers for a while and was out her a moment ago in tears."
Snape thought about the Dark Lord's personal chambers distastefully, with its brutal, crass furnishings. The walls were adorned with both muggle and magical instruments of torture. Voldemort sometimes ordered his servants there for private chastisement. It would usually be of a more humiliating variety than might be conducted before the general populace of followers. Young Malfoy looked even more ill if possible, as he had already spent substantial time in the Dark Lord's chambers. Snape himself had been invited there on occasion as well.
"She said you were to bring Nagini as soon as you arrived Draco. Then she went back in." Palini continued.
Malfoy cast his godfather a worried glance
"You just mind you tell Master it was all your fault," Wormtail warned Malfoy.
"Why don't you run tell him yourself, Wormtail," Malfoy returned in a syrupy tone. "Or better yet. tag along to make sure I get the story right."
Wormtail was clearly torn. He feared being in close proximity to his master when the news about Nagini was delivered, yet also feared it might be blamed on him, if he stayed behind. The rodent finally turned on his heel an stalked away.
"Be careful, Draco," Snape warned. "That is a dangerous game you are playing at."
The younger man scoffed.
"It is true the rat is a coward," Snape agreed. "But you would be unwise to underestimate his ability for deviousness and revenge, Draco," Snape explained sternly
Draco reddened slightly at the admonishment, and was preparing a rather arrogant response, when he noticed his aunt, Bella, beckoning from the small alcove near the entrance to the master's personal chambers.
The young man's demeanor changed immediately, and he wore an expression Severus had seen many times before. In his head, Snape had always referred to this expression as the boy's delicate dragon face. He used see the expression often before the boy came to Hogwarts, when Draco needed to escape Lucius' rage for some infraction that had to Lucius' way of thinking disgraced the name of Malfoy. Severus had always stepped in when he could, helping the boy explain his side of things to the older Malfoy.
In the years since Hogwarts, Draco donned the expression like clockwork prior to grading periods and Quidditch matches when Lucius was inclined to deliver severe hexings, if the boy did not outperform Potter and Granger. The elder Malfoy regularly asked to use Severus' dungeon office to punish Draco after Gryffindor, Slytherin Quidditch matches, and Severus would stick up for Draco. Often he'd manage to calm Lucius down, never quite getting him to forgo the boy's punishment altogether, but usually managing to get the older Malfoy to lessen the severity. Invariably Lucius would insist.
"You're his godfather, Severus, for the love of Merlin, and his head of house as well, " the elder Malfoy would complain. "I should think you'd be inclined to discipline him yourself during the school year for his deplorable performance."
Severus didn't say that he was sorely tempted and often did, but not for the reasons that Lucius was concerned about. Draco's general attitude and failure to think before he acted were enough to make the Potions Master want to hex him to within an inch of his life. But to Lucius, Snape would insist that the boy's academic performance wasn't deplorable. He'd try to make it clear how diligently Draco applied himself to his studies, and how seriously the boy took Quidditch. Severus had even stuck up for Draco when he lied to Lucius, telling him that Granger got her grades by cheating.
"Well, I've never caught her at it," Severus had said in such a way that conveyed there would be hell to pay if he ever did.
And although his uncle never quite managed to get him out of hot water completely, Severus' efforts did serve to strengthen the relationship between he and Draco. That was in part what made the boy feel somewhat safe as the two approached Bellatrix as she beckoned with more urgency.
"Master has taken ill," Bellatrix Lestrange informed as she urged them further into the recess of the alcove, tears streaking her cruel visage. "Tell no one," she ordered, fixing Snape with a dangerous glare.
Snape looked at the witch as though she had mysteriously began to speak a language he was not familiar with.
"What do you mean ill?" Snape queried, as though the word were foreign and vaguely difficult to pronounce.
"He is weakened," Bellatrix clarified, in a horrified whisper.
Snape, for his part, still looked as though he was only understanding every third word.
"He's been asking for Nagini, Draco," the witch continued, wringing her hands, and looking at her nephew. "He seems to think his illness is in some way related to the snake."
The young man cut a sidelong glance at his uncle, and swallowed hard.
Snape could not offer much by way of guidance. An ill, weakened Voldemort was also outside his realm of experience.
"I don't have her," Draco explained in a voice that didn't quite sound like his own. "Nagini was stolen."
Bellatrix looked as though she had suspected as much.
"He sleeps now," the woman continued. "You must tell no one!" she hissed again, fixing both wizards with a desperate glare. "Severus," she said to Snape in a pleading tone. "Perhaps there is some potion...?"
"Of course Bella," Severus affirmed, inclining his head. "I must see him."
As the three approached the Dark Lord, it was evident that Bellatrix had spoken the truth. The wizard looked shades paler, and his breathing was slightly labored. He reclined among the dark sheets and blanket, on a bed whose four posts were fashioned in the likeness of gigantic basilisks. Four fierce heads met in the center, meters above the shallow rise and fall of the Dark Lord's chest. Somehow he still managed to look menacing, despite the fact that several black satiny pillows supported his head.
With his wand hand, which trembled slightly, Snape ran a quick diagnostic.
"This is no doubt related to the Dark Lord's connection with Nagini," Snape said as they exited the personal chambers. "Perhaps a restorative potion of the type I brewed when he first returned to his body would be useful," he told an anxious looking Bellatrix. "I shall begin at once."
Snape had every intention of beginning at once, but he wasn't quite certain what he should begin doing, and desperately wanted to confer with Albus.
"We don't want the others to get suspicious just yet," Snape said, turning to Draco and indicating the assembled Death Eaters. "Move among them. Distribute these as needed," Snape reached inside his robes and handed Draco several vials of pain relief potion. "Keep the rumor alive that Bella's being chastised to explain the Dark Lord's absence at present. Explain to them about Nagini being lost, and tell them that you're going to be punished later. This should give everyone something to look forward to," Snape said ruefully, as the blond boy paled. "Go," he ordered, tousling the young man's hair affectionately. "Meet me in the potion's lab when you've made the rounds."
Snape entered the potion's laboratory, which differed from his lab at Hogwarts in that in that the stores were well stocked with illegal ingredients and the shelves with illegal books.
After warding the door and casting a strong silencing charm as well as a Mufulatio, Severus opened the Angelth.
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