Severus was relieved when the meeting he was stuck in came to an end, and he was free to do as he wanted for tonight. Until –
"Oh, my Lord," Lucius said as everyone else except Severus left. "Rookwood said he wanted to see you tomorrow, shall I give him a time?"
Voldemort nodded. "Midnight tomorrow, in my rooms. Do you know what it's about?" Severus poured himself a glass of red wine from the bottle in the middle of the table and took a sip. "Yes you may have some of my wine, Severus." The Potions Master smiled.
Lucius was wearing his trade mark smirk. "The Prophecy, my Lord," he drawled.
"About time, maybe he'll have some information now about why it sent Bode insane." The Dark Lord frowned. "Avery insists that anyone could take it from the shelf, so then why did it do that to Bode? And we still haven't managed to get the bloody thing."
Severus looked up. "What did happen to Bode, actually? All I knew was that he died from a pot plant that was really Devils Snare." Lucius smirked again.
"I personally thought that was an ingenious way of disposing of him," he said smoothly. Severus rolled his eyes.
"We weren't sure how we were going to get the Prophecy, so Lucius Impero'ed Bode, an Unspeakable at the Ministry, and told him to get the Prophecy and bring it to him," Voldemort started. "The whole thing backfired, we're guessing as soon as he touched the thing he went mad and we couldn't make any sense out of him." He sighed. "Rookwood's had enough to do with that department, he should be able to tell us, surely."
Lucius nodded. "One thing I will say, my Lord, I find it ironic that the Unspeakable looses the power of speech through his job." He laughed, and Voldemort and Severus joined in.
Later on, when the house was dark and almost empty except for the Dark Lord and Severus, Voldemort spoke. "Will you come tomorrow night as well Sev?" he asked, almost dropping off to sleep. Severus smiled. It was nice to feel wanted.
"I'll come every night I can come, Voldemort," he said softly.
x--------------------------------------------------------------------------------x
Severus and Voldemort were enjoying a quiet evening together when there was a knock on the door. The Dark Lord was standing behind Severus in a darkened room, lit only by a branch of candles, massaging his shoulders after a long day at Hogwarts. "That'll be Rookwood," he said softly. "Go and wait in my bedroom." He waited until Severus was out of sight behind the curtains, and then using wandless magic, opened the door.
Rookwood entered, visibly shaking, and knelt on the floor, not daring to move any closer to the Dark Lord. "Rookwood. Lucius said you wished to speak to me about the Prophecy, have you discovered something?"
The man in front of him seemed even more shaken at being asked a direct question, but managed to nod. "Yes, my Lord, a Prophecy can not be removed by anyone except for the person or people it was created for." Rookwood suddenly seemed to be less nervous as he started speaking, as if he felt very confident with what he was saying.
"I have been badly advised, it seems," Voldemort said thoughtfully, yet at the same time there was a pulse of anger in his voice.
"Master, I crave your pardon," the man croaked, trembling with fear once more.
"I do not blame you, Rookwood." He walked around the chair he was holding onto, so that he was directly above the man on the floor, towering. "Are you sure of your facts, Rookwood?" he asked.
"Yes, my Lord, yes… I used to work in the Department after – after all…" He was shaking again, even more obvious in his voice. The Dark Lord was enjoying himself.
"Avery told me Body would be able to remove it," he said shortly.
"Bode could never have taken it, Master… Bode would have known he could not… Undoubtedly, that is why he fought so hard against Malfoy's Imperius Curse…"
"Stand up, Rookwood," Voldemort ordered. Rookwood almost fell over, but managed to do as he was told. "You have done well to tell me this," Voldemort continued. "Very well… I have wasted months on fruitless schemes, it seems… but no matter… we begin again, from now. You have Lord Voldemort's gratitude, Rookwood…"
"My Lord… Yes, My Lord," Rookwood gasped, as if he could not believe his ears.
"I shall need your help. I shall need all the information you can give me."
"Of course my Lord, of course… Anything."
Voldemort was growing tired of his stuttering, and waved him away. "Very well… You may go. Send Avery to me." He hardly noticed as Rookwood scuttled backwards to get away. "You can come out now," he called to Severus. He watched as his lover came out of the bedroom. "Were you listening?"
Severus nodded silently. "Avery is going to pay for this."
Voldemort laughed lightly. "I want you to help me find out if he made a mistake, or he's doing something he shouldn't be. Either way, it's going to hurt him."
There was a quiet knock at the door, and Voldemort sat down, Severus behind and to the side of the chair. "Enter." The door was pushed open very slowly, and Avery entered, his face ashen and white.
"M… M… My Lord," he managed, kneeling down. "You – You sent for me?"
"We have wasted months on this scheme, and with no prevail. You told me Bode would be able to take that Prophecy, and now I have discovered otherwise. What remains is for me to find out whether or not you are merely a stupid fool, or if you are a disloyal one." Voldemort's voice was even angrier now, he sounded very menacing and frightening.
Avery seemed to be stuck to the spot. "Y- yes…" he murmured, shaking more visibly then even Rookwood was.
Voldemort raised his wand. "Crucio," he hissed. "Penetrate his mind, Severus."
Severus pointed his wand. "Legilimens," he said softly. He first saw a barrier of pain, that was the only thing of Avery's mind, and he delve in deeper, seeing scenes he'd seen with his own eyes, and then other scenes, but there was nothing wrong at all. He stopped the spell, and looked back to the Dark Lord.
"Nothing," he said. The Dark Lord stopped the Cruciatus Curse that was on Avery.
"Did you not think, Avery, to check your information before you gave it to me?" Voldemort asked, still angry.
"M.. Master, we m- may have wasted time, b- but we… we now know that only Your Lordship and Potter can touch the Prophecy, we now know what to do!" There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Yes, and I suppose you wish to take credit for that!" Severus was now starting to get angry. He raised his wand, and bellowed "Crucio!" at the same time as the Dark Lord.
He wondered if Avery was going to be the next to hit insanity, after Bode.
x--------------------------------------------------------------------------------x
Dear Voldemort,
Potter hasn't been practicing. I saw a memory, he saw what happened with you and Rookwood the other night. He didn't know I was there, but he now knows about the Prophecy and that we tried to get it through Bode. He knows too much. I don't know if this link is going to work.
Umbridge is taking over and Trelawney has been sacked, Firenze the centaur has taken her job. The whole school is in uproar, I'm sure you'll appreciate that and take delight in it.
I'm sending this from the forest so she can't get her hands on it. Don't worry.
See you soon.
x--------------------------------------------------------------------------------x
As he heard the door of his office open, Severus knew that Potter had arrived. "You're late, Potter," he said coldly. Severus was growing to hate every one of the lessons he had Potter for, not just Occlumency. He finished emptying his inner most thoughts and memories of the Dark Lord and his loyalties, before he turned around to face Harry. "So. Have you been practicing?"
Severus hoped that the boy hadn't been. It would make things a lot easier for all of them, in the end.
"Yes," Potter said, looking at one of the legs of Severus's table.
Severus smiled to himself. "Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" he replied smoothly. "Wand out, Potter." He watched as Harry moved into his position, facing Severus with the desk between them. "One the count of three then, one – two –" The office door banged open and Draco Malfoy sped in. Severus raised an eyebrow at the petite Malfoy in front of him.
"Professor Snape, sir – oh – sorry –" There was a look of surprise on his face to see Snape and Potter with their wands pointed at each other. Severus quickly lowered his wand.
"It's alright Draco, Potter is here for a little remedial Potions." The look of surprise changed to one of pure gloating and glee.
"I didn't know," Draco said, leering at Harry who's face was bright red with embarrassment, Severus suspected. But this boy being alive was the sole cause of him not being with the Dark Lord at that very moment, so he couldn't feel bad for him.
"Well, Draco, what is it?" Severus asked pointedly.
"It's Professor Umbridge, sir – she needs your help," Draco said. "They've found Montague, sir, he's turned up jammed inside a toilet on the fourth floor."
"How did he get there?" Snape snapped.
"I don't know, Sir, he's a bit confused."
"Very well, very well. Potter. We shall resume this lesson tomorrow evening." Severus turned and swept out of the room, and headed up towards the fourth floor toilets, Draco following him closely.
"I don't understand why you even bother to give Potter extra Potions lessons sir, he'll never be able to pass any exam," Draco said, matter of fact.
"It is the Headmaster's wish," Severus said shortly, before entering the bathroom, to see a lot of water on the floor, a group of Slytherin's gathered around Montague and Umbridge, who looked rather flustered and wet.
"Professor Umbridge," Severus said smoothly, nodding to the woman before him as if he actually liked her. "I will continue here if you wish to go and get yourself dried up a bit."
Umbridge looked relieved, making her toad like face look even uglier. Severus repressed a shudder. "Thank you, Severus," she said, flashing him a smug little smile. "If it's not to difficult for you." Severus was even more relieved when she left them too it.
"Now, come on Montague, lets get you back to the Slytherin common room to dry off." Severus escorted the fifth years back to the common room, and then he headed back into his own office. He frowned. The Pensieve was moving around, slowly swirling, making it look like silver silk in the wind. He looked into it, and all he could see in front of him were images of his worst memory. His face darkened.
"Harry Potter!" he yelled, and plunged in towards a memory he never wanted to be in again, and now had to experience once more.
x--------------------------------------------------------------------------------x
Severus strode into the Dark Lord's meeting room, seeing Voldemort deep in conversation with several members of the Inner Circle. "A word," Severus murmured into his ear.
Voldemort glanced up, and with one look at the Potions Master's face, beckoned to the adjoining room. "What's up?" he asked when the door was safely shut behind them.
"Potter just – " Severus started, but a wave of emotion flew through him, stopping him from speaking.
"Severus, I haven't left my meeting for your petty rows with Potter," Voldemort snapped. Severus lost it, and pushed Voldemort hard, hitting the wall with him.
"Will you just listen to me?" he snapped, hands pushed against the Dark Lord's chest. "I caught Potter in my memory tonight, in the Pensieve. He watched his pig-headed father humiliate me in front of the entire school!"
Voldemort sighed quietly, and gently moved his hand up towards Severus's hand on his chest, and moved it down. "If Potter's heart is truly Gryffindor, he will keep what he saw a secret," he said. The Dark Lord knew how Severus liked to keep his secret's a secret, and not tell anyone, he was exactly the same.
Severus was shaking. "He knows everything now, he knows why I hate him and… I don't think I can ever look at him again." He turned so he was leaning against the wall next to Voldemort. "I just want to leave Hogwarts and be with you."
The Dark Lord sighed again. "No. You can have anything, except for that right now. You know that Severus, you know you can't leave now."
Snape nodded. "Yes, of course I understand that." He bowed his head slightly. "I'll go back to Hogwarts then. Sorry for disturbing you." He turned, and was about to leave the room when he was grabbed from behind, spun around roughly and brutally kissed on the lips.
"Stop being so stupid, Severus," Voldemort scolded, with a small smirk. "You can stay with me tonight. I don't care how early it is you wake me up to leave, I want you here." He opened the door of the room, and headed back towards the other Death Eaters. Severus followed and sat in the only space, at the end of the table next to Bellatrix who obviously wasn't going to smile at him. "Do you have anything else you wish to tell us, Severus?" Voldemort asked.
Severus nodded. "I discovered yesterday that there is now no one guarding the door at the Department of Mysteries." There was silence in the room.
"I see," Voldemort said, a few seconds later. At that moment, Bellatrix yawned. "Tired, Bella?" Voldemort asked, with a smile.
"A little, my Lord." She smiled back at him. "Perhaps we should continue in the morning when we're all a little more rested." Severus stopped himself from saying that she was saying that because he wouldn't be there. If the Dark Lord was going to give in so easily to the little slut, then it wasn't his business to say anything.
"I agree," Voldemort nodded, with a tiny look shot in Severus's direction, that no one would have noticed, telling him to shut up. Severus rolled his eyes and looked away. "I'll discuss this some more tonight with Severus, and then I'll tell you all what we've decided in the morning. You may go now."
Too slowly for Severus, the Death Eaters around the table left the room.
"About time," Severus snapped, as the door shut.
"There, now, it's just me… And you…" The Dark Lord walked towards Severus and smiled. "We've made a good start on these new plans, we already know exactly how we can get the Prophecy." He kissed Severus gently on the lips. Severus sighed, but kissed back anyway. He didn't want to miss out on this tonight.