Sick

I haven't written this sort of thing for ages, so it has been quite a struggle, but I hope I did it justice. Welcome to 1977 by the way, where our Severus is volatile, angry, and also rather hateful. He likes to destroy things. He's about to meet his match.

As for those of you wondering what I meant by "perverted old man" I would like to add that it is Severus' interpretation, and sometimes interpretations can be wrong. Do not get me wrong, Albus was certainly out of line, he knows that — but it isn't as bad as some of you think, I feel. I would never ever make Albus do that. To anyone.

Especially Sev-Sev.

~ SS19

Chapter Seven

Severus was stood in the small living room, arms folded, face partly hidden between curtains of dark hair, glaring across at Lucius Malfoy, who was stood opposite. The pampered and well educated Malfoy raised his head, meeting the gaze and not looking away, contemplating the younger man across from him. His Lord was right; Snape was interesting. Different. Raised from a childhood of hatred and fear and anger. Those emotions blazed in his irises, and it was a wonder to Lucius how he had not been incarcerated thus far. That was not his concern at the the moment, of course. He had more important thing to concern himself with. Such as how best to break the boy before him. He wanted blood — it was something all Death-Eaters desired, and the main reason they joined the cause to fight alongside their Lord. Every so often, if they had performed particularly well, the Dark Lord provided those within his Inner Circle with a plaything. A new toy for them to corrupt and abuse. Normally it was a Muggle, which was fair enough, because they could be tortured to within an inch of their life and then simply killed when boredom set in. But to be given a wizard, a boy who was capable of causing damage himself was far more exciting, and Lucius knew that that he and his Death-Eaters were greatly looking forward to having a little light entertainment.

For this first meeting, however, it was just Lucius and Snape. Lucius, of course, knew Snape from afar, having been a few years older than him at Hogwarts. Now the boy was close to leaving, and he had certainly changed. He was still defiant though, he always had been. He had never understood the hierarchy in the Slytherin Common Room, refusing to do Lucius' homework for him, refusing to partake in the activities that took place after dark in the dormitories, far more happy to read and learn and consume information surrounding every topic under the sun. Especially the Dark Arts. The boy knew more than Lucius presumed most of the Inner Circle did when their knowledge was combined, and knowing more than Bellatrix Lestrange was certainly a feat for one so young. Lucius took a step forward. "I would suggest that you show your elders some respect, Snape, when you are in our presence. You would kneel before the Dark Lord, would you not? Until you are Marked, you would do well to treat us with the same respect as you would he."

Snape either had not heard Lucius or was hearing him and simply ignoring his instructions. He continued to stare at Lucius, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Kneel." Lucius commanded, but still Snape would not obey him. He smirked, and Lucius suddenly understood the challenge. Make me.

Lucius drew his wand, but before he could cast anything, Snape had done the same and the ground suddenly seemed to be pulled from under Lucius' feet, and the older man fell to the ground on his rear end, a furious flush colouring his cheeks. "I do not have to kneel to you." Snape answered, pocketing his wand.

Lucius glared across at him, "You are incredibly foolish, Snape."

"I bow only to one, Malfoy, and that is the Dark Lord. You are not on the same level as he, and you never shall be. Do not try to kid yourself." Snape's words were venomous. "Was there anything else, Malfoy?"

Lucius got back to his feet and watched Snape. "No. Nothing at all."

Severus was walking along one of the many corridors in Riddle Mansion, determined to find his way out and back to Hogwarts before he was caught outside of curfew. It was not too hard to slip out of the school — he knew about the secret passageways and he was hardly noticed, whether he was there or not. Responding to the burn on his arm was not difficult. But he was not going to be belittled by Malfoy, someone he knew far more than and was insignificant in Severus' plans to destroy Albus Dumbledore. He would not be forced to bow to anyone, beside the Dark Lord who Severus did truly respect.

He heard the footsteps and turned a second too late. His wand was blasted from his hand and he hit the ground in a crumpled heap before he had time to even realise what was happening. Reeling from the impact, he was practically powerless as two strong arms wrenched him up from the ground and dragged him to one side, out of the corridor and into an adjoining room. He tried to struggle against the two unyielding towers of muscles and wished, once again, that he was not so thin and small. He was pulled up to his knees and came face to face with a wand. Malfoy's wand, to be precise. Malfoy was stood in front of him, "That's better." He pressed his wand to Severus' forehead, forcing his head back, "However. I do believe you need to earn a little respect, Snape. You have been released into my care. The better you behave, the less you will suffer. I do not think you quite understand the situation. You are my property. I shall treat you however I see fit."

"I am nothing of yours." Severus replied, and for good measure, he spat at Malfoy. Malfoy recoiled and nodded at whoever had Severus in a tight grip. His head was wrenched backward by his hair and exposed his throat. Malfoy seemed to snicker, "Put a blindfold on him."

Severus attempted to struggle when the cloth was pulled across his eyes, but once again, they met with his captors like water on rock. Suddenly plunged into terrible darkness, he felt his heartbeat increase and fear build in his chest, despite how much he wanted to seem brave and unaffected.

"Let's see how really tough you are, Snape." Malfoy hissed. "Crucio."

The agony swept through Severus' veins and he winced and flinched despite himself, not wanting to seem like a dying spider but finding no other way to deal with the pain that was far too much for anyone to deal with. Somewhere from the depths of the torture-filled void he was falling down into, he felt someone wrestling with the clasp on the front of his robe and lashed out with his feet, colliding with something and knowing he had caused damage. The curse was broken and he tried to open his eyes but remembered that the blindfold was there and he still could not see. He could hear slightly heavier breathing from somewhere above him, and some sort of muttered swearword that sounded wrong coming from the educated Malfoy's mouth. "Bastard child."

"Lucius — you're bleeding."

"I can see that, Avery! Put him down." Severus was dropped onto the ground, the blindfold was ripped away, and he was looking up into Malfoy's face. Blood was dribbling from Malfoy's nose and lower lip, and Severus saw pure hate in those platinum eyes. "I will take my revenge for that, Snape." He pulled Severus' head closer to his, "I will destroy you." He threw Severus back down to the ground and whirled, storming away, followed by Avery and whoever the other Death-Eater was, feeling particularly pleased with himself.

Lucius Malfoy dabbed the handkerchief to his face and recoiled at the sight of the red liquid on the white material. "I will have him for that. I will make him weep." He turned to Avery and Nott. "Find me a Boggart. I will destroy him."

He waited until they had gone before examining his reflection in the window. The moment he had tried to undo Snape's robe, the boy had become slightly more violent and had lashed out in a very uncontrolled way, which suggested Lucius had touched a nerve.

And what better way to find out what the nerve was…besides conjuring his greatest and darkest fear?