Dust shifted softly across the cracked floor as Severus Snape glided into the room. There were dark figures whispering to each other in the silence, unsure of what do and uneasy because their Master wasn't there. There were at least five Death Eaters gathered and Severus could hear loud cracks outside signaling that more people had just arrived. Swiftly, he made his way across the room with large strides. Everyone was wearing their masks and hoods, so it was hard to tell who was who. Though Snape, who had been playing this game far too long, had gotten rather good at guessing over the years. Already he could tell that Goyle and Crabbe seniors where here just based on their large build. Bellatrix was also in attendance-not that he expected otherwise-her wiry form became taunt with tension at his approach; she never did like him, which was fine by him. Snape had no need to be in favor with two insane wizards. One was enough, thanks.
"Ah, hello Severus. It has been far too long my dear friend." Lucius greeted softly, some strands of his fine long hair had fallen out of his hood and hung gently on his shoulder. "Tell me, how is Draco? Not getting into any trouble, I hope."
"Lucius, it's good to see you as well." He told the pureblood with a respectful bow. Lucius may have told him, to the point of exasperation, that Severus was equal to any respectable pureblood, but the Potions Master was not about to take any chances with a whole group watching. From past experience he knew they did not approve. "As for Draco, he seems to have stayed out of trouble. It's was only the first day of class though, so I'm sure that will change. Though I do believe he's picked up your habit of faking stomach aches." He ended dryly.
"Hah! I did tell him about some of my tricks to get out of classes during my own school years. I didn't think he would try them out himself. Perhaps I should have told him how many points I lost for those shenanigans." The elder Malfoy ended with a chuckle and a shake of the head.
"Yes, I believe Madam Pomfrey simply took pity on him today, Merlin only knows why. I shall have to speak with him about that before he tries again. She only lets it go once if I recall correctly." He told the man before steeling himself and turning to the woman whose glare he could feel blaze through him. "And how are you Bella? Crucio anyone lately?"
"How dare you speak so casually to me!" She hissed at him. "But yes; several unfortunate muggles that I pretended where you, you filthy traitor! Lucius!" She barked out, making several other Death Eaters flinch violently- no doubt expecting Unforgivables to start flying. "How dare you let him speak like that to you! He should be calling all of us Masters and kissing our feet! Do you understand you filthy half-blood? Do you?" Though none could see her eyes, insanity just seemed to ooze off of her outraged form. "You will never be one of us! Never! The only reason you're still alive is because our Lord took pity on you." She spat.
"Bella," Lucius started with a sharp tone, "I know this is hard for you to understand with that muddle of mess you call wit, but Severus has more than proved that he is worthy to be here. He has sacrificed and bled for our Lord, perhaps more than any of us- even you. And besides that, he is my friend," The proud man said softly before raising his voice once again, "And I will not have you besmirch that!"
"Aw! Wittle Lucius has a fwiend!" She mockingly cooed before snarling nastily, "As if I care about that! No, I've been telling you for years that you're ruining your reputation as a Malfoy by being friends with him! That doesn't reflect well on the Black Family, whom you have ties with you fool!"
"Firstly, Bella," Snape cut in, tired of hearing her voice. "The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black lost any and all respect when that fool cousin of yours became a Gryffindor and then later was imprisoned. Secondly, you should recall that you are a Lestrange now, and I can't say their reputation-I mean yours, pardon me- is much better. Thirdly, if you're going to go on about my company ruining others statuses, I suggest you work on your own before calling out mine." He ended, and secretly fist bumped with Lucius on the down low.
"What does that mean?" She spat out, voice filled with a promise of pain.
"It means I'm not known for the things I do on the mattress." Severus told her deadpan, trying to ignore Lucius and the others that were trying hard not to laugh. "The same cannot be said for you. Oh, and people don't call me a Crazy Bitch Bella. That has to count for something in this ridiculous argument."
"What!" She shrieked, "No one calls me that you bastard!"
"I do!" Lucius said gaily, and even put his hand up like he was about to volunteer for something. "I've called you that for years, you idiot." Severus managed to hold back his laughter but several others could not hold their amusement inside. Within seconds the entire room filled with deafening laughter and even when Bella drew her wand it could not be quelled. Before she could even say the spell she intended to cast a cold voice filled the room.
"What is this?" A horse voice rang out sharply as Lord Voldemort entered the room, looking upon his followers with great distaste. Immediately the laughter stopped and all were on the floor, bowing to him.
"I asked a question! Why are my most loyal follows making such a ruckus?" His pale form wrapped in flowing black robes moves seamlessly as one white hand removed an ebony wand deep from within his sleeve. Red, snake like eyes flickered across all his followers and found secret amusement in how they shuffled and flinched under his gaze. After a moment of making them increasingly nervous, he spoke again.
"Will not one of you answer me? Did I draw cowards into my folds?" He asked; true anger in his voice. Finally, one of his Death Eaters spoke. Not to his surprise, it was Severus Snape.
"My Lord," The man started, still bowed but with a steady voice. "You are right, to my shame; it was a petty squabble between Bella and myself. I shall take whatever punishment you deem appropriate." Voldemort nodded in satisfaction until he heard Bella snort in disdain.
"I do not you think you are in a position to make such actions, my dear!" He snapped at her as he casted a Crucio on her, relishing in her agonized screams as she thrashed on the floor in agony. "Do you think me stupid woman? I could hear your conversation in the other room! And yet only one of you was willing to admit to it! I'd Avada you all if it didn't mean I'd lose my most trusted men!" For a few more minutes he continued to curse a few others before letting his anger abide. Composing himself, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before releasing it and returning his gaze to his men.
"Now, I've called this meeting for a very special reason." The serpentine man started, "I've been thinking and I've discovered that-loathe though I am to admit it, we may lose this war if we do not change tactics."
"My Lord! You could never lose against the pathetic Potter boy!" Bella called out desperately from the floor; no doubt trying to restore his confidence.
"She's right my Lord." Wormtail, who had been quiet until then, spoke up timidly. "You have us and the werewolves on your side. We will prevail under your reign."
"I do not need your coddling!" He snapped at both; his anger renewed. "I do not have the werewolves backing us yet. Hopefully Greyback will help convince them but with his manners I highly doubt it. And as for Potter," He stopped and glared at Bella. "If I haven't lost against him, then why isn't he dead?"
It was both satisfying and irritating to watch them blanch and cower.
"With all due respect, my Lord," He heard Severus speak and immediately turned to the man. "You may have not won the battle, but it doesn't matter how many battles you lose so long as the war is yours." He couldn't see the man's face but he knew the man was smirking. He smirked back.
"It is that sort of thinking that makes you worthy of being in my ranks dear Severus. Not," He glared at Bella and Wormtail, "Trying to give me petty compliments that are meaningless. As I was saying, with the way things are going, that blasted Order may overcome us. Which is why I made sure that would not happen. I have made allies with a very powerful individual. I'm sure you've all heard about those disappearances. Some of you have even credited them to me, but this is not true." Voldemort took out his wand and waved it towards the door he had come from. Its wooden frame creaked ominously as it slowly opened and a large figure stepped out.
"Allow me to introduce the Millennium Earl." The man announced grandly.
Severus Snape went pale.
"He is equal to me. You will treat him with the same reverence as you do me as well as any guest he brings. Is that clear?" Voldemort stressed to his followers and received both hasty and reluctant nods.
"Tee-hee! Oh, there's no need to be so stern with them, Mr. Riddle. I'm sure we'll all get along well." The man in the top hat giggled and several in the small group winced. Each and every one of them knew that their Lord hated being reminded of his old name. So it was surprising that instead of the volcanic eruption they were expecting from their leader, a small twitch of his fingers was the only sign of his distaste towards the name. "Why don't you introduce me to your key players?"
"Of course," Voldemort said cordially and motioned to his Death Eaters to rise. As he named them off one by one, they took their masks off and stepped forward so that the Earl could see their faces.
". . . And this is my Potions Master, Severus Snape. He has served me well not only with his superb wit and potions over the years, but also as my eyes and ears at Hogwarts and in Dumbledore's little Order." Removing his mask and taking a step closer to look at the man he'd already met twice in his life, he could've sworn he saw a surprised look flash through the man's eyes.
"Severus Snape? Ha! I know you!" The Earl said excitedly as he pointed towards the dour man. "Yes, yes, I remember you. It's hard to forget someone like you." The Count ended softly, and Severus could feel the curious gazes of many on his back.
"It has been a long time, Sir Earl." He said with a small nod of the head. "I admit I did not foresee ever meeting with you again."
"You know each other?" Voldemort questioned and Severus could tell by the tone that the man was not happy to be left out of the loop.
"Briefly." The Earl told him, mirth still in his voice. "Once as a child, his grief called out to me- I believe it was your mother that had passed? And once again in his twenties, there was another. You know, Severus, it's not too late; I can still bring one of them back for you. Just one, mind." The Earl said with the wiggle of his eyebrows and Severus had to hold back the urge to let loose a snarky reply.
"As tempting as that is, I'm afraid I must refuse you're offer once again. My grief as ebbed for both and it has been too long. I doubt either would be happy to be pulled back into this world after so long." He replied in a respectful tone and stepped back to his original spot.
"And that is why you are so exquisite! To refuse my offer thrice! Truly remarkable. If you ever change your mind, I'll be waiting." He ended in a soft tone again and Severus fought off the shudder.
"If it's not too rude to ask, are you a Necromancer?" Lucius asked after he was introduced.
"Some would call me that, but I do much better work than the type of necromancer you're thinking of. Necromancer's call upon the bones; I call upon the souls, because what is a body without the soul?"
"Is that true? You can bring back the soul?" A nervous, desperate voice called out as a figure hurried toward the man, pushing past the others in his haste. When he made it to the front, he threw himself in front the Earl and threw back his hood and masked. The face revealed was that of a haggard middle aged man, and if one looked closer, they could see a deep, ever-lasting sorrow in his brown eyes.
"Octavius!" Voldemort hissed as his rose his wand, but the man ignored him; focused solely on the Earl.
"Please! Bring back my wife! Please, I beg of you! Life is agony without her! I cannot go on without her! Please!" The man ended in a mess of tears.
"I apologize for this." The Dark Lord told the Count. "Octavius was the newest to be initiated into my Inner Circle. His wife was killed a few weeks ago by a misfired spell from a newly minted Auror and the Ministry has done nothing to compensate him. If I had known it had affected him this much, I would have never raised his rank." Voldemort explained, eyeing the bawling man with disgust.
"Please! I don't care about the body, but her soul; that is what I loved. Just to hear her voice. . . please, I'd give anything to be reunited with my Fiona." He begged.
"Why of course I'll bring her back to you! After all, who am I to deny true love?" The Earl said with a truly vicious grin has he began his work.
What happened next left some sick to their stomachs.
Out of thin air appeared a skeletal like figure. It almost looked like a human skeleton, but the metallic shine and sharp edges gave away that it was something completely different. It floated in the air peacefully for a moment before it jerked and began to glow. As it trembled, the name 'Fiona' appeared in an elegant, black script upon its forehead. After a moment, it stopped glowing, and a groan came from the creature as it brought its thin arms to its forehead; as if it was in pain.
"Where?" It called out in question, in a soft feminine voice. Immediately, Octavius's eyes lit up in wonder.
"Fiona!" He cried in joy. "Oh Fiona, how I've missed you!" He told her as he ran to embrace her, but was stopped by some invisible force.
"Ah, you'll be able to hold her in a moment, but I'm afraid I require your payment before that." The Earl told him, holding out a hand for payment. "I do recall, you said you'd give anything?"
"Yes! Yes! Of course! Whatever you want! Name it and I'll give it to you!" Octavius cried out desperately, eye never leaving his wife's form.
"Fool." Severus mumbled under his breath and Lucius gave him a curious look.
"Well, since you said anything, I'll be needing that body of yours." The Earl said grandly. "My dear akuma, take that skin for your own. Can't have you running around naked. How indecent would that be!"
"Wait, what?" Octavius asked as the machine moved towards him.
"Octavius, how could you do this to me?" Fiona screamed as she caught a hold of his sleeve. "I'll never be free! How dare you imprison me like this! He'll never let me go! Oh Octavius, why couldn't you just let me rest?" She sobbed as she forced her frame inside his skin as he choked to death, frantically scratching at her disappearing frame.
"Ew." Snape heard Lucius say and kicked his ankle to shut him up.
"Octavius. . ." They heard the machine moan from the said man's body as a thin line of blood ran down from his mouth. Brown eyes stared at the floor blankly.
"Don't be sad!" The Earl said before waving his hand over its forehead. "After all, you belong to me now." He told the machine and it stood up stiffly; waiting for its orders. "Tell me, Mr. Riddle, what is that you would like 'Octavius' to do?"
"He should do as he always does," Voldemort said with a smirk. "Go about his day at the Ministry, watch for anything suspicious, and keep sending funds to me. Just go about his normal routine."
"You heard Mr. Riddle, go about you day and alert us of anything out of the ordinary." The Earl ordered the machine.
"As you wish." Octavius said in a dead voice and apparated away. For a moment there was silence before Voldemort's booming voice rang through the room.
"A truly beautiful art you practice Count Earl! It is an honor to be working with you." The dark wizard told him before speaking to his followers. "I feel we have tarried too long tonight. I will call you again when it is time. You may go." After saying this, the Earl and him walked back into the door they had come through. After the door had shut, the Death Eater's began to talk.
"That was beautiful!" Bella said in a dreamy voice. "I hope that happens to Potter. I really want to see that happen to Potter!" She ended eagerly and several agreed. Lucius, however, snorted.
"Beautiful? That was the sickest thing I've seen since Narcissa made me change Draco's diapers when he was a baby. Absolutely horrid." He sniffed in disdain.
"Why'd she make you do that?" Severus asked his friend.
"Something about ill house elves and her visiting some place or another. I can't recall. I do recall the mess. I still have nightmares about it."
"Oh, don't be a baby Lucius!" Bella said with a twisted laugh. "If you can't appreciate that, then perhaps you're going soft, hmm?"
"Or perhaps you're a looney. Think on that, will you?" he told her dryly, ignoring her insulted shrieks of outrage. "Come Severus; let's go before we are infected by the stupidity. One body can't hold that much and if it leaks out, it goes straight for intelligent people. I fear that leaves only you and me, my friend." Lucius said as he gracefully moved towards the entrance.
"Go to hell Lucius!" Bellatrix screamed.
"Already there. Saw you. Had to leave." He said with a backwards wave as Severus shut the door. "Thank Merlin. I don't think my ears could take much more of her high pitched screams." He heaved out. "So how did you know?"
"Pardon?"
"That Earl said you met each other twice. How did you know not to accept his offer?" Lucius elaborated, and Severus stopped and thought deeply on how to explain it.
"Do you remember in your 7th year- my 5th-at Hogwarts when a bunch of the boys from our house went skinny dipping to celebrate winning the House Cup, but you stayed behind because you had a feeling something bad would happen?"
"Yes I remember that." The Malfoy head said after a moment of shifting through his memories. "If I recall, the girls stole their clothes because they wanted to see the goods, and something in the water that year gave them bad acne and turned their hair a nasty puke green."
"It was like that."
"I see. Say, now that you brought it up, why didn't you join them? You never did explain that to me. Did you have the bad feeling too?"
"I have something called common sense. It was 45 degrees out and the wind was blowing. Besides, I was busy putting a potion in all the shampoos and soaps in the Gryffindors boy's bathroom that night. I brewed a special elixir for a rather perverted 3rd year and he gave me the password as payment." Snape ended smugly.
"Wait, does that mean you're the reason the next morning they all had "We are the losers, my friends" and "All hail the Snake" written on their foreheads?" Lucius asked, impressed. Severus stopped and looked at his friend for a long moment.
"Lucius," he started slowly, "Any prank pulled on them with no one to blame it on was done by me." And Lucius's blue eyes became big.
"Even the one where they did the strip tease in the Great Hall and old McGonagall actually fainted?" He asked breathlessly.
"Yes, that was me. I only did that because some Ravenclaw paid me to do it. I think she had a crush on-oof! Lucius! Too tight! Too tight!" He said as Lucius gave him a bear hug.
"I always told myself that if I ever found who did that I would personally hug them. That stunt lost them so many points it put them in the negatives! And their faces! I still look in my pensive just to see their horrified faces! You deserve a hug for that alone. I don't give out hugs often, y'know." The blonde told his friend in a serious tone. "It's an honor to receive a hug from a Malfoy."
"I can tell! Now let go before you break bone!" Severus wheezed out pathetically and took a big breath as he was released. "If you ever do that again, I will leave you stranded in Muggle London without your wand!" He threatened as he smoothed out his robes. "Come on, we need to leave before Bella comes out."
"Of course. I shall see you later my friend. Keep an eye on Draco for me, please." Lucius said as he removed his wand from his cane.
"Of course." He replied as he pulled out his own wand.
"Y'know Severus," He heard Lucius say quietly, "I would never go against our Lord, but I do not think Octavius deserved that." Before the Potions Master could reply, Lucius had apparated away.
"There may be hope for you yet." Severus said as he too vanished with a crack.
Bonus Story: Photograph Finish
Hogwarts 1974,
"You sure this will work?" A voice asked in the darkness as a pale hand gave him a glass tube filled with a lavender liquid.
"For the last time, yes. I tested it several times. All the kinks were worked out. If you don't believe me, try it right now." A fifteen year old Severus snapped out impatiently.
The other boy, a thirteen year old Chinese boy with shockingly bright yellow hair, whipped out a picture of a pretty girl chatting with her friends; unaware that her image had been snapped. With the precision of a scientist, the boy added a small drop of the potion onto the photograph and gasped in awe as that drop spread to all four corners, making the picture smooth and glossy. The boy harshly ran his fingers over it and almost wept when there was not a single finger print or smudge. He did cry when he tried to rip it and could not. He tried to hug Severus when he set it on fire and found it did no damage to the photo.
"Oh! This is perfect! Thank you! Thank you so much!" He reached for the other, but the Slytherin backed away and drew his wand.
"If you touch me, consider yourself a cadaver for me to study." He told the 3rd year in a serious tone. "Now, I've held up my end of the deal, the password?"
"Pigfarts." The other said, staring adoringly at his picture.
"Pigfarts?" Severus said blankly.
"Yes. The girls thought it was disgusting but rumor has it that Hargrid won the coin toss for who got to choose the House passwords this semester." The boy explained.
"I see." 'That explains why ours is Unicorn Turds. I wondered about that.' Severus thought as he bid the boy good bye.
"Oh Great Grandfather Bak, if only you were still around. This would be the potion you were waiting for." He heard the boy say. Whatever, it wasn't his problem. Slowly, he made it to the Gryffindor tower and whispered the password to the Fat Lady.
"Lad, you're not a Gryffindor. I can't let you in." She told him as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. "It's pass curfew anyway."
"Do you remember that rumor that was started about you eating all the small painting animals?" He asked and watched as she became sharp eyed and angry immediately.
"Yes." She said tightly.
"If you let me through, I'll tell you who started it."
"Deal." She said as she unlocked the latch.
"It was the ballerina in the second corridor across from the Duchess of Bath portrait." He told her as he stepped through and into the common room.
"Why that skinny little. . ." He didn't hear the rest as he whispered to his wand to point him to the boy's showers. Making sure no one was inside, he stepped in, locked the door, and held back a cackle as he set his bag down and removed several bottles.
"This is for thinking you're the greatest pranksters of all. Fools. You're only great if nobody knows it's you." He said as he began to pour the potion into bottle after bottle of innocent shampoo. After he was done, he re-shouldered his bag and left quietly as he came.
Closing the empty portrait of the Fat Lady- he could hear the shrieks of pain all the way from here- he let loose a snicker as he skipped down the stairs.
Tomorrow was going to be good.
Pigfarts: Shamelessly taken from A Very Potter Musical