Chapter Two: Tenebris Inferno

Getting Severus into the Castle was easy. James always had his invisibility cloak with him, and between that and the Map, it was a simple matter to evade everyone else. Besides, it was almost dinner, and most of the Castle occupants were in the Great Hall.

Every set of Prefects had a choice of claiming their own private rooms or remaining with their dorm mates. Remus stayed with his dorm-mates most of the time, but he had requested use of his own rooms to recover from the full moon, rather than remaining in the hospital wing all the time. Dumbledore had been kind enough to grant him that, after Madam Pomfrey agreed.

The Slytherin was still shivering once they got inside the rooms, so Remus made Sirius light a fire, and James Transfigure a thick, plush rug n front of it. Then he laid Snape down and went into the bathing room.

A quick look under the sink produced what he was looking for, the store of Potions Madam Pomfrey stocked the rooms with in preparation for his recovery. As per his expectations, they'd all been restocked for the start of the year, and the full moon that was only two weeks away. He pulled out the entire kit and dragged it into the living room.

Healing Balm. That would be good. Bruise Balm. Even better. Calming Draft. Snape sounded like he needed one, and if he didn't now, he would when he woke up. Fever Reducer. Definitely a must, with the way he'd been sweating.

"Remus...what are you doing?"

"Taking care of him." Remus didn't look up. "If he won't go to Pomfrey, then he needs care, provided by a Prefect or his Head of House. And if he wanted his own Prefects or Head of House to help him, then he'd have already got it. Since I found him and he was, nominally, in my care when he collapsed, then it's my duty as a Prefect to see that he gets proper medical attention to the best of my ability. Besides..." He flicked his amber gaze up, letting Sirius and James see the anger in his eyes. "I think we owe him that. For nearly getting him mauled and killed, if nothing else. Don't you?"

James gulped. "If you say so, Moony." He dropped into a crouch. Sirius scowled, but he didn't leave. Peter made soft noises in the background that Remus ignored.

He tugged the cloaks away and then began undoing the buttons on the thin shirt. Snape had every single button fastened, even the fiddly little ones on his cuffs and the top of his collar. Remus thought it looked uncomfortably like armor, meant to hide the Slytherin from prying eyes.

He got the shirt open finally, and almost wished he hadn't. The bruises they'd seen earlier were just the tip of the tower. Ugly marks marred most of Snape's skin, a pattern of violence that even the worst Quidditch match couldn't have mirrored. Remus didn't even think his transformations were that bad.

And the bruises were the least of it. Snape was every bit as thin as he looked, gaunt nearly to the point of skeletal. His ribs were clearly visible. How the hell he'd ever managed to grow to match James in height was a miracle, unless he'd brewed himself growth potions.

And worst, a neat pattern of burns, depicting Runes and Sigils, drawn across the contours of his chest and stomach. It was clearly deliberate. Even Sirius hissed in a breath at the sight. "What in bloody hell…? What's Snape been playing at?"

"It wasn't him." Remus lifted one wrist. He'd already seen the marks, old and new, that encircled Snape's arms. Marks he recognized from a childhood full of them. "Someone bound him and did this to him, Padfoot."

"A legacy of his mother's hatred, he said." James muttered the words. "Moony, you know any of these Runes?"

"Not all of them. That one..." Remus pointed to a rune over Severus's heart. "It's fire, but with a weird interpretation to it." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I've got to tend these wounds. Get me some disinfecting solution as well, and a pain potion. And a Nutrition Potion."

James collected them without a word. Sirius was still frowning at the marks. "Hey, Prongs...what was it Sni..." He checked himself, bit his lip, then continued. "What was it Snape said for me to ask about?"

"Tenebris Inferno, wasn't it? Something like that?" James frowned. "Ever heard of it?"

"No. I know the Latin. It's for 'Black Fire'. But I don't know anything else. Might be something in the family archives, but since I left them…" Sirius scowled. "Do you think the Restricted Section..."

"Maybe. Or you might ask your brother Regulus. He still has access to the family archives." Sirius grimaced. Remus raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

After a moment, Sirius looked away. "Yeah. If I can't find a reference anywhere else."

"Do we even need to know?" James frowned at the wounds Remus was cleaning and bandaging. "Is it really any of our business?"

"It wasn't." Remus spoke softly. "It wasn't...until we drove him to the breaking point. But think about this James. What if this isn't the first year? What if it's been happening all along?" He paused and looked up into the face of one of his best friends. "All this time...if he's been suffering all this time...and we've been adding to it...do you really think we should sit back and do...nothing?" The last word snarled out of him in a whip-crack of sound, colored by shame and loathing. "Because I think that would be the worst thing we could do."

James bit his lip. Remus could see the indecision in him. There was the part of James that had singled out Severus for teasing and pranking, the side of James that had bitterly envied the fact that Severus had Lily's friendship while he did not. Then there was the side of James that had befriended poor, stumbling Peter, had embraced Remus and his condition and all it's complications. Remus waited, waiting to see which way James would fall. Whichever way James went, Sirius was likely to go, and Peter certainly would.

Finally, James exhaled and looked away. "You're right."

"Good. Then I'll talk to Lily, see if she knows anything. They were friends before school, so she might have more information. Sirius can talk to Regulus, find out what Tenebris Inferno is. And you two...keep your ears open. We'll need to find out everything we can if we're to have any hope of understanding or fixing this."

He waited for the nods from the other three, then returned to his bandaging. Once he was finished, he stood. "That's all I can do. But I'll leave the potions for him."

"He won't take them. Snape's a suspicious bugger."

Lupin flashed James a smirk. "Oh, I think he will." He penned out a quick note. Once he was done, he spelled the ink dry, then cast a quick charm. James looked over his shoulder as he stuck the note to the box of Potions with a Sticking Charm.

To: Severus Snape, Sixth Year of Slytherin

You collapsed outside with a high fever. You may not recall, but you were delirious and refused all attempts to take you to the Infirmary. To avoid further agitating you, and more importantly, your several injuries, you were brought to these quarters. They are a set of private Prefects quarters which are not currently in use. The Potions in this box were procured for your treatment, and your injuries have been treated, as much as your condition would allow. You may use what remains when you awaken, and call the House Elf Skippy for any other requirements you may have. Rest and recover. Your Prefects and Professors will be notified that you are unwell and resting in private quarters, under my authority. Be warned, however, that if you have not reappeared within a week, I shall send Madam Pomfrey and your Head of House to diagnose your condition, regardless of your wishes.

Jeremy Attwater

Hufflepuff Seventh Year Prefect

Remus studied his handiwork with a grin. "That ought to work." He looked at James. "I've seen Attwater's handwriting at Prefect meetings, so I used Transfiguration to make mine match. Snape will probably accept things from a Hufflepuff, given the House reputation. Besides, everyone knows Attwater's a good sort."

"That's pretty brilliant, Mooney old man." James grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. Then his smile faltered, and he darted a look at Snape. The Slytherin boy was still out cold, but James frowned anyway. "We'd better get out of here before he wakes up though."

Remus nodded. After one more check on the sleeping wizard, the four of them slipped silently away.

***ASiSF***

The day after Snape's collapse, Sirius found himself waiting in a corner by the Great Hall, skulking in the shadows while he looked for a specific face among the students exiting dining area. He couldn't help fidgeting uncomfortably, a scowl on his face as he waited.

He'd tried searching out the words 'Tenebris Inferno' in the Hogwarts Library. But there'd been no mention of it in any of the regular school books, and there was no way he could manufacture a reason or a note to get him into the Restricted Section. Not this early in the year. He could have borrowed James' Invisibility Cloak, but he wasn't even sure what he'd be searching for.

Which left Remus's original suggestion. Asking his brother.

The brother he had barely spoken to, outside of taunts and insults, since the day Regulus had been sorted into Slytherin.

Finally he saw the familiar black hair and dark blue eyes, trademark of the family blood. Regulus had gotten thinner and taller over Summer, though he'd never be a giant. Sirius took a breath to steel his nerves, then strode forward. Fortunately, Regulus had left the Hall earlier than most students did, so the Entrance Hall wasn't crowded.

Regulus spotted him. The blue eyes hardened, and his brother pointedly turned away. Sirius cursed and darted forward, using his Quidditch honed reflexes to close the distance and catch his brother's sleeve. "Hold up."

Regulus whirled, faster than he expected, breaking his grip and stabbing a wand into his ribs before he could react. "Leave me alone. Touch me again, and I'll hex you so thoroughly that even Mother will be appalled."

That was a serious threat. Sirius lifted his hands in quick surrender. "Back off, Reg. I just want to talk to you."

"You don't get to use my name like that. Not after what you've done. Leaving the family, the way you've treated me since I was Sorted..."

"Fine then. Regulus. I swear on my honor as a Gryffindor, I just want to talk, alright?"

Regulus eyed him suspiciously, then pulled back just a fraction, though he didn't lower his wand. "If you're here to tell me I'm a fool to be in Slytherin, or making a mistake with my friends, or any of that traitorous rot..."

"I'm not. There's no point. You'll do what you want." Sirius snarled the words out. "Or rather, you'll do what our parents want. But that's not why I'm here. Look, just step aside with me..." He jerked his head towards a small room off to the side that he knew was deserted. "...and answer a few questions, and I'll leave you be."

"I'm not going to give you the password to the Slytherin dorms, or material to torment and harass my Housemates."

"I don't need either of those things." Sirius growled the words out. "Look, will you just come aside with me, before someone else shows and wonders what's going on? Or before a Professor comes and docks us points for fighting, before term's even properly started?"

Regulus eyed him coldly. "Fine." He stepped back a little more. "Because we're brothers."

"Whatever." Sirius turned and led the way to the little room. He let Regulus cast the lighting and privacy spells, knowing his brother would hex him if he went for his wand.

"What do you want, Sirius?" Regulus sheathed his wand and turned to face him, arms crossed over his chest.

"I need to know about something. Something I can't find out about from the library. I thought you might have heard of it." Sirius swallowed hard. "I need to know if you know anything about something called Tenebris Inferno. Or if you know someone who could tell me."

An ugly sneer warped Regulus's face. "And you accuse me of Dark Magic."

"I don't want to use it, you git." Sirius growled the words out, then forced himself to calm down. "I just need to know about it."

"And why should I tell you anything?" Regulus raised a mocking eyebrow.

Well, bargaining he'd expected. That was the way of Slytherins. "I'll leave you alone this year if you can tell me." With his O.W.L.s coming up, Sirius had a feeling Regulus would appreciate that promise, at least. "No taunting, no pranks. I'll leave you be to study for your classes."

Regulus regarded him with sudden interest. "Tell me why you need this information so badly."

"Student I know. We ran into him on the grounds. He was sick and delirious, but before he passed out, he mentioned it. Remus with his bleeding heart wants to help, and he made me promise to ask you about it if we couldn't find any information in the library. I've told him we've got a lot of books that you can't find here."

"Ah. So for your friend." Regulus considered. "If I tell you and you go back on your word, I will tell Dumbledore. And Slughorn. And McGonagall. And our parents."

"Fine." He didn't think Remus was going to let him or James do much pranking for a while any way. Not with how mad Moony had been the night before. He'd kept quiet while they were in the public corridors, but after they'd retired to their dorm room, Remus had warded the doors and given the rest of them a reaming so incensed Sirius had been sure his ears were going to literally catch fire. If Remus hadn't made a habit of controlling his magic and his temper, he probably would have been hexed bad enough to need the Infirmary. As it was, Moony had made it very clear that they were only on speaking terms in regards to homework and helping Snape. "I'm guessing you do know something about it."

"I do. I looked it up over the summer."

Sirius felt his jaw clench. "And if it's such Dark Magic and all, why were you looking it up?"

"Because when I met Cousin Bellatrix for part of the holiday, she was...disturbingly unstable. When I asked Father, he mentioned the Tenebris Inferno, the Black Fire, and I wanted to know what it was, how it could do that. And why he was so uncomfortable speaking of it." Regulus spoke the words sharply. "Not everything I do is evil. No more than all Slytherins or Blacks are, in spite of what you think."

"Fine. Not that Cousin Bellatrix needs any help to be crazy, but fine. What did you find out?" This wasn't the time or place to get into old family arguments, and Sirius had no patience for it anyway. Not today. He was already feeling on edge after everything with Snape and Remus the day before.

"Tenebris Inferno. It's a ritual. Not a very complicated one, as they go. But it requires two people. A caster, and a...recipient." Regulus flicked a look at him. "The first step is a potion. It's quite toxic, magically and in any other sense. Hemlock, aconite...there are a number of poisonous plants in there."

Potions. Well, that explained Snape...Sirius shook the thought aside. "Fine. After that?"

"The recipient is bound to a flat surface. The Tenebris potion is applied to their bare skin. Still hot, fresh out of the boiling cauldron. They're bound because no magic can interfere with the ritual, or so the books I referenced said. The potion is applied in the patterns for the ritual, the required Runes and so forth. Afterward, the ritual chant is spoken while blood is poured into the recipient's mouth. According to the texts, it can be any sort of blood, but it's strongest if it's the blood of an enemy of one of the participants, or both."

Sirius winced. That sounded just...foul.

"The incantation itself is very Dark Magic. But once it's done, if it's done correctly, the blood and the potion and the magic all transform, in theory, into pure dark energy, infused into the recipient's magical core."

"That's...why in hell would anyone..."

Regulus shrugged. "Father said Cousin Bella did it to show her devotion to the Dark Lord. According to the books I read, it was originally a way for feuding families, or wizards, to fight. A wizard was selected and made the recipient of the Tenebris Inferno, to provide him with the power and dark magic required for vengeance. Some texts even say it was meant to infuse the witch or wizard with the hatred of the caster. One author did a study on how the dark emotions in the caster, or in the recipient, could fuel the ritual and give it more strength, or increase the amount of Dark Magic the recipient harbors."

'I did not want to be Dark!' Snape's shout reverberated in Sirius's mind. As much as he'd always disliked the greasy git, he couldn't help feeling ill. He swallowed hard. "Do you...have an image of the ritual inscription you could show me?"

Regulus drew his wand and began to draw a diagram in the air.

It was the same as the burns on Snape's torso. Sirius felt like he'd taken a Bludger to the gut.

Regulus saw his expression and swiped his wand to wipe the image away. Then a dark, ugly smile twisted his face. "One of the things I found...worrisome about that ritual. Did you know it can be performed more than once? On the same recipient?"

"What?" Sirius snapped his head up. It was only when he saw the sharp flare of triumph that darted through Regulus's expression that he realized he'd given something away.

"It can be performed on a recipient more than once. And the recipient doesn't have to be willing. Although, I've read that the effects are quite debilitating." Regulus stepped forward. "So...how is he?"

"He?" Sirius backed up.

Regulus snorted. "Let me rephrase that. How is Severus, and what dd you and your friends do to him, when you found him? Hex him? Torment him?"

"What are you talking about? What makes you think it's Severus I was talking about?"

"Because all of Slytherin knows. His mother is a Prince, and they are gifted in spells and rituals and potions. We all know Severus has faced the Tenebris Inferno. At least once a year, though he'll never admit to it. Lucius Malfoy saw the signs, his first year. That's why he mentored and took such interest in a dirt poor half-blood like Snape."

Regulus must have seen something in Sirius's face, because another ugly sneer warped across it. "Snape's a genius with potions, and that makes him valuable enough. Amazing with spells too. But the fact that he's even still sane, after even one Tenebris Inferno...that's why the Dark Lord wants him. A wizard like that...that's a powerful wizard. You and your Marauder friends are lucky you've never gone one on one with him. Lucky he usually works off some of that power off in Slytherin Common Room before your little war starts. If he wasn't burning off that energy with Avery and Wilkes and Rosier...you'd be dead, brother."

More pieces clicked into place, and the feeling of being hit by a Bludger twisted, until it was more like being blasted with a Puking Hex.

Snivel...Severus really had been suffering. And everything they thought they'd known about him had been dead wrong.

He jumped as Regulus stepped forward. Then he froze as his brother's low, cutting whisper reached his ears. "You know, the Death Eaters and their children would thank you. You fuel his hatred, his rage and his desperation so well. When Severus comes to the Dark Lord, he'll toast your name as the cause, and rejoice in the weapon you handed Him."

Sirius couldn't say anything as Regulus backed up. In fact, he remained silent and frozen long after his brother had undone the wards and left the room.

Author's Note: And crap hits the fan.

To be fair, I don't hate Sirius. But he is a bully, and sometimes bullies need a good shock, and he just got his.

Next up...the Marauders meet to discuss what they've learned, and something is set in motion...