It was Bellatrix's birthday and instead of gifting her jewelry or furs, the Dark Lord brought her a young, blonde woman to do with as she pleased. Severus did not drink much, the stench of alcohol reminded him of his father, but he swallowed down glass after glass of champagne in an effort to block out the woman's screams.

Lucius's ballroom had been decorated with balloons and streamers. There was a banner above the door that announced 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELLA!' in big, cheerful letters. A set of enchanted instruments was playing a waltz in the corner. Lucius and Narcissa were dancing, his hand far too low on her waist. "Go on," Mulciber jeered and slapped the Muggle on her bare bottom, forcing her to crawl naked across the floor. Bellatrix had stripped the skin off the palms of her hands layer by layer. Bloody handprints dotted the floor as she crawled, her body heaving with the force of her sobs.

Fingers curled into his hair, scratching at the base of his head. Severus desperately tried to empty his mind of the disgust he felt. The Dark Lord's breath was warm against his ear. "Not enjoying the festivities?"

"I'm not one for parties," Severus answered. He watched as Mulciber reached for the Muggle again, squeezing the flesh of her rump, his fingers dipping between her thighs until Bellatrix slapped his hand away.

"She's my present," she said, her voice taking on the whiny quality of a child who did not want to share.

"Hm," the Dark Lord hummed, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. "Perhaps, with just a little change…"

He could feel the Dark Lord sink into his mind, and Severus scrambled to hide his most damning thoughts and memories. He had read about Occlumency, just a short excerpt in an encyclopedia during one of the many hours he had spent hiding in the Hogwarts library, but he had no idea if what he was doing was actually Occlumency or not. It felt more like sweeping the dust underneath a rug than creating a mental barrier. But the Dark Lord didn't seem to notice, or if he did he didn't care to mention it, and when Severus next blinked the woman had disappeared and James Potter was crawling around in her place.

The illusion was uncanny. Potter looked exactly as he had when Severus last saw him over a year ago, but now he was naked, crying wetly, bruised and bleeding. It was as if the Dark Lord had plucked from his brain one of his many revenge fantasies and brought it to life. Severus might have even enjoyed the sight if he didn't know the truth behind the illusion.

His stomach curdled and the illusion shattered. Bellatrix struck the girl with a short whip. "Go on, give the boys a show," she said with a vicious smile.

"Careful, Snape, if you keep drinking like that you'll pass out," a man named Pembry smiled as he came up to them, bowing deferentially to the Dark Lord. Severus vaguely recognized him from school. He was ahead of him by two or three years, and had played Quidditch.

"One can only hope," Severus sneered. "I'd rather be unconscious than suffer through another hour of boredom."

"Still the haughty bitch you always were, I see. I'd figured Potter and his little friends would have beaten that out of you by the time you graduated." Pembry's gaze flickered over to the Dark Lord, who looked on with mounting amusement. "Or fucked out of you."

"Oh, I can be nice when I want to be," Severus said, letting his voice drop an octave. He sank into the Dark Lord's hand, where it still lingered on the back of his neck. Let the work see who he belonged to. "You're just not worth it."

Pembry's mouth twitched. "Worth it? Everyone else here has earned their place in the Dark Lord's inner circle. We've all killed to prove our worth. You just spread your legs–"

"Now, now," the Dark Lord smoothly interrupted, still smiling. "Severus has many talents."

"Of course, my Lord," Pembry murmured, averting gaze.

"Who did you kill?" Severus asked.

"What?" Pembry's eyes darted back up to meet his.

"You said you killed to earn your Dark Mark. Who was it? I can't imagine a Hufflepuff killing anyone."

Pembry burst into laughter. "Don't you know?" He asked. "It was Alison Hayes."

"Alison–" Severus felt his brain grind to halt.

"I wouldn't have picked her if she hadn't been such a bitch and stood me up. Mudbloods need to know their place."

"Everyone thought it was me!" Severus choked out, which only made Pembry laugh harder.

"I know! It was so funny."

The Dark Lord ran a cold hand down his back. "Come, there's no reason to be upset about it now. It's all in the past. Why don't I take you upstairs so you can calm down."

The Dark Lord started to herd him out of the ballroom and toward the grand staircase when Bellatrix's voice stopped him. "My Lord? Where are you going? Aren't you going to stay?"

"I'll be back down in a bit. Severus needs tending to."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Bellatrix was already stepping forward, but the Dark Lord waved her back.

"Don't be silly. This is your party. Enjoy yourself. Go play with your new toy. Although if your lovely cousin wants to come and help…" The Dark Lord's red gaze landed on where Regulus sat in a chair in a corner, his eyes glazed over and seeing nothing.

As if sensing the heavy stares on his person, Regulus shook himself awake and glanced around. "What?" He asked, looking at everyone who stood quietly watching him.

The Dark Lord chuckled. "It is nothing. Don't worry your head about it. Come along, Severus."

Severus caught sight of tears springing to Bellatrix's eyes, before she whirled around and pointed her wand at the Muggle and yelled out, "Crucio!"

The Dark Lord took him upstairs into Lucius's bedroom, and once the door was closed he was on him, his teeth grazing his neck above his collar as he pulled at the buttons running down his chest. "You broke through my illusion," he hissed, but to Severus's relief he didn't sound angry, but almost… excited. "Your power is growing…"

He pushed Severus onto his knees, and knowing what the man wanted, he dipped his hands into his robes to pull out his cock and suck at the head.

Severus opened his eyes, rubbing away the crust that clung to his lashes. He turned, not wanting to get up, but unable to find a comfortable position. His entire body ached. Dealing with the Dark Lord was different from dealing with his father. Tobias Snape was predictable. He didn't like anything, especially not magic. The Dark Lord, on the other hand, liked to sometimes play the magnanimous king, and other times the tyrant. He was chaotic. In a way, he reminded Severus of Potter: a handsome, smirking face hiding something cruel and sadistic.

He often found himself thinking of Lily as of late. He had wanted to tell her so many times… what Potter had tried to do to him. But they had stopped being friends, she wouldn't even look at him anymore, and Potter was right. No one would have believed him, least of all Lily. She thought he was crazy. They all did. Twitchy and dirty and… he had probably looked like some street corner prophet, ranting about the end of the world. Now look at him. All dressed up in silks and velvets, sleeping in a palace, and all for the low, low price of his soul.

The Dark Mark was stark against his pale skin. Severus traced his fingers across the black lines. He could feel the Dark Lord's presence through it; he wondered if it was the same for the Dark Lord, or if there was something more to it than that.

Poor Lily. Poor me, he thought with a laugh. I wonder which one of us has the worst partner: Potter or the Dark Lord? The Dark Lord has never attempted to drive me mad, but Potter has never murdered anyone. Not that he didn't try. Severus thought back to the Shrieking Shack incident. He should have tried harder to warn Lily. Even if it only drove her further away, he should have told her everything that had happened that night on the staircase. It made him sick to his stomach knowing what kind of man Potter was, imagining the horror Lily must be suffering.

Severus finally dragged himself out of bed and threw on a robe to cover the bruises. He needed to get back to his potion. The Dark Lord expected it to be done within the next few days. Severus shuffled into the dining room where the house-elf had already laid out his breakfast and that morning's Daily Prophet, along with the mail.

KNOCKTURN KILLER STRIKES AGAIN

Another one? That made four now. Severus scanned the article. Victim was twenty-six year old Vincenzo Bianchi, a store clerk in Knockturn Alley. He is survived by his wife and three year old daughter. The picture staring back at him showed a tall, thin man with chin-length black hair and a large, hooked nose. This killer seemed to have a thing for skinny brunets.

Not wanting to read anything else on the subject, Severus started to look through his letters, immediately spotting the Black family seal. He broke it and unfolded the letter, his eyes growing wide as he read it.

Dear Severus,

I am in serious trouble. I'm pregnant, and the father isn't Regulus. I'm sure you know who it is. I think everybody does, except for Regulus and his mother. I am begging you not to tell him anything. Lucius and I have agreed to end it. I'll be getting married soon anyway; we have no future together. I was hoping you might be able to help me. I need a potion, something, anything to end this pregnancy. Regulus can't find out about it. Please, help me.

Narcissa

Of all the idiotic–! Severus rubbed at his forehead. Why did sex turn everyone into morons? It wasn't that good. He started listing the ingredients in his head, everything he would need to brew an abortifacient. He'll have to pick up a few things from Knockturn Alley.

There was a knock at his door and he heard the house-elf, Whimsy, open it. "Good morning, is Severus here?" Severus cursed under his breath at the sound of Regulus's voice echoing from the hall. He quickly folded the letter and shoved it into the pocket of his robe just as Whimsy showed Regulus into the dining room.

"Still at breakfast? You're usually up and working by now," Regulus commented as he took a seat beside Severus.

"I had a late start this morning."

Regulus's gaze fell to his neck and, without thinking, Severus's hand flew up, wondering if there might be a bruise there. "Can I–" Regulus swallowed and bit at his lip as he tried again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Merlin, please don't let it be about Narcissa and Lucius.

"Your core… it's started to grow again, right? Like Bellatrix's?"

Severus shrugged. "I suppose. The Dark Lord seems to think so."

"And a core… it's tied to a person's soul…"

"So the theory goes."

"What do you think would happen if a person injured their soul? Cut it in half maybe?"

Severus wrinkled his nose. "Cut it in half? I've never heard anything so drastic as that happening, but people have injured their souls before. It can oftentimes damage one's magic, sometimes permanently unless measures are taken, but I am no mediwizard. Why do you ask?"

Regulus looked down and dug his fingernail into a groove in the table. "Just doing a little research is all. Academic curiosity. Did… did you know Bellatrix wasn't the Dark Lord's first lover?"

"He's much older than us. I assumed there had been others in the past."

"It wasn't all that long ago actually. Her name was Artemisia Bulstrode. You might not remember her. Slytherin, but she was a year ahead of Lucius. Her magical core started to grow again too. She was fierce in a duel, or so Bellatrix says. Undefeated."

Severus could feel dread growing in the pit of his belly. "What happened to her?"

"No one knows exactly. She disappeared. Most think she was brought down by the Aurors and buried somewhere in an unmarked grave, but she had been so powerful. And the Dark Lord… he didn't seem to care. He never mentioned her again, and she had been his favourite."

"You think she might have done something to displease him?" Severus asked.

Regulus snorted. "Something like that," he muttered darkly. "I'm sorry to just drop in like this and rush out, but there's a lot of things I have to get done today. Thank you for taking the time to indulge my questions." He stood up and gently placed his hand on Severus's shoulder. "Be careful, please? I've got few enough friends as it is."

Severus arched his brow. "We're friends now?"

Regulus grinned brightly and it reminded him so much of his brother Sirius that Severus couldn't help but shudder. "Of course! We're all in this together." He patted his shoulder and left, leaving Severus confused and bewildered by what had just happened.

Severus spent the rest of the day working in his laboratory, splitting his time between the potion he was brewing for the Dark Lord, and the one for Narcissa. He checked the time, noting it was past five o'clock. The sun would be setting soon. The blistering summer heat had given way to the windy chill of October. He debated whether or not to wait until morning to get the rest of the ingredients he needed, before shrugging on his cloak. He had no reason to fear this 'Knockturn Killer.' Nearly everyone in that neighborhood knew who Severus Snape was and the crowd he ran with. No one would dare attack him.

The apothecary he frequented was small and dark and nondescript. It boasted high quality ingredients for reasonable prices, and despite its unsavoury location, Severus preferred it to any of the apothecaries in Diagon. "Severus," the old man behind the counter gave him a curt nod. "You shouldn't be out this late. Ministry's thinking about instituting a curfew 'round here."

"As if they hadn't wanted to put you lot under a curfew for years."

The old man gave a toothless grin before he quickly sobered. He nodded out the window at the shop across the street. It was dark on the inside and there was a sign that said CLOSED. "The last victim… he worked there. That's a little too close to home for my taste."

Severus thanked the man, took his purchases, and left. Night had fallen and, with another glance at the dark shop across the street, hurried along. After a few minutes he stopped, pausing to listen. It sounded as though there was another set of footsteps echoing behind him. He turned to look and there was nothing. The street was empty.

Severus could feel his heart beating wildly inside his chest. He hadn't felt like this since Hogwarts. It's the news. It's making you paranoid, making you hear things. Stop acting crazy, he scolded himself. Potter was off making fat, happy babies with Lily. He wasn't standing behind him, he–

The cold, chilly breeze suddenly grew warm, tickling the back of his neck. It brushed through his hair with a distinctly human sigh. Whatever thoughts that had been swimming in his brain seconds before dissipated as instinct took over. Severus turned on his heel, his fist swinging out. He expected it to fly through the empty air, and was shocked when his fist connected with something solid, something invisible.

Severus didn't stay to find out what it was. He took off in a run, apparating back to his apartment mid-step.