A Lesson in Necromancy
By MaliceandBone
Summary:
Professor Snape teaches Wielding of the Dark Arts in this alternative universe.
Hogwarts's headmaster is a Slytherin who embraces the Dark Arts.
Lily Evans is a 20-year-old student who uncovers a truth about her mother's untimely death. Lily must learn to wield the dark arts to find out what's really going on at Hogwarts. Is Professor Snape on her side?
A/N: I like dark themes and want to explore a bit of dark academia. There will be some steamy romance to come.
I appreciate constructive feedback.
Thanks for reading
(Dark academia, Lily & Professor Snape)
Chapter One
Lily Evans
Lily wakes up to the sound of screaming, her ears still ringing in its wake. The air stills around her as sweat pools under her breasts and neck.
Nobody is screaming.
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Lily peeks between the curtains of Molly's four-poster bed and finds she's still asleep. Good.
Grabbing her robe and tugging it closer, Lily listens as the rain pounds fervently against the window behind her. The September wind howling through the trees.
She always enjoys this time right before dawn…when the silence rings the loudest and her mind is free to wander.
There was something about Hogwarts that was changing. The new headmaster was a Slytherin – that was an obvious change- but the school had begun embracing the dark arts. The very air was different. It had only been a few weeks since the start of the year but thinking back to the Lily she was on September 1st felt like glancing into a pensive of forgotten memories.
She'd been nervous, frightened even.
Now, she was intrigued, attentive. There was something about the darkness that sang to her. She was afraid of what would happen if it knew she were listening.
Shaking off the thought, Lily slips off her duvet and pads towards the balcony overlooking the Gryffindor common room.
The last dregs of a fire warm the hearth, illuminating the brassy tones of the familiar space. Lily couldn't help but smile.
She'd missed Hogwarts.
"Tempus." Lily whispers the incantation as she begins to descend the stoney staircase.
A magical clock comes to life before her, blinking the time:
6:30
6:30
6:30
Perfect.
The rest of the students likely wouldn't start to rustle until an hour or so from now.
Selecting a cozy armchair by the fire, Lily soaks up its warmth. Losing her thoughts to the dancing flames, Lily lets herself dose back off to sleep.
"Lily!" Molly screams from the top of the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.
The sound bolts Lily to consciousness, confusion washing over her.
"Hi Molly," Lily yawns, "Good morning to you, too."
"We have class in 5 minutes!"
Lily looks up at her friend and lets out a laugh.
"The look on your face is priceless."
Lily pulls out her wand and transforms her comfortable clothing into her Gryffindor robes of choice. The robes billow off her like smoke and the red laced trim around her neck really brings out the rustic tones of her hair… so she'd been told. "and 'voila,' I'm ready to go."
"You're an arse." Molly smirks, handing Lily a piece of parchment. "This was on your bed."
Lily feels a wash of confusion take hold of her senses as she glances down at the words on the parchment.
"Where did this come from?"
"Dunno, Lils. It was just sitting on your bed."
Lily could feel Molly's eyes on her. She was going to want to read the letter.
"We should get to class," Lily says abruptly, stuffing the parchment into her pocket. "Did you study for the quiz?"
Molly barks out a laugh. "If you consider comparing the taste of mulled mead to butter beer, studying. Then yes."
Lily knew her friend had gone out with some of the other students last night. Molly had insisted Lily join, but she hadn't been feeling up for it. She'd been wanting to study…
She wanted to impress her new professor.
Striding into Professor Snape's Wielding of the Dark Arts classroom, Lily shoots Molly a smile as she takes a seat at a vacant desk in the front.
Professor Snape is dressed in all his nightly finery. Black robes flow off him like ink, the power of his dark magic sucking all the oxygen from the classroom.
Walking into his classroom felt like jumping into frozen water. It energized her just as much as it unnerved her.
Why did he make her feel like this?
Sitting at her desk, Lily watches as Professor Snape delicately places a leather-bound tome upon his desk. Flipping through its pages, he lets the dark waves of his hair cover his face.
"Today," he drawls, glancing around the lecture hall, "we will be discussing the art of Necromancy." His lips tug into a cruel smile, showcasing the whites of his canines. "My favorite."
Lily's attention isn't on the lesson, but on the grace of Professor Snape's long, pale fingers as they continue perusing through the pages.
Lily can't help but think about what they'd feel like pressed upon her thighs and-- Fuck.
She really needed to stop letting her thoughts go there.
"Every one of you is expected to learn this art by the end of the semester," Professor Snape states, leaning on his arms as he continues to glance around the room.
"Yes, professor," Lily whispers to herself in response, as she begins flipping through the pages of her own textbook.
"If you're unable to meet this requirement, then I shall be forced to punish you," Professor Snape's gaze turns luminous, "in whatever manner I choose, of course."
"What would you do to me, hm?" Lily wonders to herself as she turns her gaze towards him.
Lesson. Think about the lesson.
Lilly shakes her head and starts to think about Necromancy. Death.
Ever since Lily had lost her mother last year, she'd been studying Necromancy. She knew all the theories but had been too wary to cross the bridge – to use dark magic.
"Now, class, who can tell me what Necromancy is." Professor Snape turns his attention to the class, meeting Lily with a piercing gaze.
"Dead people!" A boy - James - yells from the back of the class, gathering the laughter of a few surrounding students.
"Responses to my questions will be answered in full sentences, Mr. Potter," Professor Snape snaps his gaze towards James. "Leave."
Professor Snape waves his wand with little attention as James and his belongings are magically expelled from the classroom.
"Anyone have any insightful thoughts to add?" Professor Snape glazes over the classroom, his gaze catching on Lily's.
"To answer your questions, professor, Necromancy is the use of dark magic to communicate with the dead," she speaks confidently, "and if the wielder has strong enough power… it's the art of bringing them back from the realm of the dead."
Professor Snape's gaze goes molten and his lips curve to a cruel smile. "You've done your reading, Miss Evans. 10 points to Gryffindor."
Walking back around the mahogany of his desk, Professor Snape trails his fingers along the edge of the desk. "Today we will be reading about the theories behind Necromancy. It takes a powerful mindset and psyche to understand such power. Never mind wielding it."
As Professor Snape continued with his lesson, Lily almost forgot about the bit of parchment stuffed in her robes. She wasn't sure who had delivered it, but she was sure about one thing:
She would be going to the dungeons tonight.
Lily,
Your mum didn't kill herself.
Meet me in the dungeons tonight.
Your loving friend,
S