Eye of the Beholder

Author’s Note

Chapter 15. Revelations
 
Draco stepped off the Hogwarts Express, and was greeted by the Malfoy house elf. The pathetic creature limped slightly as it collected Draco's trunk, and ushered him towards the Malfoy carriage. As Draco walked towards the carriage, its door opened to reveal Lucius sitting inside, both hands resting on his silver-handled walking stick. His platinum blond hair was loose around his shoulders, and shone faintly in the dim interior of the carriage.
 
With his pale blue, watery eyes, Lucius watched as his son walk towards him. Draco climbed into the carriage and settled himself across from his father. "Welcome, Draco," Lucius said in his soft, melodious voice. "I assume the trip out was uneventful?"
 
Draco smirked up at his father. "For some. I was kept busy reminding that Mugblood, Hermione Granger, how cruddy a dancer she was. She made an idiot of herself out there last night at the Christmas dance," he said in reply. In reality, he had watched Hermione over the evening, but never summed up the courage to ask her to dance. Besides, Pansy Parkinson would not let him out of her sight all bloody evening.
 
Lucius turned to his son with a look of distaste. "Draco, how many times do I have to tell you, you shouldn't waste you time or effort with that filth, it is beneath you?" Lucius looked at his son pointedly, until Draco looked away.
 
"Yes father," he said quietly.
 
"So, anything else eventful happen?" Lucius said distractedly, as he was no longer paying attention to the younger Malfoy. He was just making conversation to fill the void in his bored life.
 
o smo smiled his cruel smile. "I managed to piss-off one of the Ravenclaw chits. She was all dressed up to play Princess for the evening, until I happened to remind her of a particularly ugly scar that ran down her face. She had enough sense to realize how much it bothered people, and ran out of the room, crying." Draco smiled his evil smile, remembering with pleasure the look of shock on Sasha's face at his brutal comments.
 
"Pansy also got a dig in, reminding her that even greasy old Snape couldn't wait to get rid of her half way through a dance," Draco laughed.
 
Lucius snapped his head around at Draco, impaling him with those cold, blue eyes. "What did you just say about Severus?" he asked carefully. He was very curious about anything that had to do with Severus Snape.
 
Draco looked up at Lucius with curiosity. "Nothing. Just that he was dancing with this ugly girl, and when Pansy cut in, she took off. Why?" he asked.
 
Lucius ignored the question. "Tell me, did this student ask Snape to dance, or did Severus ask her? Think Draco, this is very important to your father," he said, his voice dripping with false affection.
 
Draco thought for a moment. "Actually, I think I saw Snape ask her to dance. She was sitting beside Dumbledore, when the greasy git approached them, then held out his hand to her." Draco was watching his father. He was not sure why this wa imp important.
 
"Interesting," Lucius said. Well, what do we have here? Why would Severus ask a student to dance, he thought. Severus avoided these kinds of events like the plague. Why would he lower himself and approach a student? Especially someone who was as distasteful as Draco had described. Leave it to Severus to seek out the vilest creature imaginable for company, he thought. He always was one to get his kicks from the discards of others he thought nastily.
 
Lucius remembered back to the earlier days when they were just out of Hogwarts, and Snape had just joined the Death Eaters. At first, he had spent most of his time in the dungeons, brewing his disgusting potions. He did not have a stomach for the more active pursuits that most of the other Death Eaters enjoyed. Eventually, with a little encouragement from Lucius of course, Snape was invited to the Dark Revels, and was persuaded to participate in the fnd gnd games.
 
Lucius remembered how Snape had detested these events at first. Eventually, he was conditioned by the frequent exposure to the sights and sounds of the other Death Eaters as they sated their lust on captive muggles women and men. Slowly, Snape joined in the 'festivities'. At first, he just helped hold down a struggling woman here and there. Then, he became creative, making potions that would maintain consciousness in a victim, so the 'fun and games' could be prolonged. Eventually, Snape showed his true colours, making the women consume vials of unknown potions that would heighten their sensitivity and pain threshold. This made them more agreeable to the perverted and sadistic ministrations of the Death Eaters.
 
Lucius smiled. He remembered the first time Snape lost control and gave in to his desires during a Dark Revel. Avery was slobbering drunk, and was desperately trying to force himself on some filthy muggle girl, without much success. Snape was holding down the girl with one hand, and was whipping her lightly and teasingly with a cat 'o nine tails with the other. Avery, in his frustration, eventually gave up and moved on to other delights. Snape however had become increasingly excited by the moans of pain and pleasure from the girl, such that he could no longer hold himself back. He moved in to where Avery was, and holding her legs apart, forced himself into the drugged woman, again and again, bucking her like an animal. Her moans of excitement at release from her heightened state of sensitivity caused Snape to loose it, and Lucius watched as Snape grabbed the woman so hard in his excitement, he left deep welts in her thighs. Although Lucius never saw the look on Severus's face during this, as it was customary to keep the silver Death Eater masks on, he could imagine the smile on his face. It was at that point the Lucius knew Snape was truly one of Them. After that evening, Severus never hesitated to participate. Until one day.
 
Lucius frowned at the memory. Once again, it was Avery, in his sick, perverted lust, which precipitated the event. The three of them, Snape, Lucius and Avery, were just outside of muggles London, when it happened. They apparated there to meet with a certain muggles merchant to purchase items of interest to sell on the black-market. Avery spotted her at once. She was still a young child, and was playing in a tall patch of grass with a small puppy. She never heard Avery approach. He reached down quickly and snatched the child up into his arms. He started to hiss at her, taunting her, and telling her how he wanted to hurt her puppy, pulling its limbs from its body, one by one. The child screamed in fear and pain, as Avery was squeezing her tightly, excited by her cries of terror.
 
At this point Snape walked over and told Avery to stop. Avery, just to annoy Snape, continued to torment the child, making subtle threats in her ear. Snape yelled at Avery, telling him this was neither the time not the place for such things, and that the child was too young. Avery continued, squeezing the child tighter. Snape removed his wand and pointed it at Avery, demanding he put the girl down and leave her alone. Avery just laughed, ignoring him. Snape, disgusted and not wanting anything to do with the events, turned his back and disapparated, leaving Avery and Lucius alone with the terrified child.
 
Without an audience, the fun had gone out of Avery's game. He immediately let go of the girl, and she fell to the ground, ignored. Lucius, bored with the events, and realizing the muggles merchant was not about to show, suggested he and Avery hunt him down in punishment for his impunity.
 
Just before the two of them disapparated, Avery felt a rock fly out of nowhere and hit him in the back of the head. He swore, looked around and could only see the child, slumped on the ground, crying, but nobody else. To Avery's surprise, he saw her look up, right at him, as another rock levitated beside the girl, then flew towards him. He easily avoided it, but realized the child must be controlling them. The girl was obviously a witch, just a very young one.
 
Avery decided to teach the girl a lesson. Just before disapparating, Avery pointed his wand at the child's face and muttered a spell. A long coil of searing energy flew from the tip of his wand and whipped itself at her face. He turned and disapparated before he saw whether it made contact with her or not. He no longer cared.
 
Lucius, however, had watched the child witch, but was unmoved by Avery’s actions. The magical whip had struck the side of her head with deadly accuracy. It left a long, hideous gash across the left side of the girl's face. Blood started to well up, and was running down the child’s neck. If she lived, she would be scarred for life unless she received magical healing, he realized. Ignoring her cries of pain, Lucius turned, and disapparated back to the Malfoy Manor.
 
Lucius noticed a change in Snape after that event. He had stopped attending the Dark Revels. While he still provided the potions that had become a staple at these gatherings, he limited his interactions with the Death Eaters. Lucius began to suspect Snape was turning against the Dark Lord, and started to watch him closely. Once Snape became one of the Hogwarts staff, Lucius was convinced that he was spying for Dumbledore. He brought his concerns up to Lord Voldemort himself, and was satisfied to see Snape withering in agony under the crucio curse. Lord Voldemort had tortured Snape to within an inch of his life, testing his alliance to the Dark Cause.
 
Yet Snape still passed.
 
Lucius was stunned when Snape was cleared of treason. He also knew what was coming as a result of his accusations. Lucius remembered the moments of agony when he was tortured under the curse in retribution. While not a fraction of what Snape had experienced, it was enough. Lucius hated Snape for that. He holds him personally responsible, and was itching for revenge. And the recent events at Hogwarts may be something he could work with, he thought.
 
Lucius looked out the window of the carriage. Maybe it was time he organized a little get together, he thought with a smile. He could arrange to host a Dark Revel to celebrate the holidays. He would make a personal visit to Snape to ensure he would attend.
 
A cruel, cold smile haunted Lucius face. It would be good to see Severus again.