A Twisted Web We Weave

A/N You guys are going to kill me after reading this little chapter... but remember Severus is not a fluffy bunny in this one so don\'t go freaking out or anything okay.

CHAPTER 24

The room erupted in flame as Julius let fly with another of his curses, Severus narrowly deflecting the curse so that it caught the bookshelf igniting the tinder dry books. Unfortunately Severus knew all to well his brother and he were fairly evenly matched in a duel, having spent many summers as children fighting in the backyard. Admittedly Severus knowledge of curses extended far past his elder brothers after years in the service of the dark lord however his brother was quicker and better in shape that Severus could ever hope to be. What curses Julius couldn’t block he just merely jumped and scrambled out of the way.

The room was filling with smoke from the fire now and Severus squinted through the gray to see where his brother had gone. As if from nowhere Severus felt arms come up around his body from behind, a wand pointed squarely in the middle of his back. The end of the wand was hot and burnt like a smoldering match through Severus robes and onto the skin beneath.

Severus knew the move Julius had pulled, having been caught the same way as a child with the exact same move. It was simple, use the cover of smoke or flame to come around behind your opponent and kill them from behind before they’d known what was happening. Only this time Severus was older, wiser and more prepared. With his wand arm uselessly pinned to his side Severus reached into the waistband of his trousers with his free hand where a silver dagger sat sheathed in a leather case.

The knife had been a present from his mother on his 16th birthday. Severus had carried it everywhere since then, using it for menial tasks such as cutting fresh potions ingredients from Hogwart’s grounds or slicing bandages for himself.

Now however the knife had a much better use, turning the handle in his palm around so that it faced towards him Severus pulled his body forward twisting enough in Julius hold so that the knife slipped easily between them and up into his brothers chest. Severus felt the blade slip through the flesh a sick part of himself crying out in triumph as he felt the warm roll of blood slowly dripping down his fingers. With Julius staggering backwards Severus spun around pulling the knife free of his brothers chest as Julius fell through the open doors of the study into the relatively smoke free dinning room. Severus gripped the blade tightly in his palm his brother’s blood dripping from the end of it. Julius lay flat out on the dinning room floor clutching at his chest and trying uselessly to breath as his lungs began to fill with fluid. Severus stood over him his expressionless gaze staring down into the now fearful eyes of his elder brother. There had been nights in his life he’d dreamed about this day, watching his brother die taking with him the memories of his childhood and the pain Severus had always felt.

Julius was choking now his pierced lungs causing him to gargle and cough like a drowning man beneath water. Severus continued to stand over him ignoring the plea in those emerald eyes. That emerald gaze was his fathers, a father who’d humiliated Severus from the moment he’d left his crib. Severus had never enjoyed watching death but this was magnificent. As the sparkle of hatred in Julius eyes began to fade and his brother’s body stopped convulsing in pain, Severus felt his chest swell with sick satisfaction. A tiny trickle of blood ran down the side of Julius lips as he took his last breath and his body fell limp on the slate floor. With a smile tugging at the corners of his lips Severus drew the dagger his mother had given him up to his eye level. His hands were covered in his brother’s blood, the silver of the dagger just catching the flicker of the flames from the room behind him making it shine like a trophy. A trophy, Severus had waited 47 years to win.

“Thanks mum.” Severus whispered as he slid the knife back into his leather sheath, having first wiped it clean of his brother’s blood on the corner of his robes.

From nowhere, Severus heard a cry and glancing over his shoulder watched as two collared boys, ran from the burning room behind him. The taller of the two ran straight over to Julius body falling over the man with a howl of agony. Severus raised an eyebrow curiously at the boy before glancing at his companion who was standing shaking and pale beside the dinning room table. Severus remembered briefly the boy’s names. Paris and Hamish.

“You killed him!” Hamish who had previously collapsed over Julius body now looked up at Severus with anger, his eyes brimming with tears but true anger barely hidden within the emerald eyes. Severus stared at the boy in shock as he realized who those green eyes belonged too. “You killed my father!” The boy screamed again and Severus took a step backwards his wand raised up as the boy reached for Julius wand, which was lying, beside his dead brother. “I’ll kill you, I’ll fucking kill you!” Hamish went to curse a still shocked Severus, but from his left Severus watched as the other red haired boy lunged forward knocking his counterpart to the floor, before hitting him hard in the face knocking him unconscious beside Julius. Slowly Paris rose up from the other boy, his eyes still brimming with tears as he stared at Severus.

“Help me.” He whispered in a soft plea. Severus nodded and with two steps had Paris wrapped in his arms the boy taking strength from the other man’s presence. Pulling away from Paris Severus held the young boy at arms length and turned him around to face the window.

“Don’t turn around.” Snape whispered as he drew out his wand again and approached the now unconscious boy lying on the ground beside his father. Severus had lived his life in the shadow of his brother, and now that he was gone Severus was not going to leave any loose ends that may try and come back to haunt him again. Bending down over the boy Severus used his left hand to tilt the boy’s head back and then with a skilled hand brought the wand down over the boy’s neck. “Avada Kedavra.” Severus whispered watching as the boys emerald eyes shot open for a split second as the curse took hold of his body. Hamish struggled for a moment, Severus hand now clamped over his hand preventing his screams of agony from being heard before finally the life slipped from his body and the boy’s green eyes fell vacant and cloudy. With not a hint of remorse Severus stood up and having tucked his wand away again walked over to where Paris was still staring at the window. Severus placed a hand on Paris’ shoulder and handed the boy a small paper clip he had in his cloak pocket. “This will take you to a house where there are people who will help you. Tell them Severus Snape sent you and that there are more of you needing help if they trace the clips path.” Paris nodded and clutched the paper clip tightly in the palm of his hand.

“I didn’t know, he never spoke, we all just assumed he was one of us….” Paris went to look around at Hamish but Severus held the boy’s cheek firm preventing him from looking.

“Then that is the way it will remain, never speak of it again.” Stepping back from the boy Severus watched as Paris nodded then with a swirl of air the boy was gone the port key taking him back to Grimmauld place where hopefully Albus and the order were waiting. With the boy gone Severus sighed heavily and taking one last glance around his brothers house shook his head and disappeared. The time had now come to save Potter and face Voldemort.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..