Refuge Has Its Price

CHAPTER 4: EVE OF DESTRUCTION


The Dark Lord prepared to give his orders for the confinement and care of the prisoners.


Severus, knowing that his Lord had already chosen, dared to finally speak, “Master, have you considered taking first choice for yourself?”


Voldemort twisted his head to face his kneeling servant, Severus Snape. "How is that any of your concern, Severusss? Do you now presssume to know my mind?" Voldemort darkly warned him.


"N-nn-no, my Lord," he forced himself to subserviently whimper, as if he were afraid that he'd spoken out of turn.


Voldemort hissed a sigh, cast a quick wandless silencing charm around the two of them, and motioned for the dark wizard kneeling before him to rise and speak freely.


"My Lord, I simply wanted to assure you of a pristine pet. The pale girl, Miss Lovegood, was a rather brilliant student of mine; I feel certain that she is still a virgin. I also believe that your victory and their use of dark powers still powerfully stir all of your servants' blood. They won't hesitate to begin a victory revel, and virginity will stand little chance against them. My Lord, there is a certain power in virgin's blood for a wizard as a Potions ingredient and a certain power, as a man, in being your witch's first lover."


Severus' speech had poured out of his frantic lips in an anxious, barely thought-out, rush and he suddenly feared that he'd said too much.


Thankfully he'd had years of observing Wormtail's successful obsequious behavior to learn the proper degree of cringe to satisfy his Master.


Severus went silent, acted humble, and allowed the Dark Lord the necessary time to absorb his words.


Voldemort slowly nodded his head, as he began to agree with the idea. It made good sense, but how to both test his pumped-up younger Death Eaters and humiliate his prisoners?


He released the silencing spell around the two of them.


The Dark Lord drew all of his dark charisma around him, and then issued his first ever mass-protection order to his obedient Death Eater troops; much to their collective confusion, and to the astonished amazement of one Severus Snape.

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When Neville Longbottom had drawn Godric Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat and slain that bitch, Nagini, something approaching gratitude and grudging admiration sprang forth in Severus Snape's withered heart for the clumsy lad.


He used the excellent opportunity of Harry's death to drop to his knees and grovel before his Master.


Longbottom might be a dullard and inept in most of his studies, however the former Potions Master couldn't deny the simple fact that Longbottom was extraordinarily gifted in Herbology. It was a proven fact, as his school records would verify.


Severus could work with that. Everyone had heard Voldemort repeatedly saying that he valued magical abilities, and the lad was a Pureblood after all.


"My Lord . . . Master," said Severus, kneeling with bowed head and feigned humility dripping from his voice.


Even though he could feel waves of annoyance radiating from the Dark Lord at this interruption, Severus hoped to salvage yet another of Albus' precious Gryffindors from a certain death.


"Yesss, loyal ssservant?" Voldemort irritatedly replied. His very posture said louder than any words that this interruption had best be important.


He'd already killed the man kneeling before him once tonight; he'd not hesitate to do so again if it should prove necessary.


Severus raised honest eyes to meet his Lord's, and said, "If I may my Lord," and at Voldemort's brusque nod he continued. "Young Longbottom might not be the brightest star in the sky, my Lord, but he is very gifted in Herbology. You have said that it was not to your best interest to destroy magical blood and gifts."


He took a much needed breath, then rushed on after realizing that the Dark Lord was actually listening to him, "I had rather thought to expect great things from this boy in that area. You are aware of how much I value the most potent and freshest ingredients for my potions."


Amazingly, Voldemort slightly nodded his slick head in agreement with his Potions Master.


Severus took the chance to push further by adding, "With the right kind of conditioning, he could become a valued member of the new Wizarding society and perhaps even a loyal Death Eater, in due time."


With an unseen hand gesture, he quickly cast a silent spell on Neville. It was similar to "Imperio", but unlike that Unforgivable, one's willpower could break the spell if the command given went too far against their free will.


Severus clearly felt it when the will to fight suddenly fled the boy.


Neville instantly fell on his knees, his eyes never leaving the bloody grass on which he knelt, as he bent forwards and silently laid his wand at Voldemort's feet.


Voldemort was doubly-pleased. First, there was young Longbottom, a Pureblood no less, and gifted in a specific area that would greatly benefit his Potions stores; secondly, his trusted Potions Master was obviously still completely loyal to him, even considering that nasty little "murder" incident between them.


He did need to show that he could be a merciful Lord, when mercy was begged for with humility and sincerity. It made for good PR, as Malfoy would have advised.


Voldemort allowed what he thought to be a gentle smile curve his lips; to all of those who observed it, it more closely resembled a corpse's rigoring 'death-grin'.


"Your life is spared, young Longbottom. Never forget that you have both me and your Headmaster to thank for that fact," the Dark Lord granted with an elegant inclination of his head, just as if he'd been a handsome king and had granted a royal pardon to a condemned man.


Severus didn't care. He'd had to grovel for years between his two Masters. If another warrior of Light could be saved, he'd have most willingly licked Snakeface's boots clean.


It was different with Longbottom, though. There was something special about the lad.


Albus had briefly mentioned something about it to Severus once, in a Firewhiskey delirium they'd shared together, right after Potter had won the TriWizard Tournament.


As the present Headmaster, Severus Snape now knew that unique fact about Longbottom that perhaps the Dark Lord had forgotten . . . if he'd ever really known it at all.


It was all right there, in the lad's school records, but was accessible to only the Headmaster and the lad's Head of House, Minerva McGonagall.


Harry Potter was not the only baby boy born as the seventh month died seventeen years ago.


Just as midnight rolled the last day of July over, Frank and Alice Longbottom were delivered of a son within mere minutes of the birth of the Potter's little boy.


And Neville Longbottom had been the first-born of the two.


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'Now just how the hell had this all come about? I must have really died when that bitch, Nagini, attacked me. That has to be it. I died, and now I'm in hell.'


Severus' dark head lolled over to his right in an almost drunken stupor.


He allowed his spinning head to rest for several long minutes against the cool leather backrest of the tall wingback chair he was currently occupying until the room quit revolving.


He cut his black eyes over to where his fair-haired counterpart was face down on the black leather sofa drunkenly weeping and slobbering, and managed a self-deprecating smirk of a sad grin.


"Ah, Lucius. Quite the pair now, aren't we cousin?" He managed to slur out to the other man.


"Gone! All gone, Sev'rus! Can't you see? Don't you know? They're both gone!" Lucius rolled over and hoisted himself up, only to weave and bob on his unsteady legs.


He attempted to straighten his hopelessly stained and wrinkled robes. A pale, shaking, hand raked trembling fingers through pale thoroughly-knotted hair, unsuccessfully trying to smooth it into some sort of order.


"I'm going to the Dark Lord, and I'll claim to have been a spy. He'll certainly kill me then." He looked semi-sober for a few moments as his grief-stricken grey eyes stared in complete sincerity into emotion clouded black eyes.


Lucius cleared his throat and thickly swallowed before continuing, "I just can't live without my family. You're a stronger man than I am, cousin. You've been alone almost your entire life and managed. I don't know how to live without my family to support, need, and idolize me."


Severus' stormy black eyes took on a haunted, hollow, look.


His cousin hadn't cast any blame on him for being instrumental in Draco's demise. Lucius been too shocked that his own flesh-and-blood, the only son who couldn't even snuff out an already dying old wizard's life, had attempted to take out the Dark Lord himself!


Lucius hadn't needed to accuse or place blame.


Severus' own conscience thoroughly lashed his soul to shreds each time he remembered any of the many small redeeming things about Draco; he'd truly loved his godson. A part of his mind would forever flagellate its self over that single irreversable deed.


Severus sobered up enough during his brief introspection to snarl authoritatively, "Do not force me to 'Imperio' you, Lucius, or to confiscate your wand."


"If you think you have it bad, just spare a moment of your time to ponder Miss Weasley's loss. It's been three days now. She's not eaten or spoken. The girl has not even properly attended to her body functions. I had to 'Scourgify' her, twice, before I'd hold on to her to Apparate her here!"


His nostrils unconsciously quivered in remembrance of the stench that had clung to both of the young Gryffindor witches currently under his roof . . . well, technically Malfoy's roof; but not for much longer, if his blond cousin didn't straighten~up.


Severus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, sitting in an openly confiding manner.


He began speaking in liquored honesty, from his heart; man-to-man, cousin-to-cousin, and so his deep baritone trembled with barely surpressed emotion as he began, "Lucius, you are now essentially an orphan. A family man without a family." He cleared his throat and glanced away from his cousin's grief-stricken, agonized, stare. Severus sighed and picked his next words carefully.


"Miss Weasley is truly an orphan now," Severus went on. "She's locked herself away in such a well of despair that I fear being able to reach or mend her. She doesn't trust me, you see.”


He arched an ink~black eyebrow at the blond older man, as his lip briefly quirked up in bitter self-mockery.


Severus sighed and ploughed his way onward, "Perhaps only one who suffers just as she does can reach her. Perhaps neither of you need be alone. She is a Pureblood, Lucius. Her blossoming beauty at sixteen holds the promise of becoming an extraordinarily beautiful adult witch."


"That is something I expect you to honor as a confidence; that I can speak well of a Gryffindor. But then there is that Gryffindor mystique of them being wildly gifted and enthusiastic partners in bed."


Severus concluded his 'sales pitch' with a quite lecherous smirk, now thinking only of his brand-new personal Gryffindor sex-toy.


He'd let her heal. She was wounded, in pain, and in all probability still in shock herself.


And then Miss Granger, then you will pay for all of the trouble I've had to put myself to just to obtain you. Oh yes, my little lioness! You will most definitely pay!


END OF CHAPTER 4


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A/N: A note to the reader:

This story is being written in a revolving format. If the "time-line" of the story at first appears to be going forwards, then backwards, to you . . . congratulations! You're now immersed within my AU.

Time is a relative thing here; each step backwards is to give you the perspective of yet another character that holds a future place of importance within this novel-length tale.

Think of it as watching the "picture-within-picture" feature on a television screen and letting your attention go back and forth, thus keeping track of several programs at once.

I'm also not apologizing anymore for all of my run-on sentences; I've repeatedly tried to break the nasty habit with absolutely no success. So . . . I've decided to simply embrace it, and to make it my own signature style.

If it's driving you insane, then congratulations once more. You're now truly immersed within my AU.

Glad to have you on board. ~snickers~

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