The Inevitable

The Inevitable
ImmortalFlick
Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately.
Warning: This contains torture, so kiddies stay away. Also references to the bible.
Spoilers: OoTP never happened. Hell no. Sirius, I love you, I won\'t let you die!
Summary: Snape is found out. Things you should know: Sirius and Remus both work at Hogwarts, Remus: DADA (of course) Sirius: Muggle Studies, Sirius strikes me as the sort of person who would know a lot about muggle stuff.
Rating: R. (\'cause of the torture) (it may be a little over-generous)

Chapter 1


The Deatheaters were confused. Sure, it happened often but this time was different, very, very different. The dining table was long, around it sat the most prominent Deatheaters. At the head sat Tom Marvelo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, or the Dark Lord. His presence was cold and sent a shiver up the spine of every person in the room, no matter how evil they were thought to be. The food was but bread and the drink, red wine. There were twelve Deatheaters seated at the table and to a muggle this would look frightingly familiar

Voldemort spoke. \"There is a muggle religion.\" The table exchanged worried glances. \"It is called Christianity.\"
His glance swept over the table. \"The story of this religion was based on a man named Jesus Christ. His mother conceived, a virgin, ofir Gir God. Christ believed himself the son of God and performed miracles for the poor and peasants of his time. He gathered followers, much like I have, their ministry, or governors did not agree with this man, much like our ministry, and he was nailed to a cross. But that is not the point of this story. The point of this story is that before he died he gathered twelve of his apostles and sat them down around a table for what was called The Last Supper. He broke the bread, he handed around the single chalice of red wine. You see, what he said was I\'ll tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.\"
Of course his faithful disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
\"Inevitably one of them asked, \"Lord, who is it?\"
\"Christ answered, \"It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.\" Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.\"

Everyone looked remotely ill. \"Now that is but a story behind a muggle religion although the similarities struck me as ironic. For I shall now demonstrate my final copy of what you have heard from me.\"
He dipped the bread in the wine in front of him and offered it to one of the Deatheaters at the table. \"Severus. Would you care for some bread?\"
The whole table froze. Severus Snape was still, his breathing had evened out as if he were sleeping.
\"You thought I didn\'t know didn\'t you? You thought I was blind. But you are lucky. The story ended with Jesus letting Judas free with the words at yat you are about to do, do quickly,\". Christ died the next day. This similarity, of course, can not proceed. But as he set Judas free, so shall I set you free, if only as a message. Dumbledore can not be allowed to continue in his worthless plans to be rid of me. So, Judas, from my little story, it seems you can kill the messenger but you can\'t kill the message. *crucio*.\"
The more compassionate Deatheaters at the gathering cringed at the word. Some sympathy could be felt for such a position. The screaming drifted on throughout the night.

\"Merlin!\" Professor McGonagall managed to gasp out as a broken man appeared in the center of the great hall. Dumbledore took in the situation quickly while the students were in a panic, the body belonged to the one and only Professor Severus Snape, the most feared Professor in Hogwarts. The man had been missing for the first month of the school term and there had been various rumors spread about his sudden disappearance.
\"Poppy, Sirius, Remus, Minerva, come with me.\"
They all stood up and left the table, Snape floating through the halls behind them.
\"What happened to him?\" Sirius exclaimed, not even slightly malicious. The condition Snape was in was far more extreme than worse for wear. The man looked dead, in fact they had all seen dead people who looked healthier than Snape did right now.
Poppy set him down on a white hospital bed, giving him the check with her wand. \"Severe cuts, prolonged cruciatus, bruises, four broken ribs, a broken arm, fractured collar bone, dislocated shoulder and, oh Merlin, words carved in his back.\"
They all blanched at the injuries and when Poppy turned the Potions Master over they turned away at the sight of the carvings on his back.
\"Woe to that man who betrays him\" Remus read softly.
Albus sighed. \"I fear Voldemort has sent us a message in the form of Severus. I should have known.\"
Minerva put a steadying hand on the edge of a bed. \"We all did this, no matter the way we did.\" She sent a glance Sirius and Remus\' way. They looked away, guiltily.
Poppy had finished her healing charms and had given Snape a potion to put him to sleep. \"His physical condition should heal in time, it\'s his mental and emotional state I am worried about, Albus.\"
Sirius scoffed. \"He\'s Snape, he hasn\'t got emotions.\"
Albus sent him a sharp look. \"I\'ll take care of it.\"
Poppy gave him a smile that made everyone else in the room feel as if they didn\'t know something. \"Good, Albus, good.\"

Albus Dumbledore sat at the bedside of the injured man. It was around two in the morning. The darkness outside kept him company. He wasn\'t tired.
\"Oh Severus.\" He breathed. He could remember the first time Severus had come to him.

//////////

\"Headmaster, I\'ve done something awful.\" The younger Snape was wringing his hands, the bags under his eyes showing he\'d had little or no sleep, and his face devastatingly sorrowful.
\"You joined the Deatheaters.\" Albus said simply.
\"Yes.\" The cry was strangled.
\"Severus would you be willing to spy for the Order of the Phoenix?\"
\"I can\'t go back to him.\" The words were desperate and grasped at Dumbledore\'s heart.
\"I\'m sorry.\" He truly was.
\"I can\'t. I want out.\"
\"I\'m sorry, Severus.\"
\"No.\" His head was on his knees. \"No, I can\'t.\"
Seeing the young man so distressed was disturbing him, Snape was usually cold and detached. A strange child.
\"I\'m sorry.\" He repeated once more, \"I shouldn\'t have asked now.\" Albus wanted to comfort the crying boy but restrained himself for the moment.
\"It was horrible.\" He said, as if to himself.
\"What happened?\" A little dread for the mental state of Severus crossed his mind.
\"A little girl. She was so small, and scared.\" Albus knew what came next. There was no need to ask.
\"Why don\'t you come with me to the Hospital Wing? I shall get you a sleeping potion and we will talk in the morning.\"
Severus was in no state to talk, not to mention make decisions.
He led him out. This was the beginning of a war. This was the inevitable.

* * *

He loved Severus like a son. How could he give him to such a monster as Voldemort? Sirius, Remus and Minerva were back that morning. They stood by him. They didn\'t ask how long he\'d been there. They already knew.
\"Is he okay?\" Remus asked.
\"Poppy says he should wake up any minute now.\"
They all sat. Waiting. No classes today. They were cancelled. No one felt up to it. The students were all speculating on the return of their Potions Master. All of them had seen his condition the night before. None of them had a doubt as to who had caused it. Deatheater or not, most of them felt sympathy.
A deep breath could be heard from the body lying on the bed. The crowd turned to look. His obsidian eyes opened. Took in his surroundings before speaking.
\"Alive.\" A single word was uttered.
\"Yes, Severus, you are very much alive.\"
\"God.\"
\"What?\" Minerva asked, concerned. \"What\'s wrong?\"
\"Nothing. Just... God.\" The strange behavior was making them all nervous.
\"What happened at the meeting, Severus?\"
He took a deep breath. \"There was a table...\" He explained the whole dinner, Voldemort\'s words, the words on his back, what happened afterwards, everything.
The group were pale. The torture was extensive and disgusting.
\"We\'re sorry Severus, we shouldn\'t have sent you out there again, we knew he would begin to sus.\" .\"
He just gave them a look. \"The road to hell is paved with good intentions.\" He quoted in a calm voice. He wasn\'t blaming them. He was stating a fact.
No one could think of anything else to say. There wasn\'t much else to be said.
\"You won\'t be going back to him.\" Albus said.
\"Of course.\"
\"We won\'t let you die.\"
\"Everything dies.\" The response was short and deadly soft.
They all understood. Everything was to die at some point in time and if it was welcomed, so be it.
\"You should be resting.\" Poppy bustled in, shattering the silence.
\"Poppy, I am fine.\"
Madame Pomfrey gave him a withering look. \"You are not fine. Lay back down.\" She ordered as Severus attempted to sit up to prove her wrong.
He winced as he lay down again. \"My back burns.\"
They all looked sad as they remembered what was written on his back.
Severus looked at them and knew what they were thinking instantly. \"Woe to that man who betrays him.\" He said.
\"Why don\'t you go to sleep, Severus, we\'ll talk when you wake up.\"
Pomfrey fed him the potion and sleep took over.

* * *

\"The students are spreading rumors.\" Minerva\'s tone was disapproving.
\"None of them true, of course.\"
\"A few have come suspiciously close.\"
\"It was going to happen eventually, Minerva, the truth will come out.\" The headmaster\'s voice was resigned.
\"Shall we tell them?\"
\"Not yet, possibly tomorrow.\"
\"It always will be tomorrow, won\'t it Albus?\" She wasn\'t accusing, wasn\'t blaming or angry, just resigned.
\"It always is.\" He replied, he knew tomorrow would come and he knew it would go, that is all we\'ll know really.

*

End. Hmm. Feedback?