The Dark Mark

Disclaimer:
As much as I would like to, I own no rights to Harry Potter, or any of J.K. Rowls wos works of fantasy. I am making no money off this. So, if you want to sue me, I’ll be forced to give up the whole dollar I have to my name. Yes. A Dollar. That’s it. It\'s not worth it, I promise.

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fan-fic piece, and reviews would be very much appreciated. This idea has probably been used before, forgive me. My initial plan was for this to not get much above R, but my muses may have different ideas.


The Dark Mark

Chapter I

The screaming stopped.

The final scream was still echoing off the dark walls, down the curving corridors, to where Severus Snape was sitting. A few of the other Death Eaters looked up, and down toward where the screams had emanated with wistful gazes. The other two Death Eaters sitting at the table across from him shrugged, knowing that soon it would be their turn to torture, and that they had best complete the work that Voldemort had assigned them to.

The musk of blood and sex hung in the air of that place like a bad joke, reminding Snape of the torture he had been asked to perform that afternoon. It had been a Muggle woman, snatched from and open-air market that was now full of carnage, all muggles, mainly women and children.

Snape closed his eyes, the woman’s pleas echoing in his mind, but he could not force the memory from his skull. When he closed his eyes, saw the brown-haired woman staring up at him, silent, the life gone from her green eyes. The Muggle had not screamed when he tortured and raped her. She whimpered and pleaded, but did not scream. The look in her eyes was far worse than any screaming could have been. He should have made the death quicker...but then it would not have been believable.

Snape put his head in his hands as he propped his elbows on the table, rubbing his face. He would make himself accept it as he always did...made himself believe that he had enjoyed it. The Dark Lord would be back from his rest soon, and he would want to be assured that his servants had enjoyed their tortures...

Voldemort had become far more paranoid over the past few years. Harry Potter had graduated from Hogwarts four years prior, and was now working with the Aurors. The situation had become very dangerous for both sides. Muggle killings were up to at least twice a week, and every time the Death Eaters ventured out, more Aurorers appeared.

“All-out war is fast approaching,” Dumbledore had said at the last meeting, his skill for pointing out the obvious getting more refined every year, “

And that made the whole bloody ordeal twice as dangerous for Severus, as Madam Poppy Pomfrey never failed to point out at Order of the Phoenix meetings. She had to deal with him whenever he returned broken, bruised or hexed, and so, was wholly opposed to Severus continuing his espionage as a double agent. However, Poppy was not the only member of the Order who wanted Severus to stop spying. Minerva McGonagall, Molly Weasley, and Nymphadora Tonks were openly opposed to it; even Dumbledore was becoming deeply concerned.

Draco Malfoy, now a member of the Order, was concerned for his Uncle Severus’s health, but he kept silent. He knew the life of a Death Eater, and didn’t even know if his Uncle wanted to give it all up completel
T
The life of a spy was not easy to give up, as Malfoy had only begun to learn. Since Draco had taken the Mark in his sixth year at Hogwarts, he had been exposed to more destruction than any boy his age should have to see. In his seventh year, he joined the Order of the Phoenix, after discovering his “Uncle Sevvie’s” alliances. His reasoning had been something along the lines of “If Severus Snape, the most malicious man on earth, isn’t on Voldemort’s side, I pity Voldemort.”

Severus found that he had misjudged the characters of more than one of his former students. Neville Longbottom was now a top Aurorer, working with Harry on missions against Voldemort; Luna Lovegood was a high-ranking official in the Ministry, keeping the Order posted when there was a secretive shift of opinion or policy.

Hermione Granger had turned out tolerable, and was far quieter than she had once been. She a cool reserve at meetings that was very surprising, given her tendency as a young student to prate on and on about anything and everything. In fact, she was so reserved that she never mentioned what she did for a living...

And Ron Weasly...he was still Ron Weasly.

Another scream shook Severus from his thoughts, and he looke to to find that the two Death Eaters, Ashford and Roderrick perhaps? were gone. Lucius must have finished his torture. Knowing those two, it was likely they barely repressed the urge to skip down the cavernous corridor whistling when they saw that it was their turn.

Like the other good little Death Eaters, they enjoyed seeing the blood and hearing the hysterics. What a bunch of scatterbrained, perverted, power-hungry twits. Severus squelched the thought as soon as it entered his mind. Usually such thoughts never made it to the surface, but he was extraordinarily fatigued, and any will to continue to play the game was diminutive. The look in that woman’s eyes was seared onto the inside of his eyelids, and no amount of massagiis eis eyes would make it leave.

The next hours passed slowly for Severus, and were almost certainly unbearable for the victims of cheery Ashford and exuberant Roderrick.

Finally, the last of the screams faded, and Death Eaters appeared in the main room, waiting for Voldemort to make his entrance. And it was a grand entrance indeed. He strode in, stronger than he had been in days, having fed off the plentiful sources of suffering and blood.

All the Death Eater knelt, and Voldemort passed over each in turn, placing a hand on their heads, as if giving a blessing. While in fact, he was probing theindsinds. It had become an often ritiual.

“Severus...I sense that you have some...misgivings about the muggle you tortured?” Severus had been waiting for this...he wasn’t going to hide his displeasure from the Dark Lord. It was obvious to Severus that Voldemort wanted to appear uninterested, but was really probing for any discontent.

“She did not scream,” Severus said, an annoyed tone to his voice. Voldemort responded with a cold, and...(no other word for it;) plainly evil laugh.

“Are you losing your touch, Severus?” The question sounded like an innocent jibe, but with Voldemort, there was no such thing as innocent.

“I doubt I have lost my touch, mi’Lord, however, the mudblood,” Severus spat out the last word, “was damaged before I got my turn with her.”

Voldemort was silent for a few moments, and Severus wondered briefly if he had overstepped his bounds.

“How disappointing...next time I will allow you to have the first pick.”

“As the Lord wishes,” replied Severus, trying extremely hard to appear grateful. The rest of the Death Eaters echoed Severus’s words as he stepped back into the ranks of Death Eaters and returned to a kneeling position.

Voledemort turned around, ascending the stairs back to the ‘throne’ that dominated the room. With much flourish of his cape, he seated himself and looked over the ranks with a critical eye before starting into the long-term plans he had.

Kill off Potter, blah blah blah.

Recruit more members, blade, blah, blahde blah.

Kill more Muggles, ladedadeda.

Spread pain and suffering, and have a fucking good time.

It wasn’t the Dark Lord’s exact wording, but it was what Severus, in his state of dire fatigue, heard coming from Voldemort’s mouth. He was tired. He was tired of the same thing, day after day, without any new results. He was tired at the stalemate both sides had reached, and tired that innocents kept being killed off. He was tired of feeling nothing except guilt and emptiness. He was tired of fighting the darkness that wanted to consume his enitre being.

He was tired of life.

“I am very pleased to say that in a few days time, we will have gained another ally against the Aurorers and the Order of the Phoenix. Another brilliant mind...who will be working with you, Severus. The potion you are creating needs to be complete within the month.”

Voldemort’s thought process was random at best, and he was back to talking about muggleborns before Severus could utter a “yes, mi’Lord”. The potion...Voldemort wanted more power, and Severus was the one to brew it for him. It was one of the few things that he got to think about any more.

Spying and lying had become a second nature, and there were few things he actually had to deliberate upon anymore. Now he had this potion...he must increase Voldemort’s strength, without increasing his strength. A lovely challenge.

Severus felt a smile come to his face, and saw that Voldemort too was smiling, over some goal that he deemed to be in his grasp.

Severus was practically grinning. The sick, pale bastard would get his some day, and Severus wanted to be there to dance on his remains. If he didn’t get himself killed first, that is.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


(A/N): Don’t worry...there is actually a plot in here. Somewhere. There will be more dialouge later on...I hate not having lots of dialouge, but I had to set things up.

Please review!!! I live off of reviews. No eating or sleeping, just reviews. (Pathetic, huh?)

Oh, and also...I have no beta. So, any mistakes in here are mine and mine alone. I hope there aren’t too many. Ciao. -XRaven