Change The World

Title: Change the World
Pairing: Severus/Lucius
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Severus gets recruited by the Death Eaters

-

\"And what about the seventh years? What are the possibilities there?\"

\"Quite a few, my lord.\" His voice was smooth, silk sliding over sensuous flesh. \"We have at least one Gryffindor, and another one who is a possibility. His brother has already proved most useful to our cause. Three Ravenclaws. They\'re intellectually ready but physically squeamish. Give them time. We are still working on the Hufflepuffs. One will be ready soon. Slytherin, on the other hand, as I\'m sure my lord is pleased to hear, has many ripe candidates for the plucking.\"

A sibilant sigh. \"Make sure that my old house does not disappoint.\"

\"Of course, my lord, of course.\"

\"See that anybody who might need special convincing gets it. The meeting is next month and I wish to initiate at least twenty more into our ranks.\"

\"Yes, my lord.\"

**

Severus Snape sat quietly at the breakfast table in the Great Hall. Around him, he could hear the chattering of his fellow students, all excited about the upcoming holidays. He could just see out of the corner of his eye the blond pigtails of a Hufflepuff girl bouncing happily. Her shrill squealing hit his eardrums and he winced.

Severus never joined in on these jovialities. At the beginning, it had been out of shyness, out of fear, but now it was out of habit. Nobody expected Severus to say anything. So, Severus said nothing.

He picked up his spoon and was about to swallow another mouthful of porridge when a letter fell onto his lap. Severus blinked in surprise. His parents were usually very punctual in their letter writing and they had written to him two days ago. He wasn\'t expecting another letter until five days hence.

Tilting his head back, Severus looked up. A single black falcon circled once above his head before flying out of one of the many windows.

A falcon? Who did he know that owned a falcon?

Severus picked up the letter and looked closely at it. It was a simple white envelope, no seal, nothing on it in any way indicative of its origins. Immediately, he was suspicious. A prank? Severus couldn\'t be sure.

Carefully he picked up his butter knife and slit open the envelope. A single card was inside.

Severus Snape,

You are cordially invited to Malfoy Manor for dinner on the 12th of April at 7pm to discuss mutual business interests.

You are strongly advised to attend.

This card will turn into a Portkey when you need it.

Sincerely,

Lucius Malfoy

Severus looked at the card with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. Lucius. The name sounded vaguely familiar. The Malfoys were one of the oldest pureblood families, and one of the ones still with enough money to be proud of it. He frowned. He met Lucius Malfoy once before at one of his parents\' social gatherings. But it was a brief meeting. All he remembered of the other man was an aristocratic air and piercing grey eyes. Why would he invite Severus to dinner? What was this about mutual business interests?

Severus\'s curiosity was ignited.

**

With a sharp crack, Severus appeared in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. He was still slightly bewildered as to the reasons to him bringing here. The owl to his father had produced no useful results except strict orders to attend the dinner.

He glanced around the imposing entrance. Gold and silver glittered from every crevice. Still, it was a reasonably tasteful design but certaintly not subtle.

\"Ah, Severus!\" a jovial voice sounded out from behind Severus.

Severus turned abruptly and saw what he could only assume to be Lucius Malfoy and his wife coming towards him. \"Mr. Malfoy,\" Severus said with a slight bow, as he had been taught, \"I am pleased you invited me.\" He smiled at the woman by Lucius\' side. \"And I presume that this is your lovely wife?\" His words were appropriate, if a bit stiff. Severus always felt uncomfortable in these situations.

Lucius gave him a charming smile. \"I\'m surprised you haven\'t been introduced to my wife before. This is Narcissa Malfoy.\" Lucius let go of Narcissa\'s hand and put his hand at Severus\'s elbow. \"I am so glad that you could come.\"

Severus found himself being steered away into a small drawing room off the foyer. The drawing room was comfortably furnished with a warm fire crackling away in a corner.

\"Please, sit down.\" Lucius gestured towards a set of chairs next to the fireplace. \"Would you like something to drink?\"

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, Severus made a non-committal noise as he sat down.

He had never been offered a drink before. Not even at the many gatherings that his father organised. It was as if the other man was treating him, not like a seventh year on his holidays, but rather as an adult. Come to think of it, Severus found it quite pleasing.

\"How about some cognac?\" There was the sound of two drinks being poured and then Lucius sat down in the chair opposite him and held out one of the small glasses.

Severus gingerly took the glass and looked at the amber coloured liquid. Experimentally he swirled it.

\"I take it that you have had cognac before then.\"

Huh? Severus looked up and saw Lucius swirling his cognac and then sipping it. Oh. You were supposed to swirl it? He lifted the glass up to his lips and took a small sip. \"This is nice,\" he said awkwardly.

\"Of course it is,\" Lucius said mildly. \"It is the best cognac.\" Tilting his head back slightly, Lucius regarded him through half-closed eyes. \"I suppose you are wondering why you were invited here today.\"

Yes! Severus\'s mind screamed but he bit his tongue. \"I was wondering that.\" The words were supposed to be calm, like his father had taught him him, but they came out with a whiny angry tinge. Severus briefly considered apologising but then decided that it would be taken the wrong way. \"I\'m afraid that the \'mutual business interests\' was rather vague, but it nevertheless piqued my curiosity.\"

\"Of course, of course.\" Lucius smiled again, a lazy smile. \"I am sorry for that, Severus. I can call you Severus, can\'t I?\"

Severus nodded.

\"Well Severus,\" Lucius paused slightly. \"We have been watching you for quite a long time. You are very intelligent and quick with your hands. There is a certain grace that surrounds you when you work with potions. We think that your goals are in parallel with our own and feel that you would make a very welcome addition to our organisation.\"

Severus couldn\'t help but feel a little flattered. The compliments were simple, yet true. He was intelligent. He did have a flair with potions. Severus had only one question. \"Who is this \'we\'?\" he asked suspiciously.

\"A very exclusive organisation. We only recruit the most intelligent and powerful witches and wizards.\" Lucius leaned forward until his face was only centimetres from Severus\'s own. \"Join us, Severus.\"

Automatically, Severus leaned backwards. He could smell the cognac on Lucius\'s breath. A sweet smell.

\"I\'m sorry,\" Lucius sat back and gave an apologetic smile. \"I\'ve made you uncomfortable. This is probably all too fast for you.\"

Was there a double meaning there? \"No!\" Severus exclaimed. \"This isn\'t too fast. I mean, it is. I mean, I need some time to think it over!\"

\"Of course,\" Lucius inclined his head and stood up. \"Would you like to ponder the question over dinner?\"

Severus was grateful for the offer. He nodded briefly and stood up. Following Lucius out of the room, Severus couldn\'t help but wonder why an exclusive organisation would want his help. What did he have to offer them? But then again, Lucius did say that he was intelligent. Perhaps he really would be of help to this organisation.

It felt like the opportunity of a lifetime. He had always wanted to be part of something special. Something that Potter and his group could never hope to be part of. To feel wanted. To feel needed. To be useful.

With an wry smile to himself, Severus realised that his decision was already made.

**

\"So, Severus,\" Lucius said as he cut up his medium-rare steak into small even slices, \"what do you think of our new Minister of Magic?\"

Severus blinked slightly, feeling a knot of apprehension in his stomach. This felt like a test of sorts. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to answer or even where to study. \"He is somewhat too activist for my tastes,\" he said, remembering something that his father had said to one of his friends. \"All these policies about integrating the wizarding world with the Muggle counterpart... I wonder, has Leary ever given thought to the possible ramifications?\"

Lucius nodded approvingly and Severus gave a sigh of relief. So it was the right answer after all.

\"Activist is quite a good word to describe him.\" Lucius took a small sip of wine. \"But whether he truly believes in the causes he\'s espousing, is yet to be seen. He may be just trying to garner support amongst the Muggle-borns.\"

Slicing a piece of potato quickly, Severus put it in his mouth to buy some time. To be honest, he had never been that interested in the politics of either the wizarding or Muggle worlds. It was all too current for him. Too easily swayed by public opinion. He preferred the old wizarding texts. The objectivity of them soothed him. \"I suppose we will see in the years to come,\" Severus said neutrally.

\"Ah yes,\" Lucius said. \"The years to come. They should be exciting.\" He smiled at the look of obvious confusion on Severus\' face. \"In the next few years, our organisation will be working to achieve the betterment of the wizarding world as a whole. Everybody will be seeing some quite drastic changes, but all for the better, of course. We should have one of our own as Minister of Magic within five years.\"

Frowning slightly, Severus said the first thing that came to mind. \"But that sounds almost like a coup.\"

Lucius laughed. \"You are still young, Severus, my friend, if you think that that constitutes a coup. Isn\'t that the line every prospective Minister of Magic throws at the people? The difference is that we actually mean it.\"

Severus considered the words. They made some sense, he supposed. \"So, you want me to join this organisation?\" His words were hesitant. \"What exactly will I have to do?\"

\"We want you to use your mind. Let it run free. Come up with new potions. New spells. And you will have unlimited funds to do this.\"

\"You want me to do research?\" Severus was incredulous.

\"Research is very important, never you forget that. And you\'re the best mind we have. One of the best minds that has graced Hogwarts for many a year.\"

Severus bit his bottom lip. \"But, I don\'t get it, what does this organisation do?\"

Lucius looked grave. \"I\'m afraid I cannot tell you that right now. If you agree to join, however, I will be able to divulge the details. It is rather secret, you see.\"

\"Secret?\"

\"Yes, quite secret.\" Lucius paused. \"The head of the organisation is rather a stickler for privacy.\"

\"But how can I join if I don\'t know what I\'m joining into?\"

\"But you do know. It will be as if you were working for a private thinktank of sorts. You\'ll simply be doing research.\" Stopping for a moment, Lucius sighed. \"You\'re probably thinking that I am labouring the point, but you are really the best we could find. We have looked through the entirety of Hogwarts and the last five years of graduates. You are by far the most promising.\"

Even better than Potter? Severus\'s heart leaped at these words and an involuntary smile came to his lips. \"I\'ll join, then,\" he said decisively, quashing the doubt in his stomach.

\"You won\'t regret it,\" Lucius promised, smiling warmly. \"We are going to change the world. You\'ll see.\"

**

We\'re going to change the world. These words filled Severus with a glow, much like the warmth of finishing a complex potion correctly. He basked in it feeling the heat run rivulets through him. The feeling remained with him as he flooed out of Malfoy Manor.

\"Severus.\"

He gave a start as he stepped out of the fireplace in the den. His father was standing in front of him, very close to the fireplace, hovering almost like a manevolant daemon. There was no room to step around him. \"Father,\" Severus acknowleged, twisting slightly so that his back wasn\'t pressed uncomfortably against the mantelpiece. A single raised eyebrow from his father stopped the writhing.

\"I trust the evening was a success?\"

Severus nodded, hoping that his face didn\'t betray his excitement.

His father snorted. \"I suppose I will have to trust your judgement on that.\" His gaze seemed to penetrate into Severus\'s mind causing Severus to shift uncomfortably on the spot. The eyebrow raised again. \"Self dicipline, Severus.\"

Bowing his head, Severus muttered, \"Yes, Father.\"

\"You will look at me when you speak.\" His father\'s voice was mild but there was the slightest hint of a warning floating in the air.

\"Yes, Father.\" This time Severus looked up, in what he hoped was a respectful fashion, at his father.

A soft letting out of air. \"I suppose you know by now that you are a disappointment to both your mother and myself.\"

\"Yes, Father.\"

\"Nevertheless, couldn\'t you even try to be less of a disappointment?\" His father looked quizically at him. \"If not for my sake, for your mother\'s. She isn\'t well.\"

Severus who had been examining the painting on the opposite wall suddenly jerked his gaze back to his father. \"Mother isn\'t well?\" he exclaimed.

A curt nod. \"She hasn\'t been well for quite a while.\" Implied: if you were a better son, then perhaps you would know this.

\"May I see her?\"

His father gave him a long and considering look before nodding assent. Severus hurried off.

**

\"My lord,\" Severus bowed deeply, 45 degrees from the vertical, keeping his eyes firmly on the ground in respect. Straightening up, he stood in front of the older, taller man, eyes still on the ground.

\"Ah, Severus Snape,\" Lord Voldemort regarded the man standing before him through slitted eyes. \"Lucius, this is the promising one?\"

Severus\'s heart gave an extra beat as he heard these words. Promising. Him? He risked a glance over at his friend, for Severus had come to consider Lucius as one over the past few weeks. He saw Lucius give him a brief encouraging nod before turning to face Lord Voldemort.

\"Yes, my lord.\" Lucius also bowed, but less deeply than Severus. \"He is indeed promising.\"

Lord Voldemort gave Lucius a long and considering look before turning back to the boy standing before him, still looking at the ground. \"Severus, we will walk,\" he said and waved for Lucius to leave them.

\"Yes, my lord,\" Severus said meekly and followed Lord Voldemort out of room.

Expecting to be quizzed on his loyalties, Severus was somewhat surprised when Lord Voldemort pointed out some of the tapestries lining the corridors of Malfoy Manor. \"Beautiful, aren\'t they?\"

\"Yes, my lord,\" Severus said nervously. \"They are very nice.\"

\"Severus, my young Death Eater,\" he said, sounding almost amused, \"you need to cultivate your appreciation for the beauty in life.\"

\"Like Lucius?\" Severus asked and then adding quickly, \"My lord.\"

Lord Voldemort gave what Severus was shocked to realise was an indulgent smile. \"Like your friend Lucius. He knows how to appreciate _beauty_.\" The slightest emphasis was placed on the last word.

\"My lord,\" Severus said slowly, \"beauty is not exactly my forte.\"

\"And why would you say that?\"

\"Look at me, my lord,\" Severus said in the long-suffering tone of somebody told to explain the obvious. \"I am not beautiful. Not like Lucius. I don\'t fit here. I couldn\'t even be called handsome. Why accept me?\"

Lord Voldemort turned slowly around to face Severus who immediately fixed his gaze on the floor. He reached out one thin, elegant finger and tipped Severus\'s face upwards. \"On the contrary,\" he said softly, \"you are indeed beautiful. Or Lucius wouldn\'t have chosen you.\"

\"My lord?\" Confusion drenched Severus\'s voice.

Lord Voldemort ignored the question. \"You, my young Death Eater, shall have your initiation ceremony tonight.\"

\"Thank you, my lord,\" Severus bowed deeply again.

\"And now we will have some fun.\" Lord Voldemort strode off, clapping his hands briskly.

Severus watched him walk off. The charisma of the other man was palpable. It seemed to come off him in waves. He had a way of putting you at your ease. Severus admired him, from his easy motions, to his darkly handsome face, to his obvious desire to change the world. And now he was part of this movement!

~~

Fun, Severus thought grimly, could have many meanings. Immediately, he regretted the thought. You want to be in this group, don\'t you? You want to feel wanted. You want to change the world. Well then, don\'t be squeamish.

Severus turned his gaze back towards the fun and games. He gave a subconcious shiver as he heard ord Voldemort give out a high cold laugh as the blindfold was taken off the Muggle man.

The young man stumbled around the circle of Death Eaters, blinking ineffectually in the low light. \"Where am I?\" he screamed. \"Who ARE you people?\" There was a hysterical note in his voice. \"Somebody help me! Oh God, somebody please help me!\" He tried pushing through the circle, but to no avail.

He isn\'t much older than I am! Severus thought, almost numbly.

\"Nobody will be helping you,\" Lord Voldemort stepped forward into the centre of the circle, his black robes sweeping around him. He stopped in front of the man, who stopped his frantic attempts at freedom and looked up into the face. \"Do you know who I am?\"

\"No,\" the young man sounded confused. His breath was coming in low harsh gasps.

Lord Voldemort laughed again, a piercing laugh. \"You will before the morning breaks. Imperio!\"

Severus gave a small jump. The unknown Death Eater next to him gave him an annoyed look. \"Sorry,\" Severus muttered. He hadn\'t been expecting ... the Unforgivables. At least not so fast. He watched as the glazed expression came over the young man\'s face as he stopped moving and stood still, breathing evenly.

\"Do you see that knife over there?\" Lord Voldemort\'s tone was calm. \"Walk over and pick it up. I want you to cut yourself.\"

Severus gave another start. This time the man standing next to him didn\'t notice. Instead, as Severus could see out of the corner of his eye, the man was intently looking at the centre of the circle where the young man held the knife with trembling fingers. There was an expression of greed in his eyes, as if he relished the unfolding spectacle.

With reluctance, Severus turned his gaze back to the happenings inside the circle. It wouldn\'t do for him not to pay attention to this.

The young man stood there, holding the knife with a shaking hand. For a second, it looked as if he was going to resist the curse, but it was obviously too powerful. Still with trembling fingers, the man lifted up the knife and plunged it into his own shoulder. It was a deep cut that whitened before blood began to spill out.

\"Very good,\" Voldemort said so quietly that Severus had to strain to hear the words. \"But I\'m afraid that\'s not good enough. I want you to take the knife out.\"

The man removed the knife. More blood bubbled out of the wound.

Severus heard somebody in the circle muttering. \"This one isn\'t going to last long. He\'s already white. Too much blood loss too soon.\" With an almost scientific calmness about him, Severus had to agree with the analysis. All the flushed anger had gone out of the young man\'s cheeks so that they were now as white as parchment.

\"Roll up your sleeve,\" Voldemort told the young man, ignoring the soft murmurs in his circle of followers. \"That\'s right. I want you to cut deeply into the wrist, just there, until you can see a pulsing artery. Then slit open the artery.\"

Severus watched with sickened fascination as the young man took the blood stained knife and slowly drew it across the skin of his wrist.

\"Too shallow,\" there was a disapproving tone in Lord Voldemort\'s voice. \"Deeper!\"

The young man obeyed, deepening the cut. Blood welled out and splashed onto the grass. Severus caught a glimpse of a pulsing artery, which was sliced open in the next second.

\"Very good,\" Lord Voldemort said calmly. His gaze swept the circle and alighted on Severus. \"Severus, I want you to come here.\"

Slowly, Severus stepped forward until he was in front of the bleeding young man. The young man stumbled slightly and a splash of blood appeared on Severus\'s hand. Hastily, Severus wiped it on his robes and turned to Lord Voldemort, giving a deep bow. \"My lord, you needed me?\"

\"Yes, my young Death Eater. It is time for your initiation ceremony.\"

\"Yes, my lord.\" Severus bowed and wound up his left sleeve, holding it up to his lord.

\"For my Mark, you need the lifeblood of a human being.\" Lord Voldemort gave a dark smile and gestured towards the young man standing there weakly, blood still flowing freely out of his arm. \"We have our human.\" He turned and said sharply to the young man, \"I want you to press your wrist to Severus\'s left forearm. Do not collapse.\"

The young man obeyed and Severus felt the warm pulsing liquid flowing down his left forearm. He looked down and saw his hand stained red with blood. The blood felt like it was growing colder. Severus chanced a glance at the young man\'s face and knew, he didn\'t know how he knew, but knew that he was about to die.

\"Morsmorde!\" The hiss came from Lord Voldemort and a bright green light shot towards Severus\'s left forearm.

There was a sharp stinging feeling and Severus stumbled forwards until he was almost kneeling before his lord and master. The young man fell backwards, dead.

When Severus managed to recover part of his wits, he slowly stood up and bowed again to his master before retreating back into the circle of Death Eaters. He looked downwards and saw a charcoal black outline of a skull on his forearm.

\"You are dismissed,\" Lord Voldemort said, sounding bored.

The Death Eaters all left quickly with sharp cracks of Apparation, finally leaving Severus, Lucius and their master alone.

Lord Voldemort gave a long glance at his newest Death Eater before also Apparating away.

\"Lucius?\" Severus whispered softly. \"Is everybody gone?\"

\"Yes,\" Lucius answered and walked over. Hesitantly, he held Severus tightly as the other man bent over and gagged. Nothing came out. After breathing deeply, Severus stood up straight and leaned weakly into Lucius\'s arms. \"Thank you,\" he whispered.

Lucius didn\'t respond, but merely rubbed Severus\'s lower back slowly.

\"I\'m sorry,\" Severus said softly, his voice shaking again. \"I\'m not sure what came over me.\"

\"Shhhh,\" Lucius said, his hand making lazy circles. \"It\'s a bit of a shock, isn\'t it?\"

Severus snorted softly, his face still white. \"I never thought... so much blood. Do people usually bleed so much?\" His mind sought out the standard textbook explanations. \"I didn\'t think the human body held so much blood.\" A soft whimper escaped his throat.

Lucius leaned in and kissed Severus on the forehead softly. \"Don\'t think about it so much, my friend. The pain will go, I promise.\"

Severus turned slightly and buried his face into Lucius\'s shoulder. \"But I feel so... dirty.\"

Lucius stiffened and Severus drew back in shock. \"You still believe in the cause?\" Lucius\'s voice was deceptively calm.

\"Well of course!\" Severus was indignant.

Relaxing slightly, Lucius drew Severus back into the comforting fold of his arms. \"Don\'t think about it so much,\" he repeated and much to Severus\'s surprise, kissed him full on the mouth.

\"Wha...?\" Severus said when Lucius tilted his head back slightly to regard him through heavy eyelids. \"What was that about, Lucius?\"

Lucius gave him a lazy smile, reminding Severus of a large and dangerous cat. \"As I said, Severus, my dear friend, don\'t think about it so much.\" His hand slid into the opening of Severus\'s robes eliciting a gasp from the other man.

\"Lucius,\" Severus moaned softly. \"You don\'t have to do this.\"

\"But I want to,\" Lucius leaned forward and whispered into his ear, his breath tickling. \"I want you see you spread out over my bed, Severus, moaning my name.\"

Severus felt himself hardening. \"But why?\" he said, bewildered. His breath was shallow.

\"Don\'t think about it so much,\" Lucius repeated again as he reached into his pocket and touched the Malfoy signet ring.

They disappeared and appeared again in what Severus realised was a bedroom. Lucius\'s bedroom? His mind tried to work out this new development but failed. \"What about Narcissa?\"

Lucius didn\'t answer but simply pushed him backwards onto the large bed. He leaned down and pinched one of Severus\'s nipples hard. A low sound emerged from Severus\'s mouth. Severus could feel Lucius pressed against his thigh something that caused him to harden further.

\"You like this!\" Lucius laughed softly, sounding delighted.

\"Yes,\" Severus breathed as Lucius leaned down again and kissed him. He bit down on the other man\'s lower lip gently and was rewarded when Lucius made a noise deep in his throat and increased the intensity of the kiss.

Sitting up briefly, Lucius slid a leg over Severus\'s waist and straddled him. Oh gods, Severus thought dimly as Lucius slowly began to slide his robes over his shoulders. Oh gods, I can feel him. \"Lucius,\" Severus moaned as the robes came down to his waist. He glanced up to see Lucius looking down at him, smiling slightly, his soft breathing sending shivers down Severus\'s naked torso.

\"Nothing underneath?\" Lucius whispered, dark amusement in his voice. \"So wanton, Severus. You\'ve been waiting for this haven\'t you.\"

Severus\'s mind gave a mental whimper as Lucius\'s fingers slid into his robes again and encircled his cock. Stroking him. \"L-lucius,\" he gasped. \"I haven\'t...\" He stopped and tried again. \"I\'ve never...\"

He was shut up when Lucius gave him a hard, possessive kiss. Severus had a tight feeling in his chest as Lucius\'s tongue probed into his mouth. \"I\'m your first?\"

Was it just Severus, or was there a tone of perverse delight in the other man\'s tone that sent anticipatory shivers down his back. \"Yes.\" Almost, embarassed, he then muttered, \"Will it hurt much?\"

Lucius gave a low chuckle. \"If you were a Gryffindor, not that I would be in this situation with a Gryffindor, I would tell you no. But since you\'re in my old house. It doesn\'t hurt. Much.\"

\"Oh?\"

Severus, looking up, could almost have sworn this his friend\'s eyes had darkened. \"No pleasure without pain, my fellow Death Eater,\" Lucius said as he lifted up Severus\'s left hand. His tongue flicked out and licked the tips of Severus\'s fingers.

A shudder ran down Severus\'s spine. He had forgotten. There was still blood on that hand. Blood of the young man. And Lucius was licking it? And obviously enjoying it, by the expression on his face. \"You\'re licking my hand,\" he whispered, not sure what he meant by the words.

\"Aren\'t you enjoying it? No?\" Lucius gave him a lazy smile. \"Well you\'ll enjoy this.\" He opened Severus\'s robes at the waist, running his fingers over the other man\'s cock. Lucius lowered his mouth and encircled the cock, licking the underside of it

Severus gasped, his whole body shuddering.

Lucius sat up, frowning slightly. \"Severus,\" he said, as the other man attempted to catch his breath. \"You need to learn some control. Until then, we\'ll stay at this level.\"

A faint flush came over Severus\'s cheeks. \"I\'m sorry,\" he muttered. Looking down at his own hands, which were still sticky with the man\'s blood, he said, \"I had better wash up.\" He stood up and awkwardly draped his robes over his shoulders. \"May I use your bathroom.\"

\"Go ahead,\" Lucius\'s tone was careless.

Severus walked over to the large bathroom and closed the door. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water so that it was very hot but not scalding. Simply standing there, watching milky white and blood red swirling down the drain was somehow soothing. I watched a man die tonight, he thought. The thought wasn\'t as disturbing as it would have been this morning. It was just a Muggle. Just a Muggle.

He wondered whether he was just trying to convince himself.

Slumping against the cold marble wall, Severus examined the newly made Mark on his arm. It was as black as coal and burned slightly. I showed you, Potter, he thought as he ran his fingers around the tender area. I\'m going to help change the world. Just you see.

-fin

This is an one shot. Reviews are very welcome!