What a very trying day, thought Severus boredly. It had all really begun when Sirius Black began the day by humiliating him in front of the entire school once again at breakfast. Severus, of course, could not let his pride and reputation. As such, he retaliated�”and what a good Severe Stinging Hex it was! The look on Black’s face was well worth Severus’ extra detention administered by Flitwick, after Severus had returned from serving the last of his two week’s worth of nightly detentions with Professor McGonagall for the Lily incident. A hot flick of embarrassment ignited in his stomach. What a fiasco. He loathed himself and his actions. He had lost control that night. But Lily had been driving him mad. That had been his final, desperate outreach for her; they could have no other relationship than that of torturer and sufferer. His love for her was yet unwavering, and Severus knew there would be no hope of curing that miserable emotion. He scoffed. Love. He had dared to put his faith, trust, his entire heart, into love, that weak and demeaning emotion, and look where that had gotten him! Rejected, humiliated, and angered profusely, he had withdrawn into himself. Never again would he allow himself to become so involved with one person the way he had been�”still was�”with Lily Evans. But bloody hell, he loved her so much that his love-parched heart actually ached, his normally cool-cool tempered head spun and strange things came out of his mouth when he was around her. He had nearly died when he saw her body broken along with the fragments of the door of the Come and Go Room. Of course, before Severus could even move, Potter had Stunned him and pompously carried the prize�”hisLily�”off to the hospital wing. James had rescued Lily and swept her off her feet, something that Severus would never again be able to do to her.
But he had ‘friends’ now. Yes, friends, he sneered, carelessly watching the Lestrange brothers scuffle loudly in the hallway. Friends united in their servitude to the Dark Lord. Granted, the Dark Lord Voldemort instilled within Severus such a great fear that he had never before experienced, not even while living with his wretched, abusive father, but Severus respect the Dark Lord above almost all others. The Dark Lord was someone to be revered, because he offered his followers a slice of the enormous amount of power he beheld. What Severus wouldn’t do for a bit of that power…What would Lily Evans think of him then?
“Well, well,” crooned Bellatrix Black suddenly, jolting Severus harshly from his thoughts. “Look what’s coming our way.”
“My brother’s friend, the Head Mudblood Lily Evans,” Regulus taunted the approaching figure. Severus put his hand inside his pocket, wrapping his fingers around his wand.
The swift motion caught Lily’s attention. Her emerald eyes flicked over Severus’ face quickly before returning to Regulus. She did not rise to the bait.
“What are you lot doing here this late?” she asked the group at large.
“That is none of your business, Evans,” answered Rodolphus Lestrange.
“Yeah, keep your filthy nose out of things that don’t concern you, Mudblood,” leered Rabastan, Rodolphus’ twin brother.
“Watch your language, Rodolphus,” said Lily calmly. “It is of my concern. What are you up to? You had better not be causing trouble tonight…”
“Was that a threat?” Bellatrix said incredulously, sneering and raising her wand eagerly.
“Put your wand down, Bellatrix,” Severus said lazily, speaking for the first time. “We are not here to needlessly fight jumped-up Mudbloods.” Lily’s hurt eyes sliced through his heart, but his own eyes betrayed no apologies for his biting insult. “Get on your way, Evans.”
“No,” she said firmly while shaking with suppressed rage. “Not until your lot clears off. It’s close to curfew-”
“It’s only half-eight, Evans,” said Regulus Black. “Plenty of time.”
“I know you’re up to something,” Lily continued doggedly. “If you all don’t leave here at once, I’ll be forced to take away House points.”
The Slytherins burst out laughing, cruelly mocking her.
“You dare to undermine my authority?” Lily demanded furiously, despite the hot flush creeping up her neck. “Fine! Ten points-”
“Oh, bugger off, Evans!” Bella jeered, “or I will be forced to curse you, and we wouldn’t want anything to happen to Dumbledore’s Head Pet Mudblood, would we?”
Lily made to retort, but Severus stepped closer to her and lowered his voice so that only she could hear him.
“Leave, Lily,” he said dangerously. “You are outnumbered five to one. One curse could incapacitate you for a month. You have no idea what you are dealing with. We are not here to cause trouble, just to conduct some necessary…business with a friend of ours. Business that does not concern you. Now, leave. Go back to your arrogant bastard Potter.”
Lily just stared at him, that wounded expression upon her face as she searched his eyes for some reassurance that he was only putting on this hard façade for the sake of the other Slytherins present. She was heartily disappointed, and told him so.
“Your opinions no longer have any influence here, Lily,” Severus said quietly. “Leave.”
She gave him one last hard, penetrating look before continuing her way down the corridor, holding her head high despite the jeers and cat calls that rained on her retreating back.
Severus let out a breath and lowered his wand just as a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows. He quickly raised his wand again. He felt the others tense and do the same.
“Show yourself!” commanded Bellatrix tersely.
The figure removed his hood.
“You’re late,” Snape said.
“I-I’m sorry,” stammered Peter Pettigrew. “I couldn’t get away-”
“We’re not here to listen to your excuses, Pettigrew,” said Bellatrix haughtily.
“I believe I am the one with the instructions,” Severus said coldly, not acknowledging Bellatrix’s scowl. “Now, you know why you have come, don’t you, Peter?” Severus forced himself to use the boy’s first name. “Do you want to join us? You could have real friends…”
“I do have real friends,” Peter interrupted.
“That so?” said Rodolphus disdainfully. “I didn’t think that real friends treated their best mates like sidekicks, or a pebble stuck in one’s shoe.”
“But James and Sirius and-”
“You think that Bighead Potter and womanizer Sirius Black really need you, Peter?” scoffed Regulus. “I’ve heard them talking. They say you’re just a follower, someone to do their bidding. And when you’ve gone off like a dog obeying his master, they have a good laugh. Did you know that?”
“I-” Peter looked stunned.
It was Severus’ turn again. “But the Dark Lord shares power. Offers it freely. He treats his friends like equals, not as minions. He can give you all that you’ve ever wanted. You’ll never have to take another’s order. He’ll entreat you to your deepest desires.”
“There was silence as the Slytherins watched Peter process this information.
“Anything I want?” he questioned finally.
“Anything,” murmured the group.
“But what is the cost? There must be some stipulation-”
“All the Dark Lord wants is friends who support him,” Rodolphus smoothly. “You can be one of those friends, Peter, just like us. The Dark Lord aches to have someone like you at his side.”
Emotions chased each other across Peter’s chubby face. He so desperately wanted to fit in with these people who offered him something more than peonage, yet he felt, within his heart, that he would somehow be sealing a betrayal of his friends’ trust. Things between the Marauders would change forever if he accepted the Slytherins’ offer…
“What do you say, Peter?” asked Severus softly. “Will you join the Dark Lord?”
“I-I-” he stuttered.
“Well?” Bellatrix’s impatience was evident. “We don’t have all night.”
“I can’t!” Peter said fearfully. “I can’t do it. My friends�”They’re all against the Dark Arts and-”
“To hell with your friends!” exclaimed Bellatrix. Her patience with the timid Gryffindor was nearly at its end. “The Dark Lord-”
“No!” Peter backed away as the Lestrange brothers, sensing an explosion of Bellatrix’s terrible temper, closed in on Peter. “My friends hate You-Know-Who and anything Dark�”They’d hate me, too, they’d-”
“Will they beat the living tar out of you for being a snivelling, crawling piece of scum?” Rabastan, almost completely silent through the entire persuasive exchange, spoke out finally. He had been growing more and more disgusted with Pettigrew’s every whinge.
“Rabastan,” said Severus warningly, meanwhile holding his wand at the ready.
Peter, scared by Rabastan’s threat, suddenly turned and scampered.
“No you don’t!”
Peter didn’t even have time to cry out before four different spells hit him. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
“See what you have done?” hissed Severus as the five students approached the fallen Gryffindor. “I told you-”
“What shall we do with him now?” said Rodolphus, not interested in Severus’ lecture.
“Over there.” Regulus pointed to a nearby tapestry that opened into a narrow, darkened corridor.
After Rabastan had trod on Peter’s chubby face, the Slytherins levitated the body into the side corridor, hiding it with the tapestry.
“Obliviate,” muttered Severus, then he said to the others, “Let’s go. He’ll be found soon enough.”
The Slytherin five quickly fled the scene. Regulus caught up to Severus while they speedily made their way back to the common room.
“Why exactly did the Dark Lord want a wanker like Pettigrew, anyway?”
“I presume that the Dark Lord was in need of someone close to Dumbledore, whether he be a milkweed or not. However, Lucius Malfoy hinted that the Dark Lord wanted a willing idiot volunteer.”
“Volunteer for what?” Regulus asked curiously.
“A suicide mission,” replied Severus as he stepped through opening in the cold stone wall.