Sticks & Stones may break my bones but Chains & Whips exite me
Severus Snape was very much done with this week already and it was just a monday. He was on the front porch of Grimmauld place and fished a pack of cigarettes out of one of his expandend robe pockets and light it with a snap of his fingers.
Smoke filled his lungs and Severus couldn‘t wait for the nicotine to hit him and help him calm down. He didn‘t mind the lung damage that smokeing could bring afterall he couldn‘t really wait to kick the bucket and he could easily cure the smoke damage with a potion - which he sometimes did when he started to get a smokers cough again.
The meeting had been utterly useless - the Dark Lord wasn‘t even back for a whole month and the Order of Phoenix was already running around like headless chickens. They were all panicking about what to do and wanted to know from Severus what the Dark Lord was planning when Severus was pretty sure even the Dark Lord didn‘t know what he was planning right now - insane Fucker that he was just randomly decided what to do and if he had actual thought out plans he would keep them close to his chest, just like Albus did.
The Dark Lord wasn‘t even back for a month and this was the fourth meeting of the Order and Severus Snape was ready for the war to just go on and kill him please cause the Order meetings were the real torture. Severus would prefer a cruciatus instead of the mutts whinning about his precious Potter to come live with him, and Mollys fretting around and Moodys suspicious glares and the late Lady Blacks screeching portrait raising the noice level as if Severus wouldn‘t have a head ache without it already.
So some fresh air and a smoke was just the thing Severus needed.
Then the mark on his arm burned - seems like both of Severus masters wanted him at a torturous meeting today - at least the following had a higher chance of Severus being killed and not having to continue this pathetic live.
Severus stomped out his fag-end, spun where he stood and with a crack he apparated to Spinners End to get his Death Eater garb.
He had changed as a fast as he could before apparating to the gates of Malfoy manor but when he speed walked down to the meeting hall he knew he better try his best not to be late, as he didn‘t actually want to be put under a cruciatus curse, better stay on the Dark Lords good side.
The elves had shown Severus towards the formal dining room, which made sense that since the meeting was at Malfoy Manor it could just be the inner circle - or what was left afterall more then half of them were dead or in Azkaban prison.
Severus still wore his mask, and as he saw after he made his entrance bowing deeply the other occupants of the room did as well - even if it was plainly obviously who was who, afterall who could have hair fair as Lucius for example.
„My dear friendsss take sseat and lower your massskss.“, the Dark Lord commanded and his lisp of the letter s should make him sound ridiculous if the man - if you could call someone as monsterous that - wasn‘t as terrifying. Everyone quickly followed the order and for a moment Severus almost wished not so many Death Eaters were in Azkaban so he could sink into the background of a bigger group.
The Dark Lord showed his sharp teeth grinning and said:„ Today we will make plans to break your brothers and sisters out of Azkaban“ - Apparently Severus had wished to early, this was a disaster. „ But first report. Severus, then Lucius and then anyoneelse that had something of value to add.“
Severus silently thanked his past self for becoming a master occlumense so he could answer with a steady voice:“ Dumbledore has assembled his little Band of vigilantes have had multiple meetings, all in all they only show how useless they are and have no clue what your plans are, my Lord. Right now they try to recruit more help but no one believes you are back right now so they are fruitless in the endeavour to do anything besides fighting among each other on what to do. The old coot hasn‘t shared any plans he might have.“
„ Ah yesss, his club of fryed chickens is really pathetic, Lucius, continue“
„ Fudge truly believes that Dumbledore is out for a powergrab and so the prophet will start publishing more papers to discredit both him and Potter as mad. The DMLE won‘t listen to him and with the press on our side neither will the public and the headmaster will do us all a favor and discredit himself even more. B-“, Lucius broke of his new sentence, it seems like he realized with whome he was talking and he better keep his mouth shut to not loose his tongue.
The Dark Lord though seemed to have heard him. „ Go on Luciusss, you wanted to add ssomething, share with the classss“ ‚share with the class a oddly muggle proverb, that the Dark Lord would choose that‘.
Lucius audible gulped before he dared to ask:“ My Lord, I was only wondering how you wish to break into Azkaban without showing Dumbledore your plans to early and stop the effectiveness of the discrediting the papers are doing right now.“
Suddenly the Blond man was straining his neck and grabbing at it with his hands while the Dark Lord moved his hand. „ I find your lack of faith… disturbing “ -‚Was the Dark Lord Force choking Lucius while quoting Dark Vader?‘, Severus thought,‘Thats pretty odd and would be quite funny if the blond wasn‘t suffocating at the moment. And also kind of hot? Shit Severus you can‘t seriously get turned on by that, thats fucked up.‘
Apparently the Dark Lord had enough of his powerplay though as he relaxed his hand and Lucius slumbed back on his seat breathing heavily and with his eyes still bugged out and sweat covering the aristocrats face.
„ I have gotten the idea of young Barty, no one will know of the Breakout since as far as the Ministry will know there won‘t be a breakout.“, the Dark Lord made a short pause looking them all in the eyes with those glintering red orbs. ‚He is half snake, those eyes do not make up for that so you better go away inappropriate boner, I am no longer a teenager‘, Severus thought before his name was called. „Sseveruss, you can brew a permanent polyjuice potion, can you not? You will get a month, if all fails you should all freshen up your knowledge on permanent human transfiguartion, for the plan to work.“
„ Of course my Lord“, Severus answered as he knew while currently there was no permanent polyjuice potion it should be possible for him to modify it that way - he wasn‘t a potion prodigy for nothing. And while the Dark Lord hadn‘t elaborated his plan it was pretty clear what it was - maybe Crabbe wouldn‘t get it but Severus had a good idea and had to admit just comparing the two meetings of the day the Light sides chances weren‘t looking so swell.
„Sssilnece from you all? I ssee no one has more to add? Dismissed. Except Sseveruss, remain.“
‚Fuck‘, Severus thought while he bowed in compliance and seeing Lucius giving him a quick look of pity before he left with the others - left his own dinning hall on whichs head of table he no longer sat.
„ Follow me“, the Dark Lord ordered and rose quickly walking down in the opposite direction of the Death Eaters leaving. Was that a glint of pink Severus saw when the Dark Lords robe swoshed? Even if not the Dark Lord was wearing shoes for once (which Severus thanked the mother magic for since seeing so much of his Masters feet since his rebirth had been oddly intimate).