Chapter 25
Severus slowly rises from the floor, taking a steadying breath as he does. He refuses to meet your gaze, his eyes remaining downcast as Dumbledore wraps the mirror in cloth and beckons for you to follow him.
You take Severus’ hand as you follow Dumbledore, but his fingers hardly squeeze yours in return as you walk. You search for him in the bond again, but the fog still clouds your mind.
“What can I do?” You whisper to him, watching as Dumbledore waves his wand in front of a large portrait on the wall, opening a dark tunnel behind it.
Severus just shakes his head, finally squeezing your hand gently. Your heart aches as you walk down the dark hallway, following the Headmaster through a maze of brick corridors. When he finally stops, you look around the strange room as Dumbledore waves his wand to ignite several torches mounted on the walls.
The walls are dark grey brick covered in moss and mold, hinting that you must be deep within the castle, or perhaps underneath it. There is nothing in the room except a stone pedestal in the center.
Dumbledore sets the mirror down gently on the pedestal, unwrapping it and stepping back.
“This room is deep enough within the castle to where the dark magic can be adequately destroyed without risking it harming other students,” Dumbledore says quietly. “But we will need to work together.”
You nod, silently pulling your wand out as Severus does the same. Dumbledore nods and slowly recites the enchantment, waving his wand over the mirror slowly and deliberately. You and Severus follow his lead, your voices chiming in with his as your wands match his motions.
The mirror begins to rattle slightly at first, then vibrates wildly, coming up off the pedestal and shaking in the air above it. A moment later, it begins to scream.
Your entire being screams in return, begging for you to stop. You fall to your knees, and Severus quickly drops to your side.
“Don’t stop!” Dumbledore shouts. “We can’t stop now!”
Severus reluctantly stands, chanting and moving his wand with the spell. You wave your wand from the ground, gasping the words of the incantation as your body begins to feel like something is ripping you to shreds from the inside out.
“Nearly there!” Dumbledore shouts. “Don’t stop!”
The world's edges begin to darken as your insides boil and twist. An invisible hand seems to be squeezing around your brain, threatening to crush it entirely. Your incantation comes out of your mouth in breathless screams, and you can no longer hear Severus or Dumbledore’s voices over the roaring of the mirror in your ears.
A flash of bright light explodes from the center of the mirror, and something inside of you rips itself in half. Your world goes dark as you collapse, feeling the crack of your head against the concrete floor.
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“Severus, you have to give her time.” You hear faintly. “She will wake up, I swear it.”
You hear Severus reply, but can’t make out exactly what he says. You desperately try to pry your eyes open, to no avail. You search for Severus in your mind, but your head feels dark and unfamiliar. You crash back into silent nothingness before you have the chance to try anything else.
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The air in the dimly lit chamber was thick with smoke and the metallic scent of blood. You knelt on the cold stone floor, heart hammering against your ribs. Torches flickered against the damp walls, casting grotesque shadows that stretched and twisted like specters of the condemned.
The Dark Lord sat in the grand, high-backed chair before him, fingers steeling beneath his chin, eyes gleaming like twin embers.
Voldemort studies you in silence. The quiet is unbearable.
“You disappoint me, Severus,” The Dark Lord murmured finally, his voice smooth as silk, but dripping with venom. “You have served me well, and yet now–now you plead?”
You realize that you are viewing the setting through Severus’ eyes, and you feel as you swallow the bile rising in your throat. You know you can not afford to falter.
“My Lord,” you say carefully, your voice barely above a whisper. “You intend to take Hogwarts. When the time comes, the battle will be inevitable. But I ask–” You pause, the words catching in your throat. “Spare the students. They are children. They are untrained. They are no threat to you.”
Voldemort exhaled a soft, amused breath. “And why would I allow such mercy? What loyalty do they have to me?”
His fingers steeple beneath his chin, his crimson eyes burning through you like fire through parchment.
“You ask for much, Severus,” he mused. “And yet, you offer so little in return.”
You swallow hard, forcing yourself to remain composed. Every fiber of your being screams to lower your gaze, but you refuse. You have come with a purpose. With a plea.
“I offer my continued loyalty,” You reply in a measured voice, carefully. “My position within Hogwarts is invaluable to you. I can ensure that your influence is not disrupted within the school.”
Voldemort’s lip curled into something like amusement. “You believe I need your protection from mere children?” He chuckled, low and dangerous. “You insult me, Severus.”
You inhale sharply. “Not protection, My Lord–strategy.” You stand and take a measured step forward, ignoring how your stomach churns. “The school is no battlefield. It is a prize, one you can control without bloodshed. The students–those too young to fight–should be spared.”
Voldemort’s expression remained impassive, but something darker lingered behind his eyes.
“You have grown soft,” He whispered, his voice barely above a breath.
“No, my Lord,” You counter immediately. “I have grown wise. Slaughtering children will turn the tides against you. It will break the very foundation of your reign before it has begun.” You exhaled slowly, steadying your voice. “But if they are kept under your rule, raised in your image… they will have no choice but to serve you. Without question.”
Voldemort leaned forward slightly, considering.
The silence was unbearable.
“And if I say no?” He murmured.
Snape’s hand clenched beneath his robes. “Then I will have no choice but to defy you.”
The room turned frigid.
A slow smile spread across Voldemort’s lips. “Ah, Severus,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Ever the noble fool.” He gestured, and from the darkness, Bellatrix Lestrange slinked forward, her wand twirling absently between her fingers, her grin maniacal.
“The terms, then,” Voldemort said smoothly. “You wish to protect the children?”
You inclined your head.
“Then swear it.”
Bellatrix extended her arm.
Your throat tightened. You had hoped, foolishly, that you could convince The Dark Lord with reason alone. But he was not one to grant mercy freely.
He required sacrifice.
And so it would be sealed.
You hesitate for only a moment as Voldemort extends his hand to you, and you take it. His grip was cold and cruel, and Bellatrix exhaled with a delighted sigh as she lifted her wand to the back of your hand entwined with his.
The tip of her wand burned red-hot.
Voldemort’s voice was soft, but it coiled around you like a noose.
“You will not interfere with my reign over Hogwarts.”
“I will not,” you intoned. A thin thread of flame shot from Bellatrix’s wand, binding your wrist to Voldemort’s.
“You will ensure that no student rises against me.”
“I will.” You reply, the second thread tightened, searing your skin.
“And you will work as my living, breathing servant,” Voldemort hisses. “Loyally, until the day you die.”
Your breath catches.
Magic crackled in the air, waiting. Voldemort’s nails dig into your skin, his gaze burning into you expectantly.
Your stomach twisted, the bile once again rising in your throat. You knew there would be a cost, though you had hoped not to have to pay it.
But there was no way out.
“I will.” You answered, your voice hardly more than a whisper.
The final thread wrapped around their hands, blazing like molten fire. The vow was sealed.
You yank your hand back the moment the magic fades, your chest heaving, your fingers trembling. The mark of the vow still burned against your skin, unseen, but very much there.
Voldemort exhaled with a satisfied breath, reclining once more into his chair.
“Good,” he murmured. “See that you do not forget your promise, Severus.”
You did not answer.
For the first time in your life, you feel truly afraid.
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Your eyes snap open, and the ceiling of the hospital wing stares back at you as you breathe with jagged breaths.
You sit up and look about the empty room, and immediately search in your mind for Severus’ familiar strand of consciousness. You exhale with relief as you find it, throwing your shields back as far as you can as you dive into his mind.
Severus... You push to him.
You feel his surprise echo down the bond, and feel his soft reply a moment later.
I’m on the way.