The Recruitment of Severus Snape

Yeah, not my most favorite but let me know.

I do not own Harry Potter

Lucius Malfoy looked at the Dark Lord with a mix of emotions flitting across his face. The young man had been a Death Eater for a good four years now and had long resigned himself to forever being surprised, no matter how well he hid it. The Dark Lord just had that affect. It was all rather disconcerting. It was also disconcerting that once the spoken thought had left the Dark Lord's mouth, every Slytherin who'd been in Hogwarts since his fifth year turned to stare at him. It was a surprising amount of stares.

The Dark Lord easily caught the shifting of eyes and a dark smirk crossed his handsome features which were only marred by the crimson eyes.

"Ah, Lucius," he said softly, yet the young man heard him clearly from his position all the way in the back. "That statement seems to have given you a lot of attention. Come forward." The blond moved through the crowd of black cloaked and masked bodies, ignoring his friends' decidedly petulant looks, and kneeled before the Dark Lord's ornate chair. "Do you have somebody in mind?"

Did he know somebody who was not only a Potions genius but a rather creative Dark curse inventor? Did he know somebody who would fight for their cause? Yes, he knew somebody.

"He is still a student at Hogwarts, my Lord," Lucius sort of replied.

"Ah, and which House does he belong to?" The ever important factor in deciding someone's trustworthiness in the man's ranks.

"Slytherin, my Lord."

"Excellent," the crimson eyed man hissed. "What is the boy's name?"

"Severus Snape, my Lord," Lucius replied. "He is the only heir to the Prince family." Lord Voldemort sneered. It was no secret what had happened to Eileen Prince. In a true Slytherin move, she'd waited until she was the last heiress, killed her father (never proven of course), and fled to the Muggle world for some rather Gryffindor adventures. Nobody had heard from her since and very few knew the byproduct of one of the witch's so-called 'adventures'.

"Does he have what it takes to salvage his family name?"

"No, my Lord," Lucius replied, thinking of the Slytherin boy. "But he does have what it takes to make his own name." The Dark Lord stared hard at him. He contemplated the situation. The Death Eaters needed some more talent to boost their ranks. They were in desperate need of someone who could make or even create Potions of different intent, from healing to assassination. Dumbledore had secured Slughorn and now they needed someone just as good if not better.

So Lord Voldemort's best option was Severus Snape. A half-blood from the Muggle world. But a Slytherin nonetheless and a Potions prodigy.

"Is there a reason your friends all looked to you give me his name?" the Dark Lord asked. Lucius resisted the urge to squirm. He wasn't particularly nervous. This wasn't about him, but about Severus. But the blond had held the trust of the strange boy since he was a scrawny first year with a mean right hook and a penchant for wandering.

Lucius had been a prefect that year and had been the one to locate said wanderer when he left the group on their way to the dungeons the very first night. The Malfoy heir had found him staring at the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for reasons still undetermined. He'd asked of course. The little bugger had responded that he'd heard rumors. He had never elaborated.

Then Lucius had been the one unfortunate enough to have to explain to him why he shouldn't be friends with that Mudblood Evans only to be told that he was bigot. He'd tried to curse the insufferable little boy but not only had not a single one of his curses landed, the child had given him a black eye.

Then Severus had helped him out of a tight spot and brewed him a Potion his father had asked him to get a hold of. Lucius had had no idea how to get his hands on such an expensive and complicated Potion. He'd considered brewing it himself only to find that the directions for Polyjuice Potion was nowhere to be found. So he went to Severus who'd already established himself as a potential Potions genius and by that time the fifth year had been desperate.

To his utter surprise the little boy had been able to brew it. From memory. He'd asked how he knew the Potion by heart, but the child had shrugged and said he always remembered what he read. Apparently, his mother still had access to her things on the Prince Estate and had handed him the book filled with Dark Potions.

Lucius, thinking he had successfully used the child's naivety against him, had taken the potion bottle and moved to leave the abandoned classroom they'd met up in. He'd had his hand on the doorknob when the boy called him back.

"Lucius," he'd said.

"Yes," the blond replied, stilling but not turning around.

"Just so you know you're my friend now." Lucius's head snapped around at that.

"Excuse me?" The brat nodded brightly.

"Yeah, you owe me. And don't try to ditch me. If you do I'll tell Dumbledore you forced me to make you an illegal Potion."

And the rest, as they say, is history. He'd been blackmailed into a friendship with the scrawny child, something only a Slytherin could appreciate, and the two had been doing a strange dance ever since. But he'd be damned if he would actually admit to liking the boy. That was why he gave up the name so easily, even though he wasn't sure if the half-blood would ever take the mark. He was unpredictable like that.

Breaking himself from his thoughts Lucius gave a tentative answer. He didn't want to be the one to suffer should the boy decide to tell the Dark Lord to stuff it.

"I have known him since his first year," Lucius replied. "I am in his trust."

"And when did you notice him?"

"When he brewed a Polyjuice Potion from memory," Lucius promptly supplied and ignored the gasps and whispers of disbelief.

"And when was this?" the Dark Lord asked sitting up straighter of the mere thought of a child like that in his ranks.

"His first year." The Dark Lord's eyebrows actually rose in surprise, a miracle that.

"That's quite an accomplishment," he murmured. "You will bring him to me." The command was sudden and forceful. Lucius nodded.

"Yes, my Lord," he said wondering what he'd gotten himself into. Severus and the Mudblood may no longer be friends but that didn't mean the seventh year would join the Dark Lord. At least not in regards to blood issues. Despite what Dumbledore told his little Light monkeys, it wasn't all about pureblood advancement. A good deal of it was simply allowing a piece of their honored culture to survive. Severus had long had a taste for the Dark Arts. That just may be his selling point.

-

Lucius had honestly never been so embarrassed. He was pretty sure Severus was going to die. He'd sent an owl to his friend at Hogwarts with an invitation to join him at a Death Eater's meeting. Not in so many words but he knew the boy could read through the lines.

But then the insufferable teenager hadn't shown up. Severus had long slithered his way into people's lives using a mix of blackmail and fake naivety. And Merlin be damned he was quite good at it. The Potions prodigy had literally become the background of Slytherin House, which some people would think as bad but was actually a good place to be. The half-blood could convince any pureblood to over look his Muggle heritage by appealing to their need of self-advancement. Which was why the Dark Lord had called upon him. Well, that, and his ability to make any potion imaginable with a bit of work.

Lucius had been nervous about the Death Eater meeting that Severus was scheduled to attend. Several other recruits were there as well. Very rarely did the Dark Lord himself attend these meetings. When he cast the Mark onto his followers it was a rather impersonal ceremony unless one was going straight to the top. Those recruitment meetings the Dark Lord attended faithfully. The people inducted there were more than likely to become a part of his Inner Circle. It was one of the greatest honors for the future Death Eaters.

Unfortunately, Severus either didn't know that or didn't care. Lucius had sent him a Portkey that would bring him just to the right of the Dark Lord in the Black family's formal dining room. It was the Christmas holidays and Regulus had been invited to his first recruitment meeting at the tender age of fourteen. Everyone was seated in their appropriate seat at the table.

Lucius was three seats away from the Dark Lord's right hand, an honest surprise as he had never been so close. The seat to Lucius's right was empty. Severus was over an hour late. Bellatrix, fresh from Hogwarts herself and seated directly across from him, leaned forward.

"Where is Severus?" she asked curiously. Bellatrix had a strange relationship with Severus. It was the friendliest enmity Lucius had ever seen.

"I do not know," he replied. Narcissa, his fiancé, gave him a worried look from next to her sister. "He will be here."

"Are you sure?" Bellatrix asked, a slightly disbelieving look coming onto her features. Lucius couldn't say why she believed he wasn't coming. He was just…late. The blond couldn't say why he was so worried either. Maybe because he was afraid of what the Dark Lord might do to him in retribution of Severus's slight.

"Lucius," the Dark Lord suddenly said, startling the three. "Where is your guest?" Lucius looked into the crimson eyes more than a little fearfully. That was a rather good question.

"I do not know, my Lord," he said softly.

"Hmm, does he not like the idea of serving me?" the dangerous man asked silkily. Lucius fought his urge to gulp.

"Severus will likely serve, my Lord," the blond replied. "He's just a little…odd."

"Odd? How so?" he asked conversationally.

"He has own unique view on things," Lucius replied. "But he is a Dark Wizard." The Dark Lord nodded and left it at that, seemingly appeased. They continued with their meal. Severus never came and Lucius was getting rather fidgety just thinking of the possible consequences of such an act. He wondered if he'd be punished. He technically hadn't done anything to deserve it but the Dark Lord was as unpredictable as Severus at moments like these.

When only the Blacks, the Dark Lord, and himself remained the crimson eyed man threw a Bludger at Lucius. Figuratively speaking of course.

"We will go visit your friend," he said suddenly and Lucius nearly choked on his wine.

"My Lord?" he asked, absurdly grateful his voice didn't squeak.

"I have a vested interest in this boy, Lucius," the man told him. "I would like to mark him by the end of the night." Lucius could only nod. He barely listened as the man gave out orders. Lucius, Bellatrix, Regulus, and the summoned Fenir Greyback (in case Severus was stupid enough to run) would be accompanying the Dark Lord to Spinner's End.

The Black matriarch almost burst with pride at the inclusion of her youngest child. Narcissa, not a marked Death Eater, remained behind with her Aunt. They took a Portkey landing in an alleyway directly across from the wayward Slytherin's home in the Muggle World. Ignoring the Black family sneers and Greyback's sneeze as his sensitive nose was assaulted with new scents, Lucius led them across the street and to the front stoop. After ringing the doorbell, he saw Greyback tilt his head as if listening to something.

The door was wrenched open a few moments later by a man whom Lucius assumed was Severus's father. The man was in ratty Muggle clothing bringing even more sneering from the accompanying Blacks.

The man didn't speak, nor did he allow Lucius to start. He simply grabbed him by the neck of his robes and forcibly dragged him inside. "Get in here," he snarled. He threw Lucius away from him and moved to grab the next person on his stoop. The Dark Lord caught his hands before they could reach his lavish robes and pushed the man further inside coming in as well. The others followed swiftly and Regulus closed the door. "You tryin' to get us killed?" the man snapped.

"Whatever do you mean?" the Dark Lord asked smoothly.

"Those people have been out there all week," Snape replied, wrenching his wrists from the Dark Lord's grip. "Been following my kid around like shadows."

"What people?" Lucius asked, automatically thinking of Dumbledore's little monkeys. Snape shrugged.

"Damned if I know," he said roughly. "Sev won't tell me who they are. Just that they're there."

"Where is your son?" the Dark Lord asked and Snape shrugged again.

"Dunno," he said. "He left."

"Why?" Lucius asked. The Muggle shrugged.

"Dunno," he said and there was definitely a touch of frustration and even sadness in his voice. "Just said it was time for him to take off, said war was coming and he wouldn't be the one to bring it down on this world."

"Why would he think he was the catalyst for a war in the Muggle world?" the Dark Lord asked, from some reason sounding curious. Lucius thought he knew the answer. Severus had finally snapped. Too much Potions fumes and all that.

"He wouldn't say," Snape replied. "Said they were after something he'd found. Said the Headmaster wasn't going to just let it go, that the Order was coming and that he had no time. He told me to stay inside for a little while. At first I didn't know why that would matter but then I felt them."

"Felt them?" Bella asked, a definite sneer to her voice.

"Yeah, you know how you can feel it when someone stares at you for a long time? It's that kind of feeling." Nobody spoke for a moment, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Lucius was practically panicking. Dumbledore had Severus? What did Severus have that was so important? What was going on? "He talks about you," Snape suddenly said.

"What?" Regulus asked blankly. Snape turned and gestured for them to follow him. The Dark Lord was the first to move and followed him through his kitchen and to a door that was proven to be the basements. The man opened the door and led them downstairs. They came to what looked like a strange cross between a Potions Lab and a Muggle dorm room. The Potions equipment was nice but old, obviously inherited, the bed was small and unmade, there were several floating chalkboards with complicated equations and strangely enough, a lunar chart, there was also a Muggle picture box and radio. What held their attention though was on the far wall. A Dark Mark, scorched into the wall and looking as ominous as ever.

The dresser in the corner was ripped apart, discarded items strewn about on the dingy carpet. He'd left in a hurry.

"He told me you'd come looking for him," Snape said as he went to a cupboard and opened it, revealing shelves and shelves of Potions. He ran his finger across the names, as if he knew what each did. He found what he was looking for, a black bottle with only a white circle on it to give any identification at all. The color of the bottle hid any indication of what was inside. Snape took it off the shelf and gave it to the Dark Lord. He then he handed a piece of parchment taken from his pocket to Lucius.

"Find my boy," he told the Death Eater as he handed him the paper. "His life ain't over yet." Lucius looked into his eyes. He looked broken and lost. He was struck by how little he knew Severus and his family. He hadn't thought they were close at all. Severus rarely talked of his family and when he did it was in a sarcastic tone. Lucius had always assumed that Severus was simply ashamed them but if he was his father clearly didn't know it. Snape brushed by him and left them in the basement room alone.

The Dark Lord examined the bottle but didn't dare uncork it. They had no idea what it was. He eventually moved to the center of the floating chalkboard circle and stared at the equations. Lucius had no idea if he understood what they meant or not. Greyback grabbed a chair and proceeded to look bored. Bella and Regulus stood stock still, clearly uncomfortable. Lucius opened the parchment curiously.

Luce,

Sorry I missed your big dinner party with the Big Guy. Hope we can reschedule. Trying my best to keep Dumbles guessing but it's not working. Order will catch me. They need it just as much as us. I can't tell you where it is in fear that this note is taken by someone who shouldn't know. Don't bother trying to figure it out, just keep on. When you get to Azkaban we can share a cell. Good luck and tell Bella to bite it.

Severus

Lucius rolled his eyes at the hastily scribbled note. It was certainly Severus. Sarcastic, encouraging, and cryptic. Very few people ever got to see this deep, for the boy did not trust easily. Lucius was keenly aware of what Severus was saying. He was saying goodbye. He walked towards his still contemplating Master, knowing the man would want to know about Dumbledore searching for something important.

The crimson eyed Wizard read the note, looked at the bottle, then at the board, and then smiled.

"Your friend is quite the genius," he said.

"My Lord?" Lucius asked. The Dark Lord shook the bottle almost mockingly and his eyes glinted with a feral delight.

"I doubt this is what the old man is searching for," he said. "But it will certainly change the course of this war." Lucius was gob smacked. What? The Dark Lord continued, purposefully ignoring his servant's expression. "Now all we have to do is find that boy and whatever he's hiding, and we will win this war." Greyback actually stood up, looking completely shocked, as did Bella and Regulus. Had Severus honestly found a way for the Dark side to win?

It would certainly explain why the Order of the Phoenix was after him. But now the question was, what did he have?

-

The search for Severus Snape was ultimately failing. No one knew where to start, for they knew nothing of the Muggle World and none of their spies were close enough to the Headmaster to yield any result. Lucius was positive that Severus had run off somewhere in Muggle London, he just knew him like that. The Malfoy heir was getting increasingly worried about his oddball friend and stressed as this war winning object continued to slip through their fingers at every dead end.

The best thing to come out of this was that he was spending an increasing amount of time in the Dark Lord's presence, as was Bella and Regulus. Nobody dared to ask how the man knew this object existed or what was in the bottle and he was closed mouthed about it all. At the end of the three week Christmas break, Regulus had to return to Hogwarts with instructions to keep all ears and eyes open. Months later and there was still no lead.

Even the Dark Lord's patience was beginning to fade as they failed time and again to locate the misplaced Slytherin. His friends had all but given up on ever finding him or that object when one night, at the beginning of summer and during another recruitment meeting at Black manor, those gathered around the table felt the magic level increase. Suddenly a warm body hit the top of the table as the Portkey shoved him through space. It was Severus. He was dirty and in Muggle clothes. He had a cut on his right arm, and it looked as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. Mrs. Black let out a shriek of surprise and jumped away from the table, as did many others. Severus groaned.

"Ugh, not so loud," he mumbled. He pressed his hands to his eyes. The Dark Lord rose from his chair slowly as he watched the boy on the table. "That hurt."

"Severus?" Lucius questioned his tone conveying that he wasn't quite sure that this was his friend. Severus grunted in reply. "Where have you been?"

"London."

"And what, exactly have you been doing?" the Dark Lord snapped. At the new voice, Severus's head snapped up and he looked directly into the crimson orbs. The boy was still lying on his back on the table, his shoulders just barely off of the wood. He lifted one arm and pointed directly at the man.

"Saving you!" he squalled. The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed. "The Order's been chasing me around for six bleedin' months! It's been a nightmare!"

"What are you talking about?" Lucius asked. That made absolutely no sense at all. "Where have you been?"

"London," Severus snapped. "Don't you listen?"

"What exactly does the old man want from you?" the Dark Lord hissed before the Malfoy could respond. There was no need to elaborate on exactly who the 'old man' was.

"Uh," the dark haired Slytherin stalled. The Dark Lord's crimson eyes narrowed.

"You have had us running all over these Isles trying to locate you," he snapped. "Now talk." Severus started to look scared at the man's tone, as he rightfully should have been. The Dark Lord was sounding quite murderous.

"He's after a thing I found in the disappearing room in the castle," Severus managed to squeak out.

"Care to elaborate?" the Dark Lord asked an eyebrow raised.

"Not really," Severus replied, glancing over his shoulder at the other people in the room. The Dark Lord took the hint instantly.

"Everyone out," he hissed. Lucius was the only one who didn't scramble out immediately. He walked calmly and slowly throwing a look over his shoulder as he shut the door behind him. He couldn't help it, he was worried.

-

In the end the Dark Lord was holed up with Severus for several hours. Four hours and twenty-nine minutes to be exact. The Blacks and the lone Malfoy had all moved to the parlor directly across the hall from the grand dining room to await whatever it was that might happen. Lucius was positively amazed they hadn't yet heard any screams of pain coming from the room. Whatever Severus was saying it must be what the Dark Lord wanted to hear.

Eventually the crimson eyed man emerged, looking delighted and guiding Severus with a hand on the boy's shoulder. Lucius was shocked yet again. What some of these Death Eaters wouldn't give to have their children given that amount of affection from the Dark Lord. The Black matriarch in particular looked highly jealous that her youngest son had been outdone. The youngest Death Eater didn't mean the most trusted. Lucius noticed Severus rubbing his left forearm. He'd been marked.

The Dark Lord left a few moments later, after giving strict orders to Walburga to feed, board, and properly clothe the new Death Eater. The woman threw herself into the task, and a sparse few hours later he looked like a proper Pureblood. The indication that he was not what he now appeared to be was look of pure discomfort. Lucius was finally able to corner the seventeen year old in the library.

"What object were you talking about?" he asked. Severus looked at him sharply.

"I can't tell you," he said and Lucius was surprised by how much that actually stung.

"Why not?" he snapped. Severus looked at the floor a rare flicker of emotion coming onto his features.

"He made me sign a Magical contract," he said. "I have no choice."

"Well, at least you were marked," Lucius said, at a loss of what to say to that. Severus snorted.

"Hip-hip-hooray," he said sarcastically and Lucius felt his eyebrows move towards his hairline.

"You are not happy about this?" he asked. Severus glared at him in a way that made Lucius feel stupid that he had suspected anything different.

"I just want to brew Potions," he said. "I don't care about the 'Pureblood' cause. Load of bull if you ask me."

"What are you talking about?" Lucius snapped. "You've never once expressed that you didn't want to become a Death Eater."

"And when exactly did I express the desire to become one?" he asked. The Malfoy couldn't help but acknowledge the point. Severus had certainly never expressed the desire to become a servant of the Dark Lord. And now he was marked and Lucius couldn't help but wonder if that had been a part of the contract Severus had mentioned. Had he been forced into this?

"Give it time Severus," he said. "Soon all you'll have to worry about is your little concoctions. In the mean time, just try not to anger him." Severus glared at him and then turned away, wandering off to the Potions section.