Chapter Twenty-Four -- Alpha
"They attacked Azkaban last night."
Albus sat behind his desk, writing out a document -- swirling flourishes embedded in his letters. He mentioned this event as some sort of side note: "The greenhouse needs some repairs so we'll have to see to that and, oh yes, the Death Eaters attacked Azkaban last night. I almost forgot." No one was expecting Lucius to move this quickly.
However, none of the staff members were particularly shocked.
"He formed an allegiance with the Dementors," Tom sighed, dipping his hand into Dumbledore's jar of sweets. He began tugging celophane off of strawberry hard candy. "He's following my strategy to the letter. Like I said before, he'll move to the mountain areas next."
"The mountain areas," Minerva repeated absently. She looked out the window, trying to see the break of the mountains in the distance. "How much time do we have, Tom?"
"I'll give you two weeks at most," Tom shrugged, popping the candy into his mouth. "Is the Ministry going to be able to defend itself? I certainly wouldn't trust Cornelius Fudge with that operation. The man is a bumbling incompetant."
"Understatement," Minerva mumbled.
"Something will have to be done," Dumbledore said. It was a statement that seemed to act as a prompt for, at this point, Severus Snape rose to his feet. There was a sudden sense of unease in the air. Albus glanced up from his scribbles for a moment, nodded his consent, and Severus bolted out of the room. The door had barely slammed shut when Tom Riddle declared, in a state of absolute disbelief:
"You're sending him back to Lucius?"
"He volunteered his services, Tom. I assure you that no one forced him to return to his duties as a spy. He'll leave immediately and take his place, once again, among the Death Eaters. We'll do our best to ensure his safety."
If Albus noticed that Tom Riddle was glaring at him (in a particularly venemous manner), he did not let on.
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When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view,
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop awhile with you.
Severus Snape reverently opened the bottom drawer of his dresser, pulling out the traditional robes of a Death Eater. They were somewhat musty -- coated in a layer of dust. It had been a while since Severus had donned these robes. And now, he would return . . . to Lucius, the man who adamantly loathed him.
Yes, he could remember the harsh exchanges. Lucius had always been singularly envious of Severus' place -- at Voldemort's side. Severus laughed involuntarily. "Jealous, Lucius?" he thought to himself. "What do you have to be jealous of now? Now that's I'm alone -- confined to the dungeons where no one will have to take any notice. Any notice of the one whom they cast aside . . ."
But still, Severus had no doubt that serving Lucius Malfoy would be a singularly unpleasant experience. Hell, sometimes you had to buck up and take one for the cause, right? Severus sniffed at the thought: "Yes, Severus. At the beginning of this war, you will strike out into the world. And when everything is over, you will once again return home to an empty hearth."
Sometimes, Severus wished that his life wasn't a series of perpetual disappointments. Yes, he knew when to let someone go . . .
"You shouldn't have volunteered."
The words were unexpected and Severus Snape looked up from the pile of robes -- layers of crushed velvet, stained with blood. He brushed his lanky hair out of his eyes to clearly see Tom Riddle standing in front of him.
"I don't want you to leave here, you know. I'll be worried."
Tom stood there, awaiting some sort of confirmation.
"No, you won't," Severus laughed gently, folding the robes and placing them in his suitcase. "You won't even be thinking of me. Don't be ridiculous."
"I'll be worried. I . . ."
The words were said with a kind of desperation this time. It was a desperation that made Severus look up again and examine Tom's eyes closely.
"Do you really?" Severus asked, scornfully. But before he could reproach Tom for his childish behavior, Tom closed the gap between them and those familiar lips were upon his.
He could practically hear Tom whisper: "Hush. I will stop your tongue."
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"Promise me that you'll come back safely," Tom whispered, clinging to every inch of Severus' flesh. Tom always had that annoying habit of trying to claim every bit of you for himself. He wants to get inside you -- beyond the flesh and the muscle, beyond the sweat and the blood. He wants to somehow take two separate entities and turn them into one.
"I can't promise anything," Severus replied, his tone slightly frigid. "It's not my place to promise anything -- especially not to you, Tom."
"Promise me that you'll come back safely."
"For what? To be cast down and forgotten again? Tell me, what do I have to return to?" Severus began to untangle the mass of intertwined limbs. "You? No, you're too preoccupied with Harry Potter. Oh, I'm not resentful. I know when it's time to let someone go and I had my day. I'm not asking for you back or anything."
Severus paused for a moment, trying to sort out the jumble of emotions rising in the pit of his stomach.
"But why do you have to come back into my life? Why can't you just leave me be in peace?"
"You have to come back," Tom proclaimed steadfastly -- completely ignoring all of Severus' hopeless questions.
"The universe won't do your bidding, my Lord," Severus smirked. He tugged the corner of the sheet off the bed, wrapping it around his lower body. "Somewhere out there" -- Severus motioned towards the ceiling -- "there's a force more powerful than you. More powerful than any of us."
Tom leaned forward and pressed his lips against Severus' shoulder blade.
"Are you referring to God?" Tom asked, half-curious.
Severus nodded.
Tom leaned in to whisper in Severus' ear.
"I am God."
In vain to search for order,
In vain to search for truth,
But these things can still be given.
Our love has shown me proof.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
1996
And the war has begun.
Author's Note: And that's the end of the second installment in the trilogy
"They attacked Azkaban last night."
Albus sat behind his desk, writing out a document -- swirling flourishes embedded in his letters. He mentioned this event as some sort of side note: "The greenhouse needs some repairs so we'll have to see to that and, oh yes, the Death Eaters attacked Azkaban last night. I almost forgot." No one was expecting Lucius to move this quickly.
However, none of the staff members were particularly shocked.
"He formed an allegiance with the Dementors," Tom sighed, dipping his hand into Dumbledore's jar of sweets. He began tugging celophane off of strawberry hard candy. "He's following my strategy to the letter. Like I said before, he'll move to the mountain areas next."
"The mountain areas," Minerva repeated absently. She looked out the window, trying to see the break of the mountains in the distance. "How much time do we have, Tom?"
"I'll give you two weeks at most," Tom shrugged, popping the candy into his mouth. "Is the Ministry going to be able to defend itself? I certainly wouldn't trust Cornelius Fudge with that operation. The man is a bumbling incompetant."
"Understatement," Minerva mumbled.
"Something will have to be done," Dumbledore said. It was a statement that seemed to act as a prompt for, at this point, Severus Snape rose to his feet. There was a sudden sense of unease in the air. Albus glanced up from his scribbles for a moment, nodded his consent, and Severus bolted out of the room. The door had barely slammed shut when Tom Riddle declared, in a state of absolute disbelief:
"You're sending him back to Lucius?"
"He volunteered his services, Tom. I assure you that no one forced him to return to his duties as a spy. He'll leave immediately and take his place, once again, among the Death Eaters. We'll do our best to ensure his safety."
If Albus noticed that Tom Riddle was glaring at him (in a particularly venemous manner), he did not let on.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view,
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop awhile with you.
Severus Snape reverently opened the bottom drawer of his dresser, pulling out the traditional robes of a Death Eater. They were somewhat musty -- coated in a layer of dust. It had been a while since Severus had donned these robes. And now, he would return . . . to Lucius, the man who adamantly loathed him.
Yes, he could remember the harsh exchanges. Lucius had always been singularly envious of Severus' place -- at Voldemort's side. Severus laughed involuntarily. "Jealous, Lucius?" he thought to himself. "What do you have to be jealous of now? Now that's I'm alone -- confined to the dungeons where no one will have to take any notice. Any notice of the one whom they cast aside . . ."
But still, Severus had no doubt that serving Lucius Malfoy would be a singularly unpleasant experience. Hell, sometimes you had to buck up and take one for the cause, right? Severus sniffed at the thought: "Yes, Severus. At the beginning of this war, you will strike out into the world. And when everything is over, you will once again return home to an empty hearth."
Sometimes, Severus wished that his life wasn't a series of perpetual disappointments. Yes, he knew when to let someone go . . .
"You shouldn't have volunteered."
The words were unexpected and Severus Snape looked up from the pile of robes -- layers of crushed velvet, stained with blood. He brushed his lanky hair out of his eyes to clearly see Tom Riddle standing in front of him.
"I don't want you to leave here, you know. I'll be worried."
Tom stood there, awaiting some sort of confirmation.
"No, you won't," Severus laughed gently, folding the robes and placing them in his suitcase. "You won't even be thinking of me. Don't be ridiculous."
"I'll be worried. I . . ."
The words were said with a kind of desperation this time. It was a desperation that made Severus look up again and examine Tom's eyes closely.
"Do you really?" Severus asked, scornfully. But before he could reproach Tom for his childish behavior, Tom closed the gap between them and those familiar lips were upon his.
He could practically hear Tom whisper: "Hush. I will stop your tongue."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
"Promise me that you'll come back safely," Tom whispered, clinging to every inch of Severus' flesh. Tom always had that annoying habit of trying to claim every bit of you for himself. He wants to get inside you -- beyond the flesh and the muscle, beyond the sweat and the blood. He wants to somehow take two separate entities and turn them into one.
"I can't promise anything," Severus replied, his tone slightly frigid. "It's not my place to promise anything -- especially not to you, Tom."
"Promise me that you'll come back safely."
"For what? To be cast down and forgotten again? Tell me, what do I have to return to?" Severus began to untangle the mass of intertwined limbs. "You? No, you're too preoccupied with Harry Potter. Oh, I'm not resentful. I know when it's time to let someone go and I had my day. I'm not asking for you back or anything."
Severus paused for a moment, trying to sort out the jumble of emotions rising in the pit of his stomach.
"But why do you have to come back into my life? Why can't you just leave me be in peace?"
"You have to come back," Tom proclaimed steadfastly -- completely ignoring all of Severus' hopeless questions.
"The universe won't do your bidding, my Lord," Severus smirked. He tugged the corner of the sheet off the bed, wrapping it around his lower body. "Somewhere out there" -- Severus motioned towards the ceiling -- "there's a force more powerful than you. More powerful than any of us."
Tom leaned forward and pressed his lips against Severus' shoulder blade.
"Are you referring to God?" Tom asked, half-curious.
Severus nodded.
Tom leaned in to whisper in Severus' ear.
"I am God."
In vain to search for order,
In vain to search for truth,
But these things can still be given.
Our love has shown me proof.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
1996
And the war has begun.
Author's Note: And that's the end of the second installment in the trilogy