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I, Too, Shall Follow by notwolf [Reviews - 2]

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“Severus, take the twins down to the playground,” his mother said to the teenager slouched on the sofa, watching television. “It’s a nice day, and we don’t get many of those.”

He grunted in response and flipped the channel.

“This is your last day home; you go back to school tomorrow,” she went on, walking over to stand at the foot of the couch and glare at him.

“I don’t feel like it,” Severus muttered sullenly. He hadn’t moved one bit.

Eileen, hands on hips, clipped at him in a near screech, “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you! Get up this minute!”

“Would you shut your nagging, Mum!” he barked back, instantly mortified by what he’d said, by his tone, his disrespect. His back straightened and his eyes widened, made worse by the expression of disbelief and hurt on Eileen’s face.

Before he had the chance to apologize, a heavy hand from behind wound tightly through his hair and lifted him straight into the air with a pained yelp. Tobias, who’d stormed in from the kitchen at hearing his son’s impudence, shook the boy violently until it seemed his hair might rip right out at the roots, then dropped him back onto the couch.

“If you ever talk to your mother like that again, I’ll knock your teeth down your throat,” he growled.

“Yes, sir,” Severus answered meekly. “I’m sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean it.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Severus,” Eileen lamented. “You used to enjoy spending time with your sister and brother.”

Defensive that his love for his siblings be questioned, he said, “I still do.” His scalp burned and ached, though he didn’t dare rub at it.

Tobias took his wife’s shoulders, pointed her toward the cramped back garden, and said, “Go get them. Severus is takin’ them to the park, aren’t ya, son?”

“Apparently,” Severus responded softly. Don’t get him mad, he cautioned himself.

When Eileen had gone, Tobias came round the sofa to face Severus, his features set in irritation. “So you’re eighteen now. That don’t mean diddly-shit to me, boy. You’ll treat your mum and me with respect, I don’t care if you’re f—king eighty-five!”

“Yes, sir,” he mumbled again. Too late on the anger thing. He knew from experience to tread lightly when his father used that particular word; it always meant he was highly incensed.

“And just ‘cause you’d rather be out shaggin’ your little girlfriend don’t mean you got no responsibilities here!” Tobias continued, his voice raised dangerously close to a roar. The man gave a withering stare at the incredulous look on his son’s face. “You think I don’t know what a boy’ll do if a girl lets him? That’s what you’re doin’, ain’t it?”

Shamefaced to be cornered like this, Severus retorted with a scowl, “It’s not like that. I care about her.”

Tobias snorted. “You’d best watch your step. There’s plenty of wenches lookin’ to trap a man, and if you’re dimwit enough to shag ‘em, you deserve to get caught.”

“Who’s shagging somebody?” asked Julius as he ran in from outside. “You, Severus?”

“Shut up,” Severus grumbled, rising to his feet. “You don’t even know what it means.”

“Do, too.”

“You do not!” Severus shouted. “Stop talking about it!”

Surprisingly, Tobias interceded on behalf of Severus. “Julius, leave him be. You and Tina mind him, or I’ll skin ya when ya get back, understand?”

“Yes, Dad,” the boy sulked. Under his breath, as he brushed by Severus, he hissed, “Do, too.”

Severus led the children out into the cold, foul-smelling air from the factory and the putrid river. He scarcely noticed it now, though every time he came home from school it took days to grow accustomed to it again. The kids automatically began to race in the direction of the park, and Severus let them. Even from a distance, he could protect them with his wand. He watched them as they ran, noticed how they seemed taller, which was to be expected; they were nine already. Time passed so quickly when he was away.

His thoughts drifted to Glenna. He wished she’d meet him at the park for some old-fashioned snogging, yet even if he had an owl to notify her, he wouldn’t. The kids would never let him hear the end of it if they caught him making out. Dad was wrong, he wasn’t with Glenna only for sex, and she wasn’t the type to try to trap him. Was she? He swore out loud.

“Thanks a lot, Dad, for planting that seed in my head,” he spat.

At the park, he brushed a misting of snow off one of the swings and seated himself, gently kicking off and gliding back and forth as he kept a distracted eye on the children. For the most part he scarcely saw them, so wrapped up in his own ruminations that when a woman approached the two, it didn’t fully register at first. Then he leaped up, wand out in a purely reflex action. When the woman turned to where the kids were pointing, her face aimed directly at Severus and he lowered the wand.

It was Lily, and she was coming toward him, her red hair shining in the sun. All at the same time he wanted to flee, to rant at her to go away, and to snatch her into his arms. The latter made him feel ashamed; he shouldn’t be thinking things like that when he had Glenna. She made it clear how she felt about him, she took interest in his life, she didn’t judge him constantly. And yet his ridiculous heart ached as he watched Lily wending her way to him. Why did she wield such power over him? Was it because she’d been his first love and he’d never truly gotten over her? At times he wished he could carve his heart out completely, and if his body would function without it, he would. Life would be so much simpler that way.

“Hi, Severus,” she called from a few meters off.

“Hi, Lily,” he responded in a monotone. He backed up and flopped onto the swing.

“I saw your brother there, and he reminded me so much of how you looked at his age,” Lily said, drawing quite near. “I thought you might be here with him.”

“Your powers of deductive reasoning astound me,” Severus answered dryly. His gaze focused past her, on the children building a lopsided snowman from the slushy snow. It was easier not to look at her.

“How was your birthday?” she asked.

She’d remembered his birthday, which had passed two days ago. It both flattered and annoyed him. She’d broken off their relationship, she’d refused to listen to his pleas—she had no right to ask him anything! “It was fine. Dad’s drinking a lot less now.” Why did he tell her that?!

“Do your parents still argue all the time?”

“Not as much. Lily, what do you care? As you pointed out at Halloween, we’re not friends anymore,” Severus said, turning to stare at her with more than a hint of hostility. “Maybe you’d better go before I taint you with my evil.”

“I never said you were evil, Severus! I said the boys you hang around with are,” she corrected him.

“What’s the difference?”

“Well, if you don’t know…” she said with a slight smile.

Damnable hell, of course he didn’t know! He never knew what was going on in that red head of hers! Through gritted teeth Severus asked tightly, “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” She had the audacity to look bemused.

“Talking to me, pretending to like me, acting like things are like they used to be!” he exclaimed. “Did Potter put you up to it so he could laugh at Snivellus? Are they hiding somewhere, watching?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Damn it, Lily, cut the crap! You’ve barely spoken to me for almost two years, and now you’re suddenly interested in how I’m doing? I’m not stupid! I don’t believe you and I don’t trust you anymore! I don’t trust anybody who’d hang around with those bullies who call themselves ‘Marauders’!”

“Severus—”

“Don’t! You talk about my friends like they’re the scum of the earth, but yours are every bit as bad, and worse, because they act like it’s all in fun when it’s vicious and cruel! At least we’re honest about who we are.”

Severus left off, panting in fury. She’d shattered his heart and his illusions once; why couldn’t she leave it at that and leave him alone? She’d made it very clear they weren’t friends, so what were they? Nothing. And if they were nothing, she had no business horning into his life just to remind him that he was nobody and she was dating his mortal enemy!

“I didn’t realize you hated me,” Lily said stiffly, pursing her lips.

Severus let out a mirthless laugh. “That’s a good one. I never hated you. As I recall, I begged and pleaded for your forgiveness, which I never got.” A deafening silence on Lily’s part assured him that he still was not forgiven, else she’d have contradicted him. She was so good at that. “And now here you are… why don’t you tell me what I’m supposed to think?”

There was a long pause during which Severus could almost see Lily’s mind working behind her glorious, despicable green eyes. “I don’t want us to be enemies,” she said finally.

“Fine, we’re not enemies. Mission accomplished,” Severus replied with a hint of a sneer. “Anything else?”

A frown tugged at her mouth, causing her brows to dip along with it. “As your…not enemy, I think I ought to warn you about Glenna. I saw her kissing Mulciber in the hallway before Christmas holiday started.”

Severus’ stomach lurched for his throat and he shoved it down, his face impassive, his hands beginning to shake ever so little. So that was it! She went through all of this to dump on Glenna, to hurt him! “And you think I don’t know about it? Glenna’s very open with me.”

Astonished, Lily replied, “That’s so understanding of you. I figured you more as the jealous type.”

I’ll bet you did! Two could play this game. “Figured or hoped?” asked Severus wickedly, intentionally leering at her.

Evidently not expecting that, she backed away in disgust. “Never mind. You deserve her!” She whirled and hurried away.

As soon as she was gone, Severus bent over double on the swing, his insides a mass of roiling emotions. He felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. Lily was lying, she was trying to break them up, that was it. But why would she? She had the Potter bastard, and she’d run off quickly enough when he feigned making a play for her. If Lily didn’t want him—and it was painfully obvious she didn’t—why should she care who he dated? And since they were hardly on good terms, why would it bother her if Glenna was unfaithful? But what if she wasn’t lying; what if Glenna had been kissing that jerk Mulciber? They’d dated most of the previous year, they had a history…yet Glenna seemed so content with him! No, Lily was lying, he decided. One way or the other, he’d know tomorrow when he got back to school.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Comfortably seated aboard Hogwarts Express, Regulus waited for someone he knew to come in and join him. He absently rubbed at the Mark under his sleeve. It was no longer tender, yet still so new he hadn’t become accustomed to it. Everyone had been mightily pleased at his decision, not the least of which were his parents, who’d fussed over him and congratulated him. He’d even noticed the radical change in their attitude: home felt warmer, there wasn’t the breath-sucking air of suspicion hanging over his head anymore. And Bellatrix—she’d practically done cartwheels when she Apparated to his house to talk to him about his decision.

The compartment door slid open and Snape came in to sit opposite him, which Regulus thought odd. Snape had been Apparating or Flooing to Hogsmeade for over a year; he avoided the train like the plague.

Regulus gave a weak smile. “Hey, Severus. I thought you loathed the train.”

“I wanted to talk to you in private,” answered Severus, casting a locking spell on the door, followed by a Silencing Charm.

It seemed too blatantly disingenuous to ask ‘about what?’, so Regulus remained silent.

Severus fixed him with a hard, unwavering stare. “Do you have any idea how close you came to getting me killed?”

“What? No!”

“I told the Master you’d changed your mind, and here you come prancing in like—”

“I don’t prance,” Regulus grunted.

“You showed up, you idiot, after everything I told you! What’s wrong with you? If your story hadn’t matched mine at least marginally, the Dark Lord would’ve Avada Kedavra’d my arse, and probably yours as well!”

“How was I supposed to know you were there when I came?” Regulus blurted, though his eyes revealed surprise at the revelation. “Sorry for almost, you know...”

The older youth shook his head. “Why? You didn’t have to do it.”

“I know you can’t understand it, Snape, but I did have to, and I’m glad I did. My family loves me again, I don’t have to worry anymore.” He lowered his voice, an unnecessary precaution with the Silencing Charm in effect. “If I’m ordered to do terrible things, I’ll try to get out of it. If I’m not, I’m still part of the group. Severus, it’s not your problem. You didn’t present me to the Dark Lord, so don’t feel bad about it.”

Severus shrugged. There was nothing to be done now. He was a Death Eater, and what he said was true. If Regulus were tortured or if he performed vile acts, at least it wouldn’t be because Severus had participated in making him what he was. Nonetheless, they were still friends, and he felt bad for him. He now understood with remarkable clarity the agony Lucius must have endured when Severus insisted he accompany him to become one of the wretched beasts.

“Just try to lay low,” Snape advised. “If I can help you, let me know.” He got up to go.

“Don’t you wanna stay?”

“I have to find Glenna. Later.” Removing the charms, he opened the door, gave a brief wave, and headed off down the aisle, glimpsing into each compartment as he went.

Unbeknownst to him, behind him Sirius and James looked fiercely at his retreating back. “Should I hex him?” asked Sirius, grinning malevolently.

“Sirius, look!” James pointed into the compartment Severus had left. Quite alone, Regulus was gazing out the window. “He was in there with your brother.”

“That jackal! I told him to stay clear of Regulus!” Sirius fumed.

Remus, trying to shove them along, interjected, “What harm could come of them talking? We’re blocking the corridor.”

They moved to a vacant compartment a few doors down and settled themselves in, with Sirius still grumbling peevishly. James seemed preoccupied with gawking out the window for Lily.

Remus nudged Sirius in the side. “Are you and Regulus still fighting?”

“No. Fighting implies some sort of communication,” said Sirius.

“Why don’t you go talk to him, try to make up?”

The expression on Sirius’ face plainly implied Lupin was delusional. “Why should I? He’s the one who told me to beat it.”

“Maybe he’s sorry. Sirius, he’s your only brother,” Remus implored. He absolutely detested seeing a family torn apart, especially when no one made a move to prevent it.

“He’s a Death Eater-loving prat, and I couldn’t care less if I never see his ugly face again!”

James smirked without turning from the window. “He looks an awful lot like you, Sirius, but then you are a mangy critter.” He and Remus laughed; Sirius scowled at them.

“Can we just stop talking about him? It’s nauseating me.” In a most uncharacteristic move, Sirius yanked a book from his bag above the seat, threw himself back down, and stuck his nose in it.

Still smiling, James quipped, “He must really love Regulus if the subject drives him to studying.

“Not listening,” Sirius chanted, then he began to hum loudly to block out any more of their inane prattling.

Further down, Severus found Glenna in a compartment with one of her friends who, upon urgent request, vacated the place for the couple to talk. His heart clenched at seeing her as the fear built inside him. Lily was lying… but what if she wasn’t? He’d hardly slept at all the previous night, and hadn’t eaten since Lily’s accusation. The very thought of food turned his wildly flipping stomach, and caused his mother to worry that he was coming down sick. If Glenna was cheating on him, he had to know. And if she was, it would only figure—yet another disappointing heartache to add to his impressive collection.

He barely got inside before Glenna jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. When her lips met his, they met cold, unyielding flesh, and she pulled back in bewilderment. “Severus, what’s wrong?”

Never one for playing games, he blurted, “Did you kiss Mulciber?”

“No!” Glenna’s eyes flashed first with shock, then with suppressed rage. That bitch! She knew it, she knew Evans would run to Severus! “Why are you asking me that?”

“Lily Evans said she saw you,” he persisted. Without consciously willing it, he felt his eyes drawn to hers, felt the familiar pull of the Legilimens touch, and quickly averted his eyes. He wanted the truth, but he wanted it freely.

“Lily Evans is a manipulative, meddling shrew!” Glenna seethed. “What she saw was Jack kissing me, and me pushing him away—or did she forget to mention that part?”

His silence indicated as much, though the knot in his gut loosened.

Not pausing in her rant, Glenna said, “If you believe her over me, then we have nothing left to say to each other. I won’t—”

She stopped talking when he pressed his mouth to hers and clutched her hard to his chest. She was his. He’d deal with Jack Mulciber later.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

“Lucius, I have a very important assignment for you.” Voldemort motioned for him to get up from the spot where he’d been kneeling for fifteen minutes while the Master addressed several other Death Eaters.

The blond man got to his feet and flexed his legs, sending loud popping sounds from his knees through the room. “Yes, my Lord?”

“Augustus Rookwood tells me there is to be a visit from the Muggle Prime Minister at the Ministry of Magic.” He took in the startled expression on Lucius’ face. “Evidently it’s not common knowledge, but Rookwood is quite adept at discovering covert information. My job for you is to infiltrate this meeting and find out what goes on, what they discuss.”

Lucius’ eyes lit up and he could barely suppress his gleeful smile. Finally an assignment worthy of him! And one that didn’t involve torturing or any of that brutish business. “Thank you, my Lord, I’m very honored. You’ve chosen the right man.”

To cut Lucius down to size merely because he could, and because it gave him secret thrills, Voldemort let out an irked breath. “I chose you because you already work at the Ministry and because you—for lack of a better term—have manners. You won’t slip up and do something oafish that might tip off the others in the room.”

“Oh, well…” Lucius murmured, much less enthusiastically. “I do have proper manners.”

“From what Rookwood told me, the meeting is scheduled for eight o’clock, which is in about twelve minutes. This Portkey brooch will carry you exactly to the spot, then back again afterward.” Voldemort held out a palm-sized, faux-jewel encrusted brooch in the shape of a Siamese cat. “Unclasp the pin to activate it.”

Lucius took the jewelry, looking confused. “Won’t the others wonder why I’ve shown up to a meeting to which I wasn’t invited, my Lord?”

Here Voldemort paused to smile in his cruel upturning of the corners of this thin lips. “Oh, you were invited…just not in your present form.”

At this, Bellatrix came sauntering over swinging her hips. Lucius wondered idly what would happen if she were to slip or stumble on those nasty spiky heels. Why, she’d probably break a leg or—

“Pay attention, blondie!” she barked at him. In one hand she held a cup of gloppy, vomit-resembling potion; in the other she held a strand of hair.

“Polyjuice potion,” Lucius murmured. Clever idea, undoubtedly not her idea! “Did Severus make it?”

“I did,” Bella announced, looking very proud of herself.

“Master, are you sure it’s safe?” Lucius hedged, afraid to so much as touch the stuff. Bella was insane, for one thing, and probably either incompetent or deliberately malicious for another, neither being in any wise good.

Bellatrix drew herself up straight to glower ferociously at him. “I happen to be a very skilled witch!”

“At dueling or torturing people, sure,” Malfoy agreed readily.

Her glower darkened, if possible. “My Potions grades never fell below—”

“Troll?” he interrupted, laughing.

Bella whipped out her wand, aiming at his face, the hair hanging precariously from the end of her finger. Honestly, the woman had no sense of humor.

“Enough,” said Voldemort. While he enjoyed watching them bicker, there was work to be done. It wouldn’t be prudent to let Bellatrix hex him or kill him, because then he’d have to send her in place of Lucius, and what with her volcanic temper…. “Bellatrix, put in the hair Yaxley acquired at the Ministry.”

“Yaxley?” echoed Lucius in consternation. “He detests me! It’s probably a rodent hair!”

“If so, I’ll give you the pleasure of teaching him a lesson,” hissed the Dark Lord quietly.

Bella, who’d stowed her wand back in her blouse, dropped the hair into the grotesque mixture and handed it to Lucius with a smirk. “Bottoms up.”

Steeling himself, Lucius took a sizeable swig of the awful concoction. He immediately set to gagging and retching, turning away from the Master in the event he had an unfortunate hurling accident. He felt his body doing things it shouldn’t: he was shrinking—a lot—and growing quite pudgy. He didn’t dare feel to find out, but he thought his testicles had shrunk as well. His clothes, while now too large, were too snug at the same time. Reaching up, his arm brushed… his breasts? His hands groped his now chubby cheeks and beady, deepset eyes, and panic set in.

Smiling in a delightedly wicked way, Bella whipped out a mirror from behind her back and held it up for him. Lucius took one look at the countenance gazing back at him with a permanently patronizing smugness and he screamed like a schoolgirl. Staring back at him was the face of Dolores Umbridge.




I, Too, Shall Follow by notwolf [Reviews - 2]

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