ONESHOT.


DISCLAIMER: Yes, you were right. I am Jo. I've decided to screw he Potter series and dedicate my time to writing drabbles of my characters… OR I am just a sadsadsad person who can't come up with a world of my own and am therefore borrowing characters/places/events from the great JK Rowling in order to satisfy my writing needs. You pick. No really, pick.

TITLE: SECOND TO HIM

"Severussss…"

A tall, pale man knelt before another man, whose skin like dirty snow seemed to be stretched on a thin body.

"How my I serve you, my lord?" the man named Severus asked.

The man who was addressed as a lord gazed intently at his servant, as if pondering punishment.

"I am not pleased Severus. I want the Malfoy child here. However the death of the muggle-loving fool must not go uncelebrated, even if one of mine has been captured."

Severus wisely did not comment.

After several long moments in which the dark lord twirled his wand between his long bony fingers, he spoke again.

"You have cemented your loyalties. I must admit there have been times in which I have wondered; however you, my Severus, have never been able to lie to me."

The dark lord seemed pleased by his conclusions; however his servant still gave him reassurances.

"I have never been loyal to anyone but you, my lord. My loyalties have never wavered."

The dark lord waved his words off, but even as Severus bowed his head once again, he saw the man's red eyes pleased by what he had heard.

And then his tone changed. It never did last long with Voldemort, so Severus Snape braced himself.

"Alecto! Amycus! Bella!"

From the many hooded cloaks that stood behind him forming semi-circles, three emerged. Severus noted with mild surprise that they did not kneel beside him. They were behind him. He made no movement, but wondered if this had been decided internally, or if the dark lord had given him this 'honor'.

"Find the child. Find his mother. Bring them to me, alive."

Severus bit down on the inside of his cheeks. Narcissa… Suicide would be better, if the dark lord found her; she'd wish she had.

"MacNair!"

Another figure approached, in the place of where the last three had disapparated.

"Take your division. I've found a way to celebrate. Bring as many Aurors and people as you can. Barely alive. And, Lucius Malfoy, or whatever is left of him."

Mac Nair bowed, and unlike Amycus, Alecto and Bellatrix, walked back into the semi-circle, taking a few people with him from the far left as they too, dissaparated.

"Rise, Severus."

The potions master rose steadily, his head still bowed respectfully.

"You will be honored, despite the glitches," his lord spoke.

"You are generous and merciful, my lord."

The dark lord gave an ugly sneer, but indicated that Severus stand beside his throne, instead of falling back into line.

As his black eyes surveyed death eaters standing before the dark lord, Severus wondered just how he was going to convince Potter that he wanted to help. That Dumbledore had made him promise that Severus would stop Draco from becoming a murderer; if only to mean that Severus had to commit the murder himself. And not only that, but Severus had to help Potter in finding the Horcruxes. It was all he could do than to strangle the man, deceased or not, to make him understand that Voldemort didn't go around telling his followers, even his closest (not that Severus believed Voldemort had favorites) about his Horcruxes. Never mind that he had killed, murdered, the only man that he had ever lov—cared about. He had killed his father; in everything but name and blood. Damn you, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!

Loud and many cracks made him snap back fully into awareness.

With a jolt Severus recognized a very haggard Lucius Malfoy, who looked nothing like his usual prim self. It was disturbing to note that the 'rescue' took less than half an hour. How fast had the wizarding world fallen?

"Ah Lucius, how nice of you to join us," the dark lord spoke, as if he were pleased to have the man over for tea.

Severus Snape braced himself, occluding his mind so that his screaming conscience could not be heard. He was going to make this stop; even if it meant helping that arrogant little snot who was 'prophesied' to fall the megalomaniac. He was going to do this for himself.

Very nice. There's a quite a bit of detail, which is imperative. I love the part where he cateches himself from saying loved. Shows the...tender...side of good ol' Sevvie. Only a few minor errors: "How my I serve you, my lord?" the man name Severus asked. Should be 'named.'
&
"...but indicated that Severus stand beside his thrown..." Should be throne.

And I think that you should capitalize Death Eaters, but that's really up to you.

*laughs* Oh my. Thank you for catching that! I wrote this right after HBP (heh, you can tell where MY loyalties were....) and this is actually the original version. I put this up on ff.net later, and did make the changes you mentioned above but missed it here. So thank you for that.

Also, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate it greatly.

Cheers!

ETA: Hmm.. throne... brings to mind a Arthurian hall with a high straight backed chair... *makes a face* I should change that or describe that in an edit. I'm all against badly executed stereotypes of evil, i.e bad = ugly, evil = uncomfortable & impractical interior design... lol.

No prob, Bob.

You wrote this after HBP? And you still stuck with the 'Snape-is-good' route? I wish I had done that. My mom had actually predicted that Snape was a 'tragic figure,' and she never even read the books. It was kinda funny. A week before DH came out, she said that, and my sister and I said, "No, he's definitely on Voldie's side." Then I had to finish the book while I was on vacation and she was not. So once I finished, and I was sobbing, I called her and said, "Y-you were r-right. He-He's good." She just laughed at me. But now I <3 Snape...or at least Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility.

You're on ff.net? Me too! Or, at least I used to be. I gradually stopped going there. Except for One Path by Lionchilde; that story rocks. I'm Sexy Scottish Accent there, and I actually posted my stories from there on here.

LOL at the 'Arthurian hall with a high straight backed chair.' Yes, I try to steer away from the stereotypes, too, but every once in a while I find myself using them, and then it's like...*facepalm*

Heh... the usual stereotypes drive me up the wall... Part of the reason I can't stand the Eragon books. It just... violently violates good fantasy fiction.

And yes, I'm there, but a lot of old stuff there....

Mmm, I refused to give up on Snape. He's a selfish bastard for sure, but there is something so real, so humanly complex about him that I just couldn't see Jo making him 'bad'. Alan Rickman = luff. Besides, there have been plenty of clues to fight my case before the revelation in DH. A bit odd that Harry spends 30 minutes viewing memories, but I like how she kept us guessing right till the very end. And his death.. epitome ending of the tragic character. (huggles dead!Snape) (knows that is disturbing)

Ah, hon. You know better than anyone that I love me some misunderstood Sevvie. *hugs you* And LOL at the typos. You have any idea how many times after posting and while I go through the final read, I still find miniscule typos I missed during the final edit? Heh. Last night - er, this morning - was more than the norm, though. I think my brain was thinking "pillow, ahhhhhh" when I was supposed to be editing. LMAO

And you can ask Brittany or Kaela. From the moment I finished HBP and Severus kept instructing Harry instead of trying to hurt him, my opinion was solid. I was convinced that the "Please, Severus" was Albus begging Sev to do what he must. *sobs* And is it awful that I missed Severus at the end of DH? I so wanted to see him have resolution in his own mind before the end. But the Book is called Harry Potter for a reason.

Which reminds me, I totally recommend this fic on Checkmated... it's unfinished and potentially abandoned, but that's okay, because each chapter is stand-alone. It's all about resolution.... afterward. It's fantastic! And of course, Sev is first!

End of the Line by shewhoguards

Oi, the board ate my post. *glares at teh board*

And anyway, funny story:

I kinda sorta might have had a convo with Jo FREAKING ROWLING! Or at least, thats what was hinted by the Leaky mods when I later asked. You know that trial thing that they had after HBP where people got to debate on which side Snape was on? Yeah, in the midst of it, I noticed this one user who was very inconspcious, had that air around her... I just.. zeroed in on her. Heh. Of course, I later asked the mods and they never came outright and said it, but it was heavily hinted. Heh.


Anyway, yes, I am convinced the look of repulsion on his face before the AK was the SAME look Harry had when forcing him to drink that damned potion. Bah.

Oh, and thanks darling, I'll put that fic on my reading list.

LOl @ editing. I hear ya. You do a GREAT job, by the way. FF is flawless.

OMG, no way!!!! Ha! That's awesome! I wish I could meet somebody famous...

Hee, I know right? I mean, a smidgeon of a hint... LOL but I was jumping around like a loony. I do want to actually meet Jo though, and pick her brain. XD Heee.

Anyways, me thinks I shall put up another oneshot, y/y? Because this is kinda fun.

Indeed you should! Going to look for it!