[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Snape’s Charge


Regulus sat in his room, staring out the window. “Master Regulus,” croaked Kreacher, “Would you like to win at Gobstones?” The house elf hovered eagerly by the table with the game set up on it. Regulus shook his head. The elf looked disappointed. He inched closer to the chair where Regulus sat, peering up at him, his great big ears flat against his head, “Is Master Regulus thirsty? Kreacher can get Master Regulus his tea.”

“No thank you Kreacher,” mumbled Regulus.

Kreacher came around the front of the chair and rested his chin onto Regulus’s knee, staring up at him with his bulbous eyes. “Master Regulus… what can Kreacher do for you? Kreacher can tell Master Regulus is sad.”

“I’m not sad, Kreacher,” said Regulus.

“Then what is Master?” Kreacher questioned.

Regulus shrugged.

It was only a few days before Christmas and outside it was snowing. Great, fat snowflakes spun through the air over Grimmauld Place, frosting the courtyard and the trees and the windowsill with a thick blanket of white. There was a bite to the air in the drafty, dismal old house, and the darkness that Walburga insisted be kept didn’t help. There were only a few fireplaces running in the whole house. Regulus was bundled up with two jumpers and a pair of thick woolen socks.

He’d been told to go upstairs and stay out of the way - the Dark Lord had very important people coming over that day, and Regulus would only be underfoot, so he’d been sent off with Kreacher to his bedroom until the meeting had dispersed. He could hear the door opening and closing downstairs, hear people greeting one another and talking in low voices and the occasional shriek or cackle would rise up from Druella or her daughter, Bellatrix.

There came a knock at Regulus’s bedroom door. He looked around the side of the chair with narrowed eyes as Kreacher walked over and opened it up. Severus Snape stood on the other side, a sour expression on his dark face. He had dark shadows under his protruding eyes and his hook nose had a bit of dirt on it.

“What are you doing here?” demanded Regulus, glowering in Severus’s direction.

“Mother was summoned to speak with the Dark Lord,” Severus replied.

“My mother said you and your mother weren’t supposed to come back here ever again,” Regulus said, remembering the first time he’d ever laid eyes on the greasy-haired face of Severus Snape all too well, when Walburga had blasted the face of Eileen Prince from the Black Family Tree in her library and Severus had become Snivellus Snape and cried.

That was back when he and Sirius were friends, he thought errantly. It seemed so long ago.

“Looks as though what the Dark Lord wants is more important than what your stupid mother wants, doesn’t it?” Severus sneered.

Regulus frowned. “Well what are you doing here, in my bedroom?”

“I was told to come up here with you.”

Regulus blinked in surprise, “Whatever for?”

“I haven’t any idea,” Severus’s voice was low and annoyed.

“Well aren’t you supposed to be some grand Death Eater?” Regulus asked in a mocking tone, “Working miracles for the Dark Lord?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be, also?” Severus drawled.

Regulus sat back and faced the window as he had been, not wanting to answer Severus’s question. He heard Severus move into the room, heard Kreacher close the door and a moment later the house elf came back around and crawled up onto Regulus’s lap, as though he were a well trained pet.

Severus sat at the little table by the Gobstones set and swung the bookbag at his hip up, about to put it down on the table...

“No! No be careful with that, Master Regulus’s Gobstones are very special!” Kreacher choked out and scrambled off Regulus’s lap, rushing over to stop Severus from putting his bag on the table and upsetting the Gobstones. He managed to catch the bag only just before it landed.

Severus raised his eyebrow. “What’s so special about these Gobstones?” he asked. The little elf looked extremely offended. Severus looked the set over. His mother adored Gobstones - the game was one of the few things that they always had in the house - for she had once won a most beautiful set of the stones during her time at Hogwarts. Eileen’s Gobstones were made of tiny glass balls that had glittering liquid within that shone and sparked and changed colour according to the preferences of the player. These looked like plain solid marbles.

But whatever it was, the house elf was deeply offended by the insult.

Kreacher clutched the board in his fists and stared up at Severus with anger and his tufty little ears trembled. “MASTER’S GOBSTONES ARE VERY IMPORTANT!” Kreacher cried out, his wide eyes looking nearly ready to cry.

“Alright,” Severus said, swinging his bookbag away from the table. He glanced at Regulus, “Your house elf isn’t very polite.”

“He is to people who deserve it.” Regulus’s jaw had hardened. “Ignore him, Kreacher. He’s worthless anyway, just like his precious mudblood girlfriend.”

Severus had to keep himself very much in check to keep his face from reacting to Regulus’s comment. Every muscle in his body had tensed at the mention of Lily Evans.

Regulus smirked. “She’s a fiery one, too, it’s too bad, what the Dark Lord plans to do with all the mudbloods… If only she were a real witch, she’d be a good one… but, you know, she’s a mudblood and… well, that does mean the Dark Lord only wishes to wring her pretty little neck.”

“The Dark Lord knows nothing about her,” Severus said.

Regulus shrugged, “For now. Until I tell him.”

Snape did not fancy correcting Regulus about his blood status. And even if he had, he was far more defensive of Lily than he was about himself. “What’ve you got against Lily Evans?” snapped Severus.

“She’s a seducer of wizards… a thief of our birthright as purebloods. And she threatened to hex me,” Regulus replied. “I don’t like that girl. She’s nothing more than a rotting pile of muggle filth.”

Severus’s hands tightened ‘round the strap of his bookbag so that his knuckles turned white with the strain of it. His wand was right there. Right in the bag. The black handle of it was sticking up mere centimeters from where his fist gripped the shoulder strap and he could pull it, he could hex Regulus Black for the things he’d said. Hex him so well that he’d never be able to tell the Dark Lord anything at all about Lily or anything else for that matter. They both just sat there and stared at one another for the longest time, the house elf hovering between them, clutching the Gobstones set, looking from one to the other with uncertainty. Severus’s hand twitched.

“KREACHER!” Walburga shrieked from down the stairs.

“Kreacher must answer his Mistress’s call,” he gurgled and he carefully put the Gobstones back down on the table, eyeing Severus carefully with a hint of warning gleaming in his pupils, then he slouched away to go down to see what she wanted.

The moment the door closed behind the elf, Severus reached out and knocked the Gobstones set off the table. “Oops,” he said as the marbles rolled all around on the floor. One or two fell into the air vent and clicked and cracked as they rolled away, lost for good. “Your nasty little house elf will be so disappointed in me.”

Regulus pulled out his wand and took two steps towards Severus until his wand pressed into his throat - it was a move he’d learned from Sirius growing up. Every time Sirius had been serious about threatening to hex him, he’d shoved his wand - even the toy ones when they were small - right into Regulus’s throat so that the tip pressed against his windpipe. That’s what he did now to Severus Snape. His eyes were blazing.

“You be nice to Kreacher, or I’ll turn you into a bug just so I can squash you.”

Severus scoffed. He knew Regulus, being in first year, could never acheive a human transfiguration. Regulus wasn’t that grand a student that he could. It would be years before Regulus would ever be able to fulfill that threat. “Awfully protective of a slimey little house elf, aren’t we?” he choked the words around the wand that restricted his voice. It came out a raspy sort of whisper. “Is there more to that rumor that your dear brother started about you snogging that filthy thing?”

Regulus twisted the wand so it pressed even tighter. “I’ll kill you. I know the killing curse.”

“Go ahead,” Severus whispered, “I dare you. I really don’t give a damn if I live or die.”

In spite of himself, a bit of surprise registered in Regulus’s face.

Who said things like that?

Severus continued, “Besides. You can’t use magic outside of Hogwarts. The ministry will come to expel you. And just think what the Ministry would do with the knowledge that the Dark Lord is hiding out in the Black family home!” He stared Regulus squarely in the eyes. “Have fun explaining to Voldemort as he’s hauled off to Azkaban that it’s you that’s basically turned him over to the aurors. See how long you live once you do.”

Regulus hissed, “Longer than you will if I cast the spell I mean to.”

“Oh aren’t you terrifying,” Severus murmured. “I already told you, I don’t care if you do. Take my life. I’d gladly give it to you if I could. See how you like it.”

Regulus’s eyes narrowed, “Leave my room, you half-blood filth,” he said sternly.

Severus smiled. So Regulus did remember what he was, then. “Just like mummy, aren’t we?” Severus sneered.

“I said get out!” Regulus retorted hotly.

“The grown ups sent me here,” Severus sat down instead, grinning at Regulus, challenging him. “I’m far more inclined to listen to a real wizard than to a puny little tosser like you.”

“I’ll tell Mother to make you go,” Regulus threatened. “I’ll tell her and she’ll throw you out.”

“Go for it.”

Regulus looked quite displeased. “You’ll be sorry -- when you’re sitting out in the snow like a dog and wait for your mother to be finished with the meeting.” Quickly he turned away, lowering his wand in frustration and stormed from the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He’d kicked several of the gobstones and they rolled about the floor in his wake.

“Ridiculous little baby,” muttered Severus, shaking his head.

Alone, Severus allowed himself to feel the nervousness that he’d held back. What did Regulus Black know about Lily? He had barely ever spoken to her that Severus knew of, and there really wasn’t a lot of time for first year and third year Slytherins and Gryffindors to mix and ---

That’s when he remembered Regulus sitting at the table in the Great Hall, bragging he had letters that belonged to Sirius, written by his dear brother’s mates - including Lily. These were his grand evidence for the things he planned to tell the Dark Lord, that would supposedly make him be such a star Death Eater… Severus didn’t hesitate. He started ripping open drawers and looking beneath the furniture and inside the pillows. He opened Regulus’s school trunk and rifled through the rubbish that filled the stupid thing and looked to the closet and opened it up and rummaged about. Finally, he paused, looking around, wondering what stone he had left unturned. Where were those letters? He wondered.

Then his eyes landed on a small knot in the wood on the floor… something about it looked odd, sort of out of place. He walked over to it, standing over it, then reached down and took hold on the board, pulling it up from it’s home in the floor. There, nested in the dusty dark in a crevice in the floor, were quite a lot of little things that Regulus had collected and hidden over the years. A toy owl… a beat up copy of the Tale of the Three Brothers… an old broken pocket watch… a handful of chocolate frog cards and Droobles gum wrappers made into itty bitty origami animals… and the neatly tied stack of Sirius Black’s letters.

Severus reached for them, taking them up from the floorboards. He looked them over. On top was that very first letter from way back in first year, a letter written in Lily’s lovely handwriting with the little circles at the tops of the i’s. It made him sick, imagining the letters laying in the floorboards beneath Regulus Black’s bed, picturing what Regulus might say about Lily to the Dark Lord, remembering the way his lips had curled around calling her muggle filth… Regulus Black deserved no piece of Lily.

Severus reached for the string to undo the bundle, planning to pull Lily’s notes out of the stack.

“Severus!” It was Eileen Prince. “Come down here!”

Severus quickly shoved the whole stack into his bookbag. He’d get Lily’s letters out and throw the rest away. It was better that way anyway, he decided… It would keep Regulus Black from being able to gain favor in the eyes of the Dark Lord.

Eileen Prince was waiting at the foot of the steps, looking anxious as Severus reached the last flight. “Are you fighting with Regulus Black?” she hissed.

“He’s started it,” Severus said.

“I don’t care who started it,” Eileen whispered, “You musn’t be fighting with him, you being a half-blood like you are… We’re lucky we’ve been accepted among these people, Severus, the last thing we need is you creating a reason for us to be pushed out. We could both end up dead, do you understand, boy? Do you understand?”

“Yes mother,” Severus said, submitting to Eileen’s pleading expression.

He could hear Regulus’s drawling voice out in the kitchen, and Kreacher’s croaking one. Though he couldn’t tell what they were saying exactly, he had a sinking feeling that they were greatly exaggerating the face off that had just occurred in Regulus’s bedroom.

Druella appeared in the doorway to the parlor.

“The Dark Lord wants the boy,” she said in her low, heavy voice as she gleamed at Severus.

Eileen quickly reached for Severus’s hair, smoothing it, slicking it back. “Now be very good, stand up straight,” she hissed, and she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him gently through the door into the parlor.

The room was dark and Kreacher was pushing a cup of tea up onto a table beside an ornate arm chair by the fire. Standing around the chair was a group of the most frightening assortment of witches and wizards that the world had to offer. They were all grinning and smiling at Severus as Eileen led him in. She guided him quickly around to the front of the chair so that he was facing the Dark Lord himself.

It had been less than five months since Severus had seen the Dark Lord last at Malfoy Manor, but he looked shrewder and sharper than he had even then, his eyes narrower and redder and meaner. Voldemort looked him over with appraising eyes, slowly taking him in. Severus had grown taller since he’d seen the Dark Lord last, narrower, sallower. His eyes were darkened by shadows that had not been there before.

Severus knew what to do. He bowed his head low and genuflected one knee, and he murmured, “My Lord.”

Voldemort waved a hand, releasing Severus from his bow, and he stood upright once more, staring down his long hooked nose at the features of his face. “I know what has just transpired upstairs,” he said. “I see it in your mind.”

Severus looked up at Voldemort. So severe had his anger been that he’d forgotten to block his mind off, forgotten to put up the walls and partitions that he usually did.

“Young Regulus is immature,” Voldemort said, “And has a marvelous temper. But he is strong and he will be truly an asset one day, just as you have already become.” Voldemort looked thoughtful. “I want for you to take the young boy on as your… assistant… to fulfilling my will.”

Severus made a face.

“It is an order. Regulus shall be your charge. You shall be responsible for shaping the boy. You shall show him how to mature into the Death Eater I know he could be, just as Lucius Malfoy does for you.”

Severus looked to Lucius, who raised his chin to look down at the shorter boy.

“Yes sir,” Severus murmured.

Eileen Prince, assuming Voldemort was done with Severus now, quickly pushed him to go, shooing him toward the door. Severus stumbled away, taking quick steps toward the door, heart in his throat.

“And Severus?” Voldemort’s voice was high and… and almost friendly sounding.

“My Lord?” Severus asked, turning and bowing down to the back of the chair.

“Do not try to keep things from the Dark Lord.”

He had seen Lily. He had seen everything about Lily. Severus could feel the thoughts of her being shifted through, could feel them being known and seen and he hated the way it felt, hated his memories with her being roughly handled and gone through, as though they were cheap and less than precious. As though there was nothing there worth seeing.

“I will always find out,” Voldemort reminded him, “And there are harsh punishments for lying to the Dark Lord.”

A cold chill crept through Severus’s veins.