a_silver_story | Chapter One: Evangeline Forbia Cullodina Romero

Title: Severus Snape and Life Before Potter
Chapter: 1 - Evangeline Forbia Cullodina Romero
Characters: Original Female Character, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfy, Lord Voldemort
Author:

a_silver_story
Rating: Quite adult material throughout. This chapter isn't too bad.
Warnings: Torture, blood, random drunkeness, Perisan rugs.
Disclaimer: If I owned anything in this other than the OFC, I'd be a rich rich rich bitch. However, I am not a rich rich rich bitch so you may all, therefore, assume I own nothing. Which I don't. It all belongs to JK Rowling, in case any of you didn't know.

"Oh bloody hell! I've literally just sat down!" Severus Snape cursed to the darkness. The Mark was burning again, and he and Lucius were totally shit tossed. He turned his head, trying to focus on the blonde man teetering on the edge of the sofa next to him. He could just about make out a look of concern on his pale, handsome features.

"The Dark Lord," Lucius began, his words slurred and his face a little flushed. He stuck out an arm to steady himself before he fell off the couch. "The Dark Lord willnotappreciate," he paused a second, thinking. Thinking for Lucius was difficult at the best of times, and these were, most definately, the worst of times. "The Dark Lord will not appreciate drunkenessss." He keeled and flopped out on to the floor and proceeded to admire Severus' newly-imported Persian rug.

"We don't have a choice, Lucy. Wegottagotothedarkbastard ... " Severus swayed dangerously. He got up as best he could,staggered to the kitchen and filled the sink bowl with cold water. He took a deep breath and plunged his head into it, resisting the urge to gasp at the sudden sensation of having his head cut off and shipped to Narnia. He withdrew his head, panting like a fat terrier but feeling somewhat more sober.

Now for Lil' Sodding Lucy in his living room.

He was going to enjoy this.

A lot.

He carefully emptied the bowl and refilled it, this time adding ice cubes from the freezer. He waited a moment, letting them melt and cool the rest of the contents further, and carried the bowl in to the living room. The Mark was burning ferociously now, and it weakened his left arm somewhat. Lucius was still on the floor, whispering seductively to the rug. Without warning, Severus grabbed his ankles, dragged him off the rug on to the wooden floor and lifted his head by the hair. Lucius squealed in pain and rose on to his knees with only a moment to draw breath before his head was plunged into freezing cold water.

When he finally breathed the free air again, he was livid. Severus was doubled over with laughter at the sight of the Great Lucius Malfoy sopping wet and shivering on his living room floor, hair out of place and lips blue. Lucius stood, and made as if to reach for his wand, when the Mark suddenly increased its burning ferocity by at least three times the usual amount of pain. "Stoopid Dark Lord." muttered Lucius. "Gets in the way of everything." And with that, they both summoned their robes and masks and Apparated blindly to Lord Voldemort's side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were in what looked like a desolated manor house. Old magic lingered within the wall cavities, confirming this used to be the home of an old wizarding family. Probably one that refused to join The Dark Lord's side, given it's current state. There was blood smeared all up the walls, and what looked like the skins of several house elves were nailed to various ceilings and surfaces. Mahogany was a running theme throughout the house, with tables and chairs splintered and upturned all made of the stuff. There were books all over the house, some were arcane texts of Dark or Advanced Magic, some were childrens' books about unicorns and snifflers and most of them were torn and scattered about the house. Judging from the fresh smell of blood and flesh, the attack had been recent. Honestly, thought Severus. He goes on about preserving the Pureblood ways and then wipes out whole families.

Severus and Lucius tread carefully through the maze of books and passageways, wandering through the ancient house trying their hardest not to breathe through their noses and trying even harder not to think about whom the poor sods who lived here might have been. Eventually, they saw a room at the far end of the third floor landing with a flickering orange glow spilling out from beneath the door. They could hear the murmur of Death Eaters from within and the Dark Lord's high pitched voice carried through the thick mahogany door. Lucius and Severus both shuddered.

A door to their left was thrown wide open, and as they glanced inside they saw what looked like a study. Above the antique desk that stood facing the doorway was a coat of arms with the name "Romero" beneath it. Severus' stomach plummeted. The Romeros were family friends. He'd known them since he had been a child. They'd had a daughter who couldn't have been more than seven years old ...

Perhaps if he'd been there on time instead of complaining about the Dark Lord buggering up his evening plans he would have been able to bargain with Voldemort to spare her. She'd been a bright little girl. Abnormally bright. Last time he'd seen her, he'd taught her how to brew a Forgetfulness potion: something she shouldn't have been able to do until she was at least eleven years old ... Voldemort could have used intelligence like that to his advantage.

The door at the end of the landing opened to admit them without even having to knock. Severus' feet felt heavy and he had to drag them forcefully through entrance. The rest of the Inner Circle was there, milling around the edges of the room. He took in his surroundings quickly. This must have been the playroom. It was almost comical, seeing a gaggle of Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort hanging about in a pink room filled with fluff and soft toys, but Severus felt too sick even to laugh. Voldemort was staring straight at him and Lucius, and he did not look in the least bit amused.

"Well, well, well!" He goaded. "Look who finally turned up! What a pity. You missed all the fun." He gestured around him as the rest of the Circle murmered their agreement. Lucius became very aware of his sodden, dishevelled appearence.

The two newly-sobered, sopping wet Death Eaters sank to their knees as the Dark Lord approaced them and kissed the hem of his robe. Voldemort remained stood in front of them, his hands on his hips like an angry mother addessing wayward children. "Where," he hissed menacingly. "have you been?"

Lucious, being the overconfident prick that he was, decided to be honest and bluntly tell the truth. He raised his head, looked the Dark Lord straight in the eye and said:

"We were at Sev's place totally rat-arsed."

The rest of the Inner Circle tittered and Severus tensed, swearing under his breath that if he and Lucius every got out of this alive, he'd decapitate him with his bare hands and a screwdriver. The Dark Lord raised a hand to silence the small crowd around the edges of the pastel pink room. Severus and Lucius' masks flew off, revealing their identities to the crowd.

"I see." he said simply. He withdrew his wand and pointed it straight at Lucius. "Crucio" he said lazily. Lucious writhed and screamed, his eyes rolling back into his head. Severus moved out of the way, not wanting to be bruised by a flailing limb. After thirty seconds or so, Voldemort raised his wand and the screaming stopped. Lucius shakily raised himself back on to his knees, groaning and muttering his apologies as loud as his strained vocal cords allowed him.

Voldemort turned to Severus, a strange glint in his eye.

"Severusss," he hissed. "You knew the Romeros, didn't you? Came to visit at christmas, didn't they?"

Severus raised his eyes to his master. "Yes, my Lord." he said, trying to keep his voice flat and impassive.

"Perhaps you remember, they had a small daughter?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Hmmmmm. You have been my servant for no more than, say, six months?"

"Around that time, my Lord."

"And I have still not given you a task of great importance, have I not?"

"No, my Lord." Oh bugger, he thought. I'm going to have to torture the little girl. He's going to make me use one of the Unforgiveable Curses on a seven-year-old Pureblood witch! At least she's alive, said another voice. You could still bargain. But what would you do with her then? He smiled to himself. Send her to Mum. Problem solved and conscience clear. Apart from the torture bit ...

"Tonight," said the Dark Lord, making dramatic gestures and raising his voice. "Severus Snape will prove his worth! Bring forward the girl!"

Out of nowhere, a little girl in a dark blue, 1950's style coat and black shoes and tights was dragged in to the center of the room. Lucius was yanked backwards by another Death Eater (probably Crabbe or Goyle, faithful blockheads as they were) and the child was forced on to her knees next to the young man she had thought was her friend. She wasn't shaking or crying. Her face was blank and impassive and her eyes were empty. Her hands were bound tight enough to leave welts and her long ebony hair was tangled and messy. When she saw Severus, he did not see anger in her face. He saw hope. When the Death Eater finally let go of her, she shuffled closer to him.

"Severus?" she whispered. He shushed her harshly. He found he couldn't look her in the eye. She grasped his arm with her tightly bound hands and tugged on his black Death Eater robes.

"How touching." said Voldemort, still standing over them. Severus tugged his arm out of her grasp. She hung her head and pulled her arms to her chest, an obvious attempt at hugging herself. He felt a pang in his heart. "On your feet!" barked the Dark Lord, taking two steps back in order to get a better view. Severus rose. "What is her name?" asked Voldemort, baring his teeth in an evil grin. "You do remember her name, don't you?"

"Evangeline, my Lord." said Severus quietly, resoloutely looking anywhere but at the now whimpering child.

"Does she not have any middle names? No surname? Or just 'Evangeline'?"

"Her name is Evangeline Forbia Cullodina Romero." Why did this bloke always have to ask questions? It was really starting to get annoying.

"Oh well done!" Piped up Evangeline, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She wasn't going to let a family friend torture her without letting her voice be heard first. Severus flinched. Perfect reaction, she thought. That means he feels guilty. I could play on that ... "I remember teaching you how to say it." she added. Severus bit his lip. Ha. I'm brilliant!

The Dark Lord raised a very fine eyebrow, piercing the child with a red-eyed stare. She didn't look away. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Take out your wand, Snape." he commanded, still not breaking eye contact. What was wrong with this girl? Did she want to die? Did she not fear death?

Severus had withdrawn his wand, trying to steady a trembling hand. He didn't think he could do this. It was either kill the little Romero or be killed and the Dark Lord do it himself.

"Give her five seconds." said Voldemort flatly. He swept around and went to stand by the wall. Better view from there.

Severus turned slowly on the spot. He had to look at his victim for the curse to work. Five seconds wasn't long. Not long enough to leave any after-effects on him, but she was only seven ... how would it affect her? He'd never seen children tortured before. Then again, he'd only been in the job for six months ...

Evangeline was staring coolly back at him. Her grey eyes, flecked with brown, showed no fear. She wasn't crying any more. Her face was passive again and her eyes were empty. Severus took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"My Lord," he said, carefully turning his eyes to his master and inclining his head slightly. "Are you aware that this child is seven years old, but has the knowledge and Potion making skills of a Hogwarts second year?"

Voldemort looked from Severus to Evangeline and back again. "So?" he said.

"Did you also know she is capable of charmwork much advanced of her years?"

"And?" said Voldemort, sounding rather bored. But Severus knew that if this information hadn't interested him, he'd probably be on the floor writhing and screaming instead of describing the talents of a seven-year-old.

"She set some Devil's Snare on her cousin Martin once. In broad daylight. And it did exactly as she told it to and it didn't shrink away from the sun or anything!"

"Your point being?" Voldemort sneered. He was definately interested.

"Well, I believe that she showed, um, she has exceeded other children her age by attempting to hone her magical skills. She has mastered a wand that is not her own and she can brew moderately difficult potions. She's very intelligent and has a thirst for knowledge. I belive the incident with the Snare was an example of a complex form the Imperius Curse, since she was controlling plantlife instead of animals. Perhaps we could use these skills to your advantage?"

The Dark Lord's eyes glinted suddenly. "Yesss!" he said. "Yessss! Imagine it now, gentlemen! The headlines! We could train this girl up to be the ultimate assassin!"

"That's not what I-" but Severus was cut off by a roar of triumph.

"Good thinking! Good thinking! Of course, it would be an easy and quiet way to dispose of unwanted politicians .... whole villages even! See boys! We need more thinkers like Severus and more offspring like Evangeline here! - Now Severus, I have a different task for you!"

"Yes, my Lord?"

Voldemort smiled wolfishly. "Do you like children?" he asked.

For the second time that evening, his stomach plumetted.

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