Emerald Eyes - HP one-shots

End of an era

This story takes place in 1981. For Mature Audience.

Severus Snape was sat at the corner table of the Hog's head. He was sent by the Dark Lord to spy on Dumbledore.

"Miss Trelawney, are you quite alright?" Dumbledore's voice sounded concerned.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..." Trelawney's voice had changed - a deeper, monotonous, chanting tone. There was no doubt in his mind that he was witnessing a real trance.

"Oi! You! What do you think you're playing at?" Shouted Dumbledore's brother, the weirdo who kept his hair askew, long nose and bushy eyebrows glaring up at him.

Caught between these powerful wizards, Severus Snape knew which one he preferred to surrender to. He walked down slowly, hand on his wand.

"I got lost," he said.

"You did in your arse," the old man scoffed, grabbing him by the scuff of the neck.

"Get your filthy hands-" Snape said.

"Get out, scumbag!" said Aberforth as with unexpected brute force he flung the younger man outside the back door of his pub, where Snape landed flat on his face in the mud. "Good riddance! Don't show your greasy little face in here again if you want to make it out alive!"

Should he tell Voldemort what he had heard? Didn't a part of him want the war to end and Voldemort to be defeated? To stop the endless battles? In which case he would be on the losing side and could end up in Azkaban, would never be with Lily Evans, love of his life, unquenchable flame. He pictured Potter, his gloating face, ridiculing him, laughing at him as he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with his arm wrapped possessively around his wife, taunting him, reminding him he would never have Lily. He couldn't bear the thought.

And this was an opportunity to win back Voldmort's respect.

He was right.

"You have done well, Severus," Voldemort said, studying Snape intently as he recounted what he had overheard. "This warning is extremely valuable to me. You have redeemed yourself. Consider your recent foolishness forgiven."

"My Lord," said Snape, bowing. "You are very generous."

The fact that a nameless, defenceless child would be killed because of the prophecy was of no great consequence to him. A huge weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders.

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"Prongs? Prongs! Pick up your mirror! It's me. Fuck, Merlin, fuck! I can't... I don't... fuck!"

"Merlin, Pads, calm down! Are you alright? You look like shit. What happened?"

"I think Remus is the spy... fuck! Remus is the spy, I know he is!"

"Don't be daft."

"This isn't a joke, Prongs!"

"Are you out of your mind, Sirius?"

"Don't get angry, Prongs, I swear it's the truth."

"Don't you dare accuse Moony of-"