The Choice of Destiny (Snape Love Story)

The Mystic

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Severus couldn't believe that he actually managed to bring himself to hurt Caty, but he saw the expression on Voldemort’s face. When Catalina started to scream he knew that she wasn’t far from suffering one of the punishments that were already passing through Dark Lord’s mind.

Sadly, his favorite punishment, the Cruciatus Curse, would never have worked with Caty. Severus only feared that this would mean that the magical torture would be replaced with the physical one.

The only solution to this was to act out and punish her on his own to the Dark Lord’s satisfaction.

The Tongue Tying Curse was the first one that came to mind but he was too keen onto it. The trickle of blood that came out of her mouth only confirmed that. But it did the trick.

She hid the pain he caused her well but he knew her too well to not notice that for fraction of a second there was a tear in her eye. Voldemort thankfully seemed to have misunderstood her expression for a sign of a physical rather than emotional pain.

“Well done Severus,” The hand that touched his shoulder seemed to burn him.

 “I hoped that we wouldn’t need to succumb to Tongue Tying Curse but obviously, there’s no other way… she won’t need to speak much in her time of preparation anyway.”

Caty was still lying on the floor, Severus doubted that she noticed the blood that now dripped slowly from her chin as Voldemort knelt beside her. The emotions that gleamed in her eyes seemed to amuse Voldemort as he said:

“One day, you’ll thank me and I will have your allegiance Miranda, in fact you will come to love me and accept the husband I’ll choose for you. I shall forgive you for now; for your youth and the promise that your powers hold.”

Severus knew that he would have to come up with something that would tell Caty that he’s not on Voldemort’s side if he didn’t want to lose her only he didn't know how.

He observed her warily only to see a streak of orange in her hair.

Is she changing on her own here? Having a form of a tiger is not something she should give away… but then again she probably doesn’t know she’s changing.

His mind raced; Animagus could sometimes change without themselves realizing it as a means of escape. Black has done it to escape from Azkaban and to lessen the torture from the dementors.

Who said Catalina wouldn’t just jump to this automatically?

She might have had a problem maintaining the transformation but there was no telling of what could happen under stress with such a violent nature as that of a tiger. The last thing he wanted was to watch the tiger die on the marble floor of Malfoy Manor.

“Careful my Lord, I wouldn’t leave her alone.”

Thankfully, Severus got Caty’s attention and the wisp of orange coloring faded away from her hair.

He felt relieved but now he had to deal with Voldemort’s disdainful response.

“And why is that Severus? You think that we should cage her?” mocked Voldemort.

Severus didn’t take this as a joke; without a doubt, if Catalina resisted long enough, she would end up in a cage.

“Actually I was thinking about not allowing her in spaces from which Wormtail could escape,”

Caty’s subconscious attempt to escape into her animal form gave him an idea how to let her know that he didn’t stand with Voldemort. He could only pray that she’d believe him.