Severus Snape: OneShots

A Secret Heart in the Darkness

"The Dark Lord wishes to see you, Severus." Yaxley stood at the door, his face stony.

"I see..." Severus placed a Stasis Charm on the potion he was brewing, and washed up, his mind reeling with the possibilities of what the Dark Lord—the man who, until recently, had never even known his name—had in mind for him.

It had all changed after he'd reported back the prophecy he'd heard, but already Severus was beginning to grow disillusioned with working for the Dark Lord. He had been promised fame, wealth, and connections to help him make his way in the world. Instead, he'd been painfully branded, forced to work all manner of hours brewing potions for no pay at all, and had nearly been hexed by Bellatrix Lestrange, who was (by all accounts) loonier in person than the scathing exposé on her dubious character in the Daily Prophet. She and her cohorts, the Lestrange brothers, made the Marauders look like toothless toddlers in comparison.

"Ah, Severus, there you are," the Dark Lord said, turning in his chair as Severus entered the ornate room. "Come. Sit."

"Thank you, Sir." Severus did as he was told, his mind reeling with the possibilities for this impromptu meeting.

"So, I have thought over your request, the one about the girl you desire," Voldemort said, twirling his wand in one hand. "I have decided to honor your request..."

"Oh, thank you, Sir!" Severus said gratefully, his face flushing at how stupidly happy he sounded.

"I was not done, Severus," The Dark Lord replied, his mouth set in a firm line, and Severus felt panic spiking in his chest. "What I meant to say is this. I have decided to honor your request, if you indulge me in a little...experiment."

Severus paled. "Of course, my Lord. I am your loyal servant."

"One wonders just how loyal you are, Severus," The Dark Lord said, turning and grabbing something from a small cabinet to his right. He placed a tiny flask on the table in front of Severus and tapped it lightly with a single gloved finger. "Well, now you have the chance to prove it. Drink all of this and share the results with me."

"My Lord?" Severus stared at the tiny metal bottle. He knew that it was not something he had created himself, and he was instantly both curious and suspicious of the contents.

"Drink it, Severus," The Dark Lord said in a slightly harder voice.

"O-of course," he said, fumbling with it and unscrewing the lid.

The scent that escaped the inside of the flask was sweet and heady. Severus felt his body moving of its own accord and he tipped the liquid into his mouth, guzzling it down greedily with a look of pure bliss on his face, tears appearing in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.

"Interesting," he heard the Dark Lord say from seemingly far away.

He found himself shoving his tongue into the opening of the flask, trying to get out every single drop with a hunger that could not be sated, and when he finally could get no more, he sa in agony, his desire for more burning in his throat.

"It burns," he moaned, falling back in his chair, his chest heaving. "Oh Merlin, it burns, it burns!"

"Very interesting," The Dark Lord said, grinning slowly as he watched what was happening to Severus. "Very interesting, indeed."

Hermione had never meant to do it. It had just...happened. At first, she used it only for classes, just as she'd promised. Then, of course, for homework. And then, studying. And then, well...there were tons of amazing books in the Hogwarts Library, weren't there? And there were far too many for any one student to read, even if said student were to read one per day for all seven years of school, including holidays.