Severus and the Thunderbird

The Triwizard Fallout

The italicized portion of Snape's speech below is verbatim from "the Goblet of Fire." I absolutely did not write it.
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Where was Potter? He didn't return with the others, and the situation was looking dicey. Fleur was found passed out, Krum unconscious, Diggory and Potter gone.

He and Albus stood together in the stands when his arm began to burn. Not a tingle. A Burn. As if a hot frying pan were placed on it.

"Albus" he murmured, vaguely holding up his arm, knowing the wizard would understand.

"We've been infiltrated. We must find them" Dumbledore spoke calmly, the two men descending the stands

As they walked, Severus' stomach knotted and he forced himself to Occlude his thoughts in practice of what he knew was coming. He couldn't answer the summons. Although Albus knew he was on his side, he couldn't immediately leave. What if the dark lord wanted revenge? Then who would be the conduit between the two? What happened to Potter? He couldn't take the chance that Voldemort had Harry; he would blow his cover. He would have to take the punishment that came from being late.

Suddenly he looked down at the field, and there was Potter clutching Diggory. Realizing that the other boy wasn't moving, he ran to the field with Albus. Diggory was dead. Harry sat bloodied and battered.

A swell of officials and teachers crowded around them before Albus could get them cleared away. As the crowd thinned, he realized Moody was gone. And with him, Potter.

He and Dumbledore ran to the castle, gathering Minerva along the way. He had to be in the dark arts office.  Together they blasted the door open, he watched as the body hit the wall and lay unconscious.

After retrieving the house elf Winky and the Veritaserum as Albus requested, he listened to the deranged speech of Barty Crouch Jr. Voldemort was indeed back. He became slightly nauseous. But he couldn't face it right now. He had to prepare for what was going to come.

A long descriptive rant of how Barty fooled them and murdered his father followed, everyone aghast at the audacity of the young man.

Dumbledore asked him to find Fudge as the rant ended. He swept away without a word.

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Fudge brought a dementor to the castle. He knew what he was doing. Idiot. Now the only living testament other than Harry, to the dark lords return was soulless. Worse than dead. He continued to grow more and more irritated at Fudge as he continued to deny the fact of the resurrection. He refused to see facts. He was weak and afraid. Severus had no time for weak and frail men with no grasp on reality.

He strode forward, ready to show his deepest shame. To prove that it was real. Fudge gasped, looking on in disgust as the snake writhed in deep black ink.

"There. There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to disapparate, and apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing stronger all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold"

He stepped back, rebuttoning his sleeve. Everyone glancing at the floor as if looking at something obscene. And perhaps they had. But now he was going to use it to his advantage. He was going to right the wrongs. And it may very well kill him.