InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Smile!!!"

Severus Snape (bittersnark) wrote in beyondthepages,
@ 2010-05-18 07:46:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2023 10, lily evans, severus snape

Characters: Severus, open to Lily if she dares or anyone she might summon if they're brave enough
Time/Date: 17 October 2023, after receiving this
Location: Spinner's End
Warnings/Rating: PGish for pissed off Sev, may go up depending on his language
Summary: Severus is displeased with his mail.
Status: Incomplete

Severus paced back and forth across the rear of his workroom. His steps were jarring and his robes swirled with every turn. His face was as dark and grim as it had ever been during the worst of times. Every inch of him radiated anger and on every turn that took him near the cupboard that stored his glassware, a piece of it would come flying out of the cupboard and be smashed against the opposite wall. Every turn that took him over where the glassware had smashed resulted in him grinding the shattered glass under the heel of his boots with look of frightening pleasure as though he was imagining someone's face in the place of the glass... which indeed he was.

Smashing Bellatrix's face under his heel was the least of what he'd like to do with the madwoman and not just for the threat that she had sent him. That mad bitch should have been killed long ago in his eyes and it had been the surest sign of the Dark Lord's mental deterioration that he favoured her in any way. Though what that meant when she fell out of favour and the Dark Lord favoured him instead wasn't something he was going to dwell on.

He glared at the scrap of parchment as he stalked past it with a look that should have set it on fire if there was any justice in the world. Harry Potter would likely recognise that glare as would certain others. He'd been tempted to do just that except... it would provide excellent evidence when they caught the bitch. He'd plead for the Dementors to be brought back for one last special case to Kiss. Not that he thought Bellatrix had a soul to be removed.

He made another turn near the cupboard and a glass beaker slid off the shelves to go flying across the room. It impacted with the wall with a satisfying crash as Severus imagined shards of glass penetrating Bellatrix's skin, perhaps her face even, and into her brain. He'd enjoy that. He'd enjoy that enormously. He'd never made any pretense at being a good man after all.

Now the glass was being ground under his boots and he snarled. Bellatrix thought to threaten Lily, did she? Proof of her insanity if ever there was. As far as Severus had been able to determine, by the time he died there were three wizards more powerful than him that he knew of - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Dark Lord. He was proud of that though he didn't exactly wave it around. Now he intended to turn every ounce of that power onto Bellatrix. He would crush her. She would find out why he had been recruited into the Death Eaters. She would find out how he'd climbed the ranks and how he'd maintained his position at the Dark Lord's right hand. He had no compunctions about using everything he'd learned, Light or Dark, against her.

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-17 10:36 pm UTC (link)

Lily had been having a rather pleasant day. They'd gotten a box of "new" (really, well-read older but interesting) books that she'd spent a couple of hours sorting before she'd scooted out to fetch tea for the boys.

After that had come shelving the books and tracking down the ones Relic had set somewhere to read later.

With her recent cheerful expression firmly in place, Lily had let herself into the house. Jeremy promptly made his way over, butting his head against her ankle before scooting back to his position outside the door of Sev's workroom.

"You know you can't go down there," she chastised the kitten, though when she crossed closer to the door, she hesitated. Had she just heard ...? It sounded like glass shattering.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she stooped to pick up the kitten. "Love, is everything all right?" She called through the door. One arm held the kneazle against her, and the other hand dropped to rest on the knob of the door to his workroom.

She'd never invaded before, and she didn't intend to start now. Not without permission.

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bittersnark
2010-05-17 11:26 pm UTC (link)

Severus felt Lily cross the wards and his tension and anger only increased at the now tangible reminder of what Bellatrix was threatening. His glare at the note this time was positively incendiary and only a quick reigning in of his magic stopped that from becoming truth. He knew he was radiating magic as much as anger but he was in no mood to stop that right now. Better that it be done here where it was well-warded.

His magic surged when she spoke and this time it was something ceramic, possibly a mixing bowl, that went flying across the room to shatter against the wall. The louder, sharper sound was satisfying in a destructive sort of way.

"Oh, just delightful," he replied with a snide, sarcastic tone.

He knew he couldn't hide this from her, as much as he wanted to. She worked in Diagon Alley, she was often out and about. She was a far easier target than he was. He also knew that any suggestion that she stay her and hide would not be greeted with anything remotely resembling agreement.

"I need to speak to you," he snapped. He knew he shouldn't take his temper out on her but unfortunately that was unavoidable right at this moment.

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-17 11:37 pm UTC (link)

Lily flinched at his words and tone, and she tried to figure out what she could possibly have done to incite that sort of rage in him.

Nothing came to mind, which meant something else had done it. Perhaps someone had come back that had him like this, but the only one she could think of to make him this upset would be Voldemort - and wouldn't they have heard about that already?

Rather inclined to say they could talk later, after he'd cooled down, she doubted that would be a welcome response. So she licked her lips, opened the door, and slipped inside.

Closing the door to keep Jeremy upstairs, Lily descended to the last step and stopped. Emerald eyes widened as she took in the collection of shattered glassware, and she pressed a hand to her mouth.

Whatever it was, it was very, very bad. "What ... what's going on?" She asked as she slowly dropped her hand.

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bittersnark
2010-05-18 12:23 am UTC (link)

Severus struggled to get his temper back under control as Lily came down the stairs but it had been unleashed and nothing had happened to calm him down so he was essentially fighting a losing battle. The best he could do was keep it focused on Bellatrix and inanimate objects and well away from Lily. She'd catch the edges, there was no denying that, but he would not let her bear the brunt of it. She wasn't Albus; she didn't have the strength to take it and then cast it away easily.

Her stammering question prompted another crash as another bowl went flying into the wall. He suspected he was frightening her and he never wanted to do that but... he couldn't stop right now either.

"That is what is going on," he said acidly as he gave a flick of his fingers and the piece of parchment he'd been sent floated over to her. he normally wasn't this open about displaying his abilities with wandless and wordless magic but right now, he couldn't care less about what it said about him and his magical strength.

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-18 01:11 am UTC (link)

She flinched and jerked slightly as yet more glass shattered. While she wasn't exactly afraid of him because she didn't think he'd ever hurt her if he could help it, she was a little frightened by the way he seemed so ... uncontrolled. Which wasn't precisely what she was after, but it was very, very close.

She took the paper when it fluttered over. She read it through a few times before she shook her head as if she could deny what the letter said. Her lips parted as her brain flew through several responses to that. She didn't recognize the handwriting, but he must have if he was taking this as a serious threat.

"Who?" she said softly. "Who sent this?"

Her next question was going to be what he thought to do about it, and she wondered if he was foolish enough to attempt to restrict her to the house. She'd spent several months in hiding and she was very much enjoying the freedom. She'd be careful. She'd take precautions, but she would not restrict herself to the house.

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bittersnark
2010-05-18 01:32 am UTC (link)

Severus sent another couple of bits of glassware flying at the wall. A third would have joined in the destruction when he suddenly became aware of what it was. He reached after it, his hand clawed as he exerted enough magic to stop its flight and send it floating over to Lily for protection. It was just a flask, nothing more but it was beautifully etched in mesmerising patterns of ivy, leaves and serpents. It had been a gift from his mother after he'd achieved his Mastery, a gift that had baffled him as he wasn't even aware she knew what he was doing or that she even cared.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," he ground out through gritted teeth, his anger obvious.

A ceramic bowl in the cupboard shattered where it stood, taking out two bowls next to it. He turned his back on Lily, resting his hands on the nearby bench as he wrenched his temper back under control. People had always thought he was so calm and controlled but that was only because he kept his temper tantrums private. He couldn't recall the amount of glassware he'd broken at Hogwarts over the years.

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-18 01:42 am UTC (link)

She blinked as the flask drifted over to her instead of colliding with the wall as the others had, and she held it gently, protectively in one hand without actually looking at what it was. Still, if he possessed enough presence of mind to not break valuable things - she assumed - maybe he was calming down?

Gazing down at it, because looking at it was easier than watching him, she shook her head.

Bellatrix. The witch who'd nearly killed LilyLuna upon her return. The one who'd tortured Alice and Frank into insanity. The one who had been responsible for so very many deaths during the war. Lily looked away, feeling her gut twist uncomfortably.

So she was the target of a mad woman. Lily could guess at the reason, too. It wasn't exactly a secret what Severus had done, and Lily supposed she should have expected this. Seen it coming. Of course they'd be after him. Of course they'd try at any means possible to get to him. So why not through her?

Lily gazed at the words written on the paper once more and shook her head again. "So what ... what now?" she said quietly, but with just a touch of steel in her voice. Was Bellatrix even in a position to follow through on this? She couldn't exactly stroll into the bookstore or stalk her around.

Well. Unless she looked like someone else. Lily sighed heavily and ran her free hand through her hair. She was frightened, yes, but not irrationally so. "I'll be careful," she began. "I'll take whatever precautions. I won't walk anywhere. Won't go out at night. But don't ... don't make me stay in the house. I did that before and it was nearly enough to drive me mad." She needed her freedom, her friends.

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bittersnark
2010-05-18 03:54 am UTC (link)

Severus bowed his head and let out a shuddering breath, dragging his temper back under control and damping down the magic he was radiating. Once he did he could feel the way the room was resonating with aftershocks from his temper tantrum. He didn't bother with chagrin or regret. Better that he get the worst of it out now.

He turned around and eyed her with exasperation. It was obvious that the anger was still there but also that it was under his iron control again. "How did I know you were going to say that," he muttered. Not that he'd ever seriously entertained the idea. Hadn't he predicted this very reaction?

"What now," he mused, his expression becoming dark and dangerous. "Now I do to darling Bella what I should have done years ago." What he would have done if the Dark Lord hadn't made it plain that he found the woman to be of some use and that she wasn't to be touched.

"I always knew the mad bitch wasn't able to put two and two together," he continued with a sneer, his eyes glittering with anger and hatred. "I brought down Voldemort because he threatened you. She will fair no better."

He knew that reaching back to his Death Eater days in front of Lily was probably not the best idea but Bellatrix had threatened the one thing in this entire world that he loved. And he knew precisely how far he'd go because of that. He done it once already.

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-18 04:33 am UTC (link)

"Well, it's the natural ... train of thought. She's out there, she can't get in here, therefore, I should stay in here so she can't get to me." She'd started to step off the last stair, intending to cross over to where he was, but his shift in expression stopped her.

It was on the tip of her tongue to say he couldn't go kill her, that it would put him back into question again, that it was a job for the Aurors, but she held her tongue.

Bellatrix was threatening her, had already attacked LilyLu - even if that hadn't been deliberate, or planned - and she didn't deserve to be free, to have the same second chances the rest of them had. But Severus didn't need to be the one who ended her, either.

She also knew she couldn't stop him, and if she was being perfectly honest and not worrying about the repercussions of it, she wanted him to do just that. To eliminate her, to remove the threat. While she tried to see the good in everyone ... some people simply had no good in them.

Her lips did twitch into a slight smile when he mentioned bringing down Voldemort, and she exhaled softly. "I'm not sure if saying 'be careful' is a waste of breath or not," Lily murmured.

She did step off the last stair now, setting the note and the vial on the work bench now that it seemed relatively danger-free. "But...be careful," she said quietly as she lifted a hand to rest it on his shoulder, gazing up into his eyes.

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bittersnark
2010-05-18 11:47 am UTC (link)

Severus' gaze locked on Lily when there was not the protest he was expecting and his eyes narrowed for a moment. Why? Was she simply playing along and waiting until she could contact her son? Did she mean it? He turned the penetrating gaze on her that he'd used on too many others to count. Not legilimency, just years of experience in reading people's body language.

No, she meant it. There was no protest, there would be no protest... not unless he did something monumentally stupid. But that wasn't likely. He'd spent too many years doing far more dangerous things to get lazy and sloppy now.

"I am always careful," he said, a little of the monumental anger he'd been feeling since he'd read that note receding at her touch. It wasn't gone... no, that wasn't likely to happen any time soon. But it was slotting back into its appropriate place to allow him to think and act cleanly and decisively. Bellatrix was about to learn that his hand had been stayed by the Dark Lord and no other reason. He did not fear her.

It took barely a thought to banish the scattered shards of glass and ceramic into the garbage. No point trying to repair what had been broken, easier to just replace it. It wasn't the things he used every day, hence the reason why the flask his mother had given him had been found. He already had the beginning of a plan. He just needed to brew a few things. Give him a day and he'd be ready to make his first move.

He brushed Lily's cheek gently with his fingers. "She is not the Bellatrix you would remember. She spent fifteen years in Azkaban and that destroyed what little sanity she had left. She is far more ruthless now. If you come across her, do not hesitate to strike her down for she will not. Do not try to talk to her or bargain with her. Do not believe anything she says, no matter what she says." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "And do not, under any circumstances, blindly believe any owl that is sent to you if it is issuing an invitation, even if the name is one you know and trust. Always confirm it. If you cannot confirm it, don't go."

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-18 01:55 pm UTC (link)

Lily eased her arms around him, embracing him gently. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder, rubbing his back softly. "I know you are," she murmured when he assured her he was always careful.

"I know," Lily echoed. "I ... heard stories. When she attacked Lily, Harry and Ginny had plenty to tell me about Bellatrix. Just ... the things they knew about. I'm sure your stories are much worse than anything they ever heard." He'd been more closely involved with her, after all.

Lily also thought she'd be more likely to try to escape if she could, because she didn't exactly trust her dueling skills at this point. Maybe she'd take up Rune and Mitch on their offers of practice. It definitely seemed like a good idea just then.

While she very badly wanted to say she wasn't foolish enough to blindly accept an invitation, she wasn't completely sure she had a leg to stand on with that one. She did tend to be more optimistic than not about people, more trusting than she really should be - even after living through most of the first war. "I will be careful," she assured him. She hated the fact that she had to be careful again; it stirred up entirely too many unpleasant memories. Hiding, dodging shadows, always glancing over her shoulder. Was it going to go back to that then?

Lily's jaw clenched, and whiles he hoped it wouldn't, there were people back that were likely going to make it so.

Tightening her arms around him gently, she tilted her head to press a kiss to his cheek. She supposed she should leave him be to let him ... finish doing whatever he had to do down here and she should go have a shower and start dinner, but for the moment, she just wanted to hold him.

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bittersnark
2010-05-19 10:59 pm UTC (link)

Severus wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him. He could not... would not lose her again, not now that he actually had her. Bellatrix was a fool. If she had any sense in the thundering cavern she called a mind, she'd realise that what he'd done when he'd simply loved Lily from afar would pale in comparison to what he would do now that he knew his love was returned.

He wondered if Potter would come to that realisation. Of anyone, he would have the best idea of things, as uncomfortable as that knowledge was to Severus. Unfortunately with the pain from the venom and the weakness brought on by the rapid blood loss, he'd lack sufficient control to restrict what memories he gave to the boy. Though he'd sometimes wondered if his subconscious had played a part... wanting at least one person to understand him.

"Do not underestimate her," he murmured. "That was your son's problem and it got him in trouble. It was certainly Black's problem." The idiot man had gone haring off and had toyed with Bellatrix as though she had no power. Little wonder it had gotten him killed. Bellatrix might be insane but she had some power. Just not much control over it.

He kissed her softly then gently extricated himself from her embrace, loathe as he was to leave it. "I have some things to prepare for tomorrow," he said. It was true enough though he didn't want to begin anything while she was here. She had enough knowledge to be able to work out what he was brewing and it was better that she didn't know.

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emerald_eyes
2010-05-19 11:34 pm UTC (link)

"Well, I'm not going to engage if I can help it," Lily murmured. She was aware that she might not have a chance to not engage if she was struck from behind by a killing curse ... but if the idea was to torment Severus - as Lily strongly suspected was the case - Bella would want to torture her first.

When Sev drew away, a slight pout briefly tugged her lips, but she understood. "All right. If it's late when you come up, there'll be something in the kitchen for you." Her brows lifted a little pointedly at that.

Yes, she was being threatened by a crazy dark witch, but life went on and he still had to eat.

"And if I'm asleep, wake me up anyway." She wasn't sure how long he'd be down here, but she knew it could stretch into the wee hours.

Stretching up, she stole a soft kiss before caressing his cheek gently. Turning away, she headed back up the stairs.

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