*SnapexNarcissa*
Latest Update: March 30, 2023
Summary: Going into his final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, Severus Snape is pressured into joining the rising Knights of Walpurgis. At first, he hopes to just survive, but when his dear friend Narcissa Black is threatened, he vows to do everything in his power to protect her. Even if that means fully committing himself to the very group he wanted nothing to do with.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11747211/1/
Word count:139k
Chapters:19
Chapter 1:
At the age of seventeen, Severus Snape was hardened against the world. Always expecting the worst of everyone he met until proven otherwise.
A justified expectation: throughout his life, he had heart and bone broken time and time again. He'd been spit on, harshly degraded every time he turned around, and attacked – but only when the odds weren't in his favor – since he first stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express.
Circe, one could even argue that he had been dealing with such assaults since he started showing signs of magic, courtesy of his Muggle father.
This constant barrage of hate and violence from a young age did little for his self-esteem, he even began to believe he deserved these attacks, but one Narcissa Black put a stop to that. She whirled into his life Fifth Year and all but forced him to see his worth, and he'd be damned if anyone tried to take that from him now.
Severus would forever be grateful to Narcissa for her unconditional friendship. Aside from his mother and Narcissa, all other relationships he had thus far were conditional – another reason why he would never trust someone at face value until they had proven their words to be true. Even his previous friendship with Evans had its conditions, hinging on him agreeing with her (narrow) worldviews.
He hadn't even realized it until Narcissa had pointed out to him in an impressive, icy fashion one of the nights they had stayed up late talking in his dorm room. He'd never had someone angry like that on his behalf before – it had been rather nice.
"Severus," his mother called softly, breaking him from his thoughts. He could hear her rummaging around in the kitchen. She appeared in the doorway of the den, wringing her hands; he flicked his eyes up at her in response. "We're out of milk."
With a short sigh, Severus was out the front door and making his way towards the local market.
Cokeworth was a relatively small village, everything being within walking distance, if one was motivated enough. The center of the village held a produce market, two pubs (The White Hart and The Crown), a Muggle school that only had one teacher per Year, and an incredibly old church with an equally old tree. Further along was the local wool mill that nearly everyone worked at, and a football field – something the Muggles were ridiculously proud of.
As he walked into the market, a bell tinkled, catching the attention of the clerk. His ragged, greasy hair, torn shirt, and bruised arms had her quickly looking away with wide eyes.
Severus left the shop with milk in hand, shooting a confundus at the clerk on his way out, making her believe he had paid for the carton – his family didn't have a pence to their name.
His father Tobias had lost his job nearly four months ago; he and several others had been let go in favor of younger men who were willing to work longer hours and for less. He managed to piss away all of their savings at The Crown in less than a week, and had been forced sober because of it. He was too prideful to ask his son to steal liquor for him, and even if he had, Severus wouldn't have provided it. This was the most peace they had since he was a young child.
That's not to say that Tobias didn't have an outburst every now and then, be it from lack of alcohol or his frustration at the absence of work. Either way, his son took the brunt of it in place of his mother.
Eileen was… not well. Over the past few years Severus had noticed that his mother was slipping away; now there were a few rare days during which she was all there. This could be from all of the beatings she took in his place over the years. Or it could be her own magic turning on her after years of ruthlessly suppressing it in an attempt to placate Tobias.
So, Severus stood up for his mother, drawing his father's ire away from her. Any more abuse, and she'd probably slip away entirely.
As he neared home, the wind picked up in an unnatural manner; it swirled around him, teasing the ends of his hair. It grew stronger, leaving a hint of a sickeningly sweet taste on his tongue… a taste of Dark Magic.
Cursing, Severus dropped the milk, and took off in a dead sprint, wand in hand, fearing for his mother.
His old acquaintance (a stretch of the word) Lucius Malfoy, who was notorious among a select few for using the Dark Arts liberally on those who got in his way, had been trying to recruit him to join a group that followed a powerful man. A man who would, apparently, make a radical change in the world.
Severus didn't care to change the world.
He burst into his house, magic flaring dangerously, ready to fight Malfoy to the death, if need be, to protect his mother.
Instead of the chaos and destruction he had been expecting, he found his mother and Malfoy sitting in the den with tea. They both looked up at him through the doorway, eyes wide, Malfoy's hand obviously going for his wand.
"Severus," his mother greeted him, recovering from her shock. She set her tea aside and walked to him. "Did you get the milk?"
Ignoring her question, he frantically searched her for any outward sign of Dark Magic at work as subtly as he could. In the stretching silence, a pointed look from her had him answering her question. "Yes. I'll put it up."
"Nonsense, I will. Go and socialize." She held out a hand for the milk, which was currently lying in the street about seventy meters from their house.
He looked at her a moment longer, noting how clear her eyes looked, which was something of a phenomenon lately. With a sharp, approving nod, he turned and stepped through the still open front door and swept his piercing gaze across his neighborhood. Seeing no one, he summoned the milk and handed it to his mother with a tight-lipped smile. It was dented, but otherwise intact.
She took it without question, and, with a halting breath, he walked into the den.
"My apologies for stopping by without sending word first," Malfoy said, rising to properly greet Severus.
"No apology needed," the gangly teen said, accepting the offered hand.
Malfoy retook his seat and motioned for Severus to do the same.
"I have extended an invitation on you several occasions for you to join this… movement I am part of, and each time you have told me that you must think about it."
Severus merely stared at him.
"This shall be the last time I offer you a place in our ranks."
Severus cleared his throat. "If I may ask, why are you so keen on my joining, Heir Malfoy? What could a Half-Blood possibly do that a Pureblood could not do better?"
"Severus," Malfoy said, a condescending smile on his face. "Do shut up. You know that no one can hold a candle to your potion brewing skills."
Lucius Flavis Malfoy, Lord Pureblood supremist himself, complimenting me of all people… he really wants me to join, Severus thought. He shifted in his seat, chilled by that idea.
"You know there would be… objections to my presence within this group. Brewing skills or no, I am not prestigious by any definition."
"No," Malfoy conceded. He cast an ill-concealed look of disgust around the drab den. "You are not. But that matters little, Severus. You have achieved some of the highest OWL scores Hogwarts has seen, and due to that – among other things – you have been determined an invaluable asset to our cause. Prestigious in your own way, if you will."
Eileen reappeared, saving Severus from having to respond. "Heir Malfoy, I am certain Severus would be more than happy to accept your offer and join your organization."
"I am glad to hear it. However, the final decision remains with Severus."
Both Purebloods looked to the teen now, his mother more intensely than the former Slytherin Prefect.
Severus stared back, his eyes wide; he didn't want this life, he never really did.
But it appeared he didn't have a choice. He cleared his throat. "I shall send word of my decision before the night is over. I believe mother and I have a few matters to discuss before I can submit a wholehearted answer."
Malfoy's eyes ignited with triumph. "I shall eagerly await your response, Severus."
The Pureblood Heir rose and offered his farewells and then showed himself out.
Severus counted 24 erratic beats of his heart before he heard the crack of Disapparition of Malfoy's departure. He rounded on his mother. "Did he hurt you?"
She laughed. "No Severus, why in Merlin's name would he?"
"You wouldn't be the first he's hurt for something he wants," Severus pushed. "I felt Dark Magic on my way home."
She stood and picked up the cup Malfoy had used. "Is that why the milk was out in the street?"
"Yes," he said. He followed closely after her into the kitchen. "What did he do, Mother?"
Eileen turned to look at him, concern evident on his face. "He didn't do anything, Severus." The concern shifted to confusion, and she elaborated, "Heir Malfoy was not the source of the Dark Magic you felt."
"Who, then?" he asked as she took the cups to the sink and flicked her wand at them to clean them.
He paused. His mother never used magic. His father forbade her from using it years ago….
It clicked into place for Severus, like a Bludger to the gut. Bile rose in his throat. "It was you. You did it."
"Yes," she said, meeting his eyes proudly.
He flinched, Not such a good day, after all. "What did you do with him?" Severus asked grimly.
"He's where he belongs," Eileen answered with a finality evident in her voice. He would get no more out of her.
Severus closed his eyes and let out a ragged sigh, running a hand down his face. He supposed it had only been a matter of time before his mother snapped and got rid of his father. He had always envisioned her kicking him out, though, not murdering him.
He had read about cases such as his parents', where the magical being in the relationship, under tremendous amounts of pressure, stopped practicing magic in an attempt to appease the other. This wasn't a healthy solution for the magical being – if they remained under that amount of pressure over an extended period of time without using their magic, Wild Magik would form in their core and, if their abstinence from magic continued for long enough, the Wild Magik would begin to overtake them.
He started researching this when he first noticed his mother slipping, back in the summer before his Fourth Year. He had tried to tell her about it the following summer, but only earned himself a slap in return. That had been the only time his mother raised a hand to him.
"You no longer have to worry about me, Severus. You may join the organization Heir Malfoy represents without fearing for my wellbeing when you leave."
"That was not my only reservation for joining, Mother," Severus said, crossing his arms over his chest. His mother merely looked at him, forcing him to elaborate – "I take it Malfoy did not tell you the name of the organization he represents?"
"No," Eileen answered. "He did not need to. I know he was speaking of the self-proclaimed Knights of Walpurgis."
He faltered. "You have heard of the rumors surrounding this group, then?"
"Of course," she answered flippantly before growing serious once more. "I have always told you to do whatever you can to better yourself, my son. You will find no better ally than the future Lord Malfoy – he is the path to a better life, Severus."
"But at what cost?" Severus asked, his eyes wide.
"Cost?" She scoffed. "My dear boy, there is no cost! I've failed you if you think there's a cost." Eileen shook her head in disgust. "You will reply to Heir Malfoy and accept his offer-"
"Mother, it's murder!" Severus interrupted.
Her nostrils flared. "You care for Muggles then? For Mudbloods? – The only Muggle you've known has beaten you since you were old enough to walk, and the only Mudblood you've known betrayed and abandoned you."
He couldn't suppress his flinch at her words. Letting out an even breath, he answered truthfully, "I don't care for them." And he didn't. He did not care if they existed of if they did not, they were irrelevant to him, but that did not mean that he wanted any part in killing them.
Eileen smiled and explained, "They aren't… people, Severus. They are vermin! Unfit to walk among us! Unfit to breathe the same air, to go to school with our children! It isn't murder!"
Severus just stared at his mother.
He wasn't shocked, not entirely. She'd been raised a Pureblood and all of her experiences in the Muggle world had only proven those doctrines to be right.
It was, however, startling to hear his own mother talk like that.
"You will excuse me for not sharing your exact beliefs, as I am half vermin."
"And they're willing to look past that," she shot back without hesitation, walking towards him to frame his face with her hands. "You will never receive a better offer than this, Severus."
She was right – as much as he wished she wasn't, she was right. With Malfoy's backing, he could get an apprenticeship with any Potioneer he wanted. He needed that guarantee. His eyes slid shut in surrender and he leaned into her frail hands. "You are right, Mother… you are always right."
Edited by Chrysanthemum247 who has been a massive help! Any mistakes you see are mine, not her's. I have a tendency to go back and change some things after she's cleaned it all up 'cause I'm always thinking of different ways that situations can play out that I like better than what I've already got written. The same goes for the following chapters.
Also, this story is very much AU, just so y'all know.
This is the first part of a series, might just have a sequel, might turn into a trilogy, we'll find out when we get there. But this story will cover Snape's entire Seventh Year at Hogwarts.
Also, it should be noted that this story is also James/Lily, but that isn't put in the tags because I'm only allowed four characters here and Remus plays a larger part in Severus's tale than James and James/Lily isn't as important to the story. All the Marauder content that's in this story is setting up their parts later in the series, sorry if you came for strictly Severus content.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11747211/1/