Why We Do What We Do - Part I (standard:fantasy, 2531 words)
Author: Gryfinndor_Girl	Added: Feb 24 2002	Views/Reads: 3500/2350	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This is the firt part in the series 'Why We Do What We Do', it follows the characters of the Harry Potter series, and tells the story of each of their tasks, set at the end of book four. In part One, what happenes to Professor Snape when he returns to the

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

breathing of the victims. 

‘Severus’ said Voldemort in a low voice, eyes blazing, ‘You dared to
come back, then’ 

‘Yes, I have returned to your aid’ I said, bowing in front of the
monster. 

‘Tell me Severus’ Said Voldemort silkily ‘What took you so long? I
called you to my side hours ago’ 

‘I could not leave Hogwarts without raising suspicion, Dumbledore wanted
me to help him raise the forces, as it were. You know him, he trusts me 
blindly’ I said, allowing myself as small hollow laugh. 

‘Really?’ asked Voldemort, smiling evilly at me, ‘I know Dumbledore,
that fool, placing his trust in people who do not deserve it’ 

No-one could fail to sense the double-meaning between these words, least
of all myself, it wasn’t going to plan, Voldemort was still suspicious. 


‘I bring you news of Bartemius Crouch’ I said bravely, hoping to
distract Voldemort from his suspicions. 

‘What of my faithful Death Eater?’ asked Voldemort staring at me
intently with those snake-like eyes. 

‘He has been discovered, he took Harry away when he returned with the
portkey, and tried to kill him. Dumbledore suspected his behaviour and 
managed to rescue him’ I started, allowing bitterness to creep into my 
voice, hoping Voldemort would pick up on this I carried on, 

‘He was interrogated and he told Dumbledore everything, he was handed
over to the Dementors and they administered The Kiss’ 

The Death eaters around me winced and looked to the master, who clearly
didn’t like this news. 

‘My one faithful death eater has been destroyed then? Why did you not
prevent this?’ asked Voldemort coldly. 

‘I could not find the opportunity, he was closely guarded by Dumbledore,
and The Kiss was administered without his or my knowledge’ I said 
trying to hide the emotion from my face. 

‘Very well, Severus, What of Harry? Demanded Voldemort. 

‘Harry is recovering in the Hospital Wing of the school, Dumbledore
plans to send him back to the his aunt and uncle, where we cannot touch 
him’ I said anger edging my voice. 

Voldemort seemed convinced by my act, and gathered his death Eaters to
encircle him. 

‘Very well, I would just like to tell you how disgraced I have been by
your behaviour tonight, we outnumbered that 14 year old boy, and he 
managed to get away from you! And for this you all must pay’ he said 
softly, staring pointedly at me. 

I prepared my body for what was to come. 

‘Tartarus Vivum’ he whispered maliciously. 

Darkness enveloped my body, and my vision dimmed, I felt as if I was
falling into a void, around me I heard the sounds of many body’s 
hitting the floor, mine followed shortly. 

* 

The feeling of a thousand knives pierced my body, and it felt as though
the blood in my veins were on fire. For an immeasurable amount of time, 
I fell through the void unable to shriek in pain, unable to move. Every 
now and then I felt something sharp strike my body, and all around my 
dimmed vision I see shapes moving closer to me, circling me, shadows 
feeding off my pain. 

And then in an instant it stopped, but still I lay on the floor, eyes
squeezed shut as the pain in my body started to lessen. After what 
seemed a lifetime I opened my eyes, I was still in the            
graveyard but no-one was there. Every breath I took shot pain around my 
head, and my vision started to dim again, I felt myself falling, but 
this time, I fell into painless nothingness. 

* 

‘How long has he been like this?’ asked an unfamiliar voice. 

‘He has been here for three days’ said another soft voice. 

‘What happened to him?’ asked the first voice. 

‘It says here, Curses unknown, we have no idea, I just hope he wakes up’
said the soft voice. ‘I better go an check on bed three’ said the first 
voice. 

‘I’ll stay here with him, he’ll should be awake soon’ said the warm
voice anxiously. 

I heard a pair of feet walking away, and felt my bed dip to my left
side, and a cool flannel touched my head. 

My eyes flew open and, at first, all I could see white, but after a
while shades and shapes started to become clearer. I could see I was in 
some kind of hospital, I was lying in a white bed, with high white 
curtains around me. The only colour that I could see came from a high 
circular window above me, through which I could see the velvety 
blackness of the night sky, and the large, silver full moon, suddenly 
as face came into view. A pair of brown eyes full of worry came into my 
line vision, 

‘Can you hear me sir?’ the face asked, looking at me with concern. 

‘Yes’ I croaked through my parched lips. 

‘Your okay now sir, your in St Mungo’s now, Can you remember what
happened?’ she asked kneeling down so she could look at me properly. 

‘No’ I said, faking amnesia, I would have been admitted to the asylum
ward if I’d told her Lord Voldemort had cursed me. 

‘Can you tell me your name?’ she asked softly. 

‘Snape, Severus Snape’ I said softly, wincing through the pain. 

‘Can I get in touch with anyone for you?’ she questioned 

‘Albus, tell Albus Dumbledore I’m here’ I managed as my vision dimmed
again, the pain was closing in again. 

‘I’ll bring him straight to you, Hey, are you okay? Severus can you here
me?’ her voice reached me as if from a long way away. Darkness filled 
my vision again and my head dropped forward. 

* 

Shapes and impressions of colour filled my eyes again, as I opened them
slowly. The first thing I saw was a pair of worried blue eyes, then my 
vision cleared and I saw the face that owned the eyes, and I recognised 
the silver beard and half moon glasses. 

‘Albus!’ I said a loudly as was possible through my burning throat. 

‘Severus your awake!’ he said relief spreading across his troubled
features, ‘What happened?’ 

I told him as much as I could about the night in the graveyard, and then
the curse that Voldemort had used, 

‘...And then I woke up here’ I finished, looking up to the window,
getting a shock seeing the sun was out. 

‘How long have I been here?’ I asked wonderingly. 

‘Five days now, you woke up briefly two days ago, but the effects of
this curse have been severe, or so I have been told’ said Dumbledore 
sadly ‘We thought we’d lost you! No word for five days convinced us you 
were gone forever’ 

‘Well I am fine now, after a bit of a rest I will be ready to go’ I said
struggling to get up, Dumbledore laid a gentle hand against my 
shoulder. 

‘You are in no fit state to get up now. This curse you told me of
Tartarus Vivum, I have never heard of it before, it must be a new one 
he has created, it sounds like a take on the Cruciatus curse, but 
worse’ Dumbledore told me ‘Sleep now, and I will go and ask the 
professional opinion of Nurse Tueor, whose been looking after you’ said 
Dumbledore. 

I gratefully fell asleep again, the warm comfort of my dreams had a
better healing power than any number of the potions that had been 
tipped down my throat. 

* 

I stayed in St Mungo’s for two weeks, the effects of the curse could
still be felt, it had left my legs and arms stiff, but gradually I 
regained the use of them. Every day Nurse Tueor visited my bed, and sat 
with me for hours, talking, keeping me awake. 

She was curious as to my curse and I had the feeling she didn’t believe
my faked amnesia story. After a week of questioning I had given in and 
told her everything I knew I could trust her. I started at the 
beginning, my life at Hogwarts, what happened after, how I became a 
death eater, what I had done. She would sit there and listen, she 
didn’t judge like people usually did, just listened. I told her how I 
turned spy for Dumbledore, and the story about Harry since his first 
year, right up to the third task. 

She only showed any sign of emotion when I told her about the third
task, and what happened after. Tears filled her eyes and she look over 
to a part of the ward which was falling into disrepair, with all its 
lights out and windows boarded up. 

‘Do you know what that ward was?’ she asked one day. 

‘No’ I answered truthfully. She always looked across to that ward during
our conversations now, but I never asked why. 

‘That was the ward were survivors of Curses by you-know-who went.
Sometimes they walked back through those doors, but most of them 
didn’t. Do you know what they call those doors?’ she asked pointing to 
the black doors of the ward, which were now nailed shut. 

‘The Doors of Death, because most who walked through them never walked
back. I worked on that ward for 3 years up to the downfall of 
you-know-who, I saw death and destruction every day, broken lives and 
families torn apart. When those doors where shut for the last time, it 
was the happiest day of my life’ she said sadly eyes full of tears. 

‘Even if Fudge doesn’t admit it, he’s back, and those doors will be
opened again’ she said hope fading from her eyes. 

We sat there for a while not saying anything, staring at the doors,
after a while Nurse Tueor was called away to another patient and I was 
left to look at the doors by myself. Guilt overcame me as I thought 
that some of those people Nurse Tueor treated, and all those broken 
lives were because of me. 

The next day Nurse Tueor came back and I finally told her about the
curse that I had been placed under, she sat for a while after I 
finished talking. 

‘Living Hell’ she breathed under her breath, she looked at me her eyes
full of sympathy, ‘You can go home soon, the effects of the curse have 
nearly worn-off now’ she finished. 

So two weeks after I woke up Albus came to collect me, he was taking me
back home, before I left I found Nurse Tueor. 

‘Thank you’ I said ‘Not only for making me better’ I told her. 

‘Its ok, if you ever want to talk you know where to find me, I’ll be
spending a bit more time her from now on I think, and I’ve offered my 
services to Dumbledore’ she said smiling at me. 

At that moment Dumbledore arrived and we started to walk away, I turned
around for one moment to look back at where I had spent the last two 
weeks of my life, and I saw Nurse Tueor walking away. 

She came to a stop in front of the large Black Doors of the ward they
had talked about, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the handle. 


‘Alohomora’ She whispered, and sensing she was being watched, turned and
saw me looking at her. She gave a small wave and a sad smile and walked 
into the ward. Closing the door quietly behind her. 

‘There’s Dark times ahead of us’ I sighed as I walked out into the
sunlight, shielding my eyes to the sun, we walked to the Hospital 
garden and apparated home. 

THE END 


Tweet