Just for katie__pillar, because she whinged… ♥

Title: Too Blackened A Soul
Author: chaletian
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Snape (Neville)
Summary: Snape tries to keep control of Hogwarts.


“Detention, Longbottom!” Snape thundered, leaving the room in a swirl of robes and resentment. He strode along the corridor, breathing heavily, his anger so intense it hung around him like a heavy black cloud, almost as tangible as his robes. Two third-years skittered out of his way, even though their uniform identified them as belonging to his own House.

That a pupil had dared to defy him like that! And Longbottom - Longbottom! That useless creature! Severus had never had any time for Neville Longbottom since the boy’s first Potions lesson, and nothing had changed that opinion, but this year something had changed. Longbottom had changed. When the start of year came, and Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione bloody Granger had all been missing, they had mistakenly supposed that Hogwarts would be easy to control. After all, who was left? The Weasleys were troublesome, but the only one at the school was the youngest, Ginny, who had already been under the Dark Lord’s thrall. Potter’s Gryffindor friends? No, there had been no-one.

Except that hadn’t been true, it turned out. Potter’s ridiculous ‘Army’ had come together, with Longbottom, Weasley, and Xenophilus Lovegood’s insane daughter leading them. Reaching the entrance to the Headmaster’s study, Severus snapped out the password, and stormed up the narrow stone stairs. Rebellion at every turn! And leaving them to the Carrows seemed to achieve nothing, even though their methods were…

Severus’ thoughts broke off here, and he suddenly sank into the wide-armed chair behind Dumbledore’s desk. They were torturing children, whose only crime was to stand up for what they believed was right. And he was allowing it. He was encouraging it. Keeping up the illusion of loyalty, more important than anything, Dumbledore had said. Severus’ thoughts turned to that night on the tower when he had killed Albus Dumbledore. Planned or not. Requested or not. He was in too deep. His soul had been blackened too much. Whatever happened, whoever won. He was damned.