Anatomy of Betrayal

ANATOMY OF BETRAYAL

A consideration

Chapter 1

Lord Voldemort was coiled in his high-backed chair in what he secretly delighted to call the playroom and his underlings called the headquarters. Snape was kneeling before him with a curious mix of wariness and boredom barely to be seen in the downward curve of his mouth. Voldemort smiled; time to play, he thought.

"Peter, bring a chair for Snape," he said. "The rest of you, leave."

Pettigrew obeyed, seething in silence, and took his accustomed place at the left of the Dark Lord's throne.

Voldemort's smile widened. "No, Wormtail," he said, caressing the insulting nickname, "leave and see we are not disturbed." He watched with interest the blood flow and ebb on his servant's face, noting with glee how stiff his departing bow was, how different from the usual fawning scrape, and waited for the doors to close before waving Snape to the chair.

"So, Snape," he hissed, lingering on purpose on the sibilants, "would you betray me? No, no," he added quickly, "no lies. Think, my Snape. You are awovedly capable of betrayal. You do say you're betraying Dumbledore and all the Side of Light." His smile became positively predatory and triangular. "The Side of Light," he repeated, savouring the words. "See? I offer all respect to it. So, if you can betray them for me, why not betray me for them? Could you? Have I given you enough time to decide whether the truth or a lie would serve you better?"

"I may," Snape's bitter voice was cold, his eyes unfathomable.

"And so you may," Voldemort approved, leaning back.

"You seem satisfied by it, Lord." Snape's careful voice gave away nothing, not even curiosity.

"It is always a pleasure," the Dark Lord said, affably, "to have one's reading of a character proved. You are hard to read, my Snape, all schooled face and eyes and a mastery of Occlumency. You'll lie like a prostitute, if you can see the usefulness of it, but now..." he stopped abruptly and let it hag in the air.

Snape said nothing. He waited, still as a stone.

"Will you let my words wash over you like a rock in a wild river? Is this wise, my Snape?"

"What would be wise, then, Lord?"

"Share your thoughts, I'm in a pensive mood and would discuss betrayal with you."

"A discussion, Lord, would presuppose the possibility of a disagreement between the parties," the Potion Master said, carefully. "I would not willingly risk your displeasure."

"And yet you do," Voldemort pointed out. "I could Crucio you right now for your rebellious words."

"You could, Lord," Snape said quietly, almost to himself. "You could do it for a whim, or for the pleasure of it."

"Shall I, then? You admit your words were rebellious?"

"They were not in intent, Lord, unless you choose to read them so."

"Are you on my side?" Voldemort asked abruptly, leaning forward once again, red eyes fixed on the still figure before him.

"I serve you, Lord."

Voldemort laughed. It was a contorted sound, but it was born of genuine amusement. "See how ably you turn my question!" he laughed and, for a moment, he seemed almost human again. "I won't ask you again, my Snape," he added, traces of amusement lingering in his voice. "Keep your secret, but share your thoughts. Let's pretend we're old friends discussing philosophy after a hearty meal. I give you full liberty of expression."

"Thank you, Lord." Snape said.

"How diplomatic." The sneer was back in the monster's voice, but his eyes were now looking inward. "I'll make it easier for you, then. Do you think I trust Wormtail?"

"He's your most faithful servant,"

"He's a self-serving pathetic blob of pus," Voldemort said, matter of factly, "a born lackey. He betrayed his best friends because they didn't love him anymore. No, because he must have suddenly realised they never gave a toss for him, his company and his fawning. He's a little cowardly sadist. Do you believe that makes him dear to me?"

"No," Snape had recovered a little from the shock and his voice now sounded like someone testing water before the plunge. "No, I don't believe so."

"You believe I hold no-one dear, in fact," Voldemort said, "but you are wrong. In my own way I hold you dear. Oh, and Lucius, but for entirely different reasons. I simply use little cowardly sadists. It is my pleasure to lie to them by offering meaningless privileges, but I despise them because, in the end, what they want is to be loved. Pettigrew sells his services like a whore and expects to be paid with affection and trust. How contemptible!"

"To wish for affection is contemptible?"

Voldemort opened his mouth and closed it again, arrested. Now you want to play as well? I thought you were a harder nut to crack, my Snape. Or is it possible you're playing an entirely different game? How fascinating, he thought, boredom sloughing off him like an old skin.

"I learned to do without," he said. "You learned to do without. There is strength in wanting, weakness in wishing. I don't trust you, my Snape, but I respect your strength. I could go so far as to admit I respect you," he added and watched avidly for the flickers of reaction in the wizard's face.

"Is there anyone you trust, then, Lord? Malfoy?"

Ah, now you're steering this conversation away from you! But I'll enlighten you and why not? We have time and the game may yet surprise you.

"Not at all," he said. "Lucius is a politician born and bred. There's something faintly endearing in his overwhelming ambition to the be the power behind the throne. One may be pardoned for making the mistake of thinking he knows his limits, but he does not. He was simply taught that an éminence grise will be shielded from public opprobrium and, if the worst comes to worst, he'll wiggle out of his responsibilities and come out smelling of lilies. Politician."

"I see, "Snape said, "but that should ensure he'll never think of betraying you. Politician or not, he shares your ideas about muggles and muggle-born wizards and witches."

"Mudblood sits too heavy on your tongue?"

"Not at all," said Snape, putting a suspicion to the touch, "but it's rather childish, Lord. I have outgrown it. To me, 'muggle' is insult enough."

Voldemort was surprised into another laugh. "Let's not be childish, by all means," he said. "Lucius may share my ideas, but to him I am but a mean to his ends. He'll do his utmost to bring me to power and then he'll do his utmost to see that the power I hold will be passed on to him, or his child. His absolute devotion to the family name is so passé! It's amusing to see how it blinds him. He can't perceive that it'll be his downfall. That brat of his..." he pretended to search his memory for the name and waited.

"Draco," Snape said, dryly.

"Of course!" Voldemort smirked. "The child is a pupil of yours. Your favourite, I'm told?"

"He's good at potions. Or better, he would be if he didn't lose so much time and energy playing pranks on his... enemies."

"Potter and his lackeys, yes. Arrogance and spite will be the downfall of the Malfoys. The boy lacks discipline." Voldemort dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand. "But that doesn't matter, he doesn't matter. What matters, my Snape," Voldemort's voice became icy, "is that he'll do as he's told. For all the wrong reasons, but that's immaterial. He'll break for it and be destroyed. And that... that, my Snape, is how my pretty Lucius will get his comeuppance. No heir, no family name to elevate to glory."

"And I would betray you why?" Snape asked. "In your estimation, I mean, Lord."

So this is the tune that will make you dance, my Snape? The boy? I wonder what has prompted this affection... no, too soon. Let's prod this other sore, first.

"For justice," Voldemort said, calmly. "Injustice pushed you to me and justice may yet push you to them. Oh, I know how much you hate Potter, the bully's son. Not half as much as you hated the Side of Light when you discovered there was no justice in it, though. You could have let matters rest, if your tormentors and would-be killers had been adequately punished for it, but they weren't, were they? Injustice made you hate, and hate made you bitter and finally a stone. You came to me to have justice. Are you surprised that I understand the concept, my Snape?"

"Yes, Lord," Snape said. No use in lying when the truth was plain on his face, for once. "I foolishly thought you were all for revenge."

"But what is justice if not revenge?" Voldemort asked. "Society's revenge on the enemies of society, those who would disrupt it into anarchy?"

TBC