I Owe You One

FANFIC CHALLENGE

I OWE YOU ONE

Severus Snape struggled to keep from screaming, but the cruciatus curse was taking its toll. Bellatrix Lestrange laughed at his agony. "Did you really think you could get away with your treachery? The Dark Lord has known since before his return of your betrayal. He planned to kill you, so he pretended to let you return just to lure you away from Dumbledore."

So, he had been duped again. He originally joined the Death Eaters because the Dark Lord had promised power, which Severus never had and so desperately craved. Instead, Severus was treated worse than his father or those cursed Marauders had. He was made to grovel before the Dark Lord, trembling in fear. His fear turned to anger, and anger turned to hate. How sweet the revenge had been, to deceive Voldemort in the same manner as he had been deceived. It was a motive that many did not believe was sincere. Dumbledore was skeptical at first, (of course he would be,) but he came to trust Severus as much as Severus trusted him. Dumbledore treated him with respect, and stood up for him when others wanted to see him in Azkaban. He even offered Severus a position at Hogwarts, although it wasn't the one he wanted. Still it was a good reward, not to mention a safe place to live.

Finally Bellatrix released him. He lay on the ground, panting and attempting to recover. "Come on, Snape," she taunted. "Give me the names of the Order. Tell me where their quarters are, and I'll make your death quick and painless. Come on now, this should be easy for you. It's not like you haven't betrayed your comrades before."

Yes, he had been a traitor to the Death Eaters. And how could a traitor ever be trusted again? There was only one way, and although Severus knew what would happen next, he refused to give in to the pain. "I'll be damned if I give away the Order. You'll just have to kill me."

"Fine." She waved her wand and shouted, "Crucio!" He doubled over in pain while Bellatrix laughed. "Fool! Don't you realize I have no mercy? I killed my own flesh and blood, didn't I? Sirius the Muggle lover and Regulus the coward. He was a fool too, thinking since I was family I'd help him run out on us. Instead I lured him into a trap, just like I did you. He paid for his cowardice with his life. I just thought I'd mention that before you died. Didn't some of the Aurors suspect YOU of his murder?"

He didn't know how much longer he could endure this pain. He concentrated on his anger, the only emotion he still had left. At this moment he hated Bellatrix worse than he'd ever hated anyone. Yes, that would sustain him. He heard a loud crack, and wondered if his back had broken. The pain suddenly stopped, but Severus was slipping out of conciousness. Before he passed out, he saw a robed figure standing next to him. "Dumbledore," he whispered, "you came."

He awoke several hours later in a hospital bed at St. Mungo's. He sat up and looked around for his rescuer, but upon locating him Severus fell back into his pillow. "You," he hissed.

"You're welcome." Remus Lupin grinned. "Nice to see you, too."

"Where's Dumbledore?"

"Oh, he's around here somewhere." Remus rose from his chair and added, "I'll go fetch him if you'd like."

"Don't bother, I'm sure he'll come around." Severus blinked and remained quiet for a few minutes, not really sure he wanted his next question answered. "So," he finally asked, "how did you find me?"

"Harry saw it."

"Oh, perfect."

Remus was beginning to get angry. "You should be proud. Apparently those Occlumency lessons forged some kind of bond between you two. Or maybe he's just gifted like that. Of course, he verified you were actually missing before alerting Dumbledore."

"Hmp. Finally using his head, is he?" Severus tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea convinced him to lie back down. "I have to admit I'm surprised. I thought he blamed me for Black's death."

"I suppose he does. But I also suppose he feels he owes you one. After all, it was you who sent us to the Department of Mysteries in the first place."

"Well," Snape pointed out, "his anger toward me is completely misplaced. I told Black to stay put. It's not my fault that he didn't listen."

"It's not Harry's fault that he's James's son either," Remus shot back, "yet you still hate him, don't you."

"I don't hate him," Severus protested, knowing it was a lie. "But I do resent him. He is a foolish boy that does whatever he wants with no regard for anyone else. It was only too predicable of him to attempt another rescue, to get more of the spotlight." His voice was seething in anger. "And yet Dumbledore continues to protect him."

"You mean the way he protects you?" Remus turned to Severus and confronted him. "I guess I've got my own issue as well. Did you know about Pettigrew, about how he switched sides?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't warn us?"

Severus looked at Remus. "Oh, I see. You blame ME for the Potter's death. Pettigrew was a miserable coward. I didn't think he knew anything. By the time I learned the Dark Lord had discovered their hiding place it was too late for a warning, and for that I am sorry. After all, I owed James, didn't I?"

Remus shook his head. "Now look, what Sirius did was stupid, but he wasn't trying to kill you. He and Pettigrew were there. He honestly believed he could stop me from killing you. He just wanted to scare you, that's all. Of course, James was right to warn you off, and I didn't know anything about it. I certainly wouldn't have gone along with it if I'd known, in fact I really let him have it for that."

"How thoughtful of you." Severus turned away, apparently unconvinced. Remus shook his head and started to leave when Severus added, "Bellatrix confessed to me that she killed Regulus. Did you hear that?"

"Sorry, no."

He sighed. "Well, I didn't kill him. And I didn't betray the Order." Severus rolled to his side and asked, "Do you believe me?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, I do. In fact, after all this I finally believe you're really on our side." He extended a hand to the former Death Eater. Severus looked at his gesture, then pulled himself up and grasped Lupins' hand. This time the handshake was sincere, not ordered by Dumbledore. "Well, I'd probably best go now, you need your rest. Dumbledore will look after you, alright?"

Severus nodded. Remus turned and walked toward the exit when Severus called out. "Remus?" He stopped and looked back. "Thank you." Remus smiled and nodded, then left the ward. Severus fell back into his pillow. He noticed a slight smile had crept across his face. He would probably never quit hating the Marauders entirely, but maybe he could let some of the resentment he felt for Harry slip away. Maybe there was more to Severus Snape than anger after all. With that thought, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.