The Ultimate Request

The Ultimate Request

Severus Snape was wandering around the corridors of the Hogwarts castle, lost in his thoughts. The fairly uncharacteristic behaviour was due to what the Headmaster had just asked of him. The request had been neither small nor insignificant; it had been quite the opposite.

If only he had not put on that blasted ring... we would not be in this mess. Yes, there would still be the task the Dark Lord assigned Draco Malfoy -- a mission that is doomed to failure -- but the Headmaster would be around. Severus was by no means eager to let Lucius and Narcissa get murdered because their son failed to kill the leader of the Light, of course not. It was just a matter of whether the two Malfoys were anywhere near as important to the war as Albus Dumbledore was. Without the Headmaster the Light would have much less of a chance of winning the war -- even with Potter as their figurehead and supposed Saviour.

The fourth-floor corridor Severus was currently in had windows that overlooked the vast grounds of the ancient castle. Glancing out of one of the windows, Severus noticed the weather outside matched his mood; it was raining heavily, and the sky was covered with puffy, gray clouds. There was no sign of the sun, despite it being in the middle of June. The trees in the distant Forbidden Forest looked rather miserable as the rain beat down on them. Deciding to pause for a while Severus stepped closer to the window to get a wider view of the grounds.

He stood there, gazing at the distant horizon, considering his earlier words to the Headmaster. Had it been wise to agree? What would Dumbledore have done if he had refused?

Contrary to popular belief, Severus was completely loyal to the Light and its leader; that had been the case for well over ten years, ever since Severus had made the grave mistake of informing the Dark Lord of the prophecy. Back then, he had been a true Death Eater, who had naturally been thrilled to have such valuable information to give to his Lord and Master. If there were one thing Severus wished he had never done, it would be that one.

All things considered, Dumbledore's request had caused a conflict of principles, loyalties and emotions in Severus's mind. Not even Occlumency offered a solution; the only option would be to think through it all.

The Headmaster was the only one Severus trusted, which was certainly going to make it all the more difficult to eventually finish Draco's task. Severus knew perfectly well the Dark Lord had never intended Draco to succeed in the first place -- and knowing the boy's personality it was only too obvious he would never be able to bring himself to kill the Headmaster.

Draco was not an assassin, and so Severus would have to step in, in the end. It was not going to be easy, but he would do it; not to prevent Draco's soul from getting "ripped apart", but because the Headmaster had specifically requested Severus be the one to do it.

Like Severus had told Dumbledore, the curse that had been on the ring could not be halted forever. The Headmaster had a year, at the most, before he would be killed by the infection the Dark artefact had inflicted upon him when he had put it on, for reasons known only to him. The curse, if allowed to run its course, would cause an agonizing death -- so it would be kinder to just use the Killing Curse, which would provide a painless, quick death.

The pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the windowsill was the only sound breaking the silence that surrounded the black-robed figure of the Potions Master, whose outline could been seen from outside. The flickering torches on the wall of the corridor illuminated the otherwise dim surroundings. It was only late afternoon, but the cloudy sky and the castle's natural shadowiness made it seem as if the day had already begun to draw to a close.

Only subconsciously staying alert in case someone attempted to sneak up on him, the dark man at the window had his black eyes fixed on something only he could see.

I cannot help wondering what kind of rumours, stories and lies will be spun about me, should I follow through with that plan of Dumbledore's. The Light will most certainly see me as a traitor, and many of them -- such as Potter and his gang -- will be out for my blood.

Then again, when have they ever liked, or trusted, me?

No, I will not have trouble with their attitudes. It is highly likely the truth will never come out, and I will be thought a loyal Death Eater for the rest of my life -- which may end sooner than I think. I have been gathering information on the Dark Lord and his plans for a long time; some would consider it a miracle that I have not been found out. But I digress...

There was also the matter of Severus's position among the Death Eaters. Killing Dumbledore would definitely increase the Dark Lord's trust in him, which in turn would make him privy to more inside information.

In spite of all of that reasoning Severus still felt he would be abandoning his loyalties either way. Killing the Headmaster, no matter how many excellent reasons might be provided, seemed like a betrayal of the worst kind. On the other hand, refusing to accept the additional burden could, and most likely would, be considered disloyalty.

Well, I really should be used to difficult decisions by now... life has never been a fan of mine. Yet this particular dilemma causes such a conflict. After all these years, I am suddenly expected to kill the one man I trust...

Potter had better defeat the Dark Lord, and this time for good -- otherwise all of this will be for naught. His parents died defending him, his mutt of a godfather died defending him... several others have worked hard to keep him safe so that he can rid our world of the Dark Lord.

With those thoughts Severus left the window and continued his wandering, for while he had made his decision he still had thinking to do. Luckily it was early in the summer; the students would not be returning for over two months.