fall flat on your face }{ tagged -- death eaters

[severus allen snape]

The day had been a long one. Times were strange at Hogwarts school, and many were feeling the tension. Severus was counted among the many, just another student that's taken a blow from the outside world. Things were heating up, and Severus was burning as he collapsed in the Slytherin Common room. His legs were sore from a day of running around to classes and away from James Potter and crew. His hands were shaking from taking notes and slowly falling from sanity. The chair just before the fire was comfortable, but that fire crackled and sounded like laughter, like even the castle was laughing at the slender frame of Severus as he ran from bullies and hid behind his cauldron. Severus stood up from the chair and walked away from the fire, sick of dealing with the things that bugged him. He disappeared into the boys dormitory and took a seat on his bed. It's frame creaked under the added weight, but the room was otherwise silent. Severus combed his fingers through his black hair, and let it linger across his eyes for a moment, thinking all the while about the day that had just nearly ended.

Long was an underestimated word. Severus could barely remember this morning, so much had happened to him. He passed Lily in the corridors and she looked away from him. His eyes forever saw her face on the back of others, like the image was burned into his brain. People pushed him, or ignored him, while James called out the familiar nickname whenever the chance arose. The castle no longer seemed to offer much solace to Severus, and only a few things ever did anymore. His potions were excelling rapidly, but that passion wasn't truly in his heart. It was like second nature now, nothing to make him happy, just a thing to do, a distraction. He sunk into his bed, letting the black sheets encase him in their cool sanctuary. Not many Slytherins cared to bother him, and the dormitory was usually pretty safe, the only place left it seemed to him at that moment. He let his eyes close, feeling the lids relax over his eyes in a long awaited slumber, but he wouldn't be getting much sleep.

Lily clambered into bed with him, in his mind, and she haunted the darkness that came with closed eyes and sleepiness. Severus blinked awake and kept his eyes pried open by the fear. He needed something that would help him let her go, at least for a few hours, so he could sleep. It was always nice when you didn't remember your dreams, when you could fall into a state of nothingness for hours and awake refreshed, like it was really a new day. Severus hadn't gotten that kind of relaxation for so long now. His nights were plagued with nightmares of Lily and James, and that frightfully horrid word plastered all over the castle walls. No matter how long the day, how busy his classes, or how much he tried to forgive himself, insomnia was kicking in. The bed was as hard as a rock and it's coverings seemed deathly cold no matter how much Severus tried to wrap himself in them. He laid there in full school uniform, and kicked his shoes off the end of the bed, letting his feet stretch and moan. Even though he wasn't standing anymore, they still ached. A physical reminder of the problems within.

His wand poked out of his pocket, and instinctively Severus grasped hold of it. Ten and a half inches of birch wood was smooth against his fingers. It twirled and slipped from finger to finger and he mindlessly pointed it at the ceiling of his dorm, mumbling expecto patronum under his breath. His patronous never was quite fully developed in defense against the dark arts, but he was getting the hang of it. Silvery wisps emanated from the tip of his wand, floated towards the sky, and disappeared from view. What a relief to know that no dementors would be lurking around for his soul, though some days he felt they deserved it more than he did. Thoughts of Lily, though pushing him farther from sleep, aided his magical boredom and it wasn't long until his silvery wisps were taking on shape. A four legged, medium sized animal was forming, but it's identity still much of a mystery, and Severus just stared on through at the stone above his head. The bed warmed up ever so slightly, and at the end of this long day, Severus was thinking that maybe life wasn't so bad.

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[holden humphrey avery]

”Oy, Snape! Must you play with your wand?” Holden Avery was making a concerted effort to disrupt whatever little fantasy Severus Snape was entranced by. Holden loved to get in the way of the happiness of others. This was merely another example of how good he was at it. He had spent his afternoon out on the quidditch pitch practicing and now he was exhausted. Nothing said relaxing like making others feel awkward and bad about themselves.

Holden sat down on his bed, across from Severus Snape’s, and gave him a side-ways glare. If Holden was being completely honest with himself, he’d know that he disliked Snape very much. He disliked how awkward and socially estranged the boy seemed. He hated how he himself looked the part of a young man while Severus Snape looked like a teenager who wouldn’t ever grow up. None of this would be a problem if he didn’t have to work with the guy. Being a Death Eater was never going to be an easy task, but having to work alongside Snape made it all the more tiresome. And it was also the kind of job you couldn’t hide from.

Holden Avery had been a sort of prize in the little club that they’d joined. It wasn’t because he was so brilliantly intelligent or spectacular, but because he knew people so well. He knew just what made people angry. He had nothing to hold back. And, in many ways, Holden was angry. He was angry at life and was more than willing to hurt or kill anyone in result. When the Dark Lord had ordered him to make his first kill, Holden had gladly leapt forth in his task and embraced his newfound talent. Unfortunately, being a murderer in disguise made it very hard for Holden to focus on petty things like school work. All he really cared about now was serving his master.

”So, we’ve gotta talk. Our lot is supposed to be meeting just outside Hogsmeade on the weekend. And nobody cares that we’ve got homework and tests and studying. All that matters is that we’ve done as we’ve been told. Have you completed any tasks given?” Holden asked. His tone was so serious, so edgy. This was a weighted topic and he was asking Severus if he’d had to hurt anyone and had he done so?

[severus allen snape]

Holden Avery waltzed into the dormitory and shoved Lily on out. Severus' concentration broke, his silvery wisps disappeared, and he sat up on his elbows to glare at Holden. The long day was getting much longer, and Severus couldn't do anything about it. Didn't he want friends to do this to him anyway? Hadn't Severus been practically begging for Holden's attention at any cost? Now he had it. Now was the time that Severus could sit up in his dormitory and actually carry on something that resembled friendship with a boy his age. That sounded pathetic, but Severus didn't pride himself on being the world's most courageous man. He simply glanced at that door behind, wondering if any one else was dancing on in, and thankful that he'd be swallowing this new situation in small bites. Holden was enough for right now.

As Holden flew off about tasks and their lot and meetings at Hogsmeade, Severus let it dawn on him that, no he hadn't accomplished anything for the cause -- if that's what they could call it -- and it wasn't by means of his own failure. It was simply because he hadn't been assigned anything. This was the first of multiple realizations to come that Severus wasn't really trusted with important things like killing a key member of the Order. It was just going to take time, and while his classmates held their heads high knowing that they were a part of something truly great, Severus had to nod along quietly, hoping the cause really was the right thing to be fighting for. In the mean time, he'd embrace the fact that Holden, yes Holden Avery, sex god of Slytherin, was speaking more than two words to him.

"I've just been told to keep an eye out really, and I haven't spotted anything very unusual." He spoke, his voice locked down and serious, trying to hide the joy that dangled behind those words. Holden's voice, however, seemed more than just serious, it seemed stressed and that sound was Severus' golden ticket inside. He sat up and leaned forward onto his knees, looking at the floor and fiddling with his wand once more. "If anyone needs to ease their homework load..." He coughed a little, realizing the complete stupidity in his words but urging himself onwards anyway. "...I can do it." His gaze met Holden's on the last few words, his jaw set tight, his hair out of his face, his eyes dark and unchanging.

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[bellatrix irma black]

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It wasn't just boys being boys when every known male death eater started congregating inside the sixth year boys dormitory. Bella sat in the common room, before the fire, playing with her wand and scorching the carpet under her feet. Severus dragged his pathetic little form inside first, and that wasn't anything unusual. She wouldn't have even noticed him had she not accidentally sent her flames up the tapestry and so brought her eyes up level with his greasy hair. But when Holden joined and didn't quickly leave once he ran into Severus, that's when Bellatrix got interested. She had looked up to watch the strapping man enter the common room, pass her by without a word, and leave her...wanting more. The common room was virtually empty in the middle of the afternoon, but Severus and Holden were spending quality time in their dormitory? No, this wasn't right.

Bellatrix stood up, stomped out her spark that had started edging towards the couch, and flicked away the scorch marks with her wand. With a simple look around her, noting that the coast was as clear as it was ever going to be, she paraded right on into the boys little walled off sanctuary. Clearly they didn't care to add anti-female charms, and why would they dampen any minute chance they had of getting laid? So her entrance, though unexpected, wasn't exactly alarming. For once Bellatrix made a nicely quiet appearance, letting their ramblings reach her ears before she clicked her heals on inside. And she didn't want to pass up the offer she had just heard. "Sevy, darling, can you do up my transfiguration essay due next week? McGonagall will reap me if I turn in another copy of that Switch bloke's books." She smiled, knowing his answer wasn't really important, he'd do it either way.

But here was Holden, and he was a different story. Bellatrix couldn't simply wave her wand in his direction and send him off to fetch her a drink, no he actually had some balls stuffed up in those somewhat tightly fitting pants. It wasn't like Bella was the only girl to study his pants, this stuff was common knowledge. She looked at him approvingly, and leaned against the banister next to his bed, crossing her legs, and staring at her finger nails as if she was bored. "So what's this all about? You two become best chums?" She asked, truly astonished to find Holden spending time with Snape, even as much as Severus begged for his attention.

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FOUR HUNDRED & TWENTY-FOUR WORDS