Chapter Text
Victims Of A Madman
Severus Snape was a cruel, bitter and jaded man. He’d wallowed in his trauma, refusing to adjust to life, and allowed himself to become consumed. In short, he was the perfect henchman for an evil dark overlord and an atrocious choice of school teacher.
Especially when asked to teach the son of his tormentor.
Worse still when granted unrestrained access to said child’s mind.
Any decent human being, let alone a professor, would have seen the mind of a damaged child and instantly contacted authorities capable of removing the child from the abuse.
Severus Snape, was not a decent human being.
No, when granted access to the mind of Harry Potter under the guise of assisting him, he used it to ravage the unguarded brain of a child, destroying any and all mental blocks he met. He unleashed years of torment and abuse on an already overwhelmed child and broke him.
When thrown out into the hallway to return to his dormitory, Harry Potter was all but catatonic, moving on instinct rather than conscious thought.
Severus Snape, he grinned maliciously and waited with bated breath for his next summoning. He’d finally caught the break he deserved. He would be rewarded for the ammunition he could now provide his lord.
The Dark Lord was not a patient man. He was not a good man and he certainly wasn’t kind. However, with each word that left the lips of his spy, he wanted to kill him.
“So, allow me to get this straight,” he stated. “Dumbledore demanded you teach the boy Occlumency to keep me from his head. Instead of even attempting to do so you obliterated his already unguarded mind, ripping away any unconscious efforts he had in place to protect himself from his own memories, and exposed him to the abuse he suffered. Tell me, Severus, you understand the concept of an abuse victim, when overwhelmed with that much pain, what do you often see happening?”
Severus appeared baffled for a moment before it dawned on him. He instantly understood his mistake. Breaking the mind of an abuse victim, often led to them ending their lives. If Potter decided to commit suicide, his lord wouldn’t receive the glory of his death. Severus prostrated himself immediately.
“My lord, I apologize. If you grant me, I shall return and ensure the boy survives to greet your wand for the final time.”
The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes. That was what his spy believed? That was what he saw as his failure? He sneered at the man.
“Indeed. You shall go and keep the boy alive and, the next I summon you, you shall bring him to me. Your time as a spy is over, Severus. Bring him to me in one piece and without further damage on your part.”
Once alone, the dark lord stood from his chair. Why had the boy been abused? By muggles nonetheless. Did they not worship him for their brief respite from death? And the magical world. Why was it believed he was so brilliantly well-cared for? Even he had seen that Potter wasn’t even remotely as tall as either of his parents, let alone bulky enough for a ten-year-old, let alone a boy of fourteen. Somehow he doubted he’d suddenly developed correctly in the months since seeing him. The Dark Lord glared at the wall.
Even after all these years, that meddlesome bastard continued to stand by and allow magical children to suffer the hands of muggles. There was no doubt in his mind that Dumbledore knew of Potter’s home life. He also doubted that Potter had never once asked to be housed elsewhere.
The Dark Lord sighed. So many questions, so few answers. He returned to his seat and summoned two followers.
The Rat arrived first, grovelling the moment he entered the room. Unfortunately for him, the Dark Lord was in no mood for placations.
“Crucio!” He snapped, ending the spell only after the man had urinated on himself. “Wormtail, tell me, Lily Potter had a sister. Were they close?”
”N-n-no, my, my lord. They despised one another. Lily always believed her jealous of magic and it made her cruel. She didn’t speak often but when she did it was never in a positive light.”
The Dark Lord nodded. If a woman was cruel to her sister for being magical, having a magical orphan thrust upon her would only exacerbate the issue. Lucius entered the room with a polite bow, but remained silent until addressed.
“Lucius, I require you to locate the wills of the Potters. I want to know where they intended the boy to go upon their deaths. I fear a Gryffindor has attempted to play the games of snakes and has thus far succeeded. Bring the information to me as soon as you find it.”
The blond nodded before silently leaving on his task. He satisfied his frustrations by driving the Rat to mindless whimpers. The animagus was progressively becoming less important in the scheme of things. A nuisance more often than was wise. Perhaps he aught to begin culling his useless minions. A smirk crossed his face. Yes, that would certainly confuse the public. Collections of marked death eaters showing up in public alleys. Perhaps he aught to tell Rita. A neutral party who lived only for her paycheck and notoriety. Yes, a pretty penny to spin it in his favour, or at least away from Dumbledore’s, would be a brilliant next step.