Gone Twisted

That night, Voldemort didn't have to carry her into her room, but still brought her there all the same.

"I'm very pleased with you, my love," he muttered as they walked through her bedroom door and he sat down on the couch Ash preferred lying on. With a simple tap on the fabric next to him, the Dark Lord ordered her to his side. When she sat down next to him, she felt his fingers brush over her skin once again, caressing her cheeks once again. When they found her chin, he forced her to look up at him, "I think I have a new favourite," he hissed pleased as he studied her feature, his mouth faintly resembling a smile.

Her strawberry blond hair was still a bit sticky with the sweat of the torture before, but still flowed smoothly across her shoulders, framing her beautiful face exquisitely. Her porcelain skin, the full naturally red lips, the flawless straight nose, the high cheek bones and the magnificently emerald green eyes.

Those eyes. Those eyes that held so much emotions in them, but could still be so cold. Those eyes that held could be read like a book, but could also hide everything. Those eyes fascinated him to no ends.

Next he let his eyes stray to her flawless hour glass figure, ripe and fresh.

Slowly his fingers ran down her thin neck and stopped right above the breasts, slowly letting his cold fingers slide over the exposed skin.

"It's such a pleasure, having such a beauty under my followers," he hissed with a smile.

"I don't deserve this much praise, my lord," the girl said, her eyes moving away from his face towards the floor. The creatures smile broadened as he heard her flawless, melodic voice talk. It was still raw from the three days of continues screaming, but just these few word reminded him of the day he had heard her sing for his followers.

"You deserve that and much more," he told her and continued watching her with interest that kept forcing shivers through the girls spine. "I bid you a good night, please come to my office as soon as you have slept to your fullest and have enjoyed breakfast," he said and pushed himself of the couch, leaving her in her room all alone.

When she heard the door close behind the man, Ash collapsed within herself. Together with that man her strength to appear strong and emotionless also disappeared, with that man her will to remain strong disappeared.

Slowly Ash let her face fall into her hands as she broke down, crying like she never cried before. Tears streamed down her cheeks in a continuous river and shivers of pain and sorrow ran through her muscles in spasms as she sat on the couch and cradled herself tightly.

After a few moments, Ash regained a few bits of her strength and straightened out, glaring at the dark tattoo that had appeared on her arm not so long ago. A skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth.

It disgusted her. It fascinated her. It bound her.

Slowly calming down again, Ash let her mind wander over the events that had occurred before this day, especially the little encounter she had just a few days prior, with her former potions master.



She was pacing her room in darkness, not being able to get a wink of sleep.

"Does he want - "she cut off her mumbling when she heard the door creak open. "Who's there?" she called into the darkness, before a dark figure emerged out of the door and closed it behind him, flicking on the light in the process.

In front of her stood the man that she had known for the last few months, had trusted and believed his every word, before he betrayed them all. He was a thin man with sallow skin and a large, hooked nose. Shoulder-length, greasy black hair framed his face in curtains and his cold, black eyes reminded Ash of dark tunnels. His thin-lips where smiling at her with a warmth he showed only to a few people. He was wearing his usual black, flowing robes that give him an appearance of a bat in waiting.
.
"Snape," she hissed, stumbling backwards away from him.

"Ash, I'm happy that you are well," he said in his usual soft voice, as he tied to close the distance between them, but Ash hurried away from him.

"What do you want?" she snarled.

Seeing that she was uncomfortable, Snape sighed and stepped back a few steps, expanding the distance between them. "I want to show you something," he told her and pulled out a large silver pensive from his robes.

Confused, Ash stayed rooted where she stood and watched carefully as he placed the pensive on the floor and pulled out one of his memories placing it into the silver plate. "Look," he ordered and stepped away from the pensive while she suspiciously walked up to it.

Kneeling down in front of the pensive, Ash watched the silver-white memory swirl, luring her in. One last glance at Snape and she plunged her head into the strange liquid and dived into the memory presented to her.

It was night time and Dumbledore sagged sideways in the throne-like chair of his office. His right hand was hanging over the side, black and burned. Snape was kneeling before him, muttering incantations, pointing his wand at the wrist, while his left hand poured a thick golden potion into the headmasters throat. After a few moments Dumbledore’s eyes fluttered open.

"Why?" Snape asked, "Why did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realized that. Why even touch it?"

Ash looked at the desk Snape was glaring at and saw a ring sit on it, it was cracked; a sword lay beside it. Dumbledore grimaced.

"I... was a fool. Sorely tempted..."

"Tempted by what?"

Dumbledore didn't answer.

"Is a miracle you managed to return here!" Snape fumed. "That ring carried a curse of extraordinary power, to contain it is all we can hope for; I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being -"

Dumbledore raised his blackened, useless hand and examined it curiously. "You have done well, Severus. How long do you think I have?" the man asked in a tone that could have asked for the weather forecast, not his life expectancy.

Snape hesitated, "I cannot tell. Maybe a year. There is no halting such a spell forever. It will spread, eventually, it is the sort of curse that strengthens over time."

Dumbledore smiled. The news that he had only about a year to live didn't seem to effect him to much. "I am fortunate, extremely fortunate, that I have you Severus."

"If only you had summoned me a little earlier, I might have been able to do more, buy you more time!” said Snape furiously. He glared at the ring and sword, "Did you think that breaking the ring would break the curse?"

"Something like that... I was delirious no doubt..." Dumbledore shifted position. "Well, really, this makes matters much more straight forward."

Seeing Snape look at him confused, Dumbledore smiled. "I refer to the plan Lord Voldemort is revolving around me. His plan to have the poor Malfoy boy murder me."

"The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed. This is merely a punishment for Lucius's recent failures. Slow torture for Draco's parents, while they watch him fail and pay the price." Snape muttered after he sat in the chair opposite Dumbledore.

"In short, the boy has had a death sentence pronounced upon him as surely as I have. Now I should have thought the natural successor to the job, once Draco fails, is yourself?"

After a short pause Snape said, "That, I think, is the Dark Lord's plan."

"Lord Voldemort foresees the moment in the near future when he will not need a spy at Hogwarts?"

"He believes the school will soon be in his grasp, yes."

"And if it does fall into his grasp, I have your word that you will do all in your power to protect the students of Hogwarts?"

Snape gave a stiff nod.

"Good. Now then. Your first priority will be to discover what Draco is up to. A frightened teenage boy is a danger to others as well as to himself. Offer him your help and guidance, he ought to accept, he likes you -"

"-much less since his father has lost favour. Draco blames me, he thinks I have usurped Lucius's position."

"All the same, try. I am concerned less for myself than for the accidental victims of whatever schemes might occur the boy. Ultimately, of course there is only one thing to be done if we are to save him from Lord Voldemort's wrath."

Snape raised an eyebrow and his tone was sardonic when he spoke again, "Are you intending to let him kill you?"

"Certainly not. You must kill me."

There was a long silence before Snape spoke once again, his voice heavy with irony, "Would you like me to do it now? Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?"

"Oh, not quite yet," Dumbledore answered smiling, "I dare say the moment will present itself in due course. Given what has happened tonight, we can be sure it will happen within a year."

"If you don't mind dying, why not let Draco do it?"

"That boys soul is not yet so damaged, I would not have it ripped apart on my account."

"And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?"

"You alone know whether it will harm your soul to help a old man avoid pain and humiliation. I ask this one great favour of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this years league. I confess I should prefer a quick painless exit to the protracted and messy affair it will be if, for instance, Greyback is involved - I hear Voldemort has recruited him? Or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it."

Ash watched as Snape gave another curt nod, satisfying Dumbledore, "Thank you, Severus..." she heard her former headmaster say before the office disappeared and she was thrown back into the real world.



"He... he wanted you to kill him?" she asked confused as she looked at Snape in horror.

"Yes he did."

Taking deep breaths, Ash swallowed hard and watched Snape near her once again and saw him put his memory back into his head.

"Why did you show me this? Isn't it dangerous for you to do this?"

"Very, but I believe I can trust you not to tell anyone."

"But what it they torture it out of me?"

Snape smiled, "The Dark Lord wont do that. Not if you agree to become a Death Eater."

"Never!" Ash snap again and got of the ground and tried to flee from Snape again, but he grabbed her wrist and, being much stronger then her, stopped her from retreating.

"Ash! Listen to me!"

"No! I will never become a Death Eater! Never! Never! Never!" she screamed at her former Professor and tried to get away from him but his grasped remained firm.

"Listen to me!"

Ash stopped struggling under his grip and did as requested. "The Dark Lord wants to use you as bait for Potter. He believes that Potter will come and rescue you. He will want to keep you near, will want to make you into his most faithful pawn. Do it. Let it happen. Become a Death Eater and stay by his side, play the faithful pawn he wants you to be. You will be able to listen to all his conversations, he'll get you involved in his plans, hopefully ask for your advise. Be a spy for the order, Ash!"

"For the order?" Ash sneered, "why should I? What did they ever do for me?"

"Help Harry, if not the order," Snape said softly, "help Ron, help Ginny, help Hermione."

Ash bit her lip and stared at Snape. "Help Blaise," he added and made Ash stare at him with big eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Blaise heard about what happened from Harry. He and Tracy unofficially joined them in the quest of destroying the Dark Lord," Snape told her with a small smile.

Staring at the man in front of her with emotionless eyes, Ash let all of the newly attained information sink in. Tracy... Blaise... They were trying to help her family and they didn't even like them all that much and she had such a big chance. Who would she be too not help them? What would Blaise think off her?Blaise... only hearing his name already sent goosebumps up her body.Blaise... how she longed to see him again.

Swallowing hard, she nodded her head, telling Snape she would do what he asked of her.

He had told her that she had to stay strong, determined. He had foretold that Voldemort would bring Draco into the game at one point to lure her in. He told her how to react, to try and save Draco - not that she wouldn't have tried anyway. He told her everything he knew and when the next morning came, Ash was determined to succeed.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Manor, a dark hooded creature was sitting in a throne-like chair and was stroking a snakes head, lovingly.

"He will come for her, Nagini, I know it," he told the snake in a tongue quiet unlike the one he spoke when he talked to his followers, "I can feel his despair of losing her, I can feel his determination. Soon... soon I will get my revenge!" the dark creature snickered in delight.