Round Robin: Doomed Destiny
There were two Duelling Arenas Severus was aware of nearby and one of them was in Knockturn alley. Bruce paid their way in eager to see what Severus had in store for them. He selected a more exclusive private room with all manner of magical protection to prevent damage from darker spells. Severus knew no one would hold back.
In the deepest levels of the facility, hard wood floors became concrete slabs as they filed into the circular chambers. The chambers were wide enough to fit a tribe of trolls, the ceiling appeared to have been spelled with an expansion charm and for that Severus was grateful.
Each person stood a respectable distance apart and joined in the centre after several steps, they bowed before returning to their positions facing Severus. It was the sign the duel had officially started.
Evelyn and Bruce were the first to shoot a spell. One streaked past Severus’ shoulder while the other he deflected.
“Don’t go easy on me,” Severus said. “We can’t leave any room for doubt.”
Bruce smirked and shot a neon-blue spell which held the colouring of one of the unforgivable curses. The imperius curse.
Severus stepped out of the way and raised his shield in time to block Evelyn’s spell. Damien appeared to be utilizing Severus’ distraction to sneak behind him unnoticed but Severus was acutely aware of where everyone was in the room. He’s had years of practice since childhood preparing for multiple assailants. Severus summoned Damien by his clothes and threw him against Bruce knocking him back while simultaneously blocking two fire spells. Evan’s diabolical purple flame, and Evelyn’s weaker incendio. Severus’ protego shattered at the intensity and he used his power at the last second to pool at his feel and propel himself upwards. He ignored the fire under him in favour of releasing his dark magic in a pulse causing everyone to immediately fall to their knees.
Severus could see them struggling to keep their heads up to watch him and see what he would do. Severus instead floated down and hid his wand in his sleeve with a smirk just to prove a point. He didn’t need a wand to show his power. They could all feel the immense pressure of it forcing them to submit.
Their eyes shined with reverence.
“You can fly” asked Evan in awe.
Severus knew he had won their loyalty.
Severus accepted their oath of fealty and bid them farewell for a week, instructing them to recruit anyone not aligned with the Dark Lord.
Now, Severus had to return to Spinner's End for the dreaded meeting with his mother. It had been a long time since he last thought of her.
Eileen had been raised to be the perfect pure-blood daughter of an old and prestigious family. She was groomed to marry into a respectable pure-blood family related to the Princes and to bear and raise more perfect pure-blood children. But she defied expectations and married a muggle, a man with whom she endured a life of poverty and abuse. Sometimes Severus wondered if she would have been better off marrying someone her family chose for her, but such thoughts remained unanswered.
At one point in her life, Eileen harbored no animosity towards muggles; after all, she married one. But as her marriage soured, she grew to resent Tobias and, unjustly, extended that resentment to all muggles. Once it became clear her marriage would never improve, Eileen began to plan a future that excluded Tobias and any reminder of the muggle life she despised. She yearned to reclaim her status as a Prince, dreaming that Severus would excel at Hogwarts, marry into an important pure-blood family, and restore their family's prestige. However, reality veered far from her aspirations.
The Princes fell into bankruptcy, leaving Severus with no inheritance to reclaim. Instead of pursuing professional success, Severus dedicated his life to fulfilling Dumbledore's plans. In the end, Eileen died in poverty, never rising above the title of Tobias Snape's long-suffering wife.
Severus vowed to save his mother and make her proud in this lifetime. Contemplating his thoughts, he apparated to Spinner's End and knocked on the door.
Standing outside the door to his own home never felt so foreign, especially now knowing that he no longer held a claim to it. He felt a stranger waiting to enter someone else’s home. He hadn’t focused on it much, trying to keep it out of his mind in order to deal with the issues he had been facing but now that he was here he was hesitant to knock again. Instead, Severus raised his wand and with a wave unlocked the door. Upon seeing the faded blue wallpaper he felt like a child again and his upper lip curled in disgust as he quietly closed the door behind him.
The corridor stretched forward, with stairs at the end leading up to the bedrooms. There was a doorway to his right that led to the kitchen and the living room area where his father had fallen asleep on the sofa. He could see the balding patch of his father’s head dimly in the darkened room, and at his feet a collection of empty beer bottles glinted dully on the floor. The television was on but all that was running was a poor excuse for a football game with a lot of static interfering with it. To Tobias, it was a sign that either Eileen or Severus were nearby since many electronics became faulty in the presence of witches and wizards.
Not wanting to confront the man, Severus cast a charm over his father to place him into deep sleep and warded the room to prevent any sort of disturbance from waking him.
With muted steps, Severus ascended the stairs not bothering to turn on the lights, his feet carrying him to where he knew his mother would be out of sight from Tobias. By the time he reached the landing it was pitch black. He was uncertain as to why he didn’t want to alert his mother to his arrival just yet. Perhaps it was to buy more time to think up of a way to help them both financially, or it could have been traces of his childlike self that wanted to surprise her and see if she would react like other mothers who have welcomed their children home. He would never openly admit it, but a part of him still hoped to be received with open arms and greeted with the look of joy and relief at his return.
"Rus, you're back! I thought you wouldn't return," his mother exclaimed upon seeing him.
She looked better than the last time he saw her, healthier, with a newfound brightness.
Severus hadn't returned home after graduation in his previous life, choosing to stay with Lucius after his sponsorship offer. He only returned home after the death of his parents, who perished in an IRA bombing—an event that drove him to pledge himself to the Dark Lord.
"And you seem like you've seen better days. Well, I'll be staying here for a few days," Severus replied.
His mother appeared delighted and clapped her hands together. "Excellent! Your father will be happy to hear it."
Severus couldn't help but retort, "Obviously, since he'll have his favorite punching bag back."
Eileen said sadly, "I know we're not qualified to be your parents. We lost that right a long time ago. Your father feels remorse for how he treated you."
Severus erupted, "How many times must we repeat the same old story? Father cleans up for a few days, we pretend to be a happy family, and then we revert to our dysfunctional ways."
Eileen pleaded, "He hasn't touched alcohol in a year, not until we received the letter saying you wouldn't be coming back."
Severus suppressed a sliver of guilt and spat out, "Then congratulations, for Tobias the drunk is back."
After a moment of silence, Eileen continued, "Do you know how your father suffered his injury?"
Severus knew his father used to be a painter, once hailed as Blessed for his fine arts. Then, one day, he lost his right hand, his drawing hand, and descended into a life of alcohol and despair.
"Probably in an accident," Severus whispered.
"No, it wasn't an accident. It was inflicted by your uncle, Cassius Prince. He was second in line for the Princes' inheritance after me. After my marriage to Toby, I was disinherited, and he became first in line. But he still feared us taking his wealth. He hired a blood witch and paid a hefty sum to place two curses on us. A curse of insanity on your father and a curse of obsessive love on me, which passed down to you. It was followed by him cutting off his hand, cementing Toby's hatred for wizarding kind. His curse started weakening last year, and it disappeared entirely this week."
"This only means his drunken stupor is entirely his choice."
Eileen's mouth tightened. By now, the brightness in her expression was entirely gone, leaving her a shell of herself once more. She opened her mouth, then, with a shake of her head, snapped it shut. When she next looked up at Severus, her gaze was pleading.
"But you came back, despite your announcements to the contrary. I... missed you as well."
It sounded more like a question than a statement. And it was beyond reason that this, of all things, dulled the venomous responses sitting on Severus' tongue. It reminded him of why he was standing here when he could be out in the world, playing to his new-found strengths, defying the weight of destiny.
In any past life, he would have hexed himself for his weakness, for falling for promises that, once again, would surely be broken -
"I did."
He saw a weight lift off her shoulders at the words. She ran towards him, and her hands wrapped around him in a way they never had before. It was uncomfortable, awkward, Severus standing still in the midst of her embrace. But so personal, so intimate.
He pulled back. Her eyes were watery, their black like the deep waters of the Great Lake, the corners of her lips – pulled into a tentative smile.
“Thank you,” she said, lifted her hands as if to place them on his shoulders again, then dropped them at her side. “I know it was hard for you. But we talked… your father and I. Your letter broke us, it really did. We thought we’d lost you forever.”
“Fascinating that you don't lack reading comprehension,” replied Severus. It was meant to be biting, hurtful. Instead, it sounded weak, almost gentle, and Eileen's smile widened a little, though her eyes remained glossy and fixed on his.
“And yet, here you are. I don't know what changed your mind… I don't need to know. But I’m glad something did. And I promise… I promise I will do everything I can to win you back.”
It was an effort to hold her gaze. She hadn't seen him in only a year, but he hadn't seen her in twenty-one. And while the anger and resentment had never quite gone away, grief had dulled them significantly, and now he too wanted her back. Wanted to feel the love he hadn't experienced in his previous life, to have a place where he was safe, where he was home. If being safe was even an option… It never was, for him.
“Even if you had to leave him?”
Her brows knitted for a moment, then her expression saddened again. “Give him a chance, one last chance. That's all I ask.”
"If you insist," muttered Severus, "But this is his last chance. If he fails again, you'll have to choose between me or him."
His mother nodded in affirmation. "That's fair. I accept your condition, Rus."
After that, upon seeing his father sound asleep, Severus had dinner with his mother. It didn't compare to the splendor of Hogwarts house-elf cooking, yet there was a warmth he felt after eating his mother's dishes after such a long time. His mother hugged him again and bid him goodnight.
Severus went to his childhood bed but found sleep elusive. Feeling restless, he ventured to his father's workshop, expecting to find bottles of beer and a messy room. Instead, he found a clean space with drawing tables adorned with various types of pens, pencils, colors, and lots of paper, sketches, and drawing tools.
"Is he practicing painting with his left hand?" Severus wondered as he perused the different sketches made by his father, from older messy drawings to progressively improving artwork.
They looked good. Perhaps his father had indeed been talented. Then, he stumbled upon the latest drawing made by his father. It depicted his father, looking healthy and clean, his mother appearing happy in a dress with her arm linked to his father's, and a younger Severus, about 5 years old, smiling brightly in his father's arms. Severus couldn't help but shed a few tears.
In his past life, Severus had no quarrel with the Princes, only intending to claim their wealth—unfortunately squandered by his uncle Cassius. But now, knowing how that man was responsible for ruining their family, Severus' heart burned with vengeance, swearing to make Cassius pay.
Exiting his father's workshop, he went straight to his bed.
"Tada," he heard the irritating voice of Aider.
"What do you want?" snarled Severus, not in the mood to tolerate that insufferable voice.
"Dumbass, your reward for completing the first mission. It took a while to sanction it, but now it's ready."
"Unless you intend to hand over the Dark Lord's skull to me, what does it matter?"
"Hoh, and I thought you'd be interested. For now, you have the power to revive memories of your previous lifetime for only one person. Choose wisely," said Aider, crackling with maniacal laughter.
Severus stomach tightened at Aider’s words. There was something about it that didn’t sit right with him. It felt more like a trap than a boon.
Thus far, Aider had prodded him to take action and seemed to want to encourage him to take a lead in this war.
But for what? He was unsure.
It bothered him to have this being suddenly infiltrate his Occlumency shields and mould itself seamlessly to be a part of him. He hoped he hid his fear well with his anger when Aider made his presence known. He knew he was well over his head in this and tried to take it in stride. He was able to piece together that Aider was just a messenger or maybe even an advocate of sorts in a larger hierarchy who had the power to turn back time and bring him back.
At that thought, Severus could hear an amused dark chuckle echo through his mind. His eyes snapped up to the window in front of him. In its reflection, he could see his eyes glow ruby red before dimming, a sign that Aider was still there.
Was it still waiting for his answer?
Severus thought briefly on the reward and decided to risk voicing what had been bothering him all along.
“The reward is counterintuitive. I want to pave my own path without being under someone’s thumb. How can I do that when the most obvious answer to that would be Dumbledore who wouldn’t be able to help himself from trying to control me. It’s not in his nature.”
Aider hummed in thought. “What do you propose?”
Severus’ heart leapt at the chance. “The boy, Potter, give me his memories. He was the key to the Dark Lord’s downfall. Dumbledore entrusted him with it. Surely he would have a greater understanding.”
There was silence and only Severus’ excited breathing could be heard in the room. He wasn’t aware Aider had left until Severus’ eyes glowed again in the reflection.
“Granted,” said Aider, sounding mildly impressed. “Luckily, his son has accidentally killed him so he’s in limbo. Let’s go.”
Severus’ eye darted in confusion. “Where?”
“You? Deep sleep. We’re going to the purgatory.”
Severus grabbed his head in pain shuffling back as the edges of his vision darkened. He felt the back of his knees hit the edge of his bed as he fell back into complete darkness.
As Severus drifted into unconsciousness, he felt uneasy. The shift from his room to purgatory was confusing. Slowly, the misty landscape took shape around him.
The air was thick with silence, broken only by whispers of lost souls. Severus felt their sadness weighing on him. Amidst the mist, he stood alone, preparing for what lay ahead.
Moving forward, he sensed eyes watching him. Ignoring his fear, he focused on his goal.
In the distance, he saw a light. Approaching it, he found Harry Potter lost in thought. Their eyes met, recognizing each other.
"Hello, Professor Snape," said Potter, showing recognition.
Severus responded with a disdainful sneer, his longstanding contempt for the boy resurfacing. This version of Harry Potter appeared to be in his thirties, his unruly hair streaked with patches of gray. Despite his outward appearance, there was a newfound earnestness and respect in Potter's demeanor, a departure from their previous encounters.
It was nothing like their last encounter, only weeks ago for Severus; yet, once again, the spark of life that seemed to still brighten these eyes fuelled Severus' will to live, to better.
"Potter."
The lack of bitterness in his voice was not quite intentional, but it suited the reason he was here for.
The serene smile the man sent in response – it spoke of familiarity beyond the boundaries of hated teacher and loathed student, of understanding – was thoroughly disquieting.
"I can't honestly say it's good to see you, sir. But wherever you've been, it seems to have done you a world of good."
Severus thought he heard Aider snicker quietly in the background, and projected his wish for the presence to shut up.
"Enough chit-chat," Severus snapped. "Not all of us have endless time on their hands."
Potter, that infuriating man, merely laughed, and held out his hand. "Of course, Professor. Shall we?"
Severus frowned. "What are you insinuating?"
Slowly, the smile slid off Potter's face; the world-wariness left behind brought out the grey on the man's temples, the deep lines on his face. "Insinuating? I thought you were here –"
