Chapter 35: Sectumsempra

Severus unfolded it, feeling the weight of the quality parchment, knowing it was a parchment that could not belong to just any wizard.

His eyes met an elegant, slanted handwriting, and even without a signature, he knew exactly whose it was.

~~~~Letter~~~~

My dear Severus Prince,

(He read the letter, remembering the obnoxious voice of Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius's father.)

I am writing to congratulate you on your recently acquired inheritance, it is a great comfort to me to know that you have managed to take the position of heir to the house of Prince.

Now, although I do not doubt your commitment to being part of the cause, there are certain requirements that I need from you.

It has been said that you have decided to keep the Prince as a neutral house which is very satisfying to know, but once you join the cause the neutral status of your house must cease.

I also understand the unique talents you have, but I'm not the only one you need to convince.

You will need to send me something to present as a demonstration of your worth.

Although I understand that you have already created a spell that proves your worth, so a simple demonstration of this will be enough to officially join the cause.

~~~End Letter~~~~

The letter ended abruptly without closure, reading more like a memo than a letter.

Severus assumed this was his first step towards initiation as an official member of the Death Eaters.

It seems Lucius' father is anxious and doesn't want to waste any time, he even sent the letter during the first day of his sixth year.

Too bad he was no longer interested in such things as the "Cause".

Severus wasn't even going to bother replying.

'Incendio' with a quick, smooth wave of his hand Severus set the letter on fire and it turned into blackened shreds.

The letter burned until there was only a faint smell of smoke left in the dormitory, but Severus blew it away with a silent gust of wind.

He had already mastered magic without a wand, though there were still many spells for which he would require his wand.

The wand was still a very useful weapon not only for these spells he had not yet managed to cast without a wand but also because the physical and mental wear and tear of using a wand was minimal compared to not using a wand.

After burning the letter he again made a quick wave of his hand and his copy of 'Advanced Potion Making' flew out of his bag.

This little black book was one of his most valuable possessions as Snape.

It used to be Snape's only source of comfort in difficult times.

Severus opened the old textbook and the first thing he read on the cover was:

"Property of the Half-Blood Prince."

The naïve Snape had been so attached to the idea that he was at least half a Prince, part wizard, half that he could replace the dirty part of him that belonged to his father.

Snape was weak and despite his hatred for his father, he had always been intimidated by him, which was why he decided to think that his Prince blood and his talent were what would get him ahead in the magical world.

Now he only laughed that he felt comfort in this book and his status as half Prince.

Although Severus was now heir to the Prince family and was considered a "true Prince" due to the ritual of inheritance, Severus wasn't proud of it or felt better than others because of it.

No, power is what was really important.

Severus calmly turned the pages of the book until he found the spell he had written in the corner of the book.

That was the spell Abraxas Malfoy was talking about.

A spell that Snape had shown Lucius and that he had probably told his father about.

Snape had presented the spell to Lucius to see if it would be acceptable as a proof of his worth as a future death eater.

Although Snape had no plans to join the Dark Lord until he could convince Lily, he still had to be prepared to be accepted.

It was in his fourth year that Snape began to create this spell and what he considered to be his darkest curse...

Sectumsempra...

A cutting spell to use against his enemies.

In fact, Snape had begun to develop it in a fit of rage against Potter and Black...

But it was only after the utter humiliation he had suffered in front of the entire school and the loss of Lily that Snape managed to finish it.

He had spent many days refining and perfecting it in his haze of anger and hatred.

Because that was all in his life at the moment, after losing Lily and suffering such humiliation he was alone, unable to find refuge at home or at school.

Snape was forced to face the demons in his life alone.

Because he pushed away the only person he cared about.

There was no surprise that Snape clung to this spell as a lifeline, a hope for a better future as a follower of the Dark Lord, a place where he mattered and had a purpose.

But Severus was no longer that pathetic boy.

He still remembers when Snape determined that he had the right spell and the right wand movements, he had gone to a secluded spot in the forbidden forest adjacent to the school grounds, a place where he used to exclude himself to be alone and quiet.

Snape chose to test his spell on a large tree in the middle of the forest.

Once he was sure that there was no one else in the surrounding area, he concentrated on his attempt, repeating the series and the movements several times;

Then he allowed his latent rage to reach boiling point in his desire for revenge against Potter and his gang and the humiliation they'd put him through...

And when he could finally visualise his tormentors at the mercy of his wand, Snape summoned his magic and the curse was released.

He still remembers shouting "Sectumsempra!" as he slashed his wand in a Z-formation against the large tree in front of him.

It was the first time Snape felt his magic erupt in such fury from within him and flow violently through his wand, fighting against his control like a raging river struggling to overflow.

At that moment, Snape watched as the tree began to fall, cutting clean through where the spell had struck it.

Snape had repeatedly imagined James Potter and Sirius Black at the end of the spell.

At first, he felt his lunch in the back of his throat and had to struggle not to regurgitate the contents of his stomach, breathing through his nose for several minutes.

But as the days passed, the nauseous feeling faded and the image of Potter and his party being cut down by his spell no longer looked so...

Evil.

As much as Snape hated Potter, Black, and their friends, he did not wish them dead, Severus was sure of that.

But from that day on, Snape began to doubt whether that was true.

Now Severus knew that Snape had been tempted by the dark side just like Darth Vader.

But Snape was lucky that his connection to the Force was so slight that the dark side did not actually corrupt him.

One advantage of using a wand is that even the dark side does not affect the user too much.

Otherwise, Snape would probably have tried to kill or torture Potter and Black without even thinking about the consequences.

Yes, the Dark Arts could corrupt wizards, but it was such a slight corruption that Severus laughed at how mentally weak wizards had to be to be affected by it.

Not only did they have no true connection to the Force, but they were also affected by a little corruption from the dark side.

As long as one remained steadfast in their desires and feelings, it was easy to resist the corruption of the dark arts, and could even use them without much trouble.

The dark side of the Force was much more complex and difficult to resist.

Yet if a wizard used the Dark Arts without a wand, he could lose his mind completely.

Severus even believed that this could be the case with the Dark Lord, a wizard who only allowed himself to be manipulated by the dark side due to his lack of knowledge of it and his lack of mental strength.

So far, Severus had been able to control his impulses and use the dark side without being affected.

Though he still had years of study and advancement in his own knowledge of the dark side before it would be completely safe for him to proceed fully into the use of the dark side without consequences.

~~~~~~~

-September 2, 1976

The next day Severus woke up early as usual, but unlike in his Manor, he now had no private room where he could quietly train with his sword and the Force.

He had no choice but to just do some basic training.

He noticed that his roommates were still in a deep sleep after the long talk they had last night with Mulciber, Rosier, and Avery along with the other Slytherins.

Although he had two roommates, he had no relationship with them and they almost didn't talk to him, Severus only knew that they were friends with Olivia Greengrass and her group.

Olivia and her group were usually pretty secluded from the rest of the Slytherins.

After training, Severus went to the Hall for breakfast.

This early in the morning there were very few students and most of them were just Ravenclaws going over things before class.

Severus made his way to the Slytherin table and sat at the seat furthest away from the head table.

This always used to be his spot, away from Dumbledore's attention.

He was tempted to approach the head table to see the old man's reaction, but there was no point in doing such a thing, he was not getting anything out of it.

Once he sat down in his usual seat, he began to read and wait quietly for breakfast.

After several minutes of sitting in silence, more students began to arrive.

Of course, the Ravenclaws were the first to find their seats.

Next was a small group of Hufflepuffs.

It seemed that the Slytherins were no better than the Gryffindors today, but Severus knew that it was probably because Mulciber and Avery had spent all night telling about the 'breaking news'.

And on the Gryffindor side, it was likely that they had been celebrating Draco and Hermione's welcoming.

Finally, food began to materialise in a few places around where the few scattered students sat.

A large plate of toast, egg, and bacon appeared before Severus, whose stomach growled ferociously in response, he reached for the toast and began to eat.

Then, the Slytherin and Gryffindors began to arrive.

"Hey, Severus are you feeling alright? You disappeared pretty quickly yesterday," asked a voice from behind him just before a body settled on the bench next to him.

Turning to the person who sat next to him, Severus met Rosier's face.

"Better than ever, I'd rather rest than listen to others talk about me," Severus replied in his soft, gravelly voice and then meticulously folded the eggs onto his fork to continue eating.

From the other side of the table, Mulciber dropped heavily onto the bench as he grabbed without any finesse at all sorts of food.

"It's normal for Severus to avoid annoyance," Mulciber commented as he chewed his bacon.

Apparently, elegance and table manners did not apply to all Slytherins as Mulciber was rather nonchalant and rude as he simply ate with his hands and spoke with his mouth full.

"By the way, Severus, did you start eating like a princess now that you're a Prince?" asked Mulciber seeing how polite he had become.

Usually, Mulciber and Severus were the nastiest people at the table when they ate.

"Concentrate on how you eat your breakfast and less on how I eat mine," Severus said curtly and continued eating quietly causing Mulciber to look at him with anger.

Few people spoke to Mulciber with that tone as he was bigger, stronger than most, and was from a good pureblood family.

In Slytherin only two things mattered, strength and the blood, the weak and humble were only subjugated by others.

"Looks like being a Prince went to your head a bit too much," hissed Mulciber, slamming his hand on the table and giving Severus an intimidating look with every intention of starting a fight.

Severus didn't even bother to answer him or look at him, which irritated the already angry Mulciber even more.

Just as he was about to do something he would regret, Rosier spoke up.

"Stop being so bloody emotional and let the rest of us eat in peace," Evan Rosier glared at Mulciber.

They both looked at each other for a few seconds, Mulciber giving him an intimidating and irritated look and Rosier giving him a bored look that said: "I don't give a shit, just keep eating and don't cause any more problems"

It was only when Avery came in and started joking that Mulciber calmed down and leaned back to continue eating while laughing along with Avery.

"Before I forget. Prince, can you get or make the same potion I asked you for last year?" asked Avery expectantly.

"I don't waste my time on those things anymore," Severus replied.

" Dammit, that's going to be a pain in the arse," Avery complained. They used to pay Severus for different potions, but now that he no longer needed money they were without their most valuable potion supplier.

Mulciber and Avery frowned inwardly, it wasn't easy to find someone to provide them with high-quality potions, maybe in Ravenclaw, but that would be a drag.

Slowly the Professors arrived and took their places at the large table in the Hall.

Professor McGonagall took her place at the centre of the table next to Dumbledore's seat and gave everyone in the Hall a serious look.

While the Head of Slytherin, Horace Slughorn, entered and took the seat facing the Slytherin table.

Severus felt Slughorn's gaze on him and knew that this would be another year in which he would try to get him to join his annoying Slug Club.

After having been rejected so many times, Severus still wondered how he kept insisting that he join.

One would think he would have given up by now.

'If only he took as much care to understand what was going on in Slytherin as he did in his Club, many Slytherins probably wouldn't have decided to be death eaters,' Severus thought as he shook his head at the useless Potions professor.

Once he had finished breakfast, Severus got up to go to his room and prepare everything for the first class of the day.

Just as he was about to walk out the doors of the Great Hall a flash of dark red appeared in front of him.