Highway to hell, Chapter Six: The Morning Star

By Ratwoman

ratwoman02@yahoo.de

Disclaimer: They all belong to JK Rowling, I just borrowed them. They certainly will be glad when I bring them back, because I'm a very sick person

Pairing: SS/LM, also to a smaller extent SS/SB

Rating: NC-17 (overall)

Warnings: BDSM, auto-aggression

Category: Darkfic, Drama/Angst, Humour

Note: The name Bartholomeus Scarabeus Peingebreck is stolen from

Samsas Traum

Summary: Snape's time at university, when he meets Lucius Malfoy, Lord Voldemort and other nice fellows



Highway to hell, Chapter Six: The Morning Star
By Ratwoman
ratwoman02@yahoo.de

"His countenance, as the morning-star that guides
The starry flock, allured them, and with lies
Drew after him the third part of Heaven's host "
~John Milton, Paradise Lost


"Dammit, are you still in there, Mill?" Severus called as he frantically knocked at the bathroom door. There was only about half an hour left until Lucius's party, and Mill was still blocking the bathroom.

Pounding his fists at the door, Severus shouted: "I. Need. The. Fucking. Bathroom!"

Finally Mill opened: "For Mab's sake, come in then!" she called exasperated.

Severus rushed past her, barely noticing that she was only wearing a bra and a slip. He quickly stripped and jumped into the shower while she was fighting with her wayward hair.

After a quick shower - there was not much time left - Severus climbed out, wrapped a towel around his waist and tried to push the half-fairy away from the mirror.

Mill was still trying to tame her hair, while he was trying to comb out the knots in his.

After a while he noticed Sebastian standing in the door frame, watching them with a cheeky smirk.

"What?!" Severus barked.

"Just thought..." Sebastian said.

"What? You did think?"

Mill giggled.

"Yeah, I always thought there's only one chick in the house." Sebastian said, and hurried away, because Severus was running after him.

Sebastian ran to his room and locked the door, not without snatching off Severus's towel before.

Severus growled, then Apparated into his room to get dressed.

Dress-robes, Lucius had said. Severus had chosen elegant, plain robes of black silk for tonight, with buttons of real silver. They fit his body tightly, and the silk was pleasant to wear.

Severus hurried back into the bathroom to take care of his hair. Mill was just going into her own room, having somehow tamed her curls in a complicated, upswept hairstyle.

"You look sexy." she said, passing him.

"You, too," he answered, considering that she was still in her underwear.

All in all, they were almost half an hour late when all three of them were dressed. Sebastian, wearing marine blue robes, was ready first, then Sev, and last Mill, wearing a beautiful sea-green shoulder-free dress.

One after the other they went through the floo system to Lucius's salon.

There were already a lot of elegantly dressed witches and wizards in the salon, standing gathered in small groups, chatting animatedly.

Severus swallowed, remembering how bad he was at Smalltalk. Fortunately Narcissa was graciously walking up to them with a bright smile. She was wearing a pastel blue dress and had her hair elegantly put up, with some locks coquettishly curling at her cheek. Narcissa greeted Mill with high society style kisses on the cheek, graciously held her hand to Sebastian and Severus, saying something like how glad she was that they could come.

"I've got to introduce you to someone." she said with an important look on her face. "Come."

The trio looked at each other uncomprehendingly and followed her. She led them to a tall, slender man of about fifty with a square, handsome face who stood a few feet away from them.

"May I introduce you?" Narcissa said: "Sebastian Goyle," Sebastian nodded his head, "Carmilla Campanella." Mill smiled and shook the stranger's hand, "Severus Snape," Obviously that name rang a bell, the stranger's eyes narrowed slightly. Severus suppressed a sigh: his oh so famous father! "And this is," Narcissa beamed at the man: "Bartholomeus Scarabeus Peingebreck, also known as the heir of Faustus!"

Severus gaped at him in awe. Of course he had heard of the Dark Wizard Bartholomeus Peingebreck, who was a direct descendant of the infamous Johannes Faustus, the continental equivalent of Salazar Slytherin.

Bartholomeus gazed in a scrutinising manner at Severus and asked with a strong German accent: "Are you somehow related to Validus Snape?"

Was there anyone in this world who did not know him? "He was my father." Severus said, resignedly noticing the disapproving look on Mr Peingebreck's face, who was probably comparing Severus to his father.

"Methinks you didn't like Validus Snape?" Narcissa observed with a small sarcastic smile.

Snape blinked. Of course, Bartholomeus Peingebreck was notorious for his liberal attitude towards the Dark Arts, people like him did not like Aurors!

"He tried to put me into Azkaban once." Bartholomeus Peingebreck said with a sardonic smirk.

"Really?" Severus broke out. "That's great!" Blushing, he added, "I mean, you're the first person who does not tell me what an incomparable perfect specimen my father was."

Obviously the heir of Faustus understood what he meant, because he smiled and said: "Between us: he was quite blinded by the light."

"What do you mean by that?" Mill asked, obviously eager to engage in a conversation with the famous wizard.

"Well," Mr Peingebreck said, looking thoughtful, probably in his mind translating his explanations into English. "Fanatism. He was so fanatic about fighting the Dark Arts... though, in my opinion, the Dark Arts - and white magic as well - it is like a good bottle of wine:" he raised his glass of red wine to the light, "a bit of it is fine, it can even be healthy, but too much is... what the is the word... devastating. You've got to keep the balance."

"Or else the devil will take you, like he did with your great-great-great-grandfather?" Narcissa asked in a playful voice.

The heir of Faustus laughed. "Oh, who knows what really happened... I mean, legends were forming around Faustus even while he was still alive, and then after his death - God only knows how he really died - all those booklets were written to frighten people into obedience to the church, then Marlowe wrote a wonderful play about him, almost two hundred years later Goethe... Most of what we 'know' about my ancestor is distorted by legend."

Narcissa smiled, sensing a possibility to show off with her education: "I must say, Goethe put the best lines into the devil's mouth:

Ich bin der Geist, der stets verneint
Und das mit Recht, denn alles was ensteht
Ist wert dass es zugrunde geht.
Drum besser waer's wenn nichts entstuende
So ist denn alles was ihr Suende
Verderben, kurz das Boese nennt
Mein eigentliches Element."

Severus's German was only rudimentary, from what he could gather it was something about a spirit who denies... and about sin, destruction, evil.

The heir of Faustus smiled and said: "Marlowe also gave Mephostophilis the best lines:

Thinkst thou that I, who saw the face of God
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven
Am not tormented by tenthousand hells
In being deprived of everlasting bliss."

"Do you believe in God?" Severus asked.

"As much as in the devil." Narcissa answered dismissively.

Batholomeus Peingebreck shrugged his shoulders and answered: "I never saw the face of God, but I also never saw oxygen." Looking curiously at Severus he asked: "What about you?"

Severus blushed slightly. He did not really know whether or not, so he decided for a joke: "I don't know about God, but I think my mum is the devil."

At that moment, a nervous-looking house elf appeared in the door frame and announced: "The Dark Lord has arrived."

"The Dark Lord?!" Severus repeated. Lucius knew Lord Voldemort? And he had been surprised to meet the heir of Faustus!

He was not the only one who was surprised, the murmuring sound of people talking excitedly to each other filled the salon.

The room fell silent when the most legendary wizard these days strode past the trembling house elf.

The crowd parted to make way as he walked into the salon. He was a tall, handsome man, whose lush black hair was falling onto his shoulders. His dark green robes were well-tailored and of expensive material. Severus knew, the Dark Lord must be at least as old as the heir of Faustus, but he did not look much older than thirty. Or rather, he looked ageless, and an almost visible aura of power seemed to shroud him.

Lucius met him and bowed deeply. "My Lord," he said, "I thank you for the honour of your visit."

The Dark Lord smiled and answered in a rich, melodic voice: "I thank you for the invitation, Lucius."

Narcissa stepped next to Lucius and curtseyed.

"Narcissa," Lord Voldemort said, "still the most beautiful flower in the garden."

Narcissa blushed and smiled.

Lord Voldemort looked around and said slightly amused: "Now, don't act as if a cauldron exploded. Relax, have fun!"

The same instant the people started chattering again, but this time eagerly observing the Dark Lord.

Severus watched with fascination as Lucius was talking to Voldemort, then led him towards their group.

Mill and Sebastian bowed, and Lord Voldemort smiled at them, saying: "Carmilla, Sebastian, it's a pleasure to meet you here."

Lucius introduced Bartholomeus Scarabeus Peingebreck, and the two great wizards shook hands, looking at each other with obvious interest.

"We haven't had the pleasure to meet yet." Lord Voldemort remarked.

"Then it's about time," the heir of Faustus answered.

"And this is my new house mate, Severus Snape." Lucius fell in.

"I remember, you told me about him," the Dark Lord said, turning to Severus. Severus blushed under the intense gaze. "So you're the big Potions talent?"

Severus blushed even more deeply and found himself rendered unable to speak.

The Dark Lord smiled in a friendly manner. "And you're almost as eloquent as Sebastian."

"Hmm?" Sebastian made.

Narcissa brought two other people to the group: Severus knew them, they were Rodolphus Lestrange and his girlfriend Bellatrix. Rodolphus nodded at Severus, but Bellatrix had only eyes for Lord Voldemort, staring in utter fascination at
him while Narcissa was introducing them.

***

The evening developed in a most interesting manner. Those who did not know the Dark Lord yet were eager to be introduced to him, those who knew him tried to have a conversation with him, so more or less the whole crowd assembled around him when he sat down in an armchair. Some had the fortune to get to a chair near him, the rest was standing and listening with fascination. Bellatrix was sitting on the floor to his feet, gazing up to him adoringly.

Severus and Lucius were standing next to the arm-chair Narcissa was sitting in, sharing the general fascination with Lord Voldemort's words.

He was extremely eloquent and the sound of his rich voice could carry one away. His arguments for studying the Dark Arts not only sounded reasonable, but even poetic. He was talking about the obligation to know both sides, darkness and light, of the beauty of the Dark Arts, of the sweetness of the power they comprised, of liberty and of throwing off all restraints.

"But the Ministry rather keeps us captive with rules. They are afraid we might overthrow their perfect little world order, regain the power they have usurped. They are too afraid of the Dark to see its beauty."

Severus was listening with closed eyes to the entrancing voice that told about the unfair restriction the Ministry put on magic. He was now talking about the Muggle-protection laws.

"They" meaning the Ministry, "are even afraid of Muggles. Or for what reason should we hide from them? For what reason are they so afraid a Muggle might see us doing magic? WE have to hide, we who should be rulers of this world, who by merit should be kings and queens."

The Dark Lord paused for a moment. "We are on a higher evolutionary level than them, homo superior. Why do we hide from the Muggles? Does a bird hide from a worm?"

For the first time since half an hour someone else spoke: "What do you intent to do with the Muggles, then?" Bartholomeus Peingebreck asked. Severus opened his eyes and looked at the heir of Faustus, surprised to see a frown on his face.

"We should no longer hide, we should show ourselves proudly to the world." the Dark Lord said in a slightly irritated voice. "Those who want to serve us, may live on. The rest deserve to die, like a pest that should be eliminated."

Severus was slightly shocked. He had not expected the Dark Lord to go that far.

Bartholomeus Peingebreck stepped closer, glaring darkly at Voldemort. "I heard the same kind of nonsense before, more than thirty years ago. Back then my parents had wisely put a charm on me so that no one would ask why I wasn't in the Hitlerjugend."

Lord Voldemort rose, looking furious. "Don't you dare comparing me with that Muggle scum!"

"But your words DO have much in common with the propaganda that was on the radio all the time back then. They kept repeating that the Arians are superior to all other races, and that every problem sprung from the Jews, until everyone believed it. Or, not really everyone, but most people were too scared to protest." Bartholomeus Peingebreck said.

"How dare you...!" the Dark Lord was white with anger now.

Lucius stepped forward and said in an icy voice to the heir of Faustus: "Mr. Peingebreck, I cannot allow that you offend my guests! I must ask you to leave my house, now!"

Bartholomeus took a look around at the excited faces of the assembled wizards and witches and called: "I warned you!" Then he Disapparated in a dramatic cloud of green smoke.

Lord Voldemort sank to his chair and closed his eyes, recollecting himself. Then, gazing sharply at the silent crowd, he said: "Mr. Peingebreck's comparison was of course nonsense! If anything, Hitler proved how despicable Muggles are. From the beginning of time all they did was killing and torturing each other, engaging in useless wars, eliminating whole peoples - the Indians, the Jews...It just shows that what is needed desperately in our world is a cleansing, a cleansing of a world that has been polluted by Muggles, a world in which the rivers and forests are dying all because of the Muggles. If we don't intervene, they will destroy our planet."

Lord Voldemort seemed to be in a rage. It was contagious. Severus felt his own heartbeat accelerating while his imagination provided the pictures to the Dark Lord's words. In the same manner the faces of the assembled witches and wizards darkened as they listened to the Lord's description of the Muggles depravity.

After a while several witches and wizards started shouting affirmative exclamations, adding more crimes they knew Muggles were committing. At the end of the night, Severus felt ready to kill every Muggle he met.



***
END



The lines from Goethe Narcissa quotes mean in translation:

I am the Spirit that denies!
And rightly too; for all that doth begin
Should rightly to destruction run;
'Twere better then that nothing were begun.
Thus everything that you call Sin,
Destruction - in a word, as Evil represent-
That is my own, real element.