What would happen if someone did check on Harry? Remus decides one day that he had to see his cub again, so on his 8th birthday goes to the Dursleys. But he isn't there. They search for three years, until finally he shows up in his first year. What...
Severus ran through the halls, terror thrumming through him for the first time since the last war. He slammed open the door of Albus' office, not waiting for the headmaster to speak before slamming his hands on the man's desk. "He's back, the dark lord is back!" Despair was the only word he could use to describe the headmasters face, and even then it could not quite describe the emotions they were both feeling. "I know you would not say this without reason Severus, but I must ask. Are you sure?" He nodded, wishing he could say it was a lie, some sort of trick. But it was true. "How, what happened? Is this why the stone disappeared?" There were so many questions, and Severus collapsed into a waiting armchair, exhausted with emotion. "That's the strangest thing. He claimed an unknown associate resurrected him, even going so far as forcing him to return to human form."
That was more worrying than anything Albus could have prepared for. No one forced Tom to do anything, not even when he was a child. "What do you know of this.....aid?" Never before had Albus seen the potions master in such an emotional state, not even the day Lily and James had been killed. Whatever was happening, Severus wasn't just worried. He was scared. "The dark lord described them as some sort of dark creature, one he had never seen before. It left a strange mark on his hand, apparently an sign of their deal. Umm...." He fell silent for a moment, scrabbling for some paper and a quill before etching the mark down.
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Concerned, Albus felt he had seen the symbol before, but could not place it. "I'm sure..." He muttered to himself, ignoring Severus for the time being as he wandered over to his books shelf, scanning title after title until finding the right one. 'Themes and sigils of the archaic dark arts.' Severus quirked an eyebrow at seeing Albus with such a book. "I am a collector Severus, and I use the knowledge I collect for good. It is certainly interesting either way." Severus frowned, but didn't say anything as they both peered over the pages, looking desperately for the symbol. It must have been hours before they finally found the truth. The terrible, terrible truth. Tom Riddle, the dark lord had made a pact with a demon prince of Hellion, or hell as muggles had come to know it. Chaos was coming, and Albus could only hope Tom would not survive it. Surely few would.
Harry actually hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He'd been wondering through the shadows, thinking about how best to address the issue. He wanted to move on, to forgive his father for lying, but it was difficult. At least, he thought with amusement, he now owned Riddle. That would negate any power the man could have used against him. But the two were inextricably linked, and he had no idea what to do about it. His pondering had just so happened to lead to Dumbledore's office, where he came across the scene before him. How could a dark lord be so stupid as not to see a spy? Now Dumbledore knew! Of course they had yet to make the connection between the demon and Hadrian Morningstar. This had put him in a foul temper, only worsening as his detention with Lockhart drew closer. Despite this, he mad the decision it would be best to attend, and it was this decision that soon led him to where he was now. Specifically standing over a bloody corpse. One couldn't call the torn-apart remains a body. They were exactly that: all that remained of the blonde. His temper had once again gotten the better of him, and he sighed as he left the room, not bothering to clean himself. Ignoring the coppery smell of blood, he strode down towards the Slytherin common rooms when a voice distracted him. "I shall see what I can discover Albus. Goodnight." It was Professor Snape. Apparently their little discussion about him as a demon was over. A thought occured to him, and deciding that one more bad decision couldn't hurt, he turned around, making his way towards the potion masters chambers.
Severus had only just sat down when he heard the light tapping at his door. Sighing heavily, he stood to address whichever young Slytherin had come to visit. When he opened the door however, the only thing that greeted him was darkness and a chill breeze, the same heavy atmosphere he'd felt last year. A thought occurred to him. Had that creature, that demon been here? In Hogwarts? Is that the dark presence he'd felt? He quickly closed the door, eager to return to the refuge of his chambers only to find that it too had been plunged into shadows. He took a blind step forwards before freezing at the deep, dark chuckle that echoed through the room. "Severus Snape....." It was said in an almost sing-song way, in some ancient language that he somehow understood. It was almost as if the demon was speaking directly into his mind. He felt more than saw the creature move, shuffling around the shadows. A single candle lit on his desk, and he knew from the book what this meant. Demons thrived in darkness, and would provide light to lure a victim into danger. He could imagine it did the same to the Dark Lord. "Show yourself." He silently cursed when his voice shook, not as strong as he'd wanted it to be. It laughed again, sending a shiver through his spine. "I'm not so sure you'd like that Severus." It drew his name out, almost as if testing it out, and he tightened his fists to stop from shaking.
"What do you want with me." He didn't laugh. This time it growled, a low deep reverberating sound that vibrated through his very bones. "Someone can't keep a secret." Terror filled him. This thing had made a deal with the dark Lord and had now discovered that Severus was a spy. "You're going to kill me." A sudden shove caused him to fall into the light, and he grabbed onto his chair to support himself. His legs were shaking, and simply sat, staring out desperately into the dark. The candle illuminated only his desk, revealing not a single distinct feature of the demon. The vague shape sat in the corner of the room, and he could feel it's eyes watching him. "I could. But I have a better idea. A deal." Severus sighed, and if he wasn't so scared he would have succumbed to his exhaustion and lay his head in his hands. So many deals, so many oaths and masters and lies. "Ah ah ah. I can offer you more, master of potions. I can offer your freedom." He let out a bitter, sharp laugh, which was echoed by the demon as it scuttled forward. It sounded exactly as his own, and his terror was renewed as he was reminded that this thing was not human. "I have the power to free you of your promises and oaths. Their magic will no longer effect you." Severus knew better than to deal with this creature, and would choose death before giving it his broken and bitter soul. At giving away the chance to see Lily again. But he spoke anyway, still hoping he could find some way out of this. "And what would you want in return?" It let out a pleased sound, almost like the purr of a cat. "Loyalty. Loyalty only to me. Give yourself to me, master of potions and I can give you everything you desire. Freedom from your other masters, a life of peace. I can show you the greatest potion secrets of the ancient masters."
He sighed, understanding now how so many had once fallen prey to the promises of demons. They made all these offers, ones they could truly pay upon. All it would cost was your soul. "As tempting as that sounds, great prince, I know the cost and it is one I'm not willing to pay." It laughed again, scrambling even closer, and now Severus could see those large white eyes watching him, so clearly inhuman. "You know of my kind little mortal, that book was clearly most informative." He only nodded before curiousity took hold, wondering what this demon was, what it could do. "So which prince am I speaking to?" It seemed to tilt it's head slightly before answering, almost as if it was surprised. "I am Hades, eighth prince of hell, Lord of Chaos." Severus frowned, the book had mentioned only seven princes, one for each sin. "I was led to believe there were only seven princes of Hellion." It was quiet before finally walking into the light, and Severus looked down at the evil and wrongness of the creature. It was almost humanlike, a human that had been burnt and warped and drowned in some sort of dark sludge. Yet it almost seemed to be made of shadows, as if it was simply pure darkness. But that smile, those eyes. They were unsettlingly familiar to him. But how? "I am not like the others of my kind. So you should truly reconsider turning down my offer." It didn't move as it spoke, the toothy smile unwavering, only it's head moved, swaying from side to side, it's shoulders hunched and claws sharp. "There is nothing that would lead me to part with my soul, I accept my death." At this it withdrew back into the shadows, a whispered response echoing through his mind. "Not even for her?"
He stood stock still for a moment, unsure if it was in anger or restrained hope. "You can't bring Lily back, her soul had never belonged to your kind." He felt it move behind him, leaning over his shoulder. "That is certainly true. But her child...." Panic flooded him at the thought of Harry being hurt, the boy he had sworn to protect. "You can't have him!" He shouted, angry, but the creature seemed extremely amused, laughing louder than before. "Oh but he is already ours!" Several thoughts raced through his mind. The darkness he felt on the boy, how the tracking spell had not worked, his claimed death. Morningstar. "What did you do to him." It sounded different this time, and he realised the voice was no longer in his mind, it was speaking English. "Me? I've done nothing. After all..." It drew closer, in front of him now and Severus drew back against the wall. It stepped out of the shadows and Severus looked on in horror at the face before him. "Why would I harm myself," said Harry.
