Agony--1975 (open)

Betta made her way outside after her last class, refusing to talk to anyone. She looked up at the sky--it was a lovely clear blue, but she wondered when that was going to change. When was she going to be asked to steal the blue sky away from the other Hogwarts students, particularly the Muggle-born students?

She sat down under a tree and clamped her hands onto her ears, trying to not hear her thoughts, but failing miserably. She could hear her father's voice once again.

"The time is coming when you will make the decision, Elisabetta. It won't be pleasant, but you have no choice. Decide now before he makes the decision for you."

"No." Betta whimpered, shaking her head. "Not Lily, too...I don't want to do it...please don't make me do it!"

She wrapped her arms around her knees and started rocking back and forth, still trying to block Damiano Domenici's voice. "No, Daddy...not me...I don't want to be like them!"

Severus had just walked out of the castle when he heard someone sobbing a few yards to his right. He looked and spotted Betta underneath a tree, very obviously upset, and hurried over to her.

"Let me read the letter, Betts." he said quietly, holding out his hand. "Please." He took it from her trembling hand a moment later and read it.


Elisabetta,

This is not a matter for negotiation. You will make this decision and you will make it soon. We will give you a month. Should you remain unwilling or undecided, your mother and I will decide for you. I trust you will not want that to happen.

Father


Severus sat beside Betta and wrapped an arm around her. "You don't have to do this, Betts. Dumbledore will know what to do to keep you safe."

"I don't want to join, Severus, but if I don't, they'll do something awful!" Betta sobbed. "The idea of hurting Lily and others like her--I don't want to! What am I supposed to do? My parents will probably kill me or have me killed by someone!"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Snape." Jerith sneered, walking up behind Severus and Betta. "Got another letter, Domenici? Still undecided as to what to do? Let me give you some advice. Join now and spare yourself a world of hurt. Don't join, and I might just tell Antonin that you're in dire need of a new boyfriend."

"Get out of here, McKennon!" snarled Severus, standing up and pulling his wand out. "Say one word to Dolohov, and it'll be you in a whole world of hurt!" He pulled his wand out. "Give me a reason to do it, Jerith. I beg you!"

Betta stood up suddenly. "You are the biggest piece of scum I have ever met in my life, Jerith!" she shouted. "Threatening me with Dolohov now? My, how low you've stooped!" She walked a few paces away from Severus and Jerith, then turned around. "If I'm not mistaken, I think you want Antonin to try something so that you can get a piece of the action as well. You are a sick freak!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Domenici. I can have any girl I want here at Hogwarts." Jerith snapped, also pulling out his wand and pointing it at Severus. "Now unless you want your boyfriend here to get splattered all over the--"

"Sectumsempra!" Severus shouted before Jerith had a chance to attack first. At once, slashes appeared all over Jerith's body, blood leaking from each of them and staining his clothing. "Let Dumbledore help you, McKennon. Personally, I don't care if you bleed to death. At least you won't be harassing Betta any more." He turned to Betta. "Let's go back to the common room. Someone will come along and help him soon enough."

"But...er..." Betta began, looking back at Jerith while being swept toward the castle by Severus, whose arm was around her waist. "Severus, what did you do to him? What sort of spell is that?" A horrified look crossed her face. "He's out there bleeding, and you're just leaving him there?"

Severus stared down at her, his black eyes cold and pitiless. "Yes, I'm leaving him out there. Don't start going soft on me now, Betts. He deserved it, and you know full well he did. Now come on--" he kissed her roughly then "--lets get to the common room before I'm tempted to do something more than what I just did."

"Hold up a second, Snape." Antonin Dolohov said, walking in front of Betta and Severus. "Well, well...aren't we the loving couple? Are you planning on getting some tonight, Severus?" Dolohov grinned maliciously, then looked Betta up and down. "You're looking lovely tonight, Elisabetta. Were you thinking of...you know...getting naughty with Greasy Snivellus here? You could do so much better."

"To hell with you, Dolohov." Betta spat angrily. "How many first-years have you scared lately, you coward? Yeah, big man on campus, frightening the younger students."

"Good bye, Dolohov!" Severus snapped, pushing past the other boy and dragging Betta behind him. He stopped just in front of the Slytherin common room entrance. "We're going to have to have a serious talk, Betts. But not here. Not with some of the other students, they'll blab all over the place. We need to see Professor Dumbledore. He can help us straighten this out."

Jerith grinned as he watched Severus and Betta hurry away from him, then, having suddenly gotten bored, walked down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him before walking into the woods. He started whistling as he casually strolled deeper into the Forest, quite unaware that someone was watching him. It was only after he heard a little hiss that Jerith whirled round to see what was going on. Something flew at him, causing him to yell; he couldn't tell what it was. A second later, his neck was punctured by what felt like two needles, and not long after that--after the "needles" had been removed from his neck, he suddenly tasted blood on his tongue. It was a small amount at first, but it quickly grew to be a steady stream of it. He gagged as he swallowed the red liquid, then passed out, never knowing what had attacked him.

After harassing Severus and Betta, Antonin suddenly realized that Jerith hadn't made it back to the castle. He frowned; this wasn't like McKennon to be so late. He hurried out of the castle.

"Jerith!" he yelled, looking round him as he hurried down to the lake. "McKennon, where'd you get off to?"

Antonin bypassed the lake and stopped for a moment to listen. What sounded like a low moan could be heard coming from the forest. He made a beeline toward the trees and walked into them, stepping carefully; two minutes later, he came across Jerith, who was lying, bloodied and weak, on the ground.

"Bloody hell!" he swore, rushing to Jerith's side. It didn't take him long to figure out what happened; the puncture wounds on McKennon's neck were glaringly obvious. "Vampire...oh no. No!" he exclaimed, grabbing Jerith and hoisting him on his back so as to carry him back up to the castle. Antonin debated whether to take his friend to the infirmary, but decided against it; instead, he made his way to the Slytherin common room and then to the boys' dorms, where he laid Jerith--who was moaning even louder now--on his bed.

"Antidote...need an antidote..." he muttered. "Severus could...no he wouldn't. Not now." Dolohov realized, mentally kicking himself. He couldn't tell Dumbledore...he couldn't tell anyone that Hogwarts would soon have a full-fledged vampire within its midst.