starduchess | Stronger, Smarter, Better (Reply)

Title: Stronger, Smarter, Better
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 250
Warnings: none
Written for

snape_ldws round 1 week 6 prompt: greed

He could taste it in the air, like Amortentia freshly brewed. The lure was fascinating and compelling. It was a drug that ensnared his senses promising him the world at his fingertips and Lily in his bed.

He had craved this knowledge since he was a boy. Each time the blows landed on his small frame, Snape promised he would become stronger, to never let another hurt him physically again. Then during his Hogwarts years as each hex was thrown between him and those insufferable Gryffindors, he vowed to become smarter than his classmates, to never let them hurt him psychologically again. And after she dumped him, he swore to become more powerful, to never be hurt emotionally again.

So it was that he poured himself into his studies: dark arts, poisons, sword-play, legilimency. Research captivated all of his attention, even sometimes overriding his need for food or sleep. His association with the Death Eaters grew daily until he was finally granted an audience with Voldemort.

"I know your desires, Severus," hissed the Dark Lord. "There are many things I have learned from Salazar that I can impart to you if you join me. A potions mastery is in your future, its uses many and varied, and once combined with my leadership, you can take revenge on those who've done you wrong."

Snape accepted his support willingly without examining the consequences for this is what he thirsted, his leprechaun's gold at the end of the rainbow: power, control ... magic.