Severus Snape joins the Death Eaters
Severus Snape tries to apologise to Lily Evans for calling her a "mudblood" when they were 15. However, she rejects his apology, which breaks his heart. Severus leaves the graduation party in silence and goes home. Little does he know that his suffering has only begun and that he's heading toward a very dark path.
The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall shimmered with a soft twilight glow, reflecting the sky above the castle. At the front of the hall, Professor Dumbledore stepped forward, raising his hands for silence. His robes were a deep midnight blue, sparkling faintly like stars woven into fabric. The chatter faded instantly.
“My dear graduates,” Dumbledore began. “Tonight marks the end of your time at Hogwarts… and the beginning of all that comes after.”
Across the hall, at the Slytherin table, Severus Snape sat in silence. He didn’t hear Dumbledore at first. His gaze was fixed, unwillingly, on the Gryffindors. Lily Evans laughed at something James Potter whispered in her ear. When James kissed her temple, Severus’s stomach twisted so sharply he had to look away.
Mulciber elbowed him. “Still mooning over the Mudblood?”
Avery snickered. “She’s chosen her side, Snape. Maybe it’s time you stopped pretending you ever had a chance.”
Shame, old and familiar, settled like ash inside Severus's heart. He wanted to snarl back, to lash out, but the words stuck in his throat.
“…the world is darker than it once was,” Dumbledore continued, his expression sobering. “But darkness is not invincible. Lord Voldemort’s reign of terror will end. I promise you that. Light will prevail as it always has.”
“We face difficult days,” Dumbledore said, “but courage, unity, and hope are stronger than fear. I believe in each of you. And I believe the dawn is coming.”
“To the class of 1977-1978. May your futures be bright.”
The hall erupted in applause. The feast appeared, platters of roast beef, tureens of soup, mountains of treacle tart, and the chatter grew cheerful and loud. The Marauders dove in enthusiastically, James occasionally brushing his hand against Lily’s as though he couldn’t help reaching for her.
At the Slytherin table, Severus barely touched his food. When the dishes cleared, and music floated into the hall signaling the start of the graduation party, Severus stood abruptly. His heart hammered so fiercely he felt faint.
I should do this. I should apologize. It’s my last chance.
Before he lost his nerve, he slipped away from the Slytherins and crossed the hall toward Lily. She stood with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all of them laughing about something James had said.
“Lily,” Severus said softly.
She turned, and the laughter died.
James stepped slightly in front of her. Sirius’s grin vanished entirely.
“I want to speak to her,” Severus said.
“No thanks,” Sirius snapped. “She doesn’t want to speak to you.”
Lily hesitated for a moment. “Let him speak,” she murmured.
James shot her an anxious look but didn’t argue. Sirius folded his arms tightly. Severus tried to say something.
“Lily… I wanted to say I’m sorry. For—” His voice cracked. “For what I called you. Two years ago. I’ve regretted it every day since.”
Lily’s expression didn’t soften.
“I know you regret losing me,” she said quietly. “But you don’t regret the choices you made. The people you joined. The things you did while you were trying to impress them.”
“I’m not forgiving you,” Lily continued. “Not now. Not ever. You hurt me. And you hurt others.” She exhaled, almost sadly. “You made your path, Severus.”
James stepped forward as his protective instincts took over. “You heard her, Snivellus. Go crawl back to your Death Eater friends.”
Sirius smirked harshly. “Try not to hex anyone on the way.”
Severus felt the old fury spark, hearing Sirius's insult.
“Stop,” she said sharply to James and Sirius. Then she turned to Severus again. “Just go. Please.”
Remus looked away. Peter did too. The humiliation was unbearable. The heartbreak was even worse.
Severus bowed his head. “Goodbye, Lily.”
He turned before any of them could see the tears gathering in his eyes. He didn’t stay for the music. Not for the lights, or the dancing, or the laughter echoing under the bewitched ceiling. He slipped out of the castle, past the gates, and into the dusk.
When the Knight Bus screeched into existence with a bang, Severus stepped aboard without hesitation. The conductor said nothing as Severus muttered his destination:
“Spinner's End, Cokeworth”
He dropped onto a seat, wrapped his arms around himself, and stared through the window as the bus lurched forward away from Hogwarts, away from Lily, and away from the last place where he had ever felt light.
The Knight Bus groaned to a stop on the cracked street just outside Spinner’s End. Severus stepped off into the stale, industrial-smelling air of Cokeworth. The row of soot-stained houses looked the same as ever, cold and sagging.
He walked up the crooked steps of his childhood home. The door creaked open before he touched the handle.
“Sev?” Eileen Snape stood in the doorway, thin as a shadow, her greying hair pulled back in a loose knot. Her eyes, once bright, looked exhausted, but they warmed at the sight of him.
“You’re back,” she breathed. “You… you graduated?”
He nodded as she pulled him into a tight, desperate hug. Severus held her close, but the moment was brief.
A heavy tread sounded from deeper in the house.
Tobias Snape emerged, shirtless, from the kitchen with a bottle dangling from his hand.
“So,” Tobias grunted, “you’re done with that freak school of yours.”
“Good,” Tobias said harshly. “Because you’re grown now. Time to leave. I’ve no place for a wizard under my roof.”
Eileen staggered back in fear.
Severus felt a fire lit inside him. “I’m not leaving her.”
“You will,” Tobias growled. “You think just because you’ve got a fancy cloak and learned a few tricks, you can tell me what to do?”
Severus stepped forward. “It’s your turn to leave. You’re the one who’s destroyed this family. Not her. Not me.”
Tobias barked a laugh. “You little brat.”
He swung the bottle, aiming for his son's head.
Severus reacted before he understood what he was doing. He raised his wand without thinking.
A flash of green lit the house, and the bottle shattered on the floor.
Tobias Snape lay motionless, his eyes open but empty.
Eileen stared at the body, then at Severus. “Severus… what have you done?”
He lowered his wand, breathing hard. “He was going to hurt me. He hurt you for years. You’re free now, Mother. He can’t—”
“Stop.” Her voice cracked like breaking glass. She backed away from him as if he were something monstrous. “Not like this. Not with…” She blinked rapidly, tears spilling. “You used that curse. That curse.”
“No.” The word came out small and shattered. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t want to.”
He felt the words like blows.
“You need to leave,” she whispered. “Leave this house. Leave me. I can’t look at you.”
“Don’t, don’t say that,” Severus whispered.
But she only closed her eyes, and that was worse than any scream.
Severus left with what little he owned: a half-filled satchel, a few Galleons, and a change of robes. He stepped out into the damp night, the house behind him silent now, empty in a way it had never been before. He Disapparated with a crack.
The Leaky Cauldron’s dim glow was a weak comfort. Tom handed him a key without question, and Severus climbed the narrow stairs to his rented room. He opened the door and froze. A tall, robed figure stood in the moonlight by the window. A pale face. Red eyes. A serpent’s cold smile.
Severus’s breath failed him. “M—my Lord.”
Lord Voldemort glided forward, hands folded as though greeting an old acquaintance.
“I know what happened tonight,” Voldemort murmured. “Word travels quickly when magic of that… potency… is used.”
Voldemort tilted his head, almost studying him. “You killed your father, Severus Snape.”
Something dark flickered behind those crimson eyes. “I did the same, once. A necessary act. Liberating, even.”
“You stand at a crossroads,” Voldemort continued. “Your mother turned you away. Your former friends mock you. The world has offered you nothing but pain.” His voice softened, almost soothing. “But I see your worth. Your brilliance. Your potential.”
He extended a pale, long-fingered hand.
“Join me. Join those who will value your talents. Come, Severus. There is power in choosing the path that will finally give you a place.”
Severus stared at the hand. He had nowhere to go. No one to return to. No home, no friend, no mother who would look him in the eye. Only darkness and this man who understood what he had done.
Severus reached out with a trembling hand. Their fingers clasped.
“Excellent,” Voldemort whispered.
There was the twisting snap of Apparition and the room vanished into darkness.
The world snapped back into solidity with a crack of displaced air. Cold rain misted Severus’s face as he staggered, trying to steady himself after the violent twist of Side-Along Apparition.
He found his footing beside a wrought-iron gate so tall it vanished into the fog.
Beyond it rose a fortress of ancient stone on a jagged cliffside overlooking a stormy sea. Torches burned green along its battlements. Voldemort lifted a pale hand toward the gate, which swung open with a metallic hiss.
“Welcome, Severus,” he said softly. “To Slytherin’s Fortress.”
Severus swallowed, the name striking a place deep inside him. “This was… Salazar’s?”
“Indeed.” Voldemort’s red eyes gleamed. “After his… ideological parting with the other Founders, this is where he came. Where he built what Hogwarts refused to allow him.”
As Severus stepped forward, he noticed movement at his feet, dozens of grass snakes slithering across the moss-covered stones. More emerged from between cracked flagstones. A massive adder curled lazily around one of the gateposts and flicked a forked tongue toward Severus.
He stiffened instinctively.
“Do not fear them,” Voldemort murmured. “Slytherin brought every serpent of Ireland to this place. They remain its guardians still.”
The path climbed toward the fortress entrance, serpents weaving alongside them like silent escorts. Severus felt every hair on his arms stand on end.
He had never heard of this place. No book, no lecture, no whisper of rumor. This was history buried by design.
“Few know of it,” Voldemort said, as if reading his thoughts. “Hogwarts prefers to hide truths that do not suit its narrative. Salazar raised an army here, once. An army meant to cleanse the land of Muggle oppression. Though he failed… his vision endures.”
They reached the great doors. Two enormous serpents carved into the wood shifted subtly. As Voldemort approached, they slid aside to let him pass.
Torches cast flickering shadows on high, vaulted ceilings. Hooded figures gathered in a circular hall, surrounding a stone table shaped like a coiled serpent.
Voldemort beckoned Severus forward.
“My loyal followers,” he said, voice carrying effortlessly, “tonight I bring you a new brother.”
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Bellatrix Lestrange stepped into view. She stared at Severus as though measuring how quickly she could break him.
Lucius Malfoy inclined his head politely. Fenrir Greyback grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. Amycus and Alecto Carrow snickered, amused. Evan Rosier recognised Severus immediately from their school years. Antonin Dolohov stared at the boy with contempt. Igor Karkaroff frowned openly.
“A child?” Alecto scoffed. “He hasn’t even grown into his nose yet.”
Bellatrix sneered. “My Lord, he’s barely out of school.”
Greyback snarled, “Does he even know how to kill properly?”
Severus made the mistake of meeting Bellatrix’s eyes. She looked delighted by his discomfort.
“This boy,” he said quietly, “has accomplished something even some of you lacked the courage to do.” His voice dropped to a silken whisper. “He has freed himself from a Muggle tyrant. As I once did.”
The room fell silent. Severus felt all eyes fix on him. Heat crept up his neck.
“Severus Snape,” Voldemort continued, “has proven his devotion to our cause before even taking the Mark. His instincts are powerful. His potential is limitless. He shall be trained. Guided. Made strong.”
Lucius bowed his head. “Then we welcome him, my Lord.”
Karkaroff hesitated, then forced a stiff nod.
Bellatrix’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “Let us see if he can survive us.”
Voldemort turned to Severus, lifting his wand.
Severus obeyed. He pulled back his sleeve and bared his forearm.
“This mark,” Voldemort murmured, “binds you to me. To our purpose. There is no turning back.”
Severus closed his eyes. The curse struck like a hot iron. Pain exploded through his nerves, searing deep into flesh and bone, and Severus began to shake in agony.
The Dark Mark burned itself into his arm. Severus gasped for breath. He stared at the mark, at the skull and serpent twisting across his skin.
“It is done,” Voldemort said softly.
Severus lowered his arm. The weight of it settled on his shoulders like chains. He was one of them now, and he knew there was no way out.
How will Severus get out? Read the full story to find out!
"Lord Voldemort and the Lost Decades, " by Birger, ao3
