@madeyed-andmoody​

Severus stayed in their little out of the way table for twenty minutes after Lily gathered her worry-fueled determination about her like the hems of a too long dress and set out anew to find Lupin. They didn’t envy the werewolf, who was unlikely to find anywhere clever enough to hide from Lily, but if he was going to indulge in self destruction then Lily was free to indulge in her excessive mothering. Severus kept an eye and an ear out, just to see how that went. Indulgent, themself, in their own hobby : people-watching. They liked to see how things went with people, once they picked up on a thread. 

Soon enough they were bored with their seat and changed vantage points, picking up their near-empty butterbeer and moving to the bar, where they could see the other side of the club more easily. It was the same glass they had all night. ( Severus didn’t get drunk in public — alone in their room? Very much. Too often. Especially while working on a difficult project. But not in public. That would be embarrassing — dangerous, too. But mostly embarrassing. ).

A glass of Whiskey slid down the bar towards them. ‘ How terrible of me to forget my manners, ’ Severus rolled their eyes, but picked up the offered drink. ‘ And with such respectable company at that. ’  The din of noise and chaos rose around them at just that moment before dying down quickly. This was more of a post-Quidditch House party than anything else. 

They’d meant to reach out to Longbottom — just to test the waters. Just to see in what direction her thoughts and inclinations leaned. It was interesting to see her reach out to Severus first, but not, from what they observed, completely unexpected. They looked at her, eyebrow raised, made a quick pass over the surface of her thoughts. Intentions rippled slowly from underneath. ‘ I’ll take the company and the drink, ’ they said with a nod, ‘ but keep in mind I’m not as easily entertained as Lupin. ’ 

Whiskey with Notes of Ulterior Motive

LOCATION: The Flaming Dragon DATE: June 12, 1984 @wrongdeor

Alice shook her stinging hand out, pleased and pleasantly tired in that slightly-battered way that followed a game of Quodcup, and leaned back against the bar to finish catching her breath. Not that she was some old-fart like Moody who needed to catch her breath after a rousing game or anything, of course not. But it was a nice excuse to relax and take a breath.

She took a sip of the rich Cinnamon Crackle Whiskey she’d ordered as a rich, mellow break from the brighter, more interesting drinks she’d been imbibing so far tonight, distractedly savoring the way the sparking crackles snapped against her lips before dissolving into the almost honey-like liquid that trickled down her throat like a balm.

Then she paused so abruptly that she almost choked, swallowed before she actually did choke, and beckoned urgently to the bartender for a second beverage. Waiting for its arrival was torture that had her bouncing on her stool. The glass had barely brushed her fingers when pushed off the bar with sudden, impatient purpose. The grin that had flickered across her face at the sight of her target flickered away again almost as quickly in favor of determination. The rest of the bar fell away (not completely; Alice wasn’t an idiot, which meant she knew that if she ever let herself close-focus so hard that she forgot to pay attention to the world around her in a place where Alastor Moody could see her, she would regret it) and she walked through the cluster of her allies on autopilot, heading for someone who had joined those ranks only a few months ago and whom Alice hadn’t made an effort to seek out more than in passing yet.

But that had been before she’d realized the true value Severus Snape brought to the Order of the Phoenix. It wasn’t what he knew about the Death Eaters, so much of which he couldn’t explicitly share with the rest of them – whether because of compulsion spells Voldemort placed on his followers or admonishments from Dumbledore not to spread his secrets too widely Alice neither knew nor cared. It was because he knew of what they knew: the Dark Magic they used to such devastating extent against the Order. And not just the sort of Dark Magic that one could learn from books, no. She had learned that Severus was one of those rare wix with the gift for true creativity.

Alice slid into the empty chair next to Severus and pushed the second glass of whiskey towards him with her fingertips like it was a sort of offering. “Bad form to drink alone at a party,” she said lightly. “So I brought you a drink and company with which to quaff it.” She offered a smile – warm, but thin; she didn’t want to come on too strong and put his hackles up. (Not that she was sure she’d ever seen him with his hackles down anywhere among the Order.) “You can decline either or both, of course,” she added in a dry deadpan, “but know that if you do so you’ll be shattering my heart irreparably.”

my father had the kind of anger all fathers do. it lingers your whole life

the unabridged journals of sylvia plath // audre lorde // sense8 “i can’t leave her” // halsey, i would leave me if i could // @ijaazat // fantastic bastards, death spells // catherine lacey

theoselwyn​:

Theo had known that they’d be getting some death eaters. That was a given really. She hadn’t quite been expecting to see the sheer amount that were marching towards them. She had to admit it was strange to think about firing spells at her colleagues. Technically they were, since they were all working for the Dark Lord. But, she was here with the Order and she had to at least fight the Death Eaters. And, to be honest, Theo kind of liked the idea of getting some hits in against Bellatrix.

The moment they’d seen the orders they’d sprung into action. They had too. It was needed. Everything was chaotic, and muggles were running every where. They needed to contain the death eaters as soon as possible. She had no idea where Gideon had gone, but she saw Severus, and she decided to stick close to him. Surely two of them would manage better than just the one.

“We need to take them out.” Because that was what the death eaters would do to them. She fired some spells in the direction of the death eaters, trying to take some of them out. “I know we’re supposed to protect the statue…. but fuck that. We need to save these muggle.” Which was…. an interesting development for Theo. 

Selwyn was a bold fighter, they could give her that. They held off the squadron of Death Eaters long enough for back up to arrive, and while Severus kept half an eye on her and half on their enemies, the barrage of curses and attacks became overwhelming. It didn’t take long for them to fight back to back. For the heavy fire to become too much to fight off.

Selwyn took too many hits and crumpled to the ground abruptly. Severus hesitated before picking up their fallen partner and apparating them both back to HQ for her injuries to be seen to. Lupin and the others would’ve had enough time to get the muggle family out — they have to trust they did just that.

End.

Evan nodded when Severus went on about Theo, face paling. He would have been about to start working on the serious injuries if it weren’t for knowing he had said he would give an update. His gaze stuck to Theo until he reached the point of explaining his next steps in regards to treating Lily.

“Parchment of ailments is in the top drawer of the desk — two pages worth,” He murmured then pointed toward the desk. “London got met with an explosion. Evans appears to have gotten the brunt of it. Phoenix tears have been administered and the broken bones have been reset. I was going to take care of the cosmetic part of things once certain the tears were successful. It’s been about ten minutes since using them.” He pressed his teeth together to suppress the worried look that seemed desperate to appear. “Original plan was to keep her under for the evening to give her body a chance to rest. The tears may accelerate things a little. I’ve only ever used them on external injuries but a few drops by mouth seemed like the best call so I am uncertain of what to expect. If you think there’s something I may have missed… I wouldn’t have suggested switching if I didn’t trust you.”

Anyone but Theodosia being brought in, and he would have let Severus work on them. “She’s stable for now and that’s the most I can ask for. I wouldn’t have been able to move her to St. Mungo’s with the condition she was in when Bones and Lovegood brought her in.”

Severus took the parchment from the drawer and listened intently to Rosier’s updates as he read the report. Again the cold and distant panic beat against his ears from far away as if through a body of water. 

London got met with an explosion. Evans appears to have gotten the brunt of it. 

‘ Phoenix tears, ’ Severus muttered. He looked at Lily, his lips pressed together in a flat line, teeth gritting helplessly. He looked at Rosier as the report wound down and the man said that he trusted Severus. He didn’t miss the hesitance, the unspoken don’t make me regret trusting you that followed the tail end of those words. ‘ Of course, ’ said Severus with a brisk nod. ‘ I’ll keep an eye on her. ’ He moved to her bedside, the parchment crinkling in his hand with how hard he gripped it. 

He cast diagnostic spells of his own, read their results, tracked the progress of the Phoenix tears. He stood rigidly by her bedside, fingertips touching her wrist, feeling for a pulse. He watched and waited. It was all he could do.

End.

This is a list of curses Severus crafted for the Dark Lord during the last six years of their Death-Eatership. These spells are commonly used by Death Eaters, and experienced Order members came across them often in the last 6 years. There are no set counters for these curses yet – they’re mostly dealt with through a patchwork of obscure spells and potions that work as often as they don’t. There’s a rumor among Order members that Severus crafted spells for the DE, but it was neither confirmed nor denied.

Feel free to include these curses in threads,  plots, and backstory in whatever way you like! If you have any questions, let me know. (pls heed the warnings)

Battle spells:

Frigus —

Freezes the major blood vessels connected to the heart. Turns the blood to ice, spreads outwards. This spell is used in battle, and the victim of this curse loses consciousness immediately. If the counter is not cast shortly after the curse, or a healer had not found a way to keep the victim alive long enough for the ice to be melted, the victim will die.

The counter for this spell was crafted shortly after Severus Snape joined the Order of the phoenix.

Sectumsempra —

Always cuts. The wand movement is ambiguous – a quick and decisive slash, in any direction, upward or downward or sideways. The victim is cut in broad slashes, like a sword flying in broad arcs. If the wand is thrust forward instead as the spell is cast, then much like a sword the magic will stab through the victim from one side and come out the other. A clean cut.

Wounds from this curse can bleed for hours and hours, and are particularly resistant to common healing spells. The spell was created by Severus Snape during his sixth year at Hogwarts, and the healing spell was created some time after his graduation, but is still an almost total unknown.

Submerso —

Fills the victim’s lungs with water so they drown while standing in land. This spell is used in battle, and the victim will react much like a drowning person would. Except, unlike a drowning victim, the water can’t be coughed back up, and the common spells used to treat drowning victims in such an emergency only increase the amount of water and hurry the victim along towards their death.

There is no known counter for this curse. Healers have begun using bastardized cleaning spells to remove the excess water instead, but the victims are often left extremely dehydrated as a result, and the struggle is always getting there in time before it’s too late.

Putredine –

Purple flames wrap around the victim like thick ropes. They don’t burn. They weaken the flesh, poison the blood. Extremely painful upon impact. If left unhealed for long periods of time the flesh rots and must be amputated. There is no designated healing spell for this curse, and healers have had to use creative and various methods to treat it’s victims. Effectiveness of treatment methods is inconsistent.

Ave –

Spell leaves small but deep wounds in the victim, like holes. The number and depth of holes depends on wand movement and strength of the spell cast. The wounds are deeply reminiscent of bullet holes. 

Flamma pulmintra –

The precursor to Cinere, the ash spell. Turns the air in the victim’s lungs scorching hot, burns the victim inside out. There is no designated healing spell for this curse, and healers have had to use creative and various methods to treat it’s victims. Effectiveness of treatment methods is inconsistent. 

Naufragi tumet –

Attacks the nerves of the affected area of the body. The nerves swell and twist into new shapes. Extremely painful upon impact, and for a time afterwards the affected body part would be useless. Healers have had to use creative and various methods to treat it’s victims. Effectiveness of treatment methods is inconsistent. 

Lapise –

Turns the victim’s flesh to stone. Upon casting will transfigure the part of the body it hits to stone, and begin a very slow and gradual spread throughout the rest of the body. The speed and duration of the transfiguration depends on the caster’s skill. it can take anywhere from hours, to days, to weeks to spread out in a noticeable rate, by then the battle will have long been over. A skilled healer or wix knowledgeable in human transfiguration can slowly and painstakingly undo the effects of the spell, but the effectiveness of that process depends on the skills of said healer itself. The spell has no official counter, as it doesn’t officially exist in any text, and is only known and used by Death Eaters.

Pavor –

The victim is suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed by intense, all-consuming fear and panic. The effects of this spell last anywhere from minutes to hours, and the echoes of fear linger for long afterwards. Victims of this curse would do anything from freeze mid battle, drop their wand and curl up in a ball and rock back and forth, scream, weep, run and run and run amid spellfire with no direction or logic or thought. Nothing but fear. Nothing but panic. Very few people give this spell the weight it deserves – it has no permanent physical effects and as such, survivors of this curse are given a calming draught at most and dismissed as healthy afterwards without a second thought. 

Interrogation spells:

Flore —

Seeds twist into existence within every joint of the body. They grow, and bloom, and by the end of the spell flowers have pushed their way out of shoulders, elbows, and knees, in full bloom. The only thing that will stop the flowers’ progress is speech: talk, and the pain stops. Talk, and maybe they’ll finally kill you. Victims of this curse retain full awareness and mental clarity throughout this process. The pain settles without the haze to dull it.

If the spell is canceled before the flowers have pushed their way out, the victim may live. They may suffer permanent injuries, most notably in the knees, wrists, and elbows. The seeds will remain embedded in every joint.

Shortly after joining the order, Severus Snape crafted a healing spell that heals most of the wounds inflicted by the curse, depending on the severity, and a potion to dissolve the seeds and mend the joints back together. Full recovery is not guaranteed.

Dolor —

This spell is used for torture and for extracting information from victims. When cast, the lightest of touches upon the skin would cause the most excruciating pain. Running a feather down a victim’s arm would send them screaming and weeping themselves hoarse. A sharp gust of wind would cut like knives. The weight of their clothes, the press of their shoes, the texture of the earth against the soles of their feet. Everything will cause relentless waves of pain. Being under the effects of this spell for too long is known to send victims into shock, and in extreme cases, lose their minds.

Interrogations using this spell are usually conducted by two or more Death Eaters. One to cast the spell and keep it going, and the other to ask the questions and make sure they receive an answer. Victims of this spell are treated with the same remedies a victim of the cruciateus is. Non-Death Eaters who have seen or heard of this spell often refer to it as the other cruciateus.

That one mf-ing spell:

Cinere —

The victim turns to ash. First the skin, then the muscle, then the tissue, then the bones. It's a slow and meandering process, unsteady and certain only in it’s inevitability, picking up speed and intensity only to jolt to a near halt, then meander for a while longer as if to play some more. It may take, on average, from three to seven days to complete. The victim remains alive through the entirety of the process. There is yet no known counter for this curse. Once a victim has been hit, the only thing that can be done to stop the pain is a mercy kill.

This curse was created to send a message. Powerful enemies of the Dark Lord would die slowly and painfully in plain view of their loved ones, begging for death. This curse was not used frequently so as to not reduce its impact.

madeyed-andmoody:

The spelled and warded doors were a habit at this point. They didn’t need anyone not privy to this sensitive information overhearing anything. Not that people in the Order wouldn’t be told. Of course they would, but it was a delicate situation, and a precarious balance, and Moody oftentimes hated it.

Alastor valued Severus’s bluntness, but now it felt like a suckered punch to the gut. They had not accounted for this, not truly. She was the Lieutenant. He straightened fully, back like an arrow, muscles coiled, eyes focused on their face, searching for any indication there was doubt. When Moody didn’t find it, he cursed aloud, running a across his mouth, teeth grit.

When Severus continued with the Lestranges, more explotives, this time far more colorful and vulgar (often about their mothers and the devil’s cunt they sprung from) than the last followed. Alastor knew who Severus was talking about, and he nodded, already casting a patronus charm and sending a message off to Hestia, asking her to come immediately, that they had new information, that teams needed to be altered.

They would figure this out. They would not sent their people to slaughter. Those children would survive, even if Alastor himself had to go down there and stick Black’s head on a bloody pike himself.

helloxhestia​: ​

Hestia was happy to finally be getting into work today. She’d been trying to for the past four days to find a little time in the office, but even thought it was the day before their next major mission, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to head in, double check her files, and then head back for any finalizing that needed to get done.

Just as she was about to head out the door, a silvery wisp flew in through her window. Moody’s eagle.

The eagle spoke with Moody’s voice and told her she needed to get there immediately. They needed to adjust teams. The day before.

Hestia immediately apparated to the closest location she was able, then stalked into the meeting room, swinging open the doors. 

She was about to acknowledge Moody, when she realized Severus was there as well. Before she could stop herself, she let out an audible groan, knowing exactly what his presence met. She addressed Severus directly.

“What did you hear?”

Severus stared back at Moody’s shocked face, grim but unmoved. The older man cursed creatively, and Severus waited out the initial reaction — it was not unexpected nor undeserved. 

Severus’ mind ran a mile a minute. Bellatrix was the Lieutenant, not some freshly inducted foot soldier on their trial run out to kill a few muggles to get their feet wet. Her involvement plucked a thread of suspicion in Severus’ mind, an unnamed, vague unease, like they were missing something vital that they really shouldn’t. Did Bellatrix volunteer for this mission of her own accord? It didn’t seem unlikely. This was just the thing she’d do on her day off, anyway.

The doors swung open and Hestia stalked inside. Severus lifted an eyebrow at her greeting, but didn’t waste time. ‘ Bellatrix Lestrange and the brothers will be at Liverpool, ’ they said. ‘ I don’t believe the Liverpool team is prepared to face them on their own. ’ They inclined their head towards Moody. ‘ He agrees. ’ Severus wasn’t sure any of their 3-a-piece teams were equipped to deal with the Lestranges on such short notice. Which was what prompted their following suggestion. ‘ Send me to Liverpool. Whatever team we decide on I should be on it. ’

@helloxhestia​ @madeyed-andmoody​

healerrosier​:

Miraculously, Evan refrained from rolling his eyes at James’ antics. There was a brief moment where he shared a similar look of disbelief to Severus’ before clearing his throat. “I’ve done what I can do for the time being,” He admitted. “And as much as I would like to properly revive her, I’ll be sparing her and Theodosia from the childish antics.”

He could have said more. Maybe he should have, come to think of it, but Severus had managed to say everything that was running through his mind without being the one to say anything.

Rather than say anything, Evan pressed his tongue against his cheek and shifted his attention to Theodosia and the list the diagnostic spell created. It didn’t matter how many times he ran his gaze over it — the answer was still the same. Not that he expected anything to change, but the information truly couldn’t have come at a worse time.

@perniciouspotter​

Evan answered his question - he’d stabilized Lily, he was doing what he could. Now they had to wait and it wasn’t a good idea to bring her back just to see James doing what he was doing right now anyway. But it wasn’t good enough. James couldn’t stop that racing if his heart - couldn’t help the way his eyes kept going back to her. She looked nearly dead, that gentle rise and fall the only indication that she wasn’t. Was this how she felt, all those months he was gone? Only she couldn’t see him. Didn’t know where he was or if he was alive.

The thought made him worse. Made him angry. Made him mean. He rounded on Severus and the retort from his old enemy came back with such an ease that James knew Snape had been thinking this for ages. He hated how the other wix could peg him so easily. How Severus could read into his mind, his thoughts, his feelings. It wasn’t just magic - it was just the ability of two people who had disliked one another for so many years. They understood each other too well - and that was the problem.

That was how well it could hurt. James didn’t have a retort. There was nothing he could say back to erase what Snape had put out into the world. They said he was nothing but a liability. That he’d done nothing but get in the way, make things harder for people. And all James heard was that he was nothing. Nothing. Nothing to Lily or to his friend or to the Order. And there wasn’t a thing in the world that terrified James Potter more than being nothing.

But instead of stalking away - instead of saying this or talking to someone about it or even just giving up in the face of someone who has suddenly become a better person than him - James threw a fist towards Severus to connect with their jaw.

@wrongdeor

Severus stumbled back as Potter punched him in the face.

He wasn’t shocked, per se — he lit a match into gasoline, he wanted an explosion, to plunge a knife where it hurt the most. And he knew Potter’s weaknesses better than anyone. But this sort of a scuffle hasn’t been common between them in years, even when they argued and butted heads in the meeting room. Not since Potter’s first month back from the grave.

He laughed. ‘ Nothing to say, Potter? Back to the basics with you I see! ’ Severus flicked his wrist and shot a Knock-Back hex at him. It was a schoolyard hex at best, but it seemed appropriate considering who it was.

@healerrosier​

@melancolialunar​

June 14th, 1984. The Lupins’ household.

Severus stepped over the cobblestoned garden path and up the steps in a straight, uninterrupted walk, but as they stopped before the closed door, they hesitated. They were keenly interested to see how the adjusted Wolfsbane fared against the eclipse, and that was what brought them here in the first place, but before they rang the bell to Lupin’s mother’s house, they felt a rush of nerves at what awaited them and what to expect from this visit. The last time they dealt with an eclipse, Severus didn’t see Lupin for nearly a week. And the wolfsbane was completely ineffective then. Now — Severus wanted to see for themself. 

They shifted the strap of the work bag against their shoulder, adjusted the pot of hot soup in their hands, took a deep breath that they let out slowly. They rang the doorbell, and waited. ‘ Good to see you’re still alive, ’ Severus greeted dryly. But not dishonestly. ‘ We have a lot of work to do, ’ they lifted the shoulder with the bag strap briefly, shifted their stance, and patted the lid of the steaming pot of chicken soup. Then declared their offering, ‘ I brought food. ’

@melancolialunar​

June 24th, 1984. Prewett Estate.

Severus stepped away from the meeting room where Prewett introduced the new changes to the rest of the team and went over the plan again, this time with Severus’ addition in mind. Severus had watched their stalwart and fearless leader with a skeptical eye. Doubtful, but not willing to voice his doubts only hours before they were meant to head out into the field. 

Gideon Prewett had a good track record as Team Lead, but that was before. And people didn’t always recover enough to retain their sensibilities in battle. But as Jones and Moody insisted, they could only know once he was out on the field. And he did agree to lead them, after all. That was a good sign. Severus would still keep an eye out, ready to pick up the slack as it happens, but he won’t object.

At least there was someone on their team that could carry their own weight. The thought, like a summons, brought Lupin to his line of sight, and Severus approached the werewolf with a nod. 

‘ Lupin, ’ he called, gesturing towards the amulet in the other’s hand. ‘ You’ve got something for me? ’

@madeyed-andmoody​

June 23rd, 1984.

Severus strode through the halls of the Prewett estate at a brisk clip, the silence of the early morning interrupted by the shuffle of early risers and birdsong. 

They’ve spent the last three days since the Order meeting weaving through their circle of Death Eaters, known and suspected, trying to find as much as they can about the attack on muggleborn children in time to prepare for the mission. Their situation was not ideal. The Death Eaters continued to make the first move and the Order continued to scramble to keep up. Something’s got to change, Severus thought, but it was an old and worn out thought, first born by the muddy river at cokeworth, echoed a second time between the old bookshelves of the Hogwarts library, and again years into their allegiance to the Dark Lord when they had been fully disillusioned with the lies and promises. 

In all fairness to the thought, change did follow it’s every iteration. This will not be an exception.

They pushed the doors to the dining room open and their eyes fell upon the man they came here to see. ‘ Moody, ’ They greeted with a nod, walking into the room and letting the door swing shut behind them. They pulled out a small vial of silver mist from an inner pocket as they approached. ‘ I’ve got something to report. ’