slyther_in | From the Veil into the Fire; NC-17 (violence)

Title: From the Veil into the Fire
Author:

ldybastet
Pairing: S. Snape/L. Malfoy with a side dish of S. Black
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Violence, non-con, bondage, torture
Summary: Sirius finds himself being freed from the Veil, and in the very capable hands of Snape, who wants revenge...
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling, no copyright infringement is intended. I play with them in my head and for fun; not earning money from sharing it with fanfic readers.
A/N: POV changes at times, on purpose. I try to show that in the use of the names... Written in honour of

tinamuggi's birthday.

From the Veil into the Fire

Darkness had almost become a friend, the nothingness a cushion to rest upon. The deafening silence had been horrible at first, but now it shielded him from his memories and his thoughts. Time passed, or did it really? Sirius had no way of knowing, stripped as he was from every sense and point of reference. For all he knew, he could have spent an eternity in this strange non-place, or it could have been mere minutes since Bellatrix sent him flying through the veil into the portal with that spell of hers.

Sirius didn't notice it at first, but the silence changed quality. Just a faint difference in the absence of sound, more like the silence was waiting to be broken. The impression was reminiscent of the awkward silence in a room with people who didn't like each other - begging to be broken, waiting for someone, anyone, to kill it with a word. Usually, in those situations, it was the wrong words that were spoken, forced into the open by the need to make it all stop, discord being preferable to tension.

So, the silence was waiting for something to break it. Then the darkness tightened around him, making it difficult for him to breathe. Breathe? When had he started breathing again? Sirius felt slightly panicked, the comforting nothingness chased away by the appearance of thoughts and sensations. Now, he didn't know if he had ever stopped breathing after falling endlessly through the Veil. Falling, being pushed, failing, losing the fight... Memories started to surface – the look on Harry's face, the sounds of battle and of magic being used offensively, the children being in danger, the triumphant gaze in cold eyes as a red flare of energy hit him... What had happened? Was Harry all right? Was... was the world all right?

The tension around Sirius continued to build, and at some point the silence was replaced by a low humming that grew and grew, until it reached deafening proportions, almost screeching in his ears and mind. The darkness was no longer the steady black that he had come to rely on, no, now it was seemingly pulsing, complete darkness battling with a lighter shade, a darkness of less density. Then it all came together in a crescendo of magic, and Sirius fell onto a cold stone floor.

"Excellent! I should congratulate you on your meticulous research." It was Snape's voice, booming in Sirius' ears. Sirius doubted he spoke louder than he usually did, but to his sensitive hearing, after nothing but silence for Merlin knew how long, it almost hurt.

Snape! The Order! They must have found a way to get him out of that portal obviously, and they must have defeated the Death Eaters at the Ministry. Perhaps it had not been such a long time after all. Hope began to build inside him as he blinked against the harsh light, not able to see anything yet. He didn't particularly like Snape, but he would thank him, and whomever he had been working with, for freeing him. Soon, when he had found his voice again, and perhaps could convince his body to obey him.

"Thank you, Severus. I found it quite entertaining, since these days there are so few opportunities to delve into the Dark Arts." Sirius recognized that voice as well, and it felt as if his stomach turned to ice. A well cultivated voice, with an almost purring note behind the surface coldness – Lucius Malfoy. Then the Order had failed, and Snape had gone over to the other side, like Sirius always had suspected that he would. Anger flared up inside him and he managed to push himself up from the floor slightly, trying to focus on the blurry figure in black that he presumed was Severus Snape.

"Traitor!" Sirius managed to croak out this one word.

"Traitor? Hmm. It seems like Sirius here hasn't used his little vacation to reflect over the actions he's taken in his life." Lucius sounded faintly amused.

"Well, I'm not surprised. Using his mental faculties was never on the top of his list of priorities." Snape looked at Sirius, meeting his slightly unfocused gaze. "You should know better than to throw out allegations before knowing the facts, having been on the receiving side of such."

Images of his long stay at Azkaban sprang to Sirius' mind. Memories of how it had felt to not be able to defend himself, being innocent of the crime he was accused of, and knowing there was no way out of the situation. The Wizengamot hearing had not been about justice at all, only about sending someone to prison. But Malfoy and Snape, together... how could he think anything but that they were up to no good?

"Harry?" Curse this uncooperative throat of his. At least Sirius didn't feel as if his own tongue was a foreign object anymore, and swallowing was easier.

"There's no need to worry about Mr. Potter, " Snape's clipped voice informed him.

Ah. So Harry was all right. Sirius felt calmer, but still didn't understand what Malfoy was doing here, unless it was the Death Eaters who had moved the strange portal from the Ministry. Apparently, it was Malfoy who had found a solution and a way to release him. In that case, Snape would be there, continuing his pretend act on one side. Sirius just hoped that even if Dumbledore had bought over Snape to their side, the other side wouldn't buy him back. What was to stop the Slytherin from giving false information to the Order instead of the Death Eaters?

Sirius suddenly felt himself float up from the floor and be turned into a standing position. The stone floor had chilled his skin so he was grateful for the help to get up. It seemed that even though he had been pulled back from that strange dimension, his clothes were still left there. Sirius was quite naked.

"Could I..." Sirius cleared his throat. "Could I get some clothes? It's rather cold." In fact the senses of his body – feeling, hearing, sight, smell – were overwhelmed after the absence of impressions. It was only taste that hadn't been assaulted yet. His eyes hurt, his ears thrummed, and he was developing a headache. Being stark naked in front of these two men wasn't his idea of a pleasant situation either. And why did they keep levitating him instead of putting him down on his feet?

"Ah, but you won't be needing any clothes, dear cousin. You're not going outside of this room." Lucius smiled ferally at Black. He'd never liked him. Lucius saw in Black a failure, a pureblood and Slytherin by tradition, turning his back on his family and proper values, even to the point of being sorted into Gryffindor. A blood traitor.

With a wave of his wand and a few low words, Snape had strong, magical ropes appear and wind around Sirius' arms and legs, then the ends snaked around sturdy iron brackets that were fastened into the stone. Sirius' body was pulled taut, his arms stretched over his head and his legs apart, fastened to the floor.

Sirius cried out in surprise and pain, his unused muscles protesting against the rough treatment. Was this part of the ruse to get Malfoy to believe that Snape is a Death Eater? But as Sirius looked into Snape's dark eyes, he saw only malice and a glint of triumph in them, a hint of victory. It was chilling to see, since anger and resentment, sometimes even hate, had been the normal expression whenever Sirius met Snape's gaze. That anger, the animosity between them had been put aside on order of Dumbledore, but now it was unleashed against Sirius. Not put far enough aside, but whatever else he thought about Snape, Sirius had never seen him outright go against Dumbledore...

"Finally! Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment, Black?" Severus almost spat out the last word, a look of disgust on his face. "But you must have... being so intent on pushing me past my limits, past any care for repercussions." He circled the bound man, looking him over, enjoying the sight of his personal enemy being helplessly in his power. He stopped in front of Black and smirked. "I learned quickly to not be in a hurry. Revenge is a dish best served cold, don't you think?"

Malfoy laughed, a low chuckle that filled the small room for a moment, but did little to warm the atmosphere. "It's such a treat to see you like this, both of you. The mutt kept in his place and you, Severus, holding the leash. We should have done this years ago."

Snape's smirk grew as he watched Sirius. "Circumstances were different then. Now, everything is perfect."

"Indeed." Malfoy stepped up behind Snape, putting a hand on one of his shoulders.

Sirius stared in disbelief at the men in front of him. Yes, he knew Snape had hated him, and that Malfoy hadn't exactly respected him, but this? "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can." Severus accio'd a whip from the wall and studied its cruel strips of leather for a moment. "You're going to pay for every humiliating word, every time you set your idiot friends on me." He stepped around Black and shook out the strands of the whip. "And most of all, you're going to regret that your little plan to have Lupin kill me didn't succeed." Severus raised his hand and brought the whip down on Black's unprotected body.

Sirius screamed, his own cracked voice painfully loud in his ears. The pain was so sudden, so sharp, and after the long seclusion behind the Veil, without any signals from his nervous system, it was a shock. When he'd been pulled out of the darkness this was not what he thought would happen to him.

Severus wasn't satisfied with one stroke of the whip. No, he hit Black over and over, red stripes crisscrossing the man's back, buttocks and thighs, forming a lattice pattern. There was no need to avoid the kidney area, or to avoid wrapping of the leather to sensitive areas, but old habits die hard. There was a light shining in Severus' eyes, of glee, of joy, of enjoyment... Severus Snape enjoyed hurting the object of his long-nursed hatred. When he took a small break to admire the angrily red welts, that had started to turn to purple in places, he gave a short laugh and turned to Malfoy.

"One would think he's my submissive, with the gentle care I have whipped him with."

Lucius could only agree. "Perhaps a different tool would be preferable then? Something a little less playful and a little more... suitable for this joyous occasion." He smiled at Snape; during the years under Lord Voldemort they had worked together with hurting and torturing many people, and he knew what Snape was capable of. He stepped close to him, holding out what had often been the dark Potions Master's favourite piece of equipment – a cane, not completely smoothed down to be gentle on the skin...

Severus closed his hand around it, his fingers brushing against Malfoy's for a moment. "He won't last..."

"He doesn't need to last, Severus. Only long enough for you to exorcise your demons, have your revenge." Lucius' whisper purred in Snape's ear before he withdrew slightly to give his companion room to continue.

As Snape laid stroke after vicious stroke across Black's body, screams becoming hoarser and hoarser, Lucius stripped down to shirt and trousers. To watch Snape work like this had always aroused him, and this was no exception. His cock was throbbing, the expensive fabric of his trousers feeling more restrictive now than they had, as he moved around their trussed up captive, admiring the handiwork. He moved his hand ever so lightly across Black's limp member, and smiled cruelly into the horrified eyes that opened suddenly at the touch.

"What's wrong, Sirius? Aren't you enjoying this? But of course you're not, you never were too fond of pain as I seem to recall." Lucius continued to circle Black, and came to stand next to Snape. The back of Black's body had taken a thorough beating by the cane, it's sharp knots cutting the skin in many places, and some welts had broken open, blood trickling from the wounds.

Sirius' mind was swimming with the overload of painful sensations screaming through his body. He was nauseous and it felt as if he was going to throw up from the intense pain, not that he had anything in his stomach. Malfoy's hand on his crotch had frightened him. He'd heard rumours of what the Death Eater had done to some unfortunate people, on orders from the Dark Lord perhaps, but nevertheless, the word had been that Malfoy had enjoyed doing it.

"Please..." he managed to croak out. "Please, no more..." Sirius desperately hoped that Snape had had his injured pride and honour sufficiently placated by now, because he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"No more?" Severus laughed cruelly. "You had no mercy when you were young, why should I show you any now?" Severus had no wish to be what Dumbledore had termed 'a better person' than his enemies. Black had set the level of their confrontations years ago, and he was merely keeping to that. There was no mercy or leniency to be had from him. "There are consequences for every action, some take a little longer to find you, but are just as inevitable." Black had to pay the price, the price for what he had done as a foolish young man. It was justice, plain and simple.

Every stroke was laid with the greatest care to hurt as much as possible now, every tool chosen with thought as to inflict pain and keep the damage to a decent level. Severus' arm felt heavy from the continued blows and he knew that the force of them had lessened, even if Black didn't seem to notice. Then again, even the slightest touch to his body would probably hurt now. Severus let the robe slip down from his shoulders and threw it over the back of one of the chairs.

"Who's snivelling now, Black?" he demanded of the beaten man, his fingers getting wet from the tears on Black's face, as he forced his head up. "Not so bold and boisterous now, not so over-confident." There was a slightly vacant look in Black's eyes, as if he wasn't altogether with them anymore, and Severus smirked at him. "Your good looks couldn't save you, neither could your friends, and in the end I'm the stronger one."

"You always were, Severus." Lucius rose from the chair in which he'd been sitting, enjoying the show. He emptied his glass, the last drops of the dark red wine glittering in the light as he set it down on the small table. "You had that inner strength all the time, whereas dear Sirius here needed the admiration and mindless cheering of his friends. And of course, someone to pick on." Lucius stepped up behind Snape, looking at Black over his shoulder, and sighed softly as he pressed his body against him. "Do you know how much I am enjoying watching this?"

Severus arched an eyebrow and smirked slightly at the feel of Malfoy's erection pressed flush against him. Malfoy always had taken great pleasure in cruelty and dominance, and Severus had to admit to himself that he wasn't exactly unaffected either. In fact, as Malfoy's arousal was revealed to him, Severus became aware of his own. Perhaps a short break was in order... giving Black some time to recover slightly, so that they could continue later.

There was more to the purging of hatred from his soul than mere revenge; Severus needed the passion too, intense pleasure and the feel of his lover's arms around him. He pushed back against Malfoy, a hand reaching back to grab at his hip and pull him closer. That Black was watching them didn't bother Severus at all. After all, the man wouldn't live to tell the tale. A low moan forced itself from his throat as Malfoy's hand rubbed over the front of his trousers, fingers splayed over his hard cock.

"Lucius." Severus' voice was dark from arousal, slightly hoarse. He wanted to feel that hand directly on his skin, wanted to enjoy the exquisite teasing and build-up of passion and pleasure he knew that Malfoy could give him. Severus moaned softly as Malfoy continued what he'd started, deftly opening the trousers and then slowly, teasingly, moved his fingers over the hard flesh, now freed from its confinement.

Lucius closed his hand around Snape's cock and began stroking him... slow, light touches, arousing him further. How he enjoyed feeling Snape's breathing speed up, the pulse increasing its pace, the blood rushing a little faster through the vein in the neck that he pressed his cheek against.

"Look at him, Severus. Look at your enemy..." Lucius whispered in Snape's ear. "He's aching, bleeding... all for you." He smiled at the low moan that was his lover's reply, and reached for Snape's wand. "Watch him suffer for your pleasure." Lucius pointed the wand at the bound figure, and with all the necessary intention behind it he said one word. "Cruciatus!"

Severus did watch Black, saw him tense suddenly, arch up and pull at his bonds. He watched his eyes open in disbelief at the intense pain, mouth opening to scream out his agony. Severus also felt Malfoy's hand on his cock, pumping him hard now, pushing him relentlessly toward climax. He let his head rest against Malfoy's shoulder and closed his eyes. The pleasure was so intense, and the screams were enough, the image of Sirius Black suffering under the Cruciatus curse vivid in his mind. He moaned again and turned his face to kiss Malfoy's neck as he came, semen spattering over the floor and his lover's hand.

The curse was ended, much to Sirius' relief. He'd felt the Crucio before, not many times, granted, but enough to know that there had been vicious intent behind this one. Intent and a cold familiarity with the use of it. Sirius hadn't been aware of much else while it lasted, but now he looked at his tormentors through half closed eyes, his head bowed as he hung limply from the ropes again. The sick cruelty of it all struck him; they had enjoyed watching this, enjoyed it to the point of... orgasm? He closed his eyes to shut out the sight of Snape's half-hard cock in Malfoy's hand.

"I think we're forgetting our duty as hosts, Severus. Mr. Black looks weary, how about we let him rest a little, and you can continue in the morning?" The same words could have been used about an esteemed guest, it was the setting that turned them into sarcasm, an art that Lucius was well versed in. He knew that Snape had always found that amusing. This time it wasn't for amusement only, or to taunt Black, that he'd spoken. No, he wanted Snape upstairs, in his bed, at that very moment. They could talk about what they would do next to Black, how they... Snape mostly... would torment him, while they were having sex.

Severus nodded and took a slow, deep breath; it was a good idea. "Perhaps it's better to be patient, to take our time. There could be more things we want to do with him later, that we haven't thought of yet." He sneered slightly. He had been thinking about all the things he wanted to do to Black for quite some time now, ever since Malfoy had told him that there might be a way to pull Black back to this world. "He will have to be patient too, and wait for the rest of his lesson." Severus arranged his clothing again, and recovered his robe from where he'd left it.

As Snape and Malfoy turned to leave, Sirius spoke up.

"Can't do this to me." The broken whisper made both men smile, and they turned back to look at Black.

"But we already have," Malfoy said, matter-of-factly.

"Harry will get you for this when he finds out." Sirius knew that his godson was fiercely protective of those he cared about.

"Tut-tut." Snape shook his head, the cruel smile widening slightly. "Such confidence in the immortality of others... and their inability to fail."

Sirius stared at Snape, and suddenly the pain in his body was of less importance, his brain alert once more. "Immortality? Where's Harry? You said I don't need to worry about Harry!"

"Ah, but you don't. Nothing can hurt or harm him anymore, and you'll join him soon enough." Severus turned to leave with Malfoy again. The look on Black's face had been most rewarding, but they had some pressing business to attend to. Before Malfoy closed and locked the door to the dungeon cell, Severus thought he'd give his crushed foe a little something to mull over while waiting for him to recommence the torture.

"They're all dead, Black. Potter, Lupin, Dumbledore... and Voldemort. No one knows that you are here, no one can save you, and the world belongs to us." An anguished cry followed them up the stairs, even through the thick door that now separated the painful existence of Sirius Black from the enjoyable lives of the new Minister of Magic and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.