Lord Voldemort stood up with a small sigh. He’d thought, hoped, that the entertainment value of a few nights ago would have lasted longer, but even though he had practically given them fair warning it was far too easy to destroy his targets. Granted there had been a few casualties on his side, but really, if any of his Death Eaters were bad enough to be hit they deserved whatever they got. And he didn’t really need faulty minions. He had enough of those already.

Voldemort sighed again. Sometimes it got just the slightest bit boring sitting alone on his throne. Not often, but sometimes. Usually when there were no minions around to torture. Where had Wormtail gotten to?

On the other hand, Wormtail was always whiny when he got cursed. It took days for the rat to stop whinging and get back to doing his job properly.

No, the short term satisfaction of cursing his minion senseless simply did not compare with the three days it would take to go back to getting his dinner done properly. There were so few creature comforts he could still enjoy. Even stretching wasn’t the same anymore.

So what else could he do to alleviate this moment of tedium? Well, there was always summoning some other minion, but he didn’t want Wormtail to think he favored him too much.

What about that text he had meant to look over? The one concerning his newest link with Potter. It was feeling stronger again, though there had already been several times that he could barely feel it. Yes. It was definitely time to look into that.

With a small nod Voldemort walked out of the throne room (such as it was) and down the hall to his private and very well warded library. Several of his Death Eaters, he knew, would give more than just eyeteeth to get in here. Severus being one of them, or at least so he had thought. Perhaps he would offer to let him have a peek, as a reward for setting Potter up. Perhaps, ah, here was the tome.

-----

It was some time later that the self proclaimed Lord Voldemort straightened his hunched shoulders and tore his eyes away from the pages of the book on the table before him. It seemed that Lucius had been right all along. Severus would not be getting a glimpse of his private library after all.

The cedo catenatus invitus curse was a very old and somewhat unusual piece of magic. If the Ministry remembered it, no doubt it would be considered very dark, though originally it was used to control prisoners. Only those who had dabbled in the dark arts were susceptible, and it created a link between the caster and the victim.

Fortunately, Voldemort had also found a text that instructed him in modifications. The link terminus could be transferred to another, which was very fortunate for Lucius Malfoy. If the second charm hadn’t worked as it was supposed to, the blonde would have been very dead. It would not have done at all for Lucius to reap the benefits of this rather ingenious little plot.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the link was variable. It was strengthened by prolonged use of dark magic and also ill feeling and intent, but it was weakened by joy, peace, love, and other similarly disgusting and pitiably weak emotions. For the bond to be nearly imperceptible at times, Potter would either need to be a continually and horrifyingly cheerful practitioner of the arts, or he would need to not be a practitioner at all.

The first was practically impossible, but the second was entirely likely. He’d had his suspicions about Severus, despite his warnings to Lucius. Perhaps it was time to have another chat with his favorite potions master. And if things went the way he suspected they would, well, he wouldn’t be feeling nearly as bored or restless for quite a while.

---

It was with slightly more fear than usual that Severus Snape, Potions Master and professor at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry found himself kneeling before the Dark Lord Voldemort. He was there alone, which could not bode well, but on the other hand, if he were going to be made an example of there would be a circle of witnesses. “My Lord,” he said as he made his reverence.

It was a long moment before the enthroned figure acknowledged him, and even then he was not told to rise. “Do you know, Sseverusss, that I had a nearly fool proof plan when I regained a usable corporeal form?” Voldemort regarded him carefully. “Sseverusss?”

“I would have guessed that my lord had a plan, but what that plan might have been specifically I could not say.”

“Could you not?”

Severus carefully and slowly raised himself to a kneeling position. “Only in general terms my lord,” he replied.

Voldemort propped his chin on one fisted hand. “Tell me, Sseverusss, what do you believe my plan might have been?”

“To kill Potter and Dumbledore. To grasp the wizarding world here in Britain. To extend your dominion throughout the islands, purifying them until such time as they could be used as a staging area for the extension of your power.” Severus spoke calmly, desperately trying not to reveal his nervousness. He had not seen the Dark Lord this way before, and he felt woefully unprepared.

“I did hope to do all thosse thingsss, yesss. And do you know how many I have managed to accomplissh ssincse then?” Riddle paused a moment and eyed Severus. “None, Sseverusss. I am nearly immortal, time mattersss little to me, but that doesss not mean that I enjoy thesse delaysss. I have been thwarted at nearly every turn. Why do you suppose that is?”

Severus knew this was dangerous ground. To criticize the Dark Lord was to court pain. Likewise, a refusal to answer would also bring down the villain’s wrath. Severus licked his lips. “I could not say for certain, my lord,” he said cautiously.

“Again I assk, could you not, Sseverusss? Well, I will tell you. I find that I am failed by thosse I put my trusst in. It isss not a pleassant thing, failure, Sseverusss, asss I am ssure you undersstand. Thisss isss why I am sso dissappointed in you, Sseverusss. I accepted you back into the fold, even though you were not sso quick to join me asss othersss. I defended you againsst your brethren. I even gave you a sspecial tassk as a demonsstration of my trusst. Yet you have failed me.”

Severus bowed his head.

“Why, Sseverusss? Do you not wissh to sserve me?” Voldemort’s voice was deceptively soft and the gentle sussuration of his voice was entrancing.

“Of course I wish to serve you, my lord. How could I do otherwise?”

“Indeed, how could you? And yet it sseemsss that you have.”

“How have I failed you my lord? Tell me that I might attempt to make amends.”

“Do you not already know, Sseverusss? Thisss passt summer Harry Potter sstayed in your housse. You did not bring him to me. You allowed the werewolf to teach him occlumencsy, cutting off a valuable line of information and connection. I insstructed you to teach him the Dark Artsss, and yet he remainsss firmly on the sside of the light. Why isss thisss, Sseverusss?”

Snape shivered. How could the Dark Lord know that Harry was not as tainted as he hoped. Had Draco said something to his father? Was there some other spy at Hogwarts that he was unaware of? Severus opened his mouth to speak, but subsided when he saw the Dark Lord’s raised hand.

“Yesss, I know, Sseverusss, you could hardly sstop Lupin. I know that there have been obsstaclesss to your corruption of the youth. But I know that you are a determined wizard, Sseverusss. When you run into problemsss with your potionsss you overcome them. Why have you not overcome thesse problemsss for me?”

“I have tried, my lord. I will continue to try,” Severus promised.

“No, Sseverusss. It isss clear that you cannot continue. Corruption isss taking too long. I begin to doubt whether it can happen.” The serpentine wizard was silent a moment.

Perhaps if he knew the rest of the prophecy…He looked at the young wizard kneeling before him. Dumbledore would certainly have gotten the whole prophecy by now, if anyone had. Should he instruct Severus to nose something out?

Not now, he decided. He still had other sources to try first, and he would not make the mistake of giving Snape too much responsibility again. “Have you any explanationsss for me, Sseverusss?” he asked at last.

“Forgive me, my lord. I should have brought it to your attention sooner, but Potter has difficulty casting dark spells. His mother’s blood seems to interfere somehow. I have been trying to counter the effect, but Dumbledore is the only expert…” Severus trailed off regretfully.

“And clearly you can not asssk that barmy, ineffectual old bag,” Voldemort finished for him.

“Yes, my lord.”

Voldemort thought a moment. It was true that he had had some small difficulties with certain spells himself since he had been repossessed of a body. He had assumed it was a flaw in Wormtail’s potion. He had also hoped that using Potter’s blood would allow him to counter the wards around his relatives’ home, but he had been unable to do that either.

If the mudblood’s charm was still active in the blood though, and fighting him, that could explain several things. He thought a moment longer before speaking again. “I have a new tassk for you, Sseverusss. I think it isss one that you should be able to accomplissh with little difficulty. I should be very dissapointed to learn otherwisse. Are you lisstening, Sseverusss?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Good. I want you to do everything in your power to make Harry Potter misserable. Can you do thisss, my Sseverusss?”

Severus swallowed thickly but said, “Yes, my lord,” with little hesitation.

“Good. Crucio.” Any thoughts he had on how to explain his new assignment to Harry were lost in a wash of pain.