Severus Snape stood in line for the concert he had been waiting for for the past 3 months. He would never admit to anyone at the school that he would ever be here, it would just be too embarassing if his fellow professors knew that he still hadn't outgrown his love for Muggle hard rock as he grew up. He certainly hoped that none of his students would ever find out. How would it look if the head of Slytherin house was found standing in line with mere Muggles waiting to get into the arena to see a group of four musicians? He had his arms crossed so no one would see the hideous mark on his arm that he had gotten when he was young and foolish. Of course, he was dressed like everyone else, black jeans and a black t-shirt, his lank black hair falling about his face and reaching his chest. He looked like everyone else except for the slim ebony shaft in the hidden pocket of his jeans.

After what seemed like an eternity, the line started moving and they were finally allowed to go inside to find their seats. He passed by the stands that were selling t-shirts with the band's name and faces on them, he didn't remember to bring any Muggle money with him that night and he doubted that they accepted Galleons for the merchandise, and made his way to the front of the arena to his seat. He had spent quite a bit the money he had earned the previous year as Potions Master of Hogwarts school for this ticket, but he didn't mind much. He had no family to support and anything he needed most of the time he could just get from his garden at home.

As the opening chords for "Master of Puppets" started to fill the concert hall, he started to move his head to the rhythm, letting his hair fly around his head. His left arm pumped the air along with the beat of the song, showing off the skull and snake of the mark he originally hid. As the chorus of the song filled the air, he started to sing along with the band, "Come crawling faster, obey your master, your life burns faster, obey your master, master, master of puppets I'm pulling your strings..." Of course, none of the Muggles in the audience surrounding him understood the frustration those words reminded him of.

As the final chords of the song faded, Severus screamed and whistled his appreciation to the band. "Hey, that's one wicked tattoo," the person next to him said before the next song started. "Did it hurt?"

"More than you could know," Severus said as he rubbed his arm, remembering the pain of getting the mark and the subsequent torments that his "master" had given him when he failed at one task or another that he was given.

"I still think it's pretty sweet though. Do you mind telling me where you got it?" the young man said.

"The person who gave it to me is no longer in business," Severus said with a sigh. He was glad that the madman that he had once followed was out of the picture, but there was still a thought in the back of his mind that one day he would return.

"That's a pity it is," said the young man. "I would have really liked to have one of those." Before Severus was able to respond to his comment, the opening of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" started up and he began to pump his arm in the air again.