Saving your life

Severus felt the room around him spin, and he tightened his hold on his wand even more. He might trust Hermione, but he didn’t trust Draco; he had to be prepared for anything.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he raised his wand and turned around, ready to attack if he had to, but he was in a dark room, and could see nothing. He remained still for a few seconds, trying to decide what to do, and then the door opened, and he saw a figure standing in the dimly lit hallway.

“Hermione?” the figure called, and Severus instantly recognized Draco’s voice.

In a matter of seconds, he had silently disarmed the boy, rendered him unconscious and bound him to one of the chairs he had found in the room he was in. It had been so easy he could have laughed. He made his way out of the room, wanting to see where he was, but stopped as he reached the open door, knowing there could be someone else nearby.

“Homenum revelio,” he murmured. He had been right; there was at least one more person in the building.

With an ability that came from years of working as a spy, he noiselessly left the room and started down the hallway, stopping by every door and repeating the spell, looking for the other occupant. The house he was in did not look familiar, and was rather large, with many corridors and rooms; it took him a long time to search them all, but finally he found the right one, on the main floor. If he had not been searching the house so thoroughly, he would have probably missed it; the door was almost hidden in a dark corner, painted in the same colour as the wall.

He took a few steps closer, and as he reached for the knob he felt the magical wards around it. He stared at the door for a few moments, surprised; none of the other doors had been warded. As silently and carefully as he could, he started working on lifting the wards; they were not excessively complicated ones, but they were set in layers, and getting through them took time.

After over ten minutes of working, he finally lifted the last ward, and took another step back. Whoever was in there might have been alerted of his presence, and they might be waiting for him to break in, ready to attack. He took a few moments to decide whether he should open the door silently or simply blast it open instead. He chose the second option.

He stepped forward again, and stood by the door, his back flush against the wall. He took a moment to focus, and then, with a few quick flicks of his wand, blew the door open. Not standing in front of the door had been a wise decision, he thought, as he heard a voice scream at least half a dozen curses his way as soon as the door was gone.

The smoke caused by the small explosion impaired his vision slightly, but he could not wait until it was gone. Instead, he turned around and moved his arm to the side, towards the doorway, so that he could fire back without exposing himself. The voice inside kept yelling curses, and that gave him a clue as to where the person was standing; as the third silent curse flew from his wand, he heard a pained scream, but it had not been enough to stop the attack. A few more curses flew his way, one of them barely missing his hand, which he retrieved just in time.

He lowered his body, so that he was resting one knee on the floor, and then moved his arm back around the doorway. This time he did not fire any curses, but with a few well chosen words, a dense smoke began to rise from the ground. He waved his wand around his head next, casting a bubble charm that would allow him to see throw the smoke, and then got up again and carefully stepped inside the room.

He could see one thin figure standing a few feet from him, partially hidden behind a chair, their wand held firmly as they turned to one side, then the other, trying to discover where Severus was standing. Instead of attacking right away, he took a moment to search the room for other occupants, but he could not see anyone.

Carefully stepping around the figure, he ducked a few blindly aimed curses and stopped right behind them. Many would think attacking while the enemy’s back was turned was an act of cowardice; Severus had learned the hard way to take chances as they came; what was so honourable about fair fights, if they increased your chances of being killed? The entire purpose of a fight was to win, and smart wizards did whatever was necessary to secure victory.

“Expelliarmus,” he yelled at the figure, and watched it fly and hit the opposite wall, its wand falling by their side. “Accio wand,” he said next, putting her wand in his pocket before vanishing the dense smoke and lifting the spell around his head.

With his wand aimed straight at the dark figure trying to get up, he stepped closer, only then realizing who it was. “My, my, what a surprise,” he said with a smirk, calmly watching Narcissa Malfoy struggling to get back on her feet.

“Severus,” the witch gasped, as soon as she heard his voice, a look of hatred crossing her eyes as she finally managed to stand.

“What, may I ask, are you doing here? The Dark Lord is looking for you.”

He saw the hatred in her expression turn to rage, and then the witch yelled, “You killed my sister,” as she ran to him, her arms in front of her, clearly aiming for his neck. She was a smart woman, why would she ever try to attack him unarmed? He really had no idea.

Just as the witch was about to reach him, he stepped to the side, and with a swift move of his arm, he grabbed one of Narcissa’s wrists, twisted her arm back and then pushed her away, so that she fell to the floor, her eyes narrowed in anger as she rubbed her wrist.

“Don’t make me curse you, Narcissa,” he said, as she moved to get up again. “You know I will do it if I have to.”

“He sent you here?” she asked, and he saw a flick of fear cross her eyes, before it was once again covered by anger.

“Yes,” he replied, knowing the witch meant the Dark Lord. That was not exactly right, but it was still all the explanation he was willing to offer.

“Where is my son? What have you done to him?” she asked then, scrambling to her feet once again, but not trying to attack Severus.

“I have told you the Dark Lord is after you, and all you care about is your son?”

“Of course,” she said, “I will not let you take him.”

“You will not let me?” he asked, amused. “Exactly how do you think you could stop me, if that is what I came here to do?”

“I will do whatever it takes, Severus; you know it.”

“Your son is fine, Narcissa; at least for the time being,” he told her.

“You killed Bellatrix,” she said, angrily, and he merely smirked.

“She had it coming,” he replied.

“She was right, wasn’t she? So was Lucius. You are nothing but a filthy traitor.”

“Is that what you think?” he asked, lowering his wand but still keeping it firmly held by his side.

“It is not what I think, it is what you are.”

“You are talking about things you do not understand; it must be a family trait,” he said calmly, and she remained silent. “You never shared the Dark Lord’s beliefs, does that not make you as much a traitor as you think I am?” he asked, and she did not respond. “I am sure you know it was your beloved sister that freed your son from the dungeons at headquarters, is that right?”

“She saved Draco’s life; he had been left there to die. You had taken an oath to protect him, and still did nothing to help him.”

“Did she, by any chance, explain to you exactly why she had released him?” he asked, ignoring what she had said about the oath.

“She did it to save him; she did it to protect our family,” she replied, making Severus laugh.

“So is that what she told you, or what you simply assumed? Have you, by any chance, asked Draco himself to explain what happened?” he asked her then, and he could see the anger slowly leaving her eyes, replaced by confusion and curiosity. “Of course not,” he answered his own question. “How could your sister, a dark, violent, dangerous and clearly unbalanced witch, have any ulterior motives for helping poor Draco?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She was using him, Narcissa. She took him out of the dungeons only to use him against me. She did not care about him or any of you at all; she only cared about herself.”

“That is not true,” she said, shaking her head. “My sister cared for Draco, and you killed her.”

“She sent your son to the Order,” he finally said. “She told him to approach one of Potter’s friends for information, and to kill her afterwards.”

Narcissa shook her head, but remained silent.

“Do you know how she convinced your son to do it?” he asked then, with a sneer, and she shook her head again. “She threatened to kill you and Lucius.”

“That is not true, you are lying!”

“Why would I lie?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “I have my wand, you are unarmed. If I wanted to kill you, I would have long ago.”

“You tried to kill my husband.”

“Lucius,” he said, “is the one to blame for everything that happened to him; not me. He tried to kill me once, and I spared his life because of our past together. He foolishly attempted it again, and you can be certain I will not hesitate when I find him. He is lucky Draco got to him before I did, or he would be long gone by now. Still, I might not have a chance to kill him myself, if the Dark Lord finds him first.”

“Severus, please,” Narcissa said suddenly, stepping closer to him. “Please, you cannot let him find us.”

“It is not up to me. He knows your family has gone missing, and he will not stop until he finds you. If I do not take you to him, someone else will.”

“No, Severus, please, you have to help us, you have to help Draco.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You took an Oath to protect him, to keep him safe.”

“I did just that. I risked my life to save him, Narcissa. I am not bound by that oath any more.”

“We have been friends for years; you have known my son his entire life. You cannot let the Dark Lord kill him, Severus, you have to help him. Please.”

He remained silent for a few moments, considering his options. He had told Hermione he would try to help Draco, and the boy could prove useful, if he was really willing to work for the light, but he knew he could not be sure the boy would not simply change his mind and betray them all in the end. Now with Narcissa, things would be different. It was true, he had known Draco for years, and knew how the boy had been raised. He cared about his family above all, and would do anything to protect them. Severus also knew he cared even more deeply for his mother, and no matter what Lucius told the boy, he would still do just about anything to protect her. He tilted his head to the side and carefully watched Narcissa; his silence was making her nervous and he knew it.

“If I told you I would try to help Draco, would you be willing to help me?” he asked, slowly.

“You would protect him?”

“I would try.”

“I will do anything to save my son, Severus; you know that.”

“Even if it meant betraying the Dark Lord?” he asked, and watched her eyes widen in surprise and fear.

“Yes,” she finally whispered.

“I will talk with your son, and then make my decision. You will wait here until I return,” he said, and she nodded.

“Thank you, Severus,” she said, as he turned around and headed for the door.

“Do not thank me yet,” he replied, before stepping outside and closing the door.

He took a few minutes to set new wards around the room, just in case, and then made his way back up the stairs. A part of him had been hoping he would find Lucius in the house as well, but Draco had taken him somewhere else.

As he reached the dark room he saw Draco’s figure still sitting on the chair, exactly were he had left him and apparently still unconscious. He stepped inside and closed that door as well, setting a few wards just in case someone else tried to enter, although he was sure it was only the three of them in the house, and doubted anyone else knew where they were. One could never be too careful.

He walked around the chair and stood in front of the boy, raising his wand and making sure he was still properly bound before muttering, “Rennervate,” and watching his eyes fluttering open.

“What happened?” Draco asked, looking around frantically as he struggled to free himself. “Who are you?”

With an exasperated sigh, Severus waved his wand, lighting the room so that Draco would see him.

“Snape? What’s going on?” Draco asked, as soon as his eyes settled on him. “How did you get here? Where is Hermione?”

“Miss Granger,” he said, as his free hand reached inside his pocket, “gave me this.” He saw Draco’s eyes widen when he showed him the Galleon Hermione had turned into a Portkey.

“Why would she do that?” he asked, clearly not believing Snape’s words.

“Because I told her I needed to speak to you. You see, she seems to trust me,” he replied, with a smirk.

“She should know better,” Draco muttered under his breath, and then yelled in pain when he was hit by a minor curse.

“Watch your tongue, Mr Malfoy. You have found yourself in this kind of situation before; one would think you would have learned how to behave by now.”

“What do you want?” he spat angrily.

“I want to know whose side you are really on; I want to know if you can be trusted.”

“I think I have already proven myself. I could have let her die in that cabin, but I didn’t.”

“And I am still wondering why you did that,” Severus said calmly, as he paced in front of him.

“I saved her, and I saved you as well,” Draco said then, trying to sound confident. “After she was dead, you know my father would have killed you.”

“Yet you helped Lucius escape.”

“He is my father; I couldn’t let the Aurors find him.”

“By saving her, you have condemned your family, you know that.”

“I can still protect them.”

“Do you know why I am here, Draco?” Severus asked with a smirk, towering over the boy.

“You want me to tell you where my father is?” he asked, making Severus laugh.

“I don’t think so; the Dark Lord sent me here,” he said, and smirked again when he saw the boy’s eyes widen in fear.

“No, that’s not possible,” he said, nervously. “Hermione would never have given you the Galleon if…”

“What makes you think she would do anything to protect you?” Severus interrupted.

“She knows the truth; she knows I care about her, that I wouldn’t lie to her.”

“You care about her?” he almost snorted. “You hated her for years, and now suddenly, after barely a few weeks, you care about her?”

“How long did it take you?” Draco asked, with a knowing glint in his eyes.

“What?” Severus said, confused.

“How long did it take you to fall for her? Months? Weeks? Days?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Malfoy.”

“You can deny it all you want, but one fool can recognize another,” Draco said, with a shrug.

“You are delusional.”

“I have known you all my life, Severus, and never have I seen you look at someone the way you looked at her that night. You might not want to admit it to yourself, but I know the truth, and I know the way she affects one’s life.”

“You know absolutely nothing,” he replied, angrily. “You have been surrounded by cold, proper purebloods all your life; now someone shows you kindness, and you think you care about her? You are right, Draco; you are a fool.”

“And you came all this way to tell me that?”

“No. I came all this way because the Dark Lord asked me to find you and your family,” he said, smirking when he saw the fear return to Draco’s face.

“Why?” he asked, his voice just a whisper.

“You do not know? Suddenly, your entire family goes missing; did you think he would not notice?”

“It is your fault, you killed my aunt. Why is he looking for us?”

“You cannot run away, and you cannot hide. Once you become one of his Death Eaters, there is no way out. It is loyalty or death.”

“You are not loyal to him, you are a traitor.”

“I have paid the price, I still do.”

“If you came here to take us to him, then what are you waiting for? Or are you afraid the Order will find out, and that Hermione will know?”

“I never said I came to take you there, all I said is that he sent me after you.”

“Then what do you want?” Draco asked.

“I want to know if you are still loyal to the Dark Lord,” Severus said, calmly.

“One would have thought my running away with my family would be answer enough.”

“That only proves you are a coward; that is not what I came here to hear.”

“Looking after those I love does not make me a coward. Some of us care about more people than just ourselves.”

“If you truly cared for them, you would have done what your aunt asked you to, and you never would have stopped Lucius when he tried to do it himself.”

“Then Hermione would be dead, how would that be better?”

“Your beloved family would be safe, is that not what you want?”

“I want her safe as well.”

Severus watched him silently, thinking exactly what he should say.

“Miss Granger asked you to retrieve something for her.”

“How do you know?”

“How do you think I know, boy? She told me, she showed it to me. Do you have any idea what it was you gave her? How important that is to the Dark Lord?”

“It is just a cup,” he said with a shrug, although Severus could tell the boy knew it was much more than that, although he probably did not know the details.

“When the Dark Lord finds out it is missing… you will face his rage for the first time, and probably the last too.”

“He will not know it was me that took it.”

“I happen to know it was heavily guarded.”

“I took care of that,” Draco said, dismissively.

“You took care of the Inferi?” Severus asked, and he nodded. “There were Death Eaters guarding it too.”

“Not any more.”

“Are you certain you left no witnesses and that no one else knows you were there?”

“No one.”

“Not even your aunt knew?”

“I said no one.”

“It might take longer then, but he will still know.”

“He might be dead before then,” Draco said, surprising Severus.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know that cup will help Potter kill him.”

“So you knowingly helped his enemy. Would you willingly take more part, actively fight for his demise?”

“Do I have any choice? If I said no, then you would kill me. That is why you really are here, isn’t it? To make sure your secret is still safe.”

“Do not fool yourself, Draco. The only reason why I am here and you are still alive is that Miss Granger seems to believe you could help the Order.”

“She is not the only one. That Auror, Shacklebolt, is it, seems to believe I could be helpful as well.”

“You have talked to him?” Severus asked, trying to hide his surprise.

“Hermione sent him here, a few hours ago. I thought you knew everything that happened in the Order, Severus,” he taunted.

“How much did you tell him?” he asked menacingly, stepping closer to Draco.

“I only confirmed what you had told them about the other night. He told me he could keep my mother safe if I agreed to help them.”

“Is that what he said?” he asked then.

“Yes. He said he can send her away, somewhere safe. All I have to do is tell him what I know.”

“He cannot keep her safe. He has no idea what he is dealing with. If the Dark Lord wants to find her, there is no place the Order or the Ministry can provide that will keep her alive; he will find her, and sooner than you might think.”

“And you can help?”

“You know I can.”

“So we finally get to the point, I believe. What would it take for you to help protect my family?”

“Not much, just your cooperation.”

“I am sure there is much more to it than the apparent. What, exactly, would be the terms of this agreement?”

“You will do what I tell you to do, when I say so. No questions.”

“Is there a chance I might come out of it alive?”

“Is there a chance for any of us?” he asked, then stepped back and waved his wand once, releasing Draco. “But you do not have a choice.”

“Why are you really doing this?” Draco asked, as he rubbed his sore wrists.

“You might want to say goodbye to your mother,” Severus said, ignoring his question.

“Where will you take her?”

“If I told you, it would not be a secret,” he said, with a smirk.

“What about my father?”

“What about him?”

“Will you help him too?”

“You can keep him where he is; I will not go looking for him, for now. That is all the help he will get. If he tries something, or even runs into me somewhere, sometime, I will kill him, like I should have long ago.”

“What about…”

“Enough,” Severus said, annoyed by all the questions. “Follow me,” he ordered, as he unwarded the door and stepped outside, making his way down the stairs and towards the room where he had left Narcissa.

“Make sure to tell her to behave,” Severus said, as he lifted the wards he had set on the door.

“Mother!” Draco yelled, as soon as Severus opened the door, and ran towards Narcissa, taking in her dishevelled hair and split lip, as well as the small bruise on her forehead. “Are you all right? What have you done to her?” he asked, turning to Severus.

“I am fine, Draco, it is nothing,” she assured him.

“We will be leaving in a few minutes, Narcissa,” Severus told her calmly. “Draco will remain here until I return. You might want to say goodbye to him.”

“Why? Why can’t he come with me?”

“It is all right, mother; I will be fine. Severus will take you somewhere safe.”

“No, please, Severus,” she said, stepping closer to him. “Let him come with me. I need to know he is safe.”

“There is no time for this, we have to leave,” he said, coldly. “Say goodbye to your son if you like, but do it now.”

He took a few steps back, not needing to hear all the emotional babble, and after a few moments cleared his throat loudly, interrupting them.

“Wait outside,” he said, turning to Draco, who hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and walked outside.

“You said you would help him, Severus,” Narcissa said, as soon as the door was closed. “You said you would keep him safe.”

“I never said such thing. Still, as long as he does what I need him to do; I will protect him as much as possible.”

“Would you help him, see he comes to no harm?”

“I will try.”

“Will you swear? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?”

“No more vows, Narcissa. You will have to take my word for it this time,” he said, and before she could say anything else, he took her arm, turned one of the fallen books in the room into a Portkey and took her away.

It did not take as long as he had expected to leave her there. After a few explanations, reminding her she had to stay inside, and refusing to return her wand, he took the Portkey again and returned to the house where Draco was waiting.

“I want to know where she is,” Draco said, as soon as Severus stepped out of the room. “I want to know she really is safe.”

“I am quickly tiring of this,” Severus said, walking past him, into the main hall. “You are not essential for my plans, Mr Malfoy. Do not test my patience, or you might find yourself wishing the Dark Lord had found you, instead of me.”

“How do I know she is all right then?”

“I am afraid you will have to trust me. Why would I harm her, if she is much more useful alive?”

“I want someone else to know where she is. If not me, then I want you to tell Hermione. That way I will know she is all right.”

“You leave her out of this,” Severus said angrily, turning to face Draco again.

“Are you afraid she will know what you are up to?”

“I am up to nothing, and you will stay away from Miss Granger from now on.”

“Why do you still call her Miss Granger? She has a beautiful name; you should use it more often.”

He knew Draco was taunting him, trying to make him say things he did not want to. Why was the boy so obsessed with her?

“I believe I already warned you once before. Do not test my patience, Draco.”

“But it is so amusing, the way you try to hide it. I can see the change in your expression whenever I mention her name. You told me once I was not good for her; what makes you think you are?”

“I never said I was; all I said was that you should leave her alone, that you should stay away from her.”

“Why won’t you simply accept the truth? Why do you keep denying?”

“I don’t. I do not care about her. She helped me when I needed it, and now I will repay the favour by keeping you away. It is as simple as that.”

“If you say so… You know, I am actually glad you clearly don’t care for her; that will make things much easier for me. It took me years to really see her, now I will not stop until I have her. You might not think I am good enough, but you are wrong, and I will prove it.”

“You will not do such thing,” Severus said, angrily. “You will leave her alone, or I will make you. You will do nothing but ruin…” he started, but the searing pain in his forearm interrupted him.

“He is calling you,” Draco said, and he did not even bother to reply.

“Where are we?” Severus asked, looking around the house. “I cannot take a Portkey with me; I need to know where this place is.”

“Plymouth. It is a manor that belonged to my mother’s family.”

“Very well. You will wait here until I return,” he said, as he walked to the door.

“Severus, wait.”

“What?” he asked, opening the door.

“I need my wand,” Draco replied.

He hesitated for a moment, and then finally reached inside his robes and took out both Draco and Narcissa’s wands and gave them to the boy. If someone found the wands with him, he would be in trouble.

He finally stepped outside of the house, took a few moments to examine it, knowing the mental image would help him return, and then Apparated to headquarters, still not sure exactly what he would tell his Master.

“Severus,” a voice said, as soon as he stepped inside.

“What is it, Wormtail?” he asked with an angry sigh. He hated talking to the wizard.

“The Dark Lord wants to speak to you.”

“Of course he does, why else would he have called me?” he asked, irritably. “Where is he?”

“He is waiting for you in his study.”

“Very well,” Severus said, as he started walking that way.

“Oh, Severus,” the wizard said just as he was leaving.

“What?” he spat angrily, turning around for a moment.

“He is in a rather foul mood, you might want to be careful,” Wormtail told him with an evil smirk that made him resemble a rat even more.

He saw a few more Death Eaters on his way, most of them talking in low voices. He was tempted to step closer and find out what they were discussing, but making the Dark Lord wait would not be wise.

He finally reached the door to the study, knocked once, and then waited for the Dark Lord’s response to open and enter. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Voldemort sitting by the fire, aiming his wand at him, and then felt something around his throat, as if two strong hands were strangling him. He fell on his knees, gasping for breath. His hands flew to his throat, but there was nothing there. He began to feel the room around him faint, and just when he felt he had no strength left, the curse was lifted.

“What took you so long?” Voldemort asked angrily, standing up and walking closer to him. “I told you I wanted answers fast.”

“I am sorry, My Lord,” Severus replied, his voice hoarse. “But it was not easy. They were keeping what happened secret, only a few knew about it, and were not very eager to cooperate.”

“I do not care what happened, or how you do your job. I want results, and I want them fast. Where is Bellatrix?”

Severus could see the anger in his eyes, and knew he could not tell him she was dead; if he knew, Voldemort would probably kill him, simply out of anger, so he took the only other option that seemed possible.

“She is a prisoner, the Order found her.”

He covered his head when part of the wall behind him blew up, and then slowly stood up. If Voldemort tried to kill him, he would fight back.

“Where is she?” he asked Severus, visibly trying to calm down.

“I do not know yet, Master, but…” he started, but was interrupted as another curse hit him.

“No excuses, Severus. I want answers.”

“They are keeping the prisoners hidden using a Fidelius charm. I do not know who the Secret Keeper is, but I will find out, My Lord.” The lies were leaving his lips before he could even think what he was saying, and he knew he would have to find a way to cover after them as soon as he left headquarters; still, those lies would give him time.

“And the others that were with her?”

“Apparently, there is an informant, Sir, someone working with the Order. They knew you had sent some Death Eaters on a mission, and attacked them. The two men you had sent her with were killed.”

“What about the Malfoys?”

“I am not sure what happened or how, but I was told the three of them Apparated there a few moments after the attack. Perhaps Bellatrix called them.”

“The three of them?”

“Yes, Master; Lucius, Narcissa and Draco. I did not know Lucius was back until they told me.”

“What happened to them?”

“They said Lucius was badly wounded, and his son Apparated him away. Narcissa was killed.”

“Do you know where they are kee...” he started, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“What?” Voldemort yelled, waving his wand and throwing the door open. A masked Death Eater was standing outside, moving from one foot to the other, and looking slightly nervous. “What is it, Rabastan? What are you doing here?”

“Master, if I may,” the wizard replied, as he stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him.

“Speak,” Voldemort spat, angrily.

“I just came back from the Monastery, Master.”

“I know where you came back from; I am the one that sent you there. Why are you here? Where are the other guards?”

“We got there to relieve them, as you ordered, but when we arrived there they were dead, Master.”

“What? What happened?”

“Someone broke in.”

“Who?”

“I do not know. Whoever it was, they got back out alive.”

“What about the Inferi?”

“Most of them had been petrified or bound together. Some had been slain as well.”

“That is not possible; not those Inferi. What else did you see?”

“Not much, Master, there was…”

“Legilimens,” he interrupted exasperated, his wand so close to Rabastan that it was almost touching his forehead. Severus watched them, saw Voldemort’s features contort with rage, his eyes glow crimson, and then the spell was lifted, and with an angry roar he waved his wand again and open the door, sending Rabastan flying out of the room.

“Do you know anything about this?” he asked a moment later, turning to Severus.

So, they had found out the cup was missing, and it was only a matter of time before Voldemort discovered it had been Draco.

“No, My Lord.”

“Only those with my mark can enter the monastery; you were right, Severus, there is a traitor among us, and you will find out who it is and bring them to me.”

“Yes, Master,” he said, bowing.

“Find Lucius and his son as well, I want to know what happened.”

“Of course,” he said, but Voldemort was not listening. He was pacing the room, muttering to himself, his voice so low Severus could not make out the words.

Thinking it was probably the best time to leave, he turned around and took a few steps towards the door, but Voldemort’s voice stopped him.

“Severus.”

“Yes, My Lord?”

“Close the door,” he said, still pacing the room, looking as if he were trying to decide something. As soon as the door was closed, Voldemort stopped walking and looked at him. “I have another mission for you.”

“What can I do for you, Master?” he asked, calmly.

“I cannot leave the country at the moment, I have a few matters to take care of, so I will need you to go somewhere and make sure everything is as it should be,” he said, cryptically. “You will do that, and then report back immediately.”

“Yes, Master. What is it that you need me to check?”

“You do not need to know that. You will take this,” Voldemort said, flicking his wand over a small sculpture lying broken on the floor and muttering, “Portus.”

“Where…”

“Do not interrupt me,” he said, angrily. “As soon as you get there, you will go east, approximately five miles, and then turn south. You will be able to feel the magic from there; follow it. It will not be long before you find the source, but you will not be able to see it. You will have to slice your forearm, where the Dark Mark is, and use that blood to find the entrance. That is the only safe way in. Hidden behind one of the stone walls is a niche, and inside it you will find an object. Simply make sure it is still there and return.”

“Yes, Master,” he said, bowing.

“Oh, and Severus, do not touch anything, if you value your life in the least. You are the only one I would trust to do this; do not disappoint me. Go now,” Voldemort said, waving his wand and sending the Portkey flying into Severus’ hand.

He barely had time to react before the Portkey was activated, and soon he found himself in the middle of a forest, just as Voldemort had said. A quick glance towards the sky told him the sun would rise in barely an hour; he would have to move fast.

He followed Voldemort’s instructions, and soon found the trail of magic he had been searching for. After over half an hour climbing the mountainside, he finally stood in front of the source and, as he had been instructed, sliced his forearm open and let the blood fall to the ground.

He felt the earth under his feet shake, and then a few rays of green light were shot up from the spot where his blood had fallen, blinding him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again he saw the light was gone, and he was standing in front of an ornate stone door.

Severus hesitantly touched the door, and then tried to push it open, but it was too heavy. He was about to reach for his wand when he felt the Dark Mark burn, and the door slowly slide open.

He stepped inside a large circular room, the stone walls barely lit by a few torches that glowed green. In the middle of the room were at least twenty figures standing still, looking almost exactly like the Xian Terracotta Warriors, only this were corpses. The Dark Lord certainly loved Inferi.

He moved closer to the wall and watched it carefully for a few moments, not sure what to do to find the hidden niche. He tried a revealing spell first, but nothing happened. He would have tried a simple summoning charm, but he was not sure what was hidden behind the wall, so it would not work. After going over the charms and spells he knew, he remembered one that could work. It was ancient magic, rarely used any more, since there were easier spells that usually had the same effect. He hoped Voldemort had not thought of that it casting the wards and protections.

The spell had been created to discover concealment of any kind, and when Severus cast it, the golden light that shot from his wand slowly moved around the room, barely inches from the wall, until it suddenly stopped a few feet to his left, glowed brighter, and then vanished.

Just as Severus started walking to the spot the spell had signalled, the stone door slid closed again, leaving the room even darker than before. Focusing on the hidden niche, he tried a few spells before he found the right one, and the false wall disappeared.

He gasped in surprise when he saw what was inside it; Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem, one of the remaining Horcruxes. When the Dark Lord had found out the cup was missing and had sent him on a mission, he had hoped it would be that, but a part of him refused to believe it would be that easy, that Voldemort would unknowingly hand the enemy one of his soul pieces like that. He had been wrong.

He examined the niche for a moment, and then turned around and watched the Inferi. They were standing still, but he was sure they would attack as soon as he touched the diadem. Knowing what would happen gave him an advantage, although a small one, and keeping his back to the wall, he reached into the niche and took the diadem, tugging it away just as the decrepit figures started moving.

They were just a few feet away, and that did not give him much time to react, but Rabastan’s words from earlier gave him an idea. With a few muttered words, fire erupted from his wand, blinding the Inferi long enough for him to attack. He started with the ones closest to him, petrifying them and watching them fall to the ground. He ran around the room, his back close to the wall, and used a few binding spells to stop the others. There were only four still standing, and Severus fired a few curses their way, slicing their flesh until they were no longer able to attack him. If Voldemort went there, or sent someone, it would look like the same person that had taken the cup had been in there as well.

He made his way to the door, reaching for his wand to open it again, when he felt cold fingers wrap around his leg and yank him back, making him fall and drop his wand. He turned around to see the Inferi he had bound together reach for him as one, broken nails sinking into his flesh as they tried to pull him to them. Kicking at them with all his strength, he tried to reach for his wand, but the corpses were pulling him further away with every second that passed.

Turning to face them, he tried using his hands to force them to let go, but they did not seem to feel any pain. They kept pulling him closer, and he felt their hands reaching his knees, sharp nails cutting into his thighs now. Knowing he did not have much time left, he turned back around and tried summoning his wand, but his wandless magic did not seem to work in there.

He looked around the room, trying to find something that might help him, and saw a severed arm from one of the other Inferi lying close to him. Without stopping to think, he grasped the arm and turned back towards the wand. He stretched as much as he could and used the clawed hand to pull the wand closer to him. Just as he felt the nails reaching his back, he wrapped his fingers around his wand, and fire erupted from it once more. He felt the hands almost instantly let go of him, as the Inferi tried to cover their eyes, and he took the chance to get away from them.

Panting slightly, he touched the door and felt the Dark Mark burn again, as the door slid open. He stepped outside and blinked rapidly, his eyes trying to adjust to the almost orange light from the sunrise. He looked back when he heard the door moving again, and after a few seconds it glowed green once more and disappeared.

He took a moment to catch his breath, quickly healed his wounds and clothes, and then reached inside his robes and pulled the diadem out. He had to go back to headquarters, and when he told his Master the Horcrux was gone, he was not sure what would happen. If Voldemort killed him, he had to make sure the Horcrux would be destroyed.

Deciding there was only one person he could trust with it, he put the diadem back away and Apparated to the Order’s headquarters.