The street had become nearly desolate as the sun dipped down over the quaint houses and lush lawns that lined Mulberry Avenue. A few children rolled down the sidewalk on bicycles as the sky flushed ruby against the white clouds above. Then the summer insects started buzzing and in the distance a dog barked endlessly in homage to the darkening sky, until the entire road was dipped in inky black. There were a few daring street lamps of course, beaming yellow light against the darkness. The homes were lit up for a few hours as parents watched the latest news reports and finished shared meals with families. A handful of people were walking their dogs or sitting out on porches enjoying the nighttime air. It seemed that everyone was enjoying themselves on this warm, inviting evening. But one house on Mulberry wasn't full of laughter and talking. It was bereft of the smell of cooking food and the lights were all dim behind the curtained windows. In fact if anyone stopped to ask about such a home, within a few minutes their attention would be elsewhere and they would wonder what had behooved them to go exploring in such foreboding areas.
This tiny, unassuming house that sat rather quietly at 405 Mulberry Avenue had a secret few of its neighbors would guess. It was the home of a wizard by the name of Andy R. Barnabus, and he most certainly never had to worry about break-ins or thefts. He never paid taxes, never had visitors, and certainly never had house calls. Barnabus lived here with his wife and two children, Adrian and Emily. He was quite well respected at work, and had even made a name for himself in a local burgeoning activist group run by a man named Tom Riddle. Barnabus was, with the full consent and understanding of his family, a Death Eater. And only a few hours ago he had been killed.
#
The house looked rather desolate, at least from this angle, and Lucius took his broom around for a second glance before making his way down. There were very few potential onlookers, and he wasn't sure if that meant he had good luck or if it was a bad omen. Sweeping his black-lacquered broom around in the sky, he saw the perfect landing spot in the small backyard, enclosed in a high wooden fence. To anyone that might have glanced in his direction, they'd only see a smearing of shadow, typically considered an optical illusion or a trick of the sky. Whatever they would call it, they wouldn't see him. It was one of the many uses this black cloak had when he was on such a mission.
He landed smoothly on the sod that came up to his calf and, retrieving his wand from his pocket, shrunk his broom down till it was no bigger than a toothpick. He placed it in an inner pocket of the shadowy robe and took a look around. From the outside, the house was rather mundane. Decrepit even. The shingles were mostly gone from the roof, and the fence had so many gaping holes in it, he guessed that all manner of animals and muggle children made frequent trips inside. But if he knew Barnabus, they hadn't made a step into his house. The grounds would be well fortified, so Lucius needed to watch his step.
The back door was closed, though it barely hung from its rusted hinges. The dirt and grime was thick, and with each step he made he could spy things moving in the grass, scurrying out of the way of his footfalls. The doorknob had a thick spider web on top that looked like it had been there for years. Instinctively Lucius reached for his breast pocket to retrieve a handkerchief, but then realized he was in his Death Eater garb instead. It likely wasn't real of course, these were just the protections Barnabus had put up to thwart any suspecting muggles who became too curious. But that didn't stop him from feeling disgusted as his gloved fingers slipped between the silky web and pulled the door aside.
The inside of the building looked about as paltry as the outside. Honestly, the difficulties of living side by side with muggle houses – was it really worth it? He cast a quick charm on his feet so that he wouldn't disturb the dust beyond, and then began hunting for the real house entrance. He'd never been to Barnabus' home before, but he was given a rundown by those who had. Bella had been insistent that there was a basement door that led down to their abode, but it still took several minutes for Lucius to find it. The basement door was actually built to meld in with the wall, so he ended up passing it three times before he truly noticed it. He flicked his wand and the wall slid back soundlessly. Lucius smiled a bit to himself as he began descending the stairs, now he could truly get to work. He flicked his wand behind him to close up the passage and pulled down his hood. The air was chilly down here, but he had to admit it felt better than the stilting humidity upstairs.
As he walked, the wall mounted candelabras lit themselves, and Lucius wondered not for the first time that night what had made them frightened. After a week of not showing up to the Dark Lord's meetings, Barnabus should have fled the country rather than sit behind in his crummy little house. Yet Lucius was sent in to investigate and derive what information he could if Barnabus and his family were still here. Not that Lucius was particularly fond of such a task. As much as he appreciated the connections given to him by joining the Dark Lord, he wasn't much for administering torture. It was bloody usually. A Cruciatus curse cast long enough would begin rupturing all sorts of things. Not to mention that the screams tended to echo into his nightmares and bring on long bouts of insomnia. But likely that was why the Dark Lord assigned him this task: to be reminded of the more menial jobs in the work. He always liked to give him messy assignments when he felt Lucius was becoming too charismatic for his position.
And that was when Lucius found the house elf. Or at least part of him.
His head was upside down on the bottom landing just before he turned the corner into the living quarters, his eyes still wide, but quite foggy. Part of its head was smashed in as well, and Lucius wondered what killed it first: the fall or the lack of head? As he turned the corner, the smell hit him, and he had to brace himself against the stairway wall to keep from toppling over with nausea.
With a cough he cast a bubble-head charm on himself and closed his eyes as the scent evaporated from his newly craft helm. His pulse was thumping wildly in his ears, and he swallowed hard before opening his eyes again. The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Barnabus were strapped to chairs beside the kitchen counter, their heads lolling at odd angles. And before them, spread out in horrific display of their living room were the bodies of their two children well, pieces of them anyway. Lucius made his way between both of them, finding his breath once again and now realizing what must have happened. They'd been dead a while, but it would probably still behoove him to do a check of the grounds just to be safe. In the meantime, he was going to need to call in backup.
With a twirl of his cape, he turned and headed back upstairs. He opened the door again to the decrepit part of the building, removed his bubble head charm and pulled his hood down again. The Death Eater mask formed on its own once the hood was in place, and Lucius whispered, "Severus."
He waited a few minutes. His mark would be itching, and the only way to relieve it was to put on his own hood. Meaning he'd have to extract himself from whatever he was wasting his time with, probably brewing some silly potion for St. Mungo's. Lucius was usually able to tell if he'd pulled his friend away from anything urgent simply by the tone of his voice.
An audible sigh rang in his ears, apparently Severus had been doing something he found somewhat interesting. Or he was just not in the mood to deal with Death Eater business. "What is it, Lucius?"
"I like to think my summons always cause a deeper burn for you, my friend."
Severus grunted, "Whatever."
It still amazed Lucius how even though he was now an intern at St. Mungo's, he still managed to sound like an emotional, depressed teen when he wanted to. "Look Severus, I need you to come to Barnabus' home, do you remember where that is?"
"Barnabus? Wasn't he the chubby fellow that nearly got killed by Bella?"
"Yes, when he thought she was a Mudblood? Yes, that's the one."
Severus' laughter was deep and sarcastic and vibrated within Lucius' mask. "Damn, he's lucky he's still got his skin."
"That's what I need your help with, Severus. Apparently he wasn't so lucky this time around. Not to mention his family."
Severus' laughter ceased and the connection was silent for a moment before he spoke again, "Where did you say his house was?"
Lucius gave him the information and could hear the hasty scribblings of a quill across parchment. "You'll find the entrance at a hidden door on the southern wall of the house. And Severus, let me stress the importance of caution here. Whoever did this may still be around, or have left spies behind."
"Do you think the Order's behind it?" There was a slight trace of concern in Severus' voice, indiscernible to anyone who didn't know him.
"I suppose it's possible, but I highly doubt it. Look you'll have to see the bodies yourself. I don't think even Alastor Moody could be capable of such cruelty."
#
Lucius headed back downstairs again and this time made sure he was prepared with a bubble-head charm. He wasn't sure he'd find anything down here, but he certainly didn't want to take any chances. He made his way through the adjoining kitchen and living room, careful to tread cautiously around the body parts that were tossed asunder. The children's bedroom he checked out first, drawn to a lantern that had fallen onto the floor and cast unusual shadows up onto the walls. If it hadn't been a magical lantern, then the entire house might have been burned down, and there might not have been any evidence left to examine. As it was, the flame touched the wood but didn't combust it. The beds which had lined opposite sides of the room had large red splotches of blood staining the white sheets. One of the beds was slightly at an angle, as though one of the children had tried to hang on before being ripped away to a messy demise. What other horrors had they experienced before being torn apart by their attackers? The attached bathroom looked clean, no sign of struggle or that it had even been visited in a while. There was a thin layer of dust upon the counter top, and he wondered if Severus would be able to date when last it was used.
Steeling himself, he left the children's quarters and headed for the parents' room. When he saw that the front door was lying at an angle with only one hinge attached, Lucius felt a pit of dread form in his stomach. If it was an omen of what he'd find inside, he was tempted to let it be. But what if the attacker was waiting within? He wouldn't be able to relax and begin assessing the details of this murder until he knew for certain that the area was secure. So he tightened his grip on his wand and pulled back the door. The single hinge squeaked in desperation before buckling in on itself, and the door came crashing down. Lucius was wound so tight he leapt nearly a foot back as the hinge snapped into two pieces and the wooden door landed with a bang, tossing dirt and debris out of its way.
Lucius stood looking at it for a few more minutes, his wand aimed at it as though it were secretly alive. His breathing was labored and it took him a moment to regain his composure. So much for any element of surprise he might have had. With a lift of his chin, he stepped over the door and into the bedroom, his wand still held out in front of him. This bed was very different from the children's, and somehow that made it all the more sinister. The sheets had been completely removed so that only the plain mattress stared back at him. But Lucius had been expecting a bloodbath in here, not this. His eyes darted from one pool of shadows to the next until he spotted a door. The only other door in the room, and since Barnabus' house was so pathetically small, it was the last place the killer could be hidden. He reached out a hand for the doorknob, when he heard a slight intake of breath. Not from the entrance of the house like he would have expected, but from the other side of the door. Lucius froze, his eyes staring at the door as though his gaze would bore a hole through and show him who it was. With a single fluid movement he took hold of the door handle, flung back the simple wooden door, and aimed his wand at the creature inside. His voice was thick and hissing through the mask as he screamed, "AVADA KAD-"
"Oh pleeese!" Screamed the naked creature within, halting Lucius in mid wand flick. He blinked, his eyes becoming adjusted to the darkness within. Standing on the floor in nothing but a giant white dress shirt was a greenish blue house elf. He was pulling his large ears down on either side of his head, giving him the unsettling appearance of a small child in a bonnet. He wasn't the ugliest house elf he'd ever seen, but he was certainly close. His face was marred with warts and his nose was longer than seemed possible for his head to hold. Then Lucius noticed the blood beneath the creature's feet, covering its bare feet.
He picked it up by the wrist, and brought him up face to face. "What did you do, you piece of filth?"
The house elf howled in pain and started grabbing at his captured hand, "Crimson didn't do anything, sir! Please let me go!"
And as the tiny thing struggled in his grasp, Lucius noticed the large, bloody welts across its back, staining the dingy shirt in red streaks in multiple directions. His arm too was covered in the welts, the same as his face. Lucius couldn't recall ever seeing a house elf that was an aqua color like this, and he was beginning to think the creature was jinxed when he heard a deep voice resonate near the doorway.
"Just put him down, Lucius."
Lucius jumped for a moment, before turning a sly smile toward Severus. "Don't you ever make noise when you walk, my friend?"
"Not if I can help it." Severus was having a hard time hiding his horror at the bodies he'd stepped around in the other room. "Is the place secure?"
"Other than this thing, it is."
"Crimson, sir! My name is Crimson!" The house elf had given up on struggling and had resigned himself to the grip around his wrist. "Please sir, Crimson didn't hurt master Barnabus."
Lucius tossed him into a corner of the kitchen as Severus took a closer look at the bodies of the parents. He pointed a finger at the house elf, "You are to stay here. Do not leave or even move without my permission. Am I clear?"
Crimson scratched absently at the warts that covered the back of his palms. "Y-yessir."
He made his way back in again to the living room to see Severus pushing back Ms. Barnabus' head to examine the empty eye sockets. He'd pulled off the mask and hood to get a better look, so Lucius decided to follow suite. "Pretty disgusting work, wouldn't you say? Someone was certainly pissed at Barnabus, though from what I can tell he had no real enemies to speak of." He smirked, staring at Severus with a cocky jaunt to his hips, "Well, no unusual enemies I guess I should say. We all certainly have enemies."
Severus' short grunt was the closest thing to a response Lucius got, but he always loved watching the dark-haired man work. It was almost as though he would enter a trance state. His eyes would glaze over, and he hung his lips ever so slightly open, as though he was just waiting for someone to kiss them...
"Lucius, this was no anger hit."
It took a moment for Lucius to realize that he was speaking to him, "I'm sorry?"
Severus glanced up from probing the empty eye socket, giving that quit-checking-me-out glare that somehow only made him more enticing. "The bodies, Lucius. Focus now, would you?"
"So you don't think it was the Order then."
Severus' grin turned toothy for just a moment, "The Order? Honestly Lucius, they're far too simple for this kind of work. And besides unless things have changed, Dumbledore doesn't exactly condone murder as a punishment."
"True, but that doesn't mean he won't start." Lucius pulled up the empty stool next to the dead woman. Somehow the room lost its level of disgust whenever Severus came in. His calm demeanor and frankness was as refreshing as a breeze in this stale air. "How have you been?"
Severus sighed, casting a Lumos charm to light his work as he dug into the woman's head. "Miserable. Apparently St. Mungo's is reluctant to promote me even with my extraordinary qualifications."
"Oh? Do you want me to pull strings?" Lucius leaned forward and tugged on a bit of black hair splayed out across his shoulders. "I don't mind, you know."
"I don't think even you could fix this problem. They know I'm a half-blood. And they want a Pure-Blooded surgeon, else they're afraid they'll lose some of their wealthier clients. Apparently there's some foolish notion that any kind of muggle background makes for a poor talent."
Lucius frowned. Money and power could certainly fix a lot of problems, but blood it could not. Severus was indeed one of the most talented wizards he'd ever met, save for the Dark Lord of course. And the versatility that Severus had mastered –dark magic, healing charms, and potion work – made him a valuable commodity to the Death Eaters as a whole. However Lucius always felt that despite the money and influence he felt he could give his friend, Severus would never truly be happy in any wizarding position. Almost every facet that could truly give you wealth required a spotless heritage, and the documentation to prove it. With the large numbers of half-bloods in the wizarding world, Severus was only considered at half his potential simply due to his bloodline. It was a sorry lot to be given, and Lucius felt selfishly grateful for his own outstanding lineage. It was one of the chief ways his family had made so many galleons over the generations.
Severus gasped, biting his lip.
"What? What did you find?" Lucius leaned forward, holding a hand under his nose as though afraid he'd get blood splattered on him.
Severus put his wand aside, eased two fingers into the woman's skull, his eyes gleaming in the off-centered lighting of the room. Then he pulled out a blood-splattered silver chain out of the woman's eye socket. "This, my friend, is a very detailed ritual."
"What in the world?"
He pulled out the entire length of it, stretching nearly a meter. It clunked its heavy links against the kitchen countertop. Severus grinned as though he'd found the marble in the oatmeal.
Lucius looked at the length of it, the weight and heft. It made his stomach turn. "Why would anyone do that?"
"Two reasons, but first – would you be so kind?" He held out his bloody gloves with more annoyance than disgust. Lucius cleaned them off with a quick wave of his wand. "Thank you. Reason one: you're trying to give the impression of weight to the skull. Now this chain feels like it weighs, oh about a kilo or so. Wouldn't you say?" He held out the chain to Lucius. Unfortunately, it was still covered in blood and possibly even bits of flesh. Lucius took a deep breath to keep his stomach calm and proceeded to scurgify Severus' hands and every bit of the chain.
"Why don't I just trust your judgment of the weight, Severus?"
He grinned, another toothy grin that made Lucius' blood rage. "You pussy. Alright, so we'll assume I'm accurate about the weight. Damn, I wish I'd brought my scale... Anyway, we can assume that they did this to give the impression that portions of the brain weren't removed. But they were. And that's perhaps the most fascinating part!"
Severus was getting excitable about his bodies. That wasn't good. When Severus got excitable about a bunch or corpses, it inevitably led to things Lucius disliked. Such as carting the corpses around with them, or bringing pieces of them back for research. He was beginning to wonder why he'd contacted him to begin with.
"The frontal lobe of the brain was removed, but obviously someone removed it without expecting us to know even what the brain looked like. So they scrambled up the remnants and stuck the chain in the middle, giving it some weight and keeping the chain well padded."
"So you were digging through brain gook?"
"Well blended up brain parts, yes." Severus blinked as though that was the silliest question he'd heard all day. "But that's not important, Lucius. The way they must have done it is rather incredible. They had to shrink the brain down, remove it through one of the eye cavities. Then they pulled off what they wanted, scrambled up the rest with the chain inside, and then returned them to the skull. It's rather ingenious!" he grabbed hold of Mr. Barnabus' nose and pulled his head forward so he could cast light into the skull again. "And the most incredible part is that there appears to be tissue damage and bleeding, so they were alive when they did it! Can you imagine the kind of skill needed to perform such an act?"
Lucius was no longer paying attention to his friend, and he'd turned several shades whiter as the blood and gore within Barnabus' eye socket glinted in the light. What must that have felt like? Having your brain extracted and dissected while you were still alive? And after you'd seen your only two children torn apart? Did Andy have to watch his wife go first, or did she have to watch him? He was wandering toward the staircase, leaning heavily on the railing. The room was tilting ever so slightly and despite the bubble-head charm Lucius felt as though he could smell the death, the decay, the bodies. He had to get fresh air or he'd make even more of a mess of this place.
"Lucius?" Severus poked his head around the staircase, his hair clinging around his pale skin. Lucius heard his footsteps moving up the staircase behind him, and felt his grip on his arm. When Severus saw him, his eyes turned to understanding. Nodding, he put an arm around Lucius' shoulders as they both went up for air.
#
Only after the wall was closed back again did Lucius feel free to take off the bubble head charm. He took a deep breath of the night air. It was humid, but even in the summer time it had a tinge of chill to it. It wasn't like the nights around the Mediterranean where the evenings were both humid and hot, where the warmth would linger long past the sun setting. Breathing in the darkness there only increased your pulse and forced a thin layer of sweat over the body. No, the British Isles were far north of that, a far colder place than the comforting climates Lucius had grown up in. The cooler air though was a respite from the atrocities that lay in the rooms beneath their feet.
Lucius felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes snapped open. Severus still had his mask down and was staring at him with concern. He could practically feel his calculating mediwizard mind scanning over him to verify he was indeed well. "Do you want me to get you something to drink?" His voice had a twinge of concern in it, a drop of pity, and Lucius narrowed his eyes at it. He pushed Severus' arm away and pushed off the wall he was leaning against.
"No, I'm perfectly fine, thank you." Lucius folded his arms, and nearly tripped over a chair leg that was sprawled out beside him. He'd been so busy trying to look fine, he very nearly wasn't.
Severus grabbed his elbow, and helped to steady him. He didn't look quite so concerned this time, but still wore an impudent smirk. Lucius still felt as though he was quite pale and was keenly aware of how the moonlight did not flatter him. The glow of a blue sky and brilliant sun seemed to made him not only feel healthier, but very nearly glow when he was in direct sun all day. But at night it seemed to sap his warmth from his body. It made him prone to bouts of unease. Likely it was the half veela in him, and like the muggle Superman when he was bereft of the healing powers of the sun, Lucius was rendered distraught. Severus reached into a pocket in his robes, retrieving a tiny white box. He pulled a cigarette out with his lips, and offered one to Lucius.
He shook his head at first, but when Severus lit his own cigarette and the firelight flared against his skin for just a moment, he was forced to change his mind. Whether he liked it or not, the warmth would help to soothe him – mentally and physically.
Lucius took a long draught on it before expelling, languishing in the renewed warmth it gave his insides. Amazing that such a simple device could make you so very relaxed. Severus scurgified a nearby couch and took a seat, indicating Lucius to join him.
He smiled, taking a seat and crossing his legs. "Thank you. You know, I haven't smoked in ages. It reminds me... my father used to smoke pipes all the time. Did you know that?"
#
Severus shook his head. He wasn't quite sure what Lucius was getting at, but he was beginning to get color back in his face again, which was what he needed. Whether Lucius knew it or not, heat was a necessity of life for him. And at times Severus had to keep an eye out for him. The man would get so wrapped up in his own foolishness that he'd completely forget basic necessities.
He took a puff on his own cigarette, enjoying the feel of the smoke enter and leave his lungs before he posed his own inquiry. "Are you feeling better?"
Lucius nodded, he'd already smoked down half of his already. He'd been colder than Severus would like. "Yes, I just... I don't know what came over me down there." He dragged a hand through his white-blond hair as a man fully aware of how attractive it made him. Lucius was always so damn comfortable in his skin, it put Severus on edge. He always felt a tad nervous when he was around his friend. Lucius had ways to coerce people that far surpassed any imperious curse. Lucius turned his steel-gray eyes toward him again. "Severus, do you know what I thought of when you were spying in that man's head down there? What I realized?"
Here it comes, Severus thought. Now he's going to break down and start sobbing in front of him. He'd never seen Lucius lose control like this before. Not emotionally and certainly not under stress. "Not a clue, Lucius."
"I realized that I felt bad for Barnabus. I felt bad for him, his wife, and his... his children." He took another puff on his cigarette, his lean, pointed fingers shaking even as they clutched the butt. He could have been a musician in another life, another world. One devoid of wizarding wars and where a man as sophisticated as Lucius might soar without the Dark Lord pinning him to the ground. "Severus, Narcissa is expecting soon and... she and I have had such trouble just with the conception. I don't know if I'd be able to stand watching the two of them torn apart in front of me. I don't know if I could handle there being any complications with the birth."
"Hm," Severus flicked a long straw of ash onto the ground. "That's the sort of thing that comes with having family, Lucius. Or so I'm told, I've not been so unlucky to be chained to someone." He turned his face away to hide his smirk, not that it mattered.
Lucius turned simply livid, "Come now, I'm being serious here! This is a very pressing matter to me, and I'd appreciate it if you'd give me your full attention instead of descending into insults." He flicked his own ash on Severus' robe.
"Hey!" Severus leaped up, swiping down the embers and ash before they caught. "Alright, fine. You want to know what I think? I think the two of you should have expected problems. As much as I respect Narcissa, and like her as a friend-"
"Now I don't think that's -"
But Severus held a finger up before him, as though Lucius was a first year speaking to his superior. "Hush. Now listen to me. Narcissa is a Black. She comes from a family that hasn't had just a few cases of incest over the years, she comes from a whole freaking line of it. Her family is not exactly the sanest bunch around, I mean just look at how Sirius Black turned out! And don't forget that those two were cousins, mind you."
"Yes, but-"
Severus started pacing, back and forth with his arms crossed in front of him as though he thought he was some sort of holy man. "Now when I gave you the tonic to help you two with conception, I recall vividly that I warned you two that the birth might be difficult. There might be complications. When you force the body to conceive like that, there's no telling really how the childbirth will go. I mean, I've told you both this over and over, and just like normal you simply don't listen to me!"
Lucius stood up, balancing his cigarette with his fingers like he would normally balance a martini glass. "Well then I'd say you're certainly the best person on this subject, considering our scenario, don't you think?"
Severus beamed, "Why yes, I am quite a proficient potions master, Lucius. I don't know why you're bringing that up though..."
"And you would of course recognize any sort of complications that might arise from such a unique potion, wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would! It's my own bloody creation, isn't it?"
"Well then, it's settled! You'll just have to be the wizard who will deliver my son!"
Severus' eyes went wide, his shoulders slumped as though he was in school again and he was just told the Marauders were coming around the corner looking for him. "But Lucius! I can't do that!"
"Sure you can! Aren't you the one trying to become the head of St. Mungo's surgery section?"
"Well yes but-"
"Then delivering a child should be no sweat at all for you! It'll be far easier than any of that brain surgery you keep telling me about. A child is a far more natural thing to handle than brain surgery, I'm sure."
"Lucius you're mad! Narcissa doesn't need me - she needs a mediwitch who's been professionally trained in childbirth."
"Oh yes, as though you've never studied it yourself? You told me you had to in order to create the potion to begin with."
Severus's hands were balled at his sides now, his teeth grit in anger. "Yes Lucius, I made a potion. I've never delivered a child! Not to mention the only heir to the Malfoy and Black fortune. I don't want that kind of pressure!"
"Severus..." Lucius flicked his cigarette aside, and came up behind Severus, placing two hands on his shoulders. "What do you think would happen if they noticed the child was having strange side effects from a potion?" Lucius laid a light kiss on the back of Severus' head.
"They'd... they'd think Narcissa had been drinking potions to keep healthy?"
He laid another kiss on the side of his neck, "No, Severus. Try again."
Severus' face was red now, his body shuddering under Lucius' fingertips. "They would... think you two had been working with dark magic? And Narcissa was trying to hide it?"
"Possibly." Lucius had slipped his fingers around the nape of Severus' neck, turning him so he could lean in as though ready to kiss him square on the lips. Then he paused, pulled back and smirked. "Or they might wonder about whether or not we'd used a conception charm. And the next thing I hear in the papers is that the Malfoy family is somehow having..." His eye twitched ever so slightly, "fertilization issues."
Severus' face was flushed, and as Lucius tried to pull his hand back from Severus' neck, he put a hand up to prevent him. "No, don't tease me, Lucius."
He grinned, "Then you'll help deliver our child then?" He planted a swift kiss on Severus' open, eager lips. Severus leaned into it, letting out a short gruff of reproach as Lucius pulled back again. "You'll be there to make sure nothing goes wrong with your Godson?"
Severus grinned, reaching a hand around to squeeze Lucius' butt. "Godson? What on earth are you talking about?"
Lucius smiled, "Narcissa and I decided you're to be his Godfather, Severus. Aren't you glad?"
Severus looked up, blinking as realization began dawning on him. "God dammit, Lucius, let go of me! You can't just lure me around with your... your charms." He was trying desperately to calm himself, and to use his robes to hide his excitement at the same time. "I'll help with delivering the boy, but I can't be his Godfather."
"Why on Earth not?"
"Because a Godfather is something chaste, and religious. I know this is something you don't fully understand, Lucius. But it is a sacred status. And I don't know if I'll be able to look at the kid much anyway considering I've seen the both of his parents in bed before. That's simply... that's gross."
"Oh come now," Lucius pulled his hair back with a ribbon. "Gross is a bit of a strong word, don't you think? Who better to keep an eye on my son than you? A fully qualified mediwizard and quite the worker of Dark Arts as well! And besides, how am I supposed to explain that to Narcissa? That you wouldn't be his Godfather because you thought it was gross. She's not going to take that well, not at all!"
Severus sighed. Lucius did have a point, though he'd much prefer if he just came out and spoke about it instead of pulling his body and emotions this way and that in an endless tug-of-war. Going against Lucius' wishes was never an option, even when Severus had the best intentions. "Fine, I'll do it. But I'll do it for Narcissa, not for you!"
He turned to head to the doorway to continue their investigation. From behind him, Lucius cleared his throat. When Severus turned around, Lucius was walking toward him with all the silkiness and determination of a panther stalking its prey. He was smiling at him, and then his eyes darted down to Severus' crotch. "You're not planning on working on bodies with that thing, are you?"
Severus blushed, backing up against the wall again. "The thought had occurred to me."
Lucius squatted down to lift up Severus' robes, and grabbed hold of him. Severus couldn't prevent the gasp of pleasure that came out of him. Damn Lucius and his sneaky, veela ways. It looked like the bodies were going to have to wait a bit longer regardless.
#
After a short delay, Severus was able to pull not one, but two chains from the bodies of Mr. And Mrs. Barnabus. Each of them had been dropped down into their empty eye sockets like coins into wishing wells. And that wasn't the only piece to the puzzle.
"Lucius, you need to see this."
That was one thing Lucius loved about Severus. Even after getting sexually ravished amid the remains of a decrepit house, and looking beautifully disheveled, the man still had the ability to pull himself together for the task at hand. It was remarkable really, if not a bit annoying. Lucius made his way down the steps, finishing a quick round of charms to clean his mouth. "What did you find?"
"Barnabus was a Death Eater, wasn't he?"
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Of course he was. I was even present for his marking ceremony." He stepped carefully around the remains of the children. Severus had picked up the man's left arm, rolling up the sleeve to reveal the gray-tinged skin beneath. "Where is it?"
He took hold of the arm himself, the skin was cold. He felt a flash of disgust go through him, but he pushed it down this time. They needed to finish this examination, regardless of how his emotions wanted to intervene. "Where is his Dark Mark?" He turned the arm back and forth in his hands, as though the Mark could scurry away to a different part of the body. "Severus, what does this mean?"
His friend looked far graver than Lucius had expected. He had possibly even gone a shade paler. "It means that he was targeted... because he was a Death Eater. We'll need to inform the Dark Lord. He'll need to know."
Lucius nodded, his gaze returning to the small aqua colored house elf that had fallen asleep against the wall of the kitchen. "And what about him? Should I question him?"
He shook his head, "No, I think not. He'll want to probe his mind himself. If we're lucky the creature might have seen something, or someone. Whoever did this is probably the one that gave him that curse."
"Ah, I thought that was a curse. A very odd one."
"You didn't touch him, did you?"
Lucius thought for a moment, holding up his gloved hand. "Only with this."
Severus nodded, re-affixing his mask and hood. "But no skin contact, right?"
"Of course not. In this kind of situation, you'd be a fool to-"
"Good. Don't take it personally, Lucius. If you had touched the creature I would need to know is all. I have to make sure you're well first before finishing up here."
Lucius smirked, biting his bottom lip and trailing fingers down the front of Severus' mask. "It's a bit late for being concerned, don't you think? I mean, I did have your cock down my throat."
Severus jerked back, and Lucius could practically feel the heat of the blush coming across him. "Lucius..."
"I'm only joking! Though it would have been interesting to see you examine yourself."
He ignored him though, stepping cautiously around the room toward the body parts of the children. "I'll have to come back here to take a look at the rest. But this information is more important. It can't wait. And he'll want to speak to the Elf. I'll come back afterwards to look over the rest."
Even though he'd been initiated much later, Severus was still considered closer to the Dark Lord than Lucius. It didn't quite make sense to him, especially considering that Lucius donated far greater sums of money and time. He'd recruited more members, and was quite influential in keeping the actions of the group from looking too suspicious in the eyes of the Ministry. And still, this young half-blood from St. Mungo's got more respect from their Lord than he did. Severus had mentioned before that he and the Dark Lord had something in common, whatever the hell that meant. Lucius might have caused more of a fuss about it if he didn't like the man. Severus had his weaknesses, and Lucius knew quite well how to manipulate them to his needs.
So even though Lucius was originally given the task of examining the disappearance of Andy Barnabus, since he'd had to call in assistance, Severus would ultimately be the one who would give the results to the Dark Lord. And, incidentally, he would be the one to receive most of the credit. Knowing Severus though, he would indicate that Lucius had been the first on the scene and had assisted in finding the house elf. As much as it chagrined him, Lucius knew that he would be expected to follow Severus' orders here. And to think that only a couple of years ago he'd been training this boy as a new recruit.
"I guess you have this under control then?"
"Yes, I think so. You go back home to Narcissa. I'm sure she'll need you as she... comes along."
Lucius nodded. "Alright, but if you find anything... odd, you let me know. If you think there may be trouble, don't play the hero. Not in this." He looked over at Barnabus' body: slumped in the chair, his left arm free of the bondage and flopped onto its side as though he were sleeping. If it weren't for the gaping black holes of the eye sockets, he might have been fooled. He headed up the stairs as Severus tried to figure out the best way to handle the house elf. "Don't be a stranger, now."
He was pleased to hear the slight tinge of amusement in his friend's voice, "Don't worry, Lucius. I won't be."