Chapter 4: The Maligned Hand

Severus and Lucius walked down the long path that made up the Malfoy Manor drive. It was about a quarter of a mile long, and gave them a few moments to pull on their cloaks and masks. There was a non-apparation ward all around the property, so in order to meet him they'd need to leave the barriers first. Before them the giant black gate sprawled across the dirt path, with the name Malfoy formed by the cast iron seeming to mingle with the ivy and honeysuckle that tried to overwhelm it. Apparently his house elf was also slacking in trimming the grounds as well. That meant he would receive two kicks to the buttocks when next he saw him.

Lucius waved his hand, and the gate swung silently back. The House Elves kept this device well maintained, and likely Lucius had added charms to make it even more silent. They walked through, closing the gate behind them, then rolled up the left sleeve of their cloaks, revealing their ever-twisting, ever-changing Dark Marks.

"Any idea what you're going to tell him?" Lucius' voice hissed out through the mask like hot steam.

"I've got a few ideas," Severus' voice sounded more like the deep creak of heavy metal. "He'll assume I helped deliver the boy anyway."

Lucius nodded, holding the tip of his wand to the Dark Mark, wincing as it glowed a fluorescent green. Severus did the same, and then they spoke the command in unison: "Take me to my Lord."

The apparation was quick, but always quite painful, especially when they moved with the Mark. While a typical apparation would be surrounded in a tunnel of lights and greys, traveling via the Mark was more like being dragged through a painful dark tunnel, with flashes of green. When they finally landed, it always took a moment for their heads to quit spinning, and for the pain to subside.

They were in a graveyard, a small plot outside of a giant family home. The building was almost as dilapidated as the gravestones, but there were a few windows with light emanating from them. The air smelled foul, and Lucius gave a pointed look down to a creek not too far off. He could see the pale forms of bodies there, face-down in the water. Likely they were either the muggles who had owned the poor place or squatters that were in the way. He stepped around the graves and headed toward the front door, his feet squishing in the mud. He opened the door, his wand at the ready. He never knew what to expect when he was summoned, and he had found it always best to be on guard when he came. Up the winding staircase they crept, stepping cautiously around the few missing steps. The stairway was narrow, very much like the buildings that had been erected in the early 1800s. This home, though a horrible mess now, must have once been the standing beauty of the neighborhood. The walls had bare patches where portraits used to hang. The bodies had likely been squatters then, gutting the house for any scrap worth selling. The stairway stopped at the third floor, and in the distance they saw a low-burning fire. A high-backed chair was facing them, and the two of them promptly knelt upon entering the room.

"My Lord," Lucius whispered. "You called for us?"

"Yes," Voldemort answered. He stood from the chair and came around to see him, his hands steepled before him. It was a purely business meeting this time, and lacked the informality that he'd displayed only an hour past. "Severus... I had expected to see you at Malfoy Manor this evening. What kept you?"

"An interesting job opportunity, my Lord. Apparently Dumbledore is looking for a new professor at Hogwarts. "

"Interesting. And what specifically is he looking to hire?"

Severus' hands gripped tighter behind his back, "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The Dark Lord smiled, his eyes red and seeming all the more sinister with the firelight behind him. "Interesting. This might be a useful tool for us, Severus. The opportunities at Hogwarts would not only get you closer to Dumbledore, but would be far more useful than the pathetic work that St. Mungo's has you doing. This may be a fortunate turn of events. I'd much prefer you to get closer to Dumbledore than waste your time with a newborn Malfoy."

He laughed to himself, and Lucius forced himself to bite his tongue. The Dark Lord could be quite callous about family, especially when children were involved. He'd outwardly laughed at Bellatrix when she'd miscarried a couple of years back. Bella had been grief stricken, and was reduced to sobbing everywhere. It was a mistake, a weakness that the Dark Lord had found absolutely entertaining, and he frequently reminded her about it. By comparison to that cruelty, Lucius could handle a few pointed barbs now and then.

"Now," Voldemort flicked his hand and the high-backed chair spun around so that he could settle into it. "I have some important information for the two of you, and a task of utmost secrecy." He put his hand out, face-up and Lucius and Severus got back to their feet like well-trained pups. "The Barnabus murders. I believe we've discovered exactly who is behind them, and how you are going to get rid of them."

"Of course, My Lord. Whatever you desire," Lucius whispered.

"They are a group of Reformist Wizards, much like ourselves, but their intents are quite the opposite. They are a pathetic group filled with muggle-borns and half-bloods, quite disgusting really. Their goal, from what intelligence tells me, is to destroy us and dismantle the Ministry." He smiled, and Lucius felt his skin crawl. "These fools need to die, and quickly before they gain any further power."

"Whatever you ask," Severus muttered. Lucius couldn't help but note the tinge of insult in his voice, though the Dark Lord seemed not to notice, or at least not to care.

"They are calling themselves The Maligned Hand, and are apparently experts at wandless magic and excel at blood magic in particular." He chuckled, the sound always put a pit into Lucius' stomach. "Can you imagine? A bunch of muggle-borns telling us that they are blood magic experts? Their very gall astounds me."

"When would you like us to go?" Lucius asked, attempting to keep his voice as emotionless as possible.

"Tonight. Just the two of you. I don't want anyone else involved. If they prove to be too much for you two, then I expect you to return immediately with a report. And... I don't want that to be the case."

Lucius shuffled, "But My Lord, with all respect, how are we to defeat an entire organization in a single night? With just the two of us?"

"You two are my lead generals, are you not? And they're merely weak-minded fools. Besides," he stood and walked over to the window overlooking the graveyard. "Severus has more than enough supplies here to stock an army."

Lucius heard his friend gasp beside him, and he wished he could see his face beneath the mask. "I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"Lucius, where your powers are perception are quite inferior, I am fortunate to have Severus here who will understand precisely what I speak of. Now go, their base of operations is a mile north of here, and I'm certain that you can find all the resources you need, Severus, to make sure this is a successful mission. I don't intend to allow a single one of the Hand to survive. If they do," he smiled. "I'll know precisely who to blame."

Lucius was speechless. He had never been insulted quite to that extent before, and he couldn't help the rage that welled up within him towards Severus. What army was the Dark Lord referring to? And surely Severus would agree that even with both of their abilities, this mission would certainly mean death.

But Severus nodded, "Of course, My Lord. It shall be done."

The two of them bowed deeply, and then the Dark Lord apparated into a dark mass that made the fire within the hearth seem dim.

"Severus..."

His friend removed his mask, and Lucius could see the grief spread across his face. "I never wanted to have to do this, Lucius. I mean, he sent me to train for it, I learned it, but I never expected him to-"

"Do what, Severus? How can I possibly assist you with this task if you don't tell me what is necessary here?"

But Severus turned quickly to descend the stairs, his voice echoing up the empty corridor. "He sent me to train during the summer after my fifth year. I believe you and Narcissa were on your honeymoon at the time. But he sent Regulus and me to America, to Louisiana, to learn how to do it. He said we were the only members who would fully understand the reasons for it. We were the only ones that had a talent for such depravity. I was just excited to be learning a forbidden magic, and Regulus was happy to join me."

Lucius smiled, "He always did fancy you."

Severus was quiet for a moment, "He couldn't master it though, not like I could. He didn't have the patience, the dedication I could put toward it." They stepped out of the building and down toward the tiny family plot again. "But I learned it. I mastered it, perhaps even more than the Dark Lord knows. Lucius," he paused at the mud that made up the graveyard, that separated it from the rest of the lawn. "I learned how to make inferi."

#

Lucius hadn't known what to expect in this plan, but inferi were hardly part of it. The army the Dark Lord was requesting, an army of the dead. Such a thing was considered an evil far surpassing even the fearsome Grindelvold, mostly because inferi were so vicious, not to mention nearly invulnerable. Lucius had heard speculation that the creatures could not even be killed, though he had only heard rumors. He had never even seen one, and knowing that Severus had somehow gained this training without his knowledge... he felt somewhat betrayed, but he felt better understanding why his friend had outranked him apparently overnight. He had been given opportunities that Lucius had not been allowed, and since he was not harnessed to a family - neither he nor Regulus had a wife or even a girlfriend to speak of - they had been the perfect ones to send off.

Severus stepped forward, his feet sinking into the mud as he walked amid the tombstones. "You might not want to watch this, Lucius. It can be a little... unsettling."

Lucius nodded, but stood watch outside of the decrepit knee-height fence that surrounded the family plot. Severus walked into the center, and produced his wand and a dagger. He pulled back the sleeve of his right arm as the sky opened with a lightning bolt. Then he dragged the dagger from his palm down to his elbow with a cry of pain. Lucius stepped forward, but paused. It was Dark Magic after all, and the only way that truly powerful Dark Magic could be harnessed was through pain and suffering. Even if it was self-inflicted.

He cried out some incantation and then with his wand created a hole in the ground, shoving his arm into it. "Come forth!" He cried as a droplets of rain started falling from above, fat ones that trickled down the back of his neck when they landed on his head. And then Severus started to pull on something. The ground started vibrating around them, and Lucius found himself backing up. Severus pulled his arm out, but something was grasped onto his elbow. A pale, white hand clutching to him with the same fierceness that Lucius was clutching onto the side of the house. He felt his heart thundering in his temples as Severus pulled out the rest of the creature from the earth, completely pale and missing an eye. He was dropping pieces of himself onto the ground, as though the dirt was still falling from him. But then Lucius realized that that wasn't dirt, but maggots pouring from the large hole gaping from the man's belly. It was at that point that Lucius folded forward and vomited onto the ground, heedless of the earth still vibrating around them. When he had recovered enough to look up again, there were several figures standing with Severus – some of them only crawling with hands outstretched, they were in such a far state of decomposition. A few were merely skeletons, and yet walked with the same cadence as a human as they followed Severus out of the plot and toward him.

Severus had a resigned look in his eyes, but there was much sadness there as well. "I'm sorry, Lucius. I never expected to have to."

Lucius shook his head, still trying to calm his stomach. "It's alright, Severus. You do what you have to. We all do."

He scurgified himself as well as Severus, and then they started walking down the street that headed north. "He said there would be plenty of places to build the army, so I doubt these will be the only ones I'll have to make. The poor, bloody souls."

He considered turning around to count them, but decided he wasn't entirely satisfied with how well his stomach was handling the situation. "How many do we have?"

"Around twenty, give or take. Some of them I doubt will be able to keep up, and I can't be choosy. If they follow, they'll be quite useful. Otherwise, we could have some problems."

Lucius sighed, wishing he were home with his beautiful wife and holding a fine glass of merlot instead of being followed by a shambling group of muggle corpses. "How many do you think we'll need?"

Severus grimaced, swallowing. "I'd say quite a bit more. Possibly near a hundred."

Lucius closed his eyes. The thought of even one of these creatures terrified him more than he'd expected, but the thought of a hundred made him nearly panic. "I guess we can only hope that The Maligned Hand doesn't also have a powerful necromancer then."

He smiled, "That would completely fuck this up."

Lucius tried to laugh, but simply couldn't muster up the strength. He thought of the party, of all the perfectly oblivious wizards and witches he'd seen who hadn't even been thinking of the Dark Lord. What would they do if an innocent member of the wizarding world decided to take a stroll down this path tonight? Or happened to show up at the wrong place at the wrong time? Would he and Severus let the inferi rip the poor fools apart? Would they be forced to allow it? The road threaded through a copse of trees that finally parted, and the pavement here was quite old. In the distance he could see another graveyard, far bigger than this one had been. However it looked like the road had been put in after the graveyard; the sides were several feet higher than the road and quite steep. Far back in the graveyard, he could just barely make out a group, of muggles perhaps, chatting around a makeshift camp fire. Damn, this could get ugly.

"Do you see what I see up there? On the hill?"

"Yes..." the fatigue in his friend's voice meant he'd been thinking precisely what Lucius had. "Can you scare them away? Without them knowing, I mean?"

Lucius nodded, "I'll do my best, Severus."

Severus smiled half-heartedly as Lucius started crawling up the hillside, "Come now, I know you can be scary when you want to be. Just be quick about it. I don't want anyone else showing up unexpectedly."

#

Lucius banked the cliff side, and nearly stumbled on the uneven ground. When he got up to the top of the graveyard, he could more clearly spot the muggles around the campfire. They sat, chatting and laughing. He approached them at a quick walk, and on a whim picked up a branch off the ground. If these kids stayed, if they saw the army that was staggering behind Severus up the road, they would be a liability. His hood and mask were down at least, meaning he could approach them without them even suspecting he was a wizard - though if his plan worked, that'd be the last thing they would expect!

He snapped the stick into a shorter, more maneuverable form and shoved it into his pocket. It took him a moment, but he was able to transfigure it into a makeshift gun. It wasn't a functioning gun of course, and probably wouldn't even be recognizable in broad daylight as being a real one, but the show would be all he needed. Muggles were such easily frightened creatures, and a gunman prowling the graveyard would give all the impetus needed to explain away the true atrocities they were about to commit. As he made his way closer, he made out four teenagers: two boys sitting around the fire, and a boy and girl snogging a little ways off. They must have been around maybe five years or so younger than him. It seemed like such a very long time ago that he was able to relax and enjoy his nights like these four could.

One of the boys at the fire looked up and smiled, "Greetings, mate! You're welcome to join us if you want." He tipped his dirty hat at him – it was supposed to be friendly, but in truth Lucius found the boy's clothes quite disgusting.

Honestly, didn't muggles know anything about personal safety in these parts? Such naivety; what if he was a real gunman? He felt renewed purpose, and brandished the weapon from his pocket, careful to keep it in the shadows. "That's quite kind of you; however, I think I'm going to take your money instead, and we can call it a night. Does that sound good to you?"

The two boys became wide-eyed immediately, and Lucius went ahead and cocked the gun. The young lovers in the back took notice finally and the boy nearly stumbled to the ground in his haste to get to his feet. The two in front exchanged a look - perhaps they were considering a fight?

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lucius smirked. "Just drop it here and then be off with you."

They did as he asked, wordlessly like a bunch of mutes, their pale faces illuminated by the fire. The boy from the back started weeping. When they'd done as he asked, he nodded in approval.

"Excellent. Now be off with you. And if I see one of your faces in these parts again, I'll be sure you'll get a nice greeting. Now go!"

He flicked the fake gun towards the woods behind them. They looked amidst themselves before taking a few steps back. But none of them left.

"Did I stutter?" He aimed the gun into the sky and cast through it to give the sound of a gunshot. Oh, how much he enjoyed frightening muggles! Creating these showy gestures was half the fun in his opinion. The gunshot was a little bit off - far too high-pitched for such a small weapon - but that certainly didn't dampen their speed as they chased off into the woods.

Lucius sighed to himself, levitating the muggle money into his change purse, and extinguishing the fire. It was a crude method to be certain, but still quite effective. He wondered if Severus knew of the trick. You never knew when you might need to scare the crap out of some muggles after all. Putting their lives in danger was at times the best way to gain their attention.

He started making his way back to the road, and saw that Severus' army had nearly doubled from the gravestones across the way, and they were still emerging from the ground. Severus stumbled a bit, his arm stained with blood, and Lucius shuddered to see one of the inferi steady him. Severus looked far less perturbed by their makeshift army though, and was beginning to come towards him, passing beneath the rod iron arches that made up the entrances on either side of the road.

Lucius paused and waited for them. A cool breeze was blowing across the green expanse, carrying all the lovely smells that the army brought with them. It made him nauseous, but he had to remind himself that at least he wasn't having to actually breathe life into these creatures. Each time Severus did it he grew weaker, and Lucius wondered what would happen if he passed out altogether. He had no idea if these things would obey him or if they might even turn on him. He was a complete novice in this area of magic, and his only practitioner looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Severus walked up the stone steps, having to concentrate to keep his balance. Lucius took his forearm to assist him, "You can't do much more than this. If you fall on me, this entire mission will be scrapped!"

The man was even paler in person than he was from a distance, his skin an illuminated white between the pale moon above and the dark red blood that covered his arms. He looked absolutely miserable, and ended up leaning on Lucius more than expected. "Lucius, we don't have enough. Look at them. There is barely fifty here. If this group is as dangerous as the Dark Lord seemed to think, we will need more than just this."

Lucius sighed. Trust Severus to push himself nearly to exhaustion and still demand to keep pushing. He was driven, and in his dark eyes Lucius realized exactly why he was losing his head over this. He wasn't fighting for the Dark Lord at the moment. He was fighting for Lily. Somehow in his upside-down logic he'd decided that by impressing the Dark Lord, he would somehow save Lily Potter's life. Seeing his grief, Voldemort had given him a task that would surely prove impossible, and ended up sending along Lucius as well - either to remind him that Death Eater work always had a priority over family, or to keep Severus from killing himself. He wasn't entirely sure.

He crouched down, bringing Severus down with him, and let him rest for a moment with his back on the grass. The dead things waited patiently, standing in the empty road or spilling up into the graveyard just a few feet away. "Severus, I'm going to be as honest as I can be with you. Alright?" His eyes were glazed over as though he was moments away from completely passing out. "Severus, listen to me!" He slapped him, only slightly glad to see his eyes roll towards him again. "I know what you're thinking. I know what you're planning, and I'm going to remind you that it won't work."

Severus shook his head, grunting and trying to break free from his grip. He knew what Lucius was going to say, and he was afraid of being persuaded to change his mind. He was afraid of losing steam. "What are you talking about? Let go of me, Lucius. You're... being ridiculous," he gasped from the energy it took just to struggle.

"You're not going to help her this way. Do you understand me?" Severus' eyes welled up even as his rage built.

"You don't know. You have no idea if it will do anything or not. You're merely guessing!"

But Lucius shook his head, "Severus, listen to yourself! Have you ever known our Lord to show mercy? To be understanding even? Why do you think he would start now?"

"Because..." He was breathing hard and tears were rolling down his face. "Because he said he would. He would show her mercy when her time came, he promised me."

Lucius closed his eyes for a moment. How do you argue with a man who's so blinded by love that he refuses to listen to reason? He pulled out his wand and scourgified his friend's arm, cleaning up the blood that still shone wet. "And you believed him?"

Severus was silent a moment, his eyes on the star-filled sky above. "Yes, I did. I believed him, and I know you're going to say that was stupid, but I'd do it all over again!"

"I didn't say you were stupid. I probably would have done the same."

He grew silent at that, "You're only saying that to make me feel better."

Lucius grinned, "Perhaps. Or maybe I know what it is like to love someone so completely that you go a little mad."

He cracked a smile, and allowed Lucius to pull him up to a sitting position.

"Now, we're going to take this pathetic group of zombies and assault the Maligned Hand full-force, alright?"

Severus nodded, trying to catch his breath despite the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. He looked to Lucius and smiled, "You're good you know. You sure you shouldn't be a counselor instead of politics?"

Lucius smirked, "Oh, stop it!"

"I'm serious! St. Mungo's would probably do well to have you."

He pulled Severus up to his feet, his arm around his shoulders to help him stay upright. "Imagine someone of my caliber working at St. Mungo's! Really Severus, I'd be the laughing stock of the Wizarding World!"

But Severus was pale again, shaking his head. "This is no good, Lucius. I don't have the strength. I think I spent too much of myself on them. I need... a moment to rest."

Lucius studied him for a moment. He could think of one sure way to help his friend regain his strength, but he was nearly certain Severus would be against it. He hated acknowledging that part of his lineage, and despised even a light-hearted mentioning. They didn't have the time to allow him to rest, or to wait on a Blood-Replenishing potion. They had little time as it was. "You could always drink from me."

Severus' eyes turned to daggers. Normally Lucius would have taken a step back. But since there was no escaping it, or ignoring it, he was stuck dealing with it at full force. Severus might have walked away completely from the conversation if he'd offered it in any other circumstance. But at the moment he didn't seem like he had much of a choice, and Lucius hoped he would see it that way. Severus certainly couldn't lead an army in his condition, and Lucius hadn't the faintest idea of how to lead it in his place. The only alternative would be to hold off on the assault until tomorrow night, and by then their Dark Lord would have considered it a failed mission.

Before the words had barely left his lips, Lucius quickly added, "I'm sorry I mentioned it. It was probably a bad idea anyway."

Severus gritted his teeth, "Merlin, do you think he expected this? Do you think he wanted me to have to?"

"I don't know. There's no way we can tell to be honest. I mean, he might not even know."

"Oh he knows, trust me." Severus grunted, making his way back to the ground with Lucius' help. "He finds it quite amusing that I'm a quarter vampire, and uses every chance he can to point it out to me. He probably wanted me to push myself so that I would be forced to drink from you."

Lucius sighed. The problem with being led by an arrogant Dark Lord who believed he was both omniscient and omnipotent was that it was difficult to tell when he was all-knowing or just acting on a hunch. And if Voldemort was here and he was asked, he'd likely say that of course it was part of his plan, and how dare you think otherwise. But Lucius was not so easily fooled. He'd been with him since near the beginning, before black hoods were donned and death-like masks adorned, back when they had been known as The Knights of Walpurgis. He had seen the first makings of an extreme political group and watched helplessly as it turned into a full-blown cult. But Severus had a difficult time paring out the truth from the disguise, and that was probably why he had gone to the Dark Lord originally and begged for Lily's life. He thought he would understand his situation and show mercy. He asked him this because he thought Voldemort was some godlike entity and that he would be able to understand, even from his lofty position, how love worked. What he hadn't anticipated, and what Lucius was only just beginning to grasp, was that their Lord was an abstract form of a selfish child who hated his minions almost as much as he hated muggles. If he did choose to show any kind of mercy to Lily Potter, it would be meager and only to mock Severus' request.

He pulled back the sleeve of his robe and held it up to Severus' mouth, who merely looked unimpressed. "I don't have fangs, Lucius. I'm a quarter only."

"Don't you have a knife?"

Severus grinned, his usual color conspicuously absent, and drew a hand into a pocket of his robe to produce the very disgusting looking ritual knife he'd used on himself. "I guess I could clean it up for you..." His speech was getting slightly slurred and he was swaying back and forth - likely he was about to pass out.

"Oh really," he pulled out his own wand. "Sectum." A sharp pain followed by a red blossom of blood that welled up above the inch-long cut. Lucius looked at him, "Well, come on then."

Severus though looked concerned. "I don't know if this is right though, Lucius. Is it really right for me to be taking your blood to make up for my own foolishness? You may need this energy later!"

Lucius grabbed him by the hair and slammed his lips upon the wound. The idiot could be so damn indecisive at times! He waited for a moment, and at first felt nothing. He was about to call out his name, when it suddenly felt like tiny fishing lines were being pulled taut all through his arm. His hand was shaking, and the pain was moving upwards into his elbow, past his bicep and spreading out from his shoulder. He couldn't move his fingers any longer, and Severus was now gripping his arm with both hands, pulling the blood at a much steadier pace. Lucius had never had his blood drunk from him before. It wasn't nearly as attractive as he had been led to believe. The pain was now spreading out across his chest, and Lucius began to panic about what would happen if it reached his heart. He tried to push Severus' head off of his arm, but the man's lips were locked tight. He tried to pull his body away, but Severus let himself be dragged along. Lucius' breathing became labored and he was beginning to see stars. No, he couldn't die in such a disgusting place: in a muggle graveyard beside a small troop of inferi! He aimed his wand as straight as he could, and then gritted out the spell: "Expelliarmus!"

Severus went flying across the walkway and to the other side of the stairway. Lucius pulled his arm into his chest, his panic only increasing as he saw just how very pale his hand had become. When he realized he couldn't move it, he let out a most undignified crow of horror. And that was when he realized the dead things were coming, moving forward with as much speed as they could muster with their misshapen bodies. One of them was merely an upper torso, and its hands ignored the stairs and instead started climbing up the side of the cliff, grabbing big handfuls of grass as it made its way up. Another had been a rather large man in life, but his belly had slowly been worn away over the weeks since his burial, and now he simply looked like a disproportioned creature with limbs too big to match his body. Then Lucius realized they were rushing toward him.

He scrambled to his feet, tripped over one of the headstones in the process, and nearly fell face-first on the dirt. Then the creature with only arms grabbed hold of his cloak and started climbing up his body, dripping bits and pieces of itself as it went. The hands were mostly recognizable, though Lucius could still see splotches of bone showing through, and one of them grabbed hold of his shoulder as the other flipped over to grab his wand hand. The face itself was sunken in and reeked of dirt, rot, and decay. Its eyes were missing, but its teeth were still in prime form. It tried to bite at him, but Lucius dodged his head back just far enough to be out of its bite radius. Then the moonlight was blocked out by the big inferus, and Lucius braced himself as the creature lifted its arms in a two-handed fist.

"Stop!" Severus roared, and in an instant the fight came to a halt. The arm creature relented its hold and climbed down the way it had gone up, and the giant lumbering inferi calmly returned to his undead allies. Lucius was stuck gasping, his eyes wide as he watched the creatures move over to their master. Their strength far surpassed anything he had expected, and Lucius felt himself shaking from head to toe. He was gasping for air, fighting back the urge to scream again as Severus got to his feet. Amid his undead pets with blood splattered up his arms and on his mouth, he looked truly monstrous. He himself could have passed for one of his creatures, and all Lucius could do was grip his wand so tight his knuckles went white.

His friend made his way toward him, color now returning to his cheeks, and his eyes a tad lighter than they had been a moment ago. "Lucius, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Lucius tried to calm himself so he could speak, but his teeth kept trying to chatter. Severus knelt down beside him and muttered a spell under his breath as the wound stitched itself together. Reluctantly Lucius allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He tried to calm himself down, opting not to speak until he could do so in a steady voice.

"I didn't know they were going to attack you. I forgot they would defend me like that, and I hadn't realized you'd have to thrust me off of you the way you did."

Lucius sat down on one of the smaller headstones, leaning forward to cradle his head between his legs. God, he'd nearly lost himself back there: surrounded by a herd of creatures more dead than alive, and only a few moments away from being ripped apart! It took him a few moments to catch his breath again, but at least Severus was up and looked far better than he had just a few minutes ago. His arm was throbbing now, and quite stiff when he tried to wiggle his fingers, but luckily it wasn't his dueling arm.

Severus was eying him as though he was a caldron threating to bubble over the sides. "Are you going to be alright? Up for this, I mean?"

"Yes," Lucius sighed as his nerves finally started to calm. "Just keep a better leash on your pets, won't you?"

He clenched his jaw, "Of course. I'll do my best."

"Do better than that!" There was more anger in his voice than he meant, and once Lucius had let out a trickle, the entire dam started breaking. "If they turn on me while we're in the middle of a fight, I won't hesitate to put them down. And then we'll be diminishing our own forces!"

Severus was still watching him with that intense stare as though he was looking past the words and into Lucius' very emotions. "Then be sure to keep your aim straight. If you harm me in any way, they will lash out at you. Although they will in general follow their master's orders, I cannot be held responsible for your mistakes."

Lucius gave a gruff laugh, but decided against furthering this line of talk. They still had a job to do, and the more they quibbled about stupid problems, the closer it came to dawn. He didn't know a great deal about inferi, but he recalled they were weakened against the light of day. That was why they were usually quarantined to a cave, an underground cavern, or even to basements in the older pureblood homes. And there was no telling how many members of The Maligned Hand might stand in their way.

"Is this enough you think?" He motioned to the gang of zombies standing behind them, shuffling aimlessly amidst the dirt-trodden paths.

"Ideally I'd like to have more, but I don't want to chance another drink from you. Next time you may not be able to throw me off."

Lucius nodded, pushing himself to his feet and wiping off the sweat that had formed on his upper lip. "Then we'll do what we can with these. If we're lucky there will be fewer members than we're expecting."

#

The Maligned Hand had chosen a rather unusual place to call their base of operations. The building had once been an old farm house, complete with red paint as dark as the blood that stained Severus' arms. There were two sets of doors, one at the bottom and a smaller set just above for the hay loft all lined in brilliant white. The building looked slightly aged with time, giving it the appearance that it had stood abandoned by the previous tenants for a year or two. About fifty yards east of it was the foundation and burnt remains of the house that had once complemented it; now nothing more than charred black earth and a concrete slab. The barn had a few holes, mostly around the roof where the wind had tried to pry it loose, but the doors were all still attached. Although the wood and paint looked worn with time and weather, the hinges themselves looked quite fresh. Likely, members were forced to use the door to enter instead of just apparating inside. This could mean one of two things: there were anti-apparation wards all around the property, or they had muggles that also worked with them. Judging by the group's desire to rid the world of pureblood wizards, Lucius was betting on the latter.

Severus had left his minions behind while he stalked around the property looking for wards that could indicate the level of power the group possessed. The barn had a fairly thick copse of trees not far from it, and that's where Lucius was waiting with the brood. His friend was making his way back now, and although he made not a single sound or any visual cue, Lucius had discovered an interesting side effect to having Severus drink from him. He was now able to feel his presence whenever he drew near, without having to actually see him. It was quite fascinating, and he made a mental note that they would have to explore this factor more once their mission was finished.

"Blood wards all around the area," Lucius heard Severus' voice from the mask he'd donned as soon as the barn had been in sight. "I'm pretty sure they've got anti-apparation wards up as well."

Lucius nodded. "And can you tell how many are inside?"

Severus was silent for a moment, "That's what I'm worried about, Lucius. I think we're out of our league. I'm counting at least a hundred within, if not more." The doubt that crept into his voice was unnerving.

He closed his eyes a minute, and cursed to himself. Why would there be so many of them? Hadn't the Dark Lord told them that this was a burgeoning organization? Surely they weren't that quick to breed! Of course, considering Barnabus' murder and that of his family, they had to have quite a following to make such a bold move against their Lord. They were expecting an assault. Perhaps not tonight, but they were expecting some kind of rebuttal for their actions.

"Lucius, are you still with me?"

"Yes," he shifted his legs to keep his limbs from falling asleep from the crouch. "Go ahead. What else was there?"

"It looks like they're definitely blood mages. I found a pit near the house filled with bodies, or at least remnants of them. They've practically been torn to pieces. I don't know what their plan is, but I don't know if they're really supporters of muggles and half-bloods. From what I could tell, every last body in there were muggles. And I counted at least twenty!"

Lucius bit his lip, "And were they drained?"

"It was difficult to tell without moving them too much, but it looked like it. I didn't smell any blood on them."

"Damn. Then this might be quite a bit more complicated than even Our Lord anticipated. If they collected all that blood to use as a power source, we're going to be in trouble. I doubt even these inferi are going to do much good against that kind of power."

Severus was quiet for a moment, "Come back with me. To where we entered the trees, I think I might have a plan. Here, I'll tell the creatures to follow."

Lucius made his way through the woods, not feeling entirely comfortable with a pack of flesh-hungry abominations traveling behind him. Severus was waiting for him as he made his way out of the dense foliage. He pulled his mask off, and took in a deep breath of the night air. It was refreshing... until their little army caught up with them.

Severus removed his as well, "Look: this group is obviously selling a lie of some sort. Tricking muggles in here and using them for some screwed up sacrifices. And on top of that they're going out and killing off Death Eaters by slaughtering them and their families. Innocents that don't deserve that sort of treatment!"

He shifted uncomfortably, "I understand what you're saying, Severus. But how is that going to get any closer to getting rid of them?"

He pointed an accusatory finger toward the barn that was out of view. "That group is making enemies of pure-bloods, half-bloods, and muggles. Meaning he's making enemies of both the Dark Lord and the Order."

"Severus, I don't think that's going to-"

"But if I went to Dumbledore and told him about this, he'd want to get rid of them the same as the Dark Lord does. He'll see them as just as much of a threat. And if we can prove that to him, then he might allow Order members to assist. Maybe then we'd have a fighting chance against him!"

Lucius shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Do you hear what you're saying, or are you just talking without thinking? You want us, two people he knows to be Death Eaters, to go to Dumbledore and beg for his help on a mission for the Dark Lord? Are you mad? He'll laugh in our face and then hex us as we walk out the door!"

"No, no - maybe not! He'll know I'm telling the truth, and if I do this right, it may prove to him that I'm trustworthy."

For a moment Lucius wondered if the Headmaster of Hogwarts had planted this kind of trickery into his head when he went to beg for Lily Potter's life. Or maybe he had put him under an Imperius Curse - but no. That would mean he had not only approved of inferi, but was skilled in making them. And regardless of how powerful Dumbledore was, Lucius was almost certain that necromancy was not part of his list of skills.

"You're not thinking this through, my friend." Lucius placed a hand on each of Severus' arms, trying to look him square in the eye. "You just went to Dumbledore a few weeks ago and begged to work for him. Now you're wanting his help in the Dark Lord's plan? I think you're moving far too quickly here, and if you're not careful you'll wind up dead!"

Severus shoved his hands off and took a step back, "Do you have a better idea, Lucius? We have to get this done tonight, if you haven't forgotten, and knowing the Dark Lord he is using this as a proof of loyalty for Lily's life. I'm doing all of this for her!" His dark eyes were filling with tears, "If we are not successful, then he'll kill her anyway. And I can't let that happen! Now wait here, I'll explain everything to him and see what he says. If he wants to help, then great! Otherwise we'll be on our own. The worst that could happen is we'll have the same number of forces we do now."

He lifted up his wand and Lucius bolted toward him, "Severus - no!" But he wasn't fast enough, and Severus apparated into nothingness.

Lucius was stuck with his arms outstretched feeling the pit of terror grip his insides once more. If Severus told Dumbledore everything that had happened this night, then the two of them might be as good as dead. If the Headmaster of Hogwarts was outraged he might just send Severus off to Azkaban in an instant! And if the Dark Lord even suspected that Lucius had approved of the Order's assistance...

Damn, regardless of how he looked at it, this entire mission might just be their undoing! If the Order followed Severus back here and saw Lucius waiting for them, and if the Dark Lord found out, he'd likely be slain by either side. Gods, it was one thing for Severus to put himself in this kind of dangerous situation, but Lucius wanted no part of this! Damn him and his reckless love!