Thanks everyone for reading and dancegirl01mom, Silverthreads and ,00, ()
especially for reviewing.
This will be the last update before Christmas. I hope you all enjoy it and will want to read more in 2008.
Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Previously
As the door closed behind them, Tonks cast a Muffliato and turned back towards him.
"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. "You look like hell!"
"It's been an event packed forty-eight hours." He replied, dryly. He stared at her hair, noting that it was the same mousy grey colour it always seemed to be these days. "I could pass comment on your appearance too but let's not waste time. I need a report on how the preparations are progressing and I have some important information for you to pass back to the Order. Molly Weasley, for instance, will want to know that I now believe there is every chance George and the other kidnap victims are alive."
Chapter 11
Tonks stared at him, her face a mixture of emotions. "Can you be sure?" she asked finally, "I don't want to raise Molly's hopes only to have them dashed again. It would kill her!"
"Progress report, Tonks." Severus rapped. He felt at a disadvantage, chained as he was, and channelled all the power and authority he had into his voice.
Reacting to seven years with him as her teacher, the Auror brought her mind back to business with an effort.
"We're continuing to successfully sabotage the installation of Dark Detectors in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Neville Longbottom's taken charge of the Hogsmeade team and Ernie Macmillan's leading on Diagon Alley. Lee Jordan and Ron Weasley are doing a good job of diverting the squaddies watching them away from our target for the night. Kingsley and I are adding to the confusion by finding all sorts of false leads. As far as we can tell, Scrimgeour and Fudge's people don't seem to suspect anyone in the Order apart from Lee and Ron …and George, of course. We've done our best to keep it that way. Minerva even wrote to the 'Hogsmeade Chronicle' welcoming the Dark Detectors on behalf of the school. Hermione and Justin have drawn up some sort of economic recovery plan, but don't ask me about the details because I don't even pretend to understand it!"
Severus sneered at that, more out of habit than anything else. "What about the leaflets? I assume they are within your level of intellectual comprehension?"
Tonks ignored the insult. "We have a couple of thousand flyers announcing Kingsley's candidature all ready to go. Ginny's kept the message simple and non-committal, 'Vote for Change, Vote for Shackebolt.' Dean's done a drawing of two Ministry officials turning a wizard upside down and shaking his money out of him. We think it subtly implies the Ministry is misusing its power. We didn't want to be any more specific until we knew how you were getting on. Kingsley's making the announcement tomorrow."
"Good." Severus responded. "Now, to my report. I have successfully contacted Malfoy. He has agreed to assist us in return for a full pardon for himself and his family…"
"Can we trust him?" Tonks interrupted.
Severus shrugged. "He has every reason to hate Scrimgeour and his faction and, once Narcissa and Draco are sold to members of the Order, they will act as hostages for his continued loyalty."
Tonks looked troubled. "I don't like the idea of punishing someone for another person's actions. It doesn't seem right."
'Silly Gryffindor honour!'he thought. Out loud, however, he said,"It is unlikely to be necessary. Lucius is a Slytherin and will assume the Order will act in that manner. This assumption will prevent you having to actually do so." His tone was that used to explain some simple concept to a child.
Tonks looked unconvinced and unhappy. "What about George and the other victims?" she finally asked. "What made you change your mind and think they may still be alive?"
"Professor Mallinovich is here."
Tonks gave him a blank look and he sighed at her ignorance.
"The Professor used to be a teacher at Durmstrang. He was sacked when even that notoriously broad-minded institution decided they could no longer countenance some of his experiments. That was shortly before the Dark Lord's return. I don't know what he's been doing since, but his presence here leads me to believe he's continuing his work under Ministry protection."
"What did his experiments involve?" Tonks imagination must have been working overtime because she looked sick as she asked the question.
"Mind control." Severus said simply. "What the Muggles call brain-washing."
"Like the Imperius Curse?"
Severus shook his head. "No. The Imperius simply forces someone to obey another. It can be overcome by willpower and, like all spells; it ends if the person who cast's it dies. What Mallinovich was working on was a way of destroying an individual's own beliefs and ideals and replacing them with a new set. The methods he believed necessary to achieve this objective were extremely harsh."
Tonks considered this. "You think George and the others are his latest test subjects? If his methods are as bad as you say, they could be dead anyway."
He shook his head again. "No. I think they are being kept safe and comparatively well. Think how advantageous it would be to Scrimgeour and Fudge if their most vocal critics suddenly became their strongest supporters. Without leadership, any opposition movement is bound to fail. I don't believe the Ministry would waste the potential of so many former opponents suddenly seeing the light when they have a stock of experimental subjects here in Azkaban whose deaths would pass un-noticed and uncared for by the majority of people. I have made enquiries of a guard, whom Lucius has bribed, and a number of convicts with life sentences and no close living relatives have died in mysterious circumstances. I wasn't previously aware of this because the individuals concerned were never placed in the general population."
Tonks' face screwed up in concentration as she tried to work this through. "They clearly haven't been successful so far," she said slowly, "or the victims would have re-appeared already. The first victim we know about was Xeno. Lovegood. He disappeared about three years ago. What sort of explanation could the Ministry give for why people who've been missing for so long suddenly came back?"
Severus shrugged. "Amnesia or having been kidnapped and held by Dark Wizards come to mind as options. There will certainly be others."
"What are you going to do now?" asked Tonks.
"Get inside the building that houses Mallinovich's work and confirm my deductions are correct." Severus replied. "You are Shacklebolt's partner. Once he declares he's going to stand against Scrimgeour, you'll be under suspicion too, so you had better not come here again. It would be suspicious if you came too often anyway. I'll send out what I've learned through Narcissa or Draco."
Tonks looked worried. "They're due to be auctioned the day after tomorrow. That doesn't give you a lot of time to plan."
Severus stared at her, his eyebrows raised, until she nodded.
"Be careful." Tonks finally said, ending the Muffliato and calling for the guards.
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Severus bent his back to put the full weight of his body behind the bar of the heavy wheel he, Lucius and the other penal division convicts were turning. It was hard, useless labour, serving absolutely no purpose other than to push their starved bodies to the absolute limits of their remaining physical strength. It did, however, give him an opportunity to speak to his former friend and fellow conspirator without needing Mr. Gregory's assistance, at least when they were out of the earshot of the guard who stood by, driving them on with his whip when the effort involved caused their weakened bodies to flag.
"So," Lucius muttered just loudly enough for Severus to hear as he summed up the information he had received earlier, "some Order members staged a diversion in the Floo Network Authority office allowing others to examine their logs. They discovered that there had been floo activity in the relevant addresses just prior to each disappearance and that each journey had been diverted to Azkaban; and you volunteered to come back here to investigate. Very Gryffindor of you!" he sneered.
"I want my freedom." Severus replied in the same low voice. "As a Slytherin, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve my end. I expect you to do the same."
"And exactly what dangerous scheme does that entail now?"
Severus was surprised that, for the first time in years, the man's arrogant drawl had returned. Clearly the fact that he had a guard under his thumb was doing wonders for his ego.
"We infiltrate Mallinovich's laboratory." He replied, as if it were obvious.
"I can't speak for you..."
Conversation stopped as they, once again, passed the guard, then Malfoy picked up the conversation from where he had left off.
"…but, if you're right, I don't fancy becoming one of this man's, what do the Muggles call them? Oh yes, guinea pigs."
"That wasn't what I had in mind. Mallinovich's experiments cause fatalities and disposing of corpses is a nasty, disgusting business. Why dirty your own hands when there are plenty of convicts available to do it for you? There is certain to be some sort of labour unit assigned to that part of the prison. Your man, Gregory, will be able to smuggle us in as part of that detail."
"No talking there!"
Engrossed in their discussion, they hadn't seen the guard move. He strode towards them, raising his whip, which cracked as it fell on their backs in a flurry of blows, causing them to cry out in pain. Afterwards, they remained silent until the whistle blew to signal the end of the exercise period and they were marched back to their cells.
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Keys jangled in the lock and Severus knelt, bowing his head as he held out his bowl to receive his evening slop.
The cell door opened and Mr. Gregory stood, holding a pail. Instead of ladling some of its contents into the bowl, however, he glanced round carefully and entered the cell.
"Malfoy's told me what you want." he said rapidly, "But it's impossible. There are only two convicts assigned to that part of the prison and they've both been Kissed!"
Severus raised his head to look at the corrupt guard. "The Dementors have been gone for over ten years. I thought people didn't live long after receiving the Kiss?"
Gregory gave another anxious glance towards the passageway.
"I don't know, I'm not an expert, but these two have been here for years. Numbers, 988 and 1127, no-one knows their real names or what crimes they committed to earn the Kiss."
'It makes sense.' Severus thought. 'The Kissed don't talk, don't think and mindlessly follow every order they are given.'
It was a further complication but time was of the essence. They had to get into Mallinovich's laboratory tomorrow.
He came to a decision. "Listen carefully, there's a potion - it's easy to make out of commonly available ingredients. Give it to them and they'll be too sick to work. Then arrange for Malfoy and I take their places but, whatever you do, don't mention our given names, especially in Mallinovich's hearing."
"I didn't bleedin' well sign up for any of this." Gregory complained. "Helping someone to escape is dangerous enough, but smuggling spies into the most heavily protected part of the prison; that's something else!"
"I'm sure Malfoy is paying you well." Severus told him coldly, "And you must need the money. Why take his bribe otherwise?"
Gregory looked at him, his expression undecided.
"Come back later. Tell whoever's on duty that you want to ...amuse yourself with me." Severus' lips curled, sardonically. "That's common enough not to arouse any suspicions and will give me the time to talk you through how to make the potion."
A shout came from the passageway outside.
"Hey, Phil, what's keeping you? We've got to give all these animals their swill before we can knock off!"
"Coming!" Gregory shouted back. "Just showing 7085 who's boss."
His fist flew out, the strength of the blow sending Severus flying. By the time he had recovered, the cell door was closed. He looked over at his food bowl to see that Gregory had filled it before he had left. The contents were grey, foul smelling and completely unrecognisable but the bowl had been filled to the brim and he was content.
T.B.C.