Part XI: All According to Plan

Edgar leapt to his feet as Harry swept down the corridor. "My Lord," he sketched a low bow, "You have a visitor."

"Cryptic messages may have been for forte before Yaxley, but you will do well to remember they irritate me." Potter drawled, looking past his minion and into the cell where Lucius Malfoy stood fuming silently, his silvery blond hair glowing in the dim light. "However, in light of this gift, I am prepared to forgive you. Now leave us."

Without a seconds hesitation Yaxley stumbled backwards down the corridor, bowing as he walked until he disappeared form view.

"Are you deaf Malfoy? Or stupider than I dreamed? Did I not tell you that you were not welcome here?"

"Y-yes my Lord." Lucius stuttered.

"You will regret this disobedience Lucius."

The threat seemed to hover in the air as Harry turned and stalked out of the dungeons without a backwards glance. Had he looked backwards he would have seen Lucius smile.

Harry was furious.

It was insupportable that so many had insinuated themselves into his circle with neither warning nor invitation. And to have a sycophant like Malfoy in his castle was not to be tolerated. Not even the thought of his other prisoners was enough to satiate his rage. Yaxley was a greater fool than he'd ever imagined.

He understood why Yaxley had been fooled by Hermione, she was a remarkably attractive young woman now that she had done away with her birds nest hair and permanent ink stains and men like Yaxley were not know for following their brains. Likely she shagged him into submission and he, like a big, dumb mutt, fell in line. Malfoy, on the other hand, was unforgivable.

Harry had put considerable effort into banishing Malfoy from the ancestral castle and even more work into the subtle recruiting of agents who had nothing to do with the old cause. Yaxley was an exception he already regretted. He had accepted the ex Death Eater into his fold because the man was a shameless mercenary. He had no loyalties beyond the life and comfort of himself. Such men were perfect: easy to control. It was impossible to be betrayed by someone like Yaxley because you never trusted them. If Harry could show Yaxley that life away from Arundel and the organization was much less comfortable than his current life, then he had nothing to worry about, but if he punished Yaxley, it would have to be with death or he would risk rebellion. And Yaxley was still to useful to be discarded.

After a brief moment of pondering, Harry smiled. It was the perfect plan.

Hermione had felt that kind of pain in her entire life. She cowered on the cold stone floor, her thin arms wrapped tightly around her legs, tears dripping down her face. She wasn't really crying. Her breathing was careful and measured and none of the usual sobbing noises escaped her throat. She felt numb inside. Harry, her precious Harry, was dead. The man inhabiting his body was no more Harry than she was a part of this floor.

"Hermione?" Severus' gentle voice intruded on her sorrow. "Hermione, you can't give in to this."

Anger surged through her and she pushed herself into a sitting position so she could glare effectively.

Severus met her glare with sympathetic eyes. "You can't let it beat you. You have to be strong or he wins."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "In case it slipped your notice, we're locked in a cell being tortured by my former best friend. I think its fair to say we've lost this one."

Severus opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again at the sound of footsteps down the hall. His entire body ached and he wanted to join Hermione in hugging the floor. But he had a plan. It wasn't a good plan, to be honest it stank of Gryffindor heroics and would probably end in death, but it was a plan.

It wasn't Harry who appeared at their door. Instead it was Edgar Yaxley's familiar frame and leering smile that appeared on the other side of the bars. "Well, well well," he drawled smugly, "Severus Snape. I thought Voldemort killed you ages ago."

"He tried," Severus replied darkly, earning an appreciative chuckle. "What do you want, Yaxley?"

"Just come for my present." Edgar replied, leering at Hermione. "This Dark Lord knows how to reward his loyal followers. Too bad you seem to be on his bad side or he might have let you keep her."

Severus struggled to his feet, but he was not quick enough to cut off Edgar who slipped through the wards and pulled Hermione to her feet. Yaxley threw a careless stunning spell in Severus' direction and, laughing, carried the fighting Hermione from the cell.

"Feisty one aren't you?" he asked suggestively. "Might want to save some of that energy, girly, I've got plans for us."

"Get your hands off me." Hermione cried, flailing her arms ineffectually in the direction of his face.

"Now , now," he said, pinning her wrists with one large hand and effectively stopping her fight, "no use fighting it darlin'. The Dark Lord rewards his loyal followers. You're my birthday present, and I plan to enjoy you thoroughly."

Lucius Malfoy was a happy man.

Admittedly, this was not the plan, the dungeons were wet and it would take an entire bottle of his imported peppermint shampoo to get the smell out of his hair, but Lucius was happy.

There were several reasons to be glad, and he could thank his old rival Yaxley for most of them. For one thing, anyone else would have searched for the spare wand he kept at his waist. A more competent guard also would have shackled his prisoner as well as insuring the wards were up to snuff. This hypothetical, competent guard may even have checked the pockets of Lucius' robe for potions or other deadly concealed weapons. Fortunately, Yaxley never had been one for thoroughness, or competence, come to think of it.

Yes Lucius was a very happy man. Were it not for the ears he was certain were even now listening from a few yards away he would have been tempted to whistle while he pulled a small phial of muddy-looking liquid from the inner pocket of his robes. He undid the stopped and carefully added a single black hair. After some gentle shaking the potion turned a murky green.

Lucius raised the bottle in a silent toast and downed it in a single gulp.

A/n: I'm back! I know it's been unforgivably long since I last updated anything, but for those of you still with me, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I do plan to finish this story eventually and I hope you will continue to check in and follow along when I manage to post.