Title : Ars Virgarum - De Ritibus Ultimis
Authors : xnuinx & draco_crescendo
Pairing : Overall gen - implied pairings may occur.
Rating : Overall R/NC-17
Warnings : War-fic, dark stuff, angst.
Disclaimer : All HP characters and names are copyright of JK Rowling. We use them for our own pleasure, we do not make money out of this.
Feedback : Oh yes, hit us harder!
Beta : essayel & flosspyromaniac.
Summary : After Dumbledore's death, loose ends are left untied. The war is lurking from behind the corner, ready to strike. While the Trio begins their search for the Horcruxes, they encounter a number of obstacles that must be overcome. Will they succeed or will all of their efforts fail in the end?
Chapter Art: .com/art/Illustration-Ars-Virgarum-13-78120596
13 - De Ritibus Ultimis
Severus entered the room where he had left Draco and Pansy earlier, without knocking. Looking at the boy, he stepped closer and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Draco, I am going to take you back to my mother's home."
Draco frowned. "Why? What's going on?"
"The Potter gang and I are leaving to inspect a possible lead in the search for more Horcruxes. I doubt Potter would want you to stay here." Severus turned around and began to walk out of the room again. "Miss Parkinson will be fine here. Lupin will keep an eye on her until we return."
"Yeah, he'd probably think I'd burn this place down or something." Draco snorted. "Why can't I come along? Since you're apparently taking all of them with you." He got up from the chair, giving Pansy one last look before following Snape down the stairs.
"I would rather have you stay away from where we are going, Draco." Severus said as he looked over his shoulder at Draco. "It is not safe as it is, and we might be accosted by Aurors."
"Oh. Fine. I guess." Draco mumbled with a shrug. He tried not show his disappointment. Not that he fancied joining Potter and his friends wherever they were going, but everything would be better than sitting at that dratted house by himself until Snape chose to come back.
Downstairs, he headed straight for the fireplace. He didn't really want to face Potter, Granger and Weasley right now. He figured Snape would indulge him when he thought it necessary. He stepped into the fireplace, dropped a handful of Floo powder and Floo-ed off in a sea of green flames.
Severus watched as the boy Floo-ed off before walking back to the drawing to join the others. He leaned against the wall, putting as much space as possible between Potter and his friends and himself. He would rather be somewhere else, but if it was necessary he would have to deal with Potter's presence.
When the Gryffindors showed no intention of leaving, he grumbled. "Are you all quite ready to leave? You were the one who wanted to do this now, Mr. Potter."
Ron was fumbling with the fastenings of his robes, trying to tie them as quickly as possible. He sighed and turned to Hermione when he only got his fingers tangled further into the ties. Looking at her with what he thought was a pleading look, Ron nudged Hermione's shoulder.
Hermione looked at him, then down at his robes and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ronald." She mumbled, untangling the ties from his fingers, before fastening them.
Harry shook his head at his friends before getting up and glancing at Snape. "Lead the way."
Severus nodded and exited the drawing room, heading for the fireplace. Throwing in a handful of the powder, he called. "Malfoy Manor, private Floo connection…Authorisation : Severus Snape!" He stepped into the flames and was whisked off in a burst of green flames.
The trio followed, watching Snape disappear in the flames. They exchanged a glance and shrugged, before Floo-ing off to Malfoy Manor themselves.
Remus watched them leave with a sigh. He had agreed to stay at Grimmauld until they got back. For a moment, he actually wondered why someone had to watch Pansy. She was kept in a deep, bewitched sleep, thus safe from the influence of the bracelet until they figured out a plan to get it off her. He got up from his seat in one of the armchairs and climbed the stairs.
He entered Pansy's room and took a seat on the chair beside her bed. She looked peaceful and he would've thought she was completely fine, if it weren't for the sickly, pale colour of her skin. Remus wondered just how much influence the bracelet had had over her. He took a hold of her wrist and turned it over. There it was. The little silver with the bronze eagle. It looked rather innocent, but Remus had long learnt that objects should not judged on appearance. The same thing was also true for people.
He sadly shook his head. This girl was what? Seventeen years old? He couldn't help but think that seventeen was far too young to be sent off to war. But then again, what was a decent age? 'Nobody should be fighting wars at all.' He stood up and left the room again, hoping Harry and his friends would return soon. Also for Remus, this house brought back memories...
Walking out into the small room designed specifically for private Floo arrivals and departures, Severus looked around with narrowed eyes, his hand clutching his wand tightly. He waited for the others to come through, tapping his foot against the polished wooden floor.
They stepped out of the fireplace, brushing the soot off their robes. Harry rolled his eyes as Snape tapped his foot, but decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Well, come along then." Severus said and walked out of the room. He stalked down the hallway, ignoring both the questioning stares of Potter and his friends and the portraits, which were chattering and asking them questions about their business at the manor. "Malfoy's study will be the best place to begin our search. He keeps a large section of old manuscripts in there."
Harry followed, Hermione and Ron in tow. Hermione couldn't help but be a little disappointed. She would have liked some time to take a look around. This place seemed to be huge. Not that she had expected anything else from the Malfoy family, but still...
"A Weasley! A Weasley in our home!" One of the portraits shrieked. "Traitor! A Weasley! Blood traitor! Mudblood-loving traitor!"
Grumbling in annoyance, Severus glared at the offending portrait. "Shut up. If I recall correctly, Lady Malfoy, your youngest son married a Muggleborn." Without waiting for a reply, he continued down the hallway until he reached the study of Lucius Malfoy.
Ron gaped at the portrait. "What did you call me? Traitor, my arse, you stuck up piece of paint!" He shook a fist at the woman in the frame, only to have her sniff at him in disdain.
Hermione sighed and pulled at his arm. "Just ignore her, Ron. It's just a stupid portrait."
Harry ignored the portrait of the Malfoy relative and kept his eyes on Snape's back. Suddenly, he smirked to himself. 'Sodding portrait would fall from its frame if she found out Ron's the only pureblood in this group.'
"Where is Mrs. Malfoy?" Hermione frowned.
"She is away for the time being." Severus said as he opened the door to the study. He raised his wand and checked for wards or traps. He knew Malfoy would allow a person to enter without further ado, only to have a trap sprung on them the moment they actually set a foot inside. When he found a couple of wards, which he himself had taught Malfoy in the first place, Severus worked quickly to take them down.
Harry took a look inside the study. It was large. The floor was made out of dark ebony-coloured wood and the wall was lined with bookshelves from the floor to the ceiling. In the middle of it stood a large desk with a chair, the wood in the same colour as the floor. He spotted a few cabinets in the corner. "What's in the cabinets?" He asked.
Severus looked at the cabinets Potter had pointed out. "Documents, I believe. Paperwork he has brought home from the Ministry, if I remember accurately. As well as some books he prefers to keep in here."
Harry was not really interested in the paperwork, but his expression slightly darkened at the mentioning of certain books. 'Maybe something in those cabinets could be useful to our search.' He pondered. "Can you access them?"
"You think the diary could be in there?" Hermione said from behind him.
"Possibly." Harry calmly replied. "But we shall have to wait and see. Anything that could prove to be useful, would be welcome. We can always worry about the diary later."
"Diary?" Severus asked as he strode over to the cabinets and tapped one with the tip of his wand, examining the cabinet doors. "Hmm, it should not prove difficult to open them." He muttered to himself and traced his wand over the wood in search of anything that could make it difficult for him.
"Riddle's diary." Harry came to stand next to him, watching the cabinets. "One of the Horcruxes that has already been destroyed."
Severus arched an eyebrow at Potter, but continued to work with opening the cabinets. 'One less Horcrux to worry about then.' He thought. Finally, after a few minutes of making sure no surprises would jump at them once he opened the cabinets. Severus straightened up and tapped the first cabinet door, muttering a few words. He stepped back to watch it spring open and reveal several leather bound books, they were quite old by the look of their condition.
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. "Hermione, can you get started on the cabinets? Ron and I will start on the shelves on this side."
Hermione nodded and kneeled down in front of the cabinets, peering inside. She was curious to see what Malfoy would hide in these. She suppressed the urge to rub her hands in glee, before starting to search through them.
Harry watched her for a moment, before turning to Ron. "I'll take the ladder and start on top. You start with the lower ones."
"Right." Ron said and began to search through the books on the lower shelves. He paused occasionally when he saw some of the titles. Having listened to Hermione talk about books for almost seven years, he recognized most of them. And nearly all of them were books Hermione would love to get her hands on as they were one of a kind, rare editions. He picked up one book with the odd name 'Slugs, Newts and Other Kinds of Small Animals You Would Rather Avoid, But Need for Your Potions' and flipped through it. He grimaced at some of the pictures and quickly closed it again, replacing it on the shelf.
Severus looked through the cabinet he had opened first. He calmly pulled out book after book and idly flipped the pages. He committed several of the potions he found in each book to his memory as well as other useful information. Though he would love to walk out of this situation with his arms and pockets full of books, it would not do to take all of them. Severus doubted Narcissa or Draco would take the news that he had looted Lucius' study with kind ears. So he kept putting the books back into their respective places.
Harry stood on the ladder, moving inch by inch as he checked the titles on the spines. Of course, there were a great deal of books about the Dark Arts on the shelves, but when he flipped through it, he could find nothing on Horcruxes. He growled under his breath. A bit further away, he noticed a thick black, leather-bound book. He moved over to it and took it out, not noticing the smaller, foul green book on top of it, until it fell down.
"Ron, watch out!" He called down, grimacing when Ron looked up and the book hit him in the face with a smack.
Ron reared back from the book and he watched as it dropped to the floor. Rubbing his face with the back of his hand, he crouched down to pick it up. "Ugly thing." He muttered, still wincing slightly at the pain in his nose.
Harry put the thick black book back on the shelf, before climbing down. He took the book from Ron and let his eyes scan the title. "The Wickedest of Magical Inventions." He mumbled.
"What?" Hermione tried to get up a little too quickly while pulling her head out of the cabinet, bumping her head against the edge. She rubbed at the painful spot. "It's not our lucky day, it seems, Ron." She grimaced, before finally getting up and hurrying over to Harry to rip the book out of his hands. She quickly flipped through it. "You know, guys..." She slowly said. "Magick Most Evile used 'the wickedest of magical inventions' to define Horcruxes. This can't be a coincidence."
"Is it really...?" Harry asked.
Hermione remained quiet for another moment, thumbing through the pages, nodding. "Yes, it is, Harry." She softly said. "This one deals with the subject of Horcruxes in detail."
"That should be able to provide us with some more information." Harry nodded. "We'll take it with us." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "Any sign of Riddle's diary?"
"No." She pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Unfortunately not."
"We could ask Malfoy? Maybe he knows where his father put it or something?" Ron said as he looked at the thin book in Hermione's hands. This book was going to help them? He knew not to judge a book by it cover, especially since that debacle with the diary several years ago. But this one looked like it didn't contain a lot of information, unless the writing was more than miniscule.
Hermione and Harry jerked their heads up, staring at him for a moment. "Ron, that's a brilliant idea." Harry grinned. "We'll owl him when we get back to Grimmauld Place."
"I will bring him the message, Potter. I might as well seeing as I will see him soon enough." Severus said as he strode over to the trio and held out his hand. "May I see the book, Miss Granger?"
"The diary might have been easy to overlook." Harry coolly replied as Hermione handed the book to Snape, "It looks rather plain and in a bad condition. Besides, the pages inside are empty."
Severus nodded and flipped through the pages of the small book. He stopped more than once when he passed a particularly descriptive passage. There were several fascinating subjects in it beside the detailed description about Horcruxes. He closed the book and handed it back to Granger. "The pages of the diary are empty? So it would absorb any writing." He began to walk out of the study and toward the fireplace they had come through.
"Yeah, that's right." Harry answered as he followed Snape out of the room, beckoning for the others to follow. "Or at least, it used to."
Ron was about to follow Snape and Harry when he noticed that Hermione had opened the book again and was already reading. Sighing, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and gently pulled her along after the others. "Come on, Hermione. You can read the book when we get back to Grimmauld Place."
Severus stepped out of he fireplace at his mother's house and brushed off the soot clinging to his black robes. He looked around in search of the other occupant of the house, but Draco wasn't in the living room or any of the other rooms downstairs. "Draco?" He called toward the first floor as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up. It might only have been a few hours since he sent the boy here and Draco would probably be rather annoyed that he now had to go back to Grimmauld Place again, but there were questions which needed answers.
At the sound of his name being called, Draco opened the door of his bedroom and popped his head out. "Yeah?" He called back.
"Come down, Draco, if you would." Severus said with a sigh as he tapped his fingers against the stair rail.
"Alright." Draco sighed, closing the bedroom door behind him, before descending the stairs. There was a frown on his face. What did Snape want now? Did he do something wrong? He couldn't imagine what he would have done, but then again, this was Snape... "What is it?" He asked.
Severus turned around and walked into the living room again. "Do you remember your father ever speaking of a leather bound book with blank pages?" He went over to the bookshelves and picked a bottle of scotch, pouring himself half a tumbler. He needed something to burn his throat and clear his mind for a short moment.
Draco looked confused. "No... Why? Should he have? What's the use of a book with nothing in it?"
"While the pages may be blank, the book itself is not." Severus muttered as he took a sip from the small glass. "It contains, just as the bracelet around Miss Parkinson's wrist, a mind of its own."
"A Horcrux?" He meekly asked. "No... Father never spoke of anything like that. I suppose he could have had it lying around the Manor, but I've never come across a book with empty pages in his study."
Severus nodded slowly. "I do not believe he would have left it around for anyone to see. Considering its value, it would not be wise to do so." He emptied his glass and placed it on the table beside his chair. Steepling his fingertips, Severus looked at Draco. "Perhaps he has mentioned it, you have just not connected it with anything you know."
"I don't know, alright?" Draco snapped. "If I say that I can't remember, then I can't." He looked away, running his hand through his hair with a sigh. He really couldn't remember if his father had ever mentioned an object like this.
"Do calm down, Draco." Severus said and let his hands fall to the armrests of the chair. "If you cannot remember, then you cannot remember… for the moment, perhaps. A possible memory might return to you when you least expect it." He reached up with both hands to rub at his temples, feeling a headache approaching.
"If you want me to, I'll Floo to the Manor and look around, or something." He sighed. "Maybe I'll come up with it anyway. Who knows, right?"
Severus stared at Draco for a few seconds, then shook his head. "No, Draco." He objected. If Draco found out from any of the portraits that Potter, his friends and himself had visited the manor without him, the boy would not be pleased. It wasn't that Severus cared, it would just raise some awkward questions as to why they hadn't brought him. And there was still the threat of Aurors lurking around the manor grounds, waiting to apprehend any suspected Death Eaters. No, Draco should be kept away from Malfoy Manor. "Perhaps you should look through your personal affects first. You never know what you might find."
"All I brought along was my trunk." Draco rolled his eyes. "If someone like that should in it, I would know, don't you think?" He paused, licking his lips. "But fine. I'll look through it anyway." He turned around and started up the stairs again, mumbling something about useless searches.
Severus leaned back against the chair and waited for Draco to come back from the guest room. As he thought about it, it did make sense if Lucius had hidden the book in his son's trunk. The diary would be out of the way should anyone decide to ransack the manor in a less courteous manner than the one Potter and his friends had used. While they had entered the manor without a invitation, they had been polite enough to replace anything they removed from its place. If Draco had the diary and didn't know it, the book would be even safer. "Lucius, you idiot. What have you done with it?" He muttered under his breath.
Bartholomew Carolus stalked through the entrance hall of Riddle Manor. He had important news to deliver to his Master. Carolus worked at the Ministry of Magic, but had always maintained a low profile, even during the years that You-Know-Who had been active. It was his job to leak information and he was good at it. No one had ever given him a suspicious glance before and he intended to keep it that way.
He pushed the heavy doors open, entering the dim-lit room, before kneeling down. "My Lord." He greeted.
"Carolus. What brings you here?" Voldemort looked down on him with a steely gaze. "I don't recall requesting your presence."
"No, My Lord, but I overheard a conversation between Auror Kingsley and Scrimgeour earlier. I thought you would be interested to hear what they were discussing."
"Don't waste my time, Carolus." Voldemort hissed. "Speak."
"It seems that Kingsley and Mad-Eye Moody made a little trip to Azkaban, My Lord." He sneered. "They were to question Lucius."
"Question Lucius? About what exactly?"
"Details were not given, My Lord, but I thought you wanted to know anyway."
Voldemort remained silent for a few moments, before he spoke again. "Well done, Carolus. You may take your leave."
"Certainly, My Lord." Carolus nodded, before rising and leaving the room again.
Voldemort waited until the wards announced someone passing them on the way out, before calling Fenrir Greyback, Rabastan Lestrange and Severus Snape to him.
Severus hissed as the Dark Mark flared with pain and he clutched the fabric covering the tattoo. Rising from the chair he had been relaxing in, he quickly donned his robes and pocketed the white Death Eater mask. Without further delay, he walked out the front door and down the dark street until he saw his chance to Apparate to Riddle Manor. When he arrived outside the wards placed around the old manor in Little Hangleton, he was met by the sight of two other black clad figures walking toward the building as well. Severus had a suspicion as to who they could be as he found their movements quite familiar.
When one of the figures turned around, Severus' suspicion was confirmed; Rabastan Lestrange. Nodding curtly in greeting, Severus walked past both Death Eaters and noticed that the other man was Greyback. He passed through the wards and entered the manor, Lestrange and Greyback following closely behind him. He arched an eyebrow at them and Lestrange smirked while the werewolf merely grunted.
"So, Severus… Seems you've been called as well." Lestrange said.
Severus rolled his eyes and kept walking down the hallways toward the room where the Dark Lord was waiting for him and apparently the other two as well. "Indeed."
"I wonder what our Lord wants from us." Lestrange said as he tried to make conversation with Severus. His attempts were ignored.
Arriving at their destination, Severus reached out and knocked once before opening the door and entering. He quickly kneeled in front of the Dark Lord, Lestrange and Greyback following suit.
"It has been brought to my attention that our dear friend Lucius has been questioned by Aurors." Voldemort stepped out of the shadows, getting straight to the point. "It is of no importance what he has been questioned about, or what he told them or didn't tell. The consequences will be just the same." He paused, sneering down at the three men kneeled on the floor. "He will not be giving the Aurors much more information. You are to kill him before the night is over."
While Lestrange and Greyback were smirking with the prospect of a bit of fun, Severus silently cursed, his face was emotionless and he merely nodded.
"Yes, my Lord." All three men kneeling on the floor chorused and rose as one.
"We'll be happy to do so, my Lord." Lestrange said with a wide grin as he placed his white mask on his face.
Greyback grumbled and did the same. "Finally, some action. I have to admit I was getting bored."
Severus remained silent, refusing to comment on something like this. He would much rather have avoided coming here at all. Perfect, just bloody perfect. He was about to head out with two of the most vicious killers in the Dark Lord's ranks to kill one of his oldest acquaintances. Carefully, he cleared his mind of all thoughts concerning his doubts about this. It would not do to have such thoughts should the Dark Lord use Legilimency on him.
"You will not be bored tonight." The Dark Lord coldly replied. "Go!"
Whirling around, the three Death Eaters left the room and manor as they walked down the hallways and out of the front door. When they passed the wards all three men Apparated away to the island of the Azkaban prison. They moved quickly across the rocky and uneven ground toward the prison itself, their white masks gleaming in the moonlight. Severus looked up at the tall building with apprehension of the task ahead of them.
He watched as Lestrange grinned maniacally and he wondered if the man had somehow developed the same insanity his sister-in-law was displaying at every available opportunity. It wouldn't surprise him. Greyback stayed behind them, an almost permanent scowl on his face.
"Are we going to kill him any time soon or are we just going to stand here and enjoy the scenery?" Greyback asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Shut up, Fenrir." Lestrange snapped as he sneaked along the wall toward the entrance of the prison. "We don't want to be discovered."
"If we are discovered, I'll just kill them." Greyback groused and followed the younger Death Eater.
Severus sneered and walked past them with a quicker pace, having cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself just moments before. If Lestrange and Greyback wanted to waste time by sneaking around like a couple of fools, they could, but he had other things to worry about. Severus stopped a few feet from the entrance and watched for any signs of guards or Aurors. He pursed his lips in surprise when he walked closer and found the entrance and the ensuing corridor empty.
He waited for the other two members of his group to join him with a scowl on his face. It was much too quiet. A few moments after Lestrange and Greyback finally arrived and with Severus rolling his eyes, they entered the prison. They walked down the corridor toward the lower levels of the building where the most dangerous prisoners were kept. Surely they would find Lucius Malfoy down there.
Suddenly, an Azkaban guard came out from one of the smaller corridors and he yelped as he bumped into the large body of Greyback. Falling to the floor, the guard looked up at Lestrange and Greyback. Severus had yet to shed the Disillusionment Charm and so the guard did not pay him any attention.
The guard quickly scrambled to his feet, pointing his wand at the two Death Eaters with a trembling hand. He began to mutter a spell, only to have Greyback pick him up by his throat. The werewolf smirked and slowly squeezed, cutting off the guard's air supply until the life was slowly drained from him and he hung limply from Greyback's massive hand. With a snort of disgust, Greyback released his captive and the man dropped to the ground in a heap.
Severus watched silently as Greyback stepped over the dead guard and moved further down the main corridor with a laughing Rabastan Lestrange at his side. Shaking his head, Severus followed them to the lower levels. As they descended the stairs in silence, which had permeated the upper levels, was broken by the keens and cries of prisoners, who had probably been there since before the Dementors had left Azkaban.
Lestrange scoffed, muttering about 'crazed maniacs'. He started to look in through the small shutters at the top of each cell door they passed. Suddenly, he stopped and waved Greyback and Severus over to him.
"This is the one." Lestrange snickered and he raised his wand, casting the spell to open the door for them. He stepped inside and spoke in a sing-song voice. "Hello, Lucius. Missed me?"
Severus finally let the Disillusionment Charm fall and was about to enter the cell when Greyback pushed him aside. The werewolf sneered at him and walked into the small cell, leaving Severus to follow after him as the last of their group.
Lucius Malfoy was sitting on the small cot at the other end of the room, legs stretched out with one crossed over the other. He was lounging on the tiny space as if he actually was comfortable on the ratty piece of furniture. His arms were placed behind his head and he was watching them with an arched eyebrow. Slowly, he turned around and placed his feet on the floor. "Rabastan." Malfoy said greeted, only nodding at Greyback with a small smirk on his lips and then he looked at Severus. "Fancy meeting you here, Severus. This is most unexpected."
"Malfoy." Greyback grumbled and walked closer to the man still sitting on the cot.
"Gentlemen, what do I owe the honour of your presence? I have hardly had the chance to tidy up the place." Malfoy inquired and waved his hand around at the dismal state of the dank and dark cell. "Come to break me out, perhaps? I must admit I could use a change of scenery, it is quite dreary in here."
"Don't worry, old friend." Greyback said with a low growl. "You will get your change of scenery." He raised his hand and struck out at Malfoy, hitting the other man on the side of his head. Malfoy tumbled to the floor by the force of the blow. Disorientated, the blond man slowly got to his feet, shaking his head.
"What was that for, Fenrir?" Malfoy snarled as he cradled the injured side of his head with one hand.
"Simply the beginning." The werewolf grinned and lashed out again. "I love this part."
This time Malfoy jumped out of the way, backing up against the wall. His eyes were narrowed and he stared at Greyback. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded.
"We're simply following orders, Lucius." Lestrange supplied as he raised his wand. "Step back, Fenrir. I want my turn." Without waiting for Greyback to comply, Lestrange pointed his wand at Malfoy. "Crucio!" He hissed and watched with glee as the other man fell to floor once more, writhing and screaming in pain. When he lifted the curse from the thrashing body, Malfoy was panting and breathing harshly.
"Why?" The blond man wheezed from his position on the floor.
"You were talking too much. Our Lord was informed of your little tea party with the Aurors." Lestrange explained and cast the curse on Malfoy again, his eyes lighting up with amusement as blood began to
trickle from his victim's nose. Removing the Unforgivable from Malfoy, Lestrange walked closer and crouched down beside him.
"B-but… I didn't talk!" Malfoy rasped desperately as he tried to get up.
"It doesn't matter, Lucius. Our Lord wants you out of the way, set it as an example to others who might think of betraying him. Betray the Dark Lord and you die." Lestrange shrugged and plucked a piece of sweat drenched hair from Malfoy's face.
Suddenly, Greyback pushed Lestrange out of the way and picked the flailing man up by his shoulders. "It's time to die, Lucius." He breathed into the other man's face.
Malfoy whimpered in pain, his eyes darting around the room for anything which could help him out of the situation. Severus found himself staring into the grey eyes of one of his oldest acquaintances.
"Severus… my friend?" Malfoy was looking at him with wide eyes as if he had only just understood that this was the end for him.
"I'm sorry, Lucius." Severus whispered barely audible, but he knew Malfoy could see his lips move. The blond man slowly nodded, dejected.
"Ahh, Severus. You've been so quiet, I nearly forgot you were here." Lestrange exclaimed in mock surprise. "Would you like your turn before Fenrir finishes the assignment?"
Severus shook his head. "No, thank you. I prefer not to dirty my hands with blood any more than necessary."
"Suit yourself. Go ahead, Fenrir." The youngest Lestrange brother patted Greyback's shoulder and stepped back to observe the werewolf and Malfoy.
"Well, then… Looks like it's just to two of us, Lucius." Greyback cackled and scraped two of his claws across Malfoy's cheek, watching the small trickle of blood run down the pale skin and drip onto the tatty clothes. Bringing him closer, Greyback licked the blood away from his captive's skin. He proceeded to rip his claws into Malfoy's chest, cutting the flesh with gusto and grinning as Malfoy cried out in pain. Then with one blood drenched hand he took a hold of the blond's head and with a quick jerk he snapped Malfoy's neck.
Letting the body drop to ground, Fenrir Greyback turned around and walked out of the cell. "That was fun." He snickered as he went past Severus, who was looking at the scene with distaste. "Too crass for your sensitive tastes, Snape?"
"Hn." Severus commented and with a final look at the body of Lucius Malfoy he left the cell, Lestrange following shortly after. They wandered casually up the stairs and down the main corridor, where Greyback managed to find another guard. After snapping the man's neck, much like he had done to Malfoy, Greyback exited the prison gates and Apparated away. Lestrange cast a quick grin in Severus' direction and they both Apparated to Riddle Manor to hand over their report of success to the Dark Lord.