Chapter 14

As grim as Cummings had sounded, the matter of the library book clearly wasn't urgent enough to intrude on anyone's sleep. So Severus and Lily had to wait in the stuffy little office until the Ministry was actually open, which meant three hours of dozing in the uncomfortable wooden chairs. Around five-thirty, Severus jolted awake with his neck stuck at a painful angle. Lily was feigning sleep beside him, though she clutched her wand so tightly beneath the desk that it was liable to snap. Finally her eyes snapped open and she shook out her hair.

"Excuse me," she said loudly to Cummings, who had nodded off over a day-old copy of the Daily Prophet.

The witch jolted awake.

"Is there a phone here? My parents will be getting worried—I was supposed to be home by now."

"A phone? You're not a muggle, are you, girl? Aren't you hooked up to the floo network?"

Reddening, Lily shook her head.

Cummings coughed in annoyance. "Well, it so happens that we have a telephone down by the welcome desk, though it's usually reserved for the muggle hospital reporting odd cases. Be quick about it."

Severus and Lily jumped to their feet and hurried down the hall before Cummings could tell Severus to stay put.

"Oh, this is going to be a mess," Lily said under her breath. When they skidded to a halt in front of the welcome desk, the witch pushed her glasses up her nose and gave them a long, reproving look.

"You're the boy with the antlers," she said at last, with the air of having solved a complicated puzzle. "What is it this time?"

"Sorry," Lily panted, "but could use the telephone? It's urgent. The ministry lady sent us down here."

With a long sigh, the Welcome Witch rummaged in a drawer and produced a perfectly ordinary black telephone.

"Thank you!" Lily dialed her home and waited breathlessly for someone to pick up. Severus wanted to put his arms around her and tell her that he'd fix everything somehow, that she didn't need to worry—he would protect her from her parents and the Ministry and the Death Eaters. Instead he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Mum?" Lily said at last. "Yes—no, I'm not home. I got called away by someone from school, but I should be home before tonight."

Lily glanced at Severus, and he nodded.

"No, nothing's wrong. You know how wizards can be, Mum."

Lily's green eyes narrowed as she listened to her mother's response.

"No, of course not, it's got nothing to do with him!"

Severus cursed under his breath. Typical—the moment something went wrong, everyone suspected him of being involved.

Lily tugged nervously at the phone cord. "Oh, and I borrowed the car, but I'll make sure it gets home safely. I'm really sorry. Bye!" She said this last in a rush, forestalling any protests from the other end. Then she slammed the phone down.

The Welcome Witch was watching them, wide-eyed.

"Thank you," Severus said firmly. He put a hand on Lily's back and steered her back to the stairway.

"Oh my god," Lily said as soon as they were alone. "Mum is going to be furious! She was nearly shouting, and she only does that when she's worried sick about me or Tuney. I'll be locked in my room for a year!"

Severus slid his arm the rest of the way around her waist. "No you won't. I'll tell them I kidnapped you; they can't blame you for that."

Lily giggled. "I bet they'd believe it, too."

Back in the tiny office, Cummings had changed into crisp black Ministry robes and pinned her hair neatly into place.

"Quickly now," she snapped, as though she hadn't just taken advantage of their absence to tidy up. "Alastor Moody will be waiting."

When Severus hesitated, Lily took a pinch of floo powder and stepped into the green flames. "Ministry of Magic," she said clearly. Then she was gone.

Despite everything, Severus was almost excited as he followed Lily into the fire. He had never been to the Ministry, and after years of hearing his friends grumble about the establishment and discuss infiltration by the Dark Lord, it had reached near-mythic proportions in Severus's imagination. The Ministry was the hulking safeguard of wizarding society—omnipresent, unshakeable, and deeply flawed.

As he tumbled from the fire and straightened, brushing soot from his sleeves, Severus was nearly blinded by the light streaming from overhead. He knew they were underground, but he could have sworn it was the early-morning sun glaring down on the room.

He and Lily stood in an enormous stone atrium with fireplaces ringing the walls and a towering fountain at the center. Around them, wizards were beginning to straggle in to work, bleary-eyed and clutching tall mugs of coffee. Severus was jostled aside by a witch with a teapot floating just above her shoulder; she muttered an apology, too sleepy to take note of Severus's youth and unusual dress.

Severus flinched when a hand closed on his shoulder—the witch from St. Mungo's had joined them. She marched them briskly to the far end of the atrium, where a dark corridor and a clattering lift awaited them. Lily glanced at Severus and shrugged as they clambered into the lift behind the floating teapot.

"You're to be on your best behavior," Cummings hissed out of the corner of her mouth as the lift jolted down. "Aurors have a reputation as a hardened lot, and Alastor Moody is infamous even among them."

Severus nodded sharply. He knew the name well enough.

"Level one. Auror headquarters."

By the time the cool female voice announced their destination, Severus, Lily, and Cummings were the only ones remaining in the lift. Severus stepped out before Cummings could herd him along, and peered down the long, shadowed corridor.

When Cummings strode forward, Severus grabbed Lily's wrist and pulled her close. "Let me talk," he whispered. "If Moody asks, you don't know why you're here. You're not involved."

"I'm not promising anything," Lily whispered, gently loosening Severus's hand. "Come on."

Fuming, Severus hurried after Cummings, who rapped smartly on the first door they came to.

"Alastor. I've brought the students."

The door swung open to reveal the auror, who stood at the center of a disappointingly ordinary room. Severus's first impression was one of surprise—Moody was young. He could only be a few years out of training. He must have been ruthless, to have gained a reputation so quickly.

"Thank you," Moody growled, dismissing Cummings with a wave of his scarred hand. "Sit."

Severus and Lily scrambled into heavy oak chairs at the end of Moody's desk, and he took a seat opposite them. His blue eyes were the most remarkable feature in a plain, sullen face.

"So. You kids have been taking an interest in the Dark Arts."

Though Severus couldn't deny this, he sat forward indignantly. "Why are we here? You can't do anything to us. I was only reading a library book—it's not like I've been cursing people!"

"Don't be daft, boy." Moody scowled at Severus. "You haven't been hauled in for punishment, just for questioning." His expression became graver still. "The Prophet doesn't report everything, and some things are deliberately hushed up. So you might not have heard about the recent surge in Dark activity. All the evidence indicates that Lord Voldemort is intent on building himself an army, and if this goes on, he'll be a greater threat than Grindelwald ever was. You see our predicament."

Severus nodded silently.

"We're desperate for a lead," Moody said flatly. "You may be too young to have joined the Death Eaters, but I'd bet my life that you know the names of a fair few. And if you aren't willing to share, the Ministry will gladly keep tabs on you both. Lord Voldemort won't be pleased to have the likes of you in his ranks, when you can lead us straight to him."

Severus cast a panicked look in Lily's direction. He couldn't very well implicate the Malfoys and their cronies—if those names got out, the Dark Lord would personally see to it that he and Lily were silenced. It didn't take much imagination to guess what that would involve. But if he said nothing, Moody would use him as a scapegoat the next time the Death Eaters caused trouble.

"Please, sir," he said at last. "I'm only interested in the theory behind Dark magic, not actually using it. All I know about the Death Eaters are the same rumors the Ministry's been chasing. I can't give you any names."

Moody continued to stare at him, unblinking.

Recklessly Severus added, "Besides, if you Ministry people weren't so scared of the Dark Arts, you'd probably have a much better idea of how to go about stopping the Dar—You-Know-Who."

As the lift gave a distant rattle, Moody finally blinked and straightened. "An interesting suggestion," he said sarcastically. He clearly hadn't believed a word of it. "And what does the young lady have to say for herself?" He rounded on Lily.

"She's not involved," Severus said quickly. "She just gave me a ride to St. Mungo's, and—"

"And I believe she can speak for herself," Moody barked. "Go on."

Lily swallowed visibly. "I can't give you any names, but there's something else. When I was camping with my family, I ran across a werewolf."

She glanced at Severus as though seeking permission to continue, and he nodded infinitesimally. It was a good idea—Moody was certainly someone who could stop Greyback, and this information would distract him from questioning them further.

"The werewolf said he worked for You-Know-Who," Lily continued, "and he's targeting young boys, biting them young so they grow up ruthless."

"I see." Moody's eyes glittered with intensity. "And where did you happen across these werewolves?"

"Up north," Lily said, "just—"

The door banged open. Lily hiccupped in surprise, and Severus whirled.

Abraxas Malfoy stood in the doorway, a dangerous, icy smile on his face. "Morning, Alastor."

"Most people would knock," Moody said curtly.

Mr. Malfoy's lip curled. "There has been a misunderstanding. I am here to escort these students home, by order of the Hogwarts headmaster. Any interest they may have shown in the Dark Arts is purely theoretically and teacher-approved. Come, Severus, Evans. Good day, Alastor."

Young as Moody was, he did not appear willing to confront a Malfoy directly. Instead he watched in disgust as Severus and Lily stumbled to their feet and followed Mr. Malfoy from the office. Severus was cold with dread.

How much had Mr. Malfoy heard?"