The sound of curses hissing through the air was my only guide as I made my way through the darkness. An onslaught of cold, angry raindrops found their way to my skin even through my thick robes. My boots plunged into the mire. Bloody miserable weather- I hate the outdoors. If the Dark Lord has any taste he will have retreated to the mansion.

Bellatrix's laughter carried on the gusts of wind, and I watched her eagerly dart forward toward a prone, twitching figure. The raid must be over and the investigation must have begun. Her hair whipped about in the wind, as she toyed with her prey, caressing his neck with the tip of her wand. Something about the victim's face was familiar. The wide mouth, the way his jaw line was pronounced by his thin cheeks… ah. It was a ministry official in the Department for Controlled Magical Substances- Garland, Bradley Garland. I'd butted heads with him on more than one occasion over safety procedures for storing potion ingredients. For such a little man he was a damn nuisance, and I'd frequently considered hexing him. Bella was searing doodles into his flesh with a flame from her wand. Interesting. That's a new one.

"Bella," I acknowledged her as I passed. She looked up at me with a gleeful smile on her face, her hands dripping with blood and dirt smearing her cheek. If she wasn't insane she would be beautiful in a fierce, passionate kind of way.

A burnt smell filled my nostrils as I entered the mansion. Curtains of sleet flung themselves against the window panes. The Dark Lord stood before the bay windows, watching Bellatrix play with her new toy. He was still, unaffected by nature's display of fury taking place before him. He continually re-defines my understanding of what it means to be cold and unfeeling.

Today I will be able to muster honest respect for the man.

"My lord," I said. I assumed a similar position beside him.

"Have you succeeded, Severus?"

I have struggled with the answer to this question for weeks, and have still not decided upon a solution. If I reported success in brewing something similar to Gwyar's Cordial, half of Hermione's hold on life, the value of her blood, would be forfeit. Yet if I delayed a moment too long then the Dark Lord would lose faith in me, and I would lose my ability to protect her.

I watched Bella tear at Garland's flesh. Her grin was gone, her face was contorted with rage as she gnashed her teeth at the bloodied body before her. If she ever got her hands on Hermione- a shudder crawled down my spine before I could control myself. Bloody hell- if the Dark Lord saw that… It's freezing. That will be my excuse.

"I believe so, my Lord," I said quietly. Good news will keep his mind off my spine.

"You believe so?"

His doubt hung in the air. I looked through the tempest and I imagined Bellatrix's hands piercing Hermione's delicate skin where Garland's should be. All I could think of was Hermione's bruised and bloodied body flung on the ground for the next Death Eater to enjoy. Where Garland's corpse would soon be, I could see Hermione's. His body would be abandoned here, unburied. I could see Hermione sprawled in the mire, forgotten…

Wait.

Forgotten…

A corpse. Just what I need.

Merciful Merlin, I am so brilliant. So bloody brilliant. Leave it to my quick wits to come up with a plan just in the nick of time.

"I have yet to test the potion, and it is rather hard to predict the appropriate dosage for this type of brew. I may well kill my first test subject in an attempt to determine the appropriate dose."

"Ah. Well, you have plenty of test subjects."

"Parents have a nasty habit of noticing when their children go missing," I said gloomily. "Besides, if I'm correct and the brew is successful, I would not want to waste it on first years." Take the bait- take it…

"Test on this one then." He nodded toward Garland. "Bellatrix doesn't seem to be getting far with him."

Perfect.

"What was it you wanted to know from him?"

"Oh, the usual," he turned to leave and waved a hand dismissively. "Identities and locations of mudbloods, traitors in the ministry. You know. Once you have the dosage make sure to interrogate that Granger girl as well."

"Yes my Lord." I followed him outside.

"Bellatrix," he called to her over the gusts of wind. "Severus will finish it. Come." He disapparated.

Bellatrix rose, pout on her lips. "Have fun with him," she told me darkly, and vanished.

I knelt down next to Garland. He was unconscious; I checked his pulse and found it fast and weak. The rain was continually washing away the blood from his skin, leaving his wounds raw and unclotted. In the darkness, it was difficult to decide if he was lying in a pool of mud, water, or his own blood. He was certainly more dead than alive.

What I had told the Dark Lord was true. I did have a potion and I did need to test it, preferably on someone who is already dying. Garland didn't have much time, and the potion was still in my laboratory. I pictured myself walking into Hogwarts, Garland's body floating behind me. "Nothing to worry about, Poppy. Just going to test a dangerous potion on him now…" But there is a better solution to transportation about the castle.

"Bibbits!" I shouted. "BIBBITS!"

Crack! He appeared bowing and mumbling words that were carried away by the wind.

"Listen to me!" I shouted to him, "I want you to transport this man to my laboratory." He should last long enough for me to apparate and the walk in- or I could just have Bibbits "transport me too." Bibbits' ears quivered against the weather, and he took one tiny hand for each of us and grabbed on tight. With a loud BANG! and a very disconcerting sensation, I found myself kneeling on the floor in my laboratory. It had been empty before we arrived. I cast a few protection spells on the area.

"Master is all wet!"

"No, I'm-" well, I suppose I am wet. "Just…" he was grabbing at my cloak. This was not the time. "Just stop hovering!"

"I is not hovering." He looked confusedly at his feet, which were firmly planted on the stone floor.

"You are…" damn little bugger! "Contradicting me!"

"Bibbits is a bad elf!" he howled.

"OUT!"

I whisked Garland onto the large work bench at the back of my laboratory. He was worse than I thought. I hastened to give him some Blood-Replenishing Potion, but it would only slow his death. I dipped a needle into the few precious drops of Cordial I had created, and dabbed the dark liquid into one of his open wounds. In seconds, the surrounding veins coursed with darkness. I peeled his eyes open and prepared myself to determine the outcome of my experiment.

"Legilimens."

White. The light blinded me. Garland was sitting cross-legged, playing with a toddler seated before him. He cooed at her, and the little girl laughed.

"Mr. Garland." He saw me but did not respond. "Mr. Garland, you are dying."

Sadness flickered in his eyes. "I know."

"Did you tell her anything?"

The little girl melted away into the light, and, without rising, Garland was now standing before me. "Snape, isn't it? Death Eater?"

"Yes"

"No, I didn't tell her anything and I won't answer to you either."

It was getting brighter and brighter. He didn't have much time. "Lie to me, Bradley. Give me something I can report. The life of an innocent depends on your answer."

"The Grantlings, a mudblood family- last I heard they were at Sandy Pointe." He cradled his little girl again in his arms. The light was unbearable; colors were bleaching and swimming together. "Now get out of my head before I die."

I withdrew. By the time my eyes adjusted, Garland lay dead before me.