"" Speech
Thought
29 Check(!)
"Severus," Lucius said in a relieved whimper.
Cocking an eyebrow to the blond wizard, Snape closed the gap between them, his stoic mask in place, hiding the turmoil inside. The double-spy tried to assess the situation as he checked the other wizard's vitals. As his scans started to give him some answers, he saw his surprise raise ten fold. Severus vitals were completely erratic. His heart rate was concernedly high, his lungs where giving up on him, his liver and pancreas had completely shut down, his immune system was a wreck... Malfoy was a mess. Severus had been rendered speechless, what on bloody hell had happened to Draco's father?
When he had finally arrived in the Mansion, the Potions Master had been swift in founding the Dark Lord, but to his surprise, Voldemort had limited himself to send him to Lucius private chamber with a simple order, heal him. Snape had been sure, Lucius had been 'chastised' for a thing or another, but now he saw how all his assumptions had been off. There was only one possible explanation for Malfoy's symptoms, he had been poisoned, but a question was still unanswered; was this a work of a true poison or rather was Lucius body trying to purge something the wizard had ingested? Either way, Severus needed to act fast, but for that he needed answers and he needed them fast.
Reaching a decision, Snape cast a silent Invertu(!), it wouldn't cure the feeble wizard, but it would give him enough time to question Malfoy about the matter.
"Lucius, Lucius look at me."
The debilitated wizard turn his glassed eyes to where he heard his friend's voice coming from, his vision nothing more than a blur, whatever Severus was going to do he should do it and fast.
"Lucius, pay attention to what I'm saying, focus on my voice. To help you I need to know exactly what happened with you."
"I, I understand," Lucius said in a raspy voice, "I suppose everything started early this weak, when our Lord summoned me to his chambers to inquire if that distasteful witch, Umbridge, had invited me to Hogwarts ball. He seemed to be pleased with my confirmation and simply dismissed me soon after. He hadn't talked to me about this matter again and I had almost forget about his query until this evening when he convoked me." Malfoy stopped his narrative to rearrange his thoughts before continuing with his story. "The Dark Lord barely spare me a glance before delivering me a cup half filled with a roused liquid and commanding me to drink it. I obeyed of course."
"Of course," Snape concurred, it wasn't like you could deny drinking it anyway.
"But, I barely had time to take a sip before an excruciating pain took over my entire being. This only took mere moments, as I found out latter, but I felt otherwise as the seconds in such pain seemed like hours to me. When the pain finally receded and I came to my senses again, I found myself alone in the chamber, our Lord was nowhere in sight. A simple note laid there, beside me on the ground, where I absently end up as consequence of the potion I had just take. "
Malfoy sighed tired, but before the wizard could continue with his telling, Snape materialized a flask out of his robes and mentioned for Lucius to drink it. He, wasn't certain yet, but I had the nagging feeling he already knew what kind of potion had been given to Draco's father and was sure a Pepper up Potion wouldn't endanger Lucius health.
Feeling slightly better, the Slytherin rearranged himself among the bed's pillows and proceeded, "the note, signed by our Lord, simply instructed me to return to my quarters and continue as if nothing had happened. I did as I been told and left to Hogwarts shortly after.
"Was that the reason for your strange behaviour during the ball?"
"Yes, and no. It was me and, at the same time, it wasn't."
"Are you trying to tell me you were Imperioused?" A unbelieving Potions Master asked. Lucius could be a pompous and self-centred wizard, but contrary to what many thought about the Death- Eater, his fortune and influence weren't the only reasons for the position he occupied among Voldemort's most trusted followers. Malfoy was an impressive duellist, one of the best from Voldemort's side and his cunning only made him a more dangerous adversary, it was just kind of hard for Severus to believe someone had manage to have the cleverness to caught Lucius absent-minded enough to be able to do such thing and even if that could have happened, for the spell to work properly the subject under its influence had to let himself/ herself be controlled. Although the spell did it in a fake pleasant way, with its deceiving feeling of welfare, Snape had his doubts regarding Malfoy's willingness to give up his free choices. The wizard was just too pig headed to fall under the spell's tricks.
"No, not at all, I..."
"Lucius, I can't really help you if you don't tell me everything!" Said a exasperated Potions Professor.
"It was our Lord, I can't explain how, but the moment Potter and his group of friends stepped inside the Great Hall, I felt just like I had been disconnected from my own body. I was still there, but I was nothing more than a mere passenger inside my body!"
"How could you be sure it was our Lord's doing?" Severus was certain he had already found out the nature of the potion Voldemort had feed Malfoy, but he couldn't stop himself from desperately trying to prove himself wrong because, if he was right, if the Dark Lord had gone to such extremes to only get near Albus daughter, Diamond was in serious danger.
"It was him," Malfoy affirmed with conviction, but not giving any explanations for his certainties.
Snape dropped the subject, Lucius was clever enough to suspect something if he continued pushing the subject when Lucius had been perfectly clear about his intention of remain silent concerning it.
"Very well them, but, if so, why didn't he confront Potter and waited his opportunity to engage in conversation with his girlfriend instead?" Severus hold on a breath as he anxiously expected for a different answer from the one he knew he would receive.
"Because, it wasn't in him our Lord was interested
…...
After being sure of what, exactly, Lucius had taken it had been quite easy to properly treat the wizard. Unfortunately it would take a wile for the wizard to regain his full strength. Of course, it could be done much more faster if he was in the possession of the counter-potion, but that wasn't the case. It was a very expensive brewing because of a very rare ingredient and the fact he had thought that such potion would never be used again had made him believe it would be unnecessary to make its counter-part.
That potion had been one of many the Dark Lord had conceived, it had been developed in an attempt to create a potion that could be used instead of the Imperious curse. Severus had to admit, Voldemort had been more than able to manage that, but the potion's side effects more than convinced the dark wizard to regard it as a failure. It was possible to control anyone with it, but, the way in which it did it greatly affected its user also.
That happened because of the way in which it worked, it served like a conduit, the mind affected by it would lose any and natural or otherwise protections against foreign intrusions. Of course it was necessary a great Legiliment ability, but Voldemort hadn't saw any hindering in that, after all he was one of the greatest Legilimens there was, but the problem with it hadn't been that, the true problem resided in what happened when invading one's mind.
When using it, one's mind was literally transferred to the chosen victim controlling him/her to the point of, like Lucius had said, their body being nothing more than a prison for their minds. But one's mind hadn't been made to occupy two places a time so the invader's body would be left mindless and ultimately defenceless to others, something Snape was sure, wasn't of Voldemort's liking. And worst, if the body stayed without a mind for too long it would start to decay, after all without a mind it wasn't all that different from being dead.
So, having all this in mind, Severus was down right astonished with Voldemort's actions. Having gone to such lengths to get near Diamond! Letting behind a sleeping Lucius, Snape hastened his steeps, he was sure he would be 'reprimanded' by Voldemort for leaving without briefing him of Lucius state, but a raising fear pushed him forward. He needed to get to Dumbledore and inform him of his findings, before Voldemort could do something that could prevent him of such, as he was sure he would do. The Dark Lord new he would find out what had really happened, if not he wouldn't have been able to treat Malfoy properly, so, it was only a matter of time before he loosed his patience and summoned the potions Professor to his presence to make sure he would keep that information to himself.
Hope fluttered his chest as the grounds' gates came into view, he almost smiled as he reached for them. All consuming pain, momentarily blinds him, as he fell to his knees. So close, he had been so close. A new wave of blinding pain assaulted him before he could manage to shakily raise himself from the ground. Backtracking his steeps a looming Severus glanced the gates a last time before answering the Dark Lord's call.
…...
"Severus, I was starting to wander if you wouldn't be able to take care of Lucius," a seemingly bored Dark Lord said as he watched him over the parchment he had been reading at Snape's arrival.
"I apologize my Lord," Severus said bowing, "it was rather easy to discover Lucius malady, but even after being sure of what was tormenting Malfoy, effectively aid him proved to be quite the challenge without the proper antidote.
Voldemort chuckled amused as he raised from his office desk where Snape had found him earlier. "Indeed, but, like you well know, that's a rarity and I'm not fond of wasting such a thing."
A sparkle of rage licked the Professor's insides, he didn't felt any affinity towards the arrogant and self-assured wizard, but that didn't meant he would have let him suffer if he could prevent it. Unfortunately for Lucius, the only wizard that could relieve his pain is a sadistic bastard.
"Now, let's talk of really important things, shall we," Voldemort told Snape as he took a seat in one of the armchairs near the black marble fireplace. "I'm sure you are now aware of my..interest on Miss Diamond," Snape nodded from where he stood, he wasn't fool enough to presume the Dark Lord would allow him to sit as well. That would mean he considered him his equal (something Snape highly doubted).
Voldemort leaned back as he rested his head on his palm, "from now on you will not leave the Mansion grounds until the start of next semester."
"My Lord?" Severus let out surprised, this wasn't good, he needed to inform Albus and quickly. "But Lucius, I would need to fetch some things to continue his treatment."
"No worries Severus, I'm sure Narcisa won't mind to get anything you may need in Diagon Alley or otherwise."
"But My Lord, if I stay away from the Order that long they might start to suspect me!"
"It is a strong possibility, but you are a too valuable asset for them to discard you that easily and you only have to tell the old coot of my order to remain here during this time."
"Why so..."
"Crucio."
Severus was unable to silence the whimper that escaped his throat when the hex caught him off guard.
"Severus Severus, do you think I need to explain my reasons to you? Have you forget your place" Voldemort inquired arching an non-existent brow and lifting the curse.
"Of course not, My Lord," he answered in a strangled voice.
"I sure hope not Severus, it would be a pity if I would have to...dispense you... permanently. You are dismissed."
Voldemort watched Severus as he bowed again before leaving him alone. Severus was right in being concerned with Dumbledore's reaction to his disappearance during such great period of time, but he was more than willing to risk it. He needed to cloud his raising interest towards Diamond as mush as he could until all could be prepared. Fortunately he had manage to rush things up, he was sure by the time Severus would need to return to Hogwarts again he would got everything he desired.
…...
Fatigue started eating at Severus frame, he felt trapped. He wouldn't be able to be with Dumbledore for, at least, the next two weeks and he feared that could be enough for Voldemort to put whatever he had planed into action, because he was sure he had something planed and whatever it was it concerned the little annoying chit which company he had learned to apreciate.
(!) Chess move
(!) Slow the passage of time
