CHAPTER 35

"The idiot," snarled Lucius Malfoy as he paced the dining room of Malfoy Manor. "Getting caught."

"The Dark Lord is furious," agreed Bellatrix Lestrange, draped lazily on top of the dining table.

"And Terence Baxter got himself killed yesterday, too," grumbled Lucius.

Lucius paced over to the dining table, standing between Bella's legs not six inches from her body. The chemistry and sexual tension between the two of them was palpable, as it had always been. Narcissa Malfoy scowled but, as she always had, said nothing.

"If the new recruits keep this up, our ranks will be thinned quickly," said Bella, gazing into Lucius's grey eyes with her own. "Who have we got up and coming?"

Lucius stepped away and resumed his pacing.

"All the Slytherin Seventh years: Nott, Marceau, Willams, Jameson, Yang, and Fitzgerald," he listed, ticking them off on his fingers. "And a few Sixth years: Stanley, Petrov, and Snape."

"Snape!" cackled Bella. "The half-blood?!"

"He's brilliant. Feels like he's got something to prove. Scores on his O.W.L.s were incredible," replied Lucius.

"What about Warlow?" asked Bella in a sultry voice, loving the reaction she got from both Lucius and his wife.

"The little one?" Lucius answered with a half grin. "I send her owls now and then, and she sometimes writes back, but there's nothing on her, yet. Surprisingly enough. She'd do so well as a Death Eater."

"Sleeping with the Dark Lord's right hand man is certainly the best way to gain rank," replied Bella slyly. "She'd be as high up as I am before you knew it."

Lucius smirked at her evilly, ignoring Narcissa's whimpered protest. Suddenly, both Lucius and Bella's faces contorted in a painful grimace. Lucius pulled up the left sleeve of his robe: the Dark Mark was burning painfully and dark in color. He let the sleeve drop and turned to Narcissa.

"We'll be back," said Lucius.

And they both disappeared.

--

Meanwhile, while Anne and Severus were studying together in the Slytherin common room, two Seventh years gripped their arms and groaned in pain. The two immediately dashed to the fireplace, threw in a handful of floo powder, and disappeared.

Anne whirled to Severus, grabbed his left arm, and tore his sleeve up to his elbow, examining his forearm. Severus rolled his eyes.

"I'm not seventeen yet," he said sardonically.

"Oh, and ithat's/I the reason you don't have the Mark?" spat Anne.

Severus merely shrugged. She threw his arm down onto the table, seething and her green eyes flashing, staring at Severus with daggers in her glare. She was furious, so angry that she wanted to hex someone. Regulus Black was sitting on the armchair nearby. The poor bloke had warts in his ears for a month.

--

The Marauders were perched around the fireplace in their usual seats. Lily was leaning against James, letting him stroke her hair and kiss the top of her head alternately. Sirius was lying back on the sofa, his long, black hair hanging smooth in the firelight. Remus was reading in an armchair and Peter was on the floor. After just a few moments, Lily shifted and stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked James.

"Helping Emily Jameson with Charms," she answered.

Lily leaned down and planted a quick kiss on his lips before leaving the Gryffindor common room. He watched her go, and once she was out of sight, relaxed back onto the couch with a crooked grin plastered on his face.

"Prongs isn't a virgin anymore," Sirius announced suddenly.

"WHAT?!" came the chorus from Remus and Peter.

"Shh!" hissed James.

"When did this happen?" asked Remus with a raised eyebrow.

"Christmas break," Sirius answered when it became obvious James did not want to say.

"Wow," said Peter reverently.

James looked from face to face.

"Merlin, you all act like I've been made Minister for Magic or something," he grumbled. "I mean, it's just - you know . . ."

"Sex?" offered Sirius.

"Yea," said James with a slight flush to his face.

There was a moment of silence.

"Well?" Remus said with a grin.

"Well, what?" said James reluctantly, though a spreading smile told them he wanted to share a bit more than he had already.

Ahh, teenaged boys. It was all too true that they shared their intimate escapades with their best friends. James didn't reveal inearly/I as much detail as Lily had when she recounted the event with iher/I friends, but the picture he painted for the rest of the Marauders was definitely enough to keep them all on the edge of their seats.

"Is she gonna let you do it again?" asked Peter hopefully.

"I hope so!" laughed James.

"She will," began Sirius. "Well, assuming you did it right."

He sent a smirk in the direction of his messy-haired friend, who was now looking quite disturbed at the possibility that something didn't go as it should have.

"Relax," Sirius added, rolling his eyes. "She enjoyed herself."

"How do iyou/I know?" asked James with a scowl, staring at Sirius intently.

"Remember, mate. I was just across the hall," said Sirius, leaning in with a very evil glint in his eye. "I know what a girl sounds like when she's having a good time."

Peter howled with laughter and Remus chuckled when James's jaw dropped at his friend's words. The laughter died down, and the other three caught Remus gazing out the window.

"Full moon in two days," said Sirius, staring at the white orb in the sky.

"Yep," said Remus quietly.

"Lily suspects something," said James.

"What?" asked Remus immediately, panicked that James had told her.

"She just said she knew something was up. Something big," James continued. "I told her it wasn't my secret to tell."

Remus was relieved.

"I don't know if we should tell her," said Remus nervously.

"That's completely up to you, Moony," James replied with a smile.

"Anne knows," Sirius thought aloud, bitterly remembering their ill-fated prank the year earlier.

"Snape told her," observed Peter.

The four of them didn't speak for a few minutes, Remus returning to his book and Sirius apparently lost in thought. Finally, James spoke.

"So, how long til you and Warlow get on with it?" he asked with a smirk.

Sirius's jaw dropped indignantly. Remus and Peter were chortling with laughter. And James looked quite proud of himself.