Welcome back, everybody!

As usual, my deepest gratitude for all your wonderful, helpful reviews. Never feel like you can't ask questions. I will do my best to address them. You guys mean that much to me ;)

So last week's chapter was pretty mellow all things considered. It certainly was nothing compared to the bombshell dropped on Thea the previous chapter.

Hopefully some of this chapter will spice things up again.

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter Forty-Nine: Concerns and Conspirators

Inside the cold, tomb-like Mnenosyne Manor, the house elves were busily cleaning everything from top to bottom as they always did. Starting on the ground floor and working their way up, the elves followed Appollonia's strict floor polishing and dust sweeping routine with near religious dedication. Their Mistress always stressed the importance of the entryway and sitting rooms being cleaned first and foremost—then every four hours—before moving onto the rest of the manor. Her reasoning for such a pattern was simple; any guest, both invited and unexpected, would see the lower portions of the house upon entry and so that must be were good first impressions were made.

While the majority of the elven staff dedicated their time to the meticulous cleansing of the lower floors to sate their Mistress's desire for an immaculate appearance, there was only one house elf assigned to clean her Masters's bedrooms.

As per Appollonia's orders, Heeby would spend hours on her mistress's room, scrubbing the floors until her reflection stared back at her from the marble tile, straightening all the bed pillows and making sure every solidary item on the vanity was in its proper place. She was required to spend the most amount of time on that room specifically, as Appollonia demanded perfection in any room that was graced with her presence. If the Mistress felt Heeby shirked this responsibility in any way, it would be another nick out of her ear. Elves only made that mistake once with Mistress Appollonia.

It was only after the room was spotless and pristine that Heeby could move on to Mast Roman's room on the other end of the hall.

Thea's room was always saved for last. This was partly because her parent's expected the outmost neatness from her and would not tolerate a single mess on her part. She was to keep her room so orderly it scarcely looked like someone lived there. The other reason for cleaning her room last came down to the very fact that no visitors were allowed in Thea's room—all company being designated to the sitting room or foyer—so there was no one to impress up there anyway.

As usual, Heeby reached Thea's room before lunch, when Thea was called for midmorning tea with her mother. It was the first time the girl had left her room since the family visited the Malfoy's, the young heiress falling ill shortly upon returning home. This was hardly surprising to Heeby, as the young Mistress often came down with something when she returned home for holidays. Be it a stomach bug or terrible cold, she'd be too ill to spend time with her parents, residing in her room for days at a time.

This made Thea's parents very cross with her for some reason that Heeby could not understand. They'd leave her be for the most part, but always demanded her presence at dinner. Usually by the third or forth day, Appollonia would finally order her daughter out of confinement and insist she spend time with her parents.

It was strange that the young Mistress did not seem to fall ill while at school or visiting friends, but Heeby was just a simple house elf and did not expect herself to understand wizards much.

Heeby hummed to herself as she flitted about Thea's room. There was very little to actually clean as was to be expected, but what was certainly unexpected was the pile of clothes at the foot of her bed. The elves typically stayed out of Thea's room while she was sick, so it wasn't surprising that laundry had piled up. By the looks of it, Thea had simply shed her evening attire after her dinner out and gone straight to bed without bothering to ensure it made it to the hamper.

"Messy, messy," Heeby tutted to herself, magicking away the discarded clothes. Checking that there was nothing in the hamper, Heeby finished stripping Thea's bed and vanished from the room. She reappeared with a pop in the laundry room, all the family's clothes gathered in three separate piles to be thoroughly cleaned.

"Must finish up before lunch, yes, yes," Heeby said to herself, "Mistress while be wanting a watercress sandwich, very light, very healthy, yes indeed."

Picking up the clothing pile from Thea's room, Heeby pulled out Thea's winter cloak from the tangle of fabric, only to pause when she heard something hit the floor by her feet.

"What's this?" Heeby wondered, plucking the old book off the ground. Examining the cover, Heeby traced her fingers over the engraving on the surface, the name unfamiliar to her.

"Who is Mr. Tom?" Heeby asked aloud, "It be not a school book, no it's not; Heeby did the shopping for books. So what is this?"

She flipped the book open to find the worn pages inside bare.

"Nothing written," she observed, "A notebook? Perhaps a journal? Funny name for a journal."

Heeby looked at the book a few minutes more, before shrugging.

"Who's to say a journal can't have a name?" Heeby dismissed, "Wizards do funny thing, they does. It no business of mine."

She put the book atop the clean linens she planned to make Thea's bed with, then returned to her washing.

"I put it with school things," Heeby said with finality, "That probably where it belong."

{page break}

Lily groaned as an owl pecked at her window, Jessica's familiar curly handwriting on the top letter in the pile clutched in its beak, "Give it a rest, Jess."

Ever since their first letters, Jess and Meldonna had mailed Lily with surprising regularity. All of their letters contained the same topic: Severus. After she revealed Severus was at her house for Christmas, the two girls had assaulted Lily with a barrage of complaints and concerns, each one relating to some trait or quirk about Severus that somehow made him poor company.

The letters switched back and forth between quoting disparaging comments from others—usually James, and citing past behavior of Severus as evidence that he couldn't be trusted. They cite the typical arguments against befriending a Slytherin; they cannot be trusted, most of them go bad, they always lie, etc, really just about anything to discredit Severus and make him seem worse than he was. They picked at his personality and warned Lily that even if it turned out he wasn't evil, maintaining a friendship with someone so 'unseemly' in their eyes was essentially social suicide.

Their biggest defense against trusting Severus often went back to the incident by the lake in which he called Lily a mudblood. It was clear they were hoping that if they scratched open old wounds enough, Lily would 'see the light'. Of course, Lily had already been over this issue with them many times in school. Yes, it hurt when it happened, but not for the reason they thought it did. Lily had been hurt that Severus would try to hurt her at all, not used to be on the receiving end of his sharp tongue and scathing words. He probably could have made a mean spirited comment about her hair color or her worst subject in school and it would have stung, simply because Severus would have said it intending to hurt.

Looking back on it now, Lily could see her side of their friendship might have been superficial if she had hurt feelings like that before. Friends fought just the same as siblings and spouses after all so the fact that Lily had never managed to push Severus buttons that hard before showed how distant she must have been with him. And while Jess and Mel insisted she had nothing to be sorry for that day—because in their opinion what James had done to Severus was funny—she never should have smiled even the slightest at her friend being mistreated. Truly, they'd both let pettiness get the best of them that day, so Lily had put the past behind her. He forgave her, after all.

Lily begrudgingly took the stack of letters, offering the owl a few treats before letting him hop over to her desk for some rest.

"Let's get this over with," she grumbled, opening Jess's letter first.

Predictable as all the letters proceeding it, Jess continued to parrot back just about everything James had ever said in regards to Severus. She quoted his argument that dark wizards always came from Slytherin, touted his supposed knowledge of the surefire signs of a Death Eater, and listed off dozens of hexes he'd fired off against James and his friends. Of course, Jess was either forgetting or outright ignoring the fact that many of those hexes had been fired in retaliation of her own boyfriend's instigating attacks, but then again, perhaps James hadn't told her that little detail.

"Why don't you think for yourself for once, Jess," Lily muttered, tossing the letter aside.

Picking up Meldonna's letter, Lily resigned herself to more of the same diatribe from her other prideful friend.

The letter started relatively the same; Severus came from bad roots, Slytherins make for terrible friends, Gryfffindors and Slytherins don't mix, so on and so forth. Lily found it irksome that Meldonna would take shots at Severus's background, mostly because she knew for a fact Meldonna knew absolutely nothing about Severus's family. She was assuming he was a Slytherin pureblood and therefore born to a line of dark wizards. Knowing the terrible truth of Severus's homelife, Lily was offended on his behalf that someone would judge him for matters they knew nothing about.

Then again, if Meldonna actually knew Severus's true background, she would probably use that against him too under the claim that if his father was an abusive prick, then surely Severus would be too.

Meldonna's letter continued to list Severus's flaws and shortcomings, picking at his attitude. Truthfully, Meldonna's attitude was no better with how condescending and prejudicial she had become lately. Was judging someone for his or her appearance and unpopularity really any better than judging someone for their bloodline?

Meldonna carried through her speech into a tirade about Severus's housemates and their actions. Lily snorted; it wasn't like Severus was responsible for what they did. That would be like saying all the Gryffindors were accountable for James's and Sirius's pranks. Severus could speak out against his housemates, but it wasn't like he could physically stop them from doing something they shouldn't short of telling a teacher, and that would only heap trouble on him for ratting them out. The particular Slytherins many took issue with in the school were not to sort of people you wanted to cross.

Lily continued reading, expecting the letter to be just as repetitive and bothersome as all the others were, but what Meldonna wrote next caught Lily off guard.

Lily,

I know you've surely grown tired of my concerns, but really I'm only doing this because I care about you. You're so trusting and kind to everyone, but that's sure to lead you into trouble one day if you aren't more careful.

I know you have history with Snape, but you mustn't forget what else he has a history with: Dark Arts. He was OBSESSED with it Lily, more than what was healthy. You voiced your concerns over it many times if you recall. He was fixated on it, hungry for any new bit of knowledge he could get on the subject. Can you honestly say it was solely for a scholastic reason?

James told me Snape makes his own spells; who to say they aren't dangerous?

You want to see the good in others, that's a noble thing, but not everyone is good, Lily. Snape may put on a kind face for you, but can you really tell me for certain he isn't up to his elbows in dark spells and magic? I doubt he could just turn his interest in it off. Even if he tries to put it behind him, the temptation must still be there. Slytherins are ambitious, HE'S ambitious and we both know You-Know-Who could offer him all sorts of awful secrets and knowledge on the Dark Arts, more than he could ever want.

I know you are getting sick of hearing from me on this, but please see reason. I only want what's best for you.

Sincerely,

Meldonna

Lily reread that segment several times, lost in thought.

Lily didn't like to admit it, even to herself, but she was still awfully wary about Dark Magic. She'd learned that there were many reasons a spell could be labeled as such and not all reasons were nefarious ones. Some spells were merely defense spells intended for protection that were so destructive and powerful they had been deemed last resorts that the ministry only made rare exceptions for the use of. Others cost too much from the caster themselves, like their blood or part of their life, so the ministry outlawed them to decrease sacrificial deaths.

Still there were plenty of spells that truly were intended to harm others, to torture and kill in brutal fashions. If Severus was only interested in the ones dubbed dark for unique or extenuating purposes that would be fine, but Severus held a fascination for all sorts of dark magic, even the most wicked.

Lily would like to believe it was purely academic, but Severus was far too excited, too enthusiastic about the Dark Arts. Even in their first year, it was the subject he looked forward to the most. The majority of his time in the library back then was spent on researching as much as he could on the subject.

But Lily knew Sev better than that. Didn't she?

He was spending an awful lot of time reading that Occlumency book. Lily had never even heard of the subject before they found the book, something that was in itself enough to make her wary. How safe could the subject be if it wasn't even covered in school?

Then there was that spell he invented, the one that Avery used against him. He wanted nothing to do with it now, but clearly he'd been intending to use it at some point back then. That was why he made it, right? Lily understood wanting to defend yourself, Merlin knew she understood what it was like to feel cornered, but that spell was capable of murder, a painful one at that.

…And he had used it at one time, hadn't he? Lily thought back to when James attacked him by the lake. While James was distracted with her, Severus had managed to get a spell in himself. He'd said nothing, but a clean cut sliced itself onto James's face. How much worse would it had been if he'd actually managed to get a direct hit that day?

Lily shook her head. That was the old Severus, the one Hogwarts and all its biased and stupid rivalries had created. He'd been a lonely, angry kid with only her to depend on and the bitterness and resentment had gotten the best of him. He was changing now. Lily saw how much of an effort he made to make up for his actions. Severus was more open now, his patience had improved and he actually did his best to get along with others for her sake. He was making friends! Good ones that he could rely on and trust.

Besides, he was working so hard to find a way to destroy the diadem, something that had been corrupted by some of the foulest dark magic they'd ever come across. Surely that counted for something. If he was still interested in the Dark Arts, it must be a mere hobby by now; he wanted nothing to do with the diadem and his research on it was about getting rid of it rather than utilizing it.

Yes, Severus wasn't the person Mel and Jess made him out to be. If anyone could trust Severus, Lily could.

Satisfied with her conclusion, she stuffed both Jess and Meldonna's letters in the trash bin, not planning to respond this time. Maybe silence would help them get the message.

Heading downstairs, she found Severus with her sister in the sitting room, Petunia practicing the piano while he read a periodical he'd found in the study. Plopping down on the couch next to Severus, Lily plucked the periodical from Severus's hands and placed it on the end table.

"I was reading that," Severus said wryly.

"And now you're not," Lily replied.

Severus snorted, "Cheeky thing."

Lily huffed, slumping against his shoulder, "I'm bored," she whined, "Let's go do something."

"Like what?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow, "If I roll about anymore in the snow, I'm sure to catch pneumonia and die."

"We don't have to play in the snow," Lily offered, though ideally, that had been her first choice, "But we should do something. It's the holiday, let's be festive."

"Is this where muggles start to, how do they say it?" Severus searched his brain, "Deck the halls?"

"We already did that," Petunia pointed out, gesturing to the festively decorated sitting room, "And may I say it came out glorious."

"You would say that seeing as you got to be in charge of what goes where," Lily said dryly.

"Because we're going for a muggle Christmas, Lily," Petunia stated simply, "If we ever go to a wizard neighborhood to celebrate it, you can hang all the fairy lights and floating candles you like."

"At least Sev and I got to choose where we put the tree," Lily grumbled, "Besides, you like magic; why be so muggle now?"

"Simone and Thea have never seen it done the muggle way," Petunia explained, "I went all out this year to ensure they get the full muggle experience when they visit. Besides, it makes me nostalgic; mum and dad always used to decorate it like this when we were little."

Lily smiled, "They did do a pretty nice winter wonderland every year."

Petunia nodded, "And now it's our job. The first step of homemaking, Lily: decorating the home."

Lily bawked, "I'm not even old enough to be thinking about that Tuney. Not even done with school and talking about being a housewife?!"

Petunia shrugged, "Hey, I look forward to being married. Raising kids, hosting dinner parties, cozying by the fire with my husband," she sighed dreamily, "It'll be just like in the movies."

"We've gotten off topic," Severus pointed out, "Lily here appears to be dying of boredom and as I do not want to catch my death outside, what is there for us to do?"

"Ooh, I know!" Petunia said, her eyes lighting up, "We can bake cookies."

"Yeah!" Lily cheered, jumping up from the couch, "We haven't made any gingerbread men yet. And we still need to make fudge."

"And snickerdoodles," Petunia added.

Severus looked between the two girls, "I don't believe I am the baking sort…"

"Nonsense," Petunia said, "It can't be that different than potions. You mixed, you cook, you create; we just get to eat our efforts later."

"It'll be so much fun, Sev," Lily assured, "And you can decorate your own gingerbread."

"Yay," Severus deadpanned.

"Don't be a spoilsport," Petunia scolded, shoving him towards the kitchen, Lily right behind her, "I decorated the house practically on my own—"

"We helped!" Lily cried indignantly.

"—The last you could do is make some Christmas cookies," Petunia finished, "Now grab an apron and bring me the flour."

"Merlin help me," Severus said to the sky, allowing himself to be manhandled into a ridiculous apron with 'Santa's little helper' written on it.

{page break}

Miles away, a lone figure sat in a darkened room, the only source of light a single fireplace. The flames flickered casting eerie images across the walls, warped and twisted shadows dancing upon the stones. The figure watched the crackling flames in silence, the only sound the tapping of his fingers on the armrests.

A door at the far end of the room opened, a streak of light trailing across the floor from the hall outside. Heels clacked against the floor as a woman with wild, dark hair entered.

When she reached the figure by the fireplace, she dropped to one knee.

"My Lord," she said submissively, her head bowed low, "I am humbled that you choose to stay in my home. Thank you for gracing us with your presence."

"Look at me, Bellatrix," the man demanded in a high, cold voice.

Bellatrix grasped the hem of his robe, bringing it to her lips. Lifting her head, she gazed upon her master is awe and devotion.

"My Lord," she said again, "Our spies in the ministry have reported back to us. They were unsuccessful in getting to Mulciber and Avery; the pair are too heavily guarded. They did managed to gain knowledge of the interrogations. The Aurors have not found any incriminating information from them; no names, no locations."

"They weren't even inducted yet," Voldemort stated disinterestedly, "I wouldn't impart vital information to such those who have yet to prove themselves."

"Of course, my Lord," Bellatrix agreed, "Since they confessed to their own involvement, the pair will be incarcerated in Azkaban. The Ministry plans to move them in a few weeks time."

Voldemort sneered, "The Crouch wishes to make an example of them for the public. The Ministry is flexing its authority to try and dissuade others from joining me."

"They're mad, my Lord," Bellatrix swore angrily, "To even think they can stand up to your power."

Voldemort raised his hand, silencing her, "Those who oppose me will learn their mistake soon enough. As will those who fail me."

It was Bella's turn to sneer, "Avery and Mulciber were fools, throwing away of lifetime of glorious service for some mudboods. They've besmirched your name, spit upon the offer you graciously gave them for a seat in your new world. They deserve to rot in Azkaban."

Voldemort leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together, "Be that as it may...I would like you to...liberate them..."

"My Lord?" Bellatrix questioned.

"It does not do to have two of my followers imprisoned," Voldemort said carefully, "It gives the ministry and the public an undeserved sense of accomplishment. They think they are besting me; we must remind them of who really has the upper hand. As it is, perhaps imprisonment is two harsh for Avery and Mulciber. After all, it was one mistake. There is no reason they couldn't still serve me...provided they are given the proper...correction."

"You are merciful, my Lord," Bellatrix said reverently, "To grant them a second chance to prove themselves; truly your greatness knows no bounds. You will surely bring us all to glory."

Voldemort laughed, low and mirthless. "Yes, I suppose it is more than they deserve, but every follower of mine has...use to me. Theirs has yet to run out." Reaching into his robes, he withdrew a locket on a golden chain.

He stood up, his movements fluid, yet slow, serpentine, calculating. Approaching the fireplace, he held the locket close to him, watching the light dance across its surface. He caressed the locket thoughtfully, his fingers tracing over the large ornate S on the front.

"Of course," Voldemort went on, "neither of them would be in this predicament if they had better control of their baser instincts and desires. Mingling with filth can only bring misfortune."

"Disgusting," Bellatrix growled, "To even consider touching a filthy mudblood. They should be ashamed!"

"Then again," Voldemort said, bringing Bellatrix's rant to a halt, "Muggles are deceitful creatures, seducing wizards to steal their seed and pollute their bloodline; who can blame two impetuous young boys for being misled."

"Mudboods lust for our power," Bellatrix agreed.

"Besides...they wouldn't have been caught if their escape hadn't been delayed," Voldemort tutted to himself, "He was such a promising one too."

"Snape," Bellatrix snarled, "How dare he turn his back on the cause. That filthy halfblood could have had a part in something great, more than he deserved. I should flay his mudblood whore alive and make him watch before he suffers the same!"

"A novel idea," Voldemort observed, "But let's not be too rash. Young Severus has provided a minor inconvenience, but he is hardly an obstacle. He came from nothing and he craves power, recognition. Eventually he will come back to us."

He turned to Bellatrix, "And if not...then you may show him the...error of his ways."

Bellatrix bowed lowed, her hair falling over her shoulders and dusting the floor, "Thank you, my Lord."

"Now," Voldemort said, approaching Bellatrix. With a single finger under her chin he bid her to rise, "Before you free our dear friends...I have another task for you to complete first."

You know, Bellatrix is surprisingly difficult for me to write. I mean, her normal level of crazy is fairly easy; the cackling, the baby voices, the immaturity wrapped up in an overwhelming sense of self entitlement. But writing her fanatical, devoted level of crazy is vastly more difficult for me to get out on paper. Maybe it's because most of what we see of her in both book and movie is her interacting with other people besides Voldy. Most of her behavior regarding the Dark Lord is her ranting or raving to someone else about her dedication to Voldemort's cause, rather than many scenes of her directly talking to him. That makes it harder to create a standard behavior for her in his presence. I imagine she would be just short of groveling, but to prideful to ever consider her actions as such. In her eyes, she is honoring his greatness, not belittling herself.

Some of you were probably wondering why Thea didn't mention the diary in her letter to Severus (I'm actually surprised none of you asked). Well, Thea hasn't exactly...found the blasted thing yet. After her terrible night with the Malfoy's she would have most likely shed her clothes and cloak into an uncharacteristically messy heap in her room and ignored them, wanting to put the evening behind her. And of course, Heeby thinks she's helping by tucking the diary in with Thea's school books...

read and review people, more is to come!