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"I can't bloody believe this shit. This! Coming from our own men! What's next? Breeding with werewolves and giants?!" Bellatrix stormed down the corridor. Anyone caught off-guard by her approaching footsteps was immediately shoved aside. "Lucius is a damn fool for letting this disgrace take place within these walls."

"Bella, my husband handled it the best he could! Nobody is taking this rubbish seriously! He said so himself!" Narcissa was jogging to keep up with her sister. "It's not required, anyone can volunteer – "

"Volunteer?!" She shrieked. "How pathetic would you have to be to volunteer for this bloody nonsense?!"

"Bella, please! This was Evan Rosier's idea, not mine or my husbands! Evan and his perverted friends! The agreement is that somebody else must volunteer other than Evan. You saw the looks on his friends' faces! Wilkes, Nott or a desperate schoolboy will volunteer!"

"I know this was bloody Rosier's idea, Cissy! I was there when the bastard said it! Lucius should have shut him up right there."

"It's an experiment! If all goes as planned, this will be extremely beneficial when it's time to take control of the Ministry! If it doesn't work as expected, the mudblood and offspring will be disposed of and we move on! Now, Bellatrix, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop insulting my husband over this!"

Bellatrix twisted her face and sourly called out for her husband. "Rhodolphus! Send for a house elf to pack my things! The Dark Lord will be most displeased with Lucius and any of you who allow this plot to fester under your noses! I refuse to be involved with this revolting abomination! Rhodolphus!"

"Coming, Bella!"

Bellatrix turned to face and point at the rest of the Death Eaters. "Which ever of you bloody idiots feel the urge to waste your seed procreating with mudblood whores; you have no business being a servant to the Dark Lord!" She kicked a servant. "I've seen enough filthy mudbloods crawling around this place. I've had enough!" She pulled out her wand. Green light flooded the corridor and the servant crumpled to the side. Bellatrix didn't look back and kept yelling at her sister. "There are times you need to stand by your husband, Narcissa, but this certainly is not one of them. Mother and father would be very disappointed with you."

"Bella, sister, please!" Narcissa chased after her sister, ignoring the dead servant in the corridor.

Another meeting, and Rosier's grand idea was unveiled. Initially, Lucius revealed it as a joke, but once Wilkes, Nott, Mulciber and others started asking questions, it became slightly more serious. As the Death Eaters filed out of the room, they muttered and yelled at each other over differing views of the situation. Some were in favor of it due the limited gene pool to choose from; some magic blood was better than no magic blood; the potential of having an army; and providing an opportunity to gain the trust of Ministry officials. Many others were vehemently against it. They insisted it was no different than breeding with animals and defeated the entire purpose of eradicating the world of muggles. The rest considered this proposition to be a joke that would lose its humor after a week. All the Death Eaters were so caught up in their discussions, nobody noticed Severus stayed behind.

As soon as all the Death Eaters cleared the corridor, Lily walked through carrying a basket of freshly laundered clothes. The sight of the fresh corpse made her stop in her tracks. It disturbed Lily how desensitized she was to it. It was a dead woman. Nothing more. Nothing less. Lily swallowed, and pressed on. The clothes had to be delivered to Crabbe upstairs.

A Death Eater suddenly emerged from the dining hall and startled Lily; she tripped over the corpse's splayed arm and went tumbling to the ground. The basket of clean, perfectly folded clothes went up in the air, and then landed on the floor. Lily cursed her clumsiness; when she saw who the Death Eater was, she cursed her luck. Quickly she got to her feet and grabbed whatever clothes were in her reach to throw them in the basket. She could worry about folding them later.

Severus looked down at her. Lily was purposefully ignoring him. He could feel it. She loathed him, and rightfully so. She would loathe him more soon enough upon realizing what he just signed her up for. Severus signed up as a volunteer and claimed Lily as a partner.

He could see right through Evan. This whole fabrication was intended to be a jab at Severus. Somehow, that sneaky bastard pieced together there was some sort of connection between him and Lily. Thankfully, Lucius heeded his word, and let others volunteer first. If Rosier had his pick of the servants first, he would have taken Lily in a heartbeat. Once Rosier had her, there wouldn't be much point in obeying his own proposition. He would have abused and tortured Lily to bloody bits.

"What are you looking at?" Lily glared up at him balefully. "Well?"

But Rosier didn't have her. Severus did. And now, there was no other choice but to honor the proposition. Lily would have to carry a child. His child. This nightmarish situation wasn't anything at all like the dreams or fantasies. There wasn't eager excitement or joy, let alone the foundation of consent. What would Lily think of any of this? As if she needed any more reason to despise him. There was no way on hell or earth Lily would willingly agree to participate.

Severus went cold. What if he would have to force her? Supposedly he could spike her drinks with a love potion; however the end result would be a loveless spawn, and Lily would eventually have to be taken off of the potion. Severus thought about threats and curses, every single one guaranteed Lily would resent him for the rest of their lives. Would he have to force her? The image of Avery Nott tying Lily down, and tearing her clothes off burned in Severus' head, but Nott's face was replaced with his own. "This would be much easier if she loved you." The snide voice sang.

"Leave the basket." Severus said tonelessly. Rape was out of the question. He would have to earn her trust back. "You're not a servant anymore."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're no longer a servant. Come with me, please. There's a lot to explain."

"Go fuck yourself. I'm not going anywhere."

"It's important. If you don't leave with me, you'll leave with someone else and I won't be able to help you out of it." There was that hint of pleading again.

She was already walking away. Lily turned her head and said slowly, "do as you will."

Severus clenched a fist. Lily's stubbornness could be incredibly infuriating. "I'll ask one more time. Please come with me."

Before Lily could give a cheeky retort, Evan Rosier burst from the dining hall. "YOU!" Full of rage he pointed his wand at Severus. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER! YOU SLY, THEIVING MOTHERFUCKER!" Nott and Wilkes were right behind him, wands also drawn.

Severus gave her an I-told-you-so look as he drew his wand. Lily didn't need any more information. She dropped Crabbe's laundry and sprinted out of the corridor as fast as her legs could carry her. Severus certainly did have some explaining to do. No longer a servant ….