Once again // and \\ for memories.
* * * *
As they neared Dumbledore's office, Glory could feel a change in Lupin's energy. His determination faltered slightly and he stumbled, bracing himself against the stone wall. He looked paler than earlier and the threads of grey throughout his hair looked more prominent.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Lupin nodded. "I'll be fine."
"You don't look fine," Glory said.
Lupin shut his eyes and leaned against the wall heavily. "Can you get Severus for me?"
Glory nodded. "Of course. Will you be alright here by yourself?"
"Please, just hurry."
The urgency in his voice caused Glory to move quickly, her feet passing quickly over the floor and up the stairs that led to Dumbledore's office. Behind her she could hear Lupin's laboured breathing and though she didn't want to risk falling, she glanced back over her shoulder. His body was shaking and he looked suddenly larger. He was turning, right in the middle of the school Remus Lupin was about to turn into a werewolf.
"Severus!" she called, banging against Dumbledore's office door. She didn't know the password, had never thought to ask what it might be. "Severus! I need you!" Glory pounded her fists against the cold stone, not knowing if it would do any good. They could be floors up, she had never been inside the Headmaster's office before, she didn't know how far away from the door they might be.
"Bloody hell!" she cried, kicking the door hard. Her foot throbbed and she tried again. "Severus! Lucius! Anyone! Someone needs help out here. Severus, I need your help!"
The door slid open a second later, startling Glory so much that she jumped back and nearly toppled down the stairs behind her. Lucius' strong hand clamped onto her forearm and held her up as Snape's startled face appeared above her.
"What's wrong?"
"Remus," she said, pointing down the hall.
Snape knew immediately what she was talking about and he disappeared from their sight before anyone could say another word. She heard him say something to Lupin, then saw a flurry of motion as the Potions Master hauled the other man to his feet and dragged him down the hall.
"Good thing Severus was nearby," Dumbledore said softly, coming out of the office. "It wouldn't do to have Remus turning into a werewolf right in the hall." Without another word, he walked past the two on the landing and slowly moved into the direction of the Great Hall.
Glory and Lucius remained silent for a long moment, his hand still clutching her arm tightly. His presence was comforting somehow, steadying after her uncertainty that she would be able to get to Snape in time. It hadn't just been Lupin she had been afraid for, but herself as well. If he had turned into the werewolf he would have ripped her apart.
"Lucius," she said finally, shaking her arm from his grasp. "Are you okay?" She turned up to meet his gaze and was shocked by the way he was staring down at her. Glory's mind reeled back to a time not very long ago when she had seen him staring at his dead wife in that very same way.
//
"Narcissa?" The scream pierced the musky air of the house, shattering the tense silence that had been building for the past hour. There was no answer to the call of the name and footsteps pounded above them furiously.
Glory's hand went to the arm of the woman by her side. Her best friend and fellow Auror, Daphne Heyman, had tensed beside her, ready to spring at any moment. Glory shook her head, their time to attack had not come yet and she wouldn't lose another member of her team in the Malfoy manor.
"Don't move, Daphne," Glory said softly.
The petite woman by her side growled deep in her throat. It was a sound of frustration she often made, one Glory was used to hearing, especially on missions of high importance. That day they had a simple motive; bring Lucius Malfoy back to the Ministry and see what he had to say for himself.
"Narcissa?" The deep voice called out again, more hopeful this time, sounding more like a child and less like the cold and calculated man they knew it came from.
"Poor little Malfoy, lost his wife and doesn't know where to find her," Daphne muttered. "Maybe if he hadn't been so busy playing with whores all his life she wouldn't have taken off."
Glory's eyes remained glued to the staircase, but her spirits dropped and if she could have lowered her gaze in shame, she would have. "They're not whores, Daphne. They're lost girls."
"I . . . oh shit, Glor, you know I didn't mean it."
"Just watch the hall," Glory ordered.
Daphne fell silent, her eyes sullen but alert all the same. She knew better than to slack, especially when Glory was in charge of the case. Best friend or not, Glory wouldn't hesitate to call her on a screw up and Daphne knew it.
Footsteps thumped loudly on the stairs and Glory's muscles tensed, her hand gripping her wand tightly. Lucius Malfoy's feet appeared, then his legs and torso and finally his head. His eyes were huge, staring blindly through everything, searching for his wife. He normally looked so pulled together, but as he came down the stairs Glory could see his hair was in his face and his shirt was untucked and rumpled.
"Narcissa?" he pleaded with the empty air. "Please baby, where are you?"
As Glory watched him she felt some of her hatred melt away. Standing before her was the man who had made every day of her life miserable for nearly a year and now she was feeling sorry for him. He looked so lost, so vulnerable, like any other human.
"He really loved her," Daphne breathed incredulously.
Glory turned slightly and saw the same pity reflected in her friend's dark eyes. So she wasn't going soft, Lucius had actually provoked feelings within the Aurors who were crouched in the shadows of his home.
They watched him for a few more minutes, trying to decide between the two of them when would be the right time to attack him. They waited too long and Glory felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees before she even looked over to the door to see who had entered. The hairs on her arms rose as she turned toward the door and saw Voldemort standing there with Narcissa by his arm. The Dark Lord was frightening, but that wasn't what cause Glory to place her hand over her mouth.
Narcissa Malfoy looked battered and bruised, and Glory couldn't help but remember a time when she had looked just like that. The beautiful woman had been so badly beaten that her nose no longer looked like anything remotely close to a human feature and blood smeared her blonde hair.
"Narcissa!" Lucius' voice split the silence and he moved toward his wife. Before he could reach her, Voldemort's wand came out and he held his follower at a length. Lucius' eyes never left Narcissa's face, though she looked like she was beyond seeing anything.
"She betrayed me," Voldemort hissed.
"No," Lucius said. "She didn't. She never would have."
"She did," he growled. "And for her betrayal she will die."
"No!" Lucius' head dropped, but his fingers reached out for his wife. "Please don't do this."
Voldemort's voice cracked through the air like a whip. "I've never heard you beg, Lucius. Going soft on me?"
Lucius didn't respond, he just backed away from the Dark Lord's holding spell and moved around the large living room. His hands were shaking angrily and it was obvious from the look on his face that he didn't know what to do.
"I could save her," Glory whispered.
Daphne's hand came down on her arm. "Don't even think about it. You'd die."
"I can't leave her to just die."
"She's a Death Eater," Daphne said.
Glory's eyes narrowed. "So?" She sighed. "I know with what I've been through that I should hate them, but I can't. They deserve a second chance just like everyone else."
"You're not risking your life for a Death Eater who's already half dead," Daphne said. "Don't argue with my Glory, that's final."
So Glory conceded to watch as Lucius paced like a cornered tiger while Voldemort gently pushed his buttons. Every so often Narcissa would let out a pained whimper and Lucius would cringe, but nothing more.
"She's going to die," Voldemort said softly and reached for Narcissa's throat with one thin hand. His fingers wrapped around her and pressed into her skin, cutting off her air and she came alive suddenly. She kicked, scratched, tried to scream and did whatever she could to escape. Lucius was still held at a distance, screaming to his Lord, to his wife, to anyone who would listen to him.
Within minutes she was dead, her muscles twitching as the oxygen left them and Voldemort dropped her lifeless body to the floor. Lucius was by her side in an instant, the look on his face one of pure agony. He was lost one moment, then filled with rage the next. His body shook with bottled anger and for a moment it looked like he would turn his fury on Voldemort. Instead he waited as the Dark Lord shifted from his position and disappeared down the long hall.
"Narcissa," Lucius breath, taking her hand in his. Already, her skin was growing cold. "Don't die. You can't die."
Glory stood and left her hiding place, entering the living room slowly. "She's already dead."
Lucius turned to her, unshed tears shimmering in his pale eyes. "You," he said finally, after studying her for a long moment. "What are you doing back here? You escaped."
"I'm an Auror now," Glory explained.
Lucius' eyes narrowed. "You could have saved her."
Glory shook her head. "I'm here to arrest you, nothing more."
"You should have saved her. That's your job."
Glory ignored his words. "Lucius Malfoy, you are under arrest under the order of Merlin and the London Ministry of Magic. You are charged with possession of dark artifacts as well as loyalty to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. If you wish to contact a relative we will allow you to do so at the Ministry station. You will be subject to a fair trail and may be placed in Azkaban if you are found guilty of your crimes. Do you understand what I have just told you?"
Lucius' eyes went back to his wife.
"Mr. Malfoy, do you understand?" Glory asked.
His blue eyes met her and she faltered. She had never seen a human being look so alone.
\\
"Don't look at me like that," Glory said suddenly, ducking her head.
Lucius sighed. "Sorry."
"I'm going back to the room," she said, smiling slightly, then walking briskly down the hall.
Lucius stared after her, then sunk to the floor with his head in his hands. Hadn't he just sworn, that very day, to act as if he didn't need Glory? Hadn't he just promised to keep his wandering thoughts to his job at hand? Nothing could be gained by staring at her like he was going to lose her, because she wasn't going anywhere. But when he had heard her screaming at the door, his only thought had been of her safety. The only thought running through his mind was that he was going to lose her, just like he had lost Narcissa.
Lucius sighed and shook his head. He had to stop thinking that way because she wasn't his to lose.
* * * *
* * * *
As they neared Dumbledore's office, Glory could feel a change in Lupin's energy. His determination faltered slightly and he stumbled, bracing himself against the stone wall. He looked paler than earlier and the threads of grey throughout his hair looked more prominent.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Lupin nodded. "I'll be fine."
"You don't look fine," Glory said.
Lupin shut his eyes and leaned against the wall heavily. "Can you get Severus for me?"
Glory nodded. "Of course. Will you be alright here by yourself?"
"Please, just hurry."
The urgency in his voice caused Glory to move quickly, her feet passing quickly over the floor and up the stairs that led to Dumbledore's office. Behind her she could hear Lupin's laboured breathing and though she didn't want to risk falling, she glanced back over her shoulder. His body was shaking and he looked suddenly larger. He was turning, right in the middle of the school Remus Lupin was about to turn into a werewolf.
"Severus!" she called, banging against Dumbledore's office door. She didn't know the password, had never thought to ask what it might be. "Severus! I need you!" Glory pounded her fists against the cold stone, not knowing if it would do any good. They could be floors up, she had never been inside the Headmaster's office before, she didn't know how far away from the door they might be.
"Bloody hell!" she cried, kicking the door hard. Her foot throbbed and she tried again. "Severus! Lucius! Anyone! Someone needs help out here. Severus, I need your help!"
The door slid open a second later, startling Glory so much that she jumped back and nearly toppled down the stairs behind her. Lucius' strong hand clamped onto her forearm and held her up as Snape's startled face appeared above her.
"What's wrong?"
"Remus," she said, pointing down the hall.
Snape knew immediately what she was talking about and he disappeared from their sight before anyone could say another word. She heard him say something to Lupin, then saw a flurry of motion as the Potions Master hauled the other man to his feet and dragged him down the hall.
"Good thing Severus was nearby," Dumbledore said softly, coming out of the office. "It wouldn't do to have Remus turning into a werewolf right in the hall." Without another word, he walked past the two on the landing and slowly moved into the direction of the Great Hall.
Glory and Lucius remained silent for a long moment, his hand still clutching her arm tightly. His presence was comforting somehow, steadying after her uncertainty that she would be able to get to Snape in time. It hadn't just been Lupin she had been afraid for, but herself as well. If he had turned into the werewolf he would have ripped her apart.
"Lucius," she said finally, shaking her arm from his grasp. "Are you okay?" She turned up to meet his gaze and was shocked by the way he was staring down at her. Glory's mind reeled back to a time not very long ago when she had seen him staring at his dead wife in that very same way.
//
"Narcissa?" The scream pierced the musky air of the house, shattering the tense silence that had been building for the past hour. There was no answer to the call of the name and footsteps pounded above them furiously.
Glory's hand went to the arm of the woman by her side. Her best friend and fellow Auror, Daphne Heyman, had tensed beside her, ready to spring at any moment. Glory shook her head, their time to attack had not come yet and she wouldn't lose another member of her team in the Malfoy manor.
"Don't move, Daphne," Glory said softly.
The petite woman by her side growled deep in her throat. It was a sound of frustration she often made, one Glory was used to hearing, especially on missions of high importance. That day they had a simple motive; bring Lucius Malfoy back to the Ministry and see what he had to say for himself.
"Narcissa?" The deep voice called out again, more hopeful this time, sounding more like a child and less like the cold and calculated man they knew it came from.
"Poor little Malfoy, lost his wife and doesn't know where to find her," Daphne muttered. "Maybe if he hadn't been so busy playing with whores all his life she wouldn't have taken off."
Glory's eyes remained glued to the staircase, but her spirits dropped and if she could have lowered her gaze in shame, she would have. "They're not whores, Daphne. They're lost girls."
"I . . . oh shit, Glor, you know I didn't mean it."
"Just watch the hall," Glory ordered.
Daphne fell silent, her eyes sullen but alert all the same. She knew better than to slack, especially when Glory was in charge of the case. Best friend or not, Glory wouldn't hesitate to call her on a screw up and Daphne knew it.
Footsteps thumped loudly on the stairs and Glory's muscles tensed, her hand gripping her wand tightly. Lucius Malfoy's feet appeared, then his legs and torso and finally his head. His eyes were huge, staring blindly through everything, searching for his wife. He normally looked so pulled together, but as he came down the stairs Glory could see his hair was in his face and his shirt was untucked and rumpled.
"Narcissa?" he pleaded with the empty air. "Please baby, where are you?"
As Glory watched him she felt some of her hatred melt away. Standing before her was the man who had made every day of her life miserable for nearly a year and now she was feeling sorry for him. He looked so lost, so vulnerable, like any other human.
"He really loved her," Daphne breathed incredulously.
Glory turned slightly and saw the same pity reflected in her friend's dark eyes. So she wasn't going soft, Lucius had actually provoked feelings within the Aurors who were crouched in the shadows of his home.
They watched him for a few more minutes, trying to decide between the two of them when would be the right time to attack him. They waited too long and Glory felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees before she even looked over to the door to see who had entered. The hairs on her arms rose as she turned toward the door and saw Voldemort standing there with Narcissa by his arm. The Dark Lord was frightening, but that wasn't what cause Glory to place her hand over her mouth.
Narcissa Malfoy looked battered and bruised, and Glory couldn't help but remember a time when she had looked just like that. The beautiful woman had been so badly beaten that her nose no longer looked like anything remotely close to a human feature and blood smeared her blonde hair.
"Narcissa!" Lucius' voice split the silence and he moved toward his wife. Before he could reach her, Voldemort's wand came out and he held his follower at a length. Lucius' eyes never left Narcissa's face, though she looked like she was beyond seeing anything.
"She betrayed me," Voldemort hissed.
"No," Lucius said. "She didn't. She never would have."
"She did," he growled. "And for her betrayal she will die."
"No!" Lucius' head dropped, but his fingers reached out for his wife. "Please don't do this."
Voldemort's voice cracked through the air like a whip. "I've never heard you beg, Lucius. Going soft on me?"
Lucius didn't respond, he just backed away from the Dark Lord's holding spell and moved around the large living room. His hands were shaking angrily and it was obvious from the look on his face that he didn't know what to do.
"I could save her," Glory whispered.
Daphne's hand came down on her arm. "Don't even think about it. You'd die."
"I can't leave her to just die."
"She's a Death Eater," Daphne said.
Glory's eyes narrowed. "So?" She sighed. "I know with what I've been through that I should hate them, but I can't. They deserve a second chance just like everyone else."
"You're not risking your life for a Death Eater who's already half dead," Daphne said. "Don't argue with my Glory, that's final."
So Glory conceded to watch as Lucius paced like a cornered tiger while Voldemort gently pushed his buttons. Every so often Narcissa would let out a pained whimper and Lucius would cringe, but nothing more.
"She's going to die," Voldemort said softly and reached for Narcissa's throat with one thin hand. His fingers wrapped around her and pressed into her skin, cutting off her air and she came alive suddenly. She kicked, scratched, tried to scream and did whatever she could to escape. Lucius was still held at a distance, screaming to his Lord, to his wife, to anyone who would listen to him.
Within minutes she was dead, her muscles twitching as the oxygen left them and Voldemort dropped her lifeless body to the floor. Lucius was by her side in an instant, the look on his face one of pure agony. He was lost one moment, then filled with rage the next. His body shook with bottled anger and for a moment it looked like he would turn his fury on Voldemort. Instead he waited as the Dark Lord shifted from his position and disappeared down the long hall.
"Narcissa," Lucius breath, taking her hand in his. Already, her skin was growing cold. "Don't die. You can't die."
Glory stood and left her hiding place, entering the living room slowly. "She's already dead."
Lucius turned to her, unshed tears shimmering in his pale eyes. "You," he said finally, after studying her for a long moment. "What are you doing back here? You escaped."
"I'm an Auror now," Glory explained.
Lucius' eyes narrowed. "You could have saved her."
Glory shook her head. "I'm here to arrest you, nothing more."
"You should have saved her. That's your job."
Glory ignored his words. "Lucius Malfoy, you are under arrest under the order of Merlin and the London Ministry of Magic. You are charged with possession of dark artifacts as well as loyalty to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. If you wish to contact a relative we will allow you to do so at the Ministry station. You will be subject to a fair trail and may be placed in Azkaban if you are found guilty of your crimes. Do you understand what I have just told you?"
Lucius' eyes went back to his wife.
"Mr. Malfoy, do you understand?" Glory asked.
His blue eyes met her and she faltered. She had never seen a human being look so alone.
\\
"Don't look at me like that," Glory said suddenly, ducking her head.
Lucius sighed. "Sorry."
"I'm going back to the room," she said, smiling slightly, then walking briskly down the hall.
Lucius stared after her, then sunk to the floor with his head in his hands. Hadn't he just sworn, that very day, to act as if he didn't need Glory? Hadn't he just promised to keep his wandering thoughts to his job at hand? Nothing could be gained by staring at her like he was going to lose her, because she wasn't going anywhere. But when he had heard her screaming at the door, his only thought had been of her safety. The only thought running through his mind was that he was going to lose her, just like he had lost Narcissa.
Lucius sighed and shook his head. He had to stop thinking that way because she wasn't his to lose.
* * * *