Bryan Quirrell sneaked quietly up next to the gray stone wall of the Malfoy
mansion. He was dressed, as usual, in black robes and a black hood that
covered his scarred face. He paused, quickly assessing the large cracks in
the stones, and reached up to a likely looking handhold.
"Halt!" shouted a rough voice. Bryan froze as a surly looking security wizard marched over.
"What are you doing here?" the man growled, squinting at Bryan.
Bryan slipped away from the wall and cringed before the guard's menacing glare. "I-I'm s-sorry," he stuttered in a high, quavering voice. "I was ju- just, I was ju-just h-hoping - "
Bryan's hand shot forward and hit the guard's nose with a sickening crack. The wizard collapsed without a sound.
"That I wouldn't have to break your nose," Bryan finished quietly. Without further ado he swarmed up the mossy stone and swung himself into the open window. Avery was waiting for him.
"I thought you were supposed to be the peace-loving Unicorn Boy now," Avery said mildly, crossing the floor to look down at the slumbering guard below.
"Old habits die hard," said Bryan with a shrug. "Where's Snape?"
There was a soft chattering noise from the corner, and a small mongoose head poked out of the shadows, red eyes gleaming. Swiftly, the lithe form sprang up onto Avery's shoulder.
"I still can't get over that you're an Animagi," Avery muttered to the small animal, then turned to Bryan. "All right, the game plan is - you protect the escape route, I distract Malfoy, and Snape does.whatever he's going to do."
"Be careful," Bryan advised. "Malfoy's smart enough to guess if you overplay your part." Bryan paused. "And we need a name for Snape's Animagi."
"Yeah," said Avery with a grin. "How about Fluffy?" There was a loud hiss from his shoulder. "Butterscotch? Foo-foo? Hey, how about - ow!" Avery jerked sideways and the mongoose fell to the floor. It landed, cat-like, on its feet. Avery was holding his ear.
"He bit me!" Avery yelled. "He bit my ear!"
"What did you expect?" asked Bryan mildly, but beneath his hood he was grinning. "How about Snap?"
Avery let go of his ear and chuckled. "Yeah - Snap, Snape, that's pretty good." The mongoose on the floor gave an agreeing chatter and bounded to the door. Avery followed, leaving Bryan alone in the dark room.
He loved being an Animagi. Snape - or Snap - darted around the feet of the Death Eaters and the other guests, nearly too fast to be seen. Using his keen nose, he worked his way closer and closer to the Malfoys.
Draco was there, looking faintly uncomfortable. Even from a distance Snap could feel his fear. Snap the mongoose was puzzled, but then Snape the human remembered - Draco, for the time being, was divided in his loyalties. On the one half tugged Erin Kristoff, the leader of Slytherin (also, Snape suspected, Malfoy's crush) - on the other was his family and his former loyalties. Not a comfortable position to be in, especially at this party.
He was much closer now, enough to smell the snake beneath Lucius' human exterior. Snap bristled, his tail bushy with instinctive hate. With difficulty he stilled the war cry rising in his throat and leaped upon a rickety table to Lucius' back. Carefully, he stretched out one paw to Lucius' cane, which his friend was holding loosely. It was nearly too far to reach, but he had just about managed to touch the dark handle when Draco spotted him.
The boy's gray eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth. Frantically Snap shook his head, an unusual gesture in any animal, and Draco's eyes widened. He looked faintly panicked, but with difficulty he turned his back on the scene behind him. Snap let out his breath in a 'whoosh'. Draco would not help, but neither would he hinder.
His claws hooked into the ebony and began to pull. Carefully, carefully, Lucius must not notice - there. Lucius' wand, concealed within the cane, was in his grasp. Snap pulled back the prize with a faint croon of victory. At this point, the table tipped, and with a squawk Snap fell to the floor.
The Malfoys turned. Everybody turned. And everybody saw a small, rust- colored mongoose crouching on the floor, a wand in his mouth. It was a few seconds before anyone moved, and when they did, Avery was the first.
"After it!" Avery shouted, flinging himself forward and knocking down Narcissa. Startled out of his moment of shock, Snap flung himself forward, racing up the stone stairs to the escape route. Behind him, Avery continued to create chaos.
"I got it! Oh, sorry Goyle - there it is, behind the couch! Ouch, I didn't mean to bump you, really - "
Bryan was waiting. Swiftly he flung open the windows as Snap streaked into the room. Snap leaped up onto Bryan's shoulder, and Bryan swung himself down the wall to where Wind Runner was waiting.
"Are you telling me," growled Moody to his old friend Dumbledore, "that Snape went to all that risk to retrieve a wand?!"
"Lucius Malfoy's wand," said Dumbledore. "The most powerful of the Death Eaters, now temporarily unarmed. Although not for long, I'm sure."
"But we're nowhere near ready for an attack on Voldemort!" said Moody, shoving his chair away and standing. His wooden leg clunked as he paced up and down. "Why steal it now?"
Dumbledore looked down his half-moon spectacles, his voice calm. "Severus and Bryan believe that there's a list of all the Death Eaters charmed into the wood."
Moody grunted, looking a little mollified, then suddenly scowled again. "Snape and Quirrell, the last two people on Earth I would trust."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "I trust them, Alastor."
Moody looked at his friend in exasperation, then sighed and changed the subject. "Are you sure they can find the list?"
"Are you sure you can find the list?" Severus asked.
Bryan was bent over the wand, his scarred face intent. "Positive," he said assuredly. "I'm a prodigy, remember?" Bryan looked up suddenly. "Where's Erin?"
"Weasley's," said Severus sourly, and Bryan smiled slightly.
"With Harry Potter, I presume?" Bryan asked lightly. "You had better watch out for those two, Snape. I have it on good authority that they're very interested in each other."
Severus' face twisted in anger, and he stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut. Bryan chuckled and turned back to his work.
"Halt!" shouted a rough voice. Bryan froze as a surly looking security wizard marched over.
"What are you doing here?" the man growled, squinting at Bryan.
Bryan slipped away from the wall and cringed before the guard's menacing glare. "I-I'm s-sorry," he stuttered in a high, quavering voice. "I was ju- just, I was ju-just h-hoping - "
Bryan's hand shot forward and hit the guard's nose with a sickening crack. The wizard collapsed without a sound.
"That I wouldn't have to break your nose," Bryan finished quietly. Without further ado he swarmed up the mossy stone and swung himself into the open window. Avery was waiting for him.
"I thought you were supposed to be the peace-loving Unicorn Boy now," Avery said mildly, crossing the floor to look down at the slumbering guard below.
"Old habits die hard," said Bryan with a shrug. "Where's Snape?"
There was a soft chattering noise from the corner, and a small mongoose head poked out of the shadows, red eyes gleaming. Swiftly, the lithe form sprang up onto Avery's shoulder.
"I still can't get over that you're an Animagi," Avery muttered to the small animal, then turned to Bryan. "All right, the game plan is - you protect the escape route, I distract Malfoy, and Snape does.whatever he's going to do."
"Be careful," Bryan advised. "Malfoy's smart enough to guess if you overplay your part." Bryan paused. "And we need a name for Snape's Animagi."
"Yeah," said Avery with a grin. "How about Fluffy?" There was a loud hiss from his shoulder. "Butterscotch? Foo-foo? Hey, how about - ow!" Avery jerked sideways and the mongoose fell to the floor. It landed, cat-like, on its feet. Avery was holding his ear.
"He bit me!" Avery yelled. "He bit my ear!"
"What did you expect?" asked Bryan mildly, but beneath his hood he was grinning. "How about Snap?"
Avery let go of his ear and chuckled. "Yeah - Snap, Snape, that's pretty good." The mongoose on the floor gave an agreeing chatter and bounded to the door. Avery followed, leaving Bryan alone in the dark room.
He loved being an Animagi. Snape - or Snap - darted around the feet of the Death Eaters and the other guests, nearly too fast to be seen. Using his keen nose, he worked his way closer and closer to the Malfoys.
Draco was there, looking faintly uncomfortable. Even from a distance Snap could feel his fear. Snap the mongoose was puzzled, but then Snape the human remembered - Draco, for the time being, was divided in his loyalties. On the one half tugged Erin Kristoff, the leader of Slytherin (also, Snape suspected, Malfoy's crush) - on the other was his family and his former loyalties. Not a comfortable position to be in, especially at this party.
He was much closer now, enough to smell the snake beneath Lucius' human exterior. Snap bristled, his tail bushy with instinctive hate. With difficulty he stilled the war cry rising in his throat and leaped upon a rickety table to Lucius' back. Carefully, he stretched out one paw to Lucius' cane, which his friend was holding loosely. It was nearly too far to reach, but he had just about managed to touch the dark handle when Draco spotted him.
The boy's gray eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth. Frantically Snap shook his head, an unusual gesture in any animal, and Draco's eyes widened. He looked faintly panicked, but with difficulty he turned his back on the scene behind him. Snap let out his breath in a 'whoosh'. Draco would not help, but neither would he hinder.
His claws hooked into the ebony and began to pull. Carefully, carefully, Lucius must not notice - there. Lucius' wand, concealed within the cane, was in his grasp. Snap pulled back the prize with a faint croon of victory. At this point, the table tipped, and with a squawk Snap fell to the floor.
The Malfoys turned. Everybody turned. And everybody saw a small, rust- colored mongoose crouching on the floor, a wand in his mouth. It was a few seconds before anyone moved, and when they did, Avery was the first.
"After it!" Avery shouted, flinging himself forward and knocking down Narcissa. Startled out of his moment of shock, Snap flung himself forward, racing up the stone stairs to the escape route. Behind him, Avery continued to create chaos.
"I got it! Oh, sorry Goyle - there it is, behind the couch! Ouch, I didn't mean to bump you, really - "
Bryan was waiting. Swiftly he flung open the windows as Snap streaked into the room. Snap leaped up onto Bryan's shoulder, and Bryan swung himself down the wall to where Wind Runner was waiting.
"Are you telling me," growled Moody to his old friend Dumbledore, "that Snape went to all that risk to retrieve a wand?!"
"Lucius Malfoy's wand," said Dumbledore. "The most powerful of the Death Eaters, now temporarily unarmed. Although not for long, I'm sure."
"But we're nowhere near ready for an attack on Voldemort!" said Moody, shoving his chair away and standing. His wooden leg clunked as he paced up and down. "Why steal it now?"
Dumbledore looked down his half-moon spectacles, his voice calm. "Severus and Bryan believe that there's a list of all the Death Eaters charmed into the wood."
Moody grunted, looking a little mollified, then suddenly scowled again. "Snape and Quirrell, the last two people on Earth I would trust."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "I trust them, Alastor."
Moody looked at his friend in exasperation, then sighed and changed the subject. "Are you sure they can find the list?"
"Are you sure you can find the list?" Severus asked.
Bryan was bent over the wand, his scarred face intent. "Positive," he said assuredly. "I'm a prodigy, remember?" Bryan looked up suddenly. "Where's Erin?"
"Weasley's," said Severus sourly, and Bryan smiled slightly.
"With Harry Potter, I presume?" Bryan asked lightly. "You had better watch out for those two, Snape. I have it on good authority that they're very interested in each other."
Severus' face twisted in anger, and he stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut. Bryan chuckled and turned back to his work.