A Traveller's Tale
by Greta Jameson
8: Sebastian's Skytale
Lucius sat in a large, high-backed chair to Voldemort's right. His chair, like that of his master was carved from a single block of dark walnut, and was a relic from an age long past. Each was covered with intricate high- relief carvings that began as sinuous tree roots on the legs and culminated in the arched back of fanged serpents. The eyes of the snakes were set with faceted gems - multicolored on Lucius' chair, and glittering red on Voldemort's. Lucius was tired but pretended to partake in the events and conversations around him. He leaned back in his chair, traced the body of a serpent on the arm of his chair with his forefinger and contemplated what he should do about Miranda. He had left her sleeping by the fire. He didn't want to leave, but knew his proper place was at Voldemort's side, not at hers.
He closed his eyes and let a few images of her pass by: the dance of firelight on her paisley quilt . . . the way her curls framed her face. Witches like that didn't come along everyday, he thought as he smiled to himself. She was so beautiful and so . . . powerful; he didn't know which he desired more, her beauty or her power. He wondered why he wanted her so badly. Was it some spell that she had cast over him? Was it that he might have found someone to ease the loneliness that had plagued him for so long? Or was it simply that she knew him better than any other woman ever had, and he needed to control that part of himself that had been lost to her? Whatever the reason, his desire for her doubled each day. Oh my sweet girl, why can't we just find a way to bridge this chasm of lies between us? He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice that silence had fallen around the room as Voldemort waited for his reply.
"Lucius," Voldemort inquired again softly. All eyes turned to the dais to see what the Master would do to his inattentive counselor.
Voldemort was aware, as always, of his audience, and said firmly, but still not loudly, "Lucius."
"Yes my Lord, how may I be of service?" he replied waking from his dream.
Voldemort glared at him in silence. His face, though still scarred from the battles of a harsh life and terrible to behold, grew younger and more pleasing each day as his juvenescence progressed. He then offered Lucius his hand and said, "Come and walk with me."
They left the main hall and took one of the tunnels leading to the surface. Voldemort walked at his usual leisurely pace and Lucius did the same; their footsteps echoing through the long tunnel.
"Lucius, tell me what is on your mind. Why do you brood so?"
"I am troubled by the telepath."
"Yes, I suspected that she was the cause of your worries. Tell me, what has happened."
"I went to her last night and I tried to convince her to join us. I tried to explain Slytherin's ideas to her, but she would not hear me. When that failed I confronted her with the scandal from her schooldays as you instructed me to, and. . . ."
"And what, Lucius?"
Lucius turned away from his master, "She challenged me with . . . scenes from the Guthulu slaying, and forced me to relive the moment."
"How does she know of such things?" Voldemort asked with alarm
"She seems to have used her telepathy to acquire some of my thoughts and memories."
Voldemort stopped a stared long at his counselor, his now sharp, blue eyes burrowing into him and assessing his loyalty. "Why did you not tell me of this earlier?"
"Because I wasn't sure of the extent of her acquisition. Her letter mentioned only her knowledge of my service to you. I reported that immediately."
"Yes . . . yes you did," Voldemort replied as he resumed walking. "This telepath is troublesome. I fear that she has become a threat to us and must die. Tragic perhaps, but necessary."
"Please, Master, no!" Lucius said desperately, grabbing at Voldemort's shoulder. "Telepathy is too rare a gift to simply destroy her. I will be able to convince her to join us. I know I will be able to. Please let me try once more."
Voldemort pursed his lips and shook his head from side to side. "My old friend, I think you are making a big mistake. Have you forgotten that she is an auror? Or has she blinded you to. . . "
"She is a former auror and does not wish to be enemies. . . "
"There is no such thing as a former auror!" Voldemort shrieked, his cries echoing off the earthen walls. "They never give up hunting us! Never!"
"You are correct as ever, Master," Lucius said as he bowed his head. "But if an . . . auror could be turned and perhaps incorporated, think of our strategic advantage: we could find out what they know about us, what they suspect, and the gaps in their information."
Voldemort nodded to acknowledge the wisdom of Lucius' argument.
As they reached the surface, Lucius looked up at the white sickle moon slicing the sky of blazing stars, and let his longing for Miranda wash over him, and allowed his Master to feel its intensity.
"Ahh, Lucius it's not an ordinary desire, no not ordinary at all. I can see why it hampers your concentration". Then Voldemort smiled, "Since you are special to me, tell me how you would like things to be."
"I want her here with me, with us all the time," Lucius said quickly. "And with your leave, I would have her as my consort."
"Only if she becomes as one with us. I do not trust her, and must find a way to do so."
"Let me work with her some more. She will come to see things our way. I know she will."
"So be it. I will give you a few days more to resolve the matter. If you fail. I will have Snape deliver her, and we will give her one final chance. Regardless of the outcome, I want my counselor's full attention from now on. It won't do to have you daydreaming in front of the court."
"Thank you my lord. Your generosity knows no bounds."
As they returned to the main hall, Voldemort asked, "And what of her former lover?"
"He is a house master at Durmstrang, my lord."
"And his allegiance is to which side?"
"Unclear at present. I hope to have the answer for you in a few days."
"Good and what of her child?"
"We have not found him yet, but the search continues." Lucius paused and said, "He may be of little use to us. Before she died, the nurse told us that it was an abnormal birth. 'Horrible' is the word she used."
"Pity. He would have been valuable to us."
They sat back down as the small court bustled around them. Lucius smiled and sipped his wine but privately worried about what he had just done. Protecting Miranda - even if only a little bit - seemed the right thing to do. But at the same time, it drove a wedge between him and Voldemort. He wanted to do his Master's bidding but he wanted to convince her, not coerce her to help them. She was so strong willed that he doubted whether she could be forced to comply anyway. Violence against such a woman would only breed deception, not loyalty. He had to try harder next time to get her to listen to his hopes for the future, for in her he saw the possibility of a new beginning for himself and for his world.
As Lucius mused over Miranda, Voldemort presided over his small court. At long tables arrayed to their left and right sat a few members of Voldemort's inner circle. Of their Ministry infiltrators, only Crabbe had the nerve to attend on a semi-regular basis. Down the left side of the hall, his field detailees sat around low round or octagonal wood tables. The men sat on cushions or pillows, eating and drinking well into the night. Voldemort smiled as he thought that it wouldn't be long before the telepath would be theirs and he and his counselor could return to the business of planning their war.
He sat quietly amongst them until he felt the sun rising in the world above them. He nodded to Lucius and walked off to get a few hours of sleep. "I am going to rest, and do not wish to be disturbed," he rasped to the guard, who followed him, at a respectful distance, to his room.
By his bed - carved in the same sinuous style as his chair - he removed his formal robes and lay his tired body down. He rubbed his eyes and looked over to the side table and saw a cup filled halfway with white liquid. Nagini had been a good girl and left him some of her milk to assist in his healing. He rose up on his elbow and drank the viscous venom in a few glups and then lay back down.
Just as he was beginning to drift off a large brown, hooded viper slid up onto the bed, and hissed loudly at him.
"Oh there you are, Nagini!" he said looking up at her. "I was wondering where you had gotten to, my dear. Come and lay quietly by my side while I sleep."
Harry and Hermione were in the library preparing for their morning classes. Well, Harry was preparing. Hermione who had completed her assignment the night before, sat with her hands folded and asked, "So what's your favorite class so far?"
"Defense. Definitely, Defense."
"Yeah me too. But Design isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm probably going to stick with it for the rest of the term."
"Design. Isn't that with Professor 'He's so Dreamy' Miller?" Harry teased
"Yeah," Hermione giggled. "But he's really interesting. The first lecture was all about the nature of materials. He said that material science was crucial to the understanding of good design. If you don't understand materials, the structure you're building won't last and will have to be recast again and again. He also said that . . ."
"There you are!" Ron said too loudly.
"Shhh," Hermione cautioned. "We waited for you, and Harry even tried to wake you, but you must have thought it was Saturday or something."
Ron grimaced at her and sat down as he said, "You'll never believe what I found out about last night. I had my detention with Snape last night - breaking codes - right?"
"Codes - what sort of codes?" Hermione asked
"I'll tell you about it later - just listen to this part first. As I'm walking in, I hear Snape telling this stranger that there's a security conference here this Saturday. In the Defense classroom at noon."
"We have to go," Harry said as he glanced at Hermione.
"Harry, don't. You'll get in really big trouble if you're caught."
"Don't worry, we can use the invisibility cloak."
"Harry, don't you remember, Moody could see through them," she cautioned. "What if they all can?"
"Oh! I know," Ron began. "What about making some more of that concealment potion that Snape showed us, and then using the cloak?"
"Good idea. We'll have to get the ingredients in a hurry to have it ready by Saturday. No time to go to Hogsmeade. Ron, tonight when you go for your detention, leave the door open and Hermione and I will sneak in to his potion stores."
"Harry, I don't know about this . . ." Hermione started.
"Come on, Hermione. Don't you want to know what the aurors are up to?"
"Oh alright," she said with a frown. "Now go ahead and tell us about these codes."
"Totally cool! For detention he has asked me to help him break this really complex code that his dad wrote."
"His dad?" Harry asked with a worried look on his face.
"Yeah, he said they were papers that would enable him to carry on in his father's footsteps."
Harry frowned and trembled. Sensing his alarm, Hermione asked, "What is it?"
"I got a really bad feeling when you mentioned Snape's father."
"Is there a reason?"
"I don't know . . . but I'm going to find out," said Harry getting up and walking over to the reference section.
He paged quickly through Wizards and Witches of the UK until he got to "S": Simmons, Smithson, Snape.
Snape: Salazar, b 1946; m. Madeline (Greenstone; b 1950); 1 d. Samantha b 1992.
He tapped the page with his wand and nothing happened. There were no further entries.
"That's weird, there's no mention of any other members of the family."
"And most purebloods live for their ancestors," Ron said with disgust. "The kids can recite their family trees before their numbers and letters."
"And no mention of Professor Snape either, and we know he exists," Hermione reminded them.
"There's got to be another way to . . ." Harry began.
"Let me," Hermione offered. "The librarians all know me really well."
When the boys had gone back to the table, she lingered by the book for a while and made a show of not being able to find what she was looking for. Then she walked over the reference librarian, and asked in her most exacting voice, "Excuse me Miss Cross, I was wondering if you could . . ."
"Oh hello Miss Granger. How are you, dear?"
"A bit confused. I am doing some research for my Defense against the Dark Arts class and I can't find someone's listing in WWUK. Professor Traveller wouldn't have asked me to find out more about him if he never existed. Is it possible for someone to have been deleted from the Registry?"
Miss Cross whispered, "Yes dear, but only at the request of the head of household. It happens only rarely, and usually the request comes from a family trying to make a clean break from its dark past."
"That makes perfect sense!" Hermione whispered excitedly. "Where else can I find biographical information on dark wizards? I only need a few details right now."
Miss Cross glanced around the room and said, "That material is restricted, and usually you need special permission, but I suppose - because it's you asking - that I could just let you have a quick glance. Go wait at that table over there, and I'll find the volume you need. What period are you looking for?"
"Modern. A follower of You Know Who."
Hermione had barely fetched quill and parchment before Miss Cross returned, declaring that she had found the volume on medicinal plants that had been requested. Hermione undid the metal clasp on the volume, and as she read, she heard the sound of her own heart pound against her chest. She copied every word faithfully and returned the book to Miss Cross with many thanks.
"You are never going to believe this," she said returning to the table, motioning for Ron and Harry to draw closer. "Sebastian Snape was Voldemort's counselor - that's the number two position in the inner circle. It said that he was considered by some to be one of the most powerful dark wizards in history. He was considered so dangerous that he was executed right after his trial - he never even made it to Azkaban."
Harry said quietly, "Ron, you said that the papers were for him to follow in his father's footsteps didn't you?"
"That . . . that's what he told me," Ron answered fearfully.
"Wait a moment!" Hermione said a bit too loudly and drew stares from some of the other students. "Let's not jump to conclusions, alright? Remember what Professor Traveller said, the most obvious answer is rarely the correct one," she continued in a whisper. "The book also said that Severus Snape was a deatheater and member of the inner circle, but that he was exonerated in the trials. One of the wizards that spoke in his favor was Albus Dumbledore. It didn't give details, but it basically said that Dumbledore's testimony in closed proceedings - that means secret - got Snape off the hook."
"Maybe Snape has done another turnabout?" Ron suggested
"I doubt it," Hermione said. "Here's what we know: We know that his father was a powerful dark wizard, and that these are his papers. Those are facts. They are encrypted, which . . . "
"Implies that they contain secret information," Ron continued.
"That Voldemort wanted protected," Harry said. "Probably spells, and practices. . ."
"That's exactly what Snape said they were!"
"How many papers did he have Ron?" Hermione asked.
"He just gave me a stack, but he said he had crates of them."
Harry and Hermione shared a glance and then she declared, "We've got to find out where those crates are. Ron, you'll have to ask him."
Later that afternoon, Hobby trotted across the gleaming wood and carpeted floor to Madeline and quietly said, "Lucius Malfoy is calling, Madame."
"Really? Please show him in Hobby," Madeline said putting her book aside.
Lucius strode in with an admiring smile for her.
"Lucius, what a pleasant surprise!" she lied.
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and said, "I'm actually coming to call on Salazar my dear, is he at home to visitors?"
She frowned, "He's actually quite ill. Came down with something a couple of nights ago. He's hiding out in his study. Doesn't want me to come near him."
"Then he's a fool," said Lucius grinning.
She gave him a flustered smile in return and said, "Let me see if he's available. Please have a seat."
Lucius followed her with his eyes as she knocked on the study door and entered, shutting the door behind her. There was a muffled shout and she returned, smoothing her hair. "He said he can see you, but I warn you he's not himself. I'm going to send for a doctor. This has gone on long enough."
Lucius looked seriously at her and put both of his hands on her upper arms, caressing the fresh bruises that just peeked below her sleeves. "I promised you a long time ago that I would never . . ." he began softly.
"It's not what you think!" she said stepping away. "He had a nightmare a couple of nights ago and it was an accident! I swear it was!"
"It better have been," he said through his tightly clenched teeth. "If he ever hurts you - I'll kill him." He wheeled around and walked directly into the study with only a short knock.
The study was lit only by a low fire, and Salazar shivered in his chair under several blankets. His face looked pale and gaunt, and without his glasses he looked remarkably like his father.
"Salazar, you really ought to see a doctor. You look really awful."
"No. It'll pass. Just started yesterday. The worst part is these shooting pains from time to time." And then remembering his manners, he said, "Please sit down. What can I do for you?"
"Well, this was really just a social call, no agenda," Lucius replied politely.
Salazar let out a hearty laugh that ended in a hacking cough. When he recovered, he said, "That would be the day!"
Lucius smiled and said, "Well, there is one thing."
"What's that?"
"I met Maddie last Saturday in Flourish and Blotts - I don't know if she told you."
"She did."
"Well, you know how children talk - they say the most outlandish things sometimes."
Salazar nodded.
"It seems that Samantha told Draco that Severus was visiting . . ."
"He did. It's his home too. He can come and go whenever he pleases," Salazar said firmly.
"Of course, of course. But she also said he was here to get some of granddad's things. We were wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about that."
Salazar doubled over in pain and shouted, "None of your damn business, Malfoy! Those are my things! And you'd be well advised to keep your toady hands off - if you know what's good for you!"
Lucius stared back in outrage over his outburst, and purred threateningly, "Really Salazar? The Master thinks that it might be His business. Could He be wrong?"
"No, never."
"Good. He sent me here to find out what property of Sebastian's might have been given to Severus."
"Just old books and papers, they were his as specified in the will."
"What sort of old papers?"
"I don't know. They were all encoded," he lied. "Severus was going to try to break the code. That's all I know."
Malfoy raised his brows in surprise and ran his hand through his loosely falling hair. "This is not good, Salazar. Not good at all. In addition to being counselor, your father also kept detailed records of our practices in the East. I would have expected you to know this, and not to have allowed them to be taken back to Hogwarts and not into the clutches of Albus Dumbledore!"
"First of all, I kept copies of every single scrap of paper. And second of all, I gave them to Severus - not Dumbledore!" Salazar countered. "Sebastian's papers will be safe with him. He associates with Dumbledore, surely, but only to report on his plans to the Master."
"I hope you're right Salazar. But as you may remember, he failed to answer the Master's last summons, and a cloud of suspicion hangs over his head."
Salazar doubled over in pain again. "He's innocent. . . he must be!" And then whispering to himself, "oh . . . treachery in my own house. . ."
Lucius narrowed his eyes and took a long look at Salazar and decided on a change of strategy. "We're not sure . . . Salazar. But the Master is watching him carefully." "Good, let me know if you find any evidence against him . . .I am in no condition to move about yet."
"Consider it done. Now, tell me about those copies. The Master will be most interested in those."
Salazar tried, but couldn't rise from his chair and panted, "They're mine. And I'll use them to secure my family's place. Not one finger on any one of us - Severus included - or this house - or He'll never lay eyes on them again - am I clear?"
"Crystal," Lucius said smiling. Then rising from his chair to leave he continued, "Oh, by the way, the Master has appointed me counselor. Severus said that he would not contest me, and I didn't think that you would either. Good seeing you again and take care. I think Maddie's called a doctor."
As he left the room, the sound of Salazar's scream followed him out. Was that agony, or anger? It's so difficult to tell sometimes.
Madeline heard her husband scream and ran over to the study as Lucius emerged. "What's going on? Is he alright?"
"You were right, Madeline. He's not himself. And If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was Sebastian."
Madeline covered her mouth and started to cry.
"Maddie, Maddie . . . I was just kidding!"
"Oh Lucius. . .I'm so frightened!" she said still crying.
"There, there. . .why should you be so scared?" he asked patting her politely on the shoulders.
She wiped her eyes and said, "That's what his nightmare was about the other night. He said that Sebastian had come to him and had asked to share his body. When Salazar refused his request, he tried to take him over forcibly."
Lucius looked seriously at her and said, "Now Maddie, it's probably just a flu or something. But, there is a chance . . ."
"You don't think?"
He looked anxiously around the room, and said, "I want you to be very careful. You and Sam stay away from him for a little while. Just leave him alone. Have the elves see to him. If he doesn't want to see the Doctor, don't make an issue of it, alright?"
She nodded and started to cry again.
"And if you need me, any time of the day or night, I'll be there for you. Just send someone over, or come yourself if you have to."
She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.
"Everything will work itself out. Don't worry so." And then he ran his finger lightly down her upturned nose - an old gesture of affection, and took his leave. She looked after him until he vanished, and wondered why he had not kissed her.
"Professor Snape?" Ron asked as he knocked on his office door.
"Yes Mr. Weasley, please come in, we've got a lot of work ahead of us tonight.
Ron took his place at the table, and hoped that no one would close the classroom door he had left ajar. "Are these your father's crates?"
"Yes Mr. Weasley."
"May I have a look?" Ron asked looking around at the stacks of books and papers on the table.
"Yes. I brought them here at your request, remember? The one on the left holds the rest of the papers. I've been cataloging them to the best of my ability. The one on the right has clothes, shoes and personal effects of little interest."
Ron regarded the stacks of encoded papers in the trunk. "Crimeny! There's thousands of pages here! And bound volumes as well! This could take a lifetime to decipher!
"We only have two weeks," Snape replied not looking up from his work.
Ron reached down and grabbed the bound volume nearest to him and ran his hands over the fine leather binding. Page after page of enciphered information. "Umm. . . Professor, I think you'd better have a look at this." Half the book was gone! Pages torn asunder, in apparent violence judging by the jagged edge of the remaining parchment.
Snape held the book to his chest, and started to breathe deeply as images from that night flooded his mind: Dark night, rain. Sebastian furiously driving the horses towards the next portal. He was trying to evade capture and so was moving in criss-cross pathways instead of straight towards the manor. Three hooded figures ahead - he would have to fight. Blinding flashes of light! One down, then two. He hit the third and knocked him backwards, but he got up again, and fought back - pushing towards Sebastian, and draining him as he did. Sebastian lay weak and paralyzed as he watched the tall auror paw through his trunks, ripping his books and throwing his papers onto the ground. "No! Master help me!" he cried. And even from miles away, he did. Sebastian rose to his feet and hurled a killing blow at the auror who crumpled to the ground. As quickly as he could he gathered most of his papers and sped directly home and to temporary safety.
Snape sat in silence as the images faded. "My father was almost captured as he moved some of these papers westward. The auror ripped this book before he fell."
"The auror, sir?" Ron asked nervously.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley, the auror," said Snape finally opening his eyes. "If it is not already known to you, my father was a loyal follower of Voldemort. In fact, Sebastian was his counselor, and closest friend."
"That's terrible," Ron blurted out.
Snape smiled at his awkward answer and then said, "Worse yet, Mr. Weasley, is that some of my father's writings have been loose in the world for years. He appealed for Voldemort's assistance and received it, so the event occurred at some time before his fall. Let us concentrate on that volume for tonight, we need to know what's missing."
"Oh, I feel terrible about doing this! They're very expensive, you know. But we need them for the concealment potion." Hermione whispered as she unscrewed the jar containing the powdered ruby.
"You'll feel really terrible if Snape hears you and we're caught," Harry whispered back.
She scooped some of the pinkish-gray powder into a container she had brought with her. "There, that should be more than sufficient. Let's get out of here."
They crept out of the storeroom and closed the door behind them when Hermione gasped and pointed, "Harry look!"
Harry turned to see a brilliant blue spot appear on the far side of the classroom. Instinctively he forced her down onto the floor where they watched from behind the desks. Invisibility cloak or not, he didn't want to take any chances.
The blue spot swirled as it grew into a large arched doorway. The center cleared and they could see a brick-lined tunnel and heard footsteps approaching. Hermione's nails dug into Harry's arm as Lucius jumped through the Pass and into the classroom. He looked around the room and strode towards the light shining in Snape's office, marking his steps not with his usual cane, but with a tall staff.
Two sharp knocks with his staff on the door preceded Lucius' entry into the office. "Well, well, what have we here?" Lucius began with a cruel edge to his voice. "A Weasley going though my predecessor's things. Severus, please explain why he is here and what he is doing."
"Mr. Weasley is helping me to break Sebastian's code. He is a fine cryptanalyst."
"And son of a Ministry employee," Malfoy answered harshly.
"Who has vowed to keep his mouth shut for fear of my retribution."
"And mine," said Lucius banging his staff of the stone floor and glowering at Ron.
"Lucius, is that my father's staff?"
"It was your father's, now it is mine. I use it when I am on official business."
"May I?" asked Severus reaching his hand towards it.
Ron saw a change come over Snape's face as his eyes and fingers traced the surface of the wooden staff. Then he stood quite straight and still and held the staff in front of him with both hands. The office darkened and Snape and the staff started to glow brightly. And then abruptly as his explorations of the staff began, Snape let his left hand fall to his side and the lights in the room returned. He kissed the staff and smiled at Lucius as he said, "Use it well, my old friend." And then he sank to one knee and bowed his head before Malfoy.
Lucius lifted Severus and wondered, "I'll never comprehend how you could have turned away from all that power, you know."
"Because I do not wish to wear the mantle of responsibility that comes with it."
Lucius shook his head in agreement. "There are two things of import that I came to discuss with you. But first," he said turning to Ron, "Tell me why he is going through Sebastian's clothes when he should be deciphering his words instead."
"He thought that there may be clues in the clothes," Snape said motioning Ron away from the trunk.
"Rubbish!" Malfoy said sharply, grabbing Sebastian's belt and cracking it like a whip before hurling it into the corner. "Get to work! You're working for me now as well. And I am not so gentle a Master as my friend here."
Ron shook and moved cautiously over to the table and began counting letters.
"He is not to see the contents of the papers, Severus."
"Of course. I intended to have him only help me find the key."
Malfoy nodded and motioned for Severus to follow him into the classroom.
Harry and Hermione scuttled silently into the shadows as Malfoy passed by. They watched as Snape and Malfoy made their way over to the Pass and followed to hear their conversation.
"First off, does Dumbledore know about this project?"
"Not to my knowledge," Snape calmly lied.
Lucius thought a moment, before answering, "I'm going to trust you on this one, Severus, because I need your support in coming days. I anticipate that my appointment as counselor will be challenged and I need your help."
"But, who could, possibly? Not Salazar, he couldn't have?"
"No, but his father could."
"What are you saying?"
"Sebastian has come back."
Severus lost his balance and grabbed at Malfoy, "How can it be? He's been dead for years! He was executed in front of witnesses!"
"Remember, this is your father we're talking about. I don't know how he managed it. But he's back. He has taken over Salazar's body and his life."
Snape placed a shaking hand on his forehead, "And Salazar?"
"He's dead, or perhaps dying, I don't know which. I'm sorry."
Snape asked in a whisper, "Who knows about this?"
"You, me, Madeline . . . and the Master."
"What does He say?"
"He says that he will support me. That he needs a different counselor for different times, but I'm lining up my allies all the same."
"Wise of you," Severus laughed.
Malfoy smiled back and asked, "So, are you with me?"
"Yes, of course. But it's a delicate situation, and I will have to be very careful how I play it. My father is sure to expect my backing as well."
"Yes, of course."
"When do you expect Sebastian to return east?"
"A week, maybe two, difficult to say. He could hardly move this morning. But in his first life he was very strong, and will probably recover more quickly than anyone expects him to."
"What about Madeline and Samantha?"
"I have ten observers posted around the manor. Sorry I didn't ask your permission first, but we wanted to keep an eye on things. And I've told Madeline to stay away from him, and keep Sam away as well. I'll let you know if there's any change."
Lucius put a hand on his shoulder as Snape dropped down into a nearby chair. Sebastian surely knew about the conversation he had with Salazar only a few days ago. If his father doubted his loyalty to Voldemort, he might have only a few days left to live. On the other hand, it was possible that Sebastian realized that he was speaking to his brother, and would spin the web of his argument to suit his listener. Oh, how this complicated matters!
Eventually, Lucius interrupted his thoughts when he said, "The second issue at hand is that the Master has asked you to start planning how you will deliver Professor Traveller. He has given me one more chance to convince her to join us. If I fail, you will be asked to bring her forth."
"There's a security conference next Saturday," Snape began. "Her attendance will be expected there, I cannot take her before then. And then there's a matter of disabling her enough to transport her . . ."
"Are you refusing to do this?" Malfoy asked angrily
"No, not at all," Snape laughed as he rose to his feet once again. "Just thinking aloud. I do advise to wait until after next Saturday though. Her father will be presiding over the conference."
"Damn him! Doesn't he ever die?" Lucius spat bitterly. "No one man has ever been such a hindrance to our plans - except perhaps for Dumbledore. Now that I'm counselor, I really ought to make his funeral a priority. It would be a valuable public service."
"I couldn't agree more," Snape said as he clapped Lucius on the back. "Tell the Master that if need be, he can count on me to bring her to him. I will start planning the operation tonight."
"That's the old Severus talking now," Lucius smiled as he jumped up into the Pass. "I'm headed back east now and look forward to your return - we all do. Oh and keep me posted on your progress with the codes. We must know as soon as the key is discovered."
Harry and Hermione walked invisibly back towards Gryffindor until they felt it safe enough to pull the cloak off. They went through the guardian portrait into the deserted common room, and sat next to each other on the couch. They were exhausted, and sat there for several minutes in silence, stunned by what they had just seen. They startled only when they heard the portrait swing open. Seconds later Ron came barging into the room.
"You're never going to believe what I found?" Ron cried holding up the belt that Malfoy had cracked at him.
"A belt?" Harry offered, "Looks a little big for you Ron."
"No! This is the key to all of those coded papers," Ron answered kneeling down close to show them the reverse side of the belt. A row of tiny letters covered the length of the belt. "It's a skytale! Straight out of the history books!"
"A sky- what?" asked Hermione.
"A sky-tal-ee," Ron said slowly, enunciating each syllable. "Invented by the muggle, Lysander of Sparta more than two thousand years ago.
"You said it was a key, how does it work?" Harry inquired.
"It has to be wrapped around a stick of some sort at just the right angle, and then somewhere in this jumble of letters a clear word or set of words will emerge. Those words are the key to the code and can be used to decipher all of those documents."
"Sounds too simple," Hermione offered.
"Not simple . . . elegant and perfect. Providing the skytale is kept secret, of course. Easy if the cryptanalyst is wearing his key at all times," said Ron fingering the belt buckle.
"Now, you said it had to be wrapped around some sort of stick," Hermione continued sleepily.
"Yeah, a stick, perhaps a wand."
"A wand would be too short for that," Harry said.
"I know!" shouted Ron. "It's that bloody staff! The one that Malfoy was banging around and threatening me with. He said it belonged to his predecessor. It's got to be!"
"We've got to get our hands on that staff then," Harry began.
"No way!" Ron cried. "There's no way I'm going to be part of that, Harry Potter. Have you forgotten he's already tried to kill you and my sister?"
"Well we don't really need the staff itself, Ron," Hermione added. "All we really need is something the same size to wrap the skytale around, right?"
"Yeah, you're right, that should work," Harry said. So, where are we going to get something like that staff?"
Hermione yawned and said, "Meet me in the armor collection tomorrow, after your afternoon classes. I'm going up, I just can't keep my eyes open anymore"
"Hermione, wait," Harry said, "Shouldn't we tell Ron that he was right?"
"I was right? What was I right about?" Ron asked brightly.
She stopped on the steps and turned back towards the boys as she gravely said, "You were right about Snape, Ron. He has gone back to Voldemort. Malfoy gave him an order to . . . to kidnap Professor Traveller. And he agreed to do it."