The Revenge of Thomas

by Lady Alton

Everything that has an end, had a beggining...

3. Dark Deeds

2. Dark Deeds

Draconis Malfoy had entered the library in complete silence. Mr. Hall did not dare to say him anything, since Draconis disposition always demanded for respect. Malfoy didn't bother throwing some books that were over the couch on the floor, nor did he bother to sit on it, saying nothing to Simon. His silence was already a menace, and Simon knew perfectly well what did it mean. Draconis was completely pissed at him. Still, he said no word. He just kept his grey eyes locked menacingly on Simon, and that was worse than any word he could speak.

- Sir… Sir… I beg you, be merciful! For pity sake, I did not mean… - Simon started.

But it was better if he kept quiet, for Mr. Malfoy rose his eyebrows and scowled.

- Get a grip, man, behave more like a man! I don't make allegiances with beasts! - he hissed.

Simon did not dare to look up at Draconis either. Malfoy just kept staring at him, coldly.

- Mr. Malfoy… I… I beg your pardon… - he went on.

But Draconis would not listen.

- Mr. Hall, have you ever heard the word 'mercy' with the name of Malfoy?! You allowed that Mr. Taylor to find those parchments and take it away with him! Have you thought about a way of getting it back ?! - hissed Draconis.

Simon shook all over his body. He stepped back, as if being away from Malfoy would keep him safer. He took off a few books from a chair and sat down.

- Ahn… I've been busy with the other dark objects I keep in my home, Mr. Malfoy… I'm sure the Ministry will make sure to search for more! I… - but he was interrupted.

Draconis nostrils went wide, and he knew the man was furious.

- I DON'T CARE FOR ANYTHING YOU KEEP IN THIS DIRTY MANOR, DO YOU HEAR ME?! I just want you to fix what you began. If it wasn't for me and my gold those parchments would never exist. I have a name to protect, and I won't allow anyone to be on my way! - Draconis said, dangerously angered.

Simon did not know what to say or do.

- W… What do you want me to do ? - asked Simon, with strangled voice.

Draconis shot him a freezing kind of look.

- What I want you to do ? What do you think ? I want you to go to the Ministry and take those parchments back! I thought you was more intelligent than that, Mr. Hall! You'll assume the blame for those parchments! I don't want my name involved in that. - Draconis said, his voice now extremely calm.

That man had a lot of self control. Simon shook even more. - But… But… But they will… Sir, I… - his voice trailed off though. Draconis smirked.

- What ? You screw things up and expect something different ? Mr. Hall, your family is a disgrace, I don't know how you can be proud of it… But still I worked with you, I spent a lot of gold in that project… And now I've been fed up with your incompetence! - Draconis said, angrily.

Simon remained silent. He was thinking hard. He knew there was not much of an alternative.

- Mr. Hall, I presume you understand that I'm giving you a chance… You assume it or… Well, I might not be so… Merciful with your dear life. - Draconis said in silky voice.

Simon knew perfectly well what did it mean. If he assumed the blame, he would be locked up in Azkaban; but if he refused… Draconis would make sure to put an end in his life. What should he do ?

- Mr. Malfoy… I… - but he couldn't go on.

- Mr. Hall… I thought you would be a bit more… Wise. - he said. - Mr. Malfoy… Our families has always been well connected. Malfoy and Hall are… - Simon started, but Draconis laughed, as if he had heard something funny.

- Mr. Hall, don't be naive. It's business. You messed up, you'll pay. - Draconis said, in a calm tone - So, have you come to a decision ? - asked Draconis, after a short pause.

Simon looked at Malfoy, uncertainty in his eyes. He wondered… What would become of him ?

When Philip Taylor got home from Diagon Alley the first person he saw was old Mr. Buckins, who came in his direction, a worried look upon his face. Philip went alarmed, he knew something was very wrong. - Is Thomas all right ? - he asked, and there was terror in his voice. But Mr. Buckins rose his hands to tell his master nothing was wrong with the baby.

- Sir, have you heard the news yet ? - asked Mr. Buckins.

- No, what news ? - Taylor asked.

Mr. Buckins replied:

- Sir, you always ask me to read your mail when you're not at home. A note from the Ministry got here not long ago. Here, read for yourself.

Mr. Buckins extended Mr. Taylor an envelope. Philip took it and read:

"Mr. P. Taylor,

I regret to inform you your presence is required at the Ministry as soon as you read this. It's about a fire in Hall Manor, where the Ministry has been ordered to search for dark arts. Further information only at the Ministry. Keep this information secret from anyone who's not Ministry related.

N. Cork"

He read it twice before casting the letter aside. What, not two hours ago he had been at the Ministry and nothing wrong seemed to be going to happen. Now there was this fire… It made no sense! He finds out some cursed parchments in Hall Manor and then… The Manor is no longer there. He was now frustrated. Not being able to figure out what kind of dark magic contained those parchments… He sighed. He turned to Mr. Buckins and said:

- Mr. Buckins, would you please tell…

But he interrupted himself. There was certainly time for him to go to his wife himself… The Ministry could wait a few minutes longer.

- No, don't worry… Thank you, Mr. Buckins. - he told the old man.

He ran upstairs to the bedroom where Penelope was laid down, holding Thomas, a sweet smile on her face only mothers can do. At the window Mrs. Barrie observed, a kind expression on her face. Philip grabbed the Teddy Bear he bought in Diagon Alley.

- As I promised… - he said, while his wife took the bear.

- Oh, Philip, that's great! Thank you, I'm sure little Thomas will appreciate this! - she said, smiling.

How would he tell her ? He had to go.

- Darling… Something happened at the Ministry… They need me there. - he told her.

She gave him a pitiful look.

- I know, I know, it's not my fault… - he started.

She ignored him.

- Philip, you promised… - her voice trailed off.

- Darling, it's out of my hands. I must go, you know that. - he said, and kissed her.

Mrs. Barrie was careful enough to look another way when he did. That was his private affairs with his own wife. She always respected that. She was only a servant after all. Penelope nodded of a sudden.

- I know, Philip. And I understand. - she told him.

He looked at Thomas, and there was love in his deep black eyes. He left directly to the Ministry.

It was a mess. When Mr. Taylor walked by the corridors people seemed to be in the way every step of the way. There were a constant babbling all around and a group of witches he figured were reporters wouldn't stop trying to break in. The Guard was so occupied and over stressed about all those wizards and witches speaking at the same time that he didn't recognize Taylor when he first tried to pass by. When he noticed his mistake he apologized:

- I'm sorry, Mr. Taylor, this has been a mess. I can tell you heard the news ?

Taylor nodded.

- Yes, Trevor, bad news travel fast. - he said, walking straight to his wing.

It wasn't less messy though. It seems all Ministry workers decided to be at the same place at the same time. He wondered where the Minister would be at this moment. He found his office crowded with people. He didn't like much the sight of it, but he did not complain. He was going to ask them not to seat on his desk when a hand over his shoulder stopped him. It was George Weasley.

- That's bad, that's bad… They sent you a note ? - he asked.

Taylor nodded.

- Yes. They said they needed me here. - Taylor replied.

Weasley sighed:

- Well, they said the same to me. But there's people from taxes here, I don't think they need them!

But both of them knew perfectly well that that was the Ministry way to prove their enemies they were doing something about it.

- So, what did happen ? How did it happen ? - asked Taylor. Weasley shook his head.

- No one really knows. No one was seen around the Hall Manor, and I think people prefer to believe Mr. Hall committed suicide. - George said.

It was hard to talk in the middle of that racket, but they were experts on that.

- Suicide ? Ok, that's possible… But I don't believe Mr. Hall would burn his entire Manor to achieve that, would he ? - Taylor said.

Weasley scratched the bridge of his nose. He always did that when he was thoughtful or even concerned about something.

- Well, I don't believe that also. But we've got no proves. It's everything burned. Well, most of the Manor is burned. - he said.

Taylor sighed. It was so frustrating.

- Ok. The Ministry thinks those parchments are the key ? - Taylor asked.

Though he was certain it should be it. Weasley nodded. A white haired witch almost tripped on them.

- Sorry… - she said, walking away.

- This is going to be a long night… - Taylor said, shaking his head.

Selena Snape was tired; she had been having problems to sleep for two weeks now, and her husband, Sinclair Snape, seemed to be quite busy in the dungeons, coming up only for dinner. And Severus would not stop crying. He was one year old, but still he was a troublesome child. She sighed. He would grow up and she would teach him not to cry. She didn't bother going to his bedroom and to talk to him; it would not work, he'd keep on crying.

Selena had been feeling rather sad lately, that was why she could not sleep. She could not feel at peace with herself as easily as did her husband. Actually, she was unhappy about her own choices and even about her marriage. He wasn't a woman designated for being a mother, and she hated to imagine her life taking care of Severus and expecting more and more children. She hated to spend most of her time in that dark Manor, she hated to be locked to that crying child. Selena always hated people crying; she still remembered when her mother slapped her when she started crying because of a wound in her knee. She would never forget that lesson. And sooner or later she would do the same to Severus, maybe this way he would understand that crying is a weakness.

She was so absently thinking about her life that she didn't notice when Sinclair entered the room. He was a tall man, with black greasy hair and a pair of black eyes which seemed to be made of hard material. He stopped at the door way and spoke in harsh tone:

- Selena!… Why aren't you dealing with Severus ? He's your child and he don't stop crying! I can't work with that boy crying all the time! Do something about it now, Selena! I'm telling you!…

Selena did not say anything. She knew better than arguing with Sinclair. Actually, she was too tired now to argue with anyone. She gave her husband a dreamful look and said:

- Yes, Sinclair, I will take care of Severus. In a minute.

- Not in a minute, Selena! NOW! - Sinclair hissed, going back to his dungeons.

Selena shot a nasty look towards the place where her husband was standing. Severus went on crying, breaking all the peace in the Manor. His mother sighed and walked to his bedroom. There he was, crying non stop. His cradle was exactly in the place where she had left last night, but the window was wide open. A cold wind whistled directly to the cradle. She assumed Severus should be cold and closed the window. But in her action was no kindness. She did it to avoid the child from dying, not because she cared.

She hated her life; she hated to be locked in there, having nothing else to do rather than supervising the house-elves' work and Severus health. She hated to be prisoner of that child and that house. Most of all, she hated Sinclair. He'd been the one who kept her there. She needed freedom, fresh air… All she had was the cries of a little baby and the moaning of ten house-elves claiming for being punished.

She sighed. The view outside the window was peaceful. 'I wished I could be as peaceful as that' she thought, while watching the sun hiding behind the hills. Severus stopped crying. She was relieved, and gave the baby a glance. She really did not care about him; actually, there was a very strange feeling about that baby. She loved him… But still she hated him. She loved him because he was her son; she hated him because he took away all of her freedom. Another sigh. She walked to the cradle, where Severus slept quietly. Lords, he didn't even seem a child that had been crying! 'Oh, Severus, give me some of your peace' she thought. But she knew he would not do that. He would start crying again. The white sheets were covering Severus comfortably, and the pillow looked extremely nice. 'Lord, I need some peace' Selena thought, while uncovering her son. He had to suffer the way she did. Didn't they say that the child is always connected to his mother ? Well, if his mother couldn't be happy, the son would not be happy either.

Severus moved in his sleep. Still, he looked so innocent and unaware of everything around him. That made Selena angry, and she even thought about torturing the baby a bit. 'No! Sinclair… Sinclair will hate me if I do that' she reprehended herself. She covered Severus again and left the room. She had to find something to do! She ran to the library, maybe the comfort of a book might help her despair… But no book seemed to lock her attention. How could she live that way ? She would rather die than keep like this.

- Finally you made that boy stop crying! How do you expect him to be a decent Snape if you allow him to cry that much ? - Sinclair's voice startled her.

She turned to face her husband. In her deep eyes nothing could be seen. She felt nothing more.

- Sinclair… It's you. - she said, casually.

- Might I know what are you doing here ? Shouldn't you be doing something else ? - Sinclair asked.

She looked at her husband and her eyes expressed confusion. She did not know what was Sinclair talking about.

- What…?

Sinclair laughed, but that wasn't a kind laugh, but a hard one, those we only listen in the worst of nightmares.

- Darling!… Don't tell me you forgot all about it!

She didn't remember anything, and that was clear in the look she gave him. She tried to remember, but nothing seemed to come to her memory. 'Lords… I need some air!' she thought.

- I… I think I did, Sinclair. - she said, simply.

Sinclair grabbed his wife's fist with no warning. She shivered at first, but soon faced her husband bravely.

- You forgot all about the McCoys ? They'll come. We should allow them to stay at our Manor. How can you forget something like that, Selena? Tell me… Will you get ready or should I lock you in the basement ?

- No, Sinclair… I will… I will behave and I will receive Mr. and Mrs. McCoy for dinner. I truly forgot, please… It's this Manor!… I hate it, it's like a prison, and I don't go out for weeks!… Sinclair, please…

But Sinclair did not seem to listen. His greasy black hair gave him the look of a savage, and he was a man to be feared.

- You forgot about your duties! Go on and get ready, they'll get here any minute now!

She wished she could shout at him. She wished she could curse him. But she did not do any of it. She just nodded and left the library, in worse shape than before. 'Damn you, McCoys!' she thought in her anger.

The bedroom she shared with Sinclair was large and dark. It was the only place in that Manor that she actually enjoyed. It was quiet, every afternoon a pleasant wind would whistle by the window… She shook her head… She was so miserable! She stood in front of the mirror which did not hold the comment:

- Dear, you need to improve your qualities!

She scowled at the mirror. Damn mirrors! Always giving their opinions when she did not ask for it! She knew she was a mess! Argh! Maybe she should chose a dress… A impressive dress, or Sinclair would embarrass her in front of the McCoys with his nasty comments on 'how unfit she were for great halls'. 'I hate my life' she thought, while picking a very nice black dress, one of the most expensive she owned. She gave the dress another look before taking off her own dress which was already starting to fade. It was light brown, and when it was new it was almost beautiful. Almost. She sighed. She walked naked by the bedroom. She did not care to be seen. She did not care about many things now.

- Selena! The McCoys are here! Come down to greet them! - echoed Sinclair's voice.

She wished she could just stay where she was. She wished she did not need to answer that call. She wished a lot of things, she wished it all had been different. She got herself ready and finally the mirror appreciated her. Well, you better! She went downstairs and walked to the Hall, where Mr. Daniel McCoy and his wife, Sempronia McCoy already waited. They were an elegant couple, and their presence in that dark hall was quite unfit, as if they didn't belong there.

Sinclair was offering the guests a glass of sherry when she finally went into a lovely halt right in front of Mr. and Mrs. McCoy. Selena could still be very beautiful when she wanted to. She gave the guests a lovely smile which made her even prettier.

- Mrs. Snape, how nice to see you! How lovely you look tonight!

Selena smiled. Behind that smile was a lot of sadness hidden, but she would not allow the McCoys to notice it. What happened between Sinclair and her was to be kept between them. Selena then indicated the sofa in front of the fireplace for the McCoys to sit. It was a grey sofa, bought in a wizard store in Spain. Mr. McCoy sat at the right of his wife, with the glass of sherry in his right hand. They looked very comfortable with each other, and that made Selena somehow jealous. She knew the McCoys should be a troublesome couple as well.

- How's little Severus doing ? I heard from my house-elf that he's been giving you a lot of trouble - Mrs. McCoy broke the silence, taking a sip of her sherry.

- Oh, he's doing fine. I don't know what your house-elf has been telling you, but Severus has been a very nice child. I don't know what you call trouble either. - Selena answered.

She wondered why was she defending Severus like that. Was that because he was her son or was it because Sinclair was sitting right at the couch dangerously near her? She could not say.

- I am afraid Jelly has been telling me lies or even giving me the wrong information… - Mrs. McCoy said.

- Darling, stop… - Mr. McCoy's voice sounded finally.

It was always like that. Mrs. McCoy would always try to anger Selena, to taunt her till she finally reacted. Selena, on the other hand, would always be content in refuting Mrs. McCoy's remarks and getting a grip of herself enough to keep herself from doing anything harsh or unexpected. But in her insides, Selena wished she could curse that woman.

Their mutual hate was almost a legend. When both girls were at Hogwarts, they used to dispute the same boys. Selena always won, because she was a lot prettier than Nelly Baker - now called Nelly McCoy. Also, both of them belonged to Slytherin, and both of them graduated the very same year. They never liked each other, but Nelly would never forgive Selena for marrying Sinclair Snape. It was never a secret that Nelly Baker was profoundly in love with Sinclair Snape, who happened to be three years older than Selena and Nelly.

But Selena had natural talent for seduction. She wanted to marry Sinclair Snape, for the fortune of her family was fading. She hid this information from him though. She let him think what he wanted to think, and used her body to get to him. Driven by lust, Sinclair fell in Selena's net, and they married when she completed 20 years old.

Selena got what she wanted, but still, she could not be happy. Was it love that drove her or only her own greed ? For when Sinclair discovered her family was decaying, he pushed her away from him, pushed her away from his love. It was strange to realize how that hurt her inside. She feared that feeling more than pain itself.

And now she was in the same room where Nelly McCoy faced her with disturbing eyes. Selena hid her distaste. Her life became a Hell since Sinclair found out her little secret. Maybe it would get better. Maybe something would change. That was going to be a long night. Selena had to keep the control over herself. At least for a little more.

The Malfoy Manor looked deserted at the sunset. But Draconis Malfoy wanted it to be that way. He cast a lot of shielding spells to avoid intruders in his Manor for at least two days. Of course that he would receive a Ministry representative gladly - well, apparently gladly! - in his Manor, to answer to anything they wished. Anyway, he was clean. He had done nothing wrong.

Draconis had a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hand. He was sitting at his favourite couch, his legs resting over a chair. At his side, in a little round table, he had a cup of coffee. It was untouched yet, and he didn't seem very willing to drink it right now. Actually, he was reading about the fire in Hall Manor. He could not help a grin. But he knew about the consequences. He would have to take care of Aurelius Hall when he returned. And probably of his little pretty bride. That wasn't such a distasteful thought for Draconis. Actually, it would drive him away from boredom.

Lavynia walked in the room in the moment Draconis re-read the article for the second time. His eyes were so delighted that his wife could not help a grin.

- Having fun with the news, dear? - she asked.

Draconis gave a hoarse sound, that meant he was more than pleased.

- Those fools of the Daily Prophet thinks they know anything. They know nothing! They're just like those idiots of the Ministry! I wonder… Taylor must be very surprised and confused. You see, he find some material carried with Dark Arts in Hall Manor which happened to get on fire not that long after. What do you think he should be feeling right now ? He's to blame if he didn't lock Mr. Hall in when he had the chance!

Lavynia placed her hands over her husband's shoulders. She used to do that when her husband was excited about something. She knew how the day would end up, and she was looking forward to it. She smiled faintly.

- Well, dear, you're to blame for you're so damn cunning. Think of it… Mr. Hall messed up, and you found a way to confuse Mr. Taylor and take him off your track… Handling them a new mystery. Have you any idea how brilliant you are ?

Draconis smiled. He always loved when Lavynia talked to him that way. Of course he didn't show the extent of his pleasure to hear that, or Lavynia would lose the respect she had for him. Draconis liked to keep things clear between them. They had a moderated marriage and also a moderated relationship. They didn't actually love each other; both sides agreed that marriage have anything to do with love. The way they've found to this relationship was the way of ignoring. Lavynia ignored Draconis' lovers, and Draconis paid her bills.

- Come on, now, Lavynia… Why don't you read this article? It's quite amusing… - Draconis said, handling her the Daily Prophet.

She grabbed it. The fire in Hall Manor occupied the frontal page of the newspaper. There was a picture in which the Hall Manor could be seen burning till nothing else remained, but the ashes and the black smoke. Lavynia cleaned her throat before reading aloud:

"Fire at the Hall Manor

Ministry representatives supports the idea of an accidental fire, though there's disagreements about what happened in Hall Manor this morning. Mr. Jonathan Brownsville, Minister for Magic, stated that the mystery would be solved very soon and insisted that the Ministry was doing everything possible to solve the problem.

Around ten o'clock in this sunny morning smoke has been seen by the Kayne family coming from the Hall Manor. Startled by the incident, they owled the Ministry immediately, but when they finally got there it was already too late: the Hall Manor was almost entirely consumed by the flames.

The Ministry representatives has been asking questions tirelessly and everyone says that no one has been seen around the Hall Manor the entire morning. That's why some of the Ministry representatives agrees that Mr. Hall could have committed suicide.

Being inquired, Mr. Philip Taylor, responsible for the Department of Control of the Dark Arts, refused to comment the fact. That proves that the Ministry is keeping information from the public, what leads us to a very troublesome matter: does the Hall Manor fire implicate the recent events involving the known collection of Dark Arts artifacts in Mr. Hall's possession ?

Mr. George Weasley, however, was kind enough to give us his statement: "The Ministry is doing everything that can be done in this case. A lot of time and effort has been dedicated in this direction and I'm sure that the mystery will son be revealed." It was all we could get from the Ministry till now, what we got to do is wait for new tidings coming from the Ministry.

The Hall Manor has been completely consumed by the fire. Ministry representatives are still searching for Mr. Simon Hall's body, thought their search has being unsuccessful till now. Many even doubt that there's a body at all.

Until the situation is solved, the Ministry for Magic stated that the Ministry will be on alert against any kind of odd movements and facts. What's left for us now is wait for news tomorrow in the Daily Prophet."

Lavynia finished reading the article. She smirked.

- Dear!… They had not even mentioned those parchments!

Draconis smirked. Journalists! A bunch of stupid creatures in his opinion!

- Journalists are thick, Lavynia! They're always expecting for the great scoop of their lives, and when things like that happens they come to see meaning where there's none! Believe me, those journalists won't be a problem for me. They'll never get to me. All the evidences are lost in the Hall Manor. And I doubt that Mr. Aurelius Hall will go to the Ministry. He'll come to me. Then… Well, then you know. Let's just say we'll have a little meeting on the dungeons.

A glint of evil could be seen in Draconis' eyes. If you knew Draconis Malfoy well, you'd know perfectly well what he meant by "little meeting on the dungeons". Draconis had the most famous torturing collection in the area, though his connections in the Ministry of Magic made sure those precious artifacts didn't go to the wrong hands. Actually, he could perfectly keep from a Ministry representative the simple fact that he had a Dungeon, for his connections made sure to deal with that as if it was only a dirty legend. Lavynia smirked, following her husband's thoughts.

- Dear, that's why you'll survive your enemies. You're a lot more intelligent and cunning than any of them. I just don't understand why you make allegiance with such idiots.

Draconis gave his wife a mysterious look. She faced him back, not defiantly, just in a way that showed her appreciation for the husband.

- I don't think you cared that that man, the one who gave you that disgusting brunette child, was more stupid than a damned house-elf!

At first Lavynia said nothing. She knew what Draconis was talking about. He was referring to Roderick Cornwell, a wizard coming from New Castle that was making business with Draconis. Her husband killed the man and the daughter, and Lavynia chose not to speak of the subject. And she never talked to him about it, it was as if it had never happened.

- That's a different story, dear. I told you I'd never do it again, and I've been true to my word. I'd only ask you to trust me again.

- Trust you again, darling ? I never mistrusted you. Why do you think that ? You allowed me to kill them, didn't you ? You've already proved you're loyal to me, once you allowed me to kill your daughter and that bastard!

She gave him a puzzled look. She had always believed that Draconis went so mad at her that he would never forget about what happened. And she never forgot about it herself. She's been punishing herself everyday, acting as a guilty prisoner in a large Manor. Draconis grey eyes were facing her in this moment.

- I'm sorry, dear, I'm afraid I don't understand… - she started, weakly.

Draconis raised his hands of a sudden, dropping the subject. He didn't really want to talk about the subject, he only enjoyed watching her reaction when he taunted her about it. He was known for being sadistic, and his wife wouldn't be rid of it ever. He would always tell her he didn't blame her, but the truth was he did blame her, and would make her pay for her impertinence forever.

- Where's Lucius? He asked me to meet the Dungeons, and I'm sure he's been behaving well, darling? What say you, you're his mother…

Lavynia didn't need to say anything. In this moment a white-blond headed boy showed up, his grey eyes exactly like his father's. He ran to his father, but didn't hold him. He knew better. He once tried to hug Draconis, and was brushed away. He never tried it again. And now he would finally meet the Dungeons.