Chapter Twenty-Three: Collecting Marsh

"Thomas Marsh," Severus stated bluntly. A slight incline of his head was the sign from Lucius that he should continue. "He came to Dumbledore yesterday offering information, his wand, even gold, essentially everything he had for a guarantee of protection... from you. I do not know what business passed between you, but the man is terrified."

"He hasn't known fear yet," Lucius promised quietly.

Rose stepped forward to refill Malfoy's glass, and he looked up as though he had forgotten that she was there. With lightning speed, he seized the bottle. Rose gasped in surprise, still holding on, fingers frozen in place, but he pried them loose with surprising gentleness and filled the glass himself.

"You're dismissed, Rose," he said flatly.

Relieved to escape the building tension, she exited quickly and headed for the third floor terrace where she could listen in peace. Unfortunately, halfway there, she was intercepted by Draco who challenged her to a rematch of the chess game that had never actually been played. Cursing her luck, she reluctantly agreed.

Lucius sat back and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I am so disappointed. Marsh was my first contact in the Ministry over twenty years ago. I have never had to question his loyalty to me. I must assume that this means he could not accomplish the task I set for him."

"Task?" Severus prompted.

"A personal matter that I wished to clear up within the ministry concerning Alexandria," Lucius answered vaguely.

"An attempt to clear her name?" Severus guessed. When Lucius nodded, he continued. "I didn't think that they were searching for her. After all, the elimination of four escaped Death Eaters was an unexpected stroke of luck for the Ministry."

"But, killing them in cold blood was still a crime, the act of a dangerous witch. Had she been an Auror, she would have been awarded the Order of Merlin, but she is not even a citizen of this country. While they are not actively searching for her, she would be arrested without question if she were seen by the authorities here or in her own country," Lucius explained patiently.

"You plan to gain her trust through her absolution?"

"Among other things," Lucius answered mysteriously. Severus leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"You're angry with me, Severus." It was a statement of fact rather than a question, and Snape's gaze was immediately drawn back to his companion.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I took what was yours," Lucius led softly.

"I freely released her," Severus argued in a cool, measured, practiced tone. "I had had quite enough."

"How any man could have enough of that woman is quite beyond me." Lucius drew a finger across his lips, remembering the taste of her.

Severus shifted uncomfortably. "What do you wish for me to do about Marsh?" he asked, wanting to end this evening and return to the solitude of his dungeon. "Shall I escort him to you?"

"No. I will collect him tomorrow," Lucius said firmly. "It will be my exquisite pleasure to repay him for his treachery, then perhaps I'll pay a visit to our Minister. I'm sure I can persuade him to aid us in the clearing of Miss Borgin's good name."

"And you think this will convince her to negate the contract?" Severus asked.

"For her sake, I hope so," Lucius answered sincerely.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I have the means to do so myself, but have refrained because of the damage it would inflict upon her. The spell is... painful in the extreme. The casting of it would certainly intensify her hostility toward me and our cause."

"Exactly how badly would it harm her?" Severus questioned without a trace of the trepidation he felt entering his voice.

Lucius turned an icy glare on the potions master. "Why the sudden concern?"

"Interest, Lucius, interest, not concern," Severus corrected. "Inescapable lust for knowledge is the plague of the intellectual."

"So, you can just... let her go? No jealousy? No anger?" Lucius asked these things flippantly, but the keen interest in his friend's reply was evident.

Severus sighed deeply. "I do what I must, Lucius, as I always have."

"There are times that I envy you, old friend." Lucius stood and stepped toward the hearth, signaling the end of the evening. "I will keep you informed of my progress with Miss Borgin. If she fails to lift the contract by the next new moon, no doubt you'll hear her screams from wherever she's hiding." Casually, he added floo powder to the flames and watched them flare. In the menacing green glow, he turned to his companion. "Until I hear from her...," he said by way of dismissal.

Severus bent slightly at the waist in deference, then stepped back through the flames to his dungeon where he could brood in peace.

Tuesday morning, dawn was just breaking as Rose stepped into a steaming shower to wash away the nightmare that had awakened her. She recalled an eerie sense of duality as she poured poisoned wine for a group of Death Eaters under the watchful gaze of Lucius Malfoy. When she reached Severus' glass, Malfoy nodded, silently ordering her to kill him. Severus held out his goblet, fixing her with a mournful stare and whispered, "It's better this way."

She had jerked awake in a cold sweat.

Now, she scrubbed her face with vigor and planned for Alex's future. The question was whether to release Lucius Malfoy from the contract that bound him and his Death Eaters from harming her. It was her only real defense against him, but had become moot where his associates were concerned. Negating it would mean that she had no defense against one of the most feared wizards in the world, which would be fine if he didn't want her to help him kill the most feared wizard in the world.

Lucius had warned Rose that he showed no mercy to those who defied him. She chuckled under the warm spray. Alex had done nothing but defy Malfoy from the very beginning, and she had seen his temper at work over a small matter. What fate awaited her when she turned down his proposal?

These thoughts and others like them plagued her all morning as she went about her routine. At ten o'clock her bracelet began to glow and she answered its call immediately. It did not do to keep Lucius Malfoy waiting.

He was seated at his desk, sealing a scroll with a vicious curse when she arrived. Taking her customary place at his heel, she waited, amazed at the sea of papers which covered the desk. Lunar charts, enormous books that pulsated with dark power, and notes in magical script littered the surface. Among all of them, she spotted something that made her skin crawl; a list of ingredients including human blood, fingernails or hair (that of the intended target), a unicorn heart, and the blood of the bound (whatever that meant). She was just squinting to read a word scrawled on a corner of one of the pages of parchment when her attention was diverted.

"I have a task for you, Rose," Lucius said with import as he stood with the scroll in hand.

"I live to serve you, my lord," was her response.

"I need this delivered to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Put it directly into his hands. You must not be persuaded to give it to anyone else, especially that revolting assistant of his. Is that understood?" he asked sternly.

"Completely, sir." Rose took the scroll and turned to leave.

"Rose," he called. "You can floo directly into the Ministry from the sitting room, and I would prefer that you do so. I need this taken care of quickly. I have instructed him in the letter to give his reply to you, and you will not leave until you have it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." She left immediately, dying of curiosity to know what she was delivering that had Malfoy so concerned.

Two hours later, she returned to the manor, sighing deeply at the peace and quiet. She had never seen such a bustling place as the Ministry of Magic, letters flying overhead, magically amplified voices blaring through the corridors, and enough bureaucracy to make any self-respecting miscreant sick. Certain that she'd been gone far too long, and wanting to deliver the Minister's answer as quickly as possible, she rushed through the halls of Malfoy Manor searching for her employer. The office was empty as were his private chambers. She finally located him in the library, seated at a table and surrounded by at least fifty huge texts.

His head resting in one hand, and his eyes swiftly scanning the enormous book before him, he didn't even notice her arrival. Softly, she cleared her throat. He didn't move, didn't even stop his eyes from their relentless searching as he spoke.

"You have it?"

"Yes, sir."

"I expected you back an hour ago," he stated without malice.

"I apologize, my lord. Your Minister's assistant is persistent, to say the least."

"He hindered you?" he asked, a slight glint of anger in his voice.

"He hit on me... relentlessly," she admitted, feeling herself go red at the memory. The boy hadn't been much older than Draco and failed to understand what a hurry she was in.

"For that long?" Malfoy responded, finally looking up.

She hesitated. "No, sir. After he found out that I work for you, he tried to warn me away from your service, telling me in strictest confidence that you were an evil man, a cold-hearted murderer, and a tyrant, to quote him precisely."

"I see," he hissed, standing and rounding the table, closing the distance between them slowly, but relentlessly. "I'm curious, Rose, what you would say to such harsh words about your employer."

Boldly, she looked him the eye as he glared down at her. "I'd really rather not tell you that, my lord," she answered as respectfully as she could.

"I insist."

She took a deep breath, forcibly keeping her eyes locked on his. "I told him to go fuck himself... sir."

The change in his expression was fascinating. His frozen features melted into a genuine smile that was actually mirrored in his eyes. "Thank you, Rose. I've been wanting to say that for years."

She laughed in relief. "Why in the world haven't you?"

He raised his chin in all-too-familiar arrogance. "My breeding simply rebels against such vulgarity."

"Oh," Rose answered, slightly put off. "Well, it's lucky that your servant is such an uncouth woman." She tried to make light of it, but the offense in her tone was evident.

Lucius merely chuckled. "You are no such thing. Now, give me that scroll."

She placed it in his extended hand and turned to leave as he opened it. "Lunch will be a bit late, I'm afraid," she called over her shoulder.

"Order out. You've earned a bit of a respite," he answered, obviously pleased with the short reply the Minister had penned.

Rose left the room, wondering at the strange satisfaction she felt seeing Lucius so delighted.

The mansion was dark and silent and unseasonably cold and, try as she might, Rose could not force herself to close her eyes. Sitting up with a frustrated sigh, she stared out the window for a moment, thinking. This situation had begun to make very little sense. Why couldn't she just leave? Just walk away from Death Eaters and Lucius Malfoy... and Severus?

That's it, she thought, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. I have to do something or I'm going to drive myself crazy! A memory of Lucius surrounded by interesting-looking books surfaced and she quickly made up her mind that the trek to the library would be worth the time. Surely she could find something among those ancient tomes to take her mind off of this mess.

Malfoy Manor was an eerie place in the middle of the night. Evil-looking portraits followed you with haunted eyes, never speaking or moving. The floor tended to creak in odd places, and never the same place twice. Mysterious drafts gusted up as if from the floor, teasing the skin with feathery touches before disappearing altogether, making one wonder whether they had just been tricks of the imagination.

Once in the library, she chose the most recent book of Malfoy family history. It would be interesting to know whether Lucius Malfoy's parents and grandparents were anything like him. And, if they weren't, then it would at least bore her to sleep.

She was on her way back down one of the more frightening corridors in the mansion when she saw a green light flare from the sitting room, then heard a raised voice speaking feverishly, pleading with someone. Lucius Malfoy's voice, more harsh than she'd ever heard it, drowned out the other.

"How dare you even speak my name?"

There was an echoing thump and a cry of pain before the newcomer spoke again. "My lord, please understand. I feared that you would kill me."

"Very soon, Thomas, you will wish that I had."

The man screamed then, a piercing, tortured scream and followed that by more begging, more pleading for mercy. Soon, his cries were stifled and two shadows rose up on the floor of the hallway. Rose backed away, tucking herself behind a pillar and peeking curiously around, knowing the trouble she'd find if she were caught spying, but unable to help herself. The newcomer exited first, stumbling as if shoved. He was bound and gagged in muggle fashion, but left free to carry himself to their destination. How like Lucius, she thought, to make a man walk to his doom when he could have just as easily levitated him.

Lucius strode out of the room after his prisoner, looking absolutely murderous. He gave the man a shove with his wand and an order that Rose couldn't quite catch. The panic that rose within her as they turned her way was devastating. For a moment, she couldn't think at all, then a cold calm washed over her. She was smaller than the pillar which hid her from view. She could circle it as they closed the distance and passed her, but every move would have to be perfect.

Sure enough, as they moved along the passageway, Lucius occasionally giving his prisoner a shove, Rose retreated step by agonizing step around the pillar, just out of view. Thoughts of stumbling over her own feet and landing in Malfoy's path began to overwhelm her as he passed directly in front of her hiding place, so close that she could have stretched out her hand and touched him were the pillar not blocking the way. What seemed like eons later, they passed her and began to disappear out of sight. She was safe.

She was absolutely stunned when she caught herself following after them. What in the hell was she thinking? He would kill her if he caught her doing this! Somewhere inside, Alex Borgin, celebrated thief, chuckled quietly, thoroughly enjoying the challenge... and the danger.

Creeping through the halls, hiding behind pillars and statues, crouching in the shadows of large vases, she followed them all the way to a seldom-used stair near the back of the house. It was seldom-used because the passage led to a dead-end about which Rose had cast much speculation.

Lucius gave his captive one final shove when they reached the stair and watched him tumble down with complete calm, then slowly descended after him. As she crept closer, Rose could hear the man trying to scream through the gag. He struggled on the floor, attempting to inch away from his pursuing captor, but Lucius reached the bottom before he could move more than a foot.

"Get up." he spat.

Rose peered down through the stair railing and watched as he attempted to gain his feet and fell to his knees. Lucius shook his head slightly as he drew his wand and uttered a single word that brought a horrible memory back to Rose.

"Crucio."

The screams were terrible because they were so soft, muffled with the cloth, and Rose had to turn her head at the sight of the man writhing helplessly in his bonds. When the screams were replaced by violent sobs, Lucius released the curse and spoke again.

"Get. Up." he ordered carefully.

This time, somehow, the man made it.

"There," Lucius said sportingly. "You see what you can accomplish when properly motivated? You know, Thomas, I had planned to give you a rare gem from my private collection as a reward for your services. We could have been sipping wine in my sitting room, right now, but you have forced me to punish you. What information were you going to give Dumbledore, I wonder? You know so much about me. I can't imagine the extent of damage you could have done. I have never been more disappointed."

Marsh leaned his head against the stone wall as Lucius spoke, his body heaving with emotion as he cried. Rose was heart-broken for the man. Just what had he done to deserve this? Gone for help when he was afraid? Severus had called him a traitor, had given him over to Lucius for punishment. Could either of these men really be trusted? Once again, she considered running. Then a flash of Nina's smiling face lit up her memory, and she had a vision of Bellatrix and Dolohov doing this to her. It was enough of a reminder of why she was still here, why she persisted in wiping out these people, one by one.

As she was thinking, Lucius uttered a harsh, guttural chant and he and his captive disappeared into the wall. Obviously, this was the entrance to the dungeons she'd often wondered about. Rose leaned back against the wall and took several calming breaths. The door was sealed with magic she had no hope of overcoming. Besides, she wasn't so certain she wanted to see what Lucius would do to the man. She knew she should go back to her room, but curiosity got the better of her and she settled herself behind a stone pillar to wait. As she sat, she noticed for the first time that she still had the book in her hand, and there seemed to be just enough moonlight streaming in through the window to read by.

She soon lost track of time as she read and considered, and even drifted off to sleep a few times as her legs turned to stone curled in front of her. Finally Lucius emerged, but so unlike himself that she wondered for a moment if she was dreaming. His perfect, silken hair was drenched in sweat and stuck to his skull, but worse than that was the blood that was splattered everywhere; in his hair, on his face and clothes. His hands were almost completely red with it. Rose felt herself gag, but forced herself to control it, knowing that, if he caught her like this, she would share the same fate.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Lucius stopped for a breathless moment, not three feet from her, and took a deep breath with closed eyes, then continued on his way with a steady gait, walking stick leading the way, and chin high in the air.

Intel Ewok: Ahh, thanks for the quotes. It's good to know what you liked. It really helps me take the measure of what works and what doesn't. It's also an interesting insight into your personality. You're right about Severus' reaction, by the way. I don't know how he held it together! And, I so agree with you about "Saint Potter." I don't dislike him, but he's not remotely my favorite, and Ron just makes me want to vomit. Then again, I don't think I've seen many movies in which I didn't fall hard for the bad guy. And, Harry, no matter how full of angst he was in OOTP, is still unwaveringly good. YAWN!

Mary: I agree with you. I know I couldn't make that choice. Of course, I'm not really the type to commit, so I'd probably take them both... you know, in another universe where I'm beautiful and witty and charming as opposed to being a dumpy girl with a writing obsession.

Annie: Thanks! I'm really glad that you love my Lucius. That means the world to me! It's a bummer about Sev, but I'm going somewhere with that, I promise. Your connection of music and writing is fascinating to me. I began (and dropped out of) college as a music major. For most of my life, it was my love, my passion, and my only means of expression, then something happened to take that from me. I won't go into details, here, but I will say that it devastated me for years. I'm still recovering emotionally from it. Therefore, reading what you wrote about my wring having a musical or lyrical feel to it touched more deeply than I can express to you. You never know when that kind word will make all the difference to someone. So, thank you.

Slytherin Sagittarius: So, you didn't coin the phrase "Darth Real Life?" Uh-oh. I've misquoted you and failed to give "cool quote" credit to one of my reviewers. Will the actual originator of that phrase please stand up and take a bow? Sorry about that. And, I'm really sorry to hear about your Mom. It's good to know that she's doing okay. Your background is very interesting. I hope that someday you're able to put your skills to good use, but it's always nice to have a roof over one's head and marinated tofu (or whatever suits your fancy) in the fridge. I'm glad that you didn't find the dance with the girl to be distracting to the story line. I hoped to point that out, get Draco's reaction (always funny in adolescent males), and indicate how steadily her mind was focused on Lucius. Even at a club, the one person she gets really close to looks just like him. So, you would've zapped her, too? I really respect that.

Arwen78: I hope that your fears for Severus are allayed now. If Malfoy had attacked him, I really don't know what Rose would have done. She still has feelings for him, no doubt, but she's terrified of Lucius and Severus did (to the best of her knowledge) leave her to a pretty nasty fate. It's a quandary. Your almost-threat had me rolling. That was too funny! Hope I updated soon enough to spare myself your wrath.

Silverfey: Yes, Rose and Alex are two very different entities. She's made a point to keep them that way, and it's probably spared her no end of trouble. Lucius is not a forgiving man, and I doubt he'd like the idea of being played for a fool. Lucius is growing on you? I don't believe it! I have accomplished the impossible! YEAH! But, don't feel less loyal to Sev! You can be like Alex and love them both. Thanks for the compliments. You made my whole week! Now, update, darn it! I want Lucius!

Fleur K: My ramble had meaning? Thank Merlin's frosty beard! Sometimes I feel like a real moron just rambling on like that! Sorry about the cliffie. I'd tell you that it wasn't intentional, but I would be lying through my teeth and I try to never do that. As I told Silverfey, it's a good thing that Alex is good at acting. Lucius would not be happy to see that she'd been playing this game with him right under his nose. It's not a good idea to humiliate a man like that.

Arabella Minerva: Sorry about not answering all of your questions. At least you're no longer worried about Sev. You go ahead and reiterate what you've said before, dear. I don't mind. Mab knows I tend to do so!

Lady Jenilyn: A dry county! Oh, the torment! Sometimes I can't write a sentence until I've had a few stiff drinks. You poor baby! You go ahead and call yourself my groupie if you want to, and I'll be yours. It'll be great, mutual groupies! Groovy! Okay. Sorry. Got carried away. If it'll keep compliments like that coming, I'll detail everything, just for you! I've always wondered what people like the Malfoys discuss around the dinner table, so I took a stab at it and ran away. I'm glad that you enjoyed the difference in Lucius' character when he's with Rose. I like to think that she brings out the gentleman in him, when he's not too preoccupied to even notice her. Not to say that I don't think he would follow through on his threat to beat her if she pissed him off. He is a control freak. I'm glad that you want my story to last because it has quite a way to go before it wraps itself up. Don't cry, though. I have another one just dying to get out. I hope you'll like that one, too.