Chapter 89
Showing weakness in front of the potion master could be lethal.
"Well, Mr Dursley, it seems that I'm getting punished for something you did. The headmistress in all her wisdom has decided that I should be in charge for you until further notice."
His voice was dripping with sarcasm so that even Dudley could recognize it and winced.
"Actually, I'm not your head of house, which means that you will continue to reside in Gryffindor. Yet, I will put a charm on you that will inform me immediately if you disobey the rules, carry out the punishment if possible or directs you to me at the earliest convenience. My convenience of course"
Dudley swallowed hard. Damn, he's going to have a remote control for me, he thought and ground his teeth in frustration.
Snape opened the top drawer of his desk and took out a little black velvet bag.
Dudley watched curiously as Snape opened the black ribbon and turned the bag upside down. A little silver medallion on a delicate chain fell on the table and Snape held it out to Dudley.
"This is a watcher. It will record all your activities during the day and report it in here." he said and pointed at a black leather booklet on his desk.
"This will give me the chance to follow everything you're doing. However, the watcher will inform me immediately when you do something wrong."
Then he showed Dudley that he was wearing the same silver necklace under his robes.
"I want to give you some good advice, Dursley; think twice and then a third time before you try something stupid again, because my punishments will be severe to make sure you're getting the picture"
Snape narrowed eyes bore into Dudley's while he spoke and the boy felt like he had just swallowed a giant ice-cube.
"Stretch your hands out, palms up!" Snape commanded and Dudley looked at him dumbfounded.
Snape didn't say a word but let out his breath like a hiss through gritted teeth. Then the boy quickly did as requested and the potion master pointed his wand at both hands in turn, muttering an incantation. Dudley glared at his hands, which had grown warm and glowed a little. What had happened?
"Well, this little spell will ensure that you will not be able to touch anything that contains a potion, except when I supervise you or in the hospital wing. I would not recommend disobeying my orders or it will hurt severely. Did I make myself clear?"
The dangerously low voice sent shivers down Dudley's spine and he said meekly "Crystal clear, sir"
"You're dismissed and remember my words"
Dudley fled from the office as fast as he could and all but ran back to the common room.
First of all I'm going to have a little talk with a certain rat, he growled when he crawled through the portrait hole.
"Hey Padfoot" Remus called out when he walked through the entrance hall. "What are you up to?"
The black-haired wizard grinned impishly and whispered "Care for a trip to the kitchens? I'm quite hungry"
The werewolf chuckled and joined his friend, who was already half way up the marble staircase. It didn't take them long to get to the painting that guarded the entrance to the Hogwarts' kitchens and Sirius tickled the pear. To their surprise, not one house-elf rushed to greet them when the pushed down the handle and entered.
All the house-elves were gathered around a table and Remus was certain he could hear muffled sobs from somewhere.
"My apologies sirs" Sirius recognized a small voice in front of him.
"What's going on, Dobby?" he inquired, while Remus was already on his way to find out what the house-elves were shielding from their view.
"Miss came down her a little while ago, but Miss did not talk. All Miss do is crying. Dobby do not know what we can do" the little creature said sadly.
Sirius was very intrigued now and followed his friend to the table.
He was more than surprised when he recognized Lady Tanya sitting on a bench, crying quietly into her teacup. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks flushed and her hair was one tangled mess. Sirius was quite sure that she must have entangled her hands in it in sorrow or frustration. Wondering why their friend was in such a state, Remus and Sirius sat down on the bench opposite of her and the werewolf padded her hand.
"What happened to you my dear? Why are you crying?" he asked with his deep, soft voice but Lady Tanya just shook her head.
"Please tell us what's wrong" Sirius whispered and stroked her dark hair.
"I turned that boy into a rat and now Albus is going to ban me into that wretched painting again" she sobbed and buried her face in her arms.
Remus leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Don't worry dear, it's all right. I transfigured him back, so no harm done"
"That doesn't change a thing. I know that Albus will not leave that unpunished." Her sobbing increased and the men recognized her tears pooling on the shine surface of the table.
"I'm sure we can talk to him. You didn't do it on purpose, Tanya, so he can't really blame you." Sirius tried to soothe her and she peeked over her crossed arms.
"You think so?" she asked meekly, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes.
"I think first of all we should get you a wand" Remus said firmly and lifted her face up by her chin. "I'm sure that you will be able to control your magic better when you start channelling it through your wand"
"I haven't had a wand in centuries. I don't even know if I can still handle one"
"Trust me dear... that's like swimming. Once you know how it works, you'll never forget it." Sirius said cheerfully. He knew exactly how she felt. The animagus had the same worries when Albus gave him his wand back the previous year.
"Do you think that Albus will allow me to go to Diagon Alley to get one?" she asked and glanced hopefully from Sirius to Remus.
"Well my dear, I'm not going to wait to find out" Sirius said quickly and grabbed her arm.
"See you later" he called before he dragged the confused witch out of the kitchen.
The house-elves were even more irritated and kept asking Remus if they did anything wrong. It took the werewolf quite a while to convince the little creatures that it wasn't their fault and finally he managed to escape from the kitchens, but not without getting his pockets stuffed with food and sweets.
Sirius hurried down the steps so fast, the witch could barely keep up.
"Where are we going?" she gasped but received no reply. They stepped through the oak doors and as soon as they were on the grounds Sirius started to run at high-speed, still holding on tightly to Lady Tanya's hand.
"Tell me where we're going?" she said with an almost angry voice when they passed Hagrid's hut and Sirius made no attempts to slow down.
As soon as they reached the gates of Hogwarts, Sirius pulled her into a tight embrace and with a swirl they were gone. The world started spinning around her and she knew they were apparating; just then she figured out where they were going.
Well, I'm a little slow at time, she mused and waited for the spinning to end.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the middle of Diagon Alley.
The sounds and smells were overwhelming her senses and she swayed slightly. Sirius grabbed her arms and steadied her before they proceeded towards Ollivander's.
They entered the shop and Lady Tanya looked around.
"I have never been here before. My uncle gave me an old wand to practice the spells for beginners but I never had my own." she said and gazed at the hundreds of little boxes on the shelves behind the desk.
Mr Ollivander smiled at them warmly. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Sirius stepped up to the desk, still holding on to the witch and explained "My friend here is in need of a wand. It will be her first"
The wizard looked curiously at Lady Tanya and tilted his had to the left.
Resting his right index finger on his lips, he hummed slightly before he picked up his tape measure and started to get all the information he needed. Lady Tanya stood there; totally baffled about the tape measure flying around in front of her, when finally Mr Ollivander cleared his throat.
"Well my dear, why don't you try this one? Mahogany 9 ½ inches unicorn tail hair"
Lady Tanya picked up the wand and waved it around.
Sirius ducked quickly when several boxes shot from their shelves in his direction like projectiles, one barely missing his head.
"Certainly not!" Mr Ollivander stated shortly and handed her another box.
"What about willow 11 inches with a griffin feather; quite swishy this one"
The witch picked it up and waved it a little more hesitantly this time.
She heard a loud bang behind her back and the single, old chair which was the only furniture in the store exploded into tiny little pieces.
Mr Ollivander chanced a glance at the remains of his chair and said "NO!"
Then he climbed up a ladder and took a dusty box from a high shelf.
"This one might be the right choice"
Sirius and Tanya, both looked expectantly and a little nervous at the piece of wood in front of her.
"Redwood 9 inches with dragon's heartstring" Mr Ollivander said and beckoned her to try it.
As soon as she touched it she felt a strange sensation inside. It was like meeting an old friend that you haven't see in years. She gave Sirius an approving look and waved the wand. Instantly red and golden sparks emerged from the tip and descended on the desk like a two-colored rainbow.
"That's it!" the shop-keeper cheered and clapped his hands enthusiastically.
"Hey there" Tanya smiled broadly and admired his new wand. "I think I'll call you Jake. What do think Sirius?"
The animagus had no idea what to say. For him now it was official – there were still people out there that were even crazier than the marauders.
No wonder I like her so much, he thought and turned around to Mr Ollivander.
"But what am I going to do now?" Lady Tanya suddenly gasped. "I don't have any money to pay for it"
"Don't worry about it" Sirius said and handed the shop-keeper some galleons. "I have it covered"
The witch blushed slightly and thanked him with a peck on the cheek. When they left the shop, Sirius looked at her and winked.
"Do you want to do a little more sightseeing or do you rather go back to the castle?"
"I'm shocked that you even have to ask" she chuckled, took his offered arm and they walked down the street.
Draco glared at the little note he was holding in shaky fingers.
Angrily he crumbled the parchment in his fist and rushed out of his room. Careful not to answer to the calls of his housemates, he left the common room and proceeded to the potions classroom.
He didn't bother to knock; all he wanted to know was what's going on.
Snape sat at his desk, grading papers when Draco burst in. One look at the boy's face proved that he knew about his father's disappearance. However he couldn't risk giving away that he was actually responsible for his father situation, so he set his face in the same emotionless mask he was wearing for class.
"Did I not tell you to go to your common room?" he growled before Draco could say a word.
"This is where I just come from. My mom sent me a note, saying that my father is missing for several days and that the chances that he will safely return are very small. Do you know anything about it? Has he something to do with it?"
"Your mother informed me as well. It seems like your father didn't return from work as usual and she reported his missing to the ministry. I encouraged her to do so and not to tell you anything in case he would return the next day, but as it looks now, he still hasn't returned."
Snape felt a little uneasy about the fact that he had to lie to the boy, but he couldn't reveal the fact that Lucius would never return just now.
"I'm sorry to tell you this but I'm quite positive that your father might never return."
Draco paled several shades and held on to the armrests of his chair, but his expression was very collected. Severus folded his hands on the desk and looked at his charge without the usual scowl on his face.
"You need to be prepared for the worst. However I'm not aware that the Dark Lord is involved in this in any way, although that doesn't have to mean anything. I promise you that I will find out about this."
Draco nodded mutely and rose from his chair. Just when he reached the door, he said "Professor, I would like to see my mother. Do you think this is possible?"
"I will talk to the headmistress and I'm sure she will give you permission"
Snape watched the boy leaving his office.
The potion master was surprised about the way the boy had reacted. He didn't know if the young Malfoy would actually miss his father. Lucius had never been caring. He had never seen anything but a trophy in Narcissa and his son, something to boast with. Hopefully Narcissa would be able to show the boy the love now, he knew she felt for him. All those years, she had to refrain from showing the boy the love he deserved out of fear that Lucius would use it to his own advantage.
He left his office and made his way to the headmistress' office to discuss Malfoy's situation.
"Severus, please take a seat and tell me what bothers you" Minerva said when the potion master entered her office.
"Mr Malfoy has received a note from his mother today, informing him of the disappearance of his father. Understandably, he is upset and would like to visit his mother."
"Severus, Albus has informed me about Lucius situation. Have you thought about how you're going to prove his death when he's currently residing at the greenhouse of Malfoy Manor?"
"To be honest, I was thinking about that myself for quite a while now. I can't leave his body somewhere for others to find him. It is obvious that he died of the infliction of a combined Cruciatus curse. The Dark Lord will find out about it and 'question' his followers. It would be too obvious that a deatheater has killed him."
Professor McGonagall nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, this is impossible"
"On the other hand, I can't leave young Malfoy unclear about his father's death for very much longer either and Narcissa deserves better than to wait 7 years until Lucius can officially declared dead."
"No this is impossible." Minerva shook her head slightly and turned towards a painting next to the desk. "Albus, would you please join us for a moment?"
Just a few seconds later, the former headmaster appeared in his painting and smiled at them wistfully.
"We were just discussing the best way to solve the problem with Lucius Malfoy."
Albus looked from Severus to Minerva and put his fingertips together before he commented.
"I gave this matter some thought and I think I have a solution."
The headmistress gave him a surprised look, while Severus didn't show any emotion whatsoever also he was very curious what the old wizard had in mind.
"I trust that you're both aware that we have to produce a body to prove Lucius has passed away. The problem here is that we have to make sure that the ministry will not examine the body and discover that he has been tortured."
"We already know that" Severus snapped. He hated it when Dumbledore explained everything the way he would explain it to a student. "Could you come to the point now?"
"I did a lot of reading and found a disease that causes all of Malfoy's symptoms; the internal bleeding until you drown in your own blood."
Now Severus couldn't help but look interested when Dumbledore continued.
"It is a very old disease and believed to be extinct, but it is still occurs in some African countries. Alobe is an infection that spreads by exchanging body fluids."
Dumbledore gave his colleagues a sly smile.
"Well, we all know how much Lucius enjoyed visiting relevant institutions providing physical pleasure for money. During my researches before I became headmaster of Hogwarts, I got hold of a sample of the Alobe virus. I managed to put a permanent stasis spell on it so it is not contagious anymore, but still recognizable through diagnostic spells."
The old wizard was aware that his long explanation was starting to annoy the potion master, but a part of him enjoyed irritating him.
"So that's my plan. Severus will return to Malfoy Manor and inform Mrs Malfoy about everything. Then he's going to transfigure the potted plant back into Lucius' corpse."
Then he faced the younger wizard and asked "Is there a place in the house where only Lucius has access to?"
Severus narrowed his eyes while he mused about what Dumbledore had said.
"Yes there's a room in the dungeons only accessible for deatheaters. I could deposit his body there"
"That's great idea. Narcissa would surely ask you to open this room to see if she can find any clues to his whereabouts. This would be a logic explanation why she couldn't find him earlier." Minerva said firmly.
"When you have Lucius where we want him, you add the virus and call the healers of St Mungo's. They will easily detect the virus and get rid off the body immediately. Since centuries, the wizarding world is terrified with this certain disease so they won't examine any further." Dumbledore stated.
Severus nodded and thought that this really could work.
"However I insist that this is all taken care off, before Mr Malfoy is send home for his visit"
"Yes, I think this would be the best way as well, Severus" Dumbledore agreed. "This way, his mother can give him as many details as he needs to know. It is better than to have him witness anything."
"Severus, you should go and meet Albus at his home, get the virus and proceed to Malfoy manor. As soon as all this is taken care of, you will report back to me and we will talk to Mr Malfoy about his visit" the headmistress said and Severus nodded curtly.
Immediately, he flooed to Dumbledore's house to receive the virus. The old wizard was a little too cheery for his liking. As long as Severus didn't see that it worked, he wouldn't relax, and he certainly never cheered.
Then he used the fireplace in his study to floo to Malfoy's ancestral home. Narcissa was giving the house-elves final instructions on the dinner for today when he found her. Quickly he explained the plan and the witch was more than excited about it.
As soon as the Malfoy-plant was brought safely to the secret conference room, Severus transfigured him back and was ready to add the virus. The corpse didn't look as bad as expected; although he had been dead for several days, the body didn't show visible signs of decaying. Narcissa glared at the body of her late husband, but Severus couldn't recognize any sign of regret or sorrow on her face; only relief.
"You have to make sure you're looking shocked and devastated when the ministry officials appear." the potion master ordered and the witch looked at him with a slight smile on her face.
"Trust me Severus; that will be no problem. I have 16 years of practice as an actor, just like you"
Snape knew too well how true her words were and headed for the fireplace to make a floo-call to St Mungo's. It didn't take long before a member of the magical Law Enforcement along with a healer from St Mungo's arrived. Severus had to admit that Narcissa truly was an admirable actress. She was very convincing as the mourning widow, who didn't understand how that happened.
Just as Albus had predicted, the healer immediately recognized the virus and cremated the corpse on the spot before the ministry official could intervene.
"I'm very sorry for your loss" the healer said and handed her the ashes of her husband in a black metal box. "Please accept my condolences. I will take care of the paperwork today and will forward it to the minister to sign it. As soon as you receive the copy, you can arrange the funeral for Mr Malfoy, wherever you see fit"
Narcissa produced a few tears and thanked the healer for his kindness.
"If you will excuse me, but I would like to inform my son about his father's demise. Severus, would you please bring my son here?" she asked meekly and put her hand on his arm.
As soon as Severus and Narcissa were alone again, the wizard congratulated her for her great performance.
"Well, I told you that I'm a great actress. Now would you get Draco for me so I can break the news to him?"