Chapter Fifteen: A Beginning and an End

"Lucius, listen to me" she begged, searching her mind furiously for a plausible explanation.

Casually, he lifted his hand against her words, an old and familiar gesture of command, one it was wise to obey. "Save your explanations for our Master. I'm sure he'll be most interested to hear what you have to say."

He backed up a step, discarding both their masks at his feet and looked around at his associates. "Here endeth our sport for tonight, I'm afraid." There were groans of protest all around, most suggesting that they take her anyway.

"Now, now," he soothed. "There will be time enough for play when our Master has dealt with her. No doubt he will allow us to toy with what little is left."

"Shall we?" He held his hand out in invitation, and she could only stare at it in horror, willing this to be a nightmare. Maybe she'd awaken with Severus struggling for life beneath her.

Sweet Merlin!

Severus!

Part of her hoped she didn't survive this encounter. He'd never forgive her for letting this happen, and she'd seen enough wizards die in the wake of Snape's fury that the thought of death at the hands of Voldemort almost paled in comparison.

Malfoy's face grew more stern by the second, and she knew she'd have to take the hand or risk his wrath. Neither were attractive options. Tentatively she reached out to him, ready for the inevitability of disapparation, but her hand had barely grazed his when the irresistible tug of a summoning spell yanked her from her feet, through the circle of Death Eaters, knocking Lucius aside in the process, and into the arms of a black-cloaked and hooded figure. There was barely time to hear Lucius emit a foul oath of dismay before she was gone.

Apparating while inebriated had already been low on her list of things to try, the possibility of splinching being too much of a risk, but this trip definitely clinched it. As soon as the world stopped spinning, she fell to her knees and was wretchedly ill all over her rescuer's boots.

A familiar voice spat out a cleansing charm, then reached down to haul her roughly to her feet.

"Sseverusss," she managed, not even trying to hide her inebriation. "Thank Merlin you came!"

He pulled his face away in disgust at the smell of her breath, and reached a hand down to whisk her wand from the sheath on her hip and pocket it. When she looked up to voice a protest, she saw eyes that were far too cold in a furious face. Two unsteady steps back and he'd unsheathed his own wand to level it at her heart. A neat flick of his wrist bound her hands behind her back.

"Turn around and walk," he ordered furiously.

She was suddenly very confused. "Sev, what..."

"I have license and incentive to kill you, Miss Grey," he snapped. "Don't for an instant believe that I will not do so. Obey me at once," he ordered. "Inside the house and to your chambers. Now."

With a dismayed shake of her head, she did as he commanded, stumbling as best she could up the stone steps, through the door, and up the stairs to her room. The ward vanished with a swift command and she found herself shoved cruelly through the door, where she tripped over her own feet and fell with a bone-jarring crash to her side. Looking up in terror, she recoiled at the sight of a rapidly-approaching figure in black, robes billowing as he came, and was suddenly vastly more afraid than she'd been with Lucius.

"Sev..." was all that she managed before he gagged her with a neat turn of his wrist.

He opened his mouth to speak, then, but thought better of it, almost as if he was afraid of what he might say and instead turned on his heel with a snarl of rage to swoop back through the door which promptly slammed itself in the wake of his fury.

For a long time, she stared at the door, willing him to return, but her exhaustion was such that, even lying bound and gagged on the floor, she soon surrendered to sleep.

When she awoke, a fire was burning in the hearth, flickering with a sinister light. Moaning, she closed her eyes against the pain in her head. Gods, how much time had passed? However long it had been , she'd been relocated in that time to a chair in front of the fire, her arms and feet bound securely. Blinking rapidly, trying to clear away the fog in her mind, she saw a dark, imposing blur in front of her. Something was shoved against her lips, and she turned her head. She'd learned her lesson about drinking unidentified beverages.

"Drink it willingly or not, Miss Grey," came Severus' voice, colder than she'd ever heard it. "Either way, you will drink it."

Swallowing the tears that threatened to demean her even more, she parted her lips and allowed him to pour the liquid in. For a moment, she held it in her mouth, savoring the sweet taste, but unwilling to swallow.

"Spit it out and I will torture you within an inch of your life."

There was not a single doubt in her mind that he meant what he said. She swallowed immediately. For a few moments, she simply savored the lessening of pain in her head and limbs, then was starkly aware of an alien sensation in the back of her head, a tingle where there should have been nothing at all. He gave her no time to wonder at it.

"For what reason did you go to Hogsmeade tonight, Miss Grey?" he asked stiffly.

Before she could formulate a delicate answer, her mouth had given him the bald truth that she went because she was bored and wanted to have some fun before she returned to Hogwarts to risk her life again.

Having never experienced it before, she couldn't swear to it, but was otherwise certain that the bastard had given her Veritaserum. She hadn't long to fume.

"How did you acquire the robe and drink?"

"I stole the robe and a bag of money from a vendor," she answered flatly, "then bought the drink from another."

Severus leaned forward, his features a mask of cold fury. "And exactly what were you doing with Lucius Malfoy?"

"Talking."

He ground his teeth, causing a muscle in his jaw to twitch violently.

"How did you come to be with Lucius Malfoy tonight?"

"I danced with him around a bonfire. He was masked. I didn't know who it was. Then, he bought drinks and drugged mine. After I drank it, he pulled me behind a building and held me there at wandpoint."

Upon hearing that she hadn't met with Lucius willingly, he seemed to relax a bit. "Tell me everything that happened after that," he ordered, just a bit more softly than before.

She did, with none of the variations or muted facts that she would've otherwise supplied. And in the end, just as the Veritaserum began to wear off, he sat back, apparently satisfied.

"Will you untie me, now?" she asked meekly.

Sharp, black eyes darted up to stare at her with a look of pure loathing. "No, I will not."

"When can I have my wand back?"

"I've destroyed your wand."

She let out a sound of pure dismay.

"You cannot be trusted, Miss Grey," he said coldly. "I was a fool to ever believe otherwise. From this point forward, you may consider yourself my prisoner, and you will be under constant supervision. You will be allowed access only to the things which you require. You will do exactly as I tell you, no excuses. Do you understand this?"

She nodded mutely, mouth hanging open in disbelief at how quickly things had changed, how much she had lost.

"Sev, please don't do this. I just made a mistake. You can't..."

"I can and will do whatever I please," he snapped. "My name is Severus, not Sev, and you did not make a mistake." His eyes changed, then, from furious to hurt in an instant before lowering his tone to a whisper which bit more deeply than his shouting ever had. "You lied to me, Emily... and in doing so, you have likely destroyed everything I have fought, suffered, and killed for in the last two decades."

With that, he swept from the room, unbinding her with a muttered charm on the way, and warding the door with a savage curse.

Severus sat forward in the chair he'd occupied for the past three hours, head hung low, wearily scrubbing his face with hands. He was tired and weak, more so than he'd been in a very, very long time. Given proper rest, he would've been well and truly healed with another night's sleep, but the mental and physical strain of the past few hours had greatly hindered his recovery.

He sat back with a deep groan, remembering those first few minutes after he woke.

Gods, when he'd discovered her missing, he'd completely panicked, certain that she'd met with foul play. Frantically, he'd checked the house for any sign of forced entry, but the wards were intact, and the easily-detectable residual trace of a single disapparation spell gave him to know at last that she'd left willingly... after promising him she'd stay.

Damn her! Conniving, selfish, unreliable child!

And now, three hours later, he was still cursing himself soundly for his own part in the disaster: for being so naive, for acting like a lovesick schoolboy.

Idiot!

Shortsighted, gullible fool!

Had he gone completely mad?

Whatever had possessed him to believe that she could be trusted?

He should take her straight back to Azkaban at once and explain to Dumbledore why he couldn't complete the assignment. Albus would understand, would likely commend him for his wisdom.

He sighed deeply.

So, why in Merlin's name am I just sitting here?

A sudden, violent pounding on the door down the hall jolted him from his introspection and sent him bolting toward the source... Emily's room. Leveling his wand at the source of the sound, he released the ward and the door swung open on his prisoner, grimacing and pressing a white-knuckled fist to her forearm.

"Severus!" she panted, eyes wide and wild, obviously in great pain. "Severus, let me out of here! He's summoning me!"

Somehow, after all his dejection, this struck him as absolutely hilarious, and he answered her pleas with deep, dark laughter. "Oh, certainly," he said with a dying chuckle. "By all means, go. Answer your master's summons." His inappropriately amused face fell, then resolved itself into an glacial sneer. "Do you truly think me that great a fool?"

Emily's eyes widened in shock. "Severus, I am not your enemy! I made a mistake." A menacing, black eyebrow lifted. "Alright, I lied to you," she admitted, hissing from the agony of the Dark Lord's insistent call. "It's nothing I haven't done before. It's nothing I won't do again, and you know it, but I'm truly sorry. If I could take it back, I would. It was impetuous. It was stupid, but I never meant for any harm to come of it. Please, Sev. Please forgive me."

Slowly, she released and extended her left arm, palm up, in a gesture of friendship and he flinched, brandishing his wand menacingly.

"Damn it, Sev!" she shouted. "At least give me a chance to repair the damage I've caused. If you don't let me go, he'll kill us both."

"That is possible," he answered quietly.

"I could..."

"You could, yes," he interrupted icily, "but you will not. What you will do is sit down and endure his summons in silence," he said venomously. "Lucius will have put the pieces together before he reported to his master, no doubt, and when you do not answer, I will be summoned in your place. Then we shall see whether you have damned us both, you stupid, willful, arrogant..."

The rest of the verbal assault was cut short by a cry of alarm as she made a desperate lunge for his wand and turned it aside as he released a stunning spell. In the next moment, he'd twisted it from her grip with a dark oath which was interrupted by yet another shout as warm ash she'd been concealing in her other hand was flung into his eyes. Once again, she grabbed for the wand, this time managing to wrench it from his weakening grip, and a cry of "Immobulus!" froze him to the spot.

"Gods, Sev," she panted to his petrified form, suddenly much less apologetic. "I truly am sorry, but I knew you were going to be unreasonable about this. I will not sit on my arse while I could be solving the problem. I have to go to him."

Was that excitement he heard in her voice? It wouldn't surprise him at this point, and it only added to the sharp pain that stabbed at his heart with every foul turn this evening took. Breathing heavily, more from pain than exertion, Emily placed his wand on the table, then turned to go.

"The spell will wear off at some point," she said quietly. "I hope you're feeling more reasonable when..." She paused, then shrugged. "If I come back." Swiftly, she leaned in to cover his lips with hers.

"Goodbye, Sev."

Out on the lawn, Emily took one regretful look back at the house, up at the window of the room where Severus stood like a statue, then fell to her hands and knees, placed her forehead on the ground, (she knew better than to stand before the Dark Lord when he was angry) and disapparated.

The first thing that registered was the darkness, not surprising as the master had always preferred it, then a rustle of heavy cloth stirred the pressing silence before the voice which had occupied her worst nightmares for nearly two decades addressed her.

"Emily Grey, my old friend." He drew the words out, long and low, seeming to savor the sound. "Have you forgotten your manners?"

With her heart in her mouth, she lifted her head slightly, steeled her quivering limbs, and crawled forward to kiss the hem of his heavy, black robes.

"Master," she whispered, the trembling of her voice betraying her overwhelming terror.

"Oh, no, Emily. I am not your master," he hissed, circling her with a slow, measured step. "Masters are to be obeyed without question. You did not obey me... You refused my orders... You renounced me before your Death Eater brothers and sisters, and you fled my presence in terror."

"Master, I was weak," she sobbed into the floor. "I was weak, but I saw my error," she added with conviction. "I followed your order and removed my brother from our path, and when the Ministry questioned me, I did not deny you as others have."

His steps brought him in front of her once more, and she felt an immense and illogical relief at not having him behind her.

"And you believe your disobedience to be atoned for by doing as you were commanded to do... in your own time? You believe that I should welcome you back to my family?"

She hesitated a moment, trying to unglue her tongue from the roof of her mouth. "I bow to your wisdom, Master, as always," she managed to whisper, certain that this was the end of her.

"Do you?" he hissed. "My wisdom tells me that you are desperate to save yourself from my wrath, that you kneel out of dread rather than reverence. My wisdom tells me that you are not faithful to me, and I am forced to wonder with whom your allegiance lies."

A long moment passed with only the sound of her labored breathing and the rustling of his robes. "I believe that I know who freed you and for what purpose, but I am curious to know why this news has not yet reached my ears. It would appear that Severus has been keeping secrets... and you, Lady Grey, are going to tell me why."

Author' note: I am overwhelmed at the response this chapter brought. Your support means the world to me. It keeps me writing when I just don't feel like doing so... though that's fairly rare. But, more than that, it helps me to pin down what works and what doesn't. I'm not certain that I'll ever be a good writer, not sure that the book I'm working on will ever be published, but I want to make my fanfiction readers happy. As I am a reader who is constantly in search of another good fanfic, that's very important to me.

Teenage Zombie: Wow, thanks! I was really trying to give this chapter a sensual feel. Knowing that I succeeded to some degree thrills me! Ah, Lucius, the ever unpredictable - hope you didn't mind the rescue. Don't worry. He'll be back.

Captain Oblivious: I can't believe you took a magic waffle iron to my Lucius! After I picked myself up off of the floor and wiped the tears of mirth from my face, I scowled at your review, tried to be angry at your callousness, then started laughing again. Geez, C.O., you should take the show on the road. That was Hilarious! Damn, I needed that! Oh, and I gotta hear that war cry sometime! And, yes. Emily is behaving like... um... well... herself, really. Sorry about that, but Severus warned you. She's brilliant, but she has no horse sense whatsoever. It's a shame, really. I agree with you wholeheartedly about the joy of getting a really good review. There's nothing quite like. Thank you for yours... all of them.

bxn110: That's right. I simply can't write a story without Lucius. It's against my personal code of ethics. Thank you for the kind word.

Sesshomaru's Angel: Hey, I know that you've been kind enough to update pretty often because I can now spell 'Sesshomaru' without referring back to your review a thousand times. Good for us! I promise that I'll never abandon a fic as long as someone, anyone is reading it. I've had too many authors do that to me. I'd get heavily involved in a plot, and they'd just rip the rug out from under my feet. I try to treat others the way I like to be treated, so no worries! You have a good instinct for Lucius' basic character, but I hope you find that I try to write him with a bit of depth. Two-dimensional baddies are a pet peeve of mine. As far as Lucius causing laughter... well, I don't write him to be funny, but laughter is almost never a bad thing. So, yuck it up, even if it's at the expense of my character. I don't mind. By the way, just as a side note, maybe it's attraction. I am ridiculously attracted to this girl at work, and every time she talks to me, I am reduced to giggle fits. It's pathetic, I know. I'll never manage to ask her out at this rate! But, that's my theory for your reaction to Lucius, take it or leave it.

emerald sparrow: Oh, ho! So, you know me well enough to know that I can't resist writing Lucius into the plot. Yes. It's true. He's my dream guy, and he's just so damn fun to write! I am pleased to blushing that you enjoy the way I portray him. Thank you! That means a great deal to me.

Dianatyne: Oh, you sweetie, you! Sit down, have a cup of tea. Join the circle. I'm proud to have you, and extremely pleased at how jazzed you are over the story. It just tickles me pink when someone likes my work. I will keep writing, and hope that you keep reading. Careful, though! I may just get hooked on your reviews!

Intel Ewok: Oh, I'm so glad that we share that in common! In the first book, when I discovered toward the end the very traits we are discussing, I just turned pink with happiness and decided that I was in love. You are going to wear yourself out making excuses for Emily. She is really not a 'nice' girl. I'm sorry. I'm not saying she's irredeemable, just... well.. gradually, you'll get the idea. I can tell you in all honesty that she was/is a real DE, and she did kill her brother, but I can't reveal any more without giving away too much. You know, for some reason I got warm fuzzies when I read that you like her because Severus likes her so much. I can't explain why, but that just thrilled me to no end! Severus should be happy. He deserves to be happy... despite what J.K. (I bow before you, oh, Goddess) thinks. Yes, she is being really stupid in this chapter, but that's just her way. As I reminded Captain Oblivious, she is brilliant on some levels, but really lacks common sense. She's also selfish and arrogant. Again, sorry. If it helps, do remember that she's locked in a tiny cell for sixteen years. As for your not forgiving her, well, I guess you and Severus have that in common. It's understandable, but please don't stop reading. I'd really miss you! Don't quit your job, sweetie. We all have to do our share of the gruntwork. If it were fun, they wouldn't pay us. There - some unsolicited advice from the reasonable old person. Have a muffin and some tea, sweetie, and try to relax.

Lady Jenilyn: My dear, sweet girl! I'm so charmed that you reviewed all five chapters! That's just the sweetest! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hugs! Kisses! Muffins and tea! Let me begin by saying that I just updated to AOL 9.0 when I got my computer back, so there could've been some problem with the e-mail controls I'd set to avoid spam. Honestly! Who in their right minds would send spam to a vegetarian? Anywho... I pulled all the controls back, and I hope that it will help. I've just been languishing without your letters, and now that I have such a pretty face to mentally attach to your lovely words, I'm just squirmy! As for your yummy reviews, allow me to respond... you darling girl... Ch.9: It's rewarding to know that you like Isabelle, and I agree with you about her compatibility with Severus as far as a relationship which is mostly physical goes. I like Ollivander and the way he sells wands, but I assume that there must be someone out there who just gives the customer whatever the hell they ask for when they hear the clink of gold. Truthfully, I've always preferred those kinds of shops. Isabelle just doesn't seem to me to be the type to bend to anyone's will for long, especially not that of a wand. I'm glad that you seem to appreciate and under stand Emily's hatred of the memory charm. I thought that it would be appropriate to her personality. And, the fact that you feel I haven't lost my touch in my absence just makes me glow all over. Ch.10: Ah, yes. I've helped along some Snape fantasies. You seem to have stumbled upon my secret evil plan. That is actually my ultimate goal, to get everyone so caught up in Severus fantasies that it will be simple to TAKE OVER THE WORLD HAHAHAHA!!!!! Okay, so it isn't a very good plan, but you gotta start somewhere. I'm glad you like the mixture of flashbacks with the current story line. I was very concerned about that when I first began this story, but it seems to be a hit. Yay for me! Ch.11: So, you like the sexual tension, eh? I do, too. Though it's killing me to not just leap into bed and... I mean, write about them leaping into bed and... well, guess I didn't cover that too well. And, yeah. I want their first time to really mean something, especially since it's Emily's first first time. Geez. Halfway through her thirties and still a virgin. That's something! Ah, just the words I wanted to hear: Sev is in character and not sappy. Yes. I can sleep tonight. I prefer to have Severus make his own decision about becoming a spy as well. It just makes more sense that he would insist on having that control in his life. And, as little warmth as I feel for Dumbledore, I just don't see him asking someone to do that. Ch. 12: Mr. Loaf and I should write a book? Hey, that's a thought! I'm actually working on something that I hope to publish. Unfortunately for the Loaf, with the exception of some (hopefully) hot sex, it has very little action in it. "Rock Biter" rocked and that's all there is to it; and, after the trepidation I felt with that chapter, I'm just glad that my golems reminded you of anything vaguely large and hard. Hee hee. You're laughing at that, I know, and I didn't even mean it that way. I thought that basing the runic circles on individual elements would not only give the action some variety, but also steer the characters toward a well-defined goal. That helps when wanting to keep a story from slipping and sliding all over the place. Yes. You still have water and fire, but there are five points on a pentacle. You're forgetting the most important one. Alas, I can reveal nothing about who laid the runes. You must hang on with me until the end to find out... and I'll love every minute of it. Ch. 13: Oh my goodness, did you not just want to strangle James Potter and his worthless friends? I mean, what kind of bitter, hateful psychos were they? GRRR! Ah, so you're wondering about Eric, are you? Good... very good. (Rubs hands together and chuckles wickedly). Ch. 14: Ooh, your favorite chapter? Really? (Blush!) I'm so happy you liked it. It certainly was a blast to write. As far as Paganism, I know that this is more than the usual sprinkle, but I just couldn't resist! I mean, ya gotta celebrate something! I'm glad that you didn't think I'd gone overboard. I really need to get my butt in gear and do some Mists of Avalon. Look. I'm making a mental note to do so as soon as possible. I'll not long be out of the loop, just let me get to another day off. Lucius in a Herne mask - ah, yes - so I'm not the only one who's affected by that? Good. I'm glad that you see how irresistible a party would be to a party girl who's been hanging out in a small cell for sixteen years. Yes. It was stupid and selfish, but... poor girl! All she wanted was a good time. She can't help being a dimwit. I hate to say it, but Lucius was indeed just looking to be bad. It's not the way I've traditionally portrayed him, I know. He's much, much darker in this fic, but he won't remain one-sided, I promise. Hope you didn't mind the rescue. Again, thank you so much for the reviews. They meant the world to me, and keep me updated on the e-mail thing. We have to fix this before I go nuts!

Quietude: Yes. Emily is back in business as far as being an ingenious moron goes. I think that the years in Azkaban have done more to make her want to get out and enjoy herself than anything else. After all, she's fairly certain that she's going back after this business is finished. But, I do understand your frustration. She's reckless and selfish, and there's just no sugar coating it. I'm glad you got it out of your system, but I do so love to hear you rant! Your reviews got me back on the keyboard and writing. I'm deeply appreciative, and happy to hear that it's not a burden for you. I may just write a Snape/Isabelle story. It would be fun. But, I have to do the third installation of the Alex stories when this is finished and the one-shot Lucius fic which is turning into an actual short story, damn my long-winded writing style! Thank you for explaining UST. That's kinda cool. And, it's not you who is behind the times. I'm wholly illiterate when it comes to netspeak. Hope this update satisfied and you're back on solid ground now. I'm currently writing chapter seventeen, so the next update is only a few days away, I promise!

Catlein: Hi! Welcome! Sit down. Have a cup of tea. Help yourself to a muffin or some cookies. I'm so happy to have you! Your review made me blush so violently that I had to put a cold cloth on my face. Thank you so much for your compliments. I'm simply breathless. Your review came on a morning during which I was feeling particularly poopy, and allowed me to go to work with a huge grin on my face. Your wish is my command. There will be more flashbacks with Eric, and I hope that they flesh things out and explain some heretofore unexplained phenomena. Also, I am bringing some other characters in in just a few chapters (the one I'm currently writing, to be specific), so yay for both of us! Thank you again for your kind words. I hope to hear from you again.

sev lover: Thank you so much for reviewing. I'm thrilled that you're enjoying the story, and find it incredibly sweet that you don't want Emily to get hurt. I trust, then, that you're happy she was rescued... for all the good it did her.