A/N: Sorry about the confusion over my abbreviations. MLE stands for Magical Law Enforcement, including "Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services" according to OotP. I will be using it quite a bit, so I thought I'd clear that up for everyone. It gets bloody in this one, folks, so brace yourselves.

Chapter 3- Black Princes in Black Cloaks

There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstance to meet.- William F. Halsey

Samantha finished the last report from her box that sat on the corner of her desk and placed it to be filed tomorrow when she came in. She stood and stretched her arms up over her head, stiff from sitting all day. She grabbed her messenger bag from underneath her desk and her cloak off the back of her chair. She walked down the hallway to Kingsley's office.

"I'm leaving for the day, Mr. Shacklebolt," said Samantha. She tried to ignore all of the pictures of Severus that lined the walls, scowling at her next to a very tattered map with pin holes all over it. There were a couple of red pins dotting the area around Hogwarts and London.

"Very good, Ives," answered Kingsley, bent over some parchment. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight, sir."

Samantha walked out into the main hallway of the MLE offices and disapparated to her apartment in Grantchester. It was a small flat on the second floor of an old building that used to be a store of some kind. The store had been abandoned some years earlier, so no strangers ever dropped by to say hello, which was a definite plus considering the tenant.

Samantha took off her cloak and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. Her shoes echoed softly on the wood floor of the entryway. She walked past the front table littered with letters from coworkers at the office and old issues of the Prophet with black bold headlines screaming of murder and Death Eaters at Hogwarts. She entered the small kitchen area and put a kettle on the stove to heat.

As she placed a tea bag in a cup and poured the hot water over it, an owl flew through the window and landed on the table. She recognized the owl immediately as Madeline and ran over to grab the letter attached to the bird's leg. She ripped it open and sighed in relief at seeing it wasn't urgent. She petted Madeline's feathers before the owl took off out the window again. She picked up her cup of tea and sat at the table to read.

She scoffed at reading the first paragraph. That idiot, thought Samantha with a smirk. Only Severus would be skilled enough to fool Gringott's into thinking he was cousin to the infamous Severus Snape and not have that fact cause him problems. Still, it was a little too risky for Samantha's tastes for him to be gallivanting around Diagon Alley in broad daylight.

She rolled her eyes at the veiled warnings about talking to Potter over dinner at Remus's. As if she hadn't already thought about this. She was working on a plan to get Potter alone away from Remus. That way she wouldn't have to hear complaints that she was encouraging the young man in foolhardy quests after mysterious objects from the self-appointed Guardian of the Chosen One. Remus hadn't owled her yet, but she was expecting it soon, before Bill's wedding at any rate.

What worried Samantha the most was that the Dark Lord had not mentioned the Weasley wedding at all to Severus. Now that Albus was out of the picture, the Dark Lord might have a bit more courage to attack an event where the only attendees would be members of the Order and a few family friends who already knew about the Order's existence. And if he found out that Potter would be in attendance, there was the definite threat of something happening. But preparing the kids to help attack if something did happen? Severus had always said that the kids would be invaluable as members of the Order, but was always lectured by a tearful Molly Weasley. If he wanted to plan to have the kids help, it would have to be done without the consent of the Order.

She finished the letter and folded it back to stuff it into the envelope when she noticed some writing on the back of the letter. It was very sloppy, as if written in a hurry.


P.S. Darkness has fallen. Watch for foxes late tonight. Love, Gabriel


Samantha's hand began to shake. Severus had been summoned. She stood and walked slowly to her study. She tapped her wand against one of the desk drawers twice and pulled on the handle. She kept all her important letters in this secret drawer - letters from Remus on everything from Order business to dinner invitations and Christmas cards, letters from Tonks and Hestia about various strange occurrences in and around the Ministry offices, and every single scrap of parchment she had ever received from Severus. Old yellowed ones from their school days, notes he had slipped in her books during study sessions in the library or during class, the letter he had written after Regulus was killed about how he had decided to talk to Albus about switching sides, various missives on Death Eaters to keep an eye on inside the Ministry. He always told her not to keep them, to destroy them so that no one would find them and have cause to harm her because of her alliances, but she never did. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to destroy them.

She placed his latest letter on the top and shut the drawer, twisting the handle as she did so to turn the drawer back to its original state. She sat down in the chair, chewing her nails and twirling her wand in nervousness. The room darkened slowly as the last bit of sunlight disappeared under the horizon. The clock in the hallway chimed hour upon agonizing hour, but she did not move from where she was, frozen in fear, thinking about what was happening at the meeting and if this would be the one from which Severus never returned.

Severus found himself outside in a large, open field. The sky was overcast, making it darker than the hour suggested. The unnatural chill that had characterized last summer permeated the air around him, causing goose bumps to rise all over his body. He shifted his eyes to look at his surroundings, trying to find anything familiar. Gentle pops were heard all around him as the other Death Eaters joined him in the field. Seeing as how he could no longer use the apparition wards at Hogwarts for an excuse to be late, Severus made sure to leave as soon as the Mark began to burn. The highest ranking member of the Inner Circle could not be late.

He gazed around haughtily at the others, seeing if there were any that he recognized. He spotted two cloaked figures with pale blond hair standing next to a voluptuous woman with dark eyes. Further away, he saw several younger figures clumped together and shuffling nervously. Two of them were easily recognizable as the younger Crabbe and Goyle. The others he assumed were Pansy Parkinson along with Theodore Nott. One of them spotted Draco and walked over to where he and his mother and aunt were standing. Doing a quick head count, Severus estimated about 40 members present.

A loud pop echoed in the field, followed by a deafening silence. The Death Eaters quickly formed a circle around their master.

"It is good to see you all here," hissed Voldemort, his eyes roaming idly around the circle. Nagini slithered down his body and curled up on the ground at his feet. "I see that everyone is present and accounted for. Hope you have enjoyed your celebrations."

Some of the crowd chuckled slightly and murmured words of assent. Voldemort raised his hand sharply and all the voices fell silent.

"I wanted to welcome our newest members. They have yet to go out on real missions, but I have high hopes for them," said Voldemort, gazing at the younger members of the circle with an evil smile. "Of course, one of them was given one of the biggest missions I have ever given to any of my followers. My young Dragon, please step forward."

Severus tensed as he saw Draco step forward away from his mother's side. He stood tall with his head bowed respectfully and hands clenched in front of him. Severus thought he could see them shaking slightly. He watched as Voldemort turned away from Draco to address the crowd.

"Young Mr. Malfoy was given the honor of finding a way to kill Albus Dumbledore. " He waited for all the surprised gasps and mutterings to dwindle to nothing. "Yes, my friends, you see what a great mission this was for our young Slytherin here. He did well in not alerting that fool of an old man to his schemes, nor any of Dumbledore's precious Order members." Severus saw Draco flinch ever so slightly at those words. Albus had known everything. He always did. If he didn't, Potter had certainly made him aware of Draco's suspicious actions. Severus's palms began to sweat. This monologuing was never a good sign during these kinds of meetings.

"Everything was going according to plan. Draco found an ingenious way to penetrate the castle's defenses and had the old man cornered, weak and defenseless. Brilliant." Voldemort paused, and turned towards where Draco was standing. He slowly made his way to stand directly in front of the boy. He lifted Draco's chin with a white porcelain finger and gazed into the steel grey eyes. Everything was silent for several moments. Eventually, Voldemort looked away from the young man and began walking around the circle.

"Well, now this is very interesting," said Voldemort softly. "It seems as if some of my followers think it wise to question my orders. Take it upon themselves to take precautions. They even seem to go so far as to speak of things that do not concern them."

Damn it, Narcissa, screamed Severus in thought as Voldemort stopped his pacing directly in front of the pale-haired woman. He raised his wand with a thin, skeletal hand.

"My dear Narcissa," began Voldemort. Severus could see the poor woman shaking in fright at being addressed directly by the Dark Lord. "You must take great pride in the fact that your son was chosen for such an honorable task."

"Yes, my Lord is ever gracious," muttered Narcissa, her voice cracking and sounding nothing like the sultry voice that Severus was familiar with in dealing with the Lady Malfoy.

"Indeed, Narcissa," said Voldemort softly. "So tell me why you decided to assist Draco in fulfilling his quest. I specifically told your son that he was not to ask for help. Did you have such little faith in my decision?"

"No, my Lord," answered Narcissa quickly. Severus met Bellatrix's eyes from across the circle, the dark-lidded black orbs wide in fear.

"Cruicio!"


Draco's screams rent the early evening air as the boy collapsed in the center of the circle, his legs and arms twitching under the curse. Voldemort casually lifted his wand and turned back to the violently trembling woman.

"So, you took it into your own hands to see that Draco succeeded. I see, I see," said Voldemort. "You were no doubt simply trying to secure your son a place in my Circle, something your husband never seemed to fully appreciate. An honorable quest, my dear. Any mother would do the same."

Narcissa stood silently, her chest shaking with sobs for her trembling child who was trying to stand back up on weak legs. It was all Severus could do to keep from reaching out to help the boy.

"Yet, you thought that this charge was too much for young Draco," continued Voldemort. "You thought him unable to complete the task, is that right?"

"N-n-no, my Lord," stuttered Narcissa. Bellatrix closed her eyes slowly and bowed her head.

"Crucio!"


Once again, Draco's screams were heard echoing in the countryside. Narcissa fell to her knees, sobbing audibly, her hands gripping handfuls of grass from the ground.

"Please, my Lord," pleaded Narcissa, "Please, Master - not my baby, please!"

Voldemort once again lifted his wand breaking the curse. Draco curled in upon himself in pain as Voldemort bent down to where Narcissa was lying on the ground.

"You cannot lie to me, Narcissa," whispered Voldemort. He lifted her head as he had done earlier with Draco and held her gaze for several moments. Sneering, he thrust her head away from him and stood up.

"Well, my friends, you are in for a real treat this evening," said Voldemort loudly to the silent crowd. "And our new recruits will learn the price of doubt. How marvelous." He turned to where Draco was crouched on the ground, his arms shaking violently as they struggled to hold his weight.

"My little Dragon, your mother didn't seem to think you worthy of the task you were given last year. She went to your dear godfather Severus and made him swear an Unbreakable Vow to complete the task should you fail." A high, cold laughter rang out into the night. Draco turned to look at Severus, his eyes bright and glassy. Severus turned away quickly, looking to the ground in front of his feet, unable to accept the apology he saw in the child's wide and fearful eyes.

"But I had planned all along for Severus to assist you in killing the old man," said Voldemort as he lifted his wand to point at the still cowering woman on the ground. "Severus was in the perfect position to do the most damage to Dumbledore's precious Order. The goal was accomplished. You got a taste of what is required from my followers. Your faithless mother didn't think much of the consequences of her actions, did she, my young Dragon? Severus's quick thinking and your young brilliant mind saved us this time, but we can't have you being influenced in such a way in the future, nor can we have any future missions placed in jeopardy." He pointed his wand at Narcissa, flicking it ever so slightly. Her chest erupted in a shower of crimson liquid, drenching Draco and the Death Eaters nearby.The woman crumpled to the ground gasping out her last breaths until she lay motionless. The cloaked figures beside her stood stock still. Draco sat back on his haunches, staring at his mother's masked face, blood dripping from the edge of his hood. Voldemort stepped around the boy and addressed the young teenagers to his right.

"Were you watching, my young snakes? I hope you paid close attention," said Voldemort, his lips curling upward. "But our lessons for the evening are not over yet. Oh no, we're just beginning."

Severus immediately began reinforcing his Occlumency walls in his mind. He knew his turn was coming soon. Voldemort walked right in front of Severus - and continued past him to where Bellatrix was standing. The woman immediately dropped to her knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's cloak. She stood back up, but kept her head bowed.

"Bella, my dear, I'm so sorry for your loss," said Voldemort softly. He tsked, shaking his head, and added, "I know how much you cared for your little sister."

"Yes, my Lord," whispered Bellatrix. Her frame was tense with apprehension.

"I noticed, Bella," said Voldemort casually, "that young Draco here seems to be much improved in Occlumency. You wouldn't happen to know how that happened, would you? Especially since I specifically said that no one within my circle was to teach it to the recruits until they had been fully initiated."

"My Lord!" cried Bellatrix as she fell to her knees again. "I only taught my nephew enough to fool any meddling by Snape! You had given the task to the boy! I did not question it, my Lord! I -"

"Get up, Bella," spat Voldemort. Bellatrix stumbled to her feet, her explanation cut off. "I did not ask to hear your excuses. So, you disobeyed me in order to keep Severus from assisting Draco, knowing full well that if the boy was harmed in any way, that Severus would die on the spot due to the Vow that you cast for your dear sister, and I would lose my most valuable servant. Is that correct, Bella?"

"My Lord, I do not trust him! He is not the loyal --"

"Crucio!"

God, I hate that curse, thought Severus as he watched the woman struggle not to scream. This casting of the curse lasted much longer than it had on Draco, and after about 30 seconds she began to scream. She writhed in pain on the ground, her throaty screams becoming hoarse as time went by. After several minutes, she fell unconscious, her limbs still twitching as Voldemort held the curse on her. He lifted his wand as blood began to trickle out her nose and ears. Voldemort turned again to the wide-eyed teenagers who had been unable to tear their eyes away from the sight before them.

"Ah, very good," said Voldemort, "I see you have been watching ever so closely. Wonderful. I must admit I'm tired of teaching for now. Draco, if you would be so good as to take your place back in the circle, please."

Draco stood and walked slowly back to where his mother's body still lay on the ground. Voldemort continued his circuit around the circle.

"Severus, I must once again congratulate you on a job well done. The fact that you can no longer be at Hogwarts is rather a mute point, don't you think?"

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus softly, his head still bowed to the ground. He withheld a sigh of relief with difficulty. Tonight was not the night he would die cowering before this madman.

"Indeed, Severus," said Voldemort as he stopped in front of Severus. "And now, the old fool's precious Order will have no clue as to our actions. We will have to use this to our advantage, won't we, my Snake?"

"Yes, my Lord," answered Severus as his stomach dropped.

"All of you may go," said Voldemort with a wave of his hand. "Continue to do as we discussed at the last meeting. Severus, I would like a word."

Numerous pops sounded one after the other like Christmas crackers being pulled. Draco walked over to where Bellatrix lay unconscious, but he didn't attempt to revive her. He went and lifted his mother's lithe frame from off the ground and disapparated with a loud pop. Severus stood stock still, waiting for the last of the others to leave the field. Silence fell like a heavy blanket over the two occupants in black cloaks.

"Walk with me, Severus," said Voldemort. Severus followed with his head still bowed. He stayed one step behind the softly whispering tail of the Dark Lord's cloak.

"You have heard about the eldest Weasley boy marrying the little French girl, yes?" asked Voldemort.

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus. This was not a conversation he wanted to have at all.

"Do you know anything of any security they're planning for the event?" Voldemort walked slowly at a steady pace, not once looking back at Severus.

"Not much, my Lord," said Severus as he tried to decide quickly how much information he could safely pass. "Dumbledore talked privately with the Weasleys. I imagine the Aurors in the Order will be present and on guard. Other members will probably be posted on the perimeter of any wards that they set up around the ceremony site and the house itself, either under Invisibility cloaks or Disillusioned. The wards could be broken if the right person were careful to do so slowly to avoid alerting the Ministry."

"Hm," mused Voldemort, lifting a pale finger to tap his non-existent lips. "Yes, that sounds typical of Dumbledore. Protecting his little children. Yes, indeed…"

Severus walked silently behind Voldemort, memorizing every word.

"Well, Severus, I have decided to send a little wedding gift of my own," said Voldemort. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at Severus. "We'll send a few visitors to wish the happy couple a blessed marriage. Maybe we'll even say hello to Potter while we're there as well. You will be the leader for this one, Severus. I know you've waited for quite a while to see some action in the field. Besides, won't it be marvelous for those wretched Phoenixers to know that their once-trusted spy is now the one attacking them?"

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus evenly. Bile rose to the back of his throat as he tried to quell the nauseous feeling in his stomach. "Thank you for this honor, my Lord. You are generous to your servant." He bent down and kissed the hem of Voldemort's cloak, trying hard not to gag.

Voldemort rested a hand on Severus's head.

"Do not fail me, Severus. You are the best I have left."

"Yes, my Lord."

"You may go, my Snake."

Severus stood slowly so as to not look as if he were fleeing in haste. He turned on the spot and disappeared with a flick of his cloak and a barely audible pop.