ANATHEMA
By Yih

Note: This is an AU fantasy.

Chapter Two
The Sins of Death

"So you're awake finally," she says, touching the area around my wound with her finger.

I open an eye and the bright light almost blinds me. I groan and try to bat her hand away from my side. "Stop it," I mutter. "It'll heal whether you put something on it or not."

"Of course," she snaps, "your incredible healing ability. God forbid if you died by underestimating your gift."

"Herm," I whisper, "I'll be fine."

She raises her eyebrow, her hands on her hips. "I suppose that's why you fainted?"

"Perhaps I pushed myself a little hard."

She sighs and presses a wet cloth next to the wound, cleaning it before she slathers some of her homemade ointment on it. "Next thing I know, you'll be thinking you have no need to come to me when you're injured. And then…" she murmurs, "I'll never see you again."

I reach up with a hand and touch her cheek gently. "Of course I'd come to see my savior."

"I still think you should have sent Hedwig to me and I could have found a way to come to you." She sniffs and rubs the ointment a bit harder on my wound than she should. "This is bad, Harry. Anyone else would have died." I wince and she immediately lightens up. "Sorry."

"S'okay."

She places a cloth one my wound and covers my naked torso with a blanket. "I take it you're here… because of him."

I manage to open my other eye. "Yes."

"He needs another body."

I nod.

"Please," she says, "don't ask me."

"I do have to ask you something," I reply, "but not that."

"What then?" she asks with trepidation.

"Do you know if Lucius Malfoy has a son?"

"He does," she answers, capping her ointment jar and replacing it on the shelf. "Why do you ask?"

I smile faintly. "No reason."

A day later, she stands with the wind blowing her light brown hair away from her face. Her face looks worn and it's a good thing I'm going. There is something about my presence that always wearies her out. I do not think it is because I was injured. The presence of death clings to me and makes me… a leech like my Master.

I raise my hand in farewell and she does the same. I signal for Lonan to kneel, and he does. I climb on aboard him and Hedwig nips my finger gently as she settles herself down on my arm. My free arm grips Lonan's mane. I tap his side once and we're off.

Along the way, when I was retracing my track, I considered just plucking a boy from a nearby village. But why not call in a favor from Lucius Malfoy? I am due one, and it has been a while since I've taken one of laymen from his estates. He owes fealty to Master, and it's time he paid.

I smile grimly as we reach the borders of his land. I see three men waiting on horseback. They bow immediately when they catch sight of me. Unlike his son, these men know who I am. I vaguely recognize one of them. He's a cousin of some sort to Malfoy's wife. I can feel his power, and he would most definitely suit. Too bad… it's unlikely Malfoy would accede to that.

"My lord," they all say. "We offer you safe passage through the Malfoy lands."

I pull my hood closer to my face and incline my head only barely. Why speak when a simple gesture will say as much?

"Follow us then," the cousin says.

They heel their horses, digging their feet into the sides. I feel Lonan toss his head with disgust and I merely tap his shoulder and he is off at a pace that easily overtakes the other horses. I have a strange urge to laugh at them, but I don't.

I fear becoming like him.

We arrive at the Malfoy castle after an hour's ride. I dismount and hold my hand up when a groomsman comes to tend to Lonan. I undo the straps to my gelding's saddle for myself and slide the girth across the top; then I pull the saddle off and hand it to the groom. He takes it with surprise. I turn my attention back to Lonan and stroke his neck, whispering for him to stay close.

He flicks his ears back and forth in acquiescence before tearing off in a gallop that sends most of the people near him running. I smile a little at his antics and Hedwig hoots with annoyance. I pet her head reassuringly and she puffs herself up.

I raise my arm up and she only digs her nails further into my clothed wrist. I lower my arm and hold it near my shoulder. She shifts over, a bit grumpily, but she knows I need both my hands if trouble comes.

"My lord," the cousins says, gesturing to the entrance, "my Master awaits your presence."

"Then take me to him."

"If you will but follow me."

I do and we walk into a brightly lit hall that is nothing like Death's fortress. We take a few twists and turns, walk up a stairway. If I had not been here before, I would have thought Malfoy was deliberately making this hard for me. I am not one to vex and I am good deal more patient than my Master is.

"Master Lucius is in there."

"Thank you…?"

"My name is Sirius Black," he replies. "If you require anything, just ask me. I am the Head of Guards."

I nod and step into the room. The door closes and I see the familiar form of Lucius standing with his hands clasped behind his back. I don't bother to make a sound, knowing he'll acknowledge me when he chooses to.

"I take it," he says, turning around, "you are here because of the incident that occurred two days ago?"

I incline my head.

"I do apologize for my son's indiscretion." Lucius, as always, sounds perfectly in control but there is an urgency I sense in his demeanor. "Anything you want, you may have as a boon."

"Anything?"

"Except my son," he states fiercely, his eyes narrowing. "You can have anything but him."

"And if I want him?" I toy with the idea, not really serious. But it is interesting to see Lucius desperate as he is. I never thought his weak spot would be a child of his seed. Though I suppose I really shouldn't be so surprise. These noble men are like that, placing too much stock in the value of life. "After all," I murmur, "I was lenient not to kill him."

"I know what you do to the men I give you," Lucius says harshly, "and I would rather kill my son with my own hands than to have the life sucked out of him."

"What of your Head of Guards?"

A frown briefly flickers over his face, but he nods stiffly. "If you want Black, you may have him."

Do I want to bring a man such as Black back to Master? I lower my eyes and consider the idea. The man is strong, infused with power, enough to bring such life to him that he has not known in years. I almost shudder, but stop short. It would not do to appear to be weak in front of Lucius.

"The man is too… headstrong, my Master dislikes those sorts," I murmur. "I will dine with you tonight and decide amongst the ones at the table who I will bring back."

Lucius bows ever so slightly. "As you wish."

I sweep out the room, wondering why I hadn't taken victory when I could.

Hedwig flies to the perch a servant has thoughtfully set up in my chambers. I glance around at the lavish furnishing and piles of blankets on the bed. Lucius has certainly gone all out to welcome me this time. I don't remember being this well-received, but it's not like his heir had tried to kill Death's Servant either.

I grimace as I take off my surcoat and unlace my tunic, pulling it over my head. I touch the tender wound, wondering against at what divine power that gave me the power to heal quickly. It was dead useful when I was injured and even more so when Master decided to drain me.

Someone knocks on the door and I say, "Yes?"

"My lord thought you might like a bath?" a man's low voice says.

"Come in." I don't bother to pull on my shirt, unbothered when the servant comes in and blushes when he sees wound on my stomach and the faint scars from my last session with my Master. I sit on the bed and watch him pour the water into the tub.

The water he pours reaches about halfway up the tube. He glances at me nervously before averting his eyes again. "Shall I get two more buckets?"

I shake my head and gesture for him to leave.

He does and I slip into the warm water, sighing and then slipping my head under.

I emerge from my room for dinner a few hours later. I am the last to arrive and my hood is carefully placed over my face to hide my features. I shouldn't have let the servant see me, but he was far too busy staring anywhere else but at me to look at me too carefully. I doubt he could put a picture of me on parchment—if he even knew how to draw, much less write.

"My lord," Lucius says, bowing his head and the rest of those at the table bow much lower in deference.

I smile vaguely. What was it that Master had always told me? That nothing is greater than the feeling of absolute power. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps not.

"If you would please?" Lucius points to the seat of honor next to his right.

I notice to the left it is not his wife sitting next to him, but his son. I don't remember ever seeing his heir sitting there before. Lucius must have been hiding him when I cam. Probably afraid I'd take the boy. I almost laugh at the thought, as if Master would want a callow untried boy like that. No, there are much better prospects than the Malfoy boy.

I walk calmly over to the seat and the servant who had draw my bath for me earlier, pulls the chair and I sit down. Lucius sits and the others all take a seat after him in order of their positions in his household. Lucius raises his hands and claps, dinner begins.

"I trust you found your rooms adequate?"

I incline my head.

Across the table I see the boy heir sneer, twisting his thin lips into something very much like his father. The more I look at him, the more I see Lucius in him. But there's a glimmer of something a bit more fragile about him, delicate. That must come from his mother. I wonder, I slide my eyes toward Lucius, if he is disappointed in his son.

Oh to be sure, he does care—love the boy, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't like a better heir. I would say the young man's a disappointment, too rash and untutored. Much work must be done, and I doubt he would get a hard hand from his father.

He lowers his voice and says, "You may choose any in this room except my son as I have agreed earlier."

I doubt anyone hears but me. I shift my eyes around the room, briefly resting on Black. Something wants me to take him, but I shake off that feeling. Attachments are useless, especially when he'll die a slow, agonizing death.

Who I choose doesn't matter. I tilt my head toward a lanky man that is neither attractive nor horrible to look upon. "That one."

"Very good, my lord," Lucius say smoothly. "His name is Quirrell."

TBC

A/N: 112 hits, 27 reviews. Not a bad ratio. Thanks if only 25 of people reviewed like this, I'd be happy. Keep it up. As for pairing, I'm not really sure what I'll do, but what pairing would you like to see? I've introduced pretty much all the principle players, though there are still the Gryffindors to show up. They will in the next few chapters. For your information Harry's about 16.

Thanks to j752572, Artemis MoonClaw, xxFallin, Spike wings (blushes thanks.), Ruth01, Irihi Safaia, Kuroi Kitty, Cassa-Andra (Yes, I'm using canon in a twisted way to shove it into a new world. It's rather fun and less restrictive than Muggle AUs), Shattered Diamond, chocolatedemon (If there is… you won't hear much about it as the story is from Harry's POV), HoshiHikari, Fate, Thee-Unknown-Factor (I doubt Snape knows much of anything.), CuriousDreamWeaver, Iskjif (As for IC, I think Harry's IC for what he's been through and the others pretty much follow what I interpret from canon), MirrorWakes (congrats, I think you're the only one to guess.), Lothirielwen (regular beatings; who knows what will happen?), Don't-Be-a-Sheep, sunsethoriz (I think I'll keep with slightly shorter as I tend to actually update), Tinanit Enozym, angelkitty77, IamRavine, Mosrael (well it's not quite as bad as long as it misses all the internal organs), Julie Long, Danaan, and riantlykalopsic.