Quidditch tryouts for the Slytherin team took place the following morning, and Severus found himself signing up to try out for Seeker. It was the best chance he had to talk to Regulus without being overheard.

"Alright, Severus?" asked Mulciber as Severus joined him on the Quidditch pitch. He was leaning on his Beater's bat as if it were a cane, seeming not to care that the tip had sunk into the mud. He smirked as he took in Severus' secondhand Quidditch robes and broom. "Nice ride. Didn't know you played."

"I thought I'd try something new," said Severus dryly. "I've been told I have the build of a Seeker." This was a stretch, and Severus knew it; his scrawny figure was the product of chronic malnourishment, unlike the lithe muscles of a Seeker.

Mulciber gave Severus a once-over and grunted. "Yeah, I guess. The queue for Seeker tryouts is over there." He jerked his head towards the far end of the Quidditch pitch.

"Thanks," said Severus. He picked up his broom, a tattered Cleansweep Two he'd swiped from Madam Hooch's shed that morning, and joined the back of the queue. Regulus was only a couple places ahead of him. The morning breeze lifted the ends of Regulus' hair, which was the same sleek onyx as his brother's, though Regulus kept his hair a good deal shorter.

Severus made a movement as if he was rotating his shoulders, and his wand, which had been hidden up his sleeve, slipped into his hand. From there, it was simple enough to direct a pair of silent jinxes at the students separating him from Regulus. One of the students, a Slytherin fourth year, immediately began to hyperventilate before making a dash for the changing room, muttering something about 'nerves'.

The other student doubled over, pinching his nose. Blood spattered the back of Regulus' Quidditch robes, which were such a brilliant shade of emerald green they must have been brand new.

"Oh, dear," said Severus, not sounding concerned at all. "Come down with a nosebleed, eh, Shafiq? Must be all this dry air we're having."

Cassius Shafiq turned towards Severus. "Erm, yeah, I…"

"Let me take a look at that," said Severus. He pulled Shafiq's hand away from his face, examining the blood smeared across his palm. Shafiq paled; he swayed on his feet for a second before toppling to the ground, unconscious.

"Pity," said Severus. "He never could handle the sight of blood."

Regulus glanced at Shafiq's unmoving form and looked away so quickly he, too, may have been afraid of blood. That, or he was supremely unconcerned with the welfare of others. Interesting, thought Severus.

"Shall we move him off the pitch?" said Regulus, his eyes on the sky. His voice was remarkably like his brother's, though Regulus' enunciation was crisper, making him sound impossibly well-bred.

Severus nodded, and Regulus draw his wand. He muttered something under his breath and Shafiq began to float towards the stands, out of harm's way.

"Think he got some blood on your robes, the oaf," said Severus, pointing his wand at the hem of Regulus' robes. "Allow me."

A flicker of alarm passed over Regulus' face. "There's no need —"

Severus caught Regulus' glance at his ill-fitting, hand-me-down Quidditch robes. His mouth filled with a sour taste. "Of course."

Regulus flicked his wand and the blood vanished from his robes. "It's Snape, right?" he asked as he examined his handiwork. "Severus Snape?"

"Indeed."

"Regulus Black," said Regulus, extending a hand. "I believe you know my brother?"

"After a fashion," said Severus.

Regulus' lip twitched. The girl ahead of Regulus jogged out onto the field to take her turn as Seeker, leaving the two of them alone in the queue. "I didn't realize you played Quidditch."

"Not normally," said Severus, keeping his eyes on the girl as she mounted her broom. "You could say I'm not much of a team player."

Regulus actually laughed at that, a short, staccato burst. "Why are you here then, Snape?"

"I want to offer you an opportunity," said Severus.

The humour vanished from Regulus' angular face. "I see."

"You've heard rumours, I'm sure," said Severus. "There exists a group here at Hogwarts that seeks to serve the Dark Lord, in whatever capacity he may require of us as students."

Regulus' grey eyes were fixed on Severus. "Go on."

"There's a process for joining. Nothing out of the ordinary — it mostly consists of spending time together, performing service activities. Occasional group meetings. That sort of thing."

"Nothing out of the ordinary," echoed Regulus. "And suppose I'm not interested?"

"I understand that your parents would quite like this for you."

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "You've been speaking to Bella."

"Naturally," said Severus. "But not to worry — I am not seeking to manipulate you. This group is an excellent opportunity to make connections, learn new things, and expand your social circle. There's no reason not to join."

"I can think of one," said Regulus. "I would be aligning myself with a certain side."

"Let's not pretend that hasn't been the plan for you all along," said Severus. "Especially considering your brother, the Gryffindor…" He trailed off, letting the sentence dangle between them.

Regulus' expression darkened, and for a moment he looked so much like Sirius that Severus felt the sudden urge to curse him. "Point taken." He looked away. Severus followed his gaze; the girl who was trying out for Seeker was flying back and forth somewhat desperately in her search for the Snitch.

"We're meeting at ten in the common room on Saturday before going to Hogsmeade," said Severus. "We've been given an assignment there."

"Sounds exciting," said Regulus, his tone indicating he found it anything but.

"It's better than whatever drivel you've got planned for the weekend," retorted Severus. "We're going to put Caradoc Dearborn in his place — that blood traitor who's been stirring up trouble with the Muggle-born Protection Act. You must have heard of him."

There was a flicker of recognition in Regulus' eyes. "Does Dearborn go on Hogsmeade excursions, as well?"

"His daughter does," said Severus, and Regulus' eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "Will you be joining us on Saturday?"

Regulus went back to watching the tryouts. The girl was now descending, looking like she was holding back tears. "I suppose I will."

"You could at least pretend to be enthusiastic about the prospect."

"You're getting me confused with my brother," said Regulus, a hint of nastiness creeping into his voice. "Enthusiastic is not my style." He adjusted his broom on his shoulder. "Looks like I'm up. Best of luck with tryouts."

"About that," said Severus. "It seems I've come down with a sudden stomach ache. I don't think I'll be able to try out, after all."

Regulus' thin lips curled into the semblance of a smile. "Less competition for me. I'll see you on Saturday, then." Before Severus could respond, Regulus had jogged off. He mounted his broom when he was halfway across the Quidditch pitch and took to the air, as graceful in flight as on the ground. Such effortlessness was surely the result of both a lifetime of private Quidditch lessons and the inherent nobility that had been bred into Regulus from birth.

Severus fought the feeling of jealousy curdling his insides and trudged off the pitch.

James and Sirius ended up serving their detentions in the library, shelving returned books for Madam Pince. It was, in James' opinion, one of the dullest detentions he'd ever had, second only to helping Professor Binns grade essays.

He picked up a book from the large stack atop the table and turned it over in his hands. The cover was embossed with gold and titled Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. Each chapter described, in excruciating detail, the family history of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

"Hey, Padfoot," said James, skimming the chapter labelled Black. "Did you know you've got a great-uncle named Lycoris Black who nearly burned down London three hundred years ago? Most devastating use of Fiendfyre on record, it says here…"

"Oh, him," said Sirius. "Yeah, Mum still visits his grave on the anniversary. I know just the place for that book, give it here..." He pulled the copy of Nature's Nobility out of James' hands and shoved it onto a shelf, between The Magic of Muggles and My Life as a Squib.

"I don't think it belongs there," said Remus mildly from an armchair. He had accompanied them to the library, supposedly to supervise their detention.

"Oh, my mistake," said Sirius. "Didn't realize the school library had a section labelled Pure-Blooded Tosh. If you'll just point it out to me, Moony..."

Remus frowned. "It's only a history book."

The playful tone left Sirius' voice. "It's garbage."

"I've got an idea," said James loudly, hoping to distract Sirius before he followed in his uncle's footsteps and set fire to the library.

Remus seized upon the opportunity to change the subject at once. "An idea? That sounds dangerous."

"Nah," said James. "I mean, not comparatively. You know how we missed the full this week cause Evans caught us sneaking down to Willow?"

"I seem to remember something along those lines," said Remus. He indicated the long scratch across his temple that had yet to heal completely.

"Well, I've been thinking about that," said James. "And I've decided we need to figure out a way to keep tabs on where Evans is at all times. To avoid her, of course."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, that sounds like a good use of our time."

"One of these days Lily's bound to get a restraining order against you," said Remus. A fat rat with sandy fur peeked out of Remus' pocket and squeaked its agreement.

"Shut it, Wormtail," said James. "I'm not joking. The Invisibility Cloak can only get us so far. If we knew where the prefects were patrolling, we wouldn't have to sneak around under the Cloak in the first place — we could just avoid them."

"That's actually not a bad idea," said Sirius. "We could create some sort of map of Hogwarts that tracks the movement of prefects and the professors."

"Exactly," said James. "If anyone asks about it, we can say we're, I don't know, starting the first Hogwarts Cartography Club or something."

"We could probably get Binns to sponsor us, even," said Sirius. "He never knows what's going on, he'll sign anything…"

Remus' head was tilted thoughtfully. "We should include more than just authority figures on the map. Mulciber's little gang, for example. I don't much fancy running into them."

"Well, there's no point in tracking Snivellus," said Sirius. "You only have to find Evans and he's across the room somewhere, pining after her so hard it looks like he's about to take a dump…"

James snorted. "I think a modified Homonculous Charm would work for the map. I've used the spell before when we needed dew for the Animagi transformations. Shouldn't be too difficult."

The rat tumbled out of Remus' pocket and darted behind the armchair he was sitting in. A moment later, Peter emerged, smoothing his hair. "Where're we gonna get a map of Hogwarts, though?"

James and Sirius looked at each other. "Erm, not sure," said James. "I guess we could make one ourselves —"

Remus shut the book he'd been reading. "Have none of you ever opened a copy of Hogwarts: A History?"

"I have, technically," said Sirius. "If only to use its pages for a loo roll…"

Remus shook his head and stood up, leaving the aisle. He returned after a couple of minutes, holding Hogwarts: A History. "Every copy comes with a map," he said. "How else are first years supposed to find their way around?"

Peter stared at Remus incredulously. "You mean we didn't have to spend our first six months as students stumbling blindly around Hogwarts?"

"You were the only one stumbling, Wormtail," said Sirius. "The rest of us had the castle memorized after a week. We just thought it was a laugh to let you lead the way."

Remus opened his copy of Hogwarts, a History on the table, unfurling the map inside. "The most recent edition is nearly two hundred years old, so it isn't perfect," he said. "It hasn't got any of the secret passageways, and the entire third floor is missing, for some reason. The dungeons are left mostly blank, as well…"

"It's a start, though," said James, drawing his wand. "Diffindo." The map separated from the spine of the book. James folded it and placed it into his pocket. "Let's start working on it when we go to the kitchens tonight."

Unfortunately, during dinner in the kitchens, Peter spilt a goblet of Butterbeer all over the map, rendering everything from the Great Hall to the sixth floor a soggy mess of smeared ink.

"Oops," said Peter. "My fault. No worries, though…" He pulled out his wand. "Evanesco." The ink siphoned off the map and into his wand, leaving the parchment completely blank.

There was a pause.

James recovered first. "Well, there's more than one copy of Hogwarts: A History in the library. Right, Remus?"

As it turned out, the library contained two additional copies of Hogwarts: A History, which James managed to smuggle out under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Take two," said James, once they were back in their dormitory. "Should we start working on the essentials, then?"

Remus nodded. "We definitely need to add the third floor."

"Erm," said James, "I think you misunderstood. I was talking about tracking Lily Evans."

Sirius threw his hands in the air in frustration and left the room.

By the end of the week, both of the maps James had snuck out of the library had been ruined. Peter accidentally set one on fire, though he swore up and down he had no idea how it had happened and definitely hadn't been experimenting with Fiendfyre. James found the other map ripped to shreds beside Sirius' bed.

"It was an accident," Sirius said quickly at the expression on James' face. "You know how I get when I'm Padfoot, I get urges and I can't help myself…"

"That's a load of dung," said James. "I'm an Animagus, too, remember? I know how it works. You don't get urges —"

"You do if you transform for long enough," said Sirius. "I've spent more time as Padfoot than you have as Prongs, and I'm telling you, I get urges."

"Me too," said Peter, scrambling onto Sirius' bed. "I always crave cheese when I'm Wormtail."

"Yeah," said James, "but how often do you crave cheese as a human being?"

"Er… constantly?"

"My point exactly. Animagi don't get urges, Sirius, you just ruined the map for no reason —"

"Well, I know what I'm asking Minnie about during our next Transfiguration lesson," said Sirius.

James rolled his eyes. "In the meantime, how are we going to get more maps?"

"We get to go to Hogsmeade this weekend," Remus pointed out. "We could just buy more copies of Hogwarts: A History at Tomes and Scrolls."

"When you say 'we', do you mean 'James'?" asked Sirius. "Because I'm a bit skint at the moment. Side effect of running away from home, you know…"

"I did mean James," said Remus, looking pleased. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"I'm right here, and I do mind," said James. "If you lot ruin any more maps with your animal urges —"

"Need to break a few eggs to make a basilisk, mate," said Sirius, slinging an arm around James' shoulders. "It'll all be worth it in the end."

James elbowed him in the side. "Get your mangy paws off me."

"I haven't got mange. I'm too pretty."

"If you ruin another map I'm going to put you on a leash."

"Kinky," said Sirius. "I like it."

James groaned and shoved Sirius off him. "Fancy a game of pickup Quidditch?"

"No," said Remus and Peter simultaneously.

"Only if I get to ride Elvendork," said Sirius, snatching what appeared to be a miniature motorcycle off his bedside table.

James raised an eyebrow. "You're going to lose if you ride Elvendork. That thing has the worst turning radius I've ever seen."

"Hush." Sirius cupped his hands over the motorcycle. "Elvendork can hear you. You'll ruin my baby's self-confidence."

"Good," said James. "Then you'll definitely lose. Remus, wanna keep score?"

"No," said Remus.

"Excellent," said James, picking his Quidditch robes up off the floor. "Peter, you can ref. I'll meet you lot at the pitch in ten."

"Where's your little protege, Sev?" asked Mulciber, pushing open the massive oak doors that led to the castle grounds. It was Saturday and though it was early, the only students still inside the castle were the first and second years who couldn't yet go to Hogsmeade. "Thought he was meeting us in the common room."

"He's already in Hogsmeade," said Severus. "Got breakfast with a family member. He said he'd meet us outside the post office." He tried to sound matter-of-fact, but the truth was he'd bet ten Galleons, if he had any, that Regulus had gotten cold feet. Severus didn't blame him; he himself wasn't exactly looking forward to — whatever it was they were going to do to Sally. Mulciber had been infuriatingly tight-lipped about the details of his plan, which meant that whatever happened would probably be disastrous.

Severus had kept an eye on Sally these past few weeks, and the way she carried herself reminded him of his father. Tobias always looked like he was ready to punch first and ask questions later. Privately, Severus expected one of two outcomes: either Mulciber would perform the Killing Curse on Sally in broad daylight in the middle of the Three Broomsticks, or else Sally would murder Mulciber for daring to attack her.

It was a quick walk in the crisp autumn air to Hogsmeade. As they approached the village, Severus was surprised to see Regulus leaning against the wall of the post office. Regulus raised a hand coolly at the group in greeting before falling into step beside Severus.

Mulciber nodded approvingly. "Black. Wasn't sure you'd make it."

An expression of mild surprise appeared on Regulus' aristocratic features. "I would have thought Severus had told you I was having breakfast with a family member."

"Er," said Mulciber. "He did, but…"

Regulus' lips pressed together in a small smile. "Thought I might have backed out of what we're about to do here?"

"Something like that," grunted Mulciber. "This brotherhood is not for everybody."

"I see," said Regulus, sounding unimpressed. "Oh, by the way — I saw Sally Dearborn pass by not ten minutes ago. Looked to me like she was heading to the Three Broomsticks."

"Or Zonko's," said Severus. "It's on the way."

The Secondaries turned onto the main street, where Mulciber ordered them to make a show of admiring Spintwitches' window display of broomsticks while he slipped into Zonko's.

He emerged a couple of minutes later. "She's in there," he muttered, squeezing beside Severus at the window display. "Should be out soon, she was queuing up to buy something."

Not five minutes later, the door to Zonko's jingled. Severus fought the urge to turn and look, keeping his eyes on the broomsticks. Out of his peripheral vision, a figure in a red coat stepped into the street.

"We'll tail her," said Mulciber out of the corner of his mouth. "Slowly, now…"

Sally Dearborn, with her red coat and blonde plaits, was not a difficult person to follow. She strode down the street, weaving between clusters of students, before pulling open the door to the Three Broomsticks and vanishing inside.

"Now's our chance," said Mulciber. "Regulus, go in there and tell her there's a couple of students duelling behind Honeydukes."

Regulus looked sideways at Mulciber. "Why me?"

"Because you're a prefect, and so is she. She'll feel obligated to back you up."

"Edmund's a prefect, too," said Regulus with a glance at Avery.

Mulciber clapped a meaty hand on Regulus' shoulder. "Ah, but Edmund is not the one who needs to prove himself, is he?"

Regulus shrugged off Mulciber's hand. "Point taken." Before Mulciber could say anything more, Regulus crossed the street, turning up the collar of his starched coat. He hesitated at the entrance to the Three Broomsticks, but only for a moment before he pulled open the door to the pub, his jaw set.

"Spread out," ordered Mulciber as soon as Regulus had vanished into the Three Broomsticks. "Wilfred and I will be behind Honeydukes. Evan, Edmund, head down the street a bit. If she escapes from us, I want you there to intercept her. Severus, you'll be in the alley by the Three Broomsticks. Disillusion yourself, you're good at that. When Regulus and Sally go behind Honeydukes, I want you following. Hex her if she tries to get away. Understood?"

Severus nodded and crossed the busy street, his oversized robes billowing behind him as he ducked into the alleyway beside the Three Broomsticks. He drew his wand, and his body shimmered for a moment before becoming translucent. Satisfied, he crouched behind a rain barrel.

After a couple of minutes, Regulus emerged from the Three Broomsticks, Sally Dearborn in tow. She was much shorter than Regulus, and her height combined with her blonde plaits made her look almost childish. Vulnerable, thought Severus.

"Where did you say the duel was?" she asked. Regulus' response was lost among the noise of the crowd as he steered her across the street, towards the alley which wrapped around Honeydukes.

Severus ducked out from behind the rain barrel and followed them, dodging between clusters of students ambling along the street. He caught up to Regulus and Sally right as they disappeared around a bend in the alley. Severus went no further, pressing himself into the corner of the bend. He kept his hand on his wand; if Sally tried to run, he'd be responsible for stopping her.

Behind Honeydukes, Mulciber and Wilkes were pretending to duel. Wilkes was wearing Hufflepuff robes and had applied some sort of charm that made him appear to have red hair and severe acne.

Their fight was rather unconvincing, in Severus' opinion. Mulciber fired a Bat-Bogey Hex at Wilkes which went obviously wide, shooting over Wilkes' head and ricocheting off the brick wall of Honeydukes.

"Alright, you two," said Sally, striding ahead of Regulus in true Gryffindor fashion. "Playtime's over. Wands away, or it's a round of detentions for —"

She broke off as Mulciber wheeled towards her, slashing his wand through the air. A jet of silver light barreled towards her — Severus recognized it as one of his nastier jinxes — and she ducked. The spell missed her by inches. Mulciber blinked, seeming surprised that Sally's reflexes were so quick.

"Hexing a prefect," said Sally, panting a little as she straightened up. "Right, that'll make it a month's worth of detentions —"

Wilkes exchanged a look with Mulciber, and then the two of them made identical movements, tracing a symbol in the air with their wands.

Sally's eyes widened. "No," she said, backing up. "Regulus, do you see this, they're…" There was a shimmer in the air around Sally, and her voice faded. Her mouth continued to move, but no sound came out. Sally whirled towards Regulus, panicked, shouting something that none of them could hear.

Regulus' knuckles were white where he gripped his wand, his mouth set in a thin line. "Sorry, Sally," he muttered, raising his wand. "Stup —"

Sally made a sudden movement and Regulus' wand went flying out of his hand. Sally caught it and spun towards Wilkes and Mulciber, fury blazing in her eyes as she pointed both wands at them. She shot a nonverbal hex at Wilkes with Regulus' wand while a Shield Charm erupted from the tip of her own.

Severus' pulse quickened. Stupid Mulciber; Sally was a seventh year, and the daughter of the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation to boot. Of course she'd been taught advanced defensive magic.

The hex caught Wilkes in the abdomen, and he fell to his knees as his legs began to fuse together, forming a large, orange fishtail.

Mulciber grunted, his wand aloft as he advanced on Sally. "Sectum," he growled, and the curse slid through the Shield Charm as easily as if it were made of silk, catching Sally on the shoulder. Sally's mouth twisted as she cried out in obvious pain, though she made no sound. A dark stain began to spread across the shoulder of her red coat.

She glanced at Regulus, her eyes sliding over Severus' Disillusioned form before she turned back to Wilkes and Mulciber, her eyes calculating. Then, with a shake of her wand, her Shield Charm vanished and she began to run, sprinting past Regulus, towards Severus —

Severus raised his wand and shot a Trip Jinx at Sally's feet. She stumbled, then fell, her jaw hitting the ground hard. Mulciber advanced on her, Wilkes flopping uselessly on the ground behind him. Sally scrambled onto her back, drawing complicated patterns in the air with her wand. The ground under Severus' feet began to quake, and Mulciber jumped backwards as a solid brick wall rose up from the ground. It divided the alleyway in two, trapping Mulciber and Wilkes on the other side of the wall.

Sally examined her handiwork from where she was lying on her back. She seemed pleased, though her smile looked more like a grimace. She twisted towards Regulus, her expression wary as she pointed his own wand at him. Severus barely dared to breathe; she still hadn't seemed to notice he was there.

Regulus didn't move. He met Sally's gaze steadily. After a moment, Sally began to lower her arm. Severus couldn't believe it. She was actually going to set Regulus' wand on the ground for him. Did she honestly believe Regulus was on her side?

There was a sudden booming noise; the wall shook as something exploded into the bricks from the other side. Sally started at the noise, and Regulus darted forward, grabbing his wand out of her hands.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Regulus, but Sally had already raised her own wand, and she deflected the spell with ease. She scrambled to her feet, her face twisted in fury at Regulus' betrayal. She trained her wand on Regulus and her mouth moved, though no sound came out.

The spell, black as pitch, caught Regulus in the stomach. There was a horrible squelching sound and Regulus cried out in pain, doubling over with his arms wrapped around his waist.

A second booming noise shook the wall, sending bricks tumbling onto the ground. Sally spat in Regulus' direction, then turned on her heel and fled down the alley. Severus aimed his wand at her from where he was hiding, muttering a curse under his breath, but the spell soared over her head. Sally pointed her wand over her injured shoulder, and Severus barely managed to cast a Shield Charm in time to deflect the three Stunning Spells that came barreling towards him.

Suddenly, Rosier and Avery appeared at the entry of the alleyway, blocking Sally's exit. Sally didn't slow; she pointed her wand at herself and then — Severus blinked several times in surprise — she leapt into the air, soaring over the heads of Rosier and Avery. She landed somewhere in the middle of the crowded street, vanishing into the throng of students.

Behind Severus came a final booming sound, accompanied by a flash of red light. He turned in time to see the brick wall that Sally had conjured crumble and vanish. Mulciber and Wilkes stood in its place, pointing their wands at where the wall had been. Wilkes had gotten rid of his fishtail, though his feet were still covered in orange scales.

"Where'd she go?" demanded Mulciber, his icy blue eyes flicking between Severus' disillusioned form and Regulus, who had gone very pale as he clutched his stomach.

"East. Towards the Shrieking Shack," said Severus, ending his disillusionment spell.

"Well then, what are you lot waiting for?" growled Mulciber. "Find her!"

Rosier and Avery nodded and sprinted out of the alley, Mulciber and Wilkes right behind them. Severus figured his athletic ability was the least useful of his talents, so instead of pursuing Sally Dearborn, he turned towards Regulus. "Are you injured?"

"Think so," said Regulus, who was still doubled over and breathing hard. "My stomach… I feel…"

"Show me."

Regulus lifted his shirt slowly, wincing in pain. Just above his navel, where the spell had hit him, there was a smoky black mark larger than Severus' hand. It looked if something had exploded within Regulus, charring his skin from the inside.

"She's cursed you," said Severus. "I'm not sure with what — could be a number of things." Off the top of his head, he could think of seven different spells that could produce similar effects. At least three were fatal, though he didn't think Regulus needed to know that.

"Thanks," muttered Regulus between clenched teeth. "Hugely helpful."

"Well, I'm not a Mediwizard," snapped Severus. "I suggest you see Madam Pomfrey if you want an actual diagnosis."

"Fantastic," panted Regulus, who looked like he was trying not to vomit. "Reckon this was a successful ambush, considering I ended up more injured than Dearborn was?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Lucius and Bella should never have put Mulciber in charge. The imbecile knows how to cast the godforsaken Imperius Curse, yet he decides to put his faith in the fact that he can probably beat her in a duel. We deserved this outcome."

"We," repeated Regulus, the scepticism evident in his voice.

"You heard correctly," replied Severus acerbically. "I saw you try to Disarm her. You are just as culpable of the rest of us."

Regulus blanched, and for a moment looked like he was going to be sick. "I didn't — I didn't use force..."

Severus was spared having to respond to the idiocy of that statement as Mulciber returned with the other Secondaries in tow. A vein in Mulciber's jaw was pulsing dangerously. "She got away," he said shortly. "We couldn't find her."

"Well," said Severus nastily, "that certainly won't come back to haunt us."

Mulciber whirled towards Severus, swinging a fist through the air. Severus ducked on instinct, and Mulciber's fist collided with the wall.

Mulciber swore angrily, shaking his fist, but the pain seemed to calm him a bit. "No matter," he muttered, examining his bloody knuckles. "We'll try again. And next time, she won't get away so easily."

A/N: Sorry it took me forever to post this chapter! I've been applying for a master's, which has required a ton of essay writing and left me totally burnt out on writing as a hobby. Back on track now, though!