Thanks to all of you who took the time to review my story!
AN: Chapter betaed by the awesome Miette and dstone12 :)
For the next two weeks, Severus fell into a routine, sharing his days between Hogwarts, Svalbard and Caspian Manor.
He was surprised by the number of students who attended his first Friday morning session. He was stunned when even more came to the second. When he complained to Minerva that there could not be so many students close to failing Transfiguration, she laughed and explained that there were suddenly many more hopeful to get the necessary "E" on their OWLs exams to be allowed in her NEWTs class.
She agreed that they might need to organise the older years into groups by level like they had done for the first and second years to increase the efficiency of the session.
During that time, Severus went four times to Svalbard. He spent the mornings at the library, poring over old books and records about Horcruxes and Magic sharing. He even found a book on Thestrals and their abilities that Librarian Ressurs XXV allowed him to copy so that he could study it with Dhaal. Then he had lunch with Brage and Vilde, a far less grand affair than for his first visit which suited him just fine. The remainder of the day was spent with the voktere. True to Voktere Jung's assessment, Severus had quickly adapted to the voktere's speed and mix of magical-physical fighting.
Despite the Vampires' resources as well as two more testing sessions with Jonathan, the creation of a device to block the Marks was slow going. For now, Severus had rune engraved stones that, put into a circle, would cut off the people inside from the Magic flows outside of it as well as prevent them from going out of the circle, thus preventing Lord Voldemort from reaching the bearers of his Marks. Of course, it meant that any people inside the circle would not be able to get out without outside help. As Severus would have to be inside the circle to help Lord Voldemort reunite with his Horcruxes, it was not an ideal solution, but it had the merit of existing.
Severus was feeling stretched thin considering he had also worked hard with Dhaal to separate the Horcrux ring from its stone. He still did not know what the stone was and why his Familiar was so adamant that they remove it before reuniting Lord Voldemort with his Horcrux. They had finally succeeded by using muggle means, once Severus had had sufficient practice. Dhaal had Screamed the entire time it took Severus to accomplish his task, and then snatched the stone and flew away with the promise he would destroy it and explain everything to Severus once Lord Voldemort was back to sanity.
Severus had no other choice but to trust that like himself was keeping secrets from his friends and families for their safety, Dhaal was doing the same.
It still left him feeling unbalanced, especially as he crammed so much work into his days that he was unable to free himself to spend even one evening with Lucius and Narcissa. He was doing everything he could to protect his family and his friends, yet at times, it felt like he was already losing them.
To top it all, Severus' lack of progress on blocking the Mark had not helped the tension between Regulus and him. Neither of them had raised the possibility of stopping working together, but the easy camaraderie that had once existed between them was gone. It was frustrating, but each time Severus thought that they were finally on the path of mending their differences, Regulus would send a pike about Lord Voldemort's failures and madness that Severus was supposedly blind to.
Severus had finally snapped at him during the last meeting, telling Regulus that if he was so bent on killing people gone mad because of their use of the Dark Arts, he should begin by doing so within his own family. The end of the meeting had been quite cold.
Severus knew he should not have let his temper get the better of him. He knew he had been defensive because at the previous Death Eaters meeting, the Carrow twins, two of their barely out of school members, had brought a cowering ministry employee to torture as a way of sending a message about the current ministry's corruption. Lord Voldemort had refused to go along with their plan and ordered them to return the employee back to Diagon Alley, but only because she was not the right person to send this message. He had explained to attentive Death Eaters that torture was only acceptable on high profile targets who had committed great crimes, in order not to turn their supporters away from them. No one had openly protested against the use of torture, the debate centred only on which targets were acceptable and which spells were suitable.
Severus did not know if he should rejoice that Lord Voldemort was showing that he was still capable of somewhat rational thoughts and planning, or despair at the fact that torture was now officially considered an acceptable means of sending messages to public figures from the Death Eater group despite the disaster of Baxter's murder. Though if he was honest with himself, he had heard enough side comments on the raids to know that since Baxter's murder, the Death Eaters going on raids used Dark spells with the intent to harm rather than humiliate with a far greater frequency than before.
Lady Greengrass had been conspicuously absent from the last meetings, though she was still in England and attended to all her official duties. Severus expected to hear about either her death or her taking a sabbatical at the other end of the world any day now.
He dreaded tonight's meeting, even if Dhaal and he had spoken in great length about their possible course of action if torture happened. Evan inviting himself and Jonathan to Caspian Manor while they waited for the time of the meeting had been a relief, despite decreasing his research time of the day by two hours.
"I'm really surprised at the number of people who are still openly protesting in the streets," Jonathan was saying, disbelief colouring his tone.
"I told you that there were many people who supported us," replied Evan with glee. "Our actions these past seven years have paid off. People understand how much better we would be and how dangerous Birkins' ideas are. They won't stop protesting until we have a date for the next elections!"
"But is it really good for us?" asked Jonathan, worried. "People are fighting against the Aurors and getting hurt. You know how uncontrollable a crowd can become. I'm afraid it will go too far and incite a public backlash. Remember that two people died during the first days of the protest."
Evan rolled his eyes.
"You can't stop fighting for what is right just because it might be dangerous. And as much as you may disagree with it, another Auror blunder would garner us even more support."
"I'm not so sure about that. The polls have been stalling at half-half for several weeks, even before Baxter's death," remarked Severus.
"I can't believe it will remain this way," said Evan. "People must see how much better Lord Voldemort would be for our world! I hope the raids of the group will help the undecided choose the right side."
"Do you truly think that the raids can bring us more support?" asked Jonathan, curious.
"Well, yes," answered Evan. "I'm not thrilled about it, but it seems like violence gives more credibility to our words than articles in the Wizard Times. Like, for instance, people think that only those who say the truth would dare get violent to allow their demands to come to light. And don't forget that the Daily Prophet is the most read newspaper in Great Britain despite being controlled by the Minister. They never promote our ideas except when they write about how violent we are."
"Is it really the kind of advertising that we want?"
"Of course," exclaimed Evan, looking at Jonathan with surprise. "They are so dumb that they don't realise that many of their readers agree with our demands, and they don't even bother trying to twist our words. Don't you agree?" he asked, turning to Severus.
"I'm not certain that it gains us more votes than we lose," admitted Severus. "Don't forget that the readers of the Daily Prophet usually are not Dark Arts practitioners nor are they prone to fighting. Violence can be a strong deterrent even if they support our ideas."
"I agree it can lose us a few votes here and there, but the visibility it offers us compensate for it greatly," countered Evan. "I'll owl you Mulciber's estimation about the numbers of votes the raids gained us, you'll see it's formidable!"
"I'm looking forward to reading this," answered Severus.
If Lestrange had used that kind of report to convince Lord Voldemort of the usefulness of the raid against Baxter's home, he needed to see what it looked like right now. Why had he not known it existed? He had no doubt it was either false or biased, but others had believed in them so why had they not spoken of it?
Severus did not have the time to ask Evan when and where he had seen this report as his friend changed the subject.
"I'm a bit anxious about the meeting. I really hope that Lord Nott will have chosen better targets than the Carrows', perhaps one of those who served on the inquiry board that concluded that your father's death was an accident," stated Evan as he looked at Jonathan.
"If one of those involved in the inquiry is chosen, Jonathan must not participate," intervened Severus, trying to hide his alarm. "He's sure to be a prime suspect."
"I'm sure Jonathan knows how to lie to the Aurors if needed," replied Evan, though he looked at Jonathan for confirmation.
"I should manage," agreed Jonathan wryly. "The Malfoy's lawyers are very persuasive. I'm more worried about how Mother would react to the Aurors interrogating me."
"Especially if they take you to the Ministry," added Severus.
He really hoped they chose another target.
"There will be no proof to give them a reason to interrogate you" stated Evan firmly. "The Dark Lord was very clear about the precautions we need to take so that there isn't another Baxter incident. I assure you that any missteps from one of us will be severely punished."
After the first riots, the Daily Prophet had taken to calling Lord Voldemort "The Dark Lord" in a transparent effort to make him a villain. The Death Eaters had gleefully embraced the nickname that echoed with the Prophecy.
"Lestrange had better be careful," said Severus dryly.
"Lord Voldemort was looking at him when he warned us," recalled Jonathan, eyes sparkling.
"Bellatrix is having a hard time making the group forget his blunder," agreed Evan. "Did you hear her brag about lending one of her House Elves to Lord Voldemort? Rumour has it that the Blacks first lent him a House Elf a few months ago and that he died, so they were wary of lending him another one. It's funny how Regulus' mother cares more about her Elves than her son. Anyway, Bellatrix jumped on the occasion to show how useful she is."
"I hadn't heard the rumour," answered Severus truthfully. "Do you know what happened to the Blacks' House Elf?"
He knew that Regulus would never let Lord Voldemort near Kreacher again, but the younger man had neither told them that the man had asked, nor how he would manage such a feat.
"No," said Evan, shaking his head. "But according to the Dark Lord, it was an accident. The Elf tried to protect him during an experiment."
Did the Blacks know that Lord Voldemort was lying? Was this only a story for the group because neither the Blacks nor Lord Voldemort had cared about Kreacher?
More worrying, why did Lord Voldemort need a House Elf? Did he want to move the locket to another hiding place? Was he planning on yet another Horcrux that he would need to hide? Or had he already done so, losing Dìleas in the process?
Severus could not believe the Lord would sacrifice Dìleas, but he had to admit that it was a possibility.
Their talk turned to lighter subjects, asking each other about family and current projects. Far too soon, it was time to leave for the meeting.
Per Lord Voldemort's instruction, they arrived wearing the Death Eaters' costume and mask. The Lord wanted to take no chance that their targets might identify any of them.
The meeting was held in the adjoining garden of a small mansion, entirely surrounded by woods. Severus had no idea who it belonged to.
They were lucky to have a clear sky without any wind to disturb the night. The half moon and a few blue lanterns gave the garden an eerie feel. With the addition of about 80 masked Death Eaters in a semicircle, it was a frightening sight that would have given nightmares to Muggles and Wizards alike.
The disguises were good. Severus had trouble recognising any of his companions without using his Sense unless they were speaking. Only a few possessed Sensing Shields or awareness that prevented him from feeling their magical presence without even focusing his Sense on them. They had spent so much time together that he had imprinted their magical presence into his Sense without realising it.
"Good evening everyone!"
Severus straightened as Lord Voldemort welcomed them. Even masked, the man radiated charm and assurance as he faced his audience.
"Thank you all for coming. As you know, we will begin with special guests, so I ask everyone of you to cast a voice modifying spell right now. Remember that our guests must only see Death Eaters."
Severus cast the spell on himself, glad for the mask hiding his expression as several struggled with the simple spell. Crabbe and Goyle were not the only ones whose graduation from Hogwarts was a mystery.
Lord Voldemort waited until everyone was settled to speak again.
"Please welcome Andrew McMahon and Robert Bristow!"
Carrow and Dolohov came out from the mansion, escorting the two prisoners. Both were men in their late forties, from Severus' estimation, dressed in high quality robes. Their hands were bound behind their back, but they were not otherwise restrained. They did not appear to be hurt. Not yet.
"For those who may not know them," continued Lord Voldemort, "Mister McMahon is the Head of the Office of Misinformation within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Meaning he was the one who supervised the obliviators and all those who worked to keep Muggles ignorant about Magic and the Wizarding World.
"Mister Bristow is the International Magical Office of Law deputy within the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
He was among the Wizards who worked with the other countries to develop global laws and facilitate cooperation on judicial matters between the various wizarding communities in the world.
Severus was impressed. Both men were quite young for such responsibilities.
"As you can see, Misters McMahon and Bristow have both done well in their life. They are Muggleborns who benefited from Hogwarts' excellent education before studying at Oxfarer. Then, they both spent one year at Horeword before being hired at the Ministry of Magic about twenty years ago."
Lord Voldemort paused, turning to the two prisoners and shaking his head.
"Sadly, they don't want everyone to benefit from the same chance as them. They want to ban Slytherins from Hogwarts because, I quote, "Slytherins are the reason for the Wizarding World's stagnation". They are currently supporting the dissolution of the Wizengamot, and want its new members to be elected because it's done this way in the muggle world. They accuse Slytherins of keeping the best political and financial positions for themselves thanks to tradition and networking. They don't seem to care about the fact that there are no more Slytherins than Gryffindors at those influential positions. They don't seem to care that we are not living in the muggle world. They have not cared to research why the Wizengamot cannot be dismissed in the twinkling of an eye. They don't even care about Houses, claiming they are antiquated. Simply put, they don't care about Wizards and Magic."
To Severus' surprise, McMahon spoke up. He had not realised that the prisoners had not been silencioed.
"That's not true. We care about the Wizarding World, which is why we are promoting changes. Our world has remained stuck in the Middle Ages when the Muggle World has grown and improved much in the last centuries. We must take it as a model. People deserve to have the right to choose their future instead of bowing to the decisions taken by those lucky enough to belong to the Ancient and Noble Pureblood Houses!"
"Thank you for demonstrating my point," stated Lord Voldemort wryly, looking over the group. "As you can see, we have spent the last seven years explaining why we are not Muggle and should not be treated as such. Why Magic is important and at the centre of our life. Why children are our future and should be protected. But they don't listen, because they are not the one hurting. They don't realise that they are hurting our society when they try to model it on the Muggle World. So it's time to change our method. Misters McMahon and Bristow, you've been judged guilty of betrayal of the Wizarding World. Your actions have led to the hurt of many. May you now feel that hurt!"
"Aculeo!"
Severus grimaced under his mask as Lord Voldemort's spell hit McMahon and Bristow, both unable to avoid it. They let out grunts of pain as needles appeared all over their bodies, prickling sensitive areas.
"You won't get away with this!" exclaimed McMahon. "We are representatives of the Ministry! We are members of the government! You terrorists have no right to—"
His sentence ended in a cry of pain as Mulciber cast Diffindo on him.
Strengthening his Occlumency shields, Severus reluctantly admired the precision of the curse as it cut into McMahon's arm without fatally injuring him.
Lestrange was next, using Percutiens to hit Bristow in the stomach, making him fall to the ground. Then Lord Black went up, impressing Severus with a controlled use of the blasting curse that broke McMahon's thumb. Nott's cousin followed, casting an unexpected Retortatinum that had Bristow curling on himself as he howled in pain, the spell twisting his intestine painfully.
Severus added more fumes to his shield while Dhaal went rigid on his shoulder.
In the end, more than half the Death Eaters present partook in the torture, Severus' friends and brother included. Bellatrix closed the ball by casting Crucio on both McMahon and Bristow at the same time. She might be crazy, but she knew how to use Magic.
The two men were in a sad state, moaning pitifully as they lay on the ground in soiled clothes, bleeding from various injuries. Severus had no doubt that they were hurting, yet, they would heal if properly taken care of.
Dhaal could have been made of stone on Severus' shoulder. He had never been so glad for his Familiar's power of invisibility.
"I hope this will allow you to reflect on your past actions," stated Lord Voldemort calmly as he towered over McMahon and Bristow. "Think about the errors of your way once you're back home. We won't always be so lenient with those who would destroy our world."
Severus was pretty sure that such a session would have only reinforced his own beliefs and ignited a deep hatred for his torturers.
The Lord gestured at Carrow and Dolohov who came to retrieve the two prisoners.
Once they were gone, he turned to look straight at Severus.
"Severus. I noticed that you did not deign to dole out your punishment," stated the Lord.
The modifying-voice spell was gone. The Lord's tone was deceptively neutral.
Severus cancelled his own spell before speaking the answer he had rehearsed since knowing that torture might happen during meetings.
"It did not seem necessary as my comrades were quite thorough. And I must admit that casting spells at targets who have no hope of defending themselves is… boring."
Lord Voldemort chuckled.
"I figured that was the case, though you must understand that even a boring task must be done. But don't worry, I have chosen a prey deserving of your interest. This one could be the key to our victory. I need you to soften him before I interrogate him about Dumbledore's plans and the protections surrounding my future prophesied killers."
Severus had never been more grateful for his Goblin training. Who had they managed to capture? How was he going to prevent Lord Voldemort from interrogating him without showing his hand?
"We can still use our plan," Sensed Dhaal.
"Are you sure Nagini cannot Sense you?" Sensed back Severus.
"Even if she can, it doesn't matter. I won't be anywhere near the target," answered his Familiar.
Dhaal's observation of Flink and his subsequent practice had yielded unexpected results. The Thestral could now flow-travel someone for a relatively short distance without being by his side. It required him to Sense both the person he was flow-traveling and the flow he wanted to use to get them to their destination.
Severus had proven unable to do the same for now, but he had had far less practice than Dhaal.
"You're certain Saint Mungo won't be too far?"
"For the last time Broer, I can do it," snapped Dhaal.
"We will let him believe he has a chance at escaping, so you can better crush his hope," continued Lord Voldemort, unaware of their conversation. "We will let him believe that if he beats you in a duel, he will go free."
"Do you really think the target will believe this?" asked Severus, sceptical.
"No, but he won't resist the chance of either escaping or killing one of us," answered Lord Voldemort. "I'm counting on you, Severus."
"I won't disappoint you, my Lord," answered Severus, ignoring the dread coiling in his stomach and reinforcing his Occlumency walls until only clarity and focus remained.
The plan wasn't a bad one, but Severus would have rather not risk his life. He was also well aware that it would give Lord Voldemort the opportunity of studying Severus' abilities. He hoped that his target was like Beltram.
"I'll hold you to that, Severus. Please everyone, mask and modifying-voice spell on. Get ready to welcome famous Senior-Auror Alastor Moody!"
Severus allowed his eyes to close for one second. How had they managed such a feat? Why had he not heard about the Auror's capture earlier?
This time, four Death Eaters escorted the prisoner, all of them Master of Defence against the Dark arts grade I: Dolohov, MacNair, Nott's cousin and Beltram. Moody's hands were bound in front of him with magical manacles, but otherwise, his movements were free. His face was impassive but Severus had no doubt that the man was observing his surroundings and looking for an escape route.
Severus would have thought they were not taking the Auror seriously if he had not Sensed Nagini lurking behind him.
They stopped in front of Lord Voldemort, Dolohov coming forward to offer Moody's wand to their leader.
The Lord took the wand with a nod, then waited for Dolohov to go back to guarding Moody before speaking.
"Welcome, Auror Moody. Thank you for accepting our invitation."
"I didn't have much of a choice," answered the Auror wryly. "May I know whom I'm speaking with? I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here."
"I'm afraid you can't," said Lord Voldemort. "Your Ministry has labelled us terrorists after all."
"Is it surprising, seeing you're planning on killing an Auror?" asked Moody idly.
Lord Voldemort shook his head lightly.
"We do not plan on killing you, Auror Moody. We have no reason to. No, we have invited you to speak and exchange information."
"Really? I would feel more inclined to believe you if you had not threatened innocents to capture me, if I had my wand, and if I wasn't magically shackled," stated the Auror in a suddenly cold voice.
"We never threaten innocents," replied Lord Voldemort, his voice as cold as Moody's.
"If you say so."
Lord Voldemort remained silent, looking at Moody as if in thought. Then he nodded.
"Here is what I propose. You will face one of us in a duel. If you win, you will be free to go. If you lose, you will give us the information we require."
Moody let out a sharp laugh.
"It doesn't seem like a fair bargain. You don't offer any information if I win. Only my freedom, which should have never been taken from me."
Lord Voldemort tilted his head.
"You're right. What about this: if you win, the Death Eater you've beaten will take off his mask."
The rustling of clothes and a few whispers betrayed the group's surprise. Severus did not react, but only because he was already deep behind his cauldrons' fumes.
Moody's only indication that he had been taken by surprise was the slight widening of his eyes, which quickly turned calculating.
"Do you take me for a fool? So that you can laugh when your follower only reveal a concealed or polyjuiced face?"
"I assure you I will respect the intent of the bargain I propose," answered Lord Voldemort, sounding almost offended at the Auror's mistrust. "If you defeat him, you will see his face."
Magic flared briefly, as if it considered the Lord's last words like a vow.
Stunned silence followed this show of the Lord's apparent sincerity.
Severus wondered what was going on in Moody's head. The Auror could not believe that he would survive seeing the face of a Death Eater. Unless he believed that it would be the punishment for his failure to win, and the way for the group to take care of an inconvenient member.
No, Moody certainly was only planning his escape, trying to use any clue he was offered to help himself. Lord Voldemort was good, letting the Auror believe that he was overconfident in his Death Eaters' abilities.
Though he might be. The Auror was seemingly better prepared to duel Severus than Beltram had been. He knew Hoardrock. He possessed Sensing shields, realised Severus, unable to Sense Moody's magical presence. At least, he was not a Head of House.
"And he doesn't have a Familiar," Sensed Dhaal.
Silence stretched, but Lord Voldemort waited patiently.
At last, Moody spoke.
"I accept the terms of your offer."
Once more, Magic brightened.
Despite his Apprenticeship, Severus still felt that he did not know enough about oaths and vows. They had not even swore on their Magic, yet it seemed like Magic had recognised the vow between Moody and Lord Voldemort. He had to ask his grandfather about this later.
Lord Voldemort bowed lightly.
"Thank you Senior-Auror Moody. I propose the following rules: no killing spells, no use of curses that have no known counter-curse and would lead to death, and no interference from Familiars, even Phoenixes who are not yours. You will be able to use the space of the entire garden as well as the woods, within the limit of the anti-apparation wards. The group will remain here and will observe the duel. Do you agree to follow these rules?"
Moody took his time before speaking.
"The rules are fair."
Magic flashed blue. Severus grimaced under his mask.
Dhaal would not be able to help him. More worrying, how would Magic consider his Familiar interfering to send Moody away from the duel?
Lord Voldemort turned to Severus. He took a step forward under Moody's appraising look, feeling a light Sensing probe from the Auror.
"The duel has not begun," chided Lord Voldemort, turning his head toward Moody.
Curious whispers went through the group as they wondered what the Auror had done.
"I was curious," replied Moody, unrepentant.
"And Gryffindors say we are the ones who cheat," muttered Evan, loud enough to be heard.
Severus was glad they had all used a voice modifying spell.
Whispers of agreement coursed through the group, only silenced when Lord Voldemort raised his hand and looked at Severus.
"Do you agree to duel Auror Moody within the rules we have established?" asked Lord Voldemort
"I agree," answered Severus, focusing his intent on the necessity to help Moody escape a duel he had been pressured into entering.
Magic flashed blue again.
"Get into position," ordered Lord Voldemort, while he cast Aspectum focus on both Severus and Moody.
Severus Sense a light shimmer of magic over him. It was a spell that would allow the spectators to watch and hear the duel as closely as if they were only one step away from them, no matter where they moved, by acting like a zoom on them. Severus needed to be really careful with his words and attitude.
Dolohov, MacNair, Nott's cousin and Beltram escorted Moody to the small rounded grass area from which several paths lead to the extremities of the garden and then continued into the woods.
All the other Death Eaters retreated a few steps to create a clear delimitation of the duelling area.
Dolohov and MacNair took hold of Moody while Beltram deactivated the manacles, Nott keeping his wand strained on Moody. They were not taking any risk of letting him escape.
Then they released Moody, vigilant not to give him any opportunity to rush on one of them, and slowly walked backward to join the others.
The four of them nodded at Severus when they walked past him, which he took as a sign to walk calmly toward Moody, feeling the Auror's gaze on him, trying to gauge him.
He stopped at a five meters distance and bowed low enough to show he recognised the Auror as a worthy opponent.
Moody considered him for a few seconds before reciprocating.
Severus had to admit the Auror's calm and politeness under those circumstances were impressive. Of course, it was part of his plan to lure them into complacency, but Severus had no doubt that many would remember that he had not insulted them.
The Auror looked at Lord Voldemort askance. The Lord held the Auror's wand toward him in a wordless challenge.
Moody's face remained unreadable, but Severus Sensed him cast a wordless Accio.
His wand flew to him in seconds, without any hesitation.
If it was one of Maverick's wands, he should look into taking the Ritual.
Severus pushed the thought away, focusing on the task at hand: how to win the duel while letting Moody escape, and without using moves so unusual it gave his identity away.
The fact that he did not possess a wand anymore was a dead give away. While he possessed a mock-wand that he always brought when wearing the Death Eater disguise, in a duel that required him to be at his best, he knew he wouldn't even think of using the wand movements associated with the spells he was casting. Some Masters did the same, but a few instinctive twitches of the wands usually remained.
Another thing was that he could not use physical moves such as those he had been practising with the voktere, as most Wizards remained at wand distance during a duel.
It was going to be like fighting with a hand tied behind his back.
Lord Voldemort's booming voice interrupted his reflection.
"Ready to begin in three, two, one!"
Moody immediately cast a wordless stupefy while taking several steps to the right toward the woods.
Severus neatly avoided the spell with a step to the side and cast one stupefy in return. Moody chose to block it to keep walking in the direction of the woods, firing back a blinding spell.
Severus blocked the spell this time, and fired a quick succession of tripping spells at Moody's feet.
Many Wizards forgot that power was not the only component of a spell, and that a well-aimed weak spell could do more than a powerful spell right on the shield of your enemy. Severus had learnt to use both during his Apprenticeship. Master Liútǐ had been quite insistent, and his training with the voktere had only reinforced the importance of precision when he was overpowered.
To block the tripping spells, Moody had to pause to set up a shield that would cover him entirely and resist several spells, giving Severus the opportunity to come closer.
Severus immediately cast a few well placed Bombardio that created holes big enough to hamper the Auror's progress towards the limit of the apparation wards.
They exchanged spells, non lethal but potentially painful, alternating between shielding and avoiding the spells.
Severus could almost feel Moody's frustration at his inability to move closer to the woods. He was pretty sure that the Auror was not trying to win the duel right now, but to make it last long enough that he could reach the limit of the wards. Only then would Moody attack at full power, to give himself the better chance at slipping through the wards and escaping.
He could not allow the Auror to escape this way, especially when the group had seen him win over Beltram so easily.
"Is this a good place for you to flow-travel Moody away?' Sensed Severus to Dhaal.
"Yes," answered his Familiar after a few seconds of consideration.
"Alright. Wait for my signal."
Severus focused back on Moody and cast a wordless Expelliarmus.
He was not surprised when Moody used Sensing to keep a hold of his wand and engaged into a battle of wills. They remained immobile for a time, battling for the Auror's wand. It shook once in Moody's hand but the Auror held firm.
Keeping his Sense on Moody's wand, Severus cast a tickling spell followed by a teeth-growing one at the Auror. Auror Moody did not disappoint and deflected both spells, his Sensing hold on his wand never wavering. Severus did not lose any time to cast another two spells, Percutiens and Diffindo.
While Moody managed to block those spells too, Severus Sensed the Auror's shield waver, and his wand gave a jerk that he barely controlled. He spied a bead of sweat on the man's forehead.
Moody clearly was better than most Wizards, and without Severus' recent training with the voktere, he would have had a harder time beating him. But the Auror lacked practice, which showed when Severus used the stronger spells and with the fact that the man had yet to go on the offensive.
Nodding to himself, Severus yanked on the Auror's wand with his Sense while casting Percutiens then Diffindo at full power, taking great care to aim his spells as to not kill.
Moody's shield cracked under Percutiens, then disappeared when his wand flew away from him and landed between Severus and him. The Diffindo curse caught him on his right calf, and Severus winced as it cut through cleanly, severing the other man's leg just under his knee. He had misjudged this one.
Moody let out a cry of pain and surprise and crumbled to the ground. Immediately, he tried to sit up, panting harshly but otherwise showing none of the pain he had to be feeling as he struggled to remain upright.
Severus was impressed.
Blood was flowing from his wound. The Auror pressed on it with a grunt of pain, trying to stem the flood. Severus was not sure he could have done the same.
He knew he had to keep the perfect balance to make the escape believable. He slowly walked closer to Moody, the Auror looking up at him warily.
Wordlessly, Severus focused on the man's broken pattern and cast Tourniquet Navitas, a healing spell he was glad to have both studied in Lily's book and seen during his visit at Saint Mungo with Narcissa. It was only temporary, meant to give Healers enough time to pour pain and replenishing blood potions into their patients before beginning to heal them.
Severus pushed the rising guilt into one of his cauldrons. He had not meant to cause irreversible damage to the Auror.
"How the mighty Senior Auror Moody has fallen," drawled Severus, stopping one step away from Moody. "From your arrest records and your reputation, I expected our duel to be more… challenging."
"I have to say you're pretty good," acknowledged Moody. "I can't believe many of your colleagues could have won fairly. I'm curious to know who your master was."
"Who said I had a master?" answered Severus.
Flattery was not going to get the Auror anywhere with him.
The Auror's laugh turned into a grunt of pain. A few seconds passed before the man was able to speak.
"You don't get as good as you are on your own. And I know of no universities that could bring one of their students to your level without giving him a personal tutor for at least two years."
"Are you ready to tell us what we wish to know?" asked Severus idly, ignoring the Auror's remark.
"I don't believe I am quite yet," said Moody with a daring smile.
Severus shook his head slowly.
"Do you really believe that you can Accio your wand to you and beat me now with your magic so unsteady because of your injury?"
"Dhaal, get ready to send him away," Sensed Severus to his Familiar.
Moody ostensibly turned his head to the left, where his wand lay only two steps away.
"More impossible feats have been known to happen."
Severus forced himself to give a cold laugh.
"Don't waste my time, Moody. You've lost. Yield now. Or do you wish to lose your other leg?"
Moody turned his head back to face Severus.
"I believe I still—"
Moody disappeared suddenly.
Severus did not have to fake a shout of surprise. He had not even Sensed his Familiar's action.
He made a show of casting revealing spells left and right, as if thinking that Moody had only managed to hide himself. He was impressed to realise that Dhaal had also managed to take the Auror's wand with them.
He kept the charade going as several other Death Eaters joined him in the search.
"How are you feeling?" Sensed Severus to his Familiar.
"Tired," was the answer that came through their bond.
It felt more like exhaustion to Severus.
"You should go back home before you drop," said Severus concerned.
"I can't take the risk that she would Sense it," answered his Familiar.
And he would never agree to leave Severus on his own during a meeting.
"Be careful not to fall from my shoulder."
Dhaal huffed through their bond but Severus felt him huddle closer to his neck. He had to trust that the Thestral's ability to sleep on his shoulder without falling would remain true.
After fifteen minutes of fruitlessly combing the woods, they had to face the facts: Moody was gone.
Severus ripped his mask from his face, projecting his magic and making sure he looked possessed by a cold fury.
"Who let him have a Portkey? Who is the incompetent who did not find the Portkey he had on him?"
"What are you implying, Caspian?" asked MacNair aggressively, removing his mask as well. "You're the one who let him get away, don't try to—"
"I did not let him get away," replied Severus, swiftly walking to the Death Eater until he was towering over him. "We were far from the anti-apparation wards limits, his wand was far away from him and he was suffering from blood loss. There is no way he went away with anything other than a Portkey. You, Dolohov, Nott's cousin and Beltram were the one responsible for him when he was captured. So you missed the Portkey he had on him."
"Now, wait a minute," intervened Beltram. "Are we certain a Portkey is the only way he could have escaped? We searched him thoroughly."
"Not thoroughly enough," snapped back Severus. "What other means can you think of that he could have used?"
Silence followed his words as every one of them thought about how Moody could have escaped them.
After several minutes, Severus laughed derisively.
"That's what I thought. You are incompetent."
All of the Death Eaters had now removed their mask. Severus could see that most of them agreed with his assessment.
"I must say this is quite the disappointment," finally said Lord Voldemort. "Capturing Moody was a stroke of luck that won't repeat itself often. And you were doing so beautifully, Severus. You really have a way with cutting spells."
Severus nodded shortly, as if his anger made the compliment harder to accept.
"MacNair. Dolohov. Nott, the Giulio one. Beltram. Please come here."
The four Death Eaters went to stand in front of the Lord. Beltram looked thoughtful, while MacNair and Nott seemed uncertain. Only Dolohov was impassive.
"You cost us quite the victory tonight," stated Lord Voldemort. "We needed Moody to learn more about Dumbledore's plans, and about the protections planned to protect the Potter boy. I'm the one who risks death because of your mistake. And if I die, Slytherin will not get the chance to rule our world. I believe you deserve to be punished."
Several Death Eaters shouted their agreement.
"Crucio!"
The four men fell on the ground, shaking under the spell. Severus was distantly aware that he would have many boxes to deal with tonight.
The Lord let them go after only a few seconds. They did not waste time trying to get back up despite the remaining twitching of their legs and arms. Severus knew that being "Crucioed" for such a short time, it would quickly disappear. The question was, would it remain so if they were punished time and time again? Would this kind of punishment be the wake-up call for some of his comrades? From the look on their faces, Severus doubted it, but they might be using Occlumency like he was.
"Well. We can only hope that the loss of his leg will impair Moody and the Aurors' forces significantly. That was well done, Severus," praised the Lord.
"Thank you my Lord," answered Severus with a bow. "I'm very frustrated that a beginner's mistake allowed him to get away."
"He might not have if you had not played with him for so long!" exclaimed Bellatrix, walking up to face him.
Sensing a fight coming, most of the other Death Eaters wisely stepped back a few steps.
"I was not playing with him, Bellatrix," answered Severus calmly. "Our Lord asked me to soften him for the interrogation. You must always let your prey hope for an escape before crushing them and their spirit. They will only be more malleable when they have been shown that there is nothing they can do to escape their fate."
"Don't play the tough guy with me, Caspian. I see right through you! You were taking your time with him because you're weak, you did not want to harm him!"
"I am weak?" said Severus coldly, looking right into her crazed eyes without flinching. "I killed Greyback when he threatened our cause, with a Dark curse I had created. I could not guess that some of us were too stupid to properly search a famous Senior-Auror for a Portkey!"
"Excuses, excuses," singsang Bellatrix, tilting her head in an alien and disturbing way that made Severus want to get as far away from her as possible. "You have always been weak. You were weak in Hogwarts and you are weak now. You should never—"
"I'll be delighted to fight you in a duel to the death to demonstrate my weakness," interrupted Severus coldly as he projected his magic.
She took an involuntary step back before raising her chin in challenge.
"I gladly—"
"Enough!" interrupted Lord Voldemort. "I won't have two of my most skilled supporters kill each other over the mistakes of others. We have other things to discuss tonight. One bump in the road will not prevent us from succeeding."
Severus and Bellatrix exchanged one last glare before Evan and Jonathan came to usher him back toward the mansion, Lestrange and Euphemia Rowles taking care of Bellatrix.
"Alright there, genius?" asked Evan lightly. "You know you would be scary if I had not known you since our Hogwarts first year."
"He did make a seventh year cry in our third year," remarked Jonathan.
Severus felt himself relax unwillingly.
"Do try not to kill Cissa's sister," said Lucius as he inserted himself between Jonathan and Severus, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Maiming is authorised though."
Severus let out a surprised laugh, letting his Occlumency shield relax slightly. That felt better.
They all went to sit in the ballroom of the mansion where tables and seats had been set up for the evening.
Severus noted Mulciber's disgruntled look at their little group, and wondered what he was the most displeased with: Lucius' support of Severus against his wife's sister or Evan's unwavering presence by his side.
"Alright everyone," began Mulciber, silence falling as he began to speak. "Here is the agenda of the day: status of what we know about the Potters' and Longbottoms' protection of their sons and a list of the defences we believe they might use, and targets proposal for future raids."
Yaxley spoke up first, as the leader of the group dedicated to researching information on the Potters and the Longbottoms.
There was not much news, mostly speculations on the defences the two families would use. One major block was how to break the "heir" protection conferred to the two children. Whether the Potter child could be included in the definition of heir led to a lengthy debate as his father was not Head of House yet. It made Severus realise that most of the group seemed to have forgotten that heirs were not always the immediate blood kin to the living head of House. Or there had not been an heir outside of a close blood relation in too long for them to consider the possibility.
The debate was interesting, but what worried Severus was Lord Voldemort's assurance that he knew a way to break the heir protection.
After almost one hour of discussion, they went on to the second subject.
"McMahon and Bristow were really good symbols to use to criticise the ministry and their more dangerous ideas," stated Lord Rowles. "Now, I believe we should focus on Copper, the lawyer who is trying to plead for the dissolution of the Wizengamot when even Birkins does not approve the motion."
"I don't think we will win anything by targeting him," replied Yaxley. "As you said, Birkins doesn't support him."
"Who do you propose, then?" asked the Lord.
"Why don't we target Abbot?" proposed Lord Nott.
"The woman who is pushing to finally implement their precious special muggleborn school for those younger than eleven and which will be paid with pureblood galleons?" asked Jonathan.
"Exactly," answered Lord Nott.
"Have they really decided to implement it?" asked Evan, incredulous.
"Yes, unbelievable I know. Birkins had Abbot go on stage during his meeting last week to present the project," explained Lord Nott.
Agreement rose from the group. This was everything the ministry should not be doing, but Birkins refused to admit that the sponsorship was the best answer to the Muggleborns' lack of knowledge of the Wizarding World.
"We should go further," stated Carrow. "Abbot doesn't want to include our children in their special school, well, we don't want hers in Hogwarts. We should raid the Hogwarts express during the holiday travel in five weeks and kidnap the kids."
"No," answered Lord Voldemort, his voice calm but clear, before anyone else could react to the proposal.
"We would not hurt the kids," hurriedly explained Carrow, "just take them for a few hours to scare them and—"
Carrow suddenly shouted in pain, his body convulsing under Lord Voldemort's wordless Crucio.
This time, the Lord held it for almost fifteen seconds, absently noted Severus.
"No," repeated Lord Voldemort after releasing the spell. "There is too much risk for all the kids, we don't know how they will react during the raid, they could be hurt badly if a professor or the Aurors intervene. It's bad enough that we must kill two bright young magical potentials to save me and ensure that our world will not be destroyed by assimilation to the muggle world. War requires sacrifices but we must not lose sight of ourselves. We are not Dumbledore, who decides which children are good and which are not based on their House."
"True, we are Slytherins and we are better," agreed Augustus.
A chorus of agreement followed their statements.
"So we target Abbot then," said Evan. "Do you really want to wait for five weeks before the next raid?"
"No, we should do it sooner," answered Beltram. "But not too soon either."
"It will also depend on when we have enough information to go after the Potters and Longbottoms boys," added Lord Nott.
That last remark brought up another thirty minutes of discussion but without any decisive conclusion. Afterwards, nobody hung around, each eager to go back home after a particularly long and exhausting meeting.
Tuei served dinner as soon as they were home, Dhaal gulping down his meal while Severus poked at the plate in front of him without much enthusiasm. The Thestral succumbed to a deep slumber as soon as his belly was full.
Tuei smiled at his Familiar fondly and put him to bed while whispering sweet nothings at him.
Severus watched them feeling quite detached. He had not yet dared lower his Occlumency shields completely, worried to be caught unaware and crash down hard once the events of the evening hit him fully.
Tuei fussed, no doubt feeling he was unsettled.
"Please Tuei, go to bed. It's already half past one," said Severus tiredly after she asked him once more if he desired some tea or something even stronger.
She shook her head, her ears coming down to her shoulders.
"Master Severus is troubled in his mind and his Magic. Tuei must keep guard until Master Severus is better."
"I just used Occlumency too much this evening," replied Severus. "Give me one hour to sort myself out and I'll be fine."
Tuei looked at him doubtfully.
"You will be fine or you will collapse from magical exhaustion."
"And you will know either way because you are bound to my House," said Severus pointedly.
She did not look convinced but she did not protest further.
Severus wished her goodnight then went to his room to put on his comfortable pants and shirt from Bǎo. Then he went to the conservatory and chose one of the large benches with a slightly curved backrest on which he fitted easily with his legs crossed.
Severus closed his eyes and simply breathed for a time, before slowly releasing his shields. He kept on breathing, waiting for the evening to catch up with him.
After ten minutes with nothing happening, Severus understood that he may have used Occlumency with too much efficiency. Sighing, he went to his mind potion lab.
His various cauldrons were simmering gently with barely any fumes coming from them. The air of the lab was clear, the ground and shelves tidy.
Severus walked to his trapdoor and opened it. Or tried to. Severus frowned as it did not budge when he tried again vigorously. Helhest, what was going on?
Taking a closer look, Severus was taken aback to realise that the trapdoor opening was welded.
He took a step back, crossing his arms and glaring at the trapdoor. This was his mind, he should be in control of it.
He closed his eyes, imagining the welding becoming so hot that it melted and ran down to the ground where it disappeared. He felt a resistance, like a tug in his mind, but did not let it break his visualization of the weld melting.
The tug sharpened, pulling somewhere in his mind before snapping suddenly.
Severus jerked in surprise and opened his eyes. The welding was gone.
He came closer to the trapdoor and opened it cautiously.
Nine boxes sat innocently in the small place.
Severus sat on his lab's floor decisively, and accioed the first box to him. It opened as soon as it touched his hand.
A wave of relief washed over him at the proof that Lord Voldemort's principles about putting children first held true. That he had not become rotten to the core from the Darkness twisting his magic.
Severus gasped as the feeling threatened to overwhelm him, tears pooling in his eyes. He had not realised how much he had been needing this confirmation that Marvolo still existed inside Lord Voldemort.
The box disappeared in a pop. Alright. One down.
Severus took a deep breath, still feeling shaky. A second box opened.
Satisfaction pooled in his belly as Carrow writhed under the Cruciatus cast by Lord Voldemort. This should make others like Mulciber or Nott think twice before trying to make the group veer further away from their initial goals and principles. Once Lord Voldemort was reunited with his Horcruxes, there would be hope.
The box faded slowly. That wasn't so bad.
Another box jumped at Severus, opening mid-air.
Shame mingled with relief hit him while he watched the four Death Eaters being Crucioed in his stead. They were his scapegoats. They were suffering because of him.
But he was not the one casting the spell. He had not found a better option.
The box disappeared quietly.
Severus was more and more convinced that they needed to reunite Lord Voldemort with his Horcruxes. He could not imagine playing this game of deceit for long without losing his mind.
None of the other boxes seemed eager to be opened, and remained peacefully in place. What it meant for their content, he had no idea. He should take some time in Svalbard to deepen his understanding of Occlumency. Vampires were so long lived that they had to possess interesting and different knowledge about this complex field of Magic.
Writing it on his to-to-list, Severus then steeled himself and reached for the next box.
Strong disappointment punched him right in his stomach, making it hard to breathe. This was not the day he would free Marvolo from Bellatrix. He had been so close to having the right pretext.
He curled on himself as the shame at having such a thought crept on. He wanted to kill her. More than he had wanted to kill Greyback. What did it say about him?
It took some time before Severus straightened up. He knew he was not the same teenager who had been unable to hurt his father in defence of Mother. He had realised it when he had killed Greyback, making the decision that the Werewolf needed to die in the blink of an eye. But he had not truly understood that he could kill someone far more easily than he had once imagined.
It was who he was. He had the ability to kill. It did not mean he had to use it. He had not used it. And he was not planning on going on a killing spree. It was another ability he had, to be used only when required.
The box disappeared with a flash of light.
Another box flew at Severus before he had the time to completely calm his state of mind, disintegrating as soon as he touched it.
Disgust and rage rose, threatening to submerged him as he watched the group torture two men without giving them the opportunity to defend themselves. They were no better than the Marauders. Was bullying inherent to all Wizards if you gave them the opportunity? They would not be so proud if their prey had the means to fight back.
Even the haughtiest and proper Purebloods were partaking in the torture, revealing their true nature.
Severus fought not to lose himself, trying to ride the feeling without letting it control him. Evan, Jonathan, Regulus, Lucius… All of them had cast a spell at the targets. But Severus knew they could not have enjoyed it. They had not had the choice if they did not want to be singled out as Severus had been. And the Marks… With so many Death Eaters present, caught in their basest instincts…
They really needed Lord Voldemort to be sane again. It was the safest way to free his friends and family from the Mark.
Severus took a shaky breath, feeling out of sorts. No wonder the trapdoor had been welded.
Severus eyed the three remaining boxes warily. He already felt so tired. Should he take a break? But he would no doubt fall asleep as soon as he left his mind lab. And to wait until tomorrow to sort himself out felt risky.
Steeling himself for what was coming, Severus accioed the next box.
Pride warmed his chest as Lord Voldemort praised him for his abilities, immediately followed by self-recrimination at his lack of precision. He had maimed Moody because he had wrongly gauged the Auror's reaction. Because he had put too much power in his spell, to make it look good so the group would not suspect him of treachery.
A second box opened, and a sudden fear seized him, leaving him paralysed. Had he done enough to cover his tracks? What if the group found out that he had helped Moody escape? What if Lord Voldemort realised he had been gathering his Horcruxes? Images of Lucius and Narcissa writhing on the grounds under Carrow's and Mulciber's gleeful eyes, of Draco asking after Severus to be faced with blanked looks from Lucius passed before his eyes. A small cry escaped him. What if he was not good enough to protect them?
Severus forced himself to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. He kept this rhythm until he felt in control.
Being found out had always been a possibility, he had just not realised how dangerous it could become. Lord Voldemort would not punish his friends and family for Severus' betrayal, as long as they were not involved in it. Another argument in favour of not asking Lucius for help and hurrying on reuniting Lord Voldemort with his Horcruxes so that the Lord stopped thinking that Crucio was an appropriate answer to people disagreeing with him.
Two boxes to go.
Sighing, Severus accioed one of the boxes and opened it. And waited. Nothing happened. Could he have made an empty box?
It was at times like this that he missed his Mentor, the way he could always rely on Abraxas to offer him advice and guidance.
He could ask Marvolo if he had ever come across such a thing. Severus had no doubt that the Lord was a Master Occlumens. Remembering their afternoon together, Severus felt a sudden pang of longing for what should be. He should be working with Marvolo on a project to revolutionise Magic instead of playing nice with the likes of Bellatrix. He could not afford to lose another Mentor to this fight. He could not lose this fight. He could not…
He forced himself to take a deep breath as he realised that he was on the verge of a panic attack. Alright. The box had definitely not been empty. Deep breath. In. Out. In. Out.
The box faded out.
Feeling a bit better, he looked at the last remaining one.
What could be inside? Had he not covered the entire evening yet?
Hesitantly, Severus reached toward the box. It shook before opening slowly.
Uncertainty enveloped him, followed by the fear of making the wrong choice, of letting himself be influenced by his friends and families, of taking the easier way out instead of the one that felt right. He felt himself torn between his desire to please them and his desire to be himself. Torn between the different sides of himself that he had yet to reunite.
How he longed to have all his families and friends at House Caspian, Wizards, Muggle, Goblins, Werewolves and Vampires alike. To finally have all of them together at once.
Severus let out a bitter laugh. What would they say about his genius if they knew how lost he was feeling right now? If Abraxas had been alive, Severus would have left for Malfoy Manor right now, asked for a hug and never let go.
Exhaling deeply, Severus focused back on his breath, forcing his mind to calm down. Wallowing was not the answer.
Contrary to what had happened in fifth year after opening so many boxes, Severus did not lose consciousness. Instead, when he decided to leave his mind lab, he opened his eyes to find himself in the conservatory, the dark night sky brightened only by stars.
He stared at the sky, losing himself in its immensity until he felt tears rolling on his cheeks. Suddenly he was crying, deep sobs shaking his body.
It was such a mess. What was he doing? What should he be doing?
It was so tempting to just go to Drunek and ask his Master to take care of the problem while Severus hid in Uusi. To just let it be someone else's problem.
But he could not. He could not let someone else handle the problem and trust that they would not hurt his brother, his friends… He could not trust his clan with this, not when they were deep in political scheming. They would always put the clan's benefit before any Wizard's life.
So here was his answer, the same as in the beginning. Follow the plan. Hurry up the plan. Reunite Lord Voldemort with his Horcruxes and hope for the best, even though they were still lacking some vital information.
Hope for the best. Would the group still follow Lord Voldemort without the Mark? Severus did not think he could keep on supporting the man after he was whole if he did not remove the Mark from his followers' arms. Contrary to what Regulus thought, Severus understood how wrong the Marks were. But he also understood how easy it was to make mistakes when using the Dark, especially when you were not a Pureblood who had known about Magic their entire life. Severus could imagine only too well how himself could have made similar mistakes if he had not been apprenticed to the Goblins, and to Drunek more specifically. Even Mother's lessons had not been enough to prevent his Occlumency experiment from going wrong in his fifth year. Who knew the kind of Masters Lord Voldemort had met?
If, like Severus suspected, Lord Voldemort had lived with one Horcrux for several years without anything wrong happening and with his magical power increasing, it was easy to understand how the Lord had wrongfully concluded that Horcruxes were not dangerous if properly handled.
However, if the Lord kept the Marks once he was aware of what they did to the Death Eaters… It would be proof that Severus had been wrong about the man all along. That Marvolo had never existed, and had fooled Severus but Abraxas and Augustus as well…
Even if the reunited Lord Voldemort did forgo the marks, could Severus trust him when he had shown how the Dark Arts attracted him? Could he take the risk that another experiment of the Lord would go wrong? He could not imagine the Lord stopping experimenting with Magic. Should he direct him to the Goblins? Or the Vampires, perhaps? After all, at least some Vampire Families were already kindly predisposed towards Lord Voldemort and had a history of Dark Lords, if rumours were to be believed. They may have much more "hands on" experience in helping Dark Lords by safely guiding their experimentation and teaching them the basis for limits, and less inclination to just make the problem disappear.
The Lord might not even wish to be a candidate anymore once he was sane again. But then, what would they do? Who could he endorse that the group would follow as loyally as him?
When Severus considered how the initial cohesion of his Horcrux group was being strained by their difficulties, he did not feel optimistic about their chances of winning without Lord Voldemort.
Of course, the strain was mostly due to his and Regulus' disagreement on how to handle Lord Voldemort. It was very clear that Regulus wanted Lord Voldemort dead, and even clearer that he expected Severus to be the one to kill the man as he was the only one considered skilled enough to succeed. Who did Regulus think he was to order Severus around as if he was a mere hired assassin? To order Severus to murder a person he admired and who reminded him so much of himself? He and Regulus had only become friends six months ago. Drunek had not asked Severus to kill anyone when he had told him about the Horcrux, even after Severus' visit to Wirkrund.
Severus remained for a long time sitting under the stars before his mind was finally calm enough that he felt he could go to bed. The clock in the dining room indicated it was almost three in the morning when he passed it to go to his room.
Dhaal was on the bed, dead to the world. He did not always sleep with Severus, but tonight, they both needed the comfort of each other's presence. When Severus lay down, the Thestral unconsciously moved to huddle against him.
Severus' last thought before falling into a deep slumber was that he would be even more lost without his Familiar.