--don't own don't sue thanks!

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Return to Woodsmanor

Lucius headed for the cemetery, stopping only to gently kiss the marble stone of his wife's grave. "Give me strength to save our son…I will be with you soon." He whispered, preparing himself for the battles to come.

He marched to Abraxas' statue and removed his wand, tapping its base to activate the Portkey. He slid the tomb open to reveal his stored deatheater robes and mask, and quickly dressed himself. He had to be quick. In and out before his presence was detected. Placing his palm on the portkey he whispered the password and was whisked away to the grounds of Woodsmanor.

He pulled up his hood and placed the mask across his face as he approached the main doors. He knew exactly who to expect. Deatheaters were not permitted to stay for long, too much activity here would draw suspicion from the muggle village beyond the forest. It was a place to go if you desperately needed assistance, where the Dark Lord would summon you if he needed you, or a place of rest. All knew better than to stay in one place for too long. Being mobile was the only way to stay alive these days…if you were being hunted.

Once the mask was firmly in place, he rapped on the door. A light drizzle had descended from the dark clouds above.

The door creaked open and he burst in before Yaxley could even ask his name. It was his shift today. It was his duty to guard Woodsmanor from intruders, muggles or lost wizards… to either kill them or erase their memory and get rid of them. He would also be on call to provide care and nourishment for any deatheater that needed it.

"Is he here?" Lucius said gruffly, avoiding Yaxley's gaze. Yaxley was not one of the brightest. He saw a deatheater before him and thought nothing of it.

"No." He nodded. "It's just me and Wormtail. Greyback's out hunting with his Vampire friend but will be back soon enough."

"Good!" Malfoy snapped, ripping off his mask with one hand. Yaxley barely had time to react as he recognised the elder Malfoy…the elder Malfoy they had been ordered to capture or kill.

"Oh shi-"

Malfoy's wand jabbed him in the gut and Yaxley cracked and froze, his skin and clothes turning into a polished stone. He looked like he were carved of marble and his face wore an expression of utter shock.

"Sorry Yaxley." Lucius said bluntly and lowered his hood. The spell wasn't permanent. Yaxley would recover in a few hours, feeling rather stiff.

He stalked over to the living room to discover, as he predicted, that it was empty. As was the dining room. Malfoy wasted no time. He had to get out as soon as possible. Deatheaters could arrive any minute. He moved down a long corridor toward the study Voldemort usually occupied and opened its doors. In the darkness he saw a figure.

Wormtail had been sitting in the Dark Lord's chair, and leapt from it instantly as the door opened, looking quite embarrassed. His face contorted as he focused on a tall blonde head of hair.

"Draco? Merlin's beard what are you doing here? You should b-" His sneering stopped as Lucius stepped into the light, clutching wormtail's wand with a look of pure hatred.

"Lucius!" the small man gasped.

"Wormtail." Malfoy said coldly. "Enjoying the master's absence are we?" He mocked.

Wormtail glanced to the empty chair. "…He is here! In the Mansion…I wouldn't try any-"

"Crucio" Malfoy hissed. Wormtail erupted into a fit of squeals and squeaks as every muscle in his body exploded with pain. Malfoy released him after a few seconds and looked around, idly waiting for something. He pretended to look surprised.

"I'm sorry…you were saying?" He raised his eyebrow.

Wormtail shuddered and trembled. "Please Lucius! Tell me what you want…I'll do anything! Just let me live and I'll tell you anything!" He whimpered.

"Nagini…where is she?" Lucius asked coldly. Wormtail's eyes widened with horror.

"No!" He gasped in terror. "No…no you can't!" Wormtail shook his head violently, biting his lip. He wasn't going to betray the Dark Lord…Lucius would punish him mercilessly, but it was nothing compared to the amount of pain the Dark Lord could inflict. He subconsciously glanced to the ceiling. Lucius saw it.

"Ah!" He smirked. "She's upstairs."

Wormtail let out a squeak, which confirmed Lucius' deduction. Malfoy stared into the eyes of his tormentor, the man who tortured him in Azkaban, the man who had poisoned the dark lord against him. "Thank you for your cooperation!" He sneered, pointing his wand at Wormtail's temple.

"Wait…wait…you said you'd let me live!" Wormtail cried.

Malfoy replayed their conversation in his head. "Did I say that?" He mocked. "Or did you?" He smiled maliciously. Wormtail's face froze in horror.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

---

Harry took the pensieve into the living room and placed it on the floor. Lupin stood guard near the main entrance waiting for Hermione and Ron to return with members of the order. He was pretty certain Moody, Tonks and Kingsley would be willing to aid. Arthur Weasley may not be so willing. Bill was still suffering in St. Mungos, his werewolf wounds were not healing like they should and Malfoy had long been his nemesis, it would take more than Harry Potter to change his mind.

Harry wasted no time and swirled the pensieve with his wand. 'Horcrux' he repeated over and over in his mind, telling the bowl which memories to find.

A flash of red eyes made Harry drop his wand in fear. Voldemort's face melted away to reveal a young Severus Snape. There the image flickered, waiting for Harry's command. He took a deep breath and plunged his face into the bowl, allowing its liquid to enter his lungs as he was transported into the memory like a fish trapped in a current.

Harry landed on his knees at the feet of his nemesis.

"Glad you could join us."

Harry stifled a scream as he took in his appearance. It was not the Voldemort he had met before. This was something else. Tom Riddle was melting away like an old skin, which he seemed to be shedding like a snake. His skin was wrinkled and dry, clinging to the bony, pale, flesh underneath it. His hairline was thin and receding, clinging in greasy strips over his red eyes. Then there was his nose, which looked as if it were decaying. Its fleshy sides were black and the bony ridge was bent and crooked, as if it were fighting to stay where it was. He looked like a walking corpse.

Harry turned away to avoid retching, only to see a young Malfoy standing tall and proud in the corner of the room, waiting for orders.

"What do wish of me my lord." A voice fluttered through the air, as if he was trying desperately to hide his fear. Harry turned back to see Snape bowing to Voldemort. He looked no more than twenty.

"A mission of the highest importance." Voldemort hissed with a smile. "To guard what is most precious to me."

Harry could see Snape's smile disintegrate into a sneer. Malfoy did not flinch, nor make a sound.

"My decision disappoints you?" the Dark Lord turned to them both.

"No my lord." Snape lied. He had hoped to be given a mission more worthy of his expertise. A kidnapping, a theft, even a murder. Not to be given the responsibility of a guard dog. Malfoy said nothing. He had been on many missions. To guard something instead of covering it up seemed like a break.

"You wonder why I do not give this mission to a more, stronger, powerful wizard? Macnair or Crabbe? The answer is simple Severus…they are young and strong indeed, but they are not clever…what I'm asking you to do will require brains…not brawn…" He turned to Malfoy. "Can you be trusted?"

"My lord you freed me from my father, I am forever in your debt." Lucius smiled smugly.

"Then take this." Voldemort lifted a small leather bound book into the light. Harry recognised it instantly as the Diary. The first Horcrux. "Keep it with you…and do not open it…nor allow it to be opened by any you care about! It will consume them…and eventually kill them...and then it will be useless to me."

Lucius nodded and took it gently, bowing as he did so. The Dark Lord then turned to Snape, and eyed him suspiciously, as if scanning his mind. "You'll need to improve your leglimensy Severus...here." He handed a bundle of cloth and Snape took it curiously. He ever so carefully opened the cloth to reveal an exquisitely carved cup with the face of badger, gemstone eyes of jet and golden claws. Harry stared in wonder as the whole cup seemed to give off an eerie light, as if it were alive.

"The cup of Helga hufflepuff?!" Snape gasped, staring at the dark lord in awe.

"Hide it from our enemies…hide it well…"

---

Ron and Hermione entered 'the burrow' with grim faces. Mrs Weasley was still up, having been waiting for Lupin to return with Ron, and Mr Weasley to get back from work. He was working throughout the day and most of the night, and his weariness could be felt even when he wasn't there.

"What was all that about?" She crossed her arms and eyed Hermione suspiciously. Whatever Lupin had dragged him out for, it certainly wasn't a bloke thing.

"Mum? Is dad back?" Ron swallowed nervously.

"He's just finishing up. He called me on this strange, muggle device he insists I carry…" She produced what Hermione recognised as a mobile phone. She giggled, but then stopped when she was fixed with a maniacal glare from Ron's mother. "…then he's going to stop by the hospital and check on your brother who you so conveniently forgot to visit this evening!" She looked furious.

"Mum! Harry needed my help!" Ron tried to explain.

As if the name itself had summoned her, Ginny was out of bed and running down the stairs at high speed. "Harry's in trouble?" She had her wand at her side, ready to attack despite the fact she was still in night robes and slippers.

"No Gin!" Hermione shook her head. "Well…maybe…a little…oh Ginny just get dressed!" She sighed. No doubt she would come even if Ron and Hermione told her they had to sacrifice her to the dark lord himself. Anything for Harry.

"What in the name of…" Mrs Weasley shouted as Fred and George apparated in the kitchen, dressed and ready to leave.

"We're coming too!" They said in unison.

"…and me!" for a brief moment Hermione thought Bill had been healed and was now back home. She had forgotten that Charlie had come back for moral support. He stood towering behind them. His stern face bore the same expression as Percy, but with much softer features. If Bill hadn't have been born, Charlie would have been the heartthrob of the family. "…can't have this lot wreaking havoc and not inviting me!"

"Oh Charlie you were always such a good boy!" Mrs Weasley groaned.

He laughed and pecked her on the cheek. "Desperate times Mother…with Bill getting a decent job and ready to start a family, I have to set the proper example to my brothers!"

"Grow up Charles!" Molly snapped.

"I love you too mother!"

---

Fenrir Greyback apparated outside the rear of Woodsmanor. He had found himself a decent meal in an alley of the muggle town nearby. The man never knew what hit him. Sara was still hungry, and proceeded to stalk its streets for prey. He had come back to take over from Yaxley for the night shift. Apparating inside the house was virtually impossible…only the Dark Lord could bypass this magic...his power was terrifying at times.

"Hello?" He called as he wandered the Mansion. It seemed deserted. He walked down the corridor toward the main hall. "Yaxley?" He called and rubbed the back of his stiff neck painfully. He was still suffering from being restrained in Azkaban. He dreaded to think what his life would have been like chained to a wall in a straightjacket, an iron vice clamping his jaws shut for eternity, being fed rats blood through a tube.

He spotted the statue of Yaxley near the main doors and removed his wand. "Yaxley!" He shouted. The statue didn't move. Then the werewolf caught the scent of a familiar smell.

Malfoy came running down the marble stairs at high speed, skipping two or three at a time. Fenrir ran to the foot of the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of him. Wand aimed.

Lucius caught sight of him and stopped in his tracks with a snarling groan. He had heard Fenrir's calls, and thought he could make it to the front door before the werewolf did. A deadly confrontation with an old friend was not what he had wanted.

"Lucius I told you to stay away!" Fenrir growled, pointing his wand at Malfoy. "Draco isn't here!"

"I know!" Malfoy said coolly.

"Then why are you here?" Fenrir snarled.

Malfoy didn't answer.

Fenrir gripped his wand tighter and swallowed. "I'm losing my patience with you."

"Wormtail." Malfoy smiled wickedly. He started to walk down the stairs calmly. The deatheaters had orders to kill him…if Fenrir truly wanted to, he'd have done it by now. "Vengeance is sweet…especially when he begged…I enjoyed that."

The werewolf struggled to hold his gaze. Malfoy drew closer, until the wand tip was inches from his face. "Are you going to kill me Fenrir?" He asked calmly.

Fenrir hesitated and frowned…his wand lowered a fraction. "You saved me from a life of hell…consider my debt repaid. I'm going to go into that room." He motioned to the living room, "…when I come out, you better not be here." He lowered his wand completely and stepped aside. He expected Malfoy to walk straight out of Woodsmanor and never be seen again. Instead he was shocked to see Malfoy raise his wand instead.

"Lucius I'm letting you go!" Fenrir roared.

"No you're not!" He had to give Fenrir an excuse, an explanation as to how Malfoy escaped. "You and I duelled and you lost!" He sneered.

Fenrir braced himself. Malfoy jabbed the wand in his gut and he let out a gasp of pain, before turning completely into a solid mass of white stone.

"Goodbye old friend." Lucius pulled his hood up and fled into the darkness.

---

Fenrir felt a slight tingling in his fingers as the numbness subsided. He felt as if he were waking from a deep sleep and painfully opened his eyes. They made a horrible crackling noise and a strange white dust fell from his eyelashes as he winced. It hurt…every bone and muscle in his body was hurting, as if they had atrophied. He looked around the room and saw Yaxley was no longer standing tall and motionless, but was lying unconscious on the floor upon a mountain of white dust. Malfoy's spell had worn off.

He moved his fingers again, and more stone fell away, and soon he had freed most of his upper half. It was at this point he heard voices arguing nearby.

"Hey!" He called, whilst clawing at the stone covering his torso. "A little help here!"

Bella, Sara and Alecto emerged from the library. "Oh you're awake now!" She snarled. "What the hell is going on? Wormtail's dead!"

"I know!" Fenrir gasped as he pulled his legs free, only to collapse to his knees as if paralysed. "Lucius was here…he did it!" He groaned as Sara leapt to his aid.

"Malfoy?" Bella scoffed. "Why would he come here? He would have known Draco would be with Snape."

"He said he wanted revenge…Wormtail…he…" Fenrir froze. The girls had emerged from the library. Lucius had emerged from upstairs. "Where did you find Wormtail?"

"In the Master's study!" She pointed behind her.

A wave of fear swept through Fenrir and he pointed to the stairs. "NAGINI!" He shouted fearfully.

Bella understood and raced upstairs. If Nagini had been killed they would all suffer the consequences. Even if they weren't there to stop it.

She burst into the bedroom Nagini occupied and called for her. A pair of glassy black eyes blinked back at her, and a dark hiss emanated from the corner of the room. Nagini slithered out from her sleeping place and approached a surprised looking Bella.

"Snake's ok!" She called down, "He must have missed her."

"Lucius doesn't miss!" Greyback frowned.

"Explain what happened at the ministry then!" Bella cackled as she returned from Nagini's room.

"Poor teamwork…" Greyback sneered at her. "Lucius is an assassin he likes to work alone! He never failed when he was alone!"

"If that's so Greyback then how come he missed Nagini just now?" She challenged him.

"Like I said before…he doesn't miss…" Greyback paused, "He let her live."

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