Chapter Twenty: The Quest Begins

Lily watched Sirius pace back and forth in front of the stone pillars of the school. She and Remus had agreed to wait with him until Regulus came back. According to the younger Black, the boat that crossed the Inferi invested lake could only carry one adult and one small person or creature. Or, Lily nibbled on her thumbnail, an animangus.

She still wasn't sure if she was angry at Severus for not telling her he too was an animangus. Regulus had been very vague about this cave by the sea where the locket horcrux was located. The only thing that disturbed her so much as to forget her anger at Sev was the description of the potion that had to be drunk before the locket could be taken. They knew how it affected a house elf but not a human.

"They should have been back by now," Sirius was saying. "I don't like this. We shouldn't have let Snape go with him."

"I'm sure they're fine, Sirius," Remus soothed. "We don't know how far away this cave is or how long it'll take for them to get to the lake."

"I don't trust Snape."

Lily went to say that Severus had proved himself more trustworthy than Regulus had but Remus laid a hand on her arm and shook his head. When Sirius was a reasonable distance away from them, Remus started whispering.

"Sirius has been getting letters from Regulus for the last month or so. That's why he's been so on edge lately and taking things out on Severus. He couldn't vent his frustration with his brother on you or Harry so Severus became the proverbial punching bag."

"What about you?"

"Oh, we've had words, don't worry. He's been very hard to deal with lately. He even tore into Dumbledore a couple weeks ago."

"Why is he so upset?"

Remus sighed tiredly, the dim light making his young face look even more haggard. "He feels responsible for Regulus' choice in affiliation. After we left school, he tried to reconnect with Regulus but it was too late by then. He's been climbing the walls trying to figure out how to get to Regulus before Voldemort caught on to his change of allegiance. Unfortunately, as always, Severus had been the nearest target."

"That needs to stop, Remus. I know he's been worried but that doesn't give him free reign to act like a schoolboy."

"I totally agree. But after ten years of trying to dissuade Sirius and James from harassing Severus, I'm growing weary of it. Besides, Severus has changed and he's showing he's a bigger man than Sirius, which should straighten out Sirius. Especially now that he has his brother to consume his time and energy."

Lily watched Sirius continue his nervous walk around the perimeter of the apparition point. "Ten years is a long time to play rule enforcer. At least James gave you a year off."

"Not really," Remus laughed and then realized what he had said.

It was an underhanded way to get to the truth but it worked. "James never let up on Severus, did he?"

Remus rubbed the back of his neck. "No, he didn't. He was just more careful about it."

Lily crossed her arms. "He told me he backed off."

"James knew you didn't want-"

"I wasn't speaking of James, although he did say that too."

Remus looked momentarily confused before a look of disbelief replaced it. "Severus told you James backed off?"

Lily rubbed her forehead. "I asked him straight out and he just agreed. I should have known. He paused before he answered me. I didn't think he would lie about that. It was the whole reason why I asked him."

"I guess I need to give him the respect that's due. He really is the bigger man."

"Who is?" Sirius had come back towards them during the conversation. Lily looked him straight in the eye.

"Severus."

Sirius looked like he was about to say something to contradict that when two loud cracks sounded followed by an anguished cry. Severus appeared out of the darkness, struggling to carry a thrashing and screaming Regulus.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, rushing over to his tortured brother. "What did you do to him?"

"Where's Poppy? He's need Poppy!" Severus shouted over Sirius.

Lily drew her wand, a stag burst from the tip, though it wasn't as brilliant as before. Regulus was still thrashing around on the ground, screaming as if he was caught in a nightmare. He was saying words but Lily couldn't make them out. Sirius had his arms wrapped around Regulus' shoulders while Severus was laying across his legs.

"How about a cheering charm?" Lily asked.

"Already tried," came a grunted reply from Severus.

Poppy came running through the gates, a black bag slung over her shoulder. "What happened?"

Remus switched places with Severus so he could speak with Poppy. "He drank a security potion. Greenish in color, made him terribly thirsty and apparently also makes him relive horrible memories. I tried a cheering charm and a bezoar."

"It's not a poison then," Poppy opened her bag and pulled out a large glass bottle of clear liquid. She pulled the cork and tipped all the contents into his mouth. "Or something that can be charmed away."

"Another potion then?" Severus asked.

"Wait," Poppy dropped the empty bottle back into her bag and watched Regulus with a trained eye. The thrashing started to ease and the screaming died off to faint moans and groans. Poppy stood up. "Apparently, all he really did need was water. I have a bed prepared in the hospital wing if you wouldn't mind carrying him."

Sirius hefted him over his shoulder, brushing off Remus and Severus' offer to help him. Lily watched the nurse and the brothers disappear into the night before turning towards Severus. She was surprised to see how tired he looked.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It was exactly as he said," Severus answered. "There was a cave off of the sea. There was a boat that had been magically enchanted to only let a certain amount of magic ability to cross the lake. Thank Merlin Voldemort over estimates his abilities. My transforming lessened the amount of the magic so Regulus and I were able to cross the lake without an issue. At first I thought that he wanted me to drink the potion, which I had been prepared to do but he insisted he do it."

"Why?" Remus asked.

"He said he was smaller than me, easier to carry back. I put a body bind on him, threw him into the boat and pushed off as hard as I could before transforming. Thankful, someone was looking out for us tonight, and we reached the other side where I crawled out, transformed back and carried him here. It was hairy, but we managed to leave the Inferi undisturbed."

"And you got the locket?" Lily asked. Severus reached into his robes and pulled out a gold locket. Even in the dim light, she could see the scripted "S" on the front of it.

"I'm guessing this is an authentic horcrux. I tried opening it and it won't budge." Severus seemed to pale a few shades. "The sooner we get it to Dumbledore the better."

Lily didn't like the pinched look to Severus' face, almost as if being near the locket was making him uneasy. But she supposed if she was holding onto a piece of Voldemort's soul, it would leave her uneasy as well. She squeezed his arm and was surprised when he jumped slightly at the contact. She hide her uneasiness with a smile.

"I'm glad you both made it back, Sev."

He seemed to relax somewhat. "Thank you."

"So," Remus said, starting the trek back up to the castle, "what kind of animal is it you turn into?"

Severus' eyes were still on the locket that was clasped in his hand. "A spider."

Remus nodded. "Better than a werewolf."

Severus didn't like this feeling at all. He would have much rather had Regulus in possession of the locket but the younger Black would not have been capable of keeping it so the task fell to him. At first he had tried wearing it but he felt an all too familiar darkness creep over him and he quickly removed it, shoving it in his pockets. But even then he could still hear the quiet siren's call of the soul trapped within.

Now that he had taken it out and held it in his hand, the desire to put it away had completely left him. There was so much power in the locket he could practically feel it pulsing in his hand. Perhaps this was what he had been searching for among the Death Eaters: the power to protect the one he loved.

Regulus had said himself that he didn't know how to destroy the horcrux which meant someone had to guard it. Why not him? Perhaps it was the boost he needed to set everything right. He slowed his steps until he was a few paces behind Lily and Remus. When they had started up a conversation and he was certain he was out of earshot and visual range, he slipped the gold chain over his head and tucked the locket underneath his robes.

The jolt of power he felt was intoxicating. Severus would be the first one to admit that Voldemort was indeed a powerful wizard and to add just a sliver of that power to his own could easily put him on the same level as Albus Dumbledore or Voldemort himself. No more would he be the greasy little Dark Arts loving oddball. No, he would be a force to be reckoned with. He would have a chance to wipe that insufferable smirk off of Lucius' face. Show Mulciber and Avery what it felt like to be on the other end of a beating. And then there was Black and Lupin.

True, Lupin had treated him with respect and a touch of remorse but that didn't absolve him of all the times he stood back and let James and Sirius torment him. It really was a pity that James was dead, he really would liked to even the score between them. He guessed he would just have to give Sirius James' portion of the punishment.

They entered the castle and Severus merely followed Lily and Remus, realizing a moment too late that they were heading towards the hospital wing. Black came out into the hallway and greeted them and Severus merely hung back, arms crossed and leaning against the wall.

"How is he, Sirius?" Lily asked.

"He'll be fine. He woke up shortly after we got up here and told me the whole story." Sirius looked over Severus. "I, uh, I guess I need to thank you."

Severus' eyebrows shot up. "You do?"

"You saved my brother's life back there. You could have left him for dead and taken the locket for yourself but you didn't and I," Sirius' face tightened as if he had eaten something sour, "I appreciate that."

"You lucky it was Regulus and not you," Severus said, enjoying the look of confusion on Sirius' face. "I would have tossed you into the lake and let the Inferi have at you."

Lily gasped. "Severus! That's a horrid thing to say."

"You ungrateful git," Sirius snapped. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything better from you."

Lily's admonishment caused a brief swell of remorse. He felt as if there two people warring inside of his head at the moment. One was screaming "what are you doing?" while the other egged him on, reminding him of all the times Sirius and James had bested him. He felt that familiar sneer grace his face.

"What exactly did you want my reaction to be, Black?" Severus pushed himself off the wall and paced a circle around him. "Did you expect me to fall down on my knees and praise every deity there is because you finally threw me a scrap of respect? Or perhaps weep for joy at your sudden acceptance? Or did you expect," he turned the sneer into a full fledged look of disgust, "a hug?"

Sirius' grey eyes narrowed into slits. "Forgive me for being caught up in the grief over the loss of my best friend as well as trying to save my little brother from a similar fate. Whenever I'm trying to keep everything together, myself included, I'll be sure to be sure to pay you a social call and listen to all your troubles."

"You are my trouble."

Sirius grabbed the front of Severus' robe and threw him against the wall. "Well you certainly made damn sure James wasn't going to give you trouble at all. Tell me what happened! Tell me how you killed him!"

Severus glared daggers at Black. "I didn't have the honor."

Black released him, disgusted and horrified. Severus straightened his robes and turned to see Lily standing next to him. Her eyes were furious but sparkling with tears, her face white.

"'Didn't have the honor?'"

"Lily-"

A crack echoed down the hallway and Severus held a hand up to his stinging cheek. While part of him couldn't believe she had hit him, another part thanked her for it.

"Wait a minute," Remus said, stepping forward. Severus was still recovering from the slap in the face that he didn't push Remus away when the werewolf reached for his neck. With a quick tug, the gold chain broke and Remus was holding the locket.

Severus fell back against the wall, feeling as if someone had hit him in the stomach. That extra burst of power was gone and it left him breathless. Everything he had said under the influence of the locket came rushing back to his mind's eye and he was suddenly horrified at the words that came out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, running his fingers through his hair and tugging at his scalp. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…" he looked up to see Remus' wearily sad face, Sirius' outraged one and the back of Lily as she took off down the corridor at a run.

"Sure you didn't," Sirius snarled before going back into the infirmary.

Severus sank down to the floor, burying his face in his hands. No matter how many times he apologized this time, the damage had been done and it was irreparable.

I am an evil, evil person...