Title - To Consort With The Devil 5/?
Rating - PG-13
Disclaimer - I own none of this, it all belongs to Rowling. I just have the honor of using her creations in my humble story. No sex or slash.
Summary - Revelations
A/N - I hope you're all still out there waiting for my long overdue updates! One of my New Year's resolutions was to write a little bit each night on any fic I feel like to keep the creative juices flowing and to get a jump start into writing again without falling behind and forgetting about updating for literally months. 2005 is looking a lot better than 2004 in the fan fic department anyway. All reviews, corrections, suggestions and questions are welcome. Read and enjoy.
To Consort With The Devil
Chapter 5
The meeting was a small one as far as meetings of the Order of the Phoenix were concerned. Only a handful of trusted people sat around the table in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place, four wizards and one witch to be exact.
Albus Dumbledore looked wearily at the assembled members over the rim of his glasses. His eyes were sad and his face was lined with exhaustion, giving testimony to how stressful the past two weeks had been for even the venerable old wizard.
Mad-Eye Moody surveyed everyone with his typical paranoid air. He had recently returned from a mission known only to him and the Headmaster and was due to report on this secret mission in just a moment.
Remus Lupin sat to Dumbledore's right, sipping absently at a cup of tea. The full moon was quickly approaching and without his Wolfsbane potion - well he tried not to think about what that meant. Better to focus on the present and why his presence had been added to the meeting at the last moment. Dumbledore had disturbed him from much needed sleep simply saying his "expertise and personal experiences would be needed."
The final two members of the meeting were Aurors - Emmeline Vance and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Vance, the Auror in charge of Dark activities in the Wiltshire area and Shacklebolt, an Auror who knew a bit about locating and rescuing missing wizards both gazed at Dumbledore steadily.
Finally Dumbledore cleared his throat and laced his fingers together on the rough tabletop.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I have called you here this morning to discuss the matter of our missing Professor Snape." The others did not miss the grief that flashed across the Headmaster's face before the wizard brought his emotions under tentative control. "Here is what we know. He was summoned to a Death Eater meeting two weeks ago and has not returned, nor has he been seen or heard from since. Other inquiries made by our informants have revealed no new leads until this morning." Dumbledore looked to Moody, "Alastor, if you would please tell us the information that has fell into your hands."
Moody's magical eye rolled to examine everyone before the ex-Auror began to speak.
"One of my contacts in Transylvania owled me with the news that our dear friend Lucius Malfoy had been spotted leaving a posh hotel there not more than 3 days ago. He was accompanied by a man with a notorious reputation in certain circles." Moody removed a photograph from his robes and tossed it on the table for everyone to see. "I apparated to my contact to question him and to see what else I could find and he gave me this photo as proof. I even went to the hotel Malfoy was staying at and questioned the staff. They were pretty tight lipped, but I managed to get one maid to let me into his room and found magical traces of Lucius everywhere, along with those of his friend."
They all leaned forward to study the dark-haired wizard talking seriously with Malfoy in the lobby of some foreign hotel.
Lupin felt a sense of foreboding as he asked the obvious question,
"Who is he?"
"Name is Vladimir Strix." Moody growled, "He's a vampire."
Shacklebolt and Vance made small noises of recognition while Lupin looked on confusedly. He noticed that Dumbledore's face tightened at the name and his blue eyes narrowed at the photograph on the table.
"So this Strix is a vampire? What does that have to do with Malfoy? Or even Severus?" Lupin asked, brow furrowed in puzzlement.
Moody and Dumbledore exchanged looks. Dumbledore cleared his throat and answered,
"Vladimir Strix is indeed a vampire from one of the oldest and most powerful clans in Europe. His clan was sired by Vlad Dracula himself and he wields great influence among the Russian Wizarding Federation, with most of his interests being of the, ah, Dark and illegal variety."
"He's a bloodthirsty killer, that's what he is! You know that as well as I do Albus!" Moody exclaimed, his hands curling into fists as he revealed his anger. To Lupin's surprise Dumbledore did not try to placate the upset ex-Auror or contradict what Moody had said. Instead the Headmaster nodded tightly in agreement.
"Yes well, Strix has cultivated a reputation of unspeakable cruelty even among vampires and his penchant for violence is well known." Dumbledore hesitated briefly, debating on what exactly to tell them. "He was a well known friend of Alric Grindelwald and persuaded many vampire clans to ally themselves with Grindelwald's cause. Strix was adept at bringing chaos throughout Europe."
"He brought death to anyone unfortunate enough to stand in his way! Strix is a murderer plain and simple." Moody interrupted again, eyes narrowed and lips set in a frown.
"I take it you have encountered Strix before then." Lupin remarked. He, like the others, of course knew about Moody and Dumbledore's involvement in the war against Grindelwald and guessed that it would take a traumatic incident with the vampire to make both elder wizards act this way.
"You could say that. Damn vampire murdered my wife and daughter a year before Albus did his thing against Grindelwald. He caught them unaware that night and drained them dry. I came home and found him wiping his lips over my wife's body, escaping before I could strike back. I've been trying to catch the sneaky bastard ever since." Moody told them, voice grim and the ghost of painful memories haunting his features.
Lupin stared at the grizzled ex-Auror in shock. Judging by the looks on Vance and Shacklebolt's faces he guessed they did not know that much about Moody's past either. It was surprising that Moody would reveal something like that and explained a bit why he was so obsessed with vigilance and why his work as an Auror was so important to him.
"I'm sorry for your losses Alastor." Lupin offered, knowing his condolences were too little, too late.
Moody scowled and waved away his words.
"Don't worry about it lad. It happened a long time ago. I just want to know what we're going to do to catch Strix since he's here and apparently doing business with You-Know-Who."
Everyone looked back at Dumbledore who said,
"We have gathered that Strix is indeed staying at Malfoy Manor, which is presumably where Severus is being kept as well, although under worse circumstances. Emmeline will continue to monitor the Wiltshire area, particularly Malfoy Manor, for an increase in Death Eater activity and alert us of any opportunity for a raid." The Headmaster nodded at Vance, who nodded back in acknowledgement of her duties. "Kingsley and Alastor will continue the official and unofficial searches for Severus, using Ministry and Order resources and plan the rescue mission. Remus here will conduct the research on vampires and Dark rituals. Other Order members will become involved as the situation requires it."
"But what about Strix? When do we go after him?" Moody growled impatiently.
"Strix was also an acquaintance, some say mentor, of a young Tom Riddle, who was an ardent follower of Grindelwald, but the two had a falling out in the last days of the Great War. I'm surprised Strix agreed to meet with Tom at all. I also doubt that he will be in Britain for much longer, let alone long enough for us to track and capture him Alastor. Regardless, for whatever reason he is here, it will be a short visit if he hasn't left already. Unfortunately for Severus, who will remain our top priority." Answered Dumbledore, quelling Moody's thoughts of a hunt for the vampire with a stern look.
"What do you mean? Why would Strix have anything to do with Snape?" asked Lupin again, still feeling quite lost but also having some inkling as to why he was added to this meeting of the Order.
"We don't know much, but what little we do know comes from files withheld by the Committee for Dangerous Creatures and released into my keeping as an Auror." Shacklebolt answered, his deep tones filling the kitchen space. "Apparently there was an incident with an unregistered pair of vampires in the forest bordering the Snape estate in 1970. I dug a bit further and discovered a parchment that stated that a Valeria Snape, age 6, died suddenly in May of 1970. No cause was given for her death and the entire investigation was subsequently halted by her father, Tiberius Snape. Quite a coincidence wouldn't you say though?"
"Are you telling us that Severus had a sister who died the same year that vampires were found in the forest outside their home and that she was then murdered by them?" Came Lupin's reply. He frowned as something else Shacklebolt said penetrated his thoughts. "Wait a minute, Severus had a sister? Severus Snape?"
"Yes Remus he did but he never speaks of or acknowledges her. Valeria's name was on the list for Hogwarts underneath his." Dumbledore said sadly. "I would speculate that Severus witnessed her murder or even tried to save her from the vampires and failed, a traumatic event for any young child. His sister's death remains Severus's greatest failure and his greatest fear - a fear Voldemort would not hesitate to utilize against someone who betrayed him."
"So he brings Strix in to punish him, knowing he is afraid of vampires and then tortures him with memories and fear." Vance offered, the first to connect the dots in Voldemort's plan for Snape.
Eyebrows rose and frowns deepened as the members pondered the implications of that statement. Finally Dumbledore sighed, looking every one of his one hundred and fifty odd years.
"I fear Tom's treachery goes much deeper than that. Why would he stop at simply tormenting Severus with his greatest fear? No, I'm afraid that if we should find Severus he will be a changed man, so to speak."
The kitchen was silent until Lupin gasped sharply and said,
"Voldemort wouldn't have Strix turn Severus, would he? Into a vampire?"
The Headmaster merely nodded, too overcome with his grief and worry to answer.
It was Moody who spoke for them all.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I actually feel sorry for Snape right about now."
To Be Continued
In Chapter 6 Snape's torment continues - it's feeding time. ;)
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