Chapter 18: Liligimens

When November regained consciousness, the room was darker and at first she thought she had been left alone. She was sitting against a wall and moonlight poured onto the stone floor.

However, her eyes landed on Lucius Malfoy and she could not help, despite everything, but feel a sharp pang of guilt. He was leaning against a pillar and staring off at a wall. But his face, in this moment when he thought no one was looking, betrayed hurt and sadness that she had always assumed he could not feel. Feeling her eyes on him, he spun to her, his face recomposing itself into the usual cool mask.

"I see you have returned," he murmured, laying a hand against her face and causing her to wince and scoot as far from him as she could.

"All this time," he continued, letting his hand drop, "I have done all I could imagine for you. And you…" He trailed off and knelt beside her. His hand reached up again to touch her face but this time she could feel the pain leaving; whether he meant to or not he was healing her with his touch.

The hurt look came back again as he spoke. "Was there ever a time when you cared? Was there ever a moment when you wanted me?"

November's heart broke with guilt. She, of all people in the world, had hurt Lucius Malfoy. Not that he hadn't deserved what he got (current state proved that) but here was a Death Eater with the capacity and desire to care and she had preyed on that. And the only result, the only possible result, would be a hardening of his heart.

She also knew, from all she knew of him, that were she to say yes he would release her from it all; were she only to renounce her past actions, he would care for her forever. But it would be a lie; there had been moments, of course, but it would not be truth.

Lucius waited, heart pounding despite himself, his eyes searching her face. It frustrated him to no end that even after her betrayal and now learning of her affair he still cared. He still meant exactly what he had told her before: he would have married her if that was what it took for him to possess her.

"Never," she finally answered. "Not once."

She watched in fear as he walked a few steps from her and then, picking up a curved fire poker, swung it at her side. Her scream tore through the room as the metal clawed into her. The poker was yanked free and blood quickly soaked her white shirt.

There was a loud throat-clearing cough and both were surprised to see Snape appear in the door.

"I must admit that it is rather distracting."

Lucius leaned on the poker as if it were his cane. "There may be need of you yet tonight. Close up your ears, Severus."

Snape's eyes flickered to her only momentarily. "If I am to finish the potion for the Dark Lord in time, I cannot remain here. How you complete your business is your own matter, however I would advise you not to interfere with the Dark Lord any more than you already have."

November's breathing was loud in the room as Lucius considered the warning. "Then I would suggest you take your leave, Severus."

"Very well." And without a glance back, Snape disappeared.


Lupin collapsed into a chair in the drawing room with the others, face buried in his hands.

Remus had become convinced something was wrong when after an hour she had not returned. After all, it was only for candles.

He had searched the entire neighborhood along with everyone at the wake, excluding Molly who had her hands full keeping the kids inside. Dumbledore had left to consult with several portraits and the seeing-eye stone.

"There has to be something," Tonks murmured, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. She hoped for his sake that November was alive. It had been three hours since November had gone out.

The front door opened and closed. Everyone in the room froze, looking quickly at Remus. Shakily he got to his feet, praying he would see November enter the room. Instead, Severus Snape crossed the threshold and stopped before Lupin.

"What have you done?" Lupin asked, trying to take a step and nearly falling from his shaking legs. It seemed clear enough that Snape would not be here now unless he knew something, or had done something, having no interest in the wake.

"I have done what I had to do," Snape snapped back, but it was clear from his facial expression that he did not savor whatever that had been. "Upon my… disentanglement from November, I was given a task to fulfill as proof. Having no other option, I have completed this task. At this moment, November is at Malfoy Manor."

Lupin paled completely, looking almost ghostly. He fell back into the chair he had been in. This was the worst possible thing he could imagine.

"And you did not come sooner because…" Remus could not even look at Snape.

"I was to stay at the Manor. I only convinced Malfoy recently that my departure would be for the best. I came here as soon as I was able."

"How…" his voice failed and he spoke louder, "how is she?"

"She has admitted to being your lover –"

"No…" Remus breathed.

"and Lucius has not taken this well. It has however saved her life."

"WHAT?" Molly could not help but shout when she heard this pronouncement.

Snape fixed cold black eyes on her before resting them back on Remus. "Had she simply betrayed him, Lucius would have raped and killed her, as he has been ordered to do by the Dark Lord. As it is, she will be left to Fenrir at the Shrieking Shack."

"You call that an improvement?" Alastor bellowed, patience completely gone.

"If she is moved we have some chance of getting to her! Lucis's conviction that her involvement with Remus has ruined her means she will not be kept in Malfoy Manor, where there would be no possible chance of reaching her!"

Remus hurried out of the room looking as if he were going to be sick. Molly started after him but Arthur quickly stopped her.

A conversation continued inside but Remus was no longer listening. Grabbing his wand, he slipped silently out of the house and into the night.


"Have mercy!" November cried, more afraid of a grieved Lucius than an angry one. "If you ever cared!"

Lucius flung the poker to the other side of the room and took her still bruised face in one hand, digging fingertips into the flesh. "It is because I cared that I must. I have made certain promises that I must keep."

He pulled out his wand and November's mind whirled. "I saved your life!" The words burst out of her as she thought them.

Malfoy stopped, frozen completely. Slowly, he turned to face her. "What did you say?"

"I saved your life."

He stared at her openly. "You lie."

"I saved you when you attacked the cottage. You would have died."

"I never attacked a cottage." But Lucius's tone was unconvinced. When he had been going through his memory he had found a fight in a wood that had no beginning and no end.

"You did, and I saved you," November insisted. "Look at my memories! I am not lying!"

His wand pointed between her eyes and she flinched involuntarily.

"Liligimens!"

Lucius watched as Remus blew away part of his face and shoulder with an obliviate spell before falling to Dolohov's curse. November had knocked herself out on a tree after stunning Dolohov. Lucius watched in horror as he lay bleeding out on the ground. After it was dark November rushed to Remus before seeing his body. The action infuriated him even more but he could clearly hear her say that she would save him in order to save the werewolf. She had not done it for him, but she had saved his life.

November watched Lucius jerk away from her, the memory ended. He began pacing rapidly in front of her, seeming at war with himself. November watched him, completely unsure what would now happen. After a time, Lucius stopped pacing and locked eyes with her.

"Fenrir take you then," Lucius spoke softly and with repressed emotion. "I'll have no more to do with you."

He turned on his heel and left her, slamming the door behind him and enclosing her in darkness.


They were so caught up in the bleakness of the situation and the debate as to what to do that twenty minutes had passed before anyone noticed Lupin's disappearance.

"Did Remus ever come back?" Hermione finally asked, interrupting the debate that raged in the room.

Moody's eye spun wildly to her and then all around him before he shook his head. "He's not here. He's gone."

"At what point did he leave?" Snape growled.

"When you said she'd be at the Shrieking Shack," Tonks replied.

Snape looked as angry as any of them had ever seen him. His fists clenched and he went a sick shade of white. "The Shrieking Shack has been set up as a trap just for him! The fool has walked right into it because he, like all of his stupid friends, cannot simply LISTEN and ACT RATIONALLY!"

Everyone was too speechless to argue with the insults.

"What do you mean just for him?" Molly's voice shook.

"Why do you think she will be left with Fenrir? Why do you think Malfoy picked somewhere that only a handful of people, Lupin among them, can enter? Fenrir will kill them both!"

Quickly, Alastor stood up and pointed to Kingsly and Snape. "You two, with me. We've got to get to her before he does!"