67
Schemes and Dreams
Later that same night:
Regulus curled on his side, one arm sliding beneath his wife's head and cuddling her. He leaned over and began to kiss her. Then he noticed the tears shimmering in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks. "Hey, what's the matter? Is it the baby?"
Cindy shook her head. "No. The baby's fine. I'm not in pain or anything. At least not from that."
"What is it?" he asked softly, genuinely concerned. Cindy was not a weepy sort at all. "If it's something I did . . ."
"Not something you did, but something you will do."
"Uh, you're not making a whole lot of sense here."
"I'm sorry. I'm just worried. No, that's not what I mean. I'm scared, Reg. Scared that the beast you pretend to serve will hurt you someday. Or try and use you to . . . to do something even worse than you already had to. I wish you could just quit being a spy."
Regulus sighed. "I wish that too. But you know I can't. Not till I've discovered his weakness."
"Why does it have to be you? Wasn't Severus supposed to be the bugger's confidante?"
"Originally, that's what we planned. He's still close with Sev, he trusts him more than most of the others, but for some reason he's chosen me to share certain things with."
"Isn't that dangerous though? I mean, you're not a natural Occlumens like Severus. If he wanted to get into your head, he could, couldn't he?"
"If he wanted to make me a vegetable, sure. I may not have the skill Sev does, but I can shield my thoughts when I need to." Regulus reassured her. "Besides, I've become the consummate follower, and I give him no reason to suspect otherwise. He's never used Legilimency on me, Cin."
"That doesn't mean he won't. Reg, why did he pick you to show that cave to?"
Regulus shrugged. "I can't say for certain, but Severus and I have a theory. Severus says . . . he says . . .that the Dark Lord looks at me and sees what he wished he could be."
"I don't understand."
"The Dark Lord's a bastard half-blood, Cindy. He hates the fact that he's not a pureblood, that his mother chased after a Muggle, that his family rejected him, that he was an orphan who grew up dirt poor. Sev says he looks at me—a pureblood with Old Family connections, money, and a decent family—and he wants what he never had. I'm the closest he'll ever come to it. So he favors me . . . so long as I obey and support him."
Cindy shuddered. "God, Reg! Please be careful. I don't want our child to grow up without a father."
He gently brushed her tears away with his thumb. "Shhh . . . that won't happen. Our baby will know both of us." He cupped a hand protectively about her swollen abdomen. "I'm hoping it'll be a little girl, with her mum's beautiful smile and sassy attitude."
"I'm not sure what I want, except for the baby to be healthy." Cindy mused, her hand clasping Reg's over her belly. "Although, a boy with his daddy's gorgeous eyes and brilliant mind would be wonderful. I'll bet you were a sweet kid, star boy."
Her husband chuckled. "I was certainly more obedient than my brother. If you asked my mother, she'd tell you that I was the good one and Sirius the one who made her have a heart attack every other day."
"I could have guessed that," Cindy remarked, smirking. "Sirius was always a troublemaker in school. No reason to think he wasn't that way at home too. I'll bet your poor mum had her hands full."
"That she did. Seems like every minute Siri was into something he shouldn't, and no matter how many times she scolded or switched him, he did just as he pleased. I never understood why he risked her displeasure. Me, all I wanted was to make her happy. Dad too."
"Then you never misbehaved?" his wife teased.
"I wasn't perfect, Cin. I got into my share of mischief, but usually Siri led me into it. I only got switched once by her, and never again. I think Sirius took pleasure in defying her. She was strict, but she wasn't cruel, Sirius always said she was an impossible bitch, but she wasn't really. She just had high standards for us, and especially him, because he was the eldest. She never spanked us without cause."
"Did she do all the disciplining?"
"No, but Dad was often away on cases. When he was home, he used different methods. He used to take away privileges sometimes, send us to bed without supper, or our room, that sort of thing. Although I do remember him spanking Srius once, because my brother lied to him about some prank or other, and tried to say that Mum punished him unfairly. Dad always hated liars, and that time he caught Sirius red-handed."
"My parents shared the punishments between them. By that I mean, if Papa punished my brother for something one day, Mama would punish him the next time he misbehaved. So neither of them was always the disciplinarian. And it was no use one of us complaining about it, or trying to get one of them to agree when the other had already said no. They always discussed things, and we could never pull the wool over their eyes."
"Share and share alike. I think that's a good way to discipline." Regulus agreed. "That way the kids can't play us off each other."
"Exactly." She smiled at him. "You're going to make a wonderful father, Reg."
He kissed her. "And you are going to be the best mother." He caressed her hair.
"I hope the baby takes after you, Reg. I was a daredevil growing up, drove my parents crazy."
"With my luck, we'll end up with a scamp like Sirius, and my brother will be laughing up his sleeve." Regulus snickered.
"We'll see, won't we?" his wife murmured. "Do you know that your mother has come up with the idea to form a Witches Defense Society? She believes that in order to survive this war, all of us need to be able to fight back against the Death Eaters. Because you men won't always be there to save us. She wants to ask Eileen Marsh to be our instructor."
"That's a fine idea. Who will be part of this group?"
"Well, me, Annie, your mum, Eileen, I'd say we should invite Lily also, and I guess anyone else who would be interested."
"Eileen's a powerful witch. With a War Mage teaching you, you should learn everything you need to know. Good luck, sweetheart." He kissed her again, deeply. "Are you tired?"
"What? No."
"Good. Then you wouldn't mind if we made love?" he murmured huskily.
She kissed him back, then asked, "Does that answer your question, Mr. Black?"
He grinned. "Absolutely."
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
A few days later, Eileen received an owl from Walburga, asking if she would head the new society. Eileen agreed, then wrote Lily a note asking if she would like to be a member.
Lily had been trying to rest, she had gotten one of her migraines, lately she seemed plagued with the beastly things. Her mother had said that was common with pregnancy, when she'd had Petunia, she'd had fierce ones. Unfortunately, she could only take a reduced strength Headache Remedy, and all that did was take the edge off. She had to call out from work, and just lie down in her bed for several hours. Finally, it started to ebb, and she could sit up and drink some cold water.
She patted her belly and said, "Baby, if you're this much trouble now, I pray you're going to be sweet as pie when you're born, otherwise you're going to get a serious talking to, you hear me?"
"Who are you talking to?" Severus asked, entering the bedroom.
"Sev! I didn't hear you come in," she said, managing a welcoming smile. "I was just talking to the baby. I had another one of my killer headaches today."
Severus sat down next to her, looking alarmed. "Did you see auras? Or throw up again?"
"No, not that bad. But bad enough that I was dizzy."
"I wish there was something I brew for you, but . . ." he sighed and began massaging the back of her neck.
"Pregnancy's a bitch," Lily groaned. "Oooh, don't stop. . ."
He continued, rubbing until all the tension was banished.
"Better? Do you feel up to eating a bit? Maybe some tea and toast?"
She nodded, and then the owl tapped at the bedroom window.
Severus rose and opened it.
The owl flew in and delivered the letter to Lily, then flew back out.
Lily carefully opened the letter. "It's from Eileen," she said, then continued reading. "She's heading up something called the Witches Defense Society and wants me to join. Cindy, Annie, and Walburga Black are also members."
Severus' eyebrows rose into his hair. "Now that is quite a gathering."
"Do you think I should join?"
"Of course. Don't you want to?"
"I do, but . . . these bloody headaches interfere with so much . . ."
"If you can't make all the meetings, my mother will understand."
"All right. She says meetings are Wednesday nights at eight o'clock at Grimmauld Place. They have a workroom there we can use."
"You can write a reply later, Lily. For now, let's have some supper."
She followed him to the kitchen and he fixed her some tea and toast, which was all she would be able to keep down, and made himself some soup and a sandwich.
"Have you finished that infernal potion, Sev?" Lily asked him, practically whispering.
"Almost. It's due tomorrow night."
"Lucky I finished the antidote before I got this migraine."
He frowned at her. "Lily, you know I don't like you brewing too much. It's not healthy for you or the baby."
She scowled right back at him. "Severus, I'm not dying, and I was careful to make sure the ventilating charms were active before I started. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit on my ass and watch while the Dark Boob tries to poison all the Muggleborns in Yorkshire or London."
"The potion may not be that effective," reminded her husband.
"Nevertheless, better safe than sorry." She bit her lip. "If it isn't . . . do you think he'll blame you and punish you?"
"I don't know. But it's hardly my fault if it's not what he expected. The recipe was old and fragmented, and I doubt if it was ever tested."
"I don't want it to be viable, but at the same time I hope it works, because then he won't curse you . . . God, what a terrible thought! What have I become, Severus, to wish such a thing?" she hung her head, staring morosely into her tea cup.
"A survivor," answered her husband. "We do what we can, and pray that it's enough."
"Do you think he'll want to test it first, before he tries to taint the resevoir?"
"Who knows? We'll find out tomorrow night, and may Merlin have mercy on us." He rose to his feet. "I have to go, Lil. My Slytherins have exams in Transfiguration tomorrow and I need to be on hand to tutor those who need it tonight."
She hugged and kissed him. "Go, professor. Give Arthur a hug for me. I hope he's been behaving."
"He has. He and young Misty Fielding have resolved their differences and have formed a study group. That's why he didn't come here for supper tonight."
"That's great, Severus. I think that friendship will be a good one. And how about Nate Grimsby? When will he be returning to school?"
"Very soon. The beginning of next week, I believe. I have spoken to the Headmaster about instituting a tutoring program for him, so he can catch up on everything he missed and not fall behind."
"How can he catch up, Sev? He's missed almost a whole year of school."
"I suggested that Dumbledore petition the Ministry to borrow a Time Turner, so Grimsby could gain several hours of study time with each professor until he's brought up to the same point as his classmates. Then he can attend class with them."
"What a brilliant idea!"
"It was either that or have him repeat the year over the summer and this way he won't feel awkward." Severus hugged her again and said, "Take care of yourself, Mrs. Snape. I'll see you next weekend."
Then he Apparated back to the school gates, leaving Lily alone to reply to Eileen's letter.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Lily tossed and turned restlessly, unable to find a cool spot to sleep in. When she finally managed to fall asleep, she dreamed of the lake of fire again. Flames popped and spit as she and Regulus rowed across it, and shambling creatures wearing the faces of the dead leered at them and attempted to snatch her from the boat.
A rotting hand grasped her wrist, its touch searing and burning.
She screamed, trying to free herself from its clutches . . .
. . .and woke up to the sound of her own voice.
It was a moment or two before she could calm herself, and then she rose and made her way to the bathroom. The clock on the wall read 3AM. Far too early to be awake, but she knew it was unlikely she would be able to fall asleep again. Her nightgown was damp and sticky.
She changed into dry sleepwear and went down to the kitchen. There she warmed a glass of milk with a charm and added a teaspoonful of honey. She stirred till it was well blended, then sipped it slowly.
That dream again! She thought, shivering slightly. She had had a similar dream before, months ago, and now it was back. Her mercurial Sight was giving her another warning to beware of that place, and yet Lily knew instinctively that the event she Saw was getting closer to occurring. She had to be prepared. She and Regulus both.
Regulus had contacted Severus a few days past, telling him about the secret cave Voldemort had brought him to, and the stone basin. A place to store powerful magical objects. Dark objects. Another shiver crept down her spine. Someday soon, the two would go there, seeking for them, and then the lake would turn to fire and the dead walk among them.
She clutched the glass of milk, and one thought whispered through her mind. She had to be prepared. Eileen's offer could not have come at a better time. She had the skills Lily needed, and Lily could show the other witches her new charm spells.
Her thoughts turned then to her husband and she wished fervently for his soothing presence, his arms about her, keeping her nightmares at bay. Sev, I miss you. She finished off her milk, feeling sleepy again.
She made her way back to bed, where she lay awake for fifteen minutes, hugging Severus' pillow to her chest, breathing in his scent and trying to pretend he was there.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Malfoy Manor
The following night:
Severus felt sweat trickle down his face beneath his mask. It was stifling in the drawing room, Lucius had a roaring fire going, despite the fact that the weather was mild. He had explained that Narcissa felt the cold keenly due to her pregnancy, and so they would all have to deal with the increased temperature in the room. Several of the others present had muttered irritably about Cooling Charms, but after Lucius glowered at them, they ceased complaining.
They were waiting for Voldemort to finish testing their solutions, as nervous as naughty children about to receive a thrashing from an angry father. Severus wasn't afraid his solution wouldn't work, but rather that it would, and the Dark Lord could then carry out his nefarious plan. As Lily had pointed out, they were damned either way. He surreptitiously wiped a hand across the back of his neck, eyeing his wife.
Zoey looked composed, but he knew that inside she must be a churning mess of nerves. He took her hand and gave it a slight squeeze.
Finally they heard the Dark One's tread upon the polished floor as he returned.
He came into the room, his face expressionless. Only his eyes glittered, and Severus was unsure if he was furious or elated. In his hand was a single vial.
He came to a halt before the semi-circle of his faithful and then he smiled—a chilling smile of triumph.
"We have been successful!" he declared in a raspy baritone. "Severus, my son, well done! You alone have managed to recreate the Plague Water, though Zoey's solution was almost viable as well. I have tested it upon several of Lucius' house elves, all save one, and it works beautifully. It kills in ten minutes. I would wish it were quicker, but one cannot have everything."
"When will you begin to use it, Master?" inquired Bella.
"We have enough for a trial run tonight, my dear," purred the dark wizard. "There are eight vials, and we can distribute them among us and begin near Diagon Alley, where several families of blood traitors and Mudbloods make their home."
Several of the circle cheered and Bella practically turned cartwheels.
Beside him, Severus felt Zoey stiffen and he knew she, like him, was fighting back a wave of nausea. They had created an antidote, but had not dared to bring it to the meeting. Now they needed to Summon it without being seen, and also somehow get word to the Order. But how could they do so without being seen? Neither of them had expected Voldemort to move so quickly. Severus' mind raced, conjuring and discarding possibilities, even as Voldemort came and clapped him on the back, congratulating him on his brilliant success.
Sorry for the long wait inbetween updates, but I've been having a lot of problems with my family's health and haven't had time to write as much as I would have liked. It may be awhile before I update again, I am trying to finish Return to Prince Manor, which has about five or six more chapters.
What should Severus and Lily do now?