Left Behind

Chapter Thirteen

"Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good."
Mohandas Gandhi

Malfoy Mansion, All-Hallow's-Eve

Severus found the Carrows, watching him from a corner and gave them a curt nod to signal a drop of the Apparition wards. The siblings left quickly, unnoticed in the midst of the loud thump of more modern music, before he immediately snapped the wards back into place. He felt Minerva shift beside him – the Carrow's exit had not escaped her notice – and turned to her. The hard line of her jaw, the angry disappointment in her eyes burned him every time he had to look at her. He longed for a return to their comfortable, familial antagonism mixed with maternal good humour in previous years, yet they had chosen sides and she would never forgive him for what he had to do for his side – whichever it was. She could, however, be trusted with the children. Another curt nod in her direction and Severus lifted the wards briefly enough to let himself through.

The blazing light of the hundreds of lit candles of the Malfoy Manor foyer blinded Severus upon arrival. In spite of it – or plausibly, because of it – he whipped his wand out, whirling to create a full shield around him. Not having regained eyesight, he heard familiar, sultry laughter.

"My, my, Severus," the voice came from the black-haired beauty wrapped in red brocade behind him. Had he been able to see, he would have noted black organza and faille flowing into a diaphanous skirt and sleeves and a matching black wand pointing at his chest. "You really are far, far too tense, you do realise?"

He lowered his wand in recognition. Bella. Slut of the Death Eaters or not, she was still a lady and it was still rude for a man to aim his wand at one unprovoked. It was strange, he randomly remembered, how muggles had taken the idea of it being 'rude to point' and made it uncouth practice to use the first finger to direct attention to something. He could smell peppermint-laced aerial potions wafting in from the ballroom on the right; Lust Potion, Sensitivity Serum and illegal, non-addictive hallucinogens, all of which must have been taken from Lucius' stores specially prepared by Severus. It was part and parcel of the Samhain Revel, thus he slowed his breathing in an effort to reduce the rate at which he would be affected amidst the Death Eaters partaking of their pleasures.

The circling succubus trailed a languid finger along his arm. He could see her now and Severus focused on tamping down the strong urge to shove or hex her into the other room. Neither could he avoid her by simply leaving the room himself. Pureblood decorum required that he wait patiently in the apparition foyer for an express invitation to enter and Severus would be damned before his manners be found lacking.

He kept his eyes fixed on the door, his view above Bellatrix' head. She stepped closer to him and as such a pearlescent set of teeth and the swipe of a soft, pink tongue caught his eye. Forcefully, he wrenched his eyes from her to the door again and swore at the efficacy of his own brews, 'Bloody lust potions.'

The temptress stood but inches away and he could not help seeing in his periphery how her teeth met to hiss his name.

"Sseverrruss."

It would have been rude to snort, hence he chose to roll his eyes mentally. Bella prolonged her s's, mimicking the way the Dark Lord would, and the poor fools in the inner circle lapped it up like top notch elfin mead. The dark curls framing her face flowed behind her as if of their own volition, white hands rested gently on his shoulders as she tiptoed to meet his eyes. "Won't you join usss tonight?"

Severus took a step back to disengage himself from her; she laughed, seemingly emboldened by his evasion.

"You're too sskittisssh for my tasste, but I have alwaysss thought you'd have ssooo much potential."

"Bella, you know I'm exempt."

A flash of red struck across the usual black of her eyes and Severus saw for a moment the violent streak that had let Bella reach the heights she had. "And I never underssstood why! Why don't you join your brotherss in their pleasssure?" Another swipe of the small pink tongue had his lower extremities tensing up. He tried holding his breath to limit inhaling the Lust Potion he knew was reason for her dilated pupils and attempted seduction. She started to circle him once more. Where was Cissy? Lucius even. Anyone to welcome him would do.

"Or do your interesstsss not lie with women?" She attempted to grope him and Bella laughed again when he flinched, recoiling from her touch. Try as he might, he could not conceal his body's reaction, however.

Bellatrix' grin was almost feral. "Apparently not then."

If he hadn't known that she'd never been bitten, he would have thought her a vampire with the way her canines were exposed. Her attraction to him as well as that of many women in the Inner and Outer Circle, he could never comprehend. Whereas his peers in Hogwarts had ignored him, older women outside pursued him.

Or perhaps it was simply that Death Eater women and wives were more uninhibited in their activities. Either way, it felt very strange, very disconcerting, very... unreal.

Unreal, that was the correct word for it. Just as unreal as Bella's appearance was. He'd been there when she'd escaped Azkaban, a shell only of the dark beauty that had captivated pureblood men who'd been surrounded by lithe, fair, golden women all their lives. She was an aberration and her uniqueness had served her well because spreading her... love for these men had allowed her to rise in service to become the darkest one of them all.

No position, however, could return her to her youthful form. Severus could see through the heavily layered potion-based glamours and dispassionately view the sunken cheeks, patches of baldness, and greying skin. The latter told him she was subsisting on a dangerous cocktail of Alarcity Elixir, which was an extra-concentrated Pepper-Up Potion, and a variation of the Polyjuice Potion that provided a more youthful appearance. Even without the visual evidence, he would have known considering he'd made the potions for the inner circle.

It was humorous in a rather sinister way, how dependent the Dark Lord and Death Eaters were on his brewing skills.

He couldn't, however, find humour in her attentions any more. Through a tiny crack in his perpetually raised Occlumency walls, he reached for the lady of the house.

'Cissy?'

'Severus! Where are you?'

'Your sister has detained me in the foyer.'

'What? The house elf was supposed to meet you. Oh, that wench! Give me a moment.'

Severus knew better than to hold his breath in waiting because of the sheer size of the house, but did so anyway to clear his head of the peppermint potion fumes. The click of deadly stilettos announced Severus' salvation and he exhaled in relief. Narcissa's tone was as clipped and cultured as her pace,

"Trixie, why don't you attend to those in the ballroom? Severus, darling, I'm so glad you could come. Come, come join us in the sitting room."

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Bellatrix threw a last heated glance at Severus before setting off for new prey in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry, Severus, I didn't know she would – "

He raised his hand. "It's all right. It was not your fault." He lowered his arm and offered it to her. "Shall we?"

"Of course," Narcissa's smile was brighter than the chandeliers' steady glow. She led him at a steady pace to the private sitting room where he could sense the Dark Lord waiting. Other than the obvious increasing sense of dark magic radiating from the room, Severus could feel the temperature dropping as if the Dark Lord was completely lacking in personal warmth that he absorbed what heat there was to be had from the surrounding. It had inspired the very use of foolish wand-waving that affected the temperature leading to and in the dungeons, which Severus had put in place early in his teaching career.

The fireplace was a glossy black marble and closest to it sat a thin reptilian man of apparently weak physique and the reddest eyes Severus would ever behold. Beside him was a man of great contrast with his flowing platinum blonde tresses and aristocratic air. It was easy to be presumptuous and dismiss one as an invalid and the other a popinjay, but Severus was never one for assumptions. He dropped to one knee,

"My Lord."

"Rise Severuss. Take a ssseat." A clawed hand gestured to one of the armchairs. He did not feel he had much of a choice in the matter because he experienced a clear outside compulsion to approach sad chair. Severus knew that the Dark Lord did not intend it but it was one of the reasons that those in his presence could hardly say no. He naturally radiated magical power in quantities that made mere whims become manifest. Narcissa, ever the perfect hostess, returned with a tray of tea and pastries.

"How goes the Halloween Ball?"

"Swimmingly, Master." Severus sought to hide his displeasure in his tone. The Dark Lord would not tolerate sass, even from his favoured, not-quite-resident Potions Master.

A bark, a wheeze, what could you call so alien a sound, of laughter erupted from the slit of a lipless mouth. The Dark Lord knew enough of his introverted follower to enjoy his discomfiture at hosting a party.

A tic in Severus' neck twitched. A chatty Dark Lord put him on the edge. Conversation meant he was in a good mood. This ranked highly in his personal list of Not A Good Thing because a cheerful Dark Lord – if you could call him that – meant he was brimming with ideas, which in turn meant new assignments. His demands became erratic, chaotic and were requested under a seemingly happy expectation of compliance.

"And Bella?"

"Tolerable, My Lord." He offered the Dark Lord a wry grin. His master was frighteningly pliable and readable on good days.

Another of the strange sounds of laughter came from the Dark Lord, causing a shiver to crawl down his ramrod straight spine. The Dark Lord's mirth at his responses reminded him all too well of the early days when loose morals and stimulating conversation and the heady offer of power attracted the richest and brightest of the Wizarding youth to his service. The appreciation of Severus' special brand of sarcasm could seldom be witnessed outside this circle.

The reptilian man turned contemplative. The silence stretched and to fill it, Narcissa began nattering about the dress robes she'd selected from Draco and how she'd chosen them from some couture boutique Severus knew was overpriced. It never ceased to amaze him how airheaded Cissy could feign to be despite the sharp intelligence she displayed in their youth and private conversations. He could never demean himself so.

"Severusss," the man in question turned to his master. He watched in wonder as the wine in the Dark Lord's goblet continuously coalesced and diffused into different forms. "May I observe the Halloween Ball?"

Severus was no fool to think it was a request and not an order. He added fortification to the walls of his mind, allowing vines to creep up over the stone parapets.

It was a swift, brutal entry. A strong wind picked up in the mental play ground that always featured prominently in his mind place. It stripped the elms lining his inner periphery, the sandbox emptied itself, the swing flipped wildly as if an insane rider was seated. At the centre of the flurry of leaves, flashes of the dance reshaped before their eyes.

a long flowing blue dress -

Draco sidling up to the Granger girl -

Dozens of dancing students abusing the chance at increased physical contact -

tiny glowing pumpkins -

McGonagall grimacing -

the sliding dip and the breathless female audience. -

A flash of a pearl comb –

The Carrows apparating –

The elegant line of a white neck -Peace returned in his mind as speedily as the cyclone had come. Sinking bank in his chair, Severus shut his eyes to keep away the sharp, bright light of the world outside his head. He could hear the Dark Lord speaking again.

"You have pleased me greatly, Severus. Far more tasteful decor than anything that old mudblood lover ever used. It is important that we prove to the children that we are not the cruel, Spartan monsters that blood traitor taught them we are. If we were, would we be enjoying such a place?" He gestured to the opulent design of the Malfoy sitting room. "We are, in fact, hedonists."

Narcissa poured fresh tea. "Will you be joining us for the Samhain revels, Severus?"

"I must return to the castle."

"Oh yes, you must." The Dark Lord rose to stand before the hearth, observing the antique crystal decors on the chimneypiece. Behind him, the blackest train of heavy black velvet robes trailed on the ground.

"Tell me about the mudblood."

"Master?"

"The filthy friend of the fool child that dares challenge me."

"Irritating."

"I would expect, Severus. Is she intelligent?"

"Admittedly, she is passable."

"Such high praise." He chuckled at his own joke and began to cross the room.

"She reminds me of you, Severus. Oh don't be so petulant, young man. Your grimace cannot scare me." Having reached the door, he turned to face his audience. "Eager to prove, highly intelligent, filthy blood...

...she would be an asset."

Severus knew it would have come to this eventually. For the first time in the conversation, Lucius cut in, "Certainly not a mudblood to join us, My Lord?"

The Dark Lord spoke slowly, his tone a chastisement to a slow-witted child. "I am not so blindsided as many of those who call themselves the Light not to see the merit in my opponents. There is much to gain by having an intelligent individual in our ranks. Of course, we would never permit her to sully our bloodlines by perpetrating her own with any of us, but we can offer her the honour and attention such a mind assuredly deserves. Since she is not with the fool boy and the youngest son of the blood traitor Weasleys, they seem to have deserted her." He approached the table to pick up his wineglass.

"I had tasked your son to discover a way into the trio through the students. It seemed he was the first among us to even realise the potential in seducing the mudblood to our side."

Lucius looked very surprised.

"I saw him dancing with her in Severus' mind," the Dark Lord supplied.

Lucius seemed very pleased.

Severus, on the other hand, couldn't resist bursting his bubble. "She was leading."

Inwardly, the former chuckled as he saw that while Lucius face was the picture of apathy, his fists, however, were repeatedly clenching and unclenching.

Watching them, the Dark Lord wheezed out his amusement. "Why it bothers you so, Lucius, I cannot comprehend. You simply have to produce another heir, don't you?" He returned to his seat. "I will not, however, force Draco to go against his choice. Another one in the ranks must be selected to do so."

His eyes slid from Malfoy to Severus and with it, seeming inspiration hit.

"Severus, I select you."

"Excuse me, Master?" For the first time, the Dark Lord had surprised the famed prince of obedient indifference.

"You of all people could know what she would desire. As I pointed out, you are very similar. Imagine the final glory of my plan before the defeat of the Potter fool. Imagine his own friend betraying him, leading him to us."

Severus marvelled at the simplicity and potential of the idea. He should have thought of it before the master had he been paying more attention to the issue at hand. Execution, however, was another matter. Trepidation crept in as Severus sensed the line separating his deceased master and impossibly still mortal Master's instructions began to blur.

"Whatever may happen, I entrust Hogwarts to you, my old friend." Dumbledore again. Blue eye, sans twinkle. The deeper azure of a stormy sea.

"Gain her trussst, train her in our wayss."

"Admittedly you will be reviled by the community but I'm sure you will make a way."

"Ssshow her what we can offer." He sounded of the hiss of a cunning snake.

"Protect them, guide them, Severus, and if necessary..."

"Let her sssee how they take her for granted."

"Use them."

"Ssseduce her. "

Waves of excitement and anticipation came off the Dark Lord and Severs felt stifled in his chair, as if a great weight was pressing on him. Beside him, the Malfoys seemed stunned as well with the turn of events. Falling to his knees, he wondered yet again where he stood, before whom he truly knelt as he sensed the blatant idiocy and yet, effectiveness of the plan. He offered the expected praise,

"Such brilliance, Master."

In the hem of the Dark Lord's robes which he kissed, he saw crisscrossing lines and wondered which of the thinnest ones was the one he precariously walked. Behind him, the seated Lucius acquiesced, praising the ingenuity of the plan. Narcissa did so as well before leaving the room to prepare the Apparition foyer for Severus.

Pleased by the obeisance, the Dark Lord placed his hand upon the mess of black ink flowing from his spy's head and tousled it, much as one would a child. He was proud of his trained killer who could dissect a soul and brew inhumanity without remorse. Knowing full well how this pseudo-son spurned the advances of his fellow female Death Eaters, the Dark Lord expected reserves of libido stocked and waiting for release in this very devious plan.

"I look forward to your success, my son."

Severus, intoning the favoured phrase and to all appearances very honoured, rose to apparate back to Hogwarts,

"I live to serve."

AN: This version's edited since the first one posted had a fluke. Thanks for the lovely reviews :) If the last mix of dialogue in this chappie is unclear, going back to chapter 10 might help. :) That is, once I find the lost chapter.

I'm really sorry, guys, but I need to go on hiatus for quite a while. It might take a year or two and I'm so sorry that I let RL interfere, but when I come back, I'll hopefully be better at this and I'll do my best by you guys :)

Until then, take care.