Two Natures of the Beast

Chapter 4, In Which Aurora Makes the Acquaintance of Lucius Malfoy

Doing their best to be inconspicuous, Snape and Aurora slowly edged their way out of Malfoy's study. They tiptoed down the hall, hoping no-one would notice them as they searched out the basement. Once they were safely around a corner, Snape picked up the pace, hoping he remembered the way to the kitchens in this enormous house. Aurora found herself taking two steps to his one as usual. This time, at least, she understood the need for haste, although she couldn't help swinging her head from side to side, taking in as much of her mother's ancestral home as she could. The halls, at least, were furnished in dark colors- mahogany wood floors and paneling, deep, richly colored burgundy and gold oriental carpets, lush tapestries depicting mage wars in the same colors, with forest green and slate gray thrown in for good measure, and gilt wall sconces and picture frames. It was everything one imagined an ancestral home

should be, and Aurora regretted not having time to poke about at her leisure. Finally, the decor became less rich and elaborate, and as they reached the back portion of the manor, the two professors pushed through a swinging door into the kitchen. Aurora snorted, surprised to find herself in a brightly lit room and surrounded by culinary tools so suddenly after the dark corridors.

The house-elves busy at work in the kitchen stood completely still, but unquestioning. Servants in the Malfoy home knew better than to question any of the master's guests. When Snape issued a haughty, "As you were" they quietly resumed their work, shooting the two unexpected visitors sidelong glances.

"Um, Sev, I thought we were going to the basement?" Aurora whispered pointedly, darting a nervous look at the house-elves.

He shot her a withering glance, which was a remarkable feat since it was on Goyle's countenance.

"The entrance is in here, and the house-elves are of little concern. They do not interfere in the actions of their superiors. And don't call me Sev- EVER."

She drew back at his vehement tone, but made a mental note of a good way to annoy the man the next time he got snarky with her.

"Now, let's get out of here before somebody else comes blundering in. That is precisely the last thing we need." Snape grimaced at the thought.

Seeming to glide over the tiled floor to a door across the room (again at odds with the hulking Glamour he wore), Snape quietly opened the door and disappeared into the darkness. After a moment's reluctance Aurora followed him onto a narrow staircase, which had a banister on one side and a wall on the other, and shut the door silently behind her.

Two lamp like eyes glowed in the dark ahead of her! Unable to help herself, Aurora yelped and jumped, losing her balance and knocking into Snape, on the stair below her. He wobbled a bit on the step, then caught Aurora against him and threw a hand out against the wall for support. He managed to steady the two of them, and gently pushed back up onto her own step, but thought it wise to keep a grip on her elbow. With a mocking tone in his voice he said, "*Lumos*."

The light from his wand illuminated their path down the stairs, revealing the owner of the glowing eyes to be nothing more than a fluffy, white Persian cat. Snape snorted when Aurora, who had been sure it was at the very least than an acromantula 30 seconds before, exclaimed, "Aw!" Aurora bent down to stroke its soft fur. The cat arched its back and purred as she cooed to it.

"Ahem." Aurora looked up, glad that Snape couldn't see her blush. "I'm sure the feline is very cuddly, but we do have a task here."

"I know," she replied defensively. "It's just...I don't know, I mean, I miss my cat at home. He's a Persian, too, but Chewy is black and he-" She faltered, sensing Snape's condescension. "Er, well, it's not important."

"Right," he drawled, but mercifully left it at that and continued on the way.

Once they reached the bottom of the staircase, Aurora looked at her surroundings.To her consternation, it looked like an ordinary basement. There were storage cartons stacked to the ceiling, a bookcase against the wall, old furniture covered with sheets, and a spot in the corner that was obviously the cat's area. She knew it was silly to expect to find a repository for Dark objects, but the cavernous room seemed rather mundane after all the build up she had been given regarding her uncle. Knowing better by now than to question Snape, Aurora only glanced at him to see what he would do. This had become his show now. He strode confidently over to the bookcase, which was filled with dusty old tomes and slightly newer books that were obviously Draco's old school things. One title did seem a bit out of place: The Hidden Arts by Mordred Sutcliffe. Aurora looked at Snape expectantly.

"Well, what's the spell?"

He chuckled. "Spell? No, your uncle is far too clever for that. He knew everyone would expect a charm protecting his secret chamber, so he did the opposite." Seeing a blank look, although that was normal for Crabbe, Snape explained, "He uses a Muggle method of protecting the chamber. A trapdoor."

He pulled down on the book Aurora had noticed before.

"Ahah. Very clever," Aurora commented. Snape managed to give Goyle's face a fierce glare.

The bookshelf swung outward, revealing a small chamber lit by torches. In the middle sat Ron Weasley, bound to a chair with a gag in his mouth. Seeing him, both professors simultaneously heaved sighs of relief. While his red hair was disheveled, and his freckled face smudged heavily with dirt, the boy seemed none the worse for the wear. It appeared Ron had truly only been intended as bait, and had not been too badly misused by his captors. He did look a bit frantic, his eyes wild with poorly concealed fear, and the arrival of Snape and Aurora in their disguises did little to calm him. As they stepped into the secret chamber, Ron's eyes widened even further in alarm. Knowing that he was seeing the daunting figures of the elder Crabbe and Goyle entering the room, Aurora quickly whispered, "We're here to help, Ron."

Confusion continued to register on the redhead's face. Seeing the impatient look Snape was shooting her via Goyle's heavy features, Aurora continued hurriedly, "I'll explain later. Just trust us."

Snape ordered, "Don't say a word!" in what must have been a threatening tone, because despite his command, as soon as he removed the gag, Ron's mouth opened wide, ready to release a yell. Thoroughly exasperated, Snape clapped a hand over Ron's mouth and motioned to Aurora with the other to untie his hands and feet. She crouched down and began releasing the cruel rope that bound the teenager's limbs to the rough hewn wooden chair. Ron was still unsure that they weren't removing him for some nefarious purpose, and as soon as the bonds were released he began kicking and swinging at Aurora. One long leg lashed out jerkily and nearly caught Aurora in her mid-section; the other connected successfully with her shin. She caught a wayward fist smoothly in her free hand and sent Snape a silent plea for help. Thankfully, Snape still had a firm grip on Ron from behind, and he dragged him back a few feet with one arm around

his chest, keeping the boy's arms down, and the other hand still covering his mouth, giving Aurora time to fish out her wand and cast, "*Locomotor Mortis*."

Ron's legs instantly stopped moving as the Leg Locker curse took effect. This only served to panic him more. Muffled yells were escaping from behind Snape's hand. Then Snape himself emitted a loud yelp- Ron had bitten his hand. In less than a second Ron would have been yelling the roof down around their heads. Seeing no help for it, without hesitating Aurora dropped her Glamour, allowing Ron to see her, rather than the much scarier and more threatening Crabbe.

His eyes showed signs of dawning comprehension. Aurora sighed with relief. He stooped struggling against Snape, and his mouth snapped abruptly shut. He was willing to be reasonable. Fabulous. Now they just had to Apparate out of there, before Malfoy or one of his "guests" wandered in on this compromising little scene.

"See, Ron, I *told* you to trust-" she began, but was interrupted by an aristocratic voice behind her.

"What, exactly, is going on here?"

Aurora whirled around to see Narcissa Malfoy standing behind her. Cool and blonde, the faint light illuminated her pale skin and silvery eyes.

"Lucius!" Narcissa called triumphantly, as she grabbed Aurora by the wrist. Her cool, slim hand was like a steel manacle, and try as she might Aurora could not pull free. Her long fingernails bit sharply into the tender flesh of Aurora's wrist, and Aurora knew that she would not be able to get away before her uncle put in his appearance.

"Go! Go!" yelled Aurora, her only concern now to get Ron out of there.

To his credit, Snape did not hesitate. He Apparated instantly, holding Ron tightly so as to take him with him. The two of them disappeared with a loud pop, and Aurora was left alone to meet her uncle face to face for the first time.

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Snape Apparated back to Honeydukes with Ron. Taking him like that, Snape had run the risk of splinching himself and the boy, but he had had no other means of beating a hasty retreat at his disposal. Once he ascertained that the both of them were whole and separate, Snape immediately dropped his Glamour. Instead of the obvious relief he had displayed upon Aurora's revelation, now Ron looked as though he would have much preferred Lester Goyle to Snape. No matter; the utmost task in Snape's mind was to get the boy safely to Hogwarts so he could go back for Aurora. He perfunctorily undid the Leg Locker curse on Ron and pulled him roughly to the trapdoor.

"Erm, sir, you can let go of me. Really, I won't try to escape," Ron said.

"Are you quite sure? Because you've already inflicted bodily harm on one professor this evening," Snape answered acidly, but let go of Ron as he lowered himself into the passage.

"I didn't know it was a professor-" Ron began hotly.

"Silence!" Snape was in no mood for petty arguments. He lit the passageway with his wand and hurried forward. Grumbling, Ron followed.

Once they reached Hogwarts, Snape turned Ron over to Madam Pomfrey and went to find the Headmaster. He fervently hoped that they could get to Aurora before it was too late. He grudgingly admitted that she was a powerful witch, but she was vastly outnumbered, and Lucius Malfoy could be a force to be reckoned with.

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"Who are you?" Lucius demanded of the girl standing before him. He was flanked by the actual Crabbe and Goyle, who looked confused and unhappy- and very hacked off at Aurora.

Not seeing how it could make things any worse, Aurora opted for the truth. "Aurora Jackson."

"And...?" Lucius purred, as Crabbe and Goyle moved forward menacingly.

"I'm Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor at Hogwarts." She couldn't believe her name meant nothing to him! Was his sister's marriage so insignificant? A fury like Aurora had never known before began to well within her. "I'm also your niece!" she spat.

Lucius knitted his elegantly arched eyebrows together. "You lie."

"No, I don't. My mother was Calista Malfoy- your sister, or have you forgotten?"

Lucius' hand snaked forward lightning quick and gripped Aurora under the chin. His cold eyes searched her face for something familiar. He scrolled over her dark hair, which had come undone from its prim bun and fell in a hopeless tangle down her back, her non-descript brown eyes, her heart-shaped face, and her petite frame. "I see no resemblance. If you even tell the truth, you must get your... looks from that Mudblood Yankee scum she ran off with."

Enraged beyond sensibility, and knowing as she said it that Lucius would make her regret it, Aurora shouted at him, "My father is ten times the wizard you are! You're the one who's scum!"

Infuriated, Lucius shoved her to the floor. She hit the cold cement with a hard thud against her hip. His henchmen closed in around her. "You certainly don't have the Malfoy attitude, girl. Or the brains. Ah, well, you'll learn not to interfere with me." So saying, he pointed his wand at her. "*Crucio!*"

Aurora had never felt such agony in her life. Sharp spikes of pain shot through her extremities. Her arms and legs began twitching and jerking, striking the hard floor repeatedly.Involuntarily, she curled into a fetal position on the cold floor as her muscles spasmed. It felt as though she had the worst charley horses ever in every muscle in her body, even her innards, which were in the grip of such sharp pain it was as though someone were twisting a knife in them. She gritted her teeth, determined not give Lucius the satisfaction of hearing her scream, but harsh cries were wrenched from her lips as another wave of pain shot through her. Just when it seemed the ripping pain might cease, a new wave crashed over her helpless body, increasing in intensity. On and on the torture went, seemingly never-ending as pain layered upon agony consumed her. Each Death Eater in turn had a go at her, time becoming a meaningless haze of hurt, until finally, mercifully, she was rendered insensible and unconcious.

When Aurora came to, she had no idea whether ten minutes had passed or ten hours. She felt the chilled stone against her back, so she knew she was still in Lucius' secret chamber. Her whole body ached, and she could taste blood in her mouth and on her lips. No wonder, she thought dimly, remembering how many times various parts of her body slammed against the hard floor. Slowly, she strained to open her eyes as wide as she could get them. She realized all the torches had been extinguished and knew the door had surely been locked from the outside. Nevertheless, she tried to stand up so she could check to be certain. In small, tentative increments, she pushed herself up into a crouching position. She felt out for the chair that Ron had been tied to, and, finding the rough wooden arm, used it to lever herself until she stood, leaning against it. As soon as she put weight on her left ankle, she experienced blinding agony. Broken, she thought dimly,before collapsing to the ground again, consciousness stealing away once more.

That was how Snape found her as he Apparated back into the darkened room. He wondered a moment at Malfoy's lack of wards, then realized had Ron been found by the intended quarry, well, Harry Potter didn't know how to Apparate. And the bloody sadist probably wanted his niece removed. Her appearance made a nice message. She looked limp and broken, like a well-used rag doll. Most of her face was obscured by fresh bruises and crusted blood. Her eyes were swollen shut, and her ankle was turned out at an angle that was horrifically unnatural. The physical damage was bad, especially for the Cruciatus curse, which was generally intended not to leave marks. She must have been hit with it repeatedly. A lump rose in Snape's throat, and he angrily berated himself for leaving her in her brutal uncle's clutches. He had seen Malfoy do things like this before, but never so extremely. He wouldn't wish this on his worst enemy, and Aurora Jackson was far from that, annoying Yankee usurper though she may be. He was astonished by the extent of her injuries. As a young man, Lucius had always been vicious, but this bespoke of something inhuman. The girl was a blood relative, for Merlin's sake. He wondered what had transpired between niece and uncle.

Gingerly, Snape knelt and gathered the battered girl up in his arms. As he stood, she shuddered and whimpered softly. "Ssh, girl, it will be all right. Just keep still," he murmured.

He Apparated with her, no longer even worried about splinching himself, or indeed anything but getting the girl some help, and retraced his steps directly to the hospital wing, where Dumbledore was waiting for them. Madam Pomfrey was attending to Ron, who was loudly insisting that he was absolutely fine, thank you very much, and couldn't he go, and perhaps he just needed a bit more chocolate. Complete silence descended, however, as Snape appeared carrying Aurora. Madam Pomfrey gasped and clapped her had to her mouth; Ron's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. Dumbledore turned to Snape with fathomless sadness apparent in his questioning blue eyes.

"That's right," Snape said bitterly, utterly misinterpreting their expressions. "I've allowed another innocent mage to be abused and tortured by Death Eaters."

"Now, Severus, that isn't fair," Dumbledore began gently.

"It's more than fair," Snape snarled as he deposited Aurora's limp form on one of the hospital's beds.

"Severus-"

Snape cut the headmaster off, turning his raging dark eyes on him.

"No. Just fix her."

He whirled out of the hospital wing, leaving Dumbledore staring regretfully after him. Madam Pomfrey hustled over to Aurora, arms full of salves and bandages, while Ron continued to gape in the direction the Potions Master had gone.