Knight of Pentacles, Queen of Wands

Ch5: The Hierophant

Severus immediately Apparated into his room at Spinner's End and fell onto his bed. He was ill equipped to deal with being a fugitive. Of course, he'd rather risk the threat of Azkaban than the Dark Lord's wrath so, really, he felt he'd made the safer decision.

Lily's inherent Gryffindor morality certainly would make her feel honor bound to tell someone that he was a Death Eater. He had no doubt that she would eventually get around to letting that information out. He just hoped that it was later rather than sooner.

Of course, Severus and his newly discovered scruples also left him honor bound to do something other than being the Dark Lord's lackey. He just didn't quite know what just yet. No, he didn't like Muggles. They were fairly useless. He wasn't particularly fond of most Muggle-born witches and wizards either. He would have loved nothing more than to be able to claim to be a pure-blood Prince instead of the Half-Blood Prince. However, if Severus wanted to be honest, he would admit that he didn't even like most pure-bloods. Severus simply wasn't much of a people person.

"Severus! There you are! We've been looking all over."

It was Lucius Malfoy's drawling voice that came from the door of his room. He glanced around disdainfully at the surroundings.

"Why you insist on staying in this hovel is beyond me."

Severus didn't even remove the arm that was covering his eyes before responding.

"Not all of us live on trust funds, Lucius."

Lucius chuckled. "I told you Severus was of a melancholic temperament, didn't I Regulus?"

"That you did, cousin."

It annoyed Severus how after only a year of marriage, Lucius and the Blacks had all taken to calling each other cousin. It was a pure-blood thing that was a visible sign of their separation from him regardless of their professed loyalties. He could never quite be a part of that world no matter how hard he tried.

"Oh Regulus, do tell me one of those lovely bed-time stories you used to entertain us with back in the Slytherin Common Room. As you've disturbed me in bed, I feel it's only right that I get a story. I'm feeling maudlin and need my spirits raised," Severus suddenly exclaimed dramatically.

"Ah, there were so many stories I told, perhaps you were wanting the re-telling of a particular one?"

Regulus did bear a striking resemblance to his brother, but happily they were very different. He was much more tolerable in that he was tactful, reserved, and delightfully Slytherin.

"There might have been one that stood out over the others."

"Hmm. I wield a masterful tale, I do have to admit, and there were so many..."

Lucius chuckled again. "One of my favorites was the Infamous Tapestry Tale."

"That'd be the one, Lucius. Do tell us the Infamous Tapestry Tale, Regulus." Severus added a pleading tone to his voice. "Please. It would make me feel ever so much better."

"I can hardly refuse such a request. Well you see, once upon a time, there was a git. This particular git was an absolute failure and an embarrassment to his family."

"Ah, what was the git's name?"

"You know, I do believe I've forgotten, as his name was burned off of the family tapestry." Regulus sighed dramatically.

"No!" Lucius said in a scandalized tone.

"Say it isn't so!" Severus added.

"Alas! It is so. The git's former mother was so beside herself that she took her wand and made a most spectacular scorch hole in the tapestry during a bout of righteous anger, and the git was disowned."

"I love that story. Thank you Regulus."

"Glad to be of service."

Regulus sketched a slight bow.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Severus, this is beyond even your usual. What's going on?"

What wasn't going on? Severus sighed.

"It seems I've made a huge error in judgment, gentlemen."

"Already?" Regulus asked mirthfully. "That has to be a record."

"You don't mean to say that you regret becoming a Death Eater?" Lucius asked incredulously.

In for a penny, Severus thought. Maybe they'd kill him and he'd be spared the extra suffering.

"I don't know what I'm saying, but I let it slip to Lily Evans that I'm a Death Eater."

The two pure-blood wizards exchanged a look. Regulus seated himself on the edge of the bed and looked back to Lucius.

"I'll take care of this."

Lucius nodded and in a very un-Malfoy like gesture started shifting nervously from foot to foot before pacing the room.

"Severus, it is relatively normal to have second thoughts, you know. I've been having second thoughts for a long time now," the younger wizard stated patiently.

"I haven't," Lucius stated quickly. "I've never had second thoughts about our Lord." He sounded too nervous to be convincing.

Regulus glared at Lucius. "Bollocks, cousin. None of us can match Bellatrix, Barty, and their crowd for their zealousness."

Turning back to Severus, Regulus said, "Lucius and I were certain that you were quite a bit more zealous than we were and would soon outgrow your need of us."

"Convert enthusiasm," Lucius added.

Despite himself, Severus was intrigued. This was all news to him. He'd never heard of less than perfectly loyal Death Eaters being allowed to live and tell the tale.

"Does the Dark Lord know?" Severus asked curiously.

"Damn, I hope not," Lucius muttered.

Regulus waved away their concerns and regally stated, "There are ways of getting around the Dark Lord."

"The man's a bloody master Legilimens!" Severus stated.

Despite his newly acquired Occlumency skills from the memories of his future dead self, he admittedly was not looking forward to ever having to put them into practice. It was risky.

"The Dark Lord expects there to be an intellectual element in his following. We're the philosophers. So long as we come through in the end, we'll get by."

Lucius snorted. "We're with him so long as he delivers on his promises, is what you mean, cousin."

"And when he doesn't deliver?" Severus ventured to ask.

"Ah, we don't speak of it," Regulus said softly.

A heavy feeling hung in the room. It was thick and oppressive. Regulus suddenly jumped up and smiled enigmatically, startling both Severus and Lucius.

"Well, you can't stay here Severus. Aurors will be after you soon enough."

He wisely didn't mention Lily Evans, for which Severus was grateful.

"I'd offer you a place at the manor, but Narcissa is in the middle of her renovation project."

"What Lucius means is that your presence would be exceedingly disruptive regarding their goal of shagging like rabbits in each and every room as their whimsy dictates."

"Well, there is that," Lucius added smoothly with a wink.

"It's settled then. You're coming to Grimmauld Place with me," Regulus stated definitively.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Severus said firmly.

Slytherins as whole were a rather proud group and didn't like to accept charity from anyone.

"Trust me, it is no intrusion. I need your help on a little side project of mine. I'm sure you'll find it intriguing."

Regulus gave another enigmatic smile before exiting the room. Severus looked to Lucius and raised an eyebrow in question. Lucius merely shrugged elegantly.

"The Blacks have always been slightly mad. Part of their charm."

Of course, Severus instinctively knew that there was more than family idiosyncrasies at play here. Regulus knew something and he was rather smug about it.

There was no more time to contemplate the situation when a hideously old house elf appeared in Severus' room and bowed with his nose to the ground.

"Master has sent Kreacher to be of service." The house elf then proceeded to glare at them murderously.

Lucius started laughing again. "See? Even their house elves are mad."

It was easy to forget his worries among his friends, no matter how fickle they might truly be. Severus was in with Regulus and Lucius all the way he decided. There might be a few others of like mind within the Dark Lord's circle to start something. Revolution sounded a bit drastic, but whatever it was, it would be a Slytherin solution and wouldn't be lacking in subtlety. Lily, well, Lily he could worry about tomorrow.