Knight of Pentacles, Queen of Wands

Ch9: The Hermit

It was his idea to ring the doorbell. The moon illumined the entire front walk with its glow and their masks certainly looked ethereal and disconcerting. There were no sounds from Lily's Muggle family and Severus suspected that she had probably done something to keep them asleep. There were no lights on inside the house.

"Who's there?" a muffled voice asked hesitantly from the other side.

Regulus responded in an uncanny imitation of his brother that surprised everyone.

"Hey, Lily! It's us-" he began and then laughed that distinctive barking laugh.

Severus almost felt the need to look around for that cur Sirius Black himself.

"Sirius, is that you?"

With those eager words she flung the door open, foolish Gryffindor that she was.

"-the not so good guys," Regulus finished happily.

Lily Evans seemed immobilized in her fear, wearing a dressing gown and slippers and looking absolutely delectable. Knowing that she'd be visited by a group of Death Eaters and actually experiencing it probably were very different things, Severus reckoned.

"I don't think she's happy to see us," Regulus commented lightly.

Lucius peered at her with what Severus imagined to be aloof disdain.

"Ah, so this is the Mudblood witch that causes wizards to turn Blood Traitor. Our very own, Helen of Troy."

"Well, aren't you going to let us in?" Regulus asked.

"Tsk! Clearly possessing a lack of manners when it comes to her betters," Lucius commented.

Karkaroff snickered.

"I could, of course, teach her some manners."

Despite predicting how the other wizards would react, Severus himself was finding it difficult not to hex Lucius for calling Lily a Mudblood. It was simply Lucius and he would never change in some ways.

Severus took his wand out and walked toward Lily. She took a step back.

"Boo," he whispered.

She sqeaked. Severus knew she wasn't acting. Trust only went so far. He grabbed her arm and dragged her into the sitting room.

"Secure the house," Severus growled.

"D-don't h-hurt them!" she pleaded.

Lucius and Karkaroff merely laughed before heading off. Severus knew he could trust Lucius not to let Karkaroff inflict permanent damage on her Muggle relations. At least he hoped that he could trust Lucius. He never could be very sure.

"What d-do you want?" Lily asked.

Severus hardened his resolve before answering.

"Answers. Tell us where Potter and Black are," he hissed.

"I don't know," she whimpered.

"I think she's lying," Regulus interjected.

"Hmm, well, I know a way of bringing them here," Severus stated. "As a matter of fact, I don't think either of them will be able to refuse your request."

If possible, Lily's eyes got wider than they already were.

"You're going to Floo Potter and ask him to come over."

"But what if he won't come? We've had a row."

She at least had the presence of mind not to let the game away.

Regulus snorted. "Hell, I'd come and I don't deal with-" he gave a significant pause before continuing, "your sort."

Severus, who still had a grip on her, arm leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, "Then he's a fool."

"I- I can't! I can't do that to James!"

She burst into tears and Severus knew then that any cooperation he had garnered before had fallen to the wayside in light of her hysteria. Severus sighed in exasperation.

"There's always the Imperius," Regulus suggested.

Lily Evan's Gryffindor bravado made a showing then. If it weren't so damned inconvenient, Severus would have found it amusing in that it was so predictable.

"You do what you have to do, and I'll do what I have to do."

She sounded way too hysterical to be anything other than stubbornly loyal to her ideals in that moment.

"Ah, this lioness has claws!" Regulus laughed. "I approve."

It would take time to bring Lily back around to reason, but Severus was willing to see it through. They had all night. However, as with all things concerning Severus Snape, it would seem that he wouldn't be given the chance.

"Enough of this! Morsmordre!"

Karkaroff's voice boomed from outside.

"-The hell?" Regulus started.

"Damn it, you fool!" Lucius voice thundered from the other side of the house. "He's trying to get us killed!"

"It is you who are the fools! Playing with this girl when we should be seeing Aurors!" Karkaroff shouted as he came running into the room.

"We wanted two Aurors, not the entire Ministry!" Regulus yelled back.

Severus saw red. "You'll pay for that mistake," he whispered menacingly, "with your blood."

Karkaroff scoffed. Lucius and Regulus didn't say anything as they had both seen Severus in this mood before, and Severus was not about to disappoint.

"Sectumsempra!"

Lily gasped. There was lots of blood to contend with, but Karkaroff lived. Severus made sure of that, having been very precise with his aim by cutting him in the torso. Lucius walked over to the idiotic wizard and reluctantly made an attempt to heal him. Nobody bothered to help him off of the floor. Only the Dark Lord could give the order to kill a fellow Death Eater, but he hadn't said anything about cursing when the situation warranted.

"Well, this has got to be an all-time record on slowest response to the Dark Mark being cast over a Muggle neighborhood that I've ever seen," Regulus remarked.

However, his words heralded the Apparation of multiple wizards around the house.

"Damn it!" Lucius swore again.

"Relax, cousin," Regulus said lazily. "We've got a hostage."

Lily's breathing noticeably hitched at this statement. Severus knew she was likely going into a state of shock.

"Magical Law Enforcement! We've got you surrounded! Come out with your hands where we can see them," a magically amplified voice sounded from the street outside.

At those words, Lily seemed to remember that she was a part of the proceedings and tried to walk towards the window. Severus grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back flush against him. She didn't attempt to struggle. She was almost too quiet for Severus' comfort. It wasn't like her at all. But then, he had never seen her scared out of her wits before either.

Having a pragmatic streak a mile-wide, Severus decided to use whatever he had to salvage an otherwise disastrous situation. The odds were terrible, but the Auror trainees they were looking for were surely among those outside. As the leader, it was up to Severus to make sure it went off without a hitch. Amplifying his own voice, Severus began the game.

"Seeing as we have something you want, I don't think we'll be going anywhere. Send in Potter and Black and we'll see about playing nice."

The Auror who had amplified his voice then responded, "The Ministry doesn't negotiate with Death Eaters. I repeat, come out with your hands up and put your wands down."

It wasn't the least bit surprising when Severus heard the cries of, "Lily!" and, "That's my fiancée in there, of course we're going to negotiate!" Potter was predictable like that. It was a very Gryffindor way of going about things, but Severus gave the Auror trainee grudging admiration for it. There were at least two wizards who would do nearly anything for Lily Evans.

"Damn it, Potter, get back here!" the amplified voice yelled. "Black!"

When they knocked on the front door, Lucius magically had it swing open to admit the two would be Aurors.

It couldn't be argued that Severus loathed James Potter and Sirius Black. They had burned their bridges with him all the way around and Severus wasn't a very forgiving person to begin with. He was having a difficult time thinking clearly though. It would be too easy to forget what he was working toward and give in to the Dark Lord's will in this mission completely and truly inflict serious damage to the pair. This was precisely what the Dark Lord wanted, no doubt.

He never thought he'd be this conflicted about what was right or wrong when push came to shove. Severus knew he was at odds with his friends, the woman he loved, and two opposing views in the Wizarding World. His only consolation was when Lily, who was still firmly held against him, placed her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. If he had ever needed a dose of Gryffindor courage, it was at that moment. How pathetic that it was her touch that centered him. She certainly didn't consider herself his friend, she didn't love him, and she was likely not even the slightest bit attracted to him. Severus' response was to take the voice amplification charm off, and then caress Lily's cheek with his wand.

"Ah, Potter!" he said congenially. "So good of you to join us."

His voice sounded smooth and velvety. It didn't hurt that he spoke right next to Lily's ear. She shivered and wasn't that an interesting reaction?

"I was just getting better acquainted with your lovely fiancée. Such an enticing witch shouldn't be left alone for too long. You never know what wizards might step in to take your place."

James Potter looked livid. Severus couldn't help but to smirk. He might not be able to kill Potter, but he'd give him quite a show, if nothing else. He had nothing to lose but his life and his freedom, so there was absolutely no reason why he shouldn't have some fun in such dire circumstances. It was the least he could do.