The Corners of the Evening

...Streets that follow like a tedious argument

Of insidious intent

To lead you to an overwhelming question ...

Oh, do not ask, "What is it?"

Let us go and make our visit...

-The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot

October 4, 1978, Leskov Palace

"I've done nothing but copy down Mongreave's memoirs as he dictates them. Thirty pages this week, all on a single day when he was eight! Apparently a very important day, though I can't see how. If he actually does any diplomatic work, I've never seen it."

"There's something strange about him. I mean, there's something strange about all of the ambassadors as a rule, but something about him is..."

"Incongruous?"

"Quite."

"And it's not just the robes..."

"Oh no. Although they certainly don't help."

"The man is such an obvious narcissist..."

"...So what's he doing in relative isolation in a country headed quickly for ruin?"

Their voices rose from where they lay in the cool grass, hushed alto and baritone notes twining and dispersing so that by the time they reached Barnes' ears they were little more than an indistinct murmur of sound. Barnes, as always, had propped himself against the old car and was smoking his pipe. As he puffed undefined smoke rings into the strangely yellow twilight, he appeared to be on watch, an unlikely night guard of sorts. And perhaps he was; the quickness of his eyes belied the stillness of his repose. Laughter then, at once bright and low. It was cut off abruptly by the jarring toll of bells.

"The curfew bells," Evelyn said, unnecessarily now that Regulus had gotten used to the myriad regulations of daily life at the Leskov Palace. She stood slowly, stretching her arms over her head before letting them flop to her sides.

"Come on, Barnes," she called. "You've already gotten a warning this month, and I'm not sure how far diplomatic immunity is going to get you in this matter."

Across the lawn, Barnes harrumphed, but put out his pipe, and grudgingly joined Regulus and Evelyn as they headed back indoors.

"And the citizens of Kitezh must comply with the curfew as well?" Regulus was asking Evelyn.

"Of course," replied Barnes. "The bells themselves are housed in that cathedral you were so interested in."

"And...do they mind?"

"I'm sure some do," Barnes said with a shrug. "But for most it's just another part of life, I'd imagine. You must keep in mind that the curfew is nothing new; it's a law older than most of the citizens. They don't know any other way. It's only foreigners like you and me who find it strange."

"Don't be so sure," Evelyn said with a frown. "A bird born into captivity will still fly away if the cage door is opened."

"Now, what can you mean by that, Miss Leskov?" Barnes asked, looking at her slyly from the corner of his eye. They stepped out of the twilight and into the gleaming entryway.

"Absolutely nothing," she said, her eyes darting quickly around the room. "Only that the complacency of the people should not be taken for granted," she added in a lowered voice.

"I see," said Barnes, regarding her as if for the first time. "A fair point, Miss Leskov."

"Now, Evelyn dear, what sort of nonsense are you talking now?" The sudden voice, chillingly terse made Regulus and Barnes turn toward the staircase, where Lucius Malfoy had appeared as if out of thin air. Evelyn stared resolutely ahead of her, every muscle in her body tense. She turned very slowly, struggling to keep some strong emotion under control. Willing herself to look up and meet his level gaze, she smiled sweetly.

"No nonsense, Malfoy," she said, her voice dripping with saccharine. "But nothing that would interest you, surely. I, however, am very interested to know what you are doing here."

"Just thought I'd spend a long weekend here. It's been awhile since I stopped by, and I've missed the place." He stepped down the last few stairs, and turned his attention to Regulus and Barnes. "I hope my darling cousin hasn't been boring you with her misguided, infantile notions."

"I am not your cousin."

"Close enough."

"Hardly."

The two stared at each other, Lucius with an arrogant sneer of amusement, Evelyn shaking slightly with both rage and fear.

"Evelyn!" Her mother's voice echoed down the stairwell. "Are you down here? Lucius Malfoy has come for the weekend." She appeared around the bend of the stairs. "Oh! I see you've already reunited. Lovely. We'll be having dinner in the grand dining room to celebrate. Why don't you hurry along and get dressed?" She spoke gaily, perfectly ignorant of the palpable tension filling the room.

"And Regulus, dear, you must join us. It's always nice to have another Brit around. You too, Barnes."

"None of my evening robes are clean."

"What, dear?"

"They're all in a heap on the floor of the closet. The domovoi have been neglecting the laundry again." Evelyn's eyes never left Lucius's.

"Don't be difficult, dear. I'm sure you have something."

"I'm sure I don't. Besides, I have a splitting headache all of a sudden. I think I'll just turn in now."

"Evelyn," Mrs. Leskov said in a threateningly low voice. "Do not be rude to your cousin. Go upstairs and get dressed now."

"He's not my cousin." Her jaw twitched almost imperceptibly as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Now."

Evelyn opened her mouth, but Regulus laid a hand on her elbow.

"Come on," he said softly. "It's no use getting worked up over this."

She shut her mouth, and let Regulus guide her up the stairs. As they passed Lucius, she shot him a look of pure contempt. His only response was to broaden the wicked sneer on his face.

"So sorry...don't know what's gotten into her tonight..." Mrs Leskov's voice briefly followed them up the stairs. Once they were well out of hearing distance, Regulus turned to Evelyn.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing." She said, shaking her elbow from his grasp. "I'll thank you to stay out of my business from now on." She quickened her pace, putting distance between herself and Regulus. He quickened his to close the gap.

"Evie, please. I only wanted to help."

"Help is overrated."

"Then at least let me try to understand. And if I can't, you can go ahead and hate me all you want. But at least give me a chance."

Evelyn stopped in the middle of the hallway, and turned around to face him.

"Lucius... Lucius is not a good man. Just keep that in mind. If you want to understand, just understand that I have my reasons to hate him. And I can't tell you more than that, even if I wanted to. Just remember to always be cautious around him. I'll see you at dinner." She disappeared through the nearest door, leaving Regulus in a state of acute confusion.

*****

An aching silence surrounded the long table, somehow magnified by the mirrored walls, or so it seemed to Regulus. Across from him, Evelyn was slouched back in her chair, picking at her roll, turning bits of bread into small pellets before tossing them back on her plate.

"Evelyn, sit up," her mother hissed. "You're not five."

She did so, her back ramrod straight.

"So, Lucius, tell us all the news from back home in England," Mrs Leskov said in a much more civil tone.

"There's not much to tell."

"What about this Lord Voldemort? From what I hear he is nigh unstoppable these days."

"You hear correctly."

"How terrifying it all must be. I'm sure we wouldn't stand for it here."

"There are those who would argue he is unnecessary here, as you are so well isolated from the muggles as it is," Lucius said carefully.

"That is perhaps true. England has always been terribly lax, though. You don't see a revolution about to occur here. A government must control its people."

"A good point," Lucius said with a polite nod of his head. Evelyn gave a softly derisive laugh.

"You disagree?" Lucius asked. Mrs Leskov shot her daughter a warning look.

"Of course not. We are a model of governmental control here. The rest of the world should only be so lucky."

Silence again. Waiters discretely cleared the table, and promptly brought in the next course.

"I am sorry Andrey couldn't join us. Keeps terribly busy, you know. Rarely leaves that office of his," Mrs Leskov said in an unconvincingly light tone.

Regulus smiled weakly, quickly shifting the wince at such a painful attempt at conversation into something more positive.

"I'm sorry I haven't met him yet. He sounds quite...pleasant."

"Oh, he is. But busy. Very busy. Charming man, though. Of course, I married him, so I'm not the most reliable of sources." She attempted a bright laugh, only to have it fall flat. Regulus quickly took a large swig of wine to drown another wince. At the other end of the table, Barnes was blissfully devouring his food. This was going to be a very long dinner indeed...

...And then Mrs Leskov was standing, thanking everyone for a lovely dinner. Regulus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Evelyn, why don't you show Lucius the library. He hasn't seen it since we decorated."

"Since you redecorated."

"Yes. Either way..."

"I'm actually quite tired," she said with a ridiculously dramatic yawn. "See?"

"Thank you for a lovely dinner, Mrs Leskov," Regulus said quickly.

"You're welcome, dear. Have a good evening."

With a glance at Evelyn, Regulus hovered uncertainly at the doorway. Mrs Leskov shot him a curious glance, and he exited with a quick nod farewell, followed closely by Barnes.

"I would love to see the library," Lucius said.

"I bet you would," Evelyn shot back.

"I'm sure Evelyn will be quite happy to show you, in that case."

"Of course I would," Evelyn said resignedly. Lucius smiled and held out his arm to escort her. She took it with a look of great disgust, and led Lucius out of the dining room and down the hall to the library.

"There. It's a library. Those things lining the walls are books. Any questions?"

Lucius folded his arms behind his back, strolling the perimeter slowly, pausing every once in awhile to examine a random spine. Evelyn rolled her eyes and flopped into one of the overstuffed reading chairs.

"I spoke to your mother this morning," he said finally.

"I'll alert the presses."

"She is quite in favor of marriage."

"Funny, I never took her for a polygamist. What will my father say?"

"I told her you were reluctant. She said you were young, and would come around. She's blessed it, Evelyn, and says your father has as well. She's promised you to me, Evelyn."

"My mother is an idiot. She thinks you're absolutely charming, would even if you were dull. All she sees is your money. She has no idea what you really are."

Lucius paused in front of her, and put an a hand on either arm of the chair. He leaned in close.

"And what exactly might that be?"

"Despicable."

"And why," he said, his face twitching with anger, "would that be?"

"You are many things, Lucius, and stupid is not one of them."

"Your point?"

"You're a Death Eater. You associate with some of the basest creatures on earth. You are one of the basest creatures on earth. You aren't worth the dirt you walk on."

A muscle in Lucius' jaw jumped angrily. His hand darted forward, grabbing her chin and turning her face to look at his.

"I would be more careful with my words if I were you."

"Let go of me, you bastard," she hissed, attempting to twist her head away violently, but his grip was too strong. "You're hurting me."

"I could do much worse."

"You wouldn't dare. Not in this house, at least."

Lucius considered her a moment, then smiled cruelly. His lips parted, and he lowered his head to cover her lips with his. He kissed her deeply, letting his hand fall to gently stroke her neck. He pulled back, and turned his mouth so that his lips brushed against her ear as he spoke.

"Don't think I am unaware of your secrets. I know perfectly well what you are. And Barnes. Keep that in mind. I can do much worse."

Evelyn's eyes were wide, her trembling uncontrollable. Lucius stepped back, and tilted his head as though concerned.

"Now, now," he said, and reached forward to brush a tear from her cheek. "There's a very simple solution. Marry me and I assure you no harm will come to you. Or Barnes. Or your parents, when the time comes."

Evelyn's head jerked upwards, her eyes narrow.

"What time? What do my parents have to do with anything?"

"Hmm. Not so well connected after all, then. Take care, Evelyn. I'll see you in the morning."

Evelyn jumped up from her chair as Lucius headed for the door.

"What are you talking about, Lucius?" she shouted, but the door closed behind him, and she fell back in the chair, staring pensively into the empty space before her.

*****

"And so it was with a heavy heart and watery eyes that I buried Ermengard in the ground. A young wizard never forgets his first cat. She remains with him always, a habit that won't die. Ah, Ermengard, She was just a kitten when I got her. I was five, just a little thing myself..."

Mongreave paused as Regulus let out a giant yawn.

"Not the reaction I was looking for. Scratch that last, do you think?"

"Whatever works for you, sir."

"Yes, well, perhaps that is enough work on the memoirs for today. There is another matter..."

Regulus' head snapped up at this unprecedented development.

Mongreave moved from behind his desk, which would have looked ridiculous large for any other owner, and made sure that the door was securely shut. He looked at Regulus for a moment, then rolled up his sleeve.

"If Lucius is to be trusted, which I believe, in this case he is, you have the same," he said, referencing the light outline of a skull and snake on his arm. Regulus nodded, and pushed up his shirt sleeve, letting Mongreave inspect the identical mark.

"Good," Mongreave said shortly, rolling his sleeve back down over his wrist. "Now listen carefully because I will only say this once. The wizarding community here is unhappy. Worse than unhappy; they are on the edge of a major revolt. Many see this as the fault not only of their government, but of the non-magic population, of their political instability. The Dark Lord couldn't have created a better situation for himself. Soon, there will be a new order here, an entire country, albeit a decimated one, allied to the Dark Lord. However, there are a few wizards here actively working to fight a revolution of this sort. They are largely of the opinion that this would simply be replacing one sort of tyranny with another. You and I know better than this, of course. The question, however, has arisen over the loyalties of Miss Evelyn Leskov. As the current minister's daughter, it is to be assumed that she would be...less than welcoming to a new order. Lucius seems to think that it goes farther than this. Possibly even to having contacts within the Order of the Phoenix. Possibly as far as actively working to undermine the revolution. You have grown somewhat close to Miss Leskov in the past weeks?"

"I suppose we have. I mean, besides her..."

"I know. It's just us old diplomats. But it does put you in a perfect situation to observe her, learn what you can about her activities, her loyalties."

"You're asking me to spy on Evelyn?"

"The Dark Lord is asking you to spy on Evelyn."

"Then that is what I will do."

"Good boy. A weekly report to me seems just the thing." He looked down at the ornate clock on his desk. "I think we'll quit early today. It is Friday, after all. Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon."

Regulus got up slowly, setting the days work on the memoirs onto Mongreave's desk. At the door, he stopped, about to say something, but thought better of it. He walked the hallways in a sort of daze, until he found himself stepping out into the weak autumn sunshine. It was not until he fell back onto the long grass that he allowed himself to streamline his thoughts enough to think on what had just passed. The idea of Mongreave as a Death Eater was not so hard to adjust to. He had suspected as much since Lucius had given him the message back in London. He had just been unsure as to what purpose a Death Eater could serve here. He knew now. The revolution, the Dark Lord's exploitation of the situation, none of them truly surprising. They actually lent a fair amount of clarity to the entire situation, made his own placement here understandable for the first time. No, it was not these facts that were sending his mind reeling. It was his own actions.

He had just agreed to turn, in effect, traitor to the one person here he cared about. Just as he had betrayed Sirius for the respect, for the love, of a woman who would never grant it to him, he was now going to betray Evelyn in service of a man he had never met face-to-face. What in him was so depraved that he would even consider such a thing; that there was no question in his mind that he would, indeed, spy on Evelyn? Surely, though, he rationalized, no real harm would come to her simply from his keeping an eye on her, and perhaps he would find that there was nothing that needed watching. Mongreave himself had implied they didn't know how things stood. So maybe the whole experience would be over before it began, maybe he would be helping Evelyn, if he was able to show that there was nothing suspect about her activities.

Soft footsteps swished in the grass behind him, stopping just as Evelyn's face peered down at him, impossibly high above his own. She smiled and sat down next to him, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Lucius Malfoy left early this morning," she said. "I don't think I've ever been happier in my life."

"You really don't like him. I mean, at first I just figured you found him obnoxious. But no. You truly hate him."

"Aren't we observant today," Evelyn said with laugh.

"Why?"

"I told you last night, I have my reasons." Her voice was edged with a coolness Regulus had never heard before. "I won't tell you any more than that."

Regulus sat up.

"But why not? I mean, I'll grant you that he's an arrogant bastard, but what about him warrants such contempt?"

"Regulus, mind your business. I won't ask again." Her eyes flashed darkly, and she turned her head away from him.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. It doesn't matter to me."

Evelyn's face softened, and she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be upset. Besides, isn't life more fun with a little mystery?"

"I guess. I just wish you would trust me."

"Of course I trust you. That's never been the question. There are simply some things that I cannot bring myself to discuss, not with you, not with anyone."

Regulus settled himself back down into the grass.

"Evie, tell me something true."

She laughed, and lay down along side him.

"With pleasure."