Into the Mouth of Hell

Into the Mouth of Hell: Chapter 5

The Slytherin Dueling Club

In the library that evening, Severus finished his Charms work quickly, and then set to work on a nasty essay Professor McGonagall had assigned for Transfiguration. Evan and Robert weren't much help on the whole, as they kept standing to look over at a case of shelves where Lucius Malfoy was quickly picking up books, skimming their pages, and then either replacing them on the shelf or handing them to Bella, who was soon buckling under the stack.

Evan finally sighed and closed A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. "I can't stand it. I'm going to help."

Robert stood up with him. "Me, too. Sorry, Severus, but I just can't concentrate."

Severus folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. They had promised to help him with his Transfiguration since he had checked their Charms. "Fine. Go. I'll finish this by myself then."

"Will you watch our stuff?"

Severus nodded and bent over his parchment. His quill trembled slightly in his hand. He willed it to stop. "Sure," he mumbled.

When he finally looked up sometime later, both Evan and Robert were holding stacks of books for Lucius. Severus slowly let out the breath he had been holding. Control, he thought.

Books were always a refuge for Severus, and the library at school was no different. Severus loved books; how they smelled, how the words felt under his fingertips, and especially how they made him feel important and smart. And the best thing about the library at Hogwarts was that Potter and Black rarely could be found there. And if by chance they did show up tonight, Severus was surrounded by his friends, with three books of dark magic in his bag.

By the time Severus finished his Transfiguration essay, it was almost time to return to the common room with the rest of his House. Lucius Malfoy and Bella were checking out the collection of books with Madam Pince, the dusty old librarian that treated the library like a holy ground.

"They're for a special project," Lucius was saying.

Madam Pince's eyebrows contracted. "Mr. Malfoy, I must admit that I don't approve of you, or anyone else for that matter, checking out so many books at one time."

Severus thought he could understand that logic: Lucius and Bella had four towering stacks of books on the counter, and Madam Pince treated the books like ancient relics.

"But they're only going to be in the common room! We won't even let them near the fire!" Bella pleaded.

Madam Pince remained unswayed. "Does Professor Meadowes know about this?" she asked, looking from the tall blonde Lucius to the shorter raven-haired Bella.

"Well..." Bella began uneasily.

"Of course she does. We are merely doing background reading on the school. I am hoping," Lucius paused, looking down at Bella, "that instilling some House pride among the younger classes may carry us to victory on the Quidditch pitch."

Madam Pince seemed to relax a bit. "Well, after that stunt your team pulled in the Great Hall this evening, I should say that you are going to need all the help you can get."

She began to read off the titles of the books and her quill recorded them in the ledger for her.

Bella looked up at Lucius, but he did not acknowledge her. Then she looked over at Severus, who was suddenly embarrassed by the intensity with which he had been watching the scene, but she only smiled mischievously.

After Madam Pince had checked out all of the books for Lucius, Bella motioned to Severus, and he, Evan, and Robert (who had finally returned to pack their bags) helped her carry the books to where Lucius was surveying the Slytherin students queued by the door, waiting for him to lead them back to the common room. When he was satisfied that his charges were assembled, he turned silently out of the library and led them, like a line of soldiers, soundlessly to the dungeons.

* * * * *

"These," Lucius said, holding up a couple of books from the stacks Severus, Bella, Evan, and Robert had arranged on one of the tables in the Slytherin common room, "are books about the history of Slytherin House, about the history of the Dark Arts, about the defining differences between Muggles and wizards, and also some very practical books on dueling and defense."

Lucius paused to look around the cluster of faces that surrounded him in the common room. It was nine thirty, and the first meeting for the Slytherin Dueling Club had commenced. Severus and his friends were there, as well as the entire Quidditch team, and many older students whom Severus did not know. Bella's older sister, Narcissa, sat by the fire with her arms crossed, looking rather bored with the whole thing.

"I have invited you all here tonight to discuss the future of Slytherin House." Lucius dropped his voice as he continued. "It is imperative that we are prepared."

Severus shifted his weight from one foot to the other. So far, all of his interactions with Lucius had confirmed Eugene Avery's opinion of him: an insufferable arse. He was here mostly to support Bella, who seemed very keen on learning how to duel.

Roddy also seemed to doubt Lucius' intentions. "Prepared for what, exactly, Malfoy?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Prepared for the coming war, Lestrange."

Several girls who were sitting by the fire gasped. Narcissa rolled her eyes. The corners of Lucius' mouth rose slightly. Severus glanced at Bella, who was enrapt.

"This war I speak of is, of course, the war that has been silently and often secretly waged for centuries: the battle to restore the pureblood families to dominance." Lucius put the books back down on the top of the pile with a gentle thud.

Eugene, who stood beside Roddy, snorted softly.

"Do you think this is funny, Avery?" Lucius reared. "We are talking about the continued existence of the pureblood way of life; the life upon which Slytherin House was founded over a thousand years ago. A way of life that our families work daily to preserve."

Eugene raised his eyes defiantly to meet Lucius' cold gray gaze. The common room was silent. "What is it you want us to do, then, Malfoy?"

"I want you to learn. I want you to train. I want you to prepare." Lucius seemed to be working the room with his eyes, taking in his captive audience with a haughty sneer.

"Just come out with it already, Malfoy," Roddy said, the anger he had displayed earlier in the evening returning to the surface.

Bella elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

Lucius let out a low whistle of a laugh. "In case some of you may not have noticed, the Dark Lord is growing more powerful. Soon, it might prove true that those who desire a return to integrity for the wizarding world will find their places in his ranks. And I," Lucius paused, whisking a stray blonde lock out of his eye, "I will be proud to join him."

Several people in the room looked uneasily at each other. Eugene and Roddy continued to stare at Lucius. Severus turned to Evan and Robert, who each nodded determinedly. Severus' insides were squirming a bit, but the words his mother had said to him weeks ago echoed in his mind: you must promise me you will not be weak. Severus nodded to Bella, who was regarding him with a steel look in her eye.

"When do we start?" she asked.

* * * * *

The start of the Slytherin Dueling Club signaled a definite change in its members' social lives. When they were not in class, they were reading the books that Lucius had assigned or they were practicing hexes on each other in the common room. They all sat together at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eugene had reported that Lucius had taken to spending half of every Quidditch practice quizzing team members on the aspects of the "Slytherin Code of Honor." Sometimes, Severus was awakened in the dark hours of the morning by the weight of Lucius Malfoy on the end of his bed, who would begin firing questions about Salazar Slytherin the moment Severus opened his eyes. The penalties for not knowing an answer were more of Lucius' assignments; the penalties for answering incorrectly were always changing, ever creative, and generally involved doing something that benefited Lucius, the self-proclaimed president of the Club.

The Slytherin Code of Honor was reserved for only those pureblooded members of the House Lucius deemed deserving -- those members who had been summoned to join the Dueling Club. Considering that Lucius had "written" this code of honor, Severus thought it was monumentally lacking in originality. Apparently, the cold blonde's energy for imposing creative punishments did not extend to his writing ability. None-the-less, the Slytherin Dueling Club followed the Slytherin Code of Honor: I pledge allegiance to the pureblood way; our nobility, under Slytherin, forever be defended.

After some people shied away from Lucius' first meeting, and after others had quit when they realized how much extra work was involved, there were roughly fifteen members left. Of these were Severus, Evan, Robert, Bella, Roddy, and Eugene, who studied together almost every night in the common room. They usually stayed until everyone else had gone to bed. Everyone except Lucius, who Severus was sure never slept anymore.

Lucius was content to ignore them, and Severus and his friends were content to carry on their conversations regardless. It was during one of these conversations on a Friday night three weeks after the Dueling Club had begun that a small knock sounded on the door of the common room.

Lucius started and looked up from the fire, and then glared at Severus' group, who were noisily playing a game of Exploding Snap. "Yes?" Lucius asked the wall.

The stone wall slid open, and Professor Meadowes, the Slytherin Head of House, stepped into the common room with a dark owl perched on her arm. She was a short witch with chin-length, gray hair that curled meticulously out at her jawbone. She wore deep purple robes and a jauntily perched conical hat with a snake brooch pinned to the brim. Normally, she wore a smile, but this night her brow was furrowed and she looked crossly at the room's congregation as she entered.

Lucius leapt up from his seat in front of the fire. "Good evening, Professor Meadowes!" he smiled and smoothed his robes. "What brings you out this time of night?"

Professor Meadowes waved absent-mindedly at Lucius, but otherwise ignored him. Instead, she made her way to Severus and his group. "Mr. Snape?" she said as she approached him.

Severus shifted away from her. He wondered if this had anything to do with the Dueling Club or maybe his continued rivalry with Black and Potter, which had taken a nasty turn that evening when Bella had performed the Leg-Locker Curse on her cousin as he was walking up a staircase after dinner. (Caught unexpected, he tumbled all the way down before Potter performed the counter-curse. Much to the amusement of Slytherin House, Black was currently resting his big head in the infirmary.)

"Yes, Professor Meadowes?" Severus asked meekly, trying very hard to stop his lip from trembling. Though his Head of House was small in stature, she was well-known throughout the school as giving the hardest, longest-suffering detentions of any professor.

She handed him the owl. A red envelope was fastened to its leg.

"This owl has just arrived for you. She was beating her wings against my office window. You know that all owl post is to be delivered in the mornings?" Her green eyes narrowed as she waited for his answer.

"Yes, Professor," Severus replied. He looked quickly at Lucius, who still stood by the fire, then over to their library books at a table near him.

Professor Meadowes followed his gaze to the large stack of books, as if reading his guilty conscience. She raised her eyebrows. "What's all this, Mr. Malfoy?" Finally addressing the Head Boy, she swept past Severus to the table.

Bella made to speak, but was silenced from a harsh look from Lucius and several jabs in the ribs from Eugene and Roddy.

"Just a bit of research," Lucius said in his most lackadaisical voice.

Professor Meadowes was inspecting the many books. "Indeed, Mr. Malfoy. Pray tell, what, exactly, are you researching?" Lucius opened his mouth, but Professor Meadowes continued sharply. "Surely you do not expect," she paused before reading aloud the title of the heavy book she had just picked up, "Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy to appear on any of your N.E.W.T.s?"

Her eyes flickered suspiciously at Lucius, who was surprisingly still. Severus held his breath, and Evan and Robert slowly inched toward the tapestry that led to the boys' dormitory.

"I will take your silence as an assent of wrongdoing, Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Rosier, Mr. Wilkes," she said, turning to them, "you will kindly wait to leave until I am finished."

Severus did not know what Professor Meadowes had started, exactly, but judging by her tone, he had a feeling it involved loads of scolding.

"I refuse to believe, Mr. Malfoy, that the best student in his year would be willing to sacrifice his own education, as well as the education of others," she gestured toward Severus and the group of frightened underclassmen, "in an attempt to unseat the authority of the Headmaster of this school, not to mention the Minister of Magic herself." She looked ready to breathe fire. Lucius nodded, steely-eyed.

"Honestly, Professor, we were just training, I mean studying--" Bella began pleadingly, but was interrupted by the sharp voice of Professor Meadowes.

"Honestly, Bellatrix Black," Professor Meadowes mocked, "the only training, I mean, studying, that you should be doing is limited to what you have been assigned in your classes!"

Bella's eyes narrowed, and Severus could feel her anger coldly rolling off of her in waves. He was very grateful to be on her good side.

Professor Meadowes wagged a finger at Lucius as she continued. "Do not think for one small moment, Mr. Malfoy, that I do not know what you are up to! Rehearsing your Housemates in this pureblood allegiance, when you know right good and well my opinions on the matter!" She took a step toward Lucius, who did not shy away. "If you do not return these books to Madam Pince this instant and put an end to this nonsense, I will have your badge stripped and your Team Captaincy handed over to Crabbe! Do I make myself clear?"

Even in anger, Professor Meadowes did not raise her voice, but kept it clear, calm, and even. When Lucius replied, his tone was edged in ice, but just as even.

"Yes, Professor Meadowes." He looked straight at her.

"Excellent, Mr. Malfoy," she said, turning from him. "Miss Black, Mr. Avery, Mr. Lestrange, Mr. Rosier, Mr. Wilkes, and Mr. Snape: you will help Mr. Malfoy return these books to the library.

"You have my permission to be out past curfew, but if I find it has been abused, I will make good on that threat, Mr. Malfoy," she said coldly, taking the owl from Severus. "And no more owls in the middle of the night, Mr. Snape."

Severus nodded, and she smiled down at him. "That's a good lad," she said, and then exited through the dungeon wall.

Severus and the others moved to the table to begin carrying out Professor Meadowes' instructions. Lucius was slowly stacking books into the crook of his arm.

Bella moved toward him. "Really, Lucius," she cooed, "we can continue the Club, we just need to be a bit more undetectable." She tried to place a hand on his shoulder, but he moved away from her.

"Silly girl!" he spat. "Do you think that I will risk expulsion to teach you and your insignificant little friends anything? With Professor Meadowes breathing down my neck? You heard her!" He angrily shoved some books at her.

Bella was taken aback. "But Professor Meadowes is a Slytherin!"

Lucius sighed grandly. "Professor Meadowes is in Dumbledore's back pocket. With her around, it will be impossible to further the cause."

Bella's face changed to reflect Lucius' coldness. "What are you saying?"

"As long as Meadowes controls Slytherin, our chances of raising awareness and preparing ourselves are fettered by the threat of expulsion."

"But we can do it quietly," Roddy said, placing another book on his stack and joining the discussion. "We'll operate under the utmost secrecy! She'll never know!"

Lucius looked at Roddy appraisingly. "It's too dangerous for me. I've already been accused." He shifted the stack of books in his arms. "It will have to be one of you."

Bella looked at Severus. "We can do it," she said excitedly. "Severus has a friend from Durmstrang, and he has those books from his father. Professor Meadowes wouldn't dare prohibit books from home."

Severus looked at everyone huddled around the table full of books. They all looked at him with encouragement. Evan and Robert both nodded, and Eugene shrugged his shoulders. "Better you than us, mate," Eugene said. "You're much better at this than we are anyway. Except for Bella," he said quickly under her glare, "but she'll be helping you out, so..."

"It's really the only way it can work," said Roddy. His brow was furrowed and he looked like he was thinking hard about this.

"All right," Severus consented, "but I can't get expelled, either."

Bella smiled. "It's agreed then."

She held her hand out to Severus and they shook on it.

When they finished loading the books into their arms, Lucius led their way up to the library. They were as quiet as they could be and even managed to avoid running into Peeves the Poltergeist on their way. They were sure that any disruption would further upset Professor Meadowes, and no one among them was eager to do that. Madam Pince was surprisingly wide-awake and standing at the counter waiting for them.

"I wondered about you lot," she said when they set down their stacks of books. "Just too many books. And Professor Meadowes knew naught about it, young man. Imagine her surprise when I told her in the staff room! A special project, indeed!" She glared at Lucius as she finished checking all the books against the ledger.

"All here!" she said. "And let that be a lesson to you!"

"Thanks," Lucius sneered.

* * * * *

Bella kept Severus running in circles organizing their secret Dueling Club right up until the Christmas holidays. Severus' main job was to write often to Igor Karkaroff, his pen pal from the Durmstrang Institute, to ask for advice on dueling, what books he recommended, and any tips on the subject he could give. Igor, however, was quite unhelpful, explaining that his Headmaster prohibited them from explicitly telling students from other schools anything about the curriculum at Durmstrang.

"It's hopeless!" Severus sighed, throwing Igor's latest letter into the common room fire. The burning parchment hissed menacingly. "He can't even tell me the titles of his course books!"

Bella patted his arm. "You'll just have to try again, that's all."

"It's almost Christmas, Bella, and he's been trying for months!" Eugene said despairingly. "The Great Northern Prat is just no use." He slammed shut his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, and glared toward the fire to where Lucius Malfoy was sitting.

Even though Lucius was technically prohibited from assigning "research" to anyone in the House, he was still Captain of the Quidditch team, a position that he took very seriously. After a terrible loss to Gryffindor shortly after Halloween (in which both Eugene and Mortlake had been beamed in the head by Bludgers fired by Gryffindor's star Beater, Frank Longbottom), Lucius had been unrelentlessly terrorizing Eugene. His most recent crusade was to orally quiz Eugene on Quidditch terms and history whenever they were in the same room together.

Between supporting Eugene and failing to do much more with the Dueling Club than issue copies of the Slytherin Code of Honor to its members (Bella had bewitched the words to self-erase, then appear flashing green and silver when called upon by the carrier), Severus and his group of friends had considerably fallen out of favor with the Head Boy. Lucius rarely addressed Severus and Bella, and when he did it was with little acknowledgement. Severus assumed that he was afraid of expulsion, as they had all taken Professor Meadowes' threat to heart.

Then, the night before Christmas holiday, Lucius approached Severus in the common room. "May I have a word with you, Snape?"

Severus looked up from the wizarding chessboard, where one of his knights had just made a spectacular show of being desecrated by one of Evan's bishops. "What? Oh, yeah, sure."

Severus followed Lucius to a far end of the common room. Two second-year girls scurried as Lucius approached. Severus could feel his stomach flipping. Although he respected Lucius, it was out of fear more than for his winning personality.

When Lucius turned to Severus, his back arched against the stone wall, he was surprisingly smiling. "You are going home for the holidays, Snape?"

Severus was not fooled by Lucius' warm tone; his smile did not quite reach his eyes. "Yes," Severus answered apprehensively.

"Good. You will no doubt be staying with your family?"

Severus nodded, eyeing Lucius suspiciously. Where was this heading?

"I was hoping," Lucius said discreetly, "that you might care to join me at Malfoy Manor for Boxing Day."

Severus felt his mouth drop, but didn't bother to close it. He was shocked. Lucius was inviting him to his house over the holidays when he had hardly spoken to him in weeks. Before he could stop himself, the question in his mind slipped out his mouth in a stunned stutter. "Wh-why?"

The corners of Lucius' mouth turned up a bit more, and Severus was relieved to see some of the warmth finally spreading to his eyes. "I am arranging a small soiree for some of the more, shall we say, promising, members of the House?"

Severus looked over at Evan, who was concentrating painfully on the chessboard, no doubt unraveling Severus' ill-conceived strategy. "Who is invited?" Severus asked, returning his gaze to Lucius, who was leaning languidly against the stone.

"Oh," Lucius said distractedly, examining the manicured nails on his right hand. "Mortlake, Crabbe, Goyle," Lucius sighed painfully, "Avery and Lestrange, I suppose. A few others."

Severus looked at the fire. The thought of spending Boxing Day with the Head Boy and the Slytherin Quidditch team was a bit intimidating, but still better than the alternative: countless boring afternoon teas with his mother.

"Oh, yes," Lucius said, as if the idea had just occurred to him. "The Blacks will be there of course. Not that traitor Gryffindor, mind, but the girls."

Sirius had put his name down to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday, which had greatly lightened Severus' mood in early December. The thought of Sirius stuck inside the castle while he was partying with the Black family pretty much sealed it for Severus. "All right, then."

"Excellent," Lucius said, dropping his hand from in front of his face. "A formal invitation will be sent in the normal way. Some of my father's associates will be there as well, so it will be quite a gathering. There's plenty of room in the Manor, of course. You can stay for the rest of the holiday if you wish."

"All right," Severus said, not really hearing him. His mind was roaming off in the direction of a black-haired girl by the fire. He looked curiously up at Lucius. "Bella is going to be there?"

Lucius chuckled knowingly. "Yes, all three Black sisters will be there. Their father, Mr. Orpheus Black, is an old acquaintance of my father."

"I know Mr. Black," Severus said. "We met on Platform 9 ¾. He's an associate of my father as well."

"Very well, then. You will be in the company of friends." Lucius eyes turned icy again. "If you'll excus me."

Severus nodded as Lucius turned from him and returned to sit with Crabbe and Goyle, who were eating cakes by the fire.

Severus slowly returned to his chess game with Evan, a bit distracted. For some reason, Severus didn't like the way "friends" sounded when it came out of Lucius Malfoy's mouth.