The Ivory Backbone

Ch. 3: A Slight Detour

 

Severus’ step was almost bouncy as he rounded the corner. Mentally, he was reviewing page 54 of Strategies for Hunting Man-Beasts. The ten techniques of self-defense against werewolves rang through his ears like a mantra. Each step he took was another syllable. Each syllable brought him closer to the most interesting specimen he had ever observed.

But first, there was the matter of Lucius. Lucius must be taken care of before Severus could go hunting. Luckily for Severus, Lucius was a show-off. When he received his invisibility cloak, the first thing he did was put it on in the Slytherin common room. Severus knew that he used the cloak to spy on anyone and everyone, Severus included. Lucky for Severus, somebody else in school had an invisibility cloak. A perfect red herring.

Lucius got his cloak because Potter had one. Crabbe had stumbled on Potter disappearing under his cloak while out for a midnight snack. Lucius pitched a fit when he found out and Daddy delivered. “As usual,” Severus thought. “And if he had half a brain, he’d use it for something better than spying on me and the girls’ showers.”

Lucius was probably sitting in the dusty stairwell beside the kitchens. He was probably wondering where he’d lost Severus. Hopefully, he wouldn’t leave.

His stride firmed up as he passed through a damp and mildew smelling hall. This was Cadogan’s domain, and Severus knew that the old caretaker and his eerie apprentice would be skulking this way soon. He needed to run into them. It was very important to his plan.

The clank of chains echoed through the hall and some poor soul moaned softly. Ajax Cadogan’s wet, wheezy smoker’s hack responded to it. “That’ll teach yeh to tease the squid, yeh great puddings.” He let out a long, whiningcackle that sounded like a diesel engine trying to start.

Severus followed the cackle to its source. Cadogan’s long, leathery nose was pointed at the barred window of a cell door. His assistant, Augustus Filch, was oiling a set of chains with a wicked gleam in his eye. Filch would have made a splendid Slytherin, if he’d had a magical bone in his body.

“Evenin’, young Sev’rus,” said Cadogan, lighting his pipe. “Yer out mighty late.”

“Wolfsbane’s best picked under the light of a full moon, sir.” Severus shrugged sheepishly. “The poison you requested takes wolfsbane, and you do want the best, don’t you?”

“That’s why I asked yeh.” Cadogan puffed on his pipe and wisps of smoke leaked from the corners of his mouth. “Better than that great git of a potions master. Canno’ even produce a right Deflating Draft.”

Severus stared at his shoes.

“Though’ I might try yer—what’s it called—on these two,” Cadogan pointed his thumb at the barred window. “They were makin’ trouble fer the squid.”

Crabbe whimpered in the darkness.

“The potion is called Lupine’s Passing. And I can only make one dose at a time.” Severus’ eyes darted to the small barred window. “How many times am I going to have to pull you two out of these messes?” he thought.

“I’ll save it for somethin’ right special.” Cadogan stroked the stubble he passed for a beard.

Filch looked up from his chains. “How about Klingerman, sir?”

Cadogan continues stroking his bristly red chin. “Klingerman…Hufflepuff…in fer detention fer Sullivan. He might do.”

Severus tried not to imagine Kyle Klingerman’s fat face contorted in fear as the potion’s phantom wolves ripped through his entrails. “Focus on Lupin!” his mind chastised him. “I need your help.”

“What do yeh need?” asked Cadogan, whose mind was obviously still with fat little Kyle.

Severus lowered his voice conspiratorially. “I think I’m being followed by someone in an invisibility cloak. I lost him in the stairway by the kitchen.”

* * * * *

Lucius was quite puzzled. He was in the right place, but where was Severus? Had he taken another route? Impossible. Severus is a creature of habit; comfortable and predictable. More likely, he’d stopped by the kitchens for a quick supper. Lucius sat on the second step from the last, listening for Severus.

His thoughts wandered to their most recent argument. Severus proved to be a stubborn arse. It also seemed that his feelings for Lily Evans ran deeper than Lucius predicted. A Slytherin with feelings for a Mudblood. The thought left bile in Lucius’ mouth. Severus simply had no taste in women. It would be perfectly respectable, of course, to keep her as a toy. Severus wasn’t much into toys. “He’s a stodgy, old fashioned, semi-honorable arse who’s too busy stalking an overgrown timber wolf to see the simple brilliance of MYplan.” Lucius thought. “So I’ll just have to show him, provided that he doesn’t end up as Lupin’s chew toy.”

The three vials in his pocket clinked reassuringly. It was an exceedingly simple potion to brew. Lucius never had much talent in potions (and being able to lean on Severus these past few years hadn’t helped.) He’d made the potion in a little under an hour. Four doses. Four months. The hardest part had been finding a few of Severus’s hairs, considering how paranoid he was about such things. It was easy enough to Imperio little Peter into giving Lily a cup of “tea.” When the moon sank below the horizon, the potion would take effect, provided that Severus didn’t die before then.

Then, Severus would find out exactly what self-respecting wizards did with Mudbloods. And Potter would get to watch. He and Severus would have their revenge.

“About damn time.”

Lucius heard footsteps heading down the stairs. He stood up and flattened himself against the wall. “Hope that wasn’t a last meal.” He waited for Severus to appear around the corner. All he saw was a hand; a gnarled and leathery hand. It tossed something up in the air.Before Lucius could react, a light dusting of flour fell on his head.

At first, Lucius was confused. Then he realized that the flour had not shown up on the cloak; he was still invisible. He looked down. The steps sported a thin white coating. Lucius’ mind raced, looking for an escape. If he moved, he’d leave tracks. If he stayed, the circle of non-powdered cobblestones he was standing on would reveal him all the same. His only choice was a highly illegal move; apparition.

“You’ve been practicing with Dad for months,” Lucius thought. “You can do this. It’s simple. Just a quick apparition. To the dorms. You can do this. You can. You’re a Malfoy.”

His torso landed on the floor of his dormitory. His legs, arms, and head fell into a jumble on his silvery invisibility cloak in the stairs. Lucius’ head cursed.

He was Splinched.

“Lucius!” he heard Severus exclaim. “I thought it was Potter!”

“Better call th’ nurse,” said a grim, wheezy voice that could only belong to Ajax Cadogan.

His assistant, Filch, chuckled darkly. “Splinched, eh? St. Mungo’s is going to love this.”

“Yeh get going,” Cadogan said to Severus. “I’ll clean this up.” The groundskeeper pulled his wand out. “Accio flour.” The flour swirled up into the tip of the wand.

Severus nodded and stepped past Lucius’ head as Cadogan began reciting a memory altering spell. Lucius just wouldn’t leave well enough alone. Severus hadn’t expected him to go and Splinch himself. He was hoping that Lucius would earn himself a night in the dungeons, not St. Mungos. Not Splinched.

At any rate, Severus was covered. Lucius’ memory was going to be altered. Cadogan thought he was fetching potion ingredients, and would cover up his absence if necessary. Even the Splinching had a silver lining. Everybody would be busy with Lucius. Nobody would notice him slip in later if he took another entrance.

The steady march of his mantra began to pound in his ears again and he started out toward the Whomping Willow. “GRAB the CREAture BY his TAIL, that WILL catch HIM off GUARD.” His pace kept up with the words on page 54. He felt the reassuring weight of his pack behind him. In front of him,a soft breeze brought the scent of flowering wolfsbane to Severus’ nose. It was a beautiful night for a hunt.