The Ivory Backbone

Ch. 9: A Parade of Visitors

Severus woke up with a start. His dreams were still floating through his head, and imperfect memories of them glittered like broken stained glass. He vaguely recalled the night before. Sullivan standing over him and that sharp, hot pain. He tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes and felt a sting right between his shoulder blades.

"Oh..." He moaned slightly as the rest of him woke up to residual prickles of pain.

He noticed something to his left. His vision was still blurry from sleep, but he was almost certain that it was a person. Judging from the person's paleness it was likely...

"Not you...Anybody else..." Severus threw his pillow over his head, mindless of the pain. "Go away, Lucius."

"That wouldn't be very friendly of me," Lucius said flatly. He tugged the pillow away from Severus. "Look around, Sev."

Severus did as he was told. The oak furnishings of this room were heavy, but tasteful. The upholstery was predominantly red and gold, Gryffindor colors. A number of magical items lined the bookshelves, which held very old books that Severus would greatly enjoy reading if he were able to move. A gold perch stood in the corner by the coat rack and several bird treats lay around it. The carpet was a plush burgundy. The bed itself was deep and soft, with a feather bed and comforter. Severus' brows knit together.

"Where am I?" He asked Lucius.

"You're in Dumbledore's chambers. He's very concerned about your safety right now. Cadogan and Filch are guarding the door with three mountain trolls. Do you know what it took to get in here?"

"Large quantities of money and/or charm," Severus guessed.

"Exactly what we Malfoys have plenty of. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I guess. All things considered."

"Poor Sev," Lucius simpered. "You're very brave, you know. Madam Pomfrey says that Crucio was cast on you no less than ten times."

"TEN!?" Severus exclaimed. He winced. Exclaiming hurt.

"Well, yes. Don't you remember?"

"I remember two."

"When Cadogan killed Sullivan he was standing over you casting Crucio over and over again." Lucius paused. "They don't know how you kept your sanity."

"Did I?" Severus asked, genuinely concerned. "Am I still...normal?"

"As far as Madam Pomfrey can tell." Lucius shrugged in an affable sort of way. Severus thought he looked almost harmless.

"Good..." Severus lay back in the pillows. "Sullivan is dead?"

"One blow to the back of the head with a shovel. It's gotten out that he was...you know..."

"A Death Eater?"

"Yeah. They're checking the faculty. For the Mark."

"But not the students." Severus' eyes lingered on Lucius' forearm. Lucius folded his arms to politely divert Severus’ gaze. It didn’t work.

"No, not the students."

"Good to know."

There was a long silence. "What...did it feel like? The Cruciatus, I mean."

"It felt like...It hurt. A lot. Like ripping and stabbing and burning all at once."

"Madam Pomfrey pumped the Good As New down your throat. Two beakers of it."

"Still hurts."

Lucius got a queer look on his face. He stared at Severus for a minute, and smiled. He lunged forward, startling Severus. But he was in no position to defend his virtue.

"Self-CONTROL Lucius!" He shouted as Lucius pulled off his pajamas.

"Hold still. You're going to hurt yourself worse."

"And THIS won't?!"

"Oh, hush. I wouldn't hurt you a bit."

"I need my pants Lucius! Give them back!"

"Boxers! Aha! I was right!"

"That's NOT funny!" Severus blushed profusely, down to his toes.

Lucius easily flipped Severus over. Severus was still protesting when Lucius straddled him. Lucius' hands traced down Severus' back eliciting a whimper of pain.

"What precisely are you doing, Lucius?" Severus asked, miserably.

"It's going to make you feel better," Lucius said soothingly. "Just relax and trust me. We Malfoys are taught how to ease the pain we cause."

Severus thought about the oddity of that statement for a moment. "What do you mean, 'the pain you cause?'"

Lucius smirked. “Sex isn’t all pleasure, you know...oh...I guess you don’t.” Lucius smirk opened into a dark chuckle.

“Oh shut up.”

He began working the lean muscle over Severus' shoulders. His hands smoothed out the knots and he felt Severus shudder slightly.

"That's--not so bad."

"Hmm..." Lucius continued to work his way down and fought the overwhelming urge to use his mouth. It was an awful shame that Severus didn't have a scrap of athletic ability. He was built like a seeker. Short and light. But then, the androgyny of childhood clung to him. He might yet grow tall. Lucius liked that idea. He'd always favored tall, delicately built men. So rare in Slytherin, but there were plenty of Ravenclaws who’d--

"Lucius!" Severus' yelp broke Lucius from his reverie. "Watch your hands!"

Lucius noticed that his hands were under the waistband of Severus' boxers. "Oops," he said, not entirely convincingly. He moved up, toward Severus' arms and Severus relaxed again.

Lucius decided that puberty would be a good thing for Severus. It might even get him past his homophobia.

“Of all the things that he COULD do...” Severus thought. “I can’t fight him off, I’m completely at his mercy...and all he does is this. And it’s actually helping. I don’t hurt so much. I feel like I could move. Maybe.”

Severus felt doubt trickle into his mind like molasses, slow and dark. Sullivan would have been a major player in his plot. Now Sullivan was dead. There would be nobody to testify to Lucius’ knowledge--well, it was pointless to even think about his plot now. Lucius was proving himself to be an almost perfect gentleman. Severus tucked his face into the pillow as Lucius worked on his neck. He couldn’t help but think how much he’d prefer a massage like this from Lily.

Severus decided to make very sure of Lucius’ intentions before he continued to plot.

He pulled his nose out of the pillow to breathe. “Lucius?”

“Yes?”

“Did you know...about Sullivan?”

Lucius chewed his lower lip slowly. “I don’t want to answer that.”

“Please?” Severus added a slight tremble to his words. It made him sound absolutely helpless.

Lucius felt something tugging at him. A nagging urge to tell Severus the truth. Good Severus; beautiful, perfect Severus... “I...”

“It won’t go any further than this room. I deserve to know.” Severus felt Lucius’ hands shaking on his back. “So he’s fighting the potion...”

Lucius also didn’t want to disappoint Severus. He knew that what he had to say would upset...but he could not help himself. “Yes, I knew.”

“Did you think he was a danger to me?”

Lucius didn’t want to anger Severus. The thought of fury and rejection in those black eyes gave him pause. But Severus’ will would not be denied. So he had to cushion the truth the best he could. “I knew. But...Don’t you think I would have stopped him?” There was a tenderness in Lucius’ voice that was unfamiliar to Severus (and downright alien to Lucius). “Don’t you know that I would have taken a shovel to him myself if I thought he would try Crucio on you?”

“Why would you try and stop him? Because you wanted to or because of the potion?”

Lucius ground his teeth but the truth slipped out. “The potion.”

Severus nodded. “I see. Speaking of that. Why did you give Lily the potion, Lucius?”

Lucius didn’t bother to fight his need to tell the truth. “I wanted revenge on Potter and it would be fun to watch.”

Severus nodded. “Fair enough.”

Yes, Lucius was every bit the monster Severus thought he was. Severus would continue as planned. He steeled himself for what would come next. He glanced up at the coat rack in the corner. Lucius’ school robes hung on the peg closest to the bed. His wand stuck out of the pocket. Perfect.

“Will Dumbledore come soon?” asked Severus.

Lucius welcomed the change of subject. “Yes. He wants to question you.”

“You should go. He won’t be happy to find you here.”

“Sev...are you angry with me?” Lucius asked, concerned.

“Not at all,” Severus said, a bit too quickly. “I mean, you were probably only doing what you had to do. He would have killed you if you exposed him, right?”

Lucius smiled weakly.

“I feel much better,” Severus pumped his words full of an artificial warmth. The next phrase would have to be very sincere and just a bit awkward. “You made me feel so much better...” And then something enthusiastic, to entice. “Could you come back later?”

Lucius’ smile broadened. Maybe Severus was loosening up. He sure as hell hoped so. Maybe a few more sessions of this and Severus would allow him to properly relieve his tension. “I’d love to.”

“I bet you would...” Severus sneered mentally. He kept his expression and words innocent. “Could you tell Lily that I’m okay?”

“Of course.” Lucius handed Severus his pajamas and pulled his school robes on. “Get well, Sev. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Lucius.” Severus pulled his pajamas back on. Inside, he was shaking. He wasn’t accustomed to the role of manipulator. Usually, he allowed Lucius to take care of that. But it was quite empowering, after the initial rush of what-if-he-catches-on?

Though the massage helped the pain, Severus felt dirty. Lucius had enjoyed that far too much and he hated being so defenseless. Behind all of it was an ugly fact. Lucius’ touch wasn’t as unpleasant as Severus thought it would be. It bothered him deeply that Lucius’ hands could make him feel good. “Too much like Lily...” he realized.

The next part of the plan would be tricky. He needed Lucius’ trust. More to the point, he needed Lucius’ wand. This close physical contact was probably the best way to get both. Severus felt quite ill at the idea of seducing Lucius. No, it wouldn’t have to go that far. A few innuendoes, a whispered promise, and Severus could easily get close enough to pick Lucius’ pocket. Da taught him the fine art of distract-and-steal so long ago, he wondered if he remembered everything.

All he had to do was play the role of ingénue and make doe eyes at Lucius. How revolting.

The door to Dumbledore’s chambers opened smoothly to reveal Cadogan and Filch. Cadogan walked to the bed and sat down at the foot. “How’re you feeling, Sev’rus?”

“It hurts,” Severus said quietly. He winced for good measure.

“I followed yeh to the dungeons, didna trust Sullivan any further than I could throw ‘im.”

“Thanks, for saving me.”

“Yeh remind me of meself at yer age, Sev. I wouldna let him do anythin to ya.”

Severus smiled weakly.

“An’ I ain’t sorry I killed ‘im. He was a sadistic git who shouldn’t ed’cate any-un.”

“He threatened to...to do something awful to Lily,” Severus began. “I would have done anything he asked. For Lily.”

“I heard that. Outside the dungeons…I heard…”

“Oh.”

“Dumbledore’s gonna be here soon. He wants to know what happened. Don’t tell ‘im anymore than yeh have to.”

“Okay.”

“This’ll cheer you up. Potter’s got detention tonight.”

“Really?”

“He was up after curfew, stalking the halls and waiting for you to get out of detention.”

“Oh.”

“He’d set up some conv’luted booby trap fer yeh. Didna get ter use it, though.”

Severus laughed. “That does make me feel better.”

“Eh, ‘e’ll realize one day that the best man got the girl.” Cadogan rested a gnarled hand on Severus’ shoulder. “Try and get some sleep before Dumbledore comes.”

“I will.”

Severus laid back into the pillows. Dumbledore. That’s just great. He was impossible to read and more impossible to lie to. Hopefully he wouldn’t pry. Hopefully.

Everything would be ruined if Lucius’ mark was discovered. The Juvenile Offenders Act, Severus was certain, would be void in the case of a Death Eater.

Until Sullivan attacked him, Severus himself had been fairly neutral about them. Death Eaters were cold, yes. But they were efficient. They didn’t care about anyone, yet they were the last, best hope for total freedom. Magic...knowledge...such things that Severus craved with every fiber of his being. And the Ministry kept them locked away for only those chosen few. The Death Eaters promised to break those locks and make the knowledge of the ages free for all. Terribly romantic idea, and so very lucrative; Severus decided a long time ago that it was too good to be true. And yet...and yet...

The door opened and Dumbledore entered slowly. He didn’t know what state Severus would be in. Madam Pomfrey had not detected any mental abnormalities, but the effects of ten-plus Cruciatus curses might not manifest immediately. He didn’t want to startle the boy.

Severus jumped a bit when the door snapped shut behind Dumbledore. “P-professor?” He asked weakly.

“How are you feeling, Severus?”

“Tired, sir.”

“Understandable.” Dumbledore pulled an ornately carved stool up to the bed and sat down. “I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you’re not too tired.”

“I’m fine.”

But the boy wasn’t. His eyes held Dumbledore in a haunted look, and Dumbledore noticed that Severus had lost weight. Severus was skinny before, now he looked absolutely wasted in pajamas that he had outshrunk. And those eyes. Usually they were bright and curious, but now...Dumbledore got the distinct impression that this episode with Sullivan was only the tip of a very large, very old iceberg. “I don’t want to rush you.”

“You need to know, don’t you?”

Dumbledore smiled. “Yes, I do.”

“Then ask. I...I’m stronger than I look.” A glint of determination sparkled in Severus’ eyes now, making him look much less woebegone.

“I need to know what happened,” Dumbledore began gently. “Start with your detention.”

Severus took a deep breath. “He said that he arranged for me to serve it with him.” Severus looked into the old man’s face for confirmation.

“Yes, that’s right. He said he needed a good student who would be able to brew Deflating Drafts.”

Severus nodded. “Then he said he needed a--” He swallowed hard. This next part was rather incriminating. “A poison.”

“Which he could not brew himself.” Dumbledore looked very understanding.

“Yes. He wanted it to be odorless, tasteless, and untraceable. But he didn’t say deadly.” Severus felt a flash of pride in recalling his cleverness. “So I mixed up a batch of Escherichia. I used Good As New to dilute it, instead of water. I figured that would keep it from killing.”

“Very clever of you,” Dumbledore said brightly. “We found the vials smashed beside you. Professor Sprout tried to analyze it, but she was only looking for one potion. Not two.”

“I didn’t want to make the poison,” Severus continued. “I don’t know what he wanted with it. He threatened...he threatened Lily.” This wasn’t entirely false. Sullivan did threaten Lily, just not right then. “So I did the best I could. It wouldn’t have killed.”

“Why do you think Sullivan wanted the poison?”

“To poison Madam Hooch,” Severus said resolutely.

“Interesting. Please continue.”

“Lily came down to the dungeons with me.” Severus waited for a rebuke, but it didn’t come. “But she started to fall asleep and I sent her back up to Gryffindor tower. I went to talk to Mr. Cadogan and Mr. Filch while the potion finished. We talked for about fifteen minutes before I had to meet Sullivan.”

“I understand from Mr. Cadogan that you occasionally brew potions for his work.”

“Yes.” Severus stared at the floor. “Little things like castor tonics and Liquid Fire.”

“Mmm...” Dumbledore was itching to phase out that kind of discipline, but had no luck convincing the school governors. “You had a new batch for him?”

“Well, yes.” Severus kept his eyes down. “I can keep a few cauldrons going at once. I didn’t think anybody would mind.”

“No, we don’t. But about Sullivan...”

“Yes, sir. He was waiting for me in the dungeon. He thought I had told Cadogan and Filch what I was doing.”

“Did you?”

Severus thought for a minute. “No,” he lied.

“Please continue.”

“He wanted me to tell him the truth. So I did. He threatened Lily...he threatened to...to...”

Dumbledore watched Severus’ eyes mist up. This was an unexpected show of emotion for a Slytherin. Lily Evans must be mighty important to him. Dumbledore laid a hand on Severus’ shoulder and Severus steadied himself.

“I couldn’t let him. I had my wand. But then he asked for it. He had his wand out. I didn’t have...I didn’t have a choice.” Severus was crying now. He hated it. “I had to. I gave him my wand.”

“We can stop if you want.”

“No.” Severus wiped his eyes. “No. I’m going to finish. He showed me his mark and asked if I knew what it meant. I told him I did. He said he would ask me questions and I would answer. There would be punishments if I lied.”

“You told the truth?”

“I did. And he said ‘Crucio!’” Severus felt his eyes watering at the memory of the pain. “He asked me again and I gave the same answer. He cast...again...and I was bleeding and I don’t remember anything else.”

“That’s very good, Severus. I think that’ll do.” Dumbledore patted his hand.

“Sir, do you know what he wanted the poison for?”

“Yes, I do,” Dumbledore said. “We found orders from Voldemort in his chambers. They ordered Sullivan to kill me.”

Severus felt sick with guilt. “Are...are you mad at me?”

Dumbledore’s eyes softened. “Of course not. You did the best that you could.”

Severus nodded slowly. “Can I go to class now?”

“I canceled class today, Severus.”

“To look for other Death Eaters, right?”

“Right. Smart lad.”

Severus wondered if he should ask the question that really burned in his mind. He decided that he really had nothing to lose. “Why was Sullivan teaching here? Why did you hire him?”

“He’s been here longer than I’ve been headmaster, Severus. I should have fired him long ago for his incompetence, but...But I foolishly thought that this school’s integrity had rubbed off on the faculty.” Dumbledore’s gaze was cold now. “I thought it was safer to keep the faculty I had than to hire a new Potions Master and risk hiring a Death Eater. Potions has long been the favored subject of Dark Witches and Wizards. I thought--I thought I was keeping you safe. I am very sorry that this happened to you.”

Severus nodded. “Can I go now?”

“Not until the rest of the faculty has been checked.” He swept over to the nearest bookcase and gathered an armload of books. “Word has spread of the events of last night. I do not want you to be unguarded when vengeful Dark Wizards may be about. In the meantime...” Dumbledore dropped the stack of books on the oak nightstand. “I’m sure you can amuse yourself with these.”

Dumbledore said his goodbyes and left Severus alone with several ancient volumes to keep him company.