The Worm That Turned

Chapter 6 - Diplomacy

Numbed by new terror, Severus managed to get to his feet, and reached down to help pull Lucius to his. His body felt oddly hollow, as though the emotions and exertions of the past few hours had physically reduced him. Voldemort stood before them. 'Follow me,' he said icily, turning away. They stumbled after him across the graveyard, Lucius gripping Severus' arm just above the elbow. A few soft 'pops' in the darkness around them indicated that other Death Eaters were arriving.

They entered the church by a side door. As the Dark Lord crossed the threshold, harsh bright light filled the interior. Severus saw a long narrow table in the centre, covered with a dark cloth. High backed chairs were arranged in perfectly straight, symmetrical rows on either side. An ostentatious throne was at one end, on a slightly raised platform. Voldemort led them to the platform and held up a hand for them to stop. He stood in front of the throne, watching as Death Eaters filed in.

Most were somewhat dishevelled, as though they had not expected to be called. Some were not wearing hoods at all, just ordinary travelling cloaks. Severus recognised Bellatrix, looking flushed and excited, followed by Roddy and his brother. They took their places around the table, and Severus noted that this did not appear to be random. Everyone was selecting a very specific place.

Once all of the seats but one were occupied, Voldemort spoke. 'Some of you may be aware that the Pillar of Storge is gone, destroyed,' he began. A ripple of surprise ran around the assembled Death Eaters. Lucius himself gasped, then covered his mouth with a trembling hand. Voldemort continued, 'It imploded in a powerful thaumic surge. I believe there is nothing left there except hoards of Ministry fools, engaged in a cover-up attempt.'

He paused, looking around the assembled faces to ensure every one was fixed on his own, enthralled. 'The implosion occurred after four young people, aiming to protect the Pillar, enacted a powerful shield charm in the vicinity. Scores of Ministry employed wizards were surrounding the area, bent on its destruction. Of those young people, two were members of my Death Eaters.' He indicated Severus and Lucius, as every pair of eyes turned accusingly towards them. Bellatrix gasped and paled at this revelation about her brother-in-law, and a ripple of consternation ran around the others.

'Kneel before me,' said Voldemort instructed the two. They knelt, the cold stone of floor seeping through their robes. Severus could feel Lucius trembling beside him, hear his shaking breaths. His skin was almost grey with fear, and sweat beaded his upper lip. Severus had never seen his friend so frightened before.

'So here we have two of my loyal Death Eaters, my carefully selected associates. Uninstructed by me, they acted on their own accord, undertaking a mission that was doomed to fail. The two of them were pitted against the full force of the Ministry. They could not hope to succeed.'

Lucius' Adam's Apple bobbed as he swallowed convulsively. He was shaking so hard now that Severus began to tremble in sympathy. The Dark Lord was not above killing Death Eaters who disappointed him, and the misery of being in disgrace was almost as bad a fate. Voldemort continued, 'These two young men, these foolish, arrogant young men. These two brave, noble young men.'

It took a moment for them to realise what Voldemort had said. Lucius made an inadvertent squeaky noise. The Dark Lord continued, 'When a piece of our noble wizarding heritage was threatened, these young heroes did not wait to be told what to do. They did not need to ask to know what course of action Lord Voldemort would command. They understood that our mission is to protect the wizarding world, to preserve our fine traditions. Like my great ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, they acted independently and boldly. Despite the danger they were in, with great bravery they fought. My young friends, rise up, come and sit beside me.'

There was a collective gasp around the assembled Death Eaters, and much awkward shuffling to make space at the top of the table, where another chair had appeared. Lucius could barely stand, and Severus felt clammy with relief as they took their new places. 'You shall be rewarded, by bravest and best young Death Eaters. What is it you most desire?'

Lucius managed to croak, 'My only desire is to serve you, my Lord.'

'Oh, very noble, Lucius. I would have expected no less from you. And you, young Severus? What is your desire?' Images of Lily flashed across Severus' mind, a hot wave of desire that he fought desperately to disguise. Voldemort laughed. 'A woman, indeed? You desire a woman. Very well, a woman can be found. But not just any woman, for our young hero. No, you shall have whatever woman you wish. When you find her, Severus, you tell me, and Lord Voldemort shall deliver her to you.'

'Thank you, My Lord,' he choked, unable to look him in the eye, feeling his cheeks burn red.

There was an awkward moment, as everyone adjusted to the new circumstances. Then Bellatrix spoke. 'My Lord? Permission to speak?'

'Go ahead,' said Voldemort.

'My Lord, Severus and Lucius have done much damage tonight. They have destroyed the Pillar...'

'Yes, Bella. Of course, if more Death Eaters had acted, that may not have been the case. Four people - two Death Eaters and two members of Dumbledore's Order - could not hope to defend it successfully alone against the Ministry. However if all of my Death Eaters had been there... it would be a very different story.' He fixed Bellatrix with a cold red glare.

'But my Lord!' spluttered Bellatrix. 'My Lord... we did not know! My Lord instructed us to ignore the Ministry, to follow only our orders...'

'And did I give you orders to kill and dismember Benjy Fenwick?' At this, Bellatrix reddened and squirmed. 'I thought not. So it seems my orders are open to interpretation, even by my most loyal followers.'

'My Lord knows I aim only to do what He would Himself wish,' whispered Bella.

'Exactly, Bellatrix, and I wished for you to protect the Pillar. Any true Death Eater would know that our heritage, unique magical artefacts, is of vital importance to Lord Voldemort and His noble cause.' He glared at her again, as her heavy lidded eyes filled with tears. Severus reflected that he'd be best to avoid dinner with the Lestranges and the Malfoys for a while.

'Still, there is nothing to be gained by recriminations,' said Voldemort, turning away from Bellatrix. 'This is a blow to us all, but it cannot be reversed. I fear this will embolden the Ministry. We must proceed with greater caution. Augustus, return straight away and gather as much intelligence you can. I want to know what the Ministry is doing and what it plans to do, and what international contacts have occurred.'

One of the hooded Death Eaters seated close to Voldemort rose from his chair, bowed low, and backed out of the room. The Dark Lord turned to another follower, a thin man with a long face who hadn't bothered with his hood. 'Antonin, go to Hogsmeade and keep an eye on the school. I want to know if Dumbledore is seen entering or leaving. Herman, B-cell shall remain here to keep guard until further notice. Hesperides, go and lean on the Prophet - try and generate a bit of interest about the two Order members who tried to protect the Pillar.'

He turned back to Bellatrix, whose lips were slightly parted, eyes darting as though searching for a way to redeem herself. 'My Lord?' she gasped eagerly, leaning forwards.

'Bellatrix, your squad should pay a visit to the warlock in Derby that we discussed. Make it as messy as you like, something else to occupy the front pages. Rack up the collateral damage a bit. The full works.'

'Oh yes, my Lord!' She nearly fell over in her eagerness to stand. 'I won't let You down!' She shot one last murderous look at Lucius before backing out, pressing her finger to her Mark as she left to call her cell. Roddy and Rabastan also bowed and followed.

'The rest of you, disperse and await further instructions. Cell leaders, ensure everyone keeps their heads down. I do not want any more surprises. I will hold a meeting for all members tomorrow at ten. Ensure no one does anything to upset things before that.' He raised a hand. 'You are dismissed.'

There was a scraping of chairs as everyone got to their feet and began backing out as fast as they could. No one lingered. Severus watched Lucius for his cue, and copied his friend's very deep bow in the direction of Voldemort before shuffling out beside him.

Malfoy Manor looked reassuringly familiar as they arrived on the gravel drive. For the first time, the two friends looked at each other properly, unsure of what to say. After a moment, Lucius patted Severus on the back. 'Welcome to the inner circle, old thing,' he said, with a trace of his usual self.

'Thanks for coming back for me,' said Severus.

Lucius shrugged, and turned as the front door was thrown upon, spilling golden candlelight across the drive. 'There you are!' squealed Narcissa, running headlong down the stairs to throw herself at Lucius. After holding him for a second she drew back and began to pummel him with her fists. 'Have you any idea how scared I've been?'

'It's fine, it's all fine now,' said Lucius, trying to fend her off. Then more sharply, 'Cissy, please, I'm battered and bleeding and only got two hours' sleep last night. Let me get inside and get some dittany and a stiff drink.'

Half an hour later they were sitting in the drawing room, feeling slightly more human in clean robes, with the worst of their grazes healing and several glasses of expensive looking amber liquid inside them. Lucius was narrating a highly embellished account of their exploits. Severus lay back in one of the Malfoys' impossibly comfortable armchairs, and allowed his mind to wander. He began to run back over every moment he'd spent with Lily over the past twenty-four hours.

He'd never seriously believed he'd get to spend time with Lily like that again. Already the events seemed like a dream, too good to be true. But he knew they were real, and he had to think about what they meant. Lily had been prepared to work with them, prepared to look back with concern as she fled. That had to mean something. Maybe, when the Death Eaters had won, she would come around to Severus. Once he'd arranged for her life to be spared, once she realised that Potter's heroics in the pointless Order had only endangered her, whereas Severus' pragmatic acceptance of the winning side had ultimately preserved her. Lily was no fool. She would realise, eventually...

He woke up, stiff necked and bleary, hours later. The fire had burned right down. There was no sign of the Malfoys, but someone had tucked a blanket around him and removed the glass from his hand. He wondered which of them had done it - Lucius, surely. Or maybe the job had fallen to Dobby. Sitting up a bit, he checked his grazes and was satisfied to see the dittany had done its work. He limped across to the window and lifted the heavy velvet curtain aside. Outside the leaded diamond panes, the sky was the washed-out grey of first light.

Sighing, he clicked his fingers and said, 'Dobby?' The elf appeared beside him a moment later with a pop, making him jump.

'Ah, master is awake. Would master like Dobby to make him some breakfast?' It gazed up at him, cringing slightly, its eyes wide with a hope that was born of optimism rather than experience.

'What? Oh... no thanks, I have to go. Please give Lucius a message, tell him thank you for his kind hospitality and that I had to go to work.'

'Of course, master. Can Dobby do anything else for master?'

'No, that's all. Thank you. I must go now. Good day.'

The flat was exactly as he'd left it, which felt wrong somehow. Such momentous things had happened in between then and now it didn't seem possible that the same dirty mugs could be sitting on the worksurface in the kitchen, his work robes rumpled just as they were when he changed out of them before going to Lucius'.

'Lily?' he said aloud, trying out the sound of her name on his lips again, and then clamped his mouth shut crossly. He'd better not forget that she was on the other side in this war, at least at the moment, and any external hint that he liked her was only going to lead to danger for both of them. So as he showered and put on his work robes, he tried hard to suppress his thoughts.

A week later, Severus and Lucius were called to an audience with Voldemort. They stood before him, heads humbly bowed. Severus was trying not to look at a gigantic python, which was lazily swallowing a bloodied piece of meat, but his eyes kept getting drawn back in horrified fascination. He tried very hard to keep his mind closed and blank. Voldemort ignored the snake and paced thoughtfully up and down. They waited in uncomfortable silence until he eventually spoke. 'These two who protected the Pillar with you, they seem like talented, brave young people?' he asked.

Exchanging a quick glance with Severus, Lucius cautiously replied, 'I suppose you could say so, my Lord.'

Voldemort flicked his wand and images of Potter and Lily appeared in the air. 'Part of Dumbledore's Order,' mused Voldemort, allowing the images to rotate. 'He is a pureblood, I believe, and she a mudblood.'

'Ostensibly, my Lord. At school it was widely believed she may be a half-blood. Her talents are such that would suggest some magical heritage.'

'Interesting. I gather they were Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts. And she a member of the Slug Club. What a shame that Dumbledore has managed to corrupt them. But their defence of Storge indicates they may not be entirely unsympathetic to our cause. Many of their Order felt it was not a worthwhile endeavour, and in Dumbledore's absence they were unwilling to act. Yes, they would make valuable Death Eaters.'

Lucius gasped slightly, and covered his mouth. Severus, whose heart had seized up, managed to remain expressionless. Voldemort smiled at Lucius. 'Now, now, Lucius. She may not be entirely pure, but I am prepared to make exceptions for people with sufficient talent. You say she is half-blooded, and it is the wizard part of the blood that is important. I thought you were similarly pragmatic. After all, is not your best friend a half-blood?' He indicated Severus, who felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He did not like anyone, least of all Lucius, being reminded of his heritage.

After spluttering for a moment, Lucius said, 'I meant no disrespect, my Lord. I was surprised, but as You say, one should always be pragmatic.'

'Indeed one should. So, I wish for you two to go and make an offer to these promising young people. Invite them to join us. Emphasise that this is an invitation from Lord Voldemort himself, that they have been personally selected. It may be a little challenging to convince them, but I have great faith in your powers of persuasion, Lucius.'

'My Lord flatters me,' said Lucius, bowing. He had regained his composure quickly and was back to smooth sycophancy. He hesitated. 'And if... if they refuse, my Lord?'

Severus felt sick as he awaited the answer. Voldemort took his time, staring at the pictures of Lily and Potter like a cat at a particularly fat mouse. Finally he replied, 'There is a reason I am sending you two, and not dear Bellatrix. If they refuse, let them go unmolested. They might come around. If they do not, they will be dealt with in the fullness of time.' He flicked his hand and a piece of parchment appeared in his fingers. 'You'll need this.'

'We will go forthwith, my Lord,' said Lucius, bowing as he took the slip, careful not to touch Voldemort's hand as he did so.

'How do we get to talk to them?' Severus asked Lucius, once they were out of earshot of Voldemort. 'I don't think they're going to take very well to us propositioning them in the street.'

'Don't be dense, old bean. Of course we're not going to proposition them in the street. We'll request for them to come to a parley tonight.'

'A what?' Severus had to wait for answer because they'd reached the outside of the church and were able to disapparate back to Malfoy Manor. Once they were safely inside the driveway, he repeated the question.

'Parley, Severus. A meeting between two opposing sides to discuss certain matters, with the safety of each party guaranteed.' Lucius' voice dripped condescension. He took the parchment slip and held it carefully between his forefinger and thumb, then blew on it. It twitched and folded, becoming a small black bat. It fluttered its wings for a moment, and then disappeared.

'We meet with the other side?' Severus was so surprised he hardly had time to be impressed at the magic behind the bat.

'Of course we do. Goodness me, you're so naïve sometimes. In almost all wars some form of communication - diplomacy if you like - takes place between the opponents. How did you think things like prisoner exchanges happen - by lucky coincidence?' Lucius chuckled as though this was greatly amusing.

Severus was still feeling irritated by Lucius' superior attitude when they arrived later that night at the spot reserved for parleys. It was on a windswept moor, not far from where the Pillar had once stood. 'All this area is unplottable and covered in Muggle-repelling charms,' explained Lucius. 'Now, put your wand in your pocket and leave it there.'

Reluctantly, Severus obeyed, though every instinct protested against it. He followed Lucius through the bracken, tripping and stumbling, up an incline to a clearing. His fingers were tingling at the thought of seeing Lily. He began to fantasise that Lily would accept the offer and come over to his side, whilst Potter would leave in disgust. He was so distracted that he tripped and fell into Lucius. 'What is the matter with you?' asked Malfoy sharply. 'For goodness sake, stay still and keep quiet. Watch and learn.'

Two figures appeared a short distance away. Lily and Potter, walking hand in hand, wands conspicuously absent. Lily was wearing a green hooded cloak, and curls of her hair fell over her shoulders. Severus stared at the gentle swell of her chest, the way her freckles seemed to float above her pale skin. As she came closer he could hear his breathing growing louder, feel sweat beading his brow.

When they entered the clearing, Potter and Lily stopped at the very edge. Lucius made a small, stiff bow, keeping his arms at his sides with open palms. Severus followed suit. Lily and Potter responded with bows so slight they barely moved. 'Good evening,' said Lucius, using the voice distortion on his mask again. 'Have you any messages?'

'None,' said Potter. 'You requested the parley. What do you want?'

'We bring a message from the Dark Lord. You fought alongside two of our brethren at the battle of the Pillar of Storge. You showed talent, and bravery, and a willingness to risk your lives for the heritage of wizardkind. The Dark Lord values these traits.'

Potter made a noise of disgust, and Lily curled her lip. Lucius continued, 'The Dark Lord, therefore, wishes to personally invite you to join his noble cause...'

Lucius didn't manage to finish because both Potter and Lily had exploded with contemptuous noises. Potter began, 'Noble cause?' whereas Lily went with, 'Never in a million years!'

'I suspected you would react like this,' Lucius went on. 'But I would urge you to think again. You are talented individuals. You could have a great future in this world. You are intelligent enough to know you have picked the losing side. That doesn't have to be the case. You don't have to die. You can change everything now. You may not agree with every aspect of the Dark Lord's philosophy, but you may find your aims are not so different from His. And you have a far better chance of making a positive difference if you are on the inside, than you do of making any difference to anything with Dumbledore's futile Order.'

'Don't agree with every aspect of his philosophy? We don't agree with any aspect of his philosophy!' declared Lily, eyes shining. 'You tell us we're intelligent, and then expect us to believe that by joining up we can somehow change Voldemort's mind about blood purity?' She finished with a derisive laugh at the way the two men had flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name.

'I didn't say that. But within any cause there are... gradations of opinion. Where is this Order going to get you, other than killed? You will not succeed, you do understand that? I'm afraid in real life the brave and the plucky don't win by default. You're outnumbered, outskilled and out of your depth. My colleagues could go to the home of every Order member tonight and kill every one of them.'

'So why don't you?' asked James, eyes flashing.

'Because it would be a waste of time and effort. The Order is finished. The Ministry is finished. Dumbledore is finished. It's only a matter of time. We don't need to hurry things.' Lucius forced a smile through his mask. 'I know what I'm saying is anathema to you both. All I ask is that you think about this for a little while. In difficult times, we all need to be pragmatic. We'd all like to stand up for exactly what we believe in, but eventually we have to compromise some aspects of it in order to achieve the rest.'

Lily laughed almost hysterically. 'You talk about compromise as though all you are doing is disagreeing on some minor point! Your idea of compromise is to tolerate murder and torture!'

'There are some Death Eaters who resort to extreme measures. If you look at history, you'll see that's the case with any rebel organisation. It doesn't mean the underlying cause is less valid. What happens is, over time those individuals are edged out. Then the moderate majority can get on with the real work of building a Britain that is a better place for wizards to live.'

It was a measured, lucid speech, with just the slightest note of entreaty at the end. Listening to Lucius made Severus feel like joining up all over again. But Lily was less impressed. 'So you're the good Death Eaters, are you?' she asked in a mocking voice. 'Tell me, Death Eater, what aspects of your personal beliefs have you compromised in order to achieve the rest, as you put it?'

'I have never had any interest in killing. The lunatics have too much sway at present. The moderates among us are outvoiced. But with two powerful people such as yourselves to swell the numbers, I really think we would stand a chance. What do you say? Do you want to join up and make a positive difference?'

'When hell freezes over,' said Lily and James in unison. Lily added, 'And you can tell Voldemort from us, that we'd rather die than join him.'

'It is your choice,' said Lucius heavily, as though he genuinely regretted it. 'A strange decision, but what I'd have expected. If you change your minds then request a parley through the usual mechanism. But don't leave it too late.' He clicked his heels together and bowed again, more ostentatiously. Potter nodded back, and Lily simply turned away with a noise of disgust. Lucius clicked his fingers at Severus and strode away without a backwards glance. Severus, who'd hoped to stare after Lily until the last possible moment, reluctantly followed his friend away across the moor.

'I told you so,' said Lucius, once they were out of sight of Potter and Lily.

'I suppose they might still change their minds.' Severus was keen to cling to whatever small crumbs of hope he could.

'Don't be silly, old bean. One could put a wand to their heads and they wouldn't give in, they're that stubborn and pig headed. Besides, we don't want the likes of them in the Death Eaters anyway. A mudblood and a blood traitor. They'll get what's coming to them.'

'Did you mean what you said?'

Lucius shot him a quick glance. 'One says what one has to. That's diplomacy.' And Severus knew he wouldn't get any more from Lucius on that subject.