(Untitled)

[dmalfoy_purbld]

Characters: Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy
Where: Spinner's End
When: Monday night, late (January 28, 2002)
Rating: Going to head for R already

Comments

[vincere_aut_mor]

Lucius was becoming irritated. Granted, he'd arrived at an unfortunate time. It was none of his business what Severus did in his own home. He didn't care about Severus' relationship with the now-wolf Remus Lupin (though he didn't allow his mind to dwell too much on the idea). If Severus cared as much as his display suggested, it was even more important that they spoke quickly.

It isn't me he needs protecting from, he thought, watching as Severus ran his hand through the wolf's fur.

Full Moon or not, there was a subtle paranoia about this house. Perhaps he himself had been too careless since the end of the war. His reputation repairing, and old allies far too occupied by their own problems to worry for his, he had not seen this coming.

Lucius followed Severus up the stairs, nodding distractedly as he spoke of his interior restructuring. He glanced about the study as they entered it, noting the innumerable books.

He seated himself on one of the comfortable arm chairs, though he perched on it's edge rather than leaning back.

"The bottle would be more appropriate," he commented "but no."

Lucius wasted no time in speaking his mind. He'd seen the silencing wards, and this was hardly the time for social chit-chat.

"I've had a letter..." he began.

[subtle_simmer]

'Subtle paranoia'? Considering all this motley family-unit had endured in the last two years and beyond, full-fledged pathological paranoia, at least on full-moon nights, would probably be more accurate.

Severus would have made no apology for the treatment even if he'd known he'd offended Lucius. His first obligation was to protect the members of this household to the very best of his ability.

With Lucius' refusal of the drink, there was no need to open the decanter. He would not blunt his senses when he was the primary protector of the house.

"As have I," he said agreeably, taking a seat in the chair opposite the one Lucius was presently abusing. Crossing his legs, he flicked a speck of lint from his knee before glancing back at the blond man with idle curiosity.

"A threatening letter? Someone in possession of far too much information about the movements of your family? And far too much information about your . . . activity during the war?

"I have had a similar letter, as I suppose you've surmised or you would not be banging on my door this night of all nights."

[vincere_aut_mor]

"Of course," said Lucius without surprise. He'd known Severus both sociably and as a comrade for far to long to be surprise by even the most extreme feats of logic, and of course he knew Severus was capable of peering into his mind.

Lucius withdrew the letter from his inner pocket and handed it across. He was a little surprised to find that he was almost relieved Severus had also received a letter. Not that he wished harm on his family, or the discomfort that Severus must feel.

"They must be a Death Eater, to have that level of information," Lucius indicated to the letter he'd given to Severus "It asks for money to be left, so I think that everyone is safe. If they want money, they'll wait for it. Even so, Draco was not at the Manor when I left..."

Lucius realised he was wringing his hands, and forced them onto his knees instead. He was starting to wonder if he should have stayed with Narcissa, but he could not have entrusted this conversation with Severus to a letter.

[subtle_simmer]

Capable of such a feat, but not stupid enough to exercise the ability. Severus had both endured and participated in mind-rape often enough in the war as to make him unwilling to inflict the talent on anyone, anymore, without stringent motivation. Besides, Lucius had enough skill in the area as to easily detect any such attempt, which would utterly destroy any trust between them.

Not wise, now. Like Lucius, Severus realised that their best hope of thwarting this threat was to keep calm, think logically and work together.

He quickly perused Lucius' letter after fishing his own out of his pocket and passing it over.

Severus shook his head in disagreement of Lucius' surmises.

"Death Eater, to be sure. I would have to presume this individual is not working entirely alone. It would be difficult to have determined the precise location of four different people in very close time-proximity. Perhaps nothing more than hiring someone to tail us, but it is enough to risk leaving evidence. This might give us something to go on.

"But I do not agree that anyone is 'safe'," he said, frowning. "The request for money is too vague. Moreover, they cannot possibly imagine I have funds enough to make such efforts worth the trouble. There isn't even a specific date or time - no deadline.

"We are being toyed with, Lucius. I will not be the mouse to anyone's cat, and I will not be blackmailed."

He passed Lucius' letter back to him and collected his own, stuffing it back inside his pocket.

"What do you suggest?"

[vincere_aut_mor]

Lucius read over Severus' letter, it was in the same vein as his own. He nodded thoughtfully at the comments of there being more than one. It was likely true. It would have occurred to Lucius if he hadn't been fixed on the idea of a single shadow-faced Wizard stalking his family.

"The lack of a figure is interesting, they could have asked for quite a sum. Though I do know this, I won't be leaving any amount. Once they've received one payment, there would soon be another demand," he nodded again and Severus' insistence that he would not be blackmailed.

"The only route is to attempt to discover the culprit," he looked down at his own letter momentarily "the goblins will surely reveal nothing, and gold won't buy their information."

Lucius put his own letter away, looking over to Severus.

"What do they want, if not money? Perhaps their true intent could reveal something."

[subtle_simmer]

"No idea," Severus said, shaking his head. "If not money, what, indeed. The threat is 'exposure'. I need not tell you how ugly things could get for me, and quickly, if some of my activities with the Death Eaters became public knowledge.

"Remus knows already. June has been told some of it. The others . . ."

He shrugged.

"It would make Remus' efforts in connecting with other werewolves far more challenging. Why would they interact with someone Bonded with 'The Executioner'?"

Lucius' fidgeting did not escape his notice. He was better at concealing outward signs of inner turmoil after years of practise, but he could empathise with Lucius' concerns.

"I believe we are in agreement that we need to find this idiot before he carries through on his threats. The challenge will be how."

[vincere_aut_mor]

Lucius gave thought to the idea of 'exposure'. Truly, Lucius did not know all of the details of Severus' activities. He had been given a role of his own, and it was hardly as though the two of them discussed it over a cup of tea. However, Lucius own expriences and what he did know was more than enough to supply his mind with details of what Severus had done.

"Narcissa knows nothing," Lucius said, in a tone that suggested he'd like to keep it that way. He had always spared her the details. There was no reason for her to know his exact activities. It was better that she did not.

It went without saying that Draco didn't either. It never was the top of his list to sit down with his son and tell him the details of all the atrocities of war that he never even got to see.

Naturally Severus' skills at concealing signs of inner turmoil would be better, generally speaking Lucius didn't have any. He was used to boiling down emotion to it's barest form and using it wisely. But this was personal, dangerous, and most importantly it was not himself he was concerned for.

"We are," Lucius said firmly.

How was a challenge indeed. They'd already identified that the vault number would be a complete waste of time to investigate.

"We do not wish to provoke him, but I believe we must leave something for him. If he receives no reply, he may act rashly to gain attention."

Lucius looked at Severus carefully. There were channels for gaining information, but this would require admitting to Severus that Lucius retained contacts of the less than savoury kind. He wasn't sure that Severus would care, given that this would benefit them both.

"There are connections that I can pass enquiries along, ones that will not contain information but will ask for it."

[subtle_simmer]

"He has already 'acted rashly'," Severus said tersely. "He has threatened me and mine. I may be collared like an animal, but I am not remotely tamed."

Severus was neither astonished nor disturbed at the hint of Lucius' less-than-savoury 'connections'. He would have tried to maintain more of his own questionable connections, himself, after the war had his publicity not prevented it.

No one would trust the word or deeds of a twice-over traitor, after all. Still, Severus had managed to keep a fair number of his rather 'shady' Potions suppliers. They had never been betrayed by him - his business and his gold were always welcome, so long as they were not revealed.

"We might try something simplistic at first," he said, running a finger along his upper lip thoughtfully. "I was planning to ignore this . . . demand. We may as well spend some time trying to see what we can find out about the vault number and such. See if he moves again. For all we know, this is a prank or someone looking to make fast cash without bollocks to carry it further.

"But if we are contacted again, I was considering the possibility of a tracing spell on a few coins and leaving them in the demanded location. A tracing spell is insignificant enough not to alert the Ministry via our tracking devices. It would be similar, of course, to the magic on the collars, though not as powerful."

He shrugged.

"It is possible - perhaps even likely - that the Gringotts Goblins have counter-active spells that would negate such magic, but it wouldn't hurt to make the attempt."

[vincere_aut_mor]

"I know," Lucius said in calmer tone of voice, "you've read my letter. My family have been threatened too...I was merely pointing out that for the moment, it remains a threat."

It wasn't as though he was didn't care about his family being threatened. His family had been used as a bargaining point before, and Lucius had previously believed that Draco would never be harmed (as ardent believers in the quality of pure blood, it seemed unlikely that they would kill the heir to two of the purest lines), he never desired to see Draco harmed again as he had been at the hands of his fellow Death Eaters.

He knew that Severus understood this fully now, since he claimed those downstairs as his family.

"That seems a reasonable course of action," Lucius agreed. He was quiet for a moment, giving thought to the vault and other ways to gain information.

"It is agreed, then. Further investigations will be made, and if there is further contact, we will try the trace."

[subtle_simmer]

"Agreed," Severus repeated with a nod. That was not quite all he wished to agree upon, however.

"For the moment, Remus is unaware of the situation. I would prefer to keep it that way until it becomes clear what we are dealing with.

"It would be best if we arise at a plausible reason for you to be here tonight."

Better, still, if Draco would make an appearance! Severus had already determined not to come between the boy and his family. If they could resolve their issues, now, Severus could merely tell Remus that Lucius had come to discuss Draco - which was not entirely untrue - and that Severus was trying to allow Draco to decide how and when to face the proverbial music, which was completely honest.

And then the knock came at the door.

"Ah. That might be a 'plausible reason', now," he said dryly, bracing himself for Lucius' anger at his silence until now.