The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

The Tavern Cellar

Fenrir Greyback lounged in a round booth in the back of the tavern, his legs up across the cushioned bench seating and picking his lower teeth with his long, dark fingernails, then inspecting them with interest before returning to picking at them, running his tongue over them. He looked up fom his project when the bell over the door of the tavern opened, and a streak of yellow daylight cut across the wood of the floor, illuminating the dust that floated through the air. He squinted at the forms entering, and leaned forward, watching as the door closed, the light chasing its tail back outside.

"Well, well, well," he cooed, seeing the two teenagers walking carefully through the tavern, past many turned and leering faces, toward his booth. "To what do I owe the occassion, little puppets?"

Regulus stepped ahead of Severus and approached Greyback first, with an air of confidence. "I was checking if you had been able to reach Mr. Frek the night we last saw one another? I know you were seeking him out, to recruit, and I wanted to know if you'd managed to do so?"

Greyback considered Regulus for a moment. "You know, then, of my plans?" he asked.

"Of course I do, do you think I'm an idiot?" Regulus snapped. "Do you really underestimate the power of the Dark Lord so much as to believe that he doesn't know exactly what's going on as well?" He raised his eyebrow.

Greyback's cocky attitude faultered for a moment. "Does he?" He leaned back in the booth and splayed his arms over the backs of the seat, staring at Regulus as though to size him up, as though the truth of whether he was calling Greyback's bluff would be written upon his clothes or skin.

"The Dark Lord has only found it in his heart to overlook you for the time being because he believes that your efforts in building the werewolves numbers to be very useful. But don't think he doesn't know just because he has not yet stopped you."

Greyback looked peeved.

Regulus took a deep breath, and thus began to fabricate the lies he needed to tell Greyback, to manipulate the information he and Snape really wanted. "But now, our Master wants answers about what is going on here, Greyback."

"What answers?"

"Why have you not told him about your plans for the werewolf army?"

"It was... to be a surprise..." Greyback said slickly, a slow smirk twitching onto his face. "A gift for the Dark Lord."

"A gift. Very thoughtful."

"Mhm," Greyback said quietly. "We are strong and we have... ways... of growing even stronger. We could be the most valuable asset that the Dark Lord has as we move into the time of our greatest uprising. Soon, werewolves will take dominion over the muggles and they will all serve the Dark Lord with all of the might and strength and power that has been long denied by the Wizarding world. But soon there will be no denying us anything anymore."

Several people around them grinned and murmured as they eavesdropped on the conversation, pleased by such a statement from their leader.

Regulus nodded slowly, "More powerful and important than the inferi?"

Greyback spat. "Inferi! They haven't got minds of their own, do they. They can't multiply themselves but rather must be resurrected by others, controlled by others. Inferi are a great deal of work." He shook his head, "You can tell the Dark Lord that! Werewolves are much stronger then the inferi!"

"I will," Regulus nodded. He looked around, "This is a nice village you've got here. Much nicer than that monster's shack in the Great North Woods you were staying in before." He sat down across from Greyback. "I don't know what you ever saw in that horrid snake woman."