Fate Set Right

Chapter 49

—————S—————

October 5, 1996

"Severussssss."

"My Lord," he replied, looking up from beneath his hood.

Voldemort sat on his throne-like chair, stroking the head of his snake lovingly. It leaned into his touch, her tongue darting out frequently. Bellatrix, standing off to the side, looked disgustingly jealous. It was actually a bit amusing, but Severus tucked that away. The Dark Lord hadn't torn through his mind just yet, and he wasn't about to risk him catching such a simple stray thought.

"Severussss, I wondered how the boy was doing?"

"Mr. Nott, my Lord?"

"Indeed."

"I know not. The school year has only just begun, and he has yet to tell me anything. He is keeping to himself, showing no interest in clubs or sports. I know from his placement in my N.E.W.T. Potions that he keeps his head down and does as he's instructed. I have been meaning to ask him his plans, but I haven't been able to catch him at an opportune time."

The Cruciatus Curse hit Severus before he had time to prepare, and a grunt escaped him before he suppressed his reactions. It was over fairly quickly, and he could hear Bellatrix cackling with glee through the blood rushing past his ears.

"Do better, Severusss! I should be hearing of plans by now."

"I will do better my Lord."

Before Voldemort could either hit him with another curse or say something else to him, the door behind them opened.

"What isss it!" Voldemort demanded.

"A problem, my Lord," Yaxley said.

"Rissse Severuss. I shall return shortly."

Severus rose and watched as the Dark Lord walked out, his pet following alongside him.

The hairs on his arm stood on end, and he turned slowly to face Bellatrix. The woman didn't have all her sense before she went to Azkaban for fourteen years, and now, Severus was fairly certain she had utterly lost it. He wondered if she ever bothered to use what little Occlumency she knew to shield herself, or if maybe time had worn away her shields.

Bellatrix was looking at him with a deranged grin on her face.

"Lucy had some things lying around," she began, playing with her wand. "Did you know he was planning on having the manor in France cleared out? Made livable again? For the new Lord and Lady Malfoy." She slowly started to circle around him. "Your wittle baby girl. Aurora," she sang the name, and he curled his lip.

"Why does my daughter hold any interest to you?" he asked.

She giggled, though it turned into a cackle at the end. "Why don't you bring her 'round?" she said, eyeing her wand. "We can have a bit of fun. Girl talk. Find out where Draco and Cissy have been hiding out."

A shot of cold rage ran down Severus' spine, with a healthy dose of fear. "I think not. She knows nothing, and she is better served where she is. At Hogwarts, earning an education."

Bellatrix scowled. "You should be doing everything you can to help our Lord."

"And I am," he replied calmly, affecting an air of ease. "Our Lord has asked me to prepare Hogwarts for his reign, and I am doing just that. When I am headmaster, there will be order. And it will be because I will have put Dumbledore in his grave."

"Will it? Because I think Theodore Nott is going to kill him."

"Perhaps he will. And if he does, and then decides to remain at the school, he will be named Head Boy, given far more power than what would be the norm. If not, well, we shall see."