Severus stepped towards the gates of Malfoy Manor and rested his hands on the cool metal. Once he felt the wards recognize and accept him he took a step back to allow the iron gates to open magically. With confidence he crossed the grounds and entered the mansion.

"Severus!"

"Good evening, Narcissa," Severus said in greeting.

"What are you doing here Severus," Narcissa hissed as she closed a door behind her and walked swiftly toward him.

"I need to see Lucius," Severus replied curtly, giving nothing away.

"My husband is... otherwise engaged," Narcissa said hesitantly as she glanced at the closed door to the drawing room for a second of a fraction.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the door as well, concluding that whatever it was Lucius was doing, he was doing it in the drawing room. He took a few steps toward it, fully intending to yank open the door and find out what this secrecy was about, but a firm hand around his arm stopped him.

"Please, Severus," Narcissa whispered desperately.

Severus frowned at the blonde woman, who he had know for such a long time. What is she hiding?

"Let him know I'm here and waiting for him in the library," Severus said finally. He pulled out of Narcissa's grasp and went to the library of Malfoy Manor. He had been there many times before and he liked the look and feel of it. The room in itself was somewhat dark, the bookcases a deep ebony colour and the lounge chairs emerald and grey. He sat down in one of them and used his wand to start a fire in the hearth. It gave him something to do while he waited and the vibrant dancing flames helped him collect his thoughts.

The Malfoys were obviously hiding something and, judging by the fear he saw in Narcissa's eyes, he figured the Dark Lord must not be privy to these secrets. This surprised him, for he knew Lucius well. And Lucius was not one to blatantly lie to his master. Lucius was fairly adept at Occlumency, but nowhere near experienced enough to keep the Dark Lord from finding out his deepest, darkest secrets. So whatever it is they were hiding was either something that happened very, very recently. Or... they were being blackmailed.

Before Severus had time to ponder that thought further, the door opened and Lucius strode in, lacking the desperation and fear his wife had shown earlier.

"Good evening, Severus," he said smoothly as he sat down in the opposite chair and snapped his fingers. A house elf appeared with glasses and a bottle of dark brown and welcoming liquid. Though Severus had longed for a drink, he knew he had to tread lightly to keep his mind sharp and focused.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your late visit?" Lucius asked as he filled their glasses.

Severus raised his glass at him in appreciation and took a small sip, relishing the burning feeling lingering in his throat.

"I'm surprised you have to ask," he said, keeping his eyes on Lucius to look for a reaction.

Lucius' lips pursed almost imperceptibly, but it convinced Severus that he knew more than he was willing to let on.

"If you are referring to the events earlier today, I'm afraid I must disappoint you in your quest for information."

"You do realise, I presume, that your son will be under my care and supervision the entire school year?"

At this Lucius visibly flinched and Severus knew he had him. Lucius put his glass down on the table hard, the sound reverberated through the room. He glared at the black-haired man, but Severus did not move an inch.

"What do you want, Severus?" Lucius hissed, all air of politeness vanished.

"I need to know why I was not told of the attack today. As we are both among the most trusted of the Dark Lords followers, that either means that the Dark Lord himself did not know or something else prevented him from telling us."

"Perhaps our master has lost his trust in you Severus."

"If he did, I would not be sitting here drinking whiskey with you."

Lucius looked away for a moment.

"What makes you think I have more information? I know as much as you do."

"Do not take me for a fool, Lucius," Severus said evenly. "Give me a little more credit for my perceptiveness. You know more than you're letting on. And something tells me you did not share with our master."

Lucius' eyes widened in panic. He fumbled with the bottle and spilled some whiskey as he tried to refill his glass. He took a long gulp and grimaced as the burning liquid passed his throat. The drink seemed to give him back some confidence.

"There is no keeping secrets from the Dark Lord. You of all people know that," he said.

Severus leaned back in his chair and regarded Lucius through narrowed eyes.

"I do know that. Which is why it is so utterly surprising to me to see you, of all people, so desperately trying to conceal whatever secret you have. And if I can perceive this, how on earth were you planning on keeping the Dark Lord obscured of the truth?"

Lucius stood up abruptly and turned away to stare at the fire. He was silent for minutes before he finally turned around and faced Severus once more.  This time, the desperation showed brightly in the blonde man's eyes.

"It's Draco, Severus. He's not safe," Lucius said, barely able to contain the panic in his voice.

Severus frowned and narrowed his eyes in thought.

"You are being blackmailed," he stated.

Lucius bowed his head in acquiescence.

"By whom?"

Lucius kept quiet and Severus sighed as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Lucius, you know it is impossible to deceive the Dark Lord. It is futile to believe you can best him in a mind game. There is no other choice but to come clean."

Lucius started pacing in front of the fire in agitation.

"There is an individual," he started, not looking at Severus.

When he did not continue, Severus prompted him with a raised eyebrow. "An individual?"

"Yes. I was lured to a pub in Perth under false pretences and was confronted by an individual whose name or appearance I cannot recall."

"You were confunded then." Severus stated.

Lucius nodded. "That was my deduction as well. Nevertheless the message was clear."

He stopped pacing and looked Severus right in the eye.

"He said an attack on the Hogwarts Express was due the 1st of September and that he needed someone to place a cursed object on the train to form a barrier between the students and the Aurors."

"Why did he chose to confide in you?"

"Because he knew I was close to the Dark Lord and he knew I would do anything to keep my son out of danger," Lucius scowled and started pacing again.

"He told me I was not to tell the Dark Lord, however and that they would hurt Draco if I didn't comply. I said he was making empty threats and asked him why I should not just curse him then and there and be done with it. Then he showed me a gazing Dark Orb and I saw Draco sitting in this very library, exactly where I had left him only minutes before. They had someone watching him and Narcissa. With just one word, they could be killed."

Lucius sat down again, having exerted all the pent up energy.

"Did he tell you why you were not to turn to our master with this information?"

Lucius shook his head. "He told me he had his reasons and that I was not in a position to be asking him these questions."

Severus leaned back in thought.

"I see the... predicament you find yourself in," He said. "However, by denying our master of the truth you are committing a serious betrayal."

Lucius rounded on him in fear and anger. "What would you do then Severus? If it were your son whom they threatened?"

"I am thankfully unacquainted with that phenomenon," Severus said. "But I swore loyalty to the Dark Lord and nothing, not even my own blood, would stray me from that path." He managed to put the utmost conviction in his words, though it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"And neither should it stray you from yours," he added.

Lucius paled and averted his eyes. "You're right, Severus. Of course you're right."

They were both quiet for a long time, giving each other the space to sort through their thoughts.

"Severus, you have to help us. Please help us protect Draco," Lucius demanded desperately.

Severus nodded at once. He always kept an eye out for Lucius' son while he was at school, this would be no different. He knew it would be harder to protect the boy from himself, as he aspired to take the Dark Mark and follow in the footsteps of his father. It would be a dark path for the young boy, one that would be difficult to escape from.

"Thank you, Severus. I don't know what I would do if...." Lucius' voice trailed off.

"Do not despair, Lucius," a high-pitched voice came from the doorway. Lord Voldemort stepped into the library, which suddenly felt dark and cold as if all the warmth had been sucked away by his appearance. He was clad in long, dark robes that hung around his frame like a veil of death. His feet were bare and made no sound as he moved towards the sitting area. He was followed by a pale and wide-eyed Narcissa from a distance.

Immediately the two men left their seats and knelt on the floor with bowed heads to greet their master. Voldemort ignored them and sat down in one of the chairs before waving his hand and permitting them to rise.

"My lord, I am honoured by your presence in my home," Lucius said.

Voldemort ignored the blonde man and instead looked at Severus. "I did not expect to see you here, Severus." His voice lacked malice but Severus heard the vexation hidden between the lines.

"Forgive me, my lord. I will not impose on you any longer and take my leave."

"No, you will stay. Now that you're here, I have things to discuss with you," the Dark Lord demanded.

"Of course, my lord." Severus bowed his head. He mentally checked the strength of his barriers in preparation.

"But first..." red eyes found Lucius' grey ones. "I feel I must address this... predicament."

He suddenly snapped his fingers at Narcissa who jumped in fear and quickly summoned the house elf to bring them some refreshments.

When the Dark Lord had his drink he turned his cold and malignant gaze on Lucius. Severus could see that his old friend tried his best not to shy away from his master's attention, but saw the beads of sweat shining on his forehead.

 "You do realise, that it was I who got you out of Azkaban," Voldemort started.

Lucius bowed his head even lower, his nose almost touching the carpet. "Of course, my lord. I will be forever in your debt," he said with a surprisingly even voice.

"And I did so even after you failed to retrieve the prophecy as I requested. Was I not generous? Was I not merciful?"

Lucius swallowed around a lump in his throat. "Yes, my lord, you were."

"Then you can imagine my surprise at hearing you discuss the possibility of betrayal tonight," Voldemort's red eyes narrowed maliciously.

Lucius looked up desperately. "Never, my lord! I would never betray you, I could not!"

"Yet you chose to withhold information from me? You toy with the idea of choosing your son, a boy, over the loyalty towards me? I, who have shown you far more mercy than you could ever deserve?" With each sentence his voice got higher and more dangerous.

"Please forgive me, my lord, for straying off the right path, the only path. Never again will you have reason to doubt my loyalty towards you. That is my pledge to you," Lucius said with a quiver of fear in his voice, his head once again low against the carpet in a desperate sign of obedience.

A minute of silence ensued as Voldemort took a slow sip from his glass. Severus felt a momentary flash of concern for the blonde man whimpering on the floor next to him but pushed it away. The fool had it coming and should have known better. It did not bode well for Lucius.

"Have no fear, Lucius," Voldemort suddenly said leisurely. "I happen to know all about this little secret of yours already."

Severus' eyes widened as he glanced at the evil wizard. This was the moment of truth. If the Dark Lord knew about the attack already, but hadn't told him... It could mean he truly did suspect him of betrayal. He felt his heartbeat quicken at the thought and occluded his mind to calm himself. He had known all along about the risks that came with the job of being a spy. And he would not cower in the face of sure death, but would face it headlong.

"My lord?" Lucius lifted his head in confusion.

"Not a week ago we were contacted by a person who offered his loyal servitude to me. Truthfully, I suspected Dumbledore to be behind this, trying to plant another spy in my midst without me knowing."

Voldemort locked eyes with Severus for a short moment and Severus felt his dark and demanding presence in his mind as he perused his memories. A second later the connection was broken and Voldemort appeared satisfied.

"When I searched his mind, however, there was only the naked truth of a man so desperate to belong somewhere that I welcomed him with open arms. But, I had to convince myself fully that his intentions were sincere. So I gave him the mission to attack the Hogwarts Express and he took it gladly. His only request was to be able to remain anonymous, internally among my followers, but also to the public eye. That way, he would be useful in other areas where more discretion is needed."

"Can we trust this person, my lord?" Severus asked.

Voldemort shifted his gaze toward Severus once more and held eye contact, though he did not re-enter his mind again.

"Trust is a dangerous game," he said quietly. Severus managed to repress a wince at those words, through sheer will.

"You are wondering why I did not tell you," Voldemort stated. "As I said, I do not give away my trust easily. Which is why I needed to know Dumbledore's reaction to these events, knowing that his true spy could not have told him beforehand. I needed to test this new man's loyalty without any outside interference."

Voldemort turned back towards Lucius who still knelt on the ground. "This man's loyalty was unwavering. But you, Lucius, failed my test."

"My lord?" Lucius" voice broke.

"After your miserable attempt at following my orders I was unsure what to do with you. I asked you to bring me the prophecy, yet once you had it in your possession you chose to linger, dancing around with Harry Potter in blatant ignorance of my orders. And then you got caught, putting all my plans at risk. If they had questioned you with the aid of Veritaserum, you would have spilled all of our secrets. Make no mistake, Lucius. That is the only reason I ordered an escape plan for you."

Lucius flinched hard at his words and braced himself.

"But I am a merciful master, and I will grant you another chance to redeem yourself," Voldemort said calmly and used his bony, white fingers to lift Lucius chin so he could look him in the eye.

"You will give me your son."

From the corner of his eye, Severus saw Narcissa flinch and put a hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp.

"This will be his last year at school, for he will join my ranks before next summer. He will regain your family's honour by becoming the youngest Death Eater ever to join my ranks. And he will show his father what true, unwavering loyalty really is."

"As you wish, my lord," Lucius replied quietly.

Voldemort let go of his chin and straightened himself again. "Good. And to make sure you won't forget... Crucio!" 

Lucius writhed and screamed on the floor of the library while Narcissa wept silently. Severus did not move and kept his expression neutral as he waited for the torture of his old friend to end.

Finally Voldemort lifted the curse and Lucius lay on the carpet, quietly whimpering in the after effects of the torturing curse. Then he turned back towards Severus.

"So, Severus, tell me about Dumbledore," he said casually, as if he hadn't just turned a grown man into a miserable heap of tears and sweat.

"Dumbledore was... surprised, to say the least, about the events that unfolded today," Severus said steadily.

"Was there any indication that he was notified in advance?"

"No, my lord. As soon as I returned from the attack site, he took me to his office and started questioning me. Questions I could only answer truthfully, due to your wise foresight."

Voldemort sneered. "The old fool must have been very surprised indeed, that we would dare attack the whole student population in broad daylight."

"I must confess, my lord," Severus said hesitantly. "That I fear Dumbledore might have become somewhat suspicious at the lack of information I was able to provide him with."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "A minor setback. It was worth finding out if my associate was sincere in his intentions to join our cause."

"I understand, my lord, and I am glad it brought you the desired results. However, I feel we must invest more in the old man's trust if we are to -"

"I will decide where we will invest in," Voldemort interrupted him with an angry hiss. "Like I said, trust is a dangerous game. Or have you forgotten that you too failed the tasks that were appointed to you?"

"Forgive my insolence, my lord," Severus said as he bowed, knowing there was nothing else he could say to diminish his master's anger.

"You thread on thin ice, my slippery friend," Voldemort continued in a low voice. "You failed to break Potter free of Dumbledore's grasp and now he is back at that damned castle and out of my reach for another year."

"There is no excuse for my failures, my lord," Severus said contrite.

"No, there isn't."  Voldemort stood up from his seat and set his empty glass down on the table.

"You will tell Dumbledore of our meeting tonight. Make sure he fears this new and anonymous threat. Fear will lead the old coot to make rash decisions and may give us another chance at getting the boy."

Severus bowed low. "Yes, my lord."

The Dark Lord stepped around Lucius, who hadn't moved from his place on the floor. He stopped next to Narcissa, whose cheeks were still tear-streaked.

"Do not despair, my dear Narcissa," Voldemort said, the words contradicting the lack of comfort in his voice. "I will offer Draco my protection, for as long as I have use for him."

"You are too generous, my lord," Narcissa said without a hitch.

Once the Dark Lord left, Narcissa went to help her husband off the floor. Severus helped to hoist him into a chair. He withdrew a small glass vial from his robes and offered it to the Malfoys. Narcissa took it as Lucius' hands still trembled heavily. Lucius looked up at Severus with feverish but determined eyes.

"Please Severus," he croaked with a hoarse voice. "Promise me you will keep an eye on Draco."

"You know I will not be able to prevent him from setting course on the path the Dark Lord has intended for him."

"I know." Lucius looked down in defeat. You wear your emotions on your sleeve when it comes to your son, my friend, Severus thought. You will not convince the Dark Lord of your loyalty to him with that liability. He did not voice this as he knew the couple before him would not cope well with this hard message. Instead he inclined his head.

"I will do what I can to keep him out of harm's way," he said. Then he turned and left the room with his robes billowing behind him.