Chapter 22 – Lily Always


"Hell and damnation!"

The words cut the air with venom, the anger behind them almost palpable.

"Did I not tell you it was Diana you were supposed to deal with? Yet you have instead chosen to poison the wife of my enemy, Professor Snape. Did you intend to make me his target, you incompetent fool?"

The minion trembled. "My lord, I went to her rooms, as you instructed. She was within – I carried out your instructions to the letter. She did not see through my disguise – the Polyjuice Potion saw to that. She drank the wine and became instantly drowsy, as you had said she would. I spoke the words exactly as you had instructed me. I left her rooms and made my escape from Hogwarts. I do not understand how it has come about that it was another witch, who is now in the infirmary, and that this Diana is fit and well."

"What you do not understand would fill a library of books, you fool. And what you do not understand is that I am now in a position of extreme delicacy. If Snape should find out that I am in any way implicated in this…." He paused delicately.

The servant fell to his knees. "My lord, it was not my fault. I did as you instructed. I will not speak of this to anyone, I swear."

Lucius looked at him. In the past he would have killed this fool without a second thought. But these days cringing servants of dubious morals were harder to come by – since the fall of Voldemort, there were few willing to enter his service. Not that they necessarily disagreed with his aims-- privately they may have done so. It was simply that they did not wish to be seen to align themselves with the losing side.

"I am merciful as always. You will repay me for my clemency by following all further instructions to the letter, at whatever cost to yourself."

"My lord is all forgiveness. I will gladly do anything in my power for my lord."

"Yes, you will." Lucius moved suddenly and, with a flick of his wand, the work was done. A Memory Charm, and the idiot had forgotten every detail of the task he had botched, only that somehow he had offended his lord and that he had sworn his life to his lord's service in recompense.

"Leave me now, but wait in the servants' quarters. I shall summon you when I am ready. Go!"

The servant backed hastily out of the room, glad to have escaped with his life.

Lucius sat back in his chair, his fingers steepled, his eyes closed. He reflected for a while. He cared not a whit for Severus' finer feelings about the health of his new wife. But he cared very much that he avoid being the target of vengeance from Snape that would be satisfied only with his own slow and painful death. He and Snape were enemies ideologically, yes, but this was different. If Snape were ever to suspect that he were in anyway involved in the fiasco…. It could not be allowed to happen.

In addition, he wanted Diana out of his life, but did not desire any harm to Jillian. A live bait is better than a dead one, he reflected, and a live Jillian could prove useful to him in any future activity involving her intolerable husband.

Snape was undoubtedly the greatest Potions Master of his generation. The power of his healing hands was fast becoming legendary -- Lucius knew that Snape was a far superior Healer than Poppy Pomfrey. Given time, Jillian might be saved…. But time was of the essence.

The potion that Lucius had instructed his idiot servant to administer to Diana had been one to induce a spontaneous abortion. The curse that had been uttered after it had been administered, though deliberately complex, was of less importance; its purpose was to mislead any attempt at aid. He did not want Diana killed – only the child she was carrying. Diana’s death would cause too much enquiry. But a miscarriage? These things happened all the time. Nobody would question it. Not that he was convinced the child was his -– she was a slut and the whole world knew it. But he could not take the chance. He could not permit the merest suspicion. His reputation as a connoisseur of fine things and his position among the upper echelons of old pureblood wizarding families were at stake.

He had paid handsomely for this potion –- from an alchemist in Knockturn Alley –- the sign above whose door read, 'Your Friendly Corner Alchemist', but it may as well have read, 'High Fees, No Questions Asked'. As an added guarantee, the alchemist knew that any indiscreet word from him would lead to the instant loss of all future commissions, followed in all probability by his sudden 'regrettable' death.

The problem was, this brew was intended to act on the unborn child and its physical bonds with its mother. There was no indication of its effects on a woman who was not with child. What the devil was in it? Lucius knew that Snape needed to be given the formula, so that he could work to counteract its apparently deadly potential.

And therein lay the difficulty –- not in getting the recipe from the alchemist –- a very hefty financial inducement coupled with the gentlest of unspoken threats should do it. The problem lay in relaying the information to Snape. Lucius could not quite picture how the scene would play out:

'Good morning, Severus. I regret that by the merest mistake I seem to be responsible for your wife being poisoned. Allow me to make amends by handing you the formula.'

That would not do.

And an offer to Severus of help from Lucius' own Healer would doubtless be refused. Snape would never allow any person in Lucius' pay near Jillian when she was so ill.

He could trust no-one with this –- failure was not to be contemplated and absolute secrecy was essential. Fastidious to a fault, Lucius never sullied his hands with his dirty work, but this time he would have to.

---

Knockturn Alley. Lucius exited the alchemist's premises, smiling. Stage one accomplished. Apparating back to his own sitting room, he took one of the two phials he had purchased and added to it a small hair from a secret store in his desk. One never knew when these kinds of things would come in useful and Lucius made sure that he always had a wide selection. Tossing back the contents of the phial, he sat down to wait. Within minutes the desired transformation was complete and, throwing a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace, he uttered the words, "Madam Pomfrey's office," and stepped in after the powder. If Poppy Pomfrey was in her own office when he arrived, so be it –- a quick Memory Charm and she would recall nothing. What was more important was that no-one else should see anyone in the office other than the supposed Madam Pomfrey herself. As he had expected though, the coast was clear. Madam Pomfrey could be relied on to be hard at work all day in the sick rooms, returning to her own office only to complete paperwork in the evening.

He placed the second phial he had purchased on her desk, together with a handwritten formula with instructions. Snape needed only the formula, but Lucius thought he may as well leave a dose ready for that slut Diana –- you never knew your luck; perhaps Severus would be so incensed when he realized what must have happened that he would administer it to her.

Stage two accomplished. All that was needed now was to get Pomfrey -- or indeed Snape -- back to her office quickly so that the formula would be found. A loud noise should do it. Lucius produced firecrackers from his pocket, lit them, and then exited the way he had arrived.

---

Severus thrust Rigorus out of the door, then knelt at his wife's bedside. Cradling her face in his hands, he whispered to her.

"Jillian, dearest wife, it is I, Severus. Please come back to me. I love you."

Jillian continued to mumble incoherently. Severus stroked her brow, his eyes filled with tears.

"I know you can hear me, Jillian, love knows no bounds. My voice can reach you wherever you are now. Jillian, darling, listen to me." His hands moved across her face and down over her shoulders. Despite the power of the preparation she had imbibed, it was the healing power of his hands that soothed her restless murmurings.

As he continued to stroke her hands, her eyelids fluttered, then opened.

"Severus," she whispered.

"I'm here, dearest one. Hush, don’t try to speak. I’m so sorry to have sent you back to Hogwarts. I cannot live without you by my side. Please come back to me."

She smiled faintly.

"Severus, I've already told you how happy I am that you have returned to Hogwarts and to me."

"Precious one, you have been dreaming. I have only just returned."

"Dreaming? Have I? But it seemed so real. I was in Diana’s sitting room here at Hogwarts, waiting for her to return. I wanted to ask her to leave you –- us –- alone. You came in--"

At this Severus sat froze inside, although he continued gently to caress his wife’s hands. She must not be startled, nor given further cause for stress.

"And what did I say to you, my love?" he asked softly.

"Just more or less what you said just then. That you were sorry you had sent me away to Hogwarts, you loved me and you wanted me by your side. You brought a bottle of butterbeer to celebrate. We toasted our reunion. Then…. I don't remember any more. I think I fell asleep."

With these words came loud bangs from the direction of Madam Pomfrey’s office.