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Scars, Part 24
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa; also a little Theodore/Blaise, Dylan/Hermione, and Aric/Takeshi
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III.
Summary: Snape and Lupin report to Arthur and the Aurors; the Macnairs and Greyback plan their next move.
Part 23
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
They all took the Floo to the Ministry and convened in Arthur's office, and Snape explained what he had learned in Romania.
"Greyback?!" Kingsley exclaimed in dismay. "Are you sure, Snape?"
"The man that I saw in the Director's mind was unmistakably Greyback," Snape replied irritably, looking rather offended. "The Dark Lord ordered me to conduct potions research on Greyback's pack, so I spent far more time in his presence than I would have liked. I will never forget his face."
"I didn't mean to question your word," Kingsley said gruffly. "It's just such a shock...we all thought that he was dead."
"Using Legilimency on someone without their consent is illegal," Percy said disapprovingly.
"So is running an unlicensed sanatorium, not to mention imprisoning someone against their will," Snape retorted. "But the next time I have to interview a suspect, I shall endeavor to coax the information out of them over tea and biscuits."
Arthur raised a hand to forestall Percy's retort. "Let's argue the ethics of this later, son. Right now we need to concentrate on catching Greyback."
"Besides, any...er...bending of the rules occurred in Romania, where the British Ministry has no jurisdiction," Lupin pointed out helpfully. Percy frowned, but kept his silence.
"So this Greyback...he was a Death Eater?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Not 'just' a Death Eater, Potter," Snape snapped. "He didn't join the Death Eaters because he believed in blood purity; as Lupin knows, most purebloods consider werewolves to be tainted. Greyback joined because he took pleasure in killing and torturing people, and the Dark Lord gave him free reign to do both. He was bloodthirsty and ruthless, and even his fellow Death Eaters feared him a little. Without the Dark Lord to keep him in line, he would have been just as much a threat to us as he was to the rest of the wizarding world."
"So who is controlling him now?" Tonks wondered.
"The Macnair twins?" Kingsley guessed. "Snape said he saw a man and a woman, and I never did trust those two."
"Their faces were unfamiliar, but they were probably using a glamor spell," Snape replied. "I can't prove that it was Warren and Imogen. If it was a magical disguise, I can't even prove that the woman was actually a woman. Someone with sufficient skill in Illusion spells can disguise themselves as a person of the opposite sex."
"Yes, but how likely is that?" Kingsley retorted. "Warren used to live in Romania; he could have found out about the sanatorium while he was apprenticed there. Maybe you just don't want to believe that your former students could be guilty."
"Kingsley..." Lupin said reprovingly.
"Of course I don't want them to be guilty," Snape said, sounding more weary than offended. "It would stir up more ill will against my Slytherins and cause trouble for the other Death Eater offspring, including my own son. But I can't deny that the twins are viable suspects, and I know that they must be investigated. The question is, how do you intend to do that?"
"We can't just ask them if they're guilty," Harry reasoned. "Obviously they wouldn't admit it if they were."
"As always, a master of the obvious, Potter," Snape said sarcastically.
Harry muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "As always, a master of sarcasm." Lupin lifted his hand to his face to hide a smile while Snape scowled at the boy.
"What was that, Potter?"
"So we'll keep surveillance on the Macnairs," Tonks said hastily. "And try to get a search warrant for their residence. Or do you think that we shouldn't tip them off that we're on to them?"
"I don't think that they'll be stupid enough to keep Greyback hidden in the basement, if that's what you're asking," Snape replied. "A search of the house is more than likely to turn up empty, but I don't think that you should delay investigating them. They already know that you're suspicious of them, and time is crucial. If the Dark Lord himself had trouble controlling Greyback, I don't think that the twins will be able to control him indefinitely. It's bad enough that he's simply killing on their orders now, but if he breaks free of their control, then he will go on a rampage that will make the current situation seem like a tea party. That's assuming that the Macnairs are the culprit, of course. We can't take the chance that someone else might be involved, so you'll have to investigate the other Death Eater families. Only a Death Eater high in the Dark Lord's favor would have been entrusted with the knowledge of Greyback's existence and location."
"Who was highest in his regard, then?" Kingsley demanded.
"Lucius Malfoy, but he's dead now, obviously," Snape replied, pausing to think over the question carefully. "You can ask Narcissa if he said anything about it to her, but I think she would have told me before this if he had. And of course there are the Lestranges, who are all dead save for Rabastan, who had no close friends or family members in the outside world, but you should still question him, as well as Macnair senior. Walden was in the Dark Lord's good graces for successfully negotiating the treaty with the giants. Mulciber was not particularly in favor during the second war, but he was one of the Dark Lord's earliest recruits in the old days, and he held high status during the first war. It's unlikely, but not impossible, that the Dark Lord might have confided the truth to him at the time he staged Greyback's death. Lestrange, Macnair, and Mulciber cannot have personally freed Greyback from Azkaban, of course, but they might have arranged for a relative or ally to do so."
"Macnair's the best suspect, if we still believe that Ash was targeted specifically," Harry declared, all the hours of examining school transcripts still fresh in his mind. "He's the only one close enough in age to have gone to school with Rosalind Madley. Lestrange is too young, and Mulciber is too old. Not to mention that Imogen Macnair works at the museum where the medallion was stolen."
"Mulciber has a son relatively close in age to Rosalind," Snape objected, more out of contrariness than anything else. "And it's not unheard of for an older man to seduce a young girl, or we could be mistaken about Mr. Randolf being the target...but I will agree that the evidence weighs most heavily towards the Macnair family."
"Fine," Kingsley said, a bit curtly. "We'll handle things from here; you can go back to Hogwarts." Tonks elbowed him in the side and gave him a pointed look, and he added, a bit grudgingly, "Thank you for your help, Snape."
"We really do appreciate it, Severus," Tonks said graciously.
"It was my pleasure," Snape replied, with ironic humor, then turned to Arthur. "You do realize that it won't be possible to keep this quiet for very long?"
Arthur sighed and nodded. "I fear if we tell the public that there's a former Death Eater werewolf on the loose who can transform at will, it will cause mass panic. But they will also be in danger if we don't warn them."
"Tell them that there's an unknown type of Dark Creature that's been prowling London," Snape advised. "That's true, in a sense--Greyback is no longer a normal werewolf; he's turned into something quite strange and unique."
"And deadly," Kingsley added grimly.
"We'll follow your advice for now, Severus," Arthur decided. "Thank you. And I hate to do this, because it smacks of something Fudge might have done, but I think that the Ministry should impose a curfew, since most of the attacks have taken place late at night. Everyone should be off the streets by say...ten o'clock?"
"Perhaps nine," Percy suggested. "Mrs. Abbott was accosted sometime between nine and ten p.m."
"Nine, then," Arthur agreed. "Please write up a proclamation, Percy, although I'm sure that the bar and pub owners will complain that I'm costing them business."
"Better that they lose a few Galleons than the lives of their customers," Percy said, a bit self-righteously, as he picked up a quill and a sheet of parchment. "Besides, it will only be temporary."
"That won't stop them from complaining," Arthur sighed. "But you're right; human lives are worth more than gold. We should also issue a warning that people should travel by Floo and Apparition as much as possible, especially at night. And I think it would be a good idea to arrange for teams of Aurors or Hit Wizards to patrol Diagon Alley."
"Yes, Minister," Percy replied.
Arthur smiled. "I keep telling you that it's not really necessary to call me 'Minister,' son."
"And I keep telling you that it's not professional for me to call you 'Dad' at work," Percy said primly. "I am here in my official capacity as your assistant, and I should behave appropriately. People will not respect me--or you--if I don't."
"You're right, son," Arthur admitted, still smiling. "Or should I say 'Mr. Weasley'? I wouldn't want to be unprofessional, after all."
Percy just rolled his eyes in a manner that was, perhaps, not completely professional, but no one commented on it, although Lupin chuckled.
"Well then, Severus and I will leave you to your work," he said.
"Warn your patrols to be careful," Snape told Arthur before they left. "I can't stress enough how dangerous Greyback is. As a mage, he's mediocre at best, but he has the strength and reflexes of a werewolf, along with an overpowering thirst for blood. He's already killed the two Aurors who were guarding Alden Madley, not to mention all the people he slew during the first war, and that was before he had the medallion. He'll be twice as dangerous now that he can transform at will."
"I understand, Severus," Arthur said solemnly.
Snape still wasn't sure that the Aurors were prepared to deal with Greyback, but there wasn't much more that he could do at the moment, so he just nodded and followed Lupin through the Floo back to Hogwarts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
It had been a very bad day for Warren Macnair. First, the Aurors had shown up with a warrant authorizing them to search the family residence. Greyback was hidden at the safe house, of course, and he and Imogen had been careful to remove any books or items that might be deemed unlawful, so the Aurors had left frustrated and empty-handed. But it had been humiliating to have his home searched by that blood traitor Shacklebolt, not to mention Andromeda's purple-haired half-breed slut, and worst of all, the half-blood brat who was responsible for destroying the Dark Lord and putting his father in prison. Shacklebolt had deliberately thrown out insulting remarks about Father, obviously hoping to provoke Warren into attacking and giving the Aurors an excuse to arrest him, but he had not risen to the bait.
But what really bothered him was the fact that the search warrant meant that they must have found some evidence pointing in the Macnairs' direction. Arthur Weasley was scrupulously fair, even towards his enemies--the more fool he--and he wouldn't have authorized a warrant on nothing more substantial than "the Macnair twins are the children of a Death Eater."
Naturally, the Aurors would not reveal exactly what they knew to him, but they questioned him about whether he and Imogen had traveled outside of the country recently, specifically to Romania--which meant it was likely that they had discovered the Romanian sanatorium, which meant they probably knew about Greyback. However, since he and Imogen were not under arrest, it must mean that they couldn't prove a connection between the Macnairs and the sanatorium.
So Warren took a chance and denied that he had ever left England. He had a plausible excuse for being in Romania--visiting his old mentor for a job reference--but if they knew about Greyback, it would sound like a very poor and thin excuse. The Aurors obviously didn't believe him, but eventually they left.
Imogen was similarly questioned at work by Dawlish, and she backed up Warren's story, as he instinctively knew she would, although he didn't have a chance to warn her. She was his twin, his closest companion since childhood, and she knew how he thought.
On top of all that, a message from Sebastien Delauney had been sent to him via the anonymous drop box that they used to communicate. The letter said that it was urgent that they meet, but did not say why. Already in a foul mood from the Aurors' visit, Warren was of half a mind to ignore the message. The French wizard, who had been a pliable pawn at first, had been getting above himself lately.
But Imogen said that he should find out what Delauney wanted, in case it really was something important, so Warren snuck out of the house to meet him. Since the Aurors were no doubt watching the house and monitoring the Floo Network, this entailed using a secret underground passage to get far enough off the property to Apparate to Diagon Alley. There was no law against Apparition, of course, but the Aurors were probably also monitoring any spells cast on the Macnair estate, and Warren didn't want them wondering where he was going.
"This had better be good, Delauney," Warren snarled, when he finally arrived at Delauney's room in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Oh, it is...Mr. Macnair," Delauney replied with a knowing smile.
"Wh...what?" Warren stammered. "How did you...?"
"Oh, I have my ways," Delauney replied in an infuriatingly smug voice. "Forgive me if I don't wish to give away any trade secrets. But imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that my dear patron comes from such an old and distinguished family."
Shock gave way to a murderous rage that must have shown on Warren's face, because Delauney turned pale and took a step backwards. "Now, now, please don't be angry, Mr. Macnair," the French wizard said hastily. "I beg your forgiveness for being so forward, but this is my life on the line, after all. Can you blame me for wanting to become the Snape heir in truth, for not wanting to return to a life of obscure poverty?"
"I paid you very well for your services!" Warren snapped. "And this is how you repay me?"
"Of course I am grateful to you, sir!" Delauney protested with a hurt look on his face. "I don't blame you for being angry, but if you can look at the situation objectively, I'm sure you'll agree that this could be a very beneficial alliance for both of us. For one thing, if I win the lawsuit, you will have deposed and outsmarted a former Death Eater, a man who was devious and clever enough not only to have survived the war, but to have made both sides think he was working solely for them. That will surely earn you the awe and respect of all the other pureblood families, even the ones who are opposed to you."
"Hmm," Warren said thoughtfully, grudgingly admitting to himself that the French bastard had a point, although he still didn't appreciate being blackmailed.
Encouraged, Delauney persisted, "Surely that will help elevate your status, which has been harmed by your father's arrest. Furthermore, in order to show my sincere gratitude, I swear to pledge the Snape family's wealth and backing to any future endeavors of the Macnair family."
"It's easy enough for you to make such a promise now, while you still need my help," Warren retorted. "And even easier for you to forget that promise, if and when you succeed in stealing the title away from Professor Snape."
"As I told you before, I will need your friendship more than ever, even after I win the lawsuit," Delauney reminded him. "The other pureblood families will look down on my questionable birth, and I will need the backing of an old, respected family in order to win their support." He smiled slyly. "Perhaps a marriage to a girl of good family would help to strengthen our alliance."
"You are not touching my sister, you bastard!" Warren roared, and Delauney took another step back, holding up his hands in a placating gesture, but he didn't look quite as nervous as he had before.
"It was only a suggestion," Delauney said soothingly. "As a gentleman, I would never force a lady against her will, of course, but if she were amenable to the idea..." His let his voice trail off, then he shrugged casually and changed the subject. "But I suppose I am getting ahead of myself. For now, we should concentrate on winning the trial, don't you think?" When Warren remained silent, fuming sullenly, Delauney added, "I am sure the Snapes would be quite interested to learn the identity of my patron...but of course I would never reveal that information, since we are such good friends."
"Of course," Warren replied, feigning a conciliatory smile. "You are right; we should concentrate on the trial for now. There are a few key members of the Wizengamot that I think can be brought around to our side, but it will take some time to contact them and arrange a proper bribe. That two week recess might work out in our favor, after all."
"Then I shall leave the arrangements in your capable hands," Delauney said, bowing slightly with a gracious air. "But I would appreciate it if you would keep me informed."
"Of course," Warren repeated, returning the bow. "We are allies, after all." The two men smiled at each other with equal amounts of insincerity, and Warren returned home to inform his sister of this new development.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Greyback was not really surprised when the Macnair twins turned up unexpectedly at the safe house. They hadn't planned this meeting ahead of time, but he had anticipated that his attack on Bill Weasley would generate a lot of publicity, and that the twins would want to talk to him about it. He had thought that they might be angry that he hadn't managed to finish the job and kill the Weasley boys, but he was prepared to argue that tainting a Weasley son with lycanthropy was even better than killing him outright. The public might have some sympathy for a father who'd lost his son, but they'd feel fear and revulsion towards a pureblood who had been tainted and turned into a monster.
However, it turned out that they were much more concerned about the Aurors possibly having discovered his identity through the Romanian sanatorium, and about Sebastien Delauney's blackmail attempt. Warren was mainly concerned with the latter, ranting on about how ungrateful that damned French bastard was.
"He actually had the nerve to suggest that I marry you off to him, Imogen! As if I'd give my precious sister to that bastard whoreson!"
"WHAT?!" Greyback roared, leaping to his feet, his mind clouded in a red blur of rage. The wolf wanted to tear apart the man who would dare to try and steal his mate away from him!
"Calm down, both of you," Imogen said, a little irritably. "For one thing, Warren, technically, Delauney is not a bastard. His parents were legally married before his birth; it is his father who was illegitimate."
"You're not saying that you're seriously considering his offer, are you?!" her brother demanded indignantly.
"Of course not," Imogen replied coolly. "I am merely saying that we must consider the situation logically and with clear minds if we are to deal with the problem effectively."
"And don't you forget your place, werewolf," Warren snarled, taking out his ill temper on Greyback. "My sister is not for the likes of you, either."
"I know that," Greyback growled sullenly, his rage dimming down enough for him to think rationally once more. He couldn't even touch Imogen without breaking the Vow and killing himself, but still...his inner wolf kept insisting that she was his, damn it! Even if he couldn't have her, he wouldn't let some prissy little French bastard take her away from him!
He and Warren glared at each other in mutual resentment while Imogen sighed impatiently. It occurred to Greyback that Warren was a little more overprotective than even a loving brother would normally be. Not that it was out of character for a pureblood man to object to giving his sister to either a whore's grandson or a werewolf, but it was a little odd that Imogen, a daughter of an old and traditional family, had not yet been married, or at least betrothed, to a pureblood man of similar rank. The daughters of the pureblood elite were used to make marriage alliances, but perhaps there had been no marriage offers because of Walden Macnair's arrest. Or perhaps it was because Imogen had been acting as chatelaine of the manor in her late mother's place, and her father and brother would have to hire a housekeeper if she left to live with a husband. Or maybe it was because they were twins who had grown up without a mother, and who had now lost their father to prison, but whatever the reason, the closeness between the twins bordered on the incestuous. Greyback didn't think that they had actually crossed that line, although he knew from experience that the purebloods could be perverts, but he also suspected that Warren would never consider any man worthy of his sister, no matter how wealthy or high-ranking or pure of blood he was.
Imogen sighed again, a little more dramatically this time, and Greyback turned to her, mastering his anger, and bowed politely. He'd show her that he could be more levelheaded than her brother, and perhaps he could win a bit of favor that way. "I beg your pardon, my Lady," he said smoothly. "How do you wish to deal with the traitor? I would be happy to take care of him for you, if you like."
"The way you took care of Bill Weasley?" Warren sneered, and Greyback had to grind his teeth together to keep from responding with a sharp retort. A low, wordless growl escaped from his lips, but Greyback was impressed with his own self-control. It was a pity Warren couldn't recognize that; in the old days, he probably would have lashed out and struck the boy, Unbreakable Vow or not.
"Let us not argue with each other right now," Imogen said impatiently. "Although you did underestimate the Weasleys, Greyback." Warren smirked and Greyback scowled at him. "However, the attack on Bill Weasley did more good than harm, in the end," Imogen continued, and it was Warren's turn to scowl. "You proved that the Minister cannot even protect his own family, and none of the conservative purebloods will back anyone whose bloodline is tainted, if it turns out that you did indeed infect Bill. And even many of the half-bloods and Mudbloods fear werewolves, so your mistake worked in our favor, Greyback. But do not underestimate the Weasley clan again. They are blood traitors, and they act like fools at times, but the older boys are accomplished mages. Even those idiot twins show a remarkable ingenuity at crafting new spells and magic items, although they're wasting their talents on that joke shop. And even the youngest two fought in the Final Battle and managed to survive, so any future attacks on the Weasleys must be carefully planned out in advance."
Greyback hated being shamed in front of Warren like this, but arguing further would only cause him to lose more face, so he just murmured, "Yes, my Lady."
Imogen smiled, looking surprised and pleased by the lack of an argument, and she continued, "Getting back to the problem with our French friend, it is obvious that we have to get rid of him. The Aurors are suspicious enough of us as it is, without them connecting us to the lawsuit against Snape."
"So do you want me to kill him?" Greyback asked hopefully.
"Yes, but not as a werewolf," Imogen replied. "I want him killed in a way that will make Snape a suspect."
"Ah, you think we should poison him, then!" Warren exclaimed with an approving smile.
"Exactly," Imogen agreed. "Greyback, I'll give you a Polyjuice Potion so that you can disguise yourself as Warren so he won't suspect you. He'll probably be too careful to willingly drink anything you offer, but use an Imperius Curse or stun him and pour it down his throat--whatever you have to do to make him drink it. Just don't bite him or otherwise physically damage his body in any noticeable manner."
"You take all the fun out of murder," Greyback complained. "But I will follow my Lady's orders."
Now that they had decided what to do with Delauney, Warren turned his attention back to their other problem. "Now what do we do about Greyback? If the Aurors are aware of his identity, then Ash Randolf can no longer be blamed for the murder of his parents. Not to mention that we'll be joining Father in Azkaban if they discover that we're the ones who freed him."
Imogen pursed her lips thoughtfully. "The Ministry doesn't seem to be advertising Greyback as a suspect in the press. Either they're not aware that the werewolf freed from the sanatorium is Greyback, or more likely, they don't want to create a panic by telling the public that a former Death Eater is at large--and one who can transform into a werewolf at any time of the month, to boot. All they've stated publicly is that Bill Weasley was attacked by an unknown Dark Creature, although the Daily Prophet is running rampant with wild rumors and speculation."
Warren began pacing nervously around the room. "They don't have enough evidence to arrest us yet, but if they found the sanatorium, it may only be a matter of time before they trace Greyback's release back to us. Or Arthur Weasley may become desperate enough to pull a Fudge and have us arrested without any hard evidence. There's certainly enough circumstantial evidence against us--the fact that Father is a Death Eater, and I used to live in Romania, and you work at the museum. That would have been enough to have us locked up during the first war."
"Arthur Weasley will never give up his Gryffindor ideals," Imogen disagreed. "If you look at his history over the years, he has been surprisingly stubborn, even courageous in his own nobly foolish way. Not once has he ever curried favor with Fudge and his cronies, and he refused to renounce his loyalty to Dumbledore, even when it kept him trapped in a low-paying job, and with all those brats to support, too. And he joined the Order of the Phoenix knowing that the Death Eaters wiped out entire families during the first war."
"You almost sound as if you admire him," Warren said incredulously.
"Not at all," Imogen replied calmly. "But it is always wise to evaluate your enemy's strengths as well as his weaknesses, dear brother. So getting back to my original point...we are not in danger of being arrested just yet, but we are running out of time. I would like to consult with Father, but I fear that will not be possible since the guards have been monitoring our visits very closely ever since the museum break-in."
"I think that Greyback should step up the pace of his killings," Warren said firmly. "Let us throw the wizarding world into chaos and leave no doubt in the public's mind that the 'unknown Dark Creature' is a werewolf. And I think that he should challenge Cyril Diggory for control of the werewolf pack very soon."
Imogen paused to consider her brother's suggestions. "It is very risky, but I think you are right," she eventually conceded. "We will be harder to oppose with the strength of an entire werewolf pack behind us."
{Finally!} Greyback silently exulted, feeling the wolf's hunger and eagerness rising within him. Finally he would be free to unleash the wolf and hunt to his heart's content!
The look on his face caused Warren to turn pale, and even Imogen looked a little shaken, although she quickly recovered and regarded him once again with her usual cool expression. "You may hunt," she told Greyback. "But be sure to take care of Delauney first. And let there be no more mistakes like Bill Weasley. Take single targets, and stay away from Order members and Aurors for now. It will cause more panic if you kill helpless civilians, anyway."
"Yes, my Lady," Greyback replied meekly, but his fierce, toothy grin caused the twins to blanch again.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Delauney opened the door willingly enough for "Warren," although he greeted his guest with an upraised wand.
"Relax," Greyback said, holding up his empty hands to show that he was unarmed. "I'm only here to talk. I have news about the lawsuit."
"Forgive me," Delauney said, slowly lowering his wand. "I thought for a moment that perhaps you had come to take revenge on me for discovering your identity."
Greyback permitted himself only a small smile, fighting to keep his wolfish glee from showing on Warren's face. "Fortunately for you, the Macnair family cannot afford to be connected to a murder right now," he said with complete truthfulness. He added silently, {Which is why they sent me.}
Delauney pocketed his wand and sat down, although he still kept a wary eye on Greyback. "So what news do you bring?"
"There is a man on the Wizengamot named Pritchard," Greyback replied smoothly, giving the cover story that Imogen had created. "He is terrified of werewolves, having been the victim of an attack several months ago. Well, actually it wasn't a true werewolf attack, but one staged by an enemy of the local werewolf pack. It's a bit complicated, but apparently the experience left him so traumatized that he hates all werewolves, even though it wasn't a real werewolf that attacked him. And since Snape's lover is a werewolf, he is willing to aid our cause and work to persuade his fellow Wizengamot members to vote in our favor--in exchange for a generous bribe, of course."
"Of course I shall repay you once the Snape estate is mine," Delauney promised.
"That isn't necessary," Greyback said. "What I want is for you to back my efforts in removing Arthur Weasley from the Ministry once you become the Snape Lord." That was also part of Imogen's script, to set the French wizard at ease, since he would feel safe as long as he was still of use to the Macnair family.
Apparently it worked, because Delauney relaxed further and smiled. "That would be my pleasure."
"Shall we share a celebratory drink, then?" Greyback asked, reaching into his pocket.
Delauney pulled out his wand again, but he lowered it once he saw that Greyback wasn't pulling a wand out of his robes, only a small bottle of expensive brandy. "Forgive me, my dear patron," he said with a cynical smile. "But I fear I would not feel safe eating or drinking anything that you offered."
Greyback shrugged; it had been worth a try. "Not even if I drank from it first?"
"No, because you could have taken an antidote beforehand," Delauney replied matter-of-factly.
{Cynical bastard,} Greyback thought, but he was right; Greyback had taken the antidote on the off chance that he'd be able to trick the French wizard into drinking the poisoned brandy willingly. Too bad for Delauney that he was smart enough to spot the danger but not smart enough to save himself. Then again, a truly smart man would never have tried to blackmail the son of a Death Eater, so he deserved whatever he got.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but one way or the other, you're drinking this," Greyback growled, lunging forward. Delauney tried to raise his wand, but he was no match for werewolf speed, and Greyback's fingers were firmly wrapped around the other man's wrist before he could manage to fire off a spell. Greyback squeezed a little tighter, and Delauney cried out in pain, dropping his wand.
"Who...who are you?" Delauney whispered, his eyes wide with fear. "You aren't Macnair."
{The Polyjuice must be wearing off,} Greyback thought to himself, and confirmed it when he glanced down and saw his own hand, much larger than Warren's, wrapped around Delauney's wrist. Well, the potion had served its purpose, and Delauney wouldn't live long enough to reveal his identity or Warren's to anyone else.
"I'm Greyback," he said, and when the French wizard stared at him blankly, he added, "a former Death Eater and comrade of Warren's father. Not that it really matters at this point, I suppose, but I thought you ought to know the name of the man who's going to kill you."
Delauney began to plead and whimper, and Greyback stared at him in disgust. Imogen was more of a man than this pathetic creature--not that she would consider that a compliment. He increased the pressure on Delauney's wrist, feeling fragile human bones beginning to give beneath his grip, but eased off at the last second before they snapped. He wished that he could play with his prey a little longer, but Imogen had ordered him not to physically damage Delauney.
He snatched up the fallen wand and cast an Imperius Curse on Delauney with it. That was a nice piece of irony, that Delauney should die from a spell cast by his own wand.
Greyback poured out two glasses of brandy and set one in front of Delauney. "Drink it," he ordered, and the French wizard slowly reached out for the glass, his hands trembling as he tried to fight off the spell.
"Drink it!" Greyback barked. "Or I'll pour it down your damned throat!"
Delauney whined and pleaded and perhaps even threatened, but his words were rendered nearly incoherent by his sobs of despair, not to mention his accent, which had grown thicker with fear, and Greyback had no interest in trying to decipher the French wizard's whining. "Oh, shut up!" he snarled, and Delauney fell silent, although tears continued to stream down his face, and his eyes begged desperately for mercy. Too bad for him that Greyback didn't have any.
"Drink the goddamned brandy!"
With a final wordless sob, Delauney lifted the glass to his lips, drank it, and then slumped back in his chair, the glass falling out of his hands and shattering on the floor. Greyback waited a few minutes to make sure that he was really dead, then quietly departed and set out in search of more interesting prey.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, because of the new curfew, the streets were nearly empty that night, and Greyback was almost spotted by one of the Aurors patrolling Diagon Alley. Luck was with him, however, because he saw the Auror first, and managed to duck out of sight in time.
So he decided to try his luck in Knockturn Alley, where the inhabitants were more willing to take risks and less inclined to obey the Ministry's directives. But even that refuge for the scum of the wizarding world was deserted, and Greyback was about to give up and call it a night when he was approached by a thin, diseased-looking whore.
"How about a date, handsome?" she asked hopefully. Her eyes had the glazed look of a potion addict, which was no doubt why she was out walking the street when there were "Dark Creatures" on the loose, hoping to earn a few Knuts towards her next fix.
Well, beggars couldn't be choosers, Greyback supposed. He reached into his pocket and held up a shiny Galleon, and the whore's eyes lit up with a kind of desperate greed. She was so transfixed by the gold coin that she didn't notice how predatory and wolfish Greyback's smile was.
"Of course, my dear," Greyback purred. "But let us go somewhere more private..."
Part 25
They all took the Floo to the Ministry and convened in Arthur's office, and Snape explained what he had learned in Romania.
"Greyback?!" Kingsley exclaimed in dismay. "Are you sure, Snape?"
"The man that I saw in the Director's mind was unmistakably Greyback," Snape replied irritably, looking rather offended. "The Dark Lord ordered me to conduct potions research on Greyback's pack, so I spent far more time in his presence than I would have liked. I will never forget his face."
"I didn't mean to question your word," Kingsley said gruffly. "It's just such a shock...we all thought that he was dead."
"Using Legilimency on someone without their consent is illegal," Percy said disapprovingly.
"So is running an unlicensed sanatorium, not to mention imprisoning someone against their will," Snape retorted. "But the next time I have to interview a suspect, I shall endeavor to coax the information out of them over tea and biscuits."
Arthur raised a hand to forestall Percy's retort. "Let's argue the ethics of this later, son. Right now we need to concentrate on catching Greyback."
"Besides, any...er...bending of the rules occurred in Romania, where the British Ministry has no jurisdiction," Lupin pointed out helpfully. Percy frowned, but kept his silence.
"So this Greyback...he was a Death Eater?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Not 'just' a Death Eater, Potter," Snape snapped. "He didn't join the Death Eaters because he believed in blood purity; as Lupin knows, most purebloods consider werewolves to be tainted. Greyback joined because he took pleasure in killing and torturing people, and the Dark Lord gave him free reign to do both. He was bloodthirsty and ruthless, and even his fellow Death Eaters feared him a little. Without the Dark Lord to keep him in line, he would have been just as much a threat to us as he was to the rest of the wizarding world."
"So who is controlling him now?" Tonks wondered.
"The Macnair twins?" Kingsley guessed. "Snape said he saw a man and a woman, and I never did trust those two."
"Their faces were unfamiliar, but they were probably using a glamor spell," Snape replied. "I can't prove that it was Warren and Imogen. If it was a magical disguise, I can't even prove that the woman was actually a woman. Someone with sufficient skill in Illusion spells can disguise themselves as a person of the opposite sex."
"Yes, but how likely is that?" Kingsley retorted. "Warren used to live in Romania; he could have found out about the sanatorium while he was apprenticed there. Maybe you just don't want to believe that your former students could be guilty."
"Kingsley..." Lupin said reprovingly.
"Of course I don't want them to be guilty," Snape said, sounding more weary than offended. "It would stir up more ill will against my Slytherins and cause trouble for the other Death Eater offspring, including my own son. But I can't deny that the twins are viable suspects, and I know that they must be investigated. The question is, how do you intend to do that?"
"We can't just ask them if they're guilty," Harry reasoned. "Obviously they wouldn't admit it if they were."
"As always, a master of the obvious, Potter," Snape said sarcastically.
Harry muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "As always, a master of sarcasm." Lupin lifted his hand to his face to hide a smile while Snape scowled at the boy.
"What was that, Potter?"
"So we'll keep surveillance on the Macnairs," Tonks said hastily. "And try to get a search warrant for their residence. Or do you think that we shouldn't tip them off that we're on to them?"
"I don't think that they'll be stupid enough to keep Greyback hidden in the basement, if that's what you're asking," Snape replied. "A search of the house is more than likely to turn up empty, but I don't think that you should delay investigating them. They already know that you're suspicious of them, and time is crucial. If the Dark Lord himself had trouble controlling Greyback, I don't think that the twins will be able to control him indefinitely. It's bad enough that he's simply killing on their orders now, but if he breaks free of their control, then he will go on a rampage that will make the current situation seem like a tea party. That's assuming that the Macnairs are the culprit, of course. We can't take the chance that someone else might be involved, so you'll have to investigate the other Death Eater families. Only a Death Eater high in the Dark Lord's favor would have been entrusted with the knowledge of Greyback's existence and location."
"Who was highest in his regard, then?" Kingsley demanded.
"Lucius Malfoy, but he's dead now, obviously," Snape replied, pausing to think over the question carefully. "You can ask Narcissa if he said anything about it to her, but I think she would have told me before this if he had. And of course there are the Lestranges, who are all dead save for Rabastan, who had no close friends or family members in the outside world, but you should still question him, as well as Macnair senior. Walden was in the Dark Lord's good graces for successfully negotiating the treaty with the giants. Mulciber was not particularly in favor during the second war, but he was one of the Dark Lord's earliest recruits in the old days, and he held high status during the first war. It's unlikely, but not impossible, that the Dark Lord might have confided the truth to him at the time he staged Greyback's death. Lestrange, Macnair, and Mulciber cannot have personally freed Greyback from Azkaban, of course, but they might have arranged for a relative or ally to do so."
"Macnair's the best suspect, if we still believe that Ash was targeted specifically," Harry declared, all the hours of examining school transcripts still fresh in his mind. "He's the only one close enough in age to have gone to school with Rosalind Madley. Lestrange is too young, and Mulciber is too old. Not to mention that Imogen Macnair works at the museum where the medallion was stolen."
"Mulciber has a son relatively close in age to Rosalind," Snape objected, more out of contrariness than anything else. "And it's not unheard of for an older man to seduce a young girl, or we could be mistaken about Mr. Randolf being the target...but I will agree that the evidence weighs most heavily towards the Macnair family."
"Fine," Kingsley said, a bit curtly. "We'll handle things from here; you can go back to Hogwarts." Tonks elbowed him in the side and gave him a pointed look, and he added, a bit grudgingly, "Thank you for your help, Snape."
"We really do appreciate it, Severus," Tonks said graciously.
"It was my pleasure," Snape replied, with ironic humor, then turned to Arthur. "You do realize that it won't be possible to keep this quiet for very long?"
Arthur sighed and nodded. "I fear if we tell the public that there's a former Death Eater werewolf on the loose who can transform at will, it will cause mass panic. But they will also be in danger if we don't warn them."
"Tell them that there's an unknown type of Dark Creature that's been prowling London," Snape advised. "That's true, in a sense--Greyback is no longer a normal werewolf; he's turned into something quite strange and unique."
"And deadly," Kingsley added grimly.
"We'll follow your advice for now, Severus," Arthur decided. "Thank you. And I hate to do this, because it smacks of something Fudge might have done, but I think that the Ministry should impose a curfew, since most of the attacks have taken place late at night. Everyone should be off the streets by say...ten o'clock?"
"Perhaps nine," Percy suggested. "Mrs. Abbott was accosted sometime between nine and ten p.m."
"Nine, then," Arthur agreed. "Please write up a proclamation, Percy, although I'm sure that the bar and pub owners will complain that I'm costing them business."
"Better that they lose a few Galleons than the lives of their customers," Percy said, a bit self-righteously, as he picked up a quill and a sheet of parchment. "Besides, it will only be temporary."
"That won't stop them from complaining," Arthur sighed. "But you're right; human lives are worth more than gold. We should also issue a warning that people should travel by Floo and Apparition as much as possible, especially at night. And I think it would be a good idea to arrange for teams of Aurors or Hit Wizards to patrol Diagon Alley."
"Yes, Minister," Percy replied.
Arthur smiled. "I keep telling you that it's not really necessary to call me 'Minister,' son."
"And I keep telling you that it's not professional for me to call you 'Dad' at work," Percy said primly. "I am here in my official capacity as your assistant, and I should behave appropriately. People will not respect me--or you--if I don't."
"You're right, son," Arthur admitted, still smiling. "Or should I say 'Mr. Weasley'? I wouldn't want to be unprofessional, after all."
Percy just rolled his eyes in a manner that was, perhaps, not completely professional, but no one commented on it, although Lupin chuckled.
"Well then, Severus and I will leave you to your work," he said.
"Warn your patrols to be careful," Snape told Arthur before they left. "I can't stress enough how dangerous Greyback is. As a mage, he's mediocre at best, but he has the strength and reflexes of a werewolf, along with an overpowering thirst for blood. He's already killed the two Aurors who were guarding Alden Madley, not to mention all the people he slew during the first war, and that was before he had the medallion. He'll be twice as dangerous now that he can transform at will."
"I understand, Severus," Arthur said solemnly.
Snape still wasn't sure that the Aurors were prepared to deal with Greyback, but there wasn't much more that he could do at the moment, so he just nodded and followed Lupin through the Floo back to Hogwarts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
It had been a very bad day for Warren Macnair. First, the Aurors had shown up with a warrant authorizing them to search the family residence. Greyback was hidden at the safe house, of course, and he and Imogen had been careful to remove any books or items that might be deemed unlawful, so the Aurors had left frustrated and empty-handed. But it had been humiliating to have his home searched by that blood traitor Shacklebolt, not to mention Andromeda's purple-haired half-breed slut, and worst of all, the half-blood brat who was responsible for destroying the Dark Lord and putting his father in prison. Shacklebolt had deliberately thrown out insulting remarks about Father, obviously hoping to provoke Warren into attacking and giving the Aurors an excuse to arrest him, but he had not risen to the bait.
But what really bothered him was the fact that the search warrant meant that they must have found some evidence pointing in the Macnairs' direction. Arthur Weasley was scrupulously fair, even towards his enemies--the more fool he--and he wouldn't have authorized a warrant on nothing more substantial than "the Macnair twins are the children of a Death Eater."
Naturally, the Aurors would not reveal exactly what they knew to him, but they questioned him about whether he and Imogen had traveled outside of the country recently, specifically to Romania--which meant it was likely that they had discovered the Romanian sanatorium, which meant they probably knew about Greyback. However, since he and Imogen were not under arrest, it must mean that they couldn't prove a connection between the Macnairs and the sanatorium.
So Warren took a chance and denied that he had ever left England. He had a plausible excuse for being in Romania--visiting his old mentor for a job reference--but if they knew about Greyback, it would sound like a very poor and thin excuse. The Aurors obviously didn't believe him, but eventually they left.
Imogen was similarly questioned at work by Dawlish, and she backed up Warren's story, as he instinctively knew she would, although he didn't have a chance to warn her. She was his twin, his closest companion since childhood, and she knew how he thought.
On top of all that, a message from Sebastien Delauney had been sent to him via the anonymous drop box that they used to communicate. The letter said that it was urgent that they meet, but did not say why. Already in a foul mood from the Aurors' visit, Warren was of half a mind to ignore the message. The French wizard, who had been a pliable pawn at first, had been getting above himself lately.
But Imogen said that he should find out what Delauney wanted, in case it really was something important, so Warren snuck out of the house to meet him. Since the Aurors were no doubt watching the house and monitoring the Floo Network, this entailed using a secret underground passage to get far enough off the property to Apparate to Diagon Alley. There was no law against Apparition, of course, but the Aurors were probably also monitoring any spells cast on the Macnair estate, and Warren didn't want them wondering where he was going.
"This had better be good, Delauney," Warren snarled, when he finally arrived at Delauney's room in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Oh, it is...Mr. Macnair," Delauney replied with a knowing smile.
"Wh...what?" Warren stammered. "How did you...?"
"Oh, I have my ways," Delauney replied in an infuriatingly smug voice. "Forgive me if I don't wish to give away any trade secrets. But imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that my dear patron comes from such an old and distinguished family."
Shock gave way to a murderous rage that must have shown on Warren's face, because Delauney turned pale and took a step backwards. "Now, now, please don't be angry, Mr. Macnair," the French wizard said hastily. "I beg your forgiveness for being so forward, but this is my life on the line, after all. Can you blame me for wanting to become the Snape heir in truth, for not wanting to return to a life of obscure poverty?"
"I paid you very well for your services!" Warren snapped. "And this is how you repay me?"
"Of course I am grateful to you, sir!" Delauney protested with a hurt look on his face. "I don't blame you for being angry, but if you can look at the situation objectively, I'm sure you'll agree that this could be a very beneficial alliance for both of us. For one thing, if I win the lawsuit, you will have deposed and outsmarted a former Death Eater, a man who was devious and clever enough not only to have survived the war, but to have made both sides think he was working solely for them. That will surely earn you the awe and respect of all the other pureblood families, even the ones who are opposed to you."
"Hmm," Warren said thoughtfully, grudgingly admitting to himself that the French bastard had a point, although he still didn't appreciate being blackmailed.
Encouraged, Delauney persisted, "Surely that will help elevate your status, which has been harmed by your father's arrest. Furthermore, in order to show my sincere gratitude, I swear to pledge the Snape family's wealth and backing to any future endeavors of the Macnair family."
"It's easy enough for you to make such a promise now, while you still need my help," Warren retorted. "And even easier for you to forget that promise, if and when you succeed in stealing the title away from Professor Snape."
"As I told you before, I will need your friendship more than ever, even after I win the lawsuit," Delauney reminded him. "The other pureblood families will look down on my questionable birth, and I will need the backing of an old, respected family in order to win their support." He smiled slyly. "Perhaps a marriage to a girl of good family would help to strengthen our alliance."
"You are not touching my sister, you bastard!" Warren roared, and Delauney took another step back, holding up his hands in a placating gesture, but he didn't look quite as nervous as he had before.
"It was only a suggestion," Delauney said soothingly. "As a gentleman, I would never force a lady against her will, of course, but if she were amenable to the idea..." His let his voice trail off, then he shrugged casually and changed the subject. "But I suppose I am getting ahead of myself. For now, we should concentrate on winning the trial, don't you think?" When Warren remained silent, fuming sullenly, Delauney added, "I am sure the Snapes would be quite interested to learn the identity of my patron...but of course I would never reveal that information, since we are such good friends."
"Of course," Warren replied, feigning a conciliatory smile. "You are right; we should concentrate on the trial for now. There are a few key members of the Wizengamot that I think can be brought around to our side, but it will take some time to contact them and arrange a proper bribe. That two week recess might work out in our favor, after all."
"Then I shall leave the arrangements in your capable hands," Delauney said, bowing slightly with a gracious air. "But I would appreciate it if you would keep me informed."
"Of course," Warren repeated, returning the bow. "We are allies, after all." The two men smiled at each other with equal amounts of insincerity, and Warren returned home to inform his sister of this new development.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Greyback was not really surprised when the Macnair twins turned up unexpectedly at the safe house. They hadn't planned this meeting ahead of time, but he had anticipated that his attack on Bill Weasley would generate a lot of publicity, and that the twins would want to talk to him about it. He had thought that they might be angry that he hadn't managed to finish the job and kill the Weasley boys, but he was prepared to argue that tainting a Weasley son with lycanthropy was even better than killing him outright. The public might have some sympathy for a father who'd lost his son, but they'd feel fear and revulsion towards a pureblood who had been tainted and turned into a monster.
However, it turned out that they were much more concerned about the Aurors possibly having discovered his identity through the Romanian sanatorium, and about Sebastien Delauney's blackmail attempt. Warren was mainly concerned with the latter, ranting on about how ungrateful that damned French bastard was.
"He actually had the nerve to suggest that I marry you off to him, Imogen! As if I'd give my precious sister to that bastard whoreson!"
"WHAT?!" Greyback roared, leaping to his feet, his mind clouded in a red blur of rage. The wolf wanted to tear apart the man who would dare to try and steal his mate away from him!
"Calm down, both of you," Imogen said, a little irritably. "For one thing, Warren, technically, Delauney is not a bastard. His parents were legally married before his birth; it is his father who was illegitimate."
"You're not saying that you're seriously considering his offer, are you?!" her brother demanded indignantly.
"Of course not," Imogen replied coolly. "I am merely saying that we must consider the situation logically and with clear minds if we are to deal with the problem effectively."
"And don't you forget your place, werewolf," Warren snarled, taking out his ill temper on Greyback. "My sister is not for the likes of you, either."
"I know that," Greyback growled sullenly, his rage dimming down enough for him to think rationally once more. He couldn't even touch Imogen without breaking the Vow and killing himself, but still...his inner wolf kept insisting that she was his, damn it! Even if he couldn't have her, he wouldn't let some prissy little French bastard take her away from him!
He and Warren glared at each other in mutual resentment while Imogen sighed impatiently. It occurred to Greyback that Warren was a little more overprotective than even a loving brother would normally be. Not that it was out of character for a pureblood man to object to giving his sister to either a whore's grandson or a werewolf, but it was a little odd that Imogen, a daughter of an old and traditional family, had not yet been married, or at least betrothed, to a pureblood man of similar rank. The daughters of the pureblood elite were used to make marriage alliances, but perhaps there had been no marriage offers because of Walden Macnair's arrest. Or perhaps it was because Imogen had been acting as chatelaine of the manor in her late mother's place, and her father and brother would have to hire a housekeeper if she left to live with a husband. Or maybe it was because they were twins who had grown up without a mother, and who had now lost their father to prison, but whatever the reason, the closeness between the twins bordered on the incestuous. Greyback didn't think that they had actually crossed that line, although he knew from experience that the purebloods could be perverts, but he also suspected that Warren would never consider any man worthy of his sister, no matter how wealthy or high-ranking or pure of blood he was.
Imogen sighed again, a little more dramatically this time, and Greyback turned to her, mastering his anger, and bowed politely. He'd show her that he could be more levelheaded than her brother, and perhaps he could win a bit of favor that way. "I beg your pardon, my Lady," he said smoothly. "How do you wish to deal with the traitor? I would be happy to take care of him for you, if you like."
"The way you took care of Bill Weasley?" Warren sneered, and Greyback had to grind his teeth together to keep from responding with a sharp retort. A low, wordless growl escaped from his lips, but Greyback was impressed with his own self-control. It was a pity Warren couldn't recognize that; in the old days, he probably would have lashed out and struck the boy, Unbreakable Vow or not.
"Let us not argue with each other right now," Imogen said impatiently. "Although you did underestimate the Weasleys, Greyback." Warren smirked and Greyback scowled at him. "However, the attack on Bill Weasley did more good than harm, in the end," Imogen continued, and it was Warren's turn to scowl. "You proved that the Minister cannot even protect his own family, and none of the conservative purebloods will back anyone whose bloodline is tainted, if it turns out that you did indeed infect Bill. And even many of the half-bloods and Mudbloods fear werewolves, so your mistake worked in our favor, Greyback. But do not underestimate the Weasley clan again. They are blood traitors, and they act like fools at times, but the older boys are accomplished mages. Even those idiot twins show a remarkable ingenuity at crafting new spells and magic items, although they're wasting their talents on that joke shop. And even the youngest two fought in the Final Battle and managed to survive, so any future attacks on the Weasleys must be carefully planned out in advance."
Greyback hated being shamed in front of Warren like this, but arguing further would only cause him to lose more face, so he just murmured, "Yes, my Lady."
Imogen smiled, looking surprised and pleased by the lack of an argument, and she continued, "Getting back to the problem with our French friend, it is obvious that we have to get rid of him. The Aurors are suspicious enough of us as it is, without them connecting us to the lawsuit against Snape."
"So do you want me to kill him?" Greyback asked hopefully.
"Yes, but not as a werewolf," Imogen replied. "I want him killed in a way that will make Snape a suspect."
"Ah, you think we should poison him, then!" Warren exclaimed with an approving smile.
"Exactly," Imogen agreed. "Greyback, I'll give you a Polyjuice Potion so that you can disguise yourself as Warren so he won't suspect you. He'll probably be too careful to willingly drink anything you offer, but use an Imperius Curse or stun him and pour it down his throat--whatever you have to do to make him drink it. Just don't bite him or otherwise physically damage his body in any noticeable manner."
"You take all the fun out of murder," Greyback complained. "But I will follow my Lady's orders."
Now that they had decided what to do with Delauney, Warren turned his attention back to their other problem. "Now what do we do about Greyback? If the Aurors are aware of his identity, then Ash Randolf can no longer be blamed for the murder of his parents. Not to mention that we'll be joining Father in Azkaban if they discover that we're the ones who freed him."
Imogen pursed her lips thoughtfully. "The Ministry doesn't seem to be advertising Greyback as a suspect in the press. Either they're not aware that the werewolf freed from the sanatorium is Greyback, or more likely, they don't want to create a panic by telling the public that a former Death Eater is at large--and one who can transform into a werewolf at any time of the month, to boot. All they've stated publicly is that Bill Weasley was attacked by an unknown Dark Creature, although the Daily Prophet is running rampant with wild rumors and speculation."
Warren began pacing nervously around the room. "They don't have enough evidence to arrest us yet, but if they found the sanatorium, it may only be a matter of time before they trace Greyback's release back to us. Or Arthur Weasley may become desperate enough to pull a Fudge and have us arrested without any hard evidence. There's certainly enough circumstantial evidence against us--the fact that Father is a Death Eater, and I used to live in Romania, and you work at the museum. That would have been enough to have us locked up during the first war."
"Arthur Weasley will never give up his Gryffindor ideals," Imogen disagreed. "If you look at his history over the years, he has been surprisingly stubborn, even courageous in his own nobly foolish way. Not once has he ever curried favor with Fudge and his cronies, and he refused to renounce his loyalty to Dumbledore, even when it kept him trapped in a low-paying job, and with all those brats to support, too. And he joined the Order of the Phoenix knowing that the Death Eaters wiped out entire families during the first war."
"You almost sound as if you admire him," Warren said incredulously.
"Not at all," Imogen replied calmly. "But it is always wise to evaluate your enemy's strengths as well as his weaknesses, dear brother. So getting back to my original point...we are not in danger of being arrested just yet, but we are running out of time. I would like to consult with Father, but I fear that will not be possible since the guards have been monitoring our visits very closely ever since the museum break-in."
"I think that Greyback should step up the pace of his killings," Warren said firmly. "Let us throw the wizarding world into chaos and leave no doubt in the public's mind that the 'unknown Dark Creature' is a werewolf. And I think that he should challenge Cyril Diggory for control of the werewolf pack very soon."
Imogen paused to consider her brother's suggestions. "It is very risky, but I think you are right," she eventually conceded. "We will be harder to oppose with the strength of an entire werewolf pack behind us."
{Finally!} Greyback silently exulted, feeling the wolf's hunger and eagerness rising within him. Finally he would be free to unleash the wolf and hunt to his heart's content!
The look on his face caused Warren to turn pale, and even Imogen looked a little shaken, although she quickly recovered and regarded him once again with her usual cool expression. "You may hunt," she told Greyback. "But be sure to take care of Delauney first. And let there be no more mistakes like Bill Weasley. Take single targets, and stay away from Order members and Aurors for now. It will cause more panic if you kill helpless civilians, anyway."
"Yes, my Lady," Greyback replied meekly, but his fierce, toothy grin caused the twins to blanch again.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Delauney opened the door willingly enough for "Warren," although he greeted his guest with an upraised wand.
"Relax," Greyback said, holding up his empty hands to show that he was unarmed. "I'm only here to talk. I have news about the lawsuit."
"Forgive me," Delauney said, slowly lowering his wand. "I thought for a moment that perhaps you had come to take revenge on me for discovering your identity."
Greyback permitted himself only a small smile, fighting to keep his wolfish glee from showing on Warren's face. "Fortunately for you, the Macnair family cannot afford to be connected to a murder right now," he said with complete truthfulness. He added silently, {Which is why they sent me.}
Delauney pocketed his wand and sat down, although he still kept a wary eye on Greyback. "So what news do you bring?"
"There is a man on the Wizengamot named Pritchard," Greyback replied smoothly, giving the cover story that Imogen had created. "He is terrified of werewolves, having been the victim of an attack several months ago. Well, actually it wasn't a true werewolf attack, but one staged by an enemy of the local werewolf pack. It's a bit complicated, but apparently the experience left him so traumatized that he hates all werewolves, even though it wasn't a real werewolf that attacked him. And since Snape's lover is a werewolf, he is willing to aid our cause and work to persuade his fellow Wizengamot members to vote in our favor--in exchange for a generous bribe, of course."
"Of course I shall repay you once the Snape estate is mine," Delauney promised.
"That isn't necessary," Greyback said. "What I want is for you to back my efforts in removing Arthur Weasley from the Ministry once you become the Snape Lord." That was also part of Imogen's script, to set the French wizard at ease, since he would feel safe as long as he was still of use to the Macnair family.
Apparently it worked, because Delauney relaxed further and smiled. "That would be my pleasure."
"Shall we share a celebratory drink, then?" Greyback asked, reaching into his pocket.
Delauney pulled out his wand again, but he lowered it once he saw that Greyback wasn't pulling a wand out of his robes, only a small bottle of expensive brandy. "Forgive me, my dear patron," he said with a cynical smile. "But I fear I would not feel safe eating or drinking anything that you offered."
Greyback shrugged; it had been worth a try. "Not even if I drank from it first?"
"No, because you could have taken an antidote beforehand," Delauney replied matter-of-factly.
{Cynical bastard,} Greyback thought, but he was right; Greyback had taken the antidote on the off chance that he'd be able to trick the French wizard into drinking the poisoned brandy willingly. Too bad for Delauney that he was smart enough to spot the danger but not smart enough to save himself. Then again, a truly smart man would never have tried to blackmail the son of a Death Eater, so he deserved whatever he got.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but one way or the other, you're drinking this," Greyback growled, lunging forward. Delauney tried to raise his wand, but he was no match for werewolf speed, and Greyback's fingers were firmly wrapped around the other man's wrist before he could manage to fire off a spell. Greyback squeezed a little tighter, and Delauney cried out in pain, dropping his wand.
"Who...who are you?" Delauney whispered, his eyes wide with fear. "You aren't Macnair."
{The Polyjuice must be wearing off,} Greyback thought to himself, and confirmed it when he glanced down and saw his own hand, much larger than Warren's, wrapped around Delauney's wrist. Well, the potion had served its purpose, and Delauney wouldn't live long enough to reveal his identity or Warren's to anyone else.
"I'm Greyback," he said, and when the French wizard stared at him blankly, he added, "a former Death Eater and comrade of Warren's father. Not that it really matters at this point, I suppose, but I thought you ought to know the name of the man who's going to kill you."
Delauney began to plead and whimper, and Greyback stared at him in disgust. Imogen was more of a man than this pathetic creature--not that she would consider that a compliment. He increased the pressure on Delauney's wrist, feeling fragile human bones beginning to give beneath his grip, but eased off at the last second before they snapped. He wished that he could play with his prey a little longer, but Imogen had ordered him not to physically damage Delauney.
He snatched up the fallen wand and cast an Imperius Curse on Delauney with it. That was a nice piece of irony, that Delauney should die from a spell cast by his own wand.
Greyback poured out two glasses of brandy and set one in front of Delauney. "Drink it," he ordered, and the French wizard slowly reached out for the glass, his hands trembling as he tried to fight off the spell.
"Drink it!" Greyback barked. "Or I'll pour it down your damned throat!"
Delauney whined and pleaded and perhaps even threatened, but his words were rendered nearly incoherent by his sobs of despair, not to mention his accent, which had grown thicker with fear, and Greyback had no interest in trying to decipher the French wizard's whining. "Oh, shut up!" he snarled, and Delauney fell silent, although tears continued to stream down his face, and his eyes begged desperately for mercy. Too bad for him that Greyback didn't have any.
"Drink the goddamned brandy!"
With a final wordless sob, Delauney lifted the glass to his lips, drank it, and then slumped back in his chair, the glass falling out of his hands and shattering on the floor. Greyback waited a few minutes to make sure that he was really dead, then quietly departed and set out in search of more interesting prey.
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Unfortunately, because of the new curfew, the streets were nearly empty that night, and Greyback was almost spotted by one of the Aurors patrolling Diagon Alley. Luck was with him, however, because he saw the Auror first, and managed to duck out of sight in time.
So he decided to try his luck in Knockturn Alley, where the inhabitants were more willing to take risks and less inclined to obey the Ministry's directives. But even that refuge for the scum of the wizarding world was deserted, and Greyback was about to give up and call it a night when he was approached by a thin, diseased-looking whore.
"How about a date, handsome?" she asked hopefully. Her eyes had the glazed look of a potion addict, which was no doubt why she was out walking the street when there were "Dark Creatures" on the loose, hoping to earn a few Knuts towards her next fix.
Well, beggars couldn't be choosers, Greyback supposed. He reached into his pocket and held up a shiny Galleon, and the whore's eyes lit up with a kind of desperate greed. She was so transfixed by the gold coin that she didn't notice how predatory and wolfish Greyback's smile was.
"Of course, my dear," Greyback purred. "But let us go somewhere more private..."
Part 25