Narcissa Malfoy stood in a perfectly tailored Muggle dress, her blonde hair meticulously pinned up, her figure blending seamlessly into the dim light.
Just as Severus Snape prepared to approach, a man in a garish shirt, his hair slicked back with excessive pomade, sidled up with a glass in hand. He leaned against Narcissa's table, his face plastered with a smile he clearly thought was charming.
Snape moved closer, his steps nearly silent.
"I'm waiting for someone," Narcissa's voice cut through the air, cold and laced with disdain. "Please leave."
The man, clearly tipsy and oblivious, opened his mouth to protest. "Come on, don't be so cold, beautiful. Drinking alone is no fun."
Before he could finish, Snape pulled out the chair opposite Narcissa and sat down heavily. His face, disguised as a pudgy, unremarkable Muggle, bore a vacant stare as he eyed the glass on the table.
"Need help?" he asked.
The man faltered, caught off guard by the interruption. His annoyance flared as he turned, sizing up the plain, overweight stranger in drab clothing. He jutted out his chin. "Hey, mate, I was here fir—"
His words were cut short. Narcissa's icy blue eyes flashed with unmasked contempt for both the Muggle men before her. Her hand, hidden beneath the table, made a subtle movement. A faint shimmer of magic flickered and vanished. Snape felt a faint ripple of magical energy brush past him and the man.
The man's irritation melted away, his expression turning blank and dazed. He shook his head, as if unsure why he was standing there. Glancing at Narcissa's cold face and Snape's harmless yet irritatingly plain one, he looked confused, even a little intimidated.
Without a word, he turned, his steps unsteady, and stumbled out the door, disappearing into the noisy crowd outside.
Snape felt a slight heaviness in his mind but shook it off with a quick jerk of his head.
"What's that?" he said, turning to Narcissa with a mocking edge. "Is this how you greet an old friend? One might think the Malfoys are desperate to let Tom know they've lost that precious diary."
Narcissa, about to raise her wand again, froze at the familiar tone. Her eyes widened, studying the unfamiliar face before her.
"Severus?" she whispered, frowning. "Why in Merlin's name do you look like that?"
"I'm not here for a romantic rendezvous, Narcissa," Snape replied, unfazed by her critique, his face impassive.
He drew his wand and flicked it lightly around the table. An invisible magical barrier enveloped them, muffling the clamor of the pub.
"Now, tell me," he said, leaning forward slightly, "why did you summon me here?"
"Severus," Narcissa didn't answer immediately. Her voice dropped to a hushed, urgent whisper. "The diary—where is it now?"
"The diary?" Snape leaned back, relaxed, picking up the ashtray on the table and inspecting it idly. "Oh, that. It's gone. We've taken care of it."
He watched as Narcissa's face shifted—a mix of raw fear, relief, and deeper worry.
"Destroyed?" Her voice was hoarse. It took her several seconds to regain her composure, though her knuckles, gripping the glass, remained white. "You've found a way to… destroy those things?"
"Of course," Snape said casually. "There are plenty of ways." He reached inside his coat and drew out a gleaming silver dagger, placing it gently on the table. Even in the dim light, the blade glinted coldly.
"This," he said pointedly, "is quite useful."
Narcissa's gaze lingered on the dagger. After a moment, she looked up, her eyes burning with intensity.
"How many of those things have you found?" she asked. "Have you dealt with them all?"
"Narcissa," Snape's easy demeanor vanished, replaced by a trace of impatience. "Enough with the questions.
"You risked meeting me here. What's so important? Let's get to the point."
Narcissa took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. "I need your help," she said, her tone grave.
Snape said nothing, watching her closely, waiting.
"I need you to take Regulus," she said, leaning closer to the table. "Take him to your side. Keep him safe."
Snape's eyebrow twitched, a mocking smirk crossing his disguised face.
"Did I hear that right, Narcissa?" he asked, his tone exaggeratedly incredulous. "You want me," he gestured to his bulky frame, "to take a loyal Death Eater and smuggle him onto a ship full of Muggle-born students? Perhaps you've had more to drink than you think."
Though he suspected something significant had happened with Regulus, granting the Malfoys' requests without a price was never wise.
A flash of anger crossed Narcissa's face, but she quickly suppressed it. She glanced around warily before leaning in again, her voice barely audible. "Regulus… he's changed his mind."
"Changed his mind?" Snape feigned confusion. "Isn't he still at school, playing the perfect Slytherin pure-blood poster boy?"
"Since the Dark Lord…" Narcissa's body tensed at the name, "took over the castle, older students, especially from pure-blood families, have been… encouraged, or rather required, to join the Death Eaters in 'practical activities.'"
"Regulus signed up eagerly," she continued, her face darkening with worry. "But he's too young, Severus.
"The real world of the Death Eaters—the raw cruelty, the torture, the killing—it's nothing like the glorious pure-blood crusade he imagined."
She paused, her expression grim. "He's terrified of what they're asking him to do. He wants out. The last time I saw him at Grimmauld Place, he was a shell of himself—gaunt, weak, consumed by fear of his next assignment."
She sighed heavily. "We both know there's no resigning from the Death Eaters. You either serve for life or end up dead."
"Oh, I understand," Snape said. "And what about Orion and Walburga Black? What do they think?"
"My aunt and uncle are worried about Regulus too," Narcissa said, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her glass. "They're starting to waver. The Dark Lord's actions are becoming… increasingly erratic."
"And," her eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope as she looked at Snape, "they could 'disappear' with Regulus, if you'd take them in."
"Hold on!" Snape raised a hand, cutting her off. "I haven't even agreed to take Regulus, let alone his parents.
"Narcissa," he shook his head, as if imagining a nightmare, "I don't fancy waking up to Walburga Black's soul-piercing shrieks. 'Mudbloods, beasts, filth, half-breeds, freaks'—trust me, after she spews that venom, she'd be bound and tossed overboard."
Narcissa choked on her response, her face flushing. She let out a dry laugh, her annoyance flickering before she frowned. "Severus, how do you know exactly what she'd say?"
"Do I need to see it firsthand?" Snape sneered, glancing at her. "Your kind doesn't exactly surprise me. It's always the same tired rhetoric—blood, filth, inferiority. I could recite it blindfolded."
Narcissa's face darkened, her anger barely contained. But knowing she needed his help, she swallowed her pride.
"Severus," she bit her lip, softening her tone. "What would it take for you to protect Regulus? Name your terms."
Snape leaned back, studying her.
"Aren't you afraid, Narcissa?" he asked quietly. "What if our little ship of exiles gets sunk by your master, dragging your precious brother down with it?"
"What happened at the Ministry that night has spread like wildfire," Narcissa replied, meeting his gaze. "Arthur Weasley, who was on duty, was so shaken by what he saw that he's still recovering at home."
"And," she added with a pointed look, "those in the know have quietly stopped calling you 'rebellious monsters' or 'lawless thugs.' Now, you're 'Hogwarts' exiles.' The tide is turning."
Snape let out a dry laugh. "Narcissa, the Malfoys hail from France, don't they?"
"Yes," she replied, confused. "In the 11th century, Armand Malfoy, the first of our line, came to Britain with William the Conqueror's Norman forces."
"Enough of that," Narcissa said, brushing aside the tangent. "There's something you'll want to hear." She clenched her jaw, offering a weightier bargaining chip. "Recently, the Lestrange family lost the Dark Lord's favor after failing some critical task—I don't know the details."
She paused, gauging Snape's reaction before continuing. "After that, Lucius, my husband, has been 'honored' with nearly all of the Dark Lord's trust and assignments."
Her face showed no pride, only deep unease.
"The Dark Lord has requested access to our family's vault at Gringotts," she said. "He didn't specify why, only that we must be ready to store something for him." She locked eyes with Snape. "I think this information could be valuable to you."
Snape sat up straighter.
The Dark Lord using the Malfoy vault? His mind raced. Tom was likely planning to hide another Horcrux in Gringotts, the so-called "safest place in the world."
"If that's true," Snape said slowly, "coupled with the diary he entrusted to Lucius… two Horcruxes. Quite the 'honor' for the Malfoys, Narcissa."
Narcissa caught the implication in his words.
"If we still had the diary," she said with a strained smile, "things might be different." She left the rest unsaid.
Snape understood her unspoken meaning: if the diary hadn't been lost, the Malfoys might have leveraged their two "honors" to stay in the Dark Lord's good graces. But with the diary gone and their vault now requisitioned for another vital item, they were sitting on a powder keg.
"Pity," Snape said, finishing her thought. "If the diary hadn't been destroyed, you'd probably be trying to pry its location from me to curry favor with your master."
Narcissa fell silent, her eyes lowering, her long lashes hiding her emotions.
Her silence was answer enough.
"Fine," Snape said, his fingers tapping the table lightly. "Your information is sufficient. Now, how do I get young Master Regulus to come with me? And when can I pay a visit to the Malfoy vault?"
"Nothing's been stored yet," Narcissa said, her eyes flickering with caution. "The Dark Lord only asked us to prepare. We don't know when or what he'll store." She tested the waters. "Perhaps we wait until it's placed, confirm it's the last one, then go?"
"For now," Snape said after a moment's thought, nodding.
"Good," Narcissa exhaled. "Tomorrow, same time, we'll meet in the alley next to this pub. I'll bring Regulus."
————
Supporting me on Pa-treon to gain early access to advanced chapters and enjoy expedited updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.
pat-reon .c-om/Dragonhair
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)