His Masterpiece

Chapter 12

Lucius could feel beads of sweat dot his upper lip as the others filed out of the room, leaving him alone with the Dark Lord. He had asked him to stay behind after the meeting. That never meant anything good.

The Dark Lord sat across from him on the other end of the dining table. He looked at Lucius with a cool and inscrutable gleam. Finally, he asked, "Did you kill Regulus?"

Lucius sputtered. "What? No, no my Lord. I wouldn't-" He sucked in a breath. "He might not be dead. It's only a few days. He might have needed to go to ground to escape Aurors or-"

"He's dead," the Dark Lord brusquely interrupted. "We're connected through the Dark Mark. That connection has been... severed."

Lucius felt his heart drop. "I didn't do it," he insisted, pleading with his eyes.

He felt the brush of the Dark Lord's mind dipping into his memories. The Dark Lord perused through the past week, picking up each memory and examining it like a bored customer in a shop, before finally withdrawing. "I had wondered if you and Narcissa hadn't concocted a murder plot in order to marry," he mused, leaning back in his chair. "But it seems I was wrong. Someone else has killed him then."

"You don't think... well, there are all these stories coming out of Knockturn these days."

"You mean the Knockturn Killer?" The Dark Lord gave a raspy laugh. "Well, if he has killed our Regulus, we'll find out soon enough. The killer always leaves his victims in a place where they can be found."

"I have wondered about that. Most common murderers try to hide their crimes. Do you think the killer might be making a statement? Perhaps he's taunting the Aurors?"

"No," the Dark Lord said dismissively, already growing bored with this conversation. "I don't think the killer finds it worth his time. He leaves his victims beside waste bins and piles of refuse. To him, they're merely trash to be discarded." He took a sip of his wine and said, "I have a mission for you. Two, actually."

Lucius leaned forward. "Yes, my Lord?"

"You've been very loyal, Lucius. I wish to reward that loyalty." He withdrew from his robes an old, worn book and placed it upon the table. "This is very important to me. I want you to keep it safe."

Lucius summoned the book to him. He took a moment to flick through the pages, his brow furrowing in confusion, which brought a wry smirk to the Dark Lord's face. "It's just an empty diary."

"Yes," the Dark Lord agreed with growing amusement. "And you will guard it with yout life."

Lucius closed the diary. "And the other thing?"

"I need a new consort. Severus is... surprisingly useful. He has a first-rate mind and plenty of talent. It would be a shame to let that go to waste, especially since an opportunity has recently presented itself that he would be particularly suited for."

"What would that be?"

"Slughorn is retiring. Dumbledore will need a new Potions professor, and Severus will be completing his mastery soon. He would make the perfect spy."

Lucius nodded. "What about using Bellatrix, my Lord? She is already primed." Crazy as Bellatrix was, Narcissa would still be heartbroken over the death of her sister, but needs must...

"Next to Evan, she is one of my best duelists. We won't be able to operate in the shadows for much longer. Soon, it will be an open battle and we will need her for that. And she still has to provide Rodolphus an heir. There is little need for our war without the next generation to carry on our work."

Lucius sincerely doubted Bellatrix would ever give birth to her husband's child. They would have to consummate their marriage first. Not that Lestrange was in any rush to attempt it, not after their disastrous wedding night.