Beyond the Darkness

Date: May 9, 2005
Characters: Theo, Severus
Location: Severus's house
Private/Public: Private
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Theo goes to pick up his potions, and deliver a warning
Completion: Complete

Theo knew going to see Snape, just before seeing Rodolphus, was more than risky. Then again, he really did want those potions, and if he did - well there wasn't really any other choice, now was there? Besides, sending a warning by owl - his owl - would be far more dangerous. Rodolphus always watched the skies.

Apparating into a group of trees, Theo scanned the area carefully to see if anyone was watching the house. He was not surprised when he found that it was indeed watched, by several people, in different locations. There would be no way, short of Apparating, to get into the house without being seen. Somehow he doubted Severus's wards would allow him to do that.

There was really only one option then. Let the people watching see him, then tell Rodolphus of the visit himself, before he had the information from someone else. If he was going to do this, he was not about to throw suspicion on himself.

Walking up to the door as he would have normally done, Theo raised his hand and knocked.

Severus raised his head from the book he was reading when he heard the knock. He had no doubts as to who it would be and a thread of anticipation, fear and andrenaline rushed through him. All of his preparations had been made for whatever may come.

He'd established this morning that he was being watched. He'd gone out to harvest some of the potion ingredients that he grew for himself and had seen one of them. He'd recognised the man as well; one of Greyback's werewolves, which meant he would have to move fast if he had to escape in a hurry. He'd also taken his wards back to what they normally were last night. He didn't want Theo to sense the extra wards he'd put up. It wouldn't take that long to put them back up once Theo left.

He rose to his feet and took one last glance around the workroom. All looked as it normally did. Only one cauldron still bubbling with the potion Theo wanted that would take another week to brew. The other potions had all been decanted and the vials for Theo were in a small wooden casket sitting on one of the benches. The remaining potions were now stored in his potions cabinet, ready for quick removal into his personal belongings once Theo had left.

He walked down the corridor towards the front door, ensuring that everything that Theo could see when he came in looked absolutely normal. It would not do to tip off the young man that Severus knew that things were out of place. Let Theo wonder.

He opened the front door and nodded once when he saw Theo. "Theo. Come in."

He stepped aside and gestured towards the work room.

Theo nodded and stepped inside, discretely glancing around to see if anything was out of normal in the house. He couldn't see anything, which of course meant that there was something. Severus really couldn't be that stupid.

As he stepped into the workroom, he looked at the cauldron still bubbling. No doubt the other potion he had requested. Only too bad that it would never be finished.

'Going well?' he asked casually, nodding towards the cauldron as he took his place - the same one as last. Severus would understand the meaning, the note and who it was from.

Severus refrained from arching an eyebrow when Theo stood where he had the last time he'd been here. The action was far too precise to be anything other than deliberate and the last of Severus' doubts faded away. The letter had indeed been bait in a trap and he had tripped it. Now it just remained to be seen what, if anything, Theo was going to do. Severus suspected it would be nothing other than collect his potions. Theo had been careful to stay out of any direct action in the past and he had no reason to believe that would change now. But just in case he had his wand easily at hand and a light, almost undetectable shielding spell around his person

"Of course," he said with a hint of irritated condescension. Theo would expect that reaction and frankly it wasn't hard to manufacture. He couldn't remember the last time he'd made a mistake with a potion.

He walked over to the small wooden casket and picked it up. He carried over to Theo and opened the lid, displaying the contents.

"The clear potion will make your... target ill," he said briskly. "Remember it will show its first effects within six hours of ingestion and has a strong, bitter taste. The light blue potion is the poison for your house elf. And the green one is your... other potion."

He closed the lid then held the box out to Theo, one eyebrow slightly arched.

Theo watched Severus intently, trying to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary. He did seem more tense, and his hand might or might not hover close to where Theo suspected he had his wand. There was something else too, but he Theo couldn't decide what without staring.

When Severus turned to take the box, he had the perfect opportunity and he quickly slid the note out of his pocket and watched it land on the same spot as the previous one.

He gave a brisk smirk as Severus went through which potion was which and nodded when he was finished, taking the box.

'I've placed orders for the ingredients you wanted,' he said casually. 'They should arrive within the next few weeks, I'll let you know when they do. I can deliver the book at that time too,' he said, never intending to back out of a deal just because the person he dealt with was going to be on the run. That would just be bad business. He wasn't sure Severus would believe he was being sincere, though. There was something about him that wasn't normally there - he seemed ready to flee or fight if needed. Good, it would help.

"Good," Severus said dryly.

When and how he was ever going to get his hands on the ingredients and the book was an interesting thought, assuming that Theo wasn't lying to him. After all since Theo knew this was all a set-up there was probably no great reason for him to hold up his end of the bargain.

Still that was no reason for him not to hold up his end of the little charade they were playing out here. Never let it be said that he couldn't act as though everything was at least reasonably normal.

"And I shall contact you when the last potion is ready," he said blandly.

'I expect no less,' Theo answered, hoping that would be the case. He knew he would hardly get it so soon, but he still had hopes that Severus would find a place to brew so he could get it at some point before the wedding. He really didn't want Daphne's husband there - although hopefully she'd let him give her the poison by then.

'I should leave you to your brewing, I have another meeting today,' he said casually, hoping, and believing, that Severus would realise what meeting that was and act accordingly.

As he stepped out of the work room he could feel the charms on the letter tugging him as they came into effect. Good, now he would feel when the letter was found and opened - and the letter would attract Severus's attention if he just walked back into the room. Sooner, rather than later, Theo hoped.

Leaving the house he suppressed the wish to tell his former head of house good luck, but instead just wished him a good day as he started walking towards Lestrange Manor.

Severus watched Theo walk away from his house then he closed the door. He headed back to his workroom, intent on packing his potions. Theo's comment about another meeting was easy enough to decipher. What he didn't know was why Theo had mentioned it.

The moment he walked into the workroom he felt the tug of a notice me spell and he drew in a sharp breath. He pulled out his wand then let the spell draw him over to where Theo had been standing. The source of the spell was easy enough to find once he got there.

Another note lay on the floor and a quick check showed him that there were several security spells on it. He stared at it for a moment. It could be another trap, one designed to hold him here or some such. He reached out again with his magic and examined the spells on the note. A notice me spell that was still tugging at him. An eyes only spell that seemed to be keyed to him. A couple of destruction spells. A notification spell. Interesting.

He picked up the note with a quick striking motion then stood. He opened the note and arched an eyebrow as he read the three words written within.

Get out now!

The other eyebrow joined the first when the note suddenly crumbled into dust in his hands. He flicked the dust off his fingers and looked in the direction Theo had gone. So Theo was playing both sides of this war. Even more interesting.

Still he wasn't foolish enough to ignore a warning. But he did have some things he needed to do first. He would pack his potions and then re-establish the wards again. There were rooms he really didn't want the Lestranges getting into. He estimated that he would have just enough time to complete what he needed to do in the amount of time it would take Theo to get to the Manor, have his meeting and then for the Lestranges to reach his house.

He strode over to his potions cabinet. As he did he flicked his wand towards the cauldron, banishing the potion within. If he got a chance he'd remake it for Theo. A bargain was a bargain after all.