Chapter 41: When Serpents Lie In Loathe

Diagon Alley, Wizarding World...

Bart Crouch Jr. had been making his way from his usual outings terrorizing the population all in the name of good fun. He made his way out of Diagon Alley with a wicked grin filed across his hideous face. His tongue darting like that of a bullfrog out of his mouth with each step. Clearly, he had been too preoccupied by the coin purse in his grasp to notice Lucius Malfoy step from the shadows. His trademark cane visible in the street lighting. The handsome albino had a seemingly pleasant smile on his pale face. Bart Jr. stopped in his tracks once the senior Malfoy got his attention. The night air had been utterly chilly and the tension was so thick that no knife could cut it.

"Nice night for a stroll, isn't it Barty?" asked Lucius smoothly.

Bart Jr. glared at him.

"What do you want Malfoy?" asked the younger wizard. "Isn't there some banquet hall in need of your posturing?"

Lucius smirked.

"That was quite cute." he said pleasantly. "Did you make that one up or did Daddy teach it to you before his...unfortunate end?"

Bart Jr. bristled at this.

"You will not speak of my father, traitor." he said becoming enraged. "You are unworthy."

Lucius sighed.

"Perhaps, I shouldn't speak ill of the dead." he agreed in a bored tone. "I hear he went out screaming like a school girl...Moody was very thorough wasn't he?"

Bart Jr. had become irate at the disrespect of his father via Lucius. Despite the fact that he had been the one to kill the older Bart Crouch himself. He supposed old habits died hard and he wasn't in the least going to give Lucius Malfoy the satisfaction of dismissing his bloodline.

"Let's see just how much cheek you have after I wipe the ally way with you, Malfoy." said the irate younger wizard.

Lucius had been unimpressed thus far making a show of fiddling with his serpent cane and dusting off attire.

"Tactus Duplicatus!" shouted Bart Crouch Jr.

Lucius watched with an arched eyebrow as Bart Jr. formed two different copies of himself. The moved to encircle Malfoy one Bart Jr. on each side of him. The senior Malfoy simply smirked as he caught sight of them.

"Interesting little parlor trick." he said amused. "But duplication will do you no good in this battle."

All the copies of Bart Jr. stared at Lucius Malfoy intently.

"Especially, when you don't possess the necessary aptitude for combat in the first place." said the baritone drawl of Severus Snape stepping behind one of the copies with his wand pointed at its neck.

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Unknown Location, Wizarding World...

Hexes continued to fly as Bart Jr. apparated to the hide out where he could regroup and get assistance from the LeStrange Brothers. Both Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy had been hot on his trail arriving in record time. Snape sent another hex in Bart Jr.'s direction. The younger wizard dodged it and made it to the cave where LeStrange Brothers had been hiding out.

"Help me!" he shouted. "They're after me!"

The night sky had been as clear as anyone had ever seen it the stars paled in comparison to the white glow from the full moon. Rabastan was a thin wizard with a nervous looking expression as he ventured from the shadows of the cave into the fray. He had been dressed in the robes of a death eater and his lengthy dark brown hair fell over his face hiding part of it and one of his dark eyes. He was pinkish in complexion, a plus if any where to be had, over the pale Severus Snape whom he engaged immediately upon joining the battle.

Bart Jr. cast his copying charm once more as both he and Rabastan engaged Lucius and Snape. The rouge death eaters seemed to be holding their own up until a distant howl reached the ears of combatants. In a matter of seconds the tide of battle became one sided as Remus Lupin emerged from the shadows in all his werewolf glory. He attacked Bart Jr.'s copies making short work of them while Lucius contended against Rabastan.

Severus Snape made his way toward the cave.

Rodolphus had been inside and they had an old score to settle.

The derange wizard in question appeared on the field of battle with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Hello, insolent Half-blood." he said taunting Snape. "So nice of you to finally join us."

"Such civilized hospitality Rodolphus clearly, I never gave you enough credit." replied Snape in an icy tone.

The deranged wizard gave a mock bow at the backhanded compliment.

"Really Snape, you are too kind." he said with an air of bitterness. "I see that you are eager for our little dance, but I'm afraid that I have a guest here that just couldn't wait to get his hands...beg pardon, claws on your treacherous flesh."

Snape glared at Rodolphus and aimed his wand to cast a hex in his direction. No sooner did he raise his wand did something big and violent knock him to the ground. The Potions Master found himself wrestling with a rather angry Greyback as he attempted to tear his pale throat out.

The beast snarled and saliva dripped onto Snape's face.

"Fucking werewolves!" said Snape irate at the sheer prospect of being tormented by yet another mangy beast.

He was not going to let this mangy mutt stop him from getting his much deserved revenge on LeStrange.

Remus Lupin made short work of original Bart Jr., breaking the young wizard's spine as he flung him into a rock formation, and came running over to the chaos. He bit, slashed, and tore at Greyback's flesh causing the other werewolf to turn his attention away from Snape and onto him. Lupin had been a good deal smaller than the alpha wolf, but he put up a fight none the less. In his youth he had stood by and watched as The Marauders terrorized a young Severus Snape and did nothing to stop it or offer the wizard any comfort.

When they both eventually became a Professors, Lupin had even taken his sweet time about apologizing to Severus for the mistakes he made in the past.

Now, he was to face down a member of the pack so that Severus Snape could be free of this wretched curse. If points could be given for strategy in this bout, Lucius Malfoy had masterminded the ideal scenario. He had a feeling that a werewolf would come in handy for this bout and his gamble paid off. Of course they had been sure to make Lupin drink his Wolfsbane potion before hand.

Severus Snape scrambled to his feet while the two werewolves fought each other. He had the odd sense of being the bone in the middle while the two oversize dogs scrapped.

Biting, clawing, and howling at one another as they did.

"Where's your fancy entourage now, Lucius?" taunted Rabastan.

"In the same place as your good looks I'm afraid." replied Lucius in a bored tone.

"Blood traitor." said Rabastan. "The dark lord was fool to have ever trusted you."

"On that we can agree." replied Lucius.

"Flamma solis!" shouted Rabastan flicking his wand.

Flames shot from the younger LeStrange brother's wand as he aimed it at the senior Malfoy.

"Solaris frigidior Thracam!" shouted Lucius flicking his wand as well.

A burst of light struck Rabastan and seemed icy to the touch covering all in it's path in thick layers of freezing cold ice. The younger LeStrange brother had been stunned but reacted quickly enough to stay in battle despite one of his legs being frozen.

Lucius had been utterly focused by this point.

This was a duel to the death and one wrong move could mean the life of either him or his opponent.

Despite his jokes and casual manner Lucius Malfoy had been an excellent duelist and took great pride in the art. Few people knew this much about him and even fewer people know that it was he that taught Severus Snape the art of dueling when they attended Hogwarts. Although the younger man far exceeded his expectations and skill level as of late.

"Gelida hastam!" shouted Rabastan flicking his wand.

An icy spear appeared and flew in Lucius Malfoy's direction.

The senior Malfoy countered with a hex of his own.

"Rose dromonem!" he shouted.

The ice spear was slashed into tiny pieces. The momentum shifted in the senior Malfoy's favor as the battle progressed. There was a reason that he was chosen to be top lieutenant of the death eaters. Lucius Malfoy was a well accomplished general and formidable in the heat of battle. The younger LeStrange brother found himself out classed in a hurry.

"Globus Serpentes!" shouted Lucius hitting his stride.

A ball of snake enveloped Rabastan LeStrange twisting and wrapping around him. He found it difficult to keep his wand and continue battle. This bout had been much more amusing than Lucius initially believed it would be.

"Langlock!" shouted Lucius flicking his wand toward the younger LeStrange.

Rabastan found himself unable to talk or cast any more spells. Lucius circled him like a vulture His gray eyes glinting at the sight of wounded pray that before him. It was well documented that Lucius was a formidable opponent in his own right, but what was often left out of such descriptions was that Lucius had in fact been just as ruthless as any other death eater and when it came to the well being of his family or Severus Snape, he was a thousand times more lethal

"Sectumsempra!" he shouted as blood began to seep from the snake bound, mute form of the younger LeStrange brother. He had promised Draco that those responsible for Snape's condition would pay he meant it.

The only pity had been that he could not gain entertainment from hearing the younger wizard's screams. Lucius put his wand back into his cane and walked away with a very wicked smile on his face as the snakes continued to envelope the bloodied corpse of Rastaban LeStrange.

"Nobody fucks with my little brother." had been the last words he said in parting.

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Elsewhere...

Lupin was having a time trying to keep Greyback off him. The bigger werewolf had been tossing him about like a rag doll. Howl and snarled filled the air as both wild wolves clashed. Lupin lead by his human mind and animal instinct. Greyback by his alpha primal nature. Lupin charged biting Greyback on the ear drawing blood as the bigger wolf slashed at his chest and knocked him onto the ground. The fight between the beasts lacked the subtle grace of a combat between wizards but it was a thousand times more physical and all together brutal.

Greyback bit and slashed at the now whimpering Lupin who could not seem to hold off the other wolf no matter how many times he managed to think light on his feet. The DADA Professor found himself clearly out matched. If this would have been a moment of his Gryffindor traits to kick in, then he would have conceded the bout to Greyback despite it meaning his inevitable brutal death. Honor being the only reward in this altercation and proven loyalty giving him a death worthy of glory.

Luckily for Lupin, he was teamed with Slytherins.

Lucius Malfoy had managed to locate the DADA Professor and Greyback. Lupin had been seconds from getting his throat torn out before he heard the most wonderful sound of his entire life.

"Sectumsempra!" shouted Lucius aiming his wand at Greyback.

The bigger werewolf continued biting at Lupin as if the spell initially had no effect. Moments later he let out a series of agonized howls and fell to the ground. Lupin scrambled to his feet whimpering a heart felt thanks to the senior Malfoy who simply waved him off slicking back his luxurious blond hair and catching his breath.

"Finish it werewolf!" he barked.

Lupin turned his attention back to Greyback. He snarled and proceeded to tear the already downed man-beast's throat out. The savageness had been quite entertaining for The Governor as he applauded The DADA Professor's brutal display. Lupin had been quite the sight then his own measure of revenge gained from the werewolf that had bitten him as a child.

"Well done." said Lucius approvingly.

Lupin nodded in his direction and took off. He was feeling drained and there was no more assistance he could offer the former death eaters. The victorious howl of the werewolf could be heard as he parted. Lucius smiled shaking his head. He took a breath and went in search of Rodolphus LeStrange and Severus Snape.

The Senior Malfoy knew all too well that the Potions Professor had chased after the remaining LeStrange when Lupin took on Greyback. He had just hoped that he could be in a position to assist him should the need arose.