Chapter 17
The trial, from what Severus was able to gather, was going well. Lucius had certainly seemed quite pleased with himself on multiple occasions, and he had seen Potter's father come to Hogwarts absolutely steaming mad to gather his son and Sirius. He was not privy to the details, but he supposed that he did not really need to be. As long as Potter and his ilk were dealt with, he did not particularly care how it was done. It had been a good couple of days since he saw Potter and Sirius, Regulus had been gone all day, so Severus was hazarding a guess that this was due to the trial. Lucius had been giddy for at least a week now.
Severus hoped that he would still be able to retain a friendship with Regulus after all was said and done. He knew that Regulus confided in him a few times, but he was not entirely sure how Regulus saw their companionship. He wondered if Lucius decided to refuse to allow it, would Regulus stop? It was something that plagued him hourly once the trial had finally begun to commence. A sort of, strange feeling washed over him. Since Lily, he had not really had a good friend, and even then it was sort of ambiguous. Severus sighed, putting his face in his hands. He wanted to stay friends with Regulus, no matter what. He wondered...as always...about the way Regulus had seemed so withdrawn and subdued. It did not matter if it was about Lucius, his parents, or his brothers. Snape liked to think the boy was beginning to open up to him a bit, but this could just be his own hopes.
When Regulus returned from what he presumed was the trial, he was pale, trembling, and had immediately rushed to Severus. "I..I did what you suggested." Regulus said simply, his voice all but the calm and even tone Severus had begun to get used to. "I...I asked L-Lucius for help..."
"What happened?" Severus asked softly, but Regulus shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. Upon closer inspection he could see the bruises, raw and new, marring his face, and he could swear he saw some along the hem of his collar and under the edges of his sleeves. Severus' face drew serious. He grabbed Regulus and roughly dragged him to a more secluded and quiet area.
"What happened?" He asked, more seriously now. HIs voice was low, serious, and almost a tinge dangerous. Regulus dropped to the floor, trembling, arms held close and careful to his chest. Severus sighed as Regulus continued to shake his head, insisting he mustn't say a word.
Well, Severus was not going to allow this to continue, especially not when Regulus was obviously injured, so he did the next best thing and, once more dragging Regulus with him, he forced him onto Madam Pomfrey. It was the only thing that he could think of to do. He would ask about the trial later, but he had a bad feeling, and he desparately hoped that he was not correct, particularly because it was him that had suggested that he gather an audience with the Dark Lord, knowing that Lucius was likely his only true contact in order to do so.
Severus felt himself shiver at the implications of what could have happened. He may not be a genius, but he knew trauma when he saw it, and something had happened to Regulus. Something that Lucius either knew or took part in, and if this was how it left his normally calm and collected, albeit obedient and serventile, friend, he knew that Lucius was far more dangerous than he originally let on.