"One hears many things, my lord. Whether the truth is among them is not clear."

Voldemort laughed at Pius, finding his way of speaking most appropriate for his profession. "You will, I think, prove most useful, Pius. Where will he move the boy?"

A smart tactician, Voldemort never put all of his spies in one basket. Each person was responsible for just a handful of information-- meaning that each person remained expendable. The exception being, of course, your husband who had a connection with one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Without that now, you worried. Endlessly.

"To a safehouse," Severus answered when Pius could not. "Likely the home of someone in the Order. I'm told it has been given every manner of protection possible. Once there, it will be impractical to attack him. We may have compromised the Ministry, but there are those who remain loyal to him. As long as the Ministry stands, his allies within will have the meas at their disposal to insure his safety."

"My lord!" Your aunt Bellatrix's shrill voice rang through the chamber. "If I might, I'd like to volunteer myself for this task. I'd like to kill the boy."

Of course you would, you resisted shaking your head, Auntie Trixie would kill anyone. Even her own child if she had one.

"It seems your niece has an opinion on that." Voldemort chuckled. He found it amusing that you held such sympathies for one aunt and not the other.

"Oh, and tell me dear Essie, what is that opinion?" But before you could answer with a witty comeback, a wail escaped from Charity.

"Wormtail! Have I not spoken to you about keeping our guest quiet?!" White hot anger flowed through Voldemort and you knew that your ears must have been statue grey. It was this Voldemort you feared. Not the tactician, but the creature blinded by fury. That was who would kill you and your husband. That was the Voldemort to avoid.

"Y-yes, m-my lord. Right away, m-my lord!" Wormtail stuttered. Severus tsk'd and shook his head with disgust. He had hated the creature known as Wormtail his entire life it seemed. Not once had the rat done an honorable thing. He had never deserved to be by Lily's side. And he most certainly did not deserved to be anywhere near yours.

"Bellatrix." Voldemort fixed his eyes on the women, seemingly forgetting his statement to you, "As inspiring as I find your bloodlust, I must be the one to kill Harry Potter. But I face an unfortunate complication. It has recently come to my attention that my wand and Potter's share the same core. They are, in some ways, twins." Your mind flashed back to the lesson on wand lord that Severus had given you around the time of your marriage. It had indeed come in handy several times. "We can wound but not fatally harm one another. Which means, if I am to kill him... I will have to do it with another's wand."

Everyone stiffened up at the table, even your psychotic aunt Bellatrix. Not one wizard on Earth would want to give up their wands-- they were a part of you. They reflected you and learned you. To give up a wand was akin to giving up a piece of yourself. And to Voldemort's delight, this was not a choice. Sauntering around the table like a sick game of 'duck, duck, goose',  he stopped only when he got to the most haggard being there.

"Come now. Surely one of you would like the honor? What about... your niece, Lucius?"