"You know, Sev," Lucius murmured as they wandered towards the Slytherin dungeons from the Great Hall, "you have a really nice ass when you walk that way." His robes were lifted, Lucius peeking beneath them.
Severus twisted around, hands batting Lucius's fingers away from his clothes. Thank Merlin for wearing trousers beneath them, or else anyone who'd been looking their way from the Great Hall would've had a peek at his ass. "Can't you wait until we get back to our room, Lucius?"
"Hmmmm," the blond sighed thoughtfully. "It'll be a very close thing. I might manage to make it to the common room... if we hurry."
"We can slip down to our niche..." He fell back a little, to walk side by side with his friend. A hand on Lucius's arm proved that he did feel warmer than usual, though he could probably make it to their room. Still, if Lucius wanted... Severus had no reason to deny.
"I don't know if I want to wait that long," Lucius drawled teasingly. It was true. He didn't want to wait! He'd not denied himself all summer long, and it had certainly become difficult to try and do so anymore. "I want what I want when I want it."
"Hmn, you have gone all day without haven't you? That makes you a brave, strong man I suppose," Severus smirked a little, squeezing Lucius's arm. "I'll race you there -- then it'll go quicker. Bet you can't catch me!" He let go of his friend's arm, and started to run off down the hall.
The echoes of their footsteps and laughter rang along the stone walls as they hurried downward until Lucius finally caught him in a side hall, pushing him up against the wall. "I caught you!" he panted, chuckling as he slid his hands inside Severus's robes.
"Unjust!" Severus panted, laughing just a little as he leaned his head back against the wall. "So, what will you do to me now that I've been caught?"
"Hmmmm," Lucius said as if thinking about it. "Now that you're my prisoner..."
"Prisoner?" Severus laughed. The idea was... just one more of their games together, a strange, enticing idea. As if Lucius could make him a prisoner.
"Yes, prisoner. I think I shall... punish you!" was the gleeful exclamation. 'Punishment' obviously involved a great deal of tickling in all of the absolute worst spots for it, namely where they tickled the most.
Lucius's fingers had wormed their way under his robes and up under his shirt, tickling just perfectly at his sides; Severus tried to get away, pushing a little and laughing until he curled forwards against Lucius. "Please, please, stop! I surrender, hah hah, please, Lucius..."
"Mmmm, let's see. Now that you've surrendered, I get to demand concessions from you, don't I?" his cousin teased, warm breath stealing past his ear even as Lucius slipped his hands further down Severus's back, stealing into the waistband of his slacks.
"And if I'm unwilling?" Which from the way he pressed back to Lucius's hands was a completely hypothetical question. Lucius's fingers were always so warm on his skin, and the way the other boy would clutch at him made his cock twitch and throb to life.
"Then I'll just...." There came a pause as Lucius pressed against him, kissed him hungrily, almost gnawing at his lips with sheer fervor. "...have to take you unwilling, Sevvie."
"Uhhm, but I've a liking to the way you do things." Severus purred that, giving a ragged pant of breath as he pressed against Lucius's hands so that they were caught between the wall behind him, and his backside. "Right here?"
"Oh, yes," Lucius groaned. "Right here!"
"Uhuhuhm." The very loud sound of a throat clearing came from behind them. "Mister Snape. Mister Malfoy. It really is rather inappropriate to be doing such things in the hallways. Ten points from Slytherin House! Each!"
It was a pity that Severus had already started to hitch down his slacks. "Professor McGonagall..." He looked right at her, warm-faced and flustered looking from laughter and their kissing. Ten points each? Outrageous!
"For being improperly dressed in the halls," she said sternly, cheeks stained with mortification. "Really, boys!!"
"Well, ma'am, you see," Lucius told her with a straight face, "Severus squealed that a mouse had run up his trouser leg. I was only trying to help him, Professor."
McGonagall's sharp-eyed gaze fell upon him. "Five more points," she said grudgingly, "for such an immensely entertaining lie, Mr. Malfoy. Now please. Go along with you to your own dorm!"
She would've taken ten if she'd known how much Severus liked mice in general, and how unwavering he was towards all sorts of creeping, crawling, disgusting creatures. Severus shifted a little, still leaned close against lucius, and kissed his cousin warmly on the mouth. "Come on -- let's go."
"Preferably before you get caught again," Minerva agreed with an impatient sigh.
"Mmmm," Lucius said, though he really wanted to stay and do it right there in the hall. "We're going, we're going. Yes ma'am..."
Severus shifted away a bit at last, and his fingers fumbled closed the front of his slacks, shirt hopelessly untucked. Lucius had no right to get him so riled up when they couldn't yet -- sometimes the Veela was just as teasing about sex as Severus was to him. "Uhm."
"Yes. Well," McGonagall said sternly. "Hurry along." It was rather obvious that she was going to watch them all the way back to the dungeons!
Lucius's fingers were caught in Severus's rather uncaringly, and he started off down the hall without bothering to even look at the Gryffindor professor again. "Does this mean I've been uncaught, Lucius?"
"Only for the moment," Lucius promised him with a little leer, nudging him towards their secret place, down a long hallway. "Just for now."
"I'd hate to be set free." Severus couldn't leer the way the other boy did, but he could smirk a tiny bit, and nudge their clasped hands to brush Lucius's backside rather firmly.
"Taunting your captor, Sevvie?" Lucius asked with a visible look of lust. "Mmm, that's never a good idea...." In fact, if the dark-haired Slytherin kept it up, Lucius was going to jump him. Hard.
Severus rubbed Lucius's bottom, in a small circle motion. "But what if I want to?"
"Then maybe you'd better be careful for what you wish!" the blond growled, and promptly jumped him again, this time being careful to push him into a bit of a hole in the wall, a little opening in the stone that seemed perfect for just this purpose.
Severus let out a muffled laugh as his back touched stone again. The Slytherin part of the school had so many little hide-aways, probably for just the purpose that he and Lucius were putting it to use. "Will you fuck me here?" he panted.
"So hard you'll see stars!" Lucius snarled, already stripping away his clothing again.
"MISTER MALFOY!!!"
Oh, he couldn't be hearing that voice again. Not again, not when all he wanted so badly was to just wrap himself around Lucius and feel him. They'd managed to start shoving aside robes, hitching up shirt and down pants when Severus heard McGonagall's voice crack into the haze of want.
"TWENTY POINTS! GET BACK TO YOUR DORMITORY!!!!"
In Lucius's imagination, McGonagall became a flaming demon, horns and all, and he had to try desperately not to snicker at the notion of the muggle-lover bellowing at the two of them. "Professor...."
"NOOOOOW!!!!!"
Severus's fingers rubbed at the sides of Lucius's hips a little, under robes and shoved beneath slacks, and he didn't pull back yet. "Don't yell so... we're going."
"So you say, Mr. Snape, but I don't see either of you moving! Detention! For both of you!" She paused, and for a moment, they both feared she was just mean enough to give it to them that very night. "Tomorrow!"
Groaning, Severus tried to nudge himself out of the niche -- which was hard to do with Lucius's warm body still pressed against him. "But why...?"
Why seemed like a good question to Lucius. "We aren't bothering anyone, no one's going to come by..."
"Oh, really?" McGonagall's foot was tapping, never a good sign. "I came by. And the reason why is because it is against the rules! Now, go to your dormitory and don't question me further!"
"But the headmaster doesn't mind..." Severus pressed at Lucius again, finally backing both of them into the hallway -- making their state of disarray and arousal very clear.
"The headmaster," they were clearly informed, "does not want you fornicating in public!"
"Fornicating in public doesn't sound so bad," Lucius muttered under his breath.
"One more smart remark and both of you will bend and place your hands on the floor and be smacked!" McGonagall warned them.
"That's too much trouble," Severus remarked smoothly, tugging at Lucius a little to get him moving again. Never mind that his hands were still almost entirely down the other boy's pants. "We'll fornicate in semi-private, Professor."
Even Lucius's eyes widened at the next bellow. "BEND OVER!!!!"
"Er, we'd really rather not, Professor," he said nervously. He remembered hearing some tale about one of the red-haired Gryffindor Weasleys getting caught out with his girlfriend and being caned for it. It really made his hair almost stand on end... well, it might have if it wasn't firmly plastered to his head most of the time.
"We're going," Severus protested quietly, sounding and feeling quite offended at her snarl. Perhaps if they simply moved she'd leave them be -- and with that, he tugged at Lucius again, and started to walk away backwards, his older cousin in tow.
"I did not say you could go, Mr. Snape. I said Bend Over. And don't make me call Mr. Filch!"
"Right here in the hallway?" Severus asked, halting a little. "But, that's worse than what we were going to do..."
"I warned you, Mr. Snape," McGonagall informed most sternly. "Over!"
"It doesn't seem to make sense," Severus muttered as he slipped free of Lucius entirely. "You can't be serious."
"I've never been smacked before," Lucius announced, and the nervousness in his voice couldn't really be hidden.
"If I have to repeat myself one more time, gentlemen, it will be fifteen smacks instead of ten!" Sternly voiced, it was quite enough to make them both shiver.
"Oh, Merlin." Severus's voice was a soft, frustrated sounding mutter, and he did just what he'd been told, bending over to place his hands on the floor.
"Severus," Lucius muttered just loud enough for his cousin to hear, "has anyone ever smacked you before?"
"Not that I can recall..." Severus peeked over to his cousin, who was bent just as he was.
"Well, gentlemen, I assure you that all of that is about to change," they were informed, the tinge of magic suddenly in the air.
"She's going to smack us with magic?" Lucius gulped.
"Why would she use a hand...?" Severus smirked at Lucius a little, as if he were a bit slow -- but the smirk faded in a gasp of shock as the first blow pelted hard against his bottom.
"Why," McGonagall said, "Would I use anything less than a tawse, gentlemen? I assure you, the tawse has made worse boys than the two of you into firm believers in behaving!"
The next smack was Lucius's and he gasped. "OW!"
"We're only.... being ourse-selves," Severus stammered, voice cracking hard at the next blow.
"Be that as it may. Nakedness and licentiousness in these hallowed halls have..." A spank was firmly delivered to Lucius. "....no...." Another was given to Severus. "...place!" And another was granted the blond.
"Oh!" Lucius panted.
"You're an old prune!" Severus rallied after a choked noise cut through his voice at the next strike.
"And that's eleven smacks for you, Mr. Snape," he was almost cheerfully informed as she brought the tawse down on his bottom again.
"Oh, Merlin," Lucius hissed prayerfully.
"Stop..." Lucius could almost feel it from Severus, as he clutched his narrow fingers against the stones so near, a slow, steady buildup of something.
"Are you going to be smart again?" McGonagall asked them, delivering a sixth blow.
"No!" Lucius swore, though they all knew it was a lie.
"N-n..." Severus's fingers twitched, his wand slipping out of his robe and partly into his fingers' grasp.
"Don't even think about it," he was firmly warned as she laid in the seventh spank.
"Cr... cr...." His bit his bottom lip tightly, and simply started to thank Merlin that he'd worn his heavy slacks that day
The last spanks fell with a thankful quickness, eight and nine and ten, and then an eleventh that came quite firmly just for Severus. "Now, then," McGonagall said, banishing the instrument quickly. "Don't let me catch you again!"
"We won't!" Lucius agreed, shuddering. "May we stand up now?"
"Yes."
Severus stumbled forwards a little, glaring back over his shoulder at her. He should have cast that Crucio -- would've served her right. On the other hand, he didn't suppose he wanted to be expelled...
"May we go now?" Lucius asked shakily.
"Directly back to your dormitory," McGonagall agreed. "Scat!"
Still chewing on his bottom lip, Severus caught Lucius's hand in unhappy possession, and started to drag his cousin quickly off down the hallway. His bottom hurt, and as soon as they got back to the dorm, he was going to do something about it.
"Sevvie," Lucius whispered as they hurried along, his face flushed most deliciously. "I'm going to fuck you stupid once we're in our room."
"Can't it wait a bit? I hurt, and I've no... no liking of that." He wasn't going to dare look over his shoulder again, and acknowledge that he swore he heard small cat feet following them as they went.
"I can't wait," Lucius declared, and tugged him all the faster. "That's only made it worse. Come on!"
"Oh, at least wank off while I try to heal what McGonner-gal just did," Severus whined very faintly. They went down, past the third year dorm and towards the munching stairs. Maybe that'd get the animagus. Mangy thing.
"Well, I'll think about it," Lucius said, but Severus knew what that meant.
It was already thought of, already dismissed. Still, he had every right to be displeased... "Well. You're going to have to make me want it again."
"That won't be a problem," his cousin promised him.
And it wasn't.
"Ah, Severus?" That was a soft voice, a particularly nice one. It came from one of the girls in his own third year class. He didn't talk to them very often, and he really didn't want to talk to anyone today, since he'd been pinched into oblivion despite the fact that he was wearing green. Of course he wore green on St. Patrick's Day! He was a Slytherin! They always wore green!!
Dirty, heartless bastards. Of course, he'd been sniped at when he gave Black whiskers in retaliation; there was just no hope of escaping it, other than to wedge himself in a corner of the library, a pile of foreboding books on curses and hexes piled up around him like a small fort.
"What?"
"I just thought someone ought to say they were sorry. About earlier, I mean. Even if it's someone who didn't participate," the girl said most seriously. "Sometimes, I think they truly get carried away with themselves."
Severus glanced up at her, still frowning as he'd been doing before. Lily Evans was a pretty, seemingly warm-hearted girl. Seemingly -- which surely made her Slytherin. Often he wondered about her sorting, but if idiots like Potter and Black were 'brave', Lily was unquestioningly ambitious. "Sometimes, I'd like that thing in the lake to carry them away."
"They hadn't ought to play such mean tricks on you. I don't know why they do, really, except that you're smarter than them and a boy," she decided, sitting down next to him. "They don't bother me half so much."
Nervy, too -- Severus never sat with any of his fellow third years -- only the fourth years, only with Lucius in particular. "I think... you should reverse that -- they don't bother you because you're a girl."
"Probably not," she agreed softly. "Potter turns nearly purple every time he sees me. Sometimes, I'm afraid he'll burst a vein or something, really. That'd be messy, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, I could hope," Severus sighed. Messy, and then Potter would be a dead, bloody mess on the floor. "That's an awfully nice thought, after what I've been through today. Just because my idea of what's fun doesn't involve asinine things like theirs does."
"It's sort of nice to talk to you like this," Lily decided. "I mean, you're always so quiet in class, and you're never with the rest of the third years. You seem too nice, really, to be with Lestrange and those others."
He slanted her a glance that was questioning, and very faintly curious. "What do you mean? They're my friends, except for Lestrange."
"Well, you know. Lestrange is a pervert," she said seriously. "We caught him with Sally Anderson's panties just three weeks ago. And he's always near the rest of you, too, so..."
Severus couldn't help the smile that cracked the edges of his mouth, altogether too pleased to hear what she'd just told him, "No, Lucius and I don't like him much."
"Lucius? Ah, Malfoy. He does seem to have a certain... standing amongst the other students," Lily replied with a wry smile. "Especially with the Purebloods. I occasionally feel quite overwhelmed by it all."
"Because you aren't," Severus nodded a little. "I'm pureblood, but I think I scare most of them. That's all right -- Lucius, Crabbe and Goyle like me, and don't mind teaching me things."
"Really?" Her face gained a great interest at hearing that. "Things like what? We don't learn nearly as much as I'd like in class, and I wish we could use magic over the summer." A wry smile danced over her lips. "My sister Petunia is really horrid."
"She's just a plain old muggle? Must be horrible." Not even a squib -- not even the benefit of that. Poor girl. "Uncle Arioch teaches us all sorts of things, and in the summer, I play with potions. It's not magic that the ministry has problems with, so I do that over the summer."
A thoughtful expression made its way into her gaze. "Well, that's certainly a thought, isn't it? My parents are terribly proud I'm going to Hogwarts, but Petunia..." She sighed. "Petunia's horribly jealous. I've tried to tell her that she wouldn't want to be here by telling her about the bad things, but I'm afraid it must be really obvious that I'm not telling all I know."
"You don't need her, if she's going to be like that towards you -- she's only a muggle, after all. She'll do muggle things with her life, and you'll do magical things." Idly, Severus glanced away and picked up the nearest book -- twelve hundred ways to make a man wish he'd been decapitated. Always a delightful read.
"Ohh, you've read that?" she said excitedly, leaning close. "My favorite chapter is twelve. There's just something about wooden blades, isn't there?"
He looked at her for a moment with wide-eyed surprise, then picked up smoothly with, "Isn't there? But I prefer twenty-six more -- spider eggs placed just so along the line of a shallow cut at the base of the neck is just... frightful, and that's the whole point."
A little shudder brooked through Lily. "Ergh. That one gave me the creeps. I'm not very fond of spiders," she admitted sheepishly. "Well, the living ones, anyway. Dead is all right."
"It's not that you're supposed to be fond of it -- it's just a form of torture." Severus slipped to that chapter, and looked a bit wistful. "One I'll probably never get to try."
"Well, really, you wouldn't want to, would you? Just imagine all the blood and guts that'd come from that," she noted, quite practical about the matter.
"I'd like to try a lot of things," Severus informed her, "Most of which aren't legal, or so the headmaster tells me. I think he's a bit scared of me, too."
"Why do you want to try them?" Lily asked. "I mean, it doesn't seem like something you'd really want to do, or like I would, anyway."
"I want to try them because I can. There's all sorts of things one can do but because some... some grown up Gryffindor isn't comfortable with them, they can't be done." He closed the book, and flipped open another favorite, that always made Madam Pince look at him funny. Voluptuous Veela, to give him more ideas for things to try with Lucius.
"Wow," the girl beside him said softly. "You've seen that book? Oh, my. That's really naughty."
"I read it last year," Severus smiled at her, just a bit superiorly. "The headmaster let me read it."
Lily grinned at him. "Don't tell anyone, but I snuck it past my mother just this summer at the bookstore. It wasn't easy, let me tell you! It's a fascinating read, really... Malfoy is one, isn't he? At least a little! Oh, you don't have to tell me, but it just seemed like he must be..."
"Don't spread that around," he warned, part confirmation, yes, but better to be safe than sorry. It was, of course, the only reason that he'd ever read that book.
"Oh, I wouldn't," she promised. "Only it's awfully fascinating. They say they go into heat right about his age. Is it true? Do they?" It seemed a rather naughty conversation, and she was most pleased with herself about it.
That dark pleasure was quite comforting, actually. "Mm, yes," Severus agreed. "Uncle Arioch says it'll only last another few years, which is still a long time."
"What does he do about it?" she whispered. "Not to be nosy or anything, but it just seems so fascinating. A real magical creature, right in your dorm!"
"It's a little interesting," Severus agreed, before grinning again. She was being unrepentantly nosy, but it was also brisk, and didn't feel like back stabbing in action. "I help him with it, usually."
"Oh, you mean like...??" Her fingers wriggled, face flushing as vert eyes became huge. "Wow. Oh, WOW! Is that nice? I mean, you know...?"
"It's really nice." Everything with Lucius was, so her vagueness still let him give her truth in return. "Lucius is really great, if you bother to get to know him."
"I think I'd rather just watch from a distance," Lily admitted sheepishly. "I'm sure he's nice, but I'd be nervous. It's so fascinating!"
"I suppose... it's not so fascinating for me, since I'm used to it." His fingers toyed with a bit of the book, only having it half-opened. "But why do you think it is?"
"Maybe it's a girl thing," she decided briskly. "Well, no, I doubt that. Hm, well, males amongst Veela are terribly rare, or so they say. That in and of itself is fascinating, but often the traits breed true. The more Veela blood you have, the truer they are, of course, but even in those with only a minute amount, it makes a difference. It guarantees blond hair, fair skin, light colored eyes..."
"Grey-silver," Severus corrected. "And they are rare. Uncle Arioch has a fraction, too, so."
"I really should have talked to you sooner," Lily said with a smile. "You're a fascinating conversationalist, Severus."
Severus dusted the tips of his fingers over the Voluptuous Veela book cover, and seemed to peer into her smile, staring somewhat. "It's probably because I frighten people. The other third year boys... I haven't really talked to since first."
"And who can blame you," she agreed. "But the girls are nice. You can talk to us every now and again."
"I'll remember that," he said, lips quirking a little. "But I do prefer Lucius's company... no offense."
"None taken," Lily murmured, offering him her hand. "Still. The offer's open, if you ever want to take it."
He shifted to stand, and took her hand at the same time, a light squeeze made with his thin, lithe fingers that passed for a hand shake. "I'll remember that."
"So, I'll see you around," she said. "And good luck with those Marauders. We all need a little of that."
Good luck... yes, good luck. He started to stack the tomes together again, picking the ones he wanted to take with him. "Yes, we do, don't we? To you, too, Lily."
She waved goodbye, and left him alone with his books.
Sitting in charms class, Severus waited. Waited for lesson to begin, leering at the two Gryffindors for whom he'd set the trap. Stupid boys, stupider than Lucius had ever told him they were, because they didn't feel the spell he'd put on their wands. Oh, it was going to be sweet. Sweet, sweet revenge for being pinched senseless on St. Patrick's Day by the asinine buggers; sweet, sweet revenge for the trick they had played on him in his second year.
He could hardly wait!
"And now, if you would all gather 'round, please!" Professor Flitwick was waving his wand cheerfully and giving them instructions on the charm they were learning, one that Severus had known since before school. "All right, then! Give it a go!"
Severus cast his immediately, almost boredly, and gained the results he was supposed to get -- shimmering points of light in the air that hung neatly in place. The Gryffindors always liked to do theirs after he was done, because if he, heaven forbid, failed at it, they knew by now that trying was a lost effort. He thrust one hand into the lights, dissipating them, and turned to drawl at Potter and Black. "Go on -- it's so simple..."
That really should have been enough to tip them off, Severus thought, if they'd had any brains. It was rather unfortunate for them that they didn't, as the moment they tried the charm, it backfired, and they both began burping up nasty, fat, black slugs that glistened as they hit the table.
"EW!" one of the Gryffindor girls shrieked.
"What's going on here?" Flitwick's cheerfulness faded quickly, as he marched up to the table of the two belching boys. Severus barely wiped the grin from his lips, when Flitwick fixed him with the oddest icy stare.
Black managed to point a finger at Severus, though he couldn't get out the other boy's name; he was altogether too busy with slugs sliding up out of his throat, plopping in little damp piles.
"It'll stop in an hour or two," Severus replied calmly. "Don't get so worked up, Black."
"Snape," Flitwick said angrily, "detention! Twenty points from Slytherin! And go to see the Headmaster!"
That was unexpected -- it was only a prank, after all... Severus frowned at the man, which probably seemed like sour defiance, as he slid his books into his bag, and left the room to do just as he'd been told. He couldn't see himself getting in very much trouble for it, and there was still the fact that he'd outpranked the pranksters.
He hoped they choked on the slugs at least once.
By the time he reached Dumbledore's office, the gargoyle which usually guarded the door had moved away from it, almost as if it had known he was coming. He supposed it probably had; Dumbledore seemed to know everything that went on at Hogwarts!
He walked up the steps idly, unhurriedly, with his bag neatly over his shoulder still. Lucius would be delighted with him when word spread, and it would be a solid victory in the deep rivalry between the two houses. Severus usually disdained from joining in, but it was April Fools' day, after all -- half-sanctioned for pranks, as it stood, by those half-bloods who'd brought the holiday to the school with them.
"Come in, Severus." That was Dumbledore's voice, and it sounded rather more serious than usual. It wasn't precisely comforting.
"Yes, sir." Severus came in, and sat down in the empty chair across from the man's desk. He kept his booksack in his lap, hands folded neatly overtop of it. It was hard to look remorseful when he didn't feel remorseful, so Severus didn't bother with that facade. There wasn't much point, not around Dumbledore.
"I am given to understand that Messrs. Black and Potter are currently burping up slugs in the infirmary, Severus." There was no twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes; not even a little. "I expect better from you."
"I'm sorry, sir." But he wasn't, and it gleamed in his black on black eyes as he looked back at the headmaster. "But they had it coming, sir, and I won't say that I regret doing it."
"I'm afraid, Severus, that is the reason why you must be punished. A lack of regret is sometimes a very fine thing, but sometimes, you carry things too far. All privileges regarding the restricted section of the library are hereby revoked," Dumbledore said sadly.
"What?" Severus's eyes went wide for a moment, so that the headmaster saw white all around the edges of black irises. "No, sir, you can't do that -- they've done worse to me and the other Slytherins, and you haven't done anything like that to them!"
"But better is expected of you, Severus, than of either of them. Sirius and James are often mischievous; it is their nature. It is not your own, which makes this prank seem much more malicious in intent," Dumbledore replied with serious tone.
For a moment, Severus's mouth worked without words -- what was it, some sort of twisted double standard of expectations? How dare the headmaster expect more of him than those two... When he spoke, it was almost as if Lucius were talking for him -- a frightening thing, and an odd tone to hear from the lips of the usually calm, inquisitive boy. "So when a Gryffindor pulls a prank and doesn't care for the consequences, it's all in good fun? But when a Slytherin does the same, it's evil, isn't it?"
"That isn't true, Severus. The differences in your natures must be taken into account, however; and you have never been the sort of boy to pull horrible pranks before, much less one with such thoroughly disgusting results," Albus pointed out to him.
"So it was all right when they turned my broom into a chicken during practice back in February? If Lucius hadn't put that buffering spell, I'd be a hole in the pitch, you know," Severus muttered, looking down at his bag. "They'll be fine again in two hours, tops. Better slugs than a pile of bloody bones."
"Severus, arguing with me isn't going to change anything."
The third year swallowed, still looking down at his bag. Of course arguing wouldn't do him any good. Dumbledore was a Gryffindor at heart, wasn't he? And in calls of loyalty, he settled with his house. "Is this a permanent decision, or just for the remainder of the term?"
"For the remainder of the term," Dumbledore said gently. "That will be all, Severus. You may go now."
He almost snapped at Dumbledore for being so gracious as to allow him to leave so soon. But he swallowed it down, with the knot in his throat. No, he wouldn't ask the headmaster for another book, as long as he was at Hogwarts. He'd ask Uncle Arioch, who'd send them to him by owl. Then, at least, he wouldn't have Madam Pince giving him strange looks and checking to see if his pass was forged, or if he was lying.
"I hope you keep in mind what I've said the next time they pull a prank," Severus murmured tightly as he stood, bag clutched tight in his fingers. "Mischievous or not, they'll never learn if you don't get them where it hurts. One of their good natured tricks could kill someone more than a well planned malicious one."
"Severus..." That was all the old man said, voice in and of itself a tight warning.
Thin fingers went white, they clutched so tightly at the bag, and then Severus turned sharply, to head to the door. "I'm sorry I've disappointed you, sir."
"I'm sorry to have to punish you," Dumbledore agreed. "Particularly as you're such a bright boy, Severus."
Whatever that had to do with being sorry for punishing him, Severus had no idea. He barely was able to let go of his bag enough to open the door, and in his tense unhappiness, the bag slipped from his grip the moment the door was open, sending his books and papers spilling down the stairs.
"Oh, shit," Severus cursed softly, staring down at the mess that seemed to cast a white light on dark stone stairs.
"Five points for cursing, Severus."
Bottom lip shaking and then tightly bitten into his mouth, Severus slammed the door behind him, and went about trying to spell his books and papers back into his bag.
No, he wasn't ever going to go to the Headmaster for anything again.
"Sevvie?"
That was Lucius's voice, soft, tentative, coming out of the dark. Severus had no idea what time it was, or how long had passed since he'd gone to hide after Charms.
"Sevvie, it's way after curfew. I can't sleep without you. Are you here?"
"No." It was a particularly sullen tone, but Severus was huddled up in his favorite niche, knees drawn to his chest. Perhaps hiding hadn't been the best of ideas, but he'd been reluctant to play the unaffected student that day. Dinner would have been impossible to go to -- because there Black and Potter would've been, chatting about his punishment, and Dumbledore would've been at the head table, watching him.
"Oh... Well, as you aren't here, perhaps you'll also talk to me about what isn't wrong with you?" It was just like Lucius to phrase it that way.
"I might." He drew a breath through his nose, a wet almost sniffle that betrayed silent tears Severus had shed he didn't know how long ago. "But you probably already know. I expect half the school knows."
"That you played the best prank yet on those stupid Gryffinbrats? Sure," Lucius said gently, squirming into the tiny spot where he had hidden, a little out of the way corner built into stone for some obscure reason. "The points? They're negligible." After all, it wasn't as if Lucius would take a loss of points out on him. "Especially considering that neither of them could eat dinner. That was entirely worth it."
"I'm sorry I missed that," Severus replied, shifting his bookbag a bit further back in the niche, clearing a bit of room for Lucius. "I still didn't want to go. I'm not really hungry."
An arm snuck around him. "He hurt your feelings, didn't he?" There was no need in defining that pronoun.
"They could probably kill me, and it'd be all right," Severus sighed, a soft whimper of noise as he ducked his head against Lucius's shoulder, "as long as they meant well about it. And then... when I went to leave, I dropped my books down the stairs... he just took more points away. He didn't even offer to help..."
"My poor Sevvie..." Lucius whispered. "I'm sorry. He's a stupid Mudblood lover and if it comes down to it, he'll always choose them over you. I'd never do that. I love you too much..."
"I'm not allowed... any more books from the restricted section for the rest of the term..." Severus drew another tense breath, curling closer against Lucius. Thoughts he'd been able to keep muted seemed to spring with life anew as Lucius pulled him closer. "It isn't fair! They only got a detention for all the things they do, or not even that..."
"I know, Sevvie. I know. I'll get you any books you want, I promise. And we'll write to Father and tell him all about this. He'll be very unhappy. He's on the Board of Governors, we can get something done about it, I promise," Lucius said soothingly.
"It's so stupid. It's so stupid -- I shouldn't've done it, but he shouldn't've punished me for the reason he did!" Severus wasn't sure about getting the Board of Governors in on the issue, since he hated having that sort of attention drawn to him.
"I know. Shhh. It will be all right, Sev. I'll make it all right. Is there anything I can do...?" Lucius asked him quietly.
Severus just shook his head. There wasn't anything Lucius could do, because Lucius hadn't done it in the first place. "I'm not playing another prank on them again..."
Lips nuzzled gently at his temple. "There are other ways, Sevvie..."
"Such as...?" He pressed closer, closing damp eyes tightly. It felt good in Lucius's arms, comforting in ways that his own solitude hadn't been.
"Catching them doing something stupid and telling on them. That would work pretty well," Lucius said, fingers tangling in soft strands of black hair.
"That might take a while..." But Severus was willing to do it, and Lucius knew that. "Yes. Yes, I'll keep that in mind. Can't do it this term, though, because the headmaster will discount it as revenge, but..."
"There's always next year," Lucius whispered, and kissed him gently, both eyes, his nose, his mouth. "D'you think you want to go to bed, Sev? It's really late... You'll be tired tomorrow."
"I'm skipping classes tomorrow," he decided softly, shifting back only reluctantly. "It's Friday, and I want to read the book I have before Madam Pince hunts me down for it, since I'm not allowed to have it any longer."
"I'll tell all of your teachers you aren't well," Lucius promised. /And I'll get you a copy of that book from Father. Stupid Dumblebutt, he's finally given you entirely to me. If I didn't hate him for hurting you, I'd thank him./
"It's Hogsmeade weekend. I can already guess that I'm not allowed to go on that, too..." He drew another sniff of breath, finally unfolding himself enough to crawl to his feet, and out of the niche.
"No one's said as much, have they?" Lucius asked him quietly.
"No, but..." Well. Maybe he still had that privilege left. He was still unsure as to if he wanted to test it.
"So long as they don't see you leave, they can't very well revoke it, now can they?" And oh, Lucius would make sure that they didn't! He'd send a note to his father that very night!
"I'm afraid I'm not following you. You must be tired, too," Severus decided in a whisper.
"We'll just sneak you right past. We could find a way to do it, I'm sure..." Lucius paused. "But let's not worry about that until Saturday, okay? Come on. Let's go to bed, Sev."
He staggered to his feet, arms still halfway around Lucius's neck. His legs hurt, and thin knees cracked as they straightened. "I'm going to sleep for hours," Severus sighed as the weight of exhaustion settled on him. He was tired of thinking about what had happened.
With a little smile, Lucius pulled him close, letting Severus lean against his own body for support. "You can sleep as long as you like," he promised, and then kissed Severus's temple again. "I promise."
A quiet sigh filtered loose, as he shouldered his bag again. "I do love you, Lucius." Lucius was always there for him, just for him, to be trusted and helpful... Yes, he only had one friend, because he'd been wrong about the headmaster. "I know, Sevvie," Lucius whispered, and kissed him on the mouth that time. "Come on."
It was a silent, winding walk back to the dormitory, and the other fourth years were asleep already. He dropped his books down quietly, stripped off, and slid into bed beside Lucius. For the first time in months, they didn't play for a bit before sleeping -- Severus simply pressed close to his friend and lover, relaxing until sleep took him.
"Lord Voldemort is coming this afternoon," Lucius warned Severus quietly. It was not quite time to return to school, and they'd spent days lazing by the pool in the back gardens covered in spells to keep the sun from burning them to a crisp.
"Is that good, or bad?" Severus drawled, lifting his head a little from the pillow of his arms. "You're frightened of him, aren't you?"
"I'm not frightened," Lucius lied, scowling at him, long fingers dangling in the water. "It's what's called healthy respect, Severus, and it would do you good if you had a little of it. It's good that he's coming. Father says they've been very busy lately."
Severus smiled slightly, laid his cheek back down on his forearm. "I respect him. He's a very powerful man, without question... I perhaps just haven't been around him often enough to have that 'healthy respect' that makes you look like you're going to piss your pants around him."
"Severus...!" Grey eyes were narrowed, cheeks flushed as much from growing anger as from the sun. "One more word and I shall beat you. And you won't like it!"
"Yes, cousin." Severus's agreement was at least as snide as disagreement would've been. "I promise I'll be better this time. I was... foolish last time, I know."
"Not foolish, just unknowing. I should likely have spoken with you before," Lucius admitted, and promptly splashed water upon the other pale boy.
It gained him soft laughter from Severus, who shifted forwards on his stomach just enough to cup a handful of water -- which was promptly dropped atop Lucius's head. "I forgive you for that, I suppose..."
"How much would you forgive me, Sevvie?" It was a drawled, heavy sort of question, one which required a certain delicacy of answer.
Sometimes it was impossible to tell what game Lucius was playing, but Severus never minded it. "A great deal, I believe."
"Blood? Pain? Suffering?" Lucius asked him before pausing. "Marriage?" The blond was only fifteen. It was surely a ridiculous question.
Severus reached fingers forwards, to wipe wet platinum strands from Lucius's forehead. His head cocked a little to one side, though a slight smile still lingered at the edges of his mouth. "The first three are ludicrous. The last isn't anything to think of yet."
"Are you so sure of all that?" Grey eyes cut into his own, the blond's mouth tightening. "Lord Voldemort is coming to discuss a betrothal ceremony of some sort," he confessed, turning his face to kiss Severus's fingers so close by his face.
"Betrothal...?" One eyebrow raised slightly, while Severus squirmed so that he was laying beside Lucius, instead of slightly across from him. "Of what sort?"
"To a female, of course," Lucius told him, sounding slightly exasperated. "Mother says that she's nearly full-blooded Veela, and that she goes to Beauxbatons. Her name is Narcissa Langlois, some distant cousin or other many times removed." He laid his head down upon his upper arm, still looking at Severus. "I don't want anyone but you, Sevvie," he said smoothly. It was only a small lie; he did want Severus more than he wanted anyone else, but on occasion, he couldn't help looking and wanting what he saw. It was in his nature.
Severus halfway understood that, though he couldn't help but frown as he leaned against his companion and lover, fingers in the other boy's sleek hair. "You'll still love me?" Surely, if Lucius had someone other than him, it... it would be a loss for Severus. "Why is Lord Voldemort coming to talk to you about being betrothed? I don't understand that..."
"He's the one who's arranging matters. A child will be born eventually, as one must be, and I think he has plans of some sort. I don't know. I can't tell with him. Maybe..." Lucius shrugged. "Maybe I am frightened. I wish you could have children, Sev. You know I'll always love you." It seemed desperately unfair that Severus couldn't.
"I'm a boy, and boys can't have babies," Severus snorted, tilting his head so he could brush Lucius's lips with his own. He was suddenly discomfited with the idea that Lord Voldemort was coming -- because it was obvious now that he could override and decide things within the Malfoy family. They obviously answered to him, if they were going to let him choose who their son married. "It's not yet, though, is it? We're all still in school, so it can't be yet..."
"No, but soon..." Lucius whispered. "Just three more school years. It doesn't quite seem like long enough. I hadn't thought to wed for at least another ten..."
"He'd better not decide that I should marry." Severus's own reply was just as soft a whisper as the one Lucius had given him. "You shouldn't have to, not if you don't want to..."
"If he does, Severus, you're going to do what he tells you. Understand?" That wasn't his Lucius, really. It was some impersonator Lucius, some terrible Lucius capable of stern demands that made him shiver. "You do what he tells you, Sev."
Silence from the younger boy, and Lucius's lips were brushed with another kiss. "Let's go swimming, Lucius? I don't want to think about this..."
Then, he was Lucius again, kissing him back, fingers tender on the back of his skull. "All right. You don't have to think about it, Sevvie. We'll swim instead..."
Severus's mouth twitched a little, pulling up a smile, as he pushed and prodded at Lucius until the other boy slipped into the water first. "After you, Lucius..."
Oh, yes. Lucius was definitely going to beat him later... but for now, there was plenty of fun to be had, and it was better not to think.
Lucius's fingers clutched at Severus's. The dark-haired boy could feel how sweaty his palms were despite the fact that Lucius appeared to be cool, serene, utterly unfeeling.
"He's waiting for you both," Arioch murmured to them, in his very cool, calm tones. It was the end of a series of 'manner-checks' as Severus thought of them, that had been helpful only by the fact that Uncle Arioch had a wonderfully soothing voice. His fingers shifted, gave Lucius's a squeeze as Uncle Arioch told them both, "Don't delay -- in the parlor, boys."
Then Lucius was sent stumbling along in the lead, with a firm hand pushing at his back that certainly didn't help the nervousness that he was undoubtedly feeling.
"Hello, Lucius. Severus." Voldemort's voice was quiet as they moved into the indicated room, the sound of it filled with a certain charismatic force despite its hushed tones, and it invited them close. "Come in. Sit. Severus, you will serve."
"Yes, sir." Just as he would for a teacher, if one had asked, Severus went about serving tea. It was just general politeness to serve by order or importance -- so the strangely understated wizard before them was poured tea first, then Lucius. "Sugar or milk, sir?" He should've been scared. Should've been trembling with fear. And perhaps knowing that made him edgy about the affair that was pouring tea for his best friend and the Dark Lord. But curiosity overwhelmed even the basest of common sense. So, he stared, as he was apt to do when curious.
"Lemon, Severus. Is there something you would like to ask me?" It was a question that was filled with no small amount of amusement even though the man was likely one of the most powerful wizards of their time.
"I... don't think it's anything that I should be asking, sir." Severus reached for a lemon, squeezed it into the wizard's tea, and set the rind carefully on the other side of the saucer.
"Nonsense. You should always ask me what is on your mind, Severus. I want to know," the man assured, and he nodded to Lucius. "Young Lucius here is aware that I like to know what is going on amongst even those as young as the two of you."
"I... don't know why you're making Lucius marry," Severus said uneasily, fidgeting slightly with the tray of raspberry flavored biscuits before he offered it to both Lucius and Voldemort. "I wanted to ask about that, but since Uncle Arioch doesn't seem bothered at all..."
"Well, he must marry at some point, mustn't he?" Voldemort replied. "And Lucius doesn't mind. Do you, Lucius?"
"No, my Lord," the silvery blond said most politely, taking a biscuit only after Voldemort had refused. "I don't mind. It must happen eventually."
"I'm not going to have to do that, am I?" That Voldemort was arranging it still struck him as oddly sinister. Perhaps it was for The Cause, as it was often loftily referred to.
"No, Severus. I have other plans for you, if you wish to join our Cause when the time comes. I will need a master of Potions, and believe that you are much more likely to fulfill that duty than any other. From Lucius, you see, I need progeny; the signs have shown that the blood of Malfoy and Langlois should join once again, to produce that which is necessary," Voldemort explained almost gently.
But Lucius was good in potions, too -- why should he be pegged in place as... just for offspring? For a moment, that seemed written between his eyes as he fixed a cup of tea for himself. "Potions for what, sir?"
"Oh, for anything I might need. Potions can be a very interesting subject, Severus. One can do a great many things with potions: heal, harm, learn the truth, become invisible, force love, even defy death if one excels at one's craft. You, I believe, will be most sublime," the powerful wizard replied. "Just as young Malfoy here will be a wonderful husband and father. Do you doubt it?"
Father, Severus was fine with. Husband... The almost fourth year swallowed down a knot in his throat, looking up at Voldemort still as he sat down across from both of them. "I... don't know, sir." He could almost feel the widening of silvery gaze from the boy so close by him.
"Why do you say that, Severus?" Voldemort asked carefully.
"I don't want him to be." It rose to his lips before common sense could stand down the words. Severus didn't waver, though, as he kept looking up to those brilliant green eyes with their implacable, delicate flecks. Power, he supposed.
"Sometimes, Severus, we do not always get what we want; however..." The man's voice trailed off, and the sudden warm way in which Severus found himself considered was no small amount disturbing. "It will be considered."
"I don't get much of what I want, unless Lucius helps me," Severus admitted, glancing down to his tea cup. It wasn't fear, but simple nervousness that drove him to it. "He's my only friend. If he marries some girl... He'll have to live with her, won't he?" He glanced up again, looking at the dark wizard inquisitively.
"That is very much what marriage is about, Severus. Indeed. That is quite true," Voldemort admitted, carefully sipping from his cup. Lucius remained quiet, as though it was bidden him to do so, and this was just as odd as the powerful red stains of color flickering in those green eyes. "That does not mean that you cannot remain here, however, that you cannot continue to be friends."
"I shan't think that wives like to be kicked out of their beds," Severus said after a moment, smiling faintly despite himself as he took his first careful sip.
"Many wives sleep separate from their husbands." That was Lucius's first contribution to the conversation, lips moving though it seemed somehow that argent eyes reflected no thought. Quite odd.
Severus stared at Lucius for a moment, openly and uncaring that he was doing it, before looking back up at Voldemort. "I'd rather not have to think of it yet. There's still... at least three years, sir, until then?"
Voldemort nodded. "Yes. Miss Langlois will spend two weeks next summer at Malfoy Manor, I suspect, to become accustomed to it and to meet young Lucius. It will be another three years, though; you are correct in that."
Two weeks in the summer?! No, not the summer, if only because he didn't want to be around some girl that he halfway saw as coming between he and Lucius. "Thank you, sir," Severus sighed a bit miserably.
"Perhaps you could come and visit me while Miss Langlois meets Lucius, Severus." The suggestion was idly given but not without some meaning behind it, one not quite grasped.
"If... if that wouldn't be trouble, sir," Severus answered, tilting his head a little to one side. "I don't want to... bother her when she's here."
"Of course, Severus. Of course." There was a sly smile accompanying those words, and it gave Severus a bit of a chill. "Lucius, I have something for you."
"Sir?" The question was almost dreamy, very unlike Severus's lover, indeed. Something was going on, something not quite right.
"A picture of Miss Langlois, in this locket..." Voldemort handed it over to the blond, dark hair momentarily falling into his eyes, obscuring the look in them. Surely they weren't red, were they? "You will like it, I suspect. She's a lovely girl."
"Yes," Lucius agreed, opening the locket slowly. "Yes. She's very lovely."
Severus squinted a little, and leaned to look at her. She was very.... beaky, Severus wanted to say, but he knew that with his nose, he didn't have much ground to say it. Still, she looked as if she had a superior air to her -- and Severus only approved of that when a person had proved that they had reason for their air. "For a girl," Severus tacked on as soft amendment.
At that, the Dark wizard laughed. "Severus, you give too much away," he chided gently. "Yes, she is lovely, for a girl. There are, of course, lovelier creatures to be won, but they cannot create children, and that is sadly a necessity."
"What did I give away, sir?" Severus stopped leaning, and took another careful sip from his cup.
"Perhaps," Voldemort said, "you will learn to like girls later in life. How old are you now, Severus?"
"Fourteen," he replied succinctly. "And I don't think I ever will. There isn't anything wrong with not liking them, is there?" The headmaster didn't care, McGonagall and Professor Hecate no doubt knew, and Crabbe and Goyle didn't mind that he and Lucius were sometimes a bit loud.
The man laughed, and Lucius's face colored slightly. "Perhaps you won't ever learn to like them, then. It's good that Lucius is Veela, or he might not like them, either, hm, Lucius?"
"Yes, sir, as you say, my Lord," Lucius agreed.
Such compliance from Lucius drew Severus's gaze again, and he frowned at his lover. How very odd, how very unlike lucius to just fall in line so calmly. There was always at least a little sign that Severus noticed even if no one else did. "I hope... sir, that I haven't derailed the point of your coming here too badly with my questions."
"No, Severus. In fact, I believe that you have most admirably shown me just what I wished to know. That being said, I have another meeting very shortly and am afraid that I must abandon the two of you."
"Yes, sir...." Severus's fingers, unknown to him, had been mashing apart one of the biscuits on his saucer. "What did you want to know, though, sir?"
"Ah, if I told you all of my secrets, Severus, I'd have none left." That was said almost teasingly as the man rose, setting his cup and saucer down carefully. "I will see you both again soon."
"Goodbye, my Lord," Lucius said almost dully.
And then Voldemort Apparated away, leaving nothing more behind than the stormy scent Severus associated with Apparation's aftereffects.
"Are you all right, Lucius?" Severus asked as he darted another glance over to his companion. "You seem... tense."
"Hm?" For a moment, it was still not-Lucius looking at him, and then the blond sagged. "Oh. Father wanted to be sure that I said the right things. He was... he was making sure..." Whatever had been done, the blond was obviously drained.
Severus's lean fingers were shaking slightly, as he set down his tea-cup, and slipped from his chair to the sofa that Lucius was sitting on. "Did you hear any of what was said?"
"Something about a picture.." Lucius said, eyes fogging over again as he looked down at the locket.
"Your betrothed," Severus said, flipping it open for Lucius. He leaned nearer to his friend, so that they pressed side against side, shoulder to shoulder. "She's coming next summer."
The other boy groaned. "Stupid witch," he muttered, though whether he meant it or not, who knew? "I don't want her to come. I want to spend time with you..."
"I don't want to be here when she is," Severus frowned, pulling the locket from Lucius's tired fingers to close the face of it. Only then did he give it back to Lucius. "So... Lord Voldemort said I can stay with him then."
"You're abandoning me to her?" That question seemed almost hurt, Lucius dragged back from that strange fog again.
Frowning, Severus shook his head. "Well, you seemed to like the idea when it came up." Even if it hadn't been Lucius. He had to keep that in mind, just as he was filing away that odd fogged look Lucius had taken on. "Or, rather, Uncle Arioch liked the idea?"
"Mmmm." Lucius dropped his head onto Severus's shoulder. "I'm tired, Sevvie," he whispered.
A thin arm curled around his back, pulling him nearer. "You can sleep here, if you want... I'll stay."
"I'd miss you awfully if you ever went, Sevvie. You know that, don't you?" It seemed almost pleading. No, there was something desperately not right at the moment.
Severus hugged his friend closer, frowning worriedly. "Just go to sleep, Lucius. You're not making any sense."
"Mmmm," Lucius replied, and closed his eyes tightly. He seemed so tired... He was asleep in minutes, which left Severus wondering as to what was going on.
School was starting soon. When school started, things would go back to normal...
"I really don't get it," Remus said miserably. "I'm just awful at it. Theory is all well and good, but for some reason, every time I put knife to root or herb, I end up with an explosion. How it happens, I can never tell..."
They were halfway through the first term of the year, and Remus was failing Potions miserably.
Not that it meant that Severus was instantly going to leap to his aid. Everyone knew that Severus was the best in potions, a natural talent -- and that he was very Slytherin, eyeing Remus for a moment as if he was unsure of what to say. On one hand, Remus was pleasant, and asking nicely for help; on the other, Remus's friends were at the top of Severus's hate list.
"Why should I help you?"
The other boy's face nearly fell, golden eyes pleading slightly. "I'm desperate, Snape. Really. Everyone else has tried, but no one has managed to show me what I'm doing. I thought if anyone could, it would be you..."
"Because I'm the best," Severus finished for him, closing the book he was reading. 'Horrendous Apparation Accidents' -- sent to him by Uncle Arioch, because he had yet to go near the headmaster to ask him anything for the entirety of the term. "Do you want to start now, or...?" It was after dinner, but Lucius was writing a paper and Severus didn't particularly feel like bothering him.
"Now would be fine, if you can just help me. I hope you can. I can't understand anything that the Professor tells us half the time, it's just impossible," Remus moaned.
Book clutched in his fingers, Severus nodded as he stood. "We'll go down to the dungeons, then. I hope you don't mind that, because I don't plan on going near the Gryffindor area."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Remus agreed. "I don't mind. I appreciate you trying to help me, Snape... Can I call you Severus? Snape makes me think of snails for some reason... Not," he hurried to say, "that YOU make me think of snails, but you know what I mean."
"Not really," he denied blandly as he got up from the dining table, and walked or the exit. Remus got a curt gesture to follow. "I don't mind if you call me Severus. But nothing other than that, understand?"
"I promise I won't call you Sevvie," came the mischievous response. "Actually, why do you object to that so much? Malfoy calls you it, doesn't he?" Remus asked curiously.
"That's Lucius's business and mine, Lupin, not yours," Severus drawled, arching an eyebrow as he looked over at Remus. He wasn't too fond of Lucius calling him that, but it had stopped irking him quite as much -- Lucius did things like that, and it was one more small thing that differentiated Lucius's relationship with him from any one else's. "Lucius does a great deal that I wouldn't let you do."
The words 'so I hear' twitched momentarily on Remus's lips, but he simply smiled and nodded. "Understandable. I'm different, after all..." Those words seemed ripe with something, heavy.
"Most people are, aren't they?" Severus hesitated for a moment at the edge of a hallway, before turning down it. It would take him past the dorms to that niche in the dungeons that he'd half-way claimed as his own. "Lucius Malfoy is my best friend. If he wants to call me some odd diminutive, that's good and well. I don't know you, after all."
"Understandable. Is he really as bossy as they say he is?" Remus asked curiously. "Only he's older than us, so I wouldn't know."
"He isn't bossy to me." Severus shrugged that. Of course Lucius wasn't bossy to him -- there was no need to be, because Severus essentially acted the way that Lucius liked people to act in the first place. "He's a fifth year now. When Klaigh leaves this year, he'll be our Quidditch team's captain."
"That must be nice for you. You're a Chaser, right? I don't follow Quidditch quite as much as I get encouraged to," Remus admitted with a wry little smile. "It's not my thing."
"I'm surprised that Potter hasn't taken to giving you personal lessons on the game. Because if he obviously can't help you with potions, he should at least share what knowledge he does have." The dungeons grew darker as they walked lower, and they stopped in front of a vacant-seeming hallway. "Wait here. I'm going to get my cauldron, and a few other things..."
"All right..." The surrounding darkness didn't seem to make the other fourteen year old very happy, but it didn't really matter if he was happy about it or not. Severus had said that he would help him with potions, not that he would protect him from the dark.
Severus paused a moment at a tapestry, peered at Lupin, over his shoulder, then returned his full attention to it. "Werewolf blood." Where it had previously been tacked down against the wall, it lifted, and let Severus pass through the doorway into the dorm.
Goyle and Crabbe were nowhere to be seen, and Nordstrom was no doubt lingering outside the doors of the girls' rooms. Or, perhaps he was harassing the house elves. But Lucius was stretched out on the bed, looking very studious.
He should've stayed in the dormitory and simply watched Lucius, Severus decided, as he let the tapestry fall shut behind him. "How're you doing on that, Lucius?"
"Nmm." It wasn't much by way of answer, for Lucius truly was deeply involved in what he was doing. O.W.L.s were coming up, and he was very concerned with what was expected of him by his father and Lord Voldemort. "Atrociously. I hate History of Magic," he snarled. It was a sign that perhaps it was better not to be in the dorm with him at that particular moment after all.
"It's all goblins, mountain trolls, gnomes and giants running amuck causing trouble," Severus shrugged as he moved to his trunk, and dug quickly through for a few books that he thought were fairly simplistic -- just ingredients listed, no instructions at all, and a tiny shimmering patch of color beside each so that the color could be verified on spot for those less experienced. He snatched his cauldron up quickly, a ladle dropped inside with a pouch of ingredients. "I'm going to tutor Lupin on Potions -- I'll be back before curfew."
"Lupin?" That was asked sharply. "Isn't he one of those hideous Gryffindors?"
"He's failing potions miserably, and he did ask nicely... It's good to see Gryffindors show a bit of humility." Severus tilted his head a little, as he looked down at Lucius. One of the pages looked wrinkled as if Lucius had nodded off on it, and that made him smile a little. "Don't worry. I'll constantly remind him of what a foul-up he must be."
Lucius didn't seem to like even that, and he frowned. "Be careful, Sevvie. If he does something horrible to you, it's your own fault." The sheer possessiveness Lucius displayed had only grown worse since the announcement of his betrothal. Sometimes, Severus thought that Lucius would lock him in a tower to be seen only by him if it was possible.
"I'll promise to be careful if you'll give me a kiss before I go." If Lucius was going to be so possessive, Severus knew he could get away with a great deal more. Bothering Lucius's studying of all things, was something he knew better than to do, but he couldn't resist asking for just one kiss.
"Come here," Lucius said, tacit agreement, and he held out a hand in invitation.
A slight bend, and Lucius's hand was caught when Severus leaned down. He started the kiss, but Lucius had a habit of finishing things between them. A slight parting of lips, and Severus felt warm, teasing friction for just a moment, pressure that opened him up, stole his breath, made him want kissing even worse.
"You're mine," Lucius whispered against his mouth, taking another kiss, warm and damp and full of power. "Mine, Sevvie..."
"Never anyone else's." Soft promise, as Severus pulled back after one last, small kiss. "I'll be back before curfew -- and I'll be safe for you, Lucius. Don't worry; study, instead."
"That's just like you," Lucius whispered, giving him the tiniest of superior smiles. "Be back soon. I want you now."
"No you don't -- you want to desperately learn about the goblin rebellion in Swahvia in 1078." Fingers rapped the page, and Severus drew back entirely. One last smile, and he slipped back out of the tapestry. That was his Lucius, still -- that superior twist of the lips, that need and want, and the slight tingle of power that had started to flourish in recent months. Severus wondered when he'd start to tingle with power, too.
Those thoughts left him so absentminded that he almost missed walking straight into Lupin, who was lingering outside of the tapestry.
"Ready to study?" Lupin asked him, backing hurriedly out of the way and catching Severus's cauldron as it tumbled loose. "You might want me to use one of the extra cauldrons. I, um, have a bad habit of melting them down," he admitted sheepishly.
"We're not going to the classroom," Severus informed him, as he paused for a moment to make sure the tapestry was entirely closed. Lucius would be able to get in at least another hour or two of studying. "I have a... spot that I use for my own purposes. I've no plans of using a classroom without teacher's permission."
That seemed to stroke at Lupin's curiosity, for he nodded, eyes bright. "That sounds fine, so long as it will be all right if something blows up. Just in case.."
"Just don't kill me, hmn? I believe that I can handle most anything else." Severus jerked his chin, and then started off further down the hall. "I've been politely informed by Lucius that it's my fault if tutoring somehow hurts me."
"Oh? Why would he say a thing like that?" Remus's head tilted to the side. "I shouldn't think that it would hurt you, unless he knows how bad I am at potions..."
Because Lucius loved him, and love and protecting were one and the same to a Slytherin. That wouldn't make sense to the Gryffindor, Severus assumed. "He took my word on that -- it's simply how he is."
"Oh. Well, that's all right, then," Remus said, hurrying along behind him. "How far is this place we're going to use?"
"Oh, a ways." Severus smirked a little as he looked over at Remus. A cowardly Gryffindor? what a terribly amusing thought to have. "Don't like the dark?"
"Prefer it to the moonlight," Remus said, "but I'm not very fond of either. They both give me the creeps."
"Don't trust the torchlight to show you the way...?" Severus made a sweeping gesture with his robe-hidden wand that blew out the nearest torch. "You should be less afraid of the dark, Remus -- and more frightened of the things that hide in broad daylight."
"Somehow I can't quite believe that," Remus admitted, shivering. "Father used to say that there was nothing present in darkness that wasn't present in light, but he was very very wrong. I know it."
"Oh, really? And just what do you know that is only present in darkness, hmn?"
"Vampires, for example. Werewolves." He said it without stuttering. "Other things, sensitive to light..."
"Stronger vampires often pass themselves off as regular wizards," Severus countered easily, "As do werewolves. That's hiding in plain daylight, as far as I'm concerned."
"But not all vampires or werewolves are that strong," Remus replied. "And no werewolf is strong enough to resist the pull of the moon."
"But they're still there in daylight, aren't they?" Severus trailed off on that thought, without much force behind it. "Here's a potions thought -- tell me the uses of werewolf blood, and how to gather it."
"The best way to gather it is once the...the werewolf has fought himself unconscious. Even then, it's best if you knock him out first, one way or the other." Remus's voice was deadly even. "After all, the blood has to come at the height of the full moon."
"Textbook recitation," Severus sighed, sounding ever so slightly disappointed. "You can quote it all, I'd wager. That sort of ability will do you no good in even the simplest practical applications."
"That's why I need help," Remus pointed out to him seriously.
"Is there any potion at all that you can make well?" If he was in such a dire state, Severus was curious as to how he'd gotten as far as he had, all the way to fourth year, without needing serious tutoring.
"Well...." Remus hedged. "I've managed to get by pretty much on my testing skills alone, and with James's help. He's always my lab partner. I'm feeling rather guilty that he does all of the work, though. I cut things up properly, but after that, it's all thumbs."
"But James Potter can't manage to teach you how to do things properly?" Severus took a sharp turn down a narrow hallway, walking sideways for a few steps, until the hall opened into a large, mostly darkened room. "Here, hold this. I'll light the torches." A tingle of magic rippled in his wake after he'd shoved the cauldron's handle into Remus's hands -- his simple alarm system cast on the room deactivating.
"James hasn't the patience," Remus admitted, looking around curiously. The room held several work tables, notable once the torches flickered to life, a fireplace at one end, and even a couple of comfortable looking battered chairs. "This must be nice," he said, wide-eyed.
"Lucius and I come down here when we want a bit of peace. A poor version of Malfoy Manor, but it serves its purpose." In an abandoned niche of the dungeons, a tuck of space that would never be used by the school. "Put the cauldron on that table."
Remus did so obediently enough, tilting his head to the side. "So you live at Malfoy Manor, too, then?"
"Grandfather died the summer after second year. My father and Uncle Arioch were cousins." Severus went to the fireplace, stirring the ashes a little. Then he settled onto his heels, and started to conjure up a container of distilled, perfectly purified water.
"How do you do that?" the other boy asked, coming to watch with what was clearly fascination. "Mine always comes up a bit muddy."
"This was the first spell grandfather ever taught me." Carefully, with perfectly pointed words, Severus conjured up a second dish. "Do you want to start with that, then?"
"Please," Remus sighed with great relief, and settled down to learn everything Severus could possibly knock into his head.
It was going to be one very long night, and quite conceivably a very long term, as well.
"Get over yourself, Potter -- it isn't as if I'm going to give him a ingredient list that's going to incinerate him." Severus made another attempt to brush past the Gryffindors who were blocking his way down the hall.
"I don't trust you, Snape," James Potter snapped out, arms crossed over his chest. Behind him stood Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, though Pettigrew had the balls required to at least look a little nervous. "You're slimy, and you're only going to hurt Remus."
Severus shifted one arm until his wand slid smoothly into his hand, leveling a glare on them both. Who did they think they were, pretending to be the school's policing force? "I would? How would I hurt him...? I'm only teaching him how to properly make potions."
"You're more likely to teach him how to properly blow something up!" Sirius exploded, waving his hands wildly. Despite the fact that he was only a fourth year, half the girls in school had fallen in love with him, regardless of age. For that matter, Severus suspected a fair number of boys had, as well, which was disturbing on a very personal level.
Lucius never would, which was soothing to remember.
"So? At least he'd be doing it because the potion's end result was that, rather than because he added the dried bee's legs too soon!" Severus snapped softly. "Now, get out of my way, Gryffindors."
"Make us," Peter sneered, glaring at him through piggy little eyes. Apparently, there was great bravery to be found in numbers.
"I should," Severus muttered, flicking his wand so that it pointed at the ceiling. "But you've one more chance. I'd prefer to go straight to the Slytherin commons, than have to detour to the headmaster's office."
James snorted. "Look. All we want is to let you know that if you harm Remus in any way, you're in for quite an ass-kicking. Understood, Snape?"
"Quite." A bland sneer from the Slytherin Chaser, as he folded his arms idly. "Just as Remus understands that he's in for quite an 'ass-kicking' if he does the same."
"Someone ought to put you out of our misery," Sirius sulked, eyes narrowing. "If you hurt Remus, Snape, I can promise you very personally that you will regret it. Severely."
An idea sparked in Severus's mind, as he edged closer to lean just over Potter's shoulder -- something he knew that none of the boys would like. That close, they could feel a tingle in the air around him -- evil, the stupid Gryffindors probably thought. It was only power, those first promising buds of it. "Why does it bother you so much, Sirius?" the dark haired boy purred. "Is he... yours?"
"Oh, gross!" Sirius yelped, turning crimson. So, he had thought about it... "You're disgusting, you sicko! You Slytherins probably do that all the time, don't you!?"
"That's got nothing to do with it," James said staunchly. "You've been warned, Snape. Don't hurt him."
Severus smiled as slimily as he could, indulging them in their dislike of him. "Lupin won't be hurt, Potter. I don't have any reason to hurt him -- now, if it were you, or Black, there'd be reason to be afraid..." Pettigrew wasn't worth even bothering with, save for the flitting thought of casting a silencing spell over him. "Now, get out of my way."
James waved his hand and stepped back, allowing Severus to slip between him and Pettigrew. That was probably wise of him, as Sirius was still sputtering and had reached the point of death threats. "You complete pouf!"
"I'm wounded to the pits of my soul," Severus uttered, turning a little as he passed and clutching dramatically over his chest. "Only it isn't an insult -- goodbye, Gyrffindoofs."
"James, can't we kill him!?" he heard Sirius moan as he walked away from them, and he almost laughed.
"Don't bother. He'll probably join up with Voldemort and get himself killed without any help from you," James promised.
The Gryffindors would just have to keep hoping, Severus decided, though that last comment raised his hackles. Still, to turn and comment back would be to keep the 'conversation' going. All he wanted to do in that moment was go to the room, relax, read, study, and then head to help the only Gryffindor who was desperate enough to ask him for assistance.
"I won't go downstairs. I won't see her. I won't allow you to go to Lord Voldemort and stay. It simply will not happen!" Lucius growled, flinging himself upon their bed and covering his head with a pillow. School was out once again, summer hot and heavy around them, and Narcissa Langlois was to arrive early the next morning.
Severus was sliding books, and the odd puzzle, into his trunk with reluctant movements. "Uncle Arioch wants me to go, just as he wants you to meet your..." And then his lips curled in distaste, "Your betrothed."
"I don't care!" came the muffled moan from underneath the pillow. "Bugger the lot of them! Dammit!"
It almost wasn't fair that Lucius was having his go at dramatics when Severus knew that it was his right. He was being sent off, after all, not Lucius. With a slight sigh, Severus tucked his Gobstones set into the trunk, then moved to crawl across the bed towards Lucius. The pillow wasn't even tucked aside; instead, Severus just slid a hand beneath it to touch Lucius's face. "It's only two weeks. It isn't the end of the world, Lucius. Think of all that I can learn in two weeks."
"I don't want you to learn anything." Slender fingers moved the pillow away and Lucius looked up at him, expression deeply forlorn. "I want to throw a fit and get my way. I want you to stay with me. How can I sleep without you?"
"Poorly. That's how I'll sleep without you, at least." It was best to ignore the nagging at the back of his mind, and snatch onto the small hope that Lucius wouldn't... not with Narcissa. Hopefully Uncle Arioch wouldn't allow it -- it wouldn't be seemly, Severus supposed, for the betrothed couple to start so long before the wedding. "I'm not too sure on this, either, Lucius," Severus confided softly, as he laid down beside the other boy.
Fingers moved up, tenderly pushing silken strands of black hair out of the way. "Severus, you know I'll always love you, don't you?" It was said most seriously, palm cupping his cheek as Lucius looked at him, grey eyes boring hard into near-ebony.
"You'll still love me when I come back," Severus agreed. "And I hope you don't ever love her, but that isn't my say..." Words that made his chest clench, even as he shifted to slide a leg over Lucius's, hooking them both nearer with it. "And you know that I'll never feel any differently."
"I won't ever love her," Lucius promised, pulling him close and pressing his lips lightly to Severus's. "When I'm with her, I'll think of you. Even when..." He arched up slightly, pressing more tightly to Severus's body. "Even when I have to sleep with her."
"I don't want to think about that." Kisses exchanged between them were soft, tender, though Severus pulled back after a few more lazy, exploring brushes passed between them. "Help me finish packing, Lucius."
"Mmmm, no. You aren't going anywhere," Lucius declared, rolling atop him. "I shan't allow you to leave me."
"I'm not leaving you," Severus said in a tone that was only slightly exasperated. His hands came up to hold at Lucius's hips, proof to Lucius that he wasn't. It was hard for him to become truly angered at his friend. "You should... I'd expect you to be happy that I've this chance, Lucius..."
"I am, I suppose," Lucius answered with a sigh, laying his head against Severus's shoulder. "It's very important to learn from the Lord, to take what he will give, Severus. It's just..."
"It's just that you're a brat, Lucius." He dared to tease that as he turned his head and kissed Lucius's jaw. "Don't make me any more nervous than I already am, please."
"I hope you learn something wonderful to make up for having to go away, Sev." It was honestly meant, and Lucius rolled off of him, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I suppose I shall help you pack. Get it over with entirely," he grumbled, "then I can have you back in bed."
Severus crawled across the mattress towards Lucius, to buss another kiss against smooth skin. then he slid off the bed, and went back to packing his trunk. "Perhaps he'll change his mind and decide he doesn't want a schoolboy in his home..." It was unlikely, though. The huge owl had swooped in that very morning with a confirmation of the vague plans of the previous summer. If it all went as planned, Severus would be leaving just moments after Narcissa flooed in.
"Lord Voldemort would never change his mind about you, Severus." That answer was almost stern as they began to pack again. "Your father and mother were in the same positions to him as my father is, you know, or at least, similar. He already expects great things from you. I don't understand why all I have to do is breed," Lucius sulked.
"You'll probably have a number of things he expects from you," Severus decided, in the hopes it would stop Lucius from sulking. "Perhaps... he needs the child soon? I don't know..." And he didn't want to know for what. "After that, you've years and years for everything else."
"But what's he going to do with the child is what I want to know," Lucius asked. "Sacrifice it? Blood is very useful, but I'm uncertain as to whether I should like that. Wed I must eventually, whether I like it or not. Sooner is much more disgusting than later. But to breed an heir and have it used for something like that? What if I cannot breed another?" He was fretting, it was undeniable.
"Ask him...?" Severus moved to a small case on his dresser, and pulled out a boxes of figurines contemplatively. If properly arranged, they would reenact battles, and he did find them entertaining to watch for hours at a time. "Tell me it's wise, Lucius, to pack as if I'm going to be perfectly alone for two weeks."
"It's wise, Severus, to pack as if you're going to be perfectly alone for two weeks," Lucius answered, putting out a hand to touch the figures. "I think you have plenty in there for all occasions now, Severus."
"I think this will be the last thing," the younger boy decided, turning towards his companion a little. "I did put my dress robes in there, didn't I?"
"Right before you added your chess set," Lucius agreed.
Severus felt his cheeks flush just faintly. "I might learn a lot, but if he wants to leave me to my own devices for two weeks, I'm not going to let myself die of boredom."
"You aren't allowed to die," Lucius told him very seriously. "Not ever."
"That's a bit unrealistic, Lucius..." He tossed the well-sealed set of figurines into his trunk, and then leaned nearer to Lucius, so they were forehead against forehead. "But I'll be with... him over these two weeks. I doubt any harm will come to me."
"Promise me," Lucius demanded. "Promise me you won't be harmed. Promise me that you'll never die."
"Unrealistic romantic." He pressed nearer, temple to temple already. "I promise, Lucius."
Lips brushed his own, tender, sweet, the way Lucius was with him and no one else. Never anyone else. "Only when it comes to you," he whispered, verifying just what Severus had always thought.
"Bed now, I think, Lucius -- we have to be up early tomorrow, so..." His lips curled slowly, as he tugged at Lucius slightly. "Let's not think about any of it for a few hours..."
"And what would you rather think about, Sev...?" Those words teased him, just as Lucius's hands on him did the same. "Hm?"
Over the edges of his hips, and across to the front, for just a moment. Summer weight robes parted easily for Lucius, and Severus gave a soft moan as familiar fingers touched him. Lucius touched him there probably more than he touched himself there. "You."
"Yes," Lucius agreed, going down on his knees slowly, so slowly. Kisses marked the path his lips took on the way down, teasing slowly past breastbone, diaphragm and belly, kissing lightly at thighs before taking him in entirely.
It was a tease at which Lucius was adept -- making him harder than ironwood, making him want more than he did to start with. Lucius's mouth pulled at him, tenderly, knowing just how to get the most reaction in the shortest amount of time. A press of tongue, a twist of lip, a jab against the weeping slit, and Severus's knees buckled once. "Bed, Lucius..."
The sound of a muffled chuckle came against his flesh, Lucius nuzzling at him for another moment. "So you won't fall over?" he finally teased.
"So I can feel silk sheets one more night," Severus corrected, even if Lucius had been right in the first place. He took a step back, unsteady, trying to coax Lucius to go with him in it.
"I'll send some with you," Lucius promised, crawling after him slowly on his knees.
"Malfoys aren't supposed to have rugburn, are they?" Severus sat on the edge of the bed, and parted his knees for Lucius. "Much better."
"Malfoys aren't supposed to have quite a lot of things," Lucius teased, sliding between Severus's thighs. The other boy's seated position made things much easier for him, and he took heated flesh into his mouth once again, cradling the delicious weight of Severus's balls in one cupped hand as he suckled.
"It's a good thing that we don't.. ohh, that we don't care." Severus leaned back on his palms, lifting his hips towards Lucius's mouth. Suction that threatened to pull his thoughts clean out of his mind, agile hands playing at him like they would weave a careful spell in the air. "Not much more, Lucius -- I'm so, so close, Lucius..."
The threat of coming was met with an even deeper suction, a finger slipping back to rub tenderly at the entrance to his body. He could feel it gathering deep in his belly, pushing at him, bringing him closer to coming -- and then he was there, heels digging against the floor as he arched against that finger and up to Lucius's mouth.
Once he'd licked away the last strand of wetness, Lucius rose, pushing him back onto the bed and kissing him deeply, the taste of Severus still on his lips. It mingled between them, tongues teasing back and forth, Lucius's cock pressing against his thigh. It was a tang that Severus could never get used to properly, thick on their tongues still when he broke the kiss. "Thank you, Lucius..." He brought languid arms up to hold his lover, to hug him closer. "Can I reciprocate...?"
"Mmmmmhmmm," Lucius agreed. "Or maybe you'd rather I have you?" he whispered naughtily in Severus's ear, nibbling at the lobe with a little laugh.
Wet pressure there always shot a shiver down Severus's spine. "Two weeks is a long time not to have that..." It was a soft, amused agreement which Severus found hard to voice since his throat felt as if it were strangling on him when Lucius nibbled again.
"I'll go mad without you, Sevvie," Lucius promised, his own robes coming open as he settled firmly against him, pushing him further back onto the bed. Hands moved to hold his wrists, to tug him tightly down. "Oh, Merlin, yes..."
Severus's long body stretched languidly, and he caught a heel on the edge of the bed to help position them both better. "Now, Lucius -- fast as you can manage..."
Those words were all it took, and Lucius was at him, in him, barely lubricated by some half-hidden flick of a spell as he sank deep and hard. "Oh, GOD!"
"Merlin." Severus's voice was a sweet-sounding, tense gasp, but he managed to stay so much calmer than he had just two years before. His thighs squeezed at Lucius's hips, one leg dragging the older boy closer. They'd done it so often that it was almost second nature. "Two weeks, Lucius..."
"I can't live without you for that long," the blond groaned, pulling out of Severus only to trust back in with force enough to bruise him, likely. "Won't be able to sleep or, or do anything..."
"You're exaggerating," Severus sighed, slipping one wrist free of Lucius's clutch, to claw at the bedding behind his head. "Just there, Lucius... Merlin, that feels so... oh."
"Not exaggerating," Lucius panted, pushing deep, the feel of it deliriously good. "Oh, God. Oh, Merlin. Oh, Sev... unh!"
Severus's fingers pulled at the bedding again, as his lean frame arched up to Lucius's intrusion. Every motion he made seemed to goad Lucius on further, hard jolts of motion that rocked their bodies on the mattress. If he didn't use a potion the next morning, he'd be sore for days... An idea which was half appealing.
"Almost there, Lucius, almost there, just harder, please, Lucius, harder for me..."
The request was granted, Lucius jerking up onto his knees, sliding them partially beneath Severus's ass so that he was angled deliciously. Every push of his hips was met with a pull of Severus's body, Lucius's fingers digging into his flesh, slamming him up to meet the impossibly rough thrusts that were filling him, bruising him, making him belong. "Fuck. Fuck. Sev!"
There was a rawness in what they accomplished in the summer months, with little magic at all at their disposal, that couldn't be matched with the most fanciful of spells. Just body to body, and a bit of lubrication, fighting against the other. A race, Severus thought hazily, as he unclawed one hand from the bedding to wrap it around his weeping cock.
"Come for me," Lucius moaned. "Come on, Severus, come for me, I want to feel your ass when you do..."
"You do, don't... oh, don't you?" Words straggled into the air around them after that, soft whimpers as Severus coaxed himself closer to release. His slender fingers stroked and clutched in mimicry of the way that Lucius so often did. They matched those last staggering thrusts that finally tossed him over the edge, Lucius crying out as he tightened, falling over him as he came.
"My Sevvie," he whispered moments later, stroking fingers through silky black strands of hair. "Mine..."
"I think it got hotter in here," Severus tried to complain. "Yes, yours entirely, Lucius -- now stop squishing me, before we end up plastered together like this."
Grumbling, Lucius fell to the side, hair sweat-soaked, and took a deep breath. "Mmm. I'll miss you desperately," he sighed.
Severus took the opportunity to sit up a little, slipping off his robe entirely and tossing it onto the floor. His eyes closed a little, as he looked back at the blond-haired boy. "You'll probably be busy, Lucius..."
"I will be," Lucius agreed. "There's likely no point in whining about it, but it makes me feel better about the whole thing," he decided.
"Well, I don't plan on whining," Severus decided softly. He stretched out beside Lucius, laying on his belly so he could better look at his friend. "I just hope we don't do this again next year."
Lucius's nose wrinkled as he turned his face to look at Severus. "I can't imagine she'd come back EVERY summer, d'you? And even if she does, she might as well become accustomed to you, Severus. Just because I am required to wed doesn't mean that I'm at all likely to give you up."
"I hope you don't." He dropped his head, to nestle his face against Lucius's chest. "I really hope that you don't, Lucius..."
"I promise," the blond whispered, kissing the top of Severus's sweat-soaked head. "I promise, Sevvie."
The girl had been disgustingly pretty. Severus couldn't help but recall her lithe grace, delicate features, small nose and grey-blue eyes. He'd taken a disliking to her before she could even introduce herself in perfectly practiced English.
It had been perfect, trained in those upper-cultural tones that not even Lucius had down so well. Severus knew he certainly didn't, but before he could embarrass Uncle Arioch by making some snide remark, he had arrived.
Words had passed between Voldemort and Uncle Arioch, while Severus watched nervously. His fingers had clutched tightly to the handle of his trunk, which Voldemort had sent away with an effortless spell. Then he'd reached his hand out for Severus's fingers, and the boy had grasped a cool, calm hand with his warmer fingers.
He was still holding onto that hand when the tugging wrench of Apparation was over.
"Where... where are we, sir?"
"My home, Severus," Voldemort replied easily, and with a wave of his hand, light came into existence.
The room they were in was quite obviously a bedroom, though it was nothing like Lucius's. It was small and dark, the light kept out by heavy damask curtains. It was also extraordinarily cool, the air whispering past him, a fan whirling silently on the ceiling above. His trunk lay at the foot of it, carefully placed.
"Muggles," the man announced, "are not very admirable creatures; however, they occasionally have brilliant ideas, usually thought up by men who would have done well had they been wizards, Severus. For example, they have learned to cool the air inside of a home in just such a way as it is pleasant. This will be your room for the whole of your stay."
Presumably to be kept there, too, for the whole of his stay. Severus was suddenly glad, as he glanced around at the dark walls, that he'd brought so much with him. Two weeks there would be depressing to say the least, if he didn't keep himself well occupied. But better depressed than angry, as he suspected extended exposure to Narcissa would do to him.
"Thank you, sir." He slid his fingers from the man's hand, walked away a bit towards the trunk. "Are we in a muggle area, sir...?" To be in a place that had muggle inventions meant that muggle energy was required.
"Close by one, yes," Voldemort responded quietly. "I understand that you are quite a bright young man, Severus. Very apt at learning."
Severus looked back over his shoulder at the dark-haired man, nodding politely as he could. "Yes, sir. I am brilliant, and I'm not afraid to say so. Only, the headmaster doesn't like to let me experiment spells on animals any longer."
"With what sorts of spells are you experimenting, Severus?" Voldemort asked him most politely, fingers tracing the nape of his neck most tenderly for a moment.
That touch made him shiver a little -- it wasn't quite the same way that Lucius did it, but it was similar to Lucius's touch. "Avada Kedavra, the Cruciatus, Imperio..." Things he hadn't had much chance to experiment with thanks to Hogwarts. "I've had more luck with Imperio at school than anything else."
"Really?" The near purr was accompanied by another tender stroke of fingers. "Would you like to come downstairs to the library and tell me about these... experiments?"
Turning more, Severus tilted his head up just enough to look up to Voldemort's brilliant green eyes. "Yes, sir, I would, only..." Only he was being impudent, and he knew it -- knowing it never really helped Severus much. "Only, I don't know what you want me to call you."
"You may call me Tom," the man nearly purred, hand falling to the small of his back. "I would like that very much."
Strangely, having a name to call him, something that didn't command respect thanks to a history that he'd never actually witnessed up close, soothed Severus. "Tom." Simple, plain, but it was also blank in Severus's mind. Now he was safe to make his own decisions on the man, with a blank name to apply them to. "Yes, I like calling you that better than Voldemort."
"That's very good," Voldemort said, and gave him a smile that chilled him... or perhaps it was just the cool air of the house. "Shall we adjourn to the library, then?"
"Yes, Tom -- I'd like that, I think..." It had to be better than that small room. He started for the door, which pulled him away from the hand that had been so low on his back. "Are you.... Uncle Arioch said you had things you might teach me."
"Yes, a great many things," the older man agreed. "You're going to be a very clever pupil, I have no doubts. Your parents were both brilliant students, as well, and your cousin tells me that you are very much like the two of them. I cannot wait."
Encouraging, just like Dumbledore had been in those first two years at the school. He couldn't help the smile that curled his lips. "But I can't see how -- the ministry would kick me out of Hogwarts if I used magic over the summer. Which means I can't show you what I know, and if I can't do that..."
"Oh, there are ways," he was told mysteriously. "Ways and ways. Have you not seen young Lucius occasionally use magic outside of school?"
"Yes, but he only uses his father's school wand." Sometimes. And then there was that... something that Lucius used, sleight of hand of spell, that lubricated for their play. That thought made Severus pause in the hallway, half in thought, half waiting for Tom to follow him so that he wouldn't have to lead to foreign territory.
"The Ministry, for all that it would like to pretend otherwise, is not capable of knowing everything," Tom assured him, moving past him easily and into another room.
Leaving Severus to follow him. "Is it -- Tom, is it always so dark in here...?" The chill was nice, but somehow the muggy heat that seeped into Malfoy Manor was much more comforting.
"Do you not like the dark, Severus?" It was a smooth question, almost oily. "Does the dark... frighten you, perhaps?"
"Never." Severus's chin lifted a bit defiantly. "There isn't anything in the dark that isn't there in the light, after all."
"And you believe this, to the depths of you?"
"Yes I do, sir. Even werewolves and vampires -- because it isn't as if they stop existing when the lights come out. Grandfather always told me to be more afraid of the things that hide in plain daylight. Dark isn't any more dangerous than daylight, after all." His slender fingers clasped loosely behind his back as he walked beside Tom.
"You're a very bright young man," Voldemort praised. "Your grandfather was quite right. Sometimes, the things that walk in plain daylight are much more terrifying than anything which hides in darkness. Take Aurors, for example. They are not the be all end all of goodness they pretend to be, are they? No more than common murderers with the Ministry's permission to carry about their slayings with no consequences, and yet they walk about in full day, continue to carry their wands, despite the fact that they murdered your parents."
"They aren't bothered by it, though. They think they did right in their actions... because those who don't agree with them are against them." Severus said that firmly, but had to push down a knot in his throat; Potter and Black would probably be Aurors one day. And they would carry on the black-and-white tradition of their chosen craft. "Dumbledore is like that, too."
"Yesss...." That was nearly hissed, Voldemort's fingers tensing visibly for a moment. "Dumbledore. Very much the brave Gryffindor. Very afraid of a world in which there is no black and white, only grey. Most unfortunate."
"I used to like him a great deal," Severus went on, "because he was nice to me, and he taught me things that I'd never thought of before." That book, that had been a turning point for Lucius and him, something for which he felt he still should've been grateful. If the headmaster hadn't shown such a cold disregard for him for a simple prank... "Lucius had always told me that was a poor idea."
"Lucius is also an auspicious young man," Voldemort replied, lightly pressing Severus towards a settee and settling him into the thing with care. "He was not wrong in that matter. Do you think he will get along well with Narcissa?"
"I don't know." He still hoped that they hated each other. If at all possible, he wanted Narcissa to hate Lucius, and vice versa. That would make his life a wonderful thing, he noted as he sat up a bit straighter, hands folded in his lap neatly.
"Was she not lovely enough for your friend?" Voldemort asked him, a hand placed gently over his own clasped fingers.
Not lovely -- beautiful, in the way people were in book illustrations. Just like Lucius was, a classical beauty that stirred things in Severus simply with mere thoughts of him. "Yes..." Tom's fingers over his felt a bit strange, and he looked down at them. Not aristocrat's lazy hands -- they were marked from magical experiments gone awry, and had that same vaguely stained cast that his grandfather's hands had always had.
"Then why do you hesitate?" The question seemed almost sly in its own way, and the fingers on his own were perhaps too close to him for comfort.
"He's mine." Severus glanced up from studying the hands of the powerful wizard beside him, and decided to study his eyes instead. "That's why."
"Jealousy," Voldemort purred. "A very powerful emotion. One that can be used against you, Severus, as you should learn."
"How...?" Curiosity pushed to the surface of his expressions, and something to think on kept his mind from drifting too far into what he currently classified as forbidden.
"Imagine that someone who hates you knows of your jealousy concerning him," the voice whispered in his ear, that hand moving slightly higher, touching his thigh, making him nervous. "Imagine what they could do to humiliate you, Severus. To hurt you..."
"Who... who would bother...?" He shifted faintly, away from that hand, as he continued to look up to brilliant green yes. They seemed silver-flecked, instead of red as they had been that time that Lucius had been acting so strange.
"There's no one who hates you enough to do such a thing, Severus?" Fingers, sneaking higher, caressing over a hip, touching him. "No one who would like to make you suffer, see you humiliated...?"
"I've only a jealousy problem when... when the threat is real," Severus countered in a soft sound. One hand twitched, ever so slightly, as if to bat Tom further back from him. But there was such power there. "Potter and Black might hate me, but... but they can't touch Lucius, wouldn't."
"But they could say things. They could spread rumors. They could make him hate you..." the man whispered, hand finally falling directly over the soft flesh at Severus's groin. "They could destroy you with just a few words. Isn't that a sort of darkness worse than any magic?"
Lucius wouldn't believe it. But that thought died before it reached his tongue. "S-sir... what're you doing?" It was obvious, he thought stupidly at himself. It was obvious what that hand was doing there.
"What do you think I'm doing, Severus? For what do you think you're here?" And oh, the smirk on his face was almost evil, completely wicked.
"T-to learn spells, to be someplace where I won't have to look at her for two.. two whole weeks -- not to... not for this. I have Lucius for this, sir, I..."
"And now Lucius has Narcissa," Voldemort whispered in his ear. "And you have me. You would not turn me down, would you, Severus?" The words bit, snapped, powerfully.
Not an instant acquiescence, but a soft whimper, a wordless noise. "No, sir, but... why?" Why bother with him, why put him in that position...
"Because you are a lovely boy, Severus. Because you have been meant to be mine for many years now. Because I say so." The feel of a slap firm against his cheek was almost enough to send the black-haired boy into shock. "You will not question me."
"No, sir. Tom." Severus's voice shook faintly, dark eyes painfully wide in the firelight's dancing tongues. He had rough-housed before, dueled a few times, and tussled with Lucius almost daily. But he couldn't remember being hit on his face by anyone.
"You remember that," Voldemort told him, pushing him down onto the settee, hands stroking away his robes. "You never forget that, Severus."
"I won't..." There was power in the touch of those fingers, power that sparked Severus to decide something. Lay there in shock, or savor the newness and the power in the man's touch.
He chose power, for his sanity's sake.
"Sev!" Lucius had never seemed so happy to see him, the blond's entire face lighting up brilliantly at the sight of him. It wouldn't have, Severus knew, if anyone had been able to see him, but when it was just them...
When it was just them...
"How were your two weeks...?" Severus couldn't muster the same enthusiasm -- only relief at being back to the muggy heat of the manor, and back to Lucius. So his smile was hard, mirroring poorly Lucius's smile, and he set his trunk down with shaking fingers at the end of Lucius's bed. Everything packed so neatly away into that trunk.
Including, for a thirteen hour period the previous Friday, his own body. Naked, wretchedly bloody, crunched in on himself, shaking with fear and dread after he'd been locked into the small space, he'd screamed his throat raw. The trunk was let to fall from his grasp with clear distaste.
Malfoy's head tipped to the side, his hand reaching out, thumb lightly caressing over the line of Severus's jaw. "You don't seem happy to see me. Did you have such a very good time, then?"
The muscles under that thumb twitched, tensing just as the barely perceivable jerk of his head away from Lucius's touch. "No, I'm glad to be back home..."
"Sevvie." It was such a soft whisper, arms coming around him, lips pressed to a cheek that had been bruised more than once. "I missed you."
"Did you?" There was almost soft accusation in Severus's voice, as he stood stiffly in Lucius's arms. He'd learned all about discretion over those two weeks, something he'd never had before. And all about hiding things, and what should be hidden from the world. Concepts that had barely ever entered his mind, now at the fore of it. "Did you think of me, Lucius?"
"Every day," Lucius replied, frowning and pulling away from him. "What's wrong with you, Severus?"
He wished he had been left to die in that trunk, instead of simply left in there until he'd had to find a way to force his way out of it from within, with what magic trickled to the surface. "Nothing." Everything, only he knew better than to say it aloud, now. And despite Lucius pulling away, Severus was still holding perfectly still, looking at some unseen point in the room for a moment. "Tell me about your weeks, Lucius?"
"They were boring and she fawned all over me and spoke a lot of French. I missed you," Lucius told him one last time, voice turning almost cool. Yes, there was that face, that Malfoy face, impersonal, the face Lucius never gave him.
Narcissa, fawning or not, probably didn't get that, he thought fleetingly, bitterly.
"I was miserable. I hate your father for sending me..." A bare, tight whisper, as if he was afraid someone were listening.
That seemed to melt the other boy, who promptly pulled him close again, burying his face in black hair gone horribly oily. Severus hadn't washed it since Tom had told him how soft and lovely it was. "Come on," Lucius whispered. "Come and take a bath and I'll wash your hair for you. You like that. I'll make it up to you, Sevvie. You know I didn't want for you to go."
It was the little things with which Severus had been able to spite the other man without being outright defiant of him. And that power. He shuddered to think of the power that man had wielded, power that Lucius could wield against him in the same ways, if the urge arose. "I'm not ever going again." For all that he cared, he never wanted to leave Malfoy Manor again, even if it was to go back to school where he could use normal sorts of magic. His head dropped forwards against Lucius's shoulder, forehead pressed to the cool fabric of his shirt. "Ever."
"I won't make you," Lucius replied, slightly alarmed. "Sev, are you sure you're all right?"
Discretion, a voice seemed to whisper in the back of his mind. "I'll be all right." Will be -- he didn't want to lie to Lucius and say that he was all right in that moment. "I've to be."
Those grey eyes, so deep, seemed confused, aching, but beneath all of that, there was some sort of terrible knowledge. Even Lucius could sense... things. Severus so seldom slipped into his older speech patterns -- only when he was ill, or something was wrong did he do that. "I'll run you a bath," Lucius murmured, kissing Severus's temple.
Then Lucius pulled away again, leaving Severus standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. The dark-haired boy looked as lost as he had when he was a first-year in Hogwarts, only the cold fearless glint wasn't there. He felt tired and battered from within, and it showed in faint lines of strain under his obsidian eyes. "I'd like that." His own slim hand was taken in Lucius's long fingers (had his hands grown while Severus had been gone? Perhaps all of him had? He seemed taller...) and he was pulled tenderly to the bathroom, undressed just as gently. No mention was made of the bruises, though the confusion that had been on Lucius's face was gone now, replaced by a steely and completely useless fury.
"Come on, Sevvie," he said then, simply, and turned on the water for the bath.
Severus watched with drifting detachment as Lucius carefully ran a tub full of perfectly temperate water. It was too hot outside for a very hot bath, but warm seemed a wise thing given how Severus stood as if afraid to crack some ice deep within him. "You can't call me that in public anymore, Lucius... but don't call me anything but in private," Severus murmured. Then Lucius' hand on the small of his back startled him right into the tub.
"All right, Sevvie." It was quiet acquiescence, not something he'd ever expected to get from Lucius, and the other boy stripped off his own lightweight silk summer robes to climb into the tub, helping Severus into it as well and cradling him between milk-pale thighs. "Will you tell me?"
A soft hiss slipped from Severus's lips as he settled into the water; it was just temperate enough to ease knotted muscles somewhat. "You don't want to know... and it doesn't make a difference if you did."
"It might make a difference to me," the blond offered, kissing the back of his neck through tangled strands of hair.
And then it was gone from his reach, Severus having jerked away just far enough. "I've... no want for you to know the details. Only... I would no more disobey him than you would... now."
"All right, Sevvie." There would be no questions asked, though he heard something heavy in Lucius's voice. "Lean back now, and I'll dampen your hair..."
Clean water sluiced over his hair, then fingers touched his scalp. Porrima had tastes in shampoo that Lucius shared, so Lucius's bath had a stock of expensive bottles, costly soaps that soothed and tingled. Less aesthetically and sensually pleasing, the shampooing loosened scabs and flakes of blood. "Next time we're in Diagon Alley, Lucius, I want to get a bigger trunk." Severus's voice held steady now, calmer, if still clearly tired. He continued to sag further back against Lucius, by slow degrees.
"I'll get you anything you want," Lucius promised him almost tenderly, mouth lightly pressed to a soapy shoulder for just a moment. His fingers didn't stop their sensitive massage of his scalp, the slow, steady motions that cleaned the filthy lengths of his hair. "We'll go tomorrow."
"It's not a rush. As long as it's a different one before I have to go anywhere..." He didn't want to conceivably end up locked in any trunk again, but at least the next one should be bigger, so that he didn't have to be bent double to be shoved away into it. "Your father is going to have to fix some of my things... a lot of it is... broken now." His toys, his precious few amusements, had been pointedly destroyed. Oh, there had been a lesson behind it -- that he was too old, at a few weeks shy of fifteen, to be playing with toys.
"I have money," Lucius told him. "I'll replace anything you ask for, Sevvie." It was indulgence, it was an apology for things untold, unspoken, it was undeniable adoration, perhaps even love. Water sluiced through his sudsy locks, rinsing his head clean before Lucius began shampooing it a second time.
Love. Severus didn't want to think about it, didn't want to think of the consequences of anything in that realm. No, not love, not anymore. Safety, calm... yes. He ducked his head down, to look at the flecks of grime that floated and danced in the green-blue water before they clung to the suds. "I only want what's mine. Not... a replacement."
"...all right." Even that seemed subdued, as if the changes were too obvious for Lucius to pretend, as if it hurt him.
"I don't even have you any longer," Severus drawled in a softly tense voice. "I don't even have me any longer. At least... at least let me keep my same damned toys."
"What did I do?" Lucius's voice was tense. "I don't understand why you don't have me anymore, Severus. I'm still here, I'm still yours as I've been since the very first day. You can keep your toys. I'll make sure they're fixed, only tell me, for Merlin's sake, why? Why?" Why had he changed, why didn't he love Lucius anymore, half a dozen things could be meant by that why, though Severus knew exactly what the question really was.
Perhaps it was best to leave Lucius thinking that things had changed. It would make things neater, just like what Tom wanted from him. Stop loving Lucius, be hated by Lucius, become something less than friends. Trudge on day by day by day until he was so set on that path that not trudging on would be unthinkable.
He already felt halfway there, and he'd only been home for a few hours, alone with Lucius for less than one. "You didn't do anything wrong, Lucius."
"Then why are you behaving as though I have?" He could feel the vague trembling of fingers on him, though that quiet, cultured voice remained desperately steady.
Lucius's self-righteous, hurt aura seemed to strike Severus with just the right amount of irony. He stifled a soft chuckle, turning his head just enough to lay a cheek against Lucius's chest. That sank him further under the water, one leg twisting up and tucking, but it was comfortable despite the crackle of suds near his ear. "Am I?"
"You know you are, you obnoxious bastard!" Lucius hissed angrily, fingers removed entirely from Severus's black hair. "You know you are!"
Severus stiffened at the angry hiss so near his head. Tom liked to strike at his head, knowing it was still a novel thing, something that sent him reeling no matter how prepared he thought himself for it. He didn't dare to pull away from Lucius, though -- better to be cast out with Lucius's own hand than do it himself. "Go on, toss me out," Severus whispered. His voice quavered, throat tense. "It'd be a high point if I held it against the past two weeks and compared..."
"Sevvie, please..." It was a hoarse whisper, that word difficult for Lucius to say, and his arms wrapped tightly around Severus's shoulders again. "Please, Sevvie..."
"I'll just curl up against your door -- at least here it's warm enough to feel my fingers all the time. If you let me do that, then I can hear you sleep, and we can be little again, like it was before I knew what sex and power was, and how fucking much it could hurt--" His voice cracked into a choked silence, and the shoulders Lucius held started to shake.
"Shhhh. Shhh." He was pulled back against the other boy, rocked tenderly. "I'm so sorry, Sevvie. I'm so sorry. I love you. I'm so sorry..."
"You knew what was going to happen, no one told me -- I never, never wanted to do that with anyone but you, and he broke... broke everything, shoved me in there, he, he..." He. Nothing else left Severus, except for choked whines of agony and belated shock as Lucius rocked him in their shared, decadently scented bath. He curled closer now, not caring that there were still suds on him, and brought one hand up between them to clutch clawingly at Lucius's chest.
"I didn't know. I swear to you. I swear. I didn't know. Father said... Father said..." Lucius seemed as shocked as he had been, somehow. "Father said it was just for a couple of weeks. Just new spells. Nothing bad. Nothing. I swear, Sevvie. I swear. I didn't know..."
Fingers dug against Lucius's skin, but not with malice. "I hate him..." It was half a hiss, and half an angry howl, as Severus curled closer, pressing wetly against Lucius.
"You don't ever have to go back," Lucius promised him, not minding the sharp feel of fingernails cutting into him. They both knew that it was a lie, that if the Lord wanted him back, he would go, and neither of them could stop it or would even try, but it was a pretty promise all the same, soothing to his ears.
Severus could live that lie, he decided. Because it was all lies, back as far as his grandfather's cover-up of the deeper meanings of what his parents had been a part of. One poorly packaged lie on top of another, taped together with threads of truths. It wasn't pretty but it functioned, and Severus, as shaken as he was as he sat there, badly wanted something that functioned. "Thank you, Lucius..."
"Sevvie. My Sevvie..." It seemed so sorrowful, and the arms that held him tight came even closer around him. "It will get better. I promise you. I'll make it better somehow..."
More lies. Severus was going to choke to death on them. Because Lucius was going to graduate Hogwarts in two years; Lucius was going to marry; Lucius was going to have an heir; and Lucius was going to be a model husband and breeder. He'd forget Severus, and the rest of Severus's life would pass as those two hellish weeks had.
"I love you." One truth, worthless as it was, to hold the lies all together. He ducked his wet head closer to Lucius for a moment, before pulling back to look at him. "Help... me finish washing?"
"And tomorrow, we'll go shopping," Lucius swore to him on a whisper, hands gentle on his flesh, close, warm.
"Yes." There was no smile in Severus to dredge up, but in a few weeks time, he hoped he could gather it up again. "And... the gardens. It's so warm out... I've missed that, missed you." Malfoy Manor was a place that was alive, even in the pits of cold that were the winter holidays. His fingers unclawed slowly, clutching with the pads of his fingers rather than the nails.
"Come on, Sevvie." There was soap now, smoothing over him, fresh water rinsing through his hair. "We'll be done in just a minute. Then, we'll lay down for a while..."
Lucius was so gentle with him, tender. That was something to keep hidden from the world, for Lucius's sake. Things like that could be used against a man that was the sort Lucius was... "No more thinking, either."
Beyond that, Severus was silent, aiding in the rinsing off. He dampened Lucius's hair, and shampooed that for the other boy, but by the time his fingers were done running through it, stroking over platinum strands and his scalp, Severus was weighing heavily against Lucius's chest with exhaustion. Lucius had to rinse it away himself.
The blond levered him up out of the tub, dried him off and herded him towards the bed. The silver silk sheets that had been on the bed before Severus had left had obviously been cleaned and replaced, and he slid into them gratefully, Lucius curling around him, arms wrapping him close and tight. "I slept on cotton while you were gone," he whispered in Severus's ear. "I couldn't sleep without you, Sevvie. It was awful. I'm so sorry."
Lucius Malfoy, sleeping on cotton? A horror comparable to sleeping in blood, or beneath a slumbering dark wizard. Severus's eyebrows twitched for a moment, and any comment was bitten back down as he closed his eyes. "It was awful..." And didn't seem to be ready to get much better, other than letting him return to his old existence. "The house elves... had better let us sleep in."
"If they know what's good for them," Lucius agreed, and worriedly wrapped Severus up tightly, close and safe... he hoped. "Sleep now," he whispered. "Sleep. It will get better, Sevvie."
No more words filled the humid air -- only Severus rocking himself ever so faintly, buttressed closely against Lucius until, perhaps hours later, he relaxed enough to sleep.
"No, really," Remus objected, looking at him in the flickering light cast in Severus's little niche. School had been in for almost three weeks and they'd been placed together in Divination, both of them working on the same project. "I'm good at this. It's not like potions..." Despite Severus's tutoring, he was still a disaster at anything practical in the class. Still, that was better than the utter typhoon he'd been declared before.
"And why should I take your word for that?" Severus glanced up from the books strewn between them on the table, half-studying Remus. He certainly seemed confident, while in matters of potions, he had no confidence at all.
"Because it's easy. Because the nighttime sky can be a thing of beauty and a thing of terror, and really, once you understand that..." Remus smiled at him sadly. "Once you understand that, it's all you need to know."
"You and your star-gazing," Severus muttered. The nighttime sky at least meant that you were free, that you were somewhere... "You should be taking astronomy, not Divination."
Remus shrugged. "I'm taking both. When you get right down to it, it helps you to understand Divination a lot better. I prefer that sort of Divination, really. It's much more clear-cut than gazing into tea cups and crystal balls."
"It's still all in your mind." Severus closed one book, looking at Remus almost boredly. "So, we have to write up a two foot piece of parchment on what we foresee in each other's future. Shall we roll dice to figure out what we'll have happen to the other person, or actually try to make this work?"
The grin in the Gryffindor's face was actually rather nice to see, though if Severus had known that it was because he, a Slytherin to the core, sounded just like Sirius in that moment, he would have been furious. "We'll try to make it work. THEN, we'll roll dice if we can't."
"You can start first, then," Severus granted him, "Method of your choice." While Lupin did that, Severus planned on imagining up some future for the other fifth year.
"Do it properly," Remus chided him, and began to work on Severus's chart. He knew the other boy's date of birth, the hour and moment, all sorts of things. They'd been partners in Divination long enough for him to know most of what he needed to chart Severus appropriately.
"I still think it's perfectly asinine, though -- charting by all of that... what does it matter? How many other people were born that same time, moment?"
"Yes, but that's where Arithmancy comes in. Everyone treats them separately, but they're both forms of Divination, really, just one's to do with numbers and one's to do with... hm, I suppose you could call it talent. It's more difficult to get real answers with Divination, impossible if you don't have the... the little knack for it. It's like any other form of magic. You know," Remus said with a smile that seemed almost amused. "Magical. Still," he continued. "If you combine them, you get the possible and the personal nicely. Not that they teach it that way."
"But there are twists that even numbers can't account for. Unexpected happenings that are so farfetched that one can't predict them. Arithmancy claims to read the past, too, doesn't it? But you can't read my past any more than you can read my future, Lupin." Severus knew the other boy took both classes -- while Severus simply took a practicum on potions, declining any further study of babble than he had to take.
"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Remus said, raising both eyebrows. "Maybe I'll chart you for Arithmancy, too, and see what I come up with."
"And maybe I can sit and have a good laugh," Severus agreed. If he didn't have so little faith in the art, he would've been frightened that Lupin could see his past. "Hmn. Professor Trevaln likes tea-leaves, doesn't she?"
"Adores them," the Gryffindor acknowledged with a roll of his eyes. "They're really not as useful as a lot of other methods, though."
"That's a pity, because I could really go for a cup of tea right now." Severus gave Remus a questioning glance. "I'm going to the kitchens to get one, in fact -- do you want one?"
"You know where the kitchens are?" Those golden eyes lit up brightly, curiosity stamped upon his face. "Can I come? How do you get there? What's in it? I've heard they toss bad house elves in the water when they're boiling the boys' bedding from the Slytherin dorms," he teased.
"The sixth year's bedding in particular," Severus agreed in a bland tone. "Yes, I'll show you -- just leave your books there, it isn't as if they'll go anywhere." Not in his niche, what he used to tutor Lupin on potions, and for solitude with Lucius. "Lucius and I go there for tea all the time."
"I'll just bet," Remus muttered under his breath, then grinned. "Well, it's pretty neat that you found it, still," he decided with a nod. "I've found a few other things -- you know, rooms that appear and disappear almost at random, that kind of thing -- but I haven't stumbled across a way the kitchens just yet."
"Kitchen is over by the Hufflepuffs common rooms. Just like the library is near the Ravenclaws..." The infirmary near the Gryffindors, and the sprawling expanse of the dungeons at the hands of the Slytherins. Not waiting to see if Remus was following him, Severus started towards the exit, out into the hallway.
"Like the infirmary is near Gryffindor," Remus echoed his thoughts wryly, shaking his head. "So, what does go on in the kitchens?"
"The house elves make food. What do you expect to go on in a kitchen?" Severus asked, looking over at him suspiciously. As if anything else went on there!
"Well, cooking and whatnot, but you never know. My mum does all kinds of things in the kitchen," Remus replied, shrugging. "She folds laundry and does crossword puzzles and that sort of thing."
"Yes, but you sounded like you were expecting something insidious," Severus pointed out to Lupin, looking back over his shoulder. "Don't forget to mind every sixth step, or I'm not bothering to pull you out of the stairs."
He could almost feel the weight of Remus rolling his eyes. "Yes, Dad," the other boy teased, snickering. It was almost worth wishing that Remus had been anything but a Gryffindor.
"You should be grateful that I'm even bothering to show you, when I could've already been halfway back from there," Severus pointed out. Still, Remus was a Gryffindor -- which changed the undercurrent of interactions just enough.
"I promise to bow down appropriately at a later date," Remus laughed, and they both knew he was doing nothing but teasing.
"Do you? Be careful not to do it in public -- who knows what would become of you if you were seen given a Slytherin any sort of respect." Severus rounded a corner, and looked thoughtful for a moment, as if unsure as to where they were going. Then he started down the hallway.
"You're not lost, are you?" Remus asked him almost suspiciously, grinning as Severus glared at him. "Hey, no need to light me on fire with a glare, Severus!"
"You want to be lit on fire? Because I can do it..." Severus took a sudden sharp turn right, then a left, then another right -- zigzagging through a series of hallways. "And I can do it without a wand!"
"No, thanks!" the Gryffindor laughed, watching most carefully where they were going so that he could remember it later. "Wow. I didn't know all of this was even down here!"
"All of what? The hallways?" He took one last turn, that led them to a set of doors that seemed to shift. "They rearrange themselves, but it's always five lefts, with a right every other time."
"That makes a sort of sense," Remus decided thoughtfully. "How do they manage that, I wonder? Like the stairs, probably. I'd just think that it would be more difficult with hallways..."
"What were you, Lupin, raised by muggles?" Severus snorted as he laid a hand on one doorknob. "Really. It's simply magic. Questioning magic that way can drive you mad, you know."
"I'm just curious," Remus protested. "I mean, hallways moving doesn't really seem like it ought to work, now does it? I can comprehend gnawing steps, moving stairs, even shifting towers, but..."
"Perhaps they hop over each other, or move forwards and back like trains do. Maybe the bricks shift. I don't know -- how does the gateway to Diagon Alley open, hmn?" Severus yanked the over-sized door open, and then moved into the bustling, spacious room beyond.
The Kitchens.
"Now my head is spinning," the Gryffindor boy said dryly as half a dozen house elves came running, squealing, begging to be allowed to feed them. "Could I have cream puffs and some tea, please?" he asked politely, tilting his head to the side.
"Yes, yes -- Dicky is getting you cream puffs and tea!" The nearest house elf bustled off, while the others crowded in on Severus.
He was used to that sort of treatment from the house-elves at Malfoy Manor, so he blandly requested his tea -- with sugar -- and a cupcake or two. Then he looked to Remus, flashing a grin. "Don't tell Lucius that I brought you here."
"Why, is he jealous?" Golden eyes gleamed with amusement, and the boy smiled. "Not that I blame him. I'd be jealous, too, I guess."
"Why would you be jealous...?" There was no denying that Lucius was -- he minded Severus tutoring Remus, so Merlin knew how he'd react to Severus socializing with him past that.
Remus looked at him thoughtfully, head tilting again. It was an almost puppyish sort of gesture. "Aren't you two, you know?" he asked, hand giving a rolling sort of gesture as if that clarified what he meant. "I mean, you know..."
Discretion, a voice whispered in his head. A voice that made his spine shiver, and made him tense slightly. "It doesn't really matter," was Severus's suddenly tense reply. No, the Gryffindors could hurt Lucius, could hurt him with that information, if he agreed outwardly to it. "We're close."
"Oh..." Remus said thoughtfully, smiling at him. "So you aren't together. Hmm. That's interesting..." he decided, moving to sit at the kitchen table as the Dicky the house elf returned with his tea and cream puffs, another elf hurrying along with Severus's requests. "Well..."
"I didn't say we weren't," Severus broke in, as he sat down across from Remus. "I just..." Oh, damn discretion. He hadn't learned it well enough, because he'd already slipped. Such a seemingly simple thing, to not say things... Head tilted down to look into his tea, Severus sighed. "He's marrying when he graduates. So, there's no point in anything being official or any of that nonsense."
"So perhaps there's some sort of... Hmmm. Possibility, then, if someone else should be interested in pursuing you?" It was a rather direct question for Remus, and a flush had set up high in his cheekbones. "Later, I mean. Sometime after that."
Severus's eyebrows crawled up a little, as he glanced up at Remus. His cheeks felt hot, and when that happened, it usually meant that olive-toned skin had turned red. Knowing it only made it worse, too. "I... I don't know? I... Our family arranged things for us, for when we're older, and I'm... I'm as locked into what I'll be doing as he is, once we're out of school. There isn't any choice..."
"Well, just think about it?" Remus whispered, leaning across and stuffing one of the little round cream puffs into Severus's mouth. "Think about it. We can talk about it later."
Sweet food, Remus had learned, was a good way to silence Severus, at least for a few moments. He chewed the cream puff, chased it with a sip of tea, and then sighed. All that, before he answered Remus's words with his own. "I'll think on it. Things might change. I... don't know what Tom would think of it... I'm going to be apprenticed to him the summer after I graduate."
"Tom?" the other boy asked, and there came that thoughtful expression again. "Who's Tom? Do you want to be apprenticed to him?"
"Tom's a... family friend. Of my parents, and Uncle Arioch. I..." Didn't want to face those two weeks every single day, for the rest of his life, but that looked to be his fate. "He's a brilliant man, with a lot to teach me. This summer, he taught me some wandless magic when I stayed with him for a couple of weeks."
"Wow. That's rare," Remus said, a little awed, nibbling at his plate of sweets. "I thought only the best wizards could do that, not that you aren't really impressive, Severus. Just, I thought it took years and years of practice..."
Or pitiful desperation. "I can unlock doors now, if I concentrate enough. Tom has very... intense ways of teaching." One of Severus's hands, strangely unsteady for him, picked up a chocolate biscuit to nibble at it.
"I can't decide if that sounds like fun or utterly horrific..." Remus said, then paused. He sniffed audibly, head turning. "Do you... No," he decided. "Never mind..."
"Never mind what?" That sudden odd gesture set Severus right on edge, and he straightened up in his seat.
"I just thought I smelled something burning," Remus replied, shrugging. "But I guess it was only my imagination. Are you almost finished? Eat your cupcake," he suggested, smiling.
"Leave a little of your tea and the leaves, so I can read them," Severus reminded him, as he peeled the paper off of his cupcake.
"Yes, Severus," he laughed, and obediently drank until that was all left in the cup.
Severus stood, his own cup still clutched in his hands. "Come on -- we'll go back to the room, and you can prove to me what crock Arithmancy is..."
"How dare you follow me!" Remus yelled, waking up both Peter and James. He knew better than to think that Sirius was asleep. "You complete prat! Dammit, Sirius! I told you, what I do with Severus is nothing to do with you!"
"Nothing to do with me, huh?" Sirius glanced edgily at his two other friends, then back to Remus. "I'm afraid he'll hurt you! I heard him bantering about being able to do wandless magic!"
"So? We're not children, Sirius! None of us! We're here to learn magic, and just because he happens to be very good at it is no reason to..."
"He's a Slytherin," Sirius hissed. "That means he's power hungry -- bastards like Snape and Malfoy are going to march right off to the Dark Lord once they're out of here, and everyone knows that!"
"Oh, really. Well, I'm a werewolf, Sirius. Maybe I'll just be marching with them according to the way you think?" Remus said, obviously hurt.
"You're not two incestuous, power-hungry sickos!" Sirius frowned at Remus, as he perched on the edge of his bed. "I'm just trying to look out for you!"
"You're just jealous because he's managed to help me in potions and you couldn't!" Remus declared, wondering if Sirius would spill the details of the conversation he'd held with Severus. He'd not smelled the other Gryffindor until it was too late, and even then it was likely only because he'd gotten very close to them. "Severus isn't bad!"
"You're right -- he isn't. He's perfect evil," Sirius growled, crossing his arms over his chest in a fit. "James -- don't you agree?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that he's--"
"I hope he does apprentice off to that Tom person he was fawning over," the black-haired boy went on, cutting James smoothly off.
"Sirius..." It was nearly growled, and the sheer golden glow in Remus's eyes declared the danger of the pregnant moon outside. "You leave Severus alone!"
"I will," Sirius half-heartedly promised. "But I won't let him hurt you, Remus."
"He's not going to hurt me, Siri..." Remus said, shaking his head. Not unless Severus chose to break his heart, he wouldn't. "It will be all right."
"He'd better not." Sirius glanced to the window, then back to Remus. "It's tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Yes." That probably explained a fair bit of Remus's pure aggression during that evening, not only with Sirius, but also in making the suggestion to Severus about what he wanted so badly... namely, a chance with the dark-haired Slytherin.
"Don't loll around him tomorrow, then," Sirius decided quietly. "I don't want Malfoy brought down on our heads..."
"Yeah," Peter said very timidly from his bed. "Malfoy is awfully scary, Moony."
"I have to go to the shack, anyway." The words didn't lack in bitterness. "But Paddy, leave Severus alone. Everything will be all right."
"All right. I won't follow you two anymore." Sirius flopped back on his bed, still looking at his brown-haired, meeker-seeming friend. "Those steps tried to eat me, after all."
Unable to help himself, Remus laughed. "You git. At least you could pay attention when you traipse along like that."
"You know Sirius," James yawned. "Always thinking with his..."
"Um, yes, and on that note," Peter said, "could we all go back to sleep now?"
"Yes, please," Sirius agreed, throwing a pillow at James's head.
But an idea had started to brew.
Panting, James threw the other boy to the ground and slammed the knothole that would close the way into the tunnel, cutting off the desperate, angry howls of the werewolf so close behind. "Christ," he whispered, shaking all over at how close that had been. "Merlin. Are you all right, Snape?"
No words, only a noise of purest shock from Severus. Black eyes were wide, and every inch of him was shaking, near to hyperventilating. He didn't seem to notice the ragged patch missing from his robes and the shirt beneath them, or the blood that dripped down his torso. Severus simply sat where he'd fallen when James had jerked him backwards.
"Did he bite you?" James asked frantically, turning him to look and see. Oh, if Remus had bitten him...
"Don't touch me!" Severus half-shrieked at him, shoving him back with trembling hands. He had just looked into the eyes of... a beast, a horrible creature that had tried to kill him. And it hadn't sunk in yet, any of it -- only that he was frightened, panicked, and in pain.
"Look, just tell me if you've been bitten!" Potter snarled, jerking him up to inspect him. It didn't look like a bite -- just like a nasty graze, probably earned when he'd tossed the much smaller boy up out of the tunnel. "Merlin, Snape! What did you think you were doing!?"
"B-black told me to..." Severus staggered backwards, away from the tree, and the snarling that he heard at the entrance that Potter had closed. "That thing clawed me!"
"But he didn't bite you?" James asked, shaken. Sirius had never done anything dangerous like that before, just threatening a little maybe, or... Well, it wasn't like Sirius at all.
Severus finally brought a hand up to his shoulder, clutching over the wound that streaked down his chest. He could still see jaws snapping near his face, could feel that beast's spit on him... but no bite. "No..." He kept backing up, away from James, until he finally broke into a stumbling run back to the school.
"Shit," James whispered, and watched him go. Best to go find Sirius and head up to Dumbledore's office. Perhaps they could even beat Snape there.
Severus was unaware of that idea, or any ideas at all -- only that fear drove his legs on, fear made him trip on a dip in the dirt, that fear sent him speeding up the moving stairs once he was in the building, and that fear sent him bursting into the infirmary in the middle of the night when by all right, he should've been tucked into bed.
He fell again, just inside the doors, chest aching as he sucked in breath after breath, still clutching over his wound. "Madam... Madam Pomfrey, there's a... a beast... a beast on the... the grounds..."
"My gracious!" the woman said, looking at him with her eyes wide for just a second before she moved into action. "Mr. Snape, it's far past curfew, and the only beasts would be in the Forbidden Forest!" she chided, quickly moving to see to the bloody injury. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"Black told me to, to go down to the willow, to press the knot there and, and it CLAWED me!" He brought his hand away in tense demonstration, showing the blood that was smeared on his fingers. Black eyes lifted to look at her, and for the first time ever, she saw pure fear in the boy.
"Oh, dear heavens," she whispered, tugging him close for a moment, hugging him. It was probably the first time anyone had touched him that way aside from Lucius. "You poor child. It will be all right. Why on earth did you do something Sirius Black told you to do?"
He shuddered against her, still wide-eyed. "I, I was curious..." He'd wanted to get Black in trouble, too, but curiosity had been what had driven him to go there. "He tried to... to kill me!"
"I'm sure he didn't mean that, dear!" she said, startled. "I'm sure he simply didn't think!"
"That, that thing tried to eat me! I'm bleeding!" He was still shaking, but pulled back to look at her with disbelief mingling into the shock.
"Let's get that taken care of," Pomfrey insisted, allowing him to pull loose so that she could begin taking off his robes. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore is going to be so upset!
"Black tried to k-kill me..." His mind was fixating on it, so much that he didn't care much that he was still slumped on the floor as he pulled off his robes. Revealing, not just the distinct mark and blood from a swiping claw, but ridged marks on the flat of his belly when the shirt came off. And more of those marks on his torso. Magical scars. "T-that... that bastard."
"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way," the woman repeated, pulling him up slowly. "Severus, those marks...?"
"What marks?" he asked hazily, getting up to his knees, then his feet, with her help. "Stop this bleeding..." The claw swipes stung, a brilliantly fresh pain that he'd almost forgotten the feeling of. Oh. Those scars. "They... they aren't anything."
A smear of blue goo was carefully placed over each gash and then a wave of her wand sealed the wounds together until they were entirely gone, leaving not even a scar to mark their passing. "Severus, those look to be the result of some spell. If someone is hurting you, Malfoy or..."
He shook his head, sitting very still on the edge of the hospital bed. Still except for the shaking of his nerves and muscles as he tried to process through what had happened. His breathing was still up, and his heart was still racing, now with fear of being found out, himself. "Not Lucius. Lucius would never," he hissed. "It's not a concern. Black just tried to kill me -- that's a concern."
"Madam Pomfrey." That voice was Dumbledore's, and it echoed cleanly out of nowhere. "Please send Severus up when you are finished."
"Yes, Headmaster," she agreed, dithering slightly. "Here, Severus. I want you to take a calming potion before we go."
The shaking worsened after hearing the headmaster's voice. Severus had successfully avoided him since the end of third year -- the man had been so cold, so callous and unwilling to listen then. He swallowed, jaw tensing a little as he looked at Madam Pomfrey. "Can I take two?"
"I'll get you a stronger one," she agreed, and did just that before helping him into one of the hospital robes and walking him to the Headmaster's office.
He could still taste the potion on his lips when they passed the gargoyle that guarded the entrance. It left him calmer, soothed his heart, but did little for his mind, as he walked up those stairs. He could still remember the last time he'd done that...
"Come in," that voice said quiet seriously, and when they did, Severus knew that trouble was waiting to happen in that room. It was already filled with Sirius Black, James Potter, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Hecate. "Severus. Have a seat. Madame Pomfrey..."
"Yes, sir?"
"You may return to the Infirmary," Dumbledore sighed.
Severus's hands were knit in his lap the moment he sat down. Every motion was still filled with a slight tremble, and even a calming potion couldn't take the accusation from his eyes as he looked at Sirius. "Sir."
"Some very grave accusations have been made already in this room this evening. Would you like to make your own?" he was asked solemnly.
Accusations?! Against him? Oh, no... no, he was doomed from the start, he thought, as he looked to the headmaster with wide eyes. "Black tried to kill me with that stunt, Headmaster!"
"I cannot imagine that Sirius would attempt to kill anyone, Severus. However, the lot of you are out of bed after curfew, and you've all managed to embroil yourselves in something very, very dangerous," the older man chided.
Professor Hecate spoke up coolly. "Perhaps that is so, but Snape is quite right. Black seems to have purposely prodded him into this behavior, knowing precisely how curious Severus is. How could anyone not know?"
There was someone willing to defend him, thank Merlin. "He told me that if I... if I went to the willow, and opened that door, that I could see something surprising -- I didn't expect to have a beast try to eat me!"
"Sirius," Dumbledore began calmly, "why did you tell Severus such a thing?"
"I-I don't know," the black-haired boy stuttered, biting his lip. "He was being such a nasty git, saying such horrible things about Remus..." That was more than a lie, it was a damnable lie, but at that point, Sirius would say anything to get himself out of the hole he'd created. "I couldn't help it, I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind! And then, when I realized what I had done, I told James..."
"I didn't say a thing against Lupin!" Severus uttered, turning an angry, shocked look to Sirius.
And then it clicked. "Oh, Merlin... that... that thing was him, wasn't it?!"
"Severus, you will say nothing about this!" McGonagall said quickly.
"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "Quite so. You must say nothing."
"It nearly killed me! It took a swipe off my chest! What're you doing defending such a danger?!"
"You shouldn't have been out of bed, much less wandering around outside!" McGonagall told him.
"Yes, well, Black shouldn't have implied that Severus needed to go tearing off after a werewolf, either, should he have!?" Hecate snapped back. "These Marauders, this Potter and Black and Lupin and Pettigrew! You'd allow them to get away with murder such as this?"
"Now, Josephine..."
"Don't now Josephine me!" Severus's Head of House snapped. "You know it's true!"
"I'm not keeping this a secret," Severus shuddered, fingers knotting tightly in his lap as he glared at black and Potter. "You won't do anything to them for this, I know it -- but Uncle Arioch won't stand for it..."
"I would very much dislike having to expel you, Severus," the Headmaster said almost gently, rubbing his temples. "Very much. You must not tell anyone about Remus Lupin. Sirius will be punished..."
"You are very right that he will be punished!" Hecate said angrily.
"Expel ME?! For what? Almost getting killed?" His voice broke in his confusion. He'd been right at the end of his third year. Those Gryffindors would get away with murder, if they were allowed it... "You'd better punish Black, or else I will tell Uncle Arioch, or, or, T--" No. No, discretion. "I will."
"Or who?" Sirius burst out. "The Dark Lord, you freak?"
"Sirius!" McGonagall snapped. "Twenty points from Gryffindor, on top of the fifty you have already lost tonight! Detention for a week!"
Severus glared back down at his hands, still shaking. He knotted them together until they were white-knuckled, and the shaking seemed to still with that. "At least I haven't tried to kill someone, Black," he hissed. If he looked up, he'd lose his control. If he looked up, and saw Black's mouth forming those words, or Potter's angelic innocence once more...
"Well, this evening has certainly been a surprise all 'round," Dumbledore said tiredly. "There is simply no getting around it. However, in return for Severus not saying anything concerning Remus Lupin, no points will be taken from Slytherin this evening for being outside after curfew. As for Gryffindor..." He paused. "The points Sirius Black has lost will stand. Detention for a week with Professor McGonagall will also stand, as well as an additional week with Professor Hecate. And James Potter, for great bravery in the face of danger, is hereby granted fifty points for Gryffindor. That will be all."
Severus's head snapped up, eyes fixing acridly on Dumbledore's face. "That will be all? You take twenty points from Gryffindor for trying to kill me?! If they had've killed me, would you have even bothered to bury me, or would you have just let that beast eat me?" He bolted to his feet, hands balled into shaking fists. Words hissed at the back of his mind, a chant in his own mental voice, of 'crucio'. One extended hand, and it could be there, with the force of his anger. It could be there, and on Sirius Black...
"Severus..." Professor Hecate's hand was on his shoulder. "Let's go along, now. We'll talk about this matter a bit more downstairs, you and I."
"I used to think you were fair," Severus hissed, still staring at Dumbledore. For a moment, he could afford to ignore Professor Hecate. For a moment. "I trusted you, until you... you proved what you did again tonight. That my life isn't worth the shit of a Gryffindor." Then he pulled away, to go with Professor Hecate, back down those stairs. The calming potions seemed to barely have any affect any longer.
No one spoke to contradict the words that he left floating behind him.
Once they were out of the immediate vicinity of the Headmaster's office, the Professor's arm slipped about his still-thin shoulders. "I have some chocolate for you," she said simply as they headed deeper into the dungeons. "After such a horrific shock, I don't doubt that you need it, Mr. Snape."
The lack of rebuttal stung him worse than anything, to get that verification of his words. He hated them -- all of them, Remus among them now. The Headmaster had first broken his trust, then shattered any hope he'd had for even a peripheral protection that the school should offer. Not even that was extended to him -- in loco parentis. His parents wouldn't have let something like that rest, nor would Uncle Arioch, or his grandfather, for that matter.
He ducked his head down, letting Professor Hecate lead him towards her office. "I don't want any. I think I'm going to be sick."
"It will make you feel better," she promised him all the same, and pushed open the door. "I'm sure I have something for nausea, as well." Slytherins, after all, didn't actually like going to someone such as Poppy Pomfrey for help.
He kept going forwards when she let go of him, and slumped down into the chair across from her desk. "Thank you," he sighed quietly. For a moment, he let his eyes close, and his head loll back against the leather of the large chair. "I should've... just let him expel me."
"You are one of the best and brightest students I have, Mr. Snape, and while it is certainly disagreeable that Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore are so sadly prejudiced in favor of Gryffindor," and coming from Hecate, that was quite censorious, particularly considering her own prejudice against them in favor of Slytherin, "I must state quite clearly that no such forbearance will be granted any of them here." It only took a moment for her to find the anti-nausea potion and two boxed chocolate frogs.
He still hadn't opened his eyes when she came around the chair. "But it doesn't matter, does it? I'm worth nothing to any of them... And the Gryffindors know that. They know they can get away with anything they way, at least where I'm concerned, because I'm just a piece of... of evil, Slytherin, trash, that the Headmaster condones the hurting of..."
"Well, I do not condone it," she said, stopping his words with the tip of a vial, "and I will make very certain, Mr. Snape, that they all feel the bite of my wrath accompanied by the force of your own through me. I would also suggest that you speak to Mr. Malfoy. I will not punish either of you, so long as your revenge is subtle. Subtle, and yet very, very obvious. You understand?"
He opened his mouth, lifting one hand to tip the vial the rest of the way by himself. His fingers brushed her, and for a moment she could feel the power that had clotted there in his anger. Now it was leaking away at the tips. "I think I do, professor," he whispered, once he'd given her back the vial. "Am I allowed to tell Lucius...?"
"I would not except you to keep it from him," Hecate replied with what was, for her, a strange sort of gentleness. "You're a very good boy, Severus. Don't allow them to damage you. Understand?" She leaned down, looked into his eyes. "They are not worth that."
The edges of his lips shook a little, as he asked, "What do you mean 'damage', Professor?"
"There are many ways to harm someone, Severus. Tonight, you suffered a certain amount of physical and psychological harm. I wouldn't put it past Black or any of the others to dig in deeply to try and hurt your feelings or your mind even if they cannot actually hurt you. Be careful, Mr. Snape."
Severus looked up to her with a momentary candid glance. "I'm good at... trying not to let things hurt me too much, Professor. I won't let them win and do that to me."
"Very good," Hecate said promptly. "Now, eat a frog and go to bed. I will excuse both you and Mr. Malfoy from class tomorrow."
Time to recover, and time to rest, then. "Thank you, professor." He reached for the offered frog, and with a press of magic, killed the animation enchantment on it. He didn't have the stomach for playing with his food at that moment, a first in all the time that Professor Hecate had known him. He broke off a leg, and ate it thoughtfully before he asked, "Professor, do you know any spells for removing magical scars?"
"A few," she agreed, looking at him most thoughtfully, shifting to look through a stack on a nearby table. "There's a book. I'll lend it to you."
"Thank you, Professor," he sighed. "I don't want Madam Pomfrey asking me any more questions that I'm not in a shape to answer."
"Quite," the woman sighed, and handed him the book. "Good night, Mr. Snape. If you find that you cannot sleep, return and I will make sure that you receive something to help you."
He closed his fingers over the book, and picked up the chocolate frog from the box, taking a bite from it. "Thank you." For not asking those same questions -- he could appreciate that. Still a bit unsteady, he stood, and looked Hecate in the eye, unable to offer her anything more in thanks than a twitch of his mouth, a tired one.
"You're very welcome, Mr. Snape. Shall I walk you to your dormitory, then?"
"No... It's not so far from here." Thankfully. He turned to head to the door, grateful that he did have chocolate to eat as he went. A burst of energy to get him to bed, where he could safely collapse.
"Good night," she told him again, and walked out into the hall with him, watching until Severus had slipped down the way and into the Slytherins' common room. From there it was only a short, weary walk to the tapestry that tucked their room away. He barely murmured the password, but the tapestry lifted for him, and he stumbled into the room gratefully.
Lucius's voice blasted the very moment that the tapestry lifted aside. "I DON'T BLOODY WELL CARE WHAT FUCKING TIME IT IS, YOU GODDAMNED COWS, GO FIND SEVERUS!"
"Urm, Malfoy, he's..."
"WHAT!?"
"Behind you," Goyle pointed, and Lucius swung around, grey eyes gleaming silver and spitting with worry and anger.
"Where have you been??" the blond asked him, obviously relaxing at least some small part since Severus had now found his way home.
"To the Headmaster's, and to the infirmary, and..." He trailed off, getting to his feet again and moving towards Lucius's bed. It called to him, and he desperately needed to crawl under the sheets and hide.
"Sevvie?" That was almost a startled question, and it wasn't as if calling him that in front of Crabbe and Goyle couldn't be considered private, or so Lucius thought, and Lestrange was now in the prefects' dormitory. He waved a hand at the two of them, who promptly began turning out candles even as Lucius approached the bed and sat on the edge of it, close to Severus. "What's wrong?"
"Those fucking Gryffindors.. tried to kill me..." He got close enough to Lucius to touch, and collapsed against him.
"Tried to KILL you!?" There was that yell again. Lucius never yelled unless he was absolutely furious.
Severus was regressing the same way he had when he'd first come back from his two weeks with Tom before Lucius's very eyes. A shift, and he was entirely on the bed, pushing Lucius onto the bed with him. It didn't take him any effort at all to curl against Lucius, arms wrapping around him. The younger boy clung close, savoring the feeling of being safe again. Wanted. Better than shit, to someone. "Black did... and I can't... tell you right now. Tomorrow? Hecate says you and I don't have to go to class tomorrow."
"Shhh," Lucius soothed, wrapping his arms around him. He nodded to Crabbe as the other boy reached to blow out the last candle. "Shhh. All right. We can talk about it tomorrow," he promised on a whisper, rocking him tenderly in his arms. "We'll talk about it in the morning. I'll take care of everything, Sevvie..."
The hospital robe was of poor quality compared to what he usually wore so it took Severus no time to squirm free of it, pressing Lucius back further. "I hate them all..." And he could hate them safely from the confines of Lucius's arms. It was all right there, and no one would expel him for it.
"I hate them, too," Lucius agreed quietly, holding him close, the slow rocking not stopping even as they slid closer to the middle of the bed. "I'll take care of them, Sevvie. I'll take care of everything once you tell me tomorrow..."
"I knew you would..." So tired, and so trusting of Lucius, as they finally laid down together. They only half-bothered with sheets, since Severus was so intent on staying pressed close to him. "I knew... I can rely on you for everything... My Lucius."
"Yours," Lucius agreed on a whisper, kissing his ear, the slightly oily strands of hair. "Only yours, Sevvie. Always yours."
Always...
"Why would I risk my education over you?" Severus drawled, crossing his arms as he glared at Black. "You're not worth that effort to me -- as amusing as it is to see you diapered."
"It's not funny!" Sirius hissed, face burning with mortification. He had wet himself in the Great Hall, piddling on the floor like a puppy with no control. "Who else would do it if not you, you miserable greasy ass!?"
"I don't know," Severus shrugged, but was quick to add, "though if I knew their name, I'd be quick to congratulate them on a brilliant spell. How long are you going to be pissing at random, baby boy?"
The growl that escaped Sirius's throat was accompanied by a bunching of muscles as if he was going to pounce upon the smaller Slytherin.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Black. After all, whoever did that to you might very well decide that watching you shit yourself would be equally as amusing as that little scene in the Great Hall this morning." Pyrrhus snickered from where he stood behind Lucius -- a Lucius who was obviously considering doing something very nasty to one Sirius Black. "Severus, is this childish trouser-wetter bothering you?" Malfoy continued, one white-blond brow raising with a depth of scorn.
"No, Lucius," Severus drawled as he looked back to his lover with a sharply tossed smile. This was good... this, this, standing there and watching Black suffer humiliation in something beyond his control. "He's only trying to suggest that his leaking bladder is my fault. What nerve."
"My. How droll. Perhaps you should look closer to home, Black. Little loopy Lupin seems to be rather peeved with you, hm?" That was not quite true. Lupin looked, for lack of a better word, utterly devastated, but it certainly wasn't beneath Lucius to suggest otherwise considering the circumstances.
"That strikes me as a very Gryffindor-ish trick," Severus agreed, turning smoothly away from Black. "Well, have a wet day, Sirius Black."
"I hate you, Severus Snape," Black hissed. "I hate you and I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!"
"Try anything like two nights ago, Black, and it will be," Lucius assured him, a silky threat that was without doubt completely meant.
"Don't be any more childish, Black, than you already are," Severus snapped. It was unexpected for him, to half turn back and growl that over his shoulder. "Let's go, Lucius, before the Gryffindors... leak on us."
"See you around, Gryffinbaby," Goyle snickered as the four of them headed towards the dungeons.
"Well," Lucius said once they were away from everyone else, "that was a bright spot in my day."
"Don't you mean a damp spot?" Severus slowed enough for his companions to catch up with him. It was hard, suddenly, not to smile sneeringly about it. "That was a wonderful thing to see. Horrifying, but still satisfying."
"And that's not even all of it," Lucius told him, waving Crabbe and Goyle away and tugging Severus downward, heading towards his niche. "There's more."
"There is?" Severus's tone was a hopeful one, as they started down a set of winding stone stairs. "It still won't be enough, but... what is it?"
"You won't ever have to go again during the summer," Lucius promised him vaguely. "Someone else will be taking your place in that manner. I've set the proper events in motion for it."
Severus halted on the stairs, fingers grasping at Lucius's sleeve. "You're not going in my place -- I won't let you, Lucius, you fool!"
"I'm not even remotely masochistic enough to do something so foolish!" Lucius told him, a hand moving to cover the one clenched so tightly in his robes. "No, no. Black, Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew. They're responsible for hurting you...." He trailed off, grey eyes gleaming with a sudden pure vindictiveness.
"He wouldn't..." Severus swallowed, looking Lucius straight in the eye in his desperation. Oh, not to have to go again, not to be hurt like that, not to be left feeling so ruined... "Have you... asked?"
"I've planted the seeds," Lucius said simply. "I won't allow you to go again, Sevvie. We're going to France this summer. You're to come, even though we have to see Narcissa. Don't worry. One will be taking your place. I won't tell you which one. I don't ever want you to know, because I know you. You'll feel guilty. Don't. It's more than deserved, and the one..." He shook his head. "He as good as asked for it, once I... persuaded him."
That made the fifth year shiver, as he slipped closer to Lucius. It took a force of thought to get walking again, but he did, dragging Lucius with him. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know... as long as I don't ever have to go back in the summer." It didn't exclude after he left school, Severus guessed, but respite was respite.
"Come on," Lucius told him, tugging him to move again. "Let's go and get ready for class."
Ready for class. Yes, Severus could do that again, calmly, with the weight of dread lifted from his lean shoulders.
"And it's potions. This just makes my day perfect, you know..."
"You like him very much, I think. Not the way boys like boys," the blond girl observed casually, tilting her head to the side and smiling at Severus. "It is odd, perhaps. Perhaps. Those other boys, they think nothing of it. Why is that do you suppose?"
Narcissa's English was just as beautifully clear as it had been the summer before, but this summer, Severus was suffering through two weeks of her as Lucius must. Besides that, they were going to a lot of pureblood parties and meeting... people. People of whom Severus partly wasn't sure of, and partly was. It was really a matter of him not wanting to have to socialize, and not wanting Lucius to wander off at his father's behest.
"Think nothing of what?" Severus evaded, crossing his legs smoothly at the knee. That way he had a place to balance his saucer, as he and Narcissa were seated at the outskirts of the soiree. "I don't think I'm following you at all."
"You like one another not in the way boys like boys but as boys like girls," she answered primly, granting him a mysterious smile. "This I do not mind, for now. Perhaps I will not mind it ever. We shall see."
The prissy little bitch. Severus's jaw came forwards a little, firming with mild unhappiness before he took a neat sip from his tea-cup. "Whatever makes you say something like that?"
Delicate shoulders shrugged. "I am not stupid, despite the fact that most of these people seem to think so. Also, I am Veela, like him. I can smell the sex on you," Narcissa murmured most politely.
Sex that they'd had that morning, in the shower. Hurried, heated, passionate pleasure that Severus had enjoyed too much to feel guilty over. After all, if he was going to sit, and smile, and meet and greet, he expected to go in at least a placid mood. One smooth black brow arched, as he turned his head a little more to look at her. There had to be something smart, and quick to say in return to her nauseatingly polite tones. "Being able to do that must make day to day living interesting for you."
"Very much so," she agreed, placing her own cup and saucer most politely upon her thigh. "You were not present last summer. I am sorry that I missed you. I would have been most interested in knowing this beforehand, not," Narcissa admitted, "that it changes anything at all."
"Our Lord was giving me tutelage," Severus told her in a bland tone. Tutelage that he blessedly hadn't had since, though there had been a few meetings he and Lucius had sat in on that had left him with that same shivery feeling. "And, you didn't guess it from him...?"
"Non," she said with a smile that seemed terribly sweet and just a bit vicious somehow. "He was, hm, very attentive but also very... distracted," she decided. "Men are only rarely distracted from me."
Attentive? Severus drained his cup smoothly, set it back down in the saucer that was balanced on his knee. He wasn't going to press that particular question, or ever think of Lucius being 'attentive' again. It made him wish for Uncle Arioch's liqour cabinent, in the study of Malfoy Manor. "Then I'm glad to know that he was distracted."
"Yes. You are distracted, also. Not in the way these others are." A wave of fingers indicated the other men in the room, many of whom had at least one eye upon her. "It is interesting," she decided.
"I don't like women," he filled in for her, still looking at her with a bland gaze. "It doesn't interest me in the least."
"This is what I find so interesting," she agreed, sipping delicately from her cup.
"Are you so very used to having men fawn on you?" What an uppity creature she was. It wasn't even the cool, crisp and fully sensible haughtiness that Lucius dripped. At least Lucius's pride was useful, and actually had a great deal of skill to back it up.
"Yes," she said with a smile. "I like you. You are very amusing."
What he'd do for a wand. Or a handful of soot to just dab on her pretty, pert nose. "I'm glad that I amuse you, Narcissa," he couldn't help but sneer. Then he looked up, scanning the ballroom for Lucius. No sign of him, which didn't mean anything. "Why do I amuse you, again?"
"You pretend to be sweet, and yet you are vinegar, yes? Yes. Quite sour in your dislike. I am not taking him from you, you understand," Narcissa said firmly. "It is an arrangement. It is for a child. A child is a necessary thing, yes? This, you cannot do."
"Thank Merlin," he agreed, in a blatantly sour tone. "But an arrangement means it's a change from how things have been, of which I'm very fond."
"This, I cannot help you with in the least," she responded, shrugging those thin, pale shoulders, the straps of her dress sliding a bit in response to the motion. "I am not sorry for it, precisely. I should not have to be, yes? It is not my fault. It is simply the way that things must be."
"That's right. But that doesn't mean that I'm expected to just be merry about it and end up bulldozed over once... you and him fall into domestic life." Or, worse -- to actually fall into the reality of the charade they were supposed to put on. Surely, days together could breed, between Lucius and her...
"You are not the only one with a life which will be interrupted," Narcissa said easily, shrugging once more. "You should grow up a bit, I think."
"I've not quite turned sixteen yet," he pointed out to her. "And I can act very 'grown up' as you call it, when I wish to. But considering I've seen very few adults with the sort of 'suck it up and be quiet' attitude that you expect from me, I have to point out that your expectations are a bit too high."
"It is the way of the world... of the Lord," she said very quietly. "Is it not?"
Severus had no reaction at that, other than to break a piece off of a chocolate biscuit, and bring it to his lips. "No, it isn't."
"You may not wish to say that very loudly," Narcissa told him, blue eyes widening. "If He heard you... if someone else heard you..."
"His way is whatever pleases Him -- and I wouldn't not go along with that," Severus said succinctly, and only when he was done chewing.
"Then do not say such things," the girl replied, shivering. "It is not well."
"Why not?"
She shook her head and shivered. "You are not..."
"Not wise," a voice broke in smoothly, "to be so disobedient, Severus."
A chill clutched at his spine, and he turned just slightly to look back at Tom. "It isn't disobedience, sir, until words... become action. And they won't."
"Learn to be more careful of your tongue, young Severus. You never can tell quite who may be listening," the man nearly purred.
"Yes, sir." Severus's head ducked down just slightly, so he wouldn't have to look up into those brilliant green eyes. "How... has your summer been, sir?"
"Most pleasant, Severus. And your own? And yours, Narcissa?" he asked, nodding to the girl.
"Lovely, my Lord," she whispered timidly, eyes sweeping down to peer at her trembling fingers.
"Better and worse than last summer," Severus answered vaguely. "I've had a very good year in school. My O.W.L. scores were top for the year."
"Very good, Severus. Narcissa. Ahh, I see Arioch and Lucius. Excuse me," the man said politely.
It was only once He left that Narcissa seemed able to breathe again.
Severus looked down into his teacup for a moment, drawing one smooth breath to calm himself with. "You're scared of Him, too -- why?"
"Anyone with sense would be!" she hissed at him, shaking her head. "He.. I have a sister, you see, and..." That was all she would say.
Severus winced faintly. She had a sister, and...? Was the girl dead? Older or younger than Narcissa, who was at least as old as Lucius? Was she being 'taught'? "He teaches her...?"
"Yes," was all that she said, her skin even more pale than before. "She is twelve."
Severus hesitated for a moment, before moving one slim hand to rest atop Narcissa's neatly folded hands. "She'll... survive."
She looked at him, blue eyes glistening. "Will she? She is very fragile. Very young. You stayed with Him last summer, did you not?"
The twitch at the edge of his mouth seemed to scream that he had, the way that his eyes fell for a moment when he pulled his hand back. "While you were visiting the Manor, yes."
Her own fingers turned, grasped his carefully. "I would not wish that on anyone," she whispered, shaking her head even as her eyes darted about carefully. "Does he know?" He meaning Lucius.
"Enough." Never, never the specifics. Lucius had guessed some of them, but past that argument they had in the tub when he came back, there had been no further discussion. There had only been assurances that it would never happen again, and the comfort that the trunk he'd brought with him to France was a completely different one from that one. "Tell me, what does your sister do magically...?"
The expression on that pale, pointed face as good as said that she didn't want to tell him. "She is... not very accomplished, magically," Narcissa replied, hands folding neatly in her lap once again. "She has never been very good at it."
At least he had that to fall back on for himself. At worst Tom knew that he'd be hard to kill, that his body wanted to live, to escape no matter the effort. "I'm sorry to hear that." Severus had to glance away again, and his eyes fixed on Lucius, heading towards them, when he did so.
"Yes. You and I both," she said simply as the younger Malfoy moved to a stop before them.
"You two seem to have been having quite the nice, private conversation," Lucius declared with a smile, but it was a smile edged with jealousy, Severus could tell.
Severus patted Narcissa's fingers one last time, before he withdrew his hand entirely. "Our Lord graced us momentarily with His presence. Have you been enjoying yourself?"
"As much as possible," Lucius drawled, and promptly shifted to sit close to Severus, shaking his head slightly. "Father's conversation has become rather boring, and this little soiree should end shortly. Perhaps we could go for a walk in the gardens..." That 'we' seemed to encompass both of them.
"Mais oui," Narcissa replied, and it sounded sweet and lyrical and set Severus's teeth on edge despite their momentary connection. "I would like that very much."
"It sounds a pleasant enough idea." Severus stood a bit abruptly, looking for a ledge to set his cup and saucer aside on. It was hard not to entertain ideas of pushing Narcissa into some of the estate's lovely bushes.
"No need to be jealous," Lucius whispered into his ear as severus, too, rose, and Narcissa laughed, a soft sound full of amusement unlike her previous nervousness.
"No," she agreed. "No need."
Her laughter made Severus's cheeks burn, as he halfway discarded his cup on a window ledge. When he turned back Lucius was still too temptingly close to him. "Well. If you both keep telling me that, then you must be right."
"Then let us walk," Narcissa said, shaking her head so that fine, silken locks of blond hair tumbled about her shoulders in a lovely way that Severus's own black hair did not. "It is a lovely evening, no?"
"Agreed," Lucius murmured smoothly, and took her hand to place it in the crook of his arm, smiling with what seemed to be vague apology at Severus.
Severus simply fell into step beside him, a bit coldly. It was the cold detachment people were used to seeing in him, a sort of studious disdain for others. If Lucius was going to keep up appearances, then he would, too.
The garden's entrance was only a short walk across the ballroom floor, through latticed doors that swept open onto a patio. Lights hung in the darkness, spreading a gentle, half-illuminating glow.
"See?" Narcissa murmured with a wave of her wand that dimmed those lights just so before they moved down the steps that led into the garden. "It is lovely, not quite dark..." An invitation to walk, and to perhaps do more.
With Lucius on her arm, Severus had little choice but to follow them both, to stay in step. "A pity that more of these plants aren't useful," he sighed, sounding a bit distracted as he let his fingers idle over one half-closed bloom that they passed.
Narcissa paused, tilting her head to the side. "How do you mean, more of them useful? They are beautiful, yes. Many flowers have grand purposes, it is true, but sometimes it is nice to have beauty be the only purpose, yes?"
"Beauty is... an additive," he decided, peering at Lucius rather than Narcissa as all three of them stood there. "If something is useful, and right, it could be disfigured in some way, or unappealing to the eyes, and I'd still view it the same way I would if it were particularly stunning to look at. Beauty can mask your eyes, if you look only at that." Tom. Hiding in plain sight, in plain, appealing, eye catching beauty.
"An excellent point," Lucius agreed quietly, expression turning to him most seriously. "I think perhaps that beauty is more a necessary evil, however. The beautiful often get away with certain behaviors, certain threats, that the plain or unfortunately ugly cannot."
"If worked correctly, a beautiful person may likely find an ugly one to take blame for him or her," Narcissa concurred.
"Ugly inside, or ugly out?" Now Severus glanced to Narcissa, just for a moment. His hand pulled at the flower, then long fingers fisted around it. "Beautiful... but no substance. Most fragile. A few sad thorns prove weak protection."
The girl shivered and stepped closer to Lucius, though the blond boy was smiling very proudly at Severus. "Precisely, Sev. Precisely."
"Now, there are beautiful things that can protect themselves... but they don't rely on that beauty to do it all for them. In fact, it's often a lure..." His hand covered another rose, and in the garden's twilight darkness, a faint shimmer formed around it for a fraction of a moment. Subtle magic that the ministry couldn't sense, particularly with him out of the country. The flower was plucked, cradled in his hand and offered towards Narcissa. "Try to crush it," he offered with a wicked smile curling the edges of his mouth.
Narcissa's eyes narrowed slowly. "I am not that stupid, Severus Snape. Do not mistake that I am," she said in a low, vaguely sinister voice.
"And don't threaten Severus," Lucius replied with a chill that likely seeped into her bones.
"Just because you're gorgeous, Narcissa, doesn't mean that I'm not brilliant and powerful," he murmured, dropping the blossom to the ground idly. One petal planted itself in the ground with a distinctly knife-like noise that only strengthened Severus's smile. "Just because your sister is almost a squib, doesn't mean that I am, too."
"Your sister's almost a squib?" Lucius asked, his nose wrinkling.
"Do not look like that!" the girl hissed, nearly in tears. "She is brilliant and beautiful and she will do superbly! I will make sure of it!"
"Defensive of your loved ones?" Severus probed lightly. How dare Narcissa cry like that, when she'd started it. It cemented firmer in his mind his dislike of women in general.
"Yes!" she cried, mouth trembling. "Yes! Oh, you would not understand, you and he, so close to Him! I should have known! I should not have spoken!"
"Spoken about what?" Lucius asked, and his cool demeanor thawed the smallest bit.
"I think... if you calmed yourself, and repeated things a bit more rationally, that we could understand a great deal."
"What is there to misunderstand?" Narcissa whispered. "That He is not the nice man you think He is? That this is not a game? That we are all caught up in something awful? I thought perhaps I could trust you," she said, casting Severus a glance. "You said you had stayed with Him. You did not seem to have found pleasure in it... I thought..."
"I learned a lot about how deceptive beauty can be when I stayed there," Severus muttered. It was hard to keep his expressions from seizing up, or going colder, at the mention of Tom. So, Narcissa's sister was almost a squib. Being almost one, and being one were two entirely different things.
"It makes what I say no less true," she defended herself as Lucius frowned. "Beauty might be misleading, but many people are too stupid to realize. If used properly..." Her fingers indicated the flower embedded in the ground below. "...even beauty may be deadly. This is all I meant!"
She meant it now, but not before, Severus knew. No, she'd worked vague threats at him into it, and now she knew and had seen, at least subtly, where Lucius stood in the matter. "Of course." Bland words, as he raised one eyebrow at her slightly. "Shall we continue walking?"
"I believe so," Lucius said, and took her arm again before she wrenched it from him, obviously hurt by that choice of sides.
"I am going to be your wife," she stressed, looking at Lucius as they moved deeper into the garden. "None of us have to like this fact, but there are ways for us to get along."
"I'm making my poor attempts at it," Severus replied. "But it's hard for me to swallow when you get so bloody smug over things. I could at least commiserate with your sister, if she were here." But Narcissa was nothing like him, an arrogant thing who weighed people solely on looks. Lucius at least had the sense to weigh power and brilliance into the mix.
She hissed slightly, and the fury on her face seemed to have made it more pointed, the very bones of her changing just slightly. It was obvious that she was even more Veela than Lucius's mother, and Lucius was no fool. "Calm down," he soothed gently. "Calm down. Severus is often sharp this way. It will be all right."
"It isn't as if we have choices. He has a plan for each of us, doesn't He?" Severus reminded Narcissa in a slightly softer voice. "It could be worse for you."
"Worse? Perhaps. Consider who Arioch Malfoy is. Consider who will replace him should he die. Consider that I am only for breeding while you, you are for magic...." Narcissa shrugged. "Worse, perhaps. But not by much."
"You're both altogether too melodramatic," Lucius said firmly.
"You threw a two day long fit over having to leave Malfoy Manor." Severus poked a finger into Lucius's ribs without warning, chuckling very softly. "You can't exclude yourself from that."
"I'm allowed to be melodramatic," Lucius answered him complacently, squirming away from the tickle that produced. "I'm a Malfoy. It's my nature."
"It must be Malfoy nature. Aunt Porrima isn't..." She was surprisingly down to earth when compared against Arioch. Arioch, who was no longer 'Uncle Arioch' very often in Severus's mind. The man had lost that measure of Severus's trust. His trailing words ended in a sigh. "You'll probably pass that on to your children, Lucius."
A little sideways glance came from Narcissa, along with a snide statement. "I find it difficult to believe that we will have children," she said simply.
"Why's that?" She was baiting again. Baiting probably with the sole intent of turning it around at them both for a reason to cry. Severus shifted ever so slightly closer to Lucius, dark eyes gleaming with possession. Lucius was his, even if Narcissa did marry him.
Blue eyes shifted in their direction. "I am not stupid," she declared shortly, shrugging her shoulders. "You are not just friends who are boys. You are, hm, what is the proper word for it? Ah. Well. Perhaps I cannot think of it in English. Lovers will do for the moment."
That didn't seem to bother Lucius. Why should it? "And?"
"And, a boy such as you would not be truly interested in a girl such as me, non?" A hip canted lightly to the side as she smiled at both of them. "It will be difficult to conceive a child if you cannot function properly."
That was hard for Severus's mind to conceive. He'd seen Lucius walk past a chair and end up hard, on the worst days of hormones. "That will have to be dealt with when it comes the time, won't it?" Severus asked blandly. One more year, just one more year -- surely she could wait that long.
"Yes..." she agreed, looking at them through her lashes, "but for now..." A wicked little smile curved her lips. "For now, I would like to see it?"
"See what?" Lucius asked her with chill inflection, as if to put her off of the request with the force of his personality.
Was she asking Lucius to just... drop his trousers? "That's more than a bit rude, you know. Though it sounds very French to ask that."
Her laugh was husky, pleasant, lovely just as she was. "No, no. That is not what I mean. I mean... Kiss him. I would like to see."
Severus hadn't even a chance to protest her suggestion because Lucius was on him, Narcissa's arm forgotten and propriety completely cast to the wind. When lips pressed to his mouth, Severus gave way as he always did, submitting for a moment before he caught Lucius's bottom lip in his teeth, tussling for control of at least the kiss, if not the press and roll of muscles.
He lost. It had been too long, perhaps, despite their lovemaking in the shower that morning. Nearly two weeks of separate bedrooms and only a handful of kisses in the dark, quick gropes, were unsatisfying at best and utterly fruitless at worst. Lucius was altogether too ready to strip him there in front of her and take him and make him scream. It was obviously all the blond boy could do to pull away when he finally did, and his voice was shaky and hoarse. "Never ask that of me again," he told her. "Not after two weeks like these."
It was a true pity that Lucius hadn't done it. Severus had to snap at himself to let go of Lucius, to slide his hands off of the other boy's shoulder and his side, to step back from the warmth and vague musk scent that he'd missed in those two weeks. "It's rude of you," Severus agreed raggedly.
"You will have to become accustomed, I suppose," Narcissa laughed softly. "That was most lovely. Perhaps you will be a vigorous lover after all, Lucius Malfoy."
"Not to you." The words were out before Lucius could stop them, but they didn't wipe away her smile.
"Perhaps not. But we shall see."
Or not see. Severus wanted to wipe off her smile -- with a spell, at least for a short while. To turn those pretty lips into a dog's muzzle was such a pleasing thought. "Perhaps. We should go back, Lucius, before your mother suspects we've crawled off under the bushes."
"Ah, yes, Mother," Lucius agreed. "She'll likely think we've abandoned poor Narcissa here to the maze and wandered off to copulate beneath the moon. It is a lovely moon," he decided, glancing up at the sky, "but I'd rather not get bug bites."
Severus looked over to Narcissa, and jerked his chin back towards the building when he tugged at lucius. "Coming?"
"Not yet," she laughed, shaking her head again. "But we shall see."
"Suit yourself." Severus gave Lucius's forearm another tug, then led him back towards the patio. At least he had another year before that girl was an irrevocable part of their lives.
"Come on," Lucius told him, tossing his head. "You'll want to hurry or we'll miss all of the chocolate in Honeydukes. Crabbe and Goyle are ahead of us, and you know they could eat out the store themselves." It didn't matter that Lucius was now seventeen; he was still quite fond of chocolate. "Then we can go back to school, because I still have a vast amount of work to do for potions, and I should like your assistance..."
"It's such a nice day out, though," Severus complained vaguely. "And we should probably stop by Dervish and Banges for flasks. I did tell you that Goyle stepped on mine, didn't I? Lout. I tried a repario, but their make-up is so delicate that the spell could taint potions."
"I'll send for a set via owl from Knockturn, Sev. It's really better if we just get back, I think," the blond said sternly before softening slightly. "Besides. It gives me time to be alone with you."
They were walking close enough to each other to brush hands occasionally, without garnering much in the way of looks; so Severus caught Lucius's fingers for a moment, and squeezed a bit idly. "I'll forget the flasks, then, for a much better offer."
"Good," Lucius agreed, and opened up his mouth to speak at the precise moment that Honeydukes exploded in a shattering rain of wood, glass and spell remnants. "Fuck!" Lucius's first instinct was to grab Severus's arm; Severus's was to stand there, dumbfounded for a moment before he pulled a shield up in front of them, umbrella-like from his wand. The candy shop had just blown up -- why would a candy shop blow up?
"Come on!" Lucius urged him, tugging sharply. "We should get back to Hogwarts, now, Sev!"
"No -- what about Goyle and Crabbe?" Severus jerked himself free, and started down the road -- which was partway being overwhelmed by people fleeing back the way he and Lucius were coming. He could see black robes ahead of him...
"Don't worry about them!" the blond snapped shortly, reaching for him again. Severus had hit another growth spurt over the summer and finally caught up to him in height, but the dark-haired boy's legs were still longer, making him faster than Lucius. "They can take care of themselves, come on!"
Fast enough to slip free of Lucius with ease, he barely heard those words over the thrum of blood in his temples. Soon, Severus was too far away for Lucius to reach, moving towards the still collapsing building. In such a riot, it was almost impossible for the out-most of those in the black robes not to be swept up in the panicked crowd.
But there was one who stood his ground effortlessly, and it was that one whom Severus ran into. His eyes were so fixed on what he was seeing that the immediate world was lost on him until body pressed to body.
Fingers latched onto his shoulders, drew him close to the body he'd run into. "Hello, Severus," Tom murmured in his ear. "I'm quite pleased to see you here. What a... pleasant surprise," he said, and began moving him away from the burning candy store as other stores around them began to explode, one by one.
"Oh, Merlin," Severus whispered, eyes gone wide as he was tugged aside, up onto the grass and further and further away from the main stretch. There were still people in there, Wizards and students...
"I've missed you," Tom told him with a smirk that absolutely made the boy's body ache and shiver. "Do you like your little present, Severus?"
"My present, sir...?" Had it been something? Had it been the lack of a summer visit with Him? Or was it... what he saw before him? No, it couldn't be. Black eyes looked up to Tom's brilliantly sparking green orbs, looking lost and waiting to be told.
"Aren't flames exciting?" the man purred, leaning down to hiss softly into his ear. "Don't you like the sound of them? Didn't you miss me this summer when Malfoy disobeyed me and took you to France?"
"I'd thought, sir, that it was all right to go to France..." If Lucius had gotten himself in trouble for Severus's sake, he was going to throttle him. When he got back to the school. If he could get back there -- the street before them seemed shifting, as if he and the Lord were somewhere else because the pinpricks of light that became Aurors didn't notice them.
"Yes, I'm sure you did," Tom answered him coolly, hands clenching on Severus's upper arms. "No worry. Malfoy has been punished for it, and he'll be replaced shortly but you...." The man's smile was eerie, vicious, hurtful. "You, Severus, are going to be punished for it as well."
"I am, sir...? Why?" Severus didn't dare say that he shouldn't be -- though the why was probably more of a challenge than he should have dared to make.
The fist that wrenched into his long black locks said as much. "Because you knew better, didn't you, Severus? In your heart of hearts. You knew better. Why else would I have been in France last summer?"
The tearing feeling of hair being wrenched made him wince, rise up on his feet a little to alleviate the pain. "I don't know... I don't know. Please let me go, Tom, My Lord, let me go back to school..."
"Oh, no, no, my sweet," Tom said softly in his hear. "That would be too easy. I'm afraid I must punish you most severely. I will, of course, regret that it is necessary..."
He knew the word that would come, even as he watched his Lord pull free His wand. Tom's lips formed dreaded words, Tom's fingers went rigid on the wand, before Severus felt the world pulled out from under him. A whisper of words, pointed and intense, that seared through his brain and deeper. Crucio, over and over, but it had only been said once. Pain, a new pain, that spliced through his limbs, shredded him inside, and left him screaming and shaking without, scrabbling with his fingers at the dirt in a sad attempt to do anything against it.
When it became too much, he finally gave in and collapsed, blessed blackness washing over him in a flood. Was it over? He couldn't say, couldn't be certain. His mind seemed to have shut itself away from his body for the time being, and so he couldn't quite grasp if the change was real or imagined. Perhaps it was still going on, perhaps it would always go on, and he just wouldn't know it and he'd die. They said that people went crazy under Cruciatus. They said it didn't take long. They said...
"Sevvie?"
Gibberish left his lips, and his body gave a jerk. Reality, even if his mind was drifting elsewhere in the confusion of it. Was that what Cruciatus was? A separation of the two parts, his sense, and his fears. Because his body curled up tighter on itself, and he had no control over it.
"Sevvie..." Yes, that was reality, and Lucius sounded miserable, sounded as if he'd been crying or something. To hear that voice gone hoarse was just awful.
The convulsive shudders were impossible to still, though he tried to crawl weakly closer to the sound of Lucius's shaken voice. Reality hurt in ways the detachment didn't; every motion was an echo of that searing pain, an echo that didn't fade -- it multiplied upon itself, until the pain grew to a throbbing buzz in his system again.
"Sevvie, the Aurors are coming. Sevvie.." He could feel his body shifted beneath him, and the agony of it was mind-numbing. Someone was screaming, he was sure. Was it him?
"Where're you going -- what's going on?" There was a hand on him, that made him wince and curl inwards to Lucius even as choked pain poured from his throat.
"He's hurt," Severus heard Lucius answer, and he felt himself pulled away from the hurtful touch. "I need to take him back to school..."
"Hurry, then -- and stop his screaming." Tension seemed thick enough in the air that Severus's agony wasn't needed to be thrust atop the tremulous pile. In his mind, he knew that. Physically, it hurt hurt hurt hurt.
"Shhh. Shhh, Sevvie. I know it hurts. I know. Just..." It seemed as if Lucius was reluctant. Severus couldn't tell, not until the silencing spell fell over him. "I'll take you to the infirmary, Sevvie. It will be all right. I promise. I told you not to go..."
Noises left him, but failed to permeate the air -- agreement, pain, it flooded together in his mind, worsened by the jostle of movement. Lucius was running? Or in a carriage. His eyes refused to open yet, clenched tight in agony that swept him up again until the motions stopped entirely. He was... somewhere, and the silencing spell was gone again. Perhaps because screaming had died to whimpers.
"There, there. It will be all right, Severus. It will be all right..."
That was Pomfrey, wasn't it? Or someone like her, maybe. He hurt. Oh, he hurt...
"How long was he under?"
"I don't know. He was missing for almost forty-five minutes, maybe. He ran when Honeydukes exploded, we had friends there..."
"Have they reported back to the dorms yet, or been found?" The room was abustle, and there was a steady stream of minor injuries going on beyond the curtained area he was within. Severus was only vaguely aware of it, as he twitched back from a hand touching his forehead.
"I don't know. I only just found Severus, fifteen minutes ago, perhaps. There have been all kinds of rumors. I don't know."
"The headmaster's orders are to send all students to their common rooms for safety's sake. You should go along, Mr. Malfoy...."
"No. Not without Severus. He needs me." Lucius's voice was tired, but so very certain, and when his fingers touched Severus's wrist, they were cool, calming. "I won't go."
"Mr. Malfoy, don't make me toss you out."
Severus whimpered again, pleadingly. Lips worked, but failed to form coherence again. One fisted hand spasmed open, inviting Lucius's fingers as best he could. There had to be something for the pain, a potion... but even when his mind seized on one, there was no way to tell Madam Pomfrey. He could only ride out the torment as the echoing effect began to fade.
"It's all right, Sevvie. It's all right. I won't leave you. I promise, I won't leave." He felt Lucius slide his hand into his own shaking fingers, clasping him gently. "I'm not leaving."
"Then you're going to hold him still while I give him a sleeping potion."
Yes. Just what he wanted to suggest to her, to plead to be put into unconsciousness until the pain was gone.
"All right."
The taste of it, when it came, was sickly sweet and reminiscent vaguely of limes, but it brought with it a blessed cool quiet, and then he knew nothing at all, for a time.
For a time...
