Severus Snape and the Last Year

Level 3.4: The Summer

His thirteenth Christmas had been a dismal affair. Persephone had gone home to her parents, so he had gone home to his. His mother restricted her decorating to a single two-foot tree, perched on a side table and decorated with popcorn and a few sprigs of holly. Severus used a little of his own pocket money to buy some fairy lights for it.

He tried to tell his parents about his new friend, but when his father found out she was a girl, he gave Severus a brief and mortifying lecture about the facts of life. Severus tried telling his mother that she was just a friend, and he was not interested in sex in general. His mother gave him a disbelieving look and said it was normal for boys his age.

"I'm not normal!" he protested and fled to the privacy of his room to write a complaining letter to Lucius about his parents' embarrassing assumptions.

His parents gave him a Galleon on Christmas morning, which Severus did not dislike but found a little impersonal. Narcissa sent him a Christmas card as did Lily Evans (he found out later she had sent them to the whole class). Lucius sent him a book bound in a fake cover. The outside wrapping promised A Detailed History of the Goblin Wars, but later in his room, he discover the book was instead a far more detailed exposition on the facts of life with moving illustrations. There was a note from Lucius explaining that his father had given it to him on his thirteenth birthday, and it might explain things better than Severus's father had done.

Severus shoved the book into the dark recesses of his trunk. He was tempted to burn it but worried it might hold some warped sentimental value and Lucius was expecting it back. Persephone seemed to have forgotten him.

He spent the rest of his holiday sulking over how no one understood him, losing himself in The Dark Arts Unraveled, which was a caustically funny account of a complex case by a female Auror, and trying not to think about sex.

Persephone met him on the train with an exciting story about how her grandparents had taken them to Godric's Hollow for Christmas and Edinburgh for Hogmanay. He had trouble catching her excitement, which reminded her to produce a belated Christmas present. She had gotten him a large, colorful box full of Muggle sweets. He had little fondness for candy, but he did appreciate the effort. "At least it's not a book."

Her face fell. When he asked why, she admitted to having got him a book for his birthday. If there needed to be a moment when he fell in love with her that might have been a good one, but he was too busy backpedaling, trying to explain his comment without explaining Lucius's book, and making room for her friend Henrietta, who wanted to tell Persephone about her holiday. Bernard Avery had joined them. He was a year older and almost as unpopular as Severus himself. Later Severus thought it was good he was there, since Persephone's brother had dropped by to bother them. Avery had a short temper.

The students returned to the drafty castle halls with a fresh batch of viruses. Severus spent the next month fighting an irritatingly persistent cold, which earned him the nickname of Snivellus. A more intense flu like illness put several people in the hospital wing while Madam Pomfrey tried to figure it out. Persephone spent a week there. When she got out, she apologized for missing Severus's birthday and gave him a copy of Oliver Twist. He would have liked to say something charming and appropriately grateful, but a particularly loud, gooey sneeze had ruined the moment.

Eventually he figured out he was allergic to his roommate's new kitten. Since cats were considered par for the course at Hogwarts, he appealed to Madam Pomfrey and was given a draught, which worked well enough if he remembered to take it. The nickname was not so easily remedied.

He spent a month wrestling with how to return Lucius's book without insulting him. He finally decided that he could pretend to have read it and then offer it's return. This seemed the simplest plan. He took it to Lucius's dorm still wrapped in its false cover and tried to sound casual as he asked Lucius if he wanted the book back since he was done with it. Lucius had laughed. "I think you need it more than I do."

Severus returned to his room, defeated, to find the accursed kitten shedding all over his bed sheets. Severus threw the book at it to chase it off. He missed, but the kitten yowled. It's owner, one of the Macmillans, had scrambled over to rescue it and yell at Severus, when he noticed the illustration the book had fallen open to. "Bloody hell, Snape! What is that?!"

Severus was frozen and mute with mortification, but his dorm mates pounced on the book. Macmillan and the other Slytherin third years were fascinated by it. Their reaction confused him. He had expected fresh taunts and ridicule, but the names they called him seemed to ring with admiration. One of them whistled. "Always wondered why you read so much."

"It's not--" he began helplessly, but there seemed to be no way to explain without betraying Lucius. He was not sure it would do him any good even if he did. The other boys were experts at twisting everything he said, and even he could imagine all sort of inventively unpleasant taunts if he admitted the striking, blonde Slytherin had sent it to him as a Christmas present.

"Hey, Sev, can we borrow this?"

"Keep it," he groaned, as he closed his bed curtains and hid his burning face under the pillow.

The book made its way around the Slytherin boys dormitory for the next week or so. Severus did his best to ignore it and hope it would go away. To his relief, the taunts he expected did not come, though the older boys developed the annoying habit of stealing his books, flipping through them, and shortly after, returning them with a look of disappointment. He feigned ignorance when Persephone asked why they kept doing it.

Narcissa made a single appeal for him, since this was interrupting her homework sessions. "Bella, please ask them to leave Severus alone." This peaked Bella's interest enough for her to briefly investigate by walking across the common room and asking Rabastan. Her loud laughter forced Severus to hide behind his open textbook.

Gossip spread like wildfire through the dry minds of Hogwarts students. Lily gave him a round eyed stare instead of her usual smile the next morning, and Severus knew his reputation had grown to Curse Master and Pervert. He did his best to be invisible, but everyone seemed to be staring at him. He understood the reaction of the girls who skittered away from him, regretting only that he could not explain. Other reactions made less sense. Sirius actually gave him a grin and a thumbs up, but James Potter was glaring at him with new levels of loathing. Mousy little Pettigrew squeaked "pervert" at him when he thought he could get away with it. Potter's other friend, who always looked ill, looked ill in Severus direction. His fellow Slytherins resurrected his "Curse Master" title in a jovial way. The Ravenclaws asked him to join study groups. The Hufflepuffs left him mercifully alone.

He was relieved to see Persephone after class, even though her friend Henrietta was in tow. As usual Hen skittered off when she saw him, but Persephone smiled at him. Maybe it was then. He was debating whether to ask her if she wanted to go to the library or the common room when James stuck his wand in his face. "I told you to stay away from my sister!"

Severus stared at James in disbelief. Persephone merely reached her hand up and batted the wand away. "Cut it out, James."

"Aw," Sirius said in a mocking voice. "Hissy's got a boyfriend."

"Don't be stupid!" Persephone protested. "He's not my boyfriend!"

James squinted and brought his wand back up to point at Severus. "Hands off, pervert!"

Severus felt his brows draw together at the absurdity of it. Persephone bubbled up a laugh. "Severus? A pervert?"

"Ask him about his books!"

Persephone cocked her head and gave Severus a questioning look. He shrugged helplessly. "You've gone balmy," she told her brother. She grabbed Severus's arm to drag him away, but instead of letting them go, James hit Severus with a Leg-locker Curse that made him fall against Persephone. She managed to stay upright, but Severus did not. He felt a sting of pain as his arm impacted with the ground but rolled onto his back. While Persephone was yelling at her brother, Severus pulled his wand out. He was in the middle of his own curse, when the wand flew from his hand.

"Quite enough of that," Professor Slughorn puffed as he came upon the scene. He released Severus's legs and pulled him to his feet. Severus instinctively tried to pull his arm away, but Slughorn held fast. "Come along, Curse Master. You too, Potter." Severus caught the flash of Persephone's silver wand and her sympathetic grimace as Slughorn dragged him away.

Slughorn rarely deducted points, but he did like to lecture. He seated the two boys in his office and went into a long spiel about inter-house cooperation. Severus could never suss out how, but Slughorn seemed to think their quarrel was Quidditch related. Neither boy corrected him. He sent James along first and kept Severus for a while to commend him on his potions talents, tell him not to worry about his broom work, and that he was welcome to come to him with any problem. Severus left the office far more confused than when he had come in but relieved he had not lost any points.

Persephone had a further argument with James that he was not privy to, which seemed to settle the matter in the short term. She came back to the common room, pronouncing that James was an incurable arse, but refusing to expound on why. Severus surrendered his completely innocent books on theory for her inspection. Things were quiet for the next few days, until Professor Slughorn pulled him out of Charms.

The uninspired Avery had taken the Goblin Wars to class with him, and the false cover did not prevent Professor McGonagall from seeing the illustrations. When asked where he had gotten it, he told the teachers it was Snape's book and Severus had been showing it to all the Slytherin boys. Slughorn had tried once again to be understanding without stopping a moment to listen. He offered Snape candy from a dish, tried to explain that his curiosity was perfectly natural but certain materials were not appropriate for the school setting, and that perhaps it might be beneficial for them to have a conference with his parents. After three unsuccessful attempts to politely get Slughorn to let him speak, Severus had yelled, with a colorful string of profanity that it was not his book.

Slughorn stopped talking then, considered Severus for a long, terrible moment, where the awkward teenager felt both horribly ashamed and rather proud of himself and stared back defiantly, then muttered, "I'm too close to retirement to deal with this," and called up the floo to the Headmaster's office.

Slughorn had marched the now trembling Severus up to the Headmaster's office, deposited him before Dumbledore's desk, and handed him the book. "I give up. See what you can do with him."

When they were alone, Dumbledore had quietly opened the book and gave it a brief inspection, while Severus's felt his face grow hot and tried unsuccessfully to sink through the floor. "Very instructive," he said and set the closed book down on his desk. "Now, what seems to be the trouble?"

Severus had been certain this was leading up to expulsion, so he remained mute for several minutes, twitchy as a caged rabbit. Dumbledore simply stared at him kindly and waited, his ancient, elegant hands folded in attention. With some effort at first, then with growing ease, Severus spilled the whole story. The Headmaster continued to smile kindly but did not laugh at him. "And what sort of books do you normally read?"

Heartened Severus had launched into the list while Dumbledore listened, bushy eyebrow quirked in pleasant surprise. When he came to Persephone's gift of Oliver Twist, the Headmaster did interrupt. "Ah, Charles Dickens, a rather entertaining fellow."

"Did you know him, Professor?" asked curious and calmed Severus.

"Not well," Dumbledore admitted. "I was able to attend one of his dramatic readings and afterwards was compelled to shake his hand. No doubt the man was a Muggle, but the magic he could perform with words." The Headmaster sighed contently.

"How can Muggles perform magic?" Confused Severus.

"Prose, my boy, prose. The music of print." Dumbledore waved a hand at his own bookshelves and summoned a red volume with gold stenciling to his waiting palm. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to propose that we trade books. Unless you want to keep--?" Severus shook his head vigorously. "Very well, you may keep this as long as you like. I've read it three times already."

Severus took the red volume in his pale, thin fingers. Magica Amoris (The Magic of Love). He gave the Headmaster a skeptical look.

"Don't worry, you may have Mr. Malfoy's book back after you master this one." That was not what worried Severus, and it showed clearly on his face. The Headmaster chuckled, then forced his own expression to be more serious. "Now, Severus, I understand your frustration with Professor Slughorn, but I can not tolerate students showing such blatant disrespect to their teachers."

"I'm sorry, sir," Severus mumbled.

"I suggest you apologize to Professor Slughorn, and two weeks detention seems reasonable."

Severus nodded meekly. His two weeks detention with Slughorn was mainly spent cleaning and organizing the potions stores which was not so bad. He told Lucius and the other Slytherin boys that the other book had been confiscated. The history buffs were disappointed but unsurprised. Lucius was annoyed. "He had no right to take your book."

Severus had shrugged, reluctant to tell Lucius how happy he was to be rid of the thing. He waited until his detentions were over before attempting, Magica Amoris, which turned out to be a theory book. In Latin, nonetheless, which made progress slow. The other boys kept snatching and returning it with disappointed faces. This forced him to hide it away in his trunk for the rest of term.

****************

"Form, Victoria. Less flourish."

The small, dark witch repeated the wand movement with less flourish. She took direction exceedingly well. Severus walked down the rows of students in the Great Hall. There were nearly sixty of them, only third, fourth, and fifth years.

The tables had been cleared out. Severus had not bothered with a stage; the raised platform for the high table was sufficient for demonstrations. He had learned from Lockhart's disaster that pitting so many pairs against each other simultaneously was far more messy than instructive. Instead he lined them and ran them through drills, first only the motions without magic. One half performing a spell, the other it's counter or a block. "Sloppy work, Macmillan. Watch Yaxley." There was always a few Macmillans at Hogwarts. This one was a younger sister to the Hufflepuff prefect.

Flitwick was observing from a stool set to one side of the raised platform. Snape suspected Dumbledore had asked him to keep at eye on them, but as Flitwick was a former dueling champion, he had no problem with his colleague giving a pointer or two. "Twice more," said Severus, watching the row for anyone who was not getting the basic motion. "Very well. Blockers, Protego. Attackers, Confundo." He stepped onto the platform and theoretically out of the line of fire. "Go."

The Great Hall was filled with the sound of spells and the air distorted with the traces of magic. Some of the students staggered or looked about befuddled. Severus stalked down the line, sent the losers to the far end of the hall to recover and allowed the standing students to pair up again. "Again!" The same shouts and shimmers, clear out a few more. "Again!"

When they were down to the last eight standing, he stopped them to cast a few charms to clear the heads of those who were not clearing on their own, but no one seemed to need Pomfrey. "Pair up for free form duels." The others backed up to watch, whispering and giggling. Most of the remaining eight were fifth years, a tall fourth year boy, and petite little Victoria Dey. Severus had to swallowed down an amused smile as the fifth years dashed to avoid being her partner. This was the third session of the Dueling Club, and they had already made the mistake of thinking the third year would be an easy target.

Wherever Mudada's country was, it seemed to have no restriction on underaged magic, and Dey had schooled his daughter well on curses. Severus reminded them of the rules. "The object of the duels is to disarm or incapacitate your component without harming them. You are not allowed to uses curses which may cause permanent injury, including but not limited to those I have already listed for you. Otherwise creativity is encouraged. Do not aim at anything or anyone other than your opponent. Clear?" Severus checked that they were properly spaced; most of the spectators were squatted to avoid overshot spells. "Go."

"Usingizi," Victoria hissed and down went the unfortunate fourth year in a cloud of gold light. Severus enjoyed watching her duel. It was not often students could teach him fresh spells. Victoria stood at attention and watched the other pairs who were taking a bit longer to disarm each other. When they finished, Severus went to check on Victoria's partner. He appeared to have fallen into a pleasant slumber, but since he had literally fallen, Severus shook him awake and checked for signs of a concussion. "Up you go, Whitby," he said as the boy blinked blurrily at him. The losers stumbled over to join those observing, and Severus had the winners pair off again.

A Ravenclaw named Shoemaker made a bow to Victoria. She ignored the courtesy and moved into combat position. "Begin."

"Expelli--"

"Ndoto!"

Black smoke whipped around Shoemaker, and he dropped his wand. Shoemaker weaved in a drunken way; his eyes dropped closed. The other duelists stopped to watch as he began wailing and thrashing at some phantom foe. "Finite Incantatum!" Shoemaker staggered back to waking. A Ravenclaw girl with dark hair stepped over to steady him. Snape glared at the petite witch. "Victoria!"

Her stony expression made no change, but she looked away and twisted her foot. "It was only a nightmare." Shoemaker was shuddering and pale like he had encountered a dementor, so Severus told one of the watchers to fetch him some water and small chocolate bar.

"I'm fine," Shoemaker murmured but accepted both.

Severus laid a hand on her shoulder as he walked past. It was meant to be reassuring, but he felt her tense and dropped it. Flitwick's brow was furrowed with concerned, but he kept his peace. "I think that's enough," Severus told the standing duelists. He faced the watchers. "Observations?"

A timid third year who had dropped in the first round raised her hand. "Victoria talks fast."

"Yes!" Severus said with an approving nod. "Dueling is about speed and accuracy. Victoria talks fast, but she also enunciates. Other observations?"

****************

Sirius and James had tried taking him unawares, which would have worked well if Sirius did not have such a languid way of speaking, even when casting spells. Severus had ducked and rolled. Potter's spell flew overhead. Severus pulled his own wand out. "Expelliarmus!" His spell collided with whatever Sirius had been casting in a bright explosion. Severus smiled with grim satisfaction and readied himself for another round as Potter raised his wand again.

"Stop it!" Sickly Lupin had stepped between them.

"Whose side are you on, Moony?" James demanded.

"Yours. You don't need another detention," placated Lupin.

"We won't get a detention if no one rats," Sirius growled.

"Yeah!" Pettigrew squeaked.

"Fine," James said, giving Lupin a softened look. He stashed his wand back in it's pocket. "I'll just have to wallop Slytherin at the game this Friday. Too bad you can't ride a broom, Severus. Then I could knock you out with a bludger and be done with it."

To Lupin's evident relief, Sirius decided to join James in this new tactic. "Is it a family condition? Broomstick trouble? Better not breed, Snivellus, or you'll pass it on to your brats."

"No worry of that," James sniffed. "He can't even breed without a book."

"Excuse me, dear," Pettigrew squeaked in falsetto. "I have to check page fifty."

Severus already had his wand out, and Lupin was in the way of Pettigrew and Black, so he shot James with a Conjunctivitis Curse. Sirius flung Lupin aside and threw himself physically at the Slytherin. Severus ran.

****************

"You won't make any friends that way," he told Victoria as the club broke up.

Victoria blinked her large, dark eyes at him. She would be a very charming little girl if she ever smiled. Dark as he was pale, graceful as he had been awkward, her small, flat nose gave her a dainty look; this generation's Curse Master could not be faulted on her hygiene. Severus understood why she needed her expressionless mask. Her bully was so much bigger than his had been, but he had tried the same tactic. He wondered now if he had been as intimidating. He thought she might not answer him, but she had merely taken time to consider a proper answer. "One does not duel to make friends."

"No, I suppose not," Severus said, seating himself on the platform. "Persephone is your friend, isn't she?"

"She is kind," Victoria replied more quickly this time and stepped towards him. She cast her eyes down and to the side, before returning her uncertain gaze to him. "She said you will protect us." Her little hand trembled. Severus gestured for her to step closer. The Great Hall was empty now, except for the two of them, but voices carried.

"I'll help you learn to protect yourself," he said gently. "You don't need to be afraid."

Her reactions were so subtle they were easy for the untrained eye to miss. Her throat tightened. "Thomas..."

"Will be protected," Severus assured her. "Slytherins look out for each other."

****************

He had run until he rounded a corner and found Lucius, reclining against a window, surrounded by a small group of advanced students including his dark-eyed Ravenclaw. Severus had stopped two feet away, panting, forbidden from hiding behind Lucius by some invisible cool line, but desperate enough to give him a pleading look. Sirius was only a few seconds behind him. He drew up short when he spotted the Slytherin prefect, and Lucius stood and narrowed his grey eyes at the renegade Black. "Is there a problem?"

Black had worked his jaw and squeezed his fists open and shut, glaring at Lucius and Severus in turn. But even Sirius could do simple math. He had left his Gryffindors behind, and the Slytherin boys were now spreading out into an intimidating wall. With a last vicious look at Severus, he retreated. Lucius crooked his fingers to beckon trembling Severus closer. He returned to his perch and with a subtle motion drew Severus to sit beside him. Severus felt Lucius, briefly, almost tenderly touch the back of his head, gathering and releasing his black hair, then lay the same hand on his shoulder, protective, reassuring. His expression was reserved, but the set of his jaw showed anger and his eyes were narrowed in discontent. The others had floated back to their orbit. Severus thought the Ravenclaw might be cross with him for taking her spot, but instead she stroked his hair tenderly and turned her dark eyes to Lucius. "What the hell is wrong with those Blacks?"

****************

"Your work is slipping again," Severus told Persephone as she slipped into his office.

She shrugged. "Draco's not talking to me."

"Should I be concerned?"

She shook her head and dropped her book bag on the floor. "He'll come around."

Severus remained seated at his desk and looked down at the pile of essays. He wanted to sit and talk with her, but he needed to grade. Persephone walked around behind him, and threw her arms around his neck to lay loosely on his shoulders and pressed the side of her face against his hair. She said nothing but seemed to want to nuzzle him. He pressed his lips together and touched her bare forearm. It should not be warm enough to warrant short sleeves in October, but many of the students were sporting them. His insides warred. He needed to grade. He wanted to pull her close and give her all the comfort she craved. "This is not appropriate," he told her. "I'm still your teacher."

"Sérieusement?," she sighed. She dropped her head briefly on his shoulder and pushed off in an annoyed manner. "You're always so proper. I admire you for it, really, but doesn't it get tiresome?" She leaned against his desk and looked down at the parchments. "Why do you even bother grading? N.E.W.T. marks are the only ones that really count."

He sniffed. "The N.E.W.T.s are given far too much weight. The performance of a single day hardly gives a fair depiction of a student's over all academic ability."

"Yes, but if you're the only one who recognizes that, why bother?" Persephone asked in a dour tone.

Severus sighed and gave her his attention.

She caught his expression and looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I should leave you alone."

Severus placed a hand on her wrist. "Don't." He slid his hand down to hold her fingers. "What is it?"

She settled heavily against the desk. "You'll be seeing Lucius soon." It was not a question.

"Possibly," he said.

"You can't tell him about me." It was hard to unravel her tone: sad, yearning, melancholy, resigned, curious, questioning, warning?

"No," Severus agreed. "I hadn't planned to."

She looked out his small window. "You'll have to break the circle."

"What circle?"

She raised her hand to rub her temple. "This will be the last time."

Severus stood and looked down at her. "Persephone?"

"I'm bothering you," she said, managing an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I'll come back later." He knew better than to expect her to explain, and he was too rattled to stop her from leaving. When she had gone, he crossed over to his bookshelf and pulled out a thin journal with a dark green spine.

****************

"What did you mean when you said James was going to marry Lily?" fourteen year old Severus asked his twelve year old friend.

"Just that he likes her," Persephone said. "My brain sticks funny words in sometimes."

"Please tell me you're not still thinking about that Mudblood," Narcissa hissed. Lucius had avoided doing homework with them for well over a week, and his extended absence made her cross.

"Just trying to figure Potter out," said Severus, which was half true.

"What are we going to do for your birthday?" Persephone asked in an attempt to cheer the blonde Black.

"Dungbomb Ravenclaw tower," Narcissa said viciously but not seriously. At least Severus doubted she would go through with it.

"I'm game." Rabastan Lestrange startled them all by sliding into Lucius's empty spot, and stretched his arm across the back of the couch, behind Narcissa. Severus never figured out whether Rabastan was acting on his own or under Bellatrix instructions, but he did understand that Rabastan was good looking enough to act as a final assault on Narcissa's dignity. She slid away from him and gave Lucius a helpless look when he entered the common room.

Lucius broke step, shot a displeased look at Rabastan, but did not interfere.

"You have any plans for Hogsmeade, Cissy?" asked Rabastan who was leaning over her hungrily.

"No," Narcissa gasped and quickly amended. "But we were making some."

****************

Draco came back around just as Persephone had predicted, but now Harry was mad at her. She did not detail why. Severus did not attempt venturing a solution, as he did not know the cause. He still coveted her attention, and since Harry's anger seemed to cause her annoyance rather than pain, he saw no harm in it. It was safer for her if they were not too close.

On Friday her mood had turned melancholy. She had no smile for him and approached her project with mechanical lethargy. This did not worry him. He thought people should be allowed a full range of emotions without enduring an interrogation for each one. But he did take note of it. She lingered after class, taking an excessively long time to cleanup a minor spill on her table. Professor Snape tried to focus on the vials and parchments before him, but Severus knew she was waiting to speak with him. He was content for her to take her time. His own mind was heavy with thoughts. Tomorrow Snape the spy would escort students to Hogsmeade and slip away to seek an audience with Lord Voldemort before his regular meeting with the Grey Beards. Snape the Death Eater knew it was the best time to escape notice since it betrayed no deviation from his regular routine.

Snape the realist knew this would be a dangerous dance of lies and half-truths, but Snape the double agent was practiced in such things. If Persephone was right, Snape the loyal friend would be seeing Lucius Malfoy for the first time since July. Lucius would no doubt be anxious for news of his son, and Severus Snape, cold-hearted bastard, would look him straight in the eye and lie.

Severus was also rather worried about this cryptic circle that needed breaking, but he doubted the girl with the silver eyelashes making her slow way to his desk even remembered the remark.

She had other things on her mind. "I don't suppose you'd give me permission to go to Hogsmeade, would you?" Her defeated expression said she knew the answer but needed the ceremony of asking.

"I don't think that would be appropriate or advisable, nor does the Ministry," Professor Snape told her. "I'm not your guardian, and someone would recognize you." Professor Snape finished organizing his papers and arranging the phials of antidotes on their tray, while Persephone studied the wood grain, lingering.

"You could adopt me," she suggested, in the same tone she had made her first request.

For sanity's sake, he assumed she was joking. "That would be beyond inappropriate." Her lip twitched very briefly before the malaise settled back on her.

"Would you help me carry these to my office?" He asked more because she needed something to do than he needed help, and they both needed the privacy of his office. "What has peaked your interest in Hogsmeade?" he asked after the vials were set down and the door closed.

Persephone drifted over to their bench, and he followed her. "Neville Longbottom asked me to go with him to Three Broomsticks."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "So I'm standing in the way of young love?"

"No!" He had startled a blush and a laugh from her. She took his hands, but the smile was quick to fade. "Nothing like that. But I would like to go. I miss doing things like that. Normal things students get to do. That we did. Laurel was going to look at dress robes." Her fingers twisted in his, coiling around and separating his knuckles. "I suppose I'll be able to go to the dance this year, but I guess it would be inappropriate for you to go with me?"

"I'm usually required to chaperone," Professor Snape told her.

"At least you'll be there." The tip of her ring finger dipped between the crevice of his middle and index. "I had this really pretty peach dress picked out. It reminded me of flower petals. I don't suppose you care about such things."

"Deeply," he said, and she gave him a small smile. "Persephone..." He had needed to say her name and now searched for a sentence to put with it. "You know we're only trying to protect you."

"I know," she sighed. "I appreciate you looking out for me. And I understand it's not safe. But it's still sad, isn't it? Wanting something you should have but can't?"

****************

Rabastan was persistent if not subtle. Narcissa tried sitting in an armchair during their next homework session only to have Rabastan sit on the arm. At meals, she did her best to block him with her numerous female friends, but he insisted on walking her to classes. Someone did Dungbomb Ravenclaw tower on Narcissa's birthday. This proved unpleasant for everyone, but no one was caught. Lucius called the incident tasteless, and Narcissa flushed pink.

The less wary girls did not understand why Narcissa was so resistant to the dark, good-looking sixth year that kept winking at her, but Severus and Persephone felt the same sense of unease. They evaded Rabastan for a few days by meeting in the library rather than the common room. Persephone tried to get Lucius to join them, but he claimed Quidditch practice. Unfortunately, she was overheard and word reached Rabastan. When he found them in the library, they ended the session early, and Narcissa clung to Persephone as they walked back down to the Slytherin Dungeons.

Persephone used all her kitten charms to lure Lucius back to an awkward study session, where Rabastan hung around as a fifth wheel. It might not have been so bad if he had actually done homework with them or even pretended to, but the only thing Rabastan seemed interested in studying was Narcissa. "You know, Cissy, even Snape and the puffskein have a little fun."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Narcissa demanded, a little bolder since Lucius was sitting as a barrier between her and Lestrange.

The barrier was grinding his teeth in annoyance, while the younger Slytherins blinked in confusion. "Do be a good fellow, Rabies, and shut up."

While anyone with good sense would have known it was unwise to push Lucius to a breach in protocol, Rabastan merely smiled as though he had accomplished something, and after a few minutes to lure Lucius into a false sense of security, pressed on. "So, Cissy, when do you want to have a little fun?"

Narcissa had too much dignity to answer. Lucius sat frozen over his assignment, the color beginning to rise on his statuesque face. Severus watched, waiting for him to snap, to end Rabastan, to save the day, but Lucius said nothing. Severus thought he might snap his quill, the prefect's grip was so tight, but the quill remained intact and so did Rabastan. Persephone was still frowning, trying to puzzle out the insult in her innocence.

Severus was torn between his desire to save Narcissa, and his practical belief that Lucius had every right to date whoever he wanted. He and Persephone helped guard Narcissa from being alone. Rabastan had a tendency to act as if he was not there, but he followed when he could, the ready Curse Master. Narcissa was quite happy to have some guard in Lucius's absence. When he was missing from their next study session, Narcissa got Severus and Persephone to sit flanking her on the couch.

"Move, Snape," Rabastan growled when he made his predictable appearance.

Narcissa placed a graceful hand on Severus's leg to firmly keep him in place. "Don't be rude to Severus!"

Severus had done his best to imitate Narcissa's good posture and look intimidating. Rabastan took no notice. "You got a date for the dance yet, Cissy?"

"Not yet," Narcissa admitted. "I'm still considering people." At that time, the Leaving Dance had been open to fifth years as well as the advanced students. Younger students were only allowed if invited by an older one, but a fourth year of Narcissa's popularity would be expected to attend. It would be poor form for her to turn down an invitation from an older student, unless she already had a date, and Narcissa was trapped by her good manners.

"Well, you can stop considering," Rabastan said with roguish smile. "I'll take you."

"That's very kind of you, Rabastan," Narcissa said politely. "I'll certainly consider it."

Rabastan laughed at her frigid courtesy and attempted to tweak her nose, but Severus smacked his hand before he could touch her. Narcissa fought hard to keep her smile in check. She was surprised but her cool acceptance made it clear she did not disapprove. Persephone watched Rabastan nervously, while Severus gave him a defiant sneer.

Rabastan considered Severus for a long moment, then chuckled darkly. "Look, Cissy, you have a guard dog."

"Yes, pity he's not a fifth year, or I'd take him to the dance," Narcissa said coolly. "Severus at least is a gentleman."

Rabastan laughed very hard but left them alone for the rest of the evening. Severus told Lucius about the exchange, but all he would say was "I'm glad she has you to protect her." Disappointed Severus had left aloof Lucius to read in his dorm. He was greeted in the hall by the sound of laughter and the sight of Rabastan's arm around Bellatrix's shoulders outside the sixth year boys room. The sight of a girl, particularly Bellatrix, in the boys dormitory was not too unusual. There were two rites of passage for first year Slytherins. One was locating the other houses common rooms, which was easy. The other was learning to bypass the gender wards on the dormitories, which was a bit trickier. Severus had figured both out in the first week. He was too devoted to the rules to enter either, but too devoted to his housemates to tell the teachers. As long as the visits did not happen too late or cause trouble, the prefects ignored them.

Rabastan spotted him, and Severus dodged into his dorm room before they could decide whether to bother with him, but the sight made him understand that Narcissa was just not fighting for her dignity but her virtue. He told Narcissa what he had seen, and she looked hopeful. She tried appealing to her sister as she passed in the common room. "Bella, Rabastan keeps bothering me."

Bellatrix swooped over to hug her sister. She had always been affectionate to Narcissa even when she had bullied her. "What's wrong with that, Cissy?" She hung over her and squeezed her shoulders from behind. "Two Lestrange brothers, one for each of us, and Rabies is the handsome one."

"Why don't you take him then?" asked dutiful Narcissa.

"Because I think I'm going to marry Rodolphus," Bella confided.

Narcissa frowned. "I thought you said Rabastan was the handsome one."

"Oh, he is," Bella said, still hanging over Narcissa's shoulders. "But Rodolphus is older, so he'll get the larger inheritance." She straightened up and stroked Narcissa long blonde hair. "Not that Rabastan will be wanting by any means, his great uncle is fading fast, so you ought to give him some consideration, Cissy. The Lestranges aren't quite as rich as the Malfoys, but they're very comfortable. You can't depend on Lucius."

The sisters spoke softly, but Severus heard every word and saw Narcissa's pained look. Bella kissed her sister's blonde head, but she might as well have stuck a knife in her. Rabastan brought her a bouquet of flowers, narcissuses, the next day, and she accepted them with miserable eyes and a forced smile. Lucius pursed his lips but said nothing.

She let Rabastan carry her book bag but still would not let him touch her. Narcissa held herself with all the dignity of an imprisoned queen, but it bothered Severus. Her wilting mood seemed to depress even Persephone's usually sunny demeanor. He wanted to rescue her, but he doubted he could best Rabastan in a duel. He was smarter, but Rabastan was a sixth year and raised in the old ways, which included dueling lessons. Besides unless Rabastan actually attacked or insulted her, Severus had no grounds to challenge him. He continued to shadow them, so Narcissa would not be without a guard, but Rabastan's patience was wearing thin. Other's were misinterpreting his interest.

"You're such a creepy little spider, Snape. Why don't you leave Narcissa alone?" one of the Slytherin girls from his own year asked him with a crinkled nose. Severus did not bother trying to explain to her. Narcissa was too lost in her own thoughts to defend him.

He tried appealing to Lucius again, only to be waved off irritably. Slughorn was useless. He considered writing to Narcissa's parents but suspected that they had already approved the match. Easter holiday was fast approaching, so in desperation he appealed to Andromeda. He followed her after dinner to the hall outside the Hufflepuff common room. She released her hold on Ted Tonks to cross her arms and raise an eyebrow when she spotted him.

"Please, you have to help Narcissa." Andromeda's other eyebrow went up. Ted Tonks gave him an amused smirk. Severus felt like a traitor, a spy, but he saw no other way. "Rabastan won't leave her alone, and I don't know what to do."

"Lestrange?" she said, and Severus nodded. Andromeda frowned thoughtfully. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Severus felt like a weight had been lifted off him and skittered back to the Slytherin dungeons. He was still worried, unsure what Andromeda could do or how Narcissa would feel about him appealing to her sister, but at least he had tried. The next Monday a good-looking, pure-blood, seventh year Hufflepuff asked Narcissa to the ball, and she practically danced through the rest of the day. Severus said nothing about his part in the matter, and as best he could tell neither did Andromeda, though he believed Narcissa suspected the latter.

Lucius rejoined their homework group after Easter and tolerated no distractions, this meant no Rabastan. Lucius studied intensely for his O.W.L.s. Severus and Narcissa took turns quizzing him, and Persephone was a willing volunteer to practice any charms that needed a human target. Lucius rewarded her with hugs and ruffling her hair, an act to which he now claimed exclusive rights. Severus sometimes wondered if he had confused her with a kitten.

They helped him battle through his O.W.L.s with reasonable success. He could not relax completely until the exams were marked, but they could at least take a break from studying. Since the students liked to at least keep up a pretence that the entrance to the Slytherin common room was hidden, Lucius and Narcissa had agreed to meet their dates in the entry hall. Severus and Persephone sat on a leather couch attempting to translate Magica Amoris when Lucius and Narcissa passed through. Lucius looked regal in his dress robes. Narcissa's long hair was piled artistically up with looping tendrils. She seemed to have transformed from Slytherin princess to goddess. Lucius offered his arm and escorted her to the entry hall.

Severus had to put together the events of the dance from the snippets of gossip that ran rampant through the school the next day. Rabastan had attempted to steal or man handled Narcissa. Not her date but Lucius had stepped in and told Rabastan if he approached Narcissa again he would be forced to duel him and made it rather clear this duel would be of the to-the-death variety. Rabastan tried to call Lucius's bluff, but when Lucius named his second and the talented seventh year had stepped up in support, Rabastan had backed down. The story was told with several fantastic variations and embellishments. All Severus knew for certain was that Narcissa returned to the Slytherin common room several hours later, again on Lucius's arm and looking extremely pleased with her evening.

He was sure it had been very memorable for all present, but what he remembered most from that night was Persephone's head lying close to his shoulder, stray hairs caressing his cheek, as she tried to use her French lessons to help with the Latin and knowing with absolute certainty that he had never been happier.

****************

He would have liked to be with Persephone now instead of escorting students through the streets of Hogsmeade. There were many extra layers of security in place, but Severus questioned the wisdom of allowing the visits at all with Lord Voldemort still at large. However, the income of the only all wizarding village in Britain was rather dependent on the student surges, so there was a great deal of pressure from both the students and merchants to allow the visits to continue. No one had wanted Severus's opinion on the subject, though Dumbledore had at least done him the courtesy of listening to it. He had agreed it would be safer, but then went on some spiel about not allowing Voldemort that victory. Life needed variety to lift the spirits.

Severus believed life needed to avoid death before it worried about variety, but he was a pragmatic. No one liked pragmatics. So the students were allowed to defy Lord Voldemort by shopping. Everyone expected him to glower and look intimidating, so at least he did not need to fake delight at this mercantilism. There was no one to disrupt this mood. His current favorites were back at the castle doing homework. Severus lapped the outskirts of the small town, then wove his way through it's streets and alleys. He looked in store windows as he passed, making sure students were not breaking conduct rules or leaving themselves isolated and vulnerable.

Laurel Hedgebottom was inside Gladrags, holding up a blue set of dress robes for the approval of Anastasia Case, another one of Persephone's dorm mates. He paused outside the window, his eyes not so much on the girls but the dresses. He lapped the town a few more times and waited until after four p.m. when the students were shooed back to the castle, before entering the shop.

"How can I help you Professor?"

"I was looking for a dress," Professor Snape told the shop attendant before realizing how odd that sounded. "It's a bit of a charity case, one of the orphaned students." It was true if not truthful.

"Oh, that's very kind of you," the shop attendant, a middle aged witch with short, curly gray hair, said. "Do you know what you're looking for?"

He stood between two rows of brightly colored dress robes and spread his hands. "Something peach and flowery."

"Flowery?"

"She said something about wanting to look like a flower petal."

The shop attendant gave him a peculiar look but smiled. "I'll see what I can find for you. Do you know the measurements?"

"About yay tall," Severus said marking a line in the air just below his shoulders. "Shoulders yay wide. Medium build." He knew it would be more practical to get Persephone to mark down her measurements, but that would spoil the surprise. "She can adjust the exact fit."

The shop attendant looked skeptical but nodded. "If she has trouble, we can fit them later. I'm assuming it's for the leaving dance? No need for a rush order." Severus affirmed. He began shifting the robes apart so he could inspect them. The attendant vanished to find something. Severus rejected the first few dresses and stopped at a simple one with short sleeves and a full, layered skirt.

"That's green," the attendant said helpfully.

"Yes, thank you," Severus drawled, making little effort to hide his sarcasm. "I like the shape of it. Can one be had in peach?"

"Yes, we can take care of the color," the attendant assured him. "However you may want to look at this first." It was peach, with a high gauzy collar, ruffles, and a fabric flower at the waist.

"The green one," Severus restated. "But in peach."

"Very well," the attendant said with a tight smile. "I'll send it up to the school for you?"

Severus dipped his head. "I have other business now. Good evening." He left, satisfied the stop had not cost him more than twenty minutes. The sun was sinking low in the sky. He walked down the main avenue at a casual but business like pace, turned onto a side road and into an alley before Disapparating.

****************

The summer between his fourth and fifth year was spent again at the Malfoy manor. There were few parties that summer. Lucius's father had returned from his business trip and did not like the noise. Malfoy senior, Claudius Abraxas Malfoy, was as pale and white-blonde as his son, tall but bordering on portly. Severus doubted he had ever been as handsome as Lucius, but he was commanding. He was an older man, a few decades beyond Severus's own father.

He tolerated Severus, because Severus was quiet. After demanding a brief report about his parents and discovering they were no one of consequence or infamy, he rarely acknowledged him. He barely acknowledged Lucius for that matter.

When Lucius's O.W.L. results arrived, he glanced over them, spoke disapprovingly about his A in Herbology, but acknowledged that the rest, five O and four E were acceptable. Severus remembered Lucius watching his father for a full ten minutes, waiting for him to say more, but Mr. Malfoy simply continued with his breakfast.

"I wasn't planning to carry on with Herbology anyway," Lucius ventured.

"Oh, you'll carry on with it to replace that mark," Claudius corrected him. "A Malfoy must do better than merely be Acceptable. You can't get by on Quidditch for the rest of your life."

Lucius pressed his lips into a white line. He hated Herbology. Severus was indifferent to getting dirt under his nails, but he knew it drove Lucius to distraction. Too many magical plants oozed, pricked, or stung for his taste. This began Lucius's summer of quiet rebellion.

He arranged for Severus to spend a week at the manor and told his parents they were visiting the Flints, which they did. He neglected to tell them that he stolen a bottle of Ogden's from his father's liquor cabinet and that Jules Flint had planned a late night gathering. He had not bothered to tell Severus either, and Severus had not thought to ask.

It was very different from the parties he had attended at the Malfoy Manor. The crowd was older. Jules Flint had already left school, same year as Rodolphus Lestrange. Phillip Crabbe and Sebastian Goyle were already twenty. They had a large bonfire burning in the woods behind Flint's grange. To Severus's dismay, Bellatrix was there, but not Narcissa. He suspected she was tucked away in bed like a good princess, maybe visiting one of her many girl friends. Bella reclined against a log with a lazy look and Rodolphus' arm trapped around her. Rodolphus had grown a short beard which almost made him look like an adult. "Don't worry," Bellatrix assured Lucius with a smirk. "Rabies is off in Paris with his great uncle." Jeremy Wilkes, from Lucius's year, was there and so were a few others Severus did not know, mostly older boys, young men.

Lucius produced the whiskey and was instantly popular. Severus was uncomfortable enough already and passed on the bottle. He sat on a log in his black robes, oversized feet on the ground, oversized hands on his bony knees, and did his best to be invisible. This worked for the first hour or two. The whiskey made Lucius laugh more and loudly. There was a gleam in his eye that Severus thought unnerving. Sebastian staggered too close to the flame, and his robes caught fire. Everyone found this funny except Severus and Sebastian. The large fellow had managed to shrug the robes off and stomp them out with a colorful spray of language and without serious injury, but Severus felt like he was the only one to recognize any actual danger.

Around midnight, Flint began coaxing shapes out of the flames. The fire play fascinated Severus at the same time it concerned him, mainly because of the varying levels of intoxication. The revelers used magic to toss the flame around. Flint's girlfriend shaped phoenixes, snakes, and unicorns from the fire. Flint made a dragon. Crabbe, Goyle, and Lucius tossed a ball of flame around like a Quaffle. He expected Bellatrix to show off, but she must have been comfortable with Rodolphus and was content to watch the show. Severus asked Lucius to show him the fire retardant charm they were using but exempted himself from the game. He suspected the others were blocking the trace but had not forgotten he was underage. He tried to give Lucius and Wilkes the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the older boys had cast the charm for them.

As the fire game lost its novelty, one of the older boys who had vanished into the woods reappeared with the drunken cry of "A Hunt!"

This was soon picked up as a chant by the others. "Hunt!Hunt!Hunt!Hunt!" Severus scowled, wondering what sort of poor animals the pack was planning on hunting. They were not going about it very practically, each hunter took a scoop of fire in his hand. "Come on, Curse Master!" Lucius told him. He did not know if Lucius or half the boys knew what they were hunting or were merely caught up in the game of it. Severus did not want to go, but the only alternative was staying by the fire with Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Bella was already playing with Roddy's beard, so he followed Lucius. The pack descended through the woods and emerged onto a country dirt road. Some one started up a low Gaelic dirge, and the others caught it up. Severus half-hoped their singing would chase off whatever they were hunting. He stumbled along after Lucius. He was tired and thirsty, but he had been taught to keep such complaints to himself. Besides Lucius was clearly enjoying himself, and it seemed poor taste to spoil his fun.

They came in sight of a modest farm house, and Flint hushed them. Severus did not spend a lot of time with Muggles, but his parents had settled in a predominantly Muggle neighborhood. They left the house mainly through the floo, but he looked out the window and down the street often enough to know what a Muggle truck looked like. And he knew wizards rarely had them.

"Why are we here?" he asked Lucius, only to be shushed.

"Think we ought to have a barn burning?" Flint asked, and Crabbe threw his handful of fire at the building. Flint laughed. It happened quickly, the other followed suit, trying to best each other with height and placement.

Severus tried to grab Lucius's arm, but he was too slow. "That's not the barn!" he protested, feeling more helpless than he ever had in his entire life. The others were too busy laughing and cheering to hear him, much less listen. Severus cast about helplessly. He knew spells that might help. A Flame-Freezing Charm. Aguamenti. But his hands were tied by the restriction on underaged sorcery. The fire had taken over one wall of the two story farm house. He considered trying to run inside, but the prospect of running into a burning building without being able to rely on magic terrified him. There was a well, but it would take time to draw the water and a bucket would do little good. He spotted a large, free standing bell a few feet from the well. He ran towards it, but only managed a few steps, before Lucius grabbed his shoulder. "What are you doing? Come on!"

The others were already running back to the road to watch the blaze from a distance. Lucius was too strong for Severus to resist him, though he dragged his feet. They were almost back to the road before Severus saw the front door open and a Muggle couple in their night clothes stagger out with two small children. The sight both distressed and relieved him. Realizing there was little he could do and he was now running the risk of getting them both caught, he stopped struggling and ran for the road.

When they were back at the edge of the woods, he wrested his arm away from Lucius. "Are you insane? We could have killed them?!"

The darkness hid his expression, but Severus could hear Lucius sniff irritably. "What are you fussing about? They got out."

"Lucius, that was illegal!" Severus hissed at him.

"Only if we get caught," Lucius said dismissively. "There's no law against Muggle baiting." He sounded unconcerned.

Severus gaped at his friend's silhouette. "I think that went a little beyond--"

"Severus, don't be tiresome," Lucius cut him off.

Severus looked back at the fire, still visible from this distance. "That was their house," he muttered, too exhausted to maintain the heat in his indignation. He felt like crying but that was something else he had been trained not to do. Alive, yes, but the reality of the family's financial loss was hitting him. He knew it was the rare farmer with the means not to be devastated. Clothes gone. Toys gone. Pictures gone. "Where are they supposed to live now?"

"Somewhere else, hopefully," Lucius said, disdain bordering on disgust in his tone. "Jules has been hoping to improve the neighborhood. If he's lucky, they'll sell the land."

Severus stopped trying to reason with him. Lucius had no understanding of poverty. "I don't feel well."

Lucius wrapped an arm around him and guided him back through the forest. "Merlin, Severus, you're almost as soft as Persephone." But he said it gently, compassionately, with a trace of regret. The party was beginning to break up as they returned to the bonfire. Severus imagined even half-drunk, they were realizing it was best not to be available for questioning if the Ministry investigated.

"I think I best put the Curse Master to bed," Lucius told Flint, and Flint pointed them back to the guest house. "It's unlocked."

Severus was dependent on Lucius to hold him up as they walked to the guest house. Lucius forced a glass of milk on him and tucked him into one of the guestrooms. He was sick with guilt, but so tired he fell asleep quickly, knowing Lily was right, wondering if James was right too, and feeling his dreams die. He knew a real Auror would have stopped them. He awoke the next morning, still struggling with a feeling of disorientation and disillusionment. Lucius and the others were sleeping off the previous evening's inebriant, so Severus was the only one awake for the owl post. He was surprised to see one of the letters was for him and opened it carefully.

Dear Severus,

Miss you so much! James' friends are over all the time, and they're such prats, except Remus. He's a doll. I wish you could come over. We're going to Diagon Alley on Saturday. Maybe I'll see you there.

Love,

Persephone

It took him a long time to understand how she and Lucius could exist in the same world, in his world.

****************

There were times when he still could not understand it. He moved through a pine wood, somewhere in Wiltshire, searching for the cave entrance he had been shown before. He suspected Potter was right, that the caverns had a second entrance through the Malfoy manor, but he would have no good explanation for seeking it. It was bad enough needing to lie to Lucius without having to lie to Narcissa as well. He pushed aside a familiar branch and found it. The crack in the rock recognized his Dark Mark. He pricked his finger to give it's blood toll, and it expanded to admit him. He descended a long, narrow passage of stone steps, lit by the occasional torch.

He arranged his thoughts behind his walls of Occlumency. He was Severus Snape, Death Eater, spy for Lord Voldemort, who was taking his first opportunity to report to his master. He had taken his time, because there was little to report. In his private life, he was being tortured by the appearance of a silver haired girl who bore the name of his lost friend. As to Draco...Severus was stopped by two men at the bottom of the stairs. "Snape?"

"Crabbe. Goyle," he identified them. The two men grunted acknowledgement. He saved from awkward conversation by Lucius's greeting. "Severus!" He stepped forward and grasped Snape's outstretched hand with both of his.

"I've come to make my report," said the spy.

Lucius looked uncertainly over his shoulder towards the main chamber. "I think it best not to interrupt right now, unless it's urgent."

"It's not urgent," Severus told him. "But my time is limited. I can spare three hours at most. Two would be better."

"Of course," Lucius said. He was still Lucius, perfect posture, perfect manners, but there was a trace of desperation in his eyes. "You can spare a few minutes to have a drink with me while we wait the Dark Lord's convenience."

"Very well," Severus resigned himself.

Lucius lead him down a stone passageway and through a carved wooden door into a smaller artificial cave, furnished much like his tent had been for the World Cup. Severus had missed the game, but he had been shown the tent. A four poster bed and two armchairs before a handsome fireplace was Lucius's idea of roughing it. "I had heard so little I was starting to worry, but I can see you've spent your time decorating."

Lucius gave him an annoyed glance though his lip twitched. "I'd rather be home with Cissa, but they have her under watch." He took two glasses off a modestly sized but well stocked bar and poured them both a bourbon. Severus accepted his glass, and Lucius propped his elbow on the fireplace mantle. "I've been more idle than I would like. the Dark Lord has been preoccupied with his...experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Weather manipulation," Lucius said blandly.

Severus started. "But that's--" The word Insane hung unspoken between them. They held each others gaze for a long moment, both knowing the Dark Lord who had returned was not as rational as the one that had left. Spending twelve years trapped between life and death had done more to his mind than shorten his temper. "Our October heat wave?"

Lucius gave a slight nod. "Which set off floods in India, out of season,...he was rather proud of that."

Severus repressed a shudder. Those who never studied it thought weather was a simple matter of wet or dry, hot or cold. In reality it was a staggeringly complex set of forces and factors, all connected, all highly temperamental. Not to mention the scale...clouds only looked small and fluffy at a distance. The immense amount of power needed to create even the simplest rain fall was staggering and likely to set off a catastrophic ripple effect. "To what end?"

Lucius spread his hand to indicate he was at a loss. "Power, I suppose." There was more they wanted to say, but they both needed to pretend to be loyal Death Eaters.

Lucius swirled his bourbon in the glass and stole a curious and concerned look at Severus. "I'm not as well connected as I once was, but I still hear rumors." Severus raised an eyebrow and waited for Lucius to continue. "This girl they're talking about." He paused, knowing this was a painful topic for both of them. "The new Silver Child. Is there any chance she's Persephone's?"

Severus shook his head, doing his best to ignore the look of genuine hope and concern in Lucius's eyes. "I've met her parents. Ridiculous people, but--" He shrugged. "The story is too long to repeat twice, but it was some of the nonsense that took me out of the country. I had to send her on ahead to London. Draco met her at the train station."

The skin around Lucius's eye tightened. "What was he doing there, Severus?"

Severus allowed his black eyes to shoot an accusing look at Lucius's grey ones. "What do you think?" he growled. "I told you the boy was too young."

Lucius set down his glass and covered his mouth with his hand. Genuine pain shot through his eyes for a moment. Lucius threw back his head and took a deep breath to compose himself, but still needed a gulp of bourbon to finished the job. He let the breath out slowly and took his drink with him to the nearest armchair. "I had no idea that foolish woman would be there. Dear Merlin, she was his librarian, Severus. Pureblood too. It was hard enough explaining Diggory to him."

Severus did not allow his grimace. That confirmed his suspicions about Evra's fate, and Draco's flight. He remained standing and took a slow sip.

"The other things," Lucius said slowly. "I didn't want to believe that article, but has he...Narcissa's friends told her he's been talking with that--that girl."

"Miss Granger?" Severus said it just to watch Lucius twitch. "Your son is scared, Lucius, but I don't think he's that foolish."

"It's easy to be foolish at his age," Lucius said, giving Severus a wary look. "He arranged to sit by that Mudblood in his Astronomy class. And he passed on a lunch invitation with his mother today."

"I was unaware," said Severus. "Is there another reason he might have for getting close to Potter's friends? Did the Dark Lord attempt to give him any sort of mission?"

Lucius grimaced. His glass was trembling slightly in his hand. He took another sip and set it down on the side table. "Draco told the Dark Lord that taking the mark would make him an ineffective spy. We've been trying to convince him that Draco's merely been carried away with the idea, but why would he refuse to meet with Narcissa?"

"Same reason I waited two months to report in, to maintain the illusion." Severus was careful to let his expression betray nothing. "If he has nothing to report, being seen with some one the Order suspects will only undermine any progress he's made."

Lucius snorted. "If he is trying to spy, he could have done it without exposing himself to ridicule."

"I think perhaps Draco is merely playing to his strengths," said Severus. Lucius winced, and he almost felt bad for torturing him. Almost. There was a part of him that would love to see how Lucius dealt with half-blood grandchildren. "You're afraid he may get lost in the role?"

Lucius clasped his hand below chin. "I've barely seen my son in the past two years, Severus. Not by choice, but I don't know what's in his head anymore. Does he talk to you?"

"Very little," said Severus. "But if you recall, we decided not to tell him my role in things."

"Please, Severus," Lucius said getting to his feet again. "He needs an ally."

"If the Dark Lord does not object," Severus agreed.