Snape the Younger

Ruminations

Abraxas Malfoy lay in his great bed, pondering on his life and what he had accomplished. He thought he had done rather well, all in all considered. As a young man he had explored the darkest corners of the world, climbed in the Himalayas and studied the techniques of the Taoists in the old monasteries hidden away in the tiny folds of valleys that riddled the young mountains. He had gone to the oldest land of all to study the kadaicha with the most unspoiled of the Aborigine peoples. The Amazon and the Andes had given up their secrets and their treasures. The raw materials from all the earth's lands added to the coffers of Malfoy Enterprises. He had found treasure in the Congo too but no man's luck held forever so he had also found the seeds of his doom which was now upon him.

He had tried to preserve the Family, tried to do everything he could to keep it safe and whole for Lucius, especially when his dear Leonora had died so unexpectedly after nothing more than a brush against a small tree. How were any of them to know that it had been cursed or that the witch who had cursed it had a personal grudge against Leonora? Before they could break the curse Leonora was dead and so was Gladys Sorensal having set the curse in such a way that it was a Pyretic for Gladys whether that was her intent or not. With Leonora's death, Abraxas knew he would have no more children as they might try to contest with Lucius for the position of Lord Malfoy and that would never do.

Lucius had grown up safe and secure, a little spoiled but then which Pureblood scion was not, oh, except for Severus, of course. Severus, now there was a dilemma in a nutshell! Severus had been a very unexpected bobble on the smooth path of Malfoy affairs, bursting into his life in a shower of blood and deviant sex. Abraxas had always known his son was completely amoral when it came to sexual relations, as was he himself, as long as the Family was served in the long run, what did it matter, but then he had dragged home Severus Snape, beaten, bloody and half dead. Gods, the boy wasn't even pretty, but he was impossible to overlook.

They'd argued a lot, him and Lucius, about the advisability of interfering in another Dynasty but in the end, his Lord had taken the decision out of all their hands, expressing an interest in the boy by saving his life. Severus had become part of the family, a silent and often shadowy addition but still there. Occasionally he showed flashes of a wicked sense of humour but not often enough to be trying. The Dark Lord, who promised to bring stability and prosperity to the Magical world, had also taken a fancy to the boy, dropping in quite regularly to talk and play chess. It was gratifying to say the least and they had all three grown closer together, Abraxas feeling as if he had a second son in his home, a well established, well mannered son who would never challenge Lucius and was therefore a safe person to like. He brought prestige to the Malfoy name in an indirect way and almost guaranteed Lucius favour with the Dark Lord as he entertained and pleased the man. Then this stupid Perryander's disease had raised its ugly head.

Huffing angrily, Abraxas slapped his hands down on the coverlet and ground his teeth. After all his care and patience, he was to be cut down before the world was secure for his little boy. Suddenly sixty years was cut down to one, two at the most and Abraxas panicked stampeding Lucius into the marriage he and Leonora had arranged so long ago. Neither child was ready for marriage, both far too young by normal wizarding standards but it had to be. Despite the loose ends and lack of maturity, the wedding had taken place and the two had set up housekeeping in the Heir's suite with all its attendant ups and downs. While the newlyweds were away on their honeymoon, Severus had offered to move out if Abraxas thought it was a good idea. He had even had the Snape Apartments in London opened and a professional decorator had refurbished the rather handsome rooms. Only the Dark Lord's word kept him at Malfoy, saying it would be a bit of a blow to Lucius to find him gone when he returned from his honeymoon and he might resent his young bride for driving his lover away.

Taking that advice onboard, Abraxas had persuaded Severus to stay and indeed, it had been wise, the young man entertaining Narcissa and sparring with her like a younger brother while Lucius was involved in the Family business. They had all three of them, found a comfortable way to live, thumbing their noses at polite society and enjoying what they had made. Narcissa had won the battle of the Domestics and triumphed over the social scene while Lucius had proved to be as astute a businessman as any in the world. And Severus was brilliant at potion brewing, not something a Pureblood usually excelled at but with him it was an Art form rather than a mundane task. Everything in his world was going so well and he was just waiting for Narcissa to announce her pregnancy before he could die in peace, then Sunday happened!

The Malfoy Family had almost suffered a disaster as the madmen had rampaged through the audience, cursing and hexing anyone who moved. If not for Severus then Narcissa would have been killed and Lucius would have been left a widower. That disaster had been averted by Severus' quick thinking and the abilities he had shown in using a very potent form of magic. It was that very magic that had called Abraxas' attention to the affair in the first place, one of his devices from the Atlas mountains suddenly coming to life and chiming vigorously while he and his attendant Mr Truman had been playing chess.

His excitement at being able to witness High Court Sorcery first hand had even persuaded Mr. Truman to bring around the car for him. They had arrived at the ministry, expecting to find the source there, but all they found was the Under-Minister flapping about a disturbance in the park. It was not hard to draw the conclusion and the Under-Minister had piled into the carriage, Abraxas resetting the device which lead them to the park and the scene of carnage.

Imagine his shock when he saw Severus, battered and bloody, hissing at Albus Dumbledore in the language he had only heard spoken aloud once before, and that a long time ago. It was even more of a shock to realise the boy was alone and wonder if Narcissa was one of the smears that decorated the landscape. He knew he had exhibited more emotion in public than he should have but it was a relief to see the boy, see him look so relieved too. Even the gasped question was enough to make sure Severus had not let them down, had preserved the dynasty at a cost, quite a high cost.

When the boy passed out the Aurors, bloody interfering fools that they are, had rushed in like jackals, ready to drag his Severus away but Narcissa had risen to the challenge magnificently. Her rallying of the Muggles, their clamouring for justice, that Jones woman's odd expression and the look on Dumbledore's face had all meant something in the swift and silent conversation but the old man had not been able to tell what.

Whatever had been decided, Dumbledore's word was the clincher, which was galling to say the least. He had assured the Aurors that the Snapes had every right to practice High Court Sorcery, being one of the very few remaining connections to the Old Trivariate, an almost legendary breed of human and vampire crossbreeds in the Atlas and Ural Mountains. It was not surprising that, under such great pressure, he had reverted to Family Magic. Wasn't that what any wizard did? Practice that which he had been taught at his grandparents' knees when there was no choice in the matter?

The argument had prevailed and Severus had been loaded into the carriage to be transported back to Malfoy along with the shaken Narcissa who gave a semi-coherent account of the day and the consequences before succumbing to the sleeping draught the Dark Lord had dropped into her tea. The Dark Lord had also treated Severus, spending a long time feeding him potions and studying his face intently. Abraxas was fairly sure the Dark Lord had been using Legilimency on the boy but how he had managed that when Severus' eyes were tightly closed, he didn't know.

There had been a short, sharp interview with the Dark Lord regarding his lack of consideration for Severus' life. The Lord had made his displeasure known but had refrained from punishing him in any way, which was a concession to his condition. Abraxas had to be thankful for small mercies; he was too old to endure the Cruciatus curse for too long these days. Still, some of the questions the Lord asked were puzzling to say the least, involving Severus' family background, his relations on the continent and if he ever saw any of them. As far as Abraxas was aware, Severus would rather use an Unforgivable on his relations than even look at them, which was understandable, he supposed. They had not treated the boy kindly in any form or fashion.

Mr. Truman was already waiting as he made his way slowly to the dressingroom and subjected himself to the man's careful attentions. Mr. Truman was a real find, a 'nurse', trained by Muggles in a hospital that cared for the sick and dying. Oh, he was a wizard alright, his father was of impeccable family but for some odd reason Truman senior had married a Muggle and produced two children, Truman and his Squibb sister. Truman junior had decided that the training in a Muggle hospital was much more useful than training at St. Mungo's, and becoming a nurse was much better than training as a medi-wizard. Not that Abraxas was complaining he was very pleased with the man who combined the best traits of a servant, a confidant and a friend with medical knowledge and the magic to make sure he was as comfortable as possible at all times. He even had enough social graces not to be an embarrassment when they were out at a function. However, he did not attend meetings of the Pureblood society as he was only a halfblood and Abraxas didn't think the Dark Lord would appreciate his attendance. The only real rub was that he needed the attentions of a man like Mr Truman in the first place!

Still, his affairs were almost complete, only Narcissa's pregnancy was lacking. Once Lucius had an Heir to take over from him, then his life was complete. He slid his arms into the robe Mr. Truman held for him and sighed as the weight fell gently to his shoulders. He had never noticed how heavy robes were before he became ill. The man smiled sympathetically and held out a measured dose of potion for his pre-breakfast consumption, foul concoction that it was. Still, he was now into his sixth month of the disease and apart from some tiredness, he felt fine most of the time. Severus' potions might taste foul but they worked perfectly.

And Severus was now his concern, the boy having put his own life on the line for Narcissa's without a promise or for any real gain. That sort of self sacrifice was unusual in the world they all inhabited, unearned unpaid-for altruism, a very rare commodity which now obligated Family Malfoy, even if the boy did not see it that way.

As the titular head of Family Malfoy still, Abraxas was obliged to look out for the boy, pay attention to his welfare and happiness, not that he would ignore the boy, he liked Severus for himself. However, there was one issue that Severus seemed to be completely blind to and that was the issue of their Lord's attentions to him. Did the boy not see that the Lord was - courting him - seeking out his company, coming to his side when he was hurt, giving him more leeway than any other in the party to suggest and critique the Lord's actions and policies? Of course he did not see, he was a political innocent for the most part, an academic being thrown to the political wolves.

A Dark Lord of Voldemort's strength and magnitude did not allow a mere child to get in his way or make remarks unless he was extremely fond of the child, indulgent even. But even an indulged child could go too far, become a spoilt liability if he was not careful. The path was even more fraught with dangers as Abraxas thought the Dark Lord did not see Severus as a child but as a potential love interest, which was even more dangerous. Gods preserve them, Severus was his son's lover, as bizarre a notion as that may seem. While Lucius had indulged himself with others during the time he and Severus had been together, Abraxas was fairly certain Severus had 'remained faithful'. How would he react if he was asked to 'cheat' on Lucius with the Dark Lord? Would he act sensibly and go to Lord Voldemort's bed willingly or would he refuse and land them all in untold amounts of trouble? The pitfalls inherent in that notion were too numerous to even contemplate! How to guide Severus, how to advise him and ward him past those sorts of dangers was a problem he almost didn't feel up to, but he would have to manage, he was obliged to!

Shaking his head, Abraxas thought that approaching Lucius and putting the problem into his hands was probably the best way to handle it. After all, Lucius did not have any odd notions of faithfulness and fidelity and would probably encourage Severus as being the lover of the Dark Lord was a position of favour unlike any other. If Lucius had to give up Severus for the duration then he would certainly see the advantages of that decision and he could be relied on to explain it to Severus sensibly and rationally so that the younger boy was not hurt or upset and would accept the Dark Lord's advances as the huge favour they were. After all, they could always rekindle the affair once the Dark Lord was satisfied and released Severus, if Severus was still alive after the break-up of course.

Decision made, Abraxas downed the last dregs of his potion and squared his shoulders, nodded to Mr. Truman and sailed out the door with his head held high, ready to face the world for another day.

~~*~~

"The Dark Lord wants my Severus? Our Severus - tall, dark and sulky? Father, much as I respect your insights, are you sure?" Lucius asked incredulously, turning to stare at his father in wide-eyed shock.

Abraxas was very glad he had cast potent silencing wards before beginning the conversation with his son. "Yes, as sure as I can be without marching up to the Dark Lord and demanding his intentions toward the boy, which is not something I am either entitled to do or stupid enough to do. For heaven's sake Lucius, sit down! You make me tired just watching you," the old man snapped as his son paced agitatedly.

"But why would he want Severo, he's just... Severus."

"How would I know?" Abraxas snapped then sighed. "Look, use your brain here instead of thinking with the other end! Lord Voldemort seeks out his company, attends him when he needs more care than an average healer can give, talks to him, plays chess with him, takes him under his arm in a very personal show of favour. How would you read the situation?"

Lucius stared at his father then frowned, his mind taking and discarding possibilities, nodding slowly but with gathering conviction. "You know, Father, I think you may be right. The Dark Lord would visit us every now and then before Severus came to live here, now he is here every single time he is in the country, staying in the guest suites, eating at our table and playing chess in your study. He could do any of those things at his club but he chooses to be here so there has to be another attraction and that is our Severo. I know I am not the attraction, or you, or Narcissa. Humm, how very interesting...."

"Has Severus any idea?" Abraxas asked as his son smirked at him, pleased to see his intelligence had finally won out over his hormones.

"I doubt it. My Severus is as naïve as a newly hatched chick, all big eyes and beak... er, perhaps not a felicitous simile." He grinned as his father barked a laugh. "I will prepare him, Father. This could be a very profitable liaison for the Family. Could it not?"

"Oh yes, provided Severus is willing. If he refuses then it would bring down disaster on our heads, total ruin in an instant! So, it will be up to you to make sure he is willing and understands what is required of him."

Lucius ignored his father's earlier protest and got up to pace the hearthrug with short, thoughtful steps. "Oddly enough, he really likes the Dark Lord, not as his Dread Lord but as someone he can relate to and argue with, someone of his own intellectual level." Lucius shrugged depreciatingly. "I am no idiot but some of the things Severus says are so far over my head I feel like a giant trying to understand the concept of arithmancy. Would you believe, Severus sometimes forgets himself enough to call the Lord by his first name, how daring is that? And the Lord just smiles at him and figuratively pats him on the head. You know, Father, the more I think of it, the more I believe you are right, the Dark Lord does fancy Severus. Now we just have to make sure Severus fancies the Lord, or at least accepts his advances with some genuine grace."

~~*~~

Severus was curled in a tight foetal ball, arms and legs wrapped around himself. The bed was a mess as usual, blankets and sheets twisted into a knot and wound around him tightly. Lucius often teased him about being a blanket hog but tonight's discussions had been too serious to allow Severus to drift off to sleep in a post-coital haze of satiation. They had been slowly arousing each other with long, languid strokes and slow, drugging kisses when Lucius had asked a very odd question.

"Have you ever thought of doing this with someone else?"

Severus stopped and rose to lean on one elbow. "What?"

"Have you ever thought of doing this with someone else? It's a legitimate question, especially when a certain person has been giving you long, interested looks and doing everything but stand on his head and clapping his feet to get your attention."

"You're barking," Severus laughed uneasily, flopping down and pulling the quilt up to his chin. "Who?"

Lucius laughed gently and reached forward to kiss the telltale flags of colour marking Severus' cheekbones. "You know who. Are you interested in him yourself?"

Severus stuttered and stumbled until Lucius hushed him with a kiss. "So you have noticed, and are you interested? You should be, it's a very flattering thing, to be noticed by the most powerful wizard in the world. You should be flattered."

"Damn it, Lucius, you sound like you are trying to throw me out of your bed and into his!" Severus exclaimed aghast.

"Silly boy. You are my love but you could be his love instead or too, if you could handle the both of us. I would not mind sharing you with the most powerful and respected man I know, after all, it kind of proves how great my taste is, I had you first."

Severus hit him with a pillow to wipe the smugness off his face which made Lucius giggle and wrestle him down into submission, covering the long thin body with his own weight. "Seriously though, love, the Dark Lord has no one and can only allow a very few close enough to share a bed as letting anyone that close requires a high level of trust that is almost impossible to generate. I mean, if you meant me harm, I would be dead ten times over by now and I am a perfectly ordinary person. Can you imagine how hard it must be for someone in His position?"

"I've thought about it of course, after all, Tom is a virile man but, Lucius, he is the Dark Lord, what would he want with me?"

"Obviously more than he is getting now," Lucius teased. "Severus, you are beautiful in your own understated way, long, lean and perfectly formed as well as well-endowed and simply delicious. You're versatile, you top and bottom with no problem, you kiss like a dream and you come with your own concoctions so there is no need to go shopping for lubricants or anything else. I know what the Dark Lord sees in you, his intellectual equal, his friend who is not cowed by his position and a man who likes men with no need to go through the usual elaborate rituals to find out if he will be safe to pop the question or not. So, Severus, if he does ask you, feel free to go and enjoy yourself; I don't mind sharing but he might be adverse and if he is, go to him exclusively. What we share will always be here waiting for you to return. Besides, I am going to be tied up with Narcissa over the next few months so it would be a great time for you to go and expand your horizons, now wouldn't it?"

Severus turned over abruptly and shook his head to get rid of the tempting little voices that argued and persuaded in his mind. He had had a feeling the Dark Lord had wanted more than chess games from him and the idea intrigued him but the thought of Lucius' disappointment had always stopped him short. Now Lucius was virtually pushing him at Lord Voldemort with all his strength and Severus was teetering on the edge of accepting the offer as soon as it was proposed.

'And would it really be such a terrible thing to have someone of your very own for once instead of having to share him with his wife? To openly show you loved someone instead of hiding in dark corners and sneaking a few hours solace whenever you could. Would it really be such a bad thing?' Ibrim asked from the depths of his being.

'The man is an intellectual giant surrounded by pygmies and sycophants who would take anything he has to offer and give nothing back in return. You have seen how the lesser people treat his ideas and twist them to something no longer recognisable. Who told him it was not his fault? Who consoled him when a fantastic idea was corrupted and co-opted, besmirched and butchered until it was all but unrecognisable, nothing but an excuse to violence?' That was Snape the intellect whose comments were fair.

Severus the body simply went hard and eager, sweating a little at the thought of a new lover to explore and learn.

Shaking his head, Severus Ibrim Snape chuckled to himself, oh yes, if the Dark Lord did make a pass, he would be most receptive to his advances!

05.05.2006