It's Not Easy Being Green

I've been getting some requests for a Lucius/Nathanyel scene, so just to address that... Don't worry about it.

Also, I've gotten rid of the little notifications when the PoV changes. You know like "--Severus--" and stuff. Why? Because it's stupid and I hate it. It's easy enough to tell the point of view just by reading, anyway. And it makes me feel much better; too bad I didn't do it earlier. I shiver in disgust at my idiotic actions.

Anyway, be warned: this is a long chapter. That being said, have fun with it.

Year 5

These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death...

- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein

Lucius had actually agreed to take Nathanyel to the train station for the school train, and Nathanyel was ecstatic. "Alright, rule number one: don't embarrass me."

"I won't." Nathanyel grinned as they stepped through the barrier. "Hey, maybe we'll see Remus."

"Hm." Lucius scanned the area, making a disgusted noise in his throat. "Augh, children."

"C'mon, let's go look for Severus." Nathanyel eyed him for a bit. "Or Remus."

"Whatever." Nathanyel smiled. "What? You think I actually wanted to come with you? Please." Lucius snorted. It was easy to see that he was looking for someone, though.

"Hey, there he is!" Nathanyel pointed out Remus talking to the other Gryffindors.

"Good, let's go." Really, Lucius was so easy to read, sometimes.

"Hullo," Nathanyel greeted pleasantly, enjoying Remus' surprised expression.

"Oh, hi. Er... Hello, Lucius." Without so much as a greeting, Lucius stepped forward and pulled Remus into a kiss. "Mmf!" And not a very chaste one, either. "...Mmm..." Nathanyel held back a chuckle at the looks on the other Gryffindors' faces.

"I should have known," Lucius muttered as he pulled away. "You're such a slut." But he looked happy.

"You kissed me," Remus replied quietly, blushing.

"Hn. And I've got better things to do than suck on some kid's face." He kissed Remus again, just a little bit. "But you wanted a proper goodbye, so there. Goodbye."

"Bye, Lucius."

"Don't you tits go around making trouble," he muttered, sauntering off.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Sirius Black exclaimed.

"Ewwww!" James Potter groaned.

Peter Pettigrew looked as if he was silently resisting the urge to vomit.

"Aww, that was sweet," Nathanyel sighed. Remus blushed.

"It was just a kiss."

"Just a kiss?" Sirius worked out.

"I think it looked more like true love," Nathanyel commented airily, grinning at how red James looked.

"You-"

"We can't all have an eye for matches. I suppose I'm just wise beyond my years."

"You- you- Slytherin!"

"I sure am. See you lovely ladies later." Nathanyel smiled at Remus and slipped into the crowd; the last thing he wanted was a public confrontation.

---------------

Severus scowled to himself, eyes skimming along the crowd, searching for some sign of Nathanyel. Knowing him, he was probably running away from an assailant.

"What are you looking for?"

"None of your business."

"Why not?" Nathanyel leaned forward until all of his weight was resting on Severus' shoulder.

"Get off me! You're heavy." Severus pushed him away, letting out an indignant huff. "Where were you, anyway?"

"Watching Lucius and Remus snog." Severus immediately felt himself go numb from a mixture of shock and disgust. "What?"

"I... You... I think I'm going to vomit."

"Don't be so... Hyperbolic."

"Hyperbolic?"

"Exactly." He glared at Nathanyel. "Let's get on the train."

"Fine. It's still gross, though." Nathanyel rolled his eyes as they dragged their trunks onto the train and took seats in the last compartment. "What's with the bandages on your hands, anyway?" Nathanyel blinked, looking a bit put off.

"What? Oh, these." He pulled up one sleeve of his sweater to look at them. "Uncle Laszlo did it for me."

"Hn." Severus didn't like it when Nathanyel kept things from him. "And that turtleneck looks stupid. What are you hiding, a love bite from Lupin?"

"Oh, please!" He blushed a little and turned away.

"Well, are you?" Severus pushed; he wasn't liking where the conversation was going. In fact, he was starting to get quite pissed off.

"No! Just- just more bandages." Nathanyel was hiding something from him; he knew it. "You're not suspicious, are you?"

"No," he lied.

They lapsed into silence, the train's whistle sounding from up ahead. They'd been in motion for a good ten minutes before Nathanyel tried to start a conversation.

"So... Good summer?"

"I suppose." Severus crossed his arms and glared out the window. "Probably not as good as yours."

"Where'd you go?" Nathanyel was ignoring his jabs, as usual.

"London."

"Sounds nice."

"It was." There was a pregnant pause in which he let out an irritated grunt.

"Hey, Severus... We're still friends, right?" Severus blinked, scowling; the question had taken him by surprise.

"Why wouldn't we be?" he grumbled.

"Well, we fight an awful lot. Like rivals, you know?" Severus just snorted. "It's just that we're different, I guess. We're opposites."

"Whatever you say." Nathanyel smiled.

"I'm glad you agree. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends anymore."

"What?" Severus looked up at him, brows knitting together. Nathanyel just shrugged.

"Since you seem kind of angry with me."

"...Yeah, but... I'm always angry at you. Don't worry about it."

"Alright."

"...Does it hurt?"

"Huh?" Severus tried not to get annoyed.

"Your... Whatever. Under the bandages."

"Oh!" Nathanyel looked pensive for a moment, his eyes turning to the ceiling. "Well... No, not really. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Were you worried?"

"No."

"You were!" Severus growled.

"That's not true and you know it!"

"Maybe." Nathanyel crossed his arms and sat back, shrewdly examining him. "Maybe not."

"You're not even making sense."

"Maybe... Maybe not."

"...I'm glad I didn't have to put up with you all summer." Although it was another lie.

"Severus!" Nathanyel whined. "How can you say such a cruel thing to me?"

"Quite easily, actually."

"You've trampled my soul and burned my heart to ashes."

"Good to know."

"I'm happy we're together again."

"Whatever."

---------------

Nathanyel stared down at the sweets piled up in his lap; he wanted to eat, but it didn't feel right without Severus. He would be back soon from his prefect rounds or orgy or whatever they did, but it still felt off.

Despite his reservations, he was just about to give in to his sweet tooth when the compartment door slid open.

"Hullo."

"Hi, Remus." They stared at each other for a bit. "Doing your rounds?"

"Yeah... So how are you?"

"Alright, I guess. At least the train has big compartments."

"Huh?"

"I'm a bit claustrophobic."

"Oh." Remus offered a nervous smile. "I didn't know." Nathanyel shrugged.

"So, how are the new prefects?"

"They're alright. A bit snotty, but not too bad."

"If you have any trouble, let me know." He gave Remus a reassuring smile. "I'll put the fear of God into them."

"Er... Sounds good."

"So... Are you looking forward to dropping a few classes?"

"Yes," Remus sighed. "I'll be so relieved not to have potions."

"You know, you never told me what you chose for your career."

"Well, er... It's stupid, really, compared to everyone else... But... I want to be a teacher."

"That sounds nice." Nathanyel grinned. "It fits you."

"Thanks." Remus blushed. "Anyway, I should get on with the rounds. I'll... See you around."

"Sure."

---------------

Severus rolled his eyes, catching sight of Nathanyel laying spread-eagle on the Quidditch field. They'd only been back for a little over a day, and already he was starting up with that nonsense. "What are you doing? Staring at the sky again?" Nathanyel nodded. "Why do you always have to be so weird?" Severus waited for an answer, but got none. "What's with you, lately, anyway?"

"I just like this better. That's all."

"Like what better?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Perhaps because... Hmm... You won't explain it to me."

"Have you ever tried alchemy?"

"What? What are you talking about? Don't change the subject!"

"You have to give to get. What would you give up?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"You'll see." Severus crossed his arms, glaring.

"Send me an owl when you decide to start making sense." Nathanyel saluted him.

---------------

Severus was a bit concerned. Nathanyel had been acting stranger than usual, and he wasn't sure what the cause was. They had only been together for a couple of weeks, but the evidence was there.

It could have been whatever he had to wear those bandages for, but there were other things that didn't match up. For instance, when no one else was around he looked as though he was listening to something. Sometimes it was as if someone was speaking to him about something serious, and other times he would sway as if to music.

Severus wished he knew more about the situation; at least then he might have been able to think of something to do. Nathanyel, however, just seemed to be caught up in some secret world of his own. Normally, it wouldn't have been a bad thing, but when dead mice and bats started showing up in odd places he began to wonder. And when Nathanyel had admitted that he was afraid to sleep, he began to think.

He just didn't like where things seemed to be heading. Perhaps it had been something that happened over the summer, or perhaps it had been a long time coming. Either way, the future did not seem very bright.

That was why Severus started to make sure he knew where Nathanyel was and watched him, even when they weren't together. Just in case.

---------------

Nathanyel hadn't been able to sleep, and whenever he tried he'd always... Get afraid. So he decided to take a walk to clear his mind. There was a chance that he'd get caught by Filch, but he didn't really care.

He'd made it up to the fourth floor when he heard voices. At first, he was wary, but then he recognized them. Gryffindors. There were shuffling footsteps, some whispers, and then a long pause. Nathanyel stopped and waited; he knew they'd seen him. "Page?" Sirius Black stepped out from around the corner. "Fancy seeing you out this late at night."

"Yes, amazing," Nathanyel agreed placidly. "Did you want something?"

"Just to talk," James Potter replied, joining his friend.

"I'm not in the mood." He just wanted to be left in peace.

"But we wanted to talk to you about Remus." He frowned.

"You see," Sirius went on, "we thought that, since he's so friendly with you, well... You can't be all bad, right? So, we'd like to call a truce." Nathanyel was immediately suspicious.

"You would?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!" Nathanyel hesitated.

"Really?" They looked rather disgruntled.

"Listen," James growled, "do you want to call a truce or not?"

"I suppose."

"Alright, then."

"I'm glad we've resolved our differences," Nathanyel sighed. "Anyway... Goodnight."

"Wait!" Sirius called.

"What?" Nathanyel paused, staring curiously at them.

"We'd like to, you know, seal the deal."

"Do you want a big wet kiss?"

"No!" James wrinkled his nose. "Just a friendly handshake." Nathanyel was still suspicious, but he didn't think any harm could come of something as simple as a handshake.

"Fine." He stepped forward to shake hands with Sirius, wondering why it seemed so important to them.

He found out when he felt himself being flung toward the wall. He braced himself for impact, trying not to fall as he tripped backwards into a bundle of mops.

"Goodnight, Page." Then everything went dark.

It took Nathanyel a moment to regain his balance, and that was when it hit him full force; they'd locked him inside a closet. Alone. Alone with Him.

"Guess he won't be needing this," James Potter's voice chuckled as the muffled sound of wood hitting stone reached his ears. Trying not to panic, Nathanyel searched his robes for his wand; he found nothing.

"Let me out!" It was worth a try, at least; his demand, however, was only met with laughter. "Let me the fuck out!"

"Panicking, are we?" He muttered, leaning against Nathanyel's back. "There's really no need for that."

"Open the Goddammed door!" He threw himself at the door, only one thought present in his mind; he had to get out.

"Say please," Sirius jeered from the other side.

"Pretty please with sugar on top," James joined in.

"Open this fucking door!" He backed up as far as he could and charged; a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and the door didn't budge.

"Idiot," He admonished, grabbing Nathanyel by the collar. "Just give up." He tugged, hard.

"No!" Nathanyel scrabbled at the door, hit it, tried to yank the doorknob off; anything. "No, no, no!"

"Spoiled brat. Do what you're told." Nathanyel knew that he was already bleeding; he also knew that there was no longer anyone at the other side of the door.

He gave up on words and decided that indiscriminate screaming was the best course of action.

---------------

Severus frowned down at his scrambled eggs; Nathanyel was gone, and he didn't know where. He was sure that there was something wrong, but he really didn't have anything to go on. He'd bet anything, though, that it had something to do with those Gryffindors.

"Hey." He lurched forward as someone punched him rather roughly on the shoulder.

"Good morning, Olivia," he replied through clenched teeth.

"Where's Nathanyel?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean he's gone and I don't know where he is."

"Do they?" She nodded towards the Gryffindor table.

"Doubtless."

"I'll go interrogate, then."

"Hold on, a minute. Wait until after breakfast."

"Why? We're going to pound them either way, right?"

"Don't be so barbaric."

"Please. As if the thought hadn't crossed your mind."

"Well, true. But you don't have to phrase it as if you're some sort of butch prison dyke."

"I'm sure you meant no offense by that."

"Of course."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Get them in the entrance hall after breakfast; they always leave before everyone else, so we won't have an audience."

"But that's the best part."

"I demand silence."

"I'll silence you if you keep-"

"They're leaving!"

Severus watched as three of them stood from the table, exchanging a few words with Lupin, who was staying behind, and left. Without a word, he left his breakfast to cool and headed for the entrance hall, Olivia at his heels.

"Severus!" He nearly fell over when Lupin grabbed him by the wrist.

"Let go of me!" Severus pulled his arm away, glaring.

"I'm sorry, it's just- have you seen Nathanyel?"

"No."

"I think James and Sirius did something. I- I have a bad feeling."

"I don't care what kind of feeling you have; now leave me alone."

"What do you know?" Olivia demanded, completely ignoring Severus.

"Not much, but I know where they were headed. We can look around and see if we find anything." Severus knew that no good would come of the situation.

"I don't like it," he grumbled.

"Well, too bad," Olivia snapped. "I'm going. If you're too stubborn, then you can just stay here and rot like a girly little sissy boy." Severus glared at her.

"Where are we going?"

"The fourth floor," Lupin replied, looking relieved.

---------------

They'd been looking around for a while, but they couldn't find anything. Corridor after corridor produced no results, and classes had already started. "If I get detention, the both of you are paying," Olivia grumbled.

"Same here," Severus replied.

"I don't care," Lupin muttered. "I just hope he's alright." Severus rolled his eyes at the same time as Olivia.

"Say, I've got an idea," Olivia suddenly spoke up. "Where's the nearest broom closet on this floor?"

"Just down the next corridor."

"...Fuck," Severus observed, as they sped up.

They slowed down a bit as they traveled down the hallway, checking each door, just to be safe. Severus knew that Olivia was right, though. Especially when one of the doors shook a little as a thud and some scrabbling sounded behind it. "This is it, I suppose," Lupin stated nervously. Olivia let out an irritated sigh and unlocked the door, swinging it open.

"What's that smell?" Severus sniffed the stale air wafting out at them from the closet, grimacing.

"Vomit," Lupin replied. "And urine."

"...Ew."

"Blood, too." There was a strange sound coming from the corner, and something was moving.

"Nathanyel? Is that you?" It was; and he was crawling toward them.

"Augh, he looks disgusting," Olivia muttered as they all backed up a little. "What happened to his fingers?" Lupin cleared his throat and pointed to a series of scratch marks on the door. "Oof. Nathanyel, are you alright?" He didn't answer.

"He looks like he's going to eat us," Severus muttered, stepping back a bit more than the others.

"That's ridiculous," Lupin replied, cautiously approaching. "Nathanyel?" He held out his hand and offered a smile while Nathanyel stared at him. "Are you feeling alright? Do you want me to help you?" It looked as if he was about to speak, but instead he lunged at Lupin, knocking him to the ground and biting rather hard into the crook of his neck. "Argh!" Severus couldn't help feeling a bit smug at the fact that he had been right.

"I think he's commenced his mating rituals," Olivia marveled, watching him lick at the blood drawn from Lupin's neck.

"Er... A little help, here?" Lupin asked, rather politely for someone in his position.

"I thought you fancied him."

"Not while he's displaying carnivorous tendencies and covered in his own urine."

"Right."

"And vomit."

"So we smell," Severus grumbled, holding his nose.

"I've got a question," Olivia replied, approaching the two on the floor. "Why is everyone acting so calm about this?"

"Personally, I don't care if he eats Lupin. In fact, I would prefer it."

"Well, I certainly don't want to be eaten," Lupin grunted, trying to push Nathanyel away and instead suffering another bite on his arm.

"Hold on," Olivia sighed, fishing around in her bag. After a few moments of searching, she finally pulled out some sort of blunt wooden instrument. As if it was something she did on a daily basis, she approached Nathanyel and hit him over the head so hard with it that it produced an audible crack.

"That worked quite well," Severus commented, watching Nathanyel slump over, unconscious.

"He's got a soft head," she replied.

"This is so fucked up," Lupin complained, pushing Nathanyel's limp body off of himself.

"It would be even more fucked up if you turned into a zombie."

"Don't say things like that."

"We should get him to the infirmary," Severus reminded them.

"Well, of course," Lupin replied, rather defensively. "What did you think we were planning to do?"

"Dump the body in the woods and pretend this never happened?"

"You know," Olivia speculated, "that sounds like a fairly good-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Lupin grunted, pushing himself up off the floor and searching his robes for his wand. It wasn't long before they were levitating Nathanyel down the hallway, covering their noses. "I'm going to kill them," Lupin was muttering to himself. "I'll kill them, nice and slow... They're dead, they're dead, they're dead..."

"You know," Olivia whispered to Severus, "I never figured him for the insane type."

"Which one?"

"Remus, obviously. Anyone can see that Nathanyel's the insane type."

"Really? Because I wasn't convinced by the animalistic behavior and the fact that he urinated on Lupin."

"I didn't notice that."

"I might have made that part up."

"No," Lupin interrupted wearily, "he was marking his territory." A slightly disgusted silence fell over the group.

At least, it did until Severus burst out laughing.

-----------------

Madam Pomfrey had been fairly shocked when she'd seen the state that Nathanyel was in, and immediately set about to cleaning him up and treating his "mysterious" head wound. Once she noticed the wounds Lupin had suffered, she ushered him away as well, leaving Severus and Olivia to wait for her verdict. "What if he infected Remus with something?"

"What?" Severus asked incredulously.

"Well, it's possible that he could have contracted a virus that causes madness."

"As in, his family's genes?"

"Don't be so harsh. It's my family, too."

"Apparently the women in your family are all ball-twisting lesbians."

"Excuse me, but I prefer men."

"Probably all men like Pettigrew."

"At least men like that don't argue with you for no particular reason."

"I don't do that."

"Yes you do. And so does Nathanyel. I think he picked it up from you."

"Nathanyel... Well, what he did to Lupin didn't look much like arguing to me." Olivia frowned.

"How do you think they knew about his... You know." Severus hadn't really given that much thought. However, once it occurred to him, it was simple to see the answer.

"Lupin."

"He wouldn't do something like that to Nathanyel."

"It doesn't matter. He's a Gryffindor and a nitwit, and probably doesn't think he's at all responsible."

"Well, we don't know-"

"I know." Severus crossed his arms and glared at her. She just snorted and leaned back in her seat.

"Fine. You are obviously always right, so why should I bother to argue with you?"

"Precisely."

"Mr. Snape, Miss Page." They both looked up as Madam Pomfrey approached. "You two should get on to your classes, now. You can come back to see them after dinner."

"But-"

"I won't accept any excuses," she interrupted. "You need to go to class." Grumbling, Severus followed Olivia out of the infirmary.

---------------

Nathanyel stared at the inside of his sheets, wondering if it was possible to suffocate under them; probably not. He felt a bit clammy, and rather sore, and his fingers were throbbing, but he was fine. The bandages around his neck were rather uncomfortable, and the ones around his arms were a bit too tight, but he was alright. Really, there was nothing to worry about. It was just an isolated incident.

Remus sneezed next to him. He knew it was Remus with him; it was quite easy to identify him, even without looking. It was just... Remus. "Are you awake?" There was some rustling, and an intake of breath.

"...Nathanyel?" Remus tugged down the sheets and stared at him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Nathanyel smiled at him and tried not to make him worry. "Just tired. That's all."

"Do you need anything?"

"No. Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me."

"I think I might have bitten you."

"You did."

"Does it hurt?"

"It's fine." Nathanyel eyed the bandage at the base of Remus' neck.

"Did I take a lot out of you?"

"Not enough to leave a scar."

"Will it get infected?"

"No."

"Oh. Good." They lapsed into temporary silence; Nathanyel tried not to look at Remus, and he was fairly sure that Remus was trying not to look at him.

"So. You... Er... Urinated on me."

"...I did?" Nathanyel blinked, staring at him.

"Yes. Marking territory, I think it's called."

"You'd better watch out, then. I'm the jealous type, you know." He chuckled a bit as his joke fell flat on its face. They continued to stare at each other for a bit more before Remus quite suddenly broke the silence.

"Do you- do you..." He blushed and looked away. "D'you fancy me, or something?" Nathanyel wasn't quite sure what to say, at first; to be honest, he hadn't been expecting it.

"I... No. Why?"

"Oh... Well... I thought that since..."

"Right. Right... I... Er... Sorry."

"Yeah." The situation had most definitely become awkward.

"So... How is... Everything?"

"It's good."

"And your friends?" Nathanyel hadn't given them much thought before that moment; however, upon posing the question, he realized that revenge was quite necessary.

"They're alright."

"Hm. Not for long, I suppose you should know."

"Tell me about it! I'm going to- wait- are you going to do something?"

"Yes."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"I can handle it."

"Yes, but I can handle it better." Remus raised his eyebrows, looking a bit annoyed.

"And how would you define better?"

"More efficiently," Nathanyel replied calmly. "Anyway, which bones do you think I should break?"

"Nathanyel..."

"Because I was thinking that it would be good to go for... Oh... All of them."

"Nathanyel. No."

"No what?"

"You aren't going to do anything."

"Of course I am. What's the use of knowing over a dozen different ways to kill a man with my bare hands when I never get to use it?"

"You are not going to kill them!" Nathanyel grinned. "Are you?"

"I suppose not. It would upset you. However, I do plan on some kind of revenge. Perhaps I should bring out the heavy silverware..."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself."

"What's the heavy silverware? You're not planning on stabbing anyone, are you?"

"Stabbing? How crude. I am an excellent marksman, I'll have you know, and I shall be using my skill to its fullest."

"You're what?"

"Don't worry about a thing. I've got it all under control."

"You most certainly do not!" Remus snapped, looking more than annoyed at that point.

"Oh, calm down. You sound like Severus."

"...Are you insane?" He seemed very... Out of sorts. "Why are you talking like this? Is this what you think about?" Nathanyel tilted his head to the side, carefully studying him; Remus was easy to recognize, yes, but extremely difficult to understand. Remus seemed to care a lot about things that he shouldn't. Or, at least, things that Nathanyel didn't think he should. And he didn't have a temper, or that much of a libido from what he could judge, and he was always honest and loyal and understated in a very... Nice sort of way. He sort of reminded Nathanyel of Uncle Laszlo, but they were different. Remus had more self-control and thought things out and never seemed to do a lot of selfish things.

Nathanyel had never known that people like Remus actually existed. It was rather refreshing, actually. Sometimes Nathanyel wondered why or how, but most of the time he was grateful.

"Hello? Nathanyel?"

"Hello, Remus."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." Remus sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Remus? Will you be my friend?"

"I already am."

"Officially, I mean. I'd give you a ring, but I don't have one on me at the moment." Remus sighed again.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"I feel much better, now."

---------------

"Tell me how this sounds."

"Hm?" Nathanyel looked up from his book, raising his eyebrows at Severus. "How what sounds?" Severus sat down on the bed next to him.

"It's... Er... I'm going to ask Bellatrix out. But I want it to sound... Poetic."

"How utterly ludicrous." Nathanyel suppressed a smile as Severus glared at him. "I'm just kidding."

"Right. Well, this is what I have so far." Severus cleared his throat. "I've admired you from afar for what seems like years. I feel as though our hearts beat together in the cyclical motion of life. Er... Would you... Hey!" Nathanyel was laughing rather loudly.

"Oh, Severus! Be my cycle!"

"Stop that!"

"I'll always menstruate just for you!"

"Nathanyel!" Severus hit him with a pillow. "It isn't funny!"

"S-sorry..." It took him a minute or so to calm down, and when he finally did Severus was still looking rather murderous.

"Well?"

"Cyclical isn't a very romantic word."

"It's good enough!"

"That was really awful, Sevums."

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry, but it was." Nathanyel leaned forward, sighing. "I don't think you should go through with it." Severus narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why not?"

"You're going to recite bad poetry to a person who either hates you or doesn't even know you exist. This can only end in disaster."

"Since when do you know about all the mysteries of the world? I thought love triumphed over all."

"Are you in love with her?"

"...What?" Nathanyel scowled at him.

"Are you in love with her?" he repeated.

"No. I fancy her."

"Then don't ask her out," Nathanyel concluded. "You don't love her, so you can live without her. She's not right for you, anyway."

"What is your problem?" Severus growled.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah, well... I won't. Just you watch." Nathanyel shook his head as Severus stormed out of the room.

---------------

"Well? How did it go?" Nathanyel marked his place as Severus crawled onto the bed, flopping on his back.

"Disastrous," he groaned.

"What happened?"

"She laughed at me. A lot."

"I told you she didn't fancy you." Severus glared at him.

"Thanks for the comfort."

"Sorry." Nathanyel searched for something better to say. "I would have said yes."

"That's more creepy than comforting."

"Sue me." Nathanyel crawled up to Severus and sat on his stomach. "Can you breathe?"

"Unfortunately."

"Good."

"...I know why she laughed at me." Nathanyel raised his eyebrows. "It's because I'm ugly."

"You're not ugly." He punched Severus lightly on the chest.

"Yes I am."

"You may think you're ugly, but I don't."

"Please. I'm greasy and I have a gigantic nose."

"You just have overactive glands. I read about it somewhere." Severus continued to glare at him. "And anyway, I like your nose. It's very regal."

"What's so regal about it?"

"It's like a hawk, sort of."

"Just what I wanted, to be lumped together with a bird."

"It's a compliment! I mean, I'm comparing you to a very regal and graceful bird." Severus snorted.

"It's a bit difficult to be graceful when you're over six feet tall."

"Yeah, well... It's also a bit difficult to get a date when you're shorter than most of the girls in the school."

"Not the first years."

"Hoho." Nathanyel grinned, rubbing at his bandages. "Do you feel any better?"

"A bit."

"See? I can cheer you up."

"Sure. Now, get off me."

"I don't think so." Nathanyel leaned forward until he was sprawled on top of Severus, looking him in the eye.

"You know, I never noticed it before, but... You have rings in your eyes."

"Huh?"

"Your eyes... The irises have rings in them, around the pupil."

"I suppose so."

"It's sort of... Nice looking."

"Thank you."

"Concentric circles."

"Right, they're very cyclical." Severus scowled. "You know, we match. I have rings under my eyes, too."

"That's because you're not getting enough sleep."

"So you're my mother now?"

"No. I just think you could do with a bit more sleep."

"What can I say? I'm a night person." Grinning, Nathanyel rubbed his nose against Severus'. "Eskimo kisses!"

"You're a buffoon."

---------------

"I've decided what I'm going to do." Severus grunted and shifted in his armchair, concentrating heavily on his notes. "Are you listening?"

"Sure." Nathanyel frowned, sitting in the chair beside him.

"You're not." He snatched the notes away, holding them above his head. "Listen to me."

"...Nathanyel."

"Yes?"

"You are five feet and four inches tall."

"And?"

"I am six feet tall." Severus grabbed the notes. "I can still reach the notes."

"It was worth a shot."

"Shorty."

"I'm still growing."

"So what were you talking about before?" Nathanyel stared at the common room fire, gathering his thoughts.

"I've decided what I'm going to do about James Potter and Sirius Black."

"Kill them?"

"Close, but no."

"Damn."

"I'm going to show them what they're most afraid of."

"Do you know what that is?"

"Yes. So, do you think I should kill Lily Evans or just pretend to?"

"...What?"

"You heard me."

"Just pretend to, I suppose. How do you do that, anyway?"

"Not sure. I'll figure something out."

"Are you going to get me involved in any of this?"

"Nope."

"Good." Severus paused to scribble something down. "So... What is Black afraid of, then?"

"Hm. Well, I've got that down, but I think Regulus would be a bit vexed if I tried to kill him." Severus stared, his mouth slightly open. "I suppose I'll pretend for him, too."

"Wait- are you sure?"

"When am I ever not sure?"

"...Right. Well, both of their fears are stupid."

"It's very Gryffindor of them to be most afraid of the deaths of loved ones."

"I know." Severus rolled his eyes.

"Makes me feel kind of inhuman." Nathanyel sighed. "Oh, well. Anyway, I'm going to go get my knives ready." He hoped that Remus wouldn't be angry.

---------------

Remus was angry. Remus was extremely angry. However, he tried not to show it. He may have been frowning a bit more than usual, but that was all. Besides, he couldn't exactly blame Nathanyel for what he'd done. He didn't approve of it, but he understood it, at least. Nathanyel was a Slytherin, after all, and Slytherins did have a rather large appetite for revenge.

Still, he was angry. It was stupid to put other people in danger; Lily and Regulus were alright, of course, but they were still in the hospital wing. He supposed that Madam Pomfrey thought they would be shaken up after what had happened, but he'd seen them, and they were more pissed off than anything else.

He tapped his foot, frowning severely to himself as he stood next to the gargoyle that served as the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Nathanyel could be expelled, or even arrested for attempted murder, the idiot. What had been going through his mind, Remus had no idea. It was no wonder that everyone called him a twit, really.

"I can't believe that I'm in love with such a fucking moron," he muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

"Hullo, Remus!" Snapping out of his thoughts, he belatedly noticed the gargoyle hopping aside and Nathanyel emerging with Professor McGonagall behind him.

"Hi." Nathanyel's face fell at his tone.

"You aren't angry with me, are you?"

"Come along, Mr. Page," McGonagall interrupted, motioning for him to follow her.

"Sorry, Remus. I have to go."

"You're expelled?"

"Nah." Nathanyel's hand nudged his in a friendly gesture. "I'm not leaving just yet." With an apologetic smile, he gave his hand a small squeeze, then turned to follow McGonagall.

Remus tried to calm the blush in his face, but he could still feel it burning; his heart was pounding rather loudly, as well. After all was said and done, he was still just as lovesick as ever. "Bollocks."

---------------

"I've had it." Severus looked up from his potions assignment, waiting for Nathanyel to finish. "Everyone was afraid of me. Right?"

"...Yes," he answered slowly.

"But not anymore. They've all chalked it up to an accident, haven't they?"

"You're talking about what happened in your third year?" Nathanyel nodded. "Well, wasn't it?"

"That's not the point!" Severus shuffled a bit closer to the opposite end of the bed; he didn't want to get sprayed with anything. "They're not afraid anymore!"

"I thought you didn't like it when people were afraid of you." Nathanyel scowled, his eyes narrowing.

"I hated it."

"So why are you angry, then?"

"I hate being pushed around even more." Severus raised an eyebrow at him. "They say that I'm not a real Slytherin."

"You're not?"

"I am. And I'll prove it."

"What about what you just did to Potter and Black? No one's afraid of you after that?"

"No." He sounded rather like a sullen child.

"You know, you're not yourself, lately."

"I don't care." Nathanyel glared at him for so long that he started to get a bit nervous. "Make this." Severus glanced down at the parchment Nathanyel had shoved into his hands.

"A potion?"

"Yes."

"I don't have-"

"It doesn't matter. Just do it." He was gone before Severus could protest further.

"What an arse," he muttered to himself, scanning the list of ingredients; he didn't like the way Nathanyel had been acting, lately.

And he didn't like being pushed around, either.

---------------

"Remus. Remus." Remus looked up from his homework, his shoulders tense and face tired. "How are you?"

"I'm alright." Nathanyel offered a weak smile, then glanced around the library to make sure it was deserted.

"I have something for you." Slowly, Remus set down his quill.

"You do?"

"Sure I do." Nathanyel sat down next to him, feeling a bit more confident.

"What is it?"

"One second." He rummaged around in his pocket, pushing aside candies and notes to reach his goal. "Aha." He presented the vial to Remus.

"You know I'm no good with potions."

"I made it just for you." Remus hesitated before taking the vial.

"You made it for me?" he echoed.

"Yeah. Just for you."

"What... Should I use it for?"

"It'll help on the full moon, with the pain."

"It will?"

"That's what I made it for."

"Do I just... Drink it?"

"An injection would probably work better, but I can't just grab a syringe from the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey guards those rather well, you know."

"Oh."

"Are you happy?"

"I won't know until I try it."

"Tell me after, then."

"Alright." Remus stared at the potion a while longer. "Is it safe to drink?"

"Yes. I tested it myself."

"Does it taste alright?"

"There's no taste."

"Ah." He finally smiled back. "Thank you."

"I just wanted to help you. You're my friend, after all." Remus kept smiling.

---------------

"Nathanyel... Where did you get all that money?" Nathanyel was sitting on his bed, counting out a small pile of galleons.

"We started a business, remember?" Severus stared at him for a bit.

"What? All I did was make potions for you." Which had really been irritating him; he didn't like being told what to do, especially when he didn't know the details of the situation.

"Yes, and people are buying them rather willingly."

"You've been selling my potions?"

"Yes."

"I looked over the ingredients, you know. You're selling painkillers with hallucinogenic side effects."

"I know. It's amazing the price people will pay for drugs."

"...You're a drug dealer."

"Yes. And you're a drug producer. We'll make so much money!"

"Is this how you're going to make people afraid of you again?"

"Hm?"

"You heard me." Nathanyel frowned. "Is it?"

"Perhaps."

"It's stupid."

"Shut up."

"I can't believe you thought-"

"I'm not stupid."

"I never said-"

"Don't lie to me." He was scowling. "I'm not just some carefree idiot without a thought in my head."

"Nathanyel. I did not say that."

"I know it's what you think of me." He narrowed his eyes, expression dangerously close to a snarl. "It's the way you treat me. You think I can't even tell what's happening around me half the time." Severus remained silent, waiting for the verdict. "That's not how I am. Alright?"

"Alright."

"I'm glad we could sort this matter out."

"I need a drink." Severus tried not to shake as he left the room.

---------------

Severus glared at Nathanyel from across the common room. He had decided not to talk to him for a while, just to see what would happen. He hoped the result would be Nathanyel begging to have him back, but judging by recent events, it didn't seem likely. However, he would not be the one to go crawling back. He didn't like how things had been lately; Nathanyel was starting to get rather pushy, and he wasn't going to take it anymore. At least, not until he saw a profit. He had a feeling that he was only getting ten percent, and that was completely unacceptable.

Still, it wasn't just about the money. He wanted an even partnership, split halfway in every aspect. If they were going to start a business, they were going to do it right. Besides, even though he would never admit it, his feelings were sort of... Hurt.

However, this tactic didn't seem to be getting him anywhere. It had been almost four days, and he hadn't heard a peep out of Nathanyel. He was contemplating moving on to a new strategy, actually. Perhaps violence would get him somewhere; Nathanyel seemed to understand that rather well. Or maybe he could write to Lucius. Although, that idea was most certainly not his best; he'd probably get laughed at, at best, poisoned at worst.

"Severus." Poisoning actually didn't sound like such a bad idea. "Severus." But maybe that was a little harsh. He didn't want to kill Nathanyel, after all. "Severus."

"...Nathanyel." Severus looked up, blinking at Nathanyel's scowl. "Would you fucking smile already?"

"Am I supposed to be smiling during a fight?"

"...Fight?" Nathanyel nodded; Severus got out of the way as fast as possible. "Merlin's fucking beard!" Nathanyel's foot sailed through the air, its target no longer present. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"You want to fight, right?" Nathanyel approached. "So fight me." Gulping, Severus pressed himself against the far wall, trying to ignore the stares being directed their way. "If you aren't going to talk to me, then you're going to fight me. I won't be ignored."

"What the fuck is your problem, lately!?" He was definitely losing it.

"You are." Nathanyel had gotten rather close; so close that they were almost touching, in fact.

"How am I your problem?" Severus snapped.

"I don't want you to patronize me or call me stupid anymore."

"Well, I don't want you to tell me what the fuck to do all the time!"

"I don't want you telling me what to do, either." There was silence as they stared each other down. "Well? Are you going to talk to me, or do I have to break your nose again?"

"...Fine. I won't ignore you anymore." Nathanyel's face broke into a wide grin.

"Good. I'm glad."

Severus wondered if maybe he should have fought back.

---------------

"So, what's our income for the week?"

"I'm not done counting. Give me a minute or two, alright?"

"Fine." Severus scowled down at the ledger he'd put together; he and Nathanyel had compromised on a lot of things, but it was rather difficult, getting used to their new system. Apparently, Nathanyel wanted respect; unfortunately, Severus wasn't exactly the respectful type. It strained things a bit, but at least it was better than fighting all the time. "Hey, Nathanyel." However, he was more concerned about business than personal matters at the moment.

"Yes?"

"My figures haven't exactly been adding up for the past few weeks." He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"Well, you must be calculating them wrong."

"That's not possible." The only sound that filled the room was the clinking of the galleons and sickles. "You've been handing out freebies, haven't you?"

"I'll do as I please."

"No you won't! Dammit, I spend a lot of time on these potions, you know! I don't have to do this!"

"You want the money, don't you?"

"Of course I do! That's why I'm yelling at you for handing out free product!"

"You make it sound like we're selling hair gel. They're drugs, and you know it."

"Fine! Drugs! And do you know which ones you happen to be throwing away? No, not the acid, not the speed, not the fucking marijuana you get from your goddamned junkie cousin, but my custom made painkillers! Do you have any fucking idea how much we're losing, just from the few vials you give away?"

"...Er... Nothing?"

"A LOT!"

"Alright, then."

"Who are you giving the potions to?"

"Hm?"

"You heard me!" Nathanyel rolled his eyes, remaining completely nonchalant.

"Remus." Severus was absolutely certain that a small part of his brain had just exploded.

"What?"

"It helps when he transforms."

"You must be fucking kidding me!"

"I'm not."

"You are un-fucking-believable!"

"Thank you."

"That is not a compliment!" Severus resisted the urge to tear his own hair out. "Are you even listening to me!?"

"You seem a bit wound up. You should take a few moments to calm down."

"You-"

"Deep, calming breaths, Severus. Deep, calming breaths." Severus paused in his tirade to follow the advice, and eventually managed to calm down enough to not have a rage-induced headache.

"Alright. I'm calm. Now, stop giving Lupin free handouts." Nathanyel frowned, his brow wrinkling.

"I can't start charging him. He couldn't afford it."

"He'll find a way, trust me." Nathanyel only continued to give him that completely consternated look. Severus could tell that he knew that it was costing them way too much to give Lupin free painkillers. However, for some unexplicable reason, he'd always had a soft spot for the flea-bitten horse's arse. "At least sell at cost," Severus finally sighed.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." They worked in silence for the rest of the evening; Severus wasn't particularly in the mood to talk, anyway.

---------------

Severus growled lowly to himself as he stood facing Lupin in the darkened hallway; he should have known that Nathanyel would back out of their agreement like a Hufflepuff. "I can't do it," he'd said. "Remus is my friend." Severus snorted. Honestly, the things that came out of that utter dolt's mouth, sometimes.

"Er... Is there something wrong... Severus?" Lupin shifted a bit, his prefect's badge glinting briefly in the sparse candlelight. He supposed being a prefect didn't count for very much, anymore; they were both proof of that.

"It's about this." Severus held up a vial of the painkillers; Lupin eyed it nervously, licking his lips. Severus shuddered slightly. "This is a product of my intense, time-consuming labor." Lupin seemed to be paying more attention to the vial than him. "And my time costs money." That seemed to snap the rabid beast out of his trance.

"What?"

"This-" he waved the vial a bit- "is no longer free. You'll have to pay for it, just like everyone else. And let me tell you, you've chosen the wrong drug to get hooked on, because this is currently the most expensive item on our menu." Lupin didn't seem to be comprehending him very well.

"But... But Nathanyel-"

"Has already consented to this decision."

"He... Has?"

"What? Did you think that just because you fancy the twit he'd pick up on it and give you a break? Think again, Lupin. My potions cost money, and not a small amount of it, either. So, either you pay up, or the well runs dry. Am I understood?" Lupin nodded, looking rather dumbstruck. "Here." Severus shoved the vial into his hands, trying not to touch him in the process. "It's your last hand-out. From here on in, it'll be costing you. I suggest you start saving up." Severus then promptly spun around and stalked away. He was sure that he'd handled the situation perfectly.

---------------

"Well?" Severus rolled his eyes as he entered the fifth year dorms.

"I made it sound like it was entirely my idea and I pushed you into it."

"Thank you, Sev'rus," Nathanyel trilled like a small child.

"You'd better thank me." Severus dropped down onto Nathanyel's bed and yawned. "Where are the fags?"

"Regulus said that they were going camping for the night."

"...Ew."

"I don't think he wants to be around me."

"I don't blame him." Nathanyel smiled.

"You mean that affectionately, don't you?"

"Of course."

"It's nice that we can talk like this. I feel as if the business had strained our relationship." Personally, Severus didn't think that the business was the only thing causing strain. "Hey, Severus?"

"What?" Nathanyel stretched out on his stomach, groaning a bit.

"Have you ever thought about what life will be like after school?"

"Once or twice." Severus watched Nathanyel chew on his lip, apparently lost in thought.

"What do you think about?"

"I think that I'm going to abandon my family and my house, become poorer than the Weasley family, and perhaps borrow from you a bit."

"Really? That's actually what I was planning to do." They stared at each other for a while.

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess that's the end of the mooching part of the plan."

"I guess so." Nathanyel stared up at him with something bordering on adoration. "We'll be together, though, right?" Severus was getting a feeling in his stomach that he thought could either be nausea or tapeworms. Either one was a possibility, really.

"Sure." Nathanyel dragged himself forward until his head was resting in Severus' lap.

"Together forever."

"You think?"

"Mhmm." Nathanyel was asleep in a matter of seconds.

"If you get a boner, I'm throwing you down the stairs." It was useless, though; Nathanyel couldn't hear him. It was an empty threat, anyway.

---------------

"Hey, Remus." Nathanyel caught him in the courtyard, the day before they were supposed to leave for Christmas holiday; he was holding the gift he'd picked out behind his back, trying to hide it from view.

"Oh, hi." Remus offered up a weak smile. "I, er, was looking for you."

"Yeah, me too." They stared at each other for a bit, shuffling their feet in the snow.

"I... Have something for you." Staring at the ground, Remus held out a bright green envelope.

"Thanks! I have something, too." Nathanyel revealed his significantly larger package.

"Er..."

"Want to sit down?"

"Sure." They sat together on a bench that was sheltered by an overhang, and exchanged gifts. Remus seemed rather embarrassed about it, actually. "I didn't really get anything... Just a card..." Nathanyel answered with a shrug as he carefully opened the envelope and slid the card out.

"Remus... Thank you." He thought it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever given him; there were trees covered in snow, and the lake... He hadn't known that Remus could draw. "This is... The best." He opened it up, eagerly reading the inside; he'd never gotten a real Christmas card before, and he was very excited.

"I know it's just a bunch of sappy crap, but... I dunno, I just couldn't think of anything cool to write, you know?" Nathanyel smiled at him, extremely happy.

"It's the best thing I've ever gotten." Remus blushed, looking rather proud.

"Right. Er... I'll open yours, now." He awkwardly ripped the wrapping paper off, blinking at the massive Honeydukes' chocolate gift basket. "Wow."

"I thought I'd get you something useful." Remus grinned.

"Thanks. This is really great."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Remus smiled at him, then, and held his hand.

He felt sort of sorry that he had to leave the next day.

---------------

The holidays were always a nice time of year for Nathanyel; he was able to go home and see Lucius and Uncle Laszlo, and Severus always came with him. The only downside was trying to keep Severus from being brutally murdered, but they had been successful so far, so he wasn't too worried. His most difficult challenge this year would involve his quest for some real cock.

"Lucius?" Nathanyel sat next to him on the sofa, watching him read. "Are you really getting married in the summer?" Lucius grunted. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"It's a yes," he snapped irritably. "Now leave me alone!"

"But I have something to ask you." Looking rather agitated, Lucius slowly lowered his book and turned his attention to Nathanyel.

"Yes?"

"When are you going to fuck me?"

"Don't be a pervert," Lucius admonished, scowling.

"But I thought you were going to fuck me."

"And what brought you to that conclusion?"

"Maybe your habit of leading me on." Nathanyel waited patiently for an answer.

"Hn." Lucius narrowed his eyes, a sneer crossing his face. "You've developed quite an ego."

"No I haven't," he argued half-heartedly.

"Then why would you think that you're even worth the trouble?"

"Your behavior. I've analyzed it." Lucius snorted. "No, really. I have."

"Alright, give me an example."

"You watch me from the corner of your eye a lot, and when I sit close to you, you fidget. And you brought me off twice, which was really quite a tip off."

"Maybe I'm just a horny pervert."

"I know you're just a horny pervert. And horny perverts fuck other horny perverts, right?" Lucius didn't reply. "So when are you going to fuck me?"

"I am not going to fuck you." Nathanyel frowned a bit as he snapped his book shut and stood up. "And that is final!" He swept out of the room, his ears slightly red.

---------------

"Hah! Go fish!" Severus scowled as an exploding snap card nearly burned off his eyebrows. Olivia snorted from the corner, where she was reading.

"Must we play this ridiculous muggle game with exploding cards?"

"You're just trying to wimp out because you're losing." There was a moment of tense silence between them.

"Oh, it's on now, bitch."

"What the hell are you idiots doing?" They both looked up to see Lucius standing over them, his arms crossed and a rather unpleasant expression on his face.

"Hullo, Lucius," Nathanyel chirped, grinning. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Listen up, you ungracious animals," Lucius sniffed. "You need to behave. Narcissa is coming for Christmas, and I don't want anything unpleasant or unusual happening."

"What?"

"You heard me! No antics, no pranks, no nothing!"

"But-"

"No buts, either! I want this to go as smoothly as possible."

"She can't come here for Christmas!" Nathanyel continued to protest.

"And why not?"

"Because... Because she's a girl and girls have cooties!" Nathanyel grunted in pain as Olivia's book made contact with the back of his head.

"Stop being an arse, Nathanyel," Lucius scolded. "She's coming here for Christmas, and that is that." With a rather indignant sniff, Lucius swept out of the room.

"Hey! I've got a pair!" Severus exclaimed.

---------------

Nathanyel paused as he was passing by the room Narcissa was staying in. The door was open, and he could see her sitting at the vanity, applying rather generous amounts of powder to her face. He thought that it was about time he used a few intimidation techniques, just to get across exactly who was more important to Lucius.

"Hullo, Narcissa." He let himself in, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Oh, hi." She didn't bother to look at him.

"What are you doing?" Slowly, he sauntered up to her.

"Just putting on my makeup."

"I see." He stopped behind her, carefully studying her face in the mirror. "You know, I don't think-"

"Oh my!" Nathanyel paused, wondering what was wrong. "You have a black eye!"

"Oh."

"That won't do for Christmas dinner at all."

"But-" Narcissa was out of her seat and pushing him down into it before he could even finish the thought.

"Hold still, now." He was suddenly being assaulted by some gigantic... Puff. "I'll have that gone in no time."

"Alright."

"Oh!" She paused, clasping her hands together as if being struck by a sudden thought. "I've just had a marvelous idea!"

"...What?"

"Don't you worry your little head. I've got everything under control!" She dropped the puffball and picked up... A stick of... Margarita's Magical No-Smudge Lip Mask.

"Are you-"

"Don't talk! Just make an 'o' with your mouth. Go on!" Slowly, Nathanyel opened his mouth. "Perfect! Oh, you're going to look soooo cute! You were made for glam, Nathanyel! You'll look just like that bloke from the Fab Fighters!"

"Or David Bowie." Which, quite frankly, he wouldn't mind.

"Close your eyes! I need to do your eyeshadow!" Nathanyel quickly relented, putting in his best effort to stay still. "And I have the perfect outfit for you, too!"

Twenty minutes and a lot of sparkles later, Narcissa finally let him see himself in the mirror. "Oh, my," he muttered, barely recognizing himself.

"You look so good! Ooooh, I need to get Lucius! Stay right there." She rushed out of the room with a bounce in her step. Nathanyel was fairly sure that she was a bit unstable. He supposed that she would fit in the family rather well, then. "Lucius!" He could hear her from down the hall. "Come and see what I've done with your cousin! He's simply adorable!" An indistinct, irritated reply sounded before footsteps were headed his way.

"Dear, sweet Merlin." Lucius had just entered the room behind Narcissa.

"What in the hell are you thinking?" Severus had joined them. "Why the fuck are you dressed like a girl?"

"It's called glam, Severus," Narcissa sniffed indignantly. "And I do say that I did a rather good job."

"He's got silver sparkles and red lipstick and eyeshadow! And women's clothing!"

"It shows off his shoulders rather well."

"Why? Why?"

"I do feel rather pretty," Nathanyel sighed. "Like David Bowie."

"You are... An arse."

"But he does look pretty," Lucius agreed grudgingly.

"Argh!" Severus threw his arms up in the air and stomped away.

"Severus, hold on!" Nathanyel ran out after him. "What's the problem?"

"You look like a freak!"

"I am a freak."

"You're an idiot." Nathanyel just grinned.

"You know you like me this way."

"I don't-" Severus snapped his mouth shut as the tapping of shoes approached. "Oh, no." Nathanyel turned to face his father, squaring his shoulders.

Looking between the two of them, he stared intently, as if contemplating something. Then, very gradually, he lifted his hand to his face and rubbed at his forehead as if relieving a headache. "I am too tired right now to give you a proper beating, so I'll only say this once. Get out of my sight, and into something normal." Nathanyel sensed weakness; exhaustion. He was at an advantage.

"No." The silence roared in his ears.

"Pardon?"

"No." In two quick strides, he was directly in front of Nathanyel, firmly gripping his hair.

"Aha! I knew I'd find you up here!" Uncle Laszlo, unfortunately, had chosen that moment to enter the scene. "Oh!" He hesitated slightly, then approached them. "Florian, stop it." There was no answer. "Let go, Florian. Please. Now is not the time for this." Nathanyel tensed, reaching behind himself. "Florian." He had the knife out and to his father's neck before Uncle Laszlo could advance; the entire hallway was thick with tension. "Must you always fight like animals!?" Uncle Laszlo suddenly roared. "There are people here, it is the holidays! There is no time! Do you understand!?" Slowly, Florian loosened his grip. "We need to go now, Florian! Please!" With a heavy scowl, he pushed Nathanyel away and swept off down the corridor.

"You keep a fucking knife with you!?" Severus burst out.

"Nathanyel." Uncle Laszlo's voice was quiet, but demanded attention. "Do you like to fight with him? Do you want to get hurt? Killed, maybe?"

"I'm sorry," Nathanyel replied quietly, avoiding his eyes and slowly putting his knife away.

"Just... Go get changed."

"But-"

"Please."

"Yes, Uncle Laszlo." Nathanyel watched him go, then relaxed, sighing.

"I'll never understand your family," Severus grumbled, still looking a bit shaken up.

"Hm. I need to talk to Lucius."

"Fine. I'll be taking a nap."

Feeling rather disappointed in recent events, Nathanyel shuffled down the corridor to Lucius' room. "Lucius?" He stuck his head through the doorway, watching as Lucius glared at him from the bed.

"What?"

"I wanna come in."

"Go ahead." Nathanyel closed the door behind him, approaching the bed. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Lucius scowled. "I'm selling some potions that Severus made, you know." The scowl was replaced by a rather interested expression.

"You're selling his potions?"

"Among other things. Severus got a perfect score on his potions O.W.L.s, after all." Lucius suddenly looked interested.

"Really? He's good then?"

"Oh, yes. Extremely. I think he's even better than the professor, but don't tell him I said that."

"Hmm... Maybe I should talk to him. After all, you wouldn't be singing his praises so highly if he didn't have some small amount of talent."

"You know I have good taste." Lucius looked a bit skeptical. "Anyway... I was wondering if you could take us to Knockturn Alley after Christmas. You know, for ingredients." Nathanyel shuffled his feet a bit.

"Alright. You'll probably get into trouble if I'm not with you, anyway." Lucius turned his attention back to the book he had been reading.

"Lucius..." Nathanyel had been worried, lately, and it was time he voiced his concerns. "After you get married... Will you still come to see me?" He sat down on the bed, wriggling between Lucius' legs.

"Are you worried that I'll run off and leave you behind?" Nathanyel nodded. "Don't. I doubt I could leave, even if I wanted to."

"So you'll still visit?"

"Yes." Nathanyel took a deep breath, then pressed his lips together and held it. "What are you doing?" He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Lucius' neck. "Oh."

"I'm happy."

"So I see."

"...Lucius?"

"I'm not going to fuck you."

"I wasn't going to ask that."

"Alright, then. Go ahead."

"Why won't you fuck me?"

"Why do you want me to fuck you in the first place?"

"Because the first time is supposed to be something special with someone you love very much. So I want you to fuck me."

"It's supposed to be a different kind of love, you know."

"It doesn't matter. It's love, all the same."

"But do you love me like a wife loves her husband?"

"No."

"How do you love me?"

"I love you like a Nathanyel loves a Lucius."

"...That doesn't make any sense."

"Since when do I make sense?" Nathanyel pulled back to grin at him.

"I suppose you're right," Lucius admitted, looking a bit frustrated.

"So will you think it over, then?"

"...Open your trousers."

"Huh?" Nathanyel blushed, wondering if perhaps he'd persuaded Lucius at last.

"You heard me." Lucius raised an eyebrow, waiting. Slowly, Nathanyel reached down and unbuttoned his trousers. "Spread your legs a bit wider." Gulping, Nathanyel did as he was told. "That looks about right. Keep them like that." He nodded as Lucius slid him off of his lap, backing up to observe him a bit. "What do you think I'm going to do?"

"Er... Something nice?" Nathanyel was already getting aroused.

"I suppose it is."

"Really?"

"Really." Nathanyel gasped when he suddenly felt Lucius' face in his lap.

"Nngh!" he practically gurgled at the strange new sensation. Lucius paused for a moment to glare at him.

"You should consider this a gift," he scolded. "So just shut up and enjoy it." Nathanyel nodded and bit his fist to keep himself quiet. It wasn't long before he was done, anyway.

"L-Lucius..." He was in awe.

"Ng!" Lucius spat on the floor. "You taste like shit."

"That was... Lovely."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Lucius wiped his mouth, grimacing.

"How did you do that?"

"Guess." Nathanyel grinned, feeling a bit shy.

"Could I do it to you?"

"Christ, no."

"Please?"

"Why don't you ask Snape? I'm sure he'd happily oblige."

"No he wouldn't. He doesn't like boys." Lucius shrugged.

"He's probably lying."

"So can I?" Nathanyel hoped so.

"No. Now get out of my sight. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Okay."

"And don't talk to me at dinner."

"Alright."

---------------

"Where the hell were you at dinner?" Nathanyel shrugged, staring at the mirror. "Admiring Narcissa's handy work, eh?" Nathanyel shrugged again, fidgeting a bit with the sheets on his bed. "So what did you talk to Lucius about?" Severus sat on the bed with him, the corner of his mouth twitching up a bit.

"You seem happy."

"I'm very full."

"Uncle Laszlo checked your food for you, right?"

"Yes. Oh, and Lucius was talking to me."

"What about?"

"About my potions. You told him?" Nathanyel nodded. "He said he knows someone who might be interested. Some bigshot, or something. I think he might set me up with an apprenticeship."

"That's very exciting."

"I know." Nathanyel stared into his lap, wondering if it would feel different if Severus did it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He'd like to do it to Severus.

"Nothing?"

"Yeah..." It couldn't hurt to ask, he supposed. "Severus..."

"What is it?"

"I look like a girl, don't I?" Severus slowly looked up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Yes."

"So then... Let's... Do things." Nathanyel put a hand on his thigh and nudged it.

"That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

Nathanyel soon found himself locked out of his own room.

---------------

Nathanyel stared at the Christmas card Remus had given him. Things had been getting so complicated, lately. Lucius was marrying Narcissa, which he wasn't happy about at all, and he was starting to have a whole slew of weird dreams. He didn't even know why he'd been dreaming so much. They weren't really sexual dreams, just... Very strange. He had a feeling that there was some sort of meaning to all of it.

He just didn't want to think about all of that. What he really wanted to concentrate on was what Lucius had shown him. He didn't have anyone to do it with, so he had resolved to do it to himself. He was extremely felxible, but he'd had to work on it since Christmas.

He'd finally gotten it figured out, though. It felt kind of weird at first, but it was very easy to get used to. Lucius was right, though; he did taste pretty bad.

---------------

Nathanyel stared at Professor Auric; he stared back. "Well?" the Professor snapped. Nathanyel leaned back in his seat, keeping his gaze steady.

"Hmm... Let me think... What do I want to be when I grow up?" Nathanyel wound his fingers together, narrowing his eyes. "There are so many possibilities... I don't even know where to start." Professor Auric scowled at him.

"Pick something."

"How about an exciting profession in the field of research?"

"Here." Professor Auric shoved a few packets under his nose. "Now go."

"Hn."

He didn't see the point of choosing a career so early on. Most of the students were bound to change their minds by the time they left school. It was completely pointless, and he didn't want to have anything to do with it. However, it wasn't exactly his choice.

"Hey, Page." He looked up from his new packets as he entered the common room, surprised to see that Mundungus, of all people, had called out to him.

"Yeah?" He sat down in front of the fire, spreading out the packets on the floor and organizing them in alphabetical order.

"What'd you pick?"

"I said research."

"What kind?"

"The easy kind." He sighed. "And you?"

"I said I wanted to work in the deepest bowels of the wizarding society's underground."

"And?"

"And the good Professor kicked me out of his office."

"I don't think anyone likes this time of year."

"Most certainly not." Nathanyel nodded, flipping through a packet that was advertising a job in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic; needless to say, there wasn't a lot of information in it.

"So... Why are you talking to me?"

"I was hoping to get on your good side."

"Because?"

"I want a piece of the action. Just a tiny slice."

"I'm afraid not."

"Oh, come on. I've got plenty of connections. I could be a great help!"

"For what price?"

"Ah, you've got me there."

"Exactly. I can't afford you, and you know it."

"Ah, such is the life of an experienced veteran."

"I'm sure." Nathanyel scanned over the list of required courses for an unspeakable.

"Well, I'd better be getting back to the old ball and chain."

"Good luck with that."

"Whatever." Nathanyel wasn't exactly paying attention; he was more interested in the packet, really. Mostly because a job at the Ministry would mean he could be close to Lucius.

Besides, a career in magical research didn't sound too bad to him.

---------------

Nathanyel sat with Severus, counting up revenues and thinking about the way things were going. He thought that maybe he'd like to talk about it, actually. "Severus?"

"Hm?"

"I need to talk." Severus groaned.

"Alright," he muttered. "Just dive right in." So he did.

"I've never been strong." He frowned, staring down at his hands. "But... What I want..." What did he want? "I don't want to be weak. I don't want to always be running from something... Or someone."

"Shut up. You're talking like a Gryffindor."

"It's true, though. But, I don't want to fight, either. I just want... To live."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want to be the kind of person who doesn't have to fight, because no one will challenge him. That's how I want to be."

"It's a stupid goal."

"You're a stupid goal."

"Stop spewing nonsense." Nathanyel knew, though, that it wasn't nonsense.

---------------

"Are you going to stay with me?" Severus frowned, glancing up from the figures on the parchment.

"What?" Nathanyel continued to stare down at the small stack of gold in his lap.

"Will you stay with me?" The wind coming from the open window was rather irritating.

"What kind of dumbarse question is that?" And he hated squashy beds.

"Just answer it." Severus hesitated, trying to see his face.

"...Yes." Nathanyel coughed.

"If you stay with me..." Severus waited.

"Yeah?"

"...I will..."

"You'll what?"

"I'll turn against you."

"Idiot." Nathanyel snapped his head up, frowning.

"I'm not." Severus frowned back.

"You are. All you ever do is talk about what's going to happen. Well, either that or utter nonsense. So just shut up. You don't know what will happen in the future, so don't talk about it." He couldn't read the expression on Nathanyel's face, but he hoped it meant that the discussion was over.

"How do you know?" Severus suppressed a snort.

"How do I know what?"

"How do you know that I don't know what will happen in the future?"

"Shut it. I can see when you're bluffing."

"Can you?" Scowling, Severus turned back to the parchment at his feet.

He had always been a bit of a sore loser.

---------------

"Severus? Severus, what's wrong?" His eyes were red and he looked as if he'd been crying. "If it has anything to do with those damn Gryffindors-"

"No," he interrupted. "My parents." And he tossed a letter onto the floor. "We're moving. I'm leaving." Nathanyel frowned, not quite believing it.

"But... Where-"

"Durmstrang. They're moving and putting me in Durmstrang. Merlin, they'll eat me alive down there!"

"Talk to them! Curse them! You can stay with me, you don't have to leave!"

"Yes I do," he sighed. "Just about the only way to stop them would be to kill them." Nathanyel bit his lip, hard, trying not to cry.

"But-"

"But nothing!" Severus snapped. "I'm going away and that is all there it to it."

"You can't go," Nathanyel whispered, sitting next to him. "I need you."

"I'm sorry," Severus murmured. "I can't do anything about it."

"You can't even visit for the summer?"

"No."

"...I love you." He leaned over and hugged Severus tightly.

"Yeah. You, too."

---------------

Nathanyel knew that something needed to be done. And if he didn't take matters into his own hands, then Severus would be gone. He'd been thinking about it the entire train ride, even on the way home, and he'd come to a conclusion: he couldn't let that happen; it was not an option.

That's why he did something he'd never done before; never wanted to do before. He went to his father. "Father?"

"What?" He was in his study, looking through papers at the low table in front of the sofa.

"I need something." Very slowly, he looked up.

"Do you?"

"I need you to do a job for me. I'll pay you." Just as slowly, he leaned back and grinned, clasping his hands together.

"Oh, really?" Nathanyel nodded.

"I need you to off Vivian and Octavius Snape. No one else, though- I don't want you getting carried away." He laughed.

"If you insist. And how much are you willing to pay?" Nathanyel briefly touched the money bag at his side- just to check.

"One thousand galleons."

"You must be more of a little shithead than I thought, if you assume I'm that cheap."

"I meant one thousand each." There was a short silence as they stared each other down.

"Alright."

"If you fuck up and hurt Severus, you're not getting paid." He let out another one of his unpleasant chuckles, eyeing Nathanyel the way a teacher looks at an insolent child.

"You don't seem to understand. You pay me, and then I do the job." Nathanyel hesitated slightly.

"Here." He tossed the money bag onto the table. "It's one thousand. You get the rest when the job is done- right."

"Alright." Florian took the bag and looked inside it. "But you need to learn to keep that attitude of yours in check. Give me this kind of trouble again, I'll kick your arse."

"Fine," Nathanyel bit out, leaving. It was done; now all he had to do was wait.

---------------

The letter came around five o' clock on a Tuesday. "Come over at seven. I've already arranged a portkey." There was a tiny stub of a candle in the envelope. So, at seven, he went. Severus was waiting for him when he arrived.

"What's wrong?"

"It's... My parents..."

"What about them?" Nathanyel asked quietly, sitting on the bed with him.

"They... They're dead. I'm staying."

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry..." Severus nodded. "How do you feel?"

"I feel... Blank. I don't really feel anything. I mean, I'm relieved that I'm staying, of course, but... Well, my parents dying, it's just something that happened."

"Well... I'm glad you're staying."

"Me too." There was silence between them. "They were murdered, you know. I... I keep thinking I might be next."

"Don't worry; I'll take care of you." Severus just rolled his eyes.

"Sure you will."

"I promise." And he meant it.

---------------

"Severus is coming to stay with us," Nathanyel announced as he entered the parlor.

"Wonderful," Lucius drawled. "Now, be a nice boy and say hello to our guests."

"...What?"

"Narcissa, her sister Bellatrix, and their cousins. I believe you know them from school." Regulus and Sirius were both seated in the parlor, looking rather bored. Bellatrix, meanwhile, was whispering something to Narcissa that he was sure was something unflattering about him. He was just grateful that Severus wasn't present.

"Hello." Nathanyel didn't particularly wish to stay.

"Come sit down." Without waiting for an answer, Lucius grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him onto the sofa. "My dear, beloved cousin." Nathanyel was a bit suspicious when Lucius gave him a pat on the back, false cheer dripping from his voice.

"Are you drunk?"

"Ahahaha! Such spirit and wit!" There was definitely something wrong.

"Seriously, though. Are you?"

"You're so funny, Nathanyel!" Lucius leaned a bit closer to whisper in his ear. "If this doesn't go well, the marriage is off, so play nice." Nathanyel was suddenly struck with the wicked urge to disobey his orders.

"Oh, Lucius!" He replied in an extremely stiff voice. "We are just like two peas in a pod. Ohohoho! Ha." Then he put his hand in Lucius' lap.

"...Nathanyel!" Lucius exclaimed through gritted teeth, wrapping his fingers tightly around his arm. "You are certainly a joker, aren't you?" Nathanyel soon found his hand back in his own lap.

"Aren't they absolutely charming?" Narcissa asked her sister, looking blissfully ignorant of the entire situation.

"Yeah, about as charming as a jarvey with fleas," Sirius grumbled, glaring.

"Sirius! Be nice, now. We're guests here, after all!" Nathanyel put his hand back in Lucius' lap while she wasn't looking.

"Whatever." He stood up and stalked out of the room, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Why don't you join him?" Lucius suggested tensely, pushing Nathanyel off the sofa.

"Alright." Nathanyel shrugged, and left the way Sirius had.

At the sound of a door closing, he wandered out into the entrance hall, wondering if he should follow the sound or not. In the end, his curiosity won out, and he walked out the front door. He hadn't expected to find Sirius still there, but he was sitting right out on the porch.

"What the fuck do you want?" And he didn't have very good manners.

"We're going to be in-laws soon, you know." He just thought he'd put it out there.

"Yeah, no shit." Sirius pulled out a white and red box, opening it and pulling out... A cigarette. Nathanyel had seen them before.

"Spare one?" It couldn't hurt to try, after all.

"...Fine." Nathanyel sat down next to him and took the cigarette he offered. "I suppose you need a light, too?"

"Yup." Sirius handed him a lighter, and soon he was coughing on his very first fag.

"Moron." Sirius seemed to have a considerably larger amount of experience.

"Heartless beast," Nathanyel countered, taking another drag. Really, aside from the coughing, it wasn't so bad.

"What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? Are you actually mentally ill, or just a jackarse?"

"A little of both."

"I don't even know what you're doing out here. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was bored and I thought this might be interesting. Unfortunately, it's not."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"You should be. Though, while I'm out here, I might as well ask you something."

"And that would be?"

"Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"The same reason no one else is particularly afraid of you: you're a loser. You are a moronic buffoon of a person, and nobody takes you seriously."

"...I hate you."

"I hate you, too."

"Thanks for the fag."

"Don't mention it." Nathanyel stood up, brushed himself off, and went for a walk.

He could use the exercise, anyway.

---------------

Severus sighed, scuffing the bottom of his shoes on the ground. Nathanyel had invited him to stay for the summer after the untimely death of his parents, and so far it had been pretty normal. Well, normal for Nathanyel's family, at least. However, the arse in question was nowhere to be seen, so he'd decided to go out on the town and find something interesting to do. Unfortunately... There was nothing interesting to do. At all.

Well... Except for one particular pastime he enjoyed above all others.

Ogling the local girls.

There was one in particular that caught his eye, and he was rather glad she did. It was a girl with very short blond hair, wearing a school uniform. He supposed she must take summer classes, or something of the sort. And it was a rather chilly evening, which explained the oversized jumper. Though it did little to explain the ultra short pleated skirt. If only a little bit of wind picked up, he could get a flash of knickers... And those legs weren't bad on the eyes. Not at all. In fact, he found himself blushing at the thought of what he could do with those legs.

Unless she was ugly. She was facing the opposite direction, completely absorbed in her cigarette. A bit of wind picked up, blowing her skirt to the side and... Now that was a nice bum. And a nice bum clad in lacy red knickers, no less.

Severus sidled a bit closer to her. And then a bit closer still. He just had to say hello. Or something. Anything. She was just... Rrow. To put it lightly. "Got a fag?" he asked lightly, trying to sound cool. She reached into the side of her blessedly red knickers, grabbed a half-empty pack, and handed it to him. He took one. "Er... And a light?" She took out a silver box that had been stuffed in with the cigarettes, flipped the lid open, and pressed a button. A little flame flickered into life just long enough to light his cigarette, then died. He took a puff and, trying very hard not to cough, attempted to get a peek at her face. He still couldn't see it. "Thanks," he wheezed out, his throat burning. He handed back the cigarettes and the little fire box, hoping he'd be able to finish a fag without coughing a lung up. "My friend smokes these." She nodded. "They're... Er... Not what I'm used to."

"Well, you don't smoke." Severus felt his mouth drop open as she turned around to smile at him. He. He turned around. Nathanyel. In a skirt. And red knickers!?

"Nathanyel!?" He choked out.

"You were checking out my bum." Severus mouthed wordlessly. "And my smashing gams, as well," he added a bit proudly.

"What the hell are smashing gams?"

"Gams are legs." Nathanyel rolled his eyes. "What'd you think they were, breasts?"

"You- You- You're-"

"In disguise. Shh." He took a long drag from his cigarette. "I hate this town."

"You're wearing a skirt!"

"I'm aware."

"I thought you were a girl!"

"Something I was also aware of." Severus decided that it was best to give up, rather than push the subject.

"Fine." They were nice knickers, though. "Could I...?"

"Sure." Nathanyel flashed him and winked. A few local boys just coming out of the grocery store let out a few appreciative whoops. "Alright, let's get out of here before someone challenges you for my hand." He took Severus by the wrist and led him off, while the wind blew his skirt up.

Severus would never admit it, but he was enjoying the view.

---------------

"Where are you headed?" Severus yawned. He noticed that Nathanyel was dressed in the weird clothes that he usually wore when he was out getting his arse kicked by Olivia.

"Oh, I'm just going out to train with Olivia and Uncle Laszlo. You're welcome to come, but I made sure Lucius could prevent your untimely death in case you didn't want to."

"Well... What are you doing?"

"We're going to repeatedly plunge our hands into basins of scalding hot water, practice close range physical combat, then climb trees."

"...Climb trees?"

"It's for agility and stealth," Olivia clarified.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather not spend my day voluntarily injuring myself."

"Alright, then," Nathanyel sighed. "We'll be back for a late dinner. See you later."

"Have a nice day."

---------------

"Hey."

"Hm?" Nathanyel glanced up from his homework, then immediately snapped his head back down. "Father," he greeted stiffly.

"What are you doing?" He seemed deceptively calm.

"Homework."

"Hn. Good." He crouched down next to Nathanyel, shrewdly observing the parchment.

"What do you want?" Nathanyel was trying to keep his quill from shaking, but his efforts weren't very successful.

"I just wanted to check on your progress." Nathanyel bit his tongue, hard. "Have you been experiencing any fatigue or muscular aches lately?"

"Mhmm." He could taste blood in his mouth.

"Excellent. And regeneration, how's that? How quickly do you heal?"

"It's normal."

"Hm."

"I've got work to do. Just leave me alone, alright?"

"That's no way to talk to your father. I should think you want to be punished."

"Oh, yes. Spank me, Daddy."

The black eye was worth it.

---------------

Nathanyel sat in the parlor, staring at the floor as his father continued the check up that had been cut short the day before. "How much longer will this take?"

"Just a minute or two." He tried not to get fidgety, but it was difficult when all he wanted to do was lash out.

"Why do we have to do this, anyway?"

"To make sure there's nothing wrong with you. You're useless, otherwise."

"Useless?" His father smirked.

"Well... All you're good for is killing." He reached up to scratch his chin, looking pensive. "The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be." Then Nathanyel did lash out.

---------------

"Where did you get that fat lip?" Nathanyel shrugged as he shuffled into Lucius' room. "You were acting up again, weren't you?" He shrugged again.

"You're such a moron," Severus griped from the corner, still deeply involved in his book.

"A 'Grade A' imbecile," Lucius agreed, walking over to his desk and taking a potion from the top drawer. "Here." He shoved it into Nathanyel's hands, then returned to his seat on the bed.

"Thanks." Nathanyel joined him, taking a sip from the bottle; it tasted like sour shit. "What's in this?"

"You're probably better off not knowing."

"Hm." He was feeling rather sleepy.

"The side effects are drowsiness and nausea," Severus informed them.

"Oh." He leaned against Lucius, shutting his eyes. "A nap couldn't hurt."

"That worked rather quickly," Lucius muttered.

Nathanyel smiled and moved a bit closer; Lucius was very warm.

---------------

"I'm so fucking nervous." Nathanyel blinked.

"Why?"

"Look at this supply list! Dress robes! That means there's going to be a ball."

"And?"

"I can't dance!"

"I'll teach you." Severus raised an eyebrow, wary.

"I meant slow dancing."

"Like I said, I can teach you. Lucius taught me how, and you know how much girls like him." Severus hated to admit it, but even if Lucius didn't much like girls, they loved him.

"...Fine. But teach me how to dance with a girl."

"Alright. You be the girl."

"What!?"

"Well, I can't show you how it's done unless you play the girl's part. Then we can switch and you can try what I showed you."

"...Okay. Are... Are we going to use music? I'd feel rather stupid if we didn't."

"Sure. Let's go into the ballroom and do it; no one will see us there." Severus let out a long sigh.

"Alright." He was actually feeling rather apprehensive.

Nathanyel led him into the ballroom, which was like a larger version of the dining room, with hardwood floors and a fairy-light chandelier. "Puh." Nathanyel had said he'd always hated it. "I say we do some David Bowie."

And so, Severus found himself standing stupidly in the middle of the room, David Bowie singing in the background. "What first?" he asked, eyeing Nathanyel warily.

"Well, first we get into position." He stepped forward and put his hand on Severus' waist. "Remember, you're the girl this time around." Severus rolled his eyes. "Hand on my shoulder and..." Nathanyel trailed off and grabbed his free hand. "Now we can dance." Severus gulped.

"Right."

"I lead. You just follow along." Nathanyel looked down at their geet and Severus followed his example. "Step like this... One, two, three, four." Severus dearly hoped that no one would walk in on them. They'd only just started, and already he was embarrassed.

"I can't get it."

"Just relax and follow step; count in your head if you need to." They continued silently for a while and eventually Severus got the hang of it. "See? It's easy." Nathanyel beamed proudly up at him. "Now onto the next part."

"You mean there's more?"

"Don't worry, this is the easy part. Just watch what I do, and keep dancing." Sighing, Severus turned his attention back to their feet. It wasn't long before he became aware of the fact that Nathanyel was slowly drawing him closer. Perhaps it was just the next part, but...

"Nathanyel... Why are you putting your other hand on my waist?"

"So I can pull you closer, like this." And he did so.

"Why?"

"This is what you do with a girl. Be sure to go slowly, though, or you'll get slapped."

"I'd get slapped, anyway."

"No you wouldn't." It could have just been his imagination, but he could have sworn that Nathanyel's hands were slowly inching downward.

"Nathanyel..." Then they were on his arse. "Why are your hands on my bum?"

"This is how you slow dance with a girl. Trust me, they like it."

"How do you know?"

"Lucius told me." Severus rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Can we switch, now?"

"Alright. You've got a nice bum, by the way."

"Shut up!" Nathanyel rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'm the girl, now, and you've got to lead. Come on, then." Suppressing a groan, Severus placed his hands on Nathanyel's waist. "That's wrong."

"Ugh, do I really have to hit on you?"

"Yes. You'll never learn, otherwise." Rolling his eyes, Severus grabbed Nathanyel's hand.

"Better?"

"Much." The track changed and they started to sway. "You're doing very well. Except..."

"Fine!" Severus snarled. Feeling deeply disturbed over the circumstances, he slowly moved into the... Second position. With both his hands on Nathanyel's waist, he felt awfully gay.

"That's excellent," Nathanyel praised, grinning. "Well, go on. You know what's next."

"No!" He blinked, looking surprised. "I am not putting my hands on your arse!"

"Fine, then," he replied calmly. "Don't learn to dance. Embarrass yourself in front of everyone. It isn't any concern of mine." Severus hesitated, trying to delay the inevitable.

"...Alright. I'll do it."

"Slowly, now." Scowling fiercely, he began to slide his hands down.

"This is disgusting."

"Thanks."

"You know what I mean." And... There. They'd reached their destination. It... Actually wasn't so bad. He could imagine it being a girl's bum. After all, an arse was an arse, he supposed. It was, all things considered, a nice arse. His body seemed to be agreeing with the sentiment, too.

"You're blushing," Nathanyel giggled, puffing warm breath onto his neck.

"So are you," he argued. Though, it didn't look half bad.

"I like dancing." Nathanyel pressed closer to him, face flushed, and he almost died from embarrassment. "Oh!" Nathanyel bit his lip, looking down. "It's..."

"Shut up!" Severus tried not to seem too put off. Nathanyel, meanwhile, was looking rather pleased. Smiling slyly, he pulled himself up against Severus and- "Oh, Merlin!" Severus pried himself away, glaring. "What is wrong with you!?"

"You were turned on, too." He pouted, looking slightly hurt.

"Yes, but I didn't make a show of it!" Nathanyel snorted a bit, then stalked away to turn off the music. "Oh, are you angry, now?"

"No." He slammed the record player shut. "Not in the least."

"You're overreacting."

"Don't be a hypocrite." He sighed. "Let's just go finish our summer assignments."

"Alright. Fine."

"Fine."

---------------

Nathanyel sat uncomfortably on the church pew, trying to sit up straight, but wanting to just slump down and go to sleep. He'd never much liked weddings. It wasn't that he was cold-hearted or anything, it was just that he'd never actually been to a wedding where the bride and groom were in love; he used to think that it was a bit of a necessity, but apparently only money and power counted among purebloods.

He checked his watch again. The wedding was due to begin about half an hour ago and neither the groom nor the bride had made an appearance. He wasn't really surprised about the groom not showing up; Lucius may have normally been punctual, but he was in no hurry to be married. Considering his preferences, Nathanyel doubted he ever would be. But Lucius would show; after all, he had a duty to his blood line and, besides that, he was surprisingly possessive of his bride-to-be. Nathanyel was wondering what was holding Narcissa up; from the few times he'd met her he's deduced that she was very... Obsessive compulsive.

Deciding that it would be at least another half hour until things got started, Nathanyel stood and made his way towards the bathroom. On the way he passed Severus, who gave him an inquisitive look, but he only shrugged. Severus had only come because he had nowhere else to go, and he wasn't exactly thrilled to be there.

After relieving himself, Nathanyel was all set to get back to his seat, but then he heard something: loud sobbing. Curious, he made his way down the corridor and through a slightly ajar door, shutting it softly behind him. He was inside the room that the bride had fixed herself up in, and she was currently sitting on a cushioned stool, sobbing her eyes out and clutching an empty bottle of wedding wine. There was nobody else there, but someone was bound to come back sooner or later. "Er... Sorry... Didn't know you were... Right." Nathanyel made to leave, but then Narcissa called after him.

"W-wait- hic!" Nathanyel turned around and carefully approached, hoping she didn't vomit or pass out.

"Are you alright?" he asked kindly, trying not to grimace as she sniffled obnoxiously.

"N-no!" she wailed, bursting into tears again.

"Er... What's wrong?" He knew he'd regret asking.

"L-Lucius w-was k-kissing another woman!" Narcissa sobbed, blowing her nose loudly on her handkerchief. Meanwhile, Nathanyel was making a mental list of all the men at the wedding with long hair. "He ch-cheats on me, I know it!" Her makeup was starting to run something fierce. "Oh, why can't h-he be a good, n-nice boy like you, Nathan-hic?" Nathanyel's eyes widened a bit and he quickly looked around the room to check again if there was anyone else present. There was no one; he gulped.

"Er... Well... He has his good points..." Nathanyel started backing away, but then her hand shot out and closed around his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Not like you, Nathanyel..." He tried to discreetly pry his arm away from her. "You're so kind and gentle..."

"No I'm not," he insisted, almost tripping over himself in an effort to escape. "I'm- ruthless- and- and heartless- oof!" He tripped backwards over a stool and toppled to the ground, Narcissa landing on top of him. She dug her thigh painfully into his groin, obviously thinking it was sexy, as he struggled to regain his breath.

"Have you ever been with a real woman, Nathanyel?" she asked huskily, the stench of alcohol pungent on her breath.

"I don't think-"

"Sh." She placed a finger over his mouth, smiling strangely at him, and he was just judging his best escape route when her lips suddenly smashed into his.

"Mmpf!" He twisted and struggled beneath her, trying to get away, but she apparently thought his movements were meant to be seductive. Her hands clamped tightly on his shoulders as she forced her tongue into his mouth, practically slobbering all over him and thrusting it in so far that he had to struggle not to gag. It wasn't exactly due to a gag reflex, though. He was about to bite her tongue clean off when the door opened. Shit. Lucius was going to kill him.

"What the fuck-"

"-Do you think you're doing, Page?" Narcissa rolled drunkenly off him, trying to look innocent, and he immediately jumped to his feet, shaking as he wiped his mouth. Severus and Sirius Black were standing in the doorway; they were both more shocked than they'd ever been before, which was evident since they had finished each other's sentences. Severus was staring at him with something akin to awe, while Sirius was in an outright seething rage- even though he didn't particularly like Narcissa, or the fact that she was marrying Lucius Malfoy, he was still very angry. To put it mildly.

"I... Er..." Nathanyel glanced at Narcissa, who was giggling on the floor. "She's drunk," he squeaked weakly, before falling to the floor in a dead faint.

---------------

"Hey! Nathanyel! Merlin, you're an idiot..." Nathanyel woke up to a stinging sensation spreading across his cheek, which he supposed was from a slap.

"Well, that worked rather well." Slowly, he cracked his eyes open to see that he was surrounded by a crowd. Severus and Lucius were both leaning over him, while Regulus and Mundungus stood back a ways, trying to avoid eye contact with Sirius.

"...What's going on?"

"You're at my wedding," Lucius drawled, scowling. "However, you were the one kissing the bride, as I hear it." Nathanyel groaned as he remembered... The incident. He couldn't believe that it had been his first kiss. It was a memorable moment, indeed, but not in a good way.

"It was against my will," he groaned, pushing himself up. "I was molested."

"And you fainted like a little girl," Severus added.

"Yes, and it was quite a pain carrying you out," Regulus sighed.

"He felt up your arse, by the way," Mundungus yawned.

"Would you fags shut it?" Sirius growled.

"Watch it, Black," Severus shot back.

"What are you going to do, Snape? Hex me?"

"The both of you need to shut up," Nathanyel grumbled, leaning heavily against Lucius. "Now."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Lucius sighed. "Anyway, you all get back to where you're supposed to be. I need to talk to the nitwit." He led Nathanyel out of the room and down the corridor to another one.

"This is your dressing room?"

"Yes." Lucius sat him down in a rather comfortable chair, then crossed his arms and glared. "Explain."

"I told you, already. She was drunk and she attacked me." Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Lucius. You know I wouldn't do something like that with her."

"Hm. Well, you do seem rather fond of men."

"I am." Lucius sighed.

"I suppose I can't hold you responsible, then."

"You aren't angry?"

"No." Nathanyel felt extremely relieved. "Anyway... Hold still."

"Why? What are you- oh!" Lucius had grabbed him rather forcefully and begun kissing his neck. "Are you- are you-"

"I'll fuck you, now." He was staring at Nathanyel rather intensely. "It's what you wanted, right?"

"...Would you kiss me?" Nathanyel was suddenly feeling rather shy, for some reason.

"I just did."

"I mean... On the lips." Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Please. There are better places to be kissed."

"But... Lucius..."

"Alright, alright. But if I kiss you, I won't fuck you. It's either or." Nathanyel bit his lip, thinking; it should have been easy to decide, but it just wasn't.

"Then... Then it's nothing." Lucius looked surprised. "I've been thinking a lot, and I've decided that I love you. Not like before, how a Nathanyel loves a Lucius. More like how a person loves another person more than anything else. So it has to be both together, or not at all. Otherwise, it just isn't."

"You've never made much sense."

"I know." Lucius took Nathanyel by the waist and pulled him into his lap. "Neither have you, though."

"Right." Nathanyel leaned in close to him, feeling rather... Content.

"Lucius... If I were a woman, would you marry me?" Lucius gave him a strange look.

"You're a weirdo, Nathanyel."

"Yeah. I guess I am." He tried to get a little closer and held onto Lucius tightly. "But I guess I just don't want to lose you." Lucius didn't say anything back.

----------------

Well, that's it for this chapter. I know, it was super long, but... Well, I guess now you know what took so long. Anyway (64 pages later) I'm rather proud of it. Just... Seeing it... Like... THIS! Anyway, the next chapter will be the last one, so get ready to cry. I'll probably write a sequel, though.

Next chapter: Severus gets his first kiss, Nathanyel experiences the wonders of a friends crush, Remus gets addicted to painkillers, and Lucius hates married life. Sounds good, no? No.