A Cloud Before the Moon

Adams introduced himself as Eamon FitzGerald and followed the greenish pointy-eared little creature into an anteroom decorated in a lugubriously baroque style. It was a room clearly designed to intimidate the visitor with large grim, looming furniture, dark impersonal angles, ornate and haughty curves. The little munchkin-creature seemed to look at him rather oddly, when it seemed to him that he was the one who should (but dared not) be doing the gawking. "Please to wait here, sir. Master Severus will be down shortly." The ersatz wizard arched his eyebrows and curled his lip haughtily at the funny-looking thing, who gave him one last puzzled glance and scurried off.

A few moments later, the door opened and in walked a tall slender woman with long raven-black hair piled on her head in an intricate hairstyle. She would have been quite attractive except for the disagreeable expression on her face, which suggested that the object in her vision offended her delicate sensibilities. As it happened, he was the object in her vision, and she smiled at him unpleasantly. "Oh this is just perfect." she sneered. "If he is trying to embarrass me, this should do the trick."

Snape's voice came from behind her. "Then you need not accompany us, Mother. Feel free to stay home."

She turned around to face her son. "Just look what you've dragged home. What's the matter? Even that silly girl wouldn't have you, I suppose, so you had to resort to - this?" she spat, waving her arm dismissively at Adams.

Snape spoke very softly. "You might want to show some proper manners to Mr. FitzGerald. Then again, that is merely a suggestion."

Adams suppressed a shudder. The expression on Snape's face made it clear that it would be a very good idea for her to take his suggestion. The mother grimaced, pasted a frozen grin on her lips, and turned to him. "Mr. FitzGerald," she drawled unctuously, "it is a real pleasure to meet you. I've heard such lovely things about you from my dear Severus. Why, I can see that you and he must be perfect together. A match made in heaven! Now you will excuse me; for some reason I find myself feeling a bit ill." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, calling "Fippy! I need you this instant!"

The two men were now alone in the room. "Perhaps it is fortunate the journey is short" murmured Snape. "By the way, you have passed the test."

"You mean I've ticked off your mum? Didn't take much talent to do that."

"No, I meant that you've fooled the house-elf. She should be able to recognize a Muggle."

"She did look at me a bit funny."

Snape looked thoughtful. "We can't have that. If she sensed something, so will the Malfoys' house-elf. Perhaps another goblet of the potion will do it."

"Ugh! That stuff tastes like extract of tire treads in sour milk."

"I believe you said you would like to go home from the party as a living being. Am I mistaken?" Adams made it clear he was not, and resigned himself to imbibing some more of the awful elixir.

Snape brought Adams back to his chamber, then carried their gifts and supplies outside. His mother stood by the carriage, giving the driver instructions as to how to load a very large portrait of the Malfoy family into the back of the vehicle. "You might want to shrink it for the trip", he suggested, reaching into his robe for a small vial.

"And drive up with a gift that looks like a mere nothing? This whole - experience - is sufficiently humiliating - I won't be embarrassed further."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Then you can walk. There is no way that thing is going to fit in the back of the carriage."

"Well, that is just silly. However," she added hopefully, "it would be perfectly fine if we could push the portrait into the passenger compartment. Your friend could simply apparate, and you can accompany him into the house when we get there."

"I think not." Despite his mother's protests, he flicked his wand, and the painting shrunk to a manageable size. The driver slipped it into the back of the carriage.

"Was that absolutely necessary?" she fumed.

"Yes."

"No decent wizard treats his mother this way. But then, you've never showed any signs of decency." She paused, and her voice became smooth and conspiratorial. "Severus, you know, I can't help wondering. That girl, why was she here?"

"That is none of your business."

"But it is rather odd, I mean, if anyone should ask..."

He screwed up his face skeptically. "Why would anyone ask? Who would know, other than from you?"

"Well, I really have no idea, but..."

Snape walked over and stood with his face near hers. "Never mind. I will gladly explain. I was taking care of a certain matter for Lucius. He wanted it kept quiet. I was the logical choice because this is the sort of thing I do, and - I was at one time acquainted with Miss Faraday. Lucius felt, quite correctly, that I might be able to persuade her to listen to reason."

"Perhaps Narcissa should know about this!" exclaimed the woman indignantly.

"I do not think Lucius would much appreciate that, Mother. I do not think he would wish the matter addressed at all. Do you comprehend what I am telling you?"

She nodded tersely. The discussion was finished. Snape sent Fippy inside to fetch Mr. FitzGerald, and they soon set off.

On the way to the Malfoys, Adams kept up a persistent, aggressive and seemingly sincere campaign to ingratiate himself with Madame Snape. The beleaguered woman had a look of desperation in her eyes as she tried to escape Mr. FitzGerald's kind attentions without angering her son. For his part, Severus sat silent and expressionless, but Adams had the impression he found the situation highly amusing.

After a fairly brief journey (though not brief enough for Madame Snape's taste, no doubt), they pulled up in front of a huge formal garden, brightly lit along the paths by blazing torches. Fireflies clustered among the hedges and scattered in patterns Adams was certain could not have been the result of natural distribution, highlighting graceful willow branches and silhouetting fanciful topiaries. As they approached the front gate, a large ugly creature in gold and green livery sidled up to the carriage door. Adams recognized it as a security troll. Snape handed the troll a parchment, which it pretended to read. However, all it could actually recognize was the Malfoy herald. "Is good." it reassured them with a threatening growl. The coachman came around and opened the door.

They exited the carriage and approached the massive front door of a manor that looked like nothing so much as a replica of the Palace of Versailles, which Adams had once visited on a family trip. His sisters had been enchanted. His brothers and he had made fun of the portraits of the men in their lace collars and stockings; he suppressed a grin as he considered what Danny or Luke would say if they saw him now. Snape must have noticed the expression on his face, because as they made their entrance and were announced, Snape glared at him. Adams shrugged sheepishly.