Two Old Friends

Chapter 5

"I don't understand why you throw such a fit over that. You got your revenge," Adriana tells me sternly.

"But the embarrassment was still there and for the next two years that haunted me," I say darkly.

"Hmph. Well, I don't really care. I managed to get off, so did you. I had more important things to worry about." That reminds me.

"Oh, you poor, simple minded, idiot," I say mirthfully. Adriana glares at me.

"Thank you, for that very flattering word of comfort," she replies. "Granted, I was stupid when it came to Lucius, but I was in love."

"No you weren't, you were blinded by diamonds and lust."

"I do believe I know what I was feeling, and it wasn't just lust and attraction to pretty things."

"I find that very hard to believe."

"You know what," she points matter-of-factly, obviously trying to find what exactly she's going to use as her argument. I raise my eyebrows, welcoming whatever she has to say. "There was something there, between me and him. It's because he was a man, and one of the more stupid ones at that, is why he didn't realize it," she says defensively.

"Adriana, he was terrible to you and you know it! You get on my case because I won't let something go. It's my turn to lecture you - it's been about twenty odd years since that whole ordeal, it's time for you to get over it," I say to her irritably. She sits back and crosses her arms and glares at a speck on the table.

"Well... You were hung upside down and forced to flash the entire school! Look who's the idiot," she says. I roll my eyes. "And it's kind of hard to get over it when that bastard wouldn't take any responsibility and completely disregarded Rosalyn, making me feel like dirt and worthless in the process."

"I warned you, Adriana."

"Oh, shut it," she snaps irritably. I grin amusedly as she sneers. I love it when I'm right.

"It still surprises me that it lasted two years," I say honestly. "I figured he'd break it off after a few months."

"Thank you, Severus. You can stop now," she said.

"I'm serious."

"There is no way that I will allow you to defend him."

"I'm not defending him, I'm simply speaking my mind. Isn't this what those funny little heart-to-heart conversations you claim we needed are about?"

"Hmph."

"So, after graduation and all that fun stuff that comes with sixth year, we were found with a new Head of House because Gabriel got caught trying to give information to the Dark Lord, and so Slughorn was pulled out of retirement.

"Aye, yes. I'm personally surprised that Dumbledore never noticed," Adriana says musingly.

"He has a habit of trusting people and is occasionally wrong. Anyway--and then after seventh year we were sent off to the world to make our fortune."

"This is also when most of us became Death Eaters,"
Adriana added.

"Yes, very true. I never quite understood why you joined."

"I never did, either," Adriana says, almost sadly.

~*~

"Finally, we're free from that damned Muggle-loving fool," Avery said disdainfully, taking off his green graduation hat and yanking off the silver tassel that was obviously irritating him.

"Do we not like the hat?" Bella asked as Avery cursed the tassel, causing it to burst to flames.

"Well, nothing better than celebrating our graduation and legal-ability to use magic than burning our hats," I said dryly.

"Congrats, you lot," Lucius Malfoy's voice said silkily as he approached us from behind. Adriana turned around and grinned casually at the man. He returned it. "You successfully survived seven years at Hogwarts under that Mudblood-lover's overly large nose. You deserve a night out."

"Do we really?" Avery asked, almost in awe. Lucius ignored him.

"You lot ought to change and I'll take you out for drinks where you will meet your potential future comrades." Adriana and I exchanged glances, though I knew she wouldn't take it as a bad thing considering she was ready to give him a blow job at any minute, we both knew he was only here to recruit us, not congratulate us.

"We will meet at my own home. If you do not know where it is, Severus, Bellatrix, and Adriana all know where it is. I suggest you go with them." He looked over us with his superior smirk and disapparated. Rosier and Avery were overwhelmed with excitement. The rest of us shrugged, as Adriana looked very thoughtful, probably wondering what to wear. The lot of us disapparated after agreeing to meet at Bellatrix's house.

I got home and found Father sitting in my living room with all my furniture and belongings from my basement surrounding him. I stood, confused.

"You are legally an adult. I am legally no longer responsible for you. Leave," he said. I stared.

"But -"

"Do you dare to contradict me, boy?" he growled.

"No, but..."

"Then go." I furrowed my eyebrows and decided not to push it. Fury boiling inside me, though my expression neutral, I cast a levitation spell and left the house, my belongings following me. I walked about a block and then stopped. Where the bloody hell was I going? I turned around, tempted to go back and get my revenge for my seventeen years of abuse and only paying enough attention to me to teach me Dark Magic, but a fear inside me wouldn't allow me to take a step. The fury turned to terror. No matter how many curses and spells I had learned under his nose and behind his back, I couldn't possibly use them against him. Nothing in the world had given me more shivers of horror under my slightly scarred skin. I then ran. I ran away from home, I ran away from that neighbourhood. I ran. I then disapparated to London, my things under my control followed me. I paused to try and think. I shook my head. I thought of going to the Leaky Cauldron to check out a room, but I had no money. I realized how ridiculous I must have looked in a green robe and lopsided hat and took that opportunity to take off my green robe.

After shedding myself of those over-robes, I went down to Knocturn Alley and poked my head in some shop windows, wondering what to do about my predicament. I decided I would ask Lucius to house me until I got a flat of my own. I then noticed a Help Wanted sign outside a potions shop window. I took it and went into the shop.

"I hope I can fill this role," I said, handing the man at the counter the sign. He had greasy hair and badly combed moustache and mismatched coloured eyes. He looked me up and down and handed me a parchment and a quill. I took them.

"You look hardly out of school, boy. I doubt you'll get it," he mentioned as I began to fill it out. I looked at him.

"I'm beyond my years and have plenty of experience in the field of potions," I convinced him. As I filled out the parchment the door opened and came in a customer, so I scooted out of the way so he could talk to the man at the counter.

"Mr. Snape?" inquired a voice. I looked up and saw it to be Professor Gabriel. His hair was lank and slightly tousled. Apparently since Dumbledore openly fired him and convinced most of the Wizarding Community that he was a Death Eater (not the Ministry, though. They couldn't find any evidence against him), he couldn't scrounge up enough money to keep himself groomed.

"Professor," I said in surprise. My then ex-teacher gave a smirk of approval.

"I always knew you were the best of my students, getting ahead and applying for a job before the evening is out. Mr. Gergo, I suggest you hire him on the spot; he has broken multiple grade records in Potions and I know he knows more than what is taught at Hogwarts," Gabriel said, putting a hand on my shoulder. The man at the counter, now revealed as Mr. Gergo, eyed me again. I signed my parchment and set the quill down. I handed Mr. Gergo my parchment and Gabriel steered me aside.

"Severus, I saw that Lucius Malfoy was talking to you after the ceremony, so I understand that he is guiding you to the Dark Lord?" His eyes had an odd light that if I said no he would then take me to the Dark Lord himself. I nodded, slightly perplexed as to how he saw the ceremony.

"Yes, sir, he is."

"Good, good. I look forward to seeing you in the circle," he said. He patted me on the back one more time. "I suggest you get going, then." I did just that and left him to purchase whatever he was there to purchase. I took my things and disapparated to Lucius's home. Lucius answered the door. When he saw that it was me, he looked rather irritated.

"It took you long enough. And when I said change, I meant in formal wear," he said, sneering at my clothes. I rolled my eyes.

"I need a place to stay after your little party," I said. His lip curled and stepped aside. I knew that he was letting me in for as long as I needed when he let me in his home and I knew he understood why I needed a place to stay.

"You know where the guest room is, put your stuff in there. I implore that you bathe and change your robes, as well." I nodded, and went to his guest room. I did as he requested in what I felt ought to be an all-new record in less than ten minutes. I wandered to the lounge of Lucius's house and found all of my classmates and Lucius himself. Adriana and he were talking, both being very close to each other and I saw Lucius's hand move from her waist to her thigh. I cleared my throat and the two looked over at me along with everyone else.

"About time," Lucius said, standing up. "All right, we are meeting with more of your upperclassmen and people you may not know if you are not as benefited as Severus, Bella, and I to have grown up in a long line of Slytherins. We are meeting at the Dark Rose restaurant in London. If you are not there within ten minutes," he glanced at me, I rolled my eyes, "I suggest you go back to your homes. Punctuality is a must." He dissapparated, then I did.

I found myself at a very elaborate restaurant that had black roses growing on the fences. I strode in and found Lucius and several other people at a table and I joined them. Adriana was the next person to join us and I stood up to let her slide into the booth to sit next to Lucius, as I knew that he would wish to molest her and it would be easier if I wasn't in between the two of them. I took notice of how short her dress was and wondered whether it was another 'gift' from Lucius. She threw her head back and a ridiculously large rock blinded us all that sat on a velvet collar on her neck. Lucius pulled her hair back and pushed it to the shoulder opposite of the one closest to him and graced her neck with three light kisses. She grinned at me. Lucius introduced Adriana and I to few people I recognized and more I didn't. Lestrange, Bellatrix, Wilkes, Rosier, and Avery all arrived within a moment of each other.

"The Dark Lord will be happy with the turn out of Slytherins. Well done, Lucius," Narcissa Black said approvingly. Lucius beamed. They then went straight to business after ordering drinks. Most of us listened as Lucius, Narcissa, and the other older Death Eaters discussed why we were chosen to join them for dinner and their expectations of us when, note the lack of if, we choose to accept the Dark Mark and prove ourselves to the Dark Lord. As they continued to lecture, I noticed that Adriana's breathing became unsteady. I looked at her and saw tiny beads of sweat at her temples and her mouth was open. I looked down and realized why her dress was so short - easier for Lucius's hand to find its way to her area. I shook my head and tried to ignore the two of them.

"Mudbloods and Half-bloods and other such dirt are polluting the full blooded magi of our community. And with their own theory of Natural Selection, since we are more stable and advanced than the Muggles themselves, we have every right to reclaim our turf. They are undereducated and have not evolved fast enough to live on this Earth any longer. We do not need to hide our superiority of their simple minds any longer and that is why you are here. As graduates of your school and honorary members of the Slytherin House you are being considered for the opportunity of a lifetime. You are being offered to be a soldier for the Dark Lord and his plans to reclaim the world that is rightfully ours, all of it," Lucius said imposingly, taking his hand away from Adriana and grabbing a napkin.

My classmates appeared apprehensive but excited. I saw a glimmer of righteousness in Bellatrix's eye and her mouth curled into a cruel grin.

"When can we begin?" she asked in an eager whisper. Narcissa gave her a knowing look from the corner of her eye.

"First, little sister, you have to pass the test."

"For what?" Macnair demanded.

"To make sure you will be completely loyal to our cause," Lucius purred.

"Are you accusing us of being disloyal to our forefathers?" Bella demanded.

"No, Bellatrix, but there must be precautions made," Narcissa said. "You will be taken to the next meeting for the Dark Lord to inspect and select. You will be notified via owl when and where the meeting will be held." We ate our dinners and discussed what the meeting would hold and then bid our goodbyes and left, Adriana, Lucius, and I went back to Lucius's home. The only draw back to having a rich, older friend to let me stay at his manor until I got on my own feet was that I had to listen to his and Adriana's foreplay.

Then next week I got an owl from the little shop from Knocturn Alley asking me to come in for a job interview as potions master. I eagerly wrote a reply.

Feeling particularly proud of myself, I strutted out of that guest room and into the kitchen with breakfast on my mind. Adriana sat on the stool at the bar near the second kitchen. There are two kitchens in Lucius's elegant home. The bigger one is where the house elves cook and the smaller one is where the bar stands with two stools where one can fetch food and talk to whoever is there. This kitchen opens up to the lounge. Adriana sat on this stool in her robe speaking to Lucius about something she had gotten in the owl post.

"I think I'm going to go into Defenders' School now I know I can afford it," Adriana was saying, looking over the parchment.

"What's going on?" I inquired.

"I've inherited a crap load of money from my parents Gringott's account," Adriana told me, giving me the letter. I read it. 'Crap load' was an understatement.

"This is ridiculous," I said, more to myself than Adriana. Adriana took it the wrong way, though, and thought it as an expression of shock than slight envy.

"Isn't it? I won't have to work. I'm going to go to Defenders' School and work as a Wizard's Defender." My exclamation of ridicule was still progressing in my mind. I felt envy of my orphaned friend. I was rooming with my ridiculously wealthy acquaintance searching for a job and hopefully a cheap flat or if I was lucky, a really cheap house, I couldn't dare to hope for advancing my education. And here was Adriana, waving about a notice for inheriting the easiest life she could imagine. My good mood had dispersed and I felt unreasonably angry with her. As if it were her choice that her mother had died and her father was sent to Azkaban and their money had no one else to go to except for her sister who had already established herself.

"Well... Good for you then," I stiffly and ushered myself to the ice box, trying to divert my attention to food that I didn't have any hunger for.