Interlude in the Forbidden Forest
Disclaimer: Everything belongs in Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling
Severus Snape trudged down the beaten track that led down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was after midnight and it had been a long, wearisome day. Earlier on around lunchtime, Death Eaters had attacked Hogsmeade. Of course chaos, hysteria and terror took hold of the Hogwarts students; people fleeing, hiding or shouting out for their friends.
Snape had never felt so much power than he did this afternoon. It had been electrifying…he was not officially part of the Death Eaters yet, but Malfoy who had graduated last year, had told him that it would only be a matter of time. Snape had not taken any active part in the attack because the Dark Lord held it would be foolish, but Snape had been instrumental in placing a Portkey so the Death Eaters could enter unencumbered.
Just listening to all the screams and the shrieks was…he could not even begin to describe it. From his secure vantage point of behind a tree, it was satisfying watching students who had laughed at him now run in fear. He had held out a faint hope that Potter would somehow be critically injured and Lily, his precious Lily, would fall into his arms and breathe out that she had always loved him, not Potter. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case.
He had seen a frantic Lily cry hoarsely above the din for Potter while pushing against the panicked students who were racing past her to the exit of Hogsmeade. Potter had eventually (much to Snape's chagrin) emerged unscathed, albeit a bloodied cheek and a torn robe, but he was still in one piece. Snape kicked out at a stray pebble when he recalled Lily's choked sob as she saw him appear limping and leaning on Black for support and the nausea that filled him when Lily flew into Potter's arms and the two snogged each other senseless. It was just not fair.
The sight of a seventh year with blonde hair that cascaded down her back creeping across the silent grounds broke Snape out of his despondent reverie and a faint sneer crossed his face. Narcissa Black. Curiosity filled him and he stealthily followed her, making sure he kept to the shadows. He was by now very experienced in following people undetected, mostly due to his prying into Lily and Potter's dates together.
He pressed himself against a large, leafy oak tree that was completely submerged in the shadows and waited.
"Lucius?" Narcissa whispered hoarsely, her midnight blue eyes flashing.
A hand snaked out of the tree behind her and took her by the hand, making her gasp in an unlady-like manner.
"Surprised are you, Cissy dear?" drawled a familiar voice.
"No," replied Narcissa primly, "Just surprised that you would grab at me like some common lout in Diagon Alley," though it was obvious to Snape's ears, and to Lucius', Snape was sure, that Narcissa had been startled but being the good Pureblood witch she was, she would never dare admit to something as foolish as that.
Lucius chuckled darkly, coming out from the darkness of the trees, the moon casting shadows over his patrician face. "My, my—you are a wit, Cissy."
At that, the ice-queen demeanour that Narcissa wore so well at school melted away and she stared at Lucius intensely, the atmosphere becoming heavy and so deathly silent that Snape held his breath, afraid of being discovered. Lucius held out his arms, his slate grey eyes inscrutable and she stepped into his embrace.
"I had to wait for ages for the other girls to go to sleep," Narcissa murmured, "They were still shaken after this afternoon's events and chattered non-stop about it which was very tiresome."
"Were you frightened?" Lucius asked in an odd voice.
Narcissa lifted her head from his chest and unwaveringly looked into Lucius' piercing eyes. "No," she said quietly. "I just remember feeling vaguely irritated at all the fuss people were making."
Something like pride flittered through Lucius' eyes and then they became expressionless as the grey skies in August.
"My blood-traitor cousin and his block-head friend Potter were trying to be heroic and took on some of your lot…I wanted to hex them for their insolence for if they had-had—" then her voice broke off and Snape stifled a smile as he saw the usually unruffled Narcissa become flustered.
"Were you actually worried about me of all people?" Lucius asked. Snape could practically hear the smirk in his voice.
Narcissa licked her lips, obviously caught. Lucius was daring her, that much was for sure, to express her real feelings. Whenever Snape had seen them at public functions or when Malfoy had still been at Hogwarts, the couple had been coolly perfunctory together, an emotionless ice couple. They were the inscrutable, haughty and blonde couple that never kissed or made any public displays of affection. They had never been like Lily and Potter who would waltz around Hogwarts kissing, touching or laughing together. To see Narcissa and Malfoy like this, without their icy veneer, was certainly new to Snape and he was enthralled.
"Yes, I was," Narcissa said in an almost defiant tone as if she were bracing herself for him to sneer at her or laugh.
To Snape's surprise, Lucius pulled her to him with a low growl and his lips met hers with a raw intensity. Snape knew he should leave but he could not move for fear of giving himself away, so he simply stared, transfixed at the couple.
Narcissa's hands delved into Lucius' hair while his hands engulfed her body avidly, running up and down her sides teasingly and lingeringly. He backed her against the tree, his body nor lips moving an inch from her. A soft sigh escaped her lips and her head lolled to one side as Lucius trailed kisses down her creamy neck that glowed oddly under the light of the moon that flittered through the gaps in the thick leaves.
"Narcissa?"
"Hmm?" Narcissa breathed, her eyes fluttering closed as Lucius nuzzled her neck.
"Was the spot I told you to-to hide in—adequate during this afternoon's events?"
Snape quirked an eyebrow. Was that concern he actually heard in the ever-so smug and arrogant Malfoy?
Her eyes slid open, an unusually warm smile lighting her countenance that Snape had never seen her use for anyone at Hogwarts in all the time he had known her. She raised his face hers, his grey mercurial eyes boring into her fathomless midnight ones.
"Yes Lucius, it was fine," she answered, a hand trailing gently down the side of his face.
"Good," Lucius said roughly. "You know that I would never—" his voice broke off as if he couldn't bring himself to utter the last few words and captured her lips in his own instead.
Eventually they broke apart, both breathless and their foreheads resting together.
"You'd better get back before that Muggle-addled Headmaster catches you out."
"Yes, I suppose I must," Narcissa said reluctantly, stepping back from Lucius and righting her uniform.
"I suppose the next time I see you will be at your dear father's," Lucius said silkily, pulling the hood back over his face.
"Luckily Bella will not be present."
Lucius gave an unholy laugh. "Your family does leave a lot to be desired, Cissy—what with a sister who is half-mad and the other who ran off with a Muggle."
"I only have one sister, Malfoy. You remember that," Narcissa coolly replied.
Lucius smirked. "I will try to remember that, Black."
Snape looked on puzzled at this barbed exchange. Lucius' eyes were glinting with malicious pleasure while Narcissa was completely glacial. He wondered if this was some sort of elaborate game the pair played.
"Goodnight, Lucius."
"Goodnight, Cissy. I promise I will be the most proper pureblood wizard for your parents. They need not know the less savoury details of what the Malfoy heir gets up to in his spare time, nor need they know what their lovely paragon of virtue indulges in."
Narcissa feigned innocence. "I'm nothing but virtuous, Lucius."
"You were until you met me," Lucius said almost sinisterly in the night, his eyes gleaming.
Narcissa gave a smirk that appeared to Snape uncannily like Malfoy's as she kissed Lucius lingeringly on the lips. "You can't claim all the credit," she said huskily.
"Until next week, Cissy," he breathed darkly.
"Until next week," she answered and walked away from him, leaving Lucius staring after her with an expression that Snape couldn't discern. Then after a few minutes, Lucius disapparated with a soft pop.
Somehow, Snape had beaten Narcissa back to the Common Room. He felt strangely energised so he pulled out a Potions textbook and settled down on the couch to read, though his eyes weren't really focused on the text.
His head shot up when the Common Room door slid open. "I wonder where you've been tonight, Narcissa?"
"Just for a walk, Severus. Listening to all those gawking girls go on and on about this afternoon was enough to give me a headache."
"A walk, of course," Snape sneered, looking pointedly at her mussed hair and red marks on her neck.
Narcissa lifted her chin haughtily, her icy eyes boring down into him and her back ramrod straight. "Goodnight Severus," she said stiffly and like royalty—like a Malfoy—she ascended the stairs to the girls' dormitories.
After she disappeared, Snape threw down his book with frustration. Even cold, arrogant Malfoy had someone to love him! Lily never spared him a glance…it seemed everyone had someone but Snape and he had never felt more alone in his life. But the one thing that kept him up was the thought of the Dark Lord fulfilling his deepest desire: eliminating Potter and leaving Lily for Snape. It was a hope so long held, so precious that Snape had never voiced it to anyone but the Dark Lord who had sensed it in him from the beginning. Snape had to hope it would come true. He had to.
Please review and tell me what you think!
A/N: I thought it would be very interesting to tell L/N and J/P's relationship from Snape's POV who I think would be quite the observer. I personally can imagine Snape spying on L/J on their dates etc. and I really wanted to show L/N while they were still in Hogwarts (or at least Narcissa was!) I hope the characterisations were OK!