"You're sure you can watch him, protect him. Completely sure?" Narcissa Malfoy's expression was one of utmost concern as she set her glass down on the table between the sofa and the armchair that her companion occupied, and her voice wavered slightly. September first was approaching much too quickly for her comfort.
"If I were not sure, Narcissa, I wouldn't have taken the Vow." Snape did as excellent a job as ever at keeping any sign of irritation off his face and out of his voice. It wouldn't do, not right now, to have the woman become more upset. It was reassurance she was here for, after all. Reassurance and possibly something else. Something like escape.
"Despite my best efforts in Diagon Alley last week, he managed to slip away from me for a while and then refused to tell me where he had been or what he had been doing." She scooted closer to the edge of the seat, focused her eyes on his.
"Your best efforts are not mine."
"Are you suggesting that I'm a bad parent because I made one mistake?" There was a challenge in her tone.
"Certainly not." He took a sip of his own wine. "But you are only ever required to watch out for one. I, on the other hand, watch several."
"But you will watch Draco more closely than the others. Right?"
He sighed ever so slightly. "Yes. I swore to you that I would."
…...
Malfoy Manor became less and less a place she wanted to be with every day that passed. Headquarters for the Dark Lord and his followers, there was a constant supply of men (and some women) flowing in and out of her house and discussing - in great detail - things she didn't want to know anything about.
And then there was the matter of Bella living in her home, of being there nonstop. If she wasn't attending her master, she was hovering over Narcissa's shoulder as she wrote letters to Draco or to Snape.
And so Bella knew when Snape wrote her back saying that Draco was withdrawing more and more into himself, was rejecting all help that Snape tried to give him. And Bella knew when Draco wrote her back complaining about being treated like a child who didn't know how to carry out even the most mundane task.
Bella also knew that she wasn't talking to Lucius.
In short, Bella knew just about every detail of her sister's life - and Narcissa hated it more and more with each passing day.
…...
He wrote to say that he wouldn't be coming home for Christmas, and she cried for days.
A week later, she sat at breakfast with Bella. As her luck would have it, an owl flew in with a letter written in Snape's familiar scrawl. She'd barely opened in when her sister started asking questions.
"What's Snivellus got to say this time? Anything worth your while?"
Cissa narrowed her eyes slightly. "Nothing that concerns you." She tucked the letter away quickly, eager for evening. Severus would be there, to actually talk.
…...
"Mistress? Mister Snape is here. He sends his apologies if you are not ready, he says." The house elf spoke quickly.
Narcissa looked at the clock hanging in her bedroom. Two minutes to six. "Tell him I'll be right there." The elf bowed and hurried off to obey her command, and she turned back to her mirror. With one last look she turned and followed the path the little servant had taken, straight to the library.
He was facing awake from her, scanning one of the many shelves of unread books, when she entered. "I trust you're having a good evening, Narcissa." He turned around.
"As good as one can have here alone, Severus." She gestured to the seats before the fireplace and waited until he had sat before she did so. "Would you like anything to drink?"
He shook his head. "I have duties that are better done without the risk of being inhibited by alcohol, but I appreciate the offer."
"Of course." She cast a look around. "I understand it that you wanted to discuss Slughorn's party?"
He nodded. "In a manner of speaking. Draco was found lurking in the halls and claimed to have been invited. He wasn't."
"You did the same thing when we were in school."
"Not for the same reasons."
"But you still did it."
He sighed, looked into the fire. "I wasn't assigned a task such as Draco's, Narcissa, which you very well know. He's already suspected of having cursed the necklace that the Bell girl obtained in Hogsmeade."
"Who suspects him?" Her face showed concern.
"Potter." He watched her expression change to one of scorn. "Just because it's Potter doesn't mean Draco's excused. And Bellatrix has been teaching him Occlumency. He's not so skilled that I cannot break through when he is the least bit distracted, but skilled enough that when he is giving me his full attention, it is impossible."
She gave a slight nod.
"During our conversation, he let me know that he doesn't want me 'butting in.' It appears to be why he has failed - every time - to come to my office despite my repeated requests. He is proud; he fears my goal, my reason for trying to help him, is to take over for him."
Her eyes closed. "I fear for him."
And while she didn't vocalize it, she feared for Severus too.
…...
She had just finished dinner when the owl had come from Severus. Draco had been cursed. He was fine, but she could come to the school anyway, if she so desired.
…...
She sat next to her son's bed in the hospital wing, looking down at him. They'd left her alone with him for a while, by her request. But now Severus was back. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him. "Exactly what happened?" He hadn't given any details in writing.
"You have performed Legilimency?"
She shook her head. "No." So he gave her instructions, and for a moment she gaped at him. But then she remembered that he was expecting to be listened to, and that if she wanted to know exactly what happened this would be the best way. "Legilimens."
And she found herself in his mind.
She watched as Potter entered the bathroom and saw Draco standing there, crying. The sight of her son and the broken sound of his voice made her want to take a wand to the annoying dark-haired brat with him, just for intruding. But then she watched as Draco shot a hex and missed, shattering a lamp, and then proceeded to block the jinx fired at him.
The ghost in the bathroom tried to make them stop, but there was no way she could put an end to the duel between the two of them. They shot a couple more spells at each other, missing, and then Draco started to use the Cruciatus. But before the full spell was out of his mouth, Potter had yelled a spell that she hadn't heard in years.
Sectumsempra.
Severus' invention.
Severus had sworn to protect her son, and it was because of him that the young man now lay here.
Despite the fresh flare of anger that surged through her, she kept watching the memory. She forced herself to stay silent as, before her eyes, her son collapsed with blood flowing freely from his chest and face. His white shirt was stained, the water turning crimson, and Potter had the nerve to just sit by him.
And then Severus was there, shoving the golden boy out of his way and working his counter-curse not once, not twice, but thrice.
She pulled out of his mind at that point, not wanting to see anything else that followed, and was silent.
He gave her one look and left without a word.
…...
It was late that night when she made her way down to the dungeons. She had never been to Snape's quarters before, though she knew exactly where they were. Her feet certainly acted as though they had made the trip plenty of times; they moved as if of their own accord, until she was before his door. She raised her hand and knocked on the wood softly.
He opened up quickly, and she was glad to see that he was still in his robes. Did he have patrol tonight? Or had he just not gotten ready to go to bed, yet? Regardless of the reason, he was there. And his face didn't show much surprise at seeing her. "Narcissa. Please, come in."
She obliged quickly, looking around as he closed the door behind her. The place was similar to his home at Spinner's End - filled with books. There was a fireplace, with a fire currently charmed not to put off heat, with a couple chairs before it. Without invitation, she sat in one. And within only a couple moments he was sitting across from her. He had barely sat down when she looked up, met his gaze, and spoke. "He could have died. Would have, if you hadn't been near."
"I told you before that I have unique ways to keep track of my students, Narcissa."
Her voice wavered slightly when she spoke next, but there was anger in it too. "Yes, so unique that you allow Potter in a room with my son - alone. You almost set it up for him to die!"
He worked his jaw. "It may have escaped your notice, Narcissa, but I was near enough to prevent it from happening. You should be thankful."
"Thankful that he'll have the marks the rest of his life? That you practically taught Potter the damned curse that caused this?" She stood up, started to draw her wand.
But he was faster, and had closed the space between them so that their bodies were pressed up against each other. He gripped her wand hand tightly, worked the wand from between her fingers. "Yes. Because he is still alive."
The words seemed to take the fight out of her somewhat; she relaxed against him, and as she did, both became all too aware that they could feel every ridge on each other. He didn't let go of her arm, and she didn't move. Instead, they stared at each other and in the flickering of the flames, Narcissa recognized the hunger in the man's eyes for what it really was.
He bent his head to kiss her, tentatively at first. And when she responded, instead of pulling away like he thought she would, he deepened it. She closed her eyes until he was nipping at her lower lip and shivers were already beginning to run through her. Lucius had never succeeded in making her feel like this over just a kiss.
And as she felt his erection grow, she wondered what it would feel like to do other things with this man.
It didn't take long to find out. Within moments she found herself undressing him, She squirmed as he insisted on doing the same to her, and then she decided that there could be no foreplay. If she didn't have him now, she was going to go mad. So she was the one tugging at his hand, leading him through the doorway that looked like it led to his bedroom.
She was rewarded, though as soon as they were through the doorway, he took over their progress. And when they got to the bed, he pressed her into the mattress. He slid into her, just enough that she gasped and her head fell back. He paused, seemed to have second thoughts for a moment. "Lucius..."
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Is in Azkaban. And you're here. You've always been here." He slid a little further. "Please, Severus. I need this. You." Her voice seemed to hitch at the end.
"Then tell me to fuck you." His voice was muffled against her throat.
"It needs to be said?" She squirmed beneath him, and he lost control.
He wasn't gentle, but Narcissa loved every moment of it. And when they lay together, afterward, she rolled over to look at him. Her fingers traced his jaw, down his neck, to scars littered across his chest and shoulders. "Severus?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?" His voice was heavy with sleep.
"This."
He gave a half-amused snort. "Go to sleep, Narcissa. You'll regret saying that in the morning."
Ah, how wrong he was.