The harsh downpour beat mercilessly against the large decorated windows of the grand manor, letting all inside know that a full force storm was outside. Large rainclouds, black and grey in colour, blocked what little light the sun gave. It was a mid-winter evening in the Wiltshire countryside and the brutal storm had been brewing since that morning. Hardly anybody left their homes and those who did were not touched by a single drop of rain.

It was dark inside the manor, the main light coming from a roaring fire that was lit in the centre of the study's marble fireplace. Candles were lit around the room, their flames flickering and dancing. the study was a large room, expected of such a grand house, and the walls were lined with shelf upon shelf of books. The majority of these books were leatherbound, all proudly kept in best condition. Although the room was clean it had a smell of old books, combined with the smell of smoke. Smoke from the thousands of fires that had been lit in the room over many years. The large room held many shadows that ranged in size. In one of these shadows stood a baby grand piano.

A man was sat at the piano, surrounded by darkness. His hands moved swiftly over the ivory keys, his long fingers pressing down on each key with practised precision. The notes ran into one another to create a tune that spread around the room, drowning out the sound of the rain and the crackle of the fire. the man did not make a single sound himself. He played tune after tune with no sheet music, each note perfect. The man showed many years of practice as he hit each ket with his eyes closed, listening to each note as it resounded around the room.

A single spider has escpaed the regular cleaning the room recieved. It scurried acoss the ceiling and down the beautifully carved coving. It made its way down the wall to the mahogany doorframe before continuing on to the edge of the door. It scurried back up the wall as the door was pushed open from the other side. A tall man entered the room, his footsteps accompanied by the click of his black cane as it hit the floor. Over all, the piano was loudest and the tune flowed out into the rest of the manor. The man's long hair flowed down his back, his hair so blond it was almost white. The playing continued as the door closed again. The blond man paused for a moment, listening to the amazing music. The man behind the piano stopped playing at the end of his song, his dark eyes watching the intruder of his privacy. The blond man walked to stand beside the piano, on hand on the smooth lid of the instrument.

"You play well." The man complimented his guest. There was something in his tone of voice that said he was there to talk about something other than music. He placed his cane on the top of the piano, the snake head handle stopping the cane from rolling off. The piano player raised an eyebrow, not saying a word. The blond continued. "You know she is out for blood now."

A low laugh rang around the room, the piano player finding something incredibly funny. "Oh no. Is scary Bellatrix going to kill me? Give me a break Lucius." He snapped and rolled his eyes. He rested his fingers on a few keys and played a few notes before speaking again. "She doesn't even love her husband so why should she care that I beat him up?" He shrugged.

Lucius looked more annoyed and slammed the cover down, the man barely having enough time to pull back before it covered the keys. "Listen to me.." Lucius snarled, bending down so he was at equal height with his guest. "You will regret what you did. She is on the warpath. You know Bellatrix hates you already. Being a halfblood who beats up Rodolphus Lestrange, pureblooded death eater. You won't live for much longer."

The man behind the piano jumped back when the over was slammed down. He stood at full height, a few inches taller than Lucius. "Damn it!" He snapped angrily but quickly regained his cool composure. He glared at his friend. In contrast to Lucius, the man had black hair and eyes so dark that they too were black. "I do not care. She does not scare me. Do I need to spell it out for you?! She is simply a spoilt brat who can handle a wand. In all the years we have fought not once has she been able to win."

"But neither have you." Lucius pointed out, picking up his cane off the piano and letting the end fall to the wooden floor with another click. "Severus, listen to me. You will be lucky to last the next few days. Watch yourself." He said as a warning, knowing full well that Severus would not care.

Severus scoffed and walked past Lucius, heading towards the door. "You'll see Lucius." He said as he walked out of the door, the tails of his black coat flapping around his thighs.

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Thank You For Reading. I Have Been Working On This Chapter For A While Now And Have Finally Gotten A Chance To Upload It. I Used To Write Fics And Have Just Come Back To It. Please Review And I Will Update As Soon As I Can.

Thank You Again,

Alice.

Xx