Title: Choices
Author: dem bones
Genres: Romance/Humour
Pairing: Rabastan/Snape, side Rodolphus/Bellatrix, side Lucius/Narcissa, side Elphinstone/McGonagall
Summary: Over the winter holiday, Severus Snape is staying at the Rosiers and Rabastan happens to stop by with the intention to woo Snape. Will he succeed?
A/N: This was written for the Slashy Marauders Holiday Competition by OCDdegrassi. It can also be read as a side story to Order of Pendragon.
Disclaimer: I do not own HP.
HP
Over the winter, Severus Snape was staying with Evan's family. The Rosiers had a place in Hogsmeade near Hogwarts the only place he'd ever call home.
Unfortunately Rosier's family was also closely related to the Blacks. It just so happened that the Blacks were invited to a party that Evan's mother had arranged.
Lucius and Narcissa were the first to drop by.
"Will we expecting Black as well?" Snape asked.
"Which Black? There is Regulus and then there is Sirius." Lucius teased.
"The latter."
"You don't even address him by name?"
"That dunderhead doesn't deserve to be called by his first name, it would be dishonorable."
Narcissa tried to stiffle her laugh with her hands.
"He isn't coming. Walburga has had him removed from the family tree so he won't be showing up this time." She said with malicious glee.
"How are you and Evans?" Lucius asked.
"We're no longer friends." Snape replied.
"Cried out all your tears, already?"
"Shut up!"
"If I knew you'd sulk about it I wouldn't have offered since all you'll ever amount to is a useless drunk like your father."
"Take that back, Pretty boy! You better watch it, word has it I know more hexes than most first years." Snape retorted smoothly pointing his wand at Lucius.
"Whoa steady! Ok, just lower the wand. How can I resist such a pretty face?"
"Back off Lucius." Snape snarled.
"The Dark Lord is looking for new recruits. He's looking for people to join him. I asked you Severus because I've heard you've become quite a powerful wizard."
"Is that an attempt at flattery?"
"After all we've heard, we thought you'd be pleased. What better time then now to have an opportunity to boast about the good the Dark Lord will bring to the Wizarding World." Bellatrix uttered as she made a grand entrance with her husband, Rodolphus.
"Oh I see Miss Sexy has finally appeared, where's your brother in law?"
"Rabastan will be dropping by later." Bellatrix said with a wink. "He wants to give you a present."
"Why Severus I didn't know you held a fascination with guys." Lucius teased.
Snape flushed. "I don't."
"You know if you don't date again at some point, you'll never get laid." Lucius explained. "You got to start somewhere."
HP
Later in the evening, Rabastan had dropped by for a little while. He wasn't too hard on the eyes. The man had bushy eyebrows and kept short curly brown hair. He also had a small patch of hair on his chin.
Snape's eyes were drawn to the man for some reason. It was the first time they had met.
Evan's mother had worked hard to make dinner for the evening but Rabastan seemed to have no interest in eating at all.
"So you going to Hog's head for a swig of Aberforth's buzz?" Rodolphus asked.
"No, Abe kicked me out."
"For getting pissed I bet."
"That old man is twice as crazy as Dumbledore, besides I'd rather go to the Three Broomsticks," Rabastan said. "I heard the landlord was pretty hot."
The lips of the man upturned into a smile then there was someone poking him on the side.
Snape turned towards Lucius.
"What is it?" Snape asked peeved with getting interrupted from his scrutiny.
"I have a matter to discuss you that is of the utmost importance." Lucius said.
In a room locked and warded with impenetrable charms and locking spells, Lucius turned towards Snape.
"Well Lucius, you said this was a matter of utmost importance."
"Indeed it is for me, Severus. I trust your word over anyone else so tell me, do you have an interest in Lestrange?"
Snape's face flushed an ugly palor.
"I assure you I have no interest in a taken man."
"You know who I mean."
"I'm afraid I don't follow you."
"Rabastan."
Snape was silent and the lips of Lucius Malfoy curled in glee.
"Are you going to meet him at the Three Broomsticks? Bellatrix said he had a gift for you."
"And you didn't think that it was her bizarre way of trying to be funny?"
"That's not what she told me." Lucius lied. "Tell you what why don't you visit him after dinner."
At the dinner table, Lucius discussed his newfound revelations about Snape and his plan for him to meet up with Rabastan at the Three Broomsticks with Bellatrix. He was careful to excercise subtlely should Snape become aware of their plans.
"This isn't going to work. Someone has to inform Rabastan." Bellatrix mouthed to Lucius.
"You're done eating. You do it." Lucius mouthed.
Bellatrix looked to her side with meaning, Rodolphus was still feasting on a chicken leg.
"Take him with you." Lucius replied exasperated.
"Well since we're finished and all no use in staying here. I think we'll accompany Rabastan for a while." Bellatrix said to everyone at the table and Rodolphus grimaced in retort as she dragged him outside.
HP
In the pub, Rabastan was nursing a glass of firewhiskey rather closely. Rodolphus and Bellatrix sat beside their brother in law.
"Is there anything I could get you?" The landlord asked Rodolphus with a wink.
"Yeah, actually-"
"Hands off the merchandise." Bellatrix said possessively embracing her husband.
"Bella-" Rodolphus whined. The man had wanted to order some food after his wife's crazy antics.
"No, if you eat anymore than you have you'll wind up fat."
"Is that a bad thing?" Rabastan asked and Rodolphus gave him a glare.
"This coming from my brother who is nothing more than a toothpick." Rodolphus replied with a grin.
"Rosmerta!" Rabastan called out.
"Yes, can I get another shot?"
"Coming right up."
"You know, Snape seems to harbour an interest with you. As your sister in law I think it's unhealthy." Bellatrix said.
"He does? I didn't notice." Rabastan replied amused.
Bellatrix smacked him on the back.
"Who wouldn't?" Rabastan choked.
"The boy's a complete nancy boy. I mean he almost had me fooled with all the times Lucius told me about his fascination with that mudblood."
"I'm hot and all the ladies love me. It's only natural."
"You're enjoying this way too much." Rodolphus said.
"You know he will be expecting a present from you. He's going to drop by later after dinner." Bellatrix explained.
"And you decided to tell me this now?" Rabastan raged, holding on her shoulders and shaking her in panic. "What am I going to get him?"
"I don't know, how do you win over the ladies?"
"But Snape's a guy."
"Same difference." Bellatrix said shrugging in amusement.
"This is not funny, Bella."
"I thought it was and if you back out I'll inform the dark lord that you have been skipping out on your duties." Bellatrix said. With that she and Rodolphus left Rabastan at the pub.
HP
After dinner on the way to the Three Broomsticks, Snape had spotted Potter, Black, Pettigrew and Lupin with an old guy entering the pub.
Earlier in the year, Snape had read an article in the Daily Prophet about the Lupins dying at the hands of Greyback so he knew why Lupin was there but he wondered why the other three were in Hogsmeade over the winter and he wondered what all four of them were doing at the Three Broomsticks.
Inside the pub, Snape spotted Rabastan with a drink at his side.
"So you had something for me?"
Rabastan handed him a mirror.
"You're the most beautiful girl in the world..." The Mirror uttered.
Snape flushed an ugly palor.
"Is that your idea of a joke?"
Rabastan's expression didn't falter.
"Are you going to keep it?"
"What man in their right mind would keep something like that?" Snape uttered.
"It works for the ladies." Rabastan said.
Snape pinched his nose.
'Amusing.' Rabastan thought as Snape downed his glass of firewhiskey.
"Hey, that's mine."
"I need it more than you do."
After the two shared a couple of drinks, Rabastan left to smoke outside and Snape followed. On the way out, Snape nearly ran into Professor McGonagall.
"Professor, what are you doing here?" Snape asked shocked to see the Transfiguration Professor in Hogsmeade.
"Mr Snape, you are aware that staff have lives outside of teaching. Some of us have very personal lives."
"What are Black, Potter and Pettigrew doing in Hogsmeade? They never stay at Hogwarts during the holiday."
"The three felt that their company was needed. Mr Lupin is in orphan and he has no home to return to. Can you imagine how Mr Lupin must feel, every winter he'd always celebrate Christmas with his family. Surely he must feel awfully lonely."
Snape had no doubts but Lupin's affairs were none of his concern.
HP
Outside Snape stood beside Rabastan who was smoking a cigarette.
After some time Rabastan had caught his lingering gaze.
"Would you like a fag?" Rabastan asked handing him a box of cigarettes.
"I don't smoke."
Rabastan turned to gaze at Snape. He looked dark and brooding, it was cute how the boy sulked.
Before he knew it, Snape found himself kissed by Rabastan.
Gasping enough to cause a wet tongue to stroke his own, Snape tasted a smokey taste that was uniquely Rabastan.
"What are you doing?" Snape asked flush as he realised two of them were kissing in public.
"What are you praddling about?"
"We were just kissing in front of all those people. How can you be so tactless?" Snape snarled.
"Relax, don't need to be so uptight."
Snape gritted his teeth. It was a start of a daily routine in which the two of them would meet at the Three Broomsticks.
Over the week, Rabastan had been trying to woo Snape with various gifts.
Monday, Rabastan had given him a pocket watch.
"Time for a bath." The clock had said every hour.
Snape had been about to chuck the annoying thing but for some reason he had decided to keep it.
Tuesday, Rabastan gave him a new copy of the fifth year addition of 'A History of Magic'. It wasn't til that evening in his bedroom rummaging through his stuff that he realised that the man had somehow snagged his own book from his bag.
On Wednesday, Rabastan had given Snape a box of tissues. Apparently Evan had told the man that he had caught a cold over his stay at the Rosiers.
Over this period of time, Snape found himself irritated with the man. There wasn't even a hint of a romantic relationship amongst them. Every single one of their meeting, Rabastan would prattle on about his hair, his good looks, his teeth, some women he had dated in the past and Snape was sick of it.
On Thursday, Snape arrived early at the Three Broomsticks and was startled to see Lucius, his wife, Bellatrix and her husband standing outside beside Rabastan.
"Are you and Snape serious?"
"You know at first I thought of him as just another notch on my belt but the man is rather fascinating. At first this wooing was simply a game, sure I get a kick out of it and all, but through and through-"
The conversation was enough to make Snape explode.
All of this was simply a game to Rabastan?
"I AM NOT SOME PRIZE TO BE WON!" Snape snarled.
"Severus?"
"I will hurt you if you ever talk to me again."
"What is it, Severus? Are your knickers in a twist?" Rabastan asked smoking his cigarette in such a way that irked him.
That was the last straw and an angry first knocked the cigarette from his mouth.
The gesture had startled the man and his face paled a ghastly white colour. If Snape didn't know better he would have thought he had hurt the man somehow.
HP
Early the next morning, Snape headed for breakfast worn and heartbroken.
He jumped startled as Rabastan stood nearby holding out a beautiful red rose.
The gesture while it seemed thoughtless, made his heart flutter.
Even if the rose was probably for someone else, the look in his eyes made Snape think it was a choice influenced by his heart.
After breakfast, Rabastan knelt beside Snape.
"This is for you." He said quietly handing the red rose to Snape.
"Oddly sentimental coming from you."
"Look I'm sorry all right. I'm sorry if you felt that I was using you. I feel lost without you."
"Unfortunately I can't say the same. I hate you."
"Severus, you're not just a notch on my belt. How can you be, we've never shagged once."
"Certainly you've had other conquests. What about your other romantic cohorts?"
"I've gone out with no one ever since we've met." Rabastan said with a pensive look in his eyes.
The gesture warmed Snape's heart.
"I hate you but I can't stay away from you. What is this power you have over me?"
Rabastan chuckled.
Later Snape went to the Three Broomsticks while Rabastan had gone to the meeting with the rest of the deatheaters.
Inside Professor McGonagall sat down by herself. He sat down next to her.
"So how's your week going so far?"
"I went on a couple of dates with this person I just met. For days I didn't know where I stood in our relationship. Then the next day they tell me that they love me. Yesterday she gave me a rose."
"A rose is a symbolism of love and beauty, an immortal love, a union that will never fade even through time or death."
"Are you still seeing Mr Urquart?"
"I'll continue to see him, til I can except his proposal." McGonagall explained. "I'm certain it's something that you'll never understand. One day you'll find yourself making the decision between what's right for the sake of the Wizarding World and what's right for you. Believe me this will be a tough choice but I sure hope you choose the right one, Mr Snape."
FIN.