Chapter One
Severus Snape was in a foul mood.
And the fact that his coffee was ice cold did not do much to change
things.
Additionally, waking up to find Lucius Malfoy's head in his fireplace
was enough to make him roar bad-temperedly at the next bunch of first
year Hufflepuffs to pass by his dungeons.
Before rolling out of bed (with the utmost formality; it might have been
early but he hadn't forgotten the head in his fireplace) he straightened
the rolls of dusty parchment beside his body with extreme care; not only
were these manuscripts centuries old, and liable to crumble with the
slightest clumsy twitch of a hand, they were also the key to discovering
what could eventually be the most significant alchemical breakthrough in
his entire life.
But returning to Malfoy's head...
"How very typical," his nefarious affiliate drawled, as Severus chose
the most comfortable chaise by the fire and steepled his fingers in what
he hoped was a disinterested gesture.
"Would you care to elaborate on that statement, Lucius?" he asked.
Lucius smirked in a way that prepared Severus for a carefully concocted
witticism.
"I only meant, that I remember from our earlier years that you would
prefer the company of books to pleasurable company. It is only with
Snape-ish quiescence that you choose to bed the former" he finished.
Severus passed a hand over his brow, wondering just how early in the
morning it really was, and which
can't-wait-till-a-reasonable-hour-bit-of-information Lucius could
possibly have that was so important that he had to burst in on him
during his almost peaceful slumber.
Historically, most things that Lucius had said weren't worth listening
to at any time of day.
"You have no justification for lecturing me on who or whatever may
occupy my bed, Lucius, seeing as you yourself seem to need a directional
hand in that area, as well" Severus replied, in a tone that clearly
suggested that he did not have full control of his mind at
whatever-the-goddamn-time-it-was before a cup of coffee.
Lucius sighed in a way that suggested that he was wasting his precious
time, why bother dealing with those with dismal minds. If he was able to
see his hands, Severus knew that Lucius would be examining his
fingernails with the utmost precision, and this tried what little
patience he had left to the breaking point.
"Now, I understand that it is early, Severus, but that is no reason to
insult me, especially after you hear what is that I have to say to you"
"It's about time, Lucius. I was hoping that you didn't come here to
discuss the bloody weather"
"Patience is a virtue, Sev, one that you seem to lack despondently. Now,
where was I? Ah, yes. May I come in?"
"Of course"
A moment later, the fully robed Lucius Malfoy appeared in Snape's
bedroom.
Armed, he noticed rather amusedly (the Malfoy inability to duel properly
and without any breach of etiquette was not an attribute belonging souly
to the fils).
"Please, have a seat" said Severus, conjuring up an armchair with a wave
of his hand.
"No thank you, I imagine this won't take long. I'm rather in a hurry,
anyway." replied Lucius, making the chaise disappear with a similar
gesture.
Rather in a hurry indeed. If he were in a hurry he wouldn't have spent
the last quarter of an hour making pointless small talk.
Malfoy's refusal to take a seat was not attributed to a need to get
business done swiftly and without complications; indubitably, Lucius
would spend most of the time driveling on about useless topics in order
to sound more eloquent, blasé, etc.
Severus had learnt that Lucius preferred to stand up in case he had the
sudden need to leave as soon as possible, in order to avoid duels,
hexes, Avada kedavra, and so on.
He had a magnificent talent for bolting towards an exit with top speed
when apparating was not an option.
Lucius was currently eyeing the space between the ceiling and Severus'
bedpost with mild intrigue.
"Is that the tapestry of L'astronomie?" he asked.
Severus regarded him curiously. It certainly was not like Lucius to have
a taste for 16th century fine art.
"Why, yes. The depiction of Ptolemy and the muse Astronomy. Why do you
ask?"
Lucius frowned, then smiled slightly before running a hand over the
intricate stitches of gold, black, red, green, and blue.
"I'm not one for small talk, Severus"
"Indeed?" he snorted.
"Indeed, and I have someinformation, that may be of some interest
to you, if you'll kindly listen"
"Of course"
Lucius ran a finger tip over the scrolls laid out on Snape's bed, and
smirked as Severus twitched only the slightest bit.
"I've been given word that you have been working on a little project for
quite some time, a little project that could be of some value to our
cause, Severus, if you have the fortitude to help us"
Severus hid his incredulity by laughing sardonically.
"What makes you think that this project would be an aid to the Dark
Lord? What do you know of it?"
"Oh, more than you might think. Now, I know that you are, shall we say,
the mastermind, in this sort of thing, Sev, but only when it comes to
the mechanics of the thing. The usage of the potion, now there is an
area of my own expertise, and an area that I am afraid to say that you
lack in"
"Oh?" he answered cooly. "How so?"
Lucius laughed cruelly, a sound that could have made any lesser man wilt
before him.
"You always were a humorist, weren't you Sev? Of course I am referring
to your idiotic decision to treat that werewolf, when that potion could
have brought you enough fame and gold that you could buy Hogwarts, and
turn it into something useful, perhaps"
"I did not invent that potion personally, Lucius"
"Ah, yes, but you were the only one in a thousand years to brew it.
Bottling fame, indeed, Sev. Certainly you have the pluck to bring your,
er, genius into public view. Surely you do not plan on spending the rest
of your life teaching these dimwits about the properties of, erm,
wormwood, is it?"
"Lucius, don't be a fool" Severus hissed.
"What's this? Is this true, Sev? Are you afraid of power?"
"On the contrary, Lucius, it is not power I fear, but power in the hands
of the wrong person"
Lucius sneered.
"So it is true, is it? This is where your loyalties lie? With that
crackpot old fool and his werewolf friends and half-breed allies? I
might have known, Sev, that you would betray us"
"Goddamn it, Malfoy, I am not betraying you! But is it not rash to agree
to use this power for the cause, when we have no information as to how
it works, even if it does work at all? It isn't even finished yet,
Lucius, and it would take a year still to track down the literature that
I would need"
"Which is why I am here," Lucius drawled, his original self-important
attitude finding him again.
"What would you give, Severus, for access to a library full of the books
that you have most coveted; books that are of the rarest kind, books
that you have thought to be nonexistent in material form, that could
solve the most perplexing problems in the magical world and provide the
answers to your heart's deepest inquiries. Think about it, Sev, a room
full of the most pleasurable company ever imaginable"
He had chosen his words carefully, Severus knew. Not only was he
formidably talented at what he called the 'art' of seduction, but
Lucius Malfoy always knew exactly the right way to convince those who
are unwilling to carry out his own fancies.
"I'm curious to know, Lucius, how is it that you found out about the
Poculum Azotha?"
Lucius chuckled.
"And what made you think that I wouldn't find out, Sev?"
Severus frowned.
"I work at night, from evening to the early morning, sometimes later.
I've never requested a manuscript, book, or grimoire from a source
outside of Hogwarts. Those that I did need I gathered myself,
inconspicuously, and under a false name. Not a living soul knew of my
work, not even the Headmaster"
"I'm afraid that you're wrong about that, Severus. You see, there was
one other person who knew about your work, and I'm afraid that sneaking
around under false pretenses was what led them to you in the first
place. Ironic, isn't it?"
Severus' flesh boiled.
"Lucius, you fucking brute" he growled, spinning around at him from
where he had been standing at the other side of the room.
"Oh, no, not me, Sev. How do you expect me to tail you around without
you or anybody else discovering me? I seem to have run out of alibis, as
it is, but anyway, I had other things to deal with as well, and so I
hired someone else to track you down. Someone, whom I might say, has
just as much interest in this polka-lotum azkor-blanca thing as you do,
and has even more grounds for being interested in it in the first place"
"Who? How? I have seen no one!"
Lucius giggledyes, actually giggled.
"Funny little thing, magic, isn't it? I'll tell you who it is,
eventually. In fact, I would like to introduce the two of you to each
other, because the both of you shall carry out the rest of this project
together from now on"
"What?"
"Yes, Severus, you will need to crawl out of your little hole down here
and work outside of your dungeons, with the help of your new colleague.
Now you are probably wondering why the hell you should agree to work
alongside this notorious person, and I shall tell you now. Simply put,
turning down my offer would not only be a very stupid thing to do, but
it would also be a deadly mistake. Think of it, Sev; I wouldn't want to
have to tell the Dark Lord that you have left the cause forever, because
then I would have to kill you, and I really wouldn't want to do that.
Secondly, this new colleague of yours has a bit of information that I am
sure that you would lay down your life to gather. Without this
information, you are unable to finish your work, and in order to obtain
it, you will have to take up my little offer"
"Which is?" Snape growled.
"I thought that it would be obvious, but perhaps I have been too subtle.
Swear that you will use this new power for the Dark Lord. Swear your
allegiance to him once more, and work for the glory of the cause. I
shall expect your answer tonight"
"Tonight?"
"Yes, I shall be expecting you for dinner this evening. And so, I might
add, will your Doppelganger. Good day"
Severus could only nod.