"Fuck me," he cursed, staggering toward the chaise.

Neither Hermione nor Lucius made any effort to stand.

Lucius' lip curled up at the corners in what anyone who knew him well would recognize as amusement. "Eloquent as ever, Severus. Do have a seat, before you succumb to shock."

He turned back to Hermione, who had only just finished her examination of the item in question. When she looked up, it was into the quicksilver gaze of the man seated in the throne-like chair behind the antique desk. "I told you he'd follow."

Lucius rolled his eyes and kissed her palm. "Pet, he's my oldest and dearest friend. If I hadn't wanted him to join us, I would have lost him while he was trailing me in Diagon Alley. Indulge me."

Hermione slid off the desk with a fluidity that made the act nearly erotic. She nodded deferentially at Lucius before turning to Snape. "Tea, Headmaster, or would you prefer brandy?"

"Tea will be just fine."

"Otis," she called. Shortly an elf, that Snape recognized as Lucius' personal one, appeared.

He made a little bow to Hermione. "Mistress, how may I serve you?"

"The Headmaster requires tea. The same blend I prefer, if memory serves. And bring some of Millie's delicious tarts – the raspberry ones, please. Thank you."

The diminutive elf popped away with a snap of his gray-green fingers, and Hermione gestured to the still unoccupied brocade chaise. "Please sit. Otis is quite prompt, and I'm positive you'll find Millie's tarts to your taste."

Lucius snorted inelegantly, and shook out his mane of platinum hair. He made for the chaise and sprawled across it in a manner not at all befitting his status. "You're going to make him think you've had the tea and tarts poisoned."

She looked absolutely scandalized. "I would never – the outrage! Take it back, right now!" She stamped her tiny little foot and crossed her arms, looking like a pouting teen, much to the delight of the other individuals in the room.

He snickered softly, and tugged her into his lap. He turned her face so that she met his eyes, and for a brief moment, Severus was sure a thought passed between them. Hermione blushed prettily and dropped her gaze, while the lips of his comrade curved into a pleased smile. "I'll do no such thing, pet. Sev, it's good to see you. How have you been keeping?"

"Rather well, yourself?" Severus took the proffered seat just beside them. He could have sat down in the chair opposite, but this was where he and Lucius had always sat to make their grand plans, sharing a brandy and more.

"Oh," he smirked, "I've been up to my usual standards. Imagine my surprise earlier today, whilst running a few errands in Diagon Alley, that I discovered I had attracted the most clandestine of attentions. I thought for a moment that I'd gone round the bend, but was finally able to determine that I was not in fact mad, but being followed. I caught the reflection of your most singular robes twice:" he paused for dramatic effect (a holdover from his Death Eater days, Snape reckoned, "once against the golden statue in Gringotts," he finally continued, "and again in the mirrored windows of Morgana's Day Spa for Witches." He accepted a cup of tea from Hermione and raised one eyebrow in Severus' general direction. "You've grown careless in age, my friend."

Severus, too, received a cup from Hermione, and he lifted it slightly. "I must admit that I was not making the best effort to remain concealed. I, too, was taken aback when I discovered your presence in the Alley. I've not seen you with my own eyes in years. It has been just as long that our Miss Granger has been away. I had thought it coincidence, initially, but nigh on eleven years have passed, and I like to think that with increased age comes increased wisdom." He gave the woman seated between them a steady look.

Hermione's tea sloshed against the sides of her porcelain cup, and she carefully replaced it on the silver tray at her side. The slight rattle of cup on platter was the only sign of her nerves, and Lucius covered her hand with his own.

"Pet," he breathed, one hand on her shoulder, "it's alright."

He'd used the same voice when training horses as a boy, Severus recalled. He spent many a summer with the Malfoys in his youth, and remembered well the days and nights they'd bedded down in the stables while Lucius was breaking a new pony. Severus recalled quite clearly that Lucius handled her similarly upon her rescue and subsequent return to Grimmauld Place.

"Where have you been, Hermione?" Severus asked, as carefully as he could.

She chewed at her bottom lip, worrying it red. "I'm sorry, Severus. I – I couldn't stay. Not after everything. I didn't tell you, because I was afraid you'd try to put a stop to it, tell me I shouldn't. Only I couldn't, you understand? The others would have gotten involved, and it – I -" she trailed off, choking on her own words.

She was near tears, Lucius could see them gathering against her lashes, and he shushed her gently. "Hermione has asked very little of me over the years, so when she requested that I not tell anyone of her whereabouts, I could not refuse. We've travelled some, but a great deal of our time has been spent here, in the Manor, or another one of the Malfoy homes."

The Headmaster sputtered with indignation and vulgarities. His wand hand itched so fiercely that he was tempted to hex the living daylights out of both of them. Of all the nerve - "You mean to say that you've been here all this time? I can't believe you, both of you, hiding away like fucking criminals! I spent years searching for you, you insolent little-" Severus abruptly ceased his bellowing. He realized his mistake as soon as he'd raised his voice, because Hermione curled closer to Lucius and clutched at the lapels of his charcoal robe.

"Miss Granger," He reached for her, if only to offer a handkerchief, but she shied away, clutching Lucius for dear life. He shot a nasty glare at the man. "What have you done to her? She's like a child, cowering against a nurse."

Ignoring Severus entirely, Lucius petted her hair, running his fingers through the mass of honey colored curls. "Hush, now. You must forgive him, and me too, for putting you in this position. Severus means no harm. He worried for you. He's not angry with you, pet, but me. You've done nothing wrong."

She nodded, still clinging tightly to him. "I know," she sniffled, "it's a bit difficult reigning in my emotions."

He pressed his forehead to hers, looked into her extraordinarily expressive eyes, and smiled. With a kiss to her cheek, he held out one hand, towards the desk. "Accio Hermione's wand."

She danced from his lap and caught her wand in midair, twirling it between her petite fingers. The change in her behavior was immediately evident to Severus. Where she'd once been quiet, she was now so utterly confident that it made his toes curl. He could only recall one other witch walking with such purpose and dark grace, and she thankfully happened to be dead. Her wand, on the other hand, was very much intact, and clutched in the fingers of none other than Miss Granger, who was advancing on their position. A shower of golden sparks poured from the end of her wand, and she made them sparkle in intricate patterns before extinguishing them with a flick.

She returned to her seat on Lucius' lap, and whispered something to him that made him grin. "I apologize, Severus. Your arrival caught me by surprise. Even so long after my abduction, I have a few flashbacks. They do not occur often, but tend to be worse when I'm emotionally compromised. You understand, don't you?"

When he finally spoke, his voice was raspier than she'd ever heard. "Forgive me for being so callous, Miss Granger." He cleared his throat. "Your ordeal at the hands of the Death Eaters will not be forgotten by me again." He of all people could understand what it was like to be tortured for hours on end. The only difference was that he'd gone back for more. Time and time again.

She considered him carefully before nodding. "I suppose you won't forget, not you, anyway."

It hadn't been a dark and stormy night. It hadn't even really been night at that point, she remembered, but much closer to dawn when Severus Snape finally returned to Hogwarts. She'd been in her sixth year, but extensive use of a Time Turner meant that she was already past the age of majority. As such, she was given special dispensation from Dumbledore and McGonagall to conduct her private research after hours.

Had Sybill Trelawney known the circumstances of their chance meeting, she'd have probably spouted some nonsense about the stars aligning and fate having a hand in her daring rescue. Lucky for everyone involved, she hadn't been told that Hermione quite literally stumbled across Snape's bloodied and broken form on her return to Gryffindor Tower. It was her quick thinking (and a particularly handy beaded bag with extending charms) that saved the Potion Master's life.

After giving him the requisite doses of blood replenishing potion and mending the many cuts and bruises and broken bones, she conjured a stretcher and transported him to Madam Pomfrey. It was only after she'd ensured his survival that she remembered to contact the Headmaster.

"He's sworn an Oath," the old wizard admitted to Hermione in the wee hours while they waited for Severus to wake. "At some point, he will either complete his promise or succumb to the power of the Oath. Neither option bodes well for him, I'm afraid."

For once, Hermione Granger didn't incessantly ask questions. Instead, she steeled her reserve and stared down the twinkly eyed old coot. "You put him in this position. You made him spy as some ridiculous form of redemption. You are entirely responsible for the life of that man. You. Not a cocked up Oath, not the Dark Lord. You're dying. Anyone can see it if they look hard enough to get past the glamours. When did the Vitale Potion stop working?"

Albus simply glared.

"That's what I thought," she snorted. "Release him from his Oath. After that, you're going to make damn sure that he's protected when he kills you. I want assurances on parchment – protected against interference or manipulation, and I want your memories. You'll give them to me and to the other spy you have in the Dark Lord's camp-"

He wasn't quick enough to school his surprise, and instead of attempting yet another lie, he sighed his assent. "How did you know?"

"You were a Slytherin, Headmaster, and a better strategist than than to put all of your hopes on the shoulders of one Wizard. See to his safety, and I won't go to the Prophet with evidence of your shite. You have until breakfast."

Wisely, he agreed, but not before offering one parting jibe. "I had not thought that you would be one to lower yourself to something as plebeian as blackmail, Miss Granger."

She flashed a feral smile at Dumbledore. "Breakfast comes soon, Headmaster. I'd get to work if I were you."

She shook off the cobwebs left in the wake of her memories, and settled closer to Lucius. Both wizards were watching her will ill-concealed curiosity. "Now, Severus Snape, do tell us what brings you here. There must be something else, aside from catching sight of our wily friend in Diagon Alley."

He chuckled warmly. "My initial thought was to confront Lucius and demand he assist me in renewing the search for you. As I see that's wholly unnecessary, it's the second Friday of the month. Order dinner at Headquarters. I'm sure both of you would cause quite the stir if you arrived after such a lengthy hiatus."