A/N: Sorry this has taken so long ...

THE RAVEN'S CLAW

CHAPTER 4: Coming In From the Cold

Lucius did not have a chance to consider Severus' response: he eventually changed the subject, and the two talked at some length about past events, slowly losing their grasp on rationality and coordination as they worked their way through glass after glass of whisky. (Not that they would have been defenceless had precision and quick-thinking been required: Severus, the Half-Blood Prince, had invented in his semi-alcoholic days a useful potion to burn out all traces of alcohol from the blood in order that one could function properly, and was careful nowadays to bring several doses to every party. Lucius, of course, had claimed his portion at the beginning of the evening, in case he was separated from Severus, and it was carefully nestled in his robes; too often parties had ended in violence, since alcohol and magic formed a rather volatile mix, so there was always the possibility that the Sobriety Potion would be necessary.)

At about a quarter to twelve, just as the guests were reaching the peak of drunken happiness (well-timed, Lucius observed – but then, they'd had practice), Kirsty and Ash returned to the party. Kirsty was dishevelled, flushed and smirking, and her eyes were slightly unfocused; for a moment Lucius wondered if they had been taking drugs, but this query was shattered by Ash's appearance. She looked exactly the same: pale and, although unlikely to be at all sober, as Lucius well knew, light on her feet and absolutely in control. Her arm was around Kirsty's waist, in a strongly masculine fashion; there was little question of who was dominant in the couple.

They were on the other side of the hall, standing together, exchanging a few words with other guests, Ash smoking again, Kirsty evidently very fatigued and, he concluded, probably flagging. He knew, perhaps, that he was not quite observing Ash with the supposed detachment he had promised, but he figured that as long as he did not physically approach her, there was little harm in idle observance. (He conveniently ignored the fact that he had undergone this exact thought process just before his argument with Severus.)

A few minutes before midnight, the Scottish minister climbed a little unsteadily onto the platform at the front of the hall, and called for silence. 'Friends,' he said warmly, 'it gives me great pleasure to be able to celebrate another Hogmanay with you all. I'm delighted so many of you are here, and I think before we allow the excitement of the rapidly diminishing seconds of this year to overwhelm us, we should issue a few thank yous …'

Lucius was not concentrating particularly hard, but it was only gradually that he became aware that he was being watched by a rather familiar figure.

Carefully he turned and met Ash's eyes across the hall. Immediately she turned away and lifted her eyes to watch the minister, apparently captivated by his words. Intrigued, Lucius kept his gaze on her for perhaps thirty seconds, but she did not look at him, and eventually he turned back. He knew that Severus was probably well aware of the interaction, but ignored him.

'… but the great clock informs me that there are only ... fifteen seconds left of this year, so … let the countdown begin … ten … nine …'

The majority of the crowd joined in, bellowing the seconds. Lucius was silent, and turned again to look at Ash. She too was not following the countdown, but was simply watching her employer over her glass of whiskey with an amused expression.

'ZERO! Happy New Year!' the minister shouted jubilantly – and as he did so, Ash's head flickered round, and she looked at Lucius again.

He stared at her, but was interrupted when Severus tapped him on the shoulder. 'Happy New Year, Lucius,' he murmured.

A burst of warmth in Lucius' chest prompted him to pull Severus into a rough embrace. It was rare that he was able to celebrate an event like this with a real friend, rather than his wife – an insipid, shallow creature – and his son, stubborn and unfeeling.

Severus, of course, pulled back fairly quickly, but not before briefly reciprocating the hug. Lucius soon regretted his impulse, however: when he turned back to where Ash had been standing, she was gone.

Kirsty was still there, though, looking a little forlorn. Clearly she knew almost no one at the party, and was completely out of her depth when Ash was absent.

Lucius seized the opportunity, and approached her courteously. 'Miss McClyde,' he said softly, raising her hand to his lips, 'Happy New Year.'

She looked at him for a second, obviously uncertain how to react. Eventually she replied, 'You too.' Her voice was liquid, slightly lower than usual, a little slurred.

'You don't know many of these people, do you,' he said; it was hardly a question.

'No, I'm afraid not.' She seemed rather embarrassed.

'Fascinated by Ash? Is that why you came?'

She lowered her eyes, then raised them and looked at him defiantly. 'Isn't that why you came?'

Lucius smiled. 'I expect she'd like to you believe that, but I'm actually here on business, with Severus.' He indicated Severus across the room. 'Sadly my business associate in Edinburgh isn't a fan of these kinds of gatherings, so I brought Severus along, and he and I are here alone. Miss Walker is one of the few people I recognised; I'm not at all familiar with the wizarding population of Scotland either, I'm afraid.' He was moving gradually closer to her; she seemed not to notice, which Lucius attributed to the alcohol, but maintained a fairly steady eye contact with him.

Kirsty nodded. 'Neither am I – I'm younger than almost everyone here, after all.'

'Indeed … I was rather aware of that,' he said softly. 'Now, perhaps we can leave the subject of mutual non-acquaintances, and talk a little about yourself. Would you be amenable to that?'

A blush began to creep over her face, and she smiled shyly. 'I don't see why not.' Apparently he was not so unattractive as Ash would have him believe, he concluded with relief.

'Excellent. So … you're at Hogwarts?' He was very close to her now, and she had to tilt her head upwards to look at him.

'I was – I left in the summer. I'm applying for training at the Ministry.'

'Indeed? I work there myself. Training for which area, exactly?'

'Possibly spell testing and licensing, that sort of thing … I think it'd be very interesting. Which department do you work in?'

He smiled slightly. 'The department of brown-nosing, of course.'

Kirsty laughed.

'No, I'm one of Fudge's aides. Fairly senior, I must confess.'

'Confess?' Her voice was fuller, warmer. He knew she would be easy.

'I hate to boast, Kirsty.'

At the sound of her name, her lips parted slightly and she breathed in sharply, injecting a little burst of satisfaction into Lucius. He could still have an effect.

'But,' he continued, 'I would be able to help you in your ambitions … you are a Slytherin, after all … I'd be delighted to be of assistance.' He raised a finger to her cheek.

'I – that would be –' she began to say, but suddenly her face became frightened, and a pair of hands seized Lucius's neck, hard.

He expected it to be Ash; indeed, he had rather hoped for it. But the hands were too strong, too large – then a male voice with a strong Scottish accent demanded: 'What the fuck do ye think ye're doing?'

Lucius forced his elbow backwards into the man's stomach; he gasped and loosened his hold, at which Lucius rapidly dodged away from him and whipped out his wand, levelling it at the man's nose.

'Before I curse you, might I have the pleasure of knowing who the hell you are?' Lucius asked coldly.

The man's eyes were furious. He was around Lucius' own age, with greying hair, and Lucius' apprehensions were confirmed when he spat, 'How dare ye go sniffin' around ma daughter like tha'?'

Lucius raised an eyebrow. 'Sniffing around, Mr McClyde? That's rather an offensive term to use.'

'I know yer sort, Malfoy. I know all about ye, and ye aren't comin' anywhere near ma wee girl, ye hear? I'll kill ye, I swear to Merlin, I will.'

'I'm surprised you have the nerve to threaten me, Mr McClyde, if you know who I am,' Lucius replied calmly. Not only could I quite easily arrange for you to be sacked if I chose, I could, on a mere whim, have you rather efficiently … removed. You understand?'

McClyde's eyes widened in shock and fear.

'I'm glad you're starting to acquire some sense,' Lucius sneered. 'Perhaps, while you're on the happy road to enlightenment, you should take a good look at your daughter, and tell me whether she isn't the prettiest teenage whore you've ever set eyes on?'

McClyde roared, and charged at him, but Lucius stopped him with a quick blocking spell. 'I wouldn't try that, McClyde,' he hissed. 'Remember, I know spells you Ministry low-lifes wouldn't dare to dream about …'

'Lucius, for God's sake, control yourself,' Severus said angrily behind him. At the same moment, Ash appeared behind McClyde and muttered in his ear, quite audibly, 'Don't bother, Hamish, it's not worth it. Kirsty's got more sense than that, you know she has.'

McClyde glanced at Kirsty, who was quite clearly terrified by this new, belligerent side of Lucius, and by her father's anger. 'Come on, darlin',' he said darkly. 'Let's go away home, and leave this bastard to rot.'

Father and daughter moved away, leaving Ash with a clear path to Lucius. For a second he thought she too was going to attack him, but she merely shook her head. 'Typical frustrated letch,' she remarked sardonically.

He glared at her. Severus moved between them, and said, 'Please, you two, you know there's no need for this.'

Ash looked at him coolly. 'I'm just trying to prove a point.'

'Interestingly, Miss Walker,' Lucius interrupted, 'you've made your point, but it's far from convincing. You're well aware that Miss McClyde was not at all repulsed by my advances. You know she'd have fucked me. She's easy, admit it; your conquest is hardly admirable.'

'She may be easy,' she retorted, 'but I'm certainly not, Lucius.'

'What do you mean by that?'

'Simply that your point is valid, but irrelevant. Insulting me won't make me change my mind, if that's what you were thinking.'

Lucius thought quickly, trying to decide what to do. It was rare for him to have to act so spontaneously: he had not anticipated that Kirsty's father would interfere.

Finally he sighed. 'Look. I have no wish to be hostile to you, really. You're Severus' friend; he respects you, so I do also.' Severus shifted awkwardly next to him at this. 'Please can we go and talk somewhere, civilly, so I can try and prove that I'm not as ridiculous as you seem to think I am?'

Ash raised an eyebrow.

'Please, Ash,' he begged. 'I'll leave my wand with Severus, I don't mind. I just want to be able to defend myself against this myriad of accusations without violence, and without people interfering all the time.'

Ash hesitated. Eventually she said, 'All right. Leave your wand with Severus, and I'll come with you for a wee while.'

Severus began to protest, but she cut him off. 'No, Severus, it's fine. I rather fancy a little verbal sparring. And I need some fresh air. Don't worry about me.'

'Good.' Lucius handed his wand to Severus, then led Ash out of the hall into a stone corridor.

'We can talk in the corridor; I assume that's acceptable?'

'Yes,' he agreed tersely. 'Now then. What is your exact problem with me?'

This time she raised both her eyebrows. 'You're dissolute, ruthless, unscrupulous, cruel, a criminal, conceited, false, slimy –'

'All right,' he interrupted. 'Your picture of me is the one held by much of the general public.'

She did not reply.

'I'd like to point out that much of that is speculation and rumour, and a good deal has no basis whatsoever in fact.'

'Are you a Death Eater?' she asked abruptly.

Slowly he held out his arm to her. She pushed back his sleeve, careful not to touch him directly, to reveal the faded brand of Voldemort on his skin.

'I was a Death Eater, yes. The Dark Lord enslaved me from my childhood; I was branded at fourteen. When he attacked Harry Potter and fell, I was freed, although of course I still carry the Mark. I began my career at the Ministry when I was younger, on my Master's orders. I rose quickly because, perhaps unfortunately, our Minister for Magic is a sucker for money and power. I have been very useful to him; I have given him names, I have betrayed people of whom I was supposed to be an ally.'

'You bought your freedom with your friends' lives.'

'Hardly friends, Ash. The Dark Lord did not permit friendship amongst his followers. Severus and I can only be friends now because he is gone, even though we have known each other since birth.'

He could not tell if she was convinced or not, but decided to continue. 'Of course you've only my word for it; it's your choice whether to believe me. I'll leave that to you. What else do you have against me?'

She was beginning to shiver in the cold corridor. Lucius resisted the urge to offer her his robe.

'A different girl every night, Lucius? I find that quite repulsive, frankly.'

'As, frankly, would I, Miss Walker. Yes, I enjoy women. Of all ages. Including young women – never children, though. I never rape. I generally find I don't need to. Few actually reject me, Ash. Call it conceit if you like; I prefer to call it success – and talent. And almost all the women I have are well aware of my lifestyle. I don't deceive anyone.'

'Not even your wife?'

'Of course not. She and I are all but separated. The purpose of our marriage was to produce a sufficiently pure-blood heir to the Malfoy estate, which we have accomplished. We barely see each other; I'm rarely at home.

'And you can hardly accuse me of dissolute habits, Ash, without becoming something of a hypocrite, judging by what I've seen of your own lifestyle this evening. You and I are both direct in our approaches; we aim for what we want, and we generally get it. I may not be likeable to some, but I honestly don't care. Those who know me well like and respect me – Severus is an excellent example – and as long as that remains so, I'm fairly happy. I enjoy sex. I don't think you have grounds to hate me because of it, though. I have nothing against you – in fact, we seem to have rather a lot in common.'

Ash did not reply. Her expression was thoughtful, and undoubtedly less hostile than before. She was shivering more violently now, and her skin was extremely pale, almost colourless.

He removed his robe and offered it to her. 'Take this; you're freezing.'

She accepted it wordlessly, almost absently, her expression still serious. Lucius knew the robe would smell of him, and when she breathed in and blinked, obviously assessing the scent, a flicker of a smile brushed his lips.

'All right,' she said suddenly.

'All right?'

'I don't think Severus likes us being on bad terms. I'm sure we can be civil to each other.' There was a faint note of amusement in her voice which Lucius had not heard before, but which carried distinctive traces of Severus's own intonation. It occurred to him that even if he did not manage to seduce Ash, the three of them could form a rather potent (albeit volatile) mixture, which could prove deeply exhilarating. A sudden thought sprang up, which he stored for later.

'That seems fair,' he said. 'We can try, at least. If we fail, we could always revert to wands at dawn.'

Her face softened into a definite half-smile. 'Deal.'

They shook hands. Ash's fingers were thin and cold, like the rest of her body, and a twinge of almost paternal tenderness stirred in Lucius. The large amounts of alcohol she had consumed were almost certainly contributing to her chill.

'Let's go back down, Ash. You'll catch hypothermia if you stay here, and I need to speak to Severus.'

When they had found Severus, and Ash was a little warmer, Lucius voiced to them the idea which had formed during his conversation with Ash.

'I don't know if either of you have anything planned for the next couple of weeks, but if not, I would like to invite you both to stay with me. I have an estate north-west of here by the coast, which I very rarely visit – it belonged to my uncle, who hunted a great deal – and I have a sudden urge to take up residence there for a short time. Severus, when do you go back to Hogwarts?'

'The twelfth.'

'So late?'

'It's a late Easter; Albus doesn't want to tax the pupils by making the spring term overlong.'

Ash exhaled in amusement at the sarcasm in Severus' voice.

'Well, that's perfect, then. Ash and I can easily persuade Fudge to release us for a couple of weeks.'

'Speak for yourself,' she protested. 'I doubt my supervisor would be particularly amenable to that.' He noted with interest that she had not objected to the invitation.

'Ah, but let us bear in mind that Fudge listens to whatever disgusting little instructions I whisper in his ear. He spoke to me before Christmas about you, asked me to try to calm you down a little. I'll tell him that you are overworked and stressed, and personally ask him to give you two weeks' holiday. I'd be astonished if he refuses.'

'And what makes you think I'd like to stay with you, Lucius?'

Her use of his first name was apparently unconscious, but it nearly made him gasp aloud.

'Well,' he said, recovering smoothly, 'you don't really want to go back to London, do you? Surely you'd prefer to stay in your native country. I have an extensive estate: forests, a loch, a sizeable length of shoreline. Perfect for flying, walking, hunting, drawing … And the house is, of course, enormous, and nicely luxurious. A decent library. Severus?' he appealed. 'You'll come, won't you?'

Severus' eyes were warm. 'I confess, I'd have difficulty refusing.'

'Excellent. Ash?'

She considered him coolly.

'I promise to be a perfect gentleman, naturally.'

Ash snorted in disbelief. 'You lie very badly, Lucius, but luckily I know how to defend myself. I don't expect you'd obtain me a holiday for me even without my coming to stay with you?'

He sighed in mock regret. 'I would find it extremely difficult to justify that to Fudge, I'm afraid.'

'I was afraid of that. Well, it looks like I haven't a leg to stand on, since I can't very well pretend I wouldn't prefer a holiday in my highlands' – Lucius was rather amused by the possessive – 'to a couple of weeks' hard labour sifting through everything that's piled up over Christmas.'

'You'll come, then?' He tried to conceal the exultant surprise, both at her acceptance and at Severus' seeming lack of objection to Ash coming with them.

'It rather looks like it, doesn't it?' She flicked an eyebrow. 'When were you planning to leave?'

'Well … what are you doing in about five minutes' time?'

'I'm not Apparating with this much alcohol inside me. I'll bloody splinch myself.'

In perfect unison, with something of a flourish, Lucius and Severus produced their Sobriety potions. 'You won't have to, my dear,' Severus said, in a remarkably good imitation of Lucius.