She hated the feeling of Lucius's serpent-tipped cane poking her in the small of her back as he 'escorted' her into the forbidding Ministry building. It was a busy day and she could feel hundreds of people staring as the little entourage went by; no doubt he intended it to be that way to humiliate her. People might not have known her face before, but they certainly would now.
Her foot slipped a bit on one of the cracked stone steps, and he shoved her forward in an extremely ungentlemanly manner. At that point the pressure on her back was eased, and she twisted her neck slightly to see that Flitwick had grabbed him by the wrist.
"You better not leave a mark on her, Malfoy," the little man said in an oddly threatening tone. "Your order was to arrest her, not rough her up."
Lucius snorted and yanked his arm away. The familiar pinch of pain returned, and she was herded up the remainder of the stairs.
She wasn't really too worried now that Flitwick was with her. She would have never thought her former head of house and Charms professor could be so commanding. During school he had been the absent-minded, constantly smiling professor. Every school had one; the one staff member that would let almost anything slide, would much rather attribute teenage foolery to hormones than to discipline or take points off, and would allow you to turn in your homework the next day if you 'forgot'. Even the Slytherins couldn't find much to complain about.
She should have known better, though. One didn't work at Hogwarts for the fun of it; Albus Dumbledore chose his staff with excellence in mind. Well, there were a few notable exceptions to that rule, especially in the Defense Against the Dark Arts and Divination areas, but the fact remained that most of the Hogwarts staff were at the top of their respective fields.
It was now clear that Charms had not been Filibus Flitwick's original area of expertise. Nor was the pleasant, cheery exterior his true personality. No, indeed, when Flitwick wanted to, he could be thoroughly annoying, obnoxious, and argumentative. He was a lawyer through and through. Lucius already looked rather frayed, and it had only been a two minute floo and a ten minute carriage ride.
"I would like to know the procedures that will be followed," Flitwick said sharply as they proceeded through the arching stone hallways. "I will be present at any and all questioning sessions. I also demand secure quarters for Ms. Snape."
She heard Lucius bite back a sigh before speaking, his voice just barely civil.
"There will be two questioning sessions, one with myself and one with Minister Fudge. They will take place at eight o'clock tonight and nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
"And where will she stay?"
"The dungeons."
"She absolutely will not. She is not a criminal, and I will not have her treated as such."
"That is for Minister Fudge to decide."
"There is a doctrine of justice, Mr. Malfoy, which states that no accused party is guilty until proven so. You have not presented a single shred of evidence, and until you find something that can convict her – and mind you, no such thing exists – she will be treated as any other respectable witch or wizard. And you will comply, or I will see that you are embroiled in a very nasty scandal regarding the rights of those you arrest."
Selena had to smother a smile. Lawyer Flitwick certainly didn't mince any words. He had just given Lucius quite a tongue lashing. She had to admit she did very much enjoy someone besting Lucius in a verbal joust.
"It is not wise to threaten me, Flitwick," Lucius snarled.
"Ah yes, that mark on your arm. Acting under the Imperius, were you? Then I do not think it wise for you to threaten me with your renewed allegiance to the Dark Lord, especially not if you wish the former verdict to stand."
Ooh. Score another point for Flitwick. If the situation were not so grave, the tennis match of barely-veiled threats would have been quite entertaining.
"Talk it over with Fudge, then," Lucius growled. "Here he is now."
* * * * * *
"Oh gods," Sirius moaned as his alarm beeped insistently. "This is worse than a hangover."
"Turn it off," James moaned in an equally pathetic tone.
"Sggffthhh," was all that could be heard from Peter's bed.
The usual fourth voice was missing, as Remus was in the Infirmary recuperating from last night's transformation. There had been nothing unusual about it save for the scent of two others besides themselves on the wind. Idiots. Of course Remus never intended to hurt anyone in his werewolf state, and if he ever did, he'd probably kill himself over the guilt; even so, it was not very intelligent to be sneaking out on a night where the full, silvery moon dominated the sky. Common sense should dictate that, even if nobody knew that Hogwarts housed a werewolf.
Sirius finally managed to silence the alarm. He was very tempted to fall asleep again and just not go to class, but James had already dragged himself out of bed. The Marauders did things as a team, and if one was up, they all were.
"Jaaaames," Peter whined as the window shades were opened, spilling bright sunlight through the room.
"The teachers will think something is up if none of us are in class," he said, running a hand through his unruly hair and staring out the window for a moment. "And I promised Lily I'd help her with her essay, remember?"
"Bollocks," Sirius said, stumbling past him on a beeline for the loo.
"Don't stay in there too long, Padfoot," James said, the end of the sentence obscured by a yawn. The only response was garbled muttering around a toothbrush about 'bloody stupid girlfriends…'
"Come on, Peter," James said, nudging his friend's knee with an outstretched hand. "We only have a half hour to get ready." Peter just rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head. James shrugged. Let him go to class smelly.
"So what the hell was the deal with those other people outside last night?" Sirius asked loudly over the sound of running water.
James frowned. He had been quite stunned to spot Selena Snape and Lucius Malfoy getting frisky in the lake. Ridiculous place to do so, what with the squid and all. And besides, he'd always been under the impression that she couldn't stand the arrogant Slytherin bastard. But she had seemed quite happy as his hands did illicit things to her under the water. Well, her brother was a Slytherin, after all. Perhaps that upped her tolerance? Regardless, he'd never witnessed a kind word exchanged between the two of them. How could they possibly be lovers?
"I don't know," he replied. "I only got a whiff."
"Oh yeah? They were over by the lake, though, and you were over there. I would have thought maybe you'd seen them?"
"No such luck," James lied.
"Well, whoever they are," Sirius said, emerging from the bathroom and toweling his hair dry, "let's hope they don't make a habit of sneaking out. They might get a nasty surprise someday."
James frowned again, still facing the window. He remembered Selena Snape's eyes as she and Malfoy watched him on the shore. He had not entirely believed the rumors that she was psychic before, but he definitely did now. Those eyes…she'd seen something other than a stag when she looked at him. He had felt it all over his skin, even in his Animagus form. What if she knew? What if she figured out that they were Animagi? Oh god…what if she realized that Remus was a werewolf?
"What are you thinking, James?" Sirius asked, pausing his dressing routine to stare at his friend's back.
"Nothing. Just zoned out." He felt terrible lying to Sirius, but the feeling in his gut was telling him that this was something his dark-haired friend should not know…if only to spare Remus the agony of Sirius telling him that his crush of almost three years was shagging someone they all avidly hated. James didn't think he could soften the blow, but it would still be better than Sirius breaking the news. Sirius had long ago reached the decision that Remus didn't really like Selena as much as he claimed to, due to his refusal to approach her or ask her out. He would probably say something along the lines of 'You snooze, you lose, Moony.' That was most definitely NOT what Remus needed to hear right after a transformation.
"Peter! Come on, buddy!" Sirius said, startling James out of his reverie. He heard the telltale snap of a wet towel and heard Peter's yelp as it found his back.
"That's going to leave a mark," he grinned, giving Sirius a light, brotherly shove on his way to the bathroom. James ducked into the shower with a half-smile on his face, momentarily forgetting the depthless brown eyes of Selena Snape.
* * * * * *
She had long ago made a vow to herself that she would never allow a man, especially not Lucius, to intimidate her. It was hard to stick to that promise now, though, with him stalking around the dimly lit room like a tiger that hadn't been fed in a week.
"Why were you in possession of a Muggle vehicle?" he demanded loudly, his palms smacking down on the scarred wooden table. She managed to conceal the start her body gave at the sudden noise.
"I live and work in the Muggle world," she replied, meeting his eyes with forced ease. "I can't exactly floo or apparate to get around."
"How did you procure this 'car'?"
"I bought it."
"With Muggle money?"
"Yes."
"What do you do in the Muggle world that enables you to afford such an expensive vehicle?"
"I'm a bartender."
"A bartender."
"Yes."
"The last time I checked, bartending produced a rather meager paycheck. Perhaps you do something else on the side, such as sell your affections to lonely Muggle men?" he said with a sneer.
She felt Flitwick tense beside her and raised a hand to stop whatever he was about to say.
"I do nothing of the sort. I am a bartender, a rather famous one. But naturally you wouldn't be familiar with the work of Galina Dmitrov, since you are so above the world of Muggles."
Lucius's eyes narrowed, but he knew when he was beaten.
"Why do you live in the Muggle world? What do you have against the wizarding world?"
"Don't put words in her mouth, Lucius," Flitwick said, meeting the fair man's burning glare with one of his own. "Her choice of residence doesn't necessarily have anything to do with her opinions about the Muggle or wizarding world."
"Filibus is right. I have nothing against the wizarding world. It is family obligation that keeps me in the Muggle world. You see," she said, tilting her head slightly, "my mother's relatives lost one of their main sources of income when my Mother, Father, and little brother were killed." She left off the 'by Death Eaters' part; she knew that he already knew that. "My mother didn't work, but Father was well off and gave her a certain amount of money per week to use. She never spent it on herself; a small part of it was always given to me and my siblings, and the rest was sent to my mother's family in Russia."
"So you felt it necessary to become the breadwinner in your mother's stead?"
"Her family had never liked her marrying a wizard and being taken away from them, but they let her go because she loved him. They blamed the wizarding world for her death, and rightly so. There was no one left but me to make it up to them. And besides that, someone had to pay Severus's tuition."
"Why not him?"
Her expression darkened.
"Severus had a future in the wizarding world. I did not."
"And why is that?"
"Because I am quite sure that the Death Eaters wished me dead, as well. There was no reason to stay and seal my death sentence. So Selena Snape disappeared and Galina Dmitrov went home."
Lucius resumed his pacing, but he was quiet. She had just told him a lot of things that he'd never known. Selena was equally sedate; it was not easy for her to remember the terrible events of so many years ago.
Flitwick, for his part, was becoming annoyed. It was clearer now than ever that there was no basis for this arrest and trial at all. Anytime Lucius and Selena were together, the air was thick with unresolved issues. This was all a charade the younger man had designed in order to exact some kind of revenge. The worst part was that the Ministry was now so crippled and incompetent that it was allowed to go on.
But he held his tongue; he had always found Selena to be incredibly bright and more than capable of defending herself. If she needed his help, she'd ask. Still, he wished that he knew exactly what it was that had ended her relationship with Lucius. She had come to him those many years ago, her eyes puffy from crying, but it had only been to ask him if she could have an extension on an essay. He had asked her if she was all right, to which she replied that she was. Then he asked her why she needed the extension. Her answer had simply been that she'd had a nasty falling out with Lucius and wouldn't be able to concentrate to finish it tonight. Having heard rumors flying about the faculty room about the possibility of marriage for the odd couple after graduation, he immediately consented to the extension. He had tried to get her to sit down and talk to him, but she said it was still too fresh and painful to go over again.
He had figured, back then, that they would resolve everything in a few days, have some make-up sex (yes, he'd come across them more than once during bedchecks, but always left them alone – there was one relationship that not even Minerva would have broken up, gossip-monger that she was…she wanted more than anyone for the highly unconventional Slytherin/Ravenclaw match to work), and return to normal. But it hadn't happened that way. From that day forward, it was officially O-V-E-R, over.
And apparently, there hadn't been any conversation after that. They were both seethingly angry at each other, even with close to twenty years to cool off. He tried to think of anything, anything at all that might be a clue. All he could remember was that Severus and Sirius Black had gotten into a scuffle around that same time. And two months later, after the winter holidays, only one of the Snape twins came back.
"That will be all," Lucius said suddenly, picking up his cane from where it rested against the table. "Minister Fudge will conclude your questioning tomorrow morning."
She nodded, keeping her chin up until he'd swept from the room. Then she slumped in the chair, rubbing her temples with shaking fingers. A moment later she felt Flitwick squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, and she gave him a small smile.
"It will be easier with Fudge," he said, returning the smile.
"Thank you, Filibus."
"Of course."
He offered her his arm, and she took it, allowing him to lead her through the darkened corridors to her room. She supposed they were a comically mismatched pair; he was short and round, and she was tall and linear. He stopped to give instructions to the two guards that were to stand at her door, and then saw her in.
"Selena?" he said as she stepped inside.
"Yes?"
"What happened between you and Lucius?"
She looked down at the floor, her hand nervously clenching the doorknob. Then she sighed, raising her eyes to the ceiling.
"I don't even know, Filibus. I don't even know."
* * * * * *
"So he's a lawyer," Hermione said.
"Yes, that is the Muggle term for it," Dumbledore agreed, nodding and folding his hands.
"So then how did he wind up here?" Harry asked.
"Well, it is a long story, but I'll try to make it as short as possible. Believe it or not, Filibus didn't attend Hogwarts. He actually went to Beauxbatons, where, not surprisingly, Charms was his best subject. I don't know exactly how he became a spokesperson, or lawyer as you say, because I didn't know him then. He started with the usual trifling cases and worked his way up, and by the time You Know Who had come to power, he had quite a reputation. I'm sure the Death Eaters would have left him alone – he is a pureblood, and very shrewd in a way they would appreciate, and nothing he did really concerned them. Until, of course, he received an invitation for an audience with the Dark Lord. The Death Eaters wanted him. He promptly refused, and sent them a rather scathing letter from what I hear."
Three pairs of eyes widened.
"Is he nuts?" Ron said, shaking his head. "That's like asking the Death Eaters to go after his family!"
Dumbledore smiled sadly.
"That's the thing about him," the old wizard said. "He refused to be intimidated by the war. He certainly doesn't seem the type, but there's more courage in him than fifty Gryffindors."
"So what happened?" Harry urged, even though he already had an idea of how it had turned out. One didn't cross the Death Eaters and come out unscathed.
"Well, he was hailed as a hero of sorts; not many people had the courage to stand up to the Dark Lord and his servants so blatantly. He spoke out against them, even took some cases of grievance against recognizable Death Eaters. He gave the wizarding community hope in a dismal time. Unfortunately, as is the fate of so many that stand up against oppression, things did turn out badly for him. His home was raided. His wife and two daughters were killed. He nearly lost his life, as well, but Poppy was able to save him. I will be honest; I did not expect Filibus to live through that. She brought him back through sheer willpower, I think."
"That's awful," Hermione whispered.
"Yes, but such were the times. I brought him here, because he needed protection and constant care for the first few weeks. And six weeks later Noventa Scaramanga, the former head of Ravenclaw, was murdered by the Death Eaters. Noventa was my spy before Severus. Filibus had nowhere to go, so I asked him if he wanted the job. The only problem was that he was not terribly talented with potions – that's what Noventa taught, you know. Potions Masters," Dumbledore sighed, with a slight shake of his head. "Haven't met a well-adjusted one yet. Perhaps it's the fumes…But anyway, I wasn't about to turn him out because of that. Back then Charms was taught in compound with Defense Against the Dark Arts. I simply declared that Charms was a new subject and that the new head of Ravenclaw would be teaching it. I took over potions myself until a suitable replacement could be found, and that was that."
"Was Scaramanga very much like Professor Snape?" Hermione could not stop herself from asking.
"Not at all. Quite the opposite, actually. He detested the Slytherins, took points off them whenever he could. Very patient in his classes, as well. But please realize, you three, that much of Severus's personality as a teacher is an act. There is a lot of kindness in him, but it is veiled. I would not hesitate to say that he would give his life for any of you."
Harry snorted. Hermione elbowed him.
"Believe me, Mr. Potter, it is difficult to make our dear Potions professor hate. He may…dislike quite abundantly, but he stays objective when it comes to the endangerment of anyone in this school."
"Flitwick isn't at all like you described him now," Ron said, trying to steer them away from discussion of his least favorite person.
"The loss of his wife and children took a lot out of him. I think Hogwarts has done him good, though. It did not take him long to realize that all the students were his children. He does his best to be the doting father figure. Not even the Slytherins can find much to complain about. And, believe it or not, the first thing he did when You Know Who was defeated was go back to the courtroom. He is the reason so many Death Eaters now make their homes in Azkaban."
There was a brief silence as they absorbed this, and then Hermione spoke again.
"Headmaster," she said solemnly, "why isn't Lucius Malfoy in Azkaban?"
Dumbledore looked taken aback for a moment. Obviously he hadn't expected such a straightforward and prying question.
"There were…extenuating circumstances," the old wizard answered.
"Like what?" she pressed.
"It is a very long story, Miss Granger. What I will say is that there was no proof that he wasn't acting under the Imperius."
"But no proof that he was?"
"Mr. Malfoy was not right in the head at the time. If you would like more details, Miss Granger, perhaps you would like to ask Lucius yourself?" he said, raising an eyebrow in warning.
Her cheeks colored a bit, and she slouched back in her chair, properly chastised.
"Now," Dumbledore continued a moment later, "I have the utmost faith in Filibus. There is no evidence at all to convict Selena, and he will be sure that the Ministry understands that. Lucius will probably try to drag out the trial as long as he can, but I don't think he can hold them there for more than a week."
"But what about when they're not in court?" Harry asked, his brow furrowing with concern. "What if he tries to do something?"
"Selena is far from helpless. Those with psychic abilities can cause a great deal of damage when forced to turn those abilities on an attacker."
"Like what?" Ron asked.
"Someone once tried to attack her best friend in Hogsmeade. He was in a coma for three weeks. She could have killed him with a thought. Anyone who knows that she is psychic should have the sense to realize that if she wished to end a life, she would not need the Killing Curse."
"We know she once went out with Malfoy," Harry said impulsively. He couldn't help but feel that pieces of the story were still missing, and he was determined to find them. "Why is he after her now?"
"I am sure that he has always wanted to do something of this nature," the old wizard said, inclining his head slightly. "But Severus was always in the way. Now, what with Karkaroff mucking about…Severus is trapped. He can't do anything."
"But I still don't understand why. If he was that hurt or angry over the breakup, it meant that he really loved her. And if he really loved her, then why would he want to hurt her?" Harry pressed.
"He thinks that she cheated on him," a smooth, mellow voice said, filling the room with its crisp cadence. They all recognized the voice, but turned towards the Potions Master anyway.
"You never told me that, Severus," Dumbledore said, regarding the dark man in his doorway.
"In the scope of things, it didn't seem important. Besides, it's not true. She didn't cheat on him. Not willingly, anyway."
"Do you mean to say…?"
"We will discuss it later. There's something you need to understand about Lucius," he said, turning his beady gaze on Harry and his companions. "Malfoy love is twisted love. He would rather slice her throat then let another man lay a finger on her."
"But it's all right for him to go off with some other woman afterwards," Hermione sniffed disdainfully.
"Amazing how quickly you grasp the logic of a madman, Miss Granger," Snape said dryly.
"So he doesn't care for that Narcissa woman at all," she continued, faintly amazed that Snape was relating these things to them as well as Dumbledore.
"I don't know. Two bitter people rolling in money with no concept of reality," he said dryly, scowling. "They're made for each other."
"Severus," Dumbledore said, now looking gravely concerned. "Why didn't she ever come to me? And even if she wouldn't, why didn't you?"
"She made me swear not to say anything."
"Brotherly loyalty or not, Severus, a possible rape is something that should be brought to my attention."
The three students were surprised to see Snape wince at the Headmaster's choice of words.
"That is not the word she assigns to it," he said softly, frowning.
"It doesn't matter. Just because her recollection isn't clear doesn't mean she wasn't hurt in such a manner. They could have used something on her, a charm or a potion," the Headmaster said. "And then they probably altered her memory."
"I'm sure," the other man nodded.
"Why are you letting us hear all this, anyway?" Hermione asked suddenly, unable to contain her curiosity.
"There are not many people who have the courage to support my sister right now. She took a liking to you three, Merlin only knows why," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "But I know you dullard Gryffindors won't waver in your belief and support of her innocence. Consider this the temporary olive branch."
"Olive branch?" Ron said thickly. Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, both at Snape's veiled insult and Ron's stupidity, and even Harry ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. Snape looked very much like he was trying incredibly hard to resist pulling out his wand and hexing Ron into oblivion.
"Offering of peace, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said with a chuckle, knowing how hard it must have been for Severus to say such a thing out loud. Ron's eyes went wide and he looked warily at Snape.
"I can see you won't trust me until you see me dead in my coffin," Snape drawled, giving Ron a devastating glare.
"That's not t-true," Ron stammered, lifting his chin. "I like Selena and…and if she can deal with you, then…then I can, too!" he declared.
Snape looked faintly amused, and then turned his glance on Harry.
"What about you, Potter?"
"Same," Harry said somewhat coldly.
"And Miss Granger?"
"Contrary to what you might think, I never had an aversion to you, and I like your sister very much. Although you could stand to be a little nicer to Neville…just because he hasn't got a clue about potions…"
"None of us has to worry about the Dark Lord with that boy in class," Snape said darkly, narrowing his eyes. "Do you realize how many times he's nearly killed us all?"
"Then why don't you just let him drop the class?" Hermione asked, the challenge clear in her tone. Harry and Ron were staring at her in amazement.
"That is out of my hands. I would quite willingly strip naked and dance on the staff table during the Yule Ball if that horrid specimen of wizard was removed from my class. Hell, I'd kiss Minerva McGonagall."
Hermione could not stifle a giggle. She heard Dumbledore chuckle as well. Harry and Ron looked horrified, which only made her laugh more. She was highly amused that he considered dancing naked in front of the whole school a lesser punishment than kissing the head of Gryffindor.
"What Severus means to say, Hermione, is that Potions is a requirement for all seven years at Hogwarts. One cannot graduate without it. So even though Mr. Longbottom is a bit…calamitous-" Snape snorted loudly at this "-he cannot graduate without Potions."
"But if he's really that dangerous…"
"Don't you trust your Professor?" Dumbledore asked, looking over his spectacles. Hermione gave Snape a sidelong glance. He was scowling, his eyes firmly fixed on the window behind Dumbledore's head. Perhaps she did not trust Severus Snape as a man or an ally, but there was no better Potions Master in the whole of the Eastern Hemisphere.
She nodded thoughtfully, finally understanding why Snape was so cranky during her classes. Those classes were the only time she saw him, and she had always assumed that he was like that all the time. Only now did she realize that he was not really as much of a prat as he seemed.
* * * * * *
The questioning session with Fudge had indeed been a great deal easier than the one with Lucius. She still had that cold feeling in the pit of her stomach, though. He hadn't said anything, but he'd been there. And he'd stared. Stared like he used to in class when they were together, doing unspeakably naughty things to her in his imagination. She always knew when he was thinking about her that way. It used to excite her, and he knew it.
The disconcerting part was that when she felt his eyes traveling over her figure, her body responded with that same old surge of endorphins. She should have hated him, it should have made her sick when she realized what he was doing…but it didn't. It made her ache.
Some actor that looked oddly like her brother had said it in a Muggle movie once: as far as the senses are concerned, some people just feel like home. Lucius had always tasted, smelled, and felt like home. And since it had fallen apart, she'd never quite found that feeling with any other man.
She asked Flitwick if she could have a few moments to herself after the questioning, to which he agreed as long as she was careful and went directly to her chambers. She said she would and pushed her way out of the small, stuffy room. The trial was to begin tomorrow morning at ten; she needed to prepare herself mentally for whatever Lucius was going to throw at her.
She took a somewhat roundabout route back to her quarters, walking slowly and allowing herself to become lost in thought. No one obstructed her as she meandered; it was the weekend, after all, and much of the Ministry was at home enjoying some extra sleep.
Naturally, it was quite a shock when she looked up to remove the wards from her door and Lucius was blocking her path.
"Lu--!" she managed before his raised his hand and pointed his wand.
"Silencio!"
She moved her lips, but there was no sound. A silencing spell. She glared at him as if to say 'What the hell do you want?', concealing her fear with anger.
"Can't have anyone hearing you scream, now can we?" he said softly, advancing on her.
She continued to glare, lifting her chin in defiance. She couldn't back away; she was already against the wall. And of course she didn't have her wand. The Ministry had confiscated it for evidence.
He was a foot away, staring at her in that way again. She shook her head emphatically, telling him via body language that he better not try anything. But she knew he wouldn't listen, and sure enough, a moment later he'd lunged forward and trapped her body against the wall with his.
She couldn't scream, but she struggled. There was no way he was going to get what he wanted easily. But he was stronger – always had been, physically anyway. His forearm suddenly crushed down over her throat, blocking her airway. Her struggles diminished as she gasped for air. She began to see black blotches as her lungs burned and screamed for oxygen. Selena made one last attempt to pry his arm away, glad that she was at least drawing blood with her nails. She heard him growl in the distance as everything became foggier and foggier.
Just when she thought he had killed her, the pressure was eased. Instinctively, her body drew in as much oxygen as it could. She could only lean limply against him, desperately trying to sate her pleading lungs and cloudy mind.
"That's a good girl," he murmured. It took her a few more moments to become even minimally aware again, at which point she realized what he was doing.
Her robes were unbuttoned and he'd pulled one of her legs to rest over his hip, pushing up her skirt in the process. Neither of her feet were on the ground. He had her pinned against the wall, supporting her with his own weight.
She tried to push him away, but it was to no avail. She wanted to scream as she felt his cool hand sliding up the inside of her thigh.
"Lucius, NO!"
The sharp thought careened through his brain like quicksilver. He jumped and drew back a centimeter. He had forgotten what it felt like to have her in his head. He could silence her mouth, but not her brain. Lucius scowled. It would not deter him.
His hand plunged on, and he felt her tense. A moment later, he laughed.
"You're wet. I knew it."
He supposed, in hindsight, that he should have paid more attention to the irate expression on her face. Seconds later he was on his knees, clenching the sides of his head. Pain crackled through his mind like a thousand red fireworks. It felt like a mental Cruciatus.
It didn't let up until she'd snatched his wand, ended the silencing spell, disabled the wards, and closed the door. He felt the wand hit him in the cheek and heard it clatter to the floor a second before the telltale rush of air and loud crash of a door slamming.
Then it was all over. He slumped in the corridor, cradling his throbbing head in both hands. It was like the hangover from hell.
He didn't move until he heard footsteps echoing off the high stone ceiling. At that point he dragged himself to his feet, shutting his eyes as the world tipped and whirled crazily. He forced himself to walk and hoped no one would spot him; he was staggering badly, considering how every now and then the hallway would lurch and upend itself, causing intense vertigo and nausea. Being seen like this would do wonders for his reputation – Lucius Malfoy, drunkard and influential Ministry member. No, must avoid people. All he had to do was make it to a fireplace so he could floo back to the Manor, at which point he could be thoroughly sick, be pampered by Narcissa, and spend the rest of the day thinking of ways to get even with Selena.
A/N – Can anyone tell me where I've heard the name Scaramanga before? Oh, and the actor I was referring to is John Cusack in High Fidelity.