Okay a few things. Sorry I haven't update in about a month but there are three reasons why. First I recently got a full-time job, second I was on holiday abroad for a week and third I had my other fic to update. And as a bonus reason my internet has been going off every half hour or so, which is so bloody annoying.

Anyway I hope you enjoy!

"Lucius please don't do this" Severus pleaded. He wasn't ashamed to admit he was scared. Nor was he ashamed to realise he might very well be fighting for his life.

"Hush now little prince. You know I won't hurt you. Well not unless you asked me to". Lucius chuckled. A dark, sinister laugh that only made the boys grow more anxious.

"Don't touch him you slimy snake!" Sirius spat, James right at his heels. The two moved so that they stood between Severus and Lucius.

Lucius merely smirked at them. "And who are you to tell me what I can and can't do, hmm?" He asked, slowly walking towards them.

"Since he's my boyfriend, I think I have a damn good reason for telling you to back off!" James glared, his voice rising in volume.

It was those words that proved to be Lucius' undoing. Lucius was a man used to getting what he wanted, whenever he wanted it. And he didn't cope well when faced with the idea that he was being denied what he wanted.

"He is mine! He's always been mine you stupid boy! And you think you can just come and take him from me? You ignorant, naïve little child. You think you deserve him? You could never be worthy of him!" Lucius spat.

"And you think you are? You force yourself on him, you terrify him and you think that'll make him want to be with you? You're insane! You act like you only want him because he'll have your kids. Did you even ask him if he wants kids? He's not just a toy for you to fuck and knock up, he deserves better!" James yelled back. His whole body was tense and his hands trembled from a mix of anger and slight fear.

"He deserves better? Is that so? Tel me do you think you're better for him? I've known Severus since he was five; you've barely known him a few weeks. We have history; I've been his first for just about everything and soon enough I'll be taking the last of his firsts. Yes I expect him to carry my child; he was born to do so. Severus knows this and has come to accept it, haven't you little prince?" Lucius directed the question at Severus.

Severus, although he loathed to do so, reluctantly nodded in response. "Yes" he replied.

"There you see, he knows his place. He has responsibilities, he is a Prince and as a Prince he is expected to produce heirs. And who better than with someone he's known for years? Someone rich, handsome and who will protect him. Someone who will keep him safe". Lucius added.

"You're lying. Why do you lie to me Lucius? Why now?" Severus interrupted, glaring at the man as he pushed past the boys who tried to keep him back.

"Excuse me?" Lucius didn't like this sudden defiance Severus showed. He liked his partners to submit, to do as they were told. It seemed he had some more work to do, to get Severus to act accordingly.

"Going senile? You come in here claiming you're gonna take Sev away from us. You say all this shit about the Dark Lord and how he's your new master. You say he's gonna be Sev's new master like he doesn't have a choice. Well he does have a bloody choice! And as far as I'm concerned, the only way you'll get your slimy hands on him is over my dead body!" Sirius barked, coming up to stand next to Severus.

"Oh that can be arranged, mark my words boy!" Lucius hissed, taking a menacing step towards the boys.

"Wait…if the Dark Lord is your master, then doesn't that make you a Death Eater?" Remus spoke up; he seemed to be the only one to stay calm.

Lucius merely chuckled, a deep throaty sound that instantly put the boys on edge. "Very smart. Perhaps there's hope for you yet" he murmured.

"Then that means-" Sirius lunged forward, ripping away part of the man's sleeve. And true enough, there on his wrist as the mark of the Dark Lord. "I knew it" Sirius murmured. James pulled him back just in time, as Lucius lunged for where the boy had been stood seconds before.

"You really are a slimy snake. I always knew Slytherins were evil, you're living proof!" Sirius spat.

Only a second passed before Sirius was forced to leap to the side. A bright green light shooting past him, the implications of which terrified him. For this was no mere tiff, no mere argument between Slytherin and Gryffindor. This was no schoolboy fight, no. This was real. Lucius was armed, dangerous and judging by the spell he'd just cast, actually willing to kill them in order to get to Severus. And it was a thought that truly terrified Sirius.

Severus stood in disbelief. Yes Lucius had been treating him rather terribly as of late, yes he'd become almost unbearable in how possessive he'd become of him. But this, this wasn't the Lucius he knew.

The other boys weren't much better. Aside from Sirius' instinct to move and not end up dead, none of them had moved since the spell was cast.

'What have they done to you?' Severus thought to himself, crying out as Lucius cast that spell.

It wasn't his Lucius, it couldn't be. Severus just didn't want to believe it. Like Lucius said, he'd known him since childhood. Yes the man was oddly obsessed with impregnating him, but it didn't necessarily make him a bad person. But this however, this did.

Severus had always known Lucius would be there to protect him. The man was too possessive to let anyone else touch what he deemed as his. But this was taking things way too far. Lucius had always been there ready to fight for him, but as Severus was now learning, Lucius was ready to kill for him.

Now some people, usually the mentally deranged or the utterly oblivious teenage girls, might consider such an act romantic. Severus on the other hand understood it for its ugly truth. Lucius wasn't how he remembered him. Whatever it was that had happened to him since they last saw one another, the man had changed and not for the better. Severus was quite sure the mark on his arm was the reason why and he could barely bring himself to look at it.

"Stupefy!" Severus was startled from his thoughts by a familiar voice. He turned to see a rather harried Professor McGonagall running towards them, two aurors in tow.

"What?" Severus murmured almost inaudibly. It just didn't seem real.

Lucius crashed to the ground, the sound almost deafening in the quiet of the alley. The boys gaped disbelievingly, as the three adults finally reached them.

"You just-" It was quite possibly the only time James was ever lost for words. But it didn't take long for his brain to kick in and seconds later he was at Severus' side wrapping his arms around the terrified boy.

"How did you know where we were?" Sirius demanded. He wasn't quite sure to be outraged or relieved. The implication that they'd been followed didn't sit well with him, but he couldn't deny that had they not he might have very well ended up dead. And that was a thought that truly terrified him.

"Thank Merlin you boys are all right. There'll be time for questions later Mr Black. I think the best thing to do right now though is to get Severus home, don't you?" It was a truth Sirius could not deny.

"All right then. C'mon Sev, we'd better get you to the floo before it closes. You gonna be okay to travel?" Sirius walked over to the two embracing boys.

Severus pulled away from James. Not necessarily calmer, but he had stopped trembling so it was an improvement at least. "Yeah" he replied softly, although he refused to let go of James completely. "And don't call me Sev" he added after a brief pause.

Sirius grinned, though it wasn't big nor bright. "Sure Severus".

While the boys conversed, the two aurors accompanying McGonagall set to work immobilising Lucius. They quickly divested him of his wand, speaking in hushed tones as they pointed at the mark on his wrist. Minutes later it appeared they were satisfied enough to move him, levitating him behind them as they returned to the Ministry, only stopping to briefly chat with Minerva as they left. The woman nodded, waving them off as she turned to the boys who seemed to have calmed somewhat.

"I believe given what's happened it would be best for everyone, if I were to escort you boys home. Come on". She told them, waiting for them to ready themselves before leading them out of the alley.

The way home was quite a solemn affair for all involved. The boys would only speak in hushed whispers, James' arm firmly around Severus' waist as though he was afraid of what would happen if he were to remove it. Remus and Sirius observed the two with smiles, tight and small as they were. It was clear to them that the two belonged together. It was also clear to them how stupid they'd all been in thinking they could carry out this plan. Sirius in particular seemed to be the most affected. He still couldn't supress the odd tremble, only managing to stop it when Remus took his hand in a silent show of support.

Most would believe Severus to be the most affected; the man he'd known since childhood had betrayed his truth, attempted to kill his friend and force him into a life that would have been for all intent and purposes, slavery. But they'd be wrong. Oh sure it was a tremendous shock. Not one of them had considered just how badly the confrontation could have gone. Severus had underestimated the extent to which Lucius would go in order to claim him as his. It had indeed very nearly ended in tragedy. But it wasn't Severus who still trembled; it wasn't Severus whose eyes still shone with fear at the realisation of his own mortality. It was Sirius. And while Sirius wasn't known for being serious, in this situation it was all he could be.

"I'll write to you, all of you". Severus offered, though he was still rather subdued.

The four boys were stood in the waiting room, waiting to say their goodbyes. James it seemed was taking it the hardest, only having just been convinced to let Severus out of his arms. As sappy as it sounded he missed him already and he hadn't even left yet. Although perhaps given the circumstances, his behaviour could be forgiven. It wasn't every day a first date led to an assassination attempt after all.

"I'll write every week and I'll see you next holidays yeah?" Sirius gave the boy a crushing hug, paying no mind to anyone around them. Or indeed any mind as to how little oxygen Severus was receiving.

"I'll write too. I'll let you know what these two get up to that they don't want to tell you about". Remus offered in turn. For that he received a smile and crushing hug of his own.

"I'll send you that book I mentioned. We can meet up during the holidays and go over it if you want". Severus offered, pulling back. He hadn't had much of a chance to speak with Remus, but he'd of liked to. The other boy was a lot like him and if he understood the way he looked at Sirius, he was more like him than the other boy realised.

"Definitely" Remus said with a smile.

"Uh would you mind, I mean could you guys give us a minute? You know alone?" James asked.

"Sure, yeah. C'mon Remus". Sirius dragged Remus away off to the side with Professor McGonagall.

James once again wrapped his arms around Severus' waist, drawing him close and whispering in his ear. "So" James started, "you okay?" he asked nervously.

"Still a little scared and pretty confused right now. I kind of figured I would be on my first date, but this wasn't quite what I expected". Severus admitted; it wasn't something he was used to doing. At least not with boys he barely knew.

"Heh, it's not quite what I expected either. But uh, this morning was that it okay?" James asked, he pulled back a little to look into his eyes.

Severus blushed, much to his embarrassment, but he couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, it was okay".

"Just okay or-" James found himself unable to talk as Severus pressed his mouth against his.

Needless to say it was a good two minutes before either of them spoke again. Fear can do a lot to a person, especially when it involves someone you love. And for these two boys, they chose to express that fear in a slightly unconventional way. But hey, they were teenagers after all. Most times they didn't even need a reason to have a good snogging, it just so happened that in this case, they had a very good reason indeed.

"Wow. Uh, I mean…" James stuttered as they pulled apart.

"Maybe next time you can come to France? That is, if you're still interested I mean?" Severus smiled shyly. "I mean I know we said we were doing this to get back at, well you know. But that didn't exactly turn out like we planned. So I-" It seemed James had taken a leaf out of Severus' book, for Severus found his mouth suddenly occupied. And the hand on the back of his head seemed quite determined to keep him there, not that he could complain.

"Definitely. Now let me do this right. Severus Prince, will you be my boyfriend? For real this time". James asked, letting him go only when he was satisfied he was suitably snogged and dazed.

"Yeah". Severus breathed, still a little breathless. "I will" he added, as though it need confirmation.

"Good" James grinned, before diving back in again for one last snog.

"Oy lovebirds! Hurry up or Severus is gonna be stuck here until tomorrow!" Sirius yelled. The sudden squawk coming from his direction suggested Remus had cuffed him.

James grinned a little embarrassedly, "I'll write you". With one last smile James finally Severus go, his face flushed and lips swollen, just how James liked it.

"Bye". Severus said before turning to say the same to the others.

With goodbyes done, Severus paused momentarily before approaching Minerva. He didn't have time to wait for permission, before the woman wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't you be getting into trouble young man. Your grandfather has been informed of this incident and I want you to promise me you'll never do something so foolish again". Minerva told him, keeping as straight a face as she could until she found herself letting out a sob.

"I will. Thank you" Severus smiled back. His eyes suspiciously damp.

"And don't you be giving into Mr Potter that easily young man. You make him work for you love, understand?" It was rather funny how quickly Severus' face turned red. It was even funnier to see how James' face matched, the boy obviously failing to hide the fact he'd been eavesdropping on them.

"He kind of already has". Severus replied, once he got himself under control. There was however, Minerva noted, a rather impish gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

"You boys will be the death of me. Now go on, hurry up now, it's time you were headed home". Minerva ushered Severus up to the floo and with one last look back at them, he stepped through.

Minerva watched, waiting for Severus to depart before she turned to the other boys. "Now I'm afraid I need you boys to come with me" she said quite solemnly.

The boys exchanged nervous looks, although none of them seemed all that surprised. And why would they be? They knew what had happened was serious and they knew that what they knew could very well ensure it would not happen again.

"Why did you send Severus away if you knew you'd be taking us to the Ministry professor?" Remus asked, breaking the rather tense silence that had formed as the group headed towards the Ministry.

"He's been through enough today I think. He will of course be questioned about today's events, but his grandfather insisted he be returned home first. And I can't say I blame him. Your parents are already waiting for us". She informed them, drawing startled looks in response.

"Our parents? You mean they know what happened?" Sirius asked, he was not looking forward to whatever was about to happen. His mother was quite insufferable at the best of times. This might very well tip her over the edge.

"They were informed as soon as I alerted the proper authorities. I'm afraid I had to send for help before I could reach you boys. I did not trust Mr Malfoy to be left alone while I made sure you were all alright. And I know I haven't said it yet but I simply must. Thank you for keeping him safe from that man. You were very brave, all of you, especially you Mr Black". Minerva said rather curtly. But the boys had known her long enough that it was just her way of showing affection. To her students at least.

"You're welcome" Sirius responded, sounding a little dazed. He was too used to hearing nothing but criticism and fond exasperation coming from his head of house. Hearing actual praise made him question his own mental state. 'Did I hit my head' he thought to himself.

It didn't take long before the group found themselves entering the Ministry. Even during the evening the place was bustling. Harried assistants ran around, parchment in their hands and quills in their teeth. Important looking men and women strode about with purpose, each with the same serious and distasteful expression on their face. Aurors appeared to be just about everywhere, some guarding the doors, others clustered in small groups as they walked through the halls. Of course very few actually gave the boys more than a passing glance. It took a few minutes of walking before the boys were finally led into one of the rooms.

"Mum! Dad!" The next minute or so was filled with frantic parents smothering the boys with hugs and kisses. Yes even Mr and Mrs Black. Hearing that someone almost killed their son overtook their need to maintain propriety.

"It was Malfoy mum! I told you he'd gone mad, he tried to kill us!" Sirius exclaimed the moment he had enough room to speak.

"What?" Walburga seemed rather dazed at that. The Malfoys were known for being rather good friends with the Black family. At least to the extent that a Slytherin could call someone a friend.

"I'm going to kill him". Was his father's blunt statement. Strange that. Sirius always thought his mother would be the one to case an unforgiveable.

"Let's not get too hasty Lord Black. I understand these boys have experienced a frightening event but threatening to kill the man will do nothing". An auror entered the room, judging by his calm features and high class robes it seemed he was quite a respectable one at that.

"We are in agreement. Threats are meaningless, I will kill that bastard with my bare hands if I must. That is no mere threat, it is a promise". Sirius looked up at his father, the man's fingers tightening on his shoulder. Never before had he seen the man so furious. Not even when he'd been sorted into Gryffindor.

"How could this happen?" Remus' mother, a small and shy looking woman asked nervously. Her hands clasped around her son's. His father stood behind them, mimicking Sirius' father's stance.

"We had heard rumours of this Dark Lord. It seems he has been recruiting followers for some time now. I am afraid the evidence suggests young Mr Malfoy has become one of them. We know this because of the mark they all bear, their master's mark. It is to put it simply, a curse. It curses the bearer to do its master's bidding. But I am afraid we cannot be sure if what happened today was due to a command, or if Mr Malfoy was acting of his own accord". The auror explained, taking a seat behind the desk.

"You'll see to it Malfoy is charged I trust?" James looked up as his father spoke. His mother simply took his hand into her own.

"Lord Potter I can assure you, Mr Malfoy will be charged. I promise you I will do everything in my power, to ensure this never happens again to you all". The man confirmed with a nod. "We will however need to question the boys one at a time. Alone I'm afraid. We want to be sure we understand everything we can about what happened. It is my experience that teenagers, boys in particular, can become rather hazy about the details when their parents are with them. But please, rest assured we will have an auror posted outside the door for extra security. I promise you they'll be safe". The man added.

To say the parents weren't happy would be an understatement. Nothing could terrify a parent more, well a good, loving parent at least, than hearing that their child was attacked by a madman. It was every parent's nightmare, and for these parents, it was their reality.

"Go on lad" Remus' father ushered him forward. While he was reluctant to let his son out of his sight so soon, he was all too eager to have things over and done with. He wanted to take his son and wife home as soon as possible.

The other parents, although some clearly needed a lot more convincing finally agreed to the interviews. Not that any of them were very happy about it, how could anyone expect them to be? But it was for the best. What the boys knew could very well help ensure this never happened again, well to them and their families at least.

"Grandfather!" As Severus stepped out of the floo he spotted the man instantly.

"Severus!" Severus hurried over, finding himself brought into a crushing hug and not for the first time that day.

"When you left this morning you were supposed to be going on a date. Imagine my surprise when I receive word that you and your friends were attacked. Now before I get into that I must know something. Did you have a good time?" Augustus asked looking surprisingly haggard, a sharp contrast to his usual impeccable appearance.

"Yes grandfather, I did". Severus answered promptly.

"Good. Now come with me I don't want to do this in public". Augustus gestured for Severus to follow him outside and into the awaiting carriage.

It gave Severus a few precious moments to plan his responses and in case he needed them, a number of escape routes. It never hurt to be prepared.

Once inside and Severus was seated, Augustus waited for the carriage to start moving before addressing his grandson. "What happened?"

"I-I didn't think it would happen like that. I'm sorry" Severus responded, hanging his head.

"Tell me everything". Augustus ordered, receiving a silent nod in return.

"I met up with James, we went for a meal and then he took me around the shops. I bought a book and later James bought me chocolates. After that we ran into Sirius and Remus and we all decided to go get a drink. Oh and I saw Minnie again grandfather!" Severus exclaimed, a grin on his lips until the seriousness of the situation soon smothered it.

"And what happened after that?"

"We realised it was getting late so James said he'd take me back. Then Sirius and Remus wanted to come along so we decided to go together. I mean there's safety in numbers right? I thought we'd be safe. I sure bollixed that up". Severus sighed deeply before continuing. "Looking back it seemed so stupid, but they said it was a shortcut and it was getting late. So we went down this alley where there weren't any other people around. And I know what you're thinking and you're right. We were stupid and irresponsible and it's all my fault this happened". Severus let his head drop into his hands with a groan.

"I believe you were all to blame to some extent. But you were not the only ones". Augustus said calmly, although the way his fingers dug into the seat suggested he wasn't so relaxed.

"Lucius surprised us, he surprised me" Severus amended. "He said something about a master and I remember one of the shopkeepers told us something about a Dark Lord. So I asked Lucius about it and…" Severus trailed off. Severus took a deep breath before continuing. "He said I was his, it wasn't like how he usually said it. It was different, he was different. I just can't…" Severus froze once more, relaxing only when Augustus took his hand.

"Just breathe. Take your time". Augustus gave his hand a squeeze, receiving one in turn.

"Lucius is no longer the Lucius I knew. There was a mark on his arm; it had something to do with this Dark Lord I think. The others said he was a Death Eater but I didn't know what that was. I didn't want to say anything in case they thought I was stupid". Severus finished.

"Here in France the Dark Lord has very little influence. In Britain it is another matter however. Those boys have grown used to hearing about him through the news and from their parents. You have not. It doesn't mean you are stupid. Far from it, you are intelligent; you know this to be true. And in future I'd like you to use that intelligence. There may be safety in numbers, but when none of those numbers are permitted to use their magic outside of school that safety disappears. Next time don't let yourself become trapped. You are smarter than that".

Severus smiled shakily, burying his head into his grandfather's shoulder. "I'm sorry" he whispered.

Augustus rested his hand on Severus' head, gently petting his hair. "I know" he replied softly.

Outwardly Augustus appeared calm and controlled. But the way his fingers trembled and his heart raced betrayed how he really felt. To hear that his grandson had been attacked by a man he himself had trusted to keep him safe, in all honesty it made him want to vomit. To think he could have lost Severus today. It just didn't bear thinking about.

Augustus forced himself to take a deep breath of his own. His grandson wasn't the only one who needed to calm himself. He listened as Severus' breathing grew heavier and heavier until finally the boy was asleep. The day's events having no doubt exhausted him.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay. You'll never see Lucius again, I promise you". Augustus murmured. Of course Severus, who was fast asleep, never heard a thing.

I'm not saying this is the last we'll see of Lucius. But to be honest I really just wanna focus on the JPSS relationship rather than having to deal with Lucius. So if you do want to see more of him let me know, I will explain his situation in later chapters. But if you're happy for him to remain out of the picture in favour of the romance then let me know.

Oh and thanks for everyone who reviewed!

Please review!

KB