"So?" Lucius inquires impatiently.

"So what?" I snarl back.

"So. Is. He. Here?" He asks, speaking to me as if I don't understand.

Arse.

"Well does it look like it?" I point out sarcastically.

He rolls his eyes and walks towards the basement. Slowly I walk down the stairs.

"AAAGH" I jump as I walk into the kitchen.

Marvil looks at me with his big, yellow, bug eyes. Patiently, just looking, staring, peering up at me.

Urgh.

It's unnerving.

"Marvil?" I ask sweetly.

He doesn't answer. A sudden rush of cold flows through my veins.

He's not?

He can't be?

Lucius wouldn't, would he?

I slowly take a sharp step backwards, not once taking my eyes from the elf's big, bright ones.

I can't believe he killed Marvil.

Salty tears begin to fill my eyes; I finally manage to turn away and start to walk out of the kitchen, my hunger passed.

"Missy?" I hear a squeak from behind me.

My heart does back flips.

Before the poor little elf had a chance to move, I pounce on him and begin to hug him like a potato shaped teddy bear.

"Marvil!" I cry happily, "I thought Lucius Killed you".

"Mister Malfoy?" he squealed, "Oh no missy, Marvil bit him, yes he did, Master told Marvil, if anyone comes in house to bite them, and bite them I did, but not Missy Mudblood-" at that last word he clasped his had over his mouth and started rocking back and forth.

"Marvil?" I ask

"MARVIL" I shout and knock him out of his trance.

"Sorry Missy, Marvil has been told not to call you that anymore, Marvil is a bad elf, he not be calling his new mistress nasty names" he began to punch himself.

"Its ok Marvil" I say and pat him on the head.

He looks up at me thankful.

"New Mistress?" I ask, only just realising what I had heard.

"Yes" Marvil beams, "Master told him if she is to came back to the house, that Marvil is to be nice to her, but if anyone else is to come, Marvil is to bite them" the little elf stated proudly, "Marvil bites Master Malfoy, but Master Malfoy is a bad man, and Marvil must protect Missy Mistress from him"

"Oh Marvil" I squeeze him into another hug.

In actual fact, having a lumpy potato shaped elf to defend you is quite comforting.

"Did Missy get the note Master left Missy Mistress?" Marvil gasped amidst me scrunching the life out of him.

I look at him surprised, "Yes I did" I whisper, "Do you know what it means?"

Marvil bit his bottom lip in an almost cute way, his eyes glittering with glee. "Yes" he squeaked in a low whisper, "Master told Marvil to make sure Missy got it, it is a clue to where master is, Master said Mister Malfoy will be following Missy as he wants what he cant have, so Mater has left a clue so only Missy, Missy, Mistress can find him" he twinkled.

I recite the letter in my head, 'My dear Hermione we will meet again, wherever it may be, I will always hold a place for you in the cobbled streets of my heart.'

Those last two lines just seem too sappy for Severus. Suddenly as if a light bulb had appeared above my head it makes sense.

"Marvil" I cry out in joy.

The little elf looks terrified.

"You're a genius" I make a move to hug him tightly again and he hides underneath the table.

I decide to join him.

"I am?" he whispers.

"Well yes, sort of" I tell him

He looks sceptical.

"Ok, well more of a muse"

"I am Missy?"

"Yes, I know where Severus is"

"Master?" he squeaks excitedly.

"Yes" I hush.

"Where missy w must go there now, before Mister Malfoy gets back from the basement"

"Yeah, just why is he in the basement?" I ask, suddenly side tracked.

"THAT" I hear an icy voice call from above the table, "is none of your business"

Shit.

"Get out miss granger" he says tiredly.

I attempt to get up but bang my head and fall back down.

Dammit.

"Miss granger I do not have time to watch you play tea party under the kitchen table with a house elf" he warns.

I drag myself from under the table and square up to him. He is much taller than me but try my best to look intimidating.

"HEM, HEM" he coughs in a way that reminds me of Umbridge.

I take a step away from him; I suppose I was kinda close.

"Severus, where is he?" he simply asks like it is the simplest question in the world to answer.

"I honestly don't know" I lie.

"Don't lie to me you filthy little-"

"I'm NOT lying" I lie again.

"You clearly are" he states his temper rising.

"Am not"

"Are"

"Am not"

"Are"

"Am not"

"Are"

"Am not"

"Are"

"Am not"

"Are"

"Am not"

"Are"

"Missy" Marvil shouts, his hands covering his ears.

"What" I hiss, not meaning to be nasty but im trying to sound hard.

Marvil seems taken aback, "Marvil was only going to suggest we take Mister Malfoy along, if we are to find master, surely three sets of eyes are better"

Im actually shocked that the tiny elf has made some sort of sense. I tear my death gaze away from Lucius and look in surprise at Marvil.

"Good idea" I concur.

Besides with a house elf on my side, Lucius can't really hurt me, and together we could probably drive him around the bend.

Ha-ha.

I shall call him Looney Lucius

Ha-ha

Mad Malfoy

Ha-ha.

Erm….

Yeah ok, so erm, so on, and so on.

Cough, cough.

"Are you ok?" Lucius asks looking at me like im sprouting horns.

I must have been muttering to myself again.

Ha-ha

They think im crazy.

Ha-ha

"Yeah fine" I say shaking away my thoughts.

"Riiiiiight" Lucius drawls.

We all stand there silent for a few awkward seconds.

"So Severus," The biggest Malfoy brings us back to the subject, "Where is he"

I look at him sly for a second, "Marvil, Looney," I say taking them both by the arms.

Malfoy looking slightly put off at the way I just addressed him, but that's beside the point.

"Hold tight" I warn them, and with a 'POP' we are gone.