50- Learning to Fly
Things at the Malfoy house did not improve. Abraxas did return the following Tuesday, and Lucius told him that Severus had been expelled. He told him he felt bad for the troubled boy, offered to take him in, and hired a tutor for him. Severus was pretty angry that he'd been expelled, but Lucius still was not speaking to him unless he absolutely had to. Everyone in the house heard the argument that ensued between Lucius and his stubborn father. His father reminded him that he was still alive, and that it was still his Manor. He said his house was not a dwelling for losers who get expelled, and that Severus must leave at once.
Naturally, Lucius performed some manner of spell on him, since the man grew quiet and then said Severus was more than welcome to reside with them until he completed his studies. Professor Kim heard the entire argument and looked uneasy. Lucius was more than gracious to Kim, but still treated Severus with contempt. Severus did his best to keep as quiet as possible, do whatever Lucius wished him to do, and not be late to any meals.
One week after Severus left Hogwarts, his Dark Mark began to burn. He was eating dinner when it happened, and he tried not to grab the arm out of the sheer pain. Instead, he gave Lucius a look, rose from the seat, and slowly walked away. He went upstairs to gather his robes, and then walked right out the front doors. He donned his mask and was taken in an instant to the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord appeared to be alone. Using wandless magic, the Dark Lord removed Severus's mask and waved him over closer to where he was standing. They were standing in a large field, with no dwellings in sight.
"How's school?" the Dark Lord asked.
"Fine. Professor Kim is a good teacher."
"So I've been told. He's a good man. Does he know of your ability to fly?"
"No, my Lord, no one knows…except you," Severus said as the Dark Lord began to smile.
"Tell me again how you discovered this talent."
"Purely by accident. I thought everyone could do it, even Muggles. Now I realize no one can do it."
"No, people can. I've seen them in China, Albania and elsewhere. You are only the fourth person I've ever known to do it, and the first to offer to teach me."
"My Lord, I must tell you, it's a talent one is born with. There is no spell, no incantation, and no potion. I simply can do it."
"You think me so inept? I'm the most powerful wizard in the world, Severus. If you can do it, I can do it," the Dark Lord spoke, glaring down at Severus with cold red eyes.
---
Two hours and six broken bones later, the Dark Lord surmised he could not do it. He tried everything, even tried jumping off the roof of an abandoned barn. Each time, he fell straight to the ground. He was a persistent man, but not one who liked to be made a fool of. He decided to just give up. Most of his breaks were in his ribs, which Severus healed as best he could, and affixed magical bandages to. Whatever Severus's method of flying was, it was never going to work for the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord sat on a tree stump, and pondered, as Severus awaited his fate.
"I don't understand -- it comes so simple to you, Severus. Why not to me?" he asked in an annoyed tone. If Severus appeared to be more powerful than the Dark Lord, he'd be killed, of that he was certain.
"I think it comes from my relation to Serban the Great, my Lord."
"I am of his relation too."
"Then you have what it takes. My Lord, perhaps we should try a new approach to this," Severus suggested as the Dark Lord looked at him for further instruction. "The first several times I achieved it were purely by accident. The first time that I recall was out of sheer happiness. I was happy to see someone, so I literally flew to them, and into their arms."
"What age were you?"
"It was my third birthday, my Lord. Now, I'd had a few instances after that, where I was very, very frightened. I had no choice but to fly. I didn't think about it, it simply happened. So it seemed, in the beginning, my motivation to fly was purely driven by strong emotions."
"I see what you are saying. Very well. This is what we will do, you will levitate me and sic the magical dragons on me. Do not be polite, Severus. I want them to hurt me. I'll even let them hurt me to build up some emotion, though not fear, since I fear no man and no spell. Anger…perhaps anger will motivate me to fly."
"My Lord, if this is your wish…"
"It is my command, Severus. I will not fight you back, unless you decide to just toy with me. Really sic the dragon on me. Now go over there and prepare yourself," the Dark Lord ordered. Severus was terrified. What if he killed him? What if he severely injured him? What if he… "Worry not, you cannot kill me, no man can," the Dark Lord interrupted as Severus bowed and took twenty paces. Severus aimed his wand, and levitated the Dark Lord over the field.
Naturally, they had attempted to just levitate him hours before, and each time Severus released the spell, the Dark Lord would crash into the ground below. This time, however, Severus would not release the spell. A moment later, Severus summoned the fearsome magical dragon. He allowed the dragon to circle its prey, the Dark Lord, several times before he had it fly high into the night sky, and then race back down to confront the Dark Lord.
Severus decided to tease his target by allowing the dragon to get close, but never close enough to injure the Dark Lord. He knew the Dark Lord was expecting to get injured immediately and he wanted to catch him off guard. The Dark Lord made no effort to stop the attack; instead, he just levitated, looking rather useless. Severus then decided to have the dragon fly so near him, certainly he'd think he'd be hit. Severus had the dragon fly over, under, and then within inches of the Dark Lord…but the Dark Lord did nothing. He went nowhere. He remained where he was, and almost appeared bored. He then gave Severus a look that could kill, and Severus decided it was time for the test.
The dragon swooped, swirled, circled, and targeted the Dark Lord. At the moment of impact, Severus had the dragon stop rather suddenly, just inches from the Dark Lord.
"Come on, Severus! I'm tired of your taunting!" the Dark Lord yelled as the dragon coiled back on itself some, like a snake would, and just stared at the Dark Lord. "What are you doing Severus? This isn't frightening!" he screamed as the dragon leaned in, and gave a sweet and tender kiss to the Dark Lord, right on the tip of his nose. "Severus!" he shouted, as the dragon instantly flew backwards twenty feet, opened his mouth, and spewed lethal green flames straight at the Dark Lord.
Severus winced, knowing he had no powders or potions to heal severe burns should the Dark Lord fail to fly. However, if he says he's related to Serban the Great, then he should be able to fly. Severus gazed up into the night sky, which was illuminated by green flames that resembled the auroraborealis. In an instant, the Dark Lord shot straight up at least thirty feet, as the flames roared past him. Severus instantly dropped the levitation portion of the spell and the Dark Lord remained in the air, unaided. The Dark Lord smiled, and then laughed, and then crashed down onto the ground.
Severus ran over to see if he was injured. The Dark Lord had his ulna bone poking straight out of his skin, but was still laughing rather heartily.
"My Lord, this is a very bad injury!"
"I understand. Did you see me, Severus? Did you?"
"I did; you did exceedingly well, my Lord, but, sir, I can't repair this."
"You are a highly gifted boy, Severus."
"You'll need medical attention. You'll need bone regenerating potion, I have none on me."
"Severus, lesson number one: if you are to be a Healer one day, you must always carry potions and powders on your person, at all times. Lesson number two: never say you can't do something. Now get me to the Lestranges, they have the necessary potions of which you speak."
"You are certain, my Lord?" Severus asked, helping him up.
"I never speak unless I am certain. Now I'm growing impatient," he said coolly. It appeared Severus had no choice. They both Apparated to the Lestrange estate, a place Severus hated more than Hogwarts. No words were spoken on their journey to the front door, but Severus did notice the Dark Lord was wearing a bit of a smile and an overall very proud look on his mostly serious face. Severus knocked on the door and one of the elves answered it. The elf recognized the Dark Lord and instantly fell to its knees and began to kiss his robes. The two entered the Estate and made their way towards the Lestrange great room.
"My Lord! I was not expecting you!" Bellatrix said gleefully, until she saw whom he brought with him. "Oh, what's this half-blooded maggot doing in my fine house?"
"He is a Death Eater, just like you, my dear. Besides, some of the world's most powerful wizards were half-bloods, you should hold your prejudiced tongue in my presence, perhaps?" the Dark Lord stated in a very charismatic voice, one Severus had not heard often from him, other than at meetings. "Now I need some assistance," he said as he exposed his arm to her.
"Merlin! What did he do to you, my Lord?" she squealed as the Dark Lord's face hardened .
"You really think me so weak that a mere boy could do this to me?" he shouted. Of course, what she said was the truth, but Severus would never show any of the Dark Lord's weaknesses to her, or anyone else. "We were in the forest and a rogue hippogriff caught us unaware."
"He looks well enough," she said, glaring down at Severus.
"He was not close enough to suffer the attack. I fought the beast off me and killed it. Now, I'm in need of some potions."
"Of course, my Lord, please come in and lie down on my sofa. RODOLPHUS!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, and then smiled at the Dark Lord, before sneering back at Severus. "RODOLPHUS!" she shouted again, so loudly she sounded like a hag or banshee. She then motioned the Dark Lord to lie on her fine white satin sofa.
"I do not wish to stain your furniture," the Dark Lord stated rather plainly.
"It would be an honor to have your blood stain my sofa, my Lord," she said as Severus made a sickened face.
"Nonsense. I refuse to leave blood behind that could be used in a potion against me someday. I will lie on the floor and watch as your elf cleans it afterward."
"My Lord! I'd never brew anything ever to use against…"
"Hush, my child; I was not speaking of you."
Bellatrix smiled and then helped the Dark Lord down to her marble floor. She arose quickly and began to scream again, "RODOLPHUS!"
"WHAT? Can't I take a shit in my own house without being interrupted by you, you ugly hag!" Rodolphus shouted back as he walked into the room tying his bathrobe. "Oh, my Lord, I did not know it was you."
"Ugly hag? I am the loveliest witch in all of Britain, you piece of filth!" she sneered back at her husband, who looked rather embarrassed.
"With the biggest mouth, I may add. My Lord, you are injured?" Rodolphus said, looking deeply concerned.
"Yes. I require…well, Severus, you are the Healer in training, tell him what you need," the Dark Lord instructed, as both Bellatrix and her husband glared at Severus with contempt.
"I need bone regenerating and a pain potion…"
"I require no pain potion, as I'm in no pain!" the Dark Lord insisted.
"But, my Lord, your bone is sticking out of your arm…" Bellatrix offered.
"Silence, Bella. A mere mortal would feel pain, but my own magic is preventing me from feeling a thing," he surely lied, as Severus could see beads of sweat begin to drip from his brow. Rodolphus ordered their elf to deliver the bone potion as Severus just wondered how to get the bone back in place.
"Well? We're waiting!" Bellatrix urged, as Severus thought hard of what to do next. Once the potion arrived, he was out of time.
"Okay, Rodolphus, hold his feet and Bellatrix, get something for him to bite down on," Severus insisted.
"Why do I need to have my feet held and something to bite on?" the Dark Lord asked.
"Well, this break may not hurt, but my ramming the bone back into place will. I've had a similar injury and it was almost unbearable."
"You are comparing your weakened and pathetic half-blooded body to that of our Lord? Our Lord whose pure blood runs in his veins, which allows him to feel no pain, or suffer any kind of maladies?" Bellatrix asked, clearly ignoring the Dark Lord's wishes for her not to bash Severus's blood status. Severus just looked down at the Dark Lord for further instruction.
"Severus, I trust you, and I feel no pain. Go on," the Dark Lord urged, and then turned his head so he could look up at the murals painted on the ceiling. Severus took a deep breath and placed his wand down on the ground.
"Wait? What are you doing? You are not going to use magic?" Rodolphus asked in a very frightened tone.
"No, for this one, I need sheer mortal, half-blooded strength which my father and his father from the north gave me," Severus said and then placed his hands on the Dark Lord's pale and rather thin forearm. Severus placed his one hand on the exposed bone and the other just above it. He closed his eyes, prayed to whichever God would hear him, and pressed down firmly. He heard and felt the bone move, but did not hear so much as a wince from the Dark Lord. The bone was back in his arm where it belonged, but it was not set properly. Severus had to press down on it a second time. With the second press, he noticed the Dark Lord closed his eyes for a moment and took a quick breath, but still appeared as if he felt no pain. Only Severus noticed the sweating, it seemed. "Good, now feed him two sips of bone regenerating potion. I need to bandage this and splint it. My Lord, you'll need to keep this bandaged for about one week, and take four sips of bone regenerating potion a day, for five days or so."
"Well, is it five, or so?" Bellatrix asked sarcastically.
"Bellatrix, just shut up," Severus said as she looked as if she'd murder him.
"You will not speak to me like that!" she roared as the Dark Lord began to laugh again. If Severus didn't know any better, he'd think the Dark Lord was enjoying their argument. "You are useless! What can you possibly offer our Lord and his cause?"
Severus didn't feel like fighting, so he rose and then bowed to the Dark Lord. He then offered him a hand and helped him up. The Dark Lord waved his hand over the floor and cleaned it, but then ordered the elves to mop it up regardless. The Dark Lord looked as if he were good as new, since his bandaged arm was hidden by his robes. He took a vial of bone regenerator from Rodolphus and then turned to leave with Severus in tow.
"Thank you, you did well. I think you'll make a most gifted Healer someday, Severus."
"You're welcome, my Lord. I'm sorry you became injured tonight."
"No one masters such magic in one night. I'm sure you suffered injury as well," he said, though Severus knew all too well he never was injured by his flying. "I think I can manage the rest of my lessons on my own, once my arm heals," he said, beating Severus to the punch. "Thank you so much. You are most resourceful."
"You're welcome, my Lord," Severus bowed. The Dark Lord instantly vanished as Severus returned to the Manor.
---
Severus knew not to mention what happened to Lucius or Kim, but when he walked through the door, Lucius was waiting for him. He figured it was a matter of time until Bellatrix told him what occurred that night. Before he could begin, Bellatrix walked into the foyer from the floo in the great room, and told Lucius everything.
"I see," Lucius said with a raised brow. "Well, what were you doing in a forest with him tonight, Severus?"
"You know I can't tell you, Lucius."
"Indeed. Well, I'm sure the Dark Lord is pleased to have such a fine little Healer available to him," Lucius said coldly.
"Don't start with me, Lucius," Severus huffed, and then walked upstairs.
"You can't tell him what to do!" Bellatrix yelled. It seemed she'd only come to Lucius's defense if it was Severus insulting him. He ignored her and slammed the door to his room behind him. He was trapped in a Manor that had people in it, yet he felt more alone than ever. If the Dark Lord kept showing him so much favor, his friendship with Lucius would end, and even though he was being an ass, Severus didn't want that to happen. The feelings of dread over Lily, the only bright part of his childhood, and Lucius's sudden hatred of him, made him begin to feel so low and helpless, he almost wanted to die.
He had no desire to read, bathe, eat, or continue with his studies. If remaining in the Dark Lord's favor meant that all other Death Eaters would hate him, he almost didn't want it. On the other hand, remaining in his favor was the most important thing Severus could do, or else he'd be deemed worthless. It seemed the Dark Lord wished Severus have no true close friends; there was nothing he could do.
---
The routine continued. Severus dined with Lucius, who hardly spoke a word to him. Severus attended his classes with Kim, who spoke to him a lot, and truly seemed to enjoy teaching Severus. In the evenings Severus spent dreaded time alone with Lucius in the basement, as Lucius would sneer at him, glare at him, and not speak to him unless he had to. He even went so far as to return some of Severus's research notes with grammatical and spelling errors circled in read. One of them had a comment that read: I will read no more of these notes until your cramped handwriting has improved.
Severus sat alone in his room one evening in mid-December when there was a knock at his door. He assumed it was Lucius criticizing his handwriting again, and took his time answering the door. Instead it was Narcissa, dressed in a heavy velvet robe. He motioned for her to enter and offered her a seat near the fire place.
"So, I take it Lucius is still angry with you?" she asked.
"Yes. I don't even remember why anymore."
"I don't think it's all you. He's angry with his father -- we absolutely hate living here with him -- he's angry about the Board of Governors, he's angry about…other things."
"Well, why take them out on me?"
"Well, I think he feels threatened by you at the moment. The Dark Lord has never shown such tolerance and kindness to us. I guess he's worried that if his favor falls too far, he may end up…well…let's not talk about it."
"I see. It's not my fault, I never asked for it. I don't know why he likes me so much," Severus fibbed. He knew why the Dark Lord liked him so much, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Just, if you could, just continue to be…well…try not to anger Lucius more, he's under a bit of stress."
"My sheer presence upsets him -- nothing I can do about that, Narcissa."
"I've been talking to him about that, and about you. I think he'll come around soon. Again, he's under a bit of stress, it's not all you. I'm glad you are here."
"Why?"
"I just…if you make the Dark Lord happy, then having you so close is a good thing," she said very seriously. It seemed no one has ever, or would ever like Severus for who he was. Instead, people feared him, or tolerated him based on his powers, or who he knew: in that case, the Dark Lord.
"I understand," he said solemnly. She rose and left the room while he sat near the fire and just gazed into it. He remained in the same seat for two days with no desire to eat, sleep, or move, aside from occasional bathroom breaks.
---
Christmas week arrived and Severus learned that Lucius was taking Narcissa to Spain for the week. Abraxas was going hunting with friends in Hungary, and Kim was returning to Japan. Severus would be alone in the Manor, and he really didn't care. He'd received many owls from Wilkes, but he returned none of them. He finished a term paper for Kim, and gathered his plants from Herbology, and began to make his way upstairs for the holiday when Kim stopped him.
"Severus, do you have plans this week?"
"No."
"Oh, well, I asked the Dark Lord, and he gave me permission to take you with me to Japan, if you are interested."
"I didn't think Christmas was a big holiday over there," Severus said as he turned to head back down the stairs.
"Not generally, but I wish to visit my Aunt when I'm there. It's a very nice country, and we'll be staying in an all-wizarding village. If you are interested…"
"Hotel?"
"No, my Aunt's house; she has two spare rooms, if you are wondering. I have a port-key set to leave in two hours."
"Aren't those regulated by the Ministry?"
"Yes, but this one is um…well…it won't be tracked. You require no passport."
"What if I get summoned?"
"You won't. I already discussed it with the Dark Lord. As I said, you are free to go, if you like."
"Well…I guess I've always wanted to visit Japan."
"Good. Well, go pack, it'll be chilly where we're going, so bring some warm clothes," Kim suggested as Severus turned to head back up the stairs.
---
They arrived promptly in Japan, in a tiny all-wizarding village about the size of Hogsmeade, but with very different architecture. It looked like Severus imagined it would. Most of the people walking the streets wore Japanese-style robes, so Severus really stuck out. He was also the tallest person by at least five inches, and that made him rather happy. They walked down the icy road to the eighth house on the left. The front of the house had a small Japanese garden, and a tiny pond which was frozen over. Before they could knock, the door opened, and a much older looking, gray-haired woman stepped out and hugged Professor Kim tightly.
"Akane! So good to see you!" Kim said as he embraced his aunt..
"Hisoka! Welcome home, my child," she said in broken English, and then stopped her embrace, and looked over at Severus.
"Aunt, this is a student of mine from Britain, his name is Severus Snape."
"Hello, Sev-us…welcome to my home," she said, clearly trying her hardest to speak recognizable English.
"You can just call me Sev," Severus responded. The nickname was reserved for friends, but it was better than being called 'Sevus' for the next week.
"Severus, this is my great Aunt Akane," Kim announced, as the two men removed their shoes and entered the house. "Her English is not very good, she's quite limited. I take it your Japanese is not up to snuff?"
"It's…somewhat passable, I think. I can read it some, but speaking it…I'll probably butcher your language if I try here."
"No, this is the best time to learn. From here on out, I'll speak Japanese to you so you can learn," Kim said with a smile. He did not lie; he mostly spoke in Japanese for the remainder of the day.
The rest of the afternoon was spent dining on sashimi, sushi, and a garden salad, while Severus tried to understand what was being said. He understood a few words here and there, but spoke very little. With the time difference, he was also exhausted and wanted to nap, but he did not know how to say it in Japanese. He simply rose from the floor and went to look for the loo. It was easy to find, but he still had no idea how to ask about his room. Thankfully, when he left the loo, Kim seemed to have read his mind.
"Your room is just here, across the loo. It's a tad small, will it do?" Kim asked in English as Severus entered the small room. It had a single bed, one nightstand and that was it. The window looked to be made out of some kind of paper.
"This will be fine; I'm just so tired."
"Me too. My room is the next one; my Aunt's is across the hall here. Feel free to unpack and rest. We have no elves here, so if you are hungry, you better let us know."
"No, the raw squid was most…satisfying," Severus lied, which made Kim smile. Severus then noticed a photograph on the wall of an older man with a teenage boy. "Is that you with your father?"
"No. That older man is my grandfather. He was my father's father."
"Oh, so he was your Aunt's brother?"
"No. He married my Aunt Akane's sister, my grandmother that is. Grandfather Hyo Kim, he was from Korea actually, which is why I have a Korean last name. That's my father with him in the picture. As for my Aunt Akane, she never married. She told me a story once, of how she loved a man. But he was a Muggle. She loved him but did not wish to dishonor the family by marrying him. She vowed never to marry anyone, and kept that vow to this day. She was so close to my grandmother. Even though my grandfather was Korean, she accepted him and welcomed him to our family. She's a remarkable woman. And, my grandfather was a remarkable man, from what I am told."
"Oh, I didn't know Kim was a Korean name."
"Yes, it is. I never met him, but I heard he was a brilliant wizard, great with magical creatures."
"I see," Severus said, noticing the resemblance in the picture. Kim left the room, and Severus unpacked. He fell asleep almost instantly and awoke feeling rather refreshed the next morning.
---
That day, Kim took Severus around the village sight-seeing. The village, like most, had a Potions Shop, a few Cafés, a general store, three pubs, a greengrocer, a fish market, meat market, a rather lavish looking restaurant, as well as robes shops and various other distractions. Kim tried to speak Japanese to Severus, who tried to understand and respond when possible.
The two dined at a casual restaurant for lunch, one which served some cooked food for Severus. He'd already mastered the chopsticks and found he very much enjoyed munching on the edamame. Next, he had shitake mushroom yakitori, along with Japanese eggplant yakitori. Severus couldn't help but notice Kim kept staring over Severus's shoulder. Finally, Severus turned to see what was behind him. He saw a rather large man, with a bald head, and a long, thin black mustache.
"Do you know him?" Severus asked in Japanese.
"I knew him," Kim responded in English. "He does not understand English."
"Oh, what a relief," Severus sighed, growing tired of trying to learn more. "So, he was a friend of yours?"
"I used to spend my summers here. One summer we worked together at a broom making shop…that was ages ago."
"Were you…more than friends?" Severus asked as Kim blushed for the first time since he'd met him.
"You could say that."
"Do you want to leave and eat somewhere else?"
"Oh no. He already saw me, and is choosing to ignore me. It's fine. We did not end things well."
"Oh?"
"No. He's a bit…well, a bit of a bully."
"Really?" Severus asked, rather stunned.
"Yeah. He was downright abusive if you must know. I left him, and now I imagine he abuses others."
"What a twat."
"Yes," Kim replied, and then smiled. "A rather large one at that!"
"Like you've seen one!"
"Like you've seen one!"
"I've seen one…I've seen more than one, actually. I must admit, they are not much to look at…"
"So, you think you may be gay then?" Kim asked as Severus raised a brow.
"No, I'm pretty sure I'm not. I've seen knobs too and I'm not attracted to them. All I said was they are not much to look at…feeling them is a different story all together."
"I wouldn't know."
"You never have been with a woman? At all? How do you know you really are a poof…I mean, gay, then?" Severus asked.
"I just know. I told you, I was born this way. It's not a choice; it's just how I am. And how I am is repulsed by women."
"I see…well, I don't see, but I guess, I mean, well, if you want to be gay…it's okay with me."
"I'm so happy for your approval, Mr. Snape," Kim said rather formally and smiled. The two left the café and Severus noticed the man nodded his head to Kim as they walked past his table. After lunch, the two browsed some shops and then returned to the Aunt's house by sunset.
Christmas morning passed and Severus didn't even realize it. Nothing was said or done that day, and he did not mind it one bit. The rest of the days were spent making some brooms, something Severus never thought he'd do, but he did it and found he rather enjoyed it. He helped Kim roll sushi for dinner that night, something else he found he rather enjoyed, and had his first cup of Sake, something he found he really did not like…one bit.
Severus learned a few more things about Kim. Kim told him more about his family, and how he came to meet the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord had been broom shopping, and purchased a broom of Kim's. He liked it so much he insisted he meet the person who made it. Their first meeting was benign, but no doubt the Dark Lord invaded Kim's mind to see how he thought of things.
The next time they met, the Dark Lord told Kim who he really was, and what his plans were. This was ten years before he first taught at Hogwarts. Kim's overall hatred for Muggles was very evident, but he feared he'd have nothing to contribute to the Dark Lord. His purpose was to make brooms for the Death Eaters, but not just any brooms -- the fastest brooms in the world. Ones that could outfly any Auror's broom. Most also were heavily cursed with Dark Magic and customized as well.
He still makes brooms for the Dark Lord. Since he was a wanted man by the Ministry, he spent most of his time in Japan. Severus told him how he came to join over tea one evening. He also spoke of how Lucius's actions of late were affecting their friendship. Kim reminded Severus that loyalty to the Dark Lord was to be his first and most important priority in life. Lucius needed to grow up and move along.
By week's end, Severus felt more comfortable speaking Japanese, though he was still rather limited to a basic level of speech. He was able to read and write more of it, which pleased him. He earned his keep by cleaning and helping with the cooking all week, and found he enjoyed Japan so much, he vowed to visit again someday. Kim and Severus port-keyed back to Britain two days after Boxing Day. Upon Severus's return, he penned a letter to Damocles Belby to ask if he could have weekend employment.
He awaited his response and resumed his normal schedule. He arrived at breakfast one morning to find Narcissa awake and dining with Lucius.
"Severus, how was Japan?" she asked, while sipping her coffee.
"It was great. I can see why Lucius adored it so much," Severus replied while staring at Lucius, who didn't bother to look up from his newspaper. "I hope to return to visit again."
"If the Dark Lord allows it, that is," Lucius finally spoke, from behind his paper.
"Well, since I'm his new favorite, and practically his personal Healer, I'm sure he'll allow me," Severus shot back, as Lucius put his paper down and stared at Severus for a few moments. Some things never changed, it seemed. Lucius was in as foul a mood as ever, and it seemed there was nothing Severus could do to salvage their friendship.
AN: Thanks to a reader who commented during Revealed Part I to inform me that Kim was a Korean name. So I wrote this part in to make sense of it.
