Chapter Fifty Three- She Prefers Aubergine

Disclaimer-Most of these characters belong to JK Rowling, I'm just borrowing…

"Wallace and Vyxnard?" Lucius whispered to Severus. "This is absur…lutley wonderful news!" he said as his father shot him a fierce glance.

Abraxas, regal and tyrannical looking stopped to leer down at his son, who suddenly looked rather small.

"Lucius, a word please?" he asked motioning him into his office. Verunia and Severus were left to wait outside in the hallway. Severus stood with his hands crossed behind his back and pretended to admire the paintings on the wall. Verunia had her ear to the door which was of no matter since Abraxas had a deep and booming voice.

"You better mind your attitude Lucius, I mean it! You will show her the respect she deserves!" the not so muffled voice of Abraxas stated through the walls. Verunia was making highly animated faces. She lifted her brows and mock-laughed when Abraxas would yell and would make overly shocked and insulted faces when Lucius would defend himself.

"Marry her? Mum's only been dead for four years!"

"Nearly five, don't be so dramatic. She won't take the place of your mother Lucius. Besides you are a grown man now and this should not impact your life in any way!"

"Has there been talk of a prenuptial agreement?" Lucius asked in a seething tone. Miss Volques responded with her mouth forming the shape on an "O" and then a giggle.

"That is none of your concern."

The door opened and Miss Volques quickly moved back to appear as if she heard nothing and Severus turned to face the red faced Lucius. She took Abraxas's arm to resume their brief tour on the way to the bedroom. Lucius looked livid, his eyes were red and he appeared to have the beginnings of a tear welling in his eye.

Lucius and Severus remained in the hallway and watched the two older love-birds walk up the grand staircase. Severus assumed Abraxas would show the whore to her own room but no, they both entered the first room on the right and closed the door.

Lucius, using his forearm to dry his falling tear, stormed up the stairs and slammed his door.

Severus did not know what to do or where to go. He walked up the stairs on the way to his room but decided to check on Lucius instead. He knocked but got no answer. He simply entered to find Lucius kneeling on the floor, his body facing his bed, his entire head pressed down into the mattress with his arms wrapped around crowning it. He was weeping violently.

Severus did not know what to do. He felt very uncomfortable. A good friend would go and talk to him and give him a hug. He was not a hugger. He'd only been hugged a couple of times and never given one to anyone. He did not know what to say to a love-sick rich boy whose mother was dead and his father was remarrying. Lucius was an adult, he did not have to live there with them, and this shouldn't be that big of a deal. He simply shouldn't be that upset. But clearly he was.

Severus turned to leave when he heard the low toned and weepy voice of Lucius ask him to stay.

"Lucius?" he said kneeling down next to him. Severus rested his head on the bed and faced the tearful wizard. Lucius turned his wet face and tried to wipe his tears and snot, with his shirt sleeve. "Merlin! Go get him some toilet paper," Severus said as the jade statue jumped from the nightstand, wobbled into the washroom and came back with the entire roll. Severus tore off several squares and offered them to Lucius. "See, he's good for something."

"He's a spy and sent here to infuriate me."

"I think she was sent here to infuriate you. Why does your father dislike you so much?"

Lucius paused to blow his nose and wipe away the tears.

"I don't know. I've never been good enough, smart enough, or athletic enough. I didn't make the Quidditch team but I did make it as a Prefect but he's angry I'm not Head Boy."

"Being a Prefect is good, you're in that stupid Slug Club, that's gotta count for something."

"It does not though," he said staring into his bed. He spoke slow and uneasy. He was clearly finding it difficult to speak without choking up. Tears began to pour again and he began to bawl. "I want my mother!" he wept beginning to shiver now. His cries were quickly eclipsed by screams and howls coming from his father's room. Lucius glanced up in the direction of his door with a look of rage on his face. "Cast a silencing charm for Christ sakes!" he shouted.

He quickly recessed his head back into his mattress and arms and continued to bawl. Severus was still unsure what to do, so he put his hand on Lucius's shoulder and patted it. He looked over and noticed the Merlin, sitting belly down on the bed, his chin resting on his fisted hand, staring deeply at the crying boy. Severus shot him a fierce glare and the Merlin laughed.

Lucius lifted his head to breathe and was nearly nose to nose with the Merlin. The Merlin smiled and waved, to which Lucius knocked it clear across the room, its rolling body landing near the fire place. Severus used his wand to throw the Merlin into the roaring fire. The Merlin began to jump and leap about in the fire. The two boys heard squeals come from the fire place. High pitched and very wicked sounding squeals.

"Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!" the Merlin shrieked. Severus began to giggle and looked over to see Lucius laughing through his tears.

Suddenly the flaming Merlin leapt from the fire and ran into the bathroom.

"Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!" the Merlin yelped. The two heard him turn the faucet on and jump into the sink. A steam sound came from the bathroom along with an "Ah," sound. Soon the Merlin was walking back to the bed where he resumed his pose, only after sticking his tongue out at Severus. Severus though thoroughly annoyed, did snicker some before turning to face the appalled Lucius.

"I have to get out of here," he said rising. He stormed out of the room with Severus in tow. Severus followed him to the great room where Lucius took a fist full of floo powder.

"Cygnus Black House," he said before dropping the powder. Severus did not know what to do, so he followed Lucius.

The two arrived unannounced to find Druella sitting near the fire doing her needle work. She looked shocked and then concerned when she saw that Lucius looked most disheveled. His hair had fallen out of the sash, he was wearing trousers and a loose fitting outer robes and his face was bright red, highlighting his blood shot eyes.

"I apologize for coming unannounced. I uh…may I see Narcissa?"

"Yes," Druella said as Narcissa entered the room.

"Lucius? Oh my God what's the matter?" Narcissa asked sounding very concerned. Lucius remained speechless; he no doubt did not wish to break down in front of her parents. "Severus?"

"Well, uh, Merlin for starters," Severus replied.

"Merlin?" she asked sounding quite perplexed.

"Can we talk alone?" Lucius asked, taking both of her hands into his. She nodded and led him upstairs.

Severus remained back in the living room, standing where he entered just in front of the fire place.

"Dear do come in. I'm sorry but my husband and I are due at my cousin's house right now. Please help yourself to our books and wait for your friend down here," she said with a kind smile. She and Cygnus entered the floo and left Severus alone to fend for himself.

--

About an hour had passed and Severus had just taken a seat on the sofa and stared off into space. He was nearly asleep when Narcissa's lovely sister Bellatrix decided to awaken him.

"Oy! What are you doing here?" she screeched, nearly scaring him to death.

"Oh um, well Lucius is upstairs with Narcissa and…"

"And…what? He comes here to fuck my sister and leave you down here to wait for him?" she asked with a phony innocent look on her face. "Does he normally take long? I wouldn't think he would," she asked looking down at her nails as if she was trying to clean them.

"Um, no. He's not fucking your sister. He's talking to her."

"Oh is that what they are calling it these days, I must be out of touch."

Severus glared at her. He did not like her. She was arrogant and stuck-up. He did not understand why she hated Lucius so much.

"I don't hear any moaning today, must not be that good! I knew he'd be a lousy lay, I kept tellin' her…"

"I said they are not doing that!" he said with more conviction. At least he desperately hoped they were not after his defending their honor for the second time.

"Oooh," she said with raised brows and a seductive gleam in her eyes. "Well then, why are you two here then? Hm? If not for that, then for what?" she nearly whispered coming within inches of Severus's over sized nose. "Would someone tell me why the fuck a half-blood is sitting in my living room for a second day in a row?" she shouted as if she had an audience.

She quickly arose and looked around the room for her answer. "No? No, no one can tell me? Pity," she said in a lower tone, once again lowering herself within inches of the frightened but not showing it boy. "It's bad enough my sister disgraced the Black name by marrying that mudblood, I won't have you sully it further by contaminating my fine sofa with your filthy, mangy, disgusting and low pedigree…" she trailed off into his ear. "Get out now before I break you in half," she said staring deeply into his eyes.

He did not want to return to the Manor as his reception there would be worse than at her house. He could not go outside, so he wandered up the stairs and hoped to find Narcissa's room. The house was not too big as there were only three doors on one side and two on the other. Three of the doors were open, which left only two to guess from.

He knocked and entered one, which turned out to be painted deep green and was empty. He quickly closed the door and knocked on the second door. No one said anything so he slowly opened the door. He desperately hoped Lucius and all his prude-ness was still intact and they were not having sex. Sure enough, they were not. They were fully clothed. Lucius was crying silently with his face pressed up against Narcissa's chest, her chin resting on the top of his head. She cradled her arms around him and was stroking his hair and gently rocking back and fourth.

"Um, sorry, I knocked."

"Severus, what are you doing here?" Narcissa gently said in barely a whisper.

"Well, that woman told me I had to get out of her house because I'm a lowly and mangy half-blood. I can't go outside because I didn't bring my cloak and I didn't want to return to the Manor without Lucius…"

"Who told you that?" Narcissa asked looking quite displeased. Lucius had raised his head from what looked like the most comfortable spot on Earth and looked rather angry as well.

"Bellatrix," Severus said looking down. It was true, he was just a mere half-blood and he was probably devaluing their property value just from being there, but he had no mange!

"Pay no attention to her! This is my house too, and my parents. She has no say, just because she's unmarried she thinks she runs this place."

"I should be leaving, it was rude of me to just come through like that, I simply didn't know where else to go," Lucius said looking down and leaning his head against her collar bone again.

"You can stay, you both can stay," she said running her fingers through his fine platinum hair once again.

"Believe me I desire nothing more than to stay here…with you…but we should go."

"I'm surprised that intrepid Merlin didn't follow you here Lucius," she said leaning in to kiss Lucius on his forehead.

"Honestly, so am I. Come on Severus, we need to get back."

"Bye, and I'll see you both next week!" she said rising to walk them to the door of her pale blue room. Lucius leaned in and bestowed a deeply passionate kiss on her right in front of Severus. Severus did not know what to do, he tried looking up, looking down, but the kissy sounds and wet-sucky noises were simply too much. He decided in the end to just take a peek at the two who were so tightly intertwined they did not hear Bella walking up the stairs.

"Ooooh, you two! Very sexy indeed! He looks like he's about to suck your pretty face right off Cissy," Bella said erupting into her characteristic evil laugh. The two stopped kissing long enough to glance over at her and give her a dirty look. "Oh and in front of the budding man-child too, how perverted," she said winking at Severus. "What are you, some kind of voyeur?" she asked the embarrassed Severus before laughing again.

"Shut up Bella!" Narcissa yelled as she slammed her door.

"Come Severus," he said with anger in his voice, leading Severus down the stairs.

"I don't know, did he Lucy?" she asked again laughing.

"You are a perverted and sick woman Bella. You are hardly worthy of the Black name," Lucius sneered.

"Perhaps some day my last name will be Voldemort!" she said slamming her bedroom door.

"Who?" Severus asked, never hearing that name mentioned in pureblood circles.

"No one, we must get back, it's near dinner time," he said stepping into the fire place.

--

They returned and dressed for dinner. Severus wore Lucius's hand-me-down robes and met him downstairs at seven. The two sat in silence until Verunia and Abraxas joined them thirty minutes later.

"Who did the decorating?" she asked walking into the room with a sour look on her face and her wand back in her hand.

"My first wife," Abraxas said taking a seat and looking at the picture of the first Mrs. Malfoy.

"I see, never cared for yellow much. I think this room would look far better if it were aubergine don't you darling?"

Once again Lucius nearly choked on his tea. Severus made a face as well. The room would look horrible if it were purple.

"What ever you say my dear," Abraxas said admiring her full form as she walked about the room.

"That will have to go," she said pointing at the portrait of Mrs. Malfoy.

"Absolutely not!" Lucius roared, jumping to his feet.

"Lucius," Abraxas warned.

"This is absurd, this is mother's home! You can not remove her painting!"

"Lucius," he warned a second time.

"I will not stand for it! She is a succubus!"

"A sucu-what?" she asked in an inquisitive tone.

"A demon-bitch from hell that sucks the souls of men, wealthy men to be exact!" he screamed standing only mere inches from her face.

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy!" Abraxas shouted rising from his seat. Severus jumped from the couch and ran to the other side of the room. He'd seen that look many times on the face of Tobias Snape and it was never a good thing. His whore did not seem offended, as she covered her mouth in a feudal attempt to hide her laughter.

"Honey, hold on. Lucius, I'm not going to replace your mother. Your father told me all about her. Lovely woman!" she said admiring the painting. "But this will be my home and I can't have the last Mrs. Malfoy staring at me all day."

"Dobby!" Lucius screeched.

"Master?"

"Remove this painting…and hang it up over the fire place in my room."

Dobby first looked over at Mr. Malfoy senior, who nodded before removing the painting.

"Oh yes and Lucius, regarding your room. I noticed you and Mr. Snape have the two largest rooms with the nicest views."

"No, all of the rooms are the same size," Lucius corrected.

"Yes, well only yours has windows on both walls, with lovelier views. You don't live here Lucius, and my sons are home schooled and will live here; I wish them to have the rooms with the better views. Dobby, please move that portrait to one of the other rooms, which ever Lucius wants."

"That has been my room since birth!" he snarled. For a well brought up gentleman, Lucius certainly could unravel and look almost brutal.

"Lucius, remain in your room until the holidays end. We'll install you elsewhere when you return for Easter. Also, you are a man now, don't you want your own flat after you leave Hogwarts?" his father asked.

"Fine!" Lucius shouted, ignoring his father and storming passed Severus in the direction of the stair case.

Severus was trying to look as invisible as possible. Despite his hunger he had no desire to dine with Mr. Malfoy and Miss Volques. He quietly followed Lucius up the stairs and hearing the ferocity at which Lucius slammed his door, he decided to retire to his own quarters and have a house-elf deliver his dinner there.