Warning: mild torture.
Tender Hooks
By: Replacement for the Stars
Chapter Fifty-four:
Speculate
Act as if what you do makes a difference.
It does.
(O.o)
Year: 1972
Date: January the Ninth
Severus was woken up rather early on his birthday by a very excited Nessie, who was joined by an overeager Peeves, who was currently blowing in Lucius's ear to wake him up. Lucius made a small irritated sound in the back of his throat and sat up, slowly turning his head to glare at the poltergeist. "Pray tell, little Severus, why are you awake so early on your birthday? It is a Sunday, you should be sleeping in."
Severus shrugged, dipping his head forward and allowing Lucius to pull him into the blond's lap. "I suppose I am simply excited. I've never turned twelve before."
Lucius snorted and turned to swing his legs over the side of the bed, clutching the thin boy close, got out of bed and walked over to the loveseat in front of the fireplace. Flicking his wand at the fireplace, a fire roared up and Lucius turned Severus around in his lap and motioned to the pile of gifts at their feet. "For you, my Severus."
Severus flushed and shifted uncomfortably, resting his back against Lucius's chest. "All of them?" he whispered, unable to stop himself, twisting his lips down at Nessie when the boy knelt down in front of him. Lucius twirled his wand and the presents lifted up and darted over to the cushion next to the two of them, one of them landing in Severus's lap.
"Open it, my own."
Severus did as requested, unpeeling the wrapping back and revealing a small, thin bit of metal hanging from a black leather thong inside half of a heavy oak box. Slowly picking it up, Severus looked over the circular bit of metal and frowned at the elegant engraving—To keep you safe. "Keep me safe?"
"Yes. I have imbued the metal with a vast array of protective spells and a few defensive wards. As long as you wear it, it will protect you. I will protect you, my Severus." Lucius seemed to pause for a moment and then continued. "There is also a locator spell upon the necklace that is bound to my wand. If you are ever lost or in trouble, merely touch the leather and ask for me to find you and it will alert me. If I cannot find you, I will activate the locator spell and it will take me to you, no matter where you are."
Severus and Nessie both looked up at Lucius in wonder, and Lucius smirked at the look on Severus's face. "Yes, my Severus. I told you I take care of what is mine."
"And I'm yours," Severus breathed, and turned around in Lucius's lap, handing the older Slytherin his necklace and bowing his head, Nessie floating up behind him, green eyes locked on Severus's new necklace. He had never been able to give Severus anything, but Lucius could. Dropping his gaze to his twisting hands, Nessie backed away and plastered a smile on his drawn face while Severus opened the rest of his gifts—rare, heavy books on ancient potions, new cloaks with fur-lined interiors, thick winter robes and thin, sheer shirts, new boots and elegant-cut summer robes, new quills and thick, expensive parchment, a chest of glorious new potions ingredients and a leather wand holster emblazoned with the Malfoy crest.
Lucius set Severus on his feet and after handing the boy an outfit, bid him to go change. Nessie did not follow, floating in front of Lucius and staring at the blond with wide green eyes. "Th'nk y'u, L'cius," Nessie whispered, a ghosted a kiss over the older man's cheek.
Lucius shuddered at the feeling but directed a smile at the fireplace, and Nessie pretended it was for him.
A few minutes later, Severus stepped out of the small bathroom adjourned to their quarters and Nessie's jaw fell. "Sev'rus," he breathed, "y'u're be'ut'ful."
(O.o)
There were few students in the Great Hall when the Slytherins swarmed in, spreading out over half of their House table and all repeatedly congratulating Severus. Narcissa was the only one who hadn't; she kept staring at the clothes Severus was wearing and being clearly unable to look away, fury in her eyes. She knew Lucius's preference for clothes and it was clear that what Severus was wearing was from Lucius; the poor halfbreed would never know to choose robes that flattered him so well, let alone be able to afford them. She knew that the boy had not been given enough pocket change to buy sweets off the Hogwarts Express trolley on the first ride to school, and Lucius had bought the boy a few chocolate frogs.
She wanted to tear the boy away from her betrothed and demand he never speak to Lucius again, but she knew she had no right. Instead, she turned to her elder sister and had a quiet, whispered conversation with her on the nerve of the boy.
Bellatrix agreed, loudly, drawling about nasty boys to anyone who would listen; namely, Narcissa and Avery, who was listening only because he had the unfortunate luck to have to sit directly across from the two sisters. Avery grunted to himself and glared at his plate, wanting to hit one of them. Logically, he knew he couldn't; even with Lucius being so gaga over Severus, he would still be irritated over Avery hexing his betrothed, and even though Bellatrix and Rodolphus were no closer than strangers, Rodolphus would stick to the pureblood tradition of defending his betrothed.
However, even Avery couldn't look away when Severus leaned forward and a thin metal disk on a leather thong fell out of his shirt, and every Slytherin who saw it went silent. Narcissa pressed her lips together before she could gasp and Lucius sneered at their reactions, putting his hand on the back of the boy's neck and dragging him closer. Mulciber and Wilkes, who were arguing softly over the proper use of the Deprimo jinx, on whether or not it could be used to blast holes in just objects or people as well, paid no attention to the uncomfortable silence around them. Mulciber, always a fan of violence, said he had blasted a hole straight through a rat once, while Wilkes was firmly calling him a liar. Severus was listening intently to their conversation, clearly unaware of the eyes stuck on him and his necklace, clearly more relaxed with Lucius's hand on him.
Severus was pouring another goblet of pumpkin juice for himself when he heard Potter and Black loudly tromp into the Great Hall, and he froze, almost dropping the pitcher of juice. The two Gryffindors had entered the Hall through the entrance from the dungeons and went right by the Slytherin table on the way to the other side of the Great Hall. Black had his wand out and clearly pointed at Severus when they went by, but words failed him when he saw the dark look on Lucius's face. He was well aware of just how dangerous the blond Slytherin was; Lucius had put three Gryffindors in the Hospital Wing the past year, and the rumors going around were that two of those Gryffindors were just from looking at the blond in a way he didn't like, and the other one was the victim of a Dark curse that caused the Gryffindor's liver to slowly disappear. Madame Pomfrey had barely been able to heal the boy, and Lucius had never been officially blamed for the curse, as no one could prove it was him.
Severus looked up at Lucius and quietly thanked him, and everyone around them quickly erupted in conversation. Lucius pulled his boy against his side and pried the pitcher out of his hand, placing it back on the table and making sure Severus's plate was full. "Eat, my own," he murmured, and pet the boy's greasy hair when Severus wordlessly complied, a frown creasing his forehead.
(O.o)
Later
Although Severus had only been missing for about an hour or so, Lucius was on the verge of activating the locator spell on his wand. It felt like there was a security spell on him, something that made him feel like he was being watched by wide eyes, and he had been all over the dungeons searching for Severus, to no avail. It was clear that either the boy was studying for one of his classes the next day somewhere hidden or was being attacked by those marauding Gryffindors again, and Lucius did not want that. Surely Severus would not have forgotten the Salutem around his neck so soon? And wouldn't the boy have activated it if he was being bullied by those boys?
Steeling himself, Lucius took a deep breath and turned down the hall to the entrance to the Slytherin commons, stopping when he saw Severus striding quickly down the hall toward him, clearly talking to someone. Lucius stepped aside into an alcove in the wall and ducked his head to listen better.
"No, Nessie, I don't think he's—well, I understand, but I'll always love you. He's just…he's protecting me! You can't do that, not unless Peeves follows me around all the time and Peeves would rather prank me than protect me! I can't do it myself because the Professors always give me detention if I try anything but those four are never punished. If I have detention then I can't spend time with you! Lucius already takes too much time away from us as it is, and…" Severus stopped and Lucius moved a little so he could see down the hall, eyes falling on Severus looking like he was…kissing the air? Lucius knew the boy was a bit strange but this was beyond that. Severus made a small moaning sound in the back of his throat and Lucius froze, retreating back into the alcove.
A few minutes later when Severus was gone and Lucius was a bit more relaxed, he reset his robes across the line of his shoulders and reentered the corridor and made his way to the section of the wall that would let him gain entrance to the Slytherin commons. Finding the correct stone, Lucius murmured, "newt eyes," and was permitted entry, immediately seeking out Severus and pulling the boy into his lap as he sat them down on a wide armchair near the fire. Once again, he reminded himself to stay patient and that Severus would come to him with the truth in time. It was entirely possible that Severus was delusional and seeing things, and it was also entirely possible that it was something Lucius could not understand.
(O.o)
Year: 1972
Date: February the Thirteenth
It had been just over a month and Lucius was no closer to finding the answer as to who Severus had been kissing in the hall. He had, however, gotten the boy quite an extravagant Valentine's Day gift, and knew it would please the boy. Frustrated with how poor his investigation was going, Lucius had gotten Mulciber to snatch a Hufflepuff first year and take him to the Room of Requirement—Hufflepuffs screamed the loudest out of all the Houses.
Lucius nodded to Mulciber and firmly locked the Room's door behind him, stepping up to the squirming first year and murmuring a hex under his breath, the first year gasped as his hands and ankles were all tied together behind his back, forcing the boy to his knees. "What is your name?" he asked kindly.
"Kevin Bakersfield," the boy whispered, and peered nervously up at Lucius. "What're you going to do to me?"
"It is certainly a pity you are a Mudblood, Kevin Bakersfield. You would know the answer to that question if you had not stolen your magic."
"I didn't steal anything, Malfoy!"
"Silencio. Now, you are going to listen to me and when I remove the spell, I will expect answers. You will not like my response if you do not have answers for me. Now," Lucius motioned for Mulciber to drag a chair over to him, "listen closely." Lucius nodded to the second year Slytherin and sat in the chair the boy sat behind him. "It has been going around this school that my pet has been writing the name 'Nessie' on his notes and has been seen kissing someone in the halls. I must know who this 'Nessie' is and I will go through the entire school to find out. Finite."
Bakersfield looked up at Lucius with wide blue eyes, swallowing thickly in the back of his throat. "Someone named Nessie, Malfoy? There isn't anyone in the school with a name that sounds even anything like that!"
Lucius slashed his wand, cutting the rope the bound the boy and grabbed the boy by the neck, pushing to his feet. "I know how this school works, Hufflepuff. You badgers know all the gossip around this place. If one Hufflepuff knows something, the entire House knows it. Now, tell me who Severus Snape is kissing!"
"You?" Bakersfield squeaked, and then he screamed as Lucius layered curse upon curse on him, Mulciber grinning nastily from behind Lucius.
Over an hour later, Madame Pomfrey found a tortured student passed out in the middle of her Infirmary; she would call Dumbledore and they would do everything in their power to figure out how had done such a terrible thing, but would find no leads.
(O.o)
Year: 1972
Date: February the Fourteenth
The silver ring on Severus's right middle finger clicked against his fork as he moved the eggs on his plate, and when Lucius sat down next to him, Severus turned his head up and smiled shyly up at the blond Slytherin. "Thank you, Lucius," Severus murmured, and flushed nervously when Lucius wrapped a strong arm around his waist and pulled him close.
"You are welcome, my own. Now eat," Lucius told him, and brought his hand up to rest on the back of Severus's thin neck. Severus leaned into Lucius's side for a brief moment before straightening up and quickly clearing his plate.
The two Slytherins left, Lucius keeping his hand on the back of Severus's neck, making the few Slytherins watching them leave raise their eyebrows in amusement. Narcissa and her sisters passed them in the hall on their way back to the commons, and all the three sisters did was raise their eyebrows and Narcissa hid her surprised gasp behind her hand. It was clear to them now—Severus Snape had been claimed, for better or for worse, by Lucius, and Lucius was not letting go.
