A/N: Hi readers! Thank you for joining me!

See… What had happened was… Muse got real bossy with me…

This fic has taken a sharp right turn from the science fiction fic I originally had my heart set on. I understand if you want to unfollow because character study is not what you signed up for. As I grow as a writer and data scientist, I find telling human stories is my strong point and what I enjoy, so… is what it is.

Also, I wrote this chapter almost a year ago, so try not to fault me too hard if it's missing the "lush imagery" you have grown to love.

Tempest E. Dashon served as beta for me, and her fic Fallen Angel has me reeling every single time. Read it read it read it!

Vine

2001

Draco accompanied his parents to the cottage where Severus retreated to work on his potions and "get some bloody peace and quiet from the blundering idiots asking for favours when, if they would think about the problem longer than five minutes, they could find the answers for themselves." as he so quaintly phrased it. They arrived early - Lucius was always a punctual man - and took the extra time to stroll along the red gravel path through the rich forest leading up to the cottage. The air was chilly, the mist filling their eyes and cooling their lungs. It was an overcast day; the thick canopy of trees let in only streaks of light here and there. The trail could have just as well been lit by fireflies.

"It's quite beautiful, in a sad sort of way." came Draco's voice, steady and commanding. "Such a place seems quite suited to Godfather."

Lucius glanced sideways at his son, not speaking. As the small stone cottage came into view, the trio's otherwise leisurely stroll came to a noticeably abrupt halt. Peering through the open window, Lucius was gripped in horror, although no signs of shock appeared on his face.

Dear Merlin. This is not like Severus. Even miles into the woods he would never leave his front window open for the world to be able to see in! Especially when...Gods-damned NO!" He gripped his sigil ever so slightly, plotting how he would fulfill his promise to Severus. His mind whirred and heart pounded as innumerable life-debts pulled apart every strand of his will. Brother, whatever lies beyond your door, whatever Dark forces have their hold on you, I will save you. I will protect you.

"Well," Narcissa drawled calmly, running her fingers over the place where they were clasped to Lucius's elbow. "It would appear Snape has taken a paramour."

Draco's calculated mask dropped momentarily in pure shock. His eyes widened and mouth fell agape at the sight before him. His eyes had to be lying. He had obviously been confunded. He noticed he was confused. There before him, through the large, open window of Snape's cottage, was his mean old bat of a Godfather, snogging the daylights out of a beautiful bronze-headed witch 20 years his junior.

Narcissa turned her head away, suddenly acutely interested in the flora of the landscape. Draco however, was watching a train wreck. Severus's kisses were fierce - seized from her. He held a fistful of her blazing bronze locks, and she held two fistfuls of his. She was sitting on the edge of a heavy oak desk, held steady by the free arm of Snape standing in front of her.

Lucius ground his shoe into the rough gravel, causing a grating sound only a bat would notice. Swiftly, the pair in the window untangled themselves, and the witch popped out of existence as if she had never been there to begin with.

The Malfoys approached the front door, Lucius taking the lead with his wife and son close behind.

"Severus, my brother!" he crowed as Snape swung open a heavy-looking, deeply carved oak door.

"Lucius, you old pain in my arse," Snape replied dully, a slight smile dragging up the corners of his wide mouth. The two managed a quick embrace.

"Narcissa, Draco," he acknowledged the remaining Malfoy's and shook their hands in turn until Draco pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

War and death had made Draco rather sentimental, and he was no longer one to withhold his affections. Only seeing each other a few times a year, Severus was no longer accustomed to his godson's gushing ways, and instinctually gripped his wand before settling to pat Draco on the back.

"Do have a seat. I've made tea for you all. Nothing compared to the Malfoy tea gardens, but it will keep you from falling asleep."

Narcissa replied politely "Anything you have prepared for us is excellent Severus. Something warm is most preferable to the mist outside."

She was always the one to show gratitude, to play the game expertly, even in the presence of family. Severus levitated a large silver tea tray to the table, and four generous porcelain cups began to fill with hot Earl Grey.

"To what do I owe this visit?" he asked.

Draco was the one to reply -

"Father told us you are ill, Godfather."

"Ten points to Slytherin," replied Snape in a mocking tone. "Yes Draco, holding one's head over countless simmering cauldrons for a majority of one's life is apparently not only bad for the hair, but the lungs, and entire respiratory system. Since the Stone is no longer readily available, I see the Healers once per month to ensure I continue to breathe. If not, the results would be quite...unpleasant."

Draco had tears in his eyes now. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing Severus's body, cold and unmoving. Not breathing. Dead. The way his father had been. Severus always protected Draco with his life, and now, he wasn't sure he could keep his promise to bring his Godfather back if that life slipped away from him.

Severus seemed to pick up on Draco's train of thought and responded in kind. He sighed a put-upon sigh.

"Draco, for now, I'm fine. The Healers still have access to the Stone's channels, and your father continues to donate to St. Mungo's regularly. So far as I know, I'll live. If not, as it stands, death comes for us all eventually."

"You know, you are a piss poor comforter Godfather," Draco said through a choked laugh, wiping the tears off his face.

"That's what your wife is for, son. I am here to teach you, not comfort you."

Narcissa drifted into her Occluding space as Severus and Lucius discussed current goings-on at the Ministry and Draco pretended to listen.

Ever since the entire wizarding world was opened up to the powers of the Stone, getting access to it directly was impossible. Harry's team created a way to channel the Stone's power through many Healers around the world, but the effects were much weaker, and impermanent. Falling ill, and being sickly, were common now. Graduates of every respectable education system in the world were being pushed towards a career in medicine. However, the fact remained not everyone was a Healer, but every single person needed to be healed eventually.

Then, there was the matter of resources. Despite Harry taking two full years off from running the hospital and the Ministry to solve the logistics of feeding the exponentially growing populous, and another 5 years to house them, all was still not well in the world. Although every nation wanted the powers of the Stone for use on its people, not all of them wanted to give their resources to his cause without some obvious privilege. The wealthy nations claimed they should be given precedence since they were the primary funders. War-torn nations claimed they should be the first to receive aid because they were in the direst need. The rest of the world twiddled their thumbs while the most fringe nations tried, again and again, to seize the stone for their own gains. It was a bloody mess, and the sick suffered while bureaucrats played their war games.

Muggles were no better off. Muggle science was now on-par with Healing magic, and could now extend and improve lives beyond what was ever thought possible. Still, only an infinitesimal number of Muggles were ever alleviated of their suffering. They had no Harry to usher them into the future.

This is why Narcissa charged herself with the seemingly insurmountable task to change the way the world worked. She had no intentions of ever losing her husband, her friends, or herself. Never again. She would defeat the final enemy.

While wizarding magic was fixed and weakening, Muggle science was growing ever stronger. If she could find a way to light the wizarding world ablaze with technology, and to put reins on human conscientiousness, perhaps life energy itself, she could possibly, with just a sliver of hope, save humanity once and for all. All would be well in the world; Narcissa would see to it.

As it stood however, each breath she was taking was a gift. All of their lives were specks of sand in the windy desert. This realization sank deep into the recesses of Narcissa's heart as she saw the man who once conquered death gasping for air in her presence.

"You have quite the grounds here, brother" segued Lucius none-too-subtly.

"You would like a tour then I suppose?" Severus asked rhetorically, preparing for the interrogation to come.

"That would be wonderful."

Lucius shot a look to Narcissa meaning he planned to question Severus alone.

"If you will excuse us, Severus," she chimed, right on cue. "As much as we would love to see your beautiful accommodations more thoroughly, Draco and I should really be heading back to the manor. My daughter-in-law will be waiting for us for dinner. It has been lovely to see you again. Thank you for allowing us into your home." She left no room to question their departure.

"You're welcome any time." Severus acquiesced, defeated. He knew he would have to swallow any delusions of secrecy where life-debts were concerned. He had been discovered fairly and would own his repercussions accordingly. Stalling, he knew, would only prolong the inevitable and increase his mounting anxiety.

The group stood from their seats to bid their farewells, giving blank promises to see each other again soon; soon is a relative term after all. Then, mother and son apparated home.

Lucius came from a long line of wizards who garnered their wealth by extracting secrets. It was a science and an art Lucius had practised since he was a toddler, and continued to teach his son. He didn't survive the Dark Lord's followers, or prison, based on his good looks alone. The two wizards departed the front door to stroll the grounds as he prepared to hone his craft.

"Where do the wards end brother?" questioned Lucius as the pair meandered off of the near-endless porch into the vast expanse of the lush green property.

Lucius never would expect his friend to reveal such information to anyone other than himself, as it would render his protection useless. Then again, how many people would Severus realistically let near his home, to begin with?

"If you can see the cottage, you are inside the wards," Severus answered cooly. "They extend from the crests of the hills on either side and as far as the eye can see to the east and west." he continued, loosely motioning a thin, bored finger in each direction. He understood the conversation to come, and so didn't humour Lucius by noting aloud this blatant intrusion of his privacy.

"That's quite some security you've put in place..." pondered Lucius, the question unasked lingering thickly in the mist between them.

"Keeping one's home invisible to interlopers helps to keep the pests out," replied Severus with a sidelong glance. He was feeling more and more like a teenaged boy covertly explaining to his older brother why he kept his bedroom door locked, and chastised himself internally.

Although Lucius truly was impressed by the expanse of the wards for such a modest dwelling, he wasn't surprised in the least. Being left alone, he assumed, had to be one of Snape's highest aspirations in life. All the more reason to advance quickly to the business at hand.

"Ah, I see. It may explain why you've taken a fancy to leaving your windows open then? You never have been one for fresh air."

Severus held his breath, and while keeping his stone visage replied "She likes to watch the wildlife. There's a deer with fawns she has taken affection towards."

"An animal lover, eh?" smirked the elder wizard, assessing his friend with a patronizing glance down his nose. Severus never looked up to entertain the jest. "Does she have any idea how many of them are stewed in Merlin-knows-what liquids in your lab, brother? Surely she would protest."

"She understands certain remedies require life force, Malfoy. She knows her way around a cauldron and thus doesn't judge me for it." Snape intoned defensively.

What was not expressly stated, however, was how he'd started searching for a suitable substitute for newt eyes the second he saw her tear up upon viewing the small creatures' bodies stuffed into jars. He even went so far as to place a repelling spell around his quarters so he wouldn't find the need to kill, or - Merlin forbid - touch, some rogue spider who decided to invade his premises.

"It was merely an observation, brother. No need to invoke my family name." retorted Lucius through a slow grin, reminiscent of bared fangs. "Speaking of, does the witch have a name?"

"There was also no need to.. observe.. the contents of my lab, brother," Snape answered snidely. "You know bloody well many of my potions have saved countless lives, as you yourself may attest to! And her name is Rianne."

Lucius was on the verge of laughter at the telling rebuke, but decided to restrain himself lest it stoke the flames of his friend's already simmering temper. If Snape wanted to play the brick, he would continue playing the mason.

The blonde responded with a hint of smug condescension -

"Who are you trying to convince, me, or yourself?"

At the rebuff, the two men walked in silence through the dewy fields of clover, the trail wearing out and disappearing after some way. As the withering yellow light began to tuck itself away behind a thick grey cover of clouds, Lucius knew time was of the essence to draw the information he needed. He had no intentions of having Narcissa wait up for him or bearing her silent wrath. He decided on honesty to interrupt the swishing of wet greenery beneath his boots.

"I would love to flatter you with how stunningly beautiful she is Severus, but frankly I didn't get to see much of her face. I'm quite surprised you didn't send her away sooner, knowing we would be arriving."

There, he said it. Bluntness was never his forte, but Snape was making his pursuit about as simple as extracting thorns from an agitated hippogriff. A hint of melancholy seeped into Severus's countenance as he responded carefully to his friend.

"Sending away good company is never an easy feat," Not that you would ever understand, he added internally.

Lucius had been married to a woman he adored since he was a boy. He was continually surrounded by gawking admirers, flatterers, and would be cronies yearning to do his bidding to get in his good graces. Extraordinary looks and pockets deeper than many governments had a way of increasing the empathy gap a bit. Severus had no pretence of the Lucius Sodding Malfoy understanding what it felt like to be lonely.

Lucius, abandoning his unproductive forthrightness feigned hurt and embarrassment at having walked in on the affair.

"Yes, well, it seems she was in no rush to be dismissed at any rate. It was more than obvious you two were occupied. If you had a floo here, you could have sent for us and we would have delayed our visit at your request."

Severus saw right through his affront.

"You know you're never intruding, Lucius. I have nothing to hide from you." he lied in response.

This was not going as Lucius had planned. He needed Severus to be sincere, to find out what in Merlin's name caused him to suddenly change a good portion of his persona so rapidly. Snape being Snape, Lucius never assumed such an ordinary and mundane cause for the strange effect this woman was having on him, but thought it prudent to ask nonetheless:

"Tell me Severus, do you think you love her?"

Severus stopped dead in his tracks to turn and face his interrogator, all signs of his trademark glare vanished in an instant. He couldn't very well claim he had nothing to hide, then deflect this all-out assault on his bluff. His friend was bound by innumerable debts to protect him, yet knowing Lucius, it would be perfectly plausible he found some loophole to skirt his obligation. Against all of his well-honed logic and reasoning Severus thought the scenario unlikely and decided to believe the former, even if only to placate his own longing for connection.

"She's mad about me Lucius." he began with a distant grin, black empty eyes gazing absently past the grey icy ones ahead of him. "She has had affections for me since she was at Hogwarts. She's never been married. Said she feels like something has always been missing. I've tried to be rid of her on multiple occasions, however, she persisted incessantly."

Lucius cocked his chin upward and raised an eyebrow quizzically, coaxing Severus to continue melting into his palm.

"She's relentlessly attempted to prove her loyalty to me, Lucius. She nags me to death's door to see the Healers when I'm scheduled. She goads me to go on bloody walks in the forest because they say the air outside is good for my health!"

He raised his voice a bit while discussing his health, echoing his deep timbre ominously from the surrounding hills. He dropped his volume slightly as he continued.

"She leaves me in peace when I need to think, and never pesters me to reveal anything I wish not to reveal," The glare was back at this last statement, fierce as fiendfire. He continued "She can hold an interesting bloody conversation! She pines for my agreeability! What am I supposed to do Lucius? Tell her 'thank you for the undying support, but your presence is unnecessary'?"

"It wouldn't be totally unheard of." Lucius mused honestly, studying his meticulously manicured fingernails for imaginary traces of dirt. Severus had been telling witches to take their affections and shove them back up their hearts since puberty. No reason this one should be any different.

Unless…

"Do you think this has something to do with the curse?"

"Of course I don't, you daft idiot!" Severus shouted, his baritone reverberating from the hills into the surrounding air. "Don't you think if I intended to make you cross a life debt I would just murder your glittering arse and turn your hair for a profit to some scum in Knockturn Alley?! I already ran her through every damn one of those blasted spells in Potter's lab at Hogwarts! There's no chance she's another victim of Rasputin!"

Any mortal being would have been speechless at the rebuke. Luckily for Lucius, he was a Malfoy, which in his mind was elevated from the ranks of mere mortals.

"You would be a rich man indeed my friend." he crooned "However, as I recall, you supposedly have more magic in your hair than I have in my entire body to hear you say it, so you might fetch a better price for your own."

With his last remark, Lucius slapped the irate bat on the back and turned him ever so swiftly in the direction from which they came. "Come now, it's getting late. We wouldn't want your witch getting feisty with you if you were late to your feeding."

Severus jerked away from the touch, softening his countenance a bit. Not to be bested, he bit a scathing reply.

"She's a hawk animagus. If you imply anything else about that Merlin-damned curse, she may be the one feeding - on krait."

Lucius laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Tsk tsk... if you fed me to your lover, how would you ever get a chance to sell my hair? Quite an imprudent business decision on your part Severus. I thought I'd educated you better."

"Sod off, Malfoy." was his inarticulate rebuttal.

The two wizards strolled back to the cottage. Severus, feeling humiliated at having bared his heart to the most arrogant bastard ever reanimated, and Lucius feeling triumphant at accomplishing his day's pursuit.

Fiddling with the few strands of bronze and black hair between his fingers in his pocket, he now felt quite certain he could keep his promise to his brother, perhaps even without bloodshed.

This had been a productive visit indeed.

A/N:

Blood Curses and Animagi?! Oh my...

"Cliff Hangar, hanging from a cliff, and that's why he's called Cliff Hangar!" Any 90's kids who get that reference - 70 house points.

Credits -

In "Severus Snape and the Art of War" by CypressWand, Snape tells James Potter his hair is greasy because of hanging over cauldrons, causing him to have more magic in his hair than Potter's entire body. I like to think he probably gave Lucius the same jab at some point.

"His kisses were fierce, seized from her." Is a line from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudekowsky.

If you haven't read HPMoR - it may just be the greatest FanFic in all of FanFicdom. There is an audio version on YouTube as well. Revival by xingxingzf is also the best subfanfic.

Sorry the A/Ns were almost as long as the chapter itself. I feel like I owed y'all a thorough explanation.

Thanks for reading!

Vine