Potion Master Severus Snape left the classroom in a far better state of mind than you'd imagine, given that his job in the very near future was to be finding two missing Third Year students, neither of which he was certain could keep themselves from dying - to a stray auto, or to a vampire, or to whatever could possibly be draining their life.

The cause of this good mood should be obvious, however. Professor Snape, for all that he was generally an irascible git, quite liked Potions, if not people (particularly Gryffindors). As he had just brewed a very fine batch of Wolfsbane, and had succeeded in teaching the Twins enough that the whole school would not be filled to the brim with werewolves when he returned, Severus Snape was a remarkably happy (which is to say content, as few would ever mistake the man for brimming with joy).

With long, groundeating strides, Severus Snape strode from the Potions classroom towards Slytherin House, his feet taking the well memorized path to the Common Room. He strode in, and gave the children a moment to each catch the next's eye, and for silence to fall like a pall on the room at large.

"As you may by now be aware," He was fairly certain no one had noticed, but one underestimated House Slytherin at one's own peril. "Draco Malfoy has taken a leave of absence. Given the circumstances involved, it would be most unwise to allow this information to leave Slytherin House." Professor Snape paused, pacing three strides, and then whirling. It was a precise and practiced maneuver. "No doubt the other houses will learn of it in their own due time, although I've always said that Slytherin House is the most observant for a reason." Professor Snape paused, and his black eyes raked the crowd, hitting each person in turn, looking for one that might break. He nodded grimly at the end of his perusal, "In return for your silence, Draco Malfoy will owe each of you a Class Teal, Order Two favor, with codicils 8 and 9 appended."

A murmur rose from the group. Slytherins were delightfully easy to bribe, Snape thought with satisfaction. The codicils would ensure that his students wouldn't try to spend the favor on homework, of all things, and the higher order terms were simply to keep the favors reasonable. Still, thought Snape with some satisfaction, Draco Malfoy would be paying quite a steep fine for daring to leave school unattended.

"You may be wondering how Draco Malfoy could possibly find enough time in a year to grant all of you those favors. If I might offer a suggestion, you might pool your resources." Everyone looked as though they hadn't considered that before. Foolish, that, Snape thought with an inward smirk. "Girls, you might take some pleasure in having young Mister Malfoy host a dance." Snape said, pausing, and choosing, for the moment, to forego the clincher - that the boys might take more pleasure in changing Mister Malfoy's attire into a dress for the occasion. He'd offer it up if they hadn't devised it themselves before he returned. Abject humiliation was a good tutor.

Mutterings were heard around the room, as discussions on which dress to wear, and 'wasn't that the greatest idea?' and 'what would you do with a seeker who owes you a favor?' Snape sincerely hoped that the last one wasn't Parkinson making a lewd comment. The last thing Draco Malfoy's ego needed was him losing his virginity. Snape paused, considering. Assuming that hasn't happened already.

Snape cleared his throat, calling the room to silence, "I have personal matters that I must attend to, outside of Hogwarts. In the interim, you may address house concerns to Professor Silvestra." Silvestra was his assistant in Slytherin matters anyway - the product of some discrete bribery - she had quite the taste for liquor, and was most thankful to get Snape's Special hangover potion, at a moment's notice and with no sarcasm until after drinking. In return, she was generally the one he pointed his Slytherins toward when they needed a gentler touch. Severus Snape was not a particularly comforting man by nature, and didn't care to have the reputation that giving hugs would naturally bring.

Children all around the room exchanged glances, before Marcus Flint raised his hand, and asked stupidly, "You're leaving us in the care of Hugs and Kisses?" Snape carefully suppressed the need to grin. He'd get a lot of mileage out of slipping that nickname into the next Staff Meeting. Silvestra would throw a royal fit.

"You'll find she's quite capable of handling your problems. And, I daresay, you'll find her significantly more strict when she's not standing in my shadow." Snape meant that literally, of course, for he was a tall man, and Silvestra was, well, not.

"I told you they were playing good cop bad cop!" A Slytherin half-blood said from the back of the room, to the confusion of every other student there.

"Dismissed" Snape said, as he turned and left, he was amused by the questions being tossed at the half-blood, who had had a decent point. He'd have to check in the morning, but he felt like that meeting had gone well. He doubted that any of the children would put together that Snape was going to hunt all over tarnation to find Draco Malfoy. And he very much doubted that any Slytherin would ruin the favors Draco would owe to his entire house by squealing to their parents. Or to Lucius Malfoy. Which, all in all, was a very good thing.

[a/n: Slytherins trade in favors all the time. As such, they've got a decently complex system of classification.

Leave a review - up next, Draco and Harry are at it again. Almost through day Two.]