Disclaimer:
It's JKR's world, I just play in it.
Malfoy party, pt. 1 – you know what that means – things are probably going to get weird and ugly ahead.
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Hana Hooch smiled as Snape crouched down to say goodbye to his son.
"But why can't I go with you?" the boy asked.
"It's a grownup party, Gabriel."
"But you take me to lots of grownup things," the child whined.
Snape clenched his jaw in an effort not to react to the child's tone. "Those grownups are our friends and family. We don't like these people."
"Then why are you going?"
"Because we have to."
"You should take me."
"Gabriel, we've been through this."
Gabriel crossed his arms and huffed. Hooch giggled.
"Severus," she said, laughing "he's exactly like you."
He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow before turning back to the boy. "You're going to do everything Madam Hooch says, right?"
The boy nodded.
"You know, I don't mind if he calls me Hana," she said, raising the issue yet again.
Snape shot her a look.
"Or Aunt Hana if you're still insisting on this titles for adults nonsense."
"I am. And you are not, thank the gods, my or Allosia's sister."
Hooch put her hands on her hips and sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing.
"Madam Hooch is being cranky, but I'm sure you two will still have a lovely time."
Gabriel smiled as slyly as a six-year-old can. "Just like you and Mum," he said.
"And you," Snape added with a smile, poking him in the chest. "Now behave, and we'll see you in the morning." He stood then, and ruffled the boy's hair.
As he was almost out the door of Hooch's rooms, she caught his arm.
"Be careful, will you?" she said softly.
"Always," he replied sternly, with a glance back to Gabriel, who was watching them more closely than Snape would have liked.
Snape and Allosia sat across from each other in the carriage silently. Eventually, he leaned forward and took one of her hands between his own.
"You okay?" he asked, softly.
She nodded, tried to smile. "It will be easier once we're actually there."
He nodded at her. "You're probably right," he said, and then stood and quickly settled himself beside her. She smiled as he put an arm around her shoulders.
"Alright Gabriel, what do you want to do?" Hooch asked, looking down at the boy, who was being uncharacteristically quiet.
She noticed he kept eyeing her broom she had propped up in the corner.
"Have your parents taken you flying yet?" she asked.
"Once."
"How'd you like it?"
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, with an animated gesture.
"Who took you up?"
"Mum."
"And your father?"
"Was cranky."
"Why?"
"He worries."
"You know why, right?"
"Because lots of bad stuff has happened to him."
Hooch tried not to flinch. "Who told you that?"
"I listen to them when they think I'm asleep."
She put a hand to her mouth. It was typical behavior for a smart child, of course, but considering his father's occupation, it was both an eerie and dangerous revelation. She crouched down then and put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Your father worries about you because he loves you."
"I know," Gabriel said, as if it were too obvious to even bother discussing.
"So did you want to go flying tonight?"
Gabriel nodded excitedly.
"Alright, we'll do just a little, okay?" she said, even as she wondered if Snape would kill her for this.
"It is so lovely to finally meet you," Narcissa Malfoy said gripping Allosia's hand in an absent sort of way. "Lucius and I were really so disappointed not to be invited to the wedding."
Allosia started to murmur something about it being a small affair, but Snape chimed in over her. "It was seven years ago, Narcissa, I'd think you could find something else to be a harpy about by now."
"Don't be so touchy, Severus," she said, patting his cheek.
"I could say the same to you," he said with a glare, as he took two glasses of ice wine from a passing tray and handed one to Allosia.
She looked at him in some vague surprise that he would drink at such an occasion. Sensing the thought he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. "No one could possibly be expected to deal with such creatures sober."
She smiled at him, and Narcissa grabbed her hand. "Come dear, we have so much to discuss. I want to hear all about your boy. I'm sure Lucius and your husband have things to chat about as well."
Narcissa tossed a pointed glance Snape's way, and with that, he nodded to Allosia and whispered, "Go on," as she was led to a couch surrounded by witches and wizards milling about in evening dress.
Snape felt a hand fall lightly onto his shoulder and then trail down his back. Turning around swiftly, he smiled tightly at Lucius. "Must you?" he asked.
"Must I what?" the blonde man replied coyly.
"Continue to play at seducing me."
"Now, now Sev, life's been good to you these last years, but must you get a big head?"
Snape just rolled his eyes. "Narcissa said you wanted to see me?"
"Well, I do always find you amusing."
"What, Draco won't cast Cruciatus on you?"
"Touchy touchy. Now do you want to come downstairs and have a look around before we introduce Allosia to something more interesting than my wife?"
Snape looked at him sideways.
"Oh, don't worry. She's not the one getting hurt tonight. Neither are you. I hope that doesn't disappoint."
"I wouldn't know yet," Snape ground out.
Hana Hooch levitated Gabriel up to join her on the broom, and after admonishing him to hold on tightly, muttered a sticking spell that would make sure he didn't slip. With that, she rose a few feet in the air and began to fly in low circles, as Gabriel cheered for greater height and speed.
Allosia was bored out of her mind. Narcissa was not, despite her husband's protestations to the contrary, interesting. Although she supposed that if she had been privy to the inner workings of the woman's mind it might have held the fascination of a muggle car crash or an ugly hat. Narcissa, however, was giving away no such entertainment, prattling on instead about the political advantages and disadvantages of the women she had deemed worthy for her son to form a marital alliance with. Allosia was dimly aware that Narcissa was only discussing these topics because they were meaningless to a witch who had not been raised in the same echelons of the wizarding world as the Malfoy clan.
And so she continued to smile and nod, as she was obliquely reminded that even as a pure blood, she could never be part of the world that the Malfoys inhabited, and to their mind, couldn't even be truly part of the world her husband inhabited. She would have been happier had these not been the least of her problems.
"You're really too extravagant," Snape said as he gestured in an offhand way and continued to pace the Malfoy dungeon.
"Don't worry, they'll keep," Lucius responded, far too amused at his own joke, as he looked over the still unconscious forms of the evening's more exclusive entertainment.
"Did you hear, by that way, what Avery's latest amusement is?"
"I'm sorry, the sexual gossip of people I'd as soon hex as say hello to is scarcely a hobby of mine."
"He uses a freezing spell and rubs dirt on them as he's having his way with them."
"And? Wouldn't actual necrophilia be easier?"
"No. Here's the brilliant part, Sev. He uses enervate, and half the time, when they wake up, they ask him if they're dead. At which point he tells them yes, since they will be soon anyway, and when they ask who he is, he always ponders for a moment before choosing god or the devil!" Lucius has barely been able to contain his laughter during his explanation.
"Your depravity is generally in better taste, Lucius."
"Mother, your monopolizing the dear professor," Draco whined melodramatically as he sat too close to her on the couch.
Realizing that she couldn't scoot away from Draco without winding up in Narcissa's lap, Allosia stood up quickly, eliciting a chuckle from Draco, who also stood.
"Problem?" he asked her quietly.
She was flustered for a second but regained herself, when she remembered what Snape had said, both about their shopping expedition and the addressing on the invitation. "My husband does not like other men touching me," she said primly, and obviously pleased with herself.
"But how does he feel about you touching other men?" Draco asked smoothly, as he conspicuously rubbed his hand across his throat.
"Surely, everyone in your household understands business as well as we do in mine," she said curtly.
"Better, from what I've seen," he said softly.
"And we both know you haven't seen nearly as much as you'd like to," Allosia said, leaning in towards his face.
"Is that an offer?" Draco was amused.
"No. It's not worth my time to make one to a liar as skilled as yourself."
"Let me know when you change your mind. You might, shortly," he purred to her, leaning even closer.
Allosia narrowed her eyes at him.
"Your husband is downstairs, in case you still care," he said, before walking away abruptly.
Allosia debated countermanding Snape's instructions, only briefly before locating and using the stairs down to the dungeon.
It's JKR's world, I just play in it.
Malfoy party, pt. 1 – you know what that means – things are probably going to get weird and ugly ahead.
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Hana Hooch smiled as Snape crouched down to say goodbye to his son.
"But why can't I go with you?" the boy asked.
"It's a grownup party, Gabriel."
"But you take me to lots of grownup things," the child whined.
Snape clenched his jaw in an effort not to react to the child's tone. "Those grownups are our friends and family. We don't like these people."
"Then why are you going?"
"Because we have to."
"You should take me."
"Gabriel, we've been through this."
Gabriel crossed his arms and huffed. Hooch giggled.
"Severus," she said, laughing "he's exactly like you."
He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow before turning back to the boy. "You're going to do everything Madam Hooch says, right?"
The boy nodded.
"You know, I don't mind if he calls me Hana," she said, raising the issue yet again.
Snape shot her a look.
"Or Aunt Hana if you're still insisting on this titles for adults nonsense."
"I am. And you are not, thank the gods, my or Allosia's sister."
Hooch put her hands on her hips and sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing.
"Madam Hooch is being cranky, but I'm sure you two will still have a lovely time."
Gabriel smiled as slyly as a six-year-old can. "Just like you and Mum," he said.
"And you," Snape added with a smile, poking him in the chest. "Now behave, and we'll see you in the morning." He stood then, and ruffled the boy's hair.
As he was almost out the door of Hooch's rooms, she caught his arm.
"Be careful, will you?" she said softly.
"Always," he replied sternly, with a glance back to Gabriel, who was watching them more closely than Snape would have liked.
Snape and Allosia sat across from each other in the carriage silently. Eventually, he leaned forward and took one of her hands between his own.
"You okay?" he asked, softly.
She nodded, tried to smile. "It will be easier once we're actually there."
He nodded at her. "You're probably right," he said, and then stood and quickly settled himself beside her. She smiled as he put an arm around her shoulders.
"Alright Gabriel, what do you want to do?" Hooch asked, looking down at the boy, who was being uncharacteristically quiet.
She noticed he kept eyeing her broom she had propped up in the corner.
"Have your parents taken you flying yet?" she asked.
"Once."
"How'd you like it?"
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, with an animated gesture.
"Who took you up?"
"Mum."
"And your father?"
"Was cranky."
"Why?"
"He worries."
"You know why, right?"
"Because lots of bad stuff has happened to him."
Hooch tried not to flinch. "Who told you that?"
"I listen to them when they think I'm asleep."
She put a hand to her mouth. It was typical behavior for a smart child, of course, but considering his father's occupation, it was both an eerie and dangerous revelation. She crouched down then and put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Your father worries about you because he loves you."
"I know," Gabriel said, as if it were too obvious to even bother discussing.
"So did you want to go flying tonight?"
Gabriel nodded excitedly.
"Alright, we'll do just a little, okay?" she said, even as she wondered if Snape would kill her for this.
"It is so lovely to finally meet you," Narcissa Malfoy said gripping Allosia's hand in an absent sort of way. "Lucius and I were really so disappointed not to be invited to the wedding."
Allosia started to murmur something about it being a small affair, but Snape chimed in over her. "It was seven years ago, Narcissa, I'd think you could find something else to be a harpy about by now."
"Don't be so touchy, Severus," she said, patting his cheek.
"I could say the same to you," he said with a glare, as he took two glasses of ice wine from a passing tray and handed one to Allosia.
She looked at him in some vague surprise that he would drink at such an occasion. Sensing the thought he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. "No one could possibly be expected to deal with such creatures sober."
She smiled at him, and Narcissa grabbed her hand. "Come dear, we have so much to discuss. I want to hear all about your boy. I'm sure Lucius and your husband have things to chat about as well."
Narcissa tossed a pointed glance Snape's way, and with that, he nodded to Allosia and whispered, "Go on," as she was led to a couch surrounded by witches and wizards milling about in evening dress.
Snape felt a hand fall lightly onto his shoulder and then trail down his back. Turning around swiftly, he smiled tightly at Lucius. "Must you?" he asked.
"Must I what?" the blonde man replied coyly.
"Continue to play at seducing me."
"Now, now Sev, life's been good to you these last years, but must you get a big head?"
Snape just rolled his eyes. "Narcissa said you wanted to see me?"
"Well, I do always find you amusing."
"What, Draco won't cast Cruciatus on you?"
"Touchy touchy. Now do you want to come downstairs and have a look around before we introduce Allosia to something more interesting than my wife?"
Snape looked at him sideways.
"Oh, don't worry. She's not the one getting hurt tonight. Neither are you. I hope that doesn't disappoint."
"I wouldn't know yet," Snape ground out.
Hana Hooch levitated Gabriel up to join her on the broom, and after admonishing him to hold on tightly, muttered a sticking spell that would make sure he didn't slip. With that, she rose a few feet in the air and began to fly in low circles, as Gabriel cheered for greater height and speed.
Allosia was bored out of her mind. Narcissa was not, despite her husband's protestations to the contrary, interesting. Although she supposed that if she had been privy to the inner workings of the woman's mind it might have held the fascination of a muggle car crash or an ugly hat. Narcissa, however, was giving away no such entertainment, prattling on instead about the political advantages and disadvantages of the women she had deemed worthy for her son to form a marital alliance with. Allosia was dimly aware that Narcissa was only discussing these topics because they were meaningless to a witch who had not been raised in the same echelons of the wizarding world as the Malfoy clan.
And so she continued to smile and nod, as she was obliquely reminded that even as a pure blood, she could never be part of the world that the Malfoys inhabited, and to their mind, couldn't even be truly part of the world her husband inhabited. She would have been happier had these not been the least of her problems.
"You're really too extravagant," Snape said as he gestured in an offhand way and continued to pace the Malfoy dungeon.
"Don't worry, they'll keep," Lucius responded, far too amused at his own joke, as he looked over the still unconscious forms of the evening's more exclusive entertainment.
"Did you hear, by that way, what Avery's latest amusement is?"
"I'm sorry, the sexual gossip of people I'd as soon hex as say hello to is scarcely a hobby of mine."
"He uses a freezing spell and rubs dirt on them as he's having his way with them."
"And? Wouldn't actual necrophilia be easier?"
"No. Here's the brilliant part, Sev. He uses enervate, and half the time, when they wake up, they ask him if they're dead. At which point he tells them yes, since they will be soon anyway, and when they ask who he is, he always ponders for a moment before choosing god or the devil!" Lucius has barely been able to contain his laughter during his explanation.
"Your depravity is generally in better taste, Lucius."
"Mother, your monopolizing the dear professor," Draco whined melodramatically as he sat too close to her on the couch.
Realizing that she couldn't scoot away from Draco without winding up in Narcissa's lap, Allosia stood up quickly, eliciting a chuckle from Draco, who also stood.
"Problem?" he asked her quietly.
She was flustered for a second but regained herself, when she remembered what Snape had said, both about their shopping expedition and the addressing on the invitation. "My husband does not like other men touching me," she said primly, and obviously pleased with herself.
"But how does he feel about you touching other men?" Draco asked smoothly, as he conspicuously rubbed his hand across his throat.
"Surely, everyone in your household understands business as well as we do in mine," she said curtly.
"Better, from what I've seen," he said softly.
"And we both know you haven't seen nearly as much as you'd like to," Allosia said, leaning in towards his face.
"Is that an offer?" Draco was amused.
"No. It's not worth my time to make one to a liar as skilled as yourself."
"Let me know when you change your mind. You might, shortly," he purred to her, leaning even closer.
Allosia narrowed her eyes at him.
"Your husband is downstairs, in case you still care," he said, before walking away abruptly.
Allosia debated countermanding Snape's instructions, only briefly before locating and using the stairs down to the dungeon.