Just a word on pronunciation: Annwn is pronounced-- Anoon. It's a Celtic term meaning Underworld which one reaches by navigating a labyrinth.
Source: By Oak, Ash, and Thorn by D.J. Conway
Chapter Fifteen
Severus,
Pardon the lateness of my response to your recent letter, old friend, but I was in the United States on business. I am most pleased that you have gathered such a wealth of information on our new friend. I, as well, have been convinced that she is worthy of our time.
I do not regret the discussion I had with her about the scroll, however, as it was necessary for her to learn proper respect for our ways. She will need the lesson if she is to get on well with our other associates. I'm sure that you've enjoyed your time with Miss Borgin, but I trust that you will remember your place, Severus. Soon I will find it necessary to return to Alexandria and convince her of my noble intentions, and I would hate to have to reiterate my point about allowing your personal feelings to interfere with our work.
I would be pleased if you would grace Malfoy manor with your esteemed presence tonight. We can discuss all that we have discovered in our respective research. I shall be expecting you at seven o'clock sharp. Please do not keep me waiting.
Regards,
Lucius Malfoy
Severus ran a slender finger over his bottom lip. The level of warmth and charm in his letter could mean only one thing. Lucius was very pleased about something. He had discovered something of import, something to do with Alex.
The veiled threat in the second paragraph meant that Lucius would take over in the way he deemed most effective now that he had returned, and he would expect Severus to stay out the way. While that sanctimonious bastard steps in and takes what is mine, he fumed. He had no doubt that Alex would take the bait. She would melt under Malfoy's touch like sealing wax in a flame, to be reformed as he chose. No doubt, his influence would turn his gregarious young lover into a cold-blooded monster just like the rest of the Death Eaters. He muttered a vicious oath. Would the Dark Lord eventually invite her to join their ranks as well? His stomach churned at the thought.
Still, he told himself, there was little choice in the matter. Alex would have to make her own decisions. There was an infinitesimal chance that she was stronger than she seemed.
Lucius,
I am pleased that you have returned home. We do indeed have much to discuss concerning Miss Borgin. Seven o'clock would be quite satisfactory.
Allow me to assure you that I have had plenty of time to contemplate your lesson in personal attachments, and I understand it in no uncertain terms. I assure that I will never interfere with your plans again.
S. Snape
The guilt didn't begin to reach him until well after the owl bearing his letter disappeared over the trees of the Forbidden Forest. No matter how forcefully he pushed it aside, it inevitably returned. This entire mess was his fault. Alex should never have even met Lucius Malfoy. If he'd done his job and gone with Malfoy to 'discuss' the scroll with the girl's uncle, he would still be alive, and Alex would be a safely anonymous thief across the ocean. Grading the final exams had been a convenient excuse to avoid another nauseating evening of watching Lucius involved in one of his favorite pastimes, crude torture.
Severus pinched the bridge of his sharp nose. The trail of his guilt concerning Alex Borgin's present situation could be traced back to that first mistake. Dumbledore would say that compassion was never a mistake, but he was a fool.
He turned back to the stairs leading from the owelry just as a gust of unseasonably frigid wind sliced through the air causing his robes to billow and whipping ebony hair about his pale face, but the wind was a blistering heat compared to the ice he forced through his veins now. Compassion had been his undoing on more than one occasion. Now, Alex would have to be sacrificed on the altar of his weakness, for the good of the Order.
So be it, he thought as he descended.
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"You've done well, Severus," Malfoy purred as he seated himself opposite the potions master. "Though I must say that I envy you. You're assignment was an easy one. Miss Borgin's associates are not nearly as charming as she."
Severus did not wish to discuss Alex' charms at the moment. "What did you discover?"
Lucius sat forward in his chair, obviously excited. "I discovered that I nearly did away with a tremendous asset to our cause. Have you ever heard of Annwn of Salem?"
"The bank?"
"More heavily guarded than Gringott's. I established that myself." His eyes glinted mischievously. "Miss Borgin managed to break in when she was twenty-five."
"Excuse me?"
"Actually, allow me to amend that. She walked in, casually." Lucius laughed heartily. Apparently, he found Alex's escapades to be thoroughly amusing. "Having altered her appearance with polyjuice, she simply strolled in and presented a key that she had stolen from her target, a local wizard of some stature. Apparently, he possessed a trove of amulets and rings locked away in Annwn, and Alex had been paid a generous sum of money to collect it."
"I assume she succeeded?"
"She shrank the contents, placed them in a backpack, and left as casually as she came. Unfortunately, before she was out of the lobby, the polyjuice began to wear off." Malfoy paused to refill his glass, broad shoulders shaking with mirth. "Her escape is the stuff of legend among her peers. Apparently, she darted around and over guards while dodging curses, threw smoke pellets and vials filled with explosive potions, and caused enough havoc to cover her escape through a window and down an alleyway before they even saw her face."
Severus was beginning to feel justified in allying this girl with the Death Eaters. "Explosive potions? How many did she kill?"
Malfoy pursed his lips in displeasure. "None. The potions were diluted, meant to be a mere diversion, and she threw them only a short distance from herself, trusting in her dexterity to remove her from harm's way. As I suspected, she has no thirst for blood." His mouth split into a wicked grin. "Not yet. Leave that to me."
It was all Severus could do to match that smile, picturing Malfoy as he must have looked as he apparated at the feet of the Dark Lord the night he attacked Alex. Some day, Lucius. The little monster who lived may get to be the end of our master, but you--are--mine.
His dark musings were interrupted by Malfoy's voice. "Her other exploits are equally impressive, but not as grandiose."
"And your plans for Miss Borgin?"
"I'll leave that decision to our master. But, first, I'll need to repair our rather unfriendly relationship. Certainly one of the more pleasant aspects of my duties to our master is perfecting the art of diplomacy." He leaned back and smiled contentedly, clearly not dreading his next task. "So, how does she like it?"
Severus had no intention of discussing the intimate dealings between himself and Alex, least of all with Lucius Malfoy. He favored the man with what he knew to be his most irritating smirk. "I wasn't aware that you would require my carnal knowledge of the woman in order to seduce her properly. I thought you were experienced in these matters."
"Severus, you know exactly how to wear out your welcome. Sometimes, I think you do it intentionally so that you can return to that cold dungeon of yours."
"I do indeed have an experiment that requires my attention, Lucius. If we are quite finished here, I'll be on my way."
Lucius waved a casual hand. "Go. And let me assure you that by tomorrow night Alex Borgin will be begging to do whatever I ask of her."
Severus cringed. He had no doubt that it was true.
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"This is pure, Transylvanian vampire blood. The oldest I've ever seen. Look at how viscous it is." Alex smiled brightly as she swirled the thick red solution in the vial. "Simon, I'm impressed. You've really outdone yourself. In fact, I know a potions master who'll likely give me top-galleon for a sample of this stuff."
"Then you'll meet my asking price?"
Alex pulled a stack of galleons from the register and placed them in front of the burly thief. His eyes lit up, but as he reached for it, she rapped his hand with her wand and added a few more galleons to the pile. "That's for giving me first crack at the purchase."
"You haven't done me wrong, yet, Miss Borgin."
"Simon, I told you, call me Alex. I hate being called Miss Borgin. It makes me feel ancient."
As her associate left, Alex checked the time. Wow! The day had really flown! Time to close up shop and get ready for her tutor. Hopefully, this time they would actually make it to the lessons.
Since he had basically threatened her life at dinner a few nights ago, things had been a bit tense. Of course, tension had always translated into passion for Alex, and something had gotten into the potions master lately that made her first intimate encounter with him seem gentle and sweet. He had been like a dragon in bed the last few days. She bore some nasty bruises from last night's, what was it he had called it, 'blood sport?' It was fitting as one or both them drew blood every time they made love, and the more he hurt her, the happier she was with Severus Snape.
Speaking of which, it was customary for him to show up a few minutes before she locked the door. Where was he? Rounding the counter, she noticed that she had left her sales ledger out and hadn't even logged her sale to Simon. Was she really that preoccupied today? She leaned over the counter with an exasperated sigh to grab her quill and began logging the item, it's cost, and the supplier.
She never noticed the shadow slip through the door and position itself directly behind her. "Hello, Alexandria."
Oh, no. Immediately, a ball of ice began to form in the pit of her stomach, her heart lurched in her chest, and her trembling hands dropped the quill she was working with. She took a slow steadying breath before she spun on her heel to face him, but hadn't correctly gauged his proximity and her hair tangled around one of the silver serpents which graced his coat. She yanked it free with a vengeance for betraying her, scowling at her enemy who was smiling graciously down at her as she massaged the sore patch of scalp behind her ear. "Why is it that every encounter with you causes me pain?" she spat. "How can I not help you today?"
As soon as the words escaped her lips, she regretted them. She was supposed to be offering him the exact opposite. Dumbledore's wards prevented Lucius from giving her so much as a thump on the nose while they were in this shop, but she couldn't stay in here forever, and hadn't Severus cautioned her to be civil when dealing with Malfoy? Her animosity was going to make bargaining damnably difficult.
He had answered her with only a raised brow, and she took advantage of the silence to assuage the damage she had already done. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy," she began, but he held up a black-gloved hand before she could continue. The leather-clad hand not an inch from her lips holding just as much promise as peril was more than enough to keep her quiet.
"You're anger is understandable, Alexandria. I didn't intend to frighten you." His words were comforting and the voice which spoke them, warm, just as it had been at Nina's. But, a glance at that snake-headed walking stick reminded her that she was too well-acquainted with this man's formidable temper to trust him again so easily.
"Do you have some business you wish to transact, Mr. Malfoy? I was about to close for the evening." She spoke as evenly as she could considering the conflict of lust and panic that was building within her. Where the hell was Severus?
"I've come bearing a peace offering."
Alex chuckled nervously. "Well, that's a relief."
Why was it so damn difficult to not stare at his mouth when he spoke? Of course her options offered no respite to her craving for him. She could stare at his hair, his perfect nose (hadn't Severus told her she'd broken it?), or his eyes. At the thought, her gaze finally rose to meet those tantalizing gray eyes and her knees nearly gave way. She wrenched her gaze back to his mouth. Definitely don't look him in the eye, Alex.
"May I speak with you, then?" he asked gently.
Damn. He meant someplace more comfortable than the spot where he had nearly killed her. That meant she'd have to take him upstairs. She sure as hell wasn't leaving the protection of the building in his company.
"Perhaps you'd like to come upstairs?" she offered.
His smile was genuine as he gestured toward the stairs with a genteel hand. "Lead the way, Madam."
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Silverfey: So glad I could intrigue you. Hope you enjoy the rest!
Fleur K: I'm happy that you're enjoying the story. As Severus and Lucius are characters that mean a great deal to me, it was my goal to keep them as close to canon as I could. I'm so proud that you like them!
Maranna: I find that I make the most typos when I'm excited about something. If my story is exciting to you, I'll happily read all the typos you can make. I'm so pleased that you like the normalcy of the dinner. I've always been curious about what Severus is like in his dealings with other adults against whom he has no grudge. The poor guy never really gets a chance to be himself in the books. (No offense to my goddess, JKR)
Arwen: I'm glad that you see the necessity of this chapter. I was afraid it would be Alex overkill, but I just couldn't get around it. Intercepting owls en route seems so common in the wizarding world that it does seem wise to exercise caution when speaking of anything that isn't common knowledge. Of course, Lucius specifically asked Severus to gather information on Alex, and I think he's taking full advantage what could be interpreted as a license to be extremely friendly.
KitoraCrysta: You flatter me! Keep going. :-) I'm glad you're enjoying the story. It makes the writing much more fun.
Sylvan: You have been my light and inspiration. I can't believe you've put up with months of writer's block, working on no sleep, and constant babbling about Severus and Lucius. And, stop saying "I'll see you at work." You know it gives me Lucius yummies, and I lose the ability to think!