Title: Hotel California
Chapter: Seven Main character(s): Severus Snape
References: 'Hotel California' by the Eagles
Rating: Restricted, for use of language, theme, suggestions of consensual intercourse and adult theme.
Disclaimer: Sophie & Tara Snape were created by the author, and may not be used without the authors permission. Severus Snape, James Potter, Lily Potter and other mentioned Harry Potter characters were created by JK Rowling and are protected under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, infringement of copyright acknowledged. No money is being made from this story.

Chapter Seven

Severus Snape was leaning over a bubbling cauldron; his brow was furrowed in concentration and tiny beads of sweat trickled down his face. As he worked, continuously adding ingredients and furiously taking notes in the potions reaction he was practically oblivious to world around him.

He had been working for Voldemort for four months now; he was never quite sure what the Dark Lord wanted with his research into lycanthropy, nor whether what he was doing was ethical, but it was good money and steady work. He had provided him with a workshop, equipment and all the ingredients he needed or desired. His dissertation was going to go down a storm.

The workshop itself was large, light and strangely airy. Severus had been brought up on dark, dingy airless laboratories, and this made a pleasant change.

"Ehm."

Severus jumped and looked up; Lucius Malfoy was leaning in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" He asked irritably.

"Long enough." Malfoy sauntered over. "Why don't you take a break?" He casually fiddled with a test tube.

"Please don't touch, Lucius."

"Of course." He took his hand away. "What about lunch?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Oh please! You've been working non-stop since this morning."

"Really, Lucius, I appreciate the offer, but I'm not hungry and I have a lot of work to do."

Lucius smiled, "I knew you'd say something like that. Join me for lunch, that's an order."

"An order?"

"Remember, I'm your official employer."

With that, he stalked out of the room.

Severus sighed and knew perfectly well that he had no choice.

Two hours later, the house elf (was he called Dobby? Severus wasn't entirely sure) collected him for lunch. House elves intrigued Severus; they were far more powerful than anyone gave them credit and they seemed perfectly happy to be at the beck and call of humans, in fact take that away from a house elf and they became quite miserable.

"Ah Severus, thank you for joining me." Malfoy beamed at him as he was led to a seat at the grand table. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"No thank you."

"Something stronger?"

"Er... water would be good, thank you."

"Wise man, one shouldn't drunk too much wine." Malfoy grinned once more as he poured himself a glass. "You won't mind if Narcissa doesn't join us, she is rather tired I'm afraid."

"I hope she's not ill, sir."

"She's not ill, and don't call me sir we've known each other what? Going on nine years now."

"I'm sorry Lucius, I'm just not.... Well, I'm just not used to working for my friends."

"You consider me a friend?"

"Of course I do. You stuck up for me at school, you've always been... there."

"You can come to me at any time, with any problem."

There was a moment of silence as each considered this.

"How is Narcissa?"

"Exceedingly sexy and ravishing;" he broke into a broad grin, "we're trying for a child."

"Really, well good luck to you."

"I don't know how you did it, first time and you get Sophie pregnant, me and Narcissa have been doing it for years and no sign of a baby!"

"Beginners luck." Severus replied quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"No, no it's alright." He smiled meekly, "sometimes it... sometimes it hits me that Sophie's not going to be around to enjoy all the moments in Tara's life. Her first wand, her first boyfriend...."

"Have you talked to anyone else about it?"

"No."

"I'm listening."

"I don't think I'm ready to talk about it all."

"When you're ready then."

"Thank you."

Severus had eaten little during lunch. It wasn't that he did not enjoy Malfoy's food, in fact quite the opposite; the food the Malfoy's always provided as exquisite and wonderfully cooked. Severus never really ate much; he just found that he was never hungry or that for one reason or another his appetite would disappear.

"You are always buried in your work."

He looked up; his gaze fell upon Narcissa Malfoy draped seductively in the doorway, her dressing gown left little to the imagination. Now, it was often remarked upon that Narcissa Malfoy was a very beautiful woman, which did not even touch upon her beauty. Everything about her was perfectly sculptured and in proportion; she was every man's dream.

"Mrs Malfoy, you startled me."

"Oh come come, Severus." She replied seductively, arching her back against the doorway. "Don't tell me you've never entertained the idea of coming to my chambers?" She advanced into the door, her hand messing with a stray lock of hair.

"If you're implying what I think you're implying..."

"You've done it before..."

"That was different!"

"Different how?"

"She wasn't married to my best friend." He replied hotly.

"But you do want to, don't you? Why should we deny feelings for each other, we're both adults."

Severus closed his eyes: "please, Mrs Malfoy."

She took his hand and placed it onto her breast; "Don't you find me attractive, Mr Snape?"

He pulled away his hand, "Yes, but you're married."

"Your morals have quite changed haven't they? It's strange that Sophie never had such qualms." Before Snape could ask what she meant, she was gone. Surely she hadn't meant that Sophie had been unfaithful during their marriage, and if she had... how would Narcissa know?

"Is everything going alright, anything you need?"

He didn't reply.

"Severus?"

"I want you to give me an honest answer."

Baffled, Malfoy replied "of course."

"Did you ever sleep with my wife?"

"What?"

"Answer me; did you ever sleep with Sophie?"

"NO! Frankly I'm disgusted that you would even think to ask me such a question! I've given you a job, money, friendship... and..."

"Lucius I didn't mean anything by it!" Severus appealed, "It's just something Narcissa said."

"Ah."

"What do you mean, 'ah'?"

Lucius sat down; "perhaps I never did explain to you about my wife's... tastes."

"What have your wife's tastes got to do with anything?"

"Shall we say, she burns the candles at both ends."

"I don't understand."

"She likes to sleep with women as well as men."

"I know what it means, Lucius, I don't understand what this has to do with..." He stopped, not wanting to even consider what he was about to consider. "Are you saying.... that..."

"Look Severus, I know about my wife's tastes; I often join in... Sophie was around here often enough but I never knew that Narcissa and her was sleeping together. I would have stopped it immediately if I knew."

Severus stared down at the workbench; he could feel the tears brimming around his eyes. The idea that his marriage had meant so little to Sophie... yes he too had slept with someone outside their marriage, but it had been only once and had been with someone of the opposite gender.

He brushed away the tears with the back of his sleeve, "did you ever sleep with her?" He asked quietly.

"I've said I..."

"Did you ever sleep with her?" Snape demanded angrily.

"No, I did not."

"How can I believe you?"

"You can't; but I give you my word that I never slept with your wife whilst she was married to you."

"Pardon?"

"You didn't know that Sophie wasn't a virgin when she married you?"

"I knew that she wasn't a virgin..."

"It was me she lost it to. If your question is 'have you ever slept with Sophie' then I'd have to reply yes I have... but she wasn't engaged to you at the time."

Snape sat down heavily on his chair.

"Go home, Severus. This hasn't exactly been a pleasant day for you."

"I quit."

"What?"

"You heard what I said. How can I work for someone who..." he was lost for words, "how can I work somewhere I no longer feel comfortable?"

"What would you have me tell the Dark Lord?"

"Tell him anything, tell him I walked out, and tell him you sacked me; anything I don't care." He started to make for the door.

"You don't just walk away from something like this." Malfoy threatened.

"Watch me."

Lily heard the door slam; she quickly went out onto the landing. Since Severus had started to work for the Malfoy's she had been babysitting Tara during the days when she wasn't at playgroup. James didn't exactly approve, but he didn't own her, and they needed the money what with James unable to find a sponsor for his work.

"I'm upstairs, Severus." She called down to him.

She had collected Tara from playgroup around one o'clock in the afternoon, and immediately put her down for a nap. Since then she had taken it upon herself to sort out the clothes that Severus had been unable to touch since Sophie died; she had offered before to do this more depressing task. Each time Severus had asked her to wait a while; Sophie had died just over six months ago and it was time that they all moved on and started to pick up the pieces.

"What are you doing?" A harsh voice said from the doorway.

"I'm clearing out some of Sophie's old clothes, I knew that this would be..."

Snape strode into the room; "taking things to remind you of your relationship?" He snapped.

"What? Severus, I don't understand..."

"Admit it!"

"Severus, you're going to wake Tara!"

He reached over and sized the dress from Lily's hands; "You're just going to stand there and deny it all!"

"Deny what? I don't understand, what have I done?" Snape looked terrifying, "please, Severus you're frightening me."

He broke down, sinking to the floor. "She never loved me." He sobbed.

Lily didn't quite know what to do. Part of her wanted to flee the house, but the rest of her just wanted to reach out and hug him tight. She didn't know what had gone on, or why he had burst into the house in the manner he had done. All she knew was that she was scared.

"It was all convenient."

Lily was puzzled "Convenient?"

"She was having relationships with women, and who knows who else."

"I don't know what to say..."

"Tara isn't mine." He said sadly.

Lily laughed for a moment. "Severus in case you've forgotten your biology..."

"How do I know she wasn't sleeping with men as well?"

"Do the maths, you got married in September, Tara was born in April.... That's nine months. She looks like you. I'm sure that Sophie never slept with another man."

"It was all a façade."

"It may have been, but she did love you." She hugged him tight. "I don't know who or what has brought this on but..."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry." She released him from the hug. "Just promise me that you'll forget this?"

"How can I? What do I tell Tara? Do I tell her that her mother was a raving lesbian who...who," he threw his hands up, "what do I do, Lily?"

"You don't do anything. You can't change what's happened, you can't make it go away; just try to forget it." She hugged him again; "I've got some news for you... You know how James and I were always planning to have children?"

He nodded.

"Well, I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations." He replied rather unenthusiastically.

"I know you don't like him, but he is a sweet man; we're getting married in January."

He touched her hand; "I mean it."