Chapter Twenty-Two

A Crested Ring

The first of Yule was always a busy night at the Three Broomsticks as loyal patrons and lonely wizards came to sing songs or chat by the fire and drink with their friends. Rosmerta looked up with surprise to see Aurelius standing in the doorway, handing her tray quickly off to one of the other workers to go over to him.

"Well, what are you doing here, Mr. Snape? Is everything all right?" she asked.

"No, I was supposed to be staying at a friend's house but I had to leave early. I was wondering if you could send a message to my father at the Ministry saying that I've left and I'm going back to the school? Father said it was all right to ask you."

"Well, of course it is! Are you certain that you don't need an escort getting back?"

"Not from here, thank you," Aurelius said, stepping back out. As he started walking down the street, the sky began to darken and snow began to fall, and he found himself wondering if perhaps he should have taken her up on the offer. The light from Honeydukes was in sight now, and he paused to fish out a note from his pocket. But the moment he had taken was a moment too long, for in the darkness he heard a soft * pop *, and looking around he gasped when he saw a man in a hooded cloak standing nearby. Lucius merely gestured and slipped down a side street, and Aurelius, feeling a strange lump in his throat, followed him. The snow was covered with coal soot, turning it in heavily traveled paths to a grey wet slush as they walked down the dimly lit street. At the very end of the street sat a dark and smoky pub on the foundations of the Hog's Head.

"Cover your head," Malfoy instructed, and reluctantly Aurelius pulled his cloak up, wanting to be nearly anywhere else but at the steps of the Pig's Pannage. They were immediately shown to a back room where a dark walnut table and several dusted chairs were. He said not a word until a keeper returned with a decanter, setting it down along with a pitcher of questionably clean water before returning to the main room. "You left Stock early, I see. Why?"

"We had a small disagreement," Aurelius admitted. "How did you know I was here?"

"Suffice it to say I have ways of keeping a close eye on my protégés," Malfoy said, a slight smile appearing under the hood. "What sort of disagreement?"

"He was being overly disrespectful to his family," Aurelius admitted quietly. "I was a bit short with him."

"When a family doesn't support one of its own to the point that they don't behave like a family at all, then I think that family member has the right to take matters into his own hands. His parents are forcing him to live there, knowing perfectly well that he hates it and does not want to be there. If they truly cared about his happiness, don't you think they would have let the court case go by now? They act as they do to serve their own interests, hoping that Stock will give into their demands. Stock is wise enough not to fall for it. But don't be too hard on yourself, Aurelius, for not seeing it. I see now that perhaps I should have warned you about his parents before you went over there," Lucius said. Aurelius propped his head in his hand a moment, staring at him.

"You know, that sounds perfectly reasonable," Aurelius said. "How come everything always makes such good sense when it comes from you?"

"A bit of logic, and a great deal of experience with people trying to take advantage of me," Lucius explained with a nod.

"I suppose the best way to stop someone from taking advantage is to take advantage of them first," Aurelius said carefully.

"Well, yes, but keep in mind that not everyone in this world is particularly useful or worth the trouble. A fool can prove to be dangerous ally, even deadly."

"But then how do you choose an ally? How do you know who to trust?" Aurelius asked.

"That is something I do not want you to concern yourself with yet. Trust no one but me, Aurelius, but remember what I said before… if anyone learned of our intrigues, I would be very afraid for your welfare. I do not think the Ministry, let alone your parents, would be very pleased to find out the part you played in destroying poor Willowby's livelihood. Oh, by the way, I have it on good authority that if Willowby doesn't get his shop open by Christmas eve, he's going to be very hard pressed to make the payment on his lease. And if he doesn't, I have heard from the alchemy board that he's on probation. One more offense and it will put him out of business forever. So much for the perfect son, yes?" he said, Aurelius nodding slightly. "I have a couple more errands for you to run, but first, I have a present for you."

Malfoy then got in his pocket and took out a tiny leather covered box, taking off the top and placing it on the table for Aurelius to see. Inside was a tiny silver key just over an inch and a half long, its three-hole handle the image of a detailed serpent with an emerald eye.

"This key was given to me by a longtime acquaintance for a service I once paid him," Malfoy said in a soft voice, holding the chain up and handing it to Aurelius, who slowly took it. "It is believed that this key once belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself for an item he owned that is still within Hogwarts, and I was told that for a loyal member of the house of Slytherin, that this key can unlock great power. For anyone else, it merely opens the path to great danger. My son failed to find the lock that fits this key, but perhaps you'll have better luck."

"Thanks," Aurelius said thoughtfully.

"Ah, and I have a favor to ask," Lucius said, taking something else out of his pocket and setting it down. Aurelius found himself looking at a ring, a ring that he immediately recognized had the Craw family crest engraved in it. "This ring was your Grandfather's. I acquired it from an auction lot of jewelry items when the Craw estate was sold, back when your mother was a little girl. I need to find a way to discreetly return it."

"How have you altered it?" Aurelius asked with a frown, not even attempting to pick it up.

"You are so suspicious. Quite a bit like I was at your age. But the truth of the matter is that there are no spells on this ring; it would have been too easily detected, and as you know anyhow, I could not curse it even if I had wanted to. I merely do not want it found on my presence when your grandfather gets out. It might prove to be… awkward. So here is my plan," Malfoy said. "Before your little trip to Diagon Alley and Myrkinbrek, I would like you to send me a quick note. I will then have a third party sell this ring to Borkin and Burkes. I want you to then 'accidentally' wander in and see it. I expect your parents will do the rest."

"Wait a minute, if my parents catch me in Knockturn Alley, I'm going to be in some serious trouble!" Aurelius hissed.

"Finding the ring will provide a distraction, all you have to do is come up with a good excuse for being there. That shouldn't be too difficult for a clever boy such as yourself," he said, putting the ring away. Aurelius watched him for a long time, trying not to look as worried as he felt.

"You're quite sure the ring hasn't been tampered with?" Aurelius said.

"If it had, do you not think that your parents would find it before they returned it?" Lucius said evenly. Aurelius relaxed, feeling a bit silly.

"Of course they would, you're right. Okay, I'll help," Aurelius said, Lucius patting his shoulder.

"Good. Now put that key away somewhere safe. Don't forget, in someone else's hands, it might spell danger. But you should be getting back to school before your parents return home. Why don't you go ahead and leave before me, that way I can be sure you're not followed," Lucius suggested.

"Right," Aurelius said, but felt rather uncomfortable turning his back on him. He was being used; he knew that now. The reasonable sounding words seemed to make sense by itself until he compared it to what he had seen that night. Martha and Earl had no more ill will towards Stock than… than his own parents did of him, although they most certainly would, he reasoned, if they suspected even half of the mess that he was in.

Aurelius sighed, considering the problem at hand. He had been planning to take the passage from Honeydukes, but now that wasn't an option. To do so would be showing Malfoy that there was a passage there, just as if he took the trap door upon the hill. Rummaging around in his cloak, it only took him a moment before he realized he forgot to pack his broom. Rolling his eyes at himself for being so stupid, Aurelius had little choice left but to shortcut through the Dark Forest.

But that meant going past the Grove, and that was not something Aurelius looked forward to after what had happened that last Hogsmeade trip. In the shadows of the moonlight, the trees all looked so strangely sad, shriveled, and grey, and even the evergreens looked in some ways sicklier than the one in the Stockton's living room. He gazed forlornly at them, feeling their grief weighing down over him, and in the wind the trees sighs almost sounded as if they were crying. But as he paused to listen to him, he heard something else thundering through the trees, and he leapt back in surprise as a large red centaur galloped in front of him, staring at him accusingly.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble? You should not be here!" he told him, stepping up to back him away further.

"I'm only trying to get back to the school," Aurelius said. "I don't want to go into the Grove."

"You darken the skies with your presence. You are not wanted here. Be gone!"

"I can only 'be gone' if I can get back to school," Aurelius said angrily.

"Ronan," said another voice, stepping out of the Grove. It was a centaur that Aurelius recognized from visits to Sagittari; Firenze, who seemed more solemn than Aurelius ever. "Allow me to escort the boy back to where he belongs. You are right in that he no longer belongs here."

"He also no longer belongs in the forest. If you want to pass, go around."

"He is only a foal, Ronan. His parents will worry if he is walking until morning," Firenze said.

"If he were a foal, Firenze, and not a human, he would not be left to wander alone at all, but would be facing his crimes."

"He did not ask to be dropped by Ciardoth into the Grove, Ronan!" Firenze said.

"But it was his decisions, his deeds that left this Grove blighted… blighted by his corruption!" Ronan snarled.

"All the same, it was not his choice, I think, to be dropped within. Had he known… had any of us known what that would cause, we would have prevented it. But the stars, as always, tell not of Ciardoth's comings."

"That is not for others to know!" Ronan snapped, turning away. "Get this man-child out of my sight."

"Come, Aurelius Snape," Firenze said softly, turning towards the Dark Forest. "You must stay close, for I cannot guarantee what will happen to you if you do not."

Firenze did not speak as he led him through, and Aurelius, lost in his own thoughts, didn't press for a long time. So that's why Ciardoth had dropped him into the Grove, to corrupt it? But he was a rider! How could he have? It had been less than a year that he had made friends with the entire herd in efforts to save his mother's memories. He had stood in that Grove as the blossoms drifted to the ground, hearing his mother and father repeat their vows. And what had happened since… it hadn't been his fault... it wasn't like any of this was his idea... and he only did it because they were so… he stopped, staring into the Dark Forest. Firenze paused to see what was holding him up.

It had been a flash of white, and a face…the saddest, loneliest face he had ever seen. Pali. Aurelius wanted to go to him, wanted to tell him everything was all right and he was still the same… but the moment he took a step closer, the Unicorn disappeared.

"You must stay with me, Aurelius Snape. He cannot come to you, and you must not go to him. To do so would cause the same injuries to him as you did to the forest. Come, we are close now," Firenze said solemnly. Fear gripped Aurelius, staring at the centaur.

"Wait a minute! This isn't forever, is it? I mean, I am going to be able to be with him again someday, won't I?" Aurelius said, Firenze merely staring at him grimly. "But I can't! You don't understand! He's the only one I can talk to! He's the only one that understands everything. I can't lose him, I can't! If I lose him, I lose myself!"

"What you fear has already happened, Aurelius Snape," Firenze said. "You have indeed lost yourself, and that is precisely why you have lost him."

Severus slipped into the door only to hear the sound of soft sobbing. He quickly retreated, knocking firmly upon the dorm room door. He waited a moment before he entered, gesturing almost absently towards the common room. Finally, he stepped in and went over to Aurelius' bed, a nearby candle flickering to life. Aurelius turned to look at him.

"So, what happened?" Severus asked.

"I got into a fight with Stock," Aurelius admitted.

"Well, at least it wasn't with his parents…or was it?"

"No, I got along with his parents. Martha… I mean, Mrs. Stockton, even sent me some gingerbread. I left before she finished them. They were waiting here when I got back," Aurelius said, staring at the small basket.

"Did you have any problems getting back?" he asked.

"No… yes…" Aurelius corrected quickly, realizing he very well would hear from the centaurs about what had happened. "That is, well, I decided to walk back from the Brooms through the forest." Severus blinked at him.

"You what?"

"I wanted to see Pali," Aurelius blurted out. "But the centaurs weren't happy with me being there. So Firenze walked me back." Severus studied him carefully.

"And did you see Pali?"

"Briefly," Aurelius murmured. Severus looked thoughtful.

"Well, you were lucky that Firenze caught up with you then. You know you're not allowed in there alone, and I had better not ever catch you deviating from intended escape routes again."

"Yes, sir," Aurelius said softly. Severus nodded, helping himself to a gingerbread man before heading back out, apparently forgetting to close the door behind him.

"From now on, I don't want him out of our sight for a moment," he murmured, breaking off a leg and holding the rest of it out. "And don't you dare touch the gingerbread in there," he added, the biscuit disappearing from his hand before Severus headed to the door.

From the moment they stepped into Diagon Alley, Jennifer and Severus found themselves being pulled in different directions at once.

"Let's go to Eeylops first so I can interview for a familiar!" Alex said excitedly.

"Mum, please, I really need a few new sketch pads," Alicia insisted.

"Can't we eat first?" Andrew complained.

Aurelius merely rolled his eyes, nodding to Achilles who had hissed a complaint at the noise.

"If you didn't like it, you shouldn't have come," Alex told the snake.

"Aurelius, I thought I asked you to leave Achilles at home?" Jennifer frowned at him.

"He was bored," Aurelius shrugged.

"Well, I'm not about to spend all day in Diagon Alley, so I suggest we do this as systematically as possible so we can move on to Myrkinbrek," Severus told them. "Girls, with your mother, boys with me, we'll meet in front of the bank."

"What? We better not be doing this boy-girl thing in goblin town too. I don't want to spend another five hours in Tassels and Panning!" Aurelius complained. Jennifer forced herself not to chuckle.

"You won't have to. I ordered ahead this Christmas. And don't you dare look at me," Severus scowled at Jennifer who innocently turned to admire the awnings.

"All right, girls, Flourish and Blotts first," Jennifer said.

"But the owl shop is closer!" Alex whined, following behind them. Severus sighed and shook his head, watching them go. But as Severus turned around to talk to the boys, neither of them were there.

Achilles moved rapidly into the crowd, Aurelius following as closely behind as he could without risking stepping on him as he turned the corner and into Knockturn Alley. Suddenly he remembered the last time he had been there, his slight hesitation causing him to momentarily lose sight of his familiar. He hissed his name then, but immediately found everyone standing about looking over at him with strangely intense looks, and made a very quick and wise decision that there might not be a good place to do so.

Moving cautiously around the shoppers and denizens, Aurelius took a breath and slipped into the pawnshop. Quite a number of other shoppers were in there, and Aurelius relaxed a bit. Of course there would be. Even at Christmas pawnshops do well, and Burke was too busy with another customer to have noticed him. Would the ring be in the case, he wondered, wandering about looking carefully at each jewelry display. Suddenly, a stuffed owl standing on a perch Aurelius hadn't noticed before lifted a wing as if pointing in a direction, before returning to its stiff, dead self. Curiously, Aurelius stopped to read the label; unique heirloom owl, three galleons. Heirloom, eh? Aurelius knew that meant it was probably cursed. But who in their right mind would want a cursed dead owl?
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Snape, or should I say Stockton the second," said a voice behind him. Aurelius turned around startled to see Burke standing there, squinting at him. "What do you want?" Burke asked.

"I'm… I'm looking for something," Aurelius said, fishing out the purse Malfoy gave him and shaking it. "Don't worry, I've got coin." Several people in the shop turned to look at him with interest. He cleared his throat. "I keep it in a charmed Cloak Chest." Disgruntled, most of the shoppers turned back around.

"Anything in particular, Mr. Snape?" Burke asked.

"Um. Something for my grandfather, perhaps? He likes this sort of… heirloom, nostalgic… rare and uniquely valuable antiquities."

"I'm not allowed to sell heirlooms to minors, Mr. Snape, as you well know," Burke said coolly. "But perhaps you'll find something of use to you over there on our general item display."

"Thanks," Aurelius said, going over to where he gestured. The display was out in the middle of the floor, and unlike quite a few of the others, they hadn't bothered to cover with protective glass. Quite a large number of items had crests on them, although some of those had been scratched out or painted over in futile attempts to cover them. The entire table was heavily discounted, making Aurelius wonder if he was actually in the right place.

But in the center of the table, Aurelius noticed a gloved stone hand, displaying three rings on each finger. It was on these Aurelius finally focused on, scanning them carefully. As he reached out to touch it, his hand was grabbed and yanked back, and Aurelius looked agape at his father who was standing looking anything but happy.

"And just what exactly do you think you're doing in here, Aurelius?" Severus snapped.

"I… my snake wandered off…"

"I found him curled on a steam vent outside," Severus snapped, taking him by the arm. "You didn't really expect to find him in here, did you?"

"But Father, I found something else! Look!"

"There's nothing in here I want to see!" his father replied.

"But it's got the Craw family crest on it!" Aurelius protested. Severus stopped dragging him and turned around, squinting at him. "Come look, you have to see it, please!"

"Where?" Severus asked, allowing himself to be led back over as Aurelius pointed out the ring. Solid eye contact was all Severus needed before Burke was beside him eager to sell something, but Burke's greasy smile was tempered by his extreme dislike for the tall professor. "Where did you get this?"

"Ah, Professor, I received all of these items from the Wizard's Public Auction House here in London, sir. They often sell items to us in lots if they've had no luck selling them, and crested items don't normally sell well… with a few exceptions, of course."

"Yes, yes, yes. I want to see your records," Severus snapped.

"Do you have a court order, Professor?"

"Do you have something to hide, Mr. Burke?" Severus asked back, but reluctantly put something in his palm anyhow.

"Right this way, sir," Burke said. But Severus stopped long enough to put his gloves on, carrying the ring with him as Burke got out the book and found the page. "Here, you see? I bought this along with several unwanted items this morning…including the horned owl over there. Would you care to see it?"

"Do you have any other crested items from this source other than on that table?" Severus asked, his voice still sharp and wary.

"No, Professor," Burke said, and Severus went over to the table again glancing over the ring in his hand while scanning to make sure there wasn't any other Craw crested items there.

"Fine, I'll just take this," Severus said, frowning at it. "Wait a minute, there's a stone missing."

"All the items here are sold as-is, Professor," Burke said with a rather unfriendly smile. Severus let out a loud sigh, glancing thoughtfully at Aurelius as if speculating.

"Well, I cannot possibly leave a Craw item on the shelf in any case," Severus reasoned, glancing at the tag and paying it out, quickly signing the book. "If you get any other items with this crest on it, I would like you to send me an owl so I can buy them from you."

"Of course, Professor, I would be happy to oblige," Burke said, putting it in a bag for him. Snatching the bag in one hand and Aurelius in the other, Severus stepped out the door, pausing long enough to take Achilles out of his pocket and hand the snake to him.

"We need to go to the bank," Severus said firmly. "Don't let him out of your sight again."

"Yes, sir," Aurelius said as Severus nudged him in front. He exhaled slowly, realizing that Malfoy had been right in that his father was too caught up in the ring for Aurelius to get into too much trouble. But Aurelius petted his snake gently as thanks, reminding himself to feed him well tonight for his efforts.

Only Andrew was waiting at the bank when they got there, munching on a candy apple. Severus sighed irritably.

"Couldn't it have waited?"

"Oh, I'll still have room for cocoa and chestnuts when we get there," Andrew said. Aurelius rolled his eyes.

"Here we are!" Jennifer called as she and the girls arrived with parcels in hand. "What, no bags?" she asked curiously.

"We got sidetracked," Severus said, frowning at Aurelius. "And in the process, we found this," he said, holding it out, yanking it back when she tried to see it. "Gloves on, please."

"That's my grandfather's ring," Jennifer said with certainty, quickly slipping her gloves on to take it. "My father often wore it when I was little. I thought it was lost!"

"It was, so to speak. It was in Borkin and Burkes," Severus murmured as they entered the bank.

"Borkin and Burkes? Severus! What on earth were you thinking taking the boys there?" Jennifer said disapprovingly.

"Hardly my idea, I assure you," he said. "Burke claims he got it from an auction lot box full of other crested items."

"Well, I suppose it is possible, considering so much of that did get sold at auction," Jennifer agreed, examining the ring. "And the fact that this has a stone missing probably wouldn't have helped its value."

"I'm thinking of having it appraised while I'm in Tassels and Panning," Severus said, taking it back. "That would save us the trouble of testing it, and I have some customer courtesies saved up," he said. Jennifer shook her head at him as they stepped into the line for the carts to Myrkinbrek.

"Too many. If you keep going there, I'm going to need a bigger jewelry box," she teased.

"Well, I had to make up for the fact I bought your gift at Harrod's last year," he pointed out. But he immediately regretted saying anything as Jennifer's face fell. "We can get you another one."

"Why, so that the Ministry to confiscate again?" Jennifer asked.

"Perhaps we can get a house that has some electric."

Jennifer stopped cold and stared at her husband icily.

"We're going abroad for the summer months, don't you recall?" Jennifer said as calmly as she could, aware that the children were watching them carefully.

"I recall you suggesting it, yes," Severus nodded. But it was immediately obvious that Jennifer was unhappy with his answer, for she sat with Alicia and Alex to either side when they got in the cart and refused to look in his direction, not even speaking to him when they got to the lower bank, escorting the girls off to the toy shop.

"Can we stop to look in the sports shop before we head to Tassels and Panning?" Andrew asked as he paused to get a steaming drink from a vendor.

"That depends on how long it takes to get down this street," Severus snapped impatiently when Andrew stopped to get chestnuts too. But Severus began to regret agreeing to stop into the shop when he saw the window display and the big purple and silver sign with the words, "Galemaster equipment sold here!" written on it.

Inside, parents lined up in droves to buy the latest brooms from Dutchman to Sycora, and while Aurelius seethed by the door, Andrew went to admire one of the new bats. Severus quickly batted his hand away.

"Nothing Galemaster is entering our house, so look at something else," Severus told him.

"But we don't have a house," Andrew said.

"Household, then," Severus snapped irritably, turning to Aurelius who was staring at a Dutchman's Flyer. "I will consider getting you a new broom this year, Aurelius, just pick something from a different company."

"Everyone else on the team has one, I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb," Aurelius said glumly, looking over the sleek new Firebolt X.

"Not true, Heph's parents wouldn't keep his. In fact, I was rather surprised that they let him go over to Stock's house, considering their opinion of him. Perhaps they were hoping he would learn something," Severus mused, turning back to Andrew. "You do not need a new bat."

"But Father, I'm third substitute on our team, you know. So if by some strange chance we lose both of our Beaters, and then something happens to the first two substitutes…hopefully not Halbert… I may get stuck playing!" Andrew reasoned. Severus looked at him dubiously. "I'd settle for a new wireless."

"Why is it the older you four get the more expensive this whole holiday game becomes?" Severus grumbled. "You'll be lucky to get new clothes this year as fast as you keep going through them."

"Yes, just what I need, more hand-me-downs from my 'little' brother," Aurelius said acidly as Severus ushered them back out again.

"Why don't you take a growth potion then, if it bothers you?" Andrew said.

"Don't even think about it. Doctor Sagittari says it's perfectly normal for his constitution and he'll catch up eventually," Severus said. "Now, in."

Tassels and Panning were very busy, but that didn't mean the two goblins didn't drop everything when Severus came in, one of them quickly running to the back while the other had a clerk take over a customer for him, greeting Severus warmly.

"Ah, Professor Snape! We are getting your order now, sir," Tassels said. "Anything else I can interest you in while we're getting it?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you can give me an appraisal and enchantment check on this," Severus said, putting the ring down.

"Ah, and it needs cleaned too," Tassels suggested, picking it up delicately. "Missing a red beryl, I see. Pity, they're very rare, you know. We may be able to put a recovery charm upon it if you like, depending on what enchantments are on it," he suggested as Panning came back, trading him the ring for a box.

"Recovery charm?" Andrew asked curiously.

"Yes, it's a charm we sometimes put on broken pieces of jewelry to find any loose pieces. When the jewelry item gets close to the other pieces, it'll start to flash, and the missing piece will light up to make it easier to find," Tassels said.

"Wait a moment, what sort of range does this spell have?" Aurelius said in such a tone that both Andrew and Severus looked at him curiously.

"About thirty-five feet, Mr. Snape, just large enough so that you might find it in a normal sized residence and yet short enough that it won't take you too long to find the piece once you've determined it's in the area," Tassels said.

Aurelius grew quiet again. So that's what he was up to… finding a way to detect when Thomas was around. Could he blame him? It was no secret to anyone that Thomas wanted him dead… and vice versa. What harm could it do? And yet it also posed a serious advantage to Lucius if he knew about it and Thomas didn't. Was his grandfather included in the curse not to harm the family?

"Here is your appraisal, sir," Tassels said as Panning handed him an open scroll.

"It is getting cleaned now. Did you want to us to add the Recovery Charm?" Panning asked.

"Yes, we will do it for free, for such a valued customer," Tassels added.

"Very well, although I imagine the chance of actually finding it is remote," Severus said, glancing at the list again.

"Right away, sir," Panning said.

"Let us update that for you then, sir," Tassels added as Panning put his hand out and Severus put the roll back in his hand.

"Father, wait…" Aurelius said, Severus looking at him carefully. "That recovery spell, couldn't it be a bit dangerous, considering that broken piece could be anywhere?"

"Aurelius, it would defeat the purpose of the spell knowing where it is, wouldn't it?" Severus said quietly. "But I will not have it put on, if you can give me a reason why I shouldn't."

As Aurelius was working out exactly how to do that without getting himself in trouble, the door opened, and he felt the color drain out of his face as Lucius Malfoy walked in, holding the hand of a young girl, who slipped away to go look in the cases.

"Go ahead and put it on," Severus said to Panning, while Tassels excused himself to see to his other customer, looking warily between Severus and Lucius before going over.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, good to see you. It has been a while," Tassels said.

"Strange, it seems to me that he's always here when I am," Severus said to no one in particular.

"Which explains exactly the reason I don't come here as much anymore," Lucius said with a thin unnerving smile. "Mary would like to pick out a locket, Tassels. Any price of course, so long as it is charmed so that she doesn't lose it."

"Yes, sir," Tassels said, fetching the case while Malfoy gazed warily over at the three on the other side of the room.

"Well, only two days until Christmas and I hear Willowby doesn't have his apothecary open yet. Pity," Malfoy said. "Might I inquire why the strange hold up?"

"As it is none of your business, no you may not," Severus said curtly. "Eyes forward both of you, there's nothing to look at over there," he said, tapping Andrew and Aurelius.

Again, Aurelius felt the strange haunting chill he always got when turning his back to Malfoy, but Severus himself looked completely calm and unconcerned.

"I have even heard a rumor from the townsfolk that he's in dire straights to make his next payment on the shop. Is that a sign perhaps that you and Jennifer no longer have the funds to support your charity case any longer?" Severus paused before turning around to gaze at Malfoy again.

"My son has the right to make his own decisions and own mistakes, Malfoy. But rest assured that if he ever does ask for my help, regardless of what sort of trouble he is in, he will receive it," Severus said with unwavering expression. Malfoy started suddenly and then checked himself, meeting the gaze as if trying to bore holes into him.

"Your ring, sir," Panning said softly behind Severus.

"Corey will get his store open," Severus said almost casually. He turned his back on Malfoy again to pay the shop keeper, counting out the coins and letting the fistful of galleons drop from his gloved hand into the keeper's hand like rain with intentional exaggeration. "Keep the change," he added briskly, nodding to Malfoy before nudging the two boys out. "Happy Christmas, Mary."

"Happy Christmas," Andrew added with a grin, Mary smiling shyly back at them.

"Might I say, 'Happy Christmas' back, grandfather?" Mary asked.

"No, we don't talk to Snapes. Come," he said, leading her back over to the case. Mary frowned at him in confusion. For someone they weren't supposed to talk to, her grandfather sure talked a lot.