WPD:………….wow. This hasn't even been up for 24 hours and I've got five reviews and over 250 hits……..just……….wow………thank you……err, please keep it up? OO;

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X

Severus brushed off his black cloak as he entered the sitting room of the Malfoy Manor. True, he probably should have gone to Sanura first, but Lucius would need to know too. As his son's godfather it was his right after all. Once free of the green and grey ashes, Severus strode to the couch looking over. Lucius, renowned Death Eater extraordinaire, was lying on the cushions very much asleep, a book lying open on his chest. "So much for putting on airs."

Lucius opened one eye, looking at the Potions Master for a moment, before closing it once more. Of course it didn't pass Severus' notice that only one finger was visible on the book cover. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he stood up straight and fixed his long-time friend with an evil death stare. "Lucius." he growled. "Stop being childish and wake up. I have something important that I need to discuss with you."

Sighing unhappily, Lucius sat up and fixed him with a pout that would make a three year old crawl with envy. "What's important enough that you would have to wake me up? I was having the most wonderful dream, too!"

"Lucius…….." said Snape warningly, going into teacher mode. "Shut up and listen to me, or is that to difficult for you?"

He gave him a look, before settling into a more comfortable position. "Alright alright. What is on your mind Severus?"

Sighing miserably, the dark haired chemist sat down, placing his head in his hands. "I'm leaving, Lucius."

Needless to say, this wasn't what the blonde had expected to hear. Schooling his features as best he could, he cleared his throat. "Leaving, Sev? Leaving what exactly? England?"

He shook his head. " No. Voldemort. I have no choice."

"But what about you're position as spy? What is important enough for you to give that up? The Light is counting on you, you know." Lucius had known about Severus' position before he'd taken. He had actually suggested it. They had both been forced into it, but the elder Malfoy had only realized how wrong it was when Narcissa became pregnant. He had only stayed on for Draco 's sake, all the while feeding Severus information he couldn't get his spider-like hands on.

"The Dark Lord ordered that I house him in my manor."

"Ah. This is about Sanura then."

"I have spoken to Dumbledore and we've decided that he will have to go to Hogwarts where he will be beyond His grasp. I give up my job as a spy, but Sanura is safe."

They were silent for a good fifteen minutes, each immersed in their own thoughts, before Lucius clapped his hands together. Severus nearly leapt from his seat in surprise, but just managed to regain his composure before a banana-nosed House Elf appeared, lifting the edges of it's doily in a curtsey. "How can Bibi help sirs?" it squeaked.

Lucius gave it (her?) a withering glare. "Go with the House Elves not preparing dinner and pack up my room. I will be going on a trip."

"Yes Mr. Malfoy, sir. Right away sir." it said, touching her nose to the floor before disappearing.

Severus stared at his friend in disbelief. "What the hell was that?" he hissed.

Lucius gave him an innocently curious look, going as far as to cock his head to the side. "Why, nothing much Sev. You can't expect me to share your things, can you? Not only would everything be too long, but you have rather drab taste in clothes."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in a desperate attempt to stave of the inevitable migraine. "No, Lucius. Let me rephrase that. Where are you going, and why now, of all times?"

"Oh." he said, brushing a piece of imaginary lint off of his light blue cloak. "Well I can't very well let my godson go off to a new place all alone. He'll need all the support he can get, you know."

Severus twitched his eyebrow. "And just how do you expect to do that? It is Hogwarts, you know."

"From what I've heard you have yet to fill the position of DADA teacher. And who better to teach it then someone who knows it inside and out?"

"You can't be serious."

"Oh no, I'm completely serious Severus."

"Dumbledore doesn't make it a habit of hiring Death Eaters……Scratch that, he does. But I'm sure he would never let one so well known near his Golden Boy."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a Death Eater, then."

"Since when?"

"Since five minutes ago. Honestly, Severus, keep up with the times!"

Severus grabbed his right arm with his left, forcing himself to leave his wand in his pocket, where it belonged, as apposed to down Lucius' throat (1). "Lucius, I will never understand you. You do realize that you're insane, right?"

"Of course. But doesn't it make everything so much more fun?"

X

After clearing everything with Dumbledore, the notoriously forgiving Headmaster, and agreeing to leave his new job a secret until the Banquet at the beginning of the year, the Professors Snape and Malfoy stood outside of the hidden entrance to Sanura' s wing. It was the only way in, other than using the Floo, and was rather well hidden. It was disguised as a regular set of doors that led to a guest wing, nothing any manor of it's size didn't have. They were fifteen feet tall, stone, with a carved depiction of the gates of hell. Morbid, unusual, scary even, but not suspicious. A guest could actually stay there and never notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Which demon is it again?" asked Lucius. Severus gave him a look. "What? Come on, the damned thing moves every three days! Give me a break here!"

Rolling his pitch black eyes to the ceiling, Severus scanned the doors until he spotted one of the demons that seemed to be attempting to drag one of the condemned souls through the gates against it's will. He reached forward, petting the dog-like creature between the eyes. "It's the one with three arms, Lucius. It's always the one with three arms."

Lucius made 'blah blah' movements with his hand as the demons dropped what they were doing and run to the crease between the doors, pulling them open. The two men stepped through to the same sitting room Draco had made his way through just a few hours before, listening to it close behind them.

The room was hardly even silent before a chorus of mewls issued from behind a closed door. It burst open and a huge group of black cats, each identical to the last, rushed out and whirled around their feet. Smaller cats attempted to jump up to their arms and larger ones simply decided to climb. It took a full five minutes to get them off of and/or out of their robes. At the end of the process only Severus wore a frown. Lucius, being him, found it endlessly entertaining. "I see that Sanura has his guard cats trained!"

"I'm happy to see you find this funny, Lucius." said the once again dour Potions Master, plucking a tiny claw from his collar. "I don't recall Draco ever having to bypass them on the way in."

Lucius looked down at one of the felines that had buried into the crook of his arm, running a hand down it's furry little back. "I suppose that is because Draco usually takes the time to pet them. They don't have to force him."

Severus rolled his eyes to the ceiling, before opening the door to his son's bedroom. It was difficult to see in the incredibly low lighting, but as soon as their eyes adjusted to the darkness they could make out a pair of forms upon the bed. They both lie at the foot of it, curled up beside one another. It was obviously Sanura and Draco, very much asleep. After a few moments of awkward silence, Lucius looked over at Severus with a cocky smile. "I win."

Severus frowned, before a smirk took it's place. "No you don't." he said. "Look."

The eldest Malfoy turned to where his friend was pointing. On the floor, right in front of the boys, sat a tiny litter of kittens, only a few days old. Around the kittens was a tiny stream of sleeping draught, it's (light blue) fumes moving sluggishly around them. "Not fair." he said. "Which one of us wins if they never end up together?"

"Me."

"Why you?"

"Because my bet of 17 is closer than yours of 16."

"They'll only be 16 for eight more months!"

"And I'll expect my fifty galleons by the end of next summer."

X

WPB: Short. Oh dear Merlin that was short. Please don't kill me. I'm sick. Tobias gave me chocolate and, well, I ate all of it. Then he's got the nerve to pester me about my story. The jerk doesn't finish any of his fan fictions and I have to? Oh well. I got candy. READ AND REVIEW!………..please.