It was a hot evening and the sky was beginning to darken as Severus, accompanied by Ebony, followed the group of budding Death Eaters towards the exit of King's Cross Station. They had explained that the initiation test would not be for several days – Severus had to get the Dark Lord's approval first, which would not be an easy task for he was apparently not easy to please.
Severus glanced carelessly around him, watching the others give passing Muggles scathing looks, before they stopped, gathering in a circle.
"It is time for us to leave," Avery announced. "Until we meet again, Severus Snape."
"What of my living quarters?" Severus asked quickly as the ringleader began to turn away.
Avery looked at Narcissa, who nodded, seemingly confirming whatever it was he was thinking. "Cissy and Ebony will take care of that, they have room for you until you can find a home of your own."
The bulky figure of Avery then turned and headed towards the exit, several of the others in tow, leaving Severus with Narcissa and Ebony. He couldn't help looking forward to spending more time with two beautiful women, though Ebony's company still seemed to make him somewhat nervous. However, Narcissa was now much easier to get along with, for she seemed to have dropped the harsh, uncaring act she had shown in front of the others, and now seemed much friendlier.
Smiling, she spoke gently. "It's okay, Severus, you've made the right decision," she told him as Ebony took his hand.
Severus felt his heart melt, unable to concentrate on anything but Ebony, the feel of her hand on his, as they headed onto the busy London streets and signalled for the Knight Bus. Severus dragged his trunk towards the bus, not so much as glancing at his surroundings, refusing to take his eyes off Ebony.
As the bus came to a halt, a bored-looking girl of about Severus' age jumped off the bus in a purple jacket and a purple skirt, which matched the colour of the violently purple triple-decker bus. Ebony sniggered at the uniform, causing Severus to glance up. He vaguely knew the girl; she had been a few years ahead of him at Hogwarts, a spotty Ravenclaw who had always claimed to have the Sight. Her sister, a rather dazed-looking Hufflepuff, also claimed to have the Sight, and the pair had become quite a double act, darkly informing people that death was nigh.
The girl, however, seemed oblivious of Ebony's sniggering, as she began to read off a piece of card: "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Evelyn Trelawney, and I will be your conductor this evening."
As she stopped reading, she peered over the edge of her card and glared at the three of them.
"Oh, it's you lot," she said rudely. She turned to look at Severus. "I know you – you're that Slytherin - the one who got turned upside down and showed your underwear to the world!"
Severus' face grew hot, hating that she had forced him to relive his worst ever memory, especially in the company of Ebony. He stole a glance at her to see her reaction, terrified that this time it would be he who was the victim of her sniggering. Quite the contrary, however, she had removed her wand from her pocket and was pointing it at the blonde-haired girl.
"You dare speak ill of Severus and I shall be forced to use the Unforgivable Curses!" she said dangerously.
However, the girl, unperturbed, simply shrugged. "Whatever," she said. "I've read the cards and I know my future's bright. Besides, you wouldn't dare in front of all these people!"
Ebony's blue eyes flashed perilously. "Try me." She spoke quietly, but the effect was the same: the girl held up her hands, insisting she meant no harm, and indicated for them to sit down.
Feeling slightly better, Severus slumped into an armchair next to Ebony, who took his head and stared into his black eyes, her own eyes looking upset, any hints of danger gone.
"Are you okay, Sevvie?" She took his hand and caressed it gently as she waited for a reply.
Severus nodded in reply, overcome by his feelings for this girl; he couldn't believe that someone so beautiful cared about him so much. He almost wished they were alone, that Narcissa was not with them, or that he could find the words to tell Ebony how much he liked her, how beautiful she was – but no words could describe such heavenly beauty.
With a loud BANG, the Knight Bus continued on its journey. Ebony and Narcissa began to talk in hushed voices beside Severus, but he didn't care – all that mattered was that he was with Ebony and that she liked him too. He reflected on how bizarre the day had been: when he had woken up that morning, he would never have guessed that Ebony Meliflua would be his – or even that there would be a prospect of him having a family once more in his fellow Slytherins and prospective Death Eaters.
However, it seemed that Severus was not to be granted the time he wished to think about Ebony, for Evelyn Trelawney did not seem so keen to let him think.
"Just left Hogwarts?" she asked, sitting annoying close.
Severus glanced at Ebony, hoping she would jump in and say something rude to Evelyn to make her leave him alone, but she appeared to be too engrossed in her conversation with Narcissa. Instead, Severus turned to look at Evelyn, a dry look on his face in an attempt to show this girl he was not the slightest bit interested in hearing anything she had to say.
"I remember when I left Hogwarts," she continued, taking his silence to mean that he had indeed just left Hogwarts. "Went around looking for some work that involved the Sight. Didn't seem to be much available, though - no one's really interested in the future anymore. I even tried setting up a stall in Diagon Alley with my sister, Syb - and she's annoying let me tell you. But nothing seemed to work." She sighed. "No one realises what they're missing, 'eh?"
Severus snorted. He couldn't imagine how anyone's life could be worse off without hearing the Trelawney sisters' insane predictions for the future. However, once again, Evelyn ignored his silence and reached out for his palm, insisting she read it. She tutted when she saw that it was smothered in a layer of dirt.
"What have you been doing?" she asked, though she didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she began to examine the lines on his palm. "Oh, it looks like you're going to be having a very troubled week," she informed him. "You see that line there? That indicates troubles lie ahead. Your life line doesn't look that long either. Your love line's good, though. Plenty of action for you, you sly devil!" She winked at him as she dropped his palm. At his disgusted look, she hurriedly continued, "Don't you worry, I've set my sights far higher than you," she informed him. She paused as the Knight Bus stopped with another loud bang. "Back in a sec."
"Don't hurry," Severus muttered, taking the opportunity to meditate upon the thought of Ebony, who was still talking to Narcissa.
As he thought about it, Severus found there were so many unbelievable things about her: he simply could not believe how incredibly amazing she was, but most of all he could not believe that, out of all the people she could have, she had chosen him. Ha! Take that, Aunt Mildred! He thought, remembering a comment made by his mother's sister that he would end up being bitter and single for the rest of his life because of his appearance and his fascination with the dark arts. It seemed he had proved Aunt Mildred wrong, for the most beautiful girl he had ever met had chosen him.
However, Severus' happiness was short-lived. As he looked up to see who had come on board the Knight Bus, he saw, to his dismay, James Potter's crony Sirius Black. His black hair long and tangled and his face saddened and gaunt, Severus could not help but laugh cruelly at his enemy.
"Black," he snarled.
"Snivellus," Black retorted. "I see you're as greasy as always, Snape."
Severus glared at Black: did he not realise that Severus had more important things in his life to worry about than whether or not his hair was greasy?
Attempting to think of a good comeback, Severus noted that Black had paid to get to Diagon Alley. This, he realised, meant that he was not returning home. "Too ugly for you family, Black?" Severus snapped, feeling that, while he was usually pretty good at comebacks, being in the presence of Ebony made him feeling unsure of himself – he wanted so badly to impress her.
Black glared venomously and Severus was glad to see that he had touched a nerve. "And I suppose yours kicked you out because of your poor hygiene?" he retorted, before proceeding to cough something that Severus didn't catch before he ascended the steps to the second floor. As he left, Evelyn came striding back towards Severus, a large smile on her face.
"Now that is what I'm talking about when I say I've set my sights higher," she informed Severus. "Sirius Black has to be the most good-looking bloke I've met in my life."
Feeling disgusted, Severus looked from Black to Evelyn: not only did the girl have incredibly bad taste, but she was also clueless.
"You obviously don't know Black very well if you think you stand a chance," he informed her. "That boy is so arrogant that he would never settle for the spots and the dandruff-encrusted, messy hair of a low-life like you."
"Well said, Severus."
It seemed that Narcissa and Ebony had finished their conversation and were now staring amusedly from Black to Evelyn to Severus. This reminded Severus that he was still in Ebony's company and his lip immediately began to tremble as he stared at her beauty. He wondered how it was possible that Ebony, a Meliflua, was related to Black – who was ugly, rude and arrogant – when she was so beautiful, kind and humble.
Evelyn glared at Narcissa, who began to laugh mercilessly, before the former-Ravenclaw walked back towards her post at the front of the bus in time for a stop in Aberystwyth.
"I'm sorry that we have to use public transport, Severus," Narcissa said, a look of distaste on her face as she looked down her nose at the walls of the grubby Knight Bus. "I was just telling Ebony that Father was unable to pick us up like he normally would do because he had a very important meeting on at the Ministry. He is very highly valued by the Minister, so naturally he was unable to leave the meeting to pick us up. And of course Mother refuses to venture out into the Muggle world anymore, for she fears catching one of the many diseases that Muggles are riddled with."
Entranced by Ebony, Severus simply nodded and watched as her pretty face formed a smile. She took his hand and held it, causing Severus to fall into a blissful state for the remainder of the journey. Finally, however, the Knight Bus stopped outside a rather large Wiltshire manor, and Narcissa and Ebony lead the way off, sending a Jelly-Legs Jinx at Evelyn as they passed her.
The Black house was larger than anything Severus had ever seen. Since his mother had married a Muggle, Severus' family had never been too wealthy – it seemed that his mother forfeited anything she may have inherited when she married his father. He was quite impressed by this manor, which was large and elegant and had stone gargoyles placed at strategic points around the house, glaring menacingly. The grounds too were impressive – they were large and split up by maze-like pebbled paths and winding green hedges, some of which were shaped into different creatures – such as vultures and snakes. As the three walked up the long drive, Narcissa pointed out a variety of different gardens, though pointed out that the whole of the grounds was tended to by magic – they had employed wizards to do the gardening for them, preferring not to do it the Muggle way.
When they reached the manor doors, two rather large stone snakes greeted them, their bodies standing tall and proud, guarding the doorway. Severus watched as Narcissa turned to the one on the right and spoke something quietly to it in a language he could not understand, though he could tell it was not Parseltongue. As Narcissa spoke, the snake's green eyes flashed and its mouth opened to reveal a gold key, which Narcissa took and used to open the large stone doors in front of them, pushing the key in and allowing the doors to open automatically with an ominous creak.
Seeing Severus' look of awe, Narcissa cracked a smile. "Well you didn't expect the Black Manor not to be protected, did you? We have to ward away any intruders – and of course it's unplottable, so no Muggles can come calling either. If they come anywhere near, they see dark moors with signs up warning them that should they go any further, they will get lost and die out on the moors." She sniggered. "Of course that doesn't stop all Muggles, so Father has set a trap for any that trespass."
Severus was intrigued and watched curiously as Narcissa placed the key in the mouth of the other snake, whose eyes glinted red before it shut its mouth and appeared to become the normal stone statue it should have been.
Once inside the Black Manor, Severus gazed upon the marble staircases, the marble floor, the chandeliers, the portraits of previous members of the Black family – and a row of House Elf heads lining the grand staircase in the middle of the Entrance Hall.
"Aunt Elladora's idea," Narcissa explained, following Severus' gaze. "She was my father's aunt and she decided that when House Elves became too old, their heads should be cut off. Of course Grandfather thought that was a brilliant idea, so we've been beheading House Elves ever since. Just last year Mother had to behead Silky because she caught some disease and became blind – of course Mother wouldn't have that, she had no use for a blind House Elf." She mimed chopping off her own head before she and Ebony laughed. "I don't think that tradition has caught on in your family, has it Ebony?"
Ebony groaned. "If only! Our current House Elf, Lucky – whoever came up with such a stupid name should have their head cut off, I tell you! – Anyway, as I was saying, Lucky is getting quite old now, and I really think it's time to cut her head off and be done with it! But oh no, Father keeps saying that it's too barbaric and that Lucky has been with the family for years." She shook her head, sighing.
Severus had thought Ebony and Narcissa were quite closely related, and had been surprised to hear that a tradition carried out in the Black family was not continued in the Meliflua family. "So how are you two related then?" he asked, glancing around at his surroundings as he followed Narcissa up the stairs.
"We're related in two ways," Narcissa replied vaguely. "We are both fortunate enough to be related to dear Sirius Black – he is my cousin and Ebony's cousin twice removed, or something along those lines. Then of course we're related in that Ebony's father is my mother's brother." She turned and peered at Severus. "You're a pureblood aren't you?"
Gulping, Severus nodded, knowing that he could never admit to these pureblood fanatics that his father was a disgusting Muggle. "Yes, my mother is of the Prince family," he informed her.
"And your father?" Ebony persisted. "I've never heard of the Snape family before."
"Yes, well, my father's grandfather changed his name," Severus lied quickly. "We are not entirely sure what the family name was before then, but we believe that my father's grandfather was disappointed by his father because he married a Mudblood once his original wife, mother of my great-grandfather, died."
Severus stared from Narcissa to Ebony, hoping that they would believe his story. Luckily, Ebony nodded.
"Well, naturally most of us would do the same in that situation," she said reasonably. "Now, I've heard of the Prince family. I believe you are related to the Prewetts, are you not?"
Shamefully, Severus nodded, bowing his head. "I regret to admit that I am. My grandmother was a Prewett."
Narcissa sighed. "Well, you can't help your family, I suppose. But you shall never admit to anyone but the Dark Lord that you are related to the Prewetts, do you hear me? They are blood-traitors – I hear the girl is married to a Weasley of all people. Believe me when I say that you do not want to have your reputation smeared in that way."
Severus was only too glad to obey these orders – it had been his greatest shame in life that he was not only a half-blood but also that he had Prewett blood in him. He was only glad that he had so far never been able to connect any dots between the Prince family and the Potters – that would be a far greater shame than anything else.
Finally, they appeared to have reached their destination, for Narcissa suddenly announced, "This is it."
Snape looked around and saw a corridor lined with doors and a tapestry of Salazar Slytherin. Narcissa explained that through the tapestry was the West Wing, which had become the Guest House since her sister, Andromeda, had betrayed them by marrying a Muggle. Apparently Severus would have it all to himself since Ebony would be Apparating home in a few hours, Narcissa stayed in the South Wing and her parents lived in the North Wing. The servants and House Elves had their own quarters in the dungeons, and the East Wing was out of bounds.
"You'll find everything you need in the West Wing," Narcissa told him. "We've instructed the House Elf Dora to look after you – she will wait on you hand and foot, and if you find her sneaking off, you must punish her, for she has recently been found to be having her way with Frisky, one of the male House Elves, who wanders the East Wing." She shook her head. "If she slips up one more time, her head will be joining her mother's on the banister."
Severus was thrilled to find that he would have a House Elf of his own while he stayed here – his own parents could never have afforded a House Elf. However, his jubilation was short-lived as he realised this was goodbye.
"Sevvie, I have to leave you now – Cissy and I have business to attend to and I shan't see you before I leave for home," Ebony explained, taking his hands in hers.
Severus stared into those beautiful ocean-blue eyes. He had never had a girlfriend before, and he wasn't entirely sure what he should say, so he simply said the first words that came into his head. "I love you."
Ebony smiled brightly. "I know, Sevvie, I know. I'll see you again soon, I promise. We can go together to the Happy Home Finder in Diagon Alley next week."
"I can't see you until next week?" Severus moaned, sinking his greasy head into her shoulder.
Ebony stroked his hair softly. "I'm sorry, Sevvie, I have things to do. The Dark Lord values my skills and instructed me to join him as soon as I left Hogwarts – I must obey his orders. But you'll have a nice time here, the House Elves will look after you – and if you get a chance to meet Cissy's father, he'll adore you; he's always wanted a man around the house, he always envied his brother for having two sons."
Severus privately thought that being doted on by House Elves and a father who had always longed for a son could never make up for not seeing Ebony for a whole week. Unsure if it was the right thing to do, he lifted his head and placed a series of kisses on her neck, determined to show her how much she meant to him. However, she simply pushed him away.
"No, Sevvie," she said quietly. "Not now. I have to go." She kissed his lips gently before turning away to face Narcissa, who was reprimanding a nearby House Elf. "I'm ready, Cissy."
Unbelievingly, Severus watched as the most beautiful girl he had ever known walked away, her raven-black hair swaying behind her as she walked elegantly across the marble floor. He did not dare turn away until she was completely out of sight, by which time the elf Narcissa had been scolding was tugging on his robes.
"What?" he snapped impatiently, glaring down into its wide eyes.
"Please, sir, Mistress Narcissa tells Dora that she must look after sir," the elf squeaked in a very high-pitched voice. "Dora is wondering if she should show sir to his bedroom?"
"Not just yet," Severus replied. "Show me around the wing, I want to know what I have available to me."
The house elf, which was wrapped in a tea towel, nodded. "Yes, master. Dora will do as sir asks."
Obediently, she pushed open the tapestry of Salazar Slytherin, opening up an even longer corridor than the first, but also more dismal, for the only light came from a small window at the very end of the dark corridor. Dozens of doors lined the corridor and Severus could not believe that all of this was his. He watched as Dora fiddled with some keys in an attempt to unlock the first door.
"Why can't you just say Alohamora?" Severus asked impatiently after the elf had tried and failed to open the door with ten different keys.
"Dora is not knowing how," the elf squeaked. "House Elves must not be using magic!"
Severus shook his head impatiently and pulled out his wand, deciding to take matters into his own hands. "Alohamora!" he said, and the door swung open, revealing a rather plush bathroom. As was common in magical homes, the room was much wider than one would have expected, seemingly stretching past several doors in the corridor, though Severus knew that they would each open to different rooms.
Stepping inside the room, Severus was better able to appreciate the luxury of the room. It reminded him much of the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts, for it had a large bath the size of a swimming pool with a number of different taps. The walls were decorated a peach colour, which Severus privately thought was quite disgusting, though he did not bother to voice this in front of the elf. A rack of towels bordered one wall, each towel the same disgusting colour as the walls and a peachy perfume seemed to smother the whole room.
"This will not do," Severus snapped at the frightened elf. "I would like this room to smell normal next time I come in, and I am not happy with the colour scheme."
"Yes, master, Dora is very sorry," the elf apologised. "But sir must understand that Miss Andromeda used to own this wing."
Severus rolled his eyes – he had a feeling this meant that much of the rest of the wing would be decorated in the same feminine way. He was not wrong. By the time he reached the bedroom on the end of the corridor (the fifth bedroom they had come to – apparently Andromeda had enjoyed choosing a different bedroom each night), they had entered pink rooms, floral rooms, lilac rooms, bright yellow rooms and more of the disgusting peach. On top of that, there was a room where Andromeda had previously kept her clothes, a disco room, a make-up room and what Dora called The Love Room – a bedroom decorated in pinks and reds and hearts. Severus was repulsed and ordered it all to be changed. Dora obeyed and scooted off to find other House Elves to help her.
Meanwhile, Severus had found a set of stairs behind yet another tapestry. This lead to the floor below, still in the West Wing, where Severus found a kitchen, where a group of House Elves had gathered, ready to serve the new occupant of the wing; further along this floor, Severus found a living room, a library, a room which had obviously previously been used to practise defence skills, and – Severus was rather pleased to see – a Potions lab. While Defence Against the Dark Arts had always been his favourite subject at school, Potions had always come pretty close, and Severus had been one of Professor Slughorn's star pupils.
"You'll make it big one day, Severus m'boy," Severus recalled his former Potions Master saying. "Mark my words! I'd be worried about the safety of my job if I didn't think you were going to aim higher than Hogwarts!"
Severus remembered fondly his old nickname – well, the name he had given to himself – the Half-Blood Prince. He had been the prince of Potions and no one – not even the Mudblood Evans – could match his Potions skills.
It was in the Potions lab that Dora found Severus when she came to tell him that the wing had been redecorated to suit his more manly taste. Satisfied, Severus told her she was dismissed until he needed her, and contented himself creating a number of potions. He had always wanted to have free reign of the school Potions lab, but had never been able to, since he had always had to share it with his classmates, and Slughorn kept the room locked when he was not teaching. Consequently, Severus forgot any thoughts of Ebony and continued to amuse himself with Potions.
Severus could not have known that while he was playing with potions, Narcissa and Ebony were in another part of the castle, talking about the day's events and what was to come.
"The Dark Lord will be pleased that you have recruited, Ebony," Narcissa said from where she sat in front of her mirror, preparing herself for her date with Lucius Malfoy later – they were going to Knockturn Alley to have a meal in The Mudblood's Head, where they would undoubtedly discuss the Dark Lord.
Ebony was flicking through Witches and Wizards magazine, amusing herself with the quizzes it provided, quizzes which informed witches of how to know if they had found their true love, amongst other things. "He will," she replied. "But all I did was push Severus in the right direction – we all saw what he was like when he came to Hogwarts, he knew more curses than the rest of us put together, and his potions and defence skills will come in very useful."
"And he's always been Dumbledore's favourite," Narcissa pointed out.
Ebony nodded. "Yes, well that will work in our favour, too. He's not likely to be suspected and he will serve the Dark Lord as a double agent if need be."
"Do you love him?" Narcissa asked the question she had been dying to ask all day.
Looking up at her cousin, Ebony chuckled. "Whatever would make you think that?"
"Well, I know you're trying to gain his trust, and that you say you can get him eating out of your hands, but…"
"But nothing," Ebony snapped, sitting up straight on Narcissa's bed. "Cissy, you know that I would not be so stupid as to fall for him – I am simply doing the Dark Lord a favour. Besides, his hair is so greasy and he's just so, well, ugly – no, I could never see myself falling in love with him. Anyway, you know my heart belongs to Avery. He's more in league with the Dark Lord – I like a man with potential. I think he may ask me to marry him soon."
Narcissa pouted. "Lucky you." She had been waiting for Lucius to propose for a while and it had still not happened. She had hoped he would – after all, he was a pureblood, he was wealthy, he was one of the Dark Lord's most faithful supporters and her parents approved of him – more so even than they approved of Rodolphus, Bellatrix's husband. In fact, she had been informed that should she and Lucius marry, she would inherit the manor when her parents died.
Ebony rolled her eyes. "Cissy, don't get so jealous," she chided. "Anyway, it's quite funny having Severus at my beck and call. If only he knew that I'm utterly repulsed by him…"
She laughed to herself at the thought of Severus, remembering how he had declared his love for her and that he practically drawled whenever he saw her. "He's completely clueless," she giggled, looking back at her magazine.
Narcissa smiled at her reflection, for she too enjoyed watching Ebony twist Severus around her little finger. It had been such an easy task to complete – Ebony had been told that she had to recruit someone in order to prove exactly how loyal she was to the Dark Lord (among other tasks). Severus had been an obvious choice, for it was plain for anyone to see that he was delirious about Ebony. He had even lied about his heritage – pretending to be a pureblood. But everyone knew the stories about Eileen Prince marrying the Muggle Tobias Snape. Narcissa almost felt sorry for the greasy-haired boy. It was too bad that he wouldn't last long – the Dark Lord would probably only want him for a few tasks, and then he would kill him. It was the way things went when you were a follower of the Dark Lord.