Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own any of the Harry Potter charaters. Wish I did but don't we all.

Sorry for the delay in posting this. Alfie's cousin Marvin "The Easter Bunny" and his evil brothers kidnapped Alfie and Peaches. They were forced to work in the egg dying factory to help meet the demand for Easter. After Easter they were returned to me, but Peaches was upset by Alfie's crazy family. She packed her bags and left. Alfie has not been himself since she left. Atleast the dye has finally worn off and he has stopped leaving little colorful paw prints everywhere. I can tell he is not himself since he told me he didn't care if there were no reviews yet and to post a chapter if that is what floated my boat. So here you go.

Chapter 3

Shall You Join Me

Several weeks have passed with Snape teaching me lots of different spells, charms and some potion making. Today has been the same as the past few I'm here in a large spare room that he has been using as a classroom to teach me spells and charms in. But today I'm waiting for him to arrive. Usually he is here waiting on me if he has not already fetched me from my room. 'Hum, I wonder where he is at.' Just then the door bangs open and he storms in a swirling of robes. I jump at the sudden entrance of him. He doesn't stop until he gets to the other end of the room. Here he paces back and forth. I'm not sure he has even noticed that I am here.

"Damn, damn, dammit." he growls. "How did I get myself into this?"

"Into what?" comes out of my mouth without thinking.

He whirls around and glares at me. "I didn't notice you here. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing or you wouldn't be fretting so."

"Don't worry about it. Let's get on with your lesson."

"Nope, not until you tell me what is wrong."

He glares at me. His nostrils flare out as he seethes in anger at my answer. All of a sudden his expression changes, his anger melts away. "Stay here I'll be right back."

"Ok." I hesitantly answer as he storms out the door in a swirl of robes. A few moments later he returns and seems to be in a better mood. He approaches me and extends his hand to me. 'What is he up to?' I reach out and gently take his hand.

"Anna I would be honored if you would accept my request to attend the Malfoy Spring Dinner with me tomorrow. The Dark Lord has granted me permission to escort you as my date."

"But I'm just a child and aren't you a little old for me." I tease with a smile on my face. 'Hey at least it is a chance to get out of this house even if it is to go to Malfoys.' "And I have absolutely nothing to wear."

"Anna you're teasing me. If you don't stop I'll leave you here."

"So you can what? Go dance with Narcissa's cousin. I hope she is a lot prettier than Narcissa is, because what I have seen of that family Narcissa is the pretty one." he glares at me. "Yes, I go with you. I've always wanted to see what one of these parties is like at someone else's house. The ones my parents had were always disasters. At the last one Aunt Gertie even managed to set her hair on fire. She then flailed around in a panic and knocked over the punch fountain, sending punch everywhere. It was quite the fiasco. "

He fetches a book off the table in the corner. "Here read this until I return." I nod my head and he leaves again. I sit here slowly leafing through this book it is so boring. It's putting me to sleep. How can someone write a book that is so dull?

"Anna darling…" I hear a voice whisper in my ear. I open my eyes to find Snape two inches in front of my face.

"Ahh!" I jump startled by his proximity and our heads collide. "Oww!" I rub my forehead.

"Damn girl. You need to learn to not be so jumpy." he says rubbing his own forehead.

"Well you shouldn't do that to people. That's frightening."

"Are you saying I'm frightening?"

"No, but what you did was frightening." I respond.

"Oh, well I have something for you but I don't know if you deserve it now since you were slacking on your reading assignment."

"Oh, I'm sorry but that was the most boring book I have ever tried to read. I never did figure out what I was supposed to be learning."

"Yeah sorry about that, I never intended for you to read that book. I just grabbed one and gave it to you and never looked at what it was. I forgot that book was here. I've tried to read it a few times but it does the same thing to me. He's a pointless babbling idiot. So I hope this makes up for it." He kneels down in front of me and hands me a large box. I open the box and inside is the most beautiful blue dress that I have ever seen with matching shoes. I sit the box on the floor and jump into his arms.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." I hug him tight. He seems shocked by my action and hesitates before hugging me back.

"I'm glad you like it. I want to see the look in Malfoy's eyes when I show up with you as my date."

"Narcissa will be furious if you show up with a date even if it is a ten year old. And she better think twice if she thinks that I'll let her steal my date away."

"Ha, ha you're so evil. I think that is why like you so much. Well we have wasted too much of the day already we better get some work done." and so we set to learning yet more spells.

I was so excited that I get to go and do something outside of this manor that I hardly slept. I spent hours doing my hair up in different styles until I created the one I liked best. Shortly after one am there was a knock at my door.

"Yes." I respond.

"What are you doing still up." I hear Snape's voice from the other side of the door. I dance over to the door and open it to reveal me in my new hair do. He chuckles.

"Not excited one bit are you?"

"Nope" I answer with a grin.

"You need to get some sleep. I don't know why you're excited these things are always dull and mind numbingly boring."

"Yeah, but I am a girl. Plus this is my first date, to a fancy social gathering."

"Umm," He grunts. "Still its way past your bed time, I don't want you to be a grump all day." He picks up my night clothes from the foot of the bed and jesters toward the bathroom. I jerk them out of his hands and stomp off to the bathroom to change. I take my time changing. When I exit the bathroom I find him sitting in the wing back chair that he has turned to face the bathroom door with his arms cross and a scowl on his face.

"What?" I ask in response to the look on his face.

"It does not take one twenty minutes to change clothes."

"But I had to brush my teeth and wash my face."

"It still does not take that long."

"If you say so." This does it he springs from his place and grabs me tossing me on to the already turned down bed. Laughing I slid my feet under the sheets. He pulls up the blanket and tucks me in.

"Night, my evil little one."

"Night." he waves his hand lowering the lights on his way out.

The next day we spend going over hexes and curses. So that if something would happen tonight I would be refreshed and ready. Even though he promised me he wouldn't let anything happen. But you never know what could happen in a manor full of death eaters. We stop early today so we can get ready. Or as he put it he wouldn't want to not give me ample time for me to beautify myself. I've dressed and fixed my hair. I can't believe how the dress fits me perfectly. 'Well it's almost time to go. I better not be late.' Off I go. Then it dawns on me the last time I dressed in my best I ended up here. I freeze at the top of the steps. What if? I look down the stairs, he is already there. He senses my presence and turns. Upon seeing me a smile, an actual smile, spreads across his face.

"Well come on my love we should be going." Still I hesitate at the top step. "Anna? What's wrong?"

"The last...the last time I was asked to dress up to go some where I ended up being given to the Dark Lord."

"Oh Anna darling I would never give you to Malfoy or anyone else for that matter. Plus you're not mine to give away, now come on." he stretches out his arm in my direction. I descend the stairs and take his hand. 'I hope he's not lying.' We exit the manor and walk to where we can apparate off the property.

"You know your very beautiful tonight." he comments to me.

"Well you're very handsome." I reply. He chuckles as this.

"Come on the sooner we there the sooner we can leave." he puts his arm around me and we apparate to the Malfoy Manor. The world comes back in to focus and I'm awe struck by the vastness of the Malfoy manor in front of me. But for some reason I'm not surprised that such a pompous man would have a place so massive. Other wizards and witches are arriving all around us. Snape offers me his arm I accept and we proceed forward and join the receiving line which stretches on and on.

"By the looks of this we may never make it inside before the evening is over." I comment to Snape.

"Unfortunately we'll have no such luck." he tells me.

The line moves amazingly fast for how long it is. Soon we are on the threshold of the massive double doors at the entrance. We proceed forward; Narcissa's face lights up at the sight of Snape but draws into a snarl at the sight of me. Lucius turns his attention to the next in line, us.

"Well, well, well nice to see that you found a date Severus. All be she is a little young for you." Lucius snidely adds.

"He wishes her to be exposed to social gatherings and the going on of other death eaters. So I graciously accepted her company for the evening." Snape responds.

"Nice to see their letting you get out and play with the grown ups. I'll have to treat you to a dance later." he reaches out and pinches my cheek. I so want to hex him into next week. Snape drags me along before Narcissa can get her hands on him and corner him into meeting said cousin. We head on thru the manor to the ball room. I do believe that the inside is as grand if not grander than the outside. The ball room is lavishly decked out in lush fabrics, flowers and floating candles. Table after table is draped in fine linen and set with the finest china and crystal that I have ever seen. We receive our seating assignment and mingle our way to our table. These people may be cleaned up and in their finest duds but they are still greasy, creepy people that make me uncomfortable. Lucius and Narcissa enter the room and make their way to the head table which is not located far from ours. Everyone takes this as their cue and head for their seats. Lucius remains standing decked out in his finest he still comes off as a pompous ass.

"I like to welcome you all to my manor and my annual spring dinner. It gives me a chance to share my finer things with you and for us to gather together a revel in each others company. Where we dine on a fabulous meal, drink the finest wines, dance into the night and rejoice. After dinner, cocktails will be served in the garden. And without any more to do we shall dine, enjoy." Lucius claps his hands twice and a lavish spread appears before us upon the table. We all dine on the food before us and before long the noise in the room begins to grow as the plates before them become empty. Which I'm grateful for, because that means that soon I'll be away from the disgusting pig that is beside me. He told me his name but for the mouthful of food complete with gravy running down his chin I could not understand him. He has slopped, slurped and burped his way through his meal. He sopped up every bit of gravy on his plate with his bread. I cringe to know what he would of done if there hadn't been bread. I wouldn't put it past him to lick the plate. 'Oh gross he's licking the gravy off the back of his hairy hand. I think I'm going to retch.' I inch a little closer to Snape. He chuckles at me and I elbow him. Snape places his napkin on his plate. He holds his hand out to me.

"Come, we should go out and enjoy the evening air in the garden." I grab his hand; we rise and exit the ball room. As should be expected the gardens are as grand as the rest of the manor. We stroll among the paths through the grand garden.

"So you enjoyed your table company?" he asks.

"That has to be the grosses man on earth." I comment.

"Lucius knew that when seated him there. Lucius was reveling in watching you squirm." He laughs.

"Well the bosomy lady next to you was ever such a lovely sight. She was practically drooling on your arm. And that big hairy mole on the left one..."

"Ok enough, it was nasty enough then." he leans down to my ear and whispers. "Plus I think the mole, winked at me." We both double over in laughter.

"Well here you two are hiding." we hear Lucius say from behind us and Narcissa's cackling laughter joins him.

"We were just enjoying a stroll in your lovely gardens." I say in a sicking sweet voice.

"Well come along you two the dancing is about to start and Anna I simply must have the first one with you." he offers me his elbow. Snape nudges me in his direction. Uh, I guess I'm going to have to dance with the creep. I take his elbow and we head back toward the Manor.

We head out on to the dance floor. Lucius nods to the orchestra and they being. He never did ask if I even knew how to dance. Luckily the one thing my parents did make me do was take dancing lessons. Because as my mother said a proper lady in our society must know proper etiquette and how to dance. Lucius sweeps me around the dance floor. Off to the side I notice that Narcissa and some others have Snape cornered. He looks absolutely in misery. Ha, ha he deserves it making me dance with Lucius. Just then the tempo of the song slows and he pulls me close pressing his body to mine. Uh, I can't stand being this close to this man. He makes my skin crawl. The song finally finishes and we exit the dance floor and head over to where Narcissa and the others are. I quickly return to Snapes arm where I feel much safer.

"Sorry to separate you two little love birds so soon, but I need to have a word with Mr. Snape." Lucius says.

"Stay here I'll be right back." he tells me and leaves with Lucius.

One of the ladies with Narcissa who was not so unappealing who has dark shinny hair grabs me by the arm digging in her nails and drags me out of the ball room and into a nearby room. The other ladies follow along. She changes her grip from my arm to a handful of hair which she jerks hard yanking my head back sharply and drags me across the floor. She jerks me around to face her. Her eyes flash with anger. You can almost feel the evil and malice radiate off her.

"You think your cute showing up here with Severus. We have a plan to marry him off to our cousin, Helliena. He may not be a pure blood but he has a good social standing in our society and her family does not. This would be a big step up for her. I don't know what your trying to do but it won't work, little missy."

"You tell her Bellatrix. Put the little one in to her place." Narcissa snidely adds.

"Who says I'm trying anything. I'm a ten year old kid for Christ sake. He invited me as his date because the Dark Lord wished it so." I snap back.

In anger she flings me to the floor and presses me to it with her spike heeled shoe, grinding the heel into my shoulder. "Don't get smart with me you little hussy." She draws her wand on me. I quickly whip out my wand and send her flying across the room smashing into a glass fronted display case sending glass shards flying. I jump to my feet and jester to the rest to bring it on. Just then the door to the room bangs open Snape and Lucius are standing at the threshold with their wands drawn.

Livid, Snape questions the scene before him. "What is going on here?"

"Just some ladies having a little conversation." responds Narcissa. "We were just getting to know each other."

Snape extends his hand to me, "Come on we're leaving" he says. I grab his hand and we exit the room and being making our way across the ballroom.

"Come on Severus, stay, the night is still young. They didn't mean any harm." Lucius yells after us. We don't stop until we reach the front court yard were we can apparate home. Lucius is still trailing after us. Trying to persuade us to stay, I glad Snape does not stop I've had enough of this evening, we apparate back to the manor.

"Are you ok, Anna?"

"Yes I'm fine." I answer.

"Sorry that happened I promised to not let anything happen."

"It's ok, I handled it." I say smugly.

"Yes and now you have made a very bad enemy. Bellatrix is not someone that you want to be on the bad side of. She has a very evil streak and will stop at nothing to get her way."

"They accused me of plotting something because they have plans on marring to their cousin to you and they thought I was trying to interfere. They believe because of your good standing among the death eaters that you'll help raise her station in life." I tell him.

"It will be a cold day when I marry one of their cousins or any other relative of theirs. I met the girl, I maybe single now but if that is my choice I choose to say single. The girl I sat next to was very pretty compared to her." I bust up laughing. "Yeah, har har, I'm sure they have another lovely relative for you one day. Come on up to your room with you. I don't know about you but I've had enough for one day."

Alfie and Peaches update: Peaches has had a change of heart and has come back. She deceided that Alfie is not at fault if his family is crazy, because he has no choice of who his family is. So Alfie is a happy plot bunny for the moment. I have the odd feeling that I'll soon have a litter of free plot bunnies to give away to good homes.