Wintersalad │ Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter." │ Written: 8/3/12 │ Posted: 9/23/12 │ Last Edited: 9/18/12

by chance

He had left for Malfoy manor immediately after Albus dismissed him.

There appeared to still be a few guests lingering around, but he paid them no mind besides the occasional nod. He was looking for Lucius, but the man was not anywhere where he normally would be found. Impatient, anxious by the urgency of the matter, he snapped his fingers for a house-elf.

"How may Dobby helps the Professor?"

Not bothering to even sneer at the creature, he demanded, "Go find me Lucius. Tell him I need to speak with him immediately. It concerns Draco."

And without even bothering to see if the elf understood the order, or if it knew where to find him, he turned on his heel and walked briskly into Lucius's office. Upon closing the double doors, he started immediately on the privacy charms, layering one atop of the other, weaving them securely around the room. He did not stop until the Malfoy patriarch walked in at a leisurely pace.

One look at the man and he quickly changed his mind.

Snapping his fingers once more, he called the same elf, and added, "Do the same for Narcissa. Now."

"I believed that you turned down our invitation for our company this evening, old friend."

Walking over to the liquor cabinet, Lucius reached for two glasses and moved to pour them each a drink.

A hand swiftly appeared over the top of the rim, preventing the action.

Lifting a perfectly shaped brow at the long fingers stopping him, Lucius did not turn to face his guest, his pause enough to voice his question.

"I believe that drinks should be refrained until after our discussion."

"What's happened to Draco, Severus?"

Eyes gliding across the room, the Hogwarts professor took in the Lady Malfoy. Unlike her husband, she seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation and moved straight to the heart of matters.

Something must be very wrong indeed if Severus called for both of them before the party had even died out.

"Perhaps you would both like to add on your own privacy spells before I begin- I assure you this is a most grave matter concerning not only my godson," and here his eyes left Narcissa's and sought out Lucius's. "But also the Malfoy heir and the future of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy."

Gasping, Narcissa immediately set to strengthening the wards around the room. Face pinched, his features set at a glower, Lucius watched his wife, knuckles white, still grasping the bottle of expensive elf-wine. As Narcissa finished up, Lucius finally moved, leaving the bottle on the countertop and walked over to the center of the room, adding on his own spells, the majority of which were much more darker in nature and consequence than either Severus's or Narcissa's own.

All three stood at center, in full circle. For a moment, no one spoke, and each communicated to the other the way only Slytherins could – the way Severus did when warning Draco not to speak of tonight to anyone until he had seen him. In that moment, they all accessed each other and estimated the value of tonight's exchange of words in their minds, preparing themselves for the worst and scheming for the best.

"Draco was attacked by a troll."

Narcissa gasped and started, but Severus quickly continued on, looking intently at Lucius.

"He was attacked while in the company of the Potter boy."

The Malfoy patriarch did not give any indication that any of the information affected him at all. For several long seconds, neither men spoke. Severus silently gauged his old friend for answers while Lucius steadfastly gave nothing away. Both men had in recent days felt the skin of their forearms pinch with suspicion and wariness, but neither was ready to be the first to give any sort of opinion nor intelligence on the matter.

"And is Draco well?" Lucius evenly asked.

Acknowledging the impasse, Severus eyed the aristocrat, "He is alive."

Breathing an inaudible sigh of relief, Narcissa retreated from the tense circle half a step. Still, she retreated no further than that, her eyes and expression still alert and cautious.

"But?" She queried. "There must be something else, Severus, for you to call us both thus so."

His frown deepened as he took in his two friends.

"I believe that Draco owes a life-debt."

That, finally, achieved a reaction.

Eyes wide and emotionally charged, Lucius cried, "To Potter?"

"Worse. To a mudblood."

Floored, both parents felt their minds blank from too many thoughts rushing through to be processed. Ignoring his friend's disapproving but understanding stare, Lucius briskly poured himself a stiff drink. He was too preoccupied with maintaining control over the situation to bother with proper etiquette, neglecting to offer Severus a drink in kind and unbothered by his wife's distaste for strong alcohol when absentmindedly passing her his glass to sip.

Weakly, she drowned the rest after a brief hesitation.

"To a mudblood, you say," Lucius repeated while seating himself in his armchair. "There must be a mistake."

Severus replied darkly, "I assure you, I did not concoct this hare-brained scheme myself for fun."

Glaring at the potions master for the veiled accusation, having known the man long enough to recognize it, Lucius let the slight go in favor for the more serious matter at hand.

"How did this happen? Draco would never keep the company of such… uncivilized folk."

"Unfortunately, that is a matter you'll have to discuss with your son on your own time," Severus responded without much remorse. "More important now are the facts. Draco was in mortal peril tonight while in the company of one Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Draco was later saved by one muggle-born Hermione Granger whilst in the company of the other two Gryffindors. All four were later found, along with the defeated troll, by myself, Minerva McGonagall, and Albus Dumbledore. All four were looked over by Poppy Pomfrey and escaped rather unscathed with the exception of one Hermione Granger who is still unconscious as we speak."

The already pale complexions of the heads of the Malfoy family paled even further as the Slytherin Head of House continued his report. For a long time, no one moved, and all that could be heard was the occasional sharpened breath of Narcissa and the ticking of Lucius's old desk clock behind them. Severus's agitation was evidenced by the short manner in which he delivered his lengthy monologue, but he too remained tight-lipped at the end of it.

"You mean to say that my son, Draco, not only owes a life-debt, but a life-debt to a mudblood, which was witnessed by the Harry Potter and a Weasley. That this was further confirmed by three other wizard and witches, one of which is Albus Dumbledore, the one man who holds perhaps more power and political clout than myself in our society?"

Severus did not bother answering.

"Does the situation get any worse?" Narcissa dared to ask.

Solemnly, Severus declared, "She's also a Gryffindor."

"Now really isn't the time for jokes, Severus," snapped Lucius.

"No, indeed it is not."

Hesitantly, Lucius voiced his foremost concern, "Has Dumbledore realized this yet?"

The resident Slytherin paused for a moment in thought before replying sincerely, "If he has, he is just as aware of the other possibility."

Glancing sharply at the dark man, Lucius demanded, "What other possibility?" With so many witnesses, some with the power to escape his reach and influence, there was no sound way to neatly deal with the situation should the circumstances truly be so dire.

Noticeably more reserved, Severus held back, observing Lucius's anxious tone and Narcissa's worried features. He had debated with himself over the best course of action – what he must do to do right by his friends, his godson, his Lily, and his own self. But he had already made his choice by coming here immediately and steeled himself for whatever may come as consequent of his actions.

"Promise me one thing: whatever you may do, the mudblood remains unharmed."

Angrily, Lucius sneered, "You would withhold such information from me at such a time? And for what? A mudblood? I can most certainly find the information I need without you, Severus Snape. This concerns the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy! A life-debt! I will not see this House ruined because of a mudblood!"

Bowing his head just barely a fraction, Severus explained, "I have come to you first and foremost with this information as soon as I could, regardless of the tenuous relationship I share with the headmaster and ministry. If, by chance, this particular mudblood comes to any harm, I will be most suspect, for the particulars of this event are known only to those loyal to Dumbledore and two others – one of whom narrowly escaped Azkaban and another who by all means should not be knowledgeable enough to recognize his life-debt." Inhaling deeply, he implored, "I am not willfully doing any wrong by you, old friend. I am merely asking for reassurance that you recognize the risks I took and not, to your will and knowledge, place me in undue danger by recklessly taking action."

Narcissa rested her fingers on her husband's forearm, brushing against the blemish hidden beneath the robes.

"We understand, Severus," she intoned.

Stiffly, Lucius nodded, working his jaw. "Very well. Regardless, I am learned enough in this area to know that placing the wretch in danger would rather more likely harm my own son than the victim I desire."

Severus too nodded, confirming his knowledge of the powerful but bizarre magic of life-debts.

"Dumbledore, if he has realized the possibility of the life-debt, suspects there may be more than one life-debt made tonight."

Curious, Narcissa asked, "More than one?"

With a dangerous gleam in his eyes, Lucius caught on, "The Potter boy and Weasley."

"Yes," Severus confirmed. "I managed to buy us some time after the possibility was voiced from Potter's unsuspecting recount of events, delaying Dumbledore's inquiry by suggesting we wait for the girl to wake up and give us her account. Nothing is certain yet – it may be that Draco owes no life-debt, that they all do, or anything in between. However, before anything is concrete, I suggest we plan for all possibilities and courses of actions."

"What would you suggest, Severus?"

Sighing deeply, the weary man strode across the room and poured himself a glass of vodka and scotch. Striding back towards the two, he took a seat opposite of Lucius and sank backwards, taking his time to process his thoughts and words.

"I suppose it is pointless to point out the option of leaving the country."

"Indeed."

"Very well," he ceded. "In any case, we must gather all the facts first. Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to give leave to my students to depart Hogwarts grounds while school is in session. I do, however, have the prerogative to contact my students' guardians and inform and advise them on any matter related to students from my house. As it stands now, I would advise you both to return with me to ascertain Draco's well-being."

"You will do that for us, dear friend?"

"I will do that for my godson."

Leaving her husband's side, Narcissa stepped towards the Slytherin Head of House. Taking his free hand in both of hers, she gave it a gentle, but firm, squeeze.

"Thank you," she whispered.

There was no way of truly confirming a life-debt. You either owed one or did not, and you never quite knew until that debt was called. Neither party had to consent or agree to the magical contract for it to be made, and once made neither party knew the exact terms of the contract binding them. Each life-debt was unique and no one ever knew how the actions of either party, or even those most closely related or influenced by it, could affect it.

This placed the Malfoys in quite the unfavorable position. Life-debts were a type magic no one could control, and in such a sense, that was fair to all involved, for magic, as in nature, strived for balance. The thing was, however, that Malfoys don't do fair. Regardless of whether the mudblood saved their son or not, the fact of the matter was that currently, the one who owed the other was one of theirs. And Malfoys do not owe – they owned.

There was nothing that could be done about the life-debt their son already owed. What they could do, however, was provide themselves with some leverage. It is, in many ways, the name of the game. Severus was placing himself at great disadvantage in order to provide the Malfoys with the leverage they needed to protect their family and he had asked for nothing in return but a promise.

All Slytherins knew promises meant next to nothing.

But this was a quality that the Malfoys treasured in Severus. It was the quality that made him the best candidate for Head of House for Slytherin. And it was the quality that compelled them to entrust and honor him as the godfather of their son and guardian of the future of not only the House of Malfoy, but the futures of all children of Noble Houses, though he may only be a half-blood. He served while guiding, and he guided while serving. Severus was never one to contest the hierarchy of his relationships – he simply never acknowledges them. He recognized where he stood with others and manages to live outside of it. Only fools believe that Severus is ever subservient – the potions master is most often the one making the executive decisions. It is exactly this trait that makes him so disagreeable to society, yet it is also this same quality that draws society's respect.

"When shall we leave?"

"Right now, I'd say, if you could afford to leave your own party."

"I'll stay," Narcissa voiced, though not without noticeable effort. "We mustn't allow anyone to suspect anything."

Lucius nodded in approval.

"That is fine. I trust you to deal with the situation should I not return before the guests depart."

And so saying, the two men disapparated, leaving a distraught mother and harried wife behind.

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AN: I wonder if the pace is starting to drag? It's strange how the first two chapters, when I wrote it, felt rushed, but looking back and continuing onto the fifth chapter, realize it's still the same night! I suppose I just felt it important to establish the foundations well for the story to build upon. It's also fascinating for me to write the "other side," so to speak, especially with the given premises, and I may have gotten just a little bit carried away in imagining everything. In any case, I feel it is important enough for me to write it all out in order to establish the dynamics and reasons for future relationships, so please bear with me and anticipate what will happen in the following chapters! Do tell me if you feel bored or disinterested however – any opinions or advice you may have actually. Reviews truly do inspire and guide me in my writing most of the time.