Severus sipped at his wine as he watched dessert being served. He knew that soon the Dark Lord would dismiss them all to return to their homes and he silently decided it wouldn't be too soon. He could read the tension in his wife.
After handing a sweet roll down to Katrina, he felt a brief stinging of the Dark Mark. He inwardly sighed even as he glanced down the table and gave his 'master' a slight nod. He knew that he, probably along with the rest of the Dark Lord's inner circle, was to remain after the others had departed. He should have known better than to hope for an early release.
Everyone around the table rose as Voldemort did. The Dark Lord himself silently left the room, signaling that the evening was over. Severus' neighbors both bid him a good evening before rapidly taking their leave. He remained standing by his chair as all but the inner circle left for their homes.
He gave Katrina a hand up from her chair, steadying her briefly as she stood. Then, he pulled his hands away and again took up the role of her master. "Follow me, pet." He turned away from her and followed the others as they exited the room in the direction of their lord.
They entered the sitting room, though on this occasion there was no marble slab. There were three couches set in a semi circle along with a large armchair which the Dark Lord already occupied. At his feet a blonde woman knelt with her head bent. Her hair fell forward, obscuring her face from Severus' view as he entered. From the size of her, he decided that she was most definitely pregnant.
Dismissing his 'master's' pet from his mind for the moment, he led Katrina over to one of the couches where only Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy sat. There was room for another two people to sit, but he didn't want Katrina forced to kneel at his feet. Resolutely, he ordered Katrina to stand still and he approached the Dark Lord's chair. He fell to one knee before his 'master' and once he had been acknowledged, he spoke. "My lord, I would request permission for my pet to share the couch with me. I feel that it would be better for the health of my sons if she were to do so."
"Ssseverusss, my loyal sssnake. She isss your pet. You may do with her asss you pleassse."
"Thank you, my lord," Severus said, slowly rising and moving to join the Malfoys on their couch. He gestured to the space between himself and the arm of the couch, "Sit here, pet."
Katrina quickly approached and did as he ordered. "Thank you, Master," she said demurely, her eyes cast to the floor.
He wrapped an arm around her back, laying a possessive hand upon her stomach and pulling her roughly into his side. He touched the fingers of his free hand to the tattoo on his wrist and whispered, "Sleep." He knew Katrina would be livid, but he couldn't trust her to control her reactions to anything that might be said here. He turned his eyes to the approving gaze of the Dark Lord.
"Ah, Ssseverusss, I am glad to sssee your pet isss ssso sssubmisssive. Unfortunately, my own wasss much lessss cooperative. I had to allow Bella to have her fun with her firssst." He gave a gracious nod to Bella who was seated on the couch opposite Severus.
"She screamed so nicely," Bellatrix purred. "She even lasted longer than the Longbottoms did before her mind completely snapped."
"You always were most skilled in the use of the Cruciatus curse, Bella," Severus said in praise. He briefly tightened his hand on Katrina's stomach, feeling one of their son's give a kick.
Bella's eyes went to the Malfoys, "It's good that some of us are."
Severus turned to glance at Narcissa and Lucius, trying to discern Bella's meaning behind that. His confusion was cleared up immediately, though, as Narcissa hissed at her sister, "Draco is learning, Bella!"
"Yes," Bella responded, "learning how to fail."
"Enough," the Dark Lord said, his even voice cutting through the rising tempers in the room effortlessly. "How are Draco'sss ssstudiesss progressssing, Bellatrix?"
"My Lord, he is quite skilled in Occulumency," she responded. "He hesitates with the killing curse, but I believe that in time he will break that habit."
Severus already knew about Draco's proficiency in Occulumency from the discussion they had at Slughorn's Christmas party. The news that Draco was having difficulty with the killing curse gave him pause, as well as hope that the boy wasn't completely lost to the light yet.
"Ssseverusss, hasss Draco confided hisss plansss to you yet?"
"No, my lord," he responded truthfully. While he suspected Draco's involvement with the cursed necklace, he had no idea who the true target was, though he had his suspicions. "He has merely told me that you had given him an order and that he was working on it."
The Dark Lord tapped a finger on the arm of his chair, "I am growing impatient with the boy." He idly dropped a hand to play with his pet's hair. "Ssseverusss, hasss Dumbledore told you where he isss going when he leavesss the cassstle?"
"No, my lord, and as far as I have discovered, no one else knows where he is going either. As I have mentioned before, the minds of my fellow teachers are frightfully open. Those who are even aware that he is leaving have no idea where." Again, this was close to the truth, as Severus was aware that Dumbledore was leaving for extended periods, but he had no idea where the Headmaster was going.
The Dark Lord nodded, his red eyes narrowing slightly. "Draco isss to kill Dumbledore before the end of the school year. You will assssissst him if he asssksss you to, Ssseverusss."
Mental shields fully in place, Severus bowed his head graciously, "Of course, My Lord. It would be my pleasure," he purred. He was extremely glad Katrina was not awake to hear this. It was going to be bad enough to have to tell his mentor that he had just been ordered to assist in his murder.
The Dark Lord's focus shifted to discussing some of their plans for the New Year. Severus participated in the discussion when he was expected to, but for the most part he was filing away potential targets of future attacks.
Finally, as two in the morning rolled around, the conversation ended and they were all dismissed. He leaned close to Katrina's ear as he touched the bond-mark and whispered, "Wake up and remain silent and calm." He couldn't risk her becoming angry before she'd fully woken and realized where they still were.
He rose from the couch and offered her a hand up, knowing that it was difficult for her to stand on her own. He released her hand and pointedly glanced at the house elf who had just arrived bearing their winter cloaks.
Katrina lifted his cloak and placed it around his shoulders. Once it was secured, she put her own on.
Having already bid the others goodbye, he silently led her from the Manor and out into the cold, early morning air. He pulled her close, apparating them quickly. He needed to at least get within the wards of Hogwarts before he felt he could safely remove the commands he'd issued her.
Once they'd arrived on the grounds and entered the wards, he changed his mind and decided it would be prudent to wait until they'd reached his quarters. There was no need to wake the entire castle.
The moment he got the door to his quarters closed and a silencing spell up, he touched the bond-mark again, "You no longer need to remain calm and silent."
The change was immediate as she shrieked at him, "How dare you?!"
He ducked as a framed picture flew towards his head, smashing into the door behind him with a crash. "Katrina, I-" He stepped to the side as a – luckily – empty bottle flew towards him.
"No! I don't want to hear it!" she yelled, throwing a heavy book at him which landed near his feet. She spun and ran through the door connecting their quarters, the door slamming behind her.
He could have followed her, but he knew that she had every reason to be angry at him. He would respect her privacy and her desire to be alone. He used his wand to repair the picture frame and the bottle, and to return the book to its proper place. Once that was finished, he went to his own bedroom and without undressing, lay down.