Severus was exhausted. Dumbledore had had him working on a wide variety of potions all day long.
At lunchtime a tray of food had appeared. But Severus was so enthralled in his work that he didn't notice it till he was done. He decided just to go down to dinner, and left the food untouched.
Severus went to his room and took a quick shower. He took a few extra moments when getting dressed to make sure he looked good, which was rather silly since he wasn't trying to impress anyone.
He walked out of his room and down the hall. He ran into Lucius who was going back to his room. Severus felt an odd pull toward his friend.
"Not going to dinner?" Severus asked.
"I just got back from the Ministry. I've been there all day. We've been busy getting everything put back together." Lucius said. He leaned up against the wall and smiled. "I'm exhausted, and figured I'd freshen up a bit before going down."
"Right." Severus said. He was distracted by Lucius. By the way the man displayed himself up against the wall, his hair falling hazardously around his face.
Severus shook himself out of his stupor to find Lucius in a similar one staring at him. Severus took a few steps to Lucius, closing the space between them. He touched Lucius's hair, as Lucius leaned into him.
Severus looked over his friends face. It showed the same confusion and want that Severus felt. He glanced down at his friends lips and before he could move Lucius's lips were pressed against his. Severus gasped and grabbed onto Lucius, holding him close.
Footsteps were heard coming down the hall, the two men pulled apart and Dumbledore walked around the corner.
"Ah, there you are." He said smiling. "Coming down to dinner?"
"I only just returned from the Ministry and was on my way to my room to get presentable." Lucius informed him. Dumbledore nodded and turned to Severus. Who was staring ahead of him, not really seeing anything.
"Severus?" Dumbledore asked.
Severus snapped to him, "I only just got done in the lab." he stated. "I'll be down soon." He walked off. Lucius nodded to Dumbledore and went off down the hall as well.
Dumbledore watched the two men walk away, the smile dropping off his face.
Severus went back to his room, closed the door, and locked it. What was going on? He was quite affected by his interaction with Lucius. He'd truly enjoyed it and by how Lucius was reacting, it seemed that he had as well.
He sat at his desk and stared outside confused. Severus didn't realize how much time had passed till a house elf showed up in his room urging him to eat. Severus sent the pesky animal away with a sharp work that he'd eat. Severus grabbed a bunch of food off of the platter and threw it in the trash.
He couldn't make sense of anything that had happened that day. He sat up thinking and eventually went to bed.
In the middle of the night he woke with a blinding headache. He fell out of bed, staggered to his potions cabinet, and pulled out a headache cure. He downed it and stood still waiting for the headache to subside.
It took a minute and was gone.
He looked around the room and fell into the chair at his desk. His head was floating with thoughts not of his own. What was going on?
He looked around the room. This was not his or Lucius's. A memory floated to him, he'd been in this room for nearly a month now. Working with Dumbledore, not being with Lucius and Harry was being kept prisoner.
How dare Dumbledore steal him and convince him he wanted to help that old man again. Severus snarled and grabbed a scrap of parchment. He was not going to let himself forget another time. He wrote to himself and put the parchment into his desk drawer. He then pulled out another piece of parchment and wrote a note to Potter explaining everything. He put a spell on it when he was done that would get the note to the boy the next time Severus saw him whether he'd lost his mind again by then or not.
He sat up for the rest of the night.
About an hour after writing his note to himself he destroyed it. He wrote another and put it on his desk telling him to get Dumbledore to let him see Potter by whatever means he needed to employ. That way Harry could get the note and things would start going back to normal, and Severus would not be acting suspicious.
He could not stop wondering as to the cause of how he, and everyone else, was acting.
His stomach growled. His head snapped up. He hadn't eaten since breakfast. It was around dinner time that he started feeling off and started to remember who he really is.
The food was the cause.
He walked to the garbage where he'd dumped some of the food from earlier as the platter had been removed. He grabbed some food out of the garbage and took samples putting it into vials.
He took them to his lab and got his supplies out. He wanted to know what it was that was in the food, so he could counter it for the future.
"Severus, what are you working on my boy?" Dumbledore asked walking into the lab.
"Just had an idea I wanted to start on early." Severus stated. He slowly lowered the flame on the only cauldron he had out.
"Found anything of use?" Dumbledore asked.
"No." Severus said placing a stasis and containment spell on the cauldron. "But something may yet happen after breakfast."
"Very true. And that is why I came to find you. We have missed you at the table."
"I have not meant to miss so many meals. Is breakfast over then?" Severus asked.
"No no. I came looking for you early to make sure you were with us." Dumbledore said smiling.
Severus nodded, "Very well. Let us go down then."
"Yes, yes. Let's." The two men walked from the lab and to the dining room.
Severus saw Draco leading Hermione into the dining room, his arm wrapped around her waist. She snuggled into him as they sat down. Hermione caught Severus looking at her and smiled. He returned it.
"How are you this morning?" Severus asked them. He pulled some food to him and filled his plate. Dumbledore smiled and twinkled at him. Severus smiled down the table, brought his cup to his lips and swallowed without drinking anything.
"We are doing well."Draco said answering for the both of them.
Severus saw Hermione smile, look down, and rub her stomach and he blanched.
"Are you pregnant Miss Granger?" Severus demanded. Hermione's head snapped up. Draco looked down at her, Lucius and Narcissa looked over, Bellatrix kept eating, and Dumbledore twinkled at her.
"Are you dear?" Dumbledore asked.
"I think so. But I don't know for sure yet." She said meekly.
"Really?" Draco said smiling.
"I think so." She responded quietly. "Is that okay?"
"Of course." Narcissa said. "We simply have to organize a quick marriage so that it is not labeled as a bastard." Hermione looked over at her shocked.
"You don't mind?"
"Of course not dear. Draco loves you." She said taking a bite of her breakfast.
"Are you still caring for that boy in the dungeon?" Severus demanded. Hermione bumped against the table and her plate fell onto her lap but her attention was all directed at Severus.
"What?" she asked with false shock.
"You know what I am talking about girl." Severus said waving his fork around rather than eating the bite on its end. "While we have ignored you helping the boy before, the conditions down there will hurt the child. Now answer the question."
"Yes." Hermione said and sat up straighter. "And I'm going to help him still." She stated.
"No. you're not." Lucius stated. He looked at Severus a question in his gaze, and Severus nodded sharply. Severus was having problems watching Lucius being loving with his wife. Severus had always been a rather jealous man and did not like sharing Lucius, who was his when they were not drugged.
"You will stop visiting that boy instantly. We will not allow you to possibly harm yourself or your child." Lucius stated.
"What about Harry?"Hermione said imploringly to Dumbledore.
"He will be taken care of. Severus will see to him."
"I will do no such thing." Severus answered sharply.
"Yes you will." Dumbledore stated. "We do not want Hermione to get ill and she is very stubborn." Severus glared at the table and finally took a bite of the food. He got what he needed out of them after all, and he needed to eat.
But being forced to help that boy, how fucking fantastic.
"If she finds it that important, I will of course waste part of my day for that boy." Severus snapped.
"Very good. Well with that settled I believe congratulations are in order." Dumbledore said smiling at Hermione, who sat snuggled up with Draco, who was holding her close, looking down at her proudly.
"Yes. What a happy moment." Bellatrix said blandly not looking over at the couple as she took a drink and kept eating.
Severus's first meeting with the boy was just as atrocious as he imagined it to be.
How dare he act like Severus was a friend! And asking about Draco, when that boy had had Draco spelled to keep him from his true love. Disgusting.
Severus walked to his room to find food set out for him. He ate some quickly, and walked to the washroom to shower.
Even the short time he was with that boy was far too long.
It had been three days since the announcement that Hermione was pregnant. And Severus had visited Harry for the first time.
Severus woke sluggish. Not a good beginning to the day. He showered, dressed, and went down to breakfast.
The others seemed to be feeling the weight in the air that was causing Severus to feel sluggish as well. During breakfast the atmosphere at the table was tense, and no discussion was going on, except for Narcissa telling Hermione about the plans she'd already made for her wedding.
The door to the breakfast room burst open.
The feeling in the air making Severus sluggish got heavier and he couldn't move. He looked over at Lucius and Narcissa, the only people in his line of sight, and they were unable to move as well.
Severus recognized the feel of the magic radiating around him. How the hell had that boy escaped?!
"Missed me?" came from behind him as the air crackled.