Shoutouts to:
MissesE: *evil laugh* YESS! I've succeed to make you angry with Caleb's reasoning! I was scared of making his character to be honest. I didn't want to make him seems like a total sore LOSER and a douchebag, so I made his intentions noble.. but what am I kidding? he is a douchebag! XD aww, 'm glad you like Lucius being so sweet XD This is for you! Enjoy, Doll!
Chapter 8: Lesson 101
"ARE you out of your bloody mind, Lucius?" Severus barked at his friend after he'd wordlessly cast a Silence Charm in the library and locked the door. "She's young enough to be your daughter!"
Lucius stood on his ground like a proud Malfoy, though he had to bite his tongue to hold back from leashing at the man screaming, 'I'M BLOODY AWARE OF THAT!'
Everyone he met kept telling him that she was young enough to be his daughter. For Merlin's sake, he wasn't blind!
Instead of reacted the way he'd wanted to, Lucius watched in deep silence as the overgrown Bat of Hogwarts pacing back and forth like a hen all the while, tearing his hair out.
When Severus finally looked at him, there was danger hinted in his eyes. All the sudden, Lucius found himself pinned against the wall by the other man who held him by the collar of his robe.
"What have you done to her?" Snape snarled lowly at him. "Have you deflowered her?"
"Of course not, Severus."
"Lucius, is there something you would like to tell me regarding Miss Rollins? Because I know you, old friend. We go way back before she even existed into this world. I know how often you'd treated those young girls back in Hogwarts before you got married, how you'd left them broken with crushed hearts when your engagement to Narcissa was publicly announced. Some of them had even driven to suicide because of it. And how you've treated those ladies you had around your waist twenty-four seven for the last six months after her death! It's not just a job for you, isn't it? You'd enjoyed having them as companions. You'd enjoyed having pleasures with them. So what on Earth are you targeting Miss Rollins all the sudden, one had to ask?"
"Why are you acting this way, Severus? Do you perhaps have deep feelings for Miss Claire? She had told me her feelings toward you were nothing more than platonic love. She'd made it quite clear that she respects you and cares for your , that was before she'd found out her beloved' death was fake."
Severus loosened his grip on his collar and took a step back. Gone all the snarl he had on his face as he maintained a calm façade.
"My heart will forever and always belongs to Lily Evans. There's no mountains high enough nor sea deep enough for me to forget the feelings I have for her. But at the same time, I have grown fond of having Miss around. Hence, I care greatly for her well being. She's the new fresh of air I desperately need when my life was nothing more than just a routine, bitter, broken and in a mess. So yes, I do have deep feelings for Miss Rollins. I respect and adore her, but I will never be able to love her like a man should. However, that doesn't mean I won't hunt down those men who try to hurt her. Especially men like you, Lucius. Men who never take women seriously and played around with them. Miss Rollins however, is an exception. She is a good woman who deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. I will see that she will find someone suitable enough to take care of her. But until then, I will be the one who will watch over her."
"You're not her father, Severus." Lucius said coolly. "What rights do you have on her? Nothing. Besides, Miss Claire is of legal age for marriage should she wishes to be wed. She's a grown woman who is old enough to make decisions for herself, with or without your concerns, Severus Snape."
Snape banged his hands loudly on Lucius' desk.
"She is perhaps the only person who truly gives a damn about me after Albus' passing. I refuse to let you take advantage of her and then ruined her like you've done with the others! So help me, Malfoy, I will-"
"Maybe I do give a damn about her!" Lucius finally snapped. "Maybe I do think of her happiness! Maybe I do want her to be happy - with ME!"
Lucius was furious. Who in the bloody hell did he think he was, preaching to him like that? Perhaps it was true what Severus had said about him. However in Lucius' defence, he had been a passionate young fool with a wild heart and at his prime age.
Of course he'd be doing those foolish things Severus had mentioned. He had been forced to marry someone he hardly knew. He had no freedom to do whatever he wished to do. So in his rebellious stage, Lucius had savoured as much freedom as he possibly could before news of his engagement to Narcissa was announced in public.
After the engagement was made, Lucius Malfoy had no longer been a free man. His hands were tied to his deep devoting to raise his family. He and Narcissa had surprisingly got along well. They both had gained each other's respects and grown to love each other, not to mention, deeply devoted to one another as well.
Lucius had truly loved his beloved wife because of her never-ending supports and devotion to him and his selfish cause by following and supporting the Dark Lord, though Narcissa herself didn't support the Dark Lord.
It was her death that made him reverted back to his bachelor days, that was until he met her. Never before, Lucius had encountered such bold, fierce, bashful, and ungraceful young woman like one Claire Rollins.
The deep tension air between the two men earlier had dissolved and replaced with several awkwardness.
Lucius was speechless.
Severus, who had been gasping at him earlier, now reduced to a long silence. He observed the older man very closely with penetrating eyes.
"Are you in love with her, Lucius?"
Those words struck Lucius like lightning bolts. Lucius felt his fingers trembled when his old friend addressed the question.
"I don't know." He replied hesitatingly, in a soft whisper.
"It's a simple question, Lucius. Yes or no?"
"I DON'T KNOW! Merlin's Beard, you're being awfully pushy today, aren't you, Snape?" Lucius snapped again.
Snape looked back at him coolly, before he curtly asked, "For how long?"
Lucius swore and turned his head away from the man. He ran his long fingers on his long silky blonde hair.
"Why are you asking me these questions? Why does it matters to you anyway, Severus?" Lucius gritted his teeth at the last word. Honestly, he felt like when he was sixteen again －after being caught by his own Father red-handed the first time he'd actually brought a young lovely brunette, a fellow Slytherin, to the manor for a little shag in his Father's office.
Before Snape could reply to the questions, a couple of hard knocks on the door interrupted them. Both men blinked their eyes for a couple of times before they eventually snapped out of it when the knocking grew to harder and impatient knocks.
Severus used wordless magic to unlock the door and Lucius walked toward it and opened the door - to see a bored and slightly amused Claire waiting outside of the door. Already dressed in her long sleeves night pyjamas, and a long robe, she raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"So this is where you two have been hiding. We've been searching all over for you."
"We?" Lucius asked absent-mindedly. He was having a difficult time to compose himself in front of her, after his confession earlier.
"Mimi, include. I woke up a while ago, and was on my way to the dining room when I saw the poor thing was beating herself up for not knowing where her Master and Mister Snape had gone off to! Pitied the poor thing, I volunteered to find you two while she got the table ready for dinner. And voila!"
Snape cleared his throat. "Very well then. We shouldn't kept the food waiting. Lucius, we will discuss the matter further some other time."
Lucius mutely nodded.
"HOW do you feel now, Miss Rollins?" Severus asked while cutting his rack of lamb.
"Frankly, I feel very good and refreshing for some unknown reason. I guess the event of what'd happened earlier today finally took a troll on me. I could hardly remember what'd happened before I dozed off. The last thing I do remember was talking to Lucius about dear Narcissa and that's it. Come to think of it, Lucius," she turned to look at him. "What time did you left my room?"
Lucius stared back at her in mildly shocked. He could felt Severus' penetrating gaze on him, on his right.
"Right after you'd dozed off. I didn't want to invade your personal space after all." He lied.
"Oh." Claire shrugged. "Anyway, I had a good sleep. I doubt I could get any sleep any time soon, so why don't you let me run through the files about DEATH so that I may be able to know my way around when I start my work as your P.A?"
"Of course." Lucius nodded. "We shall head back to the library after this. There are few things I need to go through with Severus and you can stay and learned how to manage the files."
"Duly noted."
"So, let me get this stuff straight; highlight only the names, addresses and the numbers written on the left corner over here, right?" Claire pointed out the paper in her hand at the man sitting beside her.
"Correct, Miss Rollins." Snape nodded, before returning to his work. He had a reading glasses on as he marked some paper works and then wrote it down rough notes on the parchment using a black inked quill. Lucius had left them for a short while, stating he needed to take a bath.
The two unlikely pair enjoyed doing their works in a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Claire would asked Severus questions about her work and whatnot. She was halfway through her paperworks when Claire suddenly let out a sharp gasp as something had hit on her lower abdomen. It caused slight stirred from the man sitting beside her.
"Miss Rollins?" Severus put down his quill. "Are you all right?"
Claire slowly nodded. She took a deep breath and was about to resume with her paperworks when something sharp hit her again, this time, Claire didn't bother to answer him. She stood up and desperately flee from the room, leaving Severus Snape into deep confusion.
Severus sat on his seat with his work was left untouched ever since the young Muggle had left the library ten minutes ago. Lucius had come in shortly after she had left. When he had asked him, 'Where had Miss Claire gone off to?'
Severus only replied was, 'She needed to get something from her room, perhaps.' Before he continued to ponder about the Muggle's whereabouts and her strange behaviour earlier himself.
Lucius took Severus' short answer as a mean to not speaking to him at the moment. He took his works to his desk and began working on it.
After twenty minutes of empty silence between them, Severus finally had enough.
"Where is that little-" His little rants were unfortunately interrupted by a loud 'Pop' in the air, followed by Mimi's frantic appearance.
"Is something the matter?" Lucius asked, putting down his quill.
"Missus asked Mimi to relay a message to both Master Malfoy and Mister Snape. Missus said Missus suddenly does not feels well and asked that Missus would be retreated from tonight's work."
"Well then, whatever happened to her? Tell us!"
"Why didn't she told me sooner?" Both men shouted at the same time, causing Mimi to wince before flapping her hands, stating she had more to tell them.
"Missus also requested for both Master and Mister Snape to find Missus a female companion － a healer － to be brought to Missus' room. Missus said it's a must! Missus is in great pain. Mimi doesn't like to see Missus in pain..."
"That does it!" Lucius marched toward the door, heading to the young woman's chamber, with Severus followed behind him, despite his servant's protest, saying something like 'Missus has locked herself in the bathroom!' or 'Missus had gone mad!'
That made the two men quickened their paces. Soon, they arrived at Claire' room, more specifically, at the front of her bathroom door. They heard a painful cried coming from the inside.
Lucius turned the knob, but it was unsuccessful. He then knocked on the door.
"Miss Rollins, what in Merlin's name are you doing in there? Come out this instant!"
Then, it happened. Like the whole room was shaking by the echoed of a loud shout that came from the other side of the door.
"DON'T YOU ORDER ME AROUND, MALFOY! ESPECIALLY AT THIS MOMENT OF TIME!"
Even Severus had to flinch at her sharp-at-the-edge toned voice.
Before Lucius could say a word, Claire shouted again, "Where's the female healer I'd requested? Is that too much to ask from you old bats to find one around here?! I NEED SOMEONE, SPECIFICALLY A FEMALE, TO HELP ME DEALING WITH THIS－!"
When Claire suddenly stopped shouting like a mad banshee, the two grown men heard the most disturbing loud noise came from the other side of the door.
Lucius looked like the world was going to end. He desperately wanted to break down the door and to see what exactly was going on with the young woman. At the same time, for whatever reason that was unknown to him, he refused to find out what awaited him on the other side. The sharp tone of Claire's voice sent unwanted shivers down his spine for whatever reasons unknown to him.
Lucius turned to the House-Elf, who looked more frantically than he'd ever seen her. "Why don't you go in and help her then? You are a female, are you not?"
Mimi shook her head sadly. "Mimi tried to do that before, but Missus had kicked Mimi out. Missus said Missus needs a human female to help her."
"I'll find a Healer." Severus suddenly spoke. "She's vomiting and she won't let us in. I might have an idea of what's going on. If I'm right, she will be staying that way for a little while. In the meantime, keep her busy, Lucius."
Severus apparated faster than Lucius could said 'wait'. Leaving the Malfoy Patriarch with a very irritating Muggle.
Lucius took a deep breath before he knocked on the door twice. "Miss Rollins?"
"GO AWAY, MALFOY!"
"Miss Rollins－Claire. I realised you are battling a great pain at the moment. Just to inform you, Severus went off to find a healer that you've specifically requested."
"GOOD! AT LEAST SOMEONE KNOWS HOW TO DO HIS JOB RIGHT. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Before Lucius could retort back, he heard a buzzing sound, followed by someone apparating back into the room.
"Severus, that was qui...ck." Grey eyes scanned at not one, but four people that the dark haired man had bought back with him. His eyes especially landed to a young man whom he'd last seen was during his trials and the beginning of Project DEATH. He had been one of the few who involved with the project and had been the one who approved of the mission.
"Potter."
"Malfoy." Harry Potter nodded slightly, before letting his eyes dwell at the bathroom door where the disturbing noise was coming from. Beside him, his fiancée and and long-time best friend rushed toward the door before gently knocking it.
"Miss Rollins? My name is Ginny Weasley. I have with me someone who is very adept in Healing Magic, Hermione Granger. May we please come in?"
There was a silence from the other side. Before a weak strained voice replied, "Could you let yourselves in?"
Ginny nodded. Looking at her best friend by her side, they cast a spell to unlock the door, and quickly entered. The door was back closed before the men could take a peek of what was going on inside.
The men stood in awkward deep silence. Lucius kept his eyes from the Boy-Who-Lived to the man who bought him over to his manor.
"Severus, do you mind explaining to me why the Golden Trio plus the young Weasley are here in my manor?"
"Well Lucius, Hermione Granger was the only person I could think of asking for help due to their close of age. Fortunately, Miss Ganger was a staying over at the Burows and the rest had decided to follow to ensure that it wasn't some sort of a trick or a kidnapping plan, as prior stated by Mr. Weasley earlier." Severus shot an eyebrow at the fuming expression of Ronald Weasley.
"I see. Very well. While the ladies are kept busy, why don't we refresh ourselves in the dining room for a cup of hot tea? Merlin knows I desperately need one."
THE awkward silence that filled in the air between the four men in the Malfoy's Dining room could be cut easily by a knife, if there was such thing to happen anyway. As usual, Lucius seated at the Head table. To his right, was Severus and to his left was Harry Potter. Beside him was the Weasley boy.
Lucius was stirring his cup of tea while trying not to mind the silent questioning look Potter was giving him. He tried to ignore it, but it seemed to be impossible. Clearing his throat, Lucius put down his teaspoon and looked at the young man.
"Is there something you would like-"
"Who is the young woman in the bathroom and what have you done to her?"
"Oh for Merlin's sake, have you not informed them what happened, Severus?"
"I did not have the privilege nor the time to properly explain to them of what happened thus far, Lucius. My first intention had been to bring only Miss Granger. But it seems these people caught up while we were apparating."
"You kidnapped my fiancée right before my bloody own eyes!"
"Apologies, Mr. Weasley." Severus poured a bottle of Firewhiskey into his cup. He swallowed the liquor before he spoke.
"In regards to Mr. Potter's question, there's an obvious explanation. It started six months ago..." In twenty minutes, Severus was able to fill in what happened to their lives after the War had ended that led them to this event.
"I'm very sorry for your loss." Harry said quietly. He'd heard of the news of Narcissa's death course from the Minister,Kingsley Shacklebolt when they were counting the casualties from the War. After Lucius was pardoned from his trial and given a mission for Project DEATH, he hadn't heard of what had becoming of the man since then until now.
"Thank you." Lucius took his time to thank the boy who ruined and saved his family's life.
Soon after their little talk, soft steady footsteps came down from the staircase and joined them at the dining room. Both Severus and Lucius stood up at the same time. Their concerns were focused back on their Muggle friend.
"How Miss Rollins' doing?" Severus asked before Lucius could open his mouth.
Hermione Granger half-shrugged. "She's better than before. But she still needs plenty of rest." She handed Severus a piece of note. "I've written down all the important ingredients that needed for the medical potion, just as you'd instructed, Professor. You are free to add anything later."
Severus nodded and read the written ingredients. "Impressive as always, Miss Granger. I'm guessing you've already taken care of the other things for Miss Rollins?"
Ginny snorted before covering her mouth when Hermione elbowed her on the gut. "Yes. The other things have been taken care of." She then rolled her eyes at Ron's gawking face. "Stop with the gawking, Ron. You have a little sister. You of all the men should know how it is when a woman is experiencing her menstrual - especially when it comes to severe cramps."
"Please, Hermione. I don't need you to tell me about that!" Hermione rolled her eyes again and the two ladies proceeded to take a seat next to their significant ones.
"Miss Rollins did say this is the worse she had in years. She also said it probably due to the stress she's coping at the moment, whatever it is. I told her to take it easy for a while and rest whenever she can."
"So the pains Miss Claire is experiencing was due to menstrual cramps. Thank Merlin it's nothing too serious I hope? What of the vomiting that we heard? Narcissa never had that problem before so I have little knowledge of how to deal with such matters."
The vomiting is caused by theDysmenorrhe. It is a medical term that means "difficult or painful periods. There are two types of dysmenorrhea, the primary, which is the most common kind －cramping pain in the lower abdomen can start from 1–2 days before your period begins and can last 2–4 days. And then, there's the secondary dysmenorrhea, when cramps are a result of a medical problem such as Endometriosis. Now, Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found outside its normal location. This usually causes pain before, and, or during a young woman's menstrual period."
By the time Hermione finished explaining the details to them, Ron had buried his face on the table with hands on his ears. His face was bright red like the colour of his hair. Harry gazed awkwardly at different directions, while Severus and Lucius simply nodded, finally they were able to understand what were the causes that made the usually calm and collective Miss Claire suddenly changed to an angry banshee earlier.
"There's more to it actually-" Ginny was cut by her brother.
"I think we're all done here!" Ronald Weasley abruptly stood up. He looked at his former professor and his family's nemesis. "Should Miss Rollins needs any more assistance, I hope this time you bring more suitable Healer to aid her. Hermione may be very adept with Healing Magic, but she by all means is not a Healer. Either bring a qualified Healer or take her to St. Mungo!"
"Ronald!" Hermoine and Ginny scolded him synchronously.
Harry too got up and stood from his chair.
"I hope Miss Rollins get well soon."
With a quick bow, he pulled his hot-tempered friend away from the two men and apparent back home. Ginny and Hermione also stood. The Weasley girl looked from Lucius to her ex professor before she raised an eyebrow with an amusing smirk.
"So you and her, huh?"
Severus' left eye twitched. Of course. If there was anyone who would want to mock at his fake relationship with Claire Rollins, it had to be the dunderheads he'd once taught in Hogwarts.
"Not that it's any of your concerns, Miss Weasley but do you really believe anything that's written by that cow Rita Skeeter? Shame on you."
Ginny's smirk quickly disappeared by his remarks. However unlike her brother, she knew how to control her emotion better. Wordlessly, she walked away with dignity and apparent home.
Hermione Granger was the last to leave. Poor hermione, she'd thought she could finally be back home at the Burows from all the stress of having to repeat her Seventh Year in Hogwarts. Ron and Harry along with Neville Longbottom, had joined the Aurors at the invitation of Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, in order to track down Death Eaters who escaped.
Imagine her great shock when, she and the rest of the Weasleys were having a nice family gathering to find the old Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room, and without any warning, he put a silence charm and a shield around around him so that the others won't interfere and attack him, before he grabbed her arms while demanded her full attention to what he wanted to tell her about what briefly happened in Malfoy's Mansion.
Once Snape had explained to her the important things, Hermione went to the room she shared with Ginny, grabbed a few things and stuffed them into a medium sized bag including, Severus had noticed, a pack of 'Overnight pads' written clearly at the front, before they apparate to the Malfoy's Mansion.
Sighed, Hermione looked at the older men who also stood up from their seats.
"I've left my mobile phone number to Miss Rollins, just in case she needs something or someone to talk to. I imagine being a Muggle, alone in the Wizarding World must have frightened her to a certain point. Anyway, Professor. It's nice to see you again. You too, Mr. Malfoy. Good night."
And then she apparate home.