A Second Chance
It was the Light's last chance at winning the war and Minerva McGonagall was going to take it. In exchange for her life, Harry Potter was to be sent back to the past to change everything. Enemies beware, because Harry James Potter has a vendetta. SSHPLM
Main Relationship Focus: Harry Potter/Severus Snape/Lucius Malfoy
Genres: Action & Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance and Suspense
Rating: M; for violence, sex and language
Length: Epic
Warning: Slash, threesomes.
Disclaimers: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Timetravel! Dedicated to my reviewers, as usual.
Beta: Amber
VI: To Understand a Malfoy
"If I didn't know who you were meeting for dinner tonight, I would have thought that you were trying to impress someone on a date." Remus's amber eyes glinted with amusement and something else Kyle was quite sure that he didn't really want to know.
"I am trying to impress," Kyle replied mock loftily, "but it's not a date."
Too bad he wasn't actually feeling the confidence he was projecting right now.
The handsome twenty-one year old swept his gaze over the man in the mirror, clad in resplendent sapphire blue robes with silver rune etchings embroidered at the rims. The robe was held together with a metallic Celtic knot just below the base of his throat. The azure of his chosen clothing complimented his shade of hair well and made his glorious eyes pop. Kyle caught his friend's eye in the mirror; Remus's lips were curled into a small knowing smile. The werewolf looked out into the snowy night and sighed softly, while the younger man in the room was having a moment of conflict.
Kyle looked into the mirror again, holding his own startling gaze as doubt flitted in his mind; would he be able to keep his personal feelings out?
The younger man saw his green gaze darken as he pondered. Lucius Malfoy was undoubtedly Draco Malfoy's father and he had been undeniably attracted to the younger Malfoy for the very same features his father possessed. The voice, the eyes, the hair, the charisma...
Would something like that happen again?
He couldn't allow that to —
"It's time."
Remus's soft voice rang out, wrenching Kyle out of his thoughts and memories. The Peverell Lord nodded and straightened himself, looking every bit the regal Lord he wished to portray himself as.
"Alright. I'm ready." Remus nodded, adjusted the cloak and then handed the younger man a miniature metallic sculpture of a chimera, his Portkey to Golden Fountain, a luxurious Wizarding restaurant famous for its award winning French cuisine. Normally it would take weeks even months in advance to secure a booking but seeing that Kyle was the major shareholder of the chain, it had been as easy as snapping her fingers for Helen, his capable executive assistant, to make sure that a private room would be available for her boss on this particular day.
Kyle took the dragon in his hands and was whisked away immediately upon the utterance of the password. A pang of nostalgia hit the young man when he remembered being a clumsy teenager, unable to come out of Portkeyings or Flooings with any semblance of balance. Now, the green-eyed man merely brushed off imaginary pieces of lint off his robes and strode to the maître d', a poised man with neat brown hair combed back and an air of absolute professionalism.
"Good evening, Sir. How may I help you?" Even the man's voice oozed with professionalism. Kyle merely supplied the man with a cool word.
"Peverell."
The man widened his eyes and then his demeanour changed completely, warming to the powerful man. "This way please, Lord Peverell." Kyle inclined his head regally and followed the man to the private room he had previously ordered through his secretary.
He wasn't disappointed when he saw the room; it was expertly decorated in cool tones and elegant mahogany furniture with the stamp of Louis VXII on them, its simplicity stunning and fitting. The lighting was a soft pale light resembling moonlight which Kyle always found soothing. The maître d' respectfully took off the robes off Kyle, revealing a tailored crisp white collared shirt paired with a customized pair of black slacks. Like the room, the young Lord was stunningly handsome in all his simplicity.
"Would you like to order now, Sir?"
Kyle replied politely, "No, it wouldn't be necessary. We will let you know when we are ready to order. Thank you."
The maître de nodded and bowed respectfully before popping out of the room. Kyle settled in comfortably and waited; he didn't have to wait long because at seven sharp, a familiar blond arrived with the maître de. Kyle stood up to greet the aristocrat.
Lucius was everything Draco could hope to look like when he was at the same age. The Malfoy Lord was empathetically handsome, he had the face which sculptors from since the ancient times wished to capture with marble; the man was a picture of masculine beauty with his perfect angles and lines. Metallic silver eyes were framed with long pale lashes matching the colour of his hair. His looks belonged to a Greek God. This was a face angels probably sang hallelujahs over.
Kyle would have to be blind not to acknowledge and appreciate the vision of magnificence before him.
Dressed in a splendid set of black robes that set off his hard silvery eyes and long platinum blond hair which was tied back with a single black leather strap, Lucius was breathtakingly striking and imposing – the perfect image of a majestic king.
The younger man nearly staggered at the memories of Draco which flooded him, images of passion-filled moments but instead of Draco, he was replaced by Lucius. Draco had bottomed for him but this time, Kyle was fantasizing himself being the bottom and enjoying it.
"Lord Peverell," the rich baritone that held whispers of steel and silk helped Kyle to snap out of his trance, "Thank you for agreeing to meet."
Kyle inclined his head and reached out with an un-gloved hand, "Likewise for proposing a meet."
Lucius smoothly removed the black-leather glove encasing his pale, long-fingered right hand and clasped the offered hand. Kyle was surprised at the warmth the man's hand seemed to radiate; if anything, he expected coolness.
Both men took a seat and decided on their meal. After the maître d' left with their orders, the atmosphere became saturated with a slight seriousness. Kyle knew from the moment he locked eyes with Lucius Malfoy that he would be in for a ride.
Lucius entered the prominent restaurant and for a moment, he was slightly impressed. Even a man of his stature would need at least two weeks booking in advance to be able to secure a table; he had brought Narcissa for a dinner three years ago and both the Malfoys had been suitably impressed. To have the young Lord secure a private room within three days said something; it was a very effective message.
The maître d' led him deeper into the restaurant and they arrived in front of an elegant ebony door, it opened to reveal a room designed with chic minimalism in mind. Lucius thought that it was a fitting design, bearing in mind that he was a man who was used to opulence. However, the room paled in comparison with the man occupying the room.
Lucius was no stranger to beauty; he was raised in it, surrounded by it and lived with it daily but looking at the younger man who stood before him was like beholding the most perfect being ever created.
Perfect skin, flawless with a slight soft golden tint. Perfect nose, sloped and straight. Perfect cheekbones, perfect jaw, perfect rose-tinted lips with a lower lip slightly fuller than the upper. Magnificent jewel-hued eyes were framed with perfect long lashes that curled seductively at the ends. He was leanly muscled in his simple but stylish ensemble of a crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the first three buttons, revealing a lovely expanse of a chiselled chest, and black slacks that made his long legs go on for miles. Kyle Peverell also exuded an easy confidence wrapped with elegance around the edges. He was at a perfect height, just slightly shorter than himself, neither too tall nor short.
There was only one word fit to describe the young man before him:
Perfect.
Lucius appreciated beauty and had no reservations about gender. He had lovers, of both genders and he had always favoured the opposite sex. But right now, he was picturing the exquisite youth before him naked and ready for him on black silk sheets in his bedroom, looking at him with smouldering emeralds and a knowing smile in a come-hither look.
Snapping out of his stare, Lucius calmly intoned without betraying his inner inferno of lust. "Lord Peverell, thank you for agreeing to meet."
The younger lord inclined his head elegantly and offered a hand, Lucius smoothly removed his glove on his right hand and clasped the hand; it was a firm and strong handshake with a touch of professionalism, reminding Lucius that this man before him was also the owner and CEO of one of the most powerful conglomerates in the world.
Most importantly, reminding Lucius of the nature of this meeting: it was to discuss business.
They both settled comfortably into the chairs, facing each other. Lucius's eyes drank in the exquisite sight of the younger Lord as he took a sip of the excellent Bordeaux that went perfectly with the medium-rare fillet mignon he had ordered.
"Lord Malfoy—" the blonde man interrupted Kyle.
"Please, call me Lucius."
Grey eyes glittered and Kyle paused, and then nodded, "Alright – Lucius. I don't think either of us appreciate wasting time, so I am going to cut to the chase – what is it that you would like us to discuss today?"
Lucius smirked, the other man was right in that he hated having his precious time wasted but to him, spending time with the lovely young man was definitely not a waste of his time in his books. The regal blond man took a sip of wine and then slowly put his wineglass on the table with his eyes trained on his companion's jewel gaze all the while.
"Very well, I wish for both Sable Industries and Malfoy Incorporated to enter an alliance that would maintain our grip on the Wizarding Economy. It will be mutually beneficial; I don't think it would be in Sable Industries' best interest to challenge Malfoy Incorporated. Together we will control the economy."
Kyle mentally raised an eyebrow, 'an alliance that would maintain our grip?' A translation would mean 'allow my company to stand at the top while you maintain your second place behind me, you keep your distance and I'll do the same'.
"If so," Kyle started, "in what ways would you want Sable Industries to extend our efforts in a show of alliance?"
Lucius's grey eyes flashed with something Kyle couldn't identify and then the regal blond man replied, "Before we get to that, my son Draco would like an arrangement for a play date to be made. He seems to be rather interested in having young Harry as a friend, I'm sure that the two boys would have no problems getting along."
To Kyle, it translated as 'that would be a step in cementing an alliance, our heirs to be long friends before they took the mantle so Harry would be less likely to stab Draco in the back and also making it easier for Draco to stab Harry in the back'.
The younger Lord nodded. "That wouldn't be a problem. In fact, I think Harry would enjoy having a friend of his age over from time to time. It would be beneficial for my nephew to have made a friend before going to Hogwarts together." Lucius inclined his head in thanks and Kyle noticed the older man's metallic grey eyes were softened just slightly; anyone less observant wouldn't have caught the change. A revelation hit Kyle:
Lucius Malfoy was a family man.
The Draco from his original timeline once told him that if Lucius was anything to him, he was a good father. Although his mother and his father were tied by marriage, they were also tied by friendship and a healthy respect for each other. It was a loveless marriage, romance wise, for the blond pair but Draco believed that his family had been a happy one, albeit a slightly unorthodox one, right up till the rise of Voldemort.
The brunette smirked inwardly, he now knew how to lure Lucius away from the Dark Lord who was currently Missing In Action; Kyle merely had to show how Voldemort was a threat to Draco, Narcissa and to the Malfoy name.
"Now, if you have laid out all your requests and demand, may I make one of my own?"
Lucius paused for a moment before inclining his head, "Let's hear it."
"I would like your support in getting Sirius Black out of Azkaban, you don't have to use your name but smoothing the bureaucracy trip would be a great help."
The blond man took a moment to consider it and then he nodded. Kyle smiled, his first sincere one of the night. Lucius was captivated.
"Thank you."
The rest of the night was spent discussing ways in which Sable Industries and Malfoy Incorporated can cooperate without being too apparent. With emerald eyes glinting in barely-concealed glee, Kyle smiled inwardly as he thought.
Voldemort, say goodbye to your only competent minion.
If Kyle wasn't in denial and a little more observant, he would have noticed that he'd also just said goodbye to his good sense to run away from the blond man before it was too late...
The fire crackled as it consumed the wood in the fireplace greedily, providing the room with a comforting sense of permeating warmth. It also casted shadows on the harsh features of the man settled in a high-back chair and accompanied with a glass of scotch. The lines on the man's face revealed a hardened veteran, a man of experience, bad memories and a heavy heart.
He closed his eyes.
Severus Snape was currently in deep thought. His mind kept going back to the letter that arrived exactly thirty-one days ago when he was in the middle of his experiments in developing a potion that would lock the animalistic instincts in Werewolves during the full moon.
The letter had been mysterious, abrupt and shocking. Despite it bursting into harmless flames after he finished reading, Severus remembered every elegantly scripted word on the pristine white parchment.
Dear Lord Prince,
I've always been an admirer of your talents in the field of potion making and research as one of the four Masters and the youngest in the history of the Guild to make Adept.
I am willing to provide a sum of a million galleons to fund a research centre headed by you. I understand that you are currently employed by Hogwarts as their Potions Professor and there is no need for you to resign. I do, however, expect results, whatever they may be, from the research efforts.
I am also aware of your other alliances and your precarious position but I would also like to think that I am very aware of your true standing in the war. Regardless of your previous actions and words, she would have been very proud of you.
I hope that this will be the beginning of a long standing friendship between two likeminded people. Take your time to reply, I can only imagine the magnitude of this offer.
Yours, Shadow.
The letter had Severus reeling. From what was written, he now had a million-galleon research centre and this person, Shadow, knew of his true heritage, his double-edged connections with bothVoldemort and Dumbledore, and his feelings for Lily.
Enclosed in the letter had been a stalk of lily. Fresh and beautiful, just like her.
Severus groaned, feeling mightily conflicted. Finally, he rose and Apparated to a small clearing by a respectable forest. In the middle of the neat clearing was a stone and on the stone, an epithet was engraved:
Eileen Viola Snape 1935 – 1975 A mother and friend, she will be remembered
It has been years since he visited his mother's grave. The tall man stared at the tombstone and a flashback of his youth, specifically the time he first visited his mother's grave.
A young man's face was shadowed by lank dark hair as his body bowed over a slab of engraved stone. He stayed in the same position, unmoving and with an expressionless face, for quite sometime.
Suddenly, the teenager's thin shoulders started to shake as droplets of water splashed onto the gray slab. He was finally mourning for his mother whose death, he thought, was totally undeserved. Eileen was everything but a bad mother. After a beating from her inebriated husband; she would usually, surely but slowly, go and check on her young son. She made sure that he understood his culture as a wizard, despite her abusive husband's wishes. She encouraged him to pursue his studies as a Potions Master, seeing his passion for the art.
She had done all that and he had failed to protect her…
Turning his red-rimmed obsidian orbs upwards to look at his mother's Muggle portrait, the young man whispered his regrets, feeling each and every stab of pain and guilt pierce his heart and soul.
"I'm so sorry, Mother. I should have stood up against Father's beatings, I have failed you. I wished I could have gotten to you faster…"
Suddenly the sorrow in his eyes turned into hatred and then Severus clenched his fists, bunching up his robes as he hissed.
"I promise you, Mother, that I'll get revenge. I'll make him pay for what he has done to you. I'll do whatever it takes to see him suffer for the sins he had committed against you. You have my word."
The graveyard was silent as if in mourning too; hehad been too caught up in his emotions to realize that whatever he was going to do was exactly what his mother didn't want him to do.
That had been exactly twenty years ago and true to his words, Severus saw to his father's death.
His father's end came on his eighteenth birthday. The Dark Lord had ordered Lucius and Rosier to bring in Severus's his birthday present. It had been his father. That Sectumsempra had been viciously satisfying, particularly when he saw the absolute fear in Tobias's eyes as blood gushed out of the chest wound. It was only moments before the Muggle man died from a massive blood loss and till the moment of his death on the cold dungeon floor, he was pleading pathetically for his life. Severus had his lips curled in disgust and scorn as he savoured the wave of power washing through him while the Dark Lord, Lucius and Rosier observed.
Along the way, Severus fell in with the darker Slytherins, led by Lucius Malfoy and Evan Rosier. His talents in Potions caught the attention of the handsome blond and taken in by the rare attention given to him, Severus steadily was lured into the world of murder, deceit and power. At the height of the Dark Lord's reign, he was a third of Voldemort's most trusted. His prowess with Potions and his intelligence gained him the Dark Lord's favour, alongside Lucius and Evan.
He almost drowned in the darkness. Severus was held back by his love for a particular Muggleborn witch, Lily Evans. He was always on the edge but he never tipped over because he still held hope. However, he tipped over when he heard the wedding announcement from Lucius.
A year later, his beloved Lily was dead. All because of a stupid prophecy he just happened to hear and because he was stupid enough to report it to the Dark Lord.
Severus swallowed the surge of his guilt; he caused the death of the woman he loved and still love. If anything, Severus thought himself to be an unredeemable man. He was destined for Hell and he would welcome his deserved punishment with open arms when the time came. Then came in Dumbledore, promising redemption and the prospect of being a free man at the end of the war.
He became a double-agent, stuck between two masters, often moments from being uncovered and dead. He was still a spy; the Dark Lord had previously sent him to Hogwarts to spy on Dumbledore. But there was now a significant difference: Severus wanted Voldemort dead and permanently gone from the face of the planet.
Severus sighed and laid a hand on his mother's tombstone.
"Mother, what should I do?"
A light breeze caressed his face and the man closed his eyes, hoping to draw a moment of peace. Suddenly, as light and as soft as the breeze, his mother's voice rang out by his ear.
"It's never too late to turn back, my son…"
Severus's eyes snapped open to reveal shocked obsidian orbs. The man whipped his head around.
"Mother?"
He then sighed and knelt before the tombstone, his mother's portrait looking straight at him. Severus was hit with another flashback, this time from his early teenaged years. He had just received his Hogwarts letter and for the first time of his life, he saw his father laying a hand on his mother.
Wide-eyed and fearful, Severus scrambled back into his small room and covered his ears and eyes with a pillow to dull out the cruel reality. When he heard the front door slam shut and the car engine firing up to go, Severus rushed to the living and saw his mother bloodied and bruised.
"Mother, are you alright?" He asked despite knowing the answer. Eileen merely smiled and nodded. She tried to stand but she stumbled, Severus caught her and brought her into his room. Eileen was laid to rest on the small bed and taking the initiative, Severus ran to the kitchen and brought with him a basin of hot water, a cloth and the medical kit.
After meticulously tending to his mother, Severus couldn't hold in his tears. Eileen sat up and gathered her distraught son into her hurting arms.
"I'm so sorry, mother! I'm not going to Hogwarts anymore, I will not practice magic, I'll just continue being normal. I don't want Father to hurt you anymore! I don't want to see you hurt! I'm not going to Hogwarts!"
Eileen only smiled and chastised her son gently, "Silly boy, you are attending Hogwarts come this fall. I will not allow otherwise. You are a wizard and you have to be proud to be one. It is a precious gift."
"But…"
"But nothing. This is a very precious gift and I want you to use this gift for good, there is so many things you can do with this gift to help people."
"Really?" Severus was captivated from that moment on.
Eileen nodded and explained. "Well, there are many ways in which you could help. For instance making potions to heal people or learning spells to protect people. If you are really good, you could even invent new potions or spells to help people…"
A young Severus locked onto the idea of potions and spell-crafting ever since. Finally, Eileen made her young son promise her something.
"Severus…"
"Yes, Mother?"
"What you have is something phenomenal and I don't want you to waste such a gift. Promise me that you will not use your powers for your own gain; promise me that you will not fall into the darkness. If you do…" Eileen looked away in pain before continuing, "promise me that you will get out of it."
"Okay, Mother. I promise."
"Good boy," Eileen smiled beautifully despite the bruising, "I love you."
"Love you too, Mum."
Severus didn't know the full context of the promise then but when he reached third-year and came across a Pureblood genealogy book in the library, he realised what his mother was talking about. Eileen Snape was previously known as Eileen Prince, hailing from a family known for their Dark inclinations. His mother had escaped from home, unable to take the atmosphere of her childhood home any longer. But when he fell in with the likes of Malfoy and Rosier, the promise was stored and locked away, forgotten until now.
Severus opened his eyes and looked up to meet his mother's portrait.
"I'll start keeping the promise from now on. I will not disappoint you, Mother…"
A breeze danced across the meadow, caressing his face again. Severus took in a deep breath of the clean fresh air, feeling lighter in years.
"Night, Moony…" Harry yawned cutely and then snuggled deeper into his quilts. Remus smiled softly and stroked his charge's messy black locks.
"Goodnight, Harry."
The werewolf left the room and closed the door with a soft click, leaving the young child to his sweet dreams. Suddenly, his mobile phone vibrated in his pocket. Remus took out his phone and saw that it was a text message from Kyle.
The young Lord had made some practical modifications to the manor, adding various Muggle appliances to the property after modifying the devices to run on magic instead of electricity. Remus, having lived almost ten years as a Muggle, didn't have any problems taking advantage of the technology. His young student took to it like fish to water, enjoying computer games for a scheduled hour everyday.
Contact Athena Rowan, he has given us support.
Remus smiled and quickly went to the owlery to contact the lawyer. The werewolf felt hope well in his heart; he'll see his mate again!
Wait for me, Sirius. We'll get you out soon…
TBC...
Coming Up Next: To Save a Black
Hope you all liked this chapter! This was the most difficult chapter I've written so far (I'm sure there's many more to come...) but I personally loved the part about Severus and Lucius - that's my understanding of both characters. Severus's one of my favourite characters in the book - multi-faceted, realistic and fascinating while Lucius is just plain smexy (LOL) I hope that this will give you all a better understanding of Severus and his plight.
I'm excited for the next chapter where Sirius Black WILL be on his way to be released and be reunited with our favourite werewolf and Fudge would be gratifyingly humiliated, alongside Dumbledore. Sirius will be a strong character later on, having hardened from his trials and tribulations in Azkaban.
Alright, enough sneak peeks! Read on to find out what's coming up next!
For those who still hasn't voted or don't know: there is a poll that will determine the order of my next stories. Summaries are on my bio, if you would like to see your favourite potential stories be written, go vote.
Feel free to leave a comment or share ideas. Until next time!
Cheers,
Lex.