Chapter Thirty-Four
Wiltshire, England, 24 December, 1991
Walking through the knee-deep snow was not easy, which is part of the reason none of the inhabitants of the quiet neighborhood ventured outside on this blustery Christmas Eve. If they had gone outside, some of them may have noticed that the foreboding, abandoned manor house at the top of the hill was looking decidedly cheery and well-lit. They may have noticed all of the footprints leading up the hill, and even the dark outlines of many people.
They probably would not have noticed the popping sounds that the wind carried away.
But none of these things were noticed in any case, because these good people did not venture from their homes, fearing the oncoming blizzard.
In the manor house on the hill, however, things were quite busy indeed. Two young boys ran through the halls, waving sticks with wild abandon. A woman, likely their mother, chased a shrieking toddler- who appeared to be riding a broom- through the house. The father was nowhere to be seen.
"Marvela! Come back here!" Narcissa yelled, chasing her daughter down the stairs. She hadn't an inkling of where the little girl had gotten her hands on Adrian's old broom, as she'd given it away years ago.
She was also trying to avoid tripping on her dress. She was particularly proud of it, a strapless floor-length gown in a beautiful shade of green with intricate beading on the front. The back of the dress formed a short train.
As she raced past Lucius' locked study door, she sighed. Lucius had come home yesterday ashen-faced and had locked himself in his study. He hadn't been out since yesterday.
"Boys, will you help me catch your sister before the guests start-"
Ding-dong!
"-arriving," she finished with a loud sigh and a wry smile.
Draco calmly levitated his sister off of the broom and into Dobby's waiting arms. The broom clattered to the floor, where it was quickly vanished by one of the elves.
She adjusted her hair and her gown before calmly answering the door.
The Greengrass family, with all three of their daughters stood at the door, robes swirling around them in the wind.
The oldest girl held the youngest's hand and seemed especially eager to get inside. Though that should really come as no surprise, Narcissa supposed, since the girl was rail-thin.
Adrian and Draco came in then, robes crisp and pressed. They both bowed low, wands crossed over their hearts in the traditional fashion. When the bow was returned by Lord Greengrass, they stood tall, squared their shoulders, and put their wands back into their robe pockets.
The oldest daughter giggled and curtsied, handing her wrap to Dobby, who had appeared suddenly at her side.
"Welcome, Lord and Lady Greengrass," Narcissa said, beckoning them inside with a small smile.
Marvela toddled in and shrieked happily at the sight of the oldest girl. "Daphne!" she exclaimed.
Daphne smiled and nodded. "That's right. How did you know that?"
"Adwian said you were weally pwetty," she giggled.
Adrian, face red as any Weasley's, came up behind her and clapped his hand over her mouth, laughing nervously. "The party for all the younger guests is in the parlor. I'll show everyone where it is."
He hurried off in the direction of his and Draco's party, ignoring Draco's smirk and Daphne's equally red face.
Draco, still smirking snapped his fingers and an elf appeared, grabbed Marvela's arm, and disappeared, presumably to put the little girl to bed.
Narcissa lead the adults into the ballroom where pre-charmed music was playing quietly.
The ballroom was quite possibly the most beautiful area in the manor. It was a relic of a more refined age, when class and elegance meant everything. The wallpaper was silver and green, of course, with the green forming delicate vines and the silver as the backdrop. The ceilings soared, and skylights showed the snow swirling in the moonlight high above. Windows ran from floor to ceiling, and were covered slightly by draperies the same shade of green as the vines upon the walls. Candles hung above the dance floor, casting the entire room in a soft glow of light. On the far wall was a long table covered in plates of food prepared specially by imported house-elves.
Narcissa was proud of her sons. They'd been respectful and straightforward, and except for Marvela's little slip, had behaved admirably.
Briefly, Narcissa toyed with the idea of Adrian and Daphne. True, they were both young, and non-heirs were rarely matched, but she was an heiress, and Adrian came from one of the oldest and wealthiest families in England. They were friends, and seemed fond of one another…
She shook her head and laughed quietly at herself. Thinking of such things was ridiculous. They were only children, after all.
A familiar hand slipped into hers and another around her waist, and she had to smile.
"I'm sorry for being late," he whispered. "Something came up that needed my attention."
She turned and took in his perfectly-tailored silver robes, dark green vest silver dress shirt, dark green tie, and that smile he only had for her. His long hair was tied back, showing off his sharply carved features and sparkling gray eyes.
"Are you sure you can tear yourself away?" she asked wryly.
"Anything for you, Narcissa. Even tearing myself away from a fascinating history lesson," he chuckled, planting a quick kiss on her cheek.
She started to question him further when the Goyle's were shown in, the Nott's right behind them. Lord and Lady Malfoy greeted them graciously, and then the guests began arriving in a constant stream.
Many of the oldest families were there, and they mingled in a typical society fashion; polite, even jovial, on the outside while plotting to overthrow, defame, or blackmail whoever they were talking to. It was like a choreographed dance, light and easy in the foreground with darkness, secrecy, and intricacy weaved in the back.
All of the guests had arrived by now, and the children had been led to their party.
All of the guests, that is, but the Potter's, the two Weasley children, and Severus.
The party was in full swing when Dobby alerted her that the Potter family had arrived at last. She found Lucius, and they slipped unnoticed from the party to greet their guests.
Lord and Lady Potter beamed at their hosts, both dressed as they should be; she in a flowing turquoise dress with a scarf over her arms, he in a set of black robes with a scarlet shirt and dark gold tie, the Potter signet ring on his finger.
Lily greeted them warmly before beckoning the children into the house. The Potter's boy greeted them shyly and apologized for his behavior over the summer. He wore robes similar to what her own sons wore, black silk with a suit underneath, and a yellow tie. The Weasley boy bowed in a traditional fashion, very formal and serious. His hair was gelled back and he wore what were obviously hand-me-down robes, faded but well fitting on his lean frame, no doubt due to some help from his mother. The girl was pale and nervous, but very determined, and she curtsied, albeit a bit clumsily. Lucius and Narcissa returned the formal greetings, surprised that lowly Weasley's knew the traditional and respectful way in which purebloods greeted one another.
Adrian and Draco came out into the foyer, smiling at the sight of their friends.
The door burst open then, a cold blast hitting them all as Severus Snape walked in, scowling and covered in snow.
"It's a bloody blizzard out there! How you expect people to get through that, I haven't the faintest idea, Lucius! Did you have to make it so damned cold?" he spluttered, shaking snow from his hair and robes, not noticing that there was another family in the foyer.
When he looked up, ready to yell at his friend some more, his eyes caught those of Lily Potter. He froze.
"Hello, Severus," she said quietly, a tiny, sad smile on her lips.
"Hello, Lil- Lady Potter," he replied, bowing. He ducked his head at James, shooting him a dirty look, and bowed to his hosts. "I apologize for my tardiness, Lucius. I hope I caused no trouble."
"None at all, my friend. We were a bit concerned, though. It isn't like you to be late," Lucius said, smiling.
Severus suddenly got a nauseated look on his face as he took in who exactly was in the entryway. Henry, Draco, Adrian, Lily and James, and Lucius and Narcissa.
"Are you well, Severus?" Narcissa asked. "You look… ill."
"Y-yes, I'm fine. Shall we?" he asked hurriedly.
Lucius stared at him shrewdly, his raptor gaze making another appearance.
Severus Hurried into the ballroom, black cloak flowing behind him.
"Why is Uncle Sevewus acting funny?"
They all looked up and saw Marvela peering at them from the top of the stairs, where she stood in her pajamas, bear in hand.
"Vela, you're supposed to be in bed," Narcissa sighed.
"I'm not t-tiwed," the little girl yawned.
The adults laughed, and Narcissa went up the stairs to put her daughter back to bed.
"Hey, our party's this way," Draco said, jerking his head over his shoulder. "Let's go."
Ron, Ginny, and Henry followed the brothers into a large room where a party indeed in full swing. The Weird Sisters were wailing away on their instruments, and everyone was dancing wildly. Ginny, Ron's younger sister looked on the scene with wide eyes, but Ron merely whooped and joined the mob. Laughing, Adrian and Draco followed after him, disappearing into.
Henry grabbed some butterbeers from a passing house-elf and, spotting a table across the room, motioned for Ginny to join him.
She smiled and followed after him. Though she'd been in awe of him at first, a few days in his home had proven that he was an ordinary, albeit shy, eleven-year old boy. He was an exceptionally talented artist, though he denied it, and she found Henry Potter fascinating. They got along really well, harassing Ron together at every opportunity.
"Is this what all these parties are like?" Ginny yelled over the music.
"I was about to ask you the same thing!" he yelled back.
"How should I know? I've never been invited to a place like this!" she replied, laughing.
"Me either. Well, I suppose I have, but I've never been to one," Henry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mum and Dad are pretty strict on that. They try to keep me pretty grounded."
"I'm glad. You'd be no fun if you were an arrogant git," she laughed.
"Yeah, well, I was, but your brother and the others beat my ego into submission," he smiled.
"I'm glad they did."
The music suddenly turned to something quieter and slower.
Out the corner of his eye, Henry saw Adrian ask Daphne to dance, stuttering and burning red. She nodded and they danced awkwardly.
"D'you want to dance?" Ginny asked.
"Sure," Henry laughed. "Aren't I supposed to ask you?"
"Usually, yes," she said, taking his hand and pulling him onto the floor. "But you seem to be a most unusual person."
He laughed and they swayed to the easy beat, laughing at Ron who was dancing with a simpering Pansy Parkinson, not seeming happy in the least with his partner. Draco was also laughing at the pair of them, and Henry supposed that Ron had lost some bet or other.
"This is more fun than I thought it'd be," Henry admitted, looking at the other partygoers. "I didn't think I'd be very welcome here."
"Me either. I'm glad I stayed in England," she said. "Romania smells like smoke."
"Interesting. Why is that?" Henry joked. "Couldn't be the dragons, could it?"
"I don't think so. Perhaps the Muggles have a factory?" she mused.
The music picked back up then, and they wandered back to their table.
As they watched, Ron broke free of Pansy's grip and ran over to Draco, face twisted in anger. He swung mightily and landed a heavy blow on the other boy's arm. Draco yelped, jumped up, and returned the hit. This went on for almost a minute when Neville wandered over, slapped them both on the back of their heads, and strolled away. They stared after him, thunderstruck.
Henry and Ginny busted up laughing at Neville's boldness.
Perhaps he belonged in Gryffindor after all.
The adult party was… awkward at best.
The Potter's and Mrs. Longbottom were ostracized by the Slytherin-heavy crowd, but made light of it, visiting easily and laughing.
Severus Snape approached their table and asked to speak with Lily.
She readily agreed, and they walked off onto the balcony.
"What do you want, Severus?" she asked. The balcony had been charmed to keep out the snow and cold, and watching the stark-white snow dance through the dark night was fascinating.
"I-I don't believe I ever apologized- really apologized- for what I said all those years ago. I never meant it, not for a moment, and I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry," he blurted.
"You're forgiven, Severus."
"Good, because now I have a question."
"Ask away," she said, watching the snow swirl, her back to him.
"What happened to Harry James Potter?"
She stiffened.
"You had twins, didn't you?" Severus asked. "I remember reading it in the Prophet."
Oh, how that article had torn him apart….
"Y-yes, James and I had twins, but-"
"So where is your other son?" he pressed. "Why isn't he with your family? Did he die?"
"NO!" she shouted at him. Steadying herself on the railing, she said more quietly, "No, he didn't die."
"Then where is he?"
"I don't know," she said, tears of anger in her eyes. "I don't know where he is."
"I might."
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!
No, Sev, no!
I gave you all an extra long chapter, in hopes that you'll forgive me for making you wait so long.
But I'm back now, and ready for all of you to review like mad!!
I also have a pic of Narcissa's dress in my profile, along with a new picture of Sev.
Please don't hate me!
-TheNefariousMe
