Surprise motha' fuckas! I got choo! He's another snippet from the same night. Hope you enjoy the perspective.

~~~

The night became infinitely more interesting when they walked in. Both tall, both mysterious. Mary had her eyes affixed to the blonde. His hair long like a rock star but clean and straight. The other lucky enough, Lila was more interested in. For a man his hair was long, to the top of his shoulders, unlike his companion it was dark and had a bit of sway in it. His face hid his thoughts well. She bit down on her straw watching them approach the bar. Mary exchanged a look with her and said nothing until the nameless blonde caught their notice.

"Hmmm both are tasty looking." Mary said in an increasingly drunk whisper.

"Think they'd go for it?" Lila turned in towards her friend as though the men on the other side could hear them. Mary giggled and Lila followed as the man in all black looked at them and then slapped his friend lightly on the cheek with a loud "OI!"

"We may have to split them up darling Lila." Mary said putting her drink down and quickly adjusted her bra to maximize her natural talent. "I'm going for the long locks, think you can manage tall dark and scary?" Before she could answer Mary made her way over to the pair.

"I like em dark and scary." Lila said to herself and joined her friend who was being greeted warmly by her choice.

"Good evening ladies. I'm Lucius Malfoy." His hand extended to Lila and then Mary, placing a kiss on the back of their hands. A gesture they were familiar with in movies and story books but had never actually had anyone do it to them. It made them both blush. "And this dark and handsome man is my friend, Severus Snape."

Once everyone was introduced and they chatted for a while, Lila found herself magnetic to Severus. He was quiet much of the conversation and truly only spoke to his cousin directly. His obvious shyness portrayed an innocence she found irresistible. She imagined him to be very passionate, secretive man who in her opinion needed to be corrupted as soon as possible. His clear inexperience with the opposite sex charmed her into instant infatuation.

"Come on, how about a round?" Lucius suggested and steered Mary to the pool table.

"Oh I'm rubbish at pool!"

"Nonsense! You and I shall be on a team and Severus will take the lovely Lila. Eh Severus?"

"In a moment." Lila stayed behind for a moment, waiting for teammate to join them. She almost felt bad putting him in an uncomfortable place, but if she was being selfish, and she was, Lila wanted to stay near him. He trudged over to the jukebox and like a shadow hovered over him until he selected a song. She smiled, approving of his choice.

"I like that Robert Plant." And pulled on his arm to join them at the table. She was fortuitous for having as a partner, on the first break he'd shot one in and managed another on his second turn. When it was Lila's turn to shoot Severus came around her back and leaned into the table with her.

"Here." his hand came around hers, positioning it in a stable stance. They were rough, calloused and some places felt raw, like they'd been burnt. She smiled, discovering they'd been deceived. It was clear that Lucius was wealthy and could perhaps be who he said he was but Severus, no his hands had felt pain, sweat and strength. The only possible thing he could have been a teacher of was chemistry, maybe some martial arts. He was in no way the polished instructor that rich families coveted to educate their children. She was intrigued more than anything. A rich boy and poor boy, friends, in this bar together. Why? How did they know each other? Perhaps they truly were cousins and their closeness defied their families wishes. "Don't take your eye off it."

She'd hardly been listening to his words, only the sound they made. Smooth, calm and entirely focused on the task. His hands warm, directing her. Which made it more miraculous when she actually hit the ball to its destination. Overcome with excitement she locked her arms around him in an ecstatic jump. He tensed and froze at her touch. Lila released him and received Mary's congratulations.

It wasn't long before their mysterious companions became more interesting than the game. Severus had said a woman's name which caught Mary's attention and thus Lila's.

"Whose that?" From his pocket Lucius took out a 4X3 photo and handed it to them. Frayed at the edges and the color faded the photo still held the image of a beautiful woman. Her expression was fierce and stoic, regal. All except her eyes which subtly reviled a softness. Most likely for the man whose pocket her picture rested in, protectively.

"You see ladies, this is my bride to be."

"She's beautiful." Mary said with a sigh of disappointment in her voice.

"How did you get so lucky?" Lucius proceeded to proclaim his pure affections to his love in the most clear and loud way as possible. Lila laughed at his dramatics until she noticed her dark stranger hand wandered to the bar who was not nearly as charmed by his friend. She joined him and nudged him in the arm to tell him he was with company.

"So it's a stag party eh?"

"He insisted." Severus kept his eyes on the gold cider bubbling to the rim of the glass.

"Haven't you got one?" Lila pressed him again.

"What, a party?"

"No. A wife, girlfriend?" A question she'd been dreading all night. At first she figured that his awkwardness and silent eye rolls would have made it incapable for him to have another half. Yet she was fascinated with him so deeply after only shortly meeting him, why not someone else?

"No. I had one…sort of."

"How do you sort of have a wife?"

"I mean…" Lila regretted asking now, his mind and inarticulacy were loosing to the drinks he'd been pounding away at all night. "I had a friend, who I liked. But she…she's with someone else now." The way his voice drifted she could tell there was more pain in that story but it was not for this night.

"I see. So, you're still hung up on her eh?"

"Ye-up." So his sarcasm wasn't completely gone.

"Well that's a shame isn't it? For her I mean."

Mary roared with laughter as Lucius made one last attempt to shoot a ball into a pocket before nearly hitting himself in the stomach with the pool cue. He left it on the table and with his own chuckling returned to her side. She tucked her arm across his back and clinched his side as he allowed himself to fall slightly into her touch.

"Did you know…" He coughed and took another drink. "That Severus is a genius." She had gathered as much. If he was the teacher Lucius claimed him to be. Someone of his reservation would have to rely on such qualities to push through in life. Lucius on the other hand, while clearly not stupid had another skill set that unfortunately was more valuable than raw intelligence.

He was drunk now, but before that he had the grace of a gentleman and a wit sharp as diamonds. If he was an artist, he was the strangest one she'd ever met. No, Lucius had the tongue of a politician, maybe a lawyer. He always seemed to know something others didn't, some secret circling his mind only waiting for you to make a mistake.

"Oh I believe that." She squeezed him and smiled as he looked at her. His eyes interested but not the slightest hint of disloyalty. Too bad, the good ones are always taken.

"Absolutely brilliant. Once you get past his…" Lucius fluttered his hand up and down Severus who was now standing a few feet from him, annoyed. "Well all of that scariness he's quite a gentle soul."

"Awwww." Mary cooed "that's so sweet of you to say." In a strange way she could see it. Severus' energy spoke of someone who tried very hard to keep his genuine feelings and thoughts a secret. As though showing the slightest interest in anything would be a death wish.

"Its true. There was this girl you see-" He was interrupted by Severus' clear desire for the subject to be avoided. Lila's eyes said all Mary had wanted to know. They had talked briefly about the topic Lucius was rambling at. "Hush Severus. This girl in school head over heels for her, still is."

"Lucius don't!" Mary straightened herself up and looked over at Lila who had the same face of concern.

"Hopeless romantic. She's not good enough for him. On top of that she's a mud-"

"Lucius!" Finally silenced, Lucius stopped and realized where the conversation was going.

"Right well. My cousin has made his point clear. We should be off now ladies." Disappointed at their departure both girls understood and wished Lucius all the luck and happiness in the world. Severus had said nothing. His eyes affixed to the floor and then to the door when it was time to leave he directed his friend out the door and into the night with the door slowly closing behind them.

Not long after the girls had decided it was time for them to leave as well. The night was aging terribly into the morning and the both of them had errands to run through out the day. After they were comfortably seated in the tube Mary raised her brows at her friend.

"What?"

"Well mine was a bust, but your dear brooding teacher was single yes?" Lila chuckled and sighed.

"I'm afraid he's still hung up on some other bird."

"What a shame. Two good looking lads. One's so in love he wouldn't even go for a snog and the other is so broken up over his last girl he can't have fun." Mary shook her head. Only jealous that such men never came their way and the rotten ones were so forward in their desires and not to mention abundant.

"Can't say they were all good though Mary."

"What you mean?"

"Come on now, a private tutor and an artist? Don't make me laugh."

"Oh they were just having a bit of fun. They weren't lying about one thing though. They were cousins for sure."

"Yes, they did have a closeness about them huh?"

"You mucked it up Lila, you could have at least gotten his number. I'm sure if you'd gotten hot n' heavy with him he'd of forgotten all about that other chit."

"No. I think it would take more than that to get her off his mind. Something about it, I think he was in love with her." Mary shook her head and sighed.

"Shame shame. All the good ones are taken."

"Shame indeed."

I'm just saying if those two walked into a bar and I found out they weren't ripe for picking I'd be pretty upset too.