"My dear sister," Lucius remarked to Severus, "Must you insist on pouting."
"I cannot help but be displeased." The woman in question returned, the harsh scowl maligning her face increasing in intensity.
"You are at a ball, Severus." Lucius chided gently. "Not a funeral."
"I see little difference between the two." His pseudo-sister argued, glaring out into the crowd of dancing couples.
"But you so love to dance." Lucius reminded, attempting to rouse the young woman from her self-inflected misery.
"That may be true enough." Severus acquiesced, her pale face still rather stern. "But you neglect to mention that this ball is being attended by quite a few Gryffindors. And among the most odious of these guests is Sirius Black. A beast, whom I am sure you will recall, has always delighted in making me miserable."
"Oh, but we mustn't forget that you are so very quick to be displeased." Lucius teased, earning himself a low growl from the unamused witch.
"You're a great deal too apt, I find, to dislike people in general." Narcissa chimed. "You find fault in everybody, Severus, and all the world is unpleasant and disagreeable in your eyes."
"My cynical nature cannot be helped." Severus defended. "The more I see of this world, the more I am dissatisfied with it."
"You act if we were in the company of dementors." Narcissa observed, checking her lipstick with an emerald encrusted compact mirror.
"But do you mean to tell me, Narcissa, that you find the company of Gryffindors any more favorable than I do?"
"I should think not." The blonde woman sniffed. "But as this is event is an extremely formal one, I have tact enough to hide such disdain."
"Then it appears that I am simply more genuine in my dealings with people." Severus remarked, opting to ignore the lascivious smile Amicus Carrow sent her way.
"Severus," Lucius cautioned, "I will not have you behaving in anything but a respectable fashion tonight."
"As you wish." Severus surrendered, no doubt sensing the sincerity of the warning.
Hoping that the stubborn woman would keep to her word, Lucius flagged down a rather somber-faced waiter and procured a few glasses of wine for the each of them. Ever the connoisseur of fine vintages Severus eager accepted hers and barely gave pause before swallowing a great amount.
"Mr. Malfoy."
Evidently having been made aware of their recent arrival, Sirius Black had sauntered though over to their table with a certain air of gravity. Freshly released from Azkaban, the infamous anamagi's skin had not yet recovered a healthy color or glow. And the grey eyes, though just as lively as they'd been during his youth, had an air of somberness exacerbated by the dark circles lining them.
"Mr. Black." Lucius deigned to answer, wondering for what reason the Marauder had come.
After a somewhat malicious handshake had been exchanged between the two men, rather begrudgingly on behalf of the former, the younger man turned his attentions unto his cousin.
"Narcissa." Black grinned, forgoing formality for familiarity.
"Sirius." Narcissa replied in kind, but much less aggressively than could be expected.
His ravishing wife even went so far as to allow the newly pardoned man to her cheek, a privilege said woman was more than particular in granting. Unfortunately for the Hogwarts alumni, such an action was not without consequence. Having amplified the color of her cheeks with a tasteful application of rouge, Narcissa's permissiveness had resulted in embarrassingly red lips for the last surviving male of the Black line.
Understandably, such an outcome tickled Severus to no end. Giving into her amusement, she giggled softly, making no real effort to curb her delight. Under different circumstances, Lucius might have delivered her a scolding glower. But as it was only Black on the receiving end of her impoliteness, and not anybody he held in high esteem, Lucius found such a rebuke would be as uncalled for as it would be hypnotical. Nor did he have the heart to extinguish her smile, for Lucius had not seen such a pleased expression on Severus's face in ages.
"And who is this joyful vixen?"
At the innocent (yet flirtatious) question, Severus visibly bristled and recoiled as the former convict tried to reach for her hand. Stunned by such a jarring reaction to his good manners, the Marauder stood stupidly and was slow to withdraw his hand.
"Dear cousin," Narcissa snickered, "The answer to your question is Severus Snape."
Black's friendly grin faltered at the revelation, and his grey eyes served to document his incredulity. Almost stunned, the stubble-faced aristocrat took a quick step backward, an inhuman noise escaping his lips.
"Merlin, Black!" Lucius snapped, insulted on his sister's behalf. "You act as if you've come face-to-face with a feral werewolf."
At the unsavory reference to his newly-outed friend, the spurned gentleman scowled and looked ready to attack. Anticipating the assault, be it physical or verbal, Lucius stealthily withdrew his wand and held it ready beneath the table.
"Please, allow me to explain myself." Black surrendered, uncharacteristically docile and subdued.
"By all means." Narcissa obliged, waving her hand permissively.
Having effortlessly received permission from his cousin to speak, Black refocused his attentions unto the glowering Severus. Undeterred by the overwhelmingly icy reception, the Gryffindor even went so far as to smile.
"Miss Snape," He began, "I must ask that you not interpret my earlier surprise for rudeness."
"Must you?" Severus mocked, sneering disdainfully.
"Yes." Black assured, unfalteringly.
"I'm not convinced." Severus dismissed, turning back to her wine.
Beneath the table, Narcissa surreptitiously reached across Lucius's lap to pinch the insolent woman's thigh. Jerking minutely at the unexpected attack, Severus leveled a powerful glower at the blonde woman that promised retribution.
"Severus." Narcissa smiled sweetly, refusing to yield. "Let the man speak."
"As if he needs anyone's permission to talk." Severus muttered, low enough so that only Lucius heard.
"Thank you, Narcissa." The Anamagi acknowledged, awarding her a bright smile before turning back to his disparager.
Still determined not to acknowledge her former tormentor, Severus made a great show of rifling through her handbag. Mildly annoyed, the freed man frowned at the blatant disrespect before resuming his train of thought.
"Miss Snape." Black addressed, his hesitation palpable. "You'll be flattered to find that your overwhelming beauty simply stunned me, as I have not had the privilege of seeing you since graduation."
In response to the polite, and possibly even truthful compliment, Severus's eyes narrowed into serpentine slits.
"You've come to mock me."
Severus's allegation was uttered with unconcealed venom, the acidity behind the words chilling even Lucius to a mild degree.
"You underestimate my sincerity?" The Marauder wondered, a playful look animating his face.
"Do I?" Severus seethed, her dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"Indeed." Black calmly assured. "And I find I would be remiss as a gentleman if I did not comment, at least once, on how fetchingly your eyes sparkle beneath the light of a chandelier."
Ever the victim of horrendously low self-esteem, the genuine compliment seemed to overwhelm Severus entirely. A sensation extremely unfamiliar to the overpowered occlumens, as Severus had always prided herself on her impeccable skills of reading people and anticipating their every move.
But, much a testament to her mastery of occlumency, Severus quickly recovered and scowled murderously up into the face of her former bully. Had Lucius not known the Potion-Mistress as well as he did, he might have expected her to spit in the clueless man's face.
"I refuse to be the recipient of your mockery."
With that waspish declaration, Severus hastily rose from the table and stomped away; her silver heels clacking quite loudly as she made her retreat.
"Excuse me." Lucius muttered, in a hurry to attend to his sister.