(Friday, March 17th, waxing moon)
Tears blurred his vision. Peter couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't.
He wasn't brave, not like Sirius. He couldn't tell his mum to fuck off like Sirius had. He couldn't run away like Sirius did. Not if it was just him that his mum was threatening.
But this? This was a step too far.
The air sparked around him, and everyone jumped out of his way, never before seeing the mousy Gryffindor so enraged.
He knocked (banged) on Professor McGonagall's office door, trembling with rage. With terror. His face didn't know whether to be white or red.
"Enter," came the sharp command.
He rushed in, and something on his face made the harsh reprimand on the tip of her tongue halt. "Mr. Pettigrew." She said, somewhat cautiously.
"Professor," he choked. "Just – read this." He slammed the letter down on her desk. She gave him a searching look before picking up the letter to read. It wasn't a long letter. It held only one line: "I told you what would happen if you continued to be friends with those boys; this is your fault, Peter."
Professor McGonagall looked up at him. "What is the meaning of this?"
"My mother," he said, swallowing the terror clawing its way up his throat, "is a Knight of Walpurgis."
Professor McGonagall had her wand out in an instant and Peter screwed his eyes shut, shrinking back, but she only used it to close the door and ward against eavesdroppers.
"Mr. Pettigrew," she said, her voice strange. "Peter," she tried, and he opened his eyes to find her crestfallen face. "I won't do anything to you, Peter. You are safe here; I give you my word. But, please, explain the letter. What do you think your mother has done?"
"Mother – she, she doesn't like my friends. She doesn't like me in Gryffindor. She never did. She wanted me in Slytherin – or Ravenclaw. She wants me to join the Knights, Professor!" He cried. "I'm not like Sirius, I'm not strong like him. He defied his parents when they wanted him to join! He ran away! What did I do? Nothing! I'm useless! And mother, mother told me I wouldn't like what happened if I stayed friends with them – but this is my last year! I wasn't going to go home to her after this year, so I thought that it wouldn't matter if we were still friends! But James-" his voice broke, and he began sobbing.
McGonagall was around her desk in a flash, wrapping Peter in a hug. "It's okay, Peter, you're okay. You're safe here. James is safe. Sirius is safe. Remus is safe."
"Bu-but their parents aren't!" Peter cried. "Si-Sirius's parents will probably be fine, but, but James's parents! Remus's parents! She knows where they live! We, we have to warn them, Professor, we have to!"
"I will floo them straight away, Peter," she said, leading him over to the chair in front of her desk. He sat down heavily, tears still running down his face. She conjured him a handkerchief which he took gratefully.
"Have a biscuit, Peter," she said, flicking her wand at the jar she kept on her desk so it floated over to him. "I'll floo the Potters and Lupins now – yes I know the floo addresses. I'd have to, considering all of the trouble you four have gotten into over the past seven years."
A laugh bubbled out of him, a slightly hysterical edge to it as he took a biscuit. It would be okay. Professor McGonagall would make sure it was okay. With one last nod towards him, she was gone in a flash of green flames and Peter was left with nothing to do but wait.
Five minutes turned to ten and Peter scrubbed at his face with the handkerchief, the drying tears making his face feel tight.
Ten minutes turned to twenty and Peter shifted in his chair, chewing on his bottom lip. His eyes roamed Professor McGonagall's office for lack of anything better to do, taking in details he hadn't noticed before in the multitude of trips he had there over the past seven years. Every few moments, his attention would slide back to the fireplace, waiting for a spark of green flame to signal his Head of House's return with good news. She couldn't return with anything but good news. She just couldn't. The Potters and Lupins would be okay. They had to be.
Twenty turned to thirty and he couldn't stand waiting anymore. He leaped out of his chair and grabbed floo powder from the mantle. Just as he was about to throw it in the flames, they whooshed green, causing him to stumble back and trip over his own feet. He landed on his rear with an oomph and his pinch of floo powder lay glittering around him.
Professor McGonagall came out of the flames, her eyes flinty and her mouth in a firm line. She blinked seeing Peter on the floor, but she made no comment as she helped him up from the floor.
"Are they okay?" He pressed. "James and Remus's parents? They're okay?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but gave herself a shake, not unlike the way a cat would flick its ears. "For now," she said, causing him to sag in relief. "Come, Peter, we need to speak with the headmaster. And to your friends."
"Wh-why?" He asked, anxiety creeping back in.
McGonagall sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I convinced the Lupins to move to my summer home for the time being, and… the Potters have Dragon Pox."
"Dragon Pox?" he squeaked. "No-no-no, they have a family healer! They get checkups regularly! They're vaccinated!"
Her grim countenance returned. "I know. Come, Peter," McGonagall said, gently pushing him towards her office door. "We need to speak with the headmaster. And Peter?" He looked up at her. "This was a very brave thing you did – you are every bit as brave and strong as Sirius. Never think otherwise."
"Thank you, Professor," he said. Tears welled up in his eyes again as his heart soared at her words. He had often worried he wasn't enough despite his friends' insistence that he absolutely was. It was one thing to hear that from his friends, and another entirely to hear it from his Head of House.
{Furius Draconis}
(Saturday, March 18th)
"Remind me again why we have two weeks off for a Muggle holiday that the majority of us do not celebrate?" Severus asked as he and Narcissa made their way towards Hogsmeade Station, opting to walk instead of using the carriages. Practically no other students did the same, so it allowed them time together away from the prying eyes and ears of other students. That did not stop Severus from raising and maintaining a privacy ward.
Narcissa smiled at him. "It is less for the Muggle holiday and more for the multitude of rituals and traditions that have been practiced on these isles and elsewhere throughout history that coincide with the spring equinox. It is only recently – under Dumbledore's tenure as headmaster – that this break has been renamed 'Easter' and extends to include the Muggle holiday."
"Ah," he said, with a nod. She could practically see him mentally adding that to his research list for later - a list that was sure to already be the length of his arm should he write it down.
"I'm a little surprised you do not already know this, my dear," she said.
He gave a half shrug. "Mother never told me about any of these rituals and traditions. She only told me enough to ensure I did not offend the Names of Power."
"I am glad she did at least that much," Narcissa said, squeezing his arm gently. "I can send you an owl with information on the relevant rituals to our island if you'd like?"
He inclined his head and then changed the topic. "I have received word that I will soon inherit the Lordship for the Prince family."
That had Narcissa grinding to a halt, pulling Severus to a stop with her. "I beg your pardon?"
"What?" he asked, his brows pulled together in confusion.
"You mean to tell me" - she said slowly - "that your mother is Eileen Prince?"
"Yes?"
"Severus," she said, now rubbing her forehead with her free hand. "Why did you never tell me that?"
"I did not think it important?" He said, confusion evident in his deep voice.
"Stars grant me strength," she said before looking back at him. "Severus, your mother has been something of a missing person in the Pureblood world. The only child of Lord Severance Augustus Prince and Lady Lilibet Fedore Prince nee Selwyn. The Prince family is old, Severus. Very old. And very respected. The word of a Prince has always carried weight.
"Many would have given up their wand arm to marry into that family, but Eileen disappeared about twenty years ago. Lady Lilibet died not long after, likely from grief, and Lord Severance Prince became a recluse following her death. There was speculation, of course, but no one ever knew what happened to Eileen Prince."
"Oh," he said, dumbfounded. "Mother never mentioned it."
She ran a hand through her hair. "All this time, the Prince heir has been right here and we never knew it," Narcissa said more to herself than to him. "Stars, the rest of the house would shit themselves if they knew they had been tormenting one of the Princes."
"Narcissa?"
She shook herself and focused back on him. "You really must call in your favor with Regulus and have him tutor you in the Old Ways and Pureblood etiquette. Preferably over break, I know you're ahead in the course material so you can manage it. The sooner the better, darling."
"I thought I already had used my favor with him by having him help me with Slytherin House," Severus said, tilting his head to the side, seeming unphased by the information she just gave him about his family.
"That's a Black Family matter," she said with a shake of her head. "He is aiding you in fulfilling your vow to Protection for me."
"I see," he nodded in understanding. "The current Lord Prince did stipulate that I must learn the Old Ways, so learning them from Regulus will be beneficial," Severus said. "Despite my lack of knowledge of the Old Ways, I have been informed that he plans to step down immediately. He said as much when he learned of my mother's… condition."
"Condition?" Narcissa asked tentatively.
Severus grimaced. "Wild Magik is taking over her core, courtesy of suppressing her magic in an attempt to appease my magic-hating Muggle father," he said, his voice strained. "I noticed the signs after Fourth Year."
"Oh, my darling," Narcissa said, pulling him into an embrace. "I'm so sorry, Severus."
He slowly returned the hug. "It's alright," he said, his voice catching. He held her tighter and let his head tip down to rest on her shoulder. "I've known since I was fourteen, after all. But I will be able to make her… end… more comfortable now."
"That does not make it hurt any less," she pointed out softly. "You've always spoken of your mother with such fondness… I am sorry my darling," Narcissa said, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, my darling, I am so sorry."
She was tempted to place a kiss on his shoulder, however, he began to pull away before she could. She was reluctant to let him go, but she respected his dislike of physical contact.
"I will be alright," he said. "It helps that Tobias isn't there to torment her further."
"Oh?"
"I didn't tell you?" he asked, confused.
"No, you don't often speak of your home with me."
"I… mother killed Tobias when Malfoy came to visit over the summer to get me to join the Knights of Walpurgis."
Narcissa blinked at him in shock. "Are you sure Malfoy didn't…?"
He shook his head. "She confessed that she killed him. I'm not even sure what she did with his body."
"I'd say I'm sorry for your loss, but I don't think you were too sad to see him pass."
"You'd be correct in that," he snorted. "I just didn't think my mother capable of murder. She is not well, Narcissa…. I don't think she has much longer to live."
"Well, once you become Lord Prince, we will have to do everything we can to make her comfortable, won't we?"
"We?"
"Yes, we, darling. Now that I know, I won't let you go through this alone. You must send me your address, Severus, so I can stop by and help," she said. "I can have the elves cook something; I could sit with your mother – I have heard that having a companion helps with Wild Magik – I could-"
"You're rambling," Severus gently interrupted her, taking her hand in his. But he was smiling ever so gently, so tenderly at her. Her heart stuttered and her worldview shifted. Severus, her dearest friend, was worth any risk, any hardship that might come her way for keeping him in her life. Everything else be damned, she'd do whatever she could to keep him smiling like that at her. "I appreciate your offer, Narcissa."
She gave his hand a squeeze. "Send me the address, Severus, and I'll be there as often as I can. I assume you'll be going home this break to tend to her at some point?"
"I hope to," he nodded. "I'm due to meet with him this weekend, and will probably stay with mother for the second week of break unless he has some other need of me."
Narcissa nodded. "The address, Severus, don't forget."
He flashed her a small smile. "I will send it and let you know if Mother is able to have a guest."
"Thank you, my darling."
{Furius Draconis}
"Daughter," Narcissa's father greeted her once she stepped through the floo from Kings Cross Station that evening.
"Father," she said, dipping into a curtsey. "How is your health?"
"Well enough," he said curtly. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back, his shoulders a rigid line.
"And Mother?" she asked politely, warily.
"She is well," he said. He shifted his stance, keeping her from moving farther into the house. "A question of my own, daughter."
"Yes, Father?"
"Why did Heir Malfoy come to me just this morning and confess he does not believe you are as committed to your union as he is?"
Narcissa very carefully put on a confused face, her heart hammering in her chest. Images of Severus's smile flashed in her mind before she quickly pushed them away. "I'm not sure I understand, Father? He has raised no such concern with me, and I have been very careful to follow the betrothal contract – I know how important it is that I marry him."
"Do you?" he asked, looming over her. "I don't think you do, Daughter Black. If you did, I would not have had to deal with a disgruntled Heir Malfoy."
"Might we bring Bellatrix into this conversation, Father? She has had some recent… dealings with Heir Malfoy that may have led to this." She said, thinking frantically of a way to salvage the situation that didn't result in her father making his displeasure known with his wand. He did not often do so; while they were growing up, Sirius set a bad enough example that the rest of the Black children perhaps got away with things they ordinarily would not have. But Sirius was no longer there to pull their parents' ire away from the rest of them.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Explain."
"I do not know the entirety of the story, but it resulted in her… expressing her displeasure with him with her wand."
Her father rolled his eyes and rubbed at his forehead, his posture relaxing. "I will speak with her later. If her tale is unsatisfactory, we will revisit this topic."
"Yes, Father," she said, dropping into another curtsey, deeper this time. She hoped Bella would spin a favorable tale for her – she had not lied to her father, but it was also not the entire truth. Should he learn that, both that she omitted some things and what she omitted… well, it likely would not end well for her.
{Furius Draconis}
(Wednesday, March 22nd)
For the better part of the day now, Severus had been gathering potion ingredients just inside of the Forbidden Forest where sunlight still penetrated the canopy. With his position as Zeus's apprentice, the headmaster had granted him permission to enter the Forest in search of ingredients so long as he let Hagrid, the groundskeeper, know when he was in there.
He had dragged Remus along today, seeing it as an excellent time to test how well the other had been studying. Severus had him working on identifying potion ingredients as well as going over how to harvest them for optimum potency while he gathered what he wanted with practiced ease.
Severus led them to a clearing he had found while hunting for Aconite - it was best to gather it the night of a new moon as it was farthest from the height of a werewolf's power. He had picked it all the last new moon so it wouldn't be harmful to Remus. The area was covered in moss and would be a comfortable place for a break.
After some investigation and some nasty proximity wards that would have made Professor White proud, they settled down for a smoke.
"You know," Remus said, taking a drag from a cigarette, "I never would've pinned you as a bloke who smokes."
Quick as a snake, Severus snatched the cigarette back, earning a baffled look from the other teen. "I never would have pinned you as a cigarette stealing bloke," he snarked as he settled back down on the soft patch of moss they had found.
Remus propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Severus. "How do you even stay stocked? It's not like you can get cigs in Hogsmeade - I know, cause I've looked. And there's no way we haven't smoked through your original stock at this point." And they had, ages ago. After letting the Gryffindor bum a cigarette off of him back in January they often had a smoke break after they met to study.
"I have my ways," he said with a smirk. Smoke came pouring from his nostrils as he handed the cig back to the Gryffindor who took it with a grin before he flopped back down on the ground.
"I bet you get more when you leave to meet with Potioneer Derby," Remus said, eying Severus who stared placidly back at him. He visibly gave up on that question with a shake of his head as he pulled from the cigarette. "Speaking of, what's your apprenticeship like?" he asked, holding the cigarette back out to Severus.
"It's… interesting," Severus said, taking the offered cig. "Zeus is not what you might expect of the world's premiere potioneer."
"Oh?" Remus prompted.
"Mn. He was a Hufflepuff during his years here," Severus said, to which Remus nodded sagely.
"They're an interesting bunch, that's for sure. But what do you even do? I honestly doubt that he has much that he can teach you, brilliant as you are."
"Flatterer," Severus snorted as he passed the cig back to the Gryffindor. "I work from instinct, so I don't often research the theory behind potions, at least not as in-depth as I could. He works from theory, so he's filling in the gaps for me, providing the why behind potion reactions. He knows about more ingredients than I've even heard of, so I'm learning those as well. We also discuss my experiments, and he provides suggestions I wouldn't have thought of otherwise."
"How do you manage it?" Remus asked. "You play Quidditch, you're a Prefect, you're taking an absolute bloody mountain of courses, and you've an apprenticeship. How are you not dead in a ditch somewhere?"
"Because I'm never near ditches," Severus deadpanned. "They're bad for the health, you know."
"Prat," Remus laughed. "You know what I meant."
"I know how to manage my time," Severus said dismissively as he sat up and stretched. It really didn't seem like he was doing anything spectacular, he just hated having nothing to do so he filled his time.
Checking his watch, Severus's eyebrow twitched when he saw the time. He reached out and nudged Remus's shoulder. "Come on, wolf, we better head back or else we'll miss supper."
Remus groaned as Severus stood and offered him a hand up. "Can't I just stay here?" He whined. "It's so warm."
"Now who's being the prat," Severus said. "Come on, up. Hagrid will come looking for us if we don't leave soon, and I'd rather not have this privilege revoked because you found a nice warm spot in the sun and couldn't be arsed to move."
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up," Remus said. He took Severus's hand and sprung up with a bright smile. "Thanks, Russ."
Severus blinked at him. "I beg your pardon?"
"Gotta have a nickname for you too, Russ," Remus said with an over-exaggerated wink and a cheeky smile.
Severus rolled his eyes but found that he didn't mind it so much. A small bubble of warmth spread in his chest at the thought that Remus, his unlikely friend, took the time to figure out a nickname for him that was free of past pain. "Whatever, wolf. Let's go."
Remus smiled a knowing smile but didn't say anything further as he picked up their basket of gathered ingredients and began tromping through the woods, in the wrong direction.
"Wolf!" Severus called, tamping down on his laughter at the ridiculous Gryffindor. "This way."
"I knew that!" Remus called back, his stride hardly faltering as he abruptly changed direction. "Just testing you, Russ!"
"Whatever you say, wolf!" Severus shook his head at him, his lips quirking up ever so slightly.
{Furius Draconis}
(Friday, March 24th, full moon)
"You know… I swear I've seen that werewolf somewhere before," Jugson mused to Avery.
"If you had, you'd be dead," Avery snapped, irritated that the other teen was interrupting his concentration on the potion in his cauldron. It was a test brew for an archaic ward-eating potion Heir Malfoy had dug up for them in the Malfoy Library to use against Snape as he wouldn't have access to the Black Library until he married Narcissa.
He had been most interested in the tale they spun about Narcissa's attachment to the Mudblood and was all too helpful in supplying them with whatever they needed for their plot against him.
"It was the eyes, that particular shade of green," Jugson continued. "I swear I've seen them before."
Avery rolled his eyes at the idiot. "What are you getting at, Jugson?"
"I think it's a student," he said.
Avery turned his attention away from the cauldron slowly, very slowly. "You think we've been going to school with a werewolf?"
"Think about it," Jugson said, leaning in. "Where else would Snape have encountered one? He lives in the Muggle world."
"Who do you think it is?" Avery asked, having to mentally adjust his regard for Jugson. The fucker could be sly and cunning, but his anger more often than not overshadowed those traits.
"I don't know yet," Jugson said, leaning back now. His eyes flicked pointedly down at the cauldron which Avery cursed for having turned away from. "But I'll find out. It'd be interesting to know where it transforms…"
"If you're thinking of putting Narcissa Black in there with it, you're fucking stupid," Avery snarled. "I told you, we aren't touching her – I don't want to bring the might of House Black and Heir Malfoy down on my head should they find out. And trust me, they would."
"Yes, fine, whatever," Jugson said dismissively. "But what if we got someone and fed them Polyjuice so they looked like her?"
Avery paused a brief moment in stirring the potion before he continued the slow, fluid movement. "Your idea has merit," he allowed. "But who would we use?"
"I was thinking perhaps that Gryffindor Mudblood Snape used to run around with," Jugson said.
Avery shook his head. "Think, you idiot. If we get one of Dumbledore's precious Gryffindors involved in this, that increases the likelihood of an investigation, which we want to avoid."
Jugson scoffed at him but wordlessly conceded the point. "A Muggle then?"
"Can they even be affected by Polyjuice?" Avery asked, his brows furrowed.
"We can find out," Jugson shrugged.
"You'd still have to figure out if the werewolf is a student, and then where they transform," Avery said.
"I will," Jugson said, his eyes narrowed.
"And," Avery continued, "how we would convince Snape to go there."
Jugson scoffed. "You saw how he reacted to his bogart. If he thinks there's even a chance that Daughter Black is near the beast on a full moon, he'll go charging in. And since he's encountered it before, he knows where it transforms.
"Besides, weren't you going to ask Heir Black about a potion that induces the same effects as a Boggart?"
"Yes, yes," Avery said. "I will need to approach him when he's alone - the little prick is always hanging around Snape or Yaxley these days." He turned his back to Jugson, intent on ending their conversation there.
{Furius Draconis}
(Saturday, March 25th, waning moon)
Severus made his way to the headmaster's office. As a Seventh Year, he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased over school breaks, but he still had to let the headmaster know when he was leaving. He was due at Gingotts to claim his title and then he was to report to the Dark Lord.
"Come in!" he heard the headmaster call just seconds after he knocked on the door. Pushing it open, Severus found Dumbledore seated behind his desk with a pile of scrolls and parchments before him. "Ah! Young Severus! Come in, come in, sit, please. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Severus did as he was bid. "I've come to let you know I will be going home and will likely stay and ride the train back with the rest of the students on the 1st."
"Oh? I hope all is well - you have not often left the castle in years past."
Severus grimaced. "My mother is… unwell. This has come to her father's attention and he has passed the Prince Lordship to me so I can better care for her."
Dumbledore's bushy brows shot up his forehead with such force his half-moon glasses nearly fell off of his face. "Eileen Prince is your mother?"
"Yes," Severus said.
They sat in silence for a moment before Dumbledore visibly gathered himself and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I am at a loss for words," he said at last. "I am deeply sorry to hear about your mother, especially after you lost your father so suddenly earlier this school year, and I freely offer you any help I am capable of."
Severus gave him a tight smile, wondering not for the first time why the headmaster had completely changed the way he treated him this year. "Thank you, sir, but I believe I will be able to manage on my own." He stood from the plush purple chair. "I must be going, I have an appointment at Gringotts to formally claim the Prince title."
"Yes of course," Dumbledore said, rising with him. "Please, use my floo, and Severus? I know you value your independence, but do not hesitate to ask for assistance should you need it, my dear boy."A kind look was on the headmaster's face, the sort of look he usually saved for Gryffindors.
Blinking like a deer in the headlights, Severus said, "Thank you, Professor," and then moved towards the fireplace and was whisked away in a flash of green flames.
He reappeared in the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron and absentmindedly brushed the ash from his shoulders. Walking out to Diagon Alley, he was in something of a daze. Had anyone told him a year ago that Dumbledore would come to be… friendly towards him - caring even - he would have laughed in their face.
What had inspired this change? And why this year?
Giving himself a shake, Severus entered Gringotts Bank - he could ponder the absurd man that was the headmaster later. Approaching one of the free goblin tellers - Burgock according to the nameplate - he pulled the letter from his grandfather from his pocket.
"Good morning," he said. "I was told to come here and present this letter before noon today."
Burgock grunted and snatched the letter from Severus's hand, causing him to quirk a brow. Seeing that, the goblin sneered at him before reading the letter. As they scanned the page they quirked an eyebrow of their own; Burgok called over their shoulder in Gobbledegook, a harsh and rasping sound.
Another goblin came over and read the letter before glaring up at Severus. "This is genuine?" they asked.
"Yes," Severus said, mildly confused. "Why would it not be?"
"Wizards are greedy," Burgock sneered, barring their teeth at him. "It would not be the first time someone has come claiming relations to the Prince family."
"What must I do to prove I am the grandson of Lord Severance Prince?" Severus asked, furrowing his brows. He hadn't anticipated anything like this, although, considering the way Narcissa reacted to hearing he was of the Prince family, he probably should have.
The two goblins spoke briefly in their language before the second turned back to him. "Follow me," they said.
"Your letter," Burgock said, thrusting the parchment back towards him.
"My thanks," Severus said, taking it and then following the second goblin. He was led through a side door that opened to a long hallway, the walls filled with more doors. Offices, he presumed. They walked for ages down that hallway, until carpeted floors gave way to tile, and then to stone. The wood-paneled walls gave way to stone not long after, and the oil lamps changed to torches.
The goblin stopped abruptly and gestured to a heavy-looking wooden door. "The Prince family account manager," the goblin said.
"Thank you," Severus said hesitantly. The door opened on its own accord; with an uncertain look at the goblin guide, Severus entered the office.
"What," the goblin seated behind the desk said, "do you want?"
"My grandfather named me his heir and is stepping down. He told me to come here by noon today," Severus said as he passed the letter over to them.
They took it and began reading. "Sit," they said gruffly, still reading.
Severus did as he was bid and sat.
"An inheritance test is needed," the goblin said, setting the letter aside.
"Very well," Severus said. "What must I do?"
The goblin, Radroff according to the nameplate, pulled a shallow stone basin from the shelf behind their desk first and a dagger with a runic array on the hilt and blade next. "I will need seven drops of your blood."
"What will be done with the blood?" Severus asked, eyeing the goblin and the knife in their hand.
"Scared, little wizard?" Radroff asked, their eyes glinting in the low light.
"Hardly," Severus said, narrowing his eyes. "I am a potioneer and a cautious wizard, I do not give my blood unless I know what it will be used for."
"Smart. Your blood, should you give it, will be added to this basin and a piece of vellum enchanted with a goblin-made inheritance ritual will be dipped in it. Your lineage will be listed on the vellum. Seven drops to show seven generations."
"And will that tell you that the current Lord Prince named me his heir?"
"It will," Radroff said. "Magick always knows."
"What will be done with the vellum afterward?"
"Whatever you wish, little wizard."
Severus sighed and began rolling up a sleeve, he didn't want to get blood on his clothes. "Very well, I will allow you to take the blood needed to determine my claim to the Prince Lordship. Once that is done, I want to take the vellum with me."
"As you say," Radroff said. They reached across the desk for his arm, which he yielded after a moment of hesitation.
Holding his arm over the stone basin, the goblin slashed his palm with the blade, giving him what he thought to be a considering look when he didn't so much as flinch. Precisely seven drops fell from his hand and into the bowl before the wound on his hand healed. Severus watched in fascination, absentmindedly righting his sleeve, as Radroff dipped the end of a heavy piece of vellum in his blood.
Writing began to appear on the vellum, beginning at the end still dipped in his blood, almost as if the blood was being pulled into the paper to form the writing.
He was able to read his own name first, Severus Tiberius Furius Draconis Verus Snape, Heir Prince, followed by his parents' names, and then he saw his grandfather and grandmother's names as Narcissa told him they were. Beyond that, he recognized none of the names that blossomed above - but that mattered little just then.
Radroff arched a brow, reading the writing on the vellum. "There is no denying it. You are Heir Prince."
"Yes," Severus said, crossing his legs at the ankle. "What must I do to claim my title?"
"Magick has accepted you, we merely have to document this for our records, and the current Lord Prince will be notified once that is completed."
"He has said that he will abdicate his title to me once I formalize my title of Heir Prince. Will I have to return for more paperwork once that happens?"
Radroff gave him a look. "Should Lord Prince actually do that, yes, you would need to return."
"Very well," Severus said with a sigh. "Let's get on with the documents."
{Furius Draconis}
(Saturday, April 1st)
"Severus? A word."
Severus looked over and saw Bellatrix Black standing before him. Her dark hair was like a crown, framing her angular face. "Mn." He stood to follow her.
They walked side by side in silence to the dueling hall. She locked the door behind him and warded it against all manner of things, even house elves. At his arched eyebrow, she said: "What I need to say is sensitive. Fucking Malfoy doesn't know how to keep his nose out of my business."
"Quite." He agreed, his lip curling into a sneer. "What do you wish to speak about?"
"My sister. Narcissa. The one who has been waxing poetic about you for months now." When he stayed silent, didn't even move, Bellatrix asked. "What are your intentions towards her?"
"To protect her," he said, not even considering lying to Bellatrix Black - not about her sister. "I do not trust Malfoy. Not after he asked me to spy on her."
"No," she snorted. "Neither do I." She stared at him, her gaze heavy and hard. "What would you do for my baby sister? To what lengths would you go? And be frank – Narcissa means everything to me."
He didn't speak, not right away. He knew better than to lie to her about Narcissa, but how much of the truth to tell her? His loyalty was unquestionably first to Narcissa; if he needed to leave the Dark Lord's side to protect Narcissa, he would. He wasn't stupid enough to tell that to another of the Dark Lord's Chosen.
However, knowing the lengths that Bellatrix had gone against Malfoy for her sister, he decided to take a small risk. "I have sworn on a Name to protect her and would do so again. Everything I do, I do for her sake. Her safety."
"Do you love her?" The question came fast and hard and Severus wasn't ready for it.
He froze. His gaze stuttered away from her face. Unsure. This wasn't something he had ever contemplated before. It wasn't something he had ever let himself contemplate. Snape men couldn't be good partners, he was sure of it. He refused to ruin what he had with Narcissa by following that avenue of thought.
But Bellatrix's question sent him down that avenue all the same - he gravitated towards Narcissa's smile, her laughter, her intellect, and her ruthlessness. Her kindness and gentleness never ceased to surprise him. Her beauty and grace had him utterly enthralled.
It was different with her than it had been with Lily. He had once thought that he might have loved Lily, but having Narcissa in his life had shown him that was false. Everything paled in comparison to Narcissa, bright and precious as she was. Everything.
He clenched his jaw before looking back at her. "Do you?"
A sharp smile cut across her face. "Good." She laughed and smiled wider. "Good. I will help train you. Malfoy will be nothing but a bug beneath your boot, little Slytherin. Your duel with the Dark Lord was impressive, very impressive. But you would benefit from learning other tactics as well. Come, let's duel, and no holding back!"
He hesitated, which she picked up on. "What? What is it?" she asked.
"Now? Here?"
"Where else?"
"Bellatrix. I've destroyed rooms."
She laughed in surprise. "So, you have! Come then, we'll make a mess of Malfoy's garden."
Dueling Bellatrix was vastly different from dueling the Dark Lord. He could see his influence in her forms, but that's where it ended, and that's partly why she was such a deadly dueler. He couldn't accurately judge what spell she was casting, which way she would move, or how she'd react to the spells he sent her way.
"How do you do that?" he demanded when she called halt. "How do you use different wand movements for spells?"
"Caught on to that, did you? I'm impressed!" She grinned sharply at him, panting through her teeth. "Before I tell you, why don't you take a guess?"
He narrowed his eyes at her and wiped the sweat from his brow. "If I had to guess, I'd say that wand is nothing more than a stick and you're casting wandlessly."
She cackled loudly at that. "Oh, I'm good, Severus, but I'm not that good. Tell me, have any of your defense professors covered chain casting? Point casting?"
He shook his head, "No. They've all been bloody useless."
She tsked. "Of course. No matter, I will teach you the finer points of it – you already do a decent job of chain casting, but you could be better."
"I am?" he asked. "I've only read about it, so I wasn't sure I was doing it right."
"You are," she confirmed. "We will work on it more the next time our Lord summons you for a lesson."
Severus gave a nod as a question came to mind, something he had been wondering about since the Yule Ball. "Why does the Dark Lord call you Lethifold?" he asked.
A sly smile curled on her face. "The answer may come easier if you try to hold my wand."
He immediately shook his head in a vehement 'no'. "Huh-uh, Narcissa told me to never, ever touch your wand. Said it would bite me or some nonsense."
Bellatrix pouted. "She's no fun."
"It would actually bite me?" he asked incredulously.
"In a way," she shrugged. "This wand was made for me, and me alone. It does not take kindly to others handling it, unless I give them my express permission, which, you will notice, I did not give you."
"I noticed," Severus said, eyeing her warily.
"Smart boy. But here, this is a learning experience, after all. You have my permission to hold the wand bonded to me on the condition that you return it to me once you are done examining it."
"Of course," he said cautiously. He let her press the wand into his hands rather than reaching for it, noting the approving glint in her eye at his actions, before he turned his whole attention to the wand itself. He got the distinct feeling that it was only being docile towards him because Bellatrix gave her explicit permission.
It felt like no other wand he had held before. "It's core?"
"Lethifold."
He very nearly threw the wand back at her at that. "Was the wandmaker insane?!" he yelped, looking at the wand like it might eat him.
She smirked as she took the wand back. "Possibly."
"Why would you want a Lethifold wand?"
"It's not like I chose Lethifold for the core – it was the only core that reacted to me."
Severus looked at her in a new light now. A new, fearful light. She caught it and gave his cheek a pinch before he could swat her hand away – she was easily taller than Narcissa. "Oh never fear, little Severus. So long as you do not harm my baby sister, you need never fear me."
"Good to know," he said weakly.
She smiled sharp and sweet at him. "You aren't half bad for a Mudblood."
He arched an eyebrow at her. "Thank you?"
"You're welcome," she said brusquely. "Now. What is your plan for the Lovely Lucy?"
"Kill him if he does anything to Narcissa that she does not want him to do," he said without hesitation.
Bellatrix laughed heartily at that. "Oh, my dear boy, you are hilarious. I like the way you plan."
Severus sniffed, getting the impression she was making fun of him. "Begging your pardon, but I have not exactly had the chance to sit down and think this through completely."
"Obviously," she snorted. "I will help you there. Planning apparently is not your strongest point. You are totally ignorant of how Purebloods handle their affairs."
"It is hardly my fault that my mother did not raise me in the Old Ways–"
"Calm yourself, Severus," Bellatrix interrupted him. "I said I would help. Narcissa is my world, I would move mountains for her. No point in us not working together as we share a common goal. You truly do not need much help with dueling, so we shall mainly focus on etiquette and the Old Ways for that is where Malfoy's usefulness to the Dark Lord lies. If you were to become just as useful, if not more so, in that regard, then nothing would stand in your way of dealing with him as you see fit – your Oath gives you primacy in this matter, even over Lord Black."
"Would it help to know that our Lord managed to convince Lord Prince, my grandfather, to name me his heir? And that he stepped down as soon as I accepted, so I am now Lord Prince?"
"You're Lord Prince?"
Severus nodded.
A fierce smile spread across her face. "That makes things infinitely easier – with that title you can petition Lord Black for Narcissa's hand in marriage despite being a Mudblood. I will owl Cousin Regulus and request that he tutor you as well as I do not have access to you every day. Whatever he wants in return will be on you, however."
"He already is. Narcissa insisted I call in my favor with him when I told her of my lineage."
Bellatrix laughed. "You are well-positioned for this to work, little Slytherin."
"Except for the part where I would be marrying her instead of Malfoy," Severus said, his shoulders rolling forward slightly.
"Did you not as good as admit to loving her?" she asked sharply.
"She does not love me," Severus clarified. Sure, she cared for him as a friend, but that was not the same as caring for him as a partner. "I will, of course, treat her with the utmost respect, but if we are expected to have children, I will not force myself on her. I would rather her marry someone she wants to than to be stuck with me."
She had an incredulous look on her face before she shook her head and patted his cheek. "I don't think it will be a hardship for her to marry you. Now, don't you have a train to catch?"
Severus looked at her skeptically. He checked his watch and his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "I do indeed."
I dunno how happy I am with this chapter but here it is! Thanks again to BurningRosesAmongstLilies for the help!
