Inside the Chat Gris, Lucius was sitting at his usual table, the one Severus has been sharing with Anna for the past few years. He had a warm cup in front of him, likely spiced, judging by the vapors that swirled in the steam. He barely looked up when Severus entered the tea house and sat across from him.

"...I need your advice," the nobleman sighed. He decided to skip the introductions.

Severus nodded for his friend to go on. Everything in his posture and tone of voice warned him that the issue he wished to discuss was severe.

"I've met a girl..." Lucius took a long sip from his cup. "She looks like Narcissa's spitting image from all those years ago - the same light blue eyes, the same red lips, and blond hair, and her skin so white, and soft..." His eyes drifted from one framed drawing to another, all along the walls. "She won't ever tell me no. She doesn't complain about anything. She doesn't say I'm too much, or that I worry needlessly, or that I'm weak, or a disappointment, or that I don't do enough. She doesn't ask for anything. Do you understand how terribly rare that is?" Lucius returned his gaze to his confidant. "In six months, she hasn't asked me for anything, not a single object, not one favor, nothing. It makes me want to give her everything. Her eyes light up when she greets me. I haven't seen that in so long! Do you understand?"

Quietly, he listened. His hands found each other on the table, in lack of any other occupation. Severus allowed his friend to rant until his voice faded into uncertainty. He studied his expressions and the restrained excitement in his tone. It reminded him of the time when they were both younger and Lucius dragged him through several shops to look for the perfect engagement ring, only to choose one from the first store and customize it.

"...Are you cheating on Narcissa?" he finally asked, looking to confirm the only logical conclusion.

The other man swallowed hard. He didn't rush to answer, although it seemed obvious. "...I suppose you could say so, and I feel no remorse."

The old keeper finally caught a moment to welcome Severus to Chat Gris. He placed a cup of tea and a bright smile in front of him before withdrawing once again. Neither of the wizards paid him any attention.

"Lucius... Where did you find this girl?"

Lucius felt a sembence of shame. He sighed and looked away, shaking his head for a moment. "It's a... brothel. It's the underground of a club that Siberius frequents, along with his circle. I was invited by Balthazar one night. I'd just had another fight with Narcissa. She told me she should have never married me, reminded me of the five miscarriages she's had, told me she was young and foolish to overlook the curse of my family, and what a... wimp I am for even... asking her. She accused me of going to bars when she needed me, even though she was the one who told me to leave at the time. She called me an alcoholic... and other names. Anyway, you get the picture." The man felt his heart break all over again. "So, I went," he admitted softly, like a child.

"If Rosier knows, he could threaten your marriage." Severus was trying hard not to judge. The couple he's always envied were tearing one another apart and there was nothing he could do about it. He remembered what a scandal they'd created! Narcissa was engaged to a Black when she ran away with a Malfoy! People have been talking about it for years. They were the Romeo and Juliet of the Wizarding community. Show-oof, too - going out of their way to boast about their romantic life. Trips, dances, gifts, they did it all.

"Is it odd it wouldn't bother me much...? I worry about how Draco would react, but Narcissa and I have been estranged for a while now. We haven't slept in the same bed for years."

They drank each from his cup and waited for the silence to settle. That's when Severus caught a glimpse of a familiar little object on one of the shelves behind Lucius. He wanted to pick it up and check, but he felt it would take away from the moment. The box could wait. Their friendship, could not.

"I'm terrified that Siberius might expose her to the Dark Lord," Lucius confessed. "She's a muggle. He's going to kill her in the most horrible way, or worse - let Bellatrix have her. You've been hiding your relationship well. Please, for her sake, tell me what can I do to keep this girl away from everyone else."

Severus took a long sip of his tea. Lucius was dating a muggle...? He never thought he'd live to hear such absurdity. Still, this was his friend, who helped him without judgment a few times before. Now, it was his turn to repay him. "Perhaps the best you can do for her right now is to stop seeing her."

"I can't just leave her there. The second I stop paying for her, Siberius will buy her and abuse her again. I've paid for two more months in advance, days and nights."

The gravity of the situation began to clear for Severus. The girl was being sold, likely by a ring of traffickers. She was in danger with or without Lucius - the only thing that changed were the names associated with the threat.

"Find her a safe place. Move her to a different town, in an apartment you rent or buy under a false name, and let her live out her days in blissful ignorance."

"...Yet, I can't wait to see her again. She's everything I want." Lucius leaned with his elbows against the table, running his hands over his face.

"Need," Severus corrected him. "Everything you need. You are putting her in danger by simply allowing yourself this comfort."

Sighing heavily, Lucius ran one hand through his hair. He picked up the cup to drink, only to find it empty. Annoyed, he set it down.

"You're right. I'll do that, but I need you to look for such an apartment for her. I don't have the time to browse advertisements and it could be dangerous if anyone saw me with a muggle paper."

Severus nodded. "Of course." He stood up and went to pick up the little wooden chest with a carved lid. Standing by the shelf, he opened it to reveal every letter he had sent her before, neatly folded in its envelope, cut open so delicately, stained every here and there by the flowers pressed between them - flowers he had picked for her during their walks.

"What's that?" Lucius asked from the table, turning halfway towards the shelves behind him.

"...Memories," Severus sighed. His heart ached. She had kept every single one...

On his way back to Hogwarts, Severus picked up his pace. Storm clouds were crowding overhead. It will be perhaps the last storm of the year to have rain instead of snow since the temperatures were dropping fast. He couldn't beat the countdown. A loud thunder boomed above him to the right, quickly followed by lightning, and a downpour of cold, heavy droplets. He cursed the Hogwarts policy of not allowing him to apparate in a hallway as he ran for the last few minutes. The grass was quickly flooded by more water than the earth could absorb and puddles splattered all around him. Droplets sent cold shivers from the top of his head down his face, into his left eye, and past the corner of his mouth.

Once inside, a sigh parted his lips. His coat was soaked. His pants were also wet way up to his knees, clinging to his skin and dripping into his shoes. The sleeves of his shirt, long enough to peek from those of his coat, were also cold and sticky, as they absorbed the water like sponges. He made his way through the cold, empty hallways when he caught glimpses of himself in mirrors and windows. Suddenly, the voices of James and Sirius drummed in his brain:

'Look at Snivellus, he looks like a rat! No offense, Peter.'

'Smells like one, too.'

'Hey, Snape, are you spreading the plague?'

'Not even the skies like him.'

'Yea, it was sunny before he showed his face.'

'Ratty slimy Snivey!'

'Hey, Snape, do us all a favor and stay inside tomorrow. I've got a Quidditch match and I'm gonna swoon Lily!'

'Wouldn't want Snivellus raining on your parade.'

'Literally. Hey, Sev, did you break the mirror in the boy's loo?'

He hadn't realized how fast he was going until he reached the door to his office and had to stop and catch his breath. His heart was pounding in rage. Inhaling deeply, he opened the door, hoping that Umbridge hadn't left yet another assignment on his desk. To his surprise, there was none. Severus hung his coat on the back of a spare wooden chair and placed it in front of the fireplace to dry. It was a gift from Lucius; he won't be happy to hear it got ruined by a cold November rain.

Attempting to follow some semblance of a routine, the man left his shoes by the fire as well, then set the kettle on a burner to make himself a cup of tea. He hoped he could warm up that way before bed. He unbuttoned his suit in a hurry, his fingers guiding the buttons through their loops with the ease of years of experience. He went to the bathroom to dry his hair with a towel, then came back to add the herbs to the boiling water. Chamomille should help him sleep.

Suddenly, the man stopped. There was a light slipping through the edges of his bedroom door. A small thud followed, and then a few tiny screeches that he didn't recognize. They did not belong to any owl species, of that he was certain. Cautious as ever, he neared the door and listened. Peeps and the sound of feathers flapping had him confused. What was going on? He opened the door slowly, wand at the ready, trying to distinguish what was out of the ordinary in the dark room.

A short series of screeches alerted him to look by the foot of his bed that he forgot to make today. By the corner of the duvet, he saw a small, spotted raptor with a tiny beak and large beady eyes. The bird half hopped, half walked towards him, keeping its wings open. A kestrel...? But there were none in the area. There shouldn't be.

"Where have you come from...?" he asked without expecting a reply. Severus picked up the birl and looked it over. It seemed hesitant of using its wings, but Severus examined them carefully and determined they were not injured in any way. He was mesmerized, turning the animal on its back, pulling the wings, the feet, and watching its reflexes. The bird of prey let him hold it in any position he wished, not once protesting anything.

Unsure of what to do with it, Severus placed the bird on the stand he had in his office for the owls - a stand mainly used by the Malfoy messenger. He returned to the room to check his window, which was closed.

However, on the floor, he noticed a pile of fabric. He knew he hadn't made his bed, but he was sure there was nothing on the floor when he left this morning. Picking it up, he felt velvet. The realization struck him. Before, he hadn't even noticed, but a correlation had rooted in his thoughts - she wore black velvet. He quickly folded the clothes, placing the underwear underneath and trying not to look as his fingers went over lace and rigid boning.

"Anna...?" he asked as he returned to the office.

The bird peeped.

"When did you find the time for this?"

Flapping its wings, the kestrel attempted to fly toward him but crashed on the carpet.

"...Is this your first transformation?"

The bird peeped again. Severus picked her up and set her on the armrest of the sofa.

"Why didn't you tell me...? When did you acquire the ingredients? My dear Anna..." He sat down with the cup of tea he made, levitating it onto the coaster on the table. The bird carefully hopped to his leg, trying not to have her talons stuck in the sofa's fabric. She barely even flexed her toes, too scared that the claws could hurt him.

Hesitant, Severus moved his hand to stroke its head. The feathers were soft and warm. He remembered what he read in a book once about birds, that they should not be petted down their backs, so he stopped over her shoulders. It appeared that the neck ring was a safe interactive zone. Anna closed her eyes and relaxed. They stayed that way for a while.

"Do you know how to turn back, my dear?"

The bird looked up with wide eyes. Suddenly, she remembered her uniform and the implication. She will need more practice before being able to turn while maintaining her clothes.


Author's note:

Here you go, the controversy I mentioned earlier is a blonde! Staying on the daddy-issues side of this fandom, I'm gonna squeeze this pair every here and there. I don't think it's worth separating Lucius and his little girlfriend into a different story, but the idea has been living in my head for a while, and since Lucius and Severus are best friends who keep each other's secrets, I figured this could work. The general theme of secret controversial love in the time of the Dark Lord still applies. We know from canon that the Malfoys were one of the last pure-blood families to agree with the Secrecy Act because they've been neck-deep in muggle business. We also know Lucius has a love for beauty (think art, decorations, status statement pieces, Narcisa). I think it's a matter of Lucius being stressed enough and the love interest being pretty (and innocent) enough before we get a pretty nice dynamic.