The little house-elf stopped in front of a large, wooden door and turned to Ginny. "The master has given permission for you to enter the library this once. Please don't make anything dirty."

Surprised, Ginny looked at the house-elf, but he didn't say another word, instead knocking loudly on the door. It took a moment, then she could hear soft footsteps from inside before a crack opened.

"Ginny!" she heard her friend's surprised exclamation before she found herself in a tight hug. She returned the greeting with equal glee.

"I didn't think Snape would bring you! Oh, I'm so glad!" Hermione cried.

"That was a really nice move on his part, yes. I'm supposed to help you here, whatever you're doing."

"Mr Malfoy gave you permission to enter the library?" asked Hermione in wonder.

"Yeah, why is that so special? The house-elf just now said something along those lines, too."

"The Malfoys don't let filthy vermin in here," Hermione explained with a slight sneer in her voice as she led Ginny to her desk. "Accordingly, there's never been a house-elf here before, and I had to endure days of observation before I was allowed to be here alone."

"I see," Ginny commented dryly, "and what exactly are you doing here?"

"Oh, don't mind that right now. I've got something much more exciting to tell you!" Hermione said, excited at finally being able to share the events of the last few days with someone. Whispering softly - you never knew if there weren't eavesdropping spells on the room - she began to bring Ginny up to speed.

oOoOoOo

After his slave left the room, Severus was silent for a while, watching the blond man in front of him. He could not detect that anything had changed in his arrogant aura, and yet something new that had not been there before was mixed in. He could perceive a distinct annoyance, as clearly as if it were directed specifically at him.

"Are you not comfortable with my presence?" he finally asked.

As if he'd just been waiting for a cue, Lucius Malfoy turned back to him, stepping away from the window to stop in front of the fireplace, where he posed to his most charismatic: one arm outstretched on the ledge, chin raised, the other hand casually resting on his cane, he looked almost eerily like the ancestor who had huge paintings emblazoned above him. Before he deigned to reply, another eyebrow wandered up and his lips curled into a humourless smile.

"Not at all, what makes you think that?" came the appropriately cold retort, "I always appreciate it when my wife sends me her lapdogs."

"You sound like a snotty child who's had his lollipop stolen, Lucius. It doesn't suit you."

"And what exactly do you expect me to do? How am I supposed to interpret your presence here?"

Shaking his head, Snape settled down on one of the armchairs. "I'll sit down then, even if you didn't offer."

"Do as you please. If it were up to my wife, you would have complete authority over this house anyway."

"You can save the mockery," Severus said impatiently, "instead you could start explaining what all this drama is about. Why am I here?"

"Why are you here?" returned Lucius with a laugh, "Well, obviously, because you jump at one sign from my wife. Or is it my dear sister-in-law Bella you're trying to impress?"

"You know exactly how I meant my question. Stop playing games," Snape shot back, unimpressed. "Why did Narcissa feel I needed to talk to you? What's going on between you and Granger?"

"Ah, that's what you're about. Why don't you say so?"

"Lucius!" Severus growled, who was by now actually annoyed.

"Once again, what do you expect me to do?" the master of the house repeated his question, as he looked impassively down at his guest with a raised eyebrow.

"Explain to me why your wife has found it necessary for me to get to the bottom of whatever is going on here with you."

In an innocent gesture, Lucius spread his arms, but to Severus' relief, he sat down in response and finally seemed willing to answer seriously.

"If you want to know for sure, she's just jealous. I like beautiful young women, and that's just not her anymore. Granger is, at least as far as being young is concerned. Her jealousy has driven her to the point where Bellatrix has informed the Dark Lord."

"What?" Severus hissed, stunned at the stupidity of his old friend, "Narcissa accuses you of being a blood traitor, her sister carries it to the Lord - and you sit here calmly mocking me?"

"Who's talking about blood traitors?"

"Your wife. And Bellatrix. Lucius, don't tell me you didn't know about this!"

Severus could see that his host was blanching noticeably, and he admired him a little for otherwise keeping himself so well under control.

"You mean Bellatrix wrote to the Dark Lord that I am a blood traitor?"

"Yes."

Silence again spread through the room. Severus watched with interest as Lucius sat there with his eyes closed, seemingly thinking hard. It was obvious that the blond man had not been aware of how serious his situation was. On the other hand, Severus reasoned, that could only mean that he was not guilty of blood treason - otherwise he would certainly have been nervous by his mere presence. Or did he feel guilty, but thought no one would notice? To most people out there, the idea that Lucius Malfoy, of all people, could be a blood traitor was utterly laughable, Ministry failure or not, the Dark Lord's disappointment or not.

"What is this accusation based on, anyway?" Lucius finally challenged him. "I mean you've slept with Granger before, too, and no one is accusing you of anything."

"That's exactly my point. In your wife's eyes, there is obviously a difference in your behaviour and mine," Severus reiterated the question.

"The difference is that I'm married to her, there's nothing else! She accuses me of using a slave girl for what she was intended for."

"So, you slept with her, too?" Severus dug deeper. He felt the subject stirring something in him, but he did not allow himself to show it outwardly, nor to think more closely about where the cold feeling came from.

"Yes, so? That's what we have them for!", Lucius snapped at him angrily. With a blank expression, Severus watched as his host jumped up again and walked to the window to let his gaze wander over his own garden with his back turned to him. "I am the master in this house. I have chosen the slave girl. She is mine; accordingly I decide what to do with her."

Another thought suddenly entered Snape's head. "Then why did you feel it necessary to have Granger healed by me after she had contracted severe hypothermia? Why didn't you do it yourself?"

"Why do I have to justify myself to you?" Lucius snapped back, turning around angrily.

Severus could only sigh inwardly before replying, "Because I'm willing to listen to your explanation and understand you. Do you think when our Lord shows up here he's going to sit calmly and listen to some justification? You know what he'll think if there's even the slightest suspicion in the room."

Lucius' anger visibly subsided, but Severus could tell how agitated he was - like a caged tiger, he paced up and down the carpet in front of his fireplace with long strides. Patiently, he waited until the blond man calmed down enough to once again take a seat across from him in one of the large wing chairs, and launched into his explanation. "I just didn't feel like taking care of her. You don't cure hypothermia with a simple spell, the effort was too much for me."

"You have house-elves who are well versed in caring for sick witches."

Again, he could make out a long hesitation before his host replied. It almost seemed as if he was only considering how to justify his actions during the conversation. Unsure if he was being lied to, he listened to the further explanations.

"It was obviously my wife who put Granger in that position. Maybe she just wanted to punish her, maybe she deliberately set out to get her killed. In any case, she would not have allowed house-elves to be diverted from their real work to care for a slave. And I wasn't going to do without a slave either."

Sceptically, Severus looked at the other man, but Lucius Malfoy returned his gaze without batting an eye. Resigned, he sank deeper into the armchair. He was not the only one who had perfected lying and hiding in the course of his life. Even if Lucius' feelings could be read off his face more often, he was still good at maintaining his cold, arrogant facade - and obviously lying to others' faces. Although his explanation was good, Snape doubted that it was true, or at least completely accurate. For the moment, however, he had no choice but to accept it.

"Fine," he said accordingly, "up to here, your statements sound credible. I'll still stay until Sunday, if only because I want to relax from the school routine in your luxurious house."

With these words, he rose, nodded briefly to Lucius, and then left the room. If he understood correctly, the two slave girls were to be found in the library. Something in him demanded to speak with Hermione Granger again in private.

oOoOoOo

The soft creaking of the door made Hermione sit up and take notice. Someone had just entered the library, and since no house-elf would dare to contradict the master's rules, it could only be Snape, Malfoy, or Draco. Swiftly, she motioned to Ginny to interrupt the conversation and pretend to help her sort through the books.

"I see you are a great help to Miss Granger," Snape directed his words to his slave. Ginny only nodded in response and gave Hermione an uncertain look.

"Can we be of assistance?" Hermione inquired in a cold voice, not looking up from her desk. She felt more than saw Snape step very close to her. Goosebumps spread over her body.

"I would like to have a few words in private with Miss Granger. If you would be so kind, Miss Weasley ..."

The panicked look in Hermione's eyes must have been abundantly clear, because Ginny replied after a brief pause for thought, "There's nothing you couldn't say to her in front of me."

Although Hermione could not see Snape's face, she was sure that a disapproving expression must have appeared on it, for she felt his body stiffen and observed that Ginny was turning pale.

"You are to obey me, Miss Weasley. If you think you can disobey me just because I am being polite to you, you are mistaken." The ice-cold response made Hermione's hairs on her neck stand up. "You will now leave the library immediately. Have Lucius give you something to do. If I learn later that you have not reported to him, there will be consequences."

Icy coldness settled in Hermione's stomach as she watched Ginny slink away toward the exit with her shoulders slumped. She watched after her until the large wooden door slammed shut again with a dull bang, then felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Sit with me on the sofa back there, Miss Granger. Our last conversation didn't end so positively, and I'd like to change that."