Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/10593327. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling Relationship: Lucius_Malfoy/Severus_Snape Character: Lucius_Malfoy, Severus_Snape, Aldous_Mulciber, Sirius_Black, James Potter, Remus_Lupin, Peter_Pettigrew Additional Tags: Dirty_Talk, First_Time, Consensual_Underage_Sex, Blow_Jobs Stats: Published: 2017-04-11 Words: 10133 ****** A Slytherin Valentine's Day Love Story ****** by floweringjudas_(manipulant) Summary "All right, if you're so certain, a wager." Lucius sat up a bit, giving Mulciber a smirk. "Terms?" "Fuck Severus Snape by St. Valentine's Day, and I'll give you my broom. Fail, and I take your place accompanying Narcissa Black to Hogsmeade for the rest of the year." Notes originally posted on livejournal Feb 15 2009 See the end of the work for more notes "Bet I could." "Bet you couldn't." Lucius gave Mulciber a hard look, and Accioed the book the other boy was studying, demanding his entire attention. Aldous did have an annoying way of making one feel he was doing them a favour by carrying on a conversation. Aldous looked up long enough to glare at him, his features obscured by the dim light in the seventh year Slytherin dormitory room. "I could," Lucius frowned. "Mm. No." Lucius huffed and threw the book at his head. Aldous quickly cast a spell that arrested the book in mid-air, and plucked it down, three inches from his forehead. "Be sensible. The boy hates you." "Be that as it may, I could." Lucius met Mulciber's stare steadily. "I've caught him looking." Aldous considered for a second, and then gave Lucius a small, vaguely unsettling smile as he sat up on his bed. "All right, if you're so certain, a wager." Lucius sat up a bit, giving Mulciber a smirk. "Terms?" "Fuck Severus Snape by St. Valentine's Day, and I'll give you my broom. Fail, and I take your place accompanying Narcissa Black to Hogsmeade for the rest of the year." Lucius blinked. "I didn't think you liked her. ...I didn't think you liked anyone." "I don't," Mulciber said (though a bit too quickly, Lucius thought). "...Blondes," he said, with a gesture. "Company excepted. Do we have a deal?" Lucius thought for a moment. Inexplicably and entirely unfairly, Mulciber had returned from the Christmas hols with a Cleansweep Four - they weren't even in production yet but Mulciber the Elder had apparently invented a new Cushioning Charm for the Cleansweep Company and had received the broom as part of his compensation. "Ten days. Eminently do-able. ...What counts as evidence of my success?" Aldous sat back in his chair and bit then end of his quill contemplatively. "Well, if we're going to be cliche, why not take it to the limit - his pants." Lucius snorted a laugh, but nodded. "Deal," he said, reaching a hand out for Mulciber to shake.           Day One Lucius choked and wheezed as he hit the wall in a hail of parchment and owl feathers. On the other side of the room, Snape stood, eyes blazing, wand outstretched. "Don't. Touch. My. Things," he snarled, voice barely above a whisper. If he hadn't been pinned to cold stone and possibly concussed, Lucius would have found it all a bit hot. Severus stormed up to Lucius and grabbed the small bit of parchment out of the older boy's fist. "...It's from my mother," he muttered, answering Lucius's question from a moment ago. "And if you attempt anything like that in the future, I won't bother hexing you to walls, I'll simply hex you through them," he said, louder, giving Lucius a fierce, hostile look before he swept out of the door and slammed it behind him. A few seconds later, the spell ended and Lucius slumped to the floor. All in all, he thought, that had gone better than he'd expected.           Day Two Severus - I'm sorry about the letter yesterday. Presumptuous of me, you had every right to hex me through that wall, not just against it. As a peace offering, I hope you enjoy the enclosed Chocolate Frogs. If one of them has a Cliodna card, I'll buy it off you - it's the only one I'm missing. Regards, Lucius Malfoy       Malfoy - I did. I don't like chocolate, so I fed them to the owls. Five Dumbledores, two Circes and three Merlins. S.S.       Severus - Well that's a pity. I hope you like the enclosed Sugar Quills instead. Or you could just tell me which sweets you like, and save my poor owl some work. I'm thinking of going flying tonight, perhaps running a few drills, would you like to come? Lucius       Malfoy - Sugar Quills are my favourite acceptable. Thank you. I'd say save your owl for letters of importance but it would get no exercise at all that way, would it? If I finish my essay for Slughorn, I'll go flying this evening. Severus         Day Three Aldous tipped him off and Lucius went running, up to the Ravenclaw corridors, pausing a few hallways away to give himself enough time to smooth his hair down and catch his breath. There were still raised voices drifting down the hall, which meant he wasn't too late. He smiled a little, and took out his wand, and sauntered the rest of the way, til he rounded a corner and there they were. "Accio wands," he said almost lazily, giving Potter and Black a smirk as they gave outraged shouts as their wands left them. Severus just snarled, and gave Lucius a filthy look as he wiped blood off his mouth and tried to push his hair back from his face. Lucius gave the boy a wink, and tossed Severus his wand back, advancing down the hall til he was between the Gryffindors and their prey. "Sirius," he sighed, turning his attention to his cousin. He tsked as he looked the boy over. "What would your mother say?" Sirius gave him a look full of loathing, and drew himself up to full height (still a few inches shorter than Lucius, ha). "Dunno, you tell me. Would she try to get me to join that little pureblood tea party I've been hearing about?" "Heaven knows. You'd never manage to behave yourself at a tea party, though, would you?" Lucius gave the boy a complacent, slow smile. "Your brother, though, has a firmer grasp of etiquette. He might do." Potter barely managed to catch Sirius as he lunged - Lucius backed away half a step, out of the boy's clawing reach, and laughed lightly. "You stay away from Regulus!" Sirius snarled, his eyes suddenly wild with rage and - oh, that was delicious - fear. "He's clever enough to see through you, he never would, you - " "Shut up, Sirius," Potter hissed, glancing over to where Severus was watching them all, looking a little puzzled. He tugged his friend back, tilting his chin at Lucius. "Go to hell, Malfoy." "You first, Potty," Lucius said, offhand. He turned his attention to Severus for a few precious seconds, healing the split lip and the bruise already beginning to form on his cheekbone. "All right?" he murmured quietly. Snape hesitated, then nodded. "Good," Lucius said, giving the boy a private smile, delighting in what he thought might be a blush on his cheeks. After a couple of seconds, Severus even smiled back, faint and crooked and anxious, but there. "Oho, a Slytherin and a nancy - tell me, Sniv, what made you bother with Evans all those years? Trying to figure out a way to steal her tits for yourself?" Potter crowed, breaking up the tantalising little moment Lucius and Severus had been having. Lucius could have slapped him. Severus, however, immediately lost the smile and turned pale with a rage Lucius had never seen in him - he darted a hand out to push Severus back, suddenly afraid he was going to kill Potter, but he had forgotten Severus was armed again. A few hissed words (Lucius couldn't even tell what they were) later, Potter was crumpled on the floor, sprouting tentacles and eyestalks and gasping in pain as boils formed on his skin. "Better get him to the Infirmary," Lucius told Sirius, throwing their two wands clattering down the hall. Sirius gaped at Potter, horrified, before he gazed up at the two Slytherins, his expression quickly turning to one of absolute hatred. "You'll regret that, Snape," he growled. "You'll regret more, Black," Severus snarled, before Lucius grabbed his shoulders and bundled him down the hallway quickly. He whisked them along for a good ten minutes, winding up and down staircases and down quiet corridors, til he was certain no one was following them and that there were no professors around. "Are you all right?" he asked Severus again, turning the boy to him, checking him over, genuinely concerned. Snape nodded, apparently lost in thought, and Lucius smiled and tweaked his nose. "What kind of spell did you use on Potter, anyway?" he asked, interested. "...Found it in a book," Severus muttered, pushing himself away from Lucius and drawing his arms around himself, almost batlike, as he cut his gaze away. "And I don't need you rescuing me, either." "Giving a bit of help when it's useful isn't rescuing. And like I could if I wanted, you're twice the wizard those two are," Lucius said matter-of-factly, leaning against the wall, delighting in how Severus gave him a sidelong little glance at that. "Filch is twice the wizard those two are," he muttered, though he wasn't frowning as fiercely as before. "Mrs. Norris probably is," Lucius added, pleased at how he got the glimmer of a smile at that. There was a small pause as the two boys regarded each other. "What was that about a Slytherin tea party?" Severus asked, obviously trying to distract Lucius. It was rather adorable, he decided. And then he tilted his head, and considered his answer. The truth wouldn't do, not at this juncture, but in time...a Halfblood yes, but a definite thirst to prove himself, to prove himself better. And there was knowledge, Merlin knew, and an obvious ability to put that knowledge into practice. "Lord knows what conspiracy theories are de rigueur in the Gryffindor Common Room these days," Lucius said lightly, his mind whirling with possibilities that didn't revolve around his bed, for once. Severus gave him a flat look, obviously unimpressed and unfooled with the vague answer, but he let the topic lie. He squared his thin shoulders. "I have an essay," he said, clearly reminding himself as well as informing Lucius. Lucius nodded. "Allow me to walk you to the library," he offered, adding hastily as he saw Severus draw himself up to protest, "not for your benefit, more for mine." He gave the boy a quick smile. "In case a herd of Gryffindors come seeking vengeance. You're a good man to have at one's side." "Don't be an idiot, Malfoy," Severus replied, rolling his eyes. "Come on, then," he huffed, and started down the corridor, turning after ten paces to see if Lucius was following behind. Lucius smiled (and checked out his arse - bony, but not entirely absent, hurrah) and trotted after.           Day Four Lucius had been watching for the last fifteen minutes, and growing increasingly twitchier. Aldous watched him with amusement. "It never seemed to bother you before," he told Lucius, before taking a bite of turkey. "I don't see why they get away with it," Lucius muttered back shortly. Aldous rolled his eyes. "If it upsets you so much, do something about it," he said practically. Lucius gazed at him for a moment, before he nodded and picked up his plate and headed down the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, setting it down and sliding onto the bench beside Severus. Snape gave him a glare. "Lose a bet?" Lucius scowled, and picked a bit of bread roll off the back of Snape's robes. "Don't be stupid. You do know they're throwing things at you?" he said, gesturing with his head to where Potter and Black and their other miscreant friend were sitting at the other end of the Hall. "Don't you be stupid. Of course I know," Snape muttered, picking at his food. "Then why are you just sitting here?" Lucius grumbled, frustrated. A small smile played over Snape's lips, at that, and he checked his wristwatch before he answered, tilting his head to give Lucius a glance. "Who said I was just sitting here?" he smirked. Lucius blinked at him, and then was distracted by a sudden commotion - he looked up, startled, and was shocked into laughter as he saw four confused, six-foot tall pigeons where Potter and Black and Co had been sitting. He turned to give Severus a grin, delighted when he saw the other boy was grinning a bit as well. "Did I get all four?" "Yes, you did. Well done, by the way." He clapped the boy on the shoulder, still laughing. "...Look, come and sit with me. This isn't charity, before you snarl at me," he said quickly, seeing the stormclouds forming on Severus's face. "I'd like to know how you did that," he said, gesturing to the other table, where the professors were now congregating and trying to figure out what the hell to do, "and I'd like to have an excuse to hex those gits. Figure the easiest way to do that is to stay around you." Snape gave him a thoroughly suspicious look. And then he shrugged a shoulder and picked up his plate. "Your funeral," he said, letting Lucius lead the way back to the head of the table, smirking very faintly as Lucius barked an order for Lestrange the Lesser to move.           Day Five "I hope you're not labouring under the delusion that I can't see you looking at me," Snape muttered, pointedly not looking up from his cauldron at where the other boy was leaning against the doorframe of the potions laboratory. "My dear, if I didn't want you to know I was looking, you wouldn't know," Lucius said calmly, pushing away from the door and gliding into the room. He saw, rather than heard, Severus mouth the words I'm not your dear, and smiled faintly. "I like to see the lower forms apply themselves so vigorously to their studies." "Yes, it must be a novelty, the sight of hard work," Snape said acidly, giving Lucius an annoyed look and shifting over as the other perched on the far side of his bench. "Mm. What are you brewing?" Lucius asked, sliding a little closer to him, ostensibly to peer into the contents of his cauldron. "Polyjuice," Severus said shortly, as he stirred his wand through the mess. "Now shut up, you'll make me lose count." Lucius held up his hands pacifically, and lapsed into silence. He watched Severus work for a moment, lulled by the methodical movements of his arm into something akin to peace. And then, given Severus's relative immobility, a thought formed in Lucius's head and he smirked a bit as he slid back off the bench and moved to stand behind him. Severus tensed. "I'm not going to hex you, calm down," Lucius purred. "Don't want you to lose count, after all." He slid a hand up the boy's arm (not the one stirring), cupping his shoulder for a moment. "Malfoy," Severus said warningly. "I wish you would call me Lucius," he murmured in return, just beginning to knead careful fingers into the skin below Snape's robes. He tsked lightly. "Lord, Severus, you don't have muscles, you just have a series of knots in here, don't you?" Snape exhaled an irritated breath and didn't answer, his lips pressing together tightly as he stared resolutely down at his potion. Lucius sighed and rolled his eyes, briefly lamenting his wager with Mulciber and wishing he'd chosen a Hufflepuff, or something easier. "...ow," the boy managed a moment later. "Mm? Just there?" Lucius bit his lip and traced him thumb around the knot before digging in a little, hunching over Snape as he concentrated on breaking it into pieces and then working it away. "What - ow, Malfoy, you - " and then Severus trailed off, his insult dying in his throat as he sighed. Lucius smiled a little, to himself, and brought his other hand up to work on Severus's other shoulder, fingers working small circles. He curled around the boy a little, bending enough to murmur into his ear, one tendril of white hair falling onto Severus's robes. "Not lost count, I hope?" Severus shook his head, slumping back against him a little, swallowing before he answered. "No. Where on earth did you learn this, M - Lucius?" "I'm full of surprises," Lucius said enigmatically. "Budge up, a bit." He grinned quickly as Severus didn't even protest, just scooted his bony arse to the edge of the bench, giving him enough room to slide in behind him. "That had better be your wand," he muttered, but there was no heat behind his words, so Lucius huffed a laugh and squeezed his thighs against Severus's hips a little. "Severus, shut up and enjoy this," he ordered, as his fingers drifted up to the boy's neck. He took Snape's (unfortunate, it had to be said) hair and twisted it into an impromptu ponytail to get it out of the way, and then pressed the pads of his fingertips to the nape of Severus's neck, moving down slowly, memorising the bits of skin that made the boy hold his breath, or exhale suddenly. He had reached halfway to the wingtips of Severus's shoulders again when Snape took his wand out of the cauldron and set it down on the table, with hands that were trembling faintly. "Everything all right?" Lucius asked, lips still close to Severus's ear. "Mm. Stirring's done." "Ah. ...Would you like me to stop?" Lucius asked, timing his question with a hard dig to one particularly persistent knot. Snape jumped, arching away from him for a second, but then the knot fell away and Severus shuddered, leaning against him fully, his back flush with Lucius's chest. "God," the boy managed, voice thick. "My hands are tingling," he said, a laugh in his throat. He sighed, and then - miracle of miracles - leaned his head back against Lucius's shoulder. Lucius couldn't help a small groan, couldn't help pressing a chaste kiss to the side of Severus's exposed neck. "So I won't stop," he murmured, darting his tongue against the skin, tasting it, snakelike. Severus shivered and rested his hands on the tops of Lucius's thighs, squeezing them gently - and then tighter, as Lucius kissed his neck again. "Not just yet," he murmured, flushing at the admission. "Jesus," he ground out a second later, as Lucius added a bit of a bite to the next kiss, pressing his hips tighter to Severus's arse. "Good," Lucius breathed, craning to lick at a spot that made Severus's chest hitch, pressing little sucking kisses to the cord of Severus's neck, beginning to rock his hips faintly on the bench, intentionally pushing the boy's limits. Snape - Merlin help him, Lucius had not seen this coming - actually moaned softly at that, and pushed back against him, sliding his hand around Lucius's thigh to pull him in tighter. "The door's unlocked," he hissed, writhing a tiny bit as Lucius slid a hand along his side. "You don't want people to see?" Lucius asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I do." Severus shuddered again, his fingers clenching the material of Lucius's trousers, wrinkling it. "I want them to see us like this, me rubbing myself against you shamelessly, you liking it, wanting more." "God, shut up, Malfoy," Severus gasped, his eyelids fluttering a little as his hand clenched and unclenched reflexively. He almost managed to swallow a groan effectively. "I don't - " "You do. You like knowing that I want you," Lucius breathed. "That I'm hard for you, you like feeling - " "Lucius," Snape panted, interrupting, his cheekbones and his lips a bright red Lucius wouldn't have expected. "M'so - " but he cut himself off, fumbling a second for Lucius's hand on his side, finding it and sliding it across his chest and down to the front of his trousers. Lucius groaned and bit down against skin - Severus was so hard in his hand, the heat of his body seeping through his clothes. He squeezed his fingers a little, making Snape jump and tremble, and then Severus's fingers were covering his, warm and shaking a little as they squeezed again, and again, and - Snape gasped, and arched against him, and Lucius whimpered, his mouth still attached to Severus's skin as he felt fabric go damp beneath his hand. Severus shuddered and stilled, panting a little, slumping back against Lucius for a moment. "God," he finally heard Snape murmur, along with a cleaning charm a second later. Lucius exhaled the breath he was holding, whimpering slightly as Severus pulled away. He blinked once, trying to clear his head and failing entirely, gaping stupidly as Snape slid off the bench and somehow managed to stand, just out of reach. "Thank you, Lucius, I do feel better," Severus said, still flushed from exertion, a bitemark (Merlin) red on his neck. And then, before Lucius could protest or go for his wand to hex the living daylights out of the tease, Severus leaned over to kiss his cheek lightly, and then swept out of the room, looking more relaxed than he had in ages. Lucius watched him go, dumbfounded.           *** Mulciber quickly hid his cigarette and threw down the Martin Miggs he was reading, and reached for something more fitting as he heard the door to the dorm being opened. He watched, surprised, as Lucius flung himself into the room. "Everything all right?" he asked, blinking as Lucius hexed his trunk against the wall. "Yes, everything is wonderful," Lucius snarled, running a trembling hand through his decidedly unkempt hair. "I hate you, by the way." "Ah. Good to hear," Aldous said, shrugging a shoulder as he produced the cig and took another drag. Lucius scowled, and stormed over, plucking it out of his hand and inhaling slowly. Aldous gave him an annoyed look as he took it back. "Trouble in paradise?" "The little bastard," Lucius said, voice tighter than normal, "is proving interesting." "My, my. Will wonders never cease. Still en route to success?" "Yes yes, of course," he snapped, reaching for the cigarette again, snarling when Mulciber held it just out of reach. "...If anyone calls, I'm sleeping and not to be disturbed." He marched over to his bed and snapped the curtains violently shut with a spell. Aldous watched him, bemused and vaguely disgusted as he heard the familiar sound of a silencing charm being thrown up. "I'll just be in the library," he said loudly, gathering his books, unwilling to be even a tangential participant in Lucius Malfoy Tossing Off. "If I see Severus, I'll offer him my congratulations." He ducked the quick curse that Lucius lobbed over the top of his bed, and sniggered to himself as he quickly exited the room.           Day Five Severus Snape was not attractive. Severus Snape had oily hair, and yellow teeth, and old-fashioned secondhand robes that made him look like a shabby Muggle priest. He had shadows under his eyes and was far too skinny and was, obviously, several leagues below Lucius Malfoy's Realm. Nevermind that he did have a sort of...bearing. One could almost call it poise. He had never gone through an awkward phase like most of the male adolescents in the school. And his voice was...acceptable, if somewhat surprising, that deep, prowly baritone coming out of such a skinny little whelp. His hands were stained with potions and ink - nevermind how they were...rather perfectly formed, with long careful fingers suited to the nuanced puzzle of potion-making. Or perhaps skillfully manipulating the erogenous extremities of a lover. Not that Lucius had ever considered that. Anyway, Severus Snape was completely unsuitable, and Lucius Malfoy did not have time in his very busy social schedule for unsuitable. It was unfortunate that he would have to cancel the bet with Mulciber, but, well - while Narcissa was a very fetching girl, there were some things that mattered more. Pride. Dignity. Tangle-free hair. Right. He'd tell Mulciber first thing in the morning.           Day Six (first thing in the morning) The door burst open, nearly upending them for a moment before Lucius grabbed the front of Severus's robes for balance and used the momentum to push him against the wall, still kissing fiercely. "Horrible little - tease - " he gasped, diving back in as Severus gave his hair a tug and tried to wrap a leg around him. "Who's teasing?" Snape panted, a groan catching in his throat as Lucius pulled him away from the wall and began to walk him backwards, towards Flitwick's desk. He huffed as Lucius fumbled in his attempts to push Severus's robes off his shoulders, and shrugged out of them, flailing a little as his sleeves caught on his hands. Finally they were off, and Severus had enough time to cup Lucius's face in both palms and stick his tongue half down his throat before he was shoved back onto the desk. Lucius whined and followed him, sprawling between Severus's open thighs, immediately grinding against him. "That awful display in the laboratory," Lucius managed when he was able, flushed and panting a little himself, halfway propped up on his elbows, just enough to look down between them, at where their bodies were arching to meet. He groaned and kissed Severus again, his hair falling like a curtain around them. "Not so awful," Snape mumbled, biting at Lucius's lower lip in a way that made Lucius snap his hips, jolt Severus against the table a little. He gasped at that, and Lucius felt oddly, ferally gratified. "It's not my fault that you wanted me." "Bastard," Lucius said, not meaning it. "You left - " "Before what?" Snape asked, sounding far too composed. Lucius pulled away just enough to give him a brief glare, and then attacked his neck, determined to leave a series of bruises Severus wouldn't be able to magic away entirely. "Before y - oh - before you managed to get my trousers down and bend me over the table?" Lucius shuddered and bit, slurping at Severus's skin, a little horrified at himself for not being more fastidious. "Perhaps," he muttered, grinning a little at the tiny groan Severus gave. "You'd like it." "I never said I wouldn't," Snape said logically, sliding the backs of his shins against Lucius's thighs, insinuating his hands between them to work at the clasps of Lucius's robes. Lucius grumbled and tugged them off, over his head, and claimed Severus's evil mouth in another kiss, not stopping until Snape went pliant and shivery underneath him. "You'd love it," Lucius rasped, smacking away Snape's hand to undo the buttons on his own trousers, making shorter work of it than Severus would be able. "You'd w - ohfuck - " he gasped, as Snape didn't waste any time - he hadn't even managed to undo all the buttons before Severus stuck his hand between the folds of fabric and unerringly found his cock. "Wouldn't I," Snape breathed, close to his ear, fingers closing around Lucius tightly and almost immediately beginning to pump. He muttered a quick spell and Lucius whimpered as Snape's hand was suddenly slick on him. "I'd be tighter than this, I've never let a boy. You'd be the first." "God," Lucius panted, rocking into Severus's grip, his face flushing dark as he pressed a cheek to Snape's. "You - really?" "Mm. You'd have to go slow or you'd hurt me," Snape said, and Lucius could tell by his voice that the sick fuck was smiling as he said it, but he obviously wasn't the only pervert in the room because a bolt of sensation worked its way up Lucius's spine at the prospect of that much power. He whimpered and reached down to still Severus's hand, covering it with his own as he pumped his hips, thrusting through it. Severus shuddered and curled around him a bit tighter, and nipped at his earlobe, licking over it. "Lucius." "Merlin, you're sick," Lucius gasped, thoroughly approving, as he moved his hand away and curled his arm around the boy, hauling him as close as he was able. "Tighter." Severus obeyed, and slid his thumb over the tip of Lucius's prick, making him keen. "Come on," he murmured, lips moving against Lucius's ear, and Lucius felt Severus's other hand sliding underneath his robe to grasp at his shirt and the skin underneath, fingernails digging into the fabric, leaving marks. "God, harder." Lucius whimpered again, his eyes closing, and he could almost pretend he was actually fucking Snape, the two of them twined around each other, Severus gasping in his ear and demanding more. Beneath them, the desk was rocking with the force of Lucius's thrusts, inching its way out of the center of the room. "...fuck," he managed in a small voice, before he gasped like someone had punched him and came all over Severus's hand. Severus groaned softly, and pumped over Lucius's dick a couple of times, just to draw things out, until Lucius slumped onto him, breathing hard. "God," Snape muttered, spitting a piece of Lucius's hair out of his mouth. "...it got all over my shirt," he said a moment later, sounding equal parts petulant and proud. Still trembling a little from the force of his climax, Lucius propped up enough to give him a hazy smile. "Lucky you," he said, sliding a hand between them to gauge the mess he'd made, his breath hitching when he realised that yes, there was come on Severus's shirt but also on his bare stomach, where the shirt had rucked up. He shuddered quietly, and brought his slightly sticky fingers back up to gaze at them. And then he arched an eyebrow at Severus and slid his wet index finger over the boy's lower lip, painting it lightly, thrilling a little as Snape rolled his eyes and opened his mouth. He slid his finger in, biting his lip as he felt Severus suckle at it lightly, the broad swipe of his tongue over skin as he licked it clean. "...Now," he breathed, pushing his hair out of their way, leaning down to nuzzle the side of Severus's face. "Back to when I was fucking you." Snape shuddered, and gave Lucius's finger a forceful suck, arching under him a little, still hard and wanting. "Undo your trousers, I want to see how you do it," Lucius ordered pleasantly, delighting at how eagerly he was obeyed - Severus made quick work of his belt and zip, and slid a hand into his underwear, sighing as his wrist began to move. "I would be careful, you know," he said, almost conversational, smiling a little at the whine Severus gave. "I'd make you love it. I'd open you up - with my fingers, first," he said, thoughtful, dipping down to kiss over Severus's neck and collarbones, licking over the sheen of sweat on his skin. "Til you were almost begging, til you were rocking down on them and wishing it were me, and then I'd push my prick inside you. ...Slow, at first." "Fuck, Malfoy," Snape groaned around his finger, squeezing his legs around Lucius a little tighter, arching up against him restlessly. "Don't want it slow, just - " "No? Want me to fuck you, then?" Lucius asked, nosing Severus's shirt out of the way to expose more skin to explore. "Shove into you and use you, pin you on the desk and fuck your arse til you're sore and screaming, coming on my cock?" "Merlin, yes," Snape whined, bucking up against him, biting down on his finger. Lucius felt another frisson run through him, another weird feeling of respect for Severus and his obvious Perversions, before he managed to hitch his shirt up the rest of the way and suck at a nearby nipple. The effect was instantaneous and rather startling - Severus gasped and clamped both legs around him, rocking through a series of shattering tremors as he came, his mouth falling open as he shook apart. Lucius watched, mouth still attached to his nipple, dumbstruck as he realised that Severus Snape in the throes of orgasm was the hottest thing he'd ever seen in his life. Eventually, Severus's legs relaxed their viselike grip on his middle, and Lucius slithered up to cover him completely, pressing kisses into his flushed skin. "That was..." he said, before he realised he didn't have any proper adjectives in his vocabulary, and he abandoned finishing his sentence in favour of kissing Severus again. "Agreed."           Day Seven Severus Snape was gorgeous. Not in the normal sense, of course, but he was, nonetheless. And things that were normal were, intrinsically, boring, and Lucius Malfoy was too good for boring so it was very fitting that he should be interfering with an underage underfed boy who looked like a crow with an overlarge beak. Also Severus was a total pervert and amazing at sex and nevermind overlarge beaks, amazing sex was more important than noses or Lucius's parents' approval anytime.           Day Eight Lucius Malfoy was confused. After the morning of mindblowing sex and perversion in the Charms classroom, he and Severus had gone their separate ways to their lessons, of course. Lucius had been considerate enough to even save a seat for Severus during lunch but, for some reason, Severus had not come to the Great Hall. Nor had he come for dinner the next evening. Nor any of the meals the following day. Nervous that all of his hard work had fallen through (only two days til his deadline with Aldous, after all) and, truth be told, a bit concerned for the boy, Lucius went looking in all the usual places - the library, the potions laboratory, the Quidditch pitch. He even harassed Potter and Black for a very unpleasant ten minutes, before he gave up and stomped back to the Slytherin Common Room, skiving all his lessons for the day in hopes that Severus would show his face. Finally, that evening, upset and worried and famished, Lucius had a brainwave and bullied one of the fifth-year boys into letting him into that year's boys dormitory. There, perched on his bed with stacks of books and parchments surrounding him, sat Severus Snape, whole and safe. Lucius could have killed him. "Where on earth have you been?" he growled, marching over to Snape's bed and crawling onto it, barely avoiding toppling a tower of potions texts. He was surprised to see Snape scowling at him in return. "Here. How did you get in?" "I can do whatever I want, I'm a Malfoy," Lucius snapped, knocking Severus's quill out of his hands in his haste to check the boy over for evidence of injury. Severus slapped his hands away irritably. "That applies to your housemates as well, I suppose," he sneered, picking up his quill again and applying himself to the parchment he was writing, steadfastly refusing to look at Lucius, who gaped at him for a moment before cottoning on. "What? No, that's ridiculous." "Is it." Snape looked unamused. "Leave me alone, Malfoy." Lucius felt various internal organs give a funny lurch at that, and he swallowed against a rising tide of - well, it felt like hurt. "Severus," he murmured, his voice soft and sad. "Ugh, don't be stupid. It was fun, but it was ridiculous, and we've got it out of our systems now. Don't belabour the point." Snape folded his arms tight around himself. "Got it out of our systems?" Lucius gaped unattractively for a moment, before his long-dormant practicality set in. "...If you've 'got it out of your system', why have you been avoiding me?" he asked shrewdly, as he carefully moved a stack of books to the edge of the bed, making room enough for him to slide a little closer. "Obviously because I knew you would take it badly," Severus snapped, shifting further towards the headboard. "Go away, Lucius." "Rot. What happened? Tell me," Lucius murmured. Snape shifted again, uneasily glancing over the rest of the room, at where a couple of the other fifth-year boys were giving the two of them looks of mingled horror and interest. Lucius huffed and closed the curtains with a spell. "Severus, please," he whispered, breaking his cardinal rule of Never Begging. Snape glared at him for another moment before his expression broke. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Bellatrix." "Ugh, say no more," Lucius said, a little lightheaded at the wave of relief that washed over him. "My poor dear boy." He levitated another stack of books to the other side of the bed, and crawled into the space he'd created, tugging Severus down until they were curled up, side by side. "I haven't got you out of my system, I promise." "And they say romance is dead," Severus drawled sardonically, making Lucius snort and tug his hair. "I haven't." He sighed and tugged Snape a little closer, sliding an arm around his waist, stroking his back comfortably. "This is nice." "It'd be nicer if you'd remembered a Silencing Charm!" came a voice from the other side of the curtains. Lucius rolled his eyes, but smiled a little as Severus choked with laughter, and obliged the fifth-years by settling a muffling charm over the bed. "You know," Severus began, once he'd recovered, "there is a poison found in a shellfish that lives in the Sepik River of New Guinea, which, once it's entered the blood stream, cannot be eradicated." "What was that about romance being dead?" Lucius protested, pouting a little. "Shut up, you might learn something," Severus said almost fondly, twirling a bit of white hair in his fingers. "The only way to counteract this poison is an ingestion of the antidote, daily, for the rest of one's life." Lucius tilted his head and considered. "So you're a poison in my blood stream which cannot be eradicated?" "The poison eventually attaches itself to the brain." "Right. ...But there is an antidote." "Yes. Derived from a plant also indigenous to New Guinea, in an interesting serendipity." "Mm." Lucius thought about this for a moment, and then gave Severus a Look. "I love you too," he drawled, before he tugged a blushing, protesting Snape in for a kiss.           Day Nine "Hello, Bella," Lucius said pleasantly, as he strolled up to the breakfast table. He gave her a smile, and then blasted her with a hex that sent her flying through the air to the Professors' Table. And then he turned her hair a bright, Weasley red to add insult to injury when she regained consciousness. He almost enjoyed the chaos that followed, especially when he turned around to find Severus right behind him, hexing the daylights out of an incensed Rodolphus Lestrange. Of course, they got a detention - a series of them, to be precise, but the detentions were with old Sluggy and Severus was in there with him, so Lucius didn't mind his wasted evening at all. Particularly when Severus managed to get the note-passing spell working and they were able to scribble vaguely obscene things to each other in their own notebooks without tossing parchment around.           Day Ten Of course Hufflepuff House made a production of Valentine's Day, distributing sweet little cards with an Ice Mouse attached to each and every student in the school, delivered in a hail of owls and confetti. Lucius was horrified at how the glittery bits of paper stuck to his hair, and quickly bit the head off his Mouse, making sure to munch on it in full view of a bunch of third-year badgers. Severus gazed expressionlessly at the smiling little cherub on his, and listened to its tinkly admonition for him to Have A Lovely Loving Day, and promptly burnt it into cinders. Lucius fell a little bit in love with him, for that. Lessons were a joke: all of the professors were either distracted by whatever passed for "relationships" in their sad little lives, mooning about in their classrooms, or they were a bit pissed off and determined to make everyone as miserable and sad as they were. Or, in the case of one Horace Slughorn, more than halfway to drunk on elderflower wine and inclined to let his pupils do whatever the hell they wanted, provided they didn't blow anything up or make too much noise. His distaste for early-morning owl delivery (and his taste for drawing as much attention to himself as he possibly could) led Lucius to delay his particular owl til dinnertime. It arrived and circled slowly around the ceiling of the Great Hall for a few minutes before sliding into a dive and perching expertly on Severus's shoulder, dropping a parcel into his lap and flying off. Severus gave Lucius a halfhearted glare from across the table, and ignored the hoots of laughter from Potter and Black in Gryffindor's section of the Hall. The enormous bouquet of roses fairly exploded out of the tiny parcel, arranging themselves perfectly in an empty vase on the table, drawing everyone's gaze. The girls in Slytherin gasped appreciatively and cooed over them - Andromeda Black even dove for the note that accompanied them, barely missing as Severus snatched it away and tucked it in his pocket with a glare for her. He glanced down at the box and blinked, rummaging through the packaging and producing a box of sugar quills and two tiny phials. He held them up to the light of the candles, squinting. "Dragon's blood and..." he frowned, trying to identify the smaller of the containers. "Phoenix tears," Lucius supplied, taking a delicate bite of his potato mash, pretending not to notice the flummoxed look Severus gave him. "I thought they'd come in handy for a potions master." Severus gazed at him for a moment, eyes wide and a bit wondering. And then he smiled, crooked and shy, and kicked Lucius under the table, the very tops of his cheeks turning pink. "Showoff," he muttered, and tucked his hair behind an ear. "The roses were a bit superfluous. He'll only wind up using them for potions," Mulciber murmured next to him, from behind his bread roll. "Six hours. Time to pull out all the stops, as it were," Lucius muttered back, still grinning stupidly as he watched Severus slap Narcissa's hands away from the roses. He missed Aldous's vaguely pitying look. "Of course, of course," the other seventh-year said. "...I'll tell you what. Because I am the soul of charity, I'll give you til the morning, for proof." Lucius blinked, and gave Mulciber a suspicious look. Aldous shrugged innocently. "Spirit of the day." "You're going soft, old man." "Better than soft-witted."           *** Lucius was almost nervous, but that didn't stop him from pushing Severus against the door to his dormitory once they were inside and snogging him thoroughly. Severus groaned into his mouth, slid hands into his hair (Lucius didn't mind so much, anymore). "Theatrical ponce," he murmured against Lucius's lips, licking them lightly. "You loved it," Lucius murmured hornily, sliding a hand into Severus's robes, over his shirt, the faint outline of his ribs. "Do I not get anything in return?" "A very sincere 'thank you' isn't enough?" Snape asked, before pushing Lucius away, smirking at his outraged look as he rummaged through his robe pockets. "Shut up and go sit down, of course I have something for you. Stop looking wounded." Lucius bounded over to his bed happily, hopping onto it and sprawling in what he knew was a very appealing way. Snape raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and moved sedately over to the bed as well before crawling onto it, straddling Lucius's legs and sitting on his lap. He rifled through another pocket and eventually drew his hand out - it was holding two small beakers of a sparkling potion. Lucius felt a sudden twinge of disappointment. "Oh. ...How lovely," he said gamely, giving Severus a smile. "You don't even know what it is, do you?" Snape sighed. "It's Felix Felicis, dolt." Lucius blinked, and began to grin. "Really?" "Yes." Severus set the phials down on his chest, and gave Lucius a sheepish look. "I wasn't brewing Polyjuice, that day. In the lab. ...It's enough for five doses." Lucius picked up one of the beakers and shook it, to Snape's chagrin, and watched the fluid glimmer in the half-light of the room. "Beautiful. But you know, darling, I've really no need of it now," he said, setting it back down on his chest and sliding his hands up Severus's thighs. Snape raised both eyebrows at that, and started chuckling. "Merlin, that was terrible." Lucius grinned. "A bit, perhaps." "No, really. Terrible. All of my attraction to you just shriveled up and died," Severus smirked, covering Lucius's hands with his own and inching them further up his legs. "That's very unfortunate," Lucius murmured, raising an eyebrow of his own. "I'd better take one of the doses, see if that helps." "It doesn't provide miracles, I'm afraid," Snape replied, almost cheerful, as he slid his robes off his shoulders. He let the fabric pool around Lucius's legs before he bent down for a kiss, light and surprisingly chaste. Lucius hummed appreciatively, cupping the back of Severus's head for a moment, rolling them over easily. "Now," he said, as he pulled away, propping himself up on his elbows, "we'll start with the shirt, I think." He reached a hand between them, tracing his nose along the side of Severus's face as his fingers made quick work of the buttons there - he pushed the material away and slid an appreciative hand over the span of pale skin he'd uncovered before dipping his head to kiss Severus's sternum, mouthing over his skin, grinning at the way Snape started to squirm - especially when he brushed his lips over an already- tight nipple. "Annnnnd now..." "For fuck's sake, Lucius, get your own clothes off and let me worry about mine, it'll take less time," Severus grumbled, trying to mask his urgency with irritation. Lucius looked up at him, and gave him a smirk, but nodded and sat up. "As you like," he said lightly, scooping up the beakers of Felix Felicis and setting them carefully on his bedside table as he started shucking off his robes and clothes. He turned to see how Severus was getting on, and smirked as he found the other boy watching him interestedly. He tossed his shirt at Severus's head. "Hurry up." Two minutes and a Nox later, Lucius was sliding underneath the bedcovers, reaching to pull Severus against him, both of them sucking in a startled breath at the new feeling of skin against skin. He shivered as he felt Snape's hands mapping him, his torso and arms and legs, and gently pushed Severus onto his back, settling between his legs before he started his own exploring. The prospect of having time and a place to themselves was alien and a bit disorienting at first, and Lucius felt a little weird as he looked Snape over, tracing the lines of his ribs, the rise of his hipbone, the long flank of his leg. "Waiting for a written invitation, Malfoy?" Severus finally muttered, jarring Lucius out of his thoughts, making him laugh as he craned back up for a kiss. Snape huffed and pulled him up tight, crushing their bodies together, arching into him a little as he sucked on Lucius's tongue, until finally Lucius was panting and well on his way to rock-hard as he rocked his hips against Severus's, groaning. "Eager," he murmured, squawking at the sharp smack to his thigh Severus gave him for that, and then gasping as Snape smoothed a hand over his skin. "...merlin. All right, what first?" "Hmm." Severus darted his tongue out, licking at Lucius's top lip, and then smirked and laid back against the pillows. "You decide." Lucius bit his lip, and then gave the other boy a grin before sliding back down, kissing over his chest, licking and sucking at one nipple and then at the other until Snape's smirk had vanished and left him shivering and squirming on the sheets. And then Lucius ducked further down, licking a stripe down Severus's belly, pausing at the shock of hair against his mouth, the feel of Snape's prick bumping the underside of his chin. "God," Severus whined, releasing the breath he'd been holding explosively. "Come on, Lucius, just - " "Hmm? Oh, did you want - " Lucius began, teasing. "Merlin, just put it in your mouth," Severus hissed, his eyes shut tight, his back arched a little off the bed. Lucius snorted a soft laugh, but otherwise didn't tease him anymore, tilting his head down and surveying Snape's cock for a moment before tasting it, his tongue slicking over the head in a flash of pink. Severus bit his lip, and stopped breathing. Grinning a bit, to himself, Lucius slid his tongue down Severus's length a few times before being nice and fitting his mouth over it neatly, sucking down a little. Snape jumped, and shivered, his eyes still closed but his mouth open, shocked. Lucius looked up at him, watched Severus unconsciously wet his lips, and couldn't help groaning softly around him. Then there were hands in his hair, and Severus was panting, and things got a lot less efficient and tidy as Lucius went on but that was all right, Severus loved it - he said as much - and actually cried out as he came. Lucius didn't much like the taste of come, but he decided he was willing to make an exception to another rule of his if it meant getting to see Severus come apart like that. He swallowed (ew) and slid back up Severus's body, covering him warmly and deciding not to point out the shaking in the younger boy, kissing him thoroughly instead. Snape panted, still trying to catch his breath as he kissed back. "...Acceptable," he finally managed. "Kind of you," Lucius drawled, smirking as he nuzzled the side of Severus's neck. "...Now, ah." He paused, and tried to think of how to proceed. After a moment's more nuzzling, he looked up, and found Snape gazing at him, amused. "Shall I save you from yourself and just tell you to fuck me?" Lucius attempted an unamused look at that, but as he was inwardly cheering, it wasn't as convincing as he would have liked. "Well, if it's a hardship," he muttered, giving Severus a frown. Snape sighed and rolled his eyes, and tugged Lucius's hair. "Please, Lucius Malfoy, bugger me until I cannot walk. Sincerely, Severus Snape." "You're soooo funny," Lucius said flatly, though he did have to mouth over Snape's neck at that. "Really," he said, punctuating the words with kisses. "So. Funny." Snape snorted at that, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter for a moment, until Lucius huffed and bit down on a particularly sensitive spot, eliciting a gratifying little moan. Lucius didn't let up til he decided Severus had learned his lesson - til he was a shivery, demanding mess, in other words, tugging Lucius into kisses that left them both lightheaded and panting, the both of them flushed and a bit sweaty under the bedcovers. "Lucius," Severus hissed, tilting his chin and rocking against him a bit as Malfoy licked at the corners of his mouth, "come on." Lucius thought about teasing him, making him spell out exactly what he meant by that, but then he felt Snape's hand trying to work between them, reaching for his prick (so hard it was leaking, vaguely embarrassing) and he shuddered, hard. "All right," he murmured, grinding their hips together, unable to stop himself for a moment before he reached for his wand and cast a couple of cleaning and protective charms. "Oil's in the table drawer, hang on," he mumbled, halfway making a move for it before Severus huffed and grabbed for Lucius's wand, muttering what sounded like a weird version of a lubricating charm and going still at its effects. Lucius blinked at him. And then Severus shuddered, violently, and bit his lip, his knees squeezing tight against Lucius's middle. "Don't want to wait," he managed, his voice tight with arousal. Lucius gaped for a second, and then had to kiss Snape again, hard, groaning into his mouth a little as he hitched them closer and snaked a hand between them, closing his hand over his cock. He pushed it between the cheeks of Severus's arse, having to let his hand roam for a moment over the new territory, sliding two fingertips against the slick pucker of his hole, delighting in the gasp Snape gave. "Merlin, Lucius, just - " "All right all right all right," Lucius muttered, grinning a little, having to kiss him again as he worked one fingertip just inside. "Pushy," he breathed, closing his eyes at the heat around his finger before he removed it and shimmied up, exhaling against Severus's jaw as he felt Snape's hole tense against his cockhead, and then he pushed in. Severus tensed as though he'd been hit with a hex, and Lucius couldn't help groaning, having to bring his hand away just so he could use his arm to steady himself, he was in sudden danger of falling over at the wet heat surrounding him. There was a small sound then, and Lucius realised it had been from Snape, and he pressed his cheek to the other boy's as he pushed in a bit more, muttering a halfhearted sorrysorrysorry though he knew he couldn't stop. And then he was all in. He exhaled, and fought to keep his hips still, not moving away from Severus, still curled around him tightly as he murmured "All right?" into his ear. Severus exhaled, long and steady, and Lucius felt him nod. "Don't want it slow, Malfoy," he warned, and then the little bastard turned his head and gave the rim of Lucius's ear a hot, slow lick. Lucius gasped, and started thrusting, tentative and nervous at first but gaining steam as he realised that Severus wasn't lying, and he wasn't actually hurting him. Actually quite the opposite, from the looks of things - Lucius bit his lip and grabbed for the iron of the headboard, using it to anchor himself as he pumped his hips a bit harder, his eyelids fluttering and his mouth dropping open at the effect. And Severus - Merlin, a few seconds after that, Severus gave a shocked cry and snapped his limbs around Lucius like an overgrown Venus fly-trap. Lucius's eyes flew open, surprised, and he glanced down long enough to make sure everything was all right. "Don't stop," Snape ordered, almost snarled, his eyes shut tight as he worked himself down on Lucius's cock feverishly, his fingernails digging into the meat of Lucius's thigh. "Stay there, just - " "Here?" Lucius asked, thrusting in as hard as he could, going a bit dizzy with how good it felt, and at the way Severus yelped and held onto him tighter, actually whimpering. "Oh, fuck," Lucius whined, dropping his head to Snape's shoulder, losing all sense of propriety as he just fucked the other boy, ramming his cock in and in and in again and moaning like a whore. Underneath them, the bed was creaking, banging against the wall in a way that would have embarrassed the hell out of Lucius in any other set of circumstances. After a moment, he began to feel a familiar tingle starting behind his eyelids and at the base of his spine and Lucius groaned, almost disappointed, not wanting it to end. "Touch - " he gasped, but was unable to finish, keening a little as Severus kissed him and shoved a hand between them, to work his own prick. Lucius shuddered, and slicked his tongue against Severus's. And then he shouted, actually, as the hot wet heat he'd been sliding into suddenly got a lot tighter, and Severus was gasping against his mouth and clawing at his back, and his stomach was wet with come as well as sweat and that was it. Lucius thrust in once more, maybe twice, and then shuddered and writhed and panted his way through an orgasm that he was a bit afraid would kill him, with how hard it was. He clung to Severus, wracking and still rocking against him faintly, unable to catch his breath for a good half-minute until after it ended. "...Merlin," he whimpered, before he collapsed, making Severus wheeze. He whimpered a nonverbal apology but couldn't seem to move - his muscles had all turned to jelly. Behind the rushing in his ears and the stuttering hammer of his heart, Lucius was peripherally aware that he was actually still inside Severus, could still feel walls of muscles squeezing around him almost painfully - but he was fucked if there was anything he could do about it at the moment. Eventually, he felt Severus's arms come up and circle around his back comfortably, stroking the hot, damp skin there, one hand sliding up the back of his neck and into his hair. The hand was probably covered with come and sweat and who knew what else, but Lucius couldn't be bothered to care. "If you fall asleep on me, I'll hex your balls blue," Severus murmured fondly into his ear, making Lucius groan and then start sniggering tiredly. He managed to move just enough to let Severus out from under him, and then let himself be bullied onto his side, sighing contentedly as Severus cast a few well-needed cleaning charms on the both of them. As soon as Severus had settled back down, Lucius rolled back on top of him, stopping the protest he knew was coming with a long, lazy kiss. "...Useless," Snape murmured a moment later, as he slid a hand through Lucius's hair idly. "Have at least one use, you just found it," Lucius mumbled smugly, curling around Severus like he was a particularly bony teddy bear. "Mmm, sleep." Severus sighed, and Lucius flattered himself that it was a contented sigh rather than his usual martyrish one. "All right. Goodnight, Lucius." And they slept.           Day Eleven Aldous Mulciber was catching up on his correspondence, as he always did on Saturday mornings, when Lucius bounded into the Common Room, looking entirely too self-satisfied. He plunked himself down in the chair opposite Mulciber and smirked at him. "Good morning, Aldous." "Lucius. Good night's rest?" Aldous said, dipping his quill into the inkwell. "Mmm, very," Lucius said, stretching. "You?" "No." Aldous glanced up from his letter long enough to give Lucius a brief glare. "Someone forgot to cast a Silencing Charm before retiring last night." Lucius flushed a brilliant red, but shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "Oops. Wait, does that mean I don't need to give you these?" he asked, producing a pair of plain grey underpants from his robes pocket. Aldous made a face. "Merlin, no, what would I do with them? Ugh." "Oh. Pity," Lucius said, twisting the underwear in his hands, gazing at it with a stupid little grin on his face. "Now, when do I get..." Aldous looked up again, waiting for the rest of Lucius's sentence, before he realised why the other boy had trailed off - Snape had suddenly appeared in the Common Room as well, and was giving Lucius a small smirk as he strode forward to their table. "Severus," Aldous said, giving him a small nod. "Aldous." Severus inclined his head as well. "Something for you," he said, laying a thin envelope on the table before turning his attention to Lucius, who'd hastily put the underwear back in his pocket. "Someone's been filching my things. I want them returned, or there will be retaliation," he said, raising an eyebrow at the boy. Lucius gave him a placid smile. "I'll keep an eye out for any suspicious- looking characters," he said casually, though he turned his head to watch Severus saunter off, which rather ruined the intended nonchalance, Aldous thought. "So, you were asking about your broom," Aldous said after a moment, returning Lucius to the topic at hand. "I can give it to you, though I thought you'd rather an owl delivery, since you seem to enjoy spectacles - " he began, but then he looked up and rolled his eyes as he realised he was being completely ignored. "Lucius," he snapped. "Hmm?" Lucius looked over and gave him a guilty smile. "Yes, whatever you think best, that's - tell you what, I'll see you at dinner," he said, almost knocking his chair over in his haste to follow the way Severus had gone. Aldous snorted, and reached for Snape's envelope, opening it with his wand and sniggering as he glanced at the contents - inside was a lock of white-blond hair. He went back to finishing his owl.   - On an unrelated note, I must thank you again, Father, on behalf of the Slytherin Quidditch team, for the generous donation of the seven new Cleansweep Fours. The Seeker and Keeper are particularly delighted, and greatly appreciate the new Cushioning Charms. Hoping this letter finds you and Mother well, Your son, Aldous Mulciber   Aldous folded his letter and sealed it, and stowed it carefully in his inside jacket pocket. He stood and threw on his robes and headed out of the Common Room, in the direction of the Owlery. Afterwards, he thought he might head to the library. Narcissa Black was usually there this time of day, and the next Hogsmeade Weekend was coming up soon. End Notes I shamelessly pilfered the description of the New Guinea poison from Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice, which you should all read, if you haven't already. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!