As Winter Calls

Chapter Two

Time has caught him

And will for all reasons take him..

The mirror lay smashed in
the middle of the room, its shards scattered into the deep navy carpet,
destroyed after Severus had finally lost control of himself, seeing through the
scrying glass the image of Harry Potter, shoved against the wall, his fat uncle
tightly gripping his hair with one pudgy hand, holding the boy at arms length
as he methodically beat him with a leather belt for the transgression of
burning an elaborate lamb dinner.

Lucius tapped his long
fingers together, absently watching the house elves scurry around clearing up
the many shards of glass littered around. Severus was in the far corner of the
parlour, facing the wall, his harsh breathing testament that he had not as yet
recovered his temper.

At first, the Potions
Master had ranted for ten straight minutes about how Dumbledore had lied to
him, telling him that Harry Potter was 'well taken care of' - from there,
Snape's dark thoughts and still seething jealously and resentment against the
boy's father had led him down a rather predictable path. Severus had assumed
the boy was spoiled, lavished with affection and material things...all the
things his father James had been given...and all the things Snape had never
received as a child.

The truth was something
else entirely.

The boy was barely fed,
his clothing was clearly second-hand and hung from his bony frame like
rags...he even had to sneak out for the simple pleasure of feeling the sun on
his face, while his 'family' lived comfortably on the back of his labour.
Lucius idly wondered how on earth they coped when the boy was at school, as
they seemed incapable of performing the simplest task by themselves. And it
wasn't like they had magic; after all...Lucius' eyes darkened from pale silver
to a forbidding stormy grey....muggles making a wizard into something less than
a house elf. Intolerable.

Lucius was drawn from his
musings by the sound of a dull thud. He turned slightly to see that Severus's
fist had struck the wall. For a moment, Lucius considering making a dry comment
about not damaging the paintwork until he saw the expression on Snape's face -
it was twisted into a snarl of rage, but his eyes had tears in them.

"We will not leave
him there, Severus." Lucius said softly.

"How do you propose
we get him out?" Severus growled, "We'd be defying not only
Dumbledore, but the Ministry...and Merlin knows what would happen if the Dark
Lord found out..."

Lucius smiled slightly and
summonsed a quill and parchment, quickly writing a note and sealing it.
"You are so sceptical, Severus. There are always ways and means." His
sly smile became broader as Severus gave him a frankly uncertain stare,
"But for this to work, first we will need the boy in our custody."

Snape's expression
transformed into a nasty smile.

"Oh good." He
said silkily, "I would certainly like to have...a few words with those
muggles."