By Fair Means or Foul
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
22
Views:
14,448
Reviews:
55
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
22
Views:
14,448
Reviews:
55
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Six
AN: Irene: Why, however did you guess? ^_^ I was greatly influenced by Ejab\'s brilliant work with \"The Path of the Serpent\". I adore that story! All of you should read it and then bug her into hurrying with the sequel \"Dragon\'s Den\". You can find both here at AFF. Oh, and the good stuff is coming. You know, I don\'t think I could do a PWP if my life depended on it! Must... put ...in... a ... plot... ^_~
Chapter 6
Hogwarts’ halls were quiet as a blond man made his way down to the dungeon. Lucius had passed the Great Hall on his way in and had witnessed all of the student body and faculty having their lunch. Almost all of the faculty, that is. One was missing and Lucius was hunting him down now. As he made his way into the bowels of the castle, he was very glad for the diminishing amount of ugly pink decorations. They eventually ceased all together once he reached the floor he was looking for. With only the sound of his walking stick to accompany him, he made his way to a familiar door. Without knocking, he walked in.
“Ah, Severus, I hope I do not see this correctly. You wouldn’t by any chance be hiding in your office, now would you?” Lucius smoothly said as he slipped into the room. Severus had spun around from the stack of books he appeared to be sorting when the door opened but stopped drawing his wand when he saw whom it was. With narrowed eyes he watched as Lucius began a casual inspection of his jarred specimens and a few of his notes that were lying about. Drat the man for his timing. Although, Snape had known he would be seeing him soon, this was too annoying for Lucius to let pass, he had hoped for at least a bit more time.
“Actually, Lucius, I was taking a moment to sort through some things I had been neglecting.” After receiving a superciliously raised eyebrow he huffed and snidely said, “And, if you must know, I was avoiding a contingent of idiots that have begun to circle about. I do believe Albus has either grown incompetent or is currently enjoying my ire at the press at the moment.” Snape returned to his books giving his back to the other man.
“Yes, the press. I did read some very interesting articles about you this morning. Very interesting. Surprising as well, I must say.” Lucius slowly closed in on his prey. He gracefully rested against the edge of Severus’s desk as he studied the man before him. He noticed that Severus had gone back to his high collars again and his robes were much too thick for indoor use. Interesting reaction for one who had already made a “keepers” pile of men. Lucius pushed away that extremely irritating thought, for the moment.
“Sev, I’m shaken that you never confided in me.” Receiving a disbelieving look over a shoulder he shrugged. “I had hoped that our friendship would have been deep enough for you to trust me. Surely you don’t think I would have turned you over to Voldemort, do you? The thought of the consequences of that are quite appalling.” In truth, they were. The very thought of anyone lying with Severus made a slow burn begin in his stomach. Where would Severus have stashed that damn “keepers” pile?
Turning around to place two books on a stack next to Lucius’s hip, Severus gave him a dark look.
“Actually, Lucius, I doubt that you would have, unless you needed to save your own skin. Malfoys do not share their toys, I believe?” Severus went back to his pile. “But this… condition has been my secret for years and I had intended to keep it a secret,” he finished with his voice very hard.
“Yes, I had read it has been covered up since it’s original discovery. I’m stunned at your misjudgement in allowing that medi-witch to live. The only true way to keep a secret is to kill all who know it, you know.”
“Hmm, well, I was only 11 at the time and had yet to learn the killing curse, so you’ll have to forgive me.”
“Well, I suppose that would be a good reason. Still, why would an 11-year-old boy not be happy about being so rare and coveted? And, even if you could not grasp it, I am sure that your parents must have been thrilled at the prospects. The marriage proposals from excellent families would have come pouring in. Why, Severus, just think. I would have been 17 years old at the time, the age of considering marriage contracts. Just think of where we would be today if this had been revealed. It does boggle the mind,” Lucius mused. Severus spun around with heat in his eyes.
“I assure you that my father would have grasped the possibilities all to well,” he said as he threw a book down on the desk. He turned to Lucius with narrowed eyes and a cold voice. “He would have realized the enormous wealth he could garner by prostituting me out. Oh no, Lucius, my father would never have settled for a simple marriage settlement. No, my father would have used the reputation this rarity carries to its fullest potential. My mother, thankfully, covered it up and made sure I knew the ramifications of it ever becoming even a rumour.” He turned back to his books and added in a quiet voice, “It’s one of the few things I could ever thank her for.”
Lucius stared consideringly at the dark man’s back. So, it was not embarrassment or weakness, but survival that had created the secret. Interesting. Also, much easier to work with since the impetus for the original survival measure and even the secondary one were both dead now. It was unfortunate for Severus to have had a father such as that but Lucius prided himself on his practical thinking. If Severus had not had the father he did or the secret he had, well, then his previous question still stood. Where would they be today?
“Well, then I suppose it was fortunate that your mother was bright enough, at least, for that.” Lucius stood and began to walk back around the desk. “Now, where are all those trinkets and sundry that I saw in that lovely photograph? It all looked very paltry to me, but then, most things other people can afford do.”
Severus, as he had hoped, whipped around with offence in his beautiful dark eyes. Good, no hint of melancholy.
“If you mean the bribery, it has been dispensed with. If you have come sniffing around to reap any of this inanity, you have missed the boat. Most of it went in the rubbish where it belongs.”
“Most of it, did you say? And what, pray tell, did not make its way into the refuse? Tokens from long lost loves, was it?” Lucius just barely kept the bite from his voice.
“Hardly. But it appears that some of the wealthier of the nits had better taste and sent more than just run of the mill items. Who am I not to capitalize on it?”
“Really? So, no sterling beaus have presented themselves then? No one you would think to keep around?” Severus snorted and picked up a sheaf of papers on his desk. He tapped them on the surface of the wood to straighten them out as he spoke.
“Hardly. Most of them I wouldn’t sit on the same train with. A good number of them are only interested, poetically worded of course, for one evening’s entertainment.” He said the last word with a good dose of derision. Lucius turned from his contemplation of an ancient grimoire with a look of scorn.
“Ah yes, the reputation of excellence in sex. Those fools, to only ask for one night.” Lucius smoothly found his way back to Severus. He stood only a foot away and locked his eyes with dark ones. “If they only knew what I knew, hmm? To know that one night is never enough.” He quickly broke eye contact and moved back away just as Severus’s breath began to quicken. He didn’t want to tip his hand just yet.
“Well, Severus? Are you going to invite me to lunch or not?”
Chapter 6
Hogwarts’ halls were quiet as a blond man made his way down to the dungeon. Lucius had passed the Great Hall on his way in and had witnessed all of the student body and faculty having their lunch. Almost all of the faculty, that is. One was missing and Lucius was hunting him down now. As he made his way into the bowels of the castle, he was very glad for the diminishing amount of ugly pink decorations. They eventually ceased all together once he reached the floor he was looking for. With only the sound of his walking stick to accompany him, he made his way to a familiar door. Without knocking, he walked in.
“Ah, Severus, I hope I do not see this correctly. You wouldn’t by any chance be hiding in your office, now would you?” Lucius smoothly said as he slipped into the room. Severus had spun around from the stack of books he appeared to be sorting when the door opened but stopped drawing his wand when he saw whom it was. With narrowed eyes he watched as Lucius began a casual inspection of his jarred specimens and a few of his notes that were lying about. Drat the man for his timing. Although, Snape had known he would be seeing him soon, this was too annoying for Lucius to let pass, he had hoped for at least a bit more time.
“Actually, Lucius, I was taking a moment to sort through some things I had been neglecting.” After receiving a superciliously raised eyebrow he huffed and snidely said, “And, if you must know, I was avoiding a contingent of idiots that have begun to circle about. I do believe Albus has either grown incompetent or is currently enjoying my ire at the press at the moment.” Snape returned to his books giving his back to the other man.
“Yes, the press. I did read some very interesting articles about you this morning. Very interesting. Surprising as well, I must say.” Lucius slowly closed in on his prey. He gracefully rested against the edge of Severus’s desk as he studied the man before him. He noticed that Severus had gone back to his high collars again and his robes were much too thick for indoor use. Interesting reaction for one who had already made a “keepers” pile of men. Lucius pushed away that extremely irritating thought, for the moment.
“Sev, I’m shaken that you never confided in me.” Receiving a disbelieving look over a shoulder he shrugged. “I had hoped that our friendship would have been deep enough for you to trust me. Surely you don’t think I would have turned you over to Voldemort, do you? The thought of the consequences of that are quite appalling.” In truth, they were. The very thought of anyone lying with Severus made a slow burn begin in his stomach. Where would Severus have stashed that damn “keepers” pile?
Turning around to place two books on a stack next to Lucius’s hip, Severus gave him a dark look.
“Actually, Lucius, I doubt that you would have, unless you needed to save your own skin. Malfoys do not share their toys, I believe?” Severus went back to his pile. “But this… condition has been my secret for years and I had intended to keep it a secret,” he finished with his voice very hard.
“Yes, I had read it has been covered up since it’s original discovery. I’m stunned at your misjudgement in allowing that medi-witch to live. The only true way to keep a secret is to kill all who know it, you know.”
“Hmm, well, I was only 11 at the time and had yet to learn the killing curse, so you’ll have to forgive me.”
“Well, I suppose that would be a good reason. Still, why would an 11-year-old boy not be happy about being so rare and coveted? And, even if you could not grasp it, I am sure that your parents must have been thrilled at the prospects. The marriage proposals from excellent families would have come pouring in. Why, Severus, just think. I would have been 17 years old at the time, the age of considering marriage contracts. Just think of where we would be today if this had been revealed. It does boggle the mind,” Lucius mused. Severus spun around with heat in his eyes.
“I assure you that my father would have grasped the possibilities all to well,” he said as he threw a book down on the desk. He turned to Lucius with narrowed eyes and a cold voice. “He would have realized the enormous wealth he could garner by prostituting me out. Oh no, Lucius, my father would never have settled for a simple marriage settlement. No, my father would have used the reputation this rarity carries to its fullest potential. My mother, thankfully, covered it up and made sure I knew the ramifications of it ever becoming even a rumour.” He turned back to his books and added in a quiet voice, “It’s one of the few things I could ever thank her for.”
Lucius stared consideringly at the dark man’s back. So, it was not embarrassment or weakness, but survival that had created the secret. Interesting. Also, much easier to work with since the impetus for the original survival measure and even the secondary one were both dead now. It was unfortunate for Severus to have had a father such as that but Lucius prided himself on his practical thinking. If Severus had not had the father he did or the secret he had, well, then his previous question still stood. Where would they be today?
“Well, then I suppose it was fortunate that your mother was bright enough, at least, for that.” Lucius stood and began to walk back around the desk. “Now, where are all those trinkets and sundry that I saw in that lovely photograph? It all looked very paltry to me, but then, most things other people can afford do.”
Severus, as he had hoped, whipped around with offence in his beautiful dark eyes. Good, no hint of melancholy.
“If you mean the bribery, it has been dispensed with. If you have come sniffing around to reap any of this inanity, you have missed the boat. Most of it went in the rubbish where it belongs.”
“Most of it, did you say? And what, pray tell, did not make its way into the refuse? Tokens from long lost loves, was it?” Lucius just barely kept the bite from his voice.
“Hardly. But it appears that some of the wealthier of the nits had better taste and sent more than just run of the mill items. Who am I not to capitalize on it?”
“Really? So, no sterling beaus have presented themselves then? No one you would think to keep around?” Severus snorted and picked up a sheaf of papers on his desk. He tapped them on the surface of the wood to straighten them out as he spoke.
“Hardly. Most of them I wouldn’t sit on the same train with. A good number of them are only interested, poetically worded of course, for one evening’s entertainment.” He said the last word with a good dose of derision. Lucius turned from his contemplation of an ancient grimoire with a look of scorn.
“Ah yes, the reputation of excellence in sex. Those fools, to only ask for one night.” Lucius smoothly found his way back to Severus. He stood only a foot away and locked his eyes with dark ones. “If they only knew what I knew, hmm? To know that one night is never enough.” He quickly broke eye contact and moved back away just as Severus’s breath began to quicken. He didn’t want to tip his hand just yet.
“Well, Severus? Are you going to invite me to lunch or not?”