Chapter Six: At Malfoy Manor

(i) The characters and world of Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling. I just play with them because they are so fabulous.

(ii) Thank you most sincerely to everyone who left such kind reviews. I am so touched and encouraged. Please, please do continue to let me know what you think of the story.

(iii) A big hug of thanks to Queen_of_Stars, my lovely beta.

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Narcissa, Lucius, Draco and the comatose Severus appeared on the plush carpeted floor of the morning room of Malfoy Manor. Immediately upon their arrival, Lucius called out to his head-elf. 'Flitty, fetch Healer Lestrange from St. Irene Chrysovalantou's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Tell her it is a personal emergency and to not delay.'

'Yes, master,' said Flitty, and he was gone in an instant.

In the meantime, Narcissa had directed two other house-elves to gently carry Severus to the south facing summer guest room. It was away from the front of the house and faced the rose gardens that were toward the far right of the house. At Lucius' pointed glance toward Narcissa at the sight of Severus being carried away by house-elves, Narcissa explained. 'I don't want to use more magic than is immediately necessary. I do not know the nature of his coma.'

Lucius nodded and said, 'I should prepare the defences of the house, and make sure that most, if not all, signs of the Dark Lord's presence are removed from the Manor.'

'Yes, and quickly, too,' said Narcissa. Then, thoughtfully, she added, 'We must remove all traces of Bella. For Merlin's sake, Lucius, make sure the dungeons are cleaned out. We need to dispose of all the bodies and make sure nothing can be held against us.'

Turning to a still shocked-looking Draco, she said. 'This is not the time to fall apart, Draco. Pull yourself together and fetch all of the potions, even the secret potions that are hidden in my boudoir. You know,' she added softly, 'the ones that have been made to look like my exotic perfume collection.'

'Yes, Mother,' said Draco, who seemed glad of being given a specific task to complete.

As Draco was making his way up the stairs, Narcissa added, 'Take the potions to the summer guest room, and make sure that the elves clean Severus and make him as comfortable as they can for now. I shall be up momentarily.'

Then, turning to Lucius, she said, 'We both need to get out of these clothes and dispose of all our Death Eater paraphernalia. We've helped Harry Potter and that Granger girl, and now caring for Severus should spare us the worst of the backlash, but we must ensure they can't pin anything on us.'

Lucius agreed, and they both took the stairs to their respective dressing rooms to wash and change.

Narcissa hurried through her toilette for one of the few times in her life. Showering at high speed, she cast a drying charm on her hair and then pulled on becoming pale blue robes of cool linen and satin before making her way hurriedly to Severus' side. As she approached him, she saw that the house-elves had indeed cleaned him and changed him out of the bloodied and torn robes into one of Lucius' soft white lawn nightshirts. The change in attire and the cleaning of blood and dirt had done much to make Severus appear more human. No longer did he look like a ripped and discarded rag doll.

Draco was still hovering by the window, looking out into the rose garden. 'Go and change into something clean and have breakfast,' instructed Narcissa. 'I will take over.'

Once Draco had cast a last, sombre glance at the still pale and unmoving body of Severus, he quietly walked out of the room.

Once again, Narcissa pulled out her wand and cast a series of complex diagnostic spells. She was most surprised to discover that not only was Severus resting more comfortably but his pulse was stronger and his blood count better. Amazed at the resilience of the Potions master, she opened her jewelled case of potions and quickly tipped a vial of Blood-Replenishing Potion into his mouth. Then, she gently massaged his throat to help him swallow. This could have been done magically, but given the state of the raw wound that was still seeping blood...though not as copiously as before...Narcissa was loath to do so. The Blood-Replenishing Potion seemed to have done its task, for some of his deathly pallor vanished almost instantly. She pulled out a second vial of the potion and paused, afraid of administering too much of it, before tipping it into his mouth as well.

The second vial seemed to do the trick, for the sickly gray pastiness of his skin receded to be replaced by his usual alabaster complexion. Hoping desperately that Nagini's antivenin potion that Severus had prepared would not react negatively with the Blood-Replenishing Potion, Narcissa carefully unstoppered the tiny, blood red vial containing the precious liquid brewed with such secrecy and placed three carefully measured out drops onto his tongue. There was nothing else that Narcissa could do. Lucius, Severus and she had been prepared for this eventuality. The Dark Lord's preference in recent months for using Nagini as his favourite mode of killing had resulted in the careful milking of her venom, and Severus had painstakingly created the antivenin she'd used. Now, all they could do was wait.

Lucius entered shortly thereafter, followed by Healer Tisiphone Lestrange. Healer Lestrange was an attractive woman in what appeared to be her early fifties, with an intelligent face and severely tied dark hair. She was the second cousin of Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, and the Malfoys had maintained a close friendship with her since their childhood days. Tisiphone had never been a Death Eater and, during peaceful times when her cousins had been incarcerated at Azkaban, had often stated that being a Healer meant being above things like blood purity and other bigotry. Yet in spite of her outspoken views, she was one of the few people the Malfoys felt they could trust, not only to be discreet but also to not seek revenge on Severus.

Without wasting time with greetings and pleasantry, Healer Lestrange immediately addressed Narcissa. 'What happened? What have you done?'

Narcissa did not seem surprised by this brisk address. Instead, she replied in an equally businesslike tone. 'He was attacked by Nagini and was in a deep, possibly magically induced, coma when we came across him. Since coming to the Manor, his vital signs have significantly improved, and I've given him two doses of Blood-Replenishing Potion and three drops of antivenin, specifically designed to counter Nagini's venom by Severus himself. The last I checked, he appeared to be resting and had returned to stable condition.'

While Narcissa had been speaking, Tisiphone herself had pulled out her wand as well as a strange turquoise glass sphere and was performing a series of diagnostic spells.

Nodding her head and murmuring to herself, she finally finished her evaluation. Turning to the waiting pair, she said, 'You're right; he does seem to be stabilising. The antivenin seems to be doing its job. You got to him just in time, Narcissa, even half an hour longer, and we would be faced with serious nerve damage, possibly even blindness.'

'Thank Merlin!' exclaimed Lucius. 'The world could not have dealt with a blind and furious Severus.'

Narcissa and Tisiphone both laughed. They both knew the disgruntled and cantankerous Potions master and knew that unless he was active and productively employed, he nearly impossible to live with.

Turning once more to look at Severus, Tisiphone said, 'We heard in Greece that the war was over. There were reports coming in constantly since before daybreak on the Wizarding Wireless Network, and just before I left, we were told that the Ministry was planning to hold a press conference this afternoon.'

'Yes,' sighed Lucius. 'The Dark Lord has been destroyed, and we can all finally be free.' Then looking at Tisiphone's wide-eyed expression, he said, 'Oh, don't looked so shocked, woman, his second rising was no picnic for any of us. He destroyed our reputation, nearly emptied our coffers with demands for money for his ridiculous schemes, endangered Draco's life and had by the end turned into a tyrant. I'm sure all but the most blood-thirsty and the insane will be glad to see his demise. I know you feel that I enjoyed throwing my weight around, and I will admit that it was fun to wield power and intimidate the minions, but really, I don't need the Dark Lord for that. The Malfoy name, our vast wealth and influence was usually more than enough. Now, I will be beggared by the Ministry's demands for compensation, and what with paying out money to worm my way into the new administration and struggling to make sure that there are no obvious repercussions to the holdings of Malfoy Industries, even the power and the prestige of the Malfoy name is gone.'

'Indeed,' said Tisiphone carefully. Then, turning once more to Narcissa, she said, 'Severus needs to have complete bed rest, of course, for as long as it takes for him to wake up naturally from the coma. Make sure he is given plenty of liquids and nutrition; he is extremely underfed and run down. The blood should start clotting within the hour, and I think a dressing with Essence of Dittany should help with scarring. You've done well, Narcissa; there's not much else I can say or do. If he has any trouble with motion or movement, coordination or balance, contact me immediately and I shall send a nerve restorative. I don't think he'll need it, really. Otherwise, that's about it.'

Extremely relieved, Narcissa clasped Tisiphone's hand in hers. In a show of emotion she said, 'Thank you. We were all so worried. Draco was especially anxious. Severus has saved his life on more than one occasion, and he has been the strongest of allies, the truest of friends through these perilous times.'

Then, smiling at Lucius, she said, 'Shall we all have some breakfast? I, for one, am feeling rather peckish.'

Tisiphone did not disagree. She herself was just finishing a long night shift and was looking forward to some food and some much needed rest.

They all made their way to the piazza overlooking the rose garden not far from Severus' chamber. Soon, the industrious house-elves had a fine continental breakfast laid out. The scent of roses competed with that of the coffee as they took their seats in the warm morning sunlight. There was a delicate silver urn of rich Javan coffee and an accompanying pot of hot chocolate. This was surrounded by a variety of brioche and croissants. There was a selection of elf-made jams, fresh cream and ice-cold pitchers of white grape, apple and pomegranate juice. Sliced cold cuts of salami, honey-roast ham and duck, along with a selection of cereal, fresh strawberries, cubes of honey-dew melon, black pitted olives stuffed with almonds, green pitted olives stuffed with garlic and cheese completed the feast.

Narcissa enquired from a passing house-elf if Draco had eaten and, on hearing he was still completing his toilette, told her to inform Draco to join them for breakfast. Not long after, Draco joined the company. On seeing Tisiphone relaxed and eating, some of his tension abated. Pulling up a chair, he sat down. After pouring himself a cup of hot chocolate and his first fortifying sip, he smiled at Tisiphone and asked, 'Is Severus going to be alright?'

Tisiphone nodded and replied. 'Yes, your mother did a fine job in caring for him. I merely checked to verify that his condition was stable and left instructions for his continuing care. I suspect that, by the time we finish breakfast, the antivenin will have taken effect, and he may even be rousing from his coma.'

Extremely relieved, Draco began eating with gusto. It was, to him, the first proper meal he'd had since he'd been forced to take on the task of doing away with Dumbledore. The last two years had been extremely trying for Draco, and although the young man had not grown out of his arrogant and petulant ways, he had learned the error of trying to emulate his idolised father and his beloved aunt. The bitter defeat had further disillusioned him on the so-called power of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters. He realised as he ate that power and respect could not be demanded, they had to be earned. Severus, his godfather, had earned both Draco's respect and undying devotion. Never would Draco doubt Severus' capacity to care for him. Draco had realised, as Potter had explained the events surrounding the mastery of the Elder wand, that if Severus had not stepped in and killed Dumbledore in his stead, it would have been Draco who would have been exterminated like so much vermin at the hands of the Dark Lord. Draco also realised that, if he had by some miracle managed to survive the confrontation with Voldemort, he would now be facing the prospect of a Dementor's Kiss.

Once the meal was done, Lucius excused himself to attend to the urgent matter of clearing the house of Dark paraphernalia. Draco followed his father, saying that he, too, would help. Narcissa and Tisiphone lingered for a short while longer over their final cups of rich, dark coffee before going back inside to attend to Severus.

Just as Tisiphone had predicted, the angry wound on Severus' neck had stopped bleeding, and the Healer efficiently applied Dittany and bandaged the now nearly healed injury. Casting another diagnostic spell, she declared, 'He's healing better than I could have imagined. It's a true miracle. He should be awake by this afternoon, if not much sooner.'

Then, turning to her Healer's bag, which was sitting on the table closest to the bed, she extracted an emerald green vial of potion and carefully tipped the whole of it into Severus' mouth. She, too, massaged his throat to help him swallow and explained her actions to the watching Narcissa. 'I'm just giving him a very strong nutritive solution. It should help with his prolonged lack of square meals. I'll leave a few of these behind. If he refuses to take it, add it to his tea or juice. Just make sure he gets three of these a day, for at least two days. It is tasteless and odourless, so it shouldn't affect flavour. It is, however, a distinct amber colour, so if you are camouflaging it in his drink, you'll need to exercise some cunning.'

Narcissa agreed and walked Tisiphone to the drawing room fireplace, so that she could Floo home. Instructing Topsy, Narcissa's personal elf, to inform her if there was any change in Severus' condition, Narcissa headed toward her sister Bellatrix's chambers in the east wing. She knew there was much there that needed destroying and concealing.

There, while attending to her self-appointed task and remembering Tisiphone's comments of the constant information being relayed on the wireless network, Narcissa tuned in to find out what was happening. Soon enough, Bella's bedroom was swept clean of all its Dark artefacts, most of which were carefully moved into the secret spaces that adjoined her own and Lucius' bedchambers. Yet others were carefully neutralised and destroyed. Narcissa knew instantaneously that the Dark Lord's particular Muggle-baiting and interrogation facilitating devices had no more purpose in their present world. Next, Narcissa ensured that Bella's clothes and other possessions were neatly packed and sent to reside in the vast attics. Bellatrix's Death Eater mask, robe and other insignia-bearing artefacts were carefully bundled in a dark silk dressing gown and given to a helping house-elf to burn outside. These items could not be destroyed by wizarding magic, but burning them in an elf-made fire would neutralise and destroy the items safely. Moving next to the bathroom, she found a large number of potions, beauty products and hair accessories scattered around the countertops and hidden within the recesses of the cupboards. Looking for a safe container for the potions and finding none, Narcissa Transfigured a tortoise-shell clasp into a large box to hold the many questionable vials of lust potion and the distinctly magenta hued vials containing Beautification Potion. 'Oh, Bella,' said Narcissa sadly before adding to the box a large collection of the clear crystal bottles that held the purple Sleeping Potion. Narcissa had, over the past few months, grown to hate her sister, but as she packed up and sorted out Bellatrix's things, she once again remembered the vivacious and pleasure seeking teenager and childhood confidant. Narcissa dejectedly reflected on the crazed woman who had died as Voldemort's most fanatic supporter. Narcissa was filled with unexpected grief. As children and youngsters, they had been close, in truth, much closer than they had ever been to their sibling, Andromeda.

Suddenly, the wireless' announcement of a press conference at Hogwarts caught Narcissa's attention. The witch reading out the news stated that Harry Potter would be speaking to the world and would answer questions put forward by the world's media. 'How very attention-seeking,' thought Narcissa, even as she realised that the Dark Lord would have done very much the same if he had been the one to emerge victorious. On hearing that the Minister for Magic would then conclude the press conference, Narcissa sent a message to Lucius via house-elf to keep him abreast of the news.

Soon enough, the task of cleaning out Bellatrix's quarters was complete. With one final sweep of her wand to check if there were any Dark objects left unaccounted for, Narcissa ordered a house-elf to completely clean and rearrange the chambers. On leaving Bellatrix's former chambers, Narcissa made her now weary way towards the main guest wing in the north of the Manor. This had been the Dark Lord's sometime residence, with rooms adjoining it for his deceased lap-dog Pettigrew, as well as special arrangements for Nagini. With a shudder, Narcissa recalled the horror of having to open her beautiful home to that disgusting presence. Narcissa knew Lucius and Draco would be busy eradicating all evidence of the presence of the Dark Lord from this part of the house.

When she entered the north wing, she found Lucius doing much the same as she had done in Bellatrix's chambers. All the Dark objects had been collected into a large pile in the middle of the bed, and the rest of the room had been stripped of all of the Dark Lord's and Pettigrew's possessions. Books had been piled in another corner of the bedroom to be sorted and placed or hidden as the case might be.

'He didn't have much, the rat,' said Lucius, as way of introduction.

In response, Narcissa relayed what she had accomplished in Bella's chambers. Gesturing to the clearly visible Death Eater mask and robe, she said, 'All of that could join the bonfire too.'

'Yes,' said Lucius, 'my bits and pieces must go the same route too. Will you continue while I attend to it?' On seeing Narcissa's nod of agreement, he purposefully strode out of the room.

Sorting through the rest of the Dark objects, Narcissa laughed at the vanity of the little man. Most of the objects were those most suitable for the enthralment or torture of hapless Muggles. Consigning all of them to be destroyed, again by elf-fire, she moved on to the Dark Lord's chambers. There, she drew back the large curtains that prevented light from entering the area, and Vanished the nest that had been created for Nagini. A quick sweep of her wand revealed no Dark magic, so once all evidence of Nagini's meals and presence was eradicated, she took a deep breath before breaching the Dark Lord's lair.

While Narcissa was busy putting the Dark Lord's quarters to rights, Lucius had been accosted by the portrait of his father, Abraxas Malfoy. Without preamble, Abraxas stated, 'Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black has been frantically trying to get in touch with you all. Where in Hades have you been?'

'I'm sorry, Father,' said Lucius. 'We've been busy removing traces of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters from the Manor.'

'Indeed,' responded his father, 'but make your way down to the ballroom immediately. He's got important news, and you must speak with him directly.'

With a quick nod, Lucius strode down to the ballroom. There, he bowed low before Headmaster Black and his wife, Ursula. 'You wanted me, sir?' he asked.

'Yes,' said Phineas Nigellus. 'I've important news with regards to your latest house guest.'

At that, Lucius stopped short. Of all the news he was to hear, he had not thought that it would pertain to Severus. 'Please go on,' said Lucius, struggling to be calm. He hoped desperately that the Granger girl had not revealed their removing Severus' body from the Shrieking Shack. It would be difficult to find a secure place to move him to or hide him in while he was recovering.

'I have been speaking to Potter, Granger and that Lovegood chit. They are going to ask the Minister for an amnesty for war crimes for all those who worked for the Light. They are also working to clear Severus' name. They were concerned that you would need fair warning if things did not work out.'

Surprised but relieved at this turn of events, Lucius clarified, 'Potter, you say? Agreeing to work with the Malfoys? Clearing Severus' name? How very Gryffindor of them,' he remarked.

'Indeed,' said Phineas Nigellus, 'but they are quite serious, and I think they will make good allies in the days ahead. They are keen to put the past behind them and ensure that nothing and no one like the Dark Lord rises again for a good time yet. Granger is especially smart; you would do well, Lucius, to use her and Potter at this juncture.'

Lucius laughed. 'If they can be used, I'll flatter them in true Malfoy fashion. Never fear, Headmaster. I know the benefits of changing with the new order.'

'Quite,' said Phineas Nigellus with a twinkle. 'You will be surprised to find you actually like them now, too. They have learned to reason for themselves and are no longer the blind pawns of the old fool Dumbledore.'

Meanwhile, Narcissa, on entering the Dark Lord's bedroom and ascertaining the lack of Dark objects and hexes, blasted the throne-like gilded chair and footstool that took pride of place in front of the cold hearth with much enjoyment. As she was blasting the remnants of the furniture, Lucius entered.

'I was looking forward to doing that,' intoned Lucius as he made his way into the room. 'I see you've been busy,' he added, seeing the open drapes and the bared wardrobes and tabletops.

Then, drawing Narcissa to sit on one of the cushioned window seats, he said, 'I've just had an enlightening chat with Headmaster Black. The press conference at Hogwarts is going to be illuminating. We may all be spared a lot of persecution, Cissy.' Lucius' voice was still tinged with amazement. 'Headmaster Black also advised that we use Potter, Granger and Lovegood to ensure our place in society.'

Sighing, Lucius continued. 'I can't understand why they would help us, though. We saw Granger tortured in our drawing room for Merlin's sake. Lovegood was held in our dungeon for weeks. How can Potter and his little friends be willing to let things lie? What game are they playing?'

'Perhaps there isn't a game?' suggested Narcissa gently. 'They've been through the war, just as we have. Perhaps they just want to move on. The real criminals have been captured or will be captured soon. They know we didn't fight at the very end. I did lie to the Dark Lord and help save Potter. They must realise that our real allegiance has always been towards the Malfoy name and family.'

'I think that's what Headmaster Black was trying to say,' agreed Lucius. 'He seemed to imply that the Mudblood, especially, would make a good ally.'

'We must make use of every avenue open to us now, Lucius,' said Narcissa decisively. 'This is no time for pride. We must actively court them. The old excuse of you being Imperiused will not wash this time. We will have to change.'

Lucius sighed and nodded his agreement. 'I do realise this, my dear. It is just a bitter pill to swallow.'

With that, he pulled himself together and stood up. Together, the husband and wife swept the room clean of all remaining traces of Dark magic. They were now both exhausted and looked it too. Lucius, who had been rundown and haggard by the enforced imprisonment at Azkaban and Malfoy Manor, looked old and pale. His hair was no longer a long swath of silk, but an almost ragged mockery of its former glory. Narcissa, for all of her cool beauty, looked pinched and downtrodden. Their morning's high expenditure of magical energy was also of no help.

Glancing towards the ornate antique French clock on the mantelpiece, they were both startled to realise it was almost noon.

As they were making their way back to the drawing-room, Narcissa could not help but be grateful for the many house-elves that now resided at Malfoy Manor. Before the second rising of the Dark Lord, they had only had Dobby. However, with the Dark Lord's departure and his second rise to power, Lucius had done his best to acquire as many house-elves as possible from the numerous supporters of Voldemort. His insistence that a large number of elves were required to ensure the total comfort of the Dark Lord had met almost obscene alacrity. The subsequent breeding of elves, which Narcissa had encouraged, meant that they now had over two dozen elves, all of whom had been of vital assistance for the major clean-up of Malfoy Manor this morning.

Near the top of the white marble staircase, Narcissa and Lucius were met by a tired but pleased looking Draco. 'I've got the entire dungeon and cellar area cleared,' he announced proudly. 'I Vanished all traces of the prisoners, Scourgified the floors, walls and ceilings, and even Vanished all the chains and manacles. It looks clean enough to live in now.'

'Well done,' said Narcissa. 'We were just going down to have a little sit-down, and a spot of lunch.' Then, turning toward Lucius, she added, 'I think I'll go check on Severus' condition before settling down to listen to Potter's press conference.'

'Potter,' said Draco, with disgust. He was immediately pulled up by Lucius. 'You would do well, boy, to realise that the nature of things has changed. Potter is now the most important person in wizarding Britain. You must learn to court the powers that be.'

'Yes, Father,' said Draco sullenly.

As he watched his mother make her way towards Severus' chamber, he turned to his father and said, 'I think I'll go look in on Severus too.'

'I'll come with you,' stated Lucius before adding, 'In any case, he should be waking up shortly.'

As Lucius and Draco entered Severus' room, they found Narcissa performing her diagnostic spell once more. Looking pleased, she said, 'Severus should be awake soon. Let's have lunch while we wait. I don't want to be too far away when he regains consciousness.'

As soon as Narcissa completed her sentence, the ever-ready house-elves brought a tray laden with bowls of rich chicken soup, lasagne, green salad and garlic bread. The smell of food seemed to rouse Severus, for with a soft groan, he began to stir. Swiftly, Narcissa moved to his side, and gently stroked his hand.

Severus was surprised to find himself on what felt to be a comfortable bed. The last he remembered, he'd been on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. Trying to identify his position by smell and the sense of touch alone, he realised that he was not in a hospital. For one, the bed was too comfortable, and for another, there was a distinct lack of the institutional odour. He realised someone was stroking his hand, and a deep breath confirmed to him the fragrance of Narcissa's signature ylang-ylang perfume. A careful sweep of his unoccupied hand confirmed rich silk sheets. Malfoy Manor, then, he guessed before slowly attempting to open his eyes.

At first, the sunlight was blinding, and Severus quickly closed his eyes again. He heard Narcissa ask Draco to draw the curtains, and after a moment, he tried again. This time, the relative gloom allowed him to open his eyes fully and see the smirking face of Lucius looming over him. A very satisfied looking Narcissa stood next to him. A careful turn of his head confirmed that Draco was not standing far away and had an anxious expression. Severus was aware that Draco had been resentful of his prominence within the ranks of the Death Eaters, especially due to Lucius' more precarious position. Draco's anxiety, Severus surmised, was based on whether his presence by the bedside would be welcome.

'Welcome back,' said Lucius snidely. Then more seriously, he added, 'You gave us quite the scare.'

Severus swallowed and was pleased to note that there was no pain in the action. This prompted him to attempt speech, which thankfully did not cause any irritation either. 'Indeed,' he responded softly. Then, turning slightly to Narcissa, he added, 'Water.'

'Of course,' said Narcissa before quickly conjuring a glass and filling it with water.

Drinking deeply, Severus was glad to notice that she had filled the tumbler with an ever-fill charm. Finally quenching his thirst, he asked. 'What happened?'

Lucius was the one to respond. 'The Dark Lord is dead. Potter, of course, is holding a press conference,' Lucius glanced at the filigree clock on the bedside table before continuing, 'in about ten minutes.'

That prompted Narcissa to open and tune the wireless to the appropriate channel. Then, as the broadcaster spoke to the dignitaries present about the state of the destruction of Hogwarts and the speed of the reconstruction efforts, Narcissa declared, 'Lunch.'

Soon, Severus had a tray of nutritious chicken soup, into which Narcissa had quietly added a nutritive solution, carefully placed across his knees. The others then sat down to eat while listening to the broadcast. There was silence in the room as everyone was intent on analysing the myriad meanings behind the proceedings.

As Potter began to speak, Severus noted, 'That speech is typical know-it-all Granger. I expect she wrote it all for him.' This was subsequently followed by much snorting, and the exclamation, 'Typical Gryffindors!'

Lucius and Narcissa looked across to Severus with amusement. They knew he would dislike being publicly praised by a Potter. When Potter requested for an amnesty against crimes, however, Severus' eyes widened. This he had not anticipated. In all honesty, Severus had expected to die. His miraculous survival due to the magic of the Dark Veela had been unexpected, but despite his mother's reassurances, he had thought he would be forced into the life of a fugitive. He had not expected Potter to get sentimental and turn him into the unsung hero of the war against Voldemort. However, the part of him that was unwilling to take anything for granted did not believe that his crimes would be pardoned. Surely, Severus thought, they'll make an exception for the murderer of Dumbledore.

As pandemonium broke out on the airwaves, and the broadcaster began his own analysis of the prepared statement, Narcissa spoke. 'Sweet Nimue. Those children are brilliant. I didn't expect them to be so gracious in victory.'

Severus could only murmur, 'Granger, damn know-it-all.'

Lucius did nothing to mask his emotions, and his face underwent a series of revealing expressions. First there was shock, then amazement, finally followed by a look that Severus could best describe as predatory. Severus smirked to himself. He could well imagine Lucius planning to have Severus use his new hero status to clear the Malfoy name of any wrongdoing.

As the questioning began, however, everyone again listened with total concentration, the only sound through Potter's response being Narcissa's gasp when Horcruxes were mentioned. Lucius looked extremely uncomfortable, and Severus looked like missing pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place.

However, when Potter stated that Voldemort was a half-blood, Draco exclaimed in anger. 'How dare he lie, Father?' When Lucius failed to respond, he turned in shock to his mother.

'We suspected,' said Narcissa delicately. 'He disliked genealogy and would be furious if people talked of their ancestry. Bella, of course, never believed me when I brought the subject up.'

Draco felt as if more and more of his world was crumbling around him. Everything he had ever been taught, everything he had ever believed, was being turned on its head.

However, it was when Granger began to speak that Lucius seemed to be overcome with feeling. As Granger finished her explanation into their assumptions behind Voldemort's actions and the Pureblood position, Lucius murmured 'Well played, Miss Granger.' Then seeing his son's astonished expression, he clarified. 'They've given the Purebloods a safe way out of the predicament they are in. This is the olive branch we must all use to save ourselves.'

Severus was extremely thoughtful. He had always seen Granger as an annoying show-off. She had seemed to him to be the epitome of brash and bold Gryffindor, desperate to show off her knowledge. But this subtle yet brilliant piece of politics... this made him see her in a whole new light. Even though Potter had asked for an amnesty, Severus had not let himself believe that he would be spared. When Kingsley Shacklebolt announced Severus' pardon, however, Severus was forced to realise that he now had an opportunity to lead a real life. For as long as he could remember, Severus had been controlled by the will of others; first by his bully of a father, then the senior boys at Hogwarts. Finally, in his foolish teenage bid for power, he had been controlled by the Dark Lord and eventually Dumbledore. Now, he acknowledged silently, I am free. Free of my twin masters to make a life for myself.

Hearing Lovegood speak once again brought a flurry of reactions: first, a snort followed by a chuckle from Severus. Then, a thoughtful Narcissa's murmured comment, 'I'd not thought of Lovegood's parentage. The Lovegoods never made use of their connections, but the girl now mentioning her mother will have all the Pureblood sympathisers the world over on her side.

At Draco's perplexed appearance, Narcissa continued. 'Her deceased mother was the eldest and only magical child of the Princess Sibylla, Baroness Silfverschiöld. Sibylla was, of course, a younger sister of His Majesty King Carl Gustav of Sweden. You do know who he is, I hope?' Narcissa was disappointed in Draco's lack of comprehension. His inability to grasp the nuances and meanings behind the victory statement and subsequent interviews made her realise how very spoilt and ignorant her son was. These children who were addressing the world and doing it so masterfully were Draco's contemporaries, yet her son could not even unravel the hidden messages.

Severus felt sorry for the whelp. Draco had been coddled and protected by both his parents, and he had grown up with an inflated sense of his own importance and power. In his best lecturing tone, Severus said, 'Miss Lovegood is a descendant of Pureblood royalty. Her claim that the Death Eaters kidnapped her will have anyone who was even a little distant, completely back away from ever supporting any revivalist movement. She has, by merely mentioning her mother, completely taken care of the danger of the remaining Death Eaters finding any political support outside Britain.'

Draco was utterly shocked. 'Loony Lovegood's got royal blood? Why did no one ever tell me this?'

Narcissa looked haughtily at Draco. 'Were you not told to study the Pureblood genealogies before starting Hogwarts? Were we not insistent that you thereafter study all of the new students, so that you could make the right friends?'

At that, Draco shut up. He knew he was at fault, for it was he who had not bothered to look up anyone who was not in Slytherin. He realised that his world had indeed changed in more ways than he could hope to yet understand.