Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm making no money from this work of fanfiction.

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Chapter 2

Lucius said in a choked voice, "Excuse me, please," before he and Brax left the room. There was a moment of stunned silence before the guests started murmuring amongst themselves, wondering what was happening and who Portia might be.

Narcissa explained, "That was Mr Braxson, our gamekeeper. Poor Lucius, Portia was one of his favourite peahens." The rest of them followed Narcissa into the drawing room where they took the opportunity to congratulate Draco and Daphne as well as their parents. Severus didn't know Oakmont and Philomena Greengrass well, but they certainly seemed happy about their daughter's engagement.

At one point, Severus and Hermione were standing together at one side of the room. Hermione said, "You're pretty good friends with Lucius Malfoy, aren't you?"

"I would say so. Why do you ask?"

"I'm guessing Portia was part of Brutus's harem?"

"She would be quite misnamed if she wasn't," Severus responded.

"Ever since hearing about poor Portia, I was wondering if Mr Malfoy has named all his birds after Shakespearean characters."

"Let's hope not. If there is a Caesar or an Antony, we could have a murder on our hands. 'Et tu, Brute'?" Severus said, causing Hermione to smile.

"I'm glad Brutus and Portia weren't named Romeo and Juliet, or Romeo would be trying to figure out how to kill himself now. 'Eyes look your last. Wings, take your last embrace'." Hermione countered.

Severus raised one eyebrow at her deliberate misquote and responded, "If their names were Othello and Desdemona, we'd have to look for evidence of foul play."

"Oh, Severus," said Hermione, shaking her head and smiling, "that's too much. Fowl play." Severus's raised the corners of his mouth ever so slightly in response.

When Lucius came to the drawing room after discussing the situation with Brax, Severus could tell that his friend was upset, in spite of his attempts to appear happy as he received congratulations on his son's engagement. Severus knew that Lucius viewed the peafowl on his estate as pets and hoped that nothing was wrong with the rest of the muster.

When the evening festivities were concluded, Severus retired to his usual bedroom at Malfoy Manor. After the war, Severus found that Lucius and Narcissa had decided that one of the bedrooms in the family wing would be his when he stayed there. Narcissa knew he liked the darker, masculine colours of the room.

Severus awoke early the next morning as was his custom. After attending to his basic ablutions, he decided to go for a morning swim. He walked through the house to the back hall and thence out to the pool.

The pool was in one of the walled gardens and was charmed to be warm enough to use year-round. It was a long, narrow swimming pool, well-designed for swimming laps. Severus enjoyed having the time to himself to get some exercise and think. He found himself recalling his talk with Phaedra Zabini the day before:

"It's no wonder Blaise always spoke so highly of you, Severus. You're quite an impressive man," Mrs Zabini purred.

"I doubt that Blaise said I was an impressive man, Mrs Zabini," Snape scoffed.

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Phaedra?" Mrs Zabini leaned in toward Severus, displaying her ample charms as she placed her hand on his arm. "Besides, what does it matter what Blaise thinks? I think you're an impressive man."

Severus removed his arm from Mrs Zabini's grasp to pick an imaginary bit of lint from his robes. "Do you?"

"I've just said so, haven't I?" Mrs Zabini even pouted prettily.

"I suppose you have." Severus wanted very much to know what she was playing at. He leaned back in his chair with an air of relief. "Well, thank you very much, Mrs Zabini. I admit that, like most men, I have a curiosity to know what an attractive woman might think of me. It's good to know that your opinion is positive."

"Oh, it is, Severus." He noted that the purr was back in Mrs Zabini's voice.

Severus rose from his seat. If there was one thing he excelled at, it was the polite brush-off. "It has been a pleasure talking to you today, and I shall look back on this conversation the next time I need a boost of confidence to ask someone for a date." With a polite nod of his head, he took his leave. He went looking for Hermione but found that she was feeling unwell and had gone to her room.

Severus's body cut through the water as he swam. He wondered why Phaedra Zabini had been so flirtatious; he could only think of two reasons. Either she was looking for Husband Number Eight and was considering him as a candidate for the part, or she wanted something from him. He thought the latter suggestion more likely and wondered what it was she would eventually ask from him.

His muscles were pleasantly tired, and the sun was warming the seating area near the pool when he decided to finish his swim. Running his towel over his hair and down his body, he noted that his new exercise regimen was beginning to pay off. After the stress of the war was over, his appetite had returned to that of his pre-war days; unfortunately, his body was no longer that of a teenager, and he'd had to take measures to prevent too much weight gain. He sat in one of the lounges near the pool, allowing the sun to finish the job of drying his body. He closed his eyes and relaxed as he thought about the day before. What a very odd mixture of people for a week-long house party! Only a hostess of Narcissa's skills – and eager desire to raise the Malfoy social standing – would be able to pull it off.

Because of his close relationship with the Malfoy family, Severus had been privy to most of the guest list and some of the planning. The engagement had come as something of a surprise, although he knew that Lucius and Narcissa were trying to arrange a marriage for Draco...something about running out of time to inherit the Black fortune, as though the Malfoy fortune wouldn't be enough for any reasonable person. He wasn't sure yet what he thought about Draco and Daphne marrying; something about it nagged at him, but he hadn't had the time to sort through his thoughts on that subject yet. Perhaps it was a general distaste for the idea of someone arranging something that important for someone else...it smacked a bit of Dumbledore. Of course, his parents had chosen their own partners in marriage, which hadn't worked out well at all.

Severus shifted irritably in his lounge. This train of thought was no way to relax. Focusing on the warmth of the sun on his body, he let his thoughts wander. He smiled slightly as the image of Hermione formed in his mind. Her thought processes had become quite astute over the years, not much like the hand-waving know-it-all she had been, parroting everything she read. As much as he liked to tease her about not managing her personnel, he had to admit that she had done a good job with the Department of Investigation.

Who would have thought that Kingsley could put someone in authority over both the Heads of the Aurors and the Magical Hit Squad and have them accept it as well as they had? It was a huge promotion for Hermione. The scuttlebutt at the Ministry was that Minister Shacklebolt was grooming Hermione to someday be the Director of the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a job that was second in importance only to the Minister of Magic himself. Hermione applied herself diligently and did a lot of research, especially into different avenues and methods of law enforcement. She had brought some Muggle investigative techniques into the two departments during her tenure with positive results. Her record of success spoke for itself.

Furthermore, he found her a collaborative colleague when he consulted with her, willing to share ideas and give credit where it was due ... Wait a minute. His train of thought stalled as he realised he liked to tease her about not managing her personnel. He could count on the fingers of one hand the people he had enjoyed teasing over the years, and most of them were dead. It still rather surprised him that he found Hermione's presence tolerable.

Severus decided he was dry enough to return to the house. He put on his robe and started walking back to the house. He felt uncomfortable seeing people before he was wearing his more usual garments. Instead of returning to the house by the back entrance, he walked through the gardens to what was referred to at the Manor as the "Stable Entrance." The back stairs were just inside that door; ascending this staircase would take him directly up to the family wing.

He met Lucius coming up from the direction of the stables and the aviary. Severus asked, "Have you been down to check on the birds this morning?"

"Yes, I wanted to see if there was an obvious cause of Portia's death. I couldn't see anything unusual. There wasn't a mark on her. Brax and I are wondering if there is an illness amongst the muster. He and I will walk the estate after breakfast and try to examine the rest of the peafowl." Lucius slapped a pair of gloves he was holding in one hand against the palm of the other. "Narcissa won't be happy that I'm abandoning our house guests, but what else can I do?"

"Why don't you offer to form a walking party to see the estate? You can be looking for peafowl while entertaining those guests who want to see more of the estate."

Lucius clapped Severus on the shoulder. "That's an excellent idea! Narcissa will be pleased. Thank you, Severus."

After showering and dressing, Severus made his way to the dining room. A variety of breakfast foods was set up on a buffet along one wall.

Lucius sat at one end of the table. Sitting next to him were Rita Skeeter and a man Severus did not know. The man was rather smarmy in appearance, with dark hair and moustache. The leer he was aiming at Rita Skeeter made Severus feel distinctly uncomfortable. Hermione sat on the opposite side of the table, slightly separate from the others.

Severus went to the buffet to get himself some breakfast and then sat next to Hermione. Lucius said, "Mr Podgis Pimpleton, this is Mr Severus Snape. Severus, Podgis is the Minister of Financial Oversight. Podgis, Severus is a Potions expert and occasionally consults with the Department of Investigation."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Pimpleton," Severus said, extending his hand.

Mr Pimpleton shook his hand and said, "Likewise. Please call me Podgis."

Hermione spoke up. "Podgis, I didn't expect to see you here this week. I thought Percy Weasley was going to be attending this event for the Ministry."

"Podgy wasn't planning to come at first," Rita said, giving Podgis a saccharin smile, "but then I told him that I'd like to go."

"I can't refuse my Rita-Wita." She laid her hand with its large, diamond engagement ring on his arm. He patted it and gave her a playful growl.

Severus was close enough to notice a small shudder pass through Hermione. He supposed she was as disgusted with this display as he was.

Rita turned to Lucius. "I was thrilled to be here at dinner when you made your big announcement, Lucius. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions about the engagement?"

Lucius answered, "You may ask your questions, of course, Ms Skeeter, but I don't promise to answer." He finished the comment with his most charming smile.

"Of course, Mr Malfoy, but then I would just have to infer your responses, wouldn't I?" Rita Skeeter gave him a self-satisfied smile in return.

"Mr Malfoy," Hermione interrupted, "did you mention that you were planning on having beetle repellent sprayed around the grounds?" Till that point, Severus had not seen Hermione lift her eyes from her plate, but now she looked directly at Rita Skeeter. Hermione continued, "You probably should warn the guests in case anyone is allergic to it."

Lucius looked confused, but Ms Skeeter gave Hermione an angry glare. When she turned back toward Lucius, she was far less aggressive than Severus had expected. After a moment of thought, Severus recalled something about Ms Skeeter causing trouble during the Tri-Wizard Tournament the year the Dark Lord returned. Hadn't she been some type of insect spying on Potter? Her Animagus form must be that of a beetle of some type.

"How long have your son and Miss Greengrass known each other?" Rita Skeeter asked.

Lucius responded, "They were in the same class at Hogwarts."

"Did they fall in love at school?"

"Not to my knowledge."

Rita asked, "Your son has been out of the country for quite some time. How did he and Miss Greengrass fall in love?"

Lucius responded, "Draco isn't the type of person to pour out his feelings to his parents. I'm not sure I could give you the intimate details that would please your readers."

"Is it true that you and Ms Greengrass's parents have arranged their marriage?"

Lucius looked at Ms Skeeter with a puzzled expression. "It is true that Mrs Malfoy and I had an arranged marriage, as did Mr and Mrs Greengrass. I can't speak for Mr and Mrs Greengrass, but marriage has certainly worked out well for Mrs Malfoy and me."

"I was referring to Draco's and Daphne's engagement."

"Draco proposed, and Daphne accepted. I'm not sure what else you wish to know."

"Is it true that this engagement is necessary for Draco to inherit his fortune?"

Lucius gave the perfect snort of humour as he shook his head. "The Malfoy fortune doesn't have those strange rules that many of the pureblood families have attached to their fortunes."

Severus had to admit that Lucius was very good. While seeming to answer all her questions, he really gave Rita very little information. Rita stared at him intently for a moment. She seemed to realise that he wasn't going to reveal any exclusive details.

After breakfast, Lucius gathered the guests together to organise the walk around the estate. Severus noted that Lucius introduced Newt to Brax, his gamekeeper. Newt, Rolf and Luna agreed to accompany Brax around the estate so Newt could quiz the gamekeeper on his methods of raising peafowl.

Most of the party who wanted to go on the estate tour chose to accompany their host. Draco wanted to show Daphne the estate, and her siblings, Ashton and Astoria, opted to go along. Pansy and her brother, Pierce Parkinson, wanted to catch up with their former classmates and were going as well. Hermione and Ron declared their interest in seeing the estate. Severus decided he would go to be a supportive friend in case Lucius found something disturbing about the peafowl. Phaedra Zabini gave him an intense look as though she was thinking about joining him on the walk, but he studiously ignored her and was grateful when she decided to stay behind.

Braxson had checked the areas of the estate closest to the house earlier that morning. There were charms protecting the gardens from the peafowl, as they would eat flowers, if allowed. This left the wooded areas of the estate to check. Lucius explained that peafowl preferred roosting in trees, so a series of pathways had been made through the woods on his estate for the purpose of checking on the peafowl and generally enjoying the natural beauties of his property.

For the most part, it was a merry group that set out on its hike across the Malfoy grounds. Draco would point out the landmarks of the estate to Daphne and Astoria, who appeared to be quite interested as to where her sister would be living after marrying Draco. It turned out Pierce Parkinson and Ashton Greengrass had been good friends when they were students at Hogwarts. They chatted about old times with Pansy joining in.

Severus was walking next to Lucius at the front of the group but found himself acutely conscious of the fact that Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were walking directly behind them. Lucius wasn't very talkative, allowing Draco to play tour guide. Severus found himself slowing a bit to hear what Draco had to say about the various areas of the estate. Soon he was walking next to Hermione.

"I want to come back later and explore the hedge maze," she was saying to Ron. "Look, there's a tree rising above the centre of the maze. Maybe we can organise a maze race with some prize for whoever reaches the centre first. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"It might, but I'm not sure you'd get Harry to join in after his last maze race."

"You're probably right." Hermione shook her head, thinking about the sad death of Cedric Diggory. "Still, assuming it's not charmed with life-threatening traps, I think it would be a great idea. Maybe we can find a way to use it to raise money for the Fund," Hermione mused.

"Are you suggesting we lay bets on the winner of the race?" Severus asked.

"Or everyone who wants to race pays a bit to be a part of it with the money to go to the charity."

"You're a born fundraiser, Miss Granger," said Lucius over his shoulder. "Perhaps we can sit down and brainstorm some ideas later."

"If you'd like, I'd be happy to," Hermione responded, smiling.

A little further on in their walk, they saw a large house – not large by Malfoy Manor standards, but large enough for any reasonable person. "Whose house is that?" Ron asked.

"That is the Dower House," Draco answered. "My grandmother lives there."

"By herself?" Ron asked in an incredulous tone, unable to believe that any family member could get a house that size to themselves.

"With her house-elves, yes, Weasley," said Draco in a somewhat haughty tone.

"Is this where you were riding from when you had your accident yesterday?" Hermione asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Yes, we try to visit with her every day," Draco answered.

"That's wonderful," Hermione said. "My grandfather used to live in our house with us before he died, and I loved being able to spend so much time with him."

"Grandmother used to live in the manor with us, too, until..." Draco stopped suddenly as if he had been about to say something he shouldn't.

"Until?" Daphne asked, unaware of the awkward moment.

"I moved my mother to the Dower House when the Dark Lord decided Malfoy Manor would be his headquarters," Lucius commented in a quiet tone. "I let him think she was dead in order to protect her."

"Oh, that's sweet," Daphne responded.

Severus bit back the comment he wanted to make. Daphne was a simpleton if she thought that moving an elderly woman from her family and the only home she had known since her marriage into a house where she had to live by herself with very little contact from her family was sweet. It had been extremely difficult for Lucius, given how close the Malfoy family was. Daphne's asinine comment was none of his business, though, so he kept his comment to himself.

"It's what had to be done to protect the family. Besides, Mother is rather reclusive by nature," was all Lucius said. He was quiet for a long while after that, having apparently revealed all the personal information he was willing to share for the moment.

Severus didn't mind the quiet. This part of the walk was beautiful. Even Pansy, Ashton and Pierce had stopped their chattering. The path wandered next to a small stream with wildflowers growing along its banks. A bridge crossed over the stream at a point where it bubbled over rocks strewn in the stream bed. The trees surrounded them. Occasionally, they would see a peacock or peahen picking at the ground a little distance from the path. Lucius took careful note of the birds, trying to see if anything appeared amiss.

The path widened into an open space where the ruins of an old house remained. Astoria asked, "What is this place?"

Draco replied, "This is the original Norman manor house the Malfoys built when the family first came to England with William the Conqueror. About 400 years ago, my ancestor purchased the land next to his and decided to build the present day manor house there. Then, when ruins became popular in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the benches were added in order to enable parties of picnickers."

Pansy spoke up, "Draco, Daphne and I would love to spend some time catching up on things. Would you mind if we just sat here a while? Ashton and Pierce will stay with us if you're worried that we might need someone to look after us."

Daphne looked up to Draco appealingly. "Would you mind, Draco?"

"Not at all, Daphne," Draco replied. "Have fun. Just remember we're having lunch with Grandmother today. All right?"

"I remember." Giving a little wave in Draco's direction, Daphne and Pansy walked off toward the ruins, followed by their brothers.

The smaller group, now numbering only six, looked at each other as if to decide how to reorganise themselves for the remainder of the walk. Astoria said, "There's such a sense of history here. I wonder what it was like to live here when this was the manor house."

"There are some interesting stories from that time period," Lucius said. "If you're really interested in hearing them..."

"Oh, yes, please," Astoria replied.

"Well, then..." Lucius began, clearly anticipating sharing Malfoy family history. He and Astoria walked on ahead.

Draco, remembering his duties as host, turned to Ron and said, "Weasley, is your sister still playing with the Harpies? I feel out-of-date on my Quidditch knowledge, having been out of the country for so long." This was exactly the right discussion opening for Ron, and soon the two young men had struck up a spirited discussion.

Hermione gave Severus a smile, but then her expression became more serious. "I have to admit I've wondered why you were friends with Lucius Malfoy. He has always seemed so evil to me, but now I'm realising that the war wasn't particularly easy for him either."

Severus took the time to think about how to respond to this. "My friendship with the Malfoys was mostly feigned for a long time, as was theirs with me. Things changed for Lucius once the Dark Lord made Malfoy Manor his headquarters."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoys are very protective of their family," Severus continued. "The Dark Lord put the Malfoy family in danger, despite the many years of loyalty Lucius had shown. When it was a choice between the Dark Lord and his family, there was no choice for Lucius. He did what he had to do to keep his family as safe as he could. His attitude about the Dark Lord underwent the same change mine did after the death of Lily Potter. That's what changed our relationship into a real friendship."

"Lucius Malfoy did such terrible things, though."

"Yes, we all did things we would rather not have done due to Voldemort," Severus agreed. He understood that Hermione's experiences with Lucius had been terrible. He wasn't going to try to change her mind about her opinion of the Malfoy family, but he could give her a different perspective of them.

Hermione looked very thoughtful. That was one thing Severus admired about her. She really tried to think things through carefully, not like...

"Brutus!" Lucius's anguished cry rang out as he ran off to the right of the path into the woods. The white, still body of a peacock was visible near one of the trees.

"It really is 'Et tu, Brute,' isn't it?" Severus asked quietly enough that only Hermione could hear him. He sighed; this was going to be a real blow to Lucius.

He and Hermione soon reached the spot where Draco, Ron and Astoria were standing, all of them looking at the scene of Lucius kneeling over the body of his favourite peacock.

"It's a lot of fuss to be making over a bird," Ron said in a puzzled tone of voice.

"You have to understand, Weasley," Draco answered quietly. "When the Dark Lord lived with us, caring for these birds was the only thing that gave Father any peace. They're his pets. He watches over them almost as carefully as he did me."

Draco walked over to his father, followed by the others. "Father," he said, putting his hand on Lucius's shoulder, "is there anything we can do to help?"

Lucius reached up to grasp Draco's hand but didn't say anything, continuing to stare at the body of Brutus the peacock.

Severus realised that Lucius was overwhelmed and didn't really know what to do, so he asked, "Is there a clue to what happened? Any sign of a struggle, for instance?"

There were no feathers on the ground, no sign of an attacker, no blood. Hermione suggested, "Let's levitate the body back to the aviary. It can be examined more closely there."

Lucius took a deep breath. "Yes, you're right, of course."

Lucius took out his wand, but his hand was trembling. Severus laid his hand on Lucius's arm. "Allow me," he said. Severus took out his wand and uttered, "Mobilicorpus!"

"Thank you, Severus," Lucius said.

The group walked back towards the house, the body of the peacock floating before them. Conversation was subdued out of respect for their host's grief. They crossed the front lawn until they came to the long lane that led to the stables and aviary.

Lucius sighed. "It's hard to believe that Brutus was here yesterday, ready to protect his territory, and today he and Portia are dead."

"Brutus attacked you here yesterday?" Draco asked in surprise.

"Oh, he didn't really attack. Just a challenge really – squawk, fan his tail, strut, that sort of thing."

"I was surprised because this is about where he attacked Nightshade and me last evening."

"This must have been 'his spot' yesterday. Peacocks can be pretty territorial, you know," commented Lucius.

"True," Draco responded.

They reached the aviary and laid Brutus on a table the gamekeeper used for examining the peafowl when necessary. It wasn't long before Braxson and his walking group returned.

Braxson led Newt, Rolf and Luna into the aviary saying, "Now, Mr Scamander, if you will step this way, I'll show you my headquarters, so to speak. My office is where we keep all the data on the..." His voice cut off as he saw the group of people standing in the main room of the aviary. "What's happened here, Mr Malfoy?" He took a step or two toward the group surrounding the table. "Oh, no! Not Brutus!"

Ron showed the skills that made him a rather good Auror. "You know which bird this is from over there even with people standing between you and the body?"

"Of course I know the birds, sir," Braxson answered in an impatient tone. "That's my job. That's got to be Brutus. Look at the size of his tail feathers. The older the cock, the longer the tail feathers. Brutus is the oldest peacock on the estate. Now, sir, if you please, let me examine him."

Everyone moved aside, leaving Lucius and Braxson to examine the body of Brutus. The two of them studied every inch of the body. "There's not a mark on him, Mr Malfoy, just like Portia," said the gamekeeper.

"I know, Brax. What do you think?" Lucius asked.

"Must be an illness of some sort, sir. That'd be hard to know without bringing all the birds in. What do you reckon, sir?"

"I agree. I'll summon them in. They won't be happy about it, so we'll need to have some of your special bran mash prepared. Not too much of your special ingredient, mind you, just enough to keep them calm."

"Aye, sir. Do you want to keep this body like the other one?"

"Yes, we may have to autopsy them later for more information," Lucius responded. Braxson tenderly lifted the body of Brutus off the table and carried it into another room. Lucius followed after, presumably to apply a stasis spell to keep the body in its present condition.

When they returned, Braxson grabbed a large mashing tool from a drawer in the table. Lucius offered, "Here, let me help you." Lucius grabbed a huge mixing bowl while Brax grabbed a bag of bran meal and sliced it open with a pocket knife pulled from the pocket of his trousers.

"Father, Daphne and I are scheduled to have lunch with Grandmother. I need to go back to the house and get ready. Will you be all right?" Draco asked.

"Yes, Brax and I will be quite busy for a while, so you all might as well go back up to the house and enjoy yourselves."

Draco left with Astoria, followed by Ron chatting with Luna and Rolf and his grandfather walking along behind. Severus noticed that Hermione was studying the making of the bran mash closely. Something about the process must have sparked her curiosity, not that there was anything unusual about that, Severus thought.

"Do you need some help, Lucius?" Severus asked.

"Yes, I'd like to learn a little about how you care for the peafowl," Hermione put in.

Lucius responded, "If you'd like. Perhaps the two of you could chop these flower petals and herbs." Lucius opened another drawer to show where several long knives were kept.

Severus grabbed one knife for himself and another for Hermione. A wire bin kept under the table held an assortment of flowers and herbs. A large tin cup hanging from the bin made it easy to scoop the plants onto the cutting surface of the table. Soon he and Hermione were chopping together almost in rhythm.

Meanwhile, Brax and Lucius concocted the rest of the mash. Brax mixed bran meal and corn meal together, while Lucius chopped up some apples and raisins. When all the ingredients had been chopped to Brax's satisfaction, they were added to the bowl of meal along with some water. Brax used the masher to mash everything together.

"Now it's time for that secret ingredient," Lucius said, grabbing a silver flask from the table and uncapping it.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but that's my little nipping flask, if you know what I mean, sir. Devilish hard pouring the stuff in there, so I don't want to be emptying it into the mash." Brax took the flask from Mr Malfoy and recapped it. Then he lifted a bottle of brandy from a shelf hanging on the wall behind the table. "Here you are, sir."

"All right, Brax," Lucius said with a smile. He poured the brandy into the mash, which Brax now mixed into a thick, pasty substance. Lucius commented, "That's a nice flask you have there. Where'd you get it?"

"Master Draco gave it to me before he left on his trip," Brax said. "That'll do it, sir." Pulling several shallow bowls from the shelf, he began spooning the mash into them. "I'll set these out, and then you can bring the birds in, Mr Malfoy."

"Very well, Brax." Turning to Severus and Hermione, he said, "Thank you for your help in making Brax's bran mash. A lot of it will have to be made over the next several days with the peafowl in the aviary and unable to hunt for themselves. I'm sure that Brax would appreciate any help you wish to give him."

Hermione answered, "Let me know when Brax is making up the next batch, and I'll help him out. I did have one question about the recipe, though. What is the purpose of the brandy, Mr Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"It provides a mild sedating effect so the peafowl can get used to all being together in the aviary. The peacocks tend to be territorial and protective of their harems, so it is important they be sleepy and disinclined to fight with each other. Brandy is not particularly good for the peafowl, so we decrease the amount each day until they're acclimated to their new location."

"I see. Well, thank you, Mr Malfoy," Hermione said. "I don't know about anyone else, but I am really hungry. I wonder if we can get a late lunch."

"Oh, of course," Lucius answered. "I'm sure Narcissa will be able to round up lunch for you. I need to perform the summoning spell for the peafowl, and then I'll be joining you."

Severus and Hermione entered the house through the Stable Entrance, just as Severus had earlier that morning after his swim. They used the back stairs to get to their rooms and clean up before meeting up at the top of the grand staircase in order to find their hostess. They found her in the dining room where lunch was just ending.

"Severus, Miss Granger, you must be hungry. Let me get everyone settled here, and then there is something I'd like to discuss with you. Severus, why don't you take Miss Granger to the library? I'll have a house-elf bring you each a lunch tray."

Severus gave Narcissa an amused look. "If I take Hermione to the library, she may not come out again for the rest of the week. I will enjoy showing it to her, however."

Indeed, Hermione did seem surprised when she first stepped into the library. She looked around her and breathed, "Oh, my." Most of the library was two stories tall with book shelves lining every wall. A balcony went around the room at the second story level with doors leading to Lucius and Narcissa's suite and another to Draco's room. Spiral staircases led from the balcony to the bottom floor of the library. Windows and skylights allowed the bright, outdoor light to enter the room.

When the house-elf brought their lunch, he set it up on a table in the centre of the room. Hermione and Severus sat down to eat. Narcissa soon joined them. She got straight to her subject. "I hate to bring this up while you're eating, but I am quite worried. My sister Andromeda and her grandson Teddy joined us today. There was an accident, and Teddy was nearly killed!"

Hermione stared at her with alarm. "Is he okay? What happened?"

Narcissa responded, "Teddy wasn't hurt, but I think I know why Draco and Teddy have been attacked. I think someone wants them dead!"