Five

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I'll never attempt to publish a Harry Potter Lexicon.

Lucius did not waste time once Hermione had left for London. He Apparated straight out of Taliesin West to the southern shore of Mexico, from there to the top of some mountain in Peru, and then stopped in Chile's Patagonia region for a couple of hours, knowing precisely what to obtain for Severus. Swiss chocolate. Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon. A block of Mantecoso, ensuring it was made from milk of high quality, not some poor substitute with questionable ingredients. He could have procured such items in Phoenix, but he was certain the products in Southern Chile were fresher, thanks to the region's diverse ethnicity and known appreciation for artisan foods, and besides, it was more fun doing so in a part of the world where the majority of the population was dark haired. He'd never denied loving the attention his hair or impeccable appearance garnered wherever he went.

Armed with what he knew Severus would appreciate, he Apparated to the southern-most tip of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and leisurely walked to the beach, enjoying the cold wind and lack of rain. It was one of the rare occasions rain was absent in the area, especially in the South-American winter. He briefly thought of the heat he'd left behind in Phoenix and Apparated to Shackleton's Hut on Ross Island, steeling himself in preparation for intense cold.

Lucius was unable to suppress a shudder when he saw the seal blubber hanging from the walls. Yuck. The sight disgusted him every single time, and even the knowledge that the blubber had been preserved for over a hundred years by the Arctic...or rather Antarctic...temperatures did nothing to lessen it. He turned away and scanned the walls for a tiny bookshelf. Ah, there it was. He removed a dusty copy of The South Pole by Roald Amundsen, wondering how dust could make its way to the permanent ice shelf of all places, and knocked on the wooden part of the shelf behind the book. Then he moved the book back into place and stood back, waiting.

A few minutes passed, and Lucius started to wonder if Severus would turn up. Maybe he was busy. Or maybe he'd made new friends and no longer held any interest in keeping up with old friends. No. Not Severus, he thought.

Suddenly, the front door creaked and revealed Severus Snape in all his black glory. "Lucius. About time, too."

"Oh, darling! It's so good to see you. And so well!" Lucius looked him up and down and wondered how this man could remain so unbelievably young. He looked not a day older than the day he'd Portkeyed him out of the Shrieking Shack, but considerably healthier. No greasy hair either. It can't be due to his potions alone...

Severus's expression softened very slightly as he accepted the kisses Lucius bestowed upon his face with regal indifference.

"Bastard," Lucius murmured. "Tell me to stop it and I will."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "Why would I tell you to stop? Please, continue."

"I might freeze in the process. It's fucking winter here, and Antarctica isn't exactly known for its mild temperatures, Severus. If you want tongue, kindly let's go to a warmer place."

"Forgive me. You're right of course. I so enjoy coming up here just for the cold so I can appreciate once more the constant temperature down below, you see." Snape waved his right hand towards the wall housing the small bookshelf, and it revealed an opening the size of a door. "After you."

After a few minutes' walk through a cave-like corridor, which became rapidly warmer as they descended further, Lucius entered what he knew to be Severus's home. Upon first sight, it appeared even more spacious than he remembered, but it had lost none of its beauty. All walls as well as the roof and ceilings were transparent, allowing light to filter through from a seemingly obscure source. Some of the furniture...bookshelves, a coffee table, the kitchen table, even the bed frame...appeared to be crafted out of crystal, casting the entire house in an airy, light atmosphere.

A content sigh escaped Lucius as he let himself fall onto the large sofa. "The beauty of your home will never cease to delight me..."

Severus quirked his eyebrow. "Do you mean to say you prefer it to Taliesin West?" He sat down in an oversized chair opposite Lucius.

"Yes, I think I do. Although I would miss one aspect I associate with Taliesin," Lucius said.

"I thought you look far too sated for it to be from our last encounter. You're too horny for your own good." Severus's frown never developed fully, and his words lacked bite.

Lucius laughed. "I won't deny it."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "No, you wouldn't," he said slowly. "But this one is more on your mind than any other woman in the last ten years. A witch?"

"Why don't you look?" Lucius made an inviting gesture with his hand and relaxed deeper into the sofa.

It didn't take a second invitation for Severus to cast a silent Legilimens. He entered Lucius's mind and instantly found what he sought. Lucius sitting on the top step of a whirlpool, his face an expression of pure bliss, his hands buried in a woman's unruly hair. The woman's mouth was around his cock, her torso and lower body immersed in the sparkling, bubbling water.

Lucius in an office, swirling the same woman around.

Lucius in bed, bending over the woman. With unruly hair. Severus remembered her now. A Muggle-born student once. Friend...no, best friend...of Harry Potter. Granger. No, Weasley. He vaguely remembered the wedding announcement in the Prophet years ago.

"You? With Granger? A Muggle-born?"

Lucius chuckled. "Merlin, Severus, you don't know her. There are twenty years between the little swot and Hermione in the present. She is a goddess."

"Yes, I can clearly see that is what you think of her." His tone was dry.

"No, Severus, I don't think you understand." Lucius's tone was firm.

"I think I do, Lucius," Severus said softly. "You've fallen in love with her."

He watched Lucius change expressions. Watched him squirm. Eventually triumphed when Lucius gave in. "I think I have."

"And what's so bad about that? No doubt she's better off with you than that Weasley boy. Even if he did manage to grow into a man," Severus said. "Oh, and did you mention tongue?" He stood very close to Lucius and now bent down, capturing his mouth in a searing kiss. When Lucius moaned, he abruptly broke away. "I hope she doesn't mind sharing."

"She doesn't."

Severus laughed. "You actually asked her?" he asked amusedly.

Lucius nodded in confirmation. "She is very happy that you didn't die from the snakebite. She also said she never disliked you at school, only when you were...what were her words?" Lucius frowned. "Oh, yes, I remember now. Only when you were particularly vicious."

"Most of the time then," Severus said wryly, eliciting a chuckle from Lucius. The sound still turned him on, and he decided not to waste time. Talk was highly overrated; they'd have plenty of time for that later.

Severus knelt down in front of Lucius and started to open the buttons of his robe, then pulled his underpants down to free his erection. "Yes!" He appreciatively put his hand around Lucius's cock before allowing him to pull him up. He sat down on the sofa next to him before Lucius attacked his robes with equal enthusiasm. When both were naked, Severus lay back, staring into Lucius's grey eyes unwaveringly.

"Still like being on top then?" he asked lazily.

"Always, love," Lucius replied and Accioed the massage oil he knew was stored in the bathroom. He poured some oil into the palm of his hand and rubbed both hands together. Sniffing the potion delicately, he said, "Hm, you changed the formula. Not as lemony as I remember it."

Severus made an unintelligible sound and relaxed further. Lucius took Severus's right foot and started rubbing his hand on his sole, occasionally venturing out to his toes and in-between them, eliciting the occasional grunt from his partner. Then he moved to the left foot, doing the same.

Eventually, he moved his hands slowly, ever so slowly, up his calves, ensuring no millimetre of skin would be left untouched. He enjoyed the occasional...very occasional...sounds from Severus. Sounds that led him to believe to be on the right track as usual. Enjoy, my lovely...

Much later, when the two men were once more fully...and impeccably...dressed, Severus asked, "So, what's happening in the wizarding world? Any worthy gossip?"

Lucius filled him in on the latest events, including his and Hermione's suspicions about the Wilson clan.

Severus nodded. "Why am I not surprised... The folks down below are considering intervening with the Muggles. They've been suspecting for a long time that those bloodlines that control the Muggle world are aiming for a complete take-over of the planet.

"Bloodlines?" Lucius asked, confused.

"Muggle ones, Lucius," Severus said. "There are only about twenty families in the Muggle world who wield power. They are more obsessed with the purity of their blood than the Dark Lord ever was. They've achieved complete control over the Muggle world over the course of hundreds of years, in such a hidden, secretive way that rarely any Muggles ever found out until it was too late."

"And how do they preserve their lines? There must be one hell of a lot of inbreeding going on."

Severus snorted. "There certainly is. One reason the people down below are finally planning to intervene is because they feel only able to if they can be reasonably assured of winning. Now that those control freaks are sufficiently weakened...thanks to their obsessive inbreeding as well as their blatant carelessness in recent years...it hopefully won't even take that much effort. Besides, the pollution is starting to affect the inner oceans and rivers, which really is not acceptable."

Severus Accioed a bottle of wine and some fruit to the coffee table.

"I see you're being looked after quite well," Lucius said, grinning appreciatively as he eyed the fresh fruit.

"I'm certainly content with the arrangement," Severus replied. "And from what I've gathered, so are they. These people have never had a need to introduce money. It's fascinating, really, to experience a monetary-free society where everything is available in abundance. Their creativity has never been dimmed by restrictions of society..." His face took on an almost dreamy expression, and he seemed very much at peace with himself. "Some years ago, after years of communication, we came to an agreement that it might be prudent to generate an income so that when the time comes to make contacts with Muggles who aren't complete robots, money will be available in abundance."

"And you're enjoying it." It was not a question.

Severus shrugged and took a sip of his wine before he replied. "I brew potions and market them; of course I'm enjoying it. And I amuse myself reading e-mails from various Muggle governments demanding to be informed of a mailing address so they can send me a tax bill." He smirked.

Lucius laughed. "Oh, I can just imagine how amusing that must be."

"Well, have you ever suggested to anyone there might be life inside the earth? Or even just wondered aloud if the earth might be hollow? People would instantly compare you to the Lovegoods."

"Indeed," Lucius agreed. Looking at the computer on a desk on the opposite wall, he added, "And I'm certain the Yanks would be mightily pissed off if they knew you've been hijacking their satellite internet connection," he added, making Severus chuckle. Then he was unable to help himself. "Say, will I ever meet any of them?" He'd visited Severus a number of times, but had never even seen one of the dwellers inside the earth, let alone met one.

"A handful of Muggles have joined them since I've moved here. They were only allowed to enter after agreeing unconditionally to remain down below if they enter through the South Pole region. Apparently, other areas allow for somewhat more open contact." Severus shrugged.

Lucius took minutes to digest the information. Then he said, "But you've been back up on the surface! How so?"

Severus rolled his eyes at him. "For a start, am I a Muggle? Besides, I'm usually the one to go to Buenos Aires to deal with the banks and mailing orders. Wouldn't do to keep customers waiting. And most importantly, I've allegedly been dead for over twenty years. Nobody in this part of the world knows who I really am."

Lucius could see his friend's argument. It didn't stop him from trying again, though. "I'm not a Muggle either, you know," he said, sounding petulant.

Severus let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'll see what I can do to arrange it. I'm going to harvest ingredients tomorrow afternoon and will ask."

A/N: For details of the prompt, please see chapter 1.

Grateful thanks go to southernwitch69 for making this more readable. For correct writing, thank her. For mistakes, blame me.