In the morning, before Malfoy wakes, Snape tells Elsbet that he has inquired about Micha's fate, and she tells him she thinks he is dead. "Bea told me they are both watching over me, not by name, but...who else could she mean but my brother and my friend," she says with a slight shrug, and as he pulls her into his arms he tells her he thinks it is worth trying. "But--" he doesn't let her finish. He kisses her tenderly and holds her close, thinking to her, what makes you believe Bea didn't mean your brother and Sirius? She rests her head against Snape's chest and tells him, "why would Sirius...

Steeling himself for the worst, Snape approaches the glass and sees Malfoy sitting with his back to the door. After a second, the White Wizard looks over his shoulder at his Dark lover, an expression of undisguised joy on his face. After another couple of seconds, the elegant head of the great bird appears, and rests on Malfoy's shoulder. The swan gazes at Snape, who finds himself at a loss. He sees Malfoy's lips move and he knows he's asking the swan something; the bird turns his head and clacks his bill in response. Malfoy laughs and Snape's heart is light...clearly, the healing is a success....

As Malfoy leaves Elsbet's room the Silhouettes are departing, and he wishes them good fortune with a gentle mental touch.

"So," Therion says as Malfoy walks back into the living room, "Ellie truly is an Elf." Malfoy nods as he sits down, sighing deeply. Remus stretches and goes into the kitchen, and after a moment or two comes back with a glass of juice and munching a piece of bacon. Tonks sits down across from Malfoy and runs her hands through her bubble-gum pink hair. "What does that mean for us?" Layne looks at each of them and smiles softly. "I think...it means we're supposed to be together."...

Tonks sits for a moment, thinking. "But, how would she know the language itself, unless her parents actually sat down and worked it all out?" The wizards look at each other silently, fidgeting, then Tonks gives a half-hearted laugh. "You can't mean..." Quietly, Therion goes to the huge bookshelf that takes up the corner of the living room opposite the door that leads to their backyard park. He crouches for a moment and pulls a very large book carefully out of the bottom cabinet, then places it in the center of the coffee table. He sits back down and looks at Tonks evenly. "The Encyclopedia...

Remus the Wolf is vaguely aware of something moving near him. He turns and flicks his ears, then lifts his nose toward the sounds. He moves toward it slowly, toward the shadows of an empty house, and he can just make out the shape of the observer.

It's another wolf.

The other wolf is as curious about him as he is about it, and as he moves closer to the shadows, the other wolf whines excitedly. He moves slowly, cautiously, forward, and the other wolf moves just as cautiously toward him. As it passes out of the shadows and into the moonlight, Remus sees the other wolf is beautiful; blond fur shot...

Snape rises and dresses silently, then slips out of the room unnoticed. Their laughter follows him and he smiles faintly as he steps into the kitchen. He washes his hands and dries them, then pulls out three pans and begins preparation for lunch. Malfoy enters the kitchen as Snape opens the fridge and asks him if he would like anything in particular. Malfoy tells him he's feeling like something sweet, when there's a sound at the door. "Ah, if you'll get that Severus, I will fix us lunch." Snape looks at him quizzically and Malfoy tells him quietly, "it's Dance, and Shiver, from the feel of...

Snape sits at his desk deep in thought, his mind running over the events of the last few days. He hasn't slept yet. It didn't make any sense to him to even lie down, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He's not sure what he wants to know more, the details of Malfoy's meeting with the Inquisitor, or Elsbet's. Elsbet's, really, Malfoy's he can guess at, and probably be right. But Oddbit...why was she unconsious? What happened to her in there, and will she even tell him? That question is almost worse than the other; she keeps everything bottled up inside and probably always has. Sooner or later...

The door closes and Snape is left alone with the two people dearest to him.

His heart trembles at the sight of them together.

When he first realized what he felt for her was love, he could not tolerate the idea of another man touching her. But now, gazing at her in Malfoy's arms, he is actually comforted. Comforted because he knows that if something happens to him, she will not be left alone. He wants nothing more at this moment than to lay down with them, take his time healing them, but he can't. He doesn't have that luxury. What he does have, besides the burning desire to make love to them,...

Snape opens the door and Therion slips in quickly, clearly agitated. Before any words are spoken, Therion holds a finger to his lips and meets Snape's eyes directly. We can't leave like this, he thinks. Dementors, he makes a circle in the air, and Snape looks at Malfoy. Therion thinks to them, there have been a few developments in the last couple of hours, and it's not very safe to travel. We'll have to go on the wing. Snape nods and Malfoy grabs Snape's robe. I can't...I've never tried it, I don't know how--he thinks, his heart begining to race. He's so close to the light at the end of the...

"No, Narcissa, I will not have this discussion with you now!" He storms away from her even as she grabs for him. "Just tell me one thing," she shouts as he goes up the steps out of the grand dining area without looking back at her. "Lucius!" He spins around to face her and hisses, "what?" She stares at him, her face pale but her eyes livid, "have you ever loved me?" He doesn't blink. He won't answer. Not with so many 'visitors' in the house. He turns slowly and heads for the dark hallway. "Did you love me when you married me?" He stops for a moment and takes a deep breath. He might as well...

He carefully considers the possibilities of the situation. Malfoy may have turned from the Dark Lord, but the thought of that nearly makes him laugh. It's not that Therion doesn't believe it can happen, that a Death Eater can turn, it's just that he knows how Dark and bloody Malfoy is, and how unlikely it is. It would have to be something profound, something truly phenominal to cause such a change in that evil heart. But then...Therion knows a thing or two about Severus Snape, things he'll never tell another Being, living or dead. He knows just how much Elsbet means to Snape, and if he trusts...

"Out and about rather late, Headmaster," Snape hears behind him, and the voice sets his teeth on edge. He steels himself, closes off his mind entirely, and turns to face the speaker. "I could ask you the same, Alecto." She grins up at him, her eyes glittering insanely. If there truly was a Satan, Snape is certain Alecto and Amycus Carrow would surely be his spawn. The squat, ugly little thing grins even wider and takes a step forward. Oh, if there were just a way to convince the Dark Lord the Carrows were unnecessary, he'd have them out of the castle before either of them knew what was happening....

Several minutes pass before either speaks. Malfoy clears his throat and rubs his eyes. "What did you do to him?" Snape turns slightly and looks at him. "I had every intention of killing the bastard." There is another long silence, then Snape says, "I've not spoken of this with anyone. It is sill...quite difficult." Malfoy nods and tells him, "that's understandable, Severus...you don't...you don't have to tell me..." he looks away and says, "I don't want to intrude any more than I already have." Snape gives Malfoy a slightly befuddled look, then asks him what he's talking about. When the pale...

Within Elsbet's mind, Snape stands on the sidewalk outside a huge square building. He looks to the right of him, then to the left, then straight up. The streets are empty, the sky is clear and there is no breeze. He waits until he sees the single black bird fly overhead, then steps up to the smooth façade. There are no doors nor windows; it resembles nothing more than a blemishless granite cube. He stands before the façade and draws a deep breath, then places his hand flat against the surface. Carefully, he moves his thumb out to a 45 degree angle, spreads the middle fingers into a 'v', and...

As he watches Snape pour her Absinthe, he has no doubt what effect his actions would have had on the Dark wizard.

Snape tells Elsbet to savor her drink because she's not to have any more of it until later.

Malfoy watches her drink it slowly, happily, and he catches the glint in Snape's black eyes and the slightest flicker of emotion on the usually impassive face.

It's joy, and it makes Malfoy hurt. His thoughtless, malicious, evil act would have crushed the wizard he has shared so much of himself with. He couldn't have lived with that.

She finishes and giggles lightly as Snape takes the glass from...

Her touch is so soft, so gentle, that when she tugs him toward the breakfast bar he's barely aware of it. Snape nods him toward a seat, which he takes, as he himself leans casually against the bar. She is so gracious and graceful that he could very easily forget that she is not a witch. "Lucius," she says kindly, "would you like a drink or something to eat?" Her hand slips from his and as she walks around Snape to go into her kitchen, he forces himself not to look at his hand. Not because he actually believes she is filth, but because he is now faced with the possibility that what he has spent...

He's sitting outside watching the peacocks when the messenger arrives, and it takes him a moment to realize that it's not Loki. But the bird certainly knows Snape, Malfoy can feel the slightest imprint of his lover on the bird's mind. And he feels Elsbet's imprint as well! He smiles at this, and knows this must be the invitation. He gazes into the raven's eyes and finds a startlingly clear mind behind them. Time set eight this night. Sevrus take you. You meet at Ellieshome, yes? His heart jumps. No, not at Ellie's, it's not safe, Malfoy thinks to the messenger. Hogsmeade, Malfoy thinks, we...

"You've got to be joking," he says softly, a faint smile turning the corners of his mouth for a moment as he looks down at them. Elsbet runs her tongue up his shaft from his bush to his head, making Snape moan very low, and Malfoy rests his head on the bed. "This is going to kill me..." She giggles and asks Malfoy if he's alright. He tells her he's not, then flashes her a wicked grin. "I can do that too, you know," he says, then licks from the bush around to the head, then up and over it. Snape moans his appreciation, and Elsbet raises herself up just a bit. She winks at Malfoy, then gently...

Snape listens to them chat, glancing from time to time at Elsbet and Malfoy, dying to know what is going on with him. At last, after the meal is nearly done, Malfoy asks him how his day has been. Snape replies that it was fortunately uneventful, then he tells them, "I believe I may be home for a day or two, for the weekend." As the dishes are cleaned up and leftovers stowed, everyone seems to have an idea of what to do for those two days, even the birds. They range from swimming in the small lake in the center of the District (the birds' idea) to visiting the Silhouettes' outpost in the Southfarthing...