Old Sins, Long Shadows

New Beginnings

Notes: I am reintroducing a character from my first story, Finding Severus. He proved to be a popular feature and I am sorry I did not carry him through with Severus in my other stories. Anyway, those who liked Severus' house elf, Neder, will enjoy seeing him again, I hope.

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 It had been seven years since the war ended. Severus had escaped his fate thanks to Narcissa Malfoy. Her husband Lucius had told her of Tom Riddle's treachery against Snape and she demanded they go to the Shrieking Shack, driven by what she obviously perceived as a Life Debt owed him for saving Draco. Finding the man moments from death in a pool of blood, they apparated him to their Paris home. 

Narcissa was always a fair hand at healing spells and Draco quite adept at potions. Severus' recovery took almost three months. He had regained consciousness in little over a week and took the opportunity to summon his Hogwarts house elf, Neder. If he was going to survive without too much lingering effect he would need elf magic to do so. 

Neder had looked after him since the boy began Hogwarts at age eleven. Having found the child crying in a darkened corner of a hidden passage elves used to scamper about the castle unseen, the creature assumed guardianship then and there. Both nursemaid and confident, Neder was always there for him whenever he needed someone. That is, right up to the time of the Battle when the elf himself had sustained an injury that had incapacitated him for several days.

After Riddle's demise, and at Narcissa's insistence, Lucius sacrificed what was left of his dignity in a desperate attempt to avoid time in Azkaban. He aided the Ministry with names and last known addresses of any Death Eaters that had escaped capture. He also turned evidence against any of Voldemort's 'old gang' during the trials.

The Malfoys had to give up all of their holdings in the UK as retribution including the Manor House. They had kept hold of any interests outside Great Britain as those did not fall under the Ministry's jurisdiction.

Lucius had also brought news that Severus had been put on trial, in absentia , due to his life threatening injuries and the fact that wizarding France had no extradition statute with England.

Harry Potter's recounting of events and Severus' own memories secured the spy's exoneration. An Order of Merlin came with a tidy sum of gold galleons for "extreme bravery in time of war". Severus was not impressed save for the fact that the monetary reward, including whatever the medal melted down to, would keep him in pocket change for whatever remained of his lifespan.

After his recovery Severus settled into life in Paris. He rather enjoyed the muggle European, adopting their habits, customs and even the couture by the famed designers along the Champs Élysées and the Golden Triangle. The likes of Chanel, Vuitton and Dior were particular favorites of Narcissa Malfoy.

Upon "Cissa's" insistence, his daily upkeep was at Malfoy expense. She paid for everything from new clothes to sundries. In accordance with the look of modern Paris and again at Cissa's encouragement, Severus wore his hair short at the back and around the ears with a thick shock of silky black on top. At first he felt like some sort of gigolo, a kept man at the whims of an older wealthier woman. After awhile, he became more comfortable in the role and even began to enjoy himself.

The only impairing aftermath, save the scar at his throat, of that near-fatal encounter was that Nagini's venom had weakened his eyesight somewhat. Again, Narcissa insisted only the best would do. Thinly framed bespoke Versace wire glasses were light on his face and stylishly European. They suited him. So much so that Narcissa likened him to a cross between a fashion model striding the runways of Paris and an introverted academic who spent his days at the Sorbonne library among old books or wandering the city's many museums. The latter was more his style and habit.