The snake and the lion (Severus x OC)

8- Threats

Severus and Rose returned to Hogwarts the next day, traveling separately to the fireplaces of their respective common rooms, ready to spend the saddest Christmas of their lives.

The first thing Severus saw when he came out of the chimney was his seventh-year classmates, who greeted him reluctantly.

"Where have you been?" asked Lucius, who was lying in an armchair, with his head resting on Narcissa's knees.

"I was at my mother's funeral," Severus sat in a chair, not really wanting to talk, but knowing that he had no choice but to be there, because he was already one of them.

"I'm very sorry," Lucius' tone of voice didn't match the phrase at all. "Did that mudblood accompanied you?"

"Who are you talking about?" Severus looked at him annoyed.

"Benson, you know," Lucius insisted. "She left the dungeon after you and we haven't seen her again," he added maliciously, but Severus didn't say anything. Every time he thought about Rose, he felt like he had made a huge mistake, and the knowledge that he had ruined his relationship with her was truly terrible.

"You know? It seems like you care too much for that mudblood," Narcissa mocked, smiling maliciously when she saw the face Severus had made.

"If I were you I wouldn't be talking about her like that," Severus responded coldly and angrily. "She is the daughter of a death eater." the words escaped his mouth before he realized it. He had promised Rose not to talk about her father, what the hell was he doing?

Instantly, Lucius jumped up, giving him his full attention.

"The daughter of a death eater? Which one?"

"Frederick Benson," Severus cursed himself. Rose would never forgive him. Although he also remembered bitterly that it was very possible that he would never see her again.

"I've heard of him," Nott said. "He was a descendant of one of the oldest wizarding families in England. He was a classmate of the Dark Lord, and one of the first to turn to the dark side. They say he was really bloodthirsty when he met muggles."

"That Benson? Well Severus, you are less stupid than I thought," Lucius commented, with a laugh.

"Why do you say that?" Severus asked, surprised.

"Benson must have had a great fortune, and it is logical that it went to his only recognized daughter," Lucius explained, looking at Severus with a sly expression on his face. "I can't explain why I didn't realize who she was before. I recognize that you have made a good move, my friend."

While the others laughed, Severus bit his tongue to avoid giving a bad answer. It bothered him that they thought he had approached Rose because of her surname or her money when that wasn't the case. Rose didn't need any of that, since she had so many qualities that made her special and a wonderful person... and he had been such an idiot that he had ruined everything.

He regained his hearing just in time to hear Lucius change the subject.

"My father says that in less than five years we will get rid of this plague of muggles and mudbloods," he said with his usual petulance, resting his head on Narcissa's knees again. "He also says that we need to infiltrate important places, like the Ministry of Magic, to keep those stupid muggle-friends under control when the Dark Lord takes power. I, personally, am lucky, because my father has contacts within the Ministry who are willing to help me when I leave this stinking school. Perhaps... I can present them to you, as a special favor," he said, as if he were granting them a great favor, but everyone around him nodded. "They will be present when we meet the Dark Lord."