Wickedly Yours

Part 15

Lucius:
Severus, I need to speak with you. Privately. Come back to the Manor tonight.

Severus:
Lucius, it's been a long day. Perhaps tomorrow—

Lucius:
No. Tonight. This cannot wait.

Severus:
Very well. What time?

Lucius:
As soon as you can. And Severus... this is not a request. We need to clear all this up.

Severus:
I'll be there shortly.

Lucius:
Good. I expect answers, Severus.

Severus stood at the entrance of Lucius' study, his expression tight and controlled as always, but there was an undercurrent of tension in his posture.

Lucius, sitting at his desk, didn't immediately acknowledge him, swirling a glass of dark liquor in his hand. The silence between them was palpable as Severus stepped further into the room.

"Severus," Lucius finally said, his voice icy. "I trust you received my message."

Severus nodded. "I did."

Lucius gestured toward the decanter on the side table. "Drink?"

Severus shook his head. "No, thank you."

Lucius downed his own glass before setting it aside. "I want to know everything. How all of this started, how long it's been going on." His tone was clipped, demanding the truth with no room for evasion.

Severus remained standing, his hands folded in front of him. "It... it happened very fast," he admitted, his voice steady. "Beatrix and I began spending more time together. We grew close. Too close, perhaps. But I never intended for it to escalate like this."

Lucius's eyes narrowed. "You said it happened fast? She only returned to Hogwarts last week. Was it going on before then? Over the summer?"

Severus shook his head quickly. "No. Over the summer, she was... seeing someone else. A wizard she met in the cafe she worked."

Lucius leaned forward slightly, his interest piqued. "Yes. The wizard she told me about. What do you know about him?"

Severus hesitated, knowing this would be a delicate matter. "I know he was a problem," he said carefully, "a problem that has now been resolved."

Lucius's jaw tightened. "A problem in what regard?"

Severus exhaled slowly. "He wasn't letting go of the connection they had. He was texting and calling her incessantly, making it clear he had no intention of ending things, even after she had."

Lucius's grip on his glass tightened. "And how exactly did you resolve it?"

Severus met Lucius's gaze evenly. "I met with the man last night before I came to the Manor. I wiped his memory of Beatrix. Erased every trace of her from his life—his mind, his spellphone, everything."

Lucius sat back in his chair, his face unreadable for a long moment. Finally, he said, "I see. That was... efficient of you." He paused, thinking. "Does Beatrix know?"

Severus shook his head. "No. She doesn't know I obliviated him. She thought I was only going to threaten him, but... once I met the man, it was clear that wasn't going to be enough. He wasn't going to let her go so easily."

Lucius was quiet, his mind clearly turning over the information. He stood slowly, walking to the window with his back to Severus. "And tell me, Severus," he said in a dangerously soft tone, "why shouldn't I do the same to you?"

Severus's heart raced, but he kept his voice calm. "For one, it would be terribly ineffective. I would still see her every day at Hogwarts. The feelings would resurface, and we would end up in the same place."