Shifting Loyalties - A Drarry & Severitus Fanfic

Chapter 4 - Fathers & Struggles

**September 1983 – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

The fire in Severus Snape's quarters crackled gently, casting flickering shadows across the dimly lit room. Severus sat in his armchair, his fingers drumming on the edge of the armrest, lost in thought. Across from him, Lucius Malfoy was lounging, his posture deceptively relaxed, though his sharp eyes betrayed the tension he carried.

A bottle of fine firewhisky sat between them, half-drunk. It had been a long evening of conversation, but the air was thick with unspoken words. Neither man had acknowledged the deeper matters at hand—until now.

Severus broke the silence first, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "I wasn't expecting you to come by tonight, Lucius. Is everything all right?"

Lucius gave a hollow chuckle, swirling the firewhisky in his glass. "Everything? Hardly. But then, when is it ever?"

Severus raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to the statement than Lucius was letting on. "What's happened?"

Lucius's smirk faded, his expression darkening as he stared into the amber liquid in his glass. "It's Narcissa," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "She's... been absent."

Severus didn't respond immediately, allowing Lucius the space to continue.

"She's never home, Severus," Lucius muttered, setting his glass down a little too forcefully on the table. "I've hardly seen her in months. She's always off on one of her 'social engagements' or traveling abroad. Always some excuse to be anywhere but the manor."

Severus frowned, his sharp eyes narrowing. He had known there were tensions between Lucius and Narcissa, but it seemed things were far worse than he had realized.

"And Draco?" Severus asked carefully. "How is he handling it?"

Lucius let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Draco doesn't notice. Not really. She's never been... involved. From the moment he was born, she distanced herself. I don't know why. Maybe she never wanted children. Or maybe she never wanted me."

There was a bitterness in Lucius's voice that Severus had rarely heard before. The Malfoy patriarch was usually so composed, so controlled. But tonight, something had shifted.

"She never wanted anything to do with Draco?" Severus asked, surprised by the admission.

"She's indifferent at best," Lucius said bitterly. "She was never a maternal figure. Oh, she put on a good show when necessary—public appearances, galas, that sort of thing. But behind closed doors? She's distant. Cold."

Severus took a sip of his own drink, considering Lucius's words. "And you? Where do you stand in all of this?"

Lucius sighed, running a hand through his long blond hair. "I've tried, Severus. I've tried to be patient, to understand her reasons. But it's exhausting. There are days when it feels like I'm raising Draco on my own."