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The Headmaster's Wife	By : Mrs_HH Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 96752 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 23
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 34
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The Red Mist Descending

The Shrieking Shack was cold, but that wasn't the only reason Severus Snape was shivering. He hated this place. He had hated it for more years than he cared to remember. Twice, Death had waited for him here, and as he stood looking at the unconscious ginger-haired wizard lying on the floor in front of him, he wished Harry Potter had chosen another location to carry out Ronald's day of reckoning.

The lamps and candles in the ramshackle room flickered brightly as the wizards prepared themselves for the task ahead. Lucius didn't seem fazed at all as he handed out robes for everyone to change into. If anything, he was in pretty high spirits and was laughing heartily at Harry as he tried to adjust the tunic he had just put on.

"Potter, really, you were not cut out to be a Death Eater. You just don't suit the robes," Lucius chuckled as he helped Harry with the tunic before removing his coat, waistcoat and shirt and placing them out of harm's way and putting on his own tunic.

"I think I find that thought comforting," Harry told him with a wry smile as a pang of conscience hit him when he saw George's discomfort at putting on his own robes. It had seemed like a good idea at the time; they were the perfect disguise and with four former associates of Voldemort in on the plan, they were easy to get hold of. He now wished he'd been a little more creative.

"They're only robes, George," Harry whispered, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

George gave him a watery smile before turning to Severus. "Severus, if you're going to remove the hood later, Ron will see your hair. Aren't you worried he'll recognise you?" He asked trying to get his attention.

"Have you never used a colour change charm?" Lucius groused, aware that Severus wasn't actually listening. "Which reminds me, what colour are we going with today, sir?"

Severus was still oblivious to the conversation around him. Harry and George weren't the only ones having second thoughts about the robes. He stared at the black tunic and robe in front of him as he experienced the familiar nauseous feeling he always got whenever he put them on. The raids had never sat well with Severus. It wasn't what he signed up for, and although, by his very nature, he could be a violent man, the raids were full of such acts of wanton violence and depravity that he often ended up vomiting at the first opportunity he had once he was away from his fellow Death Eaters.

He was relieved that as he rose up in the ranks, Voldemort realised that his skills were better employed away from the raids directly. Not that he could avoid them altogether but on the rare occasions when he had to don his robes, it took a great deal of control to prevent the bile rising as he prepared for it.

He knew this wasn't a raid, but as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, the queasiness in his stomach increased. All he wanted to do was set fire to his robes after the way Hermione had reacted to finding them the other day. It was only now that he appreciated how much he hated this reminder of his past. He didn't want his skin to be tainted by them again and knew he would be scrubbing his skin raw before he let her touch him again.

Severus then shuddered slightly as he felt a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Uncle, are you alright?" asked Draco, who was already in his robes.

Severus nodded before Lucius came and put his arm around his shoulders. "One last raid," he whispered, shaking Severus slightly as he squeezed his shoulder before adding, "Blonde, redhead or brunette?"

"What?" Severus snapped only to receive a trademark Malfoy sneer in return.

Lucius arched his eyebrows in annoyance at the raven-haired wizard. "We discussed this, now pull yourself together," he told him through gritted teeth. He'd never seen Severus distracted like this before.

Severus glared at him for a moment before stating, "Brunette," as he removed his shirt. He suddenly felt all eyes fall upon him, and he quickly pulled the tunic on as he knew everyone had noticed his scars.

"They've faded nicely," Lucius reassured him gently, knowing that Severus was still surprisingly sensitive about the marks on his body to all but Hermione, himself, Poppy, and Minerva.

Severus just nodded quickly and pulled the outer robes on before Lucius changed his hair colour.

"I'm afraid being a brunette doesn't suit your eye colour," Lucius chuckled as Severus stared down at the mask his friend now held out to him. He gave Lucius a watery smile as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face everyone. He was surprised to see Harry stood in front of Ron, looking down at his former friend plaintively.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked rhetorically as he looked at Ron. He was then aware of George standing next to him, who was silently staring at his brother with a blank expression as he toyed with the mask in his hands.

Severus had managed to fight off a few of his inner demons and calmly addressed everyone in a tone that was synonymous at both Inner Circle meetings and the classroom. "Gentlemen, we have approximately one hour before our welcome in Pius' office will be perceived to be overstayed. I need this done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Remember your positions so that we don't need to use names and if I tell you to do something, I am telling you to do it for a reason...I do not expect you to question me. George, take your brother's wand, if you will, and Lucius, take your rings off...

"Does everyone understand their roles?" Severus asked.

Everyone nodded and moved into position. But before Severus allowed the mask to mould to his face, he looked at Harry, who he could tell was nervous.

"This is your plan, Harry. You can wake him," he said as he felt the sickening coolness of the mask against his skin.

Harry looked at his own mask, inwardly cringing. He held it up to his face and heard Lucius sigh impatiently. "Oh come on, Potter, it won't bite," the older blond wizard sniped as he put his rings into his coat pocket.

"I know, but..."

"Harry, we don't have time for this," Severus told him tersely.

Harry looked at Severus, taken aback by the change the mask had made to his voice. But despite that he could tell that his former Potions Professor, had put on more than just his Death Eater mask. He had also summoned his usual mask of indifference; the mask that saved him on more than one occasion.

The Boy Who Lived swallowed hard and placed the mask over his face, taking a second to shut off the feeling of unease that wearing this symbol of evil had elicited in him.

Lucius flicked his wrist and extinguished all but one lamp behind Severus and smirked at his handiwork. "My, this is rather...atmospheric, isn't it?"

Severus huffed at Lucius' glib comment, something which he was famous for at the start of raids, whilst Harry drew his wand, pointed it at Ron and intoned, "Rennervate!"

Immediately Ron's eyes flew open, and he jerked his head around as he tried to take in his new surroundings and struggled against his invisible bindings. Eventually he looked up, and his eyes fell on a black-robed figure who stood menacingly above him with his arms folded. Ron felt the weight of the man's glare upon him, and as his eyes adjusted to the poor light, he was gripped by a sudden fear as it dawned on him...there was more than one masked figure in the room.

Ron's eyes widened at the realisation before he exclaimed, "Bloody hell, there's more of..."

But before he could finish his sentence, his tongue became stuck to the roof of his mouth. He hadn't seen who had cast the Langlock jinx, but the figure before him took a step forward and said menacingly, "Good evening, Mr Weasley."

Ron struggled again against his bindings. He didn't think his day could have got any worse but being captured by a group of rogue Death Eaters was just the icing on the cake. He'd been under pressure all day and then to find Hermione with Snape was distressing in its own right. But although he wasn't speaking to Hermione and Harry at the moment, he was still technically one of The Golden Trio, and his capture and probable torture would be seen as a triumph to any followers of The Dark Lord. But he thought that all the remaining Death Eaters had been accounted for.

He wanted to know what had happened to Luna. He remembered talking to her but then the room started spinning, and the next thing he knew he was opening his eyes to the sight before him. It was too dark to see exactly where he was, but somehow it seemed familiar.

Ron was immediately brought back into his reality as the wizard who greeted him took another step forward. He knelt down in front of him before saying in a hushed tone, "Now, all you have to do is nod and shake your head when you are asked a question, and you will listen very carefully to everything that we have to say to you. Do you understand?"

The fear in Ron's eyes was palpable, but Severus pushed him for a response. "The appropriate response would be for you to nod your head, Mister Weasley."

Ron nodded his head quickly, his eyes still wide as he tried to figure out who these Death Eaters were.

"That wasn't too difficult now, was it?" Severus drawled. Looking at the stricken wizard he asked, "Now shall we get you into a more comfortable position?"

Ron was flummoxed by this act of kindness as Severus summoned one of the rickety chairs to the centre of the room before indicating to Draco and George to help Ron. As they pulled him onto his feet, Severus released Ron's invisible bonds only for them to be reapplied as he was forced down onto the chair.

"That's better, isn't it?" Severus asked as he began to prowl around the captive wizard slowly.

All Ron could do was nod and wait until Severus spoke again.

"Now, I have no doubt that you are wondering why you have been brought to this place. Quite simply, you have single-handedly managed to insult a great number of people in recent weeks and frankly, we cannot allow this to continue," Severus continued before Lucius took over addressing the stricken wizard.

"You see, Weasley," Lucius drawled, "Your behaviour simply cannot be tolerated. You are a pureblood wizard, and yet your actions of late are quite frankly, repugnant to not only pureblood sensibilities but to any witch or wizard with any sense of common decency. Since when has it become acceptable to humiliate and disrespect your friends and family with lies and insinuations?

Ron struggled against his bonds, looking around frantically to determine which of the robed figures was now talking to him.

"Tonight," Lucius continued, "You were honoured with the highest accolade our world can bestow upon a witch or wizard. Your whole family was honoured in one way or another because they have repeatedly proved their worth to our world. Now tell me, do you really think that you are worthy of the award you received?"

Ron quickly shook his head. Whether he thought he deserved his Order of Merlin or not was irrelevant; his captors obviously thought he didn't and he wasn't about to contradict them.

Lucius leaned forward so that his face was close to Ron's and sneered, "How could you dishonour all those who died...dishonour your own brother...with your petulance? You, sir, are a disgrace! Are we really to believe that your recent behaviour has all been because a witch ended your relationship?"

Ron's heart was thumping in his chest. He hadn't actually considered that his actions were disrespectful to Fred, and he genuinely felt guilty about that now that he thought about it. And of course his behaviour wasn't just to do with Hermione, but she had rejected him when he thought she was going to be one of the constants in his life. Perhaps deep down he knew that everyone was right...he wasn't right for her, and he certainly didn't deserve her. But that didn't stop him from wanting her to be the one he went home to at night.

What was actually making Ron anxious though, was that everything about his current predicament seemed so familiar and yet so utterly confusing. He wanted to ask who these robed figures worked for and why they were picking him up on his behaviour. Although, if he were being honest, he would have to admit that he probably had drawn a little too much attention to himself recently. But even so, he was sure a simple word in the ear would have sufficed rather than this charade. Unless, of course, he actually had drawn far too much attention to himself and this was the preamble to his demise. He gulped as the thought flitted across his mind.

The wizard currently chastising him was certainly dangerous...he was clever with words, quite possible vindictive and verbally intimidating, but something told Ron that he was nowhere near as dangerous as the first wizard who addressed him. He was grateful in a way that he couldn't speak, as it seemed that the man, who was now watching the second wizard, seemed to be exercising a great deal of restraint and it was probably a good idea not to antagonise him. Ron surmised that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever was being restrained, when it was unleashed.

A sudden movement caught Ron's eye and another wizard came to stand at the side of the second wizard. Something truly bothered him about this person. It was a familiarity that he couldn't put his finger on.

George stood directly in front of his brother and sighed deeply.

"Do you realise how much hurt you've caused to the people you are closest to?" George asked with a sigh, surprised by how intimidating his voice sounded with the mask on.

The blank expression on Ron's face disappointed George. He at least expected his brother to nod; to acknowledge his poor behaviour towards his parents and family, as well as Hermione.

"You are required to answer the question in the manner we previously agreed, Mr Weasley," Severus growled from the darkness somewhere behind Ron.

Ron considered the question before shrugging and shaking his head. George felt his hackles rise at Ron's indifference.

"Everything you've done...everything you've said has had consequences," George told his younger brother through gritted teeth before having to turn away from him in disgust. Lucius put his hand on George's shoulder supportively and took over as he knew George was struggling.

"One of the overriding tenets of Pureblood ideology is that family is everything. It is an ideal I and my colleagues hold dear," Lucius stated as he paced with his hands behind his back in front of Ron. "I know your parents would have instilled this belief in you and yet you believe it acceptable to throw it back into their faces?"

Again Ron shrugged, and Lucius had to hold back the desire to slap him across the face for his insolence.

"Well, as you appear to be oblivious to the consequences of your actions, I think it should be brought to your attention how distressed your parents and family have been because of you," Lucius growled. "You see when you open your mouth to the press, Mr Weasley, the press opens up your entire life."

"Your parents have been asked all sorts of uncomfortable questions about you," George interjected. "Your whole family has had a knock on the door at some point. Your mother has cried herself to sleep over you."

"You know the Malfoys and Miss Granger have threatened the Prophet with legal action because of what you've said, and if they go through with it, the Prophet will come after you!" Draco told him menacingly.

Ron just shrugged again before he felt fingers run through his hair and jerk his head back.

"You are being asked questions which you are not responding to appropriately, Mr Weasley. We do not wish to force your compliance, but rest assured we will take appropriate measures if necessary," Severus growled next to Ron's ear before pushing his head back.

George crouched down before his brother and said in a hushed tone, "I wish we didn't have to point all this out to you, but you seem to have lost the ability to listen. You blame everyone but yourself, and that was not the way you were brought up. Now everyone you have ever held dear is suffering because of your actions. And that is unacceptable."

Harry stepped forward and looked despondently at his partner in crime for the last seven years. Before he spoke, he sighed deeply. "Your parents have already lost a son. Are they going to lose another one?"

Ron completely misunderstood Harry's meaning and was now more convinced than ever that he had overstepped the mark; his head had been above the parapet too many times in recent weeks and now it was time for him to be shot down.

He shook his head vigorously, screwing up his eyes and mouth as he whimpered in an attempt to plead for his life. He became more agitated as he sensed Severus' menacing presence directly behind him.

"And it's not just your family that you've disrespected, is it? You've not exactly treated your friends well, have you?" Harry commented bitterly.

Ron shook his head slightly and lowered his head. He knew he had treated most of his friends badly recently but then again, in his opinion, they had let him down too with their flagrant inclination towards traitorous Death Eaters.

Harry closed his eyes before he continued in an exasperated tone. "I mean, when did it become alright for you to treat your friends like crap but Merlin forbid they get fed up with your behaviour?"

"Take Miss Granger, for example," Draco drawled as he walked towards Ron. "Even before she left you, you didn't treat her properly."

"You just assumed she would be happy to go along with whatever you wanted," Harry added dolefully.

"How did she describe your relationship? Oh, non-existent," Draco stated dispassionately.

Harry chuckled at Draco's comment before adding, "On more than one occasion she thought you were cheating on her. Keeping that box of knickers under your bed wasn't exactly the best idea you've ever had."

"So were you cheating on her?" Draco asked menacingly.

Ron suddenly felt all eyes burning into him and the room fell into a thick silence. He closed his eyes slowly before hanging his head; Harry's heart ached as he knew what this meant.

"Answer the question, Weasley," Draco demanded through gritted teeth.

Ron looked up at him woefully and swallowed hard before nodding his head.

Severus had to fight back a sudden urge to put his fist down the red-haired wizard's throat and disembowel him. "Mr Weasley, I missed that. Would you care to repeat your response for my benefit?" Severus growled angrily.

Ron's shoulders slumped as he nodded more emphatically this time, and Lucius put his hand on Severus' arm as he noticed the dark wizard's wand shoot into his hand. He squeezed his friend's arm as if to say 'I'll deal with this' and faced Ron.

"You are a disgrace," Lucius sneered before adding with a haughty tone, "How could you dishonour Miss Granger in such a way? And more to the point, if one must dishonour ones' witch it is inadvisable to give poisonous and slanderous interviews to the press just because she ends your relationship."

Harry was incredulous. "How could you do that to her? It's bad enough that you cheated on her, but what you said about her was...it was unforgivable to drag her name through the mud to cover your tracks, and you're still doing it..."

"And that is something I simply cannot allow to continue," Severus growled as he walked towards Ron and in one fluid movement released his bonds, grabbed him by the throat and pinned him up against the wall.

"I think it's time for a little candour don't you, Mr Weasley?" Severus drawled almost distractedly as he removed the Langlock jinx from Ron. "We've established that no one is particularly enamoured with you at the moment, so on their behalf..."

"Who do you work for?" Ron choked out, interrupting the dark haired wizard.

"Does it matter?" Lucius asked from somewhere behind Severus.

"I'm not saying anything until I know who you are or who you're working for," Ron told them defiantly.

Lucius chuckled darkly. "Who says you have anything to say that is worthy of our attention?"

Severus smirked at this and shaking his head he responded to Ron's comment, "We like to think of ourselves as...independent."

"So you're wands for hire then?" Ron croaked.

"Something like that," Harry muttered.

"So who has hired your wands?" Ron asked indignantly.

"No one," Severus informed him with a shrug.

Ron snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what he said," Draco sighed. "No one has hired our wands."

"But..." Ron had started before he was interrupted by Severus.

"I believe the term I used was independent. Do I need to elaborate on the meaning?"

"No, but..."

"Do shut up, Weasley!" Lucius sneered menacingly.

Ron gulped as Severus gestured to Lucius that he wanted to speak to him. He whispered something in his ear which Lucius acknowledged before walking away to relay a message to the other wizards. Suddenly Ron noticed there were four wands trained on him, but felt himself being lowered to the floor as Severus' grip around his throat relaxed.

"So, Mr Weasley, to business," Severus drawled as Ron rubbed his neck and throat with one hand whilst surreptitiously feeling for his wand with the other.

"Looking for this?" George asked as he produced Ron's wand before adding, "I think you've brandished it once too often tonight, don't you?"

Severus bit back the urge to say, "There will be no foolish wand waving in this class," but was snapped out of the amusing thought when Ron suddenly spoke.

A sudden thought had hit Ron, and if it were true, he knew he was in trouble. "You work for Snape, don't you?"

Severus turned his back to the red-headed wizard. He removed his outer robes and shook his head slowly before stating calmly, "No, we don't work for him."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief and ventured another theory which he couldn't actually believe he was thinking. "Hermione set this up then?"

He didn't believe Hermione to be a vindictive person, but the last two times he'd seen her, somehow she seemed different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but she seemed much more aggressive and assured...and more powerful. But then again, as Snape's girlfriend, his dark influence was bound to have contaminated her.

Lucius huffed at Ron's insinuation. "No. Really, you are quite dim-witted, aren't you, Mr Weasley?"

Ron glared at the voice behind the mask and yelled, "Alright, so what the fuck do you want!?"

"Now there's a sensible question," Draco chimed in with a chuckle.

"And one which deserves to be answered," Severus drawled sardonically.

Ron gulped again; his eyes flitted around the dark room.

"Now," Lucius growled menacingly, "Due to your appalling behaviour both as a wizard and a human being, we feel it appropriate to..."

"...offer you some private tutorials to help improve your behaviour," Severus stated in a measured growl which became more menacing as he told the ginger-haired wizard, "Although unfortunately for you, you won't actually remember much of the detail."

It was at this point that Ron realised something. This wasn't going to be just a talking to. He suddenly felt himself being levitated from the floor and rotating slowly until his head was pointing towards the floor. He remembered when Harry had accidentally used Levicorpus on him, but the jinx had been much quicker than he was currently experiencing. Of course, the wizard who invented it was not one to be satisfied with anything he did and was always looking to improve his work. And his slower version of Levicorpus had always proved to be quite successful during interrogations.

Severus walked up to Ron and whispered menacingly in his ear, "However, fear not. I will ensure that you remember all the salient points."

Ron tried to squirm, but realised that all he could move was his head and he shuddered as he felt a cold darkness flow from the wizard talking to him.

Lucius smirked as he saw the fear rising in Ron and couldn't help but goad him. "Not so bold now are we, Mr Weasley? Now, gentlemen, it is time to watch the Master at work."

"So, Mr Weasley, are you ready to begin?" Severus drawled in an almost cheery manner.

Ron shook his head desperately and whimpered as he saw the man before him draw his wand.

Severus snorted. "No? Oh that is a shame. It matters not, but it would be so much better for you if you were more receptive," he told Ron as he looked at his wand thoughtfully.

What had always made Severus so successful as an interrogator for either side was his ability to combine psychological and physical techniques to inspire fear. It made wading through the mire of someone's mind that much easier. But, although Severus always took an element of conceited pleasure in being good at most things, he found no inherent pleasure in interrogation. Only occasionally did he enjoy the act and he had to admit that as he witnessed Ron's body trembling, this was one of those occasions.

Ron's eyes widened in horror as Severus drew the tip of his wand slowly down Ron's cheek.

Directing the question to himself rather than Ron, Severus asked, "Now what shall we teach you first?"

Again, Severus noted how Ron tensed when he spoke to him. He even took an obtuse delight in the panicked mewl that emanated from the younger man as Severus moved off towards Lucius before spinning to face Ron, and flourished his wand at him theatrically.

Severus scoffed before melodramatically lowering his wand, and without taking his eyes off Ron, nonchalantly held it out to his side so that Lucius could take it from him.

Both older wizards noticed Ron visibly relax, and Severus gave Lucius an amused sideways glance as he crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels before asking Ron in a mocking tone, "Oh did you think I was going to use my wand against you?"

All Ron could manage was another small whimper.

"Naive fool!" Severus chuckled darkly. "I don't need my wand to inflict damage on you. Of course, if you had ever paid attention, you may have realised that your lessons in wandless, non verbal magic actually were worthwhile. But then why apply yourself when others are prepared to save your pathetic arse for you? It would appear all you are capable of doing now is riding around on your broomstick and mindless whores.

"And yet, as much as it would give me no greater pleasure than to hex you within an inch of your life..."

Ron didn't see Severus' wrist movement, but he suddenly dropped to the floor. He lay in a heap, panting as he tried shake off the pain and shock from the fall.

"Oh dear, you appear to have fallen, Mr Weasley," Severus remarked with a feigned air of concern before continuing with his original train of thought. "As I was about to say, in lessons such as these I find the use of magic to be so... impersonal."

"What do you mean?" Ron hissed as Severus strode towards him and raised him from the floor by grabbing his hair and pulling him to his feet.

Severus chuckled deeply at the unbidden whimper that came from Ron's lips, and as he grabbed him by the jaw, he snarled menacingly, "No, I think there are far more satisfying things to do to you."

The panic in Ron's eyes increased as he imagined what Severus meant by that. "No...not that...please don't rape me," he pleaded.

"Oh, please," Severus laughed incredulously.

"As if we would sully our cocks with someone like you," Lucius sneered. "You really do have a high opinion of yourself don't you?"

"You know I hate people with a high opinion of themselves," Severus drawled to no one in particular before adding "Actually there are a few things I hate more than that though. Take this room, for example, Mr Weasley. Do you know how much I hate this fucking place?"

Ron shook his head and looked concerned as he saw Lucius move back, and with a series of head and hand gestures organised the other figures in the room. Once again their wands were raised towards him.

"Well," Severus drawled before he walked towards Ron once again and spoke in an almost lilting tone. "I hate this place with a passion, but not nearly as much as I currently hate...you."

And with that Ron was faced with a blur of black and found himself being propelled backwards as Severus' fist delivered a powerful blow to the younger wizard's jaw. The soft thud of the impact sounded throughout the room; a noise Severus found to be somewhat cathartic, even if his knuckles were stinging.

The next thing Ron knew he was once again being grabbed by the hair, dragged into the middle of the room before being thrown onto his knees.

"Now, lesson one," Severus growled. "How to treat your witch," he said, flexing his shoulders as he prowled around the redhead.

Severus tried not speak to Ron as if he were giving a lecture as that would certainly alert the younger wizard to his identity. So initially he spoke in a very calm, measured way. "When a wizard, such as yourself, is given the opportunity to be with a witch you don't deserve, you must realise what a lucky bastard you are and treat her with the utmost respect."

However the calm, measured tone soon dissolved into one of anger as he growled, "You are certainly not unfaithful..."

"The frigid bitch didn't give me much choice," Ron snarled. He suddenly noticed a shift amongst the other figures in the room. One was being held back from rushing forward.

The wizard in question was Draco, who was on the verge of pummelling Ronald into the ground, but it was Severus's fist that met with Ron's cheekbone; the force of the punch causing the young wizard to crumple onto the floor.

"Get up, you useless piece of shit," Severus growled at Ron who immediately curled up into a ball. Ron yelped as Severus delivered a well placed kick to his ribs, before ordering him to stand up again.

Slowly Ron began to rise as he realised that he was more vulnerable to attack whilst on the floor. He was startled as the masked figure grabbed him by the elbow, and assisted him to his feet.

Even through the mask, Ron could tell that the wizard's voice was raw with anger. "Just because Miss Granger does not act like those vapid witches you've serviced, probably quite inadequately, it does not give you the right to refer to her in such a manner."

Ron snorted derisively, but this time it was Lucius that delivered the blow. For a moment, he forgot that Voldemort, in another act of paranoia, had destroyed the infamous walking stick that bore the Malfoy family wand, and went to strike Ron with it. His anger as he remembered his humiliation of that night, caused him to deliver a stinging back handed slap across Ron's face as he growled, "Show some respect."

As Ron tasted blood in his mouth, Severus continued. "It's just a shame that you saw fit to bore her rigid and demean her interests because they intimidated you. I appreciate that this may seem a little too much like hard work, Mr Weasley, but one must always strive to better oneself..."

"Yeah, but I was never going to be good enough for that stuck up bitch!" Ron snarked.

The sound of Severus slapping Ron hard across the face rang through the room; the force of the blow caused Ron to stumble backwards into the wall.

"You insolent bastard. No one is ever good enough, but that doesn't give you the right to carry on being an ignorant arsehole," Severus yelled at him. "But you didn't even try to make yourself worthy of her..."

"And you think..." Ron paused to spit out the blood invading his mouth from his split lip. "You think that bastard boyfriend of hers is worthy of her? Don't make me..."

This time the other side of Ron's face came into contact with the back of Severus' hand. Another split appeared on the younger wizard's lip.

"No, he isn't...he isn't worthy of her at all, and he knows it," Severus admitted as much to himself as to Ron but then the venom returned, and he growled, "And yet I can assure you, he strives every day to ensure he is worthy of her. But this is not just about her because trust me if it were, you would be..."

Lucius could feel the rage coursing through Severus and smoothly interjected. "I believe what my colleague wishes to convey is that if this were merely about Miss Granger then we would have already beaten you to within an inch of your pitiful life and left you in the gutter somewhere."

"Fuck you," Ron spat out, which earned him another slap across the face for his insolence.

Lucius snorted. "I'd rather you didn't," he smirked before continuing. "You see, Mr Weasley, what makes this such a sorry state of affairs, leads us to your second lesson: How to show respect to your family.

"How is it that your parents have raised seven children and yet you are in your mother's own words, the only one she is utterly ashamed of?"

"Yeah, because Percy was an angel when he turned his back on us," Ron snarled.

George couldn't keep quiet any longer. As he listened to Ron, he was becoming increasingly angry at his younger brother's attitude and found himself confronting him. "Your brother made a huge mistake, yes, but he acknowledged that; he apologised as you well know. At least he was there when it counted. At least he stayed with your mother when she was mourning the loss of..."

Harry heard George's voice crack and jumped in, "...your brother. And where were you? Running around being courted by Quidditch teams and shagging any witch that threw themselves at you."

Ron laughed. "What was the point in wallowing?"

But his mirth was wiped from his face as Severus grabbed him by the jaw and growled, "You could have shown some fucking respect."

Harry continued as Severus let go of Ron with a push. "Your family was grieving. You could still have been there for them as well as looking out for yourself."

"You seem to know quite a lot about my family," Ron growled.

"We are very observant," Severus drawled before adding, "Your family went through hell for you..."

"You think so?"

"I know so!" George yelled at him.

"Well I'm past caring..." Ron spat out only for Severus to slap him, knocking him backwards.

"Well you shouldn't be," George responded angrily.

Ron laughed mirthlessly. "My family mean nothing to me while they defend fucking traitors, and as for that bitch, I hope the greasy bastard enjoys fucking her while he can. It's just a shame that when she comes to her senses no one will touch her after she's been contaminated by..."

Ron didn't say anything else. Severus had resisted the urge to succumb to the descending red mist up until that moment. Yes, he'd wanted to knock some sense into the cocky bastard, but now Ron had overstepped the mark, and he found himself being pummelled into the ground, despite Lucius' initial attempts to hold Severus back.

"Severus, that's enough now," Lucius drawled smoothly after a couple of minutes as Severus straddled the prone wizard and unleashed another barrage of blows. But Severus was too far gone to listen.

"Severus, that's enough!" Harry yelled as he and George pulled Severus off Ron.

Lucius fired a stunning spell at Ron to knock him out before walking over to Severus, who was now sat unceremoniously on the floor, his hands shaking in anger. He stood behind his old friend and began to massage his shoulders.

"Calm down, love," Lucius whispered. "Let me tend to his injuries, and then you can look into his mind. George, you are proficient in healing spells, are you not?"

George nodded.

"See to Severus' hands whilst I attend to your brother," Lucius ordered as he summoned a bottle of dittany from his coat.

"That was rather forward thinking of you, Father," Draco teased.

Lucius looked at Severus, who currently massaging the back of his neck with his left hand as George was healing the cuts and break in headmaster's little finger on his right, before responding to his son. "Did you think these two would end up sitting down and resolving their differences over a cup of tea?"

Draco shook his head before kneeling down next to his Uncle. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

Severus tilted his head to look at his godson and took a deep breath which he exhaled slowly. "Do I need to dignify that with a response?"

Draco shook his head ruefully.

Severus spoke quietly as he looked at the floor pensively. "I shouldn't have lost control like that. George, my sincerest apologies for..."

But George interrupted him and muttered, "No need," before stating, "I think that's it, Professor. How does your hand feel?" he asked as he let go of Severus' previously injured hand.

Severus gingerly moved his fingers and clenched and unclenched his fist a few times before declaring that George had done an admirable job. He then advised the red-haired wizard that Lucius may require assistance in healing Ron's broken ribs.

Severus stood up, rolling his shoulders before he summoned his wand in readiness to search through and manipulate Ron's memories. He looked at the wizard who George and Harry had placed back on the chair, restored his invisible bonds, and took a deep breath.

"Gentlemen, please start getting changed. Throw your robes into the middle of the room, but until Severus enters his mind I suggest you remain the shadows," Lucius told them calmly.

Severus flicked his wand in Ron's direction and watched as the red-haired wizard came round groggily.

"Fuck! My head..." Ron groaned.

But Severus didn't give him the opportunity to say anything further. He simply said, "Mr Weasley," to get Ron's attention before intoning Legilimens.

Severus ripped through Ron's mind quickly but suddenly he withdrew, a look of panic visible on his features before he threw a stunning spell at Ron again.

"Draco, George, return to Pius now," Severus ordered urgently. "Get everyone as close to Hermione as you can without arousing suspicion. And whatever you do make sure that female Ronald arrived with tonight is kept away from her. I don't know the full details...I'll need to go back in and dig around...but Hermione is potentially in danger. If she asks where we are, tell her Harry is talking to Ron, and I'm talking to your father about what she suspected earlier."

"What!?" Draco exclaimed.

"Trust me. It will make sense to her," Severus huffed as Lucius gave him an inquisitive glare. "And tell Pius that I may need to use the warning system but if the threat is as I believe it to be, I won't invoke it until the last possible moment."

Draco and George looked at each other apprehensively before acknowledging that they both understood the situation. They were about to activate their portkeys when Lucius called to his son, "Draco, take this...just in case," and threw him the bottle of Dittany. Draco caught it, and the two wizards immediately disappeared back to the Ministry of Magic.

"What did you see?" Harry asked urgently as Severus was about to bring Ron back round again.

"A snippet of conversation about how the best way to get to me now is through Hermione, and how Ron needs to get over her otherwise he will be useless to the cause," Severus informed them as he raised his wand to revive Ron.

"Cause? What cause?" Harry asked impatiently.

Severus ignored him...there was no time to waste...and intoned Legilimens again as Harry looked to Lucius for an answer that he knew the older wizard didn't have.

Lucius just shrugged, and looked as puzzled as Harry before a thought suddenly struck him. "When we first brought him round he said something about there being more..."

"And we were in Death Eater robes," Harry mumbled. Suddenly the Knut dropped. "He's been in contact with...no, he wouldn't. What possible reason would he have to associate with...?" Harry's voice trailed off.

Lucius knew what Harry was thinking and threw his head back as he tried to think of an appropriate response. "War changes people. Not everyone was thrilled by the outcome of the war, and there are still those, on both sides, who believe Severus and I should be rotting in Azkaban. And Severus is seen as a traitor by many."

Harry looked at Lucius with a furrowed brow, "Ron never liked Severus. Hermione always defended him, and Ron hated it. I remember him having a go at Hermione about defending him at his trial. He hated the fact that she became friends with Draco. But to join up with..."

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose and smirked. "You are such a Gryffindor," he sighed before continuing. "There is a phrase which could almost be described as Slytherin in its nature...the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If the common aim is to bring Severus down, does it matter whose side you fought on during the war? But this is all supposition," Lucius told Harry as he looked over at Severus. He observed the level of anger and fear rise in his friend's face as he trawled Ron Weasley's mind for information.

"We just have to wait and see what he discovers," he stated quietly.

Author's Note: Sorry about the cliffie but next chapter will be with my beta by the end of the day so it won't be long before you find out what happens
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The Headmaster's Wife