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The Imperfect Art of Sacrifice	By : eyesuhkattspeleeng Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 1212 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I have no rights to make any sort of money off of this. All due credit goes to J.K. Rowling for having imagined and brought the world of Harry Potter to life.

Chapter List
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Chapter 4

Severus had spent his weekend studying his workbook he’d received on his department procedures. He also spent a good deal of it worrying. He worried about his parents. They weren’t speaking to each other yet again. He worried about how his mother would cope with Tobias once Severus wasn’t around. She spent a good portion of the weekend in his room, cleaning and organizing. He had chased her out several times as he craved for complete solitude. But his mother just went misty eyed and left as though her feelings were deeply scarred.

Severus had announced to his parents Friday evening that he’d gotten an offer from a friend to move in. They’d just finished supper and Eileen was busy at the kitchen sink, washing their dinner plates. Eileen didn’t turn to look at him and Tobias just stared for a moment as though he wasn’t sure what he was hearing. Severus immediately regretted telling them. He knew they depended on a lot of his income for help around the house. Since he’d started his job and started receiving pay checks, for the first time, the Snape family was finally living comfortably. Though his paychecks weren’t much, they helped. Small things began to get replaced by newer versions. He’d even chipped in to get them a new refrigerator. Tobias wasn’t such a grouch and spent more time doing things he wanted to do instead of grousing about the things that needed to be done. The arguments were less fierce and were almost non existent, save for a few small squabbles that were easily resolved.

“How much?” Tobias asked.

“What do you mean?” Severus asked.

“How much are you going to be paying to live there? Are you footing all the rent and bills or are you splitting it?”

“There is no rent. My friend owns the flat outright. As for the bills, I’m not sure. It’s something that will be discussed though I don’t think it will be very much at all.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Tobias said with a slight shrug. “When are you leaving?”

“Not sure, but within a few weeks likely. I told my friend I needed to talk to the two of your first before I just up and left but she seems pretty eager for me to move in as soon as possible.”

Eileen stopped in the middle of scrubbing a plate and it slipped between her fingers, sending water from the sink splashing everywhere. Severus was caught in the wave of soapy suds. He brushed a cluster of bubbles from his sleeve as Eileen suddenly whirled around to face him.

“You didn’t say that your friend was a girl,” Eileen said. “I’m not sure I approve of that, Severus.”

“Ah, Eileen, what’s the big fuss? So his friend is a girl.”

“It’s disgusting! What sort of girl could possibly be desperate for a boy to move in with her? A whore!”

Severus gritted his teeth in anger at his mother’s outburst. Eileen didn’t know Perion. If she did, she know that Perion was anything but a whore. Sure, she had her moments but for the most part she was nice and very non judgemental.

“What part of ‘friend,’ do you not understand, Mother?” He asked in a clipped tone. Eileen’s thin lips went white and Severus could see her chewing on the inside of her lip, like she always did when she was angry. “It’s completely platonic. I’ll have a separate bedroom and everything.”

“The boy is eighteen now,” Tobias told his wife. “He’s old enough to move out if he wants with who he wants. And if he gets a good shag out of it, that makes it all the better.”

“That’s utterly revolting, Tobias!”

“It is not. It’s completely normal. That’s what boys his age do. They get girlfriends, they shag and eventually get married and have kids.Take the tit out of his mouth, Eileen, and let him live.”

Eileen stood in shock for a moment but then stormed out of the room, leaving Severus and Tobias alone together, which wasn’t something Severus was comfortable with.

What amazed him the most was that his father was actually on his side for this round. Usually it was Eileen who took Severus’ side and stood up for him. For a while Severus thought that the only reason Tobias told him no on things he wanted was just done out of sheer pleasure of disappointing Severus and making him unhappy. That clearly was not the case anymore and Severus couldn’t deny that he was grateful.

“Well, I think it will do you good to get out on your own,” Tobias said after a while. He was drinking a bottle of beer. After every other swill, he’d smack his lips and give a satisfied sigh.

“I know,” Severus said. “I just didn’t know if the two of you would be okay with it. Considering I’ve been able to help with the bills and what not, I wasn’t sure you’d approve.”

“Ah, we’ll get by. It’ll be considerably cheaper to live with out you here anyway. It won’t make much of a difference.”

“I just don’t want to upset Mum.”

“She’ll be okay after a while. Give her a month or so and she’ll figure out living with out kids around isn’t so bad. I, for one, have been waiting for this for a very long time. Got used to not having you around for months on end while you were up at that school of yours. Nice and quiet.”

“Gee, don’t make this any harder than it already is,” Severus said as he rolled his eyes. His father was a calloused bastard, he’d learned over the years. But this time it was sort of a relief. It was a relief to know that he wasn’t actually needed and that he shouldn’t feel any guilt for leaving.

“Just let me know when you plan to be out. I’ve got plans for that room of yours. Going to turn it into a proper guest bedroom.”

“Who comes to visit?” Severus said with a frown. He knew that they kept a fold up cot in the basement for visitors but they’d never had any, at least as long as Severus couldn’t remember.

“Don’t usually invite anyone while you’re here. Sometimes my brother and his wife come through here and I let them take your room since you’re gone and don’t use it anyway.”

Severus felt slightly unsettled at the prospect of some one he barely knew had slept in his bed with out his knowledge. It made him feel oddly violated. His room was his personal space meant for no one else but him. Even though he hadn’t been there at the time, he still felt as though his privacy had been breached.

“Don’t worry, kid. They didn’t touch anything of yours. They were too afraid to. But they’ll feel more comfortable with it once I get it fixed up.”

Severus didn’t want to push his luck with his father by staying to chat with him. Instead, he excused himself and went up stairs and went to bed.

The next day, he went to Perion’s flat to tell her the great news and to plan a few things but oddly, she didn’t answer her door. Severus stood knocking for a good ten minutes before deciding that she probably wasn’t there and left. He’d speak to her about it Monday, even though it caused him to worry about her along with worrying about his parents, namely his mother.

Something strange was going on with Perion and Severus was well aware of the fact. It bothered him that she wouldn’t talk to him and tell him what was going on. He was determined to get to the bottom of things so Monday, when he got the chance, he asked Wyatt about the Head of her department. Unfortunately, it was the end of the day by the time Severus got the chance to talk to Wyatt. He was more concerned with gathering his things than stopping to have a chat with Severus.

“That would be Chad Hardwicke,” Wyatt told him as he gathered papers and stuffed them into a sleek leather briefcase. “He’s a very powerful defense attorney and he’s good at what he does but he’s a bit of an arsehole to be completely honest. Why? Did he come to you demanding to see confidential case files?”

“No, actually. My friend works under him as an intern. She mentioned him and she was conspicuously evasive when I asked her about him.”

“Well, I’ll put it to you this way. The man is a complete horn dog. Lets his pointer loose when ever he sees a chance. Most female interns don’t last down there. They mostly end up quitting because of his advances but he’s gotten rid of a fair few too.” Wyatt shook his head in disgust. “Everyone knows about it but none of the women ever want to come forward. He’s got his ways of keeping them quiet. Money and blackmail, I’d wager. Your friend is probably his latest prey.”

“I don’t think she’d fall for it,” Severus said. “She’s smarter than that.”

“If she’s eager to keep her job, she will. Though, what I wouldn’t give to see the bastard hammered with a sexual harassment complaint. He’d be sacked and he wouldn’t come in here demanding access to things that he has no business with.” Wyatt looked down at his pocket watch and checked the time. “But I’m getting out of here. The Missus has food on the table by now and I’m starving.”

“Have a good evening, sir,” Severus told him.

“You do the same,” Wyatt said. He then retreated but as he was walking away, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder at him. “Good luck with your friend. Tell her if there’s anything I can do to help her, I will.”

“Thank you, I will.”

Instead of going straight home, Severus decided to wait for Perion at the grates. He thought perhaps he’d missed her as he waited nearly a full half hour for her. But then she showed up, looking quite tired and haggard. She wasn’t wearing any make up. Severus hardly recognized her. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes which concerned him.

Perion approached him and gave him a small wave. “Am I being a bit presumptuous when I assume you’re waiting for me?”

“Not at all. I was hoping that perhaps you’d like to join me for a drink.”

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Perion said.

Severus held his arm out and she took it. He didn’t have the slightest as to where he was taking her but they ended up at the Leaky Cauldron, being that it was the only pub Severus knew of in London. He fully intended to pick up the tab this time with absolutely no arguments from Perion. He was a little irked when she only ordered a ginger ale. She told him she wasn’t really in the mood for alcohol. He decided he wasn’t either and ordered the same. Once their drinks were in hand, they found a table in a corner, away from everyone.

“So, I came by your flat on Saturday,” Severus told her. “I knocked for a good ten minutes but you didn’t answer. I figured you weren’t home.”

“I’m sorry, Severus,” Perion told him. “I didn’t hear you. I spent most of the weekend catching up on sleep.”

“It’s alright. I would’ve felt terrible had I actually disturbed you,” Severus said. Her explanation didn’t quite sit well with him. She didn’t look like she’d gotten any sleep at all. But he didn’t want to pressure her into answering his questions after the way she’d clammed up the other day. It would have to be a slow process.

“What did you need to see me for?” Perion asked.

“I was just going to tell you I talked to my parents about moving in with you.”

“And? What did they think?”

“Well my dad was all for it but my mum wasn’t as thrilled. Especially after she found out that you’re a female.”

“I can go talk to her if you’d like,” Perion offered. “If it will make her feel better.”

Severus shook his head. He couldn’t imagine his mother would take too kindly to Perion. “No, she’ll be alright.”

“So when can you move in?” Perion asked. She was now considerably more cheerful.

“I need a few days to get my things together.”

“How about this weekend?”

“I was thinking more like the weekend after.”

Perion shrugged and took a sip from her ginger ale. There was a few moments of awkward silence. Severus desperately thought of a way to bring up her boss with out seeming too obvious but it was really sort of straight forward. He felt as though this were some sort of intervention.

“So, I asked Wyatt about your boss today. Hardwicke, right?”

“Yes, that would be him,” Perion said though she refused to meet his eyes. This wasn’t going to be easy by any means.

“He told me that your boss as quite a history with female co workers. Said that most of them end up quitting because of suggestive advances.”

“What are you getting at?” Perion asked him. She looked completely irritated at that point. Severus decided that it probably was a good idea to be direct.

“Is he making passes at you? Is that why you don’t want to discuss him?”

Perion rolled her eyes. “What do you want me to tell you?”

“I want you to tell me the truth. I don’t want you to end up jobless because of this. You worked too hard to get where you are.”

“I told you the other day that I can handle this.”

“No, you can’t. Hardwicke is bigger and stronger than you, not to mention the fact that he has more power than you do. He can ruin you and your reputation. I’d hate to see that happen to you.”

“I have things under control, Severus. He isn’t going to do anything that I don’t want to happen.”

To say that her statement startled him was an understatement. It completely floored him. “You mean to tell me that you’re considering actually sleeping with the bastard?”

“I’m not considering anything,” Perion muttered. “It’s sort of beyond that now.”

“I think I’m going to puke,” Severus said. His chest constricted and he found it difficult to breathe for a moment.

“It’s not like I have a choice. It’s like you said. He has the power to ruin me. He’ll ruin me if I turn him down. He made that much clear. He’ll get tired of me eventually. Some one knew will come into the department and he’ll be her problem. I just have to ride this out.”

“Sure that’s a good idea if you’ve got no dignity.”

“Well maybe I don’t,” Perion snapped.

“I hate to tell you this but you aren’t your sister.”

“I’m taking a page out of her book,” Perion told him in a snobby tone. “What’s it to you anyway?”

Severus shook his head in disgust. He was angry with her. How could she possibly do that? He thought she was better than that but apparently he had been wrong about her. “Nothing. Just forget I mentioned it, alright? You obviously don’t care about yourself.”

“Well, what do you suggest I do?”

“Tell someone!” Severus hissed at her. “There are people willing to help you. I am and Wyatt said he’d help you as well.”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But I’m telling you this will work itself out.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Perion.”

“Look, Severus, the last thing I want is for you to be angry with me, especially if you’re going to be moving in with me. You are still moving in, right?”

Severus paused for a moment to think it over. No, he wasn’t agreeing with what she was doing. It was degrading.He finally met some one he could half-way relate to and as much as he didn’t want to, he fancied her. She’d been the first in a very long a long time that he felt comfortable discussing his personal life with. She was moderately pretty but it wasn’t her looks that were attractive to him. It was her brain. She was clever and funny. He enjoyed talking with her, even if her views were a bit far fetched. But the whole thing with her supervisor proved that she had a dark side but so did he. He couldn’t hate her for that, could he? It wasn’t as though they were a couple. She was free to sleep with anyone she so chose. Mainly it was the fact that she didn’t seem to have any self respect that disappointed him. And he had to think: If he were in her situation, would he do the same? That left him conflicted. He wasn’t sure what he would do. He decided he couldn’t be angry with her because of that.

“Yes,” Severus said with a slow nod. “I’ve already told my father my plans. If I back out now, he’ll murder me.”

“Good,” Perion said, seemingly satisfied with his response. “As for Hardwicke, just have a little faith in me, alright? I have it under control and if for some reason I lose that control, I’ll come to you. But until then, don’t worry about it.”

Severus nodded once more, knowing he had to accept it. He didn’t have much choice.

They left a few minutes later, parting ways. Perion kissed his cheek and promised him she’d help him move. He didn’t suppose he needed her help but he agreed anyway. Really, at the most, he’d have maybe one box of belongings to bring. He had a very minimal selection of clothes. Everything that was precious to him could fit in his pocket. He just thought it might be a good idea to take his time before rushing to move out of his parents’ home. It would give his mother time to accept it. He fully intended to drive her completely bonkers during his remaining time so she wouldn’t be utterly heartbroken when he left. As for his father, he didn’t have to worry about him. Who knew, maybe him leaving and forcing his mother to live alone with her husband would change their relationship for the better, though Severus doubted that. He wanted them to be happy but if they were going to continue to be unhappy, he didn’t want to stick around and witness it more than he already had. Living in such a hostile environment had already damaged him beyond all repair.

Severus decided to pop in at Malfoy Manor to have a brief visit with Lucius before he headed home. As ever, Lucius was polite and seemed happy to see him. And as usual, Lucius invited Severus to the study. Apparently it was the only room in the house that Lucius felt comfortable divulging delicate matters. It was his place of business, like Severus’ cubical, only much bigger and a lot more fancy than his cubical. There were paintings littering the walls as well as gaudy conversation pieces, like the mounted dragon head above the desk. The first time Severus had seen the dragon head, he’d stared in amazement at it as Lucius described how his father, Abraxas, had gone on a dragon hunt and had gifted Lucius the prize. Now that Severus was used to it being there, it wasn’t as noticeable, though still very impressive.

“I have some splendid news,” Lucius said. “Well, it’s more of a personal matter but I consider you to be one of my closest friends and I’d like to share it with you first.”

“Did Narcissa finally shag you?”

“That’s hardly appropriate, Severus,” Lucius said sternly, though he cracked a smile. “But my father has decided to move to buy a home in Italy and plans on leaving Malfoy Manor to me.”

Severus just stared blankly. He wasn’t quite sure how that was considered splendid news. “Wasn’t that the plan? You’re always going on about how you’re going to change the place up when you inherit it.”

“Of course it was the plan but I didn’t think I’d inherit it until Father died. This came as some what as a surprise. I didn’t expect it this soon. Now Narcissa and I can stop house hunting. To be honest, she’s incredibly picky. Cost was no issue but nothing ever seemed to satisfy her. But the Manor...she adores it. She always remarks to my mother about how beautiful the place is. When I tell her the news, she’s going to be extremely pleased.”

Severus couldn’t help but think that the only reason Narcissa complimented the place was because she was just being polite and kissing up to Lucius’ mother. The place was huge and drafty with a creepy air about it. It didn’t seem to really be Narcissa’s cup of tea. But Severus wasn’t about to ruin his friend’s good mood. That would be rude.

“Well, congratulations, Lucius. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, Severus. That means a lot,” Lucius told him.

Not that he normally shared other people’s personal issues with Lucius, but Severus was dying to ask Lucius’ opinion on Perion’s situation. Lucius was well aware of Severus’ feelings regarding Perion and usually gave sound advice. Maybe the intern thing hadn’t seemed like a good idea at first, but Severus was beginning to really enjoy his job. And he had nobody but Lucius to thank for it. So explained everything to Lucius, including his visit with Perion at the Leaky Cauldron. Lucius sat and listened intently and didn’t speak until Severus had finished filling him in.

“I’m honestly at a loss,” Severus said. Just talking about it exasperated him. He just couldn’t shake the image of Perion bouncing up and down on top of Hardwicke. The mental image made him want to hunt Hardwicke down and murder him in his sleep. “I like her and I want to help her but she isn’t willing to except my assistance.”

“I think you should listen to her,” Lucius told him. “Sure, it’s degrading and off putting but you have to admire her. She’s doing what it takes to move up. That’s not exactly a bad thing.”

“But the man is a complete pig. He doesn’t deserve her.”

“It’s like she told you. In a matter of months, some one knew will come in and Perion will be old news to him. He won’t have any interest in her.”

“I still feel like I should do something about it.”

“Yes, well, that’s not the way of the world,” Lucius said lazily. “Besides if you help her, there’s a possibility that it will cost you your job as well. Why risk your future?”

“But if that were happening to Narcissa, wouldn’t you want to do something?”

Lucius went stern with a frown as though he were seriously pondering. Severus felt a slight surge of annoyance with his friend. Lucius shouldn’t have to think about it. He should’ve said he would take up for the woman in his life with absolutely no hesitation.

“Perion and Narcissa are two very different witches. While I have no doubt that either of them could take care of themselves, it’s different with Narcissa and me. She’s going to be my bride. Perion is just a friend.”

Severus felt that it was pointless to keep arguing because no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t convince Lucius of anything. He’d never felt more lonely in his life. It was disheartening that his best friend was against him. It was bad enough that the person he was trying to help was against him. He couldn’t win this battle by himself so it wasn’t productive to even try.

“I know you have feelings for her, Severus,” Lucius said, looking quite sympathetic. “I understand and if the two of you choose to get married, I’d fully approve of the union. I’d even pay for the ceremony if you wanted. But the two of you aren’t even a couple as of yet. So don’t lose sleep over it. I need you looking sharp at my wedding and I need you to be able to prepare a wonderful speech for the reception.”

“Right.” Severus said, feeling more than a little dejected and disappointed. But even though he didn’t like what Lucius told him, Severus couldn’t deny the fact that he was probably right. Lucius knew more about the rich and how the did things than Severus did. The idea that Perion was shagging her way to the top was alien. It seemed hopeless to try and understand the logic behind it.

“Perion is quite a catch, Severus. She comes from a decent family and I think you’d benefit from a marriage with her. So, for now, just ignore what’s going on with her boss. You should focus on trying to romance her. Once she marries you, she won’t need the job anyway. She can be a full time wife and mother, like Narcissa plans to be.”

While that idea seemed like a dream to Severus, he doubted a girl like Perion would go for it. He knew she wouldn’t throw her career aside just to cater to his every whim. In fact, he rather got the impression that she never planned to marry. He wasn’t really counting on getting married either. While he cared about his future, he learned from a very young age to never count on anyone or anything. Getting married seemed like a nice idea but if it never happened to him, he doubted it would really bother him. He rather fancied the idea of living a life of solitude in his golden age and dying in bed with a book at a very old age. Having a wife around would put a damper on that. Husbands had a tendency to go before the wives did.

“And while we’re on the subject of Perion, my darling Narcissa is rather adamant about having her in the wedding. Do not ask me why because I really don’t have the slightest.”

“It’s because she’s made Regulus an usher or groomsmen or whatever. She set them up last year and they broke up.”

“Ah, well that would explain it. She is a rather gifted match-maker and likes to see her projects through the end. It must drive her completely insane that the two of them didn’t work out.”

“Tough luck on her part,” Severus muttered to himself darkly. While he thought highly of Narcissa, her beauty and devotion to her beloved her cupid role annoyed him to no end. Why couldn’t she just face the fact that not every person she set up was meant to be?

“I didn’t tell her that the two of you were close, but I told her I would see to it. And whatever my bride wants, she will get.”

“You want me to talk her into being in the wedding,” Severus guessed.

“As a favor to a close friend,” Lucius said. “I figure if any one could convince her, it would be you.”

“I’ll try but no promises,” Severus said.

Normally when he left Lucius, he felt a little better than he did before he visited. Lucius was almost always able to say just the right things to Severus to lift his spirits but this time it was different. Severus left feeling more confused and angry than he had before. It seemed as though Lucius were praising Perion for what she was doing with her boss, like it was a good thing and it clearly was not. He hated that there was absolutely nothing he could do. He just had to face the fact that his mother had been right about Perion. She was some what of a whore.

--

Perion had felt terrible for the way she spoke to Severus at the Leaky Cauldron. She rarely ever spoke to anyone that way, except for Paisley, but Paisley didn’t count because that was her sister. She was allowed to get snappy with an overly spoiled younger sibling. That was just the way of the world.

All she had wanted from Severus was to leave the whole Hardwicke thing alone. That was her secret and she didn’t want anyone else on it. But she didn’t have much choice but to tell him about it, the way he kept hounding her on and on about it. He was a terrible snoop and clearly didn’t understand that there were just somethings he was better off not knowing about.

Though the conversation had been mostly bitter, she was just grateful she’d left Severus on a pleasant note and that he was still planning on becoming her roommate. Even though there was no direct way he’d be able to help her, just having him around would cheer her up considerably. On the whole, she was glad she didn’t have to rush out and buy a dog to fill the void in her life, though she wasn’t sure which her mother would approve of less: a dog or Severus.

When Perion announced to her mother about her plans of having a roommate move in, Sarah was less than thrilled. At first she was completely against it but Perion had argued her case quite well. She argued that Severus had a job and that she trusted him to not steal her valuables (which were sparse, she preferred it that way). In the end, Sarah agreed that on the condition that Perion take part of the Malfoy wedding. Apparently, it was something of a publicized event and was highly anticipated by the higher class Magical society in the region. Sarah was going to attend and really thought it would do Perion some good to be in it and attract the attention of a potential husband. After all Paisley agreed to be in it so it was only right that Perion be part of it as well. Perion half heartedly agreed to write Narcissa and let her know that she accepted her offer of letting her be part of her special day even though Perion didn’t really want to. Sarah claimed that it would be the proudest day of her life, seeing her two girls walking down the aisle, though that would be overshadowed when the two of them got married themselves.

“I do hope that Narcissa has been modest with the bridesmaids’ gowns. I’d hate to think that Paisley would outshine the poor girl on her own wedding day,” Sarah said with a dreamy look in her eye. “That Narcissa Black is a lovely girl but no one can compare to Paisley’s natural beauty..”

Perion couldn’t help but be hurt just a little but luckily she’d been hearing it all of her life. The sting was dull now though Perion couldn’t help but make a pained face at her mother. Sarah seemed to catch on to the fact that she wasn’t exactly being kind toward her eldest daughter.

“Not to say that you aren’t pretty, darling,” Sarah said quickly. “Because you are. Quite frankly, I’m surprised you haven’t got a beau. I thought you’d at least be engaged by now.”

“Ah, Mum.” Perion rolled her eyes. This was precisely the reason why Perion didn’t go home more often. The fact that she was single was something that Sarah never failed to point out when Perion was in earshot. Knowing Sarah, she probably complained to her friends about how strange Perion had grown to be. She knew she was strange and she rather valued that about herself so it didn’t bother her if her mother chose to talk to her friends about her. At least she didn’t have to hear it then.

But all-in-all, being in the wedding wasn’t such a horrible price to pay. She thought about it when she got home that night and decided that she should make the best of it and have as much fun as it was possible to have at such an event. At least Severus would be there and she had an excuse for Hardwicke should he proposition her for a night of adulterous sex that weekend.

The days following her talk with Severus at the Leaky Cauldron were complete and utter hell, especially at work. She was convinced that any time some one spoke to her or so much as looked in her direction that they knew what had happened. She tried to play it calm but she was a nervous wreck especially when ever Hardwicke was around, though he completely avoided her for the most part. But on the following Thursday, she found herself alone in his office once more at his command.

“I had a wonderful time with you the other night,” Hardwicke told her with a suggestive wink. He then pulled a pouch from an interior pocket of his robes and slid it across the desk to her. “I believe I owe you for that bet you won.”

Perion blinked and stared blankly at him, trying hard to not think of what had happened. For the life of her, she honestly couldn’t remember having a bet with him. The night was a complete blur to her, as though she’d consumed too much alcohol, though she only had the bare minimal.

“I guess I must’ve been a lot more snockered than I realized,” Perion said with an awkward and apologetic smile. “I don’t remember betting on anything.”

Hardwicke leaned forward with his elbows placed firmly into his desk. He stare intensely at her for a moment as though he were trying to transfer the memory to her. Then it dawned on her that there had actually been no bet and that he was paying her.

“Oh,” Perion said softly. “I see.”

“You’ll find five-hundred galleons in there.” Hardwicke said as he gazed at the door behind her. It was almost like he thought someone were standing on the other side of the door, trying to listen in.

Perion had never felt so cheap in her life, though she wasn’t exactly sure why he was paying her. He was either paying her to keep quiet or paying her for her services, so to speak. Either way it pretty much made her a prostitute and that wasn’t a very good feeling to deal with. She quickly tried to rationalize in her mind to keep from doing herself more mental harm. It wasn’t easy. In the end, she decided it wasn’t so much as bribe money or sexual service money but more as a well deserved, long overdue bonus, which made her feel slightly better. Perion thusly decided to give at least half of the money she’d just received to a charity organization to help ease the guilt.

“I had such a good time gambling with you the other night that I thought perhaps we could get together and do it again this weekend,” Hardwicke said as he leaned back into a more casual position. “My wife has decided to stay another couple of weeks with her family. I told her it would be okay because our youngest just went back to school anyway.”

“You have kids?” Perion asked calmly, though on the inside she was shrieking with absolute disgust and loathing. He had children for the love of God! What would they think if they knew what their father was doing to their mother? She knew she’d be aboslutely furious if she ever found out her own father was sleeping with girls half his age behind Sarah’s back, though Perion figured that her father was too frightened of his wife to do such a thing.

“Yes, a son and a daughter. My son is fourteen and my daughter will turn twenty-three next month,” Hardwicke said dismissively. He clearly did not want to talk about his children. “I was thinking that while my wife is away, you could maybe pay me a little visit to my home. I’ll give you the grand tour and we can continue to discuss the trial you’ll be helping me with.”

“Er, not to be rude or anything but we didn’t discuss it at all hardly when we met up last week,” Perion pointed out.

“Then we obviously need to crack down and get busy. So what do you say? Saturday at four in the afternoon?”

Every ounce of her screamed at her to tell him no but she had trouble forming the word. Instead a meek, “That sounds lovely,” came out. Though there were more words in that statement, it was still a fuck of a lot easier than that one little word that would either make or break her career.

Perion thought it best to put this meeting out of her mind. It would do no good to torture herself. Instead, she spent the remainder of the week fixing up the other bedroom for Severus. While this seemed like an easy enough task, once she started getting to work, she found that it was quite the opposite. While Paisley had only stayed a few short weeks, she had made her mark. There were clothes strewn about the place, not to mention the lipstick stains on the mirror where Paisley was blotting her lipstick. Besides the general mess, it was unrealistically girly. Everything was decorated in pink and white which made Perion want to vomit. She was certain Severus wouldn’t want a princess motif in his room, so she casted a few spells around the room and changed the colors to something a little more tasteful, dark brown and navy blue. Severus could do what ever he wanted with the room but while she was in there cleaning the place up, the colors would stay neutral and unoffensive to the eye.

However disturbing the over abundance of pink in the room was, Perion found the most peculiar book hidden in the nightstand. At first glance, it seemed a bit too thick for Paisley’s tastes which made Perion curious about the book to begin with. If it was something Paisley was willing to read, it must’ve been pure gold. But when Perion caught a look at the title, she threw the book down on the bed with a recoil as though it were made of something vile, like human skin. It was called The Secret to Fertility: A Witch’s Guide to Getting Pregnant. First the pink and now this book. Perion was slightly disgusted by the book and immediately threw it into the rubbish pile she’d started near the bedroom door. Paisley would no doubt be furious but Perion didn’t care. Even though she knew Paisley wanted children, Perion didn’t think it was appropriate for some one Paisley’s age. The last thing a seventeen year old needed was a book to help her get pregnant. Besides that, if Sarah got it in her mind that she wanted visit, Perion didn’t want her to find that book. Now matter how well it was hidden, Sarah would find it. She was a terrible snoop and knew exactly the right places to look for incriminating materials. If she found that book, she would have a massive cow. There was no way she would think it was Paisley’s book and would yell at Perion for it, even though she had been encouraging her to do just what the book was suggesting.

An owl came for her on Friday with a letter attached to it’s leg. Perion rarely received mail anymore and she couldn’t help the slight increase of excitement that she felt upon letting the owl in through a small window she’d installed just for that purpose. The letter was inscribed with fancy scrawl that was a bit difficult to read and Perion strained her eyes trying to make it out.

The letter was an invitation to some fancy party taking place Saturday at two in the afternoon at Malfoy Manor. It was a social event of sorts, meant for everyone involved in the wedding. Perion thought it was a stupid idea. Weren’t they supposed to save that for the rehearsal dinner? The wedding wasn’t for another two and a half months. Perion sighed and came to terms with the fact that she didn’t have a choice but to go having informed Narcissa a few days ago that she decided to be in the wedding after all. She also got the faint feeling that this party was the first of many. There was nothing more that pleased Narcissa than showing off her good fortune to others, if she could call getting married to some pompous rich boy good fortune.

Perion didn’t quite understand exactly what Narcissa found so appealing about Lucius. Sure, he was extremely wealthy, but Narcissa had come from money, old money, older than Lucius in fact. He wasn’t all that great looking either. Perion was sure that Lucius had it in him to be a very good looking man but the way he carried himself was off putting to Perion. She didn’t like it when people looked down their nose at her, and the very few times she’d spoken with Lucius, it seemed as though he were doing just that. He wasn’t terribly insulting but his politeness came off as just that, polite just because he had to be and icy as though there wasn’t a friendly bone in his body.

Perion realized after a few hours with horror that the party was scheduled only a mere two hours from when she was to go to Hardwicke’s house for what he was considering a brainstorming session, which was only a cover for a night of dirty degrading sex that Perion didn’t really want. How was she going to manage the party and visiting Hardwicke? She had no choice but to go to either. It would seem rude to excuse herself after only a couple of hours of being at the party and it would seem doubly rude to do just that considering how hesitant she’d been about being in the wedding to begin with. Perion could feel her body begin to react to the stressful dilemma. Her stomach clenched and her head began to ache with such force that she had to go to bed. She ended up falling asleep and staying asleep through the night and well into the next morning.

When she woke up she felt worse than she had before she’d gone to sleep. Perhaps she was coming down with something. Whatever it was, it was terrible. Her stomach was in knots and there was an intense throbbing in the lower half of her body. She got up quickly and ran to the bathroom because she was sure she was going to defecate all over herself. When she sat down on the toilet, the cramping grew worse and nothing seemed to be coming out. After a few moments, Perion decided it was safe but just as she was about to stand up, she looked down and saw a very noticeable brownish, reddish stain in the crotch of her underpants. The relief was almost overwhelming. She wasn’t sick, thank goodness. It was only her period. Perion felt considerably more calm as she summoned another pair of panties from her room. Her body had saved her. Never had she been more relieved to get a period than she was at that moment. Normally the fishy odor that wafted from the toilet and between her legs faintly sickened her but this time the smell was welcome.

Perion cheerily went about her morning routine of breakfast and tea, though she wrote Hardwicke a letter during her meal, explaining that she wasn’t feeling up to visit but would reschedule at his leisure. He wouldn’t be happy but surely he couldn’t blame her for Mother Nature’s inconsiderate behavior. He’d have to deal with it because if she showed up and he found that she had started, he would be even more disappointed for her having led him on. She practically skipped to the nearest owlery that was only a few blocks away and set out to find an appropriate dress for the party.

She spent the rest of the morning shopping and getting ready for the party. This was really the first time she’d ever clothes shopped since she’d been out on her own. Normally her mother would go shopping with her and most of the time, she would make faces and put down anything Perion picked out for herself, so Perion was left with choosing what her mother had picked out. She reveled in the freedom as she browsed through a dress boutique, fingering every last piece of clothing until she came across a dress she thought was absolutely perfect for the occasion.

Perion bought the dress and as she headed home, she couldn’t help but imagine the look people’s faces when she made her appearance.

Sorry about the long wait between updates, for those of you who have been reading. I still appreciate you all so please review!
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The Imperfect Art of Sacrifice