The dinner atmosphere was unusually tense in the dining room of Malfoy Manor.  The aesthetics of the place was festive for Christmas and elegant as the Malfoy status allowed.  The table glowed warmly with the light of several enchanted, floating candles.  The seating arrangement suited everyone, with Lucius and Severus at the heads of the table, the women to their left and each woman's respective child to their left.  While the men would spend time discussing safe topics like the political goings-on in the Ministry and Hogwarts, the woman were silent and fed their sons.  Then, an awkward silence descended after the polite talk could not be talked about anymore. 

The only sounds not awkward were the happy sounds of two young boys enjoying their easily edible dinner.  Despite favoring their own sons, both Severus and Lucius could not help but admit that the boy to their right and not their own child was growing on them quickly.  Every so often, Lucius would find his gaze drifting to Tevin just as much as he would watch Draco.  The same could be said about Severus watching Draco.  Narcissa and Ophelia were occupied by their own meals and with helping the boys get more food in their stomaches than everywhere else.  Both Draco and Tevin were messy eaters.

Lucius was still puzzled, however.  He thought back to several days ago when he had encountered Severus and his family in Hogsmeade.  He stared at the dark-haired woman at his table.  Under no circumstances would Lucius have ever considered allowing a mudblood to eat in his house.  They were simply not worthy.  Yet here she was, Ophelia Fay, the mudblood Slytherin who somehow managed to still be alive.  He remembered her at a Death Eater meeting.  He remembered that the Dark Lord had commented that even he was surprised that someone not of pureblood heritage had ended up in Slytherin.  Lucius swore that Severus killed her.  And yet here she was, with an infant son, Severus's son, that she dared to dress in Gryffindor colors, and having the nerve to sit at his table and eat the same food as him.  It was almost outrageous.  Then again, he and Narcissa had invited her with the boy and Severus to their home. 

But the puzzle was slowly giving him an unbearable headache. 

Dinner had ended and the dessert was being served.  It was just as everyone was sampling the first spoonful that Lucius broke the silence in the conversation.  He stared at the dark-haired man across from him as he spoke in a level and steady voice.

"Tell me something, Severus.  How is it that a pureblood enthusiast, such as yourself, is married to a mudblood that by all means should be dead?"

Severus's hand stopped midway to his mouth as his eyes snapped up to meet his host's.  There was a small clatter as Ophelia dropped her spoon.  Narcissa raised her eyes to her husband, nervously.  Lucius continued to stare at Severus.  The two boys did not understand the question and continued to giggle happily and make faces at each other. 

The tension was thick at the table and Lucius and Severus continued to stare at each other, their bodies stiff as statues.  Ophelia said nothing and stared down at the table.  Narcissa's eyes darted back and forth between the other three adults.  She knew that Severus and Lucius would stubbornly keep staring at each other until one of them backed down.  She also knew that after an insult like that Ophelia would not dare to speak.  It would be up to her, it seemed.

"Mrs. Snape," Narcissa spoke quietly, waiting until Ophelia looked up at her.  "Would you come with me into the nursery with your son?"

Ophelia did not nod or voice her acceptance in any way.  She indicated it by standing and picking up Tevin.  Ophelia stood awkwardly for a moment while Narcissa picked up Draco and then went to Lucius's side.  She leaned towards her husband's ear and whispered to him.  Lucius finally blinked, breaking the stare with Severus, looked at Narcissa, and nodded curtly.  Without looking once at Lucius or Severus, Ophelia followed Narcissa from the dining room. 

Narcissa led Ophelia up the stairs and down the long hallway to the bedrooms.  She entered a room that was dark at first until she stepped inside.  The wall sconces flared to life as soon as she crossed the threshold of the room.  It was a room that she'd run into several weeks earlier in a panic when she'd dreamed about making an Unbreakable Vow with Severus.  The room contained a cradle in the center of the room.  There were toys scattered all over the room.  All of them were wizarding toys.  There was nothing that a muggle child would play with here. 

Narcissa lowered herself almost balletically to the floor, immediately setting the tone of the nursery as informal and relaxed.  Draco squirmed out of her arms and used her sleeve to haul himself to his feet before he turned with his head held high and began to walk towards his pile of toys a few feet away with which he was determined to occupy himself.  Narcissa looked up at Ophelia, who now held a squirming Tevin in her arms.  Tevin saw that the other little boy had been allowed to go and play.  He wanted to, too. 

"Sit down, Mrs. Snape.  There's no tension here with my husband not around."

Ophelia lowered herself and Tevin to the floor, only with far less grace than Narcissa.  Tevin immediately wrestled his way out of her arms and quickly crawled his way over towards Draco.  The two women watched the boy speedily head towards the blonde.  "Has Tevin not learned to walk yet?" Narcissa asked.

"No, he walks," Ophelia said, feeling the need to defend her friend's son.  "He is just still unsteady on his feet yet and when he wants to get somewhere quickly he chooses to crawl."  Ophelia smiled as she remembered something that happened the other day when Severus was focused on a potions article and was oblivious to everything else.  "He followed Severus around the entire suite the other day, crawling after him.  Severus didn't even realize." 

"Did he say anything to get his attention?"

Ophelia laughed.  "No.  Tevin just kept following him.  I think he was pretending to spy on his father."

Narcissa surprised Ophelia by actually laughing.  "If Draco ever did something like that to Lucius, I think he'd have a fit."  Narcissa smiled softly as she looked again at her son.  "Then, again, Lucius adores him so much.  It's hard to tell how he'd react until Draco does something." 

The two women watched as Tevin picked up a toy that was behind Draco, being sure that the blonde wouldn't notice it.  Just as Tevin had settled with it, Draco turned and saw his toy in Tevin's hands.  "Mine!" he cried.  Draco smacked Tevin's hand and the toy fell to the ground.  Rather than crying, Tevin glared at Draco, who stood over the other boy with as much intimidation as he could muster. 

"You play with other toy." 

"Still mine!" Draco snapped. 

Narcissa frowned.  "Draco," she called.  Draco looked over at his mother with an innocent expression.  "You won't keep friends if you don't share." 

Draco frowned at his mother then.  "Mine," he mumbled. 

"Yes, it is yours, but you have to let others play with some of your things when they come over." 

Draco's bottom lip trembled.  Ophelia couldn't tell if he was trying to hold back tears or his anger.  "Friends hurt toys." 

Narcissa tried not to smile at this.  She looked to Ophelia.  "He means Crabbe and Goyle's boys.  They're destructive little trolls, really."  Ophelia was surprised at her admittance of not liking the sons of two men with which she was positive the blonde woman's husband associated.  Narcissa looked back at her son.  "Tevin won't hurt your toys." 

"He will!" Draco whined. 

"Ask him, Draco."

Draco seemed to think about this for a moment, before he turned to face Tevin who was still sitting in his place, simply looking at the fallen toy, having no desire to get smacked by his new friend again.  "You hurt my toys?"  Tevin looked up and shook his head.  "Swear?"  Tevin nodded.  Draco walked over to the toy and flopped down onto his bottom when he lost his balance trying to pick up the toy.  Tevin laughed at him, but stopped when Draco scowled at him.  Then, Draco began to laugh, and Tevin continued laughing with him.  Draco picked up the toy and held it towards Tevin.  "Play with it."  Tevin accepted the toy.  Draco picked up another toy and the two began to play peacefully.

Narcissa then turned to Ophelia now satisfied that the children were not going to beat each other up somehow.  "Mrs. Snape," she began. 

"Ophelia," she corrected Narcissa.  She didn't want to be called ‘Mrs. Snape,' but she certainly didn't think Narcissa, and especially Lucius, had earned the right to call her by her name.  However, her desire to avoid ‘Mrs. Snape' overruled her own pride. 

Narcissa paused then tested the name.  "Ophelia, I have something to ask you."  Ophelia nodded for her to continue.  "Would you permit Lucius and me to get your son a Christmas present?" 

Ophelia would be lying if she'd said she wasn't surprised by the question.  Should she answer this?  She thought about what Narcissa would respond with were their positions switched.  And thinking this way, she had her answer.  "I would have to ask Severus's opinion first." 

Narcissa smiled.  "I thought as much when Lucius said I should ask you.  I told him to ask Severus before I brought you here.  But I'm sure that Severus would allow it.  I was only curious as to whether you would approve or not." 

Ophelia felt like she was being backed into a corner somehow.  Was this some sort of game to Narcissa?  Was this a test?  She decided she'd rather side with caution.  "I would answer that it would depend on what this present was."

Narcissa turned her head to look at the two boys who were now finding a new way to play.  Draco was showing off his training broom to Tevin, and showing him his progress in learning how to at least mount the broom.  Tevin then took it and showed him how he'd been taught.  Then, Draco pushed Tevin off the broom before he managed to fly it anywhere.  Tevin waited on the floor for a moment, watching Draco get back on, before he shakily ran forward and ran full-force into Draco sending both of them and the broom to the ground.  Draco and Tevin began to laugh together when they both knocked their heads on the broomstick in their fall. 

"Nothing harmful, I swear, Ophelia." 

Ophelia narrowed her eyes at Narcissa's profile.  "Forgive me if I find it a little difficult to accept the promise of a prejudiced pureblood," she began heatedly, seeing the surprise on Narcissa's expression as she whipped her head to Ophelia, and hearing the laughter of the two children stop at the tone she was using, "just as much as you find it difficult to accept that I was born to muggle parents!" 

Ophelia got to her feet, barely containing her rage at the evening any longer.  She stopped at the door when she heard Tevin wordlessly protest her leaving the room.  She turned and saw that the two boys were staring at her quietly.  Tevin was in the middle of the room, obviously having taken several steps towards her.  He was reaching towards her with one of his little hands.  Draco and Narcissa both wore matching expressions.  Wide eyes, and slightly opened mouths.  Ophelia tore her gaze away from Tevin and looked hard at Narcissa.  "Make sure Severus brings Tevin home.  Can I trust you with that, at least?" 

Narcissa recovered her serene expression.  "Can you, Mrs. Snape?" 

Without saying anything else, Ophelia left the nursery and walked through the corridors with a speed just short of running.  She reached the parlor and headed directly to the fireplace, interrupting the conversation between Lucius and Severus. 

"Ophelia, what's the matter?" Severus asked, standing from the armchair. 

"Nothing!" she snapped.  She pinched some floo powder from the mantel and threw it into the blazing fire.  She saw Severus coming quickly towards her in concern, and heard that he was speaking, but not what he was saying.  She muttered her destination and practically jumped into the fire, spinning away from Malfoy Manor. 

Lucius watched his wife lead Severus's wife and son out of the dining room, now having one goal in mind.  The request of his wife.  "Be sure to ask Severus about getting his son a Christmas present."  After he was sure the women and children were gone, Lucius looked again at Severus, who was still glaring at him.  Lucius was about to speak but the younger man beat him to his voice.

"Was that necessary, Lucius?"

"What?"  When you did not want to talk about something, play ignorant.  Lucius knew perfectly well what Severus meant, since it was his question that brought the dinner to an abrupt stop. 

Severus scowled disprovingly at Lucius.  "You know very well what." 

Lucius smiled charmingly at his younger friend.  "I meant no offense by it."  Severus opened his mouth to argue.  "It is just something that's been bothering me since we all met in Hogsmeade."  Severus stared at Lucius in disbelief.  "I truly thought the woman was dead.  We both know you took her for your sport that one meeting long ago.  What made you spare her life, then?"

Severus looked down at his place setting.  "She was a good friend.  I did not want her hurt."

"Even good friends, despite being mudbloods, are not worthy to be in our world, Severus.  You know this."  Severus's head snapped up at the derogatory term.  "And to make everything more confusing, she may have been your friend in Hogwarts, but under no circumstances would that mean you would ever align yourself with her."  Lucius watched the other man's reactions carefully.  "Why would you seek to have her?  To marry her?  Answer me that, Severus."  Severus said nothing.  "Did you think you could protect her from our lord if you were to marry her?"  Lucius began to smile in a very unfriendly way.  "Not even you would be that naïve.  You know that she would be killed.  So what was it?" 

"I..." 

Lucius talked over him again.  "I remember that you claimed her for sport at the meeting.  And...if I am not mistaken, you took her away from the rest of us.  Why?" 

Severus looked as though he was going to be sick.  He did not want to discuss this with Lucius.  But the charade needed to continue.  He just hoped Lucius would believe him.  "I...took her." 

Lucius looked at Severus for moment.  "Took her?"  Then, he seemed to remember that sometimes his young friend preferred the older usages of certain words.  "Ah," he purred as the realization happened.  "You enjoyed her by force then.  And yet, usually we kill them afterwards.  But why not her, Severus?"

"Because...I...because I love her."  Inside his head, Severus was repeating to himself.  ‘I'm sorry, Lily!  I have to lie about this!  I have to lie for our son!'  He looked up at Lucius, who was looking at him closely.

"You've always had a tendency for affection towards the less deserving, haven't you?"  Severus forced himself to nod.  "First to that Gryffindor mudblood and now this one.  From what I heard you were always with her up until your fifth year.  What changed?"  Lucius clicked his tongue in a fake sad sound.  "It was that Potter scum, wasn't it?  If she was so cruel to you after that...incident...what made you plead for her life when our lord marked her for death?"  Severus did not answer.  He clenched his jaw. 

Lucius waved a hand dismissively.  "Nevermind.  We aren't going to talk about the idiot Potters.  I'm more interested in your wife.  How did you end up marrying her?"

Severus looked up at Lucius.  "A while after that meeting...she...came to me.  She was pregnant." 

"Is the boy really your son, Severus?  It wouldn't be the first witch to take advantage of you." 

"I did several tests to confirm her child was mine.  After that, I agreed to tend to her pregnancy.  We decided that it would be unwise to marry with the Dark Lord still hunting down all non-purebloods.  I offered, but she refused.  She thought it would have put me in danger." 

"Probably her only smart decision," Lucius drawled.

Severus resisted correcting him.  "Then, when she gave birth, she didn't see me.  She went into hiding.  It was probably for the best.  And, once...the Dark Lord was...defeated-"

"Careful, Severus.  You mean murdered."

"Very well," Severus conceded.  "When the Dark Lord was murdered, she sought me out and expressed a willingness to marry.  I wanted to help raise my son, and so we were married." 

Lucius raised an eyebrow interestedly.  "This was...how long after Halloween?"

"Almost the next day." 

There was a steady silence for a minute between the two wizards.  It was not nearly as tense as the last silence.  But then, a thought struck Lucius.  "Out of curiosity, Severus, when was your son born?" 

Severus met his eyes steadily, as though daring Lucius to challenge him.  "July thirty-first." 

Lucius smiled, and then proceeded to laugh as he stood from the table.  "Then, be thankful our lord did not have a reason to suspect you of thrice defying him, or you would not have a family to speak of right now!" 

Severus stood and followed Lucius out of the dining room.  "Yes," he whispered, more to himself than to Lucius.  "Fortunately." 

Lucius led Severus into the large parlor.  The blonde walked directly to his favorite armchair directly near the roaring fireplace.  Before he sat down in the comfortable-looking leather, Lucius unstopped the crystal decanter on the table next to the chair, and poured himself a small amount of brandy.  Without turning to Severus he spoke, "Would you like a drink?" 

"No, thank you, Lucius," he replied before settling himself in the chair on the other side of the table at which Lucius stood.  With a glass of brandy held in his pale hand, Lucius lowered himself into his black leather chair.  He took several small, delicate sips of the drink before he spoke again.

"Onto lighter matters on behalf of my wife."  Lucius looked at Severus then.  "We have been thinking of getting your son a present of some sort for Christmas.  Would you approve of this?" 

Severus thought of Lily, and what she would say to this situation.  If only Lucius knew that he had just offered to buy a Christmas present for the child that defeated Lord Voldemort.  The irony amused Severus, and he could not resist the smile on his face.  "Thank you, Lucius.  Just so long as it is nothing harmful or associated with the Dark Arts or something like that." 

Lucius scoffed into the brandy that he was now swirling in the glass.  "What kind of person do you think I am, Severus?"  He sighed.  "I may be hard and somewhat...cruel at times, I suppose, but I would not wish to harm my son, or yours for that matter.  There are limits to everything." 

Severus looked at Lucius for a long while.  "I would not object to my son receiving a present from you and Narcissa." 

Lucius nodded at Severus.  "Excellent.  I have just the thing for your boy.  I'm sure he'll enjoy it."  Severus's face turned to an alarmed expression.  "I told you already, Severus, it will not harm him.  Don't worry." 

There was a peaceful silence until quick footsteps were heard in the hallway approaching the parlor.  Suddenly, Ophelia burst into the room and headed straight for the fireplace.  Severus stood from the chair and began towards her as she snatched up some floo powder.  "Ophelia, what's the matter?" 

"Nothing!"

Severus began to walk towards Ophelia, concern clearly on his face, but he was too late.  She spun away from Malfoy Manor before he could find out anything that was upsetting her.  He stood looking at the empty fireplace, wondering what had set her off like that.  Then he heard another set of footsteps in the hallway.  He heard Lucius set the glass on the table, and rise from his chair. 

"Cissa, what happened?" Lucius asked, as he went to his wife. 

"I don't know.  I asked her about getting Tevin a Christmas present and-"

Severus interrupted Narcissa's explanation.  "Where is my son?" 

"Upstairs in the nursery." 

Severus left the parlor and headed through the corridors, not even sure where he was going.  He heard Narcissa and Lucius following him.  "What are you doing, Severus?" 

"I'm taking my son home, Lucius."  Severus stopped in the middle of the hallway, suddenly aware that he did not know where the Malfoys designated as their son's nursery. 

"Two more doors ahead on the left," supplied Narcissa.  Severus continued walking until he turned into the room where he found Draco and Tevin were playing together smiling and giggling. 

"Tevin," Severus called his son.  Tevin whipped his head towards his father's voice so fast that he toppled over.  Draco laughed at him.  Severus walked into the room and knelt briefly by his son.  "Hello, little Draco."

"Hi!" Draco said with a smile. 

Severus took hold of his son.  "Come, Tevin.  We're going home." 

"No!" Tevin shouted, and began to squirm out of his father's hold.

"Tevin!  I won't tell you again." 

"Want to stay and pway!" the little boy screamed. 

"No!  You can come back another day.  Time to go home."  Severus picked Tevin up, despite the boy squirming in his arms.  Draco had managed to stand up and was looking at the man stealing his playmate away with wide eyes. 

"Why go?"  Draco asked Severus. 

"Because it's time to go," Severus said.  He was anxious to get out of here and find out what had set off Ophelia so badly, other than the question Lucius asked at the table.  There had to be something else. 

Draco began to cry, but he held back his sobs as much as possible.  Narcissa ran forward and held her son to her chest.  Lucius stood rooted in the doorway watching all of this occur.  Severus swept past him and headed back to the parlor.  "Tend to Draco," Lucius barked at his wife before following Severus's retreating form.

Lucius caught up to Severus just as the younger man pinched some floo powder from the mantel.  Tevin had started to cry and scream loudly in his father's arms.  Severus seemed to not pay attention to it as he seemed focused on getting out of Malfoy Manor.  Lucius raised his voice to be heard over the screaming child.  "Severus, whatever just happened...don't let it affect our sons's friendship."

Severus didn't say anything to Lucius.  He threw the powder into the fire and shouted out his Hogwarts home.  Lucius grabbed his arm before he stepped through.  Severus glared at Lucius.  "Tevin is welcome here anytime, as are you, my friend."

Severus was about to bite out a reply, but reigned in his temper.  "Thank you for dinner, Lucius."  He shook Lucius's hand from his arm and stepped through the fireplace, leaving a flustered Lucius Malfoy behind in Malfoy Manor. 

When Severus arrived home with Tevin, he immediately noticed the silence of the suite.  Ophelia wasn't here.  With his son still screaming and crying in his arms, he pinched another sample of floo powder from the flowered silver box and shouted, "Spinner's End!"  He stepped through with his son to his home when not in Hogwarts, only to find it as empty as the suite in Hogwarts.  He began to panic.  Ophelia had run away from this situation.  She'd abandoned them.  What if she did? 

She would die.  She'd made an Unbreakable Vow.