Never Any Good News

[suicide_blonde_]

Date: April 15, 2000
Time: Morning, breakfast
Characters Involved: Residents of Spinner's End
Status: Complete
Rating: Aw hell, we're talking at least PG-13, possibly R

Draco should have seen it coming.  Everything was going oddly that morning.  For one thing, it was morning.  Generally Draco was not up nearly so early.  He wasn't much of a morning

Comments

[subtle_simmer]

Indeed, Severus had already seen said article, having briefly scanned the paper before heading down to his lab. Rather than make him livid, he had been highly amused. Well--he had been a bit annoyed on Draco's behalf, and that protective instinct he harboured (and attempted to keep hidden) had risen enough to contemplate various entertaining ways to cause all of Skeeter's hair to fall out at an embarrassingly inopportune moment. For the most part, however, he had read the article with surprising equanimity, even as concerned himself.

He had been in the cellar conducting his morning's business and was just returning to the kitchen for fresh tea before starting the next batch of commissions. Upon hearing Lupin's last comment, he snorted.

"Indeed, I should hope I have a bit more sense than that," he drawled lazily. "This rubbish is written by the same bint who proclaimed me as the 'next Dark Lord'. What a load of tosh. Draco is no more going to live with Potter than I am about to adopt the git as a son."

Fishing about in a cupboard for his preferred variety of tea, and pausing long enough to add its name to the shopping list hanging near the pantry, he set about preparing a small pot of the beverage to take downstairs with him.

[nott_naught]

Theo yawned as he came into the kitchens, rubbing his eyes blearily. Apparently everyone else was up as well.

He caught sight of the paper over Draco's shoulder as he moved past him--and choked.

Oh, shit.

"Draco," he sputtered, "What the bloody hell is that?"

He needed tea. Right bloody now.

[sightlesswolf]

Giving her head one last good towelling off, June tossed the towel over the corner of the bed and ran her fingers perfunctorily through damp hair. Twisting it into a messy knot at the base of her neck, she slid her glasses into place on her nose and headed down the hall to the kitchen, where her nose told her that someone, at least, had already started breakfast. Her ears had amended that to 'several someones', though the walls and the sound of dishes and things being moved about prevented her from making out what was being said. She came into range of the open door just in time to catch:

"...I am about to adopt the git as a son."

The words brought her up short in the doorway for a moment, wondering if she'd heard right, then she shook her head. "I'm going to assume," she declared to no one in particular as she made her way over to the table, "that the first part of that sentence made the second part make a lot more sense than it seemed to."

There was an odd air in the room which she couldn't quite figure out, and her curiosity was only intensified with Theo's entrance. She tilted her head in the direction of his voice. "What the bloody hell is what?"

[suicide_blonde_]

As if things couldn't get any worse, Remus had no idea what was going on, Severus had no idea what was going on, Theo looked fit to shit bricks and now June was here as well.

Oh, there was definitely going to be some passing out soon. Not that Draco could afford it. He might, he mused as he looked around the kitchen, have been able to put off telling Severus. After all, the man didn't know and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. But Draco knew it would come out eventually, the likelihood of Severus having the story confirmed was pretty high and Draco . . . well, he thought he'd be better off telling him now.

"It's a bloody Skeeter article," Draco said waspishly. "Detailing my sordid relationship with our resident Boy Hero. Severus, I need to talk to you. Er, please? Alone?"

He looked over at the man nervously and he didn't want to do this. He really didn't.

[subtle_simmer]

Glancing up at Theo as he entered the room, Severus was still casting Draco a very smug expression.

"That, Theo, is what happens when the Malfoy Scion spends too much time with the Boy Hero. People with a vacuum where their brain ought to be, find nothing better to do than invent wild tales. 'Lovers'. Honestly!"

He shook his head in mock disgust, really still enjoying Draco's discomfort over the whole thing. Served him right!

Miss Connors entered shortly after, and he checked his amusement--and any other display of emotion. Somehow that girl had a way of bringing out the worst in him--not like Potter, for whom there was at least good reason for said 'worst'--but for no apparent reason at all. Since their last exceedingly ugly row, which had required Lupin's intervention to mostly-resolve, Severus had been exceedingly cautious around her, taking care to be polite, without being overly attentive or show any special 'concessions' to her blindness.

He was not rude to her, or at least not blatantly so, however, so when she asked her question, he answered her in a voice that had not quite suppressed all its amusement, though it was not quite so rich with it as it had sounded moments before.

"Our resident Most Eligible Bachelor has been pilloried by Skeeter this morning, Miss Connors. Do not display more sympathy for him than was provided The Next Dark Lord--he deserves his fifteen minutes of fame at least as much as I did in the last one. He's been seen with Our Saviour a few times too often, and rumour has finally reached Skeeter's ears. She has them setting up housekeeping as lovers."

He snorted as he poured a cup of tea and handed it to Theo, unasked.

"As if Draco would ever be so foolish as to live with POTTER."

The last word was said, as it always was, as though 'Potter' was the foulest profanity he could imagine speaking. Considering he was raised for the first ten years of his life by a Muggle mill-worker with a passion for drink, his repertoire of profanity was very great, indeed, so this was saying something.

His own tea-tray now comfortably prepared for a long morning's brewing, Severus collected it and glanced at Draco, amusement still lingering about his eyes and lips.

"Of course, Draco. Follow me down stairs, if you will. I've got quite a bit of work to do this morning, but we can plot your vengeance on Skeeter for a short while before I begin. Come."

So saying, he led the way to the cellar door at the rear of the kitchen and disappeared through it first, carrying the tea-things with him, utterly oblivious to the proverbial shoe hanging menacingly over his head, about to drop at any moment.

[nott_naught]

Theo took a fortifying gulp of tea and glanced after Snape bewilderedly.

"He doesn't...?" he asked Draco, puzzled, and then realized with absolute horror.

Snape made very strong tea.

He coughed slightly and reached for the milk before he realized the 'trouble' that he was in--or would be soon, if Draco put two and two together. The giggling girls when they were shopping? Theo's presence?

Hopefully he wouldn't. Draco could be rather dense, right? Theo smeared some butter and jam on toast and abandonded the so-called tea, heading for the door.

"I've got a cooking lesson with Padma Patil," he told everyone in general. "I'll be back later."

Much, much later.

Hopefully after Snape exploded and thus distracted Draco's fury.