Part 1. \This short comedy was translated in honor of the approaching New Year.\
Author: valley
Translator: elanor_x
Beta: anthimaeria
Summery: Lucius, Narcissa, Snape. New Year's Eve at Malfoy Manor. A situation comedy.
Link to the original fic in Russian: http://www.snapetales.com/index.php?fic_id=1733
On New Year's Eve.
"Sev! Quick, think of something! I've already told him that I'm a widow!"
"Did you write that explicitly?"
"Sure. Wrote that I'm a widow, my husband perished, and my son and I practically starve… And suddenly such unpleasantness! Who knew he'd be freed on New Year Eve?"
"Hmm… Nobody knew, of course," the Professor answered meditatively. "Does Draco know about it? Is he ready to represent a poor orphan?"
"Naturally. Lucius doesn't know yet how black things look. And this… oh, I constantly forget his surname - he has millions."
"And is he lonely?"
"Yes. He's 96 years old, and doesn't have that much left. If he likes me and Draco, then maybe…"
"Narcy, it isn't such an advanced age."
"See, Sev… He… Well, he's … a Muggle."
"A Muggle? Do you have a Muggle relative?!"
"Only don't tell Lucius. He would lose his mind if he knew."
"Merlin…"
"Stop laughing! If my great-grandmother married a Muggle in the beginning of the century, she was bound to have strong reasons to do so. He's breathtakingly rich. And he doesn't have anybody. He's completely alone there; in that - I don't remember what that country's called. I've been in correspondence with him for almost a year, and today in the morning he sent… He wants to get acquainted. He will come for one night and in the morning already go back."
"A nimble oldster."
"He says he's very busy. Affairs…"
"Simply explain to Lucius what's going on, and everything will be fine."
'To explain that I claimed to be a widow already a year ago? How, in your opinion, will he perceive that?"
"If the matter concerns money, then… Still, he will hardly like that."
"Sev, I shouldn't have men in my house. I, you understand, am lonely, forsaken by everybody, an impoverished aristocrat. With a child."
"Do you think Draco will pass for a child? He's 18."
"Well… there's no help for it. So, will you assist me?"
"Do I really have a choice? All right, only don't forget to send the elves away. And hide the portraits. We've got , a good deal of work to do."
"I'll manage. He promised to not to get here until 10 pm."
~*~*~*~
"Sev, you know Narcy has been nervous since morning today," Lucius Malfoy whispered in his friend's ear. "I want to go home".
"We can't leave now," mouthed the Professor "The Lord has just begun the festive speech."
"It will last at least an hour. I will go. He won't even notice."
"Then he'll notice it later."
"And you divert him. I'll only look and see how Narcy is and immediately return."
"Don't you dare!" Snape grasped Lucius's sleeve. "Lucius, don't, I beg you!"
"What is the matter?"
"He has an anniversary today. How am I supposed to divert him? If he notices, it will be considered a sign of disrespect. He may get angry, upset…"
"I'll only be gone for five minutes."
Before the Professor could reply, Lucius disappeared with a faint pop. He returned, as he promised, in a mere 5 minutes. Grasping Snape's shoulder, he silently dragged him from the chamber into the corridor.
"Merlin, what happened to you?" The Potions Master closed the chamber's door after them. It was only then that he saw how distorted his friend's face looked. "What happened?"
"Sev, she has a man."
"Who?"
"Narcy. She knew I would be here tonight and invited a man."
"Did you see him?"
"No, I heard him. Apparated to the corridor… they were sitting in the parlor… talking."
"Well, he could be anybody."
"Sev, are you an idiot? She simply decided to invite somebody for the night. She wants to leave me."
"No… Why on earth?"
"I am sure she took a lover while I was in jail."
"It didn't look like that… She was so worried about you…"
"Taking a lover doesn't interfere with that."
"Rubbish!"
"Let's go, eh?"
"Where?"
"Let's go and kill him."
"I wouldn't advise you to hurry. I'll say it again - he could be anybody."
"He's her lover. I'm sure. So you won't go with me?"
"I'll go. But you'll give me your wand and will keep silent. In the beginning we'll find out
who he is and why he came. Otherwise, I won't go with you."
"All right. Sev, why did we Apparate on the door step?"
"Since we'll come in as normal people."
"He'll run away!"
"You shout as if you've seen them in the bedroom. They are just sitting in the parlor."
"You don't understand anything!" Malfoy was in despair. "If I had found them in the
bedroom, it would have only signified that she took a lover, while I was in jail. A year and a half is a long time. It would have been horrible, of course, but I would be able to understand her. Maybe. Someday. But that she invited him on New Year Eve and receives him in her parlor shows that he isn't only a lover. She decided to leave me, Sev! She probably knows that I'm practically bankrupt."
"Yes", Snape agreed sadly, recalling his morning talk with Narcissa. "She knows that."
"You see! He'll run away!"
"Luci, if she leaves with him, he won't run away. You contradict yourself. Go ahead, open."
"You have the wands."
"Oh, yes."
Seeing both of them at the parlor's door, Narcissa stopped smiling and quickly rose from the table. The guest rose too. He was a thin, tall old man with a very arrogant face.
\\Part 2 is here.\\