To the Manor Reborn
@iheardaboutit 19th August Malfoy Manor
It was perhaps something of a risk, knowing the wards the Malfoy Estate in Wiltshire had had upon it at one time, and given Lucius’ attitude when they had met, Severus didn’t expect they had been loosened much. But prior to his death he had been allowed in, and he didn’t imagine many people had been adjusting their wards with respect to the dead. Not until a month ago, at least.
He needed a familiar if uneasily friendly face. Not that the staff or Lily weren’t both of those things, but there was a side of himself that he had to keep from those people. And he wanted to be in the presence of those who knew the worst of him.
He hadn’t told Headmistress McGonagall where he would be flooing, only that he would need access to the floo. He had had to wait for Binns to finally finish sitting in the chair he often occupied and rambling at him about the Bohemian Art scene in his youth and how it twinned with the history of Goblin Revolutions. But now the ghost had floated out of the room through the door with a dull dismissal and he was alone with a fistful of emerald floo powder.
“Malfoy Manor, drawing room.” He released the powder as he spoke and felt himself dragged past fireplace after fireplace, hoping that he would reach his destination with no problems.
The room he emerged into was familiar, though there had been some changes. He brushed soot off his elbows and feet onto the hearth rug, aware that it was not entirely polite, but also that Lucius could stand to see a little dirt now and then. The Manor was...worryingly quiet. He couldn’t help the brief frission of fear that the thought that perhaps there were twenty or so dark robed figures waiting for him over the long wooden table, and moved towards the small reading table to snatch up a copy of the paper. It was still 2002. The headlines were still about the Returned. Snape relaxed, and turned towards the armchair that faced the door into the corridor, settling into it with a small sigh.
Let Lucius come to him, he’d done plenty of the inverse before.