The Bookstore

Livia woke up Friday morning glad to have the whole day to herself. Narcissa had arranged a shopping trip that day with friends and Draco was staying home for the first time that week. Following breakfast and several cups of coffee she had every intention of getting some work down whilst becoming better aquainted with the Prince Library. She really needed to continue her work on her mastery if she wanted to keep her momentum going and when Severus arrived that evening she wanted to start her inspection of the Prince wards.

Severus had spent the week, after much fenagling, arranging for other staff members to cover the responsibilities that he had been scheduled to undertake that weekend. He wanted to further explore the library, potions labs and potions stores at Prince Manor so that he could plan any changes or purchasw any adsitional equiptment he might need. He planned to stay there until Sunday afternoon with Livia, then they would return to Hogwarts together so that she would be ready to assist in her first class of NEWT Rune students.

Livia, in the few months she had been there,  had become extremely popular with the pupils of Hogwarts, many harbouring a crush on her, and as such they often sought her out for homework advice, It had subsequently been noted by various staff that those she worked with showed much improvement in their grades. It was this that led Professor Babbling to requested her assistance for the remainder of the school year with her NEWT (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Level) and OWL (Ordinary Wizarding Level) students. She felt that it would benefit the students greatly having an additional tutor during lessons, particularly for those who were struggling with the material. 

So it was during that week following a meeting that Livia had with Runes Master Abbas, who now intended to staying in Britain until August, that she had readily agreed to assist Babbling in the Runes lessons.

When, a week ago, the Dark Lord recieved a letter from Severus Snape informing him that the young man had accepted the Prince Lordship following his grandfathers death he had been pleasantly suprised. This would be of benefit to their political faction as it would give them additional votes in the Wizengamot and the Prince Seat being historically Neutral could be a great asset however, he would need to discuss with Severus any alliances that the seats already had in place to ensure they wouldn't impact his voting one way or another.

Whilst he had been meeting two days ago with, who he thought of as his political advisors at Malfoy Manor, to determine their next move and the implications of the additional seats, Abraxas had mentioned that Narcissa had been requested redecorating Prince Manor amd that Ms Snape was staying there to supervise changes and improvements that were being  undertaken.

The Dark Lord had made the decision to visit Severus at Prince Manor on Friday evening when he understood the man would be there, he required some potions and he could discuss the political situation with the new Lord Prince while he was at it. That Ms Snape would be there was of little significance but it would allow him to assess her usefulness to their cause. She had already proved to be somewhat useful in convinced her brother to take the Prince Lordship which Lucius had indicated he had fully intended to refuse due to some family disagreement.           

At Prince Manor, Birch the house elf accepted a floo call and gave low bow when the Dark Lord's head appeared in the floo requesting access in order to visit with the Lord of the Manor. 

"I be's very sorry, but Master Prince is not home. Master Prince is due home this evening, shall I ask the he be contacting you?" Birch asked politely.

Before the Dark Lord could respond, Livia happened to walk past the reception room with a large pile of books floating ahead of her. He watched as she glanced in the direction of the house elf and did a double take upon seeing him in the floo.

"Lord Slytherin?" she questioned walking forward to confirm that it was indeed he.

"Greetings Ms Snape. I was calling with the intention of visiting with Severus, but I understand he will not be home for some time?" he stated, waiting for the polite offer that he knew would come of waiting for him, it would mormally be refused but on this occasion he had every intention of taking advantage of the situation.

"Greetings Lord Slytherin, Severus is due home in an hour or two when he completes his work at Hogwarts. I would ask if you would like to wait..." she began, but before she could finish Lord Slytherin interrupted smoothly realising that the polite invitation was, in fact, not about to be issued.

"I would be glad to wait for him thank you, you are most kind. If you open the floo I shall step through directly" and he removed his head from the flames.

Livia sighed, there went her inspection of the wards and work on her mastery, and nodded to Birch. Lord Slytherin exited the floo, gracefully and wandlessly removed ash from himself then gave her a small bow in greeting.

"Welcome to Prince Manor Lord Slytherin", she greeted formally, with a small bow of her own, before turning to the house elf, "Birch, would you be kind enough to supply tea and something to nibble on for myself and our guest. We will take it in the formal sitting room. Thank you".

Livia turned back to her suprise visitor, "Please follow me" she had no idea how she was going to entertain Lord Voldermort for the next hour until Severus was due home, she sincerely hoped that he would not be late. 

"Have you had time to read any of your new acquisitions from Mr Lewis' Bookstore since we met?" she asked, deciding that this at least should prove to be a safe avenue of conversation, if not wholly imaginative.

"I finished reading 'Magico-Numerical Theory of Runes' as well as the few others I purchased that day" he said with an air of complacency.

She gestured him towards a chair not quite opposite the one she intended to take and placed her books on the nearby table, she then asked politely "How did you find them?".

"Now that would be telling Ms Snape, was it not you yourself who insisted that a book should be read with an unbiased mind?" he said, reminding her of what she had said that day.

A tea tray appeared laden with a variety of scones, both savoury and sweet and fruit.

"Tea, Lord Slytherin?" she offered before answering his remark.

"With lemon and a little honey please" 

Livia handed him his cup and sat in her chair before responding to what she felt was a deliberate barb, "To my mind it is patently unfair of you to remind me of such a declaration. Particularly when you are in a position to finish reading a book that i am not" she said with a wry smile.

"That, Ms Snape, would be a grave misconception however," he said provokingly, "as I believe that I placed my library at your disposal should you have wished to finish the tomb that we are undoubtedly alluding to" he observed her as a cat would a bird.

Her eyebrow raised at this and replied honestly, "You did indeed make such an offer. Although I still feel that, though your offer was generous, it would have been ill mannered on my part to accept it. It was clear, regardless of what you have said, that it was only done so because you are aquainted with my brother". Lord Slytherin was about to object when she plowed on, "In addition to that it didn't seem quite proper to accept an invitation to the home of a man whom I had only met mere minutes before and had no prior knowledge of" she finished reasonably.

He gave a nod of acquiescence even as he considered it an odd reason to not accept the invitation. He was so used to people being desperate to get him alone either for business, politics or the hope of marriage it hadn't occured to him that she would find in objectionable, which now begged the question, "You are quite right. Though the issue arises as to why you would see fit to invite me into your home for this tête-à-tête, particularly given the concern you have just raised" he said half curious, half amused at the conundrum she must now face herself. He knew she couldn't deny it being an 'invitation' without seeming to be rude or insulting, yet she had just acknowledged that this was a situation that she wouldn't usually have allowed to occur, at this thought a small smirk wound its way on to his full lips.

The feeling of sheer disbelief at the gall of the man coursed through her, he knew full well that he had all but invited himself the smug git, she thought viciously. 

She had been quite honest when she indicated her dislike of being alone with a man she didn't know, never the less she answered him calmly, "You are quite correct Lord Slytherin to admonish me for the 'invitation' extended to you. It was improperly bestowed given that we are neither friends nor acquaintances. Furthermore I would like to offer my appreciation to you for the insights you have offered freely. Having done so I am positive in my belief that your sense of integrity will not allow you to remain here any longer under the circumstances".

He would have almost believed this a sincere acceptance of his gibe at her apparent sensibilities, if it were not for the wicked twinkle in her eye when she finished. Where others would have wilted and floundered at his pointed observation of, what he believed to be, apparent duplicity this cheeky little minx had layed down the gauntlet to him instead. 

His smirk grew wider as he responded, "You are of course welcome for the assistance with which my 'insights' have granted. Perhaps you will allow me to further assist you in such a way that your sensibilities maybe soothed.

To ensure that my presence here is tolerable to you we must ensure that we are no longer strangers therefore you may call me Thomas. In addition to this it would be prudent for you to know some facts about myself. I was educated at Hogwarts, I prefer red wine over white, I enjoy travelling and reading, I have no living family and I am very politically active." he paused to gauge her reaction and was glad to see that incredulity was at the forefront. "That is enough to be getting on with I feel. Now it is your turn and then we shall at the very least be aquaintances".

At times like these she wished that she had learnt to mask her feelings better, but try as she might they would not be suppressed, leaving her with only two options for dealing with this provoking and bothersome Lord. She chose the path of least resistance and laughed at the riddiculous situation she currently found herself in and admitted to herself that if this was how he behaved in society she could certainly see why people would enjoy his company, providing they weren't the ones being baited she supposed. He certainly seemed to enjoy eliciting reactions from people it seemed, she had no idea that a 'Dark Lord' would have a sense of humour.

"It would be behove me, or so it seems, to benefit from your greater wisdom in the matter", she said still fighting a smile. "Very well, you may call me Livia, I attended Beuxbaton Academy, I prefer rosé, I am still travelling much of the time despite my prolonged stay in Britain on this occasion and I too enjoy reading and I have little to no interest in politics beyond how it affects my life and work" she finished.

"The only information your shared that I wasn't already aware of was your preference for Rosé, it hardly seems like a fair exchange" Thomas complained.

"Ah ah ah. You didn't specify terms for the exchange, nor did you request that I share specific information about myself" she said playfully. 

The two of them continued along this vein for a short while before moving on to the topic of books and magical theory. It surprised Livia how quickly she had accepted his company, though it did help knowing that the house elves were nearby if she required them.

Severus returned home a full hour later than he had intended. He had had to help Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts Mediwitch, determine what a group of idiotic 6th years had added to an exploded potion. The substance had stuck to their skin like glue preventing the typical antidote from working and he had needed to analyse the ruined potion in order to be able to neutralise it.

Birch met him at the floo and took his cloak and weekend bag.

"Welcolme home Master Prince. Miss Snape be's in the formal sitting room with guest" with that said he popped away, no doubt to put his things in his room.

Severus thought back to the tour they had been on and thought he remembered where to go, though who his sisters guest was and why she would be entertaining them in the formal sitting room he had no idea. He personally thought that having more than one sitting room was a pointless excercise in extravagance for those with more money than sense.

As he drew closer to the room in question he heard his sister's animated voice in 'full debate mode' and immediatly felt some sympathy for whoever was on the receiving end of it.

"... are correct. There are entirely too many incorrect variables in Bigglehorns original work but It is at this point we disagree Thomas because, despite the fact that the man clearly had no idea about even basic ward theory, I believe that Bumptious Bigglehorn did indeed stumble upon a plausible theory".

Severua couldn't recall anyone by the name of Thomas that they knew and it was unlikely to be the name of one of her Masters as it would have sounded familiar. Upon hearing what he assumed was the voice of 'Thomas' he paused at the door to see if he recognised it.

"I suppose I will agree to a point, providing you don't suddenly start espousing his genius, in which case I will declare you fit only for St Mungos" came the dry voice of the unknown 'Thomas'.
 
Severus stood frozen to the spot as his sister laughed at the apparent joke. He realised that he did indeed recognise the voice of 'Thomas', though he would never call him such. All he could think was that Dark Lord Voldemort was alone in a room with his baby sister and she was calling him 'Thomas' and laughing and clearly had no idea of the potential danger she could find herself in.

"...if combined with the correct rune sequence it would stabilise the ward sufficiently" she responded.

"You say that as if it is a simple solution however..." Lord Slytherin broke off as the door opened and Severus walked in and cautiously eyed him before he bowed and said,

"Greetings Lord Slytherin, I was not expecting a visit from yourself today, I hope you haven't been waiting long?" 

"Good Evening Severus, It was a last minute decision to visit as I had a few things I hoped to discuss with you. Please, call me Thomas" he said in a way intended to convey that this was a repeated request this however, was solely for Livia's benefit as he did not make a habit of allowing people to call him by his given name.

Thinking on it he wasn't entirely sure why he had come to the decision to allow Livia to call him by it. He had found that the time spent with her had been surprisingly enjoyable, especially during the last two hours of intellectual debate where she hadn't backed down once from her point of view unless he had a genuinely compelling argument. They had agreed that they would each have to so further research before debating some of the topics again, It had been a novelty to have someone cheerfully challenge his perspectives on Magical Theory and to do so well. 

Livia smiled in greeting at her brother "Have you eaten dinner yet?" she asked eyeing her clearly tired and apprehensive brother.

"Not yet, I hope you weren't waiting for me? It hadn't been my intention to be home so late" he answered by way of an apology.

"Thomas has kept me so well entertained this afternoon that I didn't even realise the time" she said with an embarrassed half smile at the two men "Will you join us for dinner?" she asked Thomas.

"If it doesn't inconvenience you then I would gladly stsy for dinner" he answered politely and then turned to Severus and added "I was still hoping to speak with you if you have the time this evening?"

"Of course" he answered, hiding the worry he felt at the request. "I will go and change and have the house elves prepare dinner for us" with a bow he left the room with every intention of returning to his sisters side as quickly as possible. He had no idea how long she had been alone with the Dark Lord but she had indicated it had been at least two hours or more.

Lord Slytherin observed Livia who was looking after her brother as he left the room. 

"You never did mention how you came to be so knowledgeable in Warding and Runes, you mentioned that you had left Beuxbaton however, you still seem very young to be so well informed on those subjects" Lord Slytherin stated.

"That would be because I am not as young as you likely suppose, I am in fact 19 years old despite my shorter stature. I am currently in the process of completing my masters in Warding, Runes and Rituals, a such it would be a reasonable expectation that I should be well informed on those subjects" she answered his not quite question.

Lord Slytherin hid his suprise well, it seems that Severus was not the only one, in this small family of two, to boast academical excellence. The intelligence with which she made her arguments as she had debated with him had intrigued him and now that he was no longer under the impression that she was still a school girl he found himself feeling more comfortable with the slight attraction he had begun to feel for her, though she was still much to young and innocent for his tastes.

"Would I be correct in assuming that your fervent defence of Mr Bigglehorns work has something to do with your final project in one of your masteries?" He asked, eyes watchful as he awaited her confirmation of this supposition. 

She gave him an impish grin "Perhaps" she answered, not wanting to share everything with the man.

Livia had noticed that his general behaviour indicated strongly that he was the impatient sort who was used to getting his own way. She had never liked that particular characteristic, so she had every intention of making him work for his answers even if just a little. He didn't know that she was aware of his alias as the Dark Lord Voldemort and she wasnt a follower therefore he was unlikely to punish her directly, though that did not mean he couldn't or wouldn't punish someone she cared about. To do anything of the sort would be to admit to his other persona and she didn't believe that he had any intention of doing that at this time so she would continue as she was but stay vigilant for changes in mood justnin case.

Birch popped into the room "Dinner be's served in the family dining room now" and then he left again. Livia had no idea what the previous Lord Princes' had been like but apparently they liked house elves who were succinct and rarely seen.

Standing Livia invited Lord Slytherin to follow her, he stood and offered him arm to escort the young woman to dinner.

She looked at the proffered arm like it might bite and then, more shyly than her outgoing personality would have had him believe her capable of, she placed her hand on his arm and led him towards the dining room.

"I believe you were going to explain your enthusiastic defence of Bigglehorns ludicrous ward theory" he stated as she led him through the manor.

Livia relaxed slightly and chuckled "I don't recall that being where our conversation left off however, since I am a consummate hostess, I would be willing sate your curiosity on this point" she said wryly, before looking up at him seriously.

"Thomas, I will require an oath from you not to make use of the work I disclose to you, or discuss it with another without my explicit permission. I am so very close to my project being completed that should someone take it as their own at this point, it would leave me with nothing but four years of worthless notes and without the three masteries I have worked so very hard for" the utter sincerity of her statement ensured that he understood how very serious she was being about the subject.

Severus had gone directly to the dining room and consequently heard the end of his sisters statement, he listened on concerned by the potential reaction from Lord Voldemort, he would defend his sister regardless of who they were.

Lord Slytherin looked down at the suddenly serious young woman, her dark eyes glittering with an ernest challenge. He respected the steadfast defence of her intellectual works and so he acquiesced to her request easily. "If you will provide the wording, I will take the oath" he accepted.

Severus listened on with bated breath as His Lord not only agreed to take an oath but also to allow his sister to dictate the words of it. To say he was suprised would be an understatement, the man was well known in their circles for expecting answers to his questions freely and without hesitation, he certainly didn't agree to oaths in order to obtain it. When using some of his less than legal means of discovering information, he had been known to use his considerable skill as a Legilimens, a sort of mind reading, to retrieve the information directly from a persons mind. A quick Obliviate spell to remove the memory of him doing so and noone was the wiser.

After the oath had been taken Livia led Thomas into the dining room, unknowingly surprising her brother again by appearing on the arm of his Lord. Severus began to think he should have stayed at Hogwarts, it would most certainly have led to him feel less stress and anxiety than he had felt since arriving home. 

It wasn't helped in the least by watching the Dark Lord Voldemort politely helping Livia to her seat before moving to his own or by the slightly embarrassed blush that graced his sisters cheeks at the gesture. He hoped that she wasn't infatuated with the man as so many others were, he determined then and there that he would have a serious talk to her about Lord Slytherin.

A simple dinner of boeuf bourguignon was served and a brief silence followed as everyone settled into the meal before Livia addressed Thomas once again.

"I feel it is only fair that, since you were kind enough to take the oath I requested of you, I share with you my interest in Bigglehorns work. That is if you still wish to hear it?" she said with the playfulness that Thomas was beginning to associate with her, particularly when she hoped to get some sort of reaction from him, he was beginning to suspect that she just liked to make him work for his answers, the sly little snake that she was.

Severus nearly choked on his food when he heard her address the Dark Lord in such a casual and playful manner. He had never had an issue with the way his sister comported herself until this moment, suddenly he found himself concerned that she wasn't conforming to the social Pureblood ideals of an heiress, should he be? Would he care if it wasn't for the fear that she might inadvertantly insult the Dark Lord? Would he care if he wasn't a Lord himself now?

Lord Slytherin looked... amused? Severus took a large gulp of his wine, fervently hoping that whatever peculiar mood Lord Slytherin was in would at least last until he went home, and decided to ignore any behaviour he deemed out of the ordinary.

"You won't get out of sharing why you believe Bigglehorn is so important to your mastery that easily, Livia" he said wryly and took a sip of his wine.

"Very well" she answered primly and then continued with excitement "As I was saying earlier Bigglehorn did in fact have a plausible theory, accidental or not. I have succeeded in incorporating rituals into the warding process. Using a secondary rune sequence to stabilise the rituals and a tertiary sequence to combine the Ritual with the primary runes used as an anchor the combination enables it to be attached to the ward via a warding stone!" she finished triumphantly.

"Of course there is alot of variation depending on which alphabets are used, which materials and what sacrifices are used during the rituals etcetera however, my calculations are sound and I have built a working prototype to prove that the theory translates to the practical application" she finished with a shrug as she remembered her meal.

"That is an extraordinary convoluted warding process that few would bother using without good reason. Is your project just an intellectual exercise or do you imagine it will have some practical application?" Thomas asked, wandering what the process could possibly be used for.

Livia felt unaccountably insulted at the insinuation that she would waste time on something without purpose.

Severus took one look at his sisters face and prayed to any deity listening that she wasn't about to insult His Lord. 

"Really now! I may have come across as a little capricious during our short aquaintance but I wouldn't spend four years of my life on something that had no use. As it is, I'm hoping that my completed warding system will be used as an alternative to those currently used in wizarding prisons around the world" she said placing her cutlery down having finished her meal, all good humour deserting her for a moment.  "Not here obviously, the use of blood during the ritual and then again to set the runes is essential in the process I've devised. It's a pity really, I detest the use of dementors in prisons and regardless of what the ministry here believes they are not the sort of creatures that 'follow orders' not truly". 

The plates disappeared and a slice of tarte tatin with a little creme fraiche appeared in front of them, Severus decided to interject here in the hopes of moving the conversation back to safer topics.

"Livia, are you still on schedule for finishing your masteries? Since you arrived at Hogwarts my colleagues and the pupils seem to be demanding much of the time you had set aside to work" though he had asked the question out of a desperate desire to not have his sister engage in smy sort of argument with the Dark Lord, he was genuinely concerned about how his colleagues, in particular, seemed to be making use of Livias expertise and popularity with the pupils. She wasn't being paid to help at the school (and up until he accepted the Lordship she certainly could have done with the extra income) and she was supposed to be working on her mastery while visiting him. 

Livia grinned his way "My darling brother, Is this your way of letting me know I'm not spending enough time with you?"

"Not at all little sister. The lack of your presence in my quarters this week reminded me forcibly of why it is preferable to live alone" he answered dryly, looking as haughty as he sounded.

Livia laughed at him "Say what you will, I know you miss me" at his scowl she laughed again "To answer your question Sev. I'm still on schedule to complete my masteries in Warding and Rituals within the timeframe I forecast however, my Runes Mastery is likely to be completed much sooner. Master Abbas informed me that once my thesis is completed she will happily present me to the Council of Runes Masters. It's amazing that I can achieve all of  this despite my helping a little around Hogwarts is it not!" as she looked at him her amusement softened "You worry too much Sev, but you needn't, not about me".

Lord Slytherin watched the banter between the siblings aware that he had never seen his young potions master look as open as he seemed around his sister in that moment, despite his obvious tension he felt when she interacted with himself. As he finished his dessert he considered what he had learned today of Livia Snape and what he needed to discuss with Severus before he left for the evening. 

When the meal came to an end Livia stood up from the table.

"Gentlemen, I think it is time I made my excuses for the evening" she moved towards Severus and kissing his cheek "I'm glad you're home Sev, I will see you in the morning" she turned to Lord Slytherin, only to find him standing hand out to her. Placing her hand in his she continued "Thomas thank you for both an entertaining and illuminating evening" she gave a slight nod.

"The pleasure was mine I assure you" he replied politely and bowed over her hand.

She looked at them both uttering a quiet "Good Night" and left the room.

Severus began to feel uneasy as Livia left the room, he had no idea why the Dark Lord would seek him out at home like this, he had never done so previously always opting to use a letter or wait until a meeting was being held.

"My Lord, I believe that my study would be a more appropriate place to continue our discussion, if you are agreeable?" Severus suggested uncertainly. 

They were seated in the study and both Severus and the Dark Lord were satisfied that they had sufficiently warded the room for privacy when the question Severus had hiped to avoid was asked.

"Tell me Severus, why your sister has never before been bought to my notice? She appears to share your brilliance academically and shares that creative spark that separates you ftom lesser masters of your arts. She would be a most welcome addition to our cause and most certainly to wizarding Britain as a whole if her ideas are anything to go by". 

"That would be the issue My Lord, she hasn't spent much time in Britain since she was 11 and so doesn't have any particularly storong attachments to the country, esspecially when other countries are more accepting of what here is illegal therefore, she would be unwilling to 'follow' anyone for political reasons despite her agreeing with most if not  all of the policy changes we advocate for. As you have likely already deduced she is not one who would agree readily with a path lay down by someone else."

"Yes I believe that if she truely objected to a course of action that she would become quite obstinate about it" agreed the dark lord

"In addition to all of that she is generally distrustful of men, particularly, in positions of power over her and is quite careful not to allow it. Our father was a cruel man and as a result she is terrified of losing control of her life to another man. Only Lucius, Bert Lewis and I have ever been truly allowed within her sphere of care and trust", he finished feeling awkward and guilty at divulging so much, but  if meant that his Lord would leave her be he wouldn't regret it.

The Dark Lord nodded and would consider the information later. 

"You mentioned that the Staff at Hogwarts have been enlisting her help. I take it that she is not being paid a wage for any work undertaken?" he queried.

"That is correct. Dumbledore did offered payment but she felt that he would attempt to attach strings to it and so refused" he told his Lord as the man nodded. It was certainly of a piece with what he knew about the young woman.

"The last thing I wish to discuss with you before I depart is the Prince Wizengamot votes. Is it your intention to attend yourself and are you aware of the seats being currently allied with another house...?"

After a rather brusque converstation between the two men the Dark Lord took his leave feeling that he had much to contemplate regarding his new acquaintance and her brother.