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“Hi,” said Potter, who didn’t look nearly as scared as Severus thought he should be. The boy had always been recklessly brave.
“Good afternoon,” replied Lord Voldemort, who had a look of intense boredom on his face. He wasn’t even trying to hide his distaste for Severus, the servant he now knew had betrayed him. “Today, I am taking you to Feydle, an upstanding wizarding establishment.”
“By which you mean…” Potter trailed off expectantly.
“A restaurant, Potter,” Severus interjected, “and it’s time we left. The contract dictates that I must side-along Apparate you.”
“I shall meet you there, then,” said Lord Voldemort. Inwardly, Severus groaned.
“Both of you.” he drawled. Lord Voldemort well knew the words of the contract; he’d helped draw it up and had read it thoroughly before signing. He was just trying to be difficult.
Lord Voldemort sneered, but set his hand on Severus’ arm. “Well, on you come,” he said in Potter’s direction.
Reluctantly, Potter grasped his former Professor’s other arm, and Severus Apparated the three of them to the restaurant Lord Voldemort had named. He wasn’t surprised that Potter didn’t know of it; it was an exclusive place frequented only by upper class wizards and witches and Severus himself would not have known about it if it weren’t for his relationship with Lucius Malfoy.
The waitress was a scared little witch, trembling like a leaf when she saw Lord Voldemort. Even with the handsome face of Tom Riddle, his crimson eyes were unnerving. They were the only thing that remained of his former snakelike visage.
She nipped away as quickly as she had arrived once she had brought their orders, leaving Lord Voldemort to sneer at Potter’s beans and toast as he dug into his filet mignon.
“That’s what you’re eating?”
Harry shrugged. “Yeah. So what?”
“Awfully plebeian, don’t you think?”
“Well I like it,” said Potter defiantly, taking a bite of toast to prove his point.
Severus’ eyes flicked between the two of them curiously. He was only a little bit worried they would start a public duel; they had both agreed to this courtship; and Lord Voldemort had seemed a little… eager. Potter had also seemed eager, but then he probably saw this monumental mistake as ‘saving people.’ Severus didn’t want to think about the other possibility.
“Severus,” said Lord Voldemort. “Don’t you have somewhere better to be?”
“I can’t leave, as you well know.”
Potter sniffed. “Of course they sent you, Snape, and not someone nice.”
“I have no desire to be nice,” Severus said haughtily.
Lord Voldemort let out a laugh. “Severus isn’t very nice, Harry.”
“I know that!” Potter exclaimed. “I can’t even do OWL level potions because he - he lets Malfoy sabotage me! And he doesn’t even teach, he just shouts!”
“I do not shout!” Severus protested.
“He doesn’t shout, he’s right about that, Severus drawls,” said Lord Voldemort.
Potter sniggered. “He does!”
Severus sighed. “I will not be the victim of your mutual bullying.”
Lord Voldemort leant forwards. “Severus didn’t teach you Potions?”
Potter shook his head. “He just charmed the chalk to write the instructions and sat there. Sat there and stared at us! Like he’s not intimidating enough, swooping about like a great black crow.”
“Swooping about like a great black crow,” echoed Lord Voldemort. “Very astute obsevation, Harry.”
Severus couldn’t tell if the Dark Lord was joking.
Lord Voldemort sighed heavily, as if he was being placed under a thick weighted blanket and all the stress was leaving his body in a whoosh of air. “Would you like to learn Potions?”
Potter nodded.
“Then I shall teach you.”
“You can’t do that!” Severus protested.
Lord Voldemort frowned at him. “Now Severus. When this courtship reaches its inevitable conclusion, marriage between Harry and I, he will be living with me and I will have all the time in the world to teach him Potions.”
“I’d like that,” said Potter quietly.
Severus stared in disbelief, but as though they shared a mind, the two turned away from him as one and continued their meal in silence, ignoring him.