I.5. – Acts of Charity

But charity begins at home, and justice begins next door.

CHARLES DICKENS – Martin Chuzzlewit

It was a hard one to call who was most dumbfounded that evening. Neither the involved nor the bystanders could have given a plausible reason, least of all Narcissa. It was a chilling cold evening in January, the Slytherin Common Room was as crowded and rambunctious as ever, everything was as usual. Narcissa Black came in with a large pile of books – which was such a common sight that no one took notice except Lucius Malfoy, who always registered any of her moves.

She gazed around, found whom she was looking for and headed for the skinny First Year who was sitting on his own in a corner, brooding over his Transfiguration homework. She let the books slide onto the table before him, put on her best smile and announced, “There you go, Severus Snape.”

He gave a start, peeked at the books, at her, and jumped up to make a little bow. “Miss Black!”

“I’ve written to my parents and they’ve sent me some things I’ve asked them for. Here’s the Wildsmith, which I would like to get back when you’ve finished. You can keep the rest if you like.”

The boy’s gaze returned to the eight fat tomes on the table before him, he opened his mouth and shut it again, but no sound would come. Helplessly, he looked back at her – to the books – to her – and with a little shrug, she murmured almost as insecurely as he clearly was, “Well, don’t you want to have a look at them, at least?”

“Sure!” He took one book after the other, his face eloquent with amazement and enthusiasm. They were valuable and rare; Narcissa had only chosen specimens that weren’t available in the Hogwarts Library. She felt almost sorry now that she had wanted to do the boy a favour, that she had believed she could help him. She had thought that he could simply sell any of these books and gain enough money to get himself some decent robes, and that he would be interested in the contents themselves, but seeing his face now, she regretted her unusual helpfulness. This wasn’t like her anyway, was it?

Perhaps her reservations were wrong though, because after half a minute, he whispered, “Thank you! Thank you so much, Miss Black! I’ll give them back to you as soon as I can! Actually, I’m as good as through with –”

“Didn’t you listen? You can have them. They’re yours.” She shrugged again. “Unless you don’t want to have them, of course.”

It turned out that he did want them. He was just shy and humble and inhibited. Narcissa felt strangely endeared to this weird child, who seemed to unite some of life’s greatest disadvantages, and who could only claim for himself to be rather bright and advanced in his reading. Perhaps he reminded her of herself, back then in her own first year in school. How she had hated it. How the prospect of seven whole years here had sickened her. Certainly, she still hated it, she still could hardly wait to see the day of her graduation, but she had accommodated well enough. The place was horrid, the classes were boring, and the other students unbearable – well, one simply had to deal with the unpleasant aspects of life. Maybe it was just this. Maybe she just believed little Severus Snape to be a kindred spirit despite all their obviously different circumstances.

They sat down together, the boy flicked through the books as if they were some treasure – carefully, cautiously, reverently. She revised her notion that it had been a bad idea. These books could be in no better, more reverent hands. In a low voice, she asked him after his classes, straining to be as friendly as she could, which was a new experience for her. Normally, she tried to be as distant as possible, with no wish to befriend anyone.

He was clever. After a while, he had lost enough of his diffidence to talk more freely, and eagerly started speaking about his classes, the books he had read; both of them enjoyed their conversation since they had no one else to talk to about such things. They didn’t notice one bit how every eye in the room began to stare at them, by and by.

“Now I know why she doesn’t want to go out with me,” Elias Yaxley growled ungraciously. “She’s just a frigging child molester!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, will you get over it!”

“Don’t talk so big, Lucius. If I remember correctly, she turned you down as well!”

“I told you they’d make one lovely couple, Vampire Boy and the Ice Queen.” Imogene looked thoroughly satisfied with herself, snuggling up to her boyfriend. “How foolish can a girl be, turning you down?”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s been some years.”

“Funny, back then you must have been in her target group, age-wise. Perhaps you were just too sophisticated for her taste.”

“Yaxley,” Lucius snarled, putting as much menace in his voice as he could. “Perhaps you remember the curse marks I gave you then? Trust me, I’ve become even quicker, and I’ve learnt some nastier curses since then, too!”

“Calm down, pal! Why are you getting worked up about this? We’re just having some fun.”

“She’s an arrogant bitch, she deserves it,” Imogene said in a tone as if the matter was settled.

“Perhaps she is arrogant, but she’s also smarter than you lot put together. And the same’s true for the kid.”

“Since when do you meddle with First Years?”

Lucius adapted an indifferent expression and said lightly, “Oh, I’ve talked to him. He’s all right.”

Yaxley lifted a brow. “You are aware that he’s a Mudblood, right?”

Nope, Lucius had not been aware of this, and that little piece of information explained a lot about the boy’s obvious oddness, but he wouldn’t let it show that Yaxley had taken him by surprise. “Yeah. So what.”

“So what?! You taken a Bludger to the head, buddy?”

“He’s not about to marry one of your sisters, Yaxley. Why don’t you calm down?”

“He’s a disgrace for our entire House! What’s this abomination doing in Slytherin?”

That was a good question, if he indeed was a Mudblood, but Lucius was too much out of humour to side with Yaxley right now. “The Sorting Hat must have known what it was doing. Who are you to judge?”

“I beg your pardon?” His roommate looked at Lucius as if he were showing the first symptoms of Dragon Pox. “Seriously, Lucius, you might want to see Madam Pomfrey. You’re not feeling well.”

“I am just fine, I assure you,” Lucius drawled. “It’s just that you are so getting on my nerves! You are here by default, man, because you are too stupid for Ravenclaw, wouldn’t fit in Hufflepuff either because you’d sell your own grandparents if the prize was good enough, and you’ve got nothing to do in Gryffindor because you’re a bloody cowardly chicken.” He glared over, subtly touching his wand through the fabric of his robes. Yaxley got the message, shut his mouth, and Lucius added less hostile, “Just leave the kid alone.”

Imogene was visibly proud of her sweetheart and padded his shoulder. “Right. Let’s all be a little more social. My mother always says that more charity is what our community needs.”

“Giving your old clothes to the Witches of Mercy isn’t exactly charity,” Chloe butted in. “Not enough fabric to warm the poor.”

The two girls exchanged a couple of venomous scowls; Imogene prevailed in the end by simply taking Lucius’ hand and putting it on her thigh. For Merlin’s sake, he had enough. He reclaimed his own limbs, pushed her up and said coolly, “Fancy a walk, dear?”

“Sure!” She gave a shrill giggle. “Nothing as exciting as taking – a walk – with you, after hours!”

He returned to the dungeons as a free man – Imogene returned as a weeping bundle. He had endured her insipidity long enough, and for the first time in some years, he was determined to remain single for a while. Sex wasn’t everything, was it?

That night in their dorm, Bertie remarked confidentially, “You don’t stand a chance. You know that?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I can well understand why you would dump Vaisey. A dozen sound reasons to get rid of the apeth. Yet I can’t help feeling that you’ve done it for the wrong reason.”

“And that would be?” Lucius glared at him, ready to curse him on the spot.

“Relax, Luce. I mean well.”

“Oh, do you?”

“Yes, I do. I’m not blind, you know? Don’t make a fool of yourself; you can have every chick you want. Don’t waste your pride and time on this one.”

*****

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