Getting to know S. (Severus x OC)

1- Lucius' version

I motion for Selene to sit next to me, but Severus stops her with a brusque gesture and replaces her. I let it go so as not to spoil the atmosphere so soon, and Narcissa looks at them surprised, although she doesn't say anything either.

With dinner served, I try to start a conversation with Selene, to find out a little more about her, but every time I ask her a question, Severus answers for her, without letting her speak. She does nothing to protest, but stares at him with her wide brown eyes, in a gesture that I don't know whether to interpret as confusion, pain, humiliation or all at once.

I don't like my friend's attitude, and I try to ignore his interruptions to talk to Selene. I admit that I let myself get carried away too far by my enthusiasm and my desire to meet her, and I begin to talk about our past on the sark side. I find it very curious that such a shy and delicate-looking young woman was trained as a death eater, and my surprise increases when I learn that my sister-in-law Bellatrix was her tutor.

But Narcissa reminds me that it is not a good topic of conversation, since Severus was imprisoned in Azkaban after the fall of the Dark Lord, and I decide to let it be.

Narcissa, with her usual sagacity, picks up on the tension in the atmosphere and strikes up a private conversation with Selene, to distract her and lighten her mood. The poor woman seems more relaxed as she talks to my wife, and for the first time I see her smile.

Meanwhile, Severus and I discuss the latest news we have from the Ministry, especially a recently imposed law that I don't like at all. In my anger I may have raised my voice more than necessary, and I attract the attention of Selene, who looks at us carefully, and I ask her what she thinks about the matter, emphasizing her name so that she is the one who answers me, and not Severus.

He closes his mouth, sulkily, restraining himself from speaking, but the woman barely utters a couple of words. She is getting nervous, perhaps because she is not used to being the center of attention, until suddenly, the glass she is holding in her hand explodes, spilling the wine all over her dress.

Selene screams in pain, having been cut by the glass, and Narcissa rushes to remedy the situation and takes her to another room to clean her.

I am left alone with Severus, who looks with a serious expression towards the door through which the women have disappeared, and I cannot help but reproach him for his behavior.

He advises me to keep my opinion to myself, with the bad temper that characterizes him, but I insist, reminding him that poor Selene does not deserve such treatment, and that he should respect her, even if it were only to keep up appearances. Furthermore, I don't like that he refers to her in a mocking way, with a nickname that is nothing more than the diminutive of her last name. It seems rude and out of place to me.

Severus tells me that I should mind my own business and insist that I have no idea what is happening, and that he, and not me, is the one who is married to Selene, so he knows better than anyone about his motives to act like this.

We say these and other things to each other, and when the discussion gets more heated, the women appear again.

Narcissa smiles as if nothing had happened, although I'm sure she understands what we were talking about, but Selene seems confused, and looks at Severus strangely, with a slight blush on her face. She seems very distracted by something, but I don't blame her. I can see that Severus isn't very happy either.

We sit at the table again, but this time the silence is totally present, despite Narcissa's attempts to establish a normal conversation again.

An elf brings us a note from Bellatrix, in which she announces that she will come to visit us later with her husband and two friends. The note doesn't say so, but I know very well that, against all common sense, their small group has decided to carry out their plan and finally interrogate the Longbottoms.

I hope the matter hasn't gotten out of hand, because it would give us a new headache, and I know very well that Narcissa would be distressed by it.

Severus rises abruptly from his chair and announces that he and Selene are leaving. I already knew that Severus and Bella didn't exactly get along, and that they took advantage of any situation to argue and throw anything in each other's faces, but I had never seen a reaction like that on his part.

For once, Selene tries to argue back, but Severus stands his ground and repeats that they are leaving. She bows her head and slumps her shoulders, as if defeated, and makes no attempt to confront her husband again.

Severus doesn't accept mine and Narcissa's pleadings for them to stay and says goodbye to us as coldly as ever. When I say goodbye to Selene, I notice that her eyes are wet, and she looks at me as if she were begging me for something.

However, I know I can't intervene, and I just watch as Severus grabs her arm firmly and rushes her out of here.

Now that they're gone, I can't stop pacing and cursing my friend, who's been a real miserable oaf tonight.