Not your usual Veela mate

Occlumency and the DA

Lucius sat perched on a workbench, watching Severus stir a cauldron adding something or other. The Potions Master was pure poetry in motion, and the blond enjoyed watching him work. Considering how harrowing their morning had been, they both needed this time to get their equilibration back. He fully understood and agreed with Severus' decision to send today's classes to the library to do bookwork. He wouldn't feel up to facing a class full of silly children either.

Instead, the man had holed himself up in his private lab and had spent the entire day brewing different potions, once he had reassured himself that the boys would be fine. That reminded him...

"How did you know that something was wrong this morning? Mercury and I had already left the Great Hall when Draco called me. Do you have a spell monitoring the boys?" Lucius asked, not sure how he felt about that if that was the case.

Severus snorted and glanced up from what he was doing. "Nothing that drastic, but now that you mentioned it, maybe that would be a good idea."

"I don't think Harry agrees with you," Lucius said, reluctantly dismissing the idea. "So how did you know there was trouble brewing?"

"Hogwarts told me."

"Hogwarts?" Lucius echoed.

"Yes, Hogwarts, the school we currently are living in?" Severus said, talking as if Lucius was one of his more dense dunderheads.

Lucius sent his mate a dark glower. "Very funny, Sev. I know what Hogwarts is, thank you very much. But I've never heard of the castle talking to anyone before."

"Oh, she does, but only when she thinks it is urgent or extremely important. Ever since I was made Head of Slytherin, she's been giving me hints of what is going on with my snakes. One of the reasons I always manage to be where I need to be, when I need to be there." Severus smirked, sending Lucius a look, well aware of the many times he'd thwarted some of Draco's more elaborate attempts at getting the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs in trouble.

"I'll be sure not to tell him," Lucius said, his voice laced with amusement. He too was well aware of his son's prank attempts. "So Hogwarts told you...?" Lucius asked, returning to his original question.

Shaking his head ruefully, Severus added the last ingredient and set the brew to simmer before he answered that question.

"She told me that Harry was about to lose control and she wasn't sure if she could contain the magical surge without help."

Lucius blinked; that was not the answer he'd been expecting. "That she couldn't... He is that powerful? According to Hogwarts: A History, the founders put in some very impressive wards to ensure that no student was injured due to lack of control. Or have the wards diminished with time?" he mused, looking for other answers, not sure he wanted for Harry to be that powerful.

"I don't know about the wards, but yes, I suspect he is that powerful." Severus nodded, checking the cauldron one last time before erecting a ward to make sure nothing was added to the potion, whether by accident or by malicious intent. Peeves had yet to manage to find a way into Severus' private lab, but he was all too aware that the poltergeist was not about to give up anytime soon.

"Where do you think he got that potion from?" Lucius asked, turning his attention to the second issue that had occupied his thoughts. "From what Draco has told me, and from your rants, I thought the boy was hopeless at Potions, and yet he managed to brew that dratted Black Truth. Do you think he has been holding back?"