Chapter 1

"That blasted woman, will this persecution never cease?" Snape slammed down the day's Daily Prophet scattering the images on the page. He could feel a headache coming on and worked the bridge of his nose as he paced the length of the room.

"You knew this would happen, why does it surprise you?"

Severus looked over at his old friend wishing he was anywhere but here. But alas his magic didn't extend enough to make someone disappear with one's thoughts alone.

"Don't look at me like that old boy; you knew this would happen when they first announced the 5th Annual Masquerade and Auction. Seems the public is teeming with curiosity as to the life of a reformed death eater, I should know, I've had them camped out on the manor lawn for two weeks now."

Severus hated to admit it but the blond man was right. He had lived a quiet life after the war and kept to himself – until recently, that was when Skeeter had decided to target him with lies. Sure he had been in the paper often; it was one of the throwbacks to being declared a war hero. Severus normally ignored him but lately, it had become too much for even him to handle.

"I don't know why they want to know anything about me. What's left to tell? That damned Potter blurted all my most intimate memories to anyone that would listen. I was mortified. A childhood crush blown out of proportion for the sake of having him complete a mission; I was cursed, compelled to release those memories by Dumbledore. There is no other way that I would have let so much go, just what the boy needed to know. Even after his death, the old codger still managed to control my life."

"Yes well, a lot has happened in five years Severus," Lucius said his tone very matter of fact.

Severus could see his old friend shift awkwardly in his seat a knowing smirk on his face. The fact that Severus was now the wealthiest wizard in the wizarding world did not sit well with the aristocrat. When the proverbial smoke had cleared and Severus had been pardoned, the part of Dumbledore's will that pertained to Severus had revealed itself on the parchments filed at the Department of Magical Estates. In his will, Albus has left the entirety of his estate which also included the estates of Nicholas and Parenelle Flammel. In the course of their long lives the three had accumulated a world of riches that included not only gold but also ancient texts, artifacts and parchments, many of which only been seen by Merlin himself. Albus had even patented the potions that Severus had created while working as a spy and put them all in Severus' name. Severus had more wealth than he could spend in three lifetimes and he was bored out of his mind because of it.

Being wealthy afforded itself to a kind of lifestyle that Severus was not at all familiar with. He mainly spent his days brewing and holed up in a house he had inherited that sat over a cliff in Mallorca. The warm sea breezes would fill the Mediterranean style villa and the sunshine brightened every inch of the abode. Severus however spent his time in the downstairs rooms he had magically fashioned to look like his former dungeons at Hogwarts. Even now as he sat looking out over the sea, he itched to return and finish brewing some potions and reading quietly. Lucius begged him to travel with him, visit the places wealthy wizards congregated and change his lifestyle. After a few months of that extravagant lifestyle, Severus found he was better suited for a life of quiet solitude. That is, until the parasite that is Rita Skeeter began digging into his private life.

She was reporting that Severus was somehow plotting to become the next dark Lord. That the reason he was so out of the public eye was because he was using his considerable wealth to recruit dark wizards from around the globe. The absurdity of it was laughable until it started the ministry on investigating Severus and all his movements. He had been visited twice already by aurors as well as a late night floo call from the Minister of Magic. If this continued, Severus feared he would be forced to take action.

Lucius had picked up the discarded paper and begun to peruse the article when he started to chuckle lightly.

"What's so funny?" Severus demanded.

"It seems that a former student of yours has once again captured the ire of Ms. Skeeter."

Severus walked around behind Lucius and leaned over to see the image of one of the former banes of his existence throwing hexes at the reporter as she quickly made her way to the area formerly known as Knockturn Alley. After the war the area had been magically reconstructed, the undesirables were given legitimate work helping to rebuild their community. It had been all an initiative started by Miss Granger to rehabilitate the wizarding community after the war. Severus was reluctant to admit it but it had worked. He'd followed her work closely, the stacks of newspapers in his desk would attest to it. The wizarding world was thriving and it had a lot to do with the social initiatives Miss Granger had made while working as a consultant to the ministry. Severus had heard she had finished her muggle studies in conjunction with her magical one and brought that intolerable know-it-all; take charge attitude to the ministry.

The press however still seemed insistent on focusing on her non-existent social life. Severus was ashamed to admit that he had become increasingly interested in the life of Miss Granger thanks to the sheer number of articles the Skeeter woman wrote about her. Her every waking moment was covered by the Prophet. Severus wondered how the young woman lived with it. There were insinuations about her private life or lack thereof. There were lurid speculations about who she might be dating, having never once been seen with anyone in public, except maybe the youngest Weasley girl or some of her former classmates.

"I could only imagine the field day Skeeter would have if the two of you were ever out in public together," Lucius chortled as he stood to refill his empty glass.

The moment the words had left Lucius mouth Severus straightened up and began to contemplate their meaning. Certainly it was a novel idea, but what could he offer the young woman in exchange for her cooperation. Severus moved to stand by the balcony, the soft breeze whipping his dark hair around his face. He ran a long finger along his lip in quite deliberation, he wondered if he could convince the young woman to enter into an agreement with him. Purely business of course, he had no interest in her beyond what she could do to quell rumors that he was the next coming of the dark lord.

"I know that look Severus; I don't think she will be keen on it," Lucius took a long drink from his tumbler, the amber liquid disappearing leaving the soft clinking of ice on glass.

"It has been too many years old friend. What besides your wealth could you possibly offer a homely bookworm like Miss Granger? Then again, you're no looker yourself," Lucius laughed as he moved to retrieve his cane to leave.

"How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?" Severus scowled at the retreating man, he wouldn't even bother offering a retort to his insult, and he knew he was by no means handsome but he did have other attributes Miss Granger might be interested in. He had books he knew Miss Granger would foam at the mouth to read and gold he could offer her in exchange for her time.

"Tero!" Severus called out to his house elf.

"In what is Tero serving the master?"

"Fetch me some parchment and a quill. I have business to attend to."

Tero blinked out of sight at the spoken order. Severus knew the Granger girl was in need of benefactors for her projects, namely one benefiting orphans of the war. Severus remembered reading that in the last couple of years, donations had fallen dangerously low and the facility ran the risk of closing. He knew then what he would do.

Upon hearing Tero return Severus sat at the small table abandoned by Lucius and began to draft a letter. There was no time to waste.