AN: This story is inspired by the musical Hamilton and the life of Alexander and elizabeth Hamilton It is told primarily by neighbors and eventually their children warnings- death, infidelity, and alcohol abuse. Please know that there will be a happy ending for everyone, even though it will be terse and angsty; if it isn't your cup of tea, please skip this story. HG will not be an idiot, forgiving wife and SS won't be all powerful; I write to explore the human condition and I want to understand our choices. Ps- I'm working on a few one shots from the Perfect Drug. Thank you and let me know what you think!
Charlotte Miller took her twelve year old daughter's hand and pushed down the street, passing her neighbor a tall, frail man people constantly gossiped about because he should've died during the war but hadn't, not that many of them had ever taken the time to actually speak to him and know the sacrifices he'd made to ensure the safety of the wizarding world. Sure, he'd made himself a facet of the community, but it was really his wife who had segued them into the neighborhood, her genteel and sweet nature immediately endeared her and their children to their neighbors. When the Snapes moved to Threapleton three years prior, Hermione Granger- Snape had ingratiated herself with her neighbors immediately, eight months pregnant and glowing she brought them all blueberry and pomegranate muffins and candles her husband made on the side. By her words, most of them thought that her husband was going to be an agreeable member of their community, but he'd been quiet and surly most of the time, barking at the kids around the neighborhood who made noise when they walked past their fence, if he was working in their elaborate garden or teaching one of their children to fly. Though he didn't seem nice in most situations, Charlotte thought he seemed a devoted father. And as the Administrator of Justice in their region, they saw him as a formal member and one who spent too much time in his robes.
"Mummy, why is Mr. Snape walking alone?" Charlotte looked down to her sweet daughter and sighed, children were so innocent. Lottie didn't know what a pariah Severus Snape had become since his son had died and before that.
"He likes to walk, honey and you the Snapes lost their son last month. He's probably sad, darling." Without pause, Lottie released her hand and ran to Severus Snape and calling out his name, tugging on his sleeve and enveloping him in a hug.
"Phillip Q was my friend, Mr. Snape. I'm so sorry." For the first time in their acquaintance, Charlotte Miller saw Snape's features soften and instead of yelling or berating the child, as she'd seen and heard him do before, she saw him hug her daughter with a softness and finesse she knew he probably reserved for his own children. Lottie hugged him tightly once more and then she ran back to her mother, taking her hand again as they walked to the market to buy vegetables for dinner. Although she tried, Charlotte couldn't forget her sullen neighbor, suddenly feeling guilty that they hadn't done more when news of their fifteen year old son was killed, but between the ever present gossip about Snape's alleged affair and then the death of their son, Charlotte rather thought Hermione Granger-Snape was overwhelmed and put upon enough. Still, she thought she might bring around a casserole or some pudding, Lottie could play with their five other children and perhaps she could help in the garden. Fixed on the idea, Charlotte Miller grabbed extra fruit for pudding and told Lottie they'd be visiting the Snape's sometime during the weekend.
-SSHG-
Billy St. James poured four powders into packets and labeled them quickly before his patrons entered the store, his hand shook for a moment before he realized that Severus Snape was already at his door, waiting patiently but with his signature scowl. Although the Snapes had only lived in Threapleton for three years, he'd had business with Severus Snape before, there not being too many magical communities near Yorkshire. Although it took considerable force, Billy remembered the bleak man as a pale, pasty boy in Manchester, his collar being pulled by an aggressive, angry bloke who was obviously his father. It was odd that they'd ended up in the same quaint village all these years later, since people rarely stumbled upon Threapleton and even more rare was it that people remained.
Strolling over to the door, Billy's hand again trembled turning the knob before Snape strolled in, clearly on a mission as usual.
"The usual, Severus?" When Billy caught his eye, he saw weary, worn lines at the corner and the sudden onslaught of gray at his temple. For the first time in their acquaintance, Severus Snape looked his age. "Does the misses need dittany this round?" Severus merely nodded and folded his arms, waiting on the test of the powders to be poured into the paper envelopes. He rarely said anything to Billy, but even more so since Phillip Q was killed. It took everything Billy had not to ask him how they were, if they needed anything, but he knew better; they may have become neighbors and acquaintances over the years, but Snape was as private as ever.
Putting all of the envelopes into a parchment bag, two bottles of dittany, and instructions( even though he knew a potions master with the prestige of a Hogwarts professor wouldn't need them), Billy put in a note to Hermione as well, begging her to visit if she needed a break. Handing it over to Snape, Billy almost said something but stopped himself, thinking about his own daughter who'd died in the war and how, even if it had been well meaning, it hurt his heart when folks asked about his sweet Millie. Instead, he commented on the weather and wished him well.
"Take care, Billy." The words took moments to reach Billy's ears then to be processed, it was the kindest he'd ever heard Severus Snape. Before he could respond, the man was gone through the door, the wind whistling through the small crack the door as a hand to his mouth, he could almost cry thinking of their situation and his sweet Millie. No parent should have to bury their own child, especially after everything they'd already been through. He didn't put any stock in the rumors that Severus Snape and Belladonna Redbank had been seeing each other secretly for a year; he could never imagine his patron adoring anyone but his wife, the loveliest woman he'd ever known beyond his own dear wife, Eudora. No, Belladonna Redbank couldn't have possibly thought it agreeable to see a man with six children, wholly devoted to them and their lives, in such a small town. She may have been lonely and bored, but he couldn't imagine her being so guileless, not with Severus for that matter. When other townspeople brought it up, he tried to squash their banter, but they rarely spoke of the affair now that Phillip Q was dead; they all talked about his duel, how neither of his parents had been able to stop him, and how he'd suffered greatly in death, taking over fourteen hours as he became delirious. Although they had flooed St. Mungos and a healer came to aid them, it was Billy St. James who had supplied the potions needed to treat poor Phillip Q, but none of it did any good aside from alleviating his pain towards the end. He'd never seen Hermione quite so pained, he'd never seen her anything but happy and contented, her six, now five, children trailing her through the village like little ducks and her sweet voice calling out to them, teaching them as they walked about flowers, herbs, spells to use to protect them or to help their neighbors.
Several customers came through before Billy had time to process seeing Severus that morning, but when he did get a break, he wondered if they needed anything, even if it was just a break from the children or a cooked dinner. Although people in their town were close, often helping each other any way they could, Severus didn't seem the kind of man to accept help, so most people had sent cards, had tried to see Hermione when possible, but never intruding on their privacy and never inviting themselves into their house or garden. Looking around his apothecary, Billy saw that his lavender and lemongrass stores were low; he thought to invite the elder Snape children to help him gather the herbs when he went to the edge of the village. Before settling into his afternoon work, he sent a missive with his owl, Iago, and hoped that Hermione would actually answer.
-_!-
A month later.
Letter to the people of Threapleton:
This confession is not made without reservation or sincere apology, not only to my wife and children but also to this village and to the people who have trusted me with the administration of the law here and in our region. Although my wife and I appeal to you for privacy regarding the death of our son Phillip Q, we thank you considerably for the outpouring of support and aid you have continuously offered us since he passed two months prior. But, I digress, this missive is not simply to thank you but to admit publicly that while Belladonna Redbank lived in this village, having persisted in her pursuit of my family and me, we did engage in an inappropriate and damaging relationship. She claimed to be a member of my mother's family, twice removed, and in desperate need of our hospitality, and while our behavior was reprehensible, her misinformation and prowess led to a serious disturbance here in Threapleton. When her ill-begotten husband returned to Britain, he immediately said ought to incriminate me in a scheme and asked for monetary compensation for his silence. I can no longer hope to settle this privately and beg your forgiveness. I make this confession to avoid the extortion of money and prestige and to publicly ask that Germain Redbank be held to his confession and to the letter of the law, and as I am still the Administrator of Justice for this region and cannot legally try Germain Redbank for his crimes, I ask that you allow Stephan March to administer in this case. Although I have been a constant in the public eye since the end of the war, I ask that my family be given the privacy and consideration they deserve, especially as my children are underage. If my management of this region has been remiss, please take it upon yourselves to contact the Board of Justice and they will open an investigation with which I submit wholly and without reservation. Thank you again for your continued support. Your humble servant, Severus T. Snape, Administrator of Justice, Order of Merlin, First Class, Master of Potions.
He signed the letter and sent it immediately, no longer worried about the blackmail Germain Redbank threatened and instead concerned for his wife's heart, his children's experience in school or around the village, the amount of scrutiny they'd already faced as war heroes, as important figures in the Wizengamot and the Administration of Justice, in the death of his eldest son, Phillip Q. Before returning to the first floor of their home in Threapleton, he finished his whiskey and sighed, thinking of his son, his dark hair sweeping across his eyes when they discussed his work at school or in playing chess...Phillip Q, or Phillip Quinn-Davies, named for Hermione's father and brother, who died when she was small, called Phillip Q as soon as their second child, Jeannie, could speak. Soon, most everyone who knew them and even his teachers, once he entered school, called their strapping son, robust and broad-shouldered, outgoing and effervescent as his mother, everyone's friend and confidant, so unlike his father yet it been easy for Severus to love Phillip Q. It had been a fun, though irritating at least to Severus, joke that Phillip Q was actually Harry Potter's son, as he reminded everyone of James and Albus Severus, but once they heard his voice, the same velvety baritone of his father's, the joke would be over. Phillip Q had loved his father, wanted to be so much like him in every aspect, even pursuing a potions curriculum with hopes to apprentice with his father after school, but none of that would happen now that he was gone. Severus thought of his Ravenclaw quidditch robes left haphazardly in his room, still in the same spot, starting to collect dust. He didn't imagine any of their remaining children too young to attend Hogwarts would be sorted into Ravenclaw, but he wasn't quite ready to pack up Phillip Q's belongings or give Leo, their next oldest son the room. Sometimes he fought the urge to destroy the room completely, anger boiling over as he contemplated his son's irrational behavior. Phillip Q had never dueled outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts class or with he or Hermione; he had barely raised his voice in anger or annoyance and even then it was towards himself most of the time. It baffled Severus immensely that Phillip Q could've been drawn into a duel, but sipping his whiskey and scrawling some notes in his calendar did nothing to assuage his mind. Lightly, he heard Hermione's steps on the stairs, her gait and cadence like music to his ears.
He felt her hand on his shoulder as he sighed once more and buried his face in his hands, lost in thought about their son Phillip Q, and their living children, the roundness of her belly against his back, their last child still in gestation. It was a small wonder that she had been able to have one more child and that she had become pregnant three months before Phillip Q was killed. Each time they birthed a child, Hermione claimed they were finished but each time, they forgot themselves and this time, she had never been so thankful for their passion. Between Jeannie and their youngest, Augustin and his twin sister, older by nine minutes, Aurelia, there were eleven years of time and experience. She'd been told the twins had created a hostile environment for gestation, so when she'd become pregnant again, she fretted more in telling Severus than she had when she was first pregnant with Phillip Q, the first major surprise of their marriage, but he had been pleased, happy even, especially as their eldest son's death had hit them so hard. In fact, she'd worried through his death and the scandal with Belladonna Redbank that she'd lose the baby.
"I've written the letter, I'm sure it'll be published tomorrow. Are you sure you're ready for this, my darling?" His voice hit her ears in velvety softness, caressing her eardrum and reminding her of their short courtship, being in his classroom for five years, of his confession.
"We've weathered worse." Hermione's voice was harsher than she wanted as she bent down and kissed the crown of his head, her hardworking and diligent husband, and tried to swallow her hurt. She missed Phillip Q, she missed the time before she knew that her husband had been embroiled in an affair, but mostly she missed the innocence of youth. As she pulled away, he caught her wrist and kissed her palm with his warm, soft lips.
"Stay one more minute, please." His other hand moved to the small roundness of her body and pulled her close, shaking marginally as he did.
"That will be enough?" She felt him shake again and could tell he was crying; Severus never cried, or at least she only saw him cry when their children were born, when Phillip Q died, when he'd woken up in the infirmary at Hogwarts after the Final Battle, and when they'd married, tears flowed freely on all of those days, but now she couldn't tell whether he was crying about the letter, his loss of his privacy once more, his infidelity, or the death of their firstborn. She didn't ask, he didn't say, but she held him, eventually moving so she was sitting on his lap and holding him, smoothing his hair from his face as he rumbled against her. Every sweet thing he'd ever done, every kind word, every soft caress flooded her brain and overwhelmed her desire to flee, to let go of him, to call him every nasty thing she could imagine and had since he'd first confessed that he'd slept with Belladonna Redbank. Instead, her heart steeled and sank deep within her, creating a resolve she could only attribute to years of fierce motherhood and the thick skin she'd grown living with her cantankerous husband.
"I love you, Severus." Hermione kissed him softly, wiping his tears away and pushing his hair behind his ears. "I'm taking Auggie, Aurelia, Leo, and Liam with me to see Billy and help him at the apothecary. Will you be alright with Jeannie?" Taking his chin between her fingers, she found herself in his darks orbs and wondered if they really would weather this storm, if they really could move on from his affair and the extortion, if they could figure out how to live without Phillip Q in their lives, and for one second, it really was enough.
"Of course." He hugged her once more about her waist and felt her body stiffen momentarily. "I love you, my beloved." Hermione turned from him, her wand out as she left the room and descended the stairs, letting her grief hit her for one minute before she breathed deeply, cast a cleansing charm and met her sweet children in the sitting room where Jeannie had wrangled them. Without a moment's pause, she took the hands of the twins and allowed Liam and Leo to fly their brooms to go uptown. She cast an eye to the office and saw Severus standing solemn at the window, he waved to them slightly and she smiled; it was pleasant to walk uptown and meet with Billy St. James and his wife Eudora, they often passed the Millers, Bakers, and Gundersons, their myriad of children like stepping stones coming from their homes as though the Snape children were celebrities, but it was that all the children actually enjoyed each other and since their father was often antisocial, if they were with Hermione they were allowed to play and talk. Lottie Miller, Thomas Baker, George Gunderson, and Leo Snape were all gryffindors, but Liam and Jeannie were the only slytherins in Threapleton in current attendance at Hogwarts, though Hermione had a suspicion that Isaac Baker would be a slytherin once he was sorted with the twins, Auggie and Aurelia she imagined would be Hufflepuff. For a moment, she thought of Phillip Q in his Ravenclaw robes, his handsome dark hair pulled back and felt her resolve crumbling; tears poured forth from her eyes as they walked to the front of the apothecary spotting Billy and Eudora inside waiting on them. As soon as they made it to the apothecary, Hermione let go of the twins' hands and released them to Eudora and Billy before suddenly collapsing on their stone floor and waking hours later in a strange bed, the healer who hadn't been able to save Phillip Q at her side, and a strange feeling of fuzziness in her brain before she lost consciousness once more. When they hadn't been able to alert Severus and Jeannie, who'd gone to Diagon Alley for last minute Hogwarts supplies, Billy remembered Hermione mentioning the godparents for their children were Harry and Ginny Potter, so he contacted them as soon as he could, allowing Ginny to take the children to Grimmauld Place and for Harry to use his Aurora training to hunt down Severus Snape before his wife lost consciousness again.
SSHG
Tuesday, Patrick Gunderson picked up his son George from the Baker's house and saw that the apothecary uptown was closed, which was quite odd. Billy and Eudora only closed for special occasions or emergencies and he hoped it was the latter. Taking a closer look inside, Patrick was shocked to hear the crack of apparition next to him and then suddenly his neighbor, the foreboding Severus Snape appeared with his eldest daughter Jeannie at his side, quickly yanking the door handle and going through.
"Did something happen with your friend, George?" His blonde son shook his head and walked on, craning his neck as they turned by the bakery and pie shop.
"Nothing more than his mum is still sad about their brother and how she might be moving to London." Patrick tried not to engage in gossip or prod his son too much, but the Snapes had been an odd addition to their village and since they'd moved there, they'd had little peace. He didn't begrudge his son playing with the curly-headed middle boys whose names he couldn't recall, but he also didn't want Severus Snape stalking around the town too often scaring off potential customers from the bookstore where Patrick and his wife worked. Even if Hermione Granger-Snape was his best customer, her tiny twins the kindest children he'd ever met, the husband was something he just didn't understand.
"Well, maybe you should check on them later. It's always a good idea to make sure your friends are taken care of, Georgie, alright?" Patrick Gunderson and his son walked through the door of the bookshop and flipped the open sign on.
SSHG
Jillian and Michael Baker had both lived in Threapleton since birth and both had attended Hogwarts as Ravenclaws, an oddity for the village which saw primarily Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Although Jill had immediately warmed to most new arrivals in Threapleton, the Warwicks of Black Hill were the oddest bunch and at the tender age of fourteen she found that she could barely stomach the Warwick children, their odd black hair and piercing blue eyes. When most students on holiday from Hogwarts and spending it with family or enjoying the time off, the Warwicks always stayed holed away in their home, a bleak monstrosity off Black Hill, never really playing with the children of Threapleton and certainly not joining in a random quidditch match. It wasn't until Jillian Baker, nee Miller, was old enough to have children of her own that she worried enough to consider the Warwicks outcasts and when the Snapes moved into town, she didn't understand why they were given such harsh treatment when the wife always tried to make the children behave, get involved with the other children in the town, and invited them around for birthdays and holidays, going out of her way to remember the names of children in the town and important information about them like their birthdays or allergies, if they'd hurt themselves in odd heaths or ravines, if they liked aniseed and honey cookies, a particular favorite of Jillian and Michael's son, Thomas. In Jillian's opinion, the Snapes at least tried whereas the Warwicks had outworn their welcome. The last straw, of course, being Stanthorpe Warwick's killing of Phillip Q in the duel in Cheshire Field; no one would ever forgive Stanthorpe. Regardless of the letter printed in the Wednesday edition of the Yorkshire times wherein Severus Snape confessed to an affair with Belladonna Redbank, at least the Snapes were honest, hardworking people; the Warwicks contributed nothing except misery and now death, the death of the nicest young man in the village no less and for that, Jillian Baker was finished with the Warwicks for good, pushing neighbors and the mayor to force them to leave Threapleton, especially as Stanthorpe would be released from Azkaban in two months time, the death being listed as a terrible, tragic accident and Stanthorpe exonerated on the basis of circumstantial evidence. They would all mourn Phillip Q once more, his body finally being released to the Snapes that weekend, though a little bird had told Jillian that Hermione would not be in attendance, curious indeed.