All Hallows Eve Nightmare
A/N: This is a short fic that came about from a challenge in the Facebook group Lovers of The Potion's Master. I will post the Prompt at the end of the fic. I want to thank my Beta, Lady Lanera for putting up with me and my nagging and thank Daughter of Aries for prodding me to keep writing.
disclaimer: ALL RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS ARE PROPERTY OF QUEEN JKR. I only own my two OC's and the plot.
"Princess?"
"No."
"Fairy?"
"No."
"Witch?"
Severus put down the stirring rod and glanced up at the seven-year-old who was currently getting on his last nerve."You are already a witch, Erin," he reminded with a frown. "My answer is still no."
The usually well behaved seven-year-old glared at her father, making him smirk. If it wasn't for the blonde curls and green eyes, she'd have almost looked like he did at that age.
"I mean a fake witch, Daddy. A Muggle one with green skin and a big ugly nose…" She grinned wickedly. "Like you."
Severus shook his head as he extinguished the fire beneath the cauldron full of Stomach Soother he just finished brewing. For nearly a month now Erin had been pestering him to let her partake in the Muggle tradition of trick or treating. And for just as long, he told her no. The dangers that came with the silly tradition was more than enough to turn Severus off to the idea. Parents letting their children wander the streets in outlandish outfits, taking candy from strangers. He grimaced. The little brats would then go home and eat the night's haul in one go and make themselves sick from all that sugar. If the candy wasn't poisoned in the first place, that was. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.
"Erin, every day you come in here and pester me about this silly holiday, and every day my answer remains the same. Nothing you say or do will change my answer." He turned from her and walked over to a rack of vials to pick out ones to fill with the now cool potion.
"You're not being fair! All the other kids are going trick or treating. So, why can't I?" Erin kicked the leg of the table as her father's back was turned. The vibrations made the cauldron inch closer to the edge of the table as a few drops of potion splashed onto the table. "Just because we're not Muggles doesn't mean I can't go. I play with Muggles, go to school with Muggles. We live next door to Muggles, Daddy. I'll be laughed at in school, and my friends will hate me."
"Spare me the theatrics, Erin. No means no, and that's final."
Erin growled and kicked the table again. A feeling of satisfaction crept up her spine as she once again made the cauldron move and drip some of its contents onto the table. "I bet you hate Halloween because Grandma didn't let you go trick or treating. I bet you got picked on in school because of it, too, and had no friends."
Severus turned from his stores, his obsidian eyes narrowed on the blonde child. "You know not what you speak of, Erin. I have a very valid reason not to like Halloween. A reason your five-year-old little mind couldn't even comprehend." He slowly stalked over to the table, placing the phials down none too lightly next to the waiting potion. "This is the last time I will say this, Erin, so listen well. This family has not and will not celebrate Halloween this year or any year after that. Now leave me in peace, so I may finish this order."
Erin angrily got to her feet. "Sod your bloody potion and your bloody Apothecary! You care more about your damned potions than you care about me." She shoved the table and watched as the cauldron finally tipped over the edge. As the cauldron hit the floor, Erin turned and ran for the door, yanking it open. "I wish you weren't my father!" she cried before slamming it behind her as she ran to her room.
Severus stood there, his trousers and boots covered in the now useless potion, staring at the door. "Wish granted." Flicking his hand, he vanished the potion and sat down on the stool Erin had been sitting on moments before. How could he tell a mere Seven-year-old the truth behind why he hated this bloody holiday? Hell, after nearly twenty years he still couldn't face the truth himself. With a long-suffering sigh, Severus let his head fall into his hands as Erin's parting words replayed in his mind.
Demetri stepped out of the Floo in the sitting room to an unusually quiet house. Removing her traveling cloak and draping it over the back of the couch as she passed, she wondered where her husband and daughter were. Erin usually tackled her as soon as she stepped out of the Floo on the days she worked late at St. Mungo's, and Severus would have sauntered into the room just in time to reprimand the girl. Walking down the hall, she frowned at the darkened kitchen and continued on down the hall, intending to climb the stairs to check the bedrooms.
Noticing a sliver of light coming from beneath the door to Severus's lab, Demetri figured both of her missing family members must be inside. Pushing open the door, her frown deepened as she found only Severus sitting with his head in his hands. She sighed as she leaned on the door frame wishing she knew how to help him.
For the past six years, Severus always drew into himself around this time of the year, and any attempt to draw him out resulted in an argument. Demetri knew he had more emotional baggage than the average human could possibly handle before she married him a year ago and wished he'd try to let it go. He tried to hide his nightmares about the wars, but Demetri wasn't stupid.
She knew the signs from his days spent recovering in St. Mungo's while under her care. She remembered holding his hand through the milder ones, and holding his hair away from his face when the worse ones made him physically ill. Then there was the survivor's guilt that ate at him every May and October. She hated Dumbledore and Tom Riddle for conditioning her husband into believing he wasn't going to see the end of the war. He had given up on life when he finally woke up a month after the war in her ward. She of course just wasn't going to have any of that from him while he was in her care.
She smiled as she remembered the near physical fights the two of them got into over his Healing Potions and Voice therapy sessions. The man was more stubborn than baby Blast-Ended Skrewt on a leash. He was also very proficient in nonverbal spells, which he thought would scare her off, but only made her redouble her efforts. The git even tried to get her fired by claiming sexual Harassment once when she insisted on helping him to the showers or loo.
Demetri gave back as good as she got though, going as far as incanting her spells in French when he was being more pratish than usual. When he would refuse to do his voice exercises, she would sit at the foot of his bed, singing horribly in French until he gave in.
Slowly but surely, she helped him heal, physically at least. He refused to go and talk to anyone who he thought was a Mind Healer or Muggle psychiatrist and deal with all the emotional crap life handed him. He was discharged from Mungo's three months after the Battle of Hogwarts, and Demetri feared that she'd never see him again or read about his killing himself in the Daily Prophet.
Under the guise of wanting to follow up on his progress, Demetri contacted her sister-in-law, Narcissa Malfoy, for Severus' home address. When she finally found the rotting boards and rusted nails that someone deemed fit to call a home, Demetri was praying to Merlin that the house didn't fall on her before she got a chance to speak to Severus. Knocking on the door resulted in her standing on the rotting front stoop for nearly a half an hour without a sign of life in the house.
Fearing the worst, Demetri broke through the weak wards placed on the door and cast a Lumos as she entered the musty entryway. Carefully making her way around overturned furniture and books scattered about the floor in the sitting room, Demetri found her patient in the kitchen surround by broken china and crockery as well as about a dozen or so Firewhiskey bottles. Swearing in both Latin and French, Demetri vanished the mess before bending down to make sure the stupid arse was still breathing so the last three months weren't a complete waste of her time and efforts. Satisfied he hadn't drank himself to death, she Apparated them both to her home in Paris.
It took two Sticking charms and a Binding spell to keep Severus from leaving the bed that first week. The second week he was free to roam her house until she found him trying to overdose on Dreamless Sleep when she left for an hour to get take away. She once again had to confine him to the guest bed, her heart breaking as he begged her to let him die or when woke her screaming in his sleep as his nightmares took hold.
By the third week he withdrew into himself, refusing to eat, speak, or even acknowledge her presence. Demetri would sit with him like she did in St. Mungo and tell him about her life and growing up in France. She'd tell him stories about Lucius that she remembered as a child and tell him about all the trouble she'd get into at Beauxbaton.
It wasn't until two weeks later, the beginning of November, that Severus began to show signs of life again. When he seemed strong enough, Demetri allowed him to leave her guest room, taking him at his word that he wouldn't try to kill himself again. Severus went back to house on Spinner's End under the condition that he would meet with her weekly to check on his progress.
They slowly went from healer and patient to friends, and by December, Demetri began to feel more towards the snarky git. It wasn't until New Year's Eve that Severus surprised Demetri by showing up at her flat and confessing his own attraction towards her. Demetri, however had a surprise of her own.
So after the clock struck midnight, Demetri told Severus about Erin. At first Severus was weary of the idea of a one-year-old entering the relationship as well, but eventually the blonde haired toddler grew on him. Demetri knew Erin had him wrapped around her little finger when she would call him daddy and Severus had stopped correcting her.
After much pleading, or bickering as Severus would tell it, Demetri was able to convince Severus to get rid of that death trap of a house. By April, they moved into a bigger house in Wiltshire near her sister-in-law.
They hit a roadblock in their relationship when October rolled around again. Demetri was once again worried about Severus as he withdrew more and more as Halloween approached. Severus had constant mood swings and nightmares. The worst of which happened on Halloween itself. When Demetri was finally able to wake him, he was still caught in the terror and latched onto her in a near bone crushing embrace. He rocked them both as his body shook with gut wrenching sobs, the words "I'm sorry, Lily. Please forgive me" falling brokenly from his lips. After what felt like hours, she was able to calm him down and convince him to take a Calming Draught. They spent the rest of the night and a better part of the morning talking about his nightmare and its connection to Halloween. She reassured him numerous times that she didn't think him a monster for telling the Dark Lord what he did nor was Lily's death his fault.
As the years passed, Severus began to resemble his old self. He began brewing again and eventually opened his own Apothecary. Even though he loathed his days as a professor, he loved Erin's curiosity and eagerness to want to know every last thing there was to know about potions. The pair could often be found huddled over a cauldron or old potion tome for hours at a time. Demetri knew Severus enjoyed the time the two spent together more than Severus would ever admit to. The man had a habit of denying it if ever called out on it.
Sighing again, Demetri straightened up and walked over to her husband, slipping her arms around his shoulders a she kissed the back of his hand. "Want to talk about it?"
Severus lifted his head from his hands and looked at his wife. "Erin."
Demetri knew exactly what that one word answer meant and shook her head. This fight over celebrating Halloween like her friends was one Severus and Erin fought over for the past three years. "She's seven, Severus. She's going to want to do the things her friends are doing. Why can't you let her do this? You don't have to partake in the celebration."
"It's a sorry excuse for a holiday, that's why. It's a bastardized rip off of Samhain that the Wizarding World celebrates."
"What if I took her out with Cissy or your mother…"
"No." Severus pushed to his feet and ran a hand through his hair that fell into his eyes. "It's not safe, Demetri. All those Muggles running around in disguises. How would you know if one of them wasn't a wizard or witch bent on causing trouble? What if they saw you and Erin and harmed you for being my wife and daughter?"
"Severus, the war is over. Nothing will happen to us. Why must you assume the worse in every situation? Just because Lily died on Halloween…" She stopped short at the icy glare on Severus' face.
"Don't you dare." Each word was whispered in a dangerous tone Severus hadn't used since his time at Hogwarts.
Demetri stood her ground and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why should Erin suffer because you're still hung up on something that happened 23 years ago, Severus. It's not fair to her or to me."
Severus stepped back as if she had struck him before he regained his composure. "It may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair, Demetri. I should know." With that, he turned from his wife and out the door, slamming it behind him.
A/N : Please review and let me know what you think so far. :)