Hey everyone. This story was written for both Snape Appreciation in Fortnightly Challenges and The Holmes Mystery Challenge on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My prompt for The Holmes Mystery Challenge was a Homeless AU. And I choose to write for Shelf 1 prompt 2. Sleep Draught for the Snape Appreciation Challenge. The task for that was to write about a sleepless night. There are some warnings to be dealt out. Depending on what you consider cursing there one word of curse in the story. And of course the mental abuse of the Black family is always to be considered warning worthy. So without further ado here is Shelter.
Cold. That was all I felt as I searched around for a new place to sleep tonight. It would have been great if the police hadn't been tipped off by someone that I was "living" in that burned out hulk of a building in Muggle London. They'd come and burst into the room I was trying to sleep in at the moment. Arresting me on the spot because some Muggle owned the place and I was trespassing on private property.
"No was using the darn place," I muttered to myself. "Why shouldn't I be able to use it?"
It had been years since I had had a warm place to lay my head. Years since I ran away from the home where I was supposedly loved by my family. I couldn't help but snort to myself. My family never loved me. I was just a pawn in their game. At least cousin Sirius had somewhere to go when he left home. Not running from one Muggle shelter to another.
"Where were you?" asked a quiet voice not that far away from where I was sitting. I would know that voice anywhere. It was the voice of the man I betrayed my family for. It was my Remus.
"The Muggles caught me having a nap in some run down building downtown," I told him. "Said I was trespassing and arrested me on the spot. I spent most of the day in a Muggle lockup. Or that was what the man he threw me in the cell called it."
"I'm sorry, dear." He put his arms around my slowly shrinking form.
I had once been a great beauty that any man would be proud to have on their arm but you wouldn't know that to look at me now. My blonde hair was dirty most days. My once porcelain skin was grime covered from sleeping wherever we could find a place to sleep. I didn't even own my own clothes. The ones I was wearing were from a shelter that we had been thrown out of for not being productive enough. But they at least allowed us to keep the threadbare clothes they gave us. I tugged at my too short skirt that had obviously been meant for someone smaller than myself. The jeans jacket they'd given was pretty large and gave me the appearance that I didn't have any clothes on at all. That is until you were in front of me and could see the black tank and the skirt. At least the boots were comfortable.
"I think I found us another shelter to sleep in," he told me. "Until I save enough money to buy us a house of our own." I saw the disappointment on his face and knew it probably mirrored my own.
"Lead the way," I told him as I took his offered arm trying to hold on to him and hold my jacket close to keep warm.
The people at the shelter had were as nice as the people at the last one. They were always nice until the princess that was inside of my decided to show her head and she always did. I knew it hurt Remus as much as it hurt the people I was cruel to but I couldn't help it. I was used to getting my own way. To having things done for me. Not by me. The people from the last place had told me that I should learn my place. These people would eventual end up the same. They always did.
"What's wrong, Cissa?" asked Remus pulling me against his chest as he pushed our cots together.
"Nothing," I lied. Because how can you tell the person you love that you wished you were leading another life. A miserable life but one were you had everything you could ever want.
"Cissa," he said in a warning tone, "I can tell when you're lying to me. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Remus. Just go to sleep. We don't know how long these people will tolerate me."
"Cissa, you I'd do anything to make you happy. I'm close to getting a job. I can feel it. This job is the one." He yawned sleepily throwing his arms around me pulling me close to him. "You'll see."
"Will I? Tell me about our future life than."
It was the only thing I could I think to say to keep my thoughts from dwelling on the here and now. The cold days and nights of not knowing if we'd ever finally have a place to sleep.
"Our future life will be amazing," he said voice filled with sleep. "I'll have a nice teaching job which will provide enough money for us to buy a house. Not the type your used to but it will be a nice little house."
"With a wrap around porch," I put in. "And white picket fence and porch swing."
"Of course. All those things. Even a few trees for our future kids to build tree houses in. And you will be able to do whatever you want. You could start up your writing again. You were always so good at it. And we'd be oh so happy together." He stopped and thought for a few seconds. "And maybe your family will come around to our being together and support us."
I snorted at this. Remembering how they had sneered at us when we came to tell them that we were married after he graduated from Hogwarts. They said that the marriage wasn't valid seeing as they never signed any form saying that I could be married to Remus. I had smirked as I told them I forged their signatures and was going to live my happily ever after like Andromeda. They told me to either annul the marriage or never come back. I had left that day without hope of ever seeing my family again. I don't think they'd take me back even if I did try to contact them.
"You remember what my parents said," I told him.
He mumbled something sleepily that sounded like, "But people are allowed to change their minds, dear."
I looked up into his handsome face, the face I had fallen in love with over our years at Hogwarts, and could see hope clouding his thoughts as he slept. At least someone would be able to sleep. Maybe I could go and ask my sister Andromeda if we could come stay with her and her family for a bit. At least I knew she supported us. I snuggled close to Remus and began my nightly vigil until I saw the sunrise out the window. My eyes drooping close I sleep finally took as the day was just beginning.
I hope you all enjoyed Shelter. I might continue this story as a multi-chapter. It's interesting to see a rebellious Narcissa. Or at least I think so.