Ah, Happy New Years, everyone! This story was inspired by Kushiel's Dart, written by Jacqueline Carey; it is a oneshot - part one of three, but can be read seperately from the other parts. Parts two and three are still in the works, but will hopefully be up after my finals week is over. Enjoy, Tenshi.
HP timeline: Marauders Era - Pureblood's Midwinter Masque
SM timeline: AU
Major Characters: Isabelle Lita Potter (Makoto Kino); Severus Tobias Snape
Minor Characters (in order as they appear):
Gabrielle Potter (OC); Molly (OC); Narcissa Black; Sabrina Snape (Rei Hino); Serenity Snape (Usagi Tsukino); Shiva Snape (Hotaru Tomoe); Sonya Clearwater (Ami Mizuno); Remus Lupin; Freya Malfoy (Minako Aino); Cain Zabini (OC); Aidan Nott (OC); Michelle Clearwater (Michiru Kai'ou); Sirius Black; George Goyle (OC); Charles Crabbe (OC); Bellatrix Black; Rodolphus Lestrange; Andromeda Black; Lucius Malfoy; Lily Potter; James Potter; Haruka Potter (Haruka Ten'ou); Rita Skeeter; Ethan Wood (OC); Hayden Flint (OC); Henry Montague (OC); Richard Potter (OC)
Part I of III:
Elsewhere
Each house has its own masque at some point throughout the year and each is a splendid affair with a worthy history - but the Midwinter Masque is different.1 The Midwinter Masque has always been hosted by Gryffindor House. On the Longest Night, the doors to all the other Houses - Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin - as well as Hogwarts' doors are closed, their walls emptied, as everyone comes to Gryffindor House to celebrate.
Days before the event, the House of Gryffindor was shrouded in a veil of mystery and bustle. Mystery, for only a few knew who would be chosen from among the descendents of Gryffindor to play the Winter Queen. Bustle, for all the servants would be rigorously making the necessary preparations for Godric's Hollow to be suitable for the Midwinter Masque.
In a room on the third floor in the East Wing of Godric's Hollow, the youngest Potter daughter was listening to her mother go through the role of being the Winter Queen: how she was to enter, what she was to do, how to act, how to hold herself, and all of the other necessities required of her during the Midwinter Masque.
Lita stared with bored evergreen orbs at her over-exuberant mother, who was rambling on and on about meaningless information. She caught the last line that fell from the ruby lips of Gabrielle Potter before she swept out of Lita's bedroom, making a grand exit: "And please, Isabelle dear, remember that the Sun Prince is your future husband. You don't want to disappoint him!"
A shriek fell from Lita's lips - though no one was sure whether it was from the maid pulling the corset bodice far too tight or if it was what her mother had told her had sunk in. Groaning in frustration, the seventeen-year-old brunette sunk back into her emerald green chair wearing only a strapless white corset bodice and her undergarments. Leaning forward so her maid could fix her hair, she let out an exasperated sigh, letting her hands hold up her head.
"Nobody, with the exception of mother, calls me Isabelle! Why doesn't she get with the program, Molly? I haven't been called that since I was three!" Lita mumbled loud enough for the maid to hear her complaints.
The maid chuckled at her mistress's distress, her tan hands winding the brown locks of Isabelle Lita Potter, who preferred to be called by her middle name. When Molly was done with Lita's hair, it spilled down to the seventeen-year-old female's waist in soft, loose curls with two white roses behind the right side of her ear and several white ribbons intertwined at random intervals throughout. Her brown hair then had a glamour charm cast upon it, causing it to appear pure white. The youngest Potter daughter snorted at her reflection as she stuck her nose in the air, haughtily stating, "I am Narcissa Black, Hogwarts' well-known Slytherin Slut!"
Despite herself, Molly erupted in a fit of giggles at her mistress's actions and when evergreen orbs landed on the giggling maid, Lita soon joined her. Molly managed to stop herself, helping Lita into the white gown that was made for the Winter Queen.
I love the time and in-between
The calm inside me
In the space where I can breathe
I believe there is a
Distance I have wandered
To touch upon the years of
Reaching out and reaching in
Holding out - holding in
Meanwhile, on the third floor in the West Wing, a black haired twenty-one-year-old wizard was being suited to play the role of the Sun Prince for the Midwinter Masque. He was decked from head-to-toe in gold cloth and even sported a golden cape that swept past his feet. Quickly dismissing the bowing servants, he turned his attention elsewhere, letting his nerves calm down. In his lap lay a mask of a smiling youth with pallid skin to match his own; onyx orbs stared blankly at the cursed face. He ran a hand through his shoulder-length black locks before tying them back with a strip of leather, making his cheekbones appear more raucous than normal.
The door to the room he was situated in swung open with sheer force and two seventeen-year-old girls clambered in panting for air. Their fair, pallid skins were where all the similarities ended between the two, who were - surprisingly enough - fraternal twins. The first girl was the younger of two; she had silver-golden locks spun above her head, hiding its ankle length, and a pair of sparkling blue orbs that peered down at the baby she held on her hip. The second girl was the elder twin. She had hair dark as night, but while her sister's hair was elaborately tied, hers remained in a simple knot with eyes to match that were currently glaring at the silver-blonde.
"Sev!" the first cried out in relief. "We found you! How are you holding up? Do you want to kiss Shiva goodnight before I put her down?"
The second rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sev, would you please tell our dear sister that she is being a lunatic?"
Sev, or rather Severus Tobias Snape, swept to his feet which were adorned with gold boots, eyeing the twins with obsidian eyes. Not saying anything, he strode over to the silver-blonde haired girl and gently scooped the violet haired six-month-old baby from her arms. Walking away from the two girls, they began to bicker as he cooed to the baby girl with unintelligible words. Within moments, Shiva was soundly sleeping in his gold-clad arms. He gazed down at her with eyes full of wonder. 'I'll be starting my own family by the end of the night… with a woman I am not in love with… oh, how I wish it was Isa instead. I love you with all my heart, Isabelle, despite my arranged marriage…'
As he re-entered the room, he found the younger twin sobbing in her sisters' arms. When he locked eyes with the dark haired girl, she softly replied, "Ren doesn't want to be married off so soon. She may love Sirius, but she's not sure if it's the right thing."
Severus nodded, completely understanding how his little sister felt and stepped towards Ren and her twin. Pressing a kiss to Ren's forehead, he handed the dark haired twin the sleeping Shiva. Ren wrapped her arms around his waist; the top of her head didn't even touch his shoulders. Her full name was Serenity Amairs Snape, but she refused to be called 'Serenity,' claiming that it remind her of their deceased mother. Instead, she liked to be called Serena, Ren, Rena, or Sere. Likewise her twin, Sabrina Rei Snape, refused to be called by her first name, choosing to be called Rei.
When Serenity had calmed down, she stepped out of her elder brother's embrace, a sad smile on her face with tears trickling down her pale cheeks as she looked up at him.
"P-pro-promise you-you'll still… talk to us, Sev?" she begged him. Severus nodded again and patted her on the head before Sabrina returned; clothed in an immaculate dress of crimson that blended with various shades of red. She carried with her two masks, a dress, and the still-asleep babe.
"Always," he murmured in her ear before he let twins change into the clothes that their respective Houses had chosen for them.
While Severus had been an adept of Slytherin, Sabrina was an adept of Ravenclaw, and Serenity was of Hufflepuff; as their mother had ordered them to be. Shiva, they had decided, would remain an adept of Slytherin, since their deceased mother had not chosen a House for the babe when she had died.
I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I'll defend it as long as I can be
Left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand
As soon as all the adepts of the houses had gathered in the thirty-some foot ballroom, Lita was notified that she was to make her entrance. She made her way down three sets of stairs, lingering in the darkness of the corridor, awaiting the sound of the trumpets.
When the trumpets rang the first time, the people gathered - Purebloods, half-bloods, wizards, witches, mages, and adepts alike - all rapidly dispersed to the sides, leaving room for the Winter Queen to make her entrance, excitement filling the room as everyone eagerly pended the arrival of the Winter Queen. The second time the trumpets rang through the ballroom she took a deep breath, secured her mask on her face, and stepped out of the dark.
She entered alone, hobbling and leaning on an old blackthorn staff. 'This may be an honor for my parents and siblings, but this is hell for me,' she thought bitterly. 'I'll have back problems before I even bear children!'
The mask was old - four hundred some years old - made of wafer-thin layers of leather soaked and molded into the likeness of an ancient crone, painted and lacquered until it mocked not life, but the preservation of it. Subconsciously, Lita tugged on the grey rags and dingy shawl that covered her pristine dress of pure white; she was seeking some sort of comfort from the garments that over a hundred other Winter Queens had worn.
Everyone bowed as she entered the Great Hall. Lita mentally groaned at the pain in her back, but managed to limp to the head of the colonnade, using the blackthorn staff for support. Straightening only slightly, she hoisted her staff aloft, giving the cue for the trumpets to blare loudly once again, proclaiming that the Longest Night had begun. People cheered and the musicians struck up a merry tune as those gathered rushed to the dance floor with partners and flutes of joie.
Lita sat down on in the majestic chair made of ice, accepting a flute of joie from a young girl decked in head-to-toe in white offered her. The flavor burned her palate, clean and spicy. She savored the taste before placing the flute back, turning her attention to those gathered.
The Midwinter Masque continued in a whirlwind of colors, as Lita kept her eyes and ears peeled for any sign of the Sun Prince. 'So I can finally get off this blasted seat and return to being normal.'
She caught sight of her closest friends on the dance floor. Sonya Clearwater - who preferred to be called by her middle name, Amy - of Ravenclaw House was dancing with Remus Lupin, an adept of Gryffindor House, a close friend of Lita's elder brother, James Potter. While Amy wore a fine dress in sapphire blue, to mimic a water sprite, Remus wore an outfit that resembled a werewolf - his dark side during the full moon. Lita resentfully remembered that her friend was engaged to Remus, who had been her boyfriend for the past three years.
Sabrina Snape, or rather Rei, and Freya Malfoy, the younger sister of Lucius Malfoy, changed turns singing. While Freya was dancing with Aidan Nott, Rei was singing on the stage. She was unaware of the fact that Cain Zabini was watching her with a careful eye. The Winter Queen realized that Rei had indeed caught eyes with the Zabini heir and they had exchanged some sort of message. 'Both Rei and Freya are engaged too - Rei to Cain, now that I think about it, and Freya to Aidan.'
Lita turned her evergreen eyes away, thinking of the man she had been in love with - then her mother informed her that she was to be married. Her attention turned to Serenity Snape, Rei's younger twin, who was madly blushing at what her fiancé, Sirius Black, had said.
'They're so lucky to be in love,' she wistfully thought, then berated herself for thinking such things.
She watched on as George Goyle and Charles Crabbe flirted shamelessly with adepts from Hufflepuff and Bellatrix Black stepped on her fiancé, Rodolphus Lestrange's feet. She remembered that Bellatrix's younger sister, Andromeda, was no longer able to attend the Midwinter Masque, seeing as she had married a muggleborn wizard. Then there was Bellatrix's other younger sister, Narcissa. 'Who's being the typical trophy wife,' Lita rolled her eyes, 'by letting Lucius Malfoy show her off.'
As her sister-in-law, Lily Evans-Potter, danced with her husband, James, Lita felt her heart break. She turned her eyes away from the happily married couple, landed on her blonde haired friend, Freya. Freya took the stage again, this time she was joined by Lita's older sister, Haruka Alexandria Potter, and Haruka's wife, Michelle Clearwater Potter. Haruka sat down to play the piano as Michelle pulled out a violin. 'Neither James nor Haruka realize that I am the Winter Queen this year,' she thought.
Lita immediately recognized a blonde haired adept from Hufflepuff - the well known gossip queen, Rita Skeeter - in a vivid orange and pink dress, chatting Ethan Wood's ear off. The poor Gryffindor adept kept inching away only to be dragged back every few words. Ignoring the flamingo-dressed gossip-addict, her attention turned to figures making out in a dark corner. Squinting behind her mask, she made out the figures of Hayden Flint and Henry Montague. Shaking her head ruefully, 'Good thing Rita hasn't noticed them… otherwise it would be slandered all over the press.'
I know this love is passing time
Passing through like liquid
I am drunk in my desire...
But I love the way you smile at me
I love the way your hands reach out and hold me near...
I believe...
Lita quickly grew tired watching all the people flood the dance floor, the younger adepts rushing about severing joie, and the like. Fighting back multiple yawns, her legs felt stiff from lack of activity. She had been served food by several adepts of Gryffindor dressed in dress robes of white several hours ago, but she itched for something more.
When the trumpets blared once more, around midnight, followed by the sound of a gong that echoed throughout the Great Hall, dancers parted from the floor, clearing it completely.
Lita rose from her chair of ice, becoming the Winter Queen once again as she hobbled to the center of the ballroom, using the blackthorn staff to support her weight.
All eyes turned to the fast-shut doors to the Great Hall, awaiting the Sun Prince's arrival. Once, twice, thrice; from the far side, a spear-butt rapped upon the onyx steal doors, and they fell open at the third blow with a shivering sound from the musicians' timbales.
He was a vision; Lita admitted to herself, dressed in a cloth-of-gold from head-to-toe. His cloak swept against the crimson and golden marble floor as he entered with the mask of a smiling youth, gleaming with a gold leaf that hid his face, and rays that hid his head. The gilded spear clacked in time with the sound of his boots as he made his way to stand in front of her.
Once he stood before her, he bowed but as he rose, so did the head of his spear, sweeping up to touch her breast.
She shuddered at the cool metal against her bosom, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Then she proceeded with the ceremony, bowing in return to him, letting the blackthorn staff to clatter on the floor. Her hair returned to its normal shade of brown when she dropped the glamour charm as the rags and shawl covering her dress pooled at her bare feet. Then the mask of the Winter Queen was gently peeled from her pale face with her hands, falling to the floor amongst the discarded clothing.
Gasps were heard from the crowd, she heard her brother protest at what she was dressed in, as well as her sister's comment about it; Lita hid her disdain considerably well as everyone took their time to admire her.
The gown she wore was loose-fitting; made of several layers of transparent white gauze. It fell gently over her pallid five-foot-six frame. It caressed her shoulders, before falling off in a graceful manner, trailing sleeves that reached the floor. It was also spangled with tiny diamonds, sewn with exquisite care onto the sheer fabric. The gauze did manage to hide her most important parts, but exposed her limber legs under the bell-shape of the lower-half of the dress along with her buff arms hidden underneath her sleeves.
She noted that the Sun Prince seemed to be shocked by her, and then dropped to one knee, grasping her hand. In one swift motion, he produced a gold ring from his pocket, and cleared his throat before stating the words she had dreaded since her return home.
"With this ring, I give my heart to you, O Beloved Winter Queen of Gryffindor House. I swear to protect, honor, comfort, be beside, and love you, as your husband, consort, lover, and friend. From this day forward you are my wife."
Gently, he slid the ring onto her left hand before dropping it and stood up to stand beside her. The Night's Crier swung his baton and struck the gong - a resounding blow - letting the tocsin give shuddering voice to the New Year as the trumpets leapt into the void of silence with a brassy shout, proclaiming joy to all.2 And in that moment of surprise, the celebrants found their breath, shouting with the trumpets, hailing the marriage of the Winter Queen and the Sun Prince to all gathered.
She looked up and met the Prussian blue eyes that belonged to her sister Haruka, who nodded and she caught the smirk on her sister's lips. Lita froze when her evergreen eyes met the hazel orbs of her brother; his frown quickly melted away from his tan face as he gave her a heartbreaking smile and he pulled his wife, Lily, closer to him. She then caught the beaming face of her mother, who was shedding tears of what she presumed to be joy, while her father gave her a melancholic smile despite the joy surrounding them.
The Sun Prince held his ashen hand out for her, she looked up at the mask of a smiling youth before she grasped it and as a pair, they gently glided down the stairs to the dance floor.
I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I'll defend it as long as I can be
Left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand
As they took the dance floor, she heard the murmurings of those closest to them and immediately tuned them out, focusing on the voices of her friend, Rei, singing the traditional Midwinter Masque song, "The sun is sleeping quietly… once upon a century… wistful oceans calm and red… ardent caresses laid to rest…"
Freya quickly followed behind the violet haired girl with the second verse, "For my dreams I hold my life… for wishes I behold my night… the truth at the end of time… losing faith makes a crime…"
"I wish for this night-time… to last for a lifetime… the darkness around me… shores of a solar sea… oh how I wish to go down with the sun… sleeping… weeping… with you…" they sang together in harmony as the pair spun around the dance floor; as if they were the only ones there, poised with grace, dignity, and unity.
Freya took the next verse, her voice laced with passion and deep desire, "Sorrow has a human heart… from my god it will depart… I'd sail before a thousand moons… never finding where to go…"
Lita recovered from her moment of comfort and longing, knowing exactly what she was going to tell him. She kept her voice low, with a sharp edge to it, "I will tell you this now and clear the air between us: I refuse to bear your children. I do not love you, thus I will not subject myself to caring offspring that are fathered with a man I am not in love with."
Oh the quiet child awaits the day when she can break free
The mold that clings like desperation
Mother can't you see I've got
To live my life the way I feel is right for me
Might not be right for you but it's right for me...
I believe...
It only took a moment for him to realize just who he had married - Isabelle Lita Potter - the girl he had been madly in love with since they meet when she entered the House of Slytherin for her tutoring. Everything about her - the gown, makeup, jewelry, hair - made him question who she was. All of it had taken him by surprise and awe; however, her voice taut with a bitter sorrow brought him crashing back into repugnant grasp of reality.
The simple words stung Severus' heart - he felt his world shatter. Something in the back of his head nagged at him; didn't she know that she was married to him? His obsidian eyes widened when he realized his mask was still in place. He gave a sharp nod of his head to signify that he had heard her.
"Two hundred twenty-two days of light… will be desired by a night… a moment for the poet's play… until there's nothing left to say…" Rei took the last verse before joining with Freya for the chorus twice more: "I wish for this night-time… to last for a lifetime… the darkness around me… shores of a solar sea… oh how I wish to go down with the sun… sleeping… weeping… with you…"
She felt the hand splayed on her lower back dig into her flesh, pressing her harder against him, and beneath his breeches, his phallus rising, rigid, and pressing against her. Meanwhile, his other hand clenched hard on her delicate hand, grinding the small bones together. Lita noted that he was not pleased with what she had told him, 'but at least it's the truth.'
He quietly quipped, "You will change your mind."
Her head snapped up to look at him; evergreen orbs alit with something he couldn't quite describe.
"I wish for this night-time… to last for a lifetime… the darkness around me… shores of a solar sea… oh how I wish to go down with the sun… sleeping… weeping… with you…" 3
Silence befell them until the song came to an end, he guided her back her chair of ice at the top of the stairs and then he turned to her to reveal his identity, waiting for his father-in-law to declare his approval of their marriage. Her father, Richard Potter, stood at the top of the stairs, cleared his throat before he raised his flute of joie and announced: "The identity of the Sun Prince is Mr. Severus Tobias Snape, and the Winter Queen, his new wife, is my youngest daughter, Mrs. Isabelle Lita Potter Snape!"
Releasing her hand, Severus pulled the mask away in a painstakingly slow motion. Once his obsidian orbs clashed with her evergreen eyes again, her hands flew to her mouth as tears of either joy or pain filled her eyes. Neither heard the loud protest of her brother as Lita leaned in and cupped her beloved's angular jaw, searing his lips with a passionate kiss. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist possessively as he pulled her flesh up against his chest.
All of those present cheered for couple, with the exception of James Potter, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was being berated by his wife, Lily.
I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I'll defend it as long as I can be
Left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand
I would like to linger here in silence
If I choose to
Would you understand it
Would you try to understand...
When they retired to their quarters several hours later, Lita collapsed into the willing arms of her now-husband, Severus. He carried her bridal-style into their bedchambers, tenderly placing her on the bed and placing a kiss on her brow. As he went to leave, he found his cape being involuntarily yanked backwards. His onyx eyes landed on his wife's hand clutching the golden cloth, evergreen orbs weary from all of the excitement.
"Don't leave me, Sev," she murmured softly.
His heart swelled at her use of his nickname and he found himself stripping down to his breeches before slipping into the king-sized bed beside her. She slowly took off the outer layer of the gauze-made gown before resting her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. As he ran a hand through her locks, he thought back to what she had said when they were dancing. His eyes searched her serene face for answers that he knew he wouldn't get. Murmuring his thoughts aloud, "Why did you say that, Isa, why?" then, "I hope you didn't mean it… I always wanted have a big family."
He heard her hum softly and was caught off-guard when she mumbled in reply, "I didn't mean it, Sev… I wasn't told that I was marrying you… otherwise I wouldn't … have… said such… a cruel… thing…"
She buried her nose into his neck and told her husband one last thing before drifting into the realm of Dreams: "I love you, Sev… forever and for always…"
Severus stroked her lower back in only the caress a lover could, before wrapping both of his arms around her, softly repeating her words, then joined her in a tranquil sleep.
"I love you, Isa… forever and for always."
Elsewhere Lyrics by Sarah McLachlan
1 - Taken right out of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. The concept of the Midwinter Masque is hers; I just switched the 'Houses' around to fit the Harry Potter storyline.
2 - Taken right out of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. I thought it was fitting.
3 - Sleeping Sun Lyrics by Nightwish