A/N: Thank you all for your encouragement and support! I love your reviews, and knowing the first chapter was interesting enough for some of you to follow the story made my heart swell. But I do need to take this opportunity to apologize for making the beginning of the story so... sad. I promise... it's only temporary. There will be drama, but trust me: I am too much of a wimp to ever write tragedy.
And Luna de Papel... how do I thank you? I appreciate your patience being my beta and your amazingly speedy feedback!
Disclaimer: Not Mine.
Chapter Two - Toby's Hero
"How's your darling little boy doing?" An old witch asked kindly as she dug into her purse for a bill.
"Toby is doing great!" Hermione answered cheerfully as she put a crystal jar of violet colored ointment into a small paper bag. "He just started third grade a couple of weeks ago."
"Third grade already?" The old witch asked in surprise. "My my my... Kids grow up too fast, don't they?"
"They sure do Mrs. Griffey. Here is your favorite hand salve. Enjoy!"
"Oh I certainly will Hermione. I just love how my hands feel after using this. It's definitely worth the trip out of my shabby cottage. I heard a new bakery opened down the road. Have you tried it? I thought I would pick up a loaf of bread while I'm out here."
"Their croissants and morning buns are excellent too." Hermione smiled warmly at the old witch, before leaning over and whispering, "You would've thought they stole the recipe straight out of a house-elf's kitchen, except they say their goodies are also 100% organic and cholesterol free! Now that's some impressive magic."
Watching the old woman giggle all the way out of the store, Hermione took a quick glance at the clock on the wall. "Oh look at the time Jenny," she called towards the backroom, "it's past noon already. Would you like your lunch break now?"
A young woman in her early twenties came out from the backroom following her call. As she made her way over to the counter, she twisted her long blonde hair into a bun and tucked her slim wand into the bun like a chopstick. "I was hoping to ask you, Hermione... Do you mind if I leave later, say about one thirty or two, for the break, and then take the rest of the afternoon off?"
"Oh..." Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"
"I just got a text from Ben this morning." The young witch answered, trying hard to hide a big grin in her face, "he got released early and can start his break today. He'll be in town this afternoon. I haven't seen him for three weeks since he started his rotation in Texas."
"I didn't realize he's been away for so long already! You've been talking about him every day, I almost forgot he left for his aviation training. Go ahead, by all means. And no problem, I can take care of the store for the rest of the day. Do you want tomorrow off too?"
"I can stay a little longer." The young witch smiled. "His flight won't be here until three anyway. And he's visiting his parents tomorrow so I can come to work with no problems."
"You should have flown your boyfriend back yourself!" Hermione teased.
"Yeah, right!" Jenny chuckled, "He may be able to handle a fighter jet, but I don't think he can manage to sit still on a broom!"
The two women shared a good laugh visualizing the funny image of a six-foot three Marine dangling from Jenny's broom. Sharing small talks, they began rearranging the merchandise in the display windows for the upcoming weekend.
"Say," Jenny asked casually as she restocked little packets of incense on the shelf, "is your little boy really okay? How does he like his new school?"
Hermione's hand paused in midair as she considered the question, but quickly returned her attention to the vials floating in a displaying case in a corner of the store. With a wave of her wand she cast a charm over the case, so that only witches and wizards could detect its existence. "He's doing alright, I suppose." She sighed, "it's just hard... when the other kids pick on him."
"Well... do you think it'd be better if you find him a father figure?" Jenny asked curiously.
"Fantastic idea, Jenny." Hermione let out a small laugh, "should I walk down the street with a sign asking guys if they'd be willing to stand up for my son at school? And I'm warning you," she put on a serious expression, "don't you dare signing me up on any blind dates with guys you find on the Internet ever again."
"That's not what I mean this time!" Jenny stuck out her tongue and made a face. "I'm just suggesting that maybe you can go out a little, you know, meet some people. It's fun!"
"I see," Hermione smiled, "you are determined to set me up with one of your boyfriend's buddies, aren't you? I'm sorry Jenny. They are just not my type."
"Okay so I'll cross out the uniforms. What is your type anyway?" Jenny stopped what she was doing, clearly intrigued by the topic. "I've known you since you moved here. How long ago was it? Four? Five years? I've watched you passing on all the eligible bachelors in town! Granted, it's not that big, but still! Is none of them good enough by your standards?"
Hermione didn't answer; Jenny knew she hit a nerve.
"You really can't remember, can you?" She frowned. "You think he's still somewhere out there looking for you? Your boyfriend? Or husband?"
"I don't know Jenny..." Hermione sighed, "I know it's been years. But I still don't want to give up. There has to be a way I can get my memory back. I don't want to do something I may regret when I eventually remember why I was here at the first place. As far as him looking for me, well, I'm afraid you might be overly optimistic about my past. How do you know he didn't leave me, or didn't kick me out of his life?"
"My golly, Hermione!" Jenny leaned against the counter and earnestly addressed the woman who was her boss and her friend. "Do you realize how all the guys look at you when they come to the store? Everyone adores you! No one would ever want to leave you or kick you out!"
"Okay my friend." Hermione looked up from the counter as she locked the small glass case showcasing hand-made glass jewelry. "Thanks a lot for the self-esteem booster. Why don't you go home now, change into something pretty and get ready to welcome your knight in shining armor?"
"Awww..." Jenny whined, "you are kicking me out! Just because I pointed out a serious problem in your life!"
Hermione dismissed her young friend with a wave of her hand. "Let me think about my type and get back to you all right?"
Afternoons in the Sierra Mountains were still warm in September. Hermione opened the windows to let some air in. That was when she heard a soft pop in the back of the store. She frowned at the sound, wondering if that could be Jenny forgetting something. Her customers usually Apparated to a nearby street corner and walked into her store through the front door.
"Did you forget something?" She asked as she walked through the side door into the gravel yard. Before she could react, Toby bounced into her arms.
"Mom! Mom! Guess who I met!"
"What are you doing here sweetie? School is not out until 2:30! What did you say?" Hermione suddenly realized what she had heard. Looking up, she noticed an old man standing a few feet away from them.
The older gentleman was tall and lean, with his shoulders slightly slouching forward. His hair was completely grey. His dark eyes seemed weary. He was carrying a black leather suitcase, the kind that could fetch a handsome price at an antique store. Dressed in a slightly worn dark grey tweed jacket, he looked like a university scholar from the beginning of last century. A white scarf loosely tied around his neck, seemed slightly unfit for the warm weather on this early fall day. He might have been in his eighties. But, if Hermione was right about the soft pop she heard earlier, he had to be a wizard. And that meant he could be even older.
"Mom! Listen!" Toby's voice pulled Hermione's attention back from the older gentleman. "Mom, this is Severus Snape! The wizard from the books I read! He fixed my bleeding nose! And he took me home!"
"What?!" Hermione's voice rose in alarm, staring at her son she scolded, "you followed a stranger out of school? What were you thinking!? You are nine! You should know better by now!"
"But mom!" Toby immediately began to protest, "This is Severus Snape! He's the good guy!"
"Your mother is right." A smooth and calm voice came behind the boy. "It was indeed a serious lack of judgment on your part."
Hermione's eyes shot up and found the old man's dark ones piercing into hers.
"However, there was an unpleasant incident in the schoolyard." The old man explained slowly. "I didn't like what I saw when I walked by."
"What happened?" Hermione gasped, and quickly turned to Toby for the explanation.
"Well..." Excitement seemed to have evaporated from the boy's voice as he dropped his head and said, "Jack and Dylan started it, mom. I was ignoring them for the longest time. But then they cornered me behind the classroom right before lunch break and started calling you names. So we got in a fight."
"What did they call me?" Hermione asked.
"They called you a witch," Toby answered.
"And that bothered you?" Hermione raised her brows and let out a small laugh.
"No! But... they call you other things too. And I don't think you'd like me to repeat it." He was almost whispering.
Hermione took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at the boy. "What happened then?"
"I punched Dylan. But they are bigger and there were two of them, mom," Toby said in a small voice. "They got on top of me really quick. That's when Mr. Snape showed up."
Toby's answer suddenly reminded Hermione of the existence of the old man. "Oh... I'm so sorry sir!" She quickly looked up again, surprised to see the he was still staring at her tensely. "I was being awfully rude... Where did my manners go?" She took a small step forward and shortened the distance between them. "You must be a wizard?" She reached out with a hand, which he shook gently. "I heard you Apparating earlier. Please forgive Toby. I must apologize. My son has been reading the Harry Potter stories way too much. He was probably living in his pretend world when he recognized you as a wizard with a British accent."
"MOM!" Toby was obviously offended by his mother's statement.
"That's... quite alright." The man frowned, but seemed to have relaxed a little. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you however. Your son was not mistaken. I am, indeed, Severus Snape."
"Oh..." Hermione's eyes widened, as she struggled to find the words, "Wow... Er... Oh... Mr. Snape. I'm so sorry."
"Do you always spend half an hour apologizing when someone brings your son home from school?" The old wizard asked coolly.
Hermione let out an uneasy laugh and shook her head. "No. It's just... quite unexpected... sir. Um... Would you like to come in for some tea? I just would never imagine seeing someone like you... here."
"Tea would be nice." The old wizard nodded slowly. "I could use a little rest after wrestling those two trolls off of your son."
Toby flew to the wizard's side, took him by his arm and led him into the backroom, with Hermione trailing behind. Putting the tea kettle on the stove, she walked over to the small kitchen connecting to the backroom and put together a small display of cheese and fruit. Realizing it was lunch time, she also added a couple of croissants to the plate.
"Did I even thank you properly, sir?" She said politely as she set the tea and the plate of food down by the old man and the boy. "Thank you so much for coming to Toby's rescue, and bringing him home to me."
"Severus." The old wizard murmured.
"Excuse me, what did you say?" Hermione leaned a little closer, not sure if she had heard his reply correctly.
"Call me Severus." He answered, with his eyes locked on the cup in his hand. After a small pause he added, "thanks for the tea, Mrs..."
"You are very welcome, Severus. It's just Miss." Hermione smiled. "Miss Prince. But everyone I know just calls me Hermione."
She didn't understand why his dark eyes suddenly darted at her with such intensity. Did she say something wrong? Arching her brows at the reaction of her unexpected guest she said, "Uh... if you could excuse me... I need to call the principal real quick. They are not going to be happy when they realize they are missing a student." She directed the last part of her sentence at Toby.
When Hermione got off the phone with Toby's principal, she returned to the backroom from her office. She slowed down her footsteps, trying to listen to the quiet conversations in the room.
If she had to be honest with herself, she couldn't call it a conversation. It would be much more accurate to call it a monologue by Toby. She hadn't heard the boy chat so excitedly for a very long time. He was asking lots of questions, one after another, and all seemed to be related to the stories he had read about the British wizarding wars.
Hermione soon realized their guest could use a little rescue from the boy's endless questions. "Toby," she entered the room and addressed her son sternly, "Mr. Hartman was not happy at all about the incident at school today. You will have to apologize to Dylan tomorrow for punching him."
"But they started it first..."
"That still didn't give you the excuse to hit him. Dylan and Jack have been asked to apologize to you, too. So there. Please. Let it go." She shook her head.
The boy chewed on his bottom lip and sulked in his seat. Watching her son's cheerful spirit disappearing, Hermione suddenly felt very guilty. "What were you talking about with Mr. Snape?" She hoped changing the subject would help the mood in the room.
While the boy didn't answer, the wizard replied. "Your son was interrogating me about all the events occurred over half a century ago. Although I am impressed by his familiarity with that useless piece of history, I must say I have no interest in digging into my memory for answers."
"I'm so sorry. It's just... you have to know how much Toby admires you from reading the stories. Say, what brought you here to this part of the world anyway, Severus?"
Taking a sip of his tea Severus said, "I've been touring around the world for the past few decades."
"Touring around the world?" His answer lifted the boy's spirit and brought back his curiosity. "Is this an adventure? Do you have a list of places to visit? Are you writing a book about your journey?"
Shaking his head slowly, Severus answered, "No, nothing of the sort, unfortunately. I was tired of the scene back in Britain. The endless harassment from the public nearly drove me insane. I needed to get away. I was also in search of..." his voice trailed off, as if he was suddenly lost in thought.
"Are you looking for a place where you can quietly retire?" Hermione asked as she picked up a grape, smiling inwardly as she noticed Toby had the decency to seem embarrassed upon hearing Severus' opinion about intrusive questions.
"Perhaps... you could say that." Severus nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh, do you like our town, Mr. Snape?" The boy's was grinning broadly at the old wizard now.
"This is really a very nice place." Hermione nodded in agreement. "Perfect weather, nice people, and a cute little downtown with several nice restaurants."
"I can do without the people." He drawled.
Hermione couldn't help but let out a giggle. She vaguely remembered hearing Toby commenting on the snarly professor named Severus Snape. Now that she was having a conversation with him, she found his dry sense of humor very charming in a strange sort of way.
Realizing the old wizard was glaring at her, Hermione straightened up a little and cleared her throat. "Well, if you like this area, you should look into some of those cabins around. Some of them are for short-term leases, perfect for tourists; some are for sale. It may work for people who'd like to get away from life in the city and start something new in this little haven."
"Was that why you chose to live here, to get away from the past and start something new?" He suddenly asked.
She arched a brow at his strange question.
Seeming to have realized the inappropriateness of his question, Severus hastily added, "You do have a British accent."
"That's partly the reason." She hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "It's also just a beautiful place with a open-minded community traditionally friendly to both muggles and wizards. It seems to fit our needs perfectly. As for the cabins…" She didn't want to talk much about herself, and steeled the topic back to the local real estate market. "There is a one-bed-room cabin two doors down from us. But it's not furnished. There are also a couple of bigger ones further down the road towards the hill. I have a friend who is a realtor. If you like, I can give her a call and have her show you around."
"Please Mr. Snape! Please stay in our town!" Toby pleaded. "Mom's friend Cindy is the best realtor in the world. Let her find you a perfect home!"
"I'll take the cabin down the street." Severus said quietly. "I'll lease it."
"What?" Hermione's eyes widened. She was not trying to sell anything to him, and certainly not a piece of real estate. And besides, who in the world would make such a rash decision when it comes to finding a home? "You must have misunderstood," she tried to explain, "I'm not trying to sell you anything. You should look around, really. There are plenty of nice choices, especially if you go further up into the mountains. The one I just told you about isn't even furnished."
"I have everything I need in here." He pointed at his suitcase briefly. "Contrary to your belief, I'm not a gullible old man. I understand you perfectly well. I'm tired from my traveling. And I think the cabin down the road is exactly what I need. Call your friend and tell her to meet me somewhere. I hope to complete the transaction as quickly as I can."
"Oh." Hermione didn't know how to make of the old wizard's decision. But based on the determined look on his face, she decided it wouldn't be wise trying to persuade him to rethink his decision.
A couple hours later, Hermione's friend Cindy danced out of Hermione's store, the old wizard following behind. Cindy had come to Hermione's store after receiving the call about a potential buyer. Following her buyer's wishes, the realtor flew through the procedures necessary for the transaction and finished all the paperwork in record time, right there in Hermione's office. Hermione had tried interfering twice, reminding Severus he didn't need to sign all the papers so soon, considering a hotel room could be easily booked in town. But both times her suggestions were deterred by the wizard's glaring dark eyes. Instead of prolonging the process as Hermione had suggested, Severus made a couple changes to the contract and bypassed some options that would usually protect the buyer's interests. In the end, the deal was completed before sunset; and Severus followed Cindy to his new residence.
Toby couldn't contain his excitement as he watched the events unfold in his mother's store this special afternoon. After Severus left for his new home, the boy couldn't stop talking about having the greatest wizard living down the road. He brought up the idea that his mother should bring some dinner over to their new neighbor. Realizing her son would certainly want to befriend the old man, Hermione decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to get to know him herself. That was why at just a little past seven in the evening, Hermione found herself holding a freshly baked chicken casserole, waiting outside her new neighbor's door with her son.
The old wizard seemed slightly surprised when he found the young witch and her son at the door. But he quickly regained his composure and invited them inside. To Hermione's great amazement, the little cabin had already been completely furnished. She knew wizards could do amazing things, but she didn't expect him to be completely moved in within the first few hours of his ownership of the cabin.
As if reading her mind, Severus simply stated, "I told you I had all I needed in my suitcase."
"All of this?" Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. "Your bookshelves, tables, chairs, your four-poster bed, and the wardrobe?"
"A little trick of the Undetectable Extension Charm. You sure are familiar with it, aren't you, Hermione?" He looked into her eyes and arched a brow.
"I've heard of it..." She frowned, "but never tried it myself."
The new neighbors exchanged a small conversation as the old man thanked the witch for her help that afternoon, as well as the delicious dinner dish. Before long, Hermione was trying to usher Toby out of the door.
"Can I come visit you after school tomorrow Mr. Snape?" The boy asked pleadingly as his mother pushed him across the threshold.
"That would be... fine." Severus nodded. "As long as it is acceptable by your mother."
Sending him a big grin, the boy skipped down the lane towards home. Giving her famous new neighbor a small smile, Hermione bid Severus goodnight and went after her son.
Severus watched the witch and the boy disappear behind the door of their small two-story house, before retreating back into his cabin. Walking past the chicken casserole on the kitchen table, he settled in his wing-back chair by the fireplace. A glass of fire whiskey was waiting for him on a small table next to the chair. He picked it up and examined the golden liquid in front of him.
"Merlin, how could this be?" He took a small sip from the glass. "After all these years... Have I finally gone mad?" Feeling a wave of tiredness wash over him, he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
As he had explained to Toby that afternoon, he had traveled the world in the past few decades. He was partly telling the truth when he said he was trying to get away from the public eye after the war. There was, however, a much bigger reason for his travel.
After the final battle, everyone was looking for Hermione. It turned out Severus was the last one who'd seen her that evening. While the thought of her carrying their child gave him the reason to cling on to life, the news of her disappearance nearly took away all of his will to live. He tried all he could to conceal his emotions when Minerva informed him of Hermione's disappearance. Potter and Weasley couldn't provide any useful leads when they came to visit him, other than saying no one found her body in the ruins of the dungeons. Knowing people killed by dark magic could simply vanish, Severus expected the worst.
As soon as he was released from St. Mungo's, he rushed to his quarters at Hogwarts. However, other than broken glass everywhere, there was no sign of anyone forcing their way into his quarters. Unless... he had thought... she had discovered a way to undo his wards from the inside when they were weak. That was not completely impossible, as he was certain his wards were likely frail when his life was hanging by a thread after the bite of the snake.
But that still didn't answer the question of why she had left them all. And where did she go? If she had indeed survived the final battle, Severus thought the only reason for her to hide might have something to do with the child she was carrying. Fearing she might be ashamed of their relationship, Severus kept their love affair only to himself, never mentioning the secrets they shared to another soul.
Too often he found himself staring into the night sky, remembering every word they said to each other throughout the trying years during the war, replaying their entire conversation in the evening of the final battle in his head. He wondered if she was carrying out her plans of "raising the baby by herself". Was she still upset with him for his harsh words? Severus cursed himself for not being able to control his temper. Why did he always have to spit out the wrong words in his fury?
Eventually, he had set out a life-long journey looking for her: at first he was looking for a young witch, later he searched for a young witch with a baby, and years later, he began to ask for a witch with a grown child. He thought even if she would have nothing to do with him, he could still apologize and meet his child, at least for once. He spent the first two decades combing through the wizarding communities in Britain and most of Europe. When he couldn't find her, he went on to Australia, Africa, Asia, South America, and finally, North America.
He had almost lost hope a few years ago, but decided he would complete this world-wide journey just for his own sanity: so that he wouldn't have any regrets in his death bed for not searching the last corner of the world.
When he saw the witch standing in front of him that afternoon, however, he couldn't believe his eyes: she looked just like her: the same long mane of brown hair and the same soft brown eyes. But she couldn't be... she simply couldn't.
The last time he saw her was over sixty years ago. No matter how mature she had claimed herself to be, she was only nineteen. If this was her, she should have been almost eighty. But the young witch here in a small Northern California town couldn't even be older than thirty. He stole a few glances at her when she offered him tea. She was still the petite slender witch he had remembered, but the way she carried herself was quite different: her choice of words now diplomatic, and her every movement seemed nothing but confident and assured.
And the boy... the boy with black eyes and back hair... if he was his son, Severus would have expected him to be a middle-aged man.
Just as he thought his eyes had deceived him, however, she told him her name: Hermione, Hermione Prince. He almost forgot to breathe for a few minutes. Could this really be a coincidence? Could fate really be so cruel, sending him to the opposite end of the world, only to find a witch who looked like her, sounded like her, with a son bearing such similarity to his younger self?
Unable to make sense of this encounter, Severus did what he thought was best. He would stay here for a while and research. He wanted to get to know the witch and the boy. He needed to know: was she really the witch that was once his? Or could there possible be such a thing as reincarnation?
Severus was certain of one thing: he wouldn't go anywhere until he found his answers. He couldn't walk away from her, if this was truly her, again.
For the first time in years, Severus went to bed that night, feeling hopeful. The following morning couldn't arrive soon enough.
TBC
We have some very important developments to go through. Please be patient with me... :-)