Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.

Summary: AU. Sequel to 'A Love Before Time'. At the height of the 2nd War & After Snape has his own peculiar destiny to face. SS/OC.

Supernatural/Drama/Angst/Spiritual/Romance/Horror

This story is rated R/M.

Ever After

Chapter 002: Tragedy

A week later and the Llewellyns were back in England. Suggs Llewellyn had received a telegram about a business opportunity. It was too good to pass up and he'd unceremoniously ended their holiday. He'd had been approached by a solicitor representing a Swiss firm interested in expanding its business interests in Britain. He'd already been to several meetings in London with their legal representative. The solicitor had specifically requested her father's presence only. This did not go down well with Granddad and he'd barely spoken a word since.

Audrey made it her business to stay in her room unless she was called for to do work around the house. Things were tense – very tense. Usually it was only this bad when everyone was arguing over her and her 'problem'.

Her half-brothers lived with their own mother. Suggs had left his first wife for Andrea, who had been his secretary and with whom he'd been having an affair, when she became pregnant with Audrey. The best that could be said for all concerned was that they tolerated each other. As long as the money rolled in and her father's other children and his Ex were looked after, things were OK. His other family gave Audrey a wide berth and she preferred it that way. Another than having the same sperm donor, she and her brothers had nothing in common.

With this new deal perhaps he could pay them all off once and for all.

'They offered to buy us out – and then I would be Chairman of the new Group – now how about THAT!' Audrey's father roared gleefully one Friday night after what was to be his last trip to London.

'Of course you turned 'em down! I didn't break me back all me life just to hand it all over to a bunch of fast-talking suits!' Granddad shouted.

'I most certainly did not! They offered double what the business is worth! The wire transfer will come through first thing Monday morning!'

Granddad looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

'You… you… GODDAM IT MAN! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU SIGNED EVERYTHING OVER WITH NOTHING IN OUR ACCOUNTS?!'

'Dad for crying out loud, it's the weekend – not like they can do much now is it! These people had offices you wouldn't believe! Executives walking around in top-of-the line tailored suits! The latest technology! I was given the grand tour! Treated like a king! Even saw my new office! They're Swiss – major company and all that malarkey – that's how they do business! I will get more in salary in bonuses that we ever brought in keeping the business in the family! The money will be there after the first thing Monday!'

'What about our employees, eh? What about them? We've never been forced to put anyone on the dole! I know how these sharks work! They buy the business and cut us out along with everyone that works for us! And let me guess – it never occurred to you to take Archie with ya!'

Archibald Simcox-Mayer was the solicitor who looked after legal concerns for Llewellyn Pharmaceuticals. Granddad always said a good solicitor who didn't have you by the bollocks over fees was worth their weight in gold. Archie was one of the blessed few and had proven his worth many times throughout the years..

'Look – there was no time for all that malarkey! The decision had to be made quickly and what's done is done! If it wasn't for me we wouldn't have grown as much as we have over the years!'

'Lost – everything lost! I worked so hard…it was me what started it all! From nothing!'

Granddad was angry. He had not only been left out of the decision-making process; he was cut out of the business altogether.

'At your age you shouldn't even be working! You can go on as many holidays as you want – your time is your own. I'm done with this discussion – I have the majority say in the business, remember?'

'Shafted – by me own son!'

'Give it a rest – playing the victim doesn't suit you. You'll be a multi-millionaire ten times over come Monday morning!'

'Playing a game of Monopoly are we?' Granddad hissed.

Audrey's father stormed into his study and locked the door. She could only guess what her mother was thinking. Andrea had been hiding away in their bedroom whispering into her mobile phone.

She had the unsinkable feeling that everything was about to come crashing down around them.

OOO

'NOOOOOOO! PLEEEEAAASSSEEEEEE HEEEEEELLLLLLPPPP MMMMMMEEEEEEE!'

Audrey screamed and tossed violently from side to side.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

Lights went on in the hallway, but she was too far gone to see them. Audrey was lost in the nightmare which had plagued her for as long as she could remember.

'It's hot! It's so hot! Please NO – I don't want to die!'

'Audrey – Audrey wake up! It's Granddad sweetheart! Come on – you have to wake up now!'

His only granddaughter was coughing now, choking. Her hands went up to her throat as her eyes opened wide. Though they were open she could not see.

'Audrey – it's Granddad! I'm here, I'm here!'

'Pppllleeeeaaaaasssssseeeeee!' she whimpered as her hands reached out wildly and then were snatched back with a high pitched scream. It was as if she were in extreme agony.

'Wake up, love; come on – everything will be alright. You just have to wake up…..'

But he knew it was no use.

Audrey never snapped out of it no matter what any of the family did. Her mother had given up on her long ago. And her father – well he was just as useless as her mother. Her parents were only alright if she didn't give them too much trouble. Her parents had even considered turning her over to Social Services for fostering. It was only because of her grandparents that she was still living under their roof. No matter what rosey picture her parents tried to paint to the rest of the world, her grandparents knew better.

If it wasn't for them God only knew what their granddaughter's life would be like.

Spencer Llewellyn could only watch helplessly as Audrey thrashed around. In the morning she would be up, alarmed at her bruises, scratches and the odd blister or two as tended to be the case. She never had any recollection of her night terrors.

Her parents had taken to leaving her to get on with coping by herself.

…xXxXxXx…

The next morning the Llewellyn household was eerily silent. Audrey's mother had got up early and gone off without so much as a word to anyone. Suggs dismissed her absence saying she was probably getting a head start on spending his millions. Below the surface everyone was on edge – waiting to see what Monday morning would bring.

Granddad had called Archie first thing Saturday morning to review the situation.

'I'm sorry Spence – but you made him the majority stakeholder in the company. He can do as he likes. You're not a public company listed on the Stock Exchange – unfortunately you have no real say in the matter… he is the head of the company…'

Spencer Llewellyn was beyond consolation.

…xXxXxXx…

Finally Monday morning came. Audrey could barely bring herself to get up out of bed once she was fully awake. She looked at her alarm clock. It was 10:00am. The money should have hit the company account no later than seven.

The house was quiet – even more quiet than the weekend. Considering he had hit a jackpot of sorts – she would have thought her father would be downstairs carrying on to all his friends. She took her time getting dressed and going downstairs. There was no point to rushing.

Audrey knew without a doubt that her father had been fleeced of everything her grandfather had worked had for.

All she could do was wait for the fallout.

OOO

Suggs Llewellyn drove like a mad man from his bank in Bath up to London. It was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't taken a few lives alongside his own. He illegally parked his car in front of an imposing new skyscraper near Old Broad Street in the City of London, the financial centre of the Capital. Given that London did not have very many, it made a serious impression whether you were a tenant company or a visitor.

'Good morning. How can I help you?' asked the building manager at the security desk.

'Suggs Llewellyn to see Mr. Cazenove – Jacquard & Cie!' came a breathless reply.

The manager raised an eyebrow.

'I'm afraid there isn't a company here by that name.'

'What? Course there is! I met with them just last week – on Friday in the penthouse!'

'Sir – I'm afraid you must have the wrong address. The only firms occupying the building are The Merrill Group and Antioch Limited. We haven't even started renovations up there as yet.'

'I was there, I'm telling you! I was in the penthouse suite! Just last Friday!'

The patience of the manager was wearing thin, though being the professional he was it didn't show. The visitor getting in his face was clearly delusional.

'Sir, the penthouse has not been occupied for over a year.'

'NO! YOU'RE WRONG! I SAW IT! I WAS THERE!'

'Having trouble Mr. Robinson?' came a deep booming voice.

It was one of the building's security guards dressed in a very smart three-piece suit.

'This gentleman is insisting on going up to the penthouse to meet a firm that doesn't have offices here.'

'They were wiring funds into my company account early this morning from Switzerland! They bought my business last week! I was here – I met them upstairs in the penthouse, like I said!'

The building manager and guard exchanged dark looks. Both had been working all last week and there was no way the meeting could have taken place. The guest log was checked.

'There is no accounting for you in our records from Friday,' the manager said calmly.

'The fact that your system is on the blink is not my problem!'

'Look – why don't I take…' said the guard.

'Mr. Llewellyn…'

'Why don't I take Mr. Llewellyn up to see for himself. That space hasn't been occupied for over a year – has to be completely refurbished before we can have potential tenants have a look.'

'Get Greg and Andy to go with you and let me know when you are on your way back down.'

'You got it. Mr. Llewellyn – if you would come with us please,' said the guard as two others joined them.

It seemed as though it took forever for the lift to come and take them up.

The lift doors finally opened on the 31st floor.

Suggs Llewellyn stepped out into his worst nightmare.

There were no sleek, smart offices. There were no stylish executives in expensive suits with glamorous secretaries. There was no high tech equipment.

Before him stretched a burnt-out wreck as far as the eye could see.

There was nothing of the office he remembered; nothing at all.

'But…but… I was here… I was… I swear I was… My new office… they told me…' he said in a whisper of a voice.

'Look Guv – there was a bad fire here a while back. Criminal damage – the works. Somebody even died. The Met has had this place closed down doing their investigations for god knows how long now... every day that this place goes without a tenant it's costing us money...'

Peter, the security guard who'd met with the building manager, gestured towards the back of the floor. There was a tape outline of where a body had been.

'Was burned beyond recognition – old Mervin the cleaner found the body. Hasn't been the same since…'

'The Metropolitan Police have no idea what happened that night – or who it was that died…' said another guard.

Mr. Llewellyn slowly nodded his head as tears rolled down his cheeks.

And then ran straight through a poorly boarded up window.

OOO

Audrey was seated in front of the television, not really paying attention to her favourite soap – EastEnders. She had decided to finally tackle her maths assignments for school since she had nothing better to do. At least if she got it out of the way, her time would be her own after that.

Her grandparents were seated on the sofa – her grandfather reading the newspaper and her grandmother cutting a pattern for a new dress. Even though she had a sewing machine that could do everything except make a cup of tea – she still insisted on using her old American Singer that she had got on the Black Market during the war.

'Next up – the evening news at eight,' came a cool voice with the Queen's accent.

Audrey swore under her breath. She had already done 20 geometry problems and there were another 15 to go just on this section alone.

'The Metropolitan Police in London are facing an intensive investigation tonight. A man jumped from the 31st floor of the famous Gherkin Building this morning…'

'God, what is the world coming to,' Audrey's grandmother clucked disapprovingly. 'Ain't nothing worth killing yourself over…'

'Police have not released the identity of the man as the family have not yet been notified…'

Audrey looked up from her books.

'Losing everything and having less than nothing is all it takes for some Nanna. I'm going to my room.'

OOO

'Shouldn't we wake her?' asked Nanna tearfully as she and Granddad looked in on their granddaughter whom they thought was sound asleep.

'Naw – let 'er sleep. I can't face it. Not once has he ever thought of her – only himself.'

Her door was closed and Audrey rolled over onto her back. She could see the flashing blue and red lights of the police cars out front reflecting off of the wet driveway underneath her window by her bed.

God only knew where her mother was; she certainly wasn't here mourning for her husband.

Audrey rolled back onto her side and let the tears roll down her cheeks.

Her father was dead. And with the prospect of a deal gone wrong robbing her of the good life, no doubt her mother had run back into the arms of the mysterious boyfriend she'd never really let go of. Andrea Hajdari-Llewellyn had always hedged her bets. Council Estate life had never been for her even when it was all she knew. There were enough poor Muslim girls who were no better off than their English counterparts as far as she was concerned.

'Fuck paradise in the afterlife!' she'd always said.

She would never go back to being just another statistic.

Audrey looked out at the rain which now chucking it down hard. The murmur of voices below was drowned out by the thunder.

The young girl would fall asleep later only to wake up with another nigh terror.

Only this time no one would come to her.

…xXxXxXx…

Over the next couple of weeks Audrey discovered a cold hard fact of life. It was easy to have good friends when you were doing well. But you could probably count true friends on one hand when times were rough. The only one who came by after the wake and funeral was Archie and his wife. Other than that people left the remaining Llewellyns to their own devices.

Audrey and her grandparents were left with nothing by her father. He had actually owed money to several suppliers. It would take the sale of the house to clear the debt. If they were lucky there might be a few thousand pounds left. Audrey's father also hadn't left a will. His ex-wife was furious until she realised how many thousands were owed. She backed off considerably after that. Her grandfather's money had been tied up in the business and her grandmother's interests had been her husband's.

Audrey's mother sent word that her life was her own and that she was entitled to live it on her own terms. She had no words for her daughter or her common-law husband's parents about the tragedy facing them.

'What are you going to do?' Archie asked Granddad as he helped him pack his son's things for several charity shops.

'Well – we can't stay here. Maggie and I were talking – we still have the house from when we first got married. I'm an old man – if I were even twenty years younger things would be different. It's too late for me to start over.'

'This house – the one on the Foxhill Estate you told me about? Would you really want to go back to that?'

'No one ever wants to go back where they started – not if they're in their right mind. We don't have a choice. It's a roof over our heads and at least we own it outright. St. Saviours might be better according to some people, but we don't have the money to fork out on rent. There's no sense in not facing things – we're out of here day after tomorrow.'

'What about Audrey? The Lycée – surely she could board and come up to you when they break for the holidays?'

Her grandfather laughed ruefully.

'Those snobs couldn't wait to be rid of her! Now that she's the lowest of the low with no money! '

'I'm sorry Spence; you don't deserve this!'

'My son didn't deserve to have such a good friend like you Archie – but I'm glad he did. Audrey will be OK. I never thought I'd see the day that we would go back, but I always looked at that house as an investment. We rented it out for the longest time but the market for selling there was over a long time ago. We couldn't even get anyone to buy it and no way was I going to sell it for a song. Audrey's had a rather charmed and easy life. It's time she grew up.'

Audrey stood listening at the top of the staircase for a while longer and then went silently back into her room.

She still had a lot of packing of her own to do for her new life.

…xXxXxXx…

Though it was hard, Audrey put on a brave face. There was no point in brooding; it wouldn't make the situation any better. She'd sat in virtual silence the whole of the car journey, pretending to read a book that she had little interest in.

'Some way to spend my birthday' she thought quietly to herself.

It wasn't everyday that you turned 13 – a teenager at last, one step away from being an adult. Considering the circumstances, the young woman couldn't help but feel rather sorry for herself.

'Aren't you supposed to be nagging me about 'are we there yet?'' her grandfather joked breaking her reverie.

'I'm ready to burst!'

There was a low rumble.

'And I'm starvin' like Marvin…!'

Granddad chuckled. At least Audrey was trying, God Bless Her. It wasn't her fault that her birthday was going to be absolute shyte.

'OK Princess; we aren't far from home…just on the other side of this hill and up.'

Audrey nodded and put the unread book in her rucksack. She looked out the window and sighed quietly. Though she could appreciate the genteel loveliness of the World Heritage City that was her hometown, she knew enough to know that where they would be living wouldn't be anything like the upscale neighbourhood she'd grown up in or the desired crescents that were famous even in Jane Austen's time.

Five minutes later grandfather pulled into the parking lot of what would be their local supermarket tucked in a valley south-east of the City Centre. Audrey took stock of their surroundings.

'Doesn't look too bad,' she observed. 'A lot of these people look like they are definitely comfortable enough.'

'Foxhill is its own little island surrounded by privilege the way I hear it,' Nanna said. 'Been that way for decades. Anyway, no one from The Hill would be caught dead roaming around looking like a stereotype. Certainly not in my day.'

'Come on... the sooner we get the shopping done the sooner we can get settled,' Spence said, grabbing a cart. 'Cheaper to buy some things than to eat in the restaurant here.'

'The fanciest we had coming along was Fish and Chips wrapped up in newspaper from the chippie!' her grandmother huffed. 'Your generation don't have no appreciation for the simple things!'

'I'm not bothered actually,'Audrey said quietly before ducking into the ladies room which had only one stall. 'I wasn't the one who needed to show off about how much money we had!'

Her grandparents watched her go in.

'You think she's OK, Spence?'

'I think she's determined not to be a bother, but that's Audrey. She has no choice and just gets on with it. Her wretched father could have learned a lot from her! Strong our Audrey is!'

Maggie looked at her husband and patted his arm. She knew he was still grieving as was she. If Audrey was like anyone, it was definitely her grandfather: quiet, determined, direct and tough. She was going to need her strengths considerably to get through such a monumental change.

'I think that's why they always had a hard time accepting her,' she said softly. 'She's more ours than theirs…'

Spence nodded and then blew his nose into his perfectly ironed handkerchief. He was a firm believer that no matter how low your station and how little money you had – nobody needed to know it. He folded it carefully and tucked it back inside his jacket. Even when he was casual – he was immaculate as was his wife. Audrey was very proud of her grandparents. Despite the usual generation gaps and pains of growing up she did love and respect them. They were the example she set store in, not her parents.

But her grandparents did hope they would at least have enough years left in them both to see her grow up and go out into the world and make her own mark on her own terms. She could do a lot better than her money-obsessed mother, that was certain.

Audrey finally returned. After getting their grocery shopping done they were finally on the road again. She had the distinct impression that her grandparents were trying to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

'Are we there yet?' Audrey asked her grandfather on cue after another 10 minutes of driving slowly.

'Yep – Foxhill dead ahead... right up this hill,' her grandfather answered. 'Now listen Audrey – it's been a long time since we've seen the place. Haven't had tenants in a few years...'

'I know.'

'We were thinking – the bedrooms are a bit on the pokey side compared to what you're used to. But you can tart it up and make real homely-like,' said her grandmother.

Audrey nodded. She looked over to her left.

'What's that over there?' Audrey asked, gesturing to a cluster of buildings across the road and lower down the hill as they crawled by.

'Ah – the old Ministry of Defense buildings; or what's left of it them. Before that they were belonged to a textile company. Graftons used to be one of the best even though it wasn't particularly big. That mill put food on the table for many a family all across the city,' said Nanna. 'Some of the textiles – I remember it well… The first job I ever had was as a seamstress… started when I was 13 as soon as I left school…I used to love my job though – all those beautiful fabrics. And the lace – heavens it rivalled anything from Europe let me tell you. That's how I first met your grandfather. We was both working at the mill… He'd worked his way up – was a junior supervisor handling the chemicals and that… we were lucky. Graftons was really all about family. We all worked together, socialised together – them was the days people looked out for one another a lot more than they do now…'

'That's how it was for us working class back then. No talk of university from birth and all those fancy things you kids can't live without. When I was your age I was already starting to work; had to. Everybody I grew up with was the same. Whole families and generations worked at the mill – it was a rite of passage even for the ones like me that had the ambition and luck to move on,' her grandfather added.

Audrey was more than curious. She'd never really heard her grandparents talk about this part of their lives. It was such a contrast to the pharmaceutical business. But with the wounds still raw from her father's dodgy dealing – she held back from asking the one question that was on her mind.

Her grandparents both knew what she wanted to ask but didn't dare.

'Like I said, it was a rite of passage. Don't get me wrong – I'm not ashamed of how we started out or not having much in the way of official book-learning,' Granddad said firmly answering her obvious curiosity. 'But I wanted more – I loved to read and wanted to see the world even then. It was hard going – but I was determined to get my education and move up in the world. I served as a medic in the war as you know – I came back and trained as a Chemist. The mill was going strong – but there were plenty of folks more than happy to do that and I had learned a lot in the army. Old man Grafton got me an apprenticeship with a friend of his in the business. I had been the Chemical Treatments Supervisor at the mill and learned quite a bit about compounds and Herbalism during the war. But the pharmaceuticals - everything I know I learned as an Apprentice with Dales Chemists. I served 5 years. Worked my way up and was lucky - you could get your qualifications in them days just on the work experience. Pharmacy wasn't even taught as such by itself – you had to study to be a doctor and that was it… wasn't for me it wasn't… but Chemistry – now that was something I understood and I was good at it! Weren't everyone that could say they had the brains for the maths and science – but I did! There is something to be said for making your luck, Audrey. Mark my words!'

Audrey had been so intent on paying attention to her grandparents that she didn't realise they were heading into the neighbourhood that would now be home. From what she had seen so far, her mother would have gone mental. Foxhill was an odd mixture of semi-detached houses and small terraces of housing. It's shopping arcade was little more than old 'mom and pop' shops as her grandfather called them. Not one was a High Street shop. There was not even so much as a Starbuck's or Café Nero. Café and Coffee House culture had passed this place by for sure.

Yet people were out and about. There was a small park and she could hear music wafting down. Some lads seemed to be having a footie match. Further along some kids and a few adults were huddled around an ice cream van. There were people sunning themselves in front gardens and some were being tended to with great care. The only time Foxhill was talked about in the papers it was as an area that was a dumping ground – an area with no social capital or connections to the prosperous communities around it.

They passed drove through a small maze of bright streets with terraced housing. Yes the traditional gold stone unique to the Cotswolds was well-worn and even stained by the elements, but this was nowhere near as bad as St. Saviours – no way; Foxhill actually had trees and green spaces.

'Boy – don't this just take me back!' her grandfather said with a whistle.

'This is...' Nanna began.

'Not bad, not that bad at all,' Spence finished as he drove past the Foxhill Farm Bed & Breakfast on Foxhill Road. 'Ah here we are!'

Audrey looked out the window as they turned a corner. They pulled up in front of what looked to be a mid-size semi-detached house with its own driveway and a large garden. As they were near the top of the hill it was obvious that the views out the back towards the City Centre should be nice on a clear day.

'This is it.' Spence sniffed. 'Welcome to Foxhill indeed!'

Audrey blinked back the tears that threatened to fall as did her grandparents.

No matter how hard they tried – there was no getting around the fact that they would have preferred for things to be very different.