Listening to: Not Over Yet by Team Starkid (from a Very Potter Sequel)
Well, be warned, the notes at the beginning of this reveal just what Remus meant about the whole trading spouses thing last chapter.
I also have a sad personal announcement: I have withdrawn from my French class due to the fact that my Coding class is taking upwards of twelve hours a week and I am failing additional classes as a result. Therefore, I am simply taking the minimum number of classes for the remainder of the semester.
Now that's done: here's our regularly scheduled fic:
Chapter 3
D'you want to know what's going to happen when you die?
Hopefully just a quick burial followed by the after-party at a pub. Why?
Simple: after a suitable period of mourning, I coerce Remus Lupin into marrying me.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Oh, like you wouldn't break up Potter's marriage so you could marry Lily if I go first.
You do have a good point there. One problem: SHE'S PRACTIALLY MY SISTER!
Like you wouldn't want me to be happy. The fact that it might kill a few Death Eaters out of shock is only a benefit.
Aster, have you ever been examined by a psychologist?
Just last week, why?
I'm not even going to list the things that are twisted with this conversation.
-notes exchanged between Aster Jean Keeney and Severus Snape (circa August 1976)
Severus Snape knew that Abigail, like her mother, would stop at nothing to do what she wanted, when she wanted it.
And he knew that it was going to kill him, one way or another.
He knew that trying to prevent Aster from sneaking into Hogwarts…the Shrieking Shack…Grimmauld Place…Malfoy Manor…and a number of other places was like trying to stop dunderheaded first-years from blowing things up in class.
And couple Aster's Gryffindor dunderheadedness with Regulus's skill for sneaking, and he was sure that his cause of death would be alcohol poisoning from trying to repress the headaches Abigail was sure to give him.
He was still unused to the silence. Normally he couldn't stand the racket the teenagers would make, pounding up and down stairs, slamming doors, screeching at all hours of the day and night…
He set down his glass. It wasn't fair. It wasn't that mangy mutt that had stayed up with her all the times she'd been sick, been there to chase away every nightmare, taken her to Diagon Alley (under suitable glamour charms of course) to get her wand, held her hands as she took her first wobbly steps, listened as she sounded out words learning to read, tucked her in at night.
But if he was being honest with himself, he hadn't been there all the time either. Teaching at Hogwarts put his visits to Avalon during school few and far between. Every time without fail, though, she'd stop whatever she was doing and come to meet him. Every time he waited until she fell asleep before leaving, to spare her having to say good-bye.
Over the years, he'd watched her grow from an infant to a little girl that shied away from the flash of the reporters' cameras as she tottered along the path to her first day of school to a moody teenager who had more in common with her mother than should be allowed.
All the mutt was concerned was that Abigail was his brother's daughter. If they'd done things through the proper channels then it would be him trying to stop Draco from sneaking in or Abigail from sneaking out. But his cursed position as a spy wouldn't allow it.
The second Tom Riddle found out about his relationship with the two of them, he'd be dead.
So, he just sipped his fire whiskey and waited for the moon to rise.
{PAGEBREAK}
Tom Riddle tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the arm of his chair as he studied the star chart in front of him. Normally, such things held little interest for him, but he was willing to make an exception.
He knew that others would call this an unhealthy obsession, but he knew this was a little matter of settling the score. From all reports, Draco Malfoy had been sneaking around with Abigail Keeney. If that girl was anything like her mother, he was sure she would be quietly withdrawn to Avalon soon, and then they'd be announcing the arrival of the latest Keeney brat.
He focused in on a particular pattern. Of course, he could always withdraw her himself. He looked outside at the moon. It was the last quarter. He heard his snake, Nagini hissing as she terrified the few Death Eaters stood outside the room. Of course, there were a few loose ends to be tied up first.
He rose and walked to the window. He would win his greatest victory in killing the last Keeney, the greatest stain on the Hogwarts families. Slytherin had realized this and died trying to carry out the deed. Fingering his wand, Lord Voldemort knew he would succeed where his ancestor had failed.
{PAGEBREAK}
Library
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
April 1976
Severus Snape pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard Potter and his merry gang of pricks laughing at whatever bout of idiocy that they were up to now. Glancing out the window, he wondered when Aster would get here. Of course, he was sure that it wouldn't be until after dark, as she ditched her last classes in order to make it here by nightfall.
He really appreciated that her mother insisted on keeping a small, low-key consulate in London at times like this.
He put a book back on its shelf and someone grabbed him from behind. "Guess who?" a familiar, welcome voice said.
"Aster," he said, grinning. She removed her hands and he turned. They embraced and Severus breathed deeply, feeling the tension that had been building with the looming OWLs in the past week fade away.
"Miss me?" she asked, noticing he hadn't really done much homework. "Or are you waiting for someone else?"
James Potter swore he could hear something bang up against the shelves. "Guess someone's losing it," Sirius said, looking in the direction where it had come from.
"Right," he said, absently, throwing down his quill. Please, please don't be what I think it is, he thought, standing up. "I'm going to check it out."
Ignoring Sirius's wolf-whistle he crossed his fingers. Please, no. Dear Merlin, it was only a few weeks from OWLs. He turned the corner and found Snape lying on a table. "Is Aster here?" he asked, praying it wasn't so, wishing that it was someone-anyone else.
"Maybe," Snape replied, looking for all the world like a cat that was about to get the canary. "You lot going to try to break out before OWLs?"
"Maybe." James replied stiffly.
"Well all right then," Snape said, sitting up. "Going to tell Aster's mum?"
"No!" James said horrified, "Are you thick? I value my life!"
"That's another thing we have in common," Snape replied. "Give Black a kick to the head for me, will you?"
James walked back to where the Marauders were sitting. "Well?" Sirius asked.
James slapped him upside the head.
Of course, the last part made no sense, but let's face it, sneaking around for love never made much sense anyway. I'm simply trying to show how complex the relationship between the characters is.
Now, as to the wedding. I have decided that we are going to do one, however, another will be in the works for the finale or sequel to this. The lucky couples are:
Miss Nymphadora Tonks and Mr. Remus "Moony" Lupin
And
Miss Fleur Delacour and Mr. William "Bill" Weasley
In which order the weddings happen is again, up for voting. Soon, we'll get into what the characters are planning, and the details.
Now: for the details-
In the case it is a Tonks/Lupin wedding:
What kind of dress should Tonks wear (color, style, accessories, etc)?
What kind of ceremony (Muggle, civil ceremony, Wizard, Avi)?
How should they be married (elopment, months of planning, etc)?
How will the press (on Avalon and in England) react?
In the case of a Delacour/Weasley wedding: (I've already got some ideas for this one as a matter of fact)
What kind of dress?
I'm not even going to bother asking which type of ceremony as of course, they'd choose a traditional one.
How will the Weasley relations react to the Avi-influence (Auntie Muriel, other drunken uncles, etc)?
And something that I've saved especially for this one: how much knowledge/interest should the families have in Abigail attending (given up until recently she was the equivalent to royalty)?
And of course the guest list for either wedding is guaranteed to include:
The seven
Mr. Sirius Black
Mr. Cedric Diggory and Miss Cho Chang(how they're included, you choose)
Mr. Viktor Krum (how he's included, you choose)
The Weasley Family
The Tonks Family
Mr. and Mrs. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (If it's a Weasley wedding, there's sure to be fun for that one)
Mr. Xenophelius Lovegood and Miss Luna Lovegood