A/N: Wow! My longest chapter yet! Holy crap! 2,000 plus words! wow! Please read and review!
Months had gone by and Severus helped Christi as much as he could with Mateo when Christi needed someone to watch him while she was working late and Draco refused to watch his son. The two were growing close as the boy had taken an immediate interest in Potions. Whenever Severus had to watch him, which was often as Christi had been taking extra shifts at the bookshop; he would show him new potions he was working on and have him help him. At the moment Severus and Mateo were in the Apothecary gathering new ingredients for a new potion.
"We need wolfsbane next." Severus said looking at his list.
"I'll get it!" Mateo said excitedly.
He scampers over and grabs the much needed wolfsbane then he spots a potions kit and his little blue-grey eyes go as wide as saucers then he sighs. He knew that his mum couldn't afford to get it for him right now as they were really struggling. He would often hear his mum in tears most nights talking to a few old school friends about what was going on.
Severus watches the scene then when they boy returns and hands him the wolfsbane.
"Hey Mateo, can you go to shop where your mum works and ask if those books I ordered have come in yet for me please?" he asks.
"Sure thing." He says with a true smile as he would be excited to see him mum any chance he got.
He runs out of the shop then down the alley to the shop.
Severus goes and grabs one of the kits then he goes and pays for everything.
As he's exiting the shop he watches as Mateo runs into the shop where his mother worked. He enjoyed watching the interaction Mateo had with his mother as it reminded him of all the happy times in his childhood.
He watches as Christi scoops her son up and holds her on her hip as he was small for his age.
He heads into the shop and goes over to the counter and smiles.
"Hello Severus the books you asked for are in back. As soon as I get this little leech off of me I'll go and get them for you."
"Take your time." He says.
"Alright and I can't thank you enough for doing this for me Severus, especially since you don't have to."
"It's not a problem. I don't mind doing this. Besides you need the help."
She smiles and shifts Mateo over to her other hip.
"Alright Spider Monkey lets go and get those books."
She disappears into the back room for a few moments then she walks back out carrying the books that were wrapped up in brown paper.
"Here you go."
"Thanks." He said handing her a few galleons as she set Mateo down.
"No problem. I have no idea on when I'm getting home. Betty has me working really late tonight."
"Alright. Just send me an owl if you want me to bring him back to my place for the evening. I've kept the room he uses the way it is just in case."
"Alright and I really do appreciate this."
"It's not a problem."
¥Next Morning¥
Severus is carrying a still sleeping Mateo into Christi's flat. He gets through all the wards easily as she had added him into the wards so that it allowed him to enter without her or Mateo.
He walks in and spots Christi curled up on the couch sleeping soundly still fully dressed.
He goes and puts Mateo back in his bed then he goes and grabs a blanket from the hall cupboard then he goes and covers her up as there was a slight chill in the flat and he casts a warming charm on the flat. After he does that he gently brushes some hair out of her face and behind her ear.
After making sure she was fine he went and looked around the rest of the flat after that he goes into the small kitchen and he looks for something to make for them for breakfast when they woke up and he saw there was barely and food in the pantry. He sighs as he had just asked her a few days ago and she had said it was fully stocked and they were fine.
"Damn it Christi." He mutters.
After finding everything he needed to make flapjacks he goes and makes them then he sets them on the counter and then casts a charm on them to make sure they stay warm until they're consumed.
He turns as he hears shuffling of feet as being a spy for eighteen years he was always on increased alert but he was trying to break the habit the last ten years but it seemed damn near impossible.
He sees a now sleepy eyed Mateo rubbing his eyes.
"Hey sleepy head. Do you want some pancakes just like how my mum used to make? With cinnamon and apple sauce to add some flavor and sweetness?"
"Yes, please." He says sleepy.
Severus smiles as the boy sits and he puts a couple of pancakes on a plate for him.
"There you go buddy. How about after this you and I go to supermarket and restock you and your mum's pantry?"
He nods eating his pancakes.
Severus chuckles. He could see the resemblance between Mateo and Draco. Neither one of them were a morning person and took a while to wake completely up.
After Mateo finishes his breakfast he goes and gets dressed in jeans and t-shirt with sneakers.
As Mateo does that Severus quickly scribbles a note for Christi informing her of where and Mateo were in case she woke up by the time they got home.
Severus and Mateo head out and Christi wakes up smelling the pancakes then she sits up and stretches.
"Ouch. Note to self: don't sleep on the couch again." She mutters to herself.
She gets up and calls out for Severus and Mateo walking into the kitchen then she spots the note.
She sighs and shakes her head.
"Damn you Severus." She mutters.
She goes and starts cleaning up the flat starting on Mateo's room as it was a disaster zone.
After a few hours she hears the door open and she hears Mateo's animated chatter.
She heads down there and sees both of them coming in and she smiles.
"You didn't have to do this."
"I wanted to. So how long has it been since it's been fully stocked?" he asks as they head into the kitchen and start putting everything away.
"A few weeks." She admits softly.
"Why didn't you come to me?" he asks.
"I was fine. He was getting fed every night and that was all that mattered."
"When was the last time you had a good decent meal?" he asks of her.
"Few weeks I guess."
"Go and get dressed. I'm taking you to dinner. You need a good meal in you."
"Alright but who's going to watch Mateo?"
"Lucius and before you ask Draco and his father are estranged because Draco treats Mateo badly and Lucius doesn't like that. He wants some type of relationship with his oldest grandson. Now go and get ready he'll be here in a little bit."
She nods and heads upstairs and goes to get ready.
Opening her wardrobe she looks through and sighs. She had nothing decent to wear. She sighs and finds a pair of nice pants and a nice blouse. She quickly styles her hair where it falls in loss curls around her face and does her make very lightly.
She goes downstairs and she hears Mateo animatedly chatting with Lucius.
She gets down there and Mateo smiles and runs over to his mother.
"Mummy granddad is gonna watch me for the night! We're going back to his home for me to meet my nana!" he said excitedly.
"Sounds exciting. Now remember to behave yourself and mind your manners and don't take advantage of the house elves." she informs her son feeling slightly uneasy about having him go.
"Yes mummy." He tells her nodding.
"Good boy." She said ruffling his hair.
He moves away sighing dramatically much like Draco.
"Boy you are so much like your father." She says.
"Father says otherwise. He says I'm more like a stupid Ravenclaw than anything. What does he mean by that?"
"What he means is that meaning he and I always battled each other in school for the top grades in our year every year and he was always upset that he was always a few steps right behind me. See in Hogwarts there are four houses…"
"Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." Mateo said.
"Exactly and your mum was in Ravenclaw, a know it all as I used to call her back when she attended Hogwarts and I taught her."
"And your father in Slytherin." Lucius said.
"Mummy, why did Mr. Snape call you a know it all?"
"Because she would always spout out the answers to questions I would ask and she was the top female in her year. She always outsmarted your father in Potions. Which reminds me how come you never went to become a Potions Mistress?" Snape asks.
"I was too caught up in with trying to repair my life from after the war then I had Mateo so I haven't had the time plus working at the shop. I barely have any time for anything else."
Severus nods.
"Alright Mateo and I should be going to the Manor. Narcissa is expecting us."
Christi nods and hugs and kisses her son good-bye then she watches as he and Lucius Floo over to Malfoy Manor.
After they're gone Christi and Severus head out to dinner to a nice muggle restaurant.
"How about I take you on as an apprentice and help you toward becoming a Potions Mistress? I know the school is looking for a new Potions professor."
"Really?"
Severus nods sipping his wine.
"Thank you so much. I would really like that."
He smiles and nods.
The rest of the evening is filled with light conversation and he has her laughing and smiling most of the time.
Arriving back at her flat he walks her to the door and she fumbles to get her keys out.
"Thank you for a nice evening Severus. I can't remember the last time I had such a good time."
"Good you deserve it. You've sacrificed so much over the years you deserved it."
She smiles and leans against the doorframe.
Smiling back he gently slips his hand behind her neck and lightly snogs her. She responds quickly and she wraps her arms around his neck as he slips his free arm around her waist and pulls her close to him.
She pulls back gasping for breath and smiles.
"Have a good evening." He says.
"You too." She said then started to chew on her lower lip.
She watched as he walked away then quickly Apparated away.
She heads inside just as the Floo flares up and she smiles as Mateo comes running over to her.
"Hi Mum! I had lots of fun with granddad and nana! We rode horses and had dinner and played chest! I had lots of fun!"
"Good I'm glad. Now go and get ready for bed."
He nods and scampers upstairs to get ready for bed.
"Thank you Lucius. I appreciate you watching him for the evening."
"It wasn't a problem. I was hoping that you'd allowed Narcissa and I to watch him more often and allow us to help you two out."
"Of course you two can see him more but I'm doing fine really." She said.
"You call struggling week to week fine?"
"Alright, yes we could use the help but its fine really Lucius."
"Christi, you're family and I help my family."
"Lucius, please. We're doing alright. Really."
"You're lying."
"And if I am then fine. But we're doing alright."
"Christi, please, let me help you."
"Lucius please, I've already had this conversation my parents. I really need to do this on my own if not I'm going to feel like I need to rely on everyone and I don't want to do that anymore." She says.
"Understandable but just allow me to help you a bit. Please." He asks.
She sighs and nods.
"Alright. You win. But just a bit."
"Good. I'll make sure the kitchen is stocked weekly with any needs and give you one of the best House Elves at the Manor to help you out as well."
"Wait who's definition of a bit? Mine or yours?"
"Mine." He smirks.
She laughs and rolls her eyes. Lucius laughs along with her glad to see a genuine smile on her face. Lucius was highly disappointed in his son and how he was treating the mother of his oldest child and his oldest son. He knew he and Narcissa raised him better than that. He just wanted to know where they had gone wrong.