1982

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Chapter 4

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The pregnant hippogriff

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by Saeshmea

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For a moment, Severus thought it would never be Saturday; but the weekend came at last and at seven o'clock he was standing in front of Minerva's office door with a box of chocolates he had bought in Hogsmeade that morning. She opened the door wearing a gorgeous green gown with a red tartan fullard falling down her shoulders.

"Hi, Severus," she said with a beautiful smile on her face, "come in," he followed her into the studio and was soon captivated by a delicious mixture of smells, "I'm making fisherman's pie," she said, "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will," he replied, "I brought you this," he said, offering her the chocolate box.

"Oh, you shouldn't have, Severus," she said, taking it and not wasting a minute to open it.

He watched her hand moving above the little chocolate pieces, hesitating on which one to pick, and finally grabbing a little square with a white chocolate flower on top. She took it to her mouth and savoured it slowly, closing her eyes, forgetting about his presence.

"If I'd known you had such a sweet tooth," he said, "I would have brought the biggest box," and she blushed.

"Please, take one," she said, trying to distract him and offering the box to him. Severus took a little white chocolate ball and Minerva imitated him.

"They really are delicious," he said, "how is your wrist doing?" he questioned and Minerva seemed confused for a moment, but then she remembered.

"Oh, your potion was really helpful," and she rolled up her sleeve a little so he could see that there was no mark at all on her skin.

"I'm glad," he said, "isn't Ethan here, yet?" he asked.

"No, he always feeds the animals around this time," she answered, walking to the oven to check the pie, "but he won't be late," she said, "would you like some music?" she asked, and before he could reply she took out her wand and pointed to an old gramophone with a shiny red pavilion and a piano started to play.

Minerva walked to the sitting area near the fire as the notes sinked in her skin and sat on the sofa gesturing Severus to do the same.

"It's beautiful," he said.

"It's Beethoven," she replied, "the Moonlight Sonata," she added.

"Isn't that a muggle's composer?" he asked as he sat on the armchair, like the other day.

"The best one," she said, "in my opinion," and she stopped for a moment and Severus believed she was breathing every sound of that piano, "muggles might not have magic but they certainly have a great gift for music," she smiled, and Severus couldn't understand how such a sad sound could bring such joy to her. "Does it bother you?" she suddenly asked after a moment.

"What?" he wondered.

"Listening to a muggle song," she clarified, "you were with the Death Eaters," she reminded him, "weren't you supposed to hate everything about them?"

He looked at her trying to read in her eyes the intention of that question. She didn't seem like trying to hurt him, she was just curious, there was no irony on her voice, just innocent curiosity. For a moment he even thought that if he'd said it bothered him she would have just turned it down. The music changed, it was a different piano, slower now, sweeter.

"We were," he answered, willing to be honest with her because there was no reason not to be, "and I did in my past say and do things I regret only to fit among those who truly believed muggles were to be hate," he confessed, "but I don't think I ever did," he said.

"My father was a muggle," Minerva said, "I loved him very much, but he could never understand the world were me and my mother belonged."

"My father was the same," Severus explained, "we never had a good relationship, he…" at that moment the door opened and Severus turned around, feeling to be on a déjà vu.

"Ethan, what happened to you?!" Minerva exclaimed, quickly standing up and running to her husband, who had come in with his shirt covered in blood and his left arm bandaged.

"That damn hippogriff attacked me again," he said, following Minerva to the nearest chair.

"Did you go to Poppy?" she asked, unbuttoning his shirt and helping him take it off.

"Of course I did," he replied, "don't you see the bandages?" Minerva casted a clean shirt and vanished the one covered in blood, "She said it was nothing, can you believe it? I told her to go and get herself bitten before saying that again," he looked really upset, and Severus thought he ought to be after being bitten by a hippogriff.

"The poor animal is pregnant, sweetheart," Minerva tried to calm him down as she buttoned up his cleaned shirt, "she's just being protective," she said, "you just need to be patient with her."

"Are you the Care of Magical Creatures Professor now?" he replied sarcastically, "I know exactly how to treat beasts like her," he said, "she's just the most stubborn animal I've ever…" at that point he crossed eyes with their guest and realized of his presence. "Severus!" he exclaimed, and his expression changed showing a big smile.

"Good even," Severus greeted him, "I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, never mind, we'll make the pain go after opening that firewhiskey bottle I promised you," and he joined Severus in the sitting area, "would you bring it here, Nerva," he said, "and make that music stop, please, I feel like my head's about to explode between the pain meds and that noise."

Minerva stopped the music and brought them the bottle and three glasses and Ethan opened it holding the bottle between his legs and only using his right hand. He poured the liquid equally into the glasses and gave one to Severus and the other to Minerva, who had sat on the tea table to face her husband and didn't stop looking at his bandages, surely worried about his injury.

"To our new friend and colleague," Ethan raised his glass.

"To Severus," Minerva said raising her glass too and glancing at her former pupil for an instant.

On sunday afternoon Severus was heading back to the castle after having gone for a walk in the forest to pick some fresh ingredients for his classes, when he saw a shadow moving.

Used to the battlefield, Severus hide behind the trees and saw somebody walking to the animal pens. When he looked closer, he could see it was Ethan.

He was carrying a bucket of raw meat to the thestrals. With his left hand still bandaged, he left the bucket on the ground after trespassing the gate and used his wand to spread the food around so the animals wouldn't fight for it.

"Do you need help?" Severus made his presence noticeable, coming out from behind the tree as his colleague came out from the enclosure.

"I wouldn't mind a hand with those," he said pointing to a couple more buckets he had left behind as he refilled the one he was carrying.

Severus kept the plants he'd collected in the pocket of his cloak and followed Ethan into another fenced zone taking the two filled buckets with him.

At first it seemed as if there was no animals there, but then a couple hippogriffs approached them, and Ethan walked ahead gesturing Severus to stay there. He watched the professor bowing to the animal on the left, which seemed bigger and older, and the animal bowed in return. It was then when Ethan emptied his bucket at their feet and signaled Severus to do the same. About half a dozen more hippogriffs appeared suddenly from behind the trees and Ethan returned with Severus.

"Is that the one that bite you?" he asked, looking at the big animal from the corner of his eyes.

"No, that's their leader," Ethan said, "he's strong and loyal," he added as they walked away, "the bitch that bite me is that one there," and he pointed to a thestral enclosed on its own in a smaller pen a few meters further, "she's pregnant and I have to separate her so the others don't take her food, but she doesn't like being alone," he explained as they arrived to a little shed, "but she's due in a couple weeks so… well, why am I boring you with this stuff, uh?"

"Because I asked," Severus joked and they left the empty buckets inside and Ethan closed the little door.

"What were you doing in the forest, anyway?" Ethan questioned, cleaning his hands with a handkerchief as they took the path to the castle.

"Gathering ingredients," Severus said, taking out of his pocket the plants and flowers he'd picked up.

"Nice, I like a man who likes to do the hard work," he laughed and patted Severus' back with his good hand and he almost tripped over because of the unexpected friendly assault. During their journey they talked about potions and beasts; and then about Minerva and her cooking skills.

"What about you, Severus," Ethan suddenly asked when they reached the Castle doors, "don't you have any special woman in your life?"

"I'm afraid I don't," Severus replied avoiding to look at his colleague's eyes.

"Well, don't be too sad about it," he comforted him, "I'm sure there's a lady for you somewhere. You only have to be patient," he said, "look at me, I was very patient with Nerva."

"Were you?" curiosity suddenly widened in Severus.

"Oh, yes… I put my eyes on her the first moment I saw her," he explained, "there was something different on Minerva, something in her eyes, in the way she moved… I knew she was meant to be mine," he said, "but she can be a very stubborn witch, you know? It took me months to make her have dinner with me."

"Really?" Severus asked, very into the story he was listening.

"Yeah, but I gained her heart slowly and I wasted no time," he declared, "as soon as I was sure he loved me, I asked her to marry me and luckily she accepted."

Severus realized that he had walked with Ethan to Minerva's office door in the first floor.

"I should go to my rooms," he said in an apologetic tone.

"Don't," Ethan said, "come in for a drink."

"I wouldn't like to bother," Severus insisted.

"Nonsense, Nerva had a meeting with Dumbledore," he said, "You'll make me company until she returns."

"Alright," Severus gave in. It was nice having someone who didn't seem to mind who he'd been, someone to talk about random things, someone to call a friend... even if it was Minerva McGonagall's husband.

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TO BE CONTINUED…