Chapter Seven
Eileen leaned against the door while the young men struggled with a heavy oak table. The beautiful dinette set had been a wedding gift from the late Mrs. Snape. She didn't want to part with the precious reminder, but they had no more food and she already sold the other furniture. Tobias would never forgive her.
A loud thump and a shrill whistle announced the onset of a winter storm. They had no heat because the bill went unpaid. That didn't stop the boys. They took it upon themselves to find wood, and they scoured the neighbourhood for days. Severus looked so proud when he found that log. The memory almost brought a tear to Eileen's eye, but she resisted crying. She needed to stay strong for the boys; it would be the first Christmas without Tobias.
Eileen wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and walked to the fireplace in the main room. The boys would return from school in less than an hour. It gave her enough time for a quick visit with a man she never wanted to see. Her father despised all things muggle, including her sons. Eileen tried different jobs without success, and she became desperate. She needed to ask her father for money. She set down the blanket and grabbed an old tobacco container filled with silvery powder. A modest pinch soon landed in the flames. "Prince Manor."
The protective wards granted her access, and she landed in a lavish sitting room adorned with dark leather furniture and priceless antiques. The Prince Family mansion had many similar areas. Eileen glanced at a familiar elder and respectfully tipped her head in greeting.
Dark eyes bore into the impoverished woman causing her to swallow. "Eileen, you knew my conditions for returning home. Have you left the muggle and his offspring?"
"Father, I am no longer with him." Eileen fled the magical community to marry Tobias in a secret ceremony. It created a humiliating scandal for the Prince family, but the International Statute of Wizardy prevented them from ending the marriage. They couldn't altar official muggle records without drawing attention.
The sallow skinned patriarch rubbed a thumb across his cane. "You made a mockery of this house by marrying a muggle, but you have a chance at redemption." The elder flicked his wand at the fireplace and extinguished the flames; she had no exit. "Malfoy lost his wife in childbirth. He has a young son in need of a mother, and Abraxas can give me an heir through you. I will arrange this marriage."
Eileen wet her lips and tried to persuade the stubborn patriarch. Why did she return? "Father, what about my sons? They need their mother, but the Malfoy family will never accept children with muggle blood."
The portly wizard raised his cane and angrily approached his daughter. "Enough! I will no longer tolerate your foolishness!" Eileen shrunk back and tried to step away, but he hovered over the trembling woman. "Lucius Malfoy will become your son, you have no other."
Eileen made too many mistakes over the past year, but she loved her children. The thought of losing them caused tears to well in her eyes and spill down her face. She fell to the floor, kneeled before the angered patriarch, grasped his trousers with her hands and pleaded. "Father, I beg you not to do this. Those children are my sons; I—I need them! They need me!"
Prince held his wand at the trembling woman and muttered, "Imperio."
News of her husband's disappearance arrived last October. Prince told Malfoy about Eileen's availability, and Abraxas asked for her hand. The young wizard always fancied his daughter for some unfathomable reason. Prince agreed to the proposal and signed the marital contract. The only problem, she lived with the muggles. A stroll through Knockturn Alley and a few galleons gave him the help he needed. Desperate souls never questioned his intentions, but they succeeded admirably. They kept Eileen from earning an income, and Prince never asked about their methods. Why should he care what happened to muggles? A marriage between Houses Prince and Malfoy would create a powerful union.
**SS**
"Watch it, you'll smother Salina!"
Severus stopped tugging on the blanket and glanced back at his brother with an apologetic smile. "We need a fire."
"We have to wait for Mum." Salazar reminded him, but he agreed with his brother. "Where did she go?" Did she find another job? What would happen if she couldn't make any money? Their loving mother returned a month after Tobias died, and he didn't want to lose her again. He thought about the gold sitting at Gringotts and glanced at his brother. Was he the heir, or did it belong to another?
Green flames erupted in the fireplace and Eileen calmly stepped into the room. She kneeled before the shivering boys and fondly grasped their shoulders. Salina slithered away to avoid being squished. "Salazar, Severus, I need you to do something very important for me, can I trust you?"
Severus nodded eagerly, but Salazar noticed her glassy eyed stare. It bothered him, but he couldn't remember why. "I need to leave, and I won't be coming back." Eileen retrieved a letter and gave it to Severus. "Give this to Mrs. Black."
"What is it?" Severus glanced at the letter and looked at his mother. "Are we going too?"
Eileen grinned at her youngest with a carefree smile and affectionately patted his head. "Not this time, Severus. Mummy will marry Abraxas Malfoy and raise his son Lucius."
Salazar watched his mother while he struggled to remember why her symptoms sounded familiar. He vowed to curse the Veil for playing with his memories, but that could wait. He had more immediate concerns. "What about us?"
Eileen kissed the top of his head and fondly ruffled his hair. "Don't worry Salazar. My letter will help you find a good home."
"WHAT? NO!" Severus screeched at the highest volume he could, but Eileen never noticed. "Mum, you can't leave us! Please, don't go!" The little boy broke into instant tears and tried to grab his mother around the waist. He held on with all his might as she gently pried his hands away.
Eileen smiled at her youngest and fondly chided. "Severus, be reasonable. Mr. Malfoy doesn't want children with muggle blood. I can't take you."
Salazar stood motionless while his adult mind assembled the pieces. She had a glassy gaze, a carefree attitude and no worries. The imperious! Shocked eyes stared at his mother, but he said nothing. She would never notice. Eileen kissed Severus on the damp cheek and gently brushed his tears. "Severus, I need you to be a big boy. Can you do that?"
Severus sniffled and swiped an arm across his tear streaked face. "Mummy, don't go."
Eileen affectionately nudged his nose. "I need to plan a wedding." She grinned at the boys and vanished through the floo.
A heart wrenching sob broke the silence. "Why? Why did she leave us?"
Salina did not understand what happened, but her nestling needed comforting and she intended to give it. She grew in size to coil around the boys and noticed her wizard's expression. "Do you know something?"
"We need to save Mum!" Salazar broke from the embrace and rushed to the cold fireplace. He reached for the tin and threw powder at the ashes, but nothing happened. "Severus, someone cursed her!"
Sadness vaporised into urgency, and Severus no longer felt abandoned. He needed to rescue his mother! Determination overrode all other emotions, and the tiny hero accepted the task. "What curse did they use?"
"It's a bad one!" Salazar kicked off the blanket and paced before the fireplace while he tried to think of a plan. "Someone used the imperious curse—they can tell her what to do. She can't fight it."
Severus looked at his brother in awe, but also accusation. "How do you know?"
"I remember!" Salazar tried to calm down because hysterical plans seldom worked. "What should we do?"
The former adult might have forgotten childish instincts, but his brother offered a quick reminder. "We need to tell someone! Headmaster Dumbledore will know what to do!"
"No." The Veil removed his memories about the future, but it left the past intact. Salazar remembered Dumbledore standing idle while an innocent half-giant received an expulsion from Hogwarts and had his wand snapped. He also recalled what happened with Tom Riddle in the original timeline. Dumbledore wanted something from them, and he would use the situation to get it. Salazar didn't trust him. "The Headmaster can't help us, or they will curse him too. Do you want that?"
A horrified look crossed his brother's face and his head shook in emphasis. "Not him, he's powerful."
"That's why they want him."
"Oh." Severus wasn't sure if he agreed, but he needed to think about it.
Salazar opened the letter and read what their mother had written. She expressed sorrow for not being able to cope, and her need to leave this world. Muggles would think she meant suicide. She left instructions on the bottom for children's aid and asked the Blacks to raise her sons. Salazar finished reading the letter and stuffed it in his pocket.
"What did she say?" Severus asked, but he didn't really want to know.
"She loves us, and she wants us to find a good home." Salazar didn't want to tell his brother everything, but it was enough.
"Can we save her?" The words held no emotion. Severus experienced too many things at once, and it made him feel numb.
"We need more magic."
"Then we go to Hogwarts and we learn." Severus reasoned. "We can't let anyone know about the curse, or they might stop us."
Salazar stared at his little brother in awe. How did he come up with that? "It's brilliant! Severus, we can be spies! Malfoy won't expect children to know anything about the curse. He might say something, and we can catch him. Did Mum say any other names?"
Severus scowled and sneered. "Lucius stole our mum."
A sly grin crossed Salazar's face, and he rubbed a hand against his brother's back. "He'll be our first target."
Severus responded with a firm nod. "Lucius Malfoy will pay."
The discussion turned nasty, and Salina didn't like the sudden change. "Nestlings, you cannot blame another child for the actions of adults."
Salazar responded faster than his adult mind could reason. "What if he did it? We need to find out." Did that sound whinny? He would never admit it came from him.
Salina caressed her nestlings and nuzzled against the little boys. "We can work together. They will never look for an invisible snake." The boys grinned at each other and agreed with a firm nod.
Severus retrieved the blanket off the floor and wrapped it around his shoulders. "I'm cold Salazar." He glanced at the small woodpile. "We should start a fire."
The maternal snake returned to the size of a small garter and softly hissed. "Take the letter to Mrs. Black, or floo to Hogwarts." The storm grew fiercer than expected, and she didn't think her nestlings would survive without their mother.
The boys had to make a decision, and neither choice sounded good. Severus wanted to tell Dumbledore despite his brother's warning. "We should go to Hogwarts. We can read their books and break the curse."
"The ones we need aren't at Hogwarts." Salazar wished to stop Voldemort, but he didn't want Dumbledore's manipulations. The old wizard did nothing and claimed the credit for everything. He never understood why the dunderheaded Gryffindor always defended him. Godric would never see reason.
Frigid winds howled around them and blasted the windows with a thunderous roar. Shutters rocked noisily against their hinges and masked the quiet knocks from two terrified little boys. Severus pulled tighter at the blanket and thrust his foot at the door to create a loud bang. "Kick it harder!"
Salazar leaned against the rail and slammed his heel into the door with a dull thud. The howling wind forced them to shout at one another. "Keep kicking it, don't stop!"
The door swung open and a large man glared angrily at the intruders, but his expression softened when he noticed two little boys. "What are children doing out on a night like this?" He stepped back into the house and motioned for them to follow. "Come inside, no sense heating up the yard when nobody can appreciate it."
The boys eagerly stepped into the warm home and heard a woman calling from the kitchen. "Marius, was someone there?"
"Yes, the boys from next door."
Emily knew the Snape twins better than they realised because she often talked with their mother. She'd lay awake praying when she heard that drunken lout yelling at his family, and it nearly killed her when the children screamed in terror. She tried to get Eileen to leave him, but the woman refused. Emily never missed Tobias. Why would the children visit during a storm? She pulled the roast from the oven and went to check on their little guests.
Their house felt warm, but Severus was freezing. The little boy pulled the blanket tighter around his too thin body and shyly peered at the home owners. They looked friendly, but he never liked meeting new people. "Hello."
Salazar shoved the blanket off his head, but he hugged it tightly around his shoulders. "I'm Salazar Snape, he's my twin brother Severus. He doesn't talk much."
Marius chuckled at the introduction and decided the boys had the right idea. "I'm Marius, and this here is my lovely wife Emily." He threw an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "She's been cooking up a fine roast, and I know she made plenty of potatoes. How would you boys like to stay for dinner?"
The roast smelt great, and Severus couldn't remember when he last ate real meat. His mouth watered just thinking about it, and potatoes. "Yes, please."
"Me too, that smells good." Salazar's stomach rumbled loudly in agreement.
Marius laughed at their enthusiastic response and placed a hand on Sal's shoulder. "You boys stay here, and I'll go invite your mother. I'm sure she's wondering where you are."
Salazar retrieved a crumpled note from his pocket and gave it to the woman while his brother hid further under the blanket. Neither boy wanted this conversation. "Mum told me to give this to Mrs. Black."
"That would be me," Emily said with a friendly smile. Nothing about this situation felt right, but she tried to hide her concern from the children. She read the note and clutched it in her hand. "Marius, follow me into the kitchen. You boys stay here."
Severus waited for them to leave before he whispered. "Think they'll let us eat before they send us to the orphanage?"
"I hope so."
Their hushed conversation ended when Marius frantically rushed into the hallway. "Emily wants to see you in the kitchen." The man didn't wait for a response. He threw the door open and charged outside without warm clothing, and no other explanation.
Severus leaned closer to his brother and whispered. "He doesn't have a winter coat. We should've given him our blanket." Salazar nodded, but he read the note. Severus had no idea why the man left in a hurry.
"Boys, are you coming?" Emily called out from the kitchen. "I can use your help in setting the table." She didn't know what Marius would find, but she needed to keep the little ones busy. Severus entered first without his blanket. The boy wore an old sweater with patches in various areas, and a faded pair of jeans. His brother looked no better, and neither had anything on their feet. Why wouldn't Eileen ask for help? Did she need money?
Everything they needed sat in piles on the table. Salazar grabbed a plate and placed it before a chair. He repeated the process four times, and then he did the same with the glasses.
Severus could barely see over the stove, but the roast looked yummy. It was bigger than his head! How would it taste? He wanted to sneak a piece, but he didn't want to anger Emily. "Can I have meat, please?"
The auburn-haired woman smiled down at the small child and noticed how thin he looked. Did they have money for food? "You can have some when it cools."
"I did the plates and the glasses." Salazar boasted loud enough for Emily to hear, "You get to do the cutlery."
"No fair, you grabbed the easy ones first." Severus grumbled at his brother, but he didn't look angry. He eagerly ran to the table and fisted the cutlery in both hands. He set a fork on every plate, and walked around the table to add a spoon, and then a knife. The little boy completed three rotations before he finished. He glanced at Emily with a pleased smile. "Do you need anything else?"
"Go to the loo and wash for dinner. Marius will join us when he returns." Eileen visited for tea, and she sounded fine. They were a little tight for money, but who wasn't? Emily watched the boys charge down the hallway, and she listened while they complained about each other hogging the water. It brought a small smile.
She retrieved the letter and held back a tear while she ran a finger over the woman's name. Eileen signed it with blood. Emily didn't understand what that meant, but she knew Marius would. He was from the magical world.
