Severus walked through the passageway from the main entry of the castle to the courtyard that led to Hagrid's hut and beyond that to the dark forest. It was far less dangerous to travel within the wood since the war.
The Acrumantula were either exterminated or relocated to their ancestral home in the far East where the natural food chain would keep their numbers in check. If any werewolves still resided in the forest, they had retreated even further away from Hogwarts and the Wizard world than before.
The thought of werewolves left Severus to consider Remus Lupin and his condition. It had been less than a day since he, his wife, and the Weasley boy emerged from the archway so he hadn't expected to hear anything about their condition just yet, but he was curious just the same.
He paused at the entrance to the forest as he noted three figures approaching from within. Behind them stood two stationary centaur guardsmen. The first figure was easy to identify. An eight feet tall half giant was not easy to mistake for anyone else. The smallest of the three was his own mate. He knew her gait as well as his own but it took a few more paces before he recognized Kingsley Shacklebolt. They stopped to meet him as they emerged.
"Good morning, Severus," Kingsley greeted warmly. "I take it you're headed to the enclave for the execution?"
"Of course," Severus replied. "Unless there is no longer a reason to go?"
"If you'll pardon me, gentlemen," Lottie interrupted, in an uncharacteristically formal manner. "I wish to continue on to the castle to get some little rest before my girls are awake."
"Yeh wan' me ter come along?" Hagrid asked.
"No, thank you," Lottie replied as she extended her hand to Hagrid and then to Kingsley. "I'll manage on my own. Thank you for allowing me to accompany you this evening. Good night, Minister, Hagrid, Severus."
"It was my honor, Madam," Kingsley replied, chivalrously.
Severus found her tone oddly dull and emotionless and her voice graveled and coarse. He watched her for a moment as she walked towards Hogwarts, her stride looked sluggish and tired. He then returned his attention to Kingsley and Hagrid.
"What changes have occurred?" he asked.
"Your lady asked to exchange information with the centaurs and in return, she requested that the acreage they forfeited be returned to them for hunting purposes," Kingsley explained. "She also asked the seer's life be spared."
"What did she want from the seer that she asked for clemency?" Severus inquired, glancing back toward the path that was now empty.
"Knowledge. Specifically, she wanted the seer to be responsible for teaching your children when they are old enough to comprehend the secrets of the centaurs' magic," Kingsley said. "She said that because Windfall was the cause for your children losing a loving parent that she should be responsible for giving them all the teaching that a parent might in their stead."
Severus couldn't fathom why she would ask for such a thing when he was already on the path of recovery in regards to his memories and she was no longer in danger. The explanation didn't make any sense.
"They weren' too happy abou' tha' demand," Hagrid offered, "But what else could they do but accept it."
"Given the secrecy with which the centaurs like to keep their teachings, that is quite a concession," Severus mused.
"If yeh don' need me, Headmaster, I would like ter turn in?" Hagrid asked.
"Of course, Hagrid," Severus replied. "Good night."
The half giant lumbered into his home while Severus and Kingsley headed back toward the castle now that there was no further need to see the centaurs.
"I thought you might like to know that the Lupins and Fred Weasley are expected to be released from hospital in the morning," Kingsley offered. "They're all doing well and seemingly healthy."
"That's excellent news," Severus replied. "Anything regarding Lupin's condition known yet?"
"Seems to be gone," Kingsley answered. "Of course the real test will be on the next full moon and he will be observed for that, certainly. Even so, I believe that things may not be so dire for him if he should still be afflicted. There is a great call for those discriminatory laws to be abolished, particularly seeing as they were Dolores Umbridge's special projects."
"I will send the Wolfsbane Potion within the week for use in the event it is needed," Severus declared.
"That would be very helpful, Severus," Kingsley said as he extended his hand. "I'll see myself to the gate."
"The Floo would likely be quicker and safer," Severus observed.
"Yes, but fewer busybodies are monitoring my apparating," Kingsley responded with a smile as he headed toward the gate.
Severus continued his path back toward the castle and stopped for a moment to look at the lake with the moonlight shining off the glassy water. He supposed that it would be completely frozen over soon, except for the deepest parts where the squid would stick out an occasional tentacle for some bread or treat that students would throw to it. Soon he was nearing the garden entrance to the apartment where he knew Lottie and the girls were staying.
He slipped quietly into the apartment, which was dim except for the glow of the embers from the fireplace where the cat was stretched out sleeping and making himself at home. The ragged looking animal yawned and lifted his head up to look at Severus before purring and going back to sleep, his now well fed belly protruding from his scrawny body comically.
Ignoring the cat, Severus moved toward the bedroom door and opened it slightly, in case she was already sleeping. He found her staring out of the window, still wearing her cloak. He walked behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. She was shaking.
"I thought you were tired?" he asked. He felt her back stiffen as he moved closer.
"I am. Beyond tired, in fact," she replied. "But too many thoughts are going on in my head tonight."
"At least go by the fire if you're cold," he suggested. "I'll get you a glass of wine. That should soothe the mind and chase away the chill."
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she unclasped her cloak. "You had other things were were attending to."
"I came to look in on my family," he told her as they moved to the sitting room. As she sat on the sofa, the fire roared to life and Severus poured two glasses of wine from a bottle on the table. "Everything else has been taken care of."
"Did you..." she began but stopped herself as he handed her the glass. She took a sip and looked down at her hands. "I mean, you took the stone for a purpose. Is she... Are you happy, Severus?"
He sat down next to her. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Of course, I am happy."
"Then you brought your Lily back," she said, setting her glass on the side table. "I just want to know that you're happy and the girls will be taken care of."
"The only Lily in my life is kipped out in her cot, snoring like a buzzsaw and wearing only one sock, if I know my daughter at all," Severus told her. She looked up into his dark eyes as she searched for the truth of the matter as he whispered, "I remember you, Felicia."
Lottie couldn't contain the overwhelming relief in her heart at the sound of the name she thought she'd never hear him say again. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him in response. He held her tightly until she relaxed in his arms and she laid atop him on the sofa as he continued to hold her.
He wasn't certain how long they stayed entwined that way until he heard one of the girls crying from the nursery, "Dada! Dada! Dada! Dada!"
Lottie sat up and he went in to find Audrina sitting up in her cot. The moment she saw Severus, her little arms reached up to him and she continued her barrage of calling out to her father. He quickly picked her up, hoping that the disturbance didn't wake her sister.
"It's all right, Sweetheart," he said gently. "Daddy is here now. How could I have forgotten my sweet little girls?"
He rocked her in his arms and whispered soothing reassurances to her as he took her to the change table for a fresh nappy. Just as she was finished being changed, Bunnie; Kreacher's niece who worked in the kitchens, appeared with a warmed bottle for the little girl which Severus took and sat with her in the rocking chair.
Everything else that had seemed so important before he walked in the apartment door now felt diminished in comparison to the absolute need his little girl had for him. He settled easily with her as she took the bottle and, after only a little bit of whining, started playing with her hair; as she generally did when she was tired. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and nursed as Severus rocked her. He felt her ease and comfort with him and he knew that she was feeling secure despite the several days' separation.
Once Audrina was sleeping, he placed her on her back in the cot and then went to check on Lily. She was, as he predicted, wearing only one of her socks. The other was clenched in her tiny fist. He wrested the errant sock from her grasp and put it back on her foot before taking her to the change table. Even though she wasn't awake, getting a dry diaper on her was just a good general purpose move.
As he returned to the living room, he noticed Lottie speaking softly as she set what appeared to be a shallow dish on her writing desk beside her journal. Given that he couldn't understand a word she was speaking, he asked, "Who are you talking to?"
"Kostaki," she replied. "The Oracle. His name is Kostaki and he doesn't speak English; only ancient Greek. Why the centaurs thought they'd have a prize of him, I'll never understand."
"Why? Is the language that difficult to learn?" Severus asked.
"No, not really," she said. "Kostaki went senile about two hundred years ago. His proclamations these days have gone from slightly strange down to hilariously absurd. Six years ago, he declared that the Gods required that all sacrificial goats be smeared with jam or Kalidas would sink into the sea."
Severus chuckled. He was tempted to ask about the object further but at that moment, he couldn't think of anything he wanted more than to simply be close to her and it would be dawn far too quickly. He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. "Let's go to bed, Felicia."
After quickly changing into night clothes that had been conveniently laid out, the pair climbed into bed and kept close together to share the warmth of their bodies together. There seemed to be few words that needed to pass between them at that moment. Nestled in behind her, Severus took in the smell of her hair and the faint traces of her perfume. He kissed her neck as he pulled her in close to him.
With a slight groan of wanting, Lottie turned herself in his arms to face him and kissed him while draping her leg over his. She began to reach beneath his nightshirt when a loud, drawn out whine came from the end of the bed. The cat had decided that he'd had enough of sleeping alone in front of the fire and came to see what the two humans were doing. They ignored him at first but a second, longer whine emerged from the small, patchy animal at the end of the bed.
Severus grabbed the black cat, and put him in the front room and closed the bedroom door. He then returned to his waiting lady and their warm bed where he propped himself over her on one arm. They resumed their intimate kissing and tactile exploring. He ran his hand along her chest, teasing her her breasts; when a sudden weight fell upon his back.
The third, and perhaps loudest meow fell into Severus' ear as he jumped in surprise.
"Damn it, Cat. How in the hell did you get back in?" he demanded.
Severus attempted to sit upright to force the cat from his back, but succeeded only in getting the cat's claws dug into his flesh. He growled in aggravation and pain. Lottie moved to one side and sat up as she plucked the little animal from his back while she struggled to regain her breath from laughing.
"It's not funny!" Severus declared. "This cat is destined to rankle my last nerve."
Lottie stroked the cat's ears and he purred in response. "That's not a bad name for him. Rankle. What do you think, cat? Does that suit?"
He nudged his head against her hand for more strokes. It seemed the matter was settled.
"I won't have this animal in our bed," Severus insisted. "It will not happen."
Lottie picked Rankle up from her lap and looked him in the eye. "Look, Rankle. If you interfere with my sex life; I'll have you neutered. Understand?"
He batted at a lock of her hair before she set him on the bed and Rankle jumped down from the bed and squeezed himself through the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.
The mood now entirely broken, Severus contented himself with snuggling with his mate until both fell asleep.
Author's Note: Yes, this chapter is quite a bit shorter than most of the others but this one felt complete as is and I didn't want to introduce too many other elements. I hope you like it and please leave me a review 'cause I love 'em!