Always Gold

As was the way of things, the world continued to turn. Severus returned to Australia. He moved back in with his mother while he apprenticed with P. Falcon's and when, two years later, he was offered a real, paying job with their design department he took it. He moved into his own flat. A few months after, Severus met a cute bloke while having a drink with some coworkers at a pub near P. Falcon's shop.

They started to date. He found out the bloke, Jesse, had a son from a hook-up-gone-wrong when he was nineteen and still figuring out if he was gay or bisexual (he'd settled on gay shortly thereafter, but it was too late by then. His hook-up was already pregnant). He hadn't really thought much of ankle-biters in the past, but that changed quickly once he met Jesse's son, Leo. The little bloke was the sweetest kid he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. Severus decided there and then he wanted more than just Jesse in his life. He wanted both the son and father. After their first-year anniversary, Severus and Jesse moved in together and started having Leo stay with them every week for a couple of days at a time. When Leo's mother was offered an extended work opportunity abroad in China seven months later, Severus didn't even have to think about it when Jesse asked if he'd be okay with having Leo live with them almost full time.

And that was how life was five years post-Hogwarts. He worked for P. Falcon's designing brooms, came home every day to his boyfriend and his boyfriend's kid. Some weekend they went to visit his mum. Other weekends, they saw Jesse's parents. Every now and then, it was just the two of them when Leo was off visiting with his mother or her family. He wrote Teddy often, his Aunt a little less so, and all of his cousins for the important holidays, like Christmas and their birthdays. But never Rowan. The other made it clear before Severus left Hogwarts he wanted nothing to do with him any longer.

All in all, Life was good. He was happy. Perhaps, in a few months, he'd be more so if Jesse said yes when he proposed on their third anniversary.

However, as he'd learned years ago, things couldn't stay as they were. Something always would come to ruin what little joy Severus had managed to scrabble together for himself.

The first day of November started more or less like the last day of October had. Severus was rushing to get his parchments for work together and prepare a lunch so he wouldn't have to pop out of his office later to buy one. While he was shoving the dimensions for the newest broom they were designing at P. Falcon's into his satchel, he saw that Jesse's son was standing over by the door wearing only one shoe.

Exasperated by the sight, he asked the freckle-faced boy, "Leo, why are you only wearing one shoe?"

The boy looked up from the picture book he was reading and shrugged. "I dunno where the other is."

Severus dragged a hand through his already tousled hair. "Don't know—" He stopped short and sighed. "Fine," he muttered as he stood up and situated his satchel across his body. "Accio Leo's right sneaker!" he called out.

The shoe zoomed out from under the sofa's dust ruffle in the other room and into his hand. He quickly handed it off to Leo as Jesse wandered into the hall, still dressed in his pajamas and coughing a bit into his hand.

"Feeling any better?" Severus asked as he walked over to caress his boyfriend's cheek.

Jesse's brown eyes warmed and he smiled. "Just the cough's left," he answered.

Severus leaned in for a kiss. "That's good," he mumbled as he pulled away.

"Love, are you working late tonight?"

He put out his hands in a gesture of uncertainty. "It depends if Robertson remembered to sign off on my design for the broom bristles last night or no," he answered.

Jesse hummed his understanding, a thoughtful furrow starting on his brow. "D'you think you can owl or floo call me a yes or no before I leave for my shift at the cauldron shop at ten?"

"Probably," he replied before looking over to the little boy standing by the door. He made an aggravated sound when he saw that the shoe he'd given him was sprawled upside on the floor and the boy had his face buried once more in the book he was reading. Just shy of stomping over, he yelled, "Leo! Your sneaker's right there! Why aren't you wearing it yet!"

The little boy closed his book and whined, "I can't do it! The laces are tied up!"

"Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred, kid!" Severus grumbled covering his eyes. When he let his hand fall away, he crouched down to help out Leo with his shoe. When done, he looked over to where Jesse watched on with a faintly amused smirk. "Did you give your mum this much of a hassle about leaving the house when you were an ankle biter, Jesse?"

His boyfriend averted his gaze and started for the kitchen. "I can't recall," said as he stepped into the other room. Raising his voice so he would be heard, Jesse told Severus," you'll have to ask her when you drop off Leo at her place."

"I'll take that for a yes, then," he shouted back

Jesse's laughter drifted out into the hall, only to stop suddenly. "Hey, Severus, your mum's calling!" he croaked.

Severus groaned. "Ugh, I don't have time!"

"She says it'll just take a minute."

Shoulders slumping in defeat, he walked into the kitchen. "Alright, fine."

Upon seeing her unusually grim face staring out at him from the green flames, he asked, "How ya going, Mum?"

"Your cousin Esther just called," she informed Severus in a thick voice. "She had some news."

Severus was overcome by a rush of dread. Stepping closer to the hearth, he said, "Oh? Everybody okay?"

She shook her head and looked away from him. "Not quite," whispered Mum. "Mr. Mulpepper passed the other night. The funeral is next week. I know you didn't know him like your cousins, but he was very much a grandfather to them all."

His heart gave a painful thump. He may not have known Mr. Mulpepper too well, that was true, but he had seen the bloke on occasion and remembered the old man had always been kind to him. "I'm sorry, Mum," he whispered. "D'you want me to come by later?"

Returning her gaze to him, an odd look overcame her face as she began, slowly,"…I was wondering actually if you might come with me to the funeral. I know your cousins and Aunt Edie could do with some support."

Severus began to twists his wand between his hands as his nerves got the better of him. "I dunno, Mum. This is pretty short notice and, like you said, we weren't too close. I remember liking the bloke the few times I saw him and all, but this…"

"Please, Severus," she warbled chin trembling. "For me. For them. You can even bring Jesse and Leo if you like, I'll pay for them."

"Mum, I can't let you do that!" he refused, aghast at the offer. Maybe he and Jesse weren't rich, but they were comfortable and could usually budget in a little holiday once a year.

"I want to," his mother told him with a firm frown. "Everyone can finally meet each other properly and it'll make everything feel not so bleak when they see in another year or two they'll be coming down under for a wedding."

"Mum!" Severus scolded, looking over his shoulder to the doorway that opened out into the hall. He knew Jesse was out there. Severus had watched from the corner of his eye as his boyfriend stepped out upon his mother announcing the death of Mr. Mulpepper. "I haven't proposed yet."

She rolled her eyes unapologetically at Severus. "You will soon enough, I'm sure Jesse knows it as well."

Severus sighed and rubbed a hand across the stubble on his chin. He'd been avoiding Britain since his graduation from Hogwarts and had hoped to for another few years. He'd been realistic, knowing it would only be a matter of time before he had to go back for Teddy and Victoire's wedding, but he hadn't prepared to have to go back so soon. Meeting his mother's gaze in the fire, he almost pursed his lips to say no, but, instead, replied. "Yes, fine. We'll come with you."

Walking forward to douse the fire, he said, "Bye, Mum."

"I love you, Severus," she returned before he put out the flames.

A moment later, Jesse poked his head into the room. "You'll be working late tonight, won't you?" he asked in a rhetorical way.

Severus nodded. "Probably the rest of the week too," he added. "Mum wants us to go to Britain with her for an old family friend's funeral."

His boyfriend blinked his surprise. "All of us?"

"Yeah, she'll pay for you and Leo." Severus hesitated. "You don't have to come. I can tell her you can't get off work or something."

"No, I want to," Jesse insisted. "I wish I'd be meeting your whole family under better circumstances, but this is good. It'll be aces to finally know all the people you tell me about by name and face."

Severus grinned and rushed his boyfriend for a quick snog. When he pulled away, he whispered, "You're amazing, Jesse. I don't know how I ever got so lucky with you and the ankle biter."

His boyfriend smiled. "Love you too, Severus."

-o-O-o-

"Merlin, is that you Severus Snape?"

Severus turned around to find a familiar face grinning at him. "Milly!" he exclaimed, delighted to see his old housemate. She looked well. She still was a heavier witch, but her curves appeared to have come in since he last saw her and gave her a rather attractive hourglass figure and she'd finally found a flattering cut for her hair that made her face appear longer and thinner instead of round and pudgy.

Going up to the younger woman, he opened his arms for a friendly embrace, which she eagerly threw herself in. When they pulled apart, he said, "You look just smashing."

She giggled. "Thanks," she said. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"Severus?" he heard called from behind him.

He twisted around to see his boyfriend and Leo come around the corner of the aisle next to the one he'd been in. "Over here, Jesse," he called. "I just bumped into an old schoolmate."

Jesse smiled at them, eyes bright with interest. Taking his son by the hand, he led them over to where Severus and Milly stood. "Jesse Taylor," he said, giving his hand to Milly to shake. When done, he laid his hands on Leo's shoulders and brought the five-year-old to stand in front of him. "This is my son, Leo." He smiled down on the towheaded boy. "C'mon, be polite, say hi to Severus's mate."

Leo did them both proud and grinned up at Milly. "Hello, what's your name?"

Milly crouched down a little and gave her hand to Leo, so he could shake it as his father had. "I'm Milly, it's a pleasure to meet you."

After shaking hands, the little boy laughed and pulled away to bury his face in Jesse's legs. Severus reached over to tousle the kid's hair. "He gets a little shy now and then," he explained.

His old schoolmate nodded in understanding. "My boyfriend's littlest sister is exactly the same."

This piqued Severus's interest. "Boyfriend?" he purred. "Are you free for a bite or drinks tomorrow? I'd love to catch up with you."

Milly grinned back. "I can be," she said. "Would five thirty for a round at the Broomsticks work for you?"

"Yeah," Severus replied. Realizing he should have okayed this meet-up with Jesse, he turned to his boyfriend and apologized. "Sorry, love, didn't mean to ignore you there. Will you be okay if I pop out for an hour or two with Milly tomorrow? You could come with even, I'm sure Mum and Aunt Edie'd love to have a couple of hours alone with Leo to spoil him."

His boyfriend shook his head. "Nah, it's fine," he reassured Severus. "I don't mind spending a couple of hours with your mum and aunt while you do a bit of catching up."

Severus leaned over to press a kiss of gratitude to Jesse's shaved cheek. "Thank you, Jesse."

The other man rolled his eyes. "Oh, you."

He barked a laugh at the other's reaction before turning back to Milly. "I'll see you then? I'd chat a bit more with you, but we just popped in to see if we couldn't find a couple of postcards to send back to Jesse's parents and Leo's mum. We've got dinner plans with the cousins, Teddy, and Harry and his brood in fifteen."

Milly waved them off. "Yes, I will. That's just fine. I was just popping for some ink myself. See you, Severus!"

"Bye!" he shouted back as they walked away from the witch. Severus reached over and took the postcards in Jesse's hands then. Waving them at Leo, who stood between them, he said, smiling, "Let's go buy these, hm?"

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