Chapter Eleven – Spinner's End
Anyone who saw Severus Snape – whether Muggle or not – would easily be able to tell that he looked like he was about to kill something or someone at any given moment. Having been stuck with Potter the previous summer, having discovered that his child was alive the summer before that, stuck with the insufferable know-it-all this summer, and no doubt getting stuck fighting another Death Eater to the death again, he was extremely pissed off. Hermione was joining them in silence, still sobbing quietly so he couldn't hear her (he'd cast a silencing charm on her), and Potter had his arm around her to comfort her. He'd let Potter lay down the ground rules of the house to her – right now, he wanted to get home, get in his potions lab, and brew a complicated poison even St. Mungo's couldn't heal.
Chessie, however, was in a fairly indifferent mood. She happy about getting another girl in the house, but upset that the girl was joining them under such dire circumstances, as well as the fact that Kiru was technically still just a step-daughter. She was also happy that Kiru had accepted her as her mother, as well as the other teens. However, she was still mulling over the miscarriage, and plotting revenge on the rogue prefect who had so ruthlessly tried to kill her by sealing her in that painting in the first place!
Harry and Kiru were at a loss for what to do for their muggle-born friend, having no clue how to best comfort her. Harry had the gender barrier on his mind the whole time, while Kiru had the house barrier on hers. Hermione continued sobbing the whole way home, and Severus was glad that he had the Knight Bus to help him out this year. He herded the students on board, leaving them with Chessie, and apparated away to see what Voldemort wanted.
"I'm sorry, my lord," Severus apologized deeply. "Dumbledore set me babysitting two of the students this summer."
"You have a daughter," Voldemort said coldly. "You never said anything about her before now, Severus. Care to explain yourself?"
"Of course," Severus said quickly. "I wasn't sure if she was mine or not, my lord. I – I admit, I was forced to turn to paternity potions to find out that she was mine, my lord. I didn't realize until September, and I wasn't summoned."
"Cruccio," the serpent-like man said, and Severus felt his body flood with red-hot pain going through his every fiber. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep from yelling out in pain, something he knew was what angered his master and brought him great pride as well. He'd learned long ago how to keep up his Occlumency barriers in front of the sadist while in pain. "Now, who are you babysitting for the old fool?"
"Granger," Severus gasped. "And – and Lovegood, sir."
"Lovegood?" Voldemort questioned. "Hm. Muggle-born, then."
"Muggle born and a pure-blood, sir," Severus said quickly. "The girl's father is in St. Mungo's helping with her mother, if my sources are correct, sir. I'd have refused the Muggle born brat, but the headmaster wouldn't hear it, spouting off school-unity nonsense."
"Does he suspect?"
"No," Severus said getting back into his chair. "Nor does anyone else."
"Very good. Keep an eye on the two brats," Voldemort smirked. "And I do so wish to meet your daughter, Severus."
"Ah, you already have, my lord," Severus said quickly. "I'm afraid that she was only thinking of self-preservation at the time."
"Impossible! Your daughter is the necromancer from the graveyard with Potter?" Voldemort hissed. "So, the brat has talent. She would be a valuable asset, much like you have become, Severus. Bring her to me when she learns who I am, but do not let her know I am alive. I was forced to use the Polyjuice Potion with Wormtail to stay alive this time."
"Wormtail is dead then," Severus whispered. "Good riddance to that filthy traitor."
"Indeed," Voldemort murmured. "You may go, Severus. Remember, your daughter will join me."
"Of course, my lord," Severus said before apparating back to Spinner's End, where he promptly collapsed into a messy heap on his bed.
"Professor," Hermione hiccupped. "How did you get married?"
"Hm? Ah, that," Chessie sighed. "My cousin blackmailed me into it. I won't deny that I was already in love with him, but I just hadn't realized it yet. I thought it was just a schoolgirl crush. He had just started teaching when I was in my fifth year, you see. And he was my head of house, so that took a bit of an awkward turn, as I'm sure you'll imagine."
"Oh," Harry said simply as Hermione hiccupped. "Huh. How did he – you know – fall in love with you and whatnot?"
"I don't know," Chessie shrugged. "I'm not sure he even did or not. At first it was just a policy to keep the both of us from getting attacked by Fenrir Greyback – long story, not for public – but with time he began to be a little less…intimidating. I'm still not sure if he loves me or if he's just doing it for safety."
"He loves you," Harry grinned. "He was acting like a madman when you were gone. He kept docking house points like crazy – by the hundreds, sometimes even thousands. I've never seen him like that before, and I always thought him to be a snarky, sarcastic, heartless bastard of a dungeon bat."
"How ironic! I called him that during our first fight!" Chessie laughed. "Oh, that was quite funny."
"So, what now?" Kiru asked, and the Knight Bus stopped in front of Spinner's End. "Well, home sweet home, I guess."
"Joy," Harry muttered as they all left the bus in a single file, Hermione still hiccupping loudly and frequently. "You going to be alright, 'Mione?"
"No," she whimpered just before bursting into sobs onto his chest. Chessie rolled her eyes as the door was yanked open by a wide-eyed Dudley.
"Oh, joy, Dudley's already here," Kiru muttered before barking "Hey, Muddie, where's dad?"
"Dunno," Dudley stammered, taking in Hermione and Harry's figures. "He disappeared a few hours ago, never came back."
"No, he's back," Chessie corrected as she heard a faint pop come from upstairs, indicating that her husband was home. "He probably had a meeting to go to. Moving on, let's get you kids settled. Now, how are we going to do this?"
"Well, I was thinking that you and dad took the basement," Kiru grinned. "Me and Hermione got the Master Bedroom, and the boys got the spare bedroom."
Chessie shook her head. "Why don't we explain how I fell in love with your father while we wait for him to come downstairs? I'm sure he'd appreciate making the arrangements again."
(Flashback, Chessie PoV)
I stared as a car drove up to Number Four Privet Drive, curiosity driving me mad. I'd met one of the other neighbors, who told me to keep an eye out for the skinny boy in Number Four, and recalled that the old lady's name had been Arabella Figg, and that the boy's name was – Harry Potter? Surely not the legendary boy-who-lived, but only time would tell. From what I'd been told, the couple who raised the poor boy was cruel and heartless, and apparently needed a constant reminder of what we witches and wizards could do. Their meatblob son was no different, I was told.
Much to my surprise, a family of wizards and witch appeared: two boys and a girl. The man had oily hair, and a very mysterious aura about him, if not unnerving at the same time. The girl looked eerily like him, his daughter I presumed, but the boy could have passed off for his son if he wanted to and if his hair was shiny and kept well enough. I noticed the boy was, indeed, very skinny, much like the taller male, but unlike the taller male, had glasses and his hair was short. The girl and her father had jet-black hair, his oily, and hers perfectly fine and wavy in the middle a bit. The adult wore all black, while the girl dressed like a Slytherin and the boy a Gryffindor. I suddenly, and to my complete shock and horror, recognized the black-clad wizard as my fifth year Potions teacher, Professor Snape, the greasy bat of the dungeons.
Wait, what the hell was Professor Snape doing in my street, and at the house of Muggles, no less? With a Gryffindor to boot – he hated Gryffindor! This was most confusing…
On a whim, I'm not sure why, but I went over anyways. I was honestly curious as to what the hell he was doing here, I guess. I recognized the skinny boy immediately when he came back out to grab his things again, and vaguely saw the lightning-bolt scar he was famous for. Huh, so the boy who lived was in Number Four, but that still didn't explain Professor Snape's reason. The girl grinned as he set her things down for her, hugging him around his waist – yup, definitely his kid. Nobody else would have had the nerve to do such a bodacious and audacity-filled action. But when the hell had he been in a relationship? Professor Snape always screamed "heartless" in my mind, and a sadistic possible Death Eater.
After meeting with him formally, and hearing the reasons as to why they were all there, it suddenly made sense – leave it to Professor Dumbledore to have the most feared Hogwarts Professor (aside from himself) to go do some threatening when it came to Muggles mistreating the boy who lived. Still, that didn't explain the small girl who ended up with the greasy git as her father – I pitied her, I really did. I'd have hated to have a snarky bastard like Snape for a father. That girl has guts, but why then was she a Slytherin? No doubt, her father's brainwashing methods, or the fact that she was a menace to society.
Either way, there was no way this kid was getting out of school with more detentions under her belt than the infamous Marauders had. I still couldn't help but feel terrible for the Muggles Potter lived with, but that all changed when Snape protected the trio of teens with his life on the line. Suddenly, my distaste for the man became respect, and from there, I wasn't sure how or when, but admiration. Alas, my admiration at his chivalry became love, and I went downhill from there.
Within days, he'd gone from snarky bastard to chivalrous protector. I wanted him for my own; he would have made the perfect spouse, if he hadn't been so cruel towards the Muggle boy. I continued on this track till I realized the fat Muggle was a monster, and then outright fell head-over-heels in love with the Potions Master. Oh, I was good at Potions, too, and a Slytherin, so at least I had some similarities with the man aside from what school we went to. The thing that scared me the most was that the man had somehow begun invading my dreaming world, more often than not in very inappropriate ways, to which I constantly reminded and reprimanded myself. And, after the fiasco with my cousin, and the wedding with Severus (which two of four children went to), I was happier than ever with my life.
Then I started teaching History of Magic. And, I conclude, we've come full circle.
(Flashback end)
"Wow," Harry said with his eyebrows raised now that they were all at the table drinking tea. "I had no idea."
"Yeah, I'm a hopeless romantic," Chessie smiled weakly. "I still can't help but feel like he's waiting for me to drop him like some used and demolished toy or something like that."
"Are you?" Dudley grinned. "I'd have no problem if you did, I wouldn't blame you at all, really…"
"No, you oversized meat blob!" Chessie screamed, waking Severus up from his post-cursing recovery nap. He swallowed an anti-Cruciatus Curse potion, and went downstairs to the kitchen. He stopped short, listening to the conversation/argument. "I would never leave Severus! Not now, not ever! Do you know why? Because I love him! I really and truly love him, with my every fiber, and then some! Nothing anyone says or does can change that! Not even he can!"
"Who can't do what now?" Severus scowled, glaring at them like they'd cursed him and given him a migraine that had become the bane of his existence. "And who did what? Did Dursley blow something up?"
"Severus," Chessie squeaked. "Can we talk alone, please, dearest?"
Severus simply rolled his eyes. "Boys get the spare bedroom, the girls get the floor. Death Eaters like to show up unannounced, and it's easier to tell them that I've got a few ignorant brats camping out in my living room. Chessie and I will keep the master bedroom – I may have to go find my grandparents' inheritance just to house all you little brats…" he ranted as he stormed up the stairs. "And you're forbidden from entering the basement!"
"Severus," Chessie said softly when he locked and warded the door. "Do you love me?"
He raised an eyebrow, so she repeated the question once a little louder.
"Do I love you," Severus speculated at her question. "What?"