Hey! If you are wondering where is this story going? Honestly- Not anywhere in particular. Just like life. One day I was particularly bored and these characters just popped up in my head and decided to do whatever they want. This is Earth, sometime in 2008 and now they decided that World Quidditch Cup the is the place to be.
Kingsley Shacklebolt made his way through the the tents of Quidditch fans set up in neat rows around the arena. People here were not working. There was a lot of firewhiskey being passed around, songs were being sang. French fans and Irish fans screaming over each other who will win all in good fun. Well, he would join them shortly, once the official Ministry business was dealt with. He found the tent Sirius and James were simultaneously describing by miracle. Because between the two of them, they completely lost the direction he was supposed to go. This was probably due to the fact that the seller of firewhiskey already knew them by name and regarded the two as his good friends for years to come. And this was before the game was anywhere near starting. Remus, Harry and Ron and all the ladies smiled apologetically and tried to stop at least one of them from speaking. But the very happy duo was intent that Minister found Severus as fast as he could. Hence the shouting over each other.
He approached the said tent, made his presence known and after a very grumpy "Come in!'" entered the tent. Everything inside was speaking highly of Lily Evans's decorating style who took her time to make even a temporary tent as homely as she could with impressive results, one might add. In the corner there was a baby crib with what Minister hoped dearly was some sort of charm to keep the baby girl from hearing the shouting in the room. There was a chess board in the middle of the room and Severus Snape and Lily Evans standing on the opposite sides of it. Minister smiled realizing that what he thought was a lover's quarrel was in fact a childish fight over a chess game. Of course, he should have known. He has heard that the two were old friends, who apparently had a lot of growing up to do. He would bet a hundred galleons that this fight involved Severus cheating and Lily noticing moved pieces.
"Lily, Severus" Minister said stepping in and trying very hard to not roar from laughter.
The two acknowledged him but did not move gazes from each other as if the other would cast a hex at the moment's notice. Lily had a small cloud over her head that was making snow only for her. And it seemed that the cloud followed her wherever she moved. She didn't look amused. Her red hair was quickly becoming wet. Severus had the entire set of chess pieces plotting and devising an attack on him. They looked very small but very determined bunch. Somehow Lily managed to turn Severus's own figures on him together with her own. Right now a group of black and white chess figures were trying to dig trenches around Severus black boots and were bringing makeshift catapults against their huge enemy.
"Allright out with it Shacklebolt- yes we are crazy. The both of us, happy? Now stop grinning. What brings you here?"
"This is certainly more amusing than anything that might happen during the game. What happened?" Kingsley left all hope that he would stay serious or official and started laughing.
"He was cheating minister! " Lily said not able to keep a straight face herself. "So I made the figures attack him."
"I was not! The knight was there the whole time, I did not move it"
"Severus, that knight was moved. Your figures move suspiciously too much without your consent, don't you think?"
"And how's that my fault? It's Sirius's chess set. You forgot ours!"
"No Sir, YOU forgot the chess set, while I packed everything else, while you played with Minerva the whole time! Anyway, stop moving pieces!And take this cloud off me- my hair is getting wet." Lily didn't mind Severus playing with Minnie and keeping her busy, but to say that she forgot the chess set.. How Slytherin! Which gave her an idea..
"Severus do you think this set is designed to give Slytherins an advantage? "
"That would explain Sirius 's claim that he lost every game to Regulus back in a day. That or that he is not half as bright as Regulus was."
"Promise me you will not say that to him. Ever since we got back, Siri has been missing his brother so much. Sev, just don't."
"Alright, promise. Now take these murderous chess figures off my back!"
The chess figures indeed looked murderous. Especially the two queens that were now jointly commanding the army against Severus. Kingsley smiled to himself thinking should he report these two to appropriate authorities for having too crazy of an atmosphere to raise a child into.
Soon the murderous chess figures were calmed down and the cloud disappeared. Lily brought tea out and Kingsley decided to tell the two his proposition.
"Severus, I talked to the people at the Ministry and we think it would be a splendid idea if you would take over as the Head of Auror Office. What do you guys think?" Kingsley looked at Lily and Severus who looked at each other for a split second before both looking back at the Minister.
"Its Severus's decision, I support him in anything he wants to do" Lily said taking her cup back from the table.
"Of course, Lily" Kingsley liked this girl from the moment he met her. Harry was so much like his mother. Even though the said mother now was his age.
"Well if it is up to me, I categorically reject the offer."
"Severus, you didn't even think about it!" Kingsley was expecting that he would do some convincing, but not an outright no..
"There is nothing to think about, Shacklebolt" I like where I am, I enjoy being an Auror. I am not .. an ambitious type... " Now THERE was a lie! "Severus, you are wasting your talents! Have you thought about the fact that you are absolutely wasting your talents? You could head the Department of Mysteries, the Auror Office.. I don't know.. Minerva wants to retire as soon as we find her a good replacement. Maybe Hogwarts Headmaster. You were once.. You have absolutely no ambition?" Kingsley has thought about it longer than just a day, that much was clear. Lily closed her eyes for what about to come.. She could see it in her husband's eyes while the Minister was talking.
"Kingsley.. Have YOU ever thought that maybe I DREAMED about wasting my said talents? Did you ever consider that I don't want to do the entire Savior of the World bit. That I just want to go to work and come home and spent my day with Lily and my daughter and my friends? Didn't I do enough of that double-spy business as it is? Don't you ask too much, sometimes? And about the Hogwarts- the ABSOLUTELY BEST replacement for Minerva is right in front of her. She seems to agree on that part, but she says that the Ministry and the Board seem too .. apprehensive.. Even though I am ready to make an Unbreakable Vow that Remus will not harm anybody as a Headmaster just the same way he hasn't harmed anyone all this time."
"You seem quite decided on those points, Severus.."
"Yes, Quite. You can ask Harry. He seems a great candidate for your proposition."
"He is also one of my choices. I had to have other choices, just in case if my conversation with you went exactly in a way it went". Kinglsey prepared to leave.
"Minister we thank you for your consideration and please stay for another cup of tea" Lily said. She was so sweet she was almost making Severus look hospitable. "Thank you, both of you, but I must go, I don't want to miss the start of the game. You know with all the announcements and all.." Kinsglsey Shacklebolt smiled,shook their hands and left the two to their interrupted game of chess.
"My hair is all wet because of you!"
"You look beautiful..."
"Only you can find me beautiful, Sev, when I look like this. Oh well, it 'll dry." Lily couldn't stay mad at the man for too long no matter how hard she tried.
"Do you remember where were we Sev?"
"Ask the figures, they seem awfully fond of you!"
After couple of moves..
" You seem awfully fond of their owner, Sev"
"What, Sirius? How can anybody be fond of that arrogant man? I don't understand how Luna seems to like him enough to have children with the man." "Not children, a child so far. But hopefully little Regulus will have brothers and sisters soon." Lily seemed to turn every conversation into a sappy mush in Severus's opinion.
"The only wise thing that man ever did was naming the child after Regulus." "See, you like all of them!" Lily was so happy to prove Severus wrong. "And with all said and done, you just want to work with Sirius and hence you will never take any other job ever offered."
"Lil, our finances are good enough for me to choose anything I want to do and I do like my present engagement.."
"In other words, your pure-blood Slytherin ancestors left you enough money for you and generations of our offspring to do whatever their heart desires. And your heart at the present moment desires to keep Sirius Black, a GRYFFINDOR, out of trouble."
"Precisely. And you have no idea what the man is capable of getting himself into. Half of my worries in the field are not the criminals, but him."
" Harry said you are the only one that is capable of working with him. He gets along with James of course, but together they become too unpredictable,so that option is out of window."
"He is not that bad, Lils, especially when he does not talk. Your move."
"SEVERUS SNAPE, YOU ARROGANT ARSE, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Sirius Black's voice was heard sooner than he was in the tent. No knock, nothing. Of course.
"Black, you are drunk! Not surprising. Don't you have a match to watch?" Severus said not getting up. "Hey Lily, sorry for the intrusion, but this fool just turned down, I think, three propositions in a row according to Kingsley."
"I am so sorry Lil, Severus" Remus appeared in the door completely out of breath. "I tried to stop him, but he just ran when he heard Minister talk to us" Remus was as ever trying to protect the world from Sirius Black and vice versa. Lily walked over and hugged the werewolf. And the idiots at the ministry were afraid of this kind-hearted man?
"Why is he more agitated than the usual?" Severus was talking to Remus and ignoring Sirius, well knowing that the act in itself was guaranteed to drive the man mad.
"Kingsley said you turned down his offer to be the Head of Auror Office. He thinks it's because of him" Remus was holding on Sirius and practically keeping him from charging at Severus.
"Why the hell, you talk like I am not in a room or like I am a child? And why the HELL did you turn down Kingsley's offer? Working with me surely cannot be THAT joyous?" Sirius was still trying to tackle Severus. Remus was still holding him back. Lily realized that absolutely nothing had changed since they were in Hogwards.
"Black, You are, as always, assuming that everything on Earth revolves around you. I have news for you- it doesn't. My decision is final and it is mine. Not yours to make. So if you were hoping change of partners, you will soon have to talk to Potter about it." Severus knew the last bit would shut Sirius up.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Harry, he is I believe being offered the position starting next year as we speak." Remus added.
"I see. Well, Harry is an excellent choice as well." Sirius was still suspicious.
"Siri, he is always busy as it is, and I am not even going to start on how dangerous the whole thing is. But with the new office, I would raise my child alone, and I don't think that would be good for my Minnie. To not see her Dad days on end. Besides, considering Sev's past, he and I have decided that he will try to steer clear of higher up offices. You two work well together, Slytherin and Gryffindor balance each other, you know?"
Sirius seemed to believe Lily's words. He cooled down enough for Remus to finally release him. "So what you two are up to?" Sirius looked around completely forgetting how angry he was a minute ago.
Lily looked at her friend. He was truly exceptional, Sirius. He went through so much horror and managed to preserve the child in him so well. Maybe that's what kept him going. His family quarrels, First Wizarding War, his baby brother's death, twelve years of Azkaban, Second Wizarding War, his untimely death, and here he was, his clear gray eyes, full of childish curiosity, his anger completely gone, energy bursting out of him. He is a big child, Lily thought to herself, poor man never had the chance to grow up. That's alright, Sirius. Don't grow up. Growing up is not half as fun as it is drummed up to be. Stay as you are, and as long as James, Remus and I are around, you won't need to grow up. We'll take care of grown up stuff. Like getting along with people you don't like. Like realizing that your friend just turned down a great offer because of you and then lied about it right to your face. Like keeping you from punching the hell out of the said friend as a form of a thank you in a language of Sirius Black. I even managed to get my Sev to understand the unique way to handle you. He doesn't mind. He genuily likes you. He doesn't show it, of course. You gave him too much hard time back in a day. You still do, and he gives back just the same, but I think that's the way you two deal with things. He doesn't do the same tricks with Remus, of course. Sev worships Remus. He will die sooner than admit to it, but he absolutely worships the man. But then we all do.
"Lily what are you thinking?" the three men were looking at her puzzled.
"Nothing. About how much you have not changed since Hogwards."
"Nonsense" Severus.
"We have changed plenty" Sirius.
"You haven't changed either" Remus.
"Hey, Lookie here! Lily is so beating you here!" Sirius exclaimed looking at the chess board. " Move your knight if you want to save it."
"I do. But where? She's got me cornered. This knight always get in these impossible situations. Not the other, the other's fine."
"Threaten her with the bishop. That ought to take care of it." "Siri! Stop helping him, or Remus come here and be on my side!"
"Eh? Oh sorry Lily, I will take him away. I was just looking at your daughter. Minerva looks so peaceful, asleep, and your charm seems working, she does not seem to hear any of your screams. Sorry, I didnt get to see these moments with Teddy and I do seem to miss them.C'mon Padfoot. Let's leave these two be"
"Alright, me and Luna are saving you two seats next to us!"
"No, Sirius, Luna is saving us seats, you are here helping me at chess. But thanks anyway. We will be there shortly, just as soon as Minnie is awake."
Remus practically removed Sirius by force from the tent only to re-appear in the doorframe a second later alone to whisper "Thank You Severus!" and disappear again.
"I was just going to bet that Remus was coming back, Lil"
"That's Remi. Of course he was coming back. Check and mate!"
" Well, that was certainly a good game, despite many interruptions"