Disclaimer: Not mine.
Sequel to Finding Home
or
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jig
Chapter 21
Severus paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked down at Timothy.
"Before we go in there you have to know not to believe everything you hear," he frowned. "And Mrs Snape does not need a word by word rendition of what is said before she gets here."
"So I should lie."
"Absolutely not." He looked at the door and then back at the boy. "Unless you have to, and then only as far as you must."
"If I should not believe what I hear what do I know to lie about?"
"Don't be cheeky."
Severus opened the door and pushed him in, glowering at him and pointing to a chair in the reception area.
"Great," Beth stood up scowling at him. "You took the wards down. How did you do that?"
"My dear, if I wanted you to warn the Minister I was coming I would have left them up."
"Well, you can't go in there and don't you go doing…. that thing you do," she glanced at the boy before saying more. "You know what I mean."
"It may interest you to know that he is expecting me."
Right and I started here yesterday," she rolled her eyes at him and flipped open her appointment book.
"You will see an opening. That is mine."
"Professor, it does not work that way."
"Who is in there with him now?"
"Mr Weasley, and if you think…"
"Come boy." He strode to the door and looked back at Timothy. "I told you not to believe everything, this is one of those moments."
"Don't you dare go in there!" Beth planted her hands on her hips and glared as Timothy stood and followed Severus.
"Well done," he smirked at the boy, and then pushed the door open and walked in.
"So, once again you make your own appointments," Kingsley sighed. "I see this is an official call?"
"Arthur is my witness, as soon as Hermione joins us we can begin."
"Then begin," she said from the doorway.
Timothy hurried over to her and took Elaine's hand from her to free her to carry Galen more easily.
"Thank you," she smiled at him. "More should take their cues from you."
"He is faster," Severus scowled at the boy.
"So, let's get this going. Timothy Bright, do you know why you are here?"
"Because I was told if I didn't want to spend the day with him," he jerked his head at Severus, "he would be angry with me. I'd rather lose the time than my life."
Everyone looked down at Elaine who stood nodding her head. "Truth, really," she said seriously.
Kingsley rolled out a length of parchment that lay in front of him on the desk and pushed it over to Hermione who handed Galen to Timothy and smiled widely as she signed the document.
"Do you understand that this is final Timothy?" Kingsley leaned back in his chair speaking softly. "Yes?"
"What is final?"
"Snape," Kingsley sounded exasperated. "I told you he has to understand what he is signing.
"He can read," Severus sneered and grabbed the parchment shoving it at Timothy as Hermione took Galen back.
"I told you to talk to him," she hissed. "Timothy, did that git explain anything to you?"
Timothy's eyes flew over the document he held in his hands. His eyes snapped up and locked on Severus', he swallowed hard, unsure what to say.
"Well?" Severus questioned him, holding his hand up to silence Hermione. "I will sign it next, and then it is up to you."
"Me?" he squeaked and sat heavily in the chair next to Arthur. "You really… you would…"
"How eloquent," Severus sneered, yanked the document away from him, and signed it quickly.
"Me too," Elaine climbed up onto Kingsley's lap and reached for his quill. "I can make all my letters."
"Elaine, I don't think you need to be up on …"
"Let her do it," Severus locked his eyes on Timothy. "Galen is too young but the rest of us all agree. What about you boy?"
"You want to adopt me? For real?" He swallowed trying to free the lump that was growing in his throat.
"Please," Kingsley gave Hermione a look of gratitude when she came around the desk to show Elaine where to start making her name. "He needs to understand what this means."
"It's simple. Your name is Snape. You do as I say and when I die you inherit one third of a mortgage on a house I cannot afford and interest in a losing shop."
Timothy walked over to the desk and looked at Arthur over the parchment.
"You could do worse son," he said kindly.
"Yeah?" He picked up the quill and looked down at Elaine. "What do ya think kid? Could I do worse?"
Elaine shrugged her shoulders and crooked her finger at him, signalling him to squat down and let her whisper in his ear. He smiled as he listened, then patted her on the head and grinned.
"Mr Sna… Profes…Se…"
"You could call him Dad," Kingsley grinned.
"I could call him a …." He looked at Severus scowl and felt Elaine tugging at his t-shirt. "Can I stay at the house instead of going to that school?"
"No, you can stay home. I have spoken to Minerva and she agrees you may use the floo on a daily basis."
Timothy picked up the quill, signed his name and watched as Arthur put his name on it as witness. He wiped the back of his hand over his eyes again swallowing and let Hermione hug him. Watching over her shoulder, he saw his new father smirk at him.
He pulled away from Hermione and made his way to the dark man he would now call father, holding out his hand and feeling it grasped in both of Severus'.
"This is forever lad."
"She made you say that didn't she?" Timothy tried to grin. "It's okay though, I guess it really only means a couple of years anyway."
"You're a Snape now boy," he frowned. "If you want this only to be for now you need to decide before that black bureaucrat over there puts his hoof print on it."
"Severus," Hermione hissed.
"No need Mrs Snape," Kingsley laughed. "I shall extract my own pound of flesh later."
"Well boy?"
"I don't have to leave when I am of age?"
"At the orphanage they have their birthday and leave the same day," Kingsley said quietly.
"Daddy?" Elaine ran and grabbed Severus' hand. "You going to kick me out on my birthday? Can I go to Grandma Granger's?"
"Go pester your Mother. Better yet see what Mr Shacklebolt keeps in his desk." He spun her around and pushed her back toward Kingsley. "You can stay until the mortgage is paid off."
"Oh good Merlin, of course you can stay. It is your home now every bit as much as it is Elaine's or Galen's home. You belong there."
"Hey Pet," he laughed as he scooped her up and swung her easily to his hip. "I found a new home, and I guess that means I am your brother."
He glanced at Severus trying to read the man's face, hoping for any sign of affection. Seeing nothing, he set Elaine down and walked over to Kingsley, picked up the parchment and handed it to him.
"Guess all we are waiting for is for you to stomp on this."
He turned at Hermione's gasp and heard a soft chuckle from Severus.
"Are you sure he is not your husband's?" Kingsley said to Hermione.
"He is as soon as you stomp on the thing like my son told you," he smirked, but only before letting Timothy Snape see his look of approval and a rare grin.
Hermione set up a study guide and demanded that Timothy followed it. She tested him on Spells, Charms, and Transfiguration finding him to be at or above grade level for sixth year. His Arithmancy was sorely wanting, his history non-existent and his potions barely adequate for third year.
Her parents took Timothy for long weekends, and on occasion would give the Snapes a well-deserved vacation, taking two of the three at a time. Never did she allow all three to be gone at once. The house is too quiet, she would complain. The days too long. She, too lonesome as Severus spent longer and longer in the shop.
Timothy began his Hogwarts education and grew more and more sullen. Coming home, he would head for the kitchen, spread his work out on the table and begin to study, often not finishing until late in the evening.
"I try to help him Severus, but I just don't have the time like I should. Every time we start to work one of the children comes up with something that needs my attention. Elaine won't leave him alone and Millie just indulges her. And I had a job offer."
"A job offer," Severus looked up from his Daily Prophet. "You plan on doing all this and work as well?"
"We could use the money and I could use the time." She bit her lip and avoided his eyes. "I thought I may look into it."
"If you are interested in it by all means, but if you are only doing this for the extra galleons I would rather you let it go."
"The Ministry has a part time opening in Spell Control and Development. I got an owl post from Kingsley on it. He seems to think I would enjoy it."
He laid the paper down and scowled at her. "We need to work out the hours. I cannot very well leave the shop before six, and it is not fair to Timothy to expect him to stay with the other two, nor will his school work be allowed to suffer."
"Page nine," she nodded to the paper. "Flourish and Blotts has tutors, they ran an ad. It's only eight Galleons an hour. I would get off work at eight, tutoring is over at nine, I could bring him home with me. Two nights a week should do it. I would leave at five, that's only one hour he would be stuck here with Millie and the little ones."
"He is sixteen Hermione. He could travel himself."
"No, he will be tempted to Apparate and it's too far for him yet and I don't want him in the Alley that late at night by himself. He can floo there, but not back. Too many shady characters are milling around for him to walk alone down to the Cauldron and I won't go giving him the key to the shop. That's all we would need, someone to follow him there. No, not at sixteen. I wasn't much older myself when…" she looked away from him suddenly. "Anyway, like I said, it's too late for him."
"It would seem you have managed to cover any objection."
"I wanted to make sure it would work before bringing it up."
"Tell me Hermione. Why not take a day time shift?"
"This would work better is all." She waked to the fireplace and held out her hands as if to warm them. "Winter is coming, and this old house is freezing. I hope we will…"
"When will we see each other?"
"Severus, we would still have plenty of time."
He stood up and walked to where she was, putting his arms around her waist and holding her back to him.
"I am open late on Saturday. That would leave only Sunday night. Or is that your plan?"
"No, of course not," she turned to him forcing a smile. "It is best for the children this way."
He traced her chin line with his finger as he studied her face. Then leaning down he brushed his lips against hers.
"Galen is sleeping," he whispered as he kissed her ear lobe and pulled her in to him. "I have missed you. It's been too long."
"If I am going to an interview tomorrow I have to…"
No," he chuckled pulling her into him and pressing into her hips, "Tonight we don't think of work, or the children, or the house."
"Severus," she sighed.
"No, tonight I am the ox," he smirked at her.
He took her hand and gently pulled her down the hallway to their room, where he warded the door and turned back to her, lifting her chin and gently kissing his way down her throat to the place her neck met her shoulders. His arms encircled her, crushing her to him as his hands sought the skin he loved to stroke under her nightgown.
"Severus," she gasped as his hands pushed her into his erection, her eyes moist as she squeezed them shut.
He walked her backwards to the bed, waiting for her knees to give as they collided with the mattress, and slipped the gown over her head as she sat. He watched as she slid to the centre of the bed and followed her on his knees, taking his position between her thighs and resting his weight on his hands on each side of her head he leaned down to kiss her only to have her turn her head to the side.
"Hermione?" he called her softly, "look at me."
She shook her head as she came to an almost sitting position and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her, and thrust her hips up, feeling him bury himself in her. He was slow with her, asking her to look at him, wiping her eyes with the pad of his thumb. He did not feel her clinging to him, or calling his name. He did not feel her quicken or gasp in desire and need, nor did he feel her tighten around him and climax in his arms. He kept her head turned to his, kept his eyes locked onto her lids and felt a sorrow in this act that he did not recognize.
When he'd finished he rolled to her side pulling her to him, and forced her head to rest on his shoulder. He felt her silent tears fall on him, but did not break the quiet, afraid of what she would say.