CHAPTER 21 Ignorance is Bliss

Disclaimer: This work is based on the J.K. Rowling's World of Harry Potter. Everything you recognize belongs to her.

Severus owled to say that he would be returning home that upcoming weekend to work on her retrieving her memories. Maerna danced around the room holding the letter. She was so excited to see him, but she was also worried about the legilimency. She was starting to make plans. Plans that would be dangerous for Severus to know about. "Keep the parts of your life separate," Maerna reminded herself.

He arrived in the floo just before dinner Friday evening. He came in and brushed the soot off of his black cloak. Maerna was awarded with a quick hug which she repaid with a kiss on his cheek. His smell had changed a bit. Usually, the aroma was laced with the fumes of a potion lab, but all that was gone. A more woodsy smell with a hint of jasmine was all that remained.

Maerna turned her body inward, snuggling against him, "I missed you," she mumbled into his cloak.

"And I, you," he replied kissing the top of her head but pulling back quickly,

She glanced up toward his black locks. "Your hair. It looks good, not as oily," Maerna commented.

"It's because I'm not stuck looking at adolescent attempts at potion brewing all day. My hair has always been oily but potion fumes wreak havoc even more." Severus almost sneered. Evidently his hair was a touchy subject.

"Have you tried any muggle shampoos?' she asked.

"Why would I?" he asked.

"Well, there are literally hundreds of types out there and some are specifically for oily hair," she explained.

"Buy me some and I'll try it, okay." Severus negotiated.

"Deal," Maerna grinned.

Dinner conversations remained light, mostly Severus's stories about his students' antics. He seemed to loathe Gryffindors, particularly ones named Harry Potter, who was "egotistical, self-righteous and was relishing in his new title of "The Chosen One."

"Do you believe he's really a threat to The Dark Lord?" Maerna asked over dessert.

"He was when he was 15 months old," Severus reminded her.

"Was he really? You hear about accidental magic, but for what happened that night to be accidental magic seems highly unlikely," Maerna concluded. "There had to be something else. Something Harry's parents did or something that the Dark Lord did wrong, not that I would tell him that."

Severus put down his fork and closed his eyes. Memories washed over him. Maerna watched a myriad of emotions pass through him: fear, horror, pain, numbness, and finally acceptance. She walked over, leaned against the arm of his chair and began to stroke his hair. At first he stiffened, but then he relaxed.

"You know, I was the one who found them."

"You were?"

"Yes, I stepped over Potter's body and moved upstairs. There was Lily beside the crib, eyes wide open in death. Her son was sitting in the crib, reaching through the bars, calling for her." Severus's voice choked up.

Maerna pulled up a chair and held his hands. "So, she was the one, wasn't she." Maerna could tell by his reaction.

This time, Severus really did stiffen and pushed his chair back. "Thank you for dinner. I think I'll go for a walk now." he said with a formal tone. He stood up and disappeared from the house.

"Okay, note to self. Don't ask about Harry Potter's mother." Maerna chided herself.

Severus didn't show up for several hours. Maerna had long since fallen asleep on the click of the door woke her but she feigned sleep. Severus walked toward her and leaned over. He smelled heavily of Firewhiskey and Maerna realized that his "walk" was probably apparating straight to a pub. He didn't say a word, but slowly trailed his fingers along her jawline and traced her lips. Then he kissed her head and disappeared into his bedroom.

The next day, he acted like the previous night hadn't happened. He suggested that they work on the memory after breakfast. She got comfortable on the couch and Severus kneeled next to her. She started with the last memory when she turned everything purple and he took it from there. He walked through her 4th birthday, a trip to the beach, her first day of school, then back to her old house. He wandered around her house as she played with her dolls in her room. He moved to the attic. She had never like that attic of that house. It was always dark and scary. In her memories, the door seemed hazy like it was encased in fog. He tried the door knob but it was locked. "Maerna, this is it," Severus whispered. "I can feel the dark magic behind this door. I need your help to open it."

She was about to answer but realized that he wasn't actually talking to her. He was talking insider her head. "I don't know how," Maerna's voice quaked.

"Focus behind the door. What's behind the door?" he instructed. Maerna focused and the door seemed to dissolve under his touch. He gave her smile and led her up the stairs.

Inside was one of the most disturbing things Maerna had ever seen. Candles were lit all around. Strange shapes were drawn on the floor. Maerna stood to the side but she could see her grandmother holding Maerna as a child in the middle of a circle. Her grandmother was chanting in some strange language. Black smoke starting rising from the candles. Then Little Maerna screamed and everything went black.

"Wake up, Maerna. It's okay. You're safe. Wake up. I'm here." Maerna's eyes fluttered open. She was laying on the couch back on the cottage in England. Severus was cradling her, calling out to her softly. "It's okay."

"Severus?" Tears pooled into Maerna's eyes. "It was her. I was hoping it wasn't but it was my grandmother. Why did she do that to me? Why did she do that Dark Magic on me? I thought she loved me?" The tears overflowed and Severus pulled her closer.

Once the sobs turned to sniffles, he pulled back. Her hair had fallen around her face. He carefully pushed it back behind her ear. "I don't know, Maerna. I don't know why she did it, but I'm sure she had a damn good reason because from what I have seen, your grandmother loved you very much. She was willing to battle three Death Eaters to protect you. She was willing to sacrifice her life to try to keep you safe. Yes, I think she loved you very much." He put his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his "and I promise you, we'll figure out why."

Severus stayed with her until the early hours of the morning. Both of them had just drifted off to sleep when Severus bolted up and grabbed his arm. He groaned and reached over to the sleeping woman. "Maerna, Maerna. Wake up, hon."
"Hhhhhmmmm,"

"Maerna, wake up. I've been summoned." Severus said more urgently as he stood up.

This woke up her completely. "At this time of night? What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Severus reached for a different black robe from the closet. "It's probably nothing. Sometimes he calls meetings at strange hours just to show he can. I just didn't want you to worry when I wasn't here. Are you going to be okay, alone?"

"Yes, of course," Maerna replied.

"Are you sure?" Severus asked. "You had a really rough evening."

"You need me to be strong tonight and so I will be," she promised.

Severus looked at her for a few moments-a look of wonder on his face. He squeezed her shoulder. "I'll be back." Then he grabbed a white mask from the closet and left.

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Four days later, Maerna was waiting impatiently at the door. Where was he? Remus said that he would be here by 1:00. She glared at the clock trying to blame it for her friend's tardiness-1:45. Just then a distinct pop and a greying figure appeared from thin air and hurried toward her. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Are you okay?" Maerna inquired. Remus appeared rattled. He was grimy and disheveled. Although, his clothes had always been worn, his appearance, today, was one of neglect.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, but Maerna was skeptical.

Remus sighed. "I can't explain too much, but I've been living among my own kind for a while. They tend not to be as fastidious about daily hygiene." Remus waved his wand over himself to remove most of the dirt and smell.

"Among your own kind?" Maerna still didn't understand.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Among werewolves."

"Oh," Maerna suddenly realized how little she knew about werewolves. "Do they typically live differently than other humans?"

Remus smiled wryly, "You do realize that most of the magical community questions our status as human."

"What!" Maerna was aghast. "What do they call you then?"

"There's an ongoing debate whether to classify us as beings or beasts."

Maerna stared at him mouth ajar but opted to change the subject. "I have a proposal for you, Mr. Lupin."

"I'm all ears, Mrs. Danazul." Remus smiled.

"I am in need of some magical transport of both myself and some items for there are too many for me to carry alone. Help me move my things back to the house and I will treat you to a delicious meal at a muggle restaurant where you can educate me further about werewolves. It seems my knowledge is extremely lacking. I don't want to appear daft, if the Minister of Magic showed up for tea and I was unable to converse basic knowledge about such creatures."

Remus started to laugh. "Okay, deal but I'm sure Scrimgeour has more important things to do than show up at a random house for tea."

"Perhaps," Maerna pretended to be pensive, "but one must be prepared for every contingency."

"Yes, one should." Remus agreed, smothering a smile.

Maerna gave him exact directions and they apperated to the storage facility that Lailani has put her belongings. He shrunk them down for her and returned her and her things to the basement of the cottage where she'd go through them later. Then they decided upon Chinese. Maerna found a small restaurant and they settled into a quiet corner. He taught her all about werewolves and she taught him how to use chopsticks.