The story ain't over yet, kiddos. Don't you know the best adventures never actually happen at Hogwarts?
June 30th
"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Veronica looked over their luggage again, afraid that they were traveling too light. "We'll be there for the whole summer until the start of next term."
"Darling, you've been over those bags five times in the past two hours." Severus sighed, checking the wall clock at a glance. "Now come on, we booked the Portkey for 5 am and it takes about an hour or so to walk there.
"Okay, okay, okay, let's get this show on the road then." Veronica picked up her suitcases.
They would be staying with Veronica's aunt Julia in the States while Severus conducted research with her brother in law, Jim, in the swamps, and Veronica helped tend to her cousin's wedding. She was still reluctant to go, But Severus assured her that if she wanted to return early, he could simply get bitten by an alligator and they could cut the visit short.
But still, Veronica felt sick to her stomach.
She wouldn't tell Severus exactly why she hated going so much, and he even told her she wasn't obligated to go at all, but she insisted.
"For Lora Lee's sake, I have to go." Veronica talk herself firmly. "I can do this. I'm not thirteen anymore."
The Portkey agency had given them directions to their designated portkey about five kilometers outside of Cokesworth in the middle of a field. Portkeys were always semi-remote to ensure no muggles found them, and this one happened to be a large stone with an inscription carved on it someone in the middle of an abandoned field. It was still dark out, so they could get through the field without people wondering about their luggage, but they stumbled over each other under their eyes adjusted to the dark.
"Now, it's not too late for you to go back." Severus reminded her, "Seriously, it'll be awkward, but I can deal with you family without you."
"No." Veronica shook her head. "I'm going. Just promise me that you'll stay with me when you can."
Severus smiled a little. "Of course. I'll be there."
"Okay" Veronica used her wand to light the area around them. "The Portkey should be around here somewhere. A big rock with an inscription."
"of course, they couldn't be a little more specific as to the location." Severus grumbled. "a kilometer and a half of open field and all they say in the middle? Who do they think they're kidding?"
"I think I found it." Veronica circled a tall, jagged boulder with a bold P seemingly burnt into it. "Ready?"
Severus nodded and made sure he had a tight hold on both his cases as Veronica grabbed hers.
"Three, two, one, go." She counted off and they both touched the portkey, the air getting knocked out of them as they were whisked off in a furious whirlwind. "They said approximately five seconds." Veronica yelled over the wind. "That means we should be over the house in three…two…one…Let go!"
The landing was not soft, they had miscalculated their drop by about ten yards and tumbled down a steep hill instead on landing in the back garden as planned.
"Oh God." Veronica groaned, rolling onto her stomach. "I always hated that drop."
"Well, I'll be blessed." A low, sultry voice called over them, making the duo look up in the dark. "My Baby girl's come home!"
Veronica smiled and tried to pull herself up until a pair of strong, soft arms hauled her to her feet and into a vice like embrace.
"I've missed you so much, Honey. And shame on you for not writing, after I spent those years feeding you and putting a roof over your head!"
"Hi Aunt Julia." Veronica croaked, "I missed you to."
Aunt Julia was a mountain of a woman, standing 6'5 and wide as a wall. Her hair was sunny blonde and was currently piled on top of her head in a beehive. Her face was slack with age, but she smiled with an aura of youth.
"And who is this young man?" Aunt Julia dropped Veronica and looked over Severus in a way that was both welcoming and sinister.
"I-I uh…"
"This is Severus Snape. He's my…" Veronica cut off a moment, "Boyfriend?" She offered hesitantly, looking up at Severus for confirmation.
"Oh uh." Severus sputtered again, "I uh, I supposed you could call it that I mean… we did share a house for a few days, and uh…"
"A new beau!" Aunt Julia squealed, taking Severus's hand tightly in her own and shaking it. "Oh Honey, I'm so happy for you, it's about time you got back on the saddle. Well you just bring your bags inside and get yourself comfortable. Your uncle's dead asleep right now, so don't even worry about waking him."
Severus gathered himself after the onslaught of greetings and looked up at the house they had landed behind, thoroughly in shock.
Sure, Veronica had mentioned her father's family had money, but this was baffling. The planation house huge. Thought it was only two stories tall plus high, domed roof, it was wide and encircled by a continuous porch balcony around the second floor. The garden, which Severus at first thought was a small farm, seemed to grow enough food to feed an army.
"You two must be famished!" Julia let them into the house quickly, into a kitchen that was surprisingly modest compared to the grand exterior.
"Actually, we'd just woken up" Veronica looked around as they entered through the kitchen door. "I always forget about the time difference, I guess it's still late tomorrow here."
"Well Honey, why don't I just show you to your room and you two might get a few more hours of shut eye before the morning."
"We'll see." Veronica nodded. "I am still a little tired."
"Here, I'll take your bags." Aunt Julia led them to the stair case and clapped her hands loudly. On command, the cases levitated off the ground and formed a single file line up the steps. "Just this way. Your sister and her husband should be coming in the morning, so it'll be just like old times."
"Uh huh." Veronica agreed uneasily. "Is uh…is Calvin and Lora Lee here?"
"No, they don't live far. Just up the road a spell. They drop by every so often, but Lora Lee is just so excited that you decided to come." Aunt Julia chattered on like a jay bird all the way up the stairs until they reached a hallway lined with doors. "It's an awful shame your parents didn't want to come, I tried to tell your father there were no hard feelings after everything, but of course you know all that. If there was, I wouldn't have spent all those years keeping an eye on you for him during your school years."
"I thought you went to a boarding school in Massachusetts." Severus pointed out and Veronica shook her head.
"It wasn't a boarding school, it was just located in an old boarding school that had been shut down. It was much more like a public school where you go home at the end of the day, parents would come pick up the kids, or a ride would be provided if the student was a muggle born."
"Muggle? Oh, you mean No-Maj." Aunt Julia laughed and stopped by the door at the end of the hall, "Darlin' you've been gone for too long, I can hardly understand you anymore. Well, here you are." She pushed open the door and motioned for them to enter.
"Now if y'all need anything you just holler at me, alright?" She leaned in the door way and eyed them expectantly in a way that made Severus extremely uncomfortable.
"We will Aunt Julia, thank you. "
After the door closed Veronica turned to Severus with a knowing look on her face. "I know it's a lot for 5 in the morning."
"She seems…nice." Severus said slowly. "Very…"
"Talkative?" Veronica smiled nostalgically, "That's that southern hospitality they're always going on about. But don't worry, I'll just tell them you're shy and they'll go easy on you."
Severus nodded and looked around, the room was large but simply made up.
"Only one bed, huh?" He noted knowingly. "They must have a lot of faith in you."
"If only" Veronica scoffed, moving to sit on the edge of the bed "That just means they like you. I remember I brought Vince here once before we got married. They made us sleep on different floors on opposite sides of the house." She looked up suddenly, "Not because he was black, mind you. That's not a prejudice well help among witches and wizards here. It was because he was a muggle, that prejudice…well-" she sighed. "it hasn't evolved all that much."
"Yikes" Severus winced, for a moment thinking back to a short period of time where he may have fit right in here. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault" Veronica nodded. "You'll like Jimmy though, and you probably won't be around for most of the drama anyways."
"What about you?" Severus sat next to her closer than he would have dared before, "You don't seem all that eager about it."
Veronica rubbed his leg slightly before squeezing her hand, "I'll be fine, it's just three more days before the wedding. And if I can't stand any more after that, then I'll break down and find us a hotel to stay in for the rest of the trip, so you can keep working in the swamps with Jim."
Severus grimaced but nodded all the same. "You know I'll cover half."
"I know you will" Veronica laughed, "I'm still a little tired. Are you comfortable sharing a bed? If not, I can ask Aunt Julia if we can borrow a second room."
Severus was torn, the idea of sharing a bed was bordering on terrifying. However, did he really want to go through all that with Aunt Julia?
"I mean, if you're okay with it I don't see why not." He said slowly, trying to convince himself with every syllable.
"You're a real sport." Veronica grinned teasingly as she slipped off her coat and shoes and put them in the closet. "are you going to join me?"
"No actually, I think I'm going to go over that research file your brother in law sent me. Just to refresh myself."
"Alright well, don't wear yourself out. You'll get jetlagged." Veronica bit her lip and glanced at her trunk. "Do you mind turning around so I can change. It's going to get hot soon, and I don't want to wake up roasting."
"I'll be fine." Severus scoffed and turned his back to her respectfully. "How hot does it get here anyway? I know you told me to pack lighter clothes, but it can't be that bad, right?"
"Well, down here it gets about 32*C during the day time."
"Whoa." Severus sucked in a breath, having forgotten for a moment how far south they were.
"It takes some getting used to. But don't worry, the house has cooling and I won't let you die of heat stroke." Veronica kissed his temple from behind after slipping into a loose tank top and shorts.
"Oh, that's very kind of you. Honestly." Severus snickered as she flopped onto the bed and rolled over on her side. "Goodnight again."
"Night." She mumbled back, already half asleep.
Severus shook his head with a sigh and pulled out the brief research summary from his bag, not wanting to go into this blind.