Chapter 38: Summer Storms

Come as you are, as you were
As I want you to be
As a friend, as a friend
As an old enemy….

And I swear that I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun

Sirius Black was seriously bored. When he had escaped from Hogwarts, he had sworn he would never go back to Azkaban. Yet, here he was, a sitting duck. At first, he had hidden with Buckbeak in Germany, far from the Ministry's reach. Although the children and Lupin had witnessed Pettigrew's transformation, they were not credible witnesses. He was probably still accused of the murder. And then there was his escape. He was certainly guilty of that. One would think that would be enough to keep him away from England.

Yet here he was. Back at the homestead, in the House of Black. He had felt an inexplicable pull to return to 12 Grimmauld Place. Why, he had no clue. He hated his family and their values. Although the only one who remained in the house was Kreacher, he still felt the censure of his family. Of course that could be related to the fact that his mother's portrait screamed at him every time he passed by. His own place in the family tree had been blasted out by her when he had gone to live with James Potter and his family as were other family members who did not blindly follow the credence that muggles were inferior and only pure bloods should run the wizarding world.

Living here was depressing. The house itself had fallen into an extreme state of disrepair. A thick layer of dust coated everything, except for his mother's portrait, of course, which was well maintain by the loyal Kreacher. Various species of the bug kingdom occupied the many nooks and crannies as well as some less desirable creatures of the magic kingdom. It was not unusual to find a boggart hiding in the closet, along with unhappy memories. It was almost as bad as being in prison.

He gazed out the window into the back yard of the house directly behind him. The yard had an organized garden containing many plants not normally found in a typical English garden. Perhaps the occupants were of the magic persuasion. If so, he would have to be careful not to be discovered. There was also a swinging chair, some lounge chairs and a large tree providing shade. The yard had been designed for lazy summer afternoons but he had yet to see anyone other than a hired gardener. His boredom was so great, he was reduced to spying on his neighbours, if only they would come out to be spied on.

Today was his lucky day. The back door was opening. Someone was coming out, a distraction from the repetitive nothingness of his days. His heart stopped and his jaw dropped. It was her. It was the woman from the Forbidden Forest. It was the woman who invaded his nighttime and daytime dreams. She carried her child along with a blanket. Wait. Twins. She was followed by a house elf carrying the other child. She arranged the blanket under the shade of the tree and placed the babies on it. Black scanned the yard. There was no sign of Mr. Absolutely Stunning Creature. Maybe there was no Mr. Maybe she was a single parent. Maybe it was fate that had drawn him back to this place. He had to arrange a meeting, but how?

He stood with his hands and nose pressed to the window. Her hair was loose, curling over her bare shoulders. She wore a dress, spaghetti thin straps, a plunging neckline and a short flared skirt that showcased her spectacular legs. She bent over to rearrange the blanket before sitting down, confirming she had a curvy bottom. He was sure that drool would shortly begin a journey down his beard. She played with her children as she chatted to the house elf. He didn`t care if the whole Ministry was waiting outside her door. He would meet her somehow.

Something on the periphery disturbed his locked gaze. A cat sauntered over to the blanket to be fussed over by his fantasy. Wait a minute. There was something familiar about that cat. He`d seen that cat somewhere before. A horrible conclusion penetrated his consciousness. That conclusion was confirmed when the back door opened again and Snape stepped out. His dream lover jumped up and gave him a kiss that would not be shared between blood relations. The vision wasn`t his relative. She was his wife.

She was Professor Turner, owner of the cat that had defended Snape the night that he had confronted Pettigrew. The house elf left and Snape lifted up one of the children and held it close, talking to it. The hated Snape was happily married and blessed with twins. It wasn't possible. He must have bewitched her. Of course. He had used Amortentia. It was the only explanation.

He greedily watched the couple. Snape toured the yard with his daughter, for she was dressed in pink, having her touch different plants. She maintained her place on the blanket and continued to play with the boy. The door opened again to reveal an old friend, Remus Lupin. She gave him a hug of welcome. Snape scowled. They spent a few minutes in conversation and then they did a curious thing. They all turned and looked straight at him. He backed away from the window, even though he knew there was no possible way that they could see him. The house was protected by too many spells to allow that. After a few more minutes, Remus left.

Sirius Black did something foolish. He raced out the front door in search of Lupin.

…

Sylvie Turner had been greatly enjoying her summer until now. Away from the castle, Severus was much more relaxed. He seemed happier, spending his days with the twins and tinkering with new potions in his workroom. She had joined a local mother's group, hoping to make some friends. The problems at Hogwarts were beaten back by the summer sunshine and blown away by warm breezes. After berating Severus for his poor treatment of Lupin, she had made him promise to make a large batch of potion for him. When Remus stopped by to pick it up, they were in the back yard, enjoying the weather. After some idle chitchat, he had made the remark that turned Severus' scowls from thunderclouds to severe tornado warnings. Sirius Black had grown up somewhere in this neighbourhood, maybe on the next street over. They had all looked at the house behind them, imagining the Black family somewhere in the vicinity.

After Lupin left, he exploded. "The Black family close by. For all we know, they live right behind us. He could be watching us right now. We have to move."

"Don't be ridiculous. Remus may be incorrect about the location of the house. It could be in another part of the city entirely. Even if it is in this neighbourhood, even if it's right behind us, there's no one there. Remus said that the house has been abandoned for years. Besides, it's the last place that Sirius Black would be. Severus, there is nothing wrong with this house. It is comfortable in a quiet neighbourhood. It wasn't easy to find a house that suits our needs so well. I really don't want to move."

"I suppose you are right," he conceded, but he continued to frown and was in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

…

Severus Snape had also been enjoying his summer, apart from some minor irritations. One of those irritants had caught him coming out of the house without the protection of Sylvie and the twins. She was having her local mother's group over and he had been driven out of the house by the cries of strange babies. Although he loved his own children and enjoyed spending time with them, he still couldn't stand other people's children. The irritant was their next door neighbour, Delilah, an obvious woman with brassy blond hair, an artificial chest which she exposed to all the world with low cut, tight blouses, and enough makeup on her face to finance a third world country. They had met her in rather embarrassing circumstances. It was their first outing with the twins in their new home. Sylvie had on what she called one of her fun dresses. It moulded her bust to perfection and curved itself around her bottom. He couldn't help but imagine what was concealed under the dress and his thoughts strayed to what he would like to do to her out of the dress. It had been a few days since they had shared the pleasures of the bedroom, as the twins were fussing at night. Teething was her explanation.

At first he hadn't wanted her to leave the house dressed like that. "Men will be flying out of their businesses, ready to carry you away and ravish you," he protested. That was exactly what he wanted to do right now.

She just laughed at him. "Don't be silly. It's a hot day. All of the women in London will be dressed like this. I'm not able to wear this at school so I'm going to take full advantage of being able to wear it now." She placed a finger against her face and got that mischievous light in her eyes. "Maybe I should wear this at school. I'll certainly have the full attention of the male students during class." She laughed again at his frown. He was so easy to tease. She gave him a soulful kiss before they stepped out the front door.

All of these things combined to give him a raging erection, something which attracted the attention of the woman coming out of her house next door. Her stare melted his desire faster than the polar ice caps. He looked quickly at Sylvie to see if she had noticed. She looked amused. The brazen woman quickly introduced herself as their neighbour, Delilah Pentrose, newly transplanted from the American south. She ran her fingers down his arm as she invited them to come visit anytime, day or night. This last part was said through fluttering eyelashes. They made a quick escape and continued to the park.

"I think there's something wrong with our neighbour. Her eyes seemed to have trouble adjusting to the sunlight. Do you suppose she is a vampire?"

Sylvie had trouble controlling her laughter. After her snorts had subsided, she said, "Oh, she's a vampire all right, but it's not your blood she wants to suck." He looked at her quizzically. "She was flirting with you. She was sending you a mating signal, trying to tell you that she wants you to come to her house at night and she wants you to come alone."

"No," he denied. "I think she has an eye condition." Sylvie continued to chuckle to herself.

Here she was again, descending the step at a rapid pace. There was something about her that made him feel hunted, like she was ready to make a meal out of him. "I'm so glad to see you, Severus." She held fast onto his sleeve. "I'm having a problem with my 'plumbing'." She said the word as if it had some special meaning. "Come inside and take a look at it."

He stared at her hand, willing her to let go. He didn't mind if Sylvie touched him in public but he was extremely uncomfortable when anyone else touched him. He looked up to find her eyes doing that funny thing again. "I know nothing of plumbing, madam. I suggest you contact a tradesman."

She increased her grasp. "Call me Delilah. I'm sure that it's just a screw that needs tightening. Someone with your strength will have no problem, sugah. Little ole me just can't do it alone."

"Judging from the grip you have on my arm, strength is not your problem." He managed to wrest himself away from her. "I'm late for an appointment." He rushed off before she could catch hold again. Perhaps Sylvie was right about their neighbour.