Livin la Vida Muggle
Oh here she comes
Watch out boy she'll chew you up
Sylvie sat in her living room and watched the other mothers and children from her mothers' group. It was her first time hosting and she was a bit nervous. When she had lived in Canada, she had easily moved between magic and non-magic society, feeling confident in both worlds. Now, however, she was having trouble enjoying muggle society. She no longer felt like she belonged in that world. When they had returned to London for the summer, she had met up a few times with her friend Clare from football but it wasn't the same. She blamed part of it on the fact that they no longer had common interests. Sylvie no longer played football and Clare didn't have any children. They still tried to go dancing but they often found themselves too tired at night to do anything other than collapse in their chairs and read before collapsing in bed, something that Clare didn't understand. The magic world did not provide companionship either. She didn't know any witches or wizards their own age and Severus didn't have any friends of his own.
The conversation wasn't keeping her attention. What did she care about mortgages or the latest scandal of a local politician. She would rather talk about the location of Sirius Black or who would win the upcoming Quidditch match between Ireland and Bulgaria. When they talked about their children, it was always about what remarkably clever thing they had done or how advanced they were. Did no one else have trouble getting their child to sleep. Their babies slept through the night since birth, according to them. Sylvie knew that this was not a group to share common experiences but a group of one-upmanship. That wasn't entirely fair. Actually, it was only two of the mothers involved in this but they were the unofficial leaders of the group. The others were sucked into their competition.
She caught a glimpse of Severus rushing for the door. "Are you going out, Sev," she called loudly.
He stood uncertainly at the doorway, shifting from side to side. He was so uncomfortable around other people. "Yes," he said shortly.
"I'll see you later, then."
He made his escape. One of the mothers turned to her. "Your husband wears rather somber clothing. What is his profession?" It was Andrea who asked, putting disdain in her voice as if whatever it was, it wasn't good enough.
Sylvie was tempted to say 'He's an undertaker. I can give you his card if you require his services,' but she controlled her sarcasm. "He's a professor at a private school. We both teach there."
"Oh, and which school is that."
"I doubt you've heard of it. It's rather exclusive."
"I've heard of all the exclusive schools. Which one is it?"
"It's called Hogwarts but very few people know about it."
"Never heard of it. If so few people know about it, how to they get students." Her tone indicted that perhaps the school wasn't so exclusive after all.
"Children with special talents are invited to attend," Sylvie said.
"What sort of special talents?" Andrea's eyes narrowed. Sylvie could tell that she was trying to decide if her child should go to this school or not, if it was worthy enough.
"Oh, you know, intellect, physical ability, artistic talents."
Cassandra, one of the mothers who Sylvie actually liked, spilled her tea on the carpet. "Oh my, I'm so clumsy. I'm terribly sorry."
"Don't worry. I have a solution that will clean that up in a jiffy."
When Sylvie returned with a magically enhanced cloth to clean up the spill, the conversation had mercifully moved from Hogwarts to what an angel Andrea's son had been when they had driven to Bath for holiday. "He slept the whole way," she said triumphantly.
Sylvie was tired of pretending. "I wish the twins would sleep more, especially at night. They both get up at least once and at different times, of course."
Cassandra turned to her. "I know what you mean. Christina still gets up once or twice to feed. I'm tired enough with one. I can't imagine having twins." The other mothers were nodding.
Andrea and Doris were frowning. For once, they weren't directing the conversation. The devil in Sylvie made her say, "Sometimes I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, run three miles, clean the whole house, host a dinner party of twelve and plan the next charity event."
The twosome were staring at her, trying to decide if she was mocking them. Andrea was meaner but Doris was definitely dumber for she piped up, "Which charities are you involved in?" Without waiting for an answer, she started describing in excruciating detail her own charity work. She heard Cassandra snicker beside her.
Sylvie drifted out of the conversation again and watched her children. Nicholas was laying on his playmat, contentedly chewing on his teething ring. With a look of total concentration, Sophia was batting at the toys dangling in front of her while sitting in her chair. One of the other children let out a screech, startling Nicholas who flung his teething ring across the room. He rolled around, trying to locate it. When it came into his sights, he reached out his hand. The teething ring starting moving across the floor on its own towards his outstretched hand. Sylvie scooped him up before the other mothers noticed, retrieving his prize and holding him firmly on her lap. Just when she started to relax again, Andrea's child, the oldest of the group at 18 months, picked up his building block, looked directly at Sophia and flung it at her, hitting her square in the forehead. She gave a shriek of outrage, narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at him. Sylvie dived for her daughter, blocking her spell and earning a burn hole in her skirt for her efforts. "It's Nicholas' turn in the chair," she sang out, hoping no one noticed the spark that came from her daughter's finger. She placed Sophia on her knee and moved the chair close to her. Sophia continued to glare at the boy but refrained from further retaliation.
'What else could go wrong,' she thought to herself. What else produced bright green flames in the fireplace. Sylvie could see the small glasses of Professor Dumbledore assemble itself. "Look," she yelled, "it's Colin Firth."
All of the mothers except for Cassandra rushed to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who fueled their fantasies as Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Sophia took advantage of the distraction to cause a rattle to repeatedly hit Andrea's boy in the head. "Sophia," Sylvie hissed. The rattle fell silent to the ground.
"Colin Firth's not there," one of the mothers said in disappointment. "It's only an old man walking his dog."
The other mothers turned around to find Cassandra laughing uncontrollably, Nicholas chortling in his chair, Sophia sitting with an expression of extreme satisfaction on her face, Andrea's child wailing and an old man with long hair and a long beard wearing robes and a wizard's hat stepping out of the fireplace.
"I swear, with the sun in my eyes, he looked just like Colin Firth." The others looked at her as if she were insane. 'They would definitely have me committed if they knew the truth,' she thought.
"Professor Dumbledore, how nice of you to stop by. Ladies, this is Professor Dumbledore. He is Headmaster at the school where Severus and I teach. Professor, this is my mother's group, a group of ladies from the neighbourhood with small children." She looked at him meaningfully, hoping he would understand that these women were muggles. "It looks like you are on your way to your Medieval re-enactment group."
"Good afternoon ladies." He turned to Sylvie. "Is Severus at home?"
"He has gone out. If you like, you can wait for him in the study."
"Henry my darling. Where did you get that mark on your head?" Andrea scooped up her child.
"It looks like he bumped his head on something," Sylvie offered.
"It's all right, my precious. Ladies, I think that it is time to go. Next week, the meeting is at my house. I will see you all promptly at 3:00."
The others quickly gathered their things and children, giving Professor Dumbledore wide berth as he smiled at each of them. Only Cassandra remained behind.
"It's nice to see you again, Professor Dumbledore," she said.
"Cassandra Blake. How nice to see you again. I didn't recognize you with short hair."
"It's Cassandra Tufts, now. I married Bill Tufts."
"How lovely. He was such a nice boy."
Sylvie's head whipped from one to the other. "You are a witch," she whispered.
Cassandra smiled back at her. "Yes, I am."
"Did you know that I am a witch?"
"I didn't know until I saw your husband and you mentioned Hogwarts."
"Did you know Severus at school?"
"I knew of him. He was several years ahead of me. Also, I was in Hufflepuff and he was in Slytherin."
Sylvie threw her arms around Cassandra and hugged her tight. "I'm so happy to finally meet a witch my own age."
A little overwhelmed by Sylvie's response, she nonetheless smiled and said, "I'm happy to meet you too. This has been the most entertaining afternoon yet. I was ready to give up on the group, but I'll stay for now. Your twins are quite advanced in their magic. Christina hasn't showed any signs yet."
"Oh," quizzed Professor Dumbledore. "What have the twins done?"
"Just little things like moving objects they can't reach," Sylvie replied nonchalantly. She didn't want Professor Dumbledore to know that Sophia had attacked a muggle child with magic. It would be a disgrace if her children didn't attend Hogwarts.
"So you are saying that if she had been able to reach the rattle, your daughter would have beat that boy senseless with it?" Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. "Don't worry. With age and parental guidance, your children will learn self-control."
Cassandra started laughing again. "That was the funniest thing I ever saw. Poor little Sophia was provoked. I wish I could beat Andrea over the head with a large rattle."
"Who is being beaten with a large rattle?" Severus walked into the room. "Headmaster." He looked surprised to see Professor Dumbledore in his living room.
"Severus, Cassandra is a witch as well. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Wonderful," he deadpanned.
"Severus, I need a private word with you." The men vanished into the study. Cassandra stayed a few more minutes and traded observations with Sylvie. After their company had left, Sylvie tried to find out why Professor Dumbledore had visited but Severus was very vague on the subject.
"And just where is it that you go sometimes in the afternoons? I assume it is related to Professor Dumbledore's visit."
"It is nothing that you need to know," he replied shortly.
"Nothing that I need to know! Severus, there shouldn't be secrets in a marriage. Maybe I'll go with you next time."
"Absolutely not!" At her challenging look, he explained. "I am visiting some of the seedier establishments of the magical world, hoping to hear some word on the Dark Lord and Peter Pettigrew. They are not places that I would want you to ever visit. It would also close mouths faster than a fleeing Snitch if I were to bring my wife with me."
"I see. So you now believe that Pettigrew is alive?"
"According to my sources, yes. He is with the Dark Lord. Exactly where they are is not known but it is believed that they are somewhere in England."
"So close. Sev, please be careful. I'm worried about you. I'm afraid that your involvement in this scheme will lead to disaster. I don't know how I would go on without you." Tears shined in her eyes.
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. "I am careful. Don't worry. I have too much to live for. When this is over, we will go far away from here, live wherever you want."
Later that evening as they got the twins ready for their bathing, Sylvie recounted the events of the day. "And then Sophia made the rattle hit little Henry on the head, several times."
He gathered his daughter close and kissed her head. "That's my girl. Don't let those boys push you around." She cooed happily back at him.
"Severus! Don't encourage her."
"She should be encouraged. When she gets older, she will have to stand up for herself. She will likely be bullied for being my daughter."
She looked at him blankly. "Why would anyone do that?"
"As I am sure you have noticed, I am not well liked by most people."
She arched an eyebrow. "And why do you suppose that is," she questioned ironically.
"Not everyone believes that I am no longer a Death Eater. Some people believe that I gave my allegiance to Professor Dumbledore as a way of making sure I escaped punishment should the Dark Lord be defeated. They think me a coward." His voice rose and his eyes burned with fury. Sophia's lip started to tremble. He looked at his daughter and lowered his voice. "Others are jealous, jealous of my position at Hogwarts, jealous of my ability with magic."
"Really. And your deficiency in social skills has nothing to do with it?"
He gave her a disdainful look. "I am sociable enough when I have to be."
She gave out a snort. "You are not sociable at all."
"Is that what you want? Someone who makes inane conversation with people whose idea of a scintillating topic is the changes in the weather, whose brain would be considered an appetizer for a cannibal. I'm not that person."
She laughed. "An appetizer for a cannibal. I love your wit. No Severus. I don't want you to be anyone other than yourself. I just wish you could find someone other than me to have interesting conversations with. I wish you had a close friend, someone like Suzy. I don't see her every day but if I really needed to talk to someone, she is there for me. I wish you had someone like that."
"I have you. That's all I need."
Their conversation continued in their bedroom in the non-verbal mode.
Livin la Vida Muggle
Oh here she comes
Watch out boy she'll chew you up
Sylvie sat in her living room and watched the other mothers and children from her mothers' group. It was her first time hosting and she was a bit nervous. When she had lived in Canada, she had easily moved between magic and non-magic society, feeling confident in both worlds. Now, however, she was having trouble enjoying muggle society. She no longer felt like she belonged in that world. When they had returned to London for the summer, she had met up a few times with her friend Clare from football but it wasn't the same. She blamed part of it on the fact that they no longer had common interests. Sylvie no longer played football and Clare didn't have any children. They still tried to go dancing but they often found themselves too tired at night to do anything other than collapse in their chairs and read before collapsing in bed, something that Clare didn't understand. The magic world did not provide companionship either. She didn't know any witches or wizards their own age and Severus didn't have any friends of his own.
The conversation wasn't keeping her attention. What did she care about mortgages or the latest scandal of a local politician. She would rather talk about the location of Sirius Black or who would win the upcoming Quidditch match between Ireland and Bulgaria. When they talked about their children, it was always about what remarkably clever thing they had done or how advanced they were. Did no one else have trouble getting their child to sleep. Their babies slept through the night since birth, according to them. Sylvie knew that this was not a group to share common experiences but a group of one-upmanship. That wasn't entirely fair. Actually, it was only two of the mothers involved in this but they were the unofficial leaders of the group. The others were sucked into their competition.
She caught a glimpse of Severus rushing for the door. "Are you going out, Sev," she called loudly.
He stood uncertainly at the doorway, shifting from side to side. He was so uncomfortable around other people. "Yes," he said shortly.
"I'll see you later, then."
He made his escape. One of the mothers turned to her. "Your husband wears rather somber clothing. What is his profession?" It was Andrea who asked, putting disdain in her voice as if whatever it was, it wasn't good enough.
Sylvie was tempted to say 'He's an undertaker. I can give you his card if you require his services,' but she controlled her sarcasm. "He's a professor at a private school. We both teach there."
"Oh, and which school is that."
"I doubt you've heard of it. It's rather exclusive."
"I've heard of all the exclusive schools. Which one is it?"
"It's called Hogwarts but very few people know about it."
"Never heard of it. If so few people know about it, how to they get students." Her tone indicted that perhaps the school wasn't so exclusive after all.
"Children with special talents are invited to attend," Sylvie said.
"What sort of special talents?" Andrea's eyes narrowed. Sylvie could tell that she was trying to decide if her child should go to this school or not, if it was worthy enough.
"Oh, you know, intellect, physical ability, artistic talents."
Cassandra, one of the mothers who Sylvie actually liked, spilled her tea on the carpet. "Oh my, I'm so clumsy. I'm terribly sorry."
"Don't worry. I have a solution that will clean that up in a jiffy."
When Sylvie returned with a magically enhanced cloth to clean up the spill, the conversation had mercifully moved from Hogwarts to what an angel Andrea's son had been when they had driven to Bath for holiday. "He slept the whole way," she said triumphantly.
Sylvie was tired of pretending. "I wish the twins would sleep more, especially at night. They both get up at least once and at different times, of course."
Cassandra turned to her. "I know what you mean. Christina still gets up once or twice to feed. I'm tired enough with one. I can't imagine having twins." The other mothers were nodding.
Andrea and Doris were frowning. For once, they weren't directing the conversation. The devil in Sylvie made her say, "Sometimes I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, run three miles, clean the whole house, host a dinner party of twelve and plan the next charity event."
The twosome were staring at her, trying to decide if she was mocking them. Andrea was meaner but Doris was definitely dumber for she piped up, "Which charities are you involved in?" Without waiting for an answer, she started describing in excruciating detail her own charity work. She heard Cassandra snicker beside her.
Sylvie drifted out of the conversation again and watched her children. Nicholas was laying on his playmat, contentedly chewing on his teething ring. With a look of total concentration, Sophia was batting at the toys dangling in front of her while sitting in her chair. One of the other children let out a screech, startling Nicholas who flung his teething ring across the room. He rolled around, trying to locate it. When it came into his sights, he reached out his hand. The teething ring starting moving across the floor on its own towards his outstretched hand. Sylvie scooped him up before the other mothers noticed, retrieving his prize and holding him firmly on her lap. Just when she started to relax again, Andrea's child, the oldest of the group at 18 months, picked up his building block, looked directly at Sophia and flung it at her, hitting her square in the forehead. She gave a shriek of outrage, narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at him. Sylvie dived for her daughter, blocking her spell and earning a burn hole in her skirt for her efforts. "It's Nicholas' turn in the chair," she sang out, hoping no one noticed the spark that came from her daughter's finger. She placed Sophia on her knee and moved the chair close to her. Sophia continued to glare at the boy but refrained from further retaliation.
'What else could go wrong,' she thought to herself. What else produced bright green flames in the fireplace. Sylvie could see the small glasses of Professor Dumbledore assemble itself. "Look," she yelled, "it's Colin Firth."
All of the mothers except for Cassandra rushed to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who fueled their fantasies as Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Sophia took advantage of the distraction to cause a rattle to repeatedly hit Andrea's boy in the head. "Sophia," Sylvie hissed. The rattle fell silent to the ground.
"Colin Firth's not there," one of the mothers said in disappointment. "It's only an old man walking his dog."
The other mothers turned around to find Cassandra laughing uncontrollably, Nicholas chortling in his chair, Sophia sitting with an expression of extreme satisfaction on her face, Andrea's child wailing and an old man with long hair and a long beard wearing robes and a wizard's hat stepping out of the fireplace.
"I swear, with the sun in my eyes, he looked just like Colin Firth." The others looked at her as if she were insane. 'They would definitely have me committed if they knew the truth,' she thought.
"Professor Dumbledore, how nice of you to stop by. Ladies, this is Professor Dumbledore. He is Headmaster at the school where Severus and I teach. Professor, this is my mother's group, a group of ladies from the neighbourhood with small children." She looked at him meaningfully, hoping he would understand that these women were muggles. "It looks like you are on your way to your Medieval re-enactment group."
"Good afternoon ladies." He turned to Sylvie. "Is Severus at home?"
"He has gone out. If you like, you can wait for him in the study."
"Henry my darling. Where did you get that mark on your head?" Andrea scooped up her child.
"It looks like he bumped his head on something," Sylvie offered.
"It's all right, my precious. Ladies, I think that it is time to go. Next week, the meeting is at my house. I will see you all promptly at 3:00."
The others quickly gathered their things and children, giving Professor Dumbledore wide berth as he smiled at each of them. Only Cassandra remained behind.
"It's nice to see you again, Professor Dumbledore," she said.
"Cassandra Blake. How nice to see you again. I didn't recognize you with short hair."
"It's Cassandra Tufts, now. I married Bill Tufts."
"How lovely. He was such a nice boy."
Sylvie's head whipped from one to the other. "You are a witch," she whispered.
Cassandra smiled back at her. "Yes, I am."
"Did you know that I am a witch?"
"I didn't know until I saw your husband and you mentioned Hogwarts."
"Did you know Severus at school?"
"I knew of him. He was several years ahead of me. Also, I was in Hufflepuff and he was in Slytherin."
Sylvie threw her arms around Cassandra and hugged her tight. "I'm so happy to finally meet a witch my own age."
A little overwhelmed by Sylvie's response, she nonetheless smiled and said, "I'm happy to meet you too. This has been the most entertaining afternoon yet. I was ready to give up on the group, but I'll stay for now. Your twins are quite advanced in their magic. Christina hasn't showed any signs yet."
"Oh," quizzed Professor Dumbledore. "What have the twins done?"
"Just little things like moving objects they can't reach," Sylvie replied nonchalantly. She didn't want Professor Dumbledore to know that Sophia had attacked a muggle child with magic. It would be a disgrace if her children didn't attend Hogwarts.
"So you are saying that if she had been able to reach the rattle, your daughter would have beat that boy senseless with it?" Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. "Don't worry. With age and parental guidance, your children will learn self-control."
Cassandra started laughing again. "That was the funniest thing I ever saw. Poor little Sophia was provoked. I wish I could beat Andrea over the head with a large rattle."
"Who is being beaten with a large rattle?" Severus walked into the room. "Headmaster." He looked surprised to see Professor Dumbledore in his living room.
"Severus, Cassandra is a witch as well. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Wonderful," he deadpanned.
"Severus, I need a private word with you." The men vanished into the study. Cassandra stayed a few more minutes and traded observations with Sylvie. After their company had left, Sylvie tried to find out why Professor Dumbledore had visited but Severus was very vague on the subject.
"And just where is it that you go sometimes in the afternoons? I assume it is related to Professor Dumbledore's visit."
"It is nothing that you need to know," he replied shortly.
"Nothing that I need to know! Severus, there shouldn't be secrets in a marriage. Maybe I'll go with you next time."
"Absolutely not!" At her challenging look, he explained. "I am visiting some of the seedier establishments of the magical world, hoping to hear some word on the Dark Lord and Peter Pettigrew. They are not places that I would want you to ever visit. It would also close mouths faster than a fleeing Snitch if I were to bring my wife with me."
"I see. So you now believe that Pettigrew is alive?"
"According to my sources, yes. He is with the Dark Lord. Exactly where they are is not known but it is believed that they are somewhere in England."
"So close. Sev, please be careful. I'm worried about you. I'm afraid that your involvement in this scheme will lead to disaster. I don't know how I would go on without you." Tears shined in her eyes.
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. "I am careful. Don't worry. I have too much to live for. When this is over, we will go far away from here, live wherever you want."
Later that evening as they got the twins ready for their bathing, Sylvie recounted the events of the day. "And then Sophia made the rattle hit little Henry on the head, several times."
He gathered his daughter close and kissed her head. "That's my girl. Don't let those boys push you around." She cooed happily back at him.
"Severus! Don't encourage her."
"She should be encouraged. When she gets older, she will have to stand up for herself. She will likely be bullied for being my daughter."
She looked at him blankly. "Why would anyone do that?"
"As I am sure you have noticed, I am not well liked by most people."
She arched an eyebrow. "And why do you suppose that is," she questioned ironically.
"Not everyone believes that I am no longer a Death Eater. Some people believe that I gave my allegiance to Professor Dumbledore as a way of making sure I escaped punishment should the Dark Lord be defeated. They think me a coward." His voice rose and his eyes burned with fury. Sophia's lip started to tremble. He looked at his daughter and lowered his voice. "Others are jealous, jealous of my position at Hogwarts, jealous of my ability with magic."
"Really. And your deficiency in social skills has nothing to do with it?"
He gave her a disdainful look. "I am sociable enough when I have to be."
She gave out a snort. "You are not sociable at all."
"Is that what you want? Someone who makes inane conversation with people whose idea of a scintillating topic is the changes in the weather, whose brain would be considered an appetizer for a cannibal. I'm not that person."
She laughed. "An appetizer for a cannibal. I love your wit. No Severus. I don't want you to be anyone other than yourself. I just wish you could find someone other than me to have interesting conversations with. I wish you had a close friend, someone like Suzy. I don't see her every day but if I really needed to talk to someone, she is there for me. I wish you had someone like that."
"I have you. That's all I need."
Their conversation continued in their bedroom in the non-verbal mode.
…
A few days later, they were taking advantage of the nice weather, lounging in the back yard while the twins slept on a blanket. Sylvie was feeling rather drowsy herself. As she watched them sleep, she marvelled at how different they were. Nicholas was easy going, rarely crying. Sophia fussed over the slightest thing and often had a frown on her face, unless her father was paying attention to her. She glanced over at Severus reading the newspaper. He looked so relaxed, almost happy. She was happiest here, sitting quietly with what she now considered her family. A few years ago, a good time was defined by a night out on the town. Now it was relaxing in the back yard with those she loved and a good book. She wished they could stay this way forever, never go back to Hogwarts. Well that was about as likely as Severus and Sirius Black becoming best friends.
She felt something sniffing at foot. Expecting to see Lizzie, she looked down into glowing red eyes and a whiskered face. She jumped out of her chair, screaming. "What the hell is that!"
Severus jumped out of his chair as well, his wand ready to decimate whatever was making his wife scream. A sultry voice drifted over the fence. "Hello. Is my Precious over there?" The face of their neighbour, Delilah, appeared at the top. "Oh dear. It appears that Precious has dug her way into your yard." They looked over to see a hole under the fence between the two yards. "I'll be right there."
"Severus," she whispered, "it's a rat dog." He stepped back, hoping it wouldn't launch itself on him and start humping his leg. The animal in question was a white Chihuahua whose body started to quiver at the sight of its mistress entering the yard.
"Ah'm so sorry that Precious surprised you. She's such a naughty girl, just like her mama." She looked at Severus and started the eye blinking again. "This gives me the opportunity to invite you to a party that I'm having Friday night, a little neighbourhood get together."
"We'd love to come," Sylvie replied. His head whipped around to glare at her.
"And here are your children, looking so adorable." She slinked over to Severus, who was holding Nicholas, the twins having woken up with their mother's screaming. "He's so handsome, just like his father. I would guess that he's going to be… very large." These last words were said in a husky voice, eyes looking suggestively at his crotch. He restrained himself from putting his hand down there to protect his jewels. "The party starts at 7. I'll see you then or you are welcome to come over for a visit any time before that." She looked straight at Severus, completely ignoring Sylvie.
"That sounds delightful," she cooed. "Maybe I'll stop by with the twins tomorrow at 3:00. Unfortunately, Sev has to work at that time so it will be nice to have an adult to talk to."
"Sorry, sugah, I have an appointment tomorrow at that time. I'll see you Friday." She sauntered out of the yard, dog under her arm.
He turned on her. "Why did you do that? I'd rather run through the streets of London naked than go to that party."
She laughed. "Seeing you naked is her primary objective so I don't think she'd mind if you skipped the party for a sprint au natural. I didn't accept the invitation to spend time with her. I accepted it so we could meet some of the neighbours. Maybe there is someone who meets your exacting standards of social interaction; maybe we'll find a couple we can actually invite over for dinner."
"Why would we want to do that?" She just shook her head.
"Sev, come over here. I want to prove a theory I have." She pointed to the hole that Precious had wiggled through. "Does that look like something a dog created or was it helped by a shovel."
"How can you tell?"
"A dog digs with its paws. The ground is pitted with its claw marks. This hole looks very smooth, like the smoothness of a shovel. So Miss Delilah is the fabricator of this hole."
"We can't have that." Nodding their understanding, they each took their wands out and sealed off their back yard from further intrusion.
…
They decided to leave the twins at home since they were having a fussy period and Sylvie wanted to enjoy adult conversation without crying babies. She was happy to be at the party for the first half hour until reality could no longer be denied. All of these people were incredibly boring. She seemed to have lost the desire for small talk and longed to go back home and crawl into bed with Severus. A bright spot to the never-ending ennui appeared when she spied Cassandra across the room standing with a pleasant looking fellow with sandy blond hair. Spouses were quickly introduced.
"I see that we've both managed an evening out without our children. Bill's parents live a few streets over so they have the children tonight." Cassandra looked expectantly at them.
"We have a house elf," Severus replied to her unspoken question.
"A house elf! You are so lucky. I wish we had a house elf. It would make life much easier." She looked wistfully at her husband.
"Someday," he promised. "If I am promoted, we might be able to entice one to come work for us."
"Where is it that you work, Bill," Sylvie asked.
"At the Ministry, of course, where most wizards and witches work. Cassandra tells me that you both teach at Hogwarts. I remember you from school," she said, looking at Severus. "You were a couple of years ahead of me." This time he looked expectantly at Severus.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember either of you. I concentrated on my studies while I was at Hogwarts."
Delilah interrupted their conversation with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "So this is where my favourite neighbour has been hiding." She gave Sylvie the tray to hold and took Severus by the arm. "I have some people for you to meet," she cooed as she led him away. He threw a look of desperation over his shoulder at Sylvie.
Bill and Cassandra gave her a questioning look. Sylvie shrugged. "She wants to have an affair with my husband."
Cassandra let out a gasp of shock. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Why?"
Sylvie steeled her look. "She obviously sees past his outward appearance to his simmering sexuality." They both took a step back from her. She relented. It wouldn't do to alienate a potential bosom buddy right off the bat. She turned the conversation. "You remember Severus from school. What was he like?"
"As he said, he was very studious. We did not move in the same social circles," Bill replied.
"So he actually had a social circle. Who were his friends?"
"Slytherins like him." He did not elaborate but looked very uncomfortable. Sylvie waited for him to say more, giving him a stare that said, 'I know that you are hiding something from me'. After a moment, the words came tumbling out of their own volition. "Well, you know that Slytherins practice Dark Magic. I don't think his studies were confined to those lessons we learned in the classroom."
She sighed. "I know all about his Death Eater days. But that was a long time ago and he turned spy for Dumbledore in the end."
"So he says," Bill said shortly.
"Bill," Cassandra put her hand on her husband's arm, "if Professor Dumbledore trusts him, then I think he should be given a second chance." Sylvie was doubtful that Professor Dumbledore actually trusted Severus, but was just using him for his own purposes.
"You didn't see the results of one of his spells."
"Did Severus attack you?"
"Not me. He was only interested in the Gryffindors. I saw him cast a vicious spell on Sirius Black when we were at Hogwarts."
"You saw the spell but did you see what led up to the spell? From what I have heard, I highly doubt that Sirius Black was innocent. He must have done something to provoke Severus," Sylvie defended.
"I can't think of anything that would warrant that attack." Bill was adamant in his belief that Severus Snape was a bad man. Sylvie sighed again. Just when she had thought that they had met a couple they could invite over for dinner, Severus' past once again hindered his present. She hoped that she could still maintain a friendship with Cassandra.
She glanced around for her husband. She spotted Delilah trying to pull him upstairs. "I'd better go rescue my husband before he's trapped in a compromising position."
She smoothly extracted him from her claws and managed to get him alone on the other side of the room. "How could you leave me with that tigress."
"I'm sorry. I did manage to retrieve you before anything serious happened. We need to find her a man. I know who would be perfect for her, Guilderoy Lockhart!"
"He's in St. Mungo's Hospital."
"Well, maybe we could get her conjugal visiting privileges."
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I'm joking. Sev, do you truly not remember Bill Tufts from Hogwarts?"
"No, why should I?"
"Apparently he witnessed you casting a rather destructive spell on Sirius Black when you were in school."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I cast a lot of spells on Sirius Black, and he on me. I take it that we won't be receiving a dinner invitation any time soon?"
"No. He doesn't believe that you have changed and he doesn't seem inclined to give you a chance to prove yourself."
"This is exactly what I was trying to tell you before. You are weighed and measured by your previous actions. It wouldn't matter if I saved all of the wizarding world. I will always be known as a Death Eater. The sins of the father will become the sins of the child. That is why I know that Nicholas and Sophia will be bullied and why I encourage them to stand up for themselves, because no one else will."
"You can't know that. Sure, there will be some people who will judge them by their parentage but I also believe that there are people who will look beyond that and will consider their character and stand up for them as well."
"No one stood up for me, except for one person." His voice softened at the end.
Sylvie knew exactly who he was thinking of and it wasn't her. He could be alone with a totally naked Delilah Pentrose and she wouldn't think twice about it but a mere mention of Lily Evans sent her jealousy sensors in full alarm mode. He interrupted her musings by asking where the facilities were located.
"Probably in the same place as in our house. It seems to be a similar layout." She wandered the room while he used the washroom, trying to think of a reason to leave early.
Cassandra caught up with her. "I'm sorry about Bill. He can be pig headed sometimes."
"It must be a male attribute." They smiled at one another.
"I also wanted to warn you that Delilah has your husband trapped in the kitchen." She pointed the way and Sylvie set off once again to rescue him. She opened the kitchen door to find Delilah had Severus backed up against the counter, her arms entwined around him. She quietly closed the door and then called out his name. Opening the door loudly, she exclaimed, "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."
Delilah stepped slowly away from Severus, not hiding her interest in him. Sylvie's eyes narrowed. If it was war the woman wanted, she was prepared for battle. Ignoring Delilah, she put her hand on her husband's arm. "Sev, I have a terrible headache. Let's go home." Gratefully, he fled the house of Delilah.
…
She walked into her back yard and looked longingly at the night sky, as if looking to escape. She needed a knight in shining armour, someone to rescue her, to take her away to the life that she deserved. The short skirt of her nightgown swirled around her thighs as her peace was shattered by the sound of the back door. He came out after her, his figure black against the brilliance of the full moon. She turned to him, said something that made him retreat back into the house, only to return with a broomstick. She leapt into the sky, turning into an enormous bird. He jumped on his broom and took off after her. She hovered over the figure on the broomstick, diving at him. They climbed higher into the sky until he could see them no more.
After a half hour had passed, they returned. She transformed once she hit the ground. He approached her, traced a strange symbol with his fingers in front of her face. Trancelike, she leaned in toward him. He slowly drew her closer, his hand grasping the back of her neck to pull her face up to his. Their lips hovered, centimeters from each other, their breath mingling in the night air. Finally, his lips closed over hers. Her eyes closed as he drank her soul from her lips. Her hands crept up to his hair, tangling in the greasy locks, fighting to pull his head away. He only gathered her closer, hands gripping her shoulders to prevent her from escaping.
After several minutes of this tango, he freed her lips, and tried to pull her back into the house. She shook her head. At this resistance, he pulled off her nightgown, leaving her naked flesh exposed to the night air, her nipples tightening from the cold. She squirmed under his gaze. Kneeling before her, he took one breast into his mouth. Throwing back her head and emitting a cry of pain, her fingers once again gripped his hair but she was unable to pull his head away. The other breast received the same treatment. Taking off his cloak, he laid it on the ground and pushed her down on it.
Shedding his trousers, he covered her body with his. Her legs came up, heels kicking against his buttocks. After several minutes of thrusting, he finally gave a low grunt and collapsed against her. He rolled over to the side, stroking her hair and looking into her face. She mirrored the movement until her eyelids were heavy with sleep. He gently kissed her lips, gathered her close to him and carried her into the house.
Sirius Black drew away from the window. Remus had sworn that she was very much in love with Snape and not through magical means but he refused to believe that. Maybe Snape did love her, but did he deserve her? Absolutely not. Somehow, he would find a way to break Snape's spell.
Truth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Sirius Black saw an unwilling lover held captive by a spell. As muggles tend to ignore magic, he only saw what he wanted to see. What appeared to him as someone trying to pull Severus' head away was in actuality, a woman in love and in lust keeping his head exactly where she wanted it. Cries of pain were cries of pleasure. The strange symbol he traced in front of her face had no significance. He was simply moving a curl of hair that had fallen over her eye. Truth is often an unwelcome visitor to our lives and in this case, had the door slammed in its face.