He had been an imbecile, trying to convince himself he could start life over. What a pathetic, ridiculous idea. Where he went, death soon followed. He should have known. Mette's limp body slid onto the ground. He sat back against the wall, the blood seeping from his leg and forming a puddle underneath him. With his hands before his face, he rocked forward and backward, trying to stifle the sobs.

The sound of coughing and retching pulled him back. On all fours, her back hunched, Mette vomited onto the floor with a splattering noise. Severus jumped up and the image of Mette swam before his eyes and disintegrated, then came floating back. He steadied himself on the wall. Was he going insane? Maybe he was dying. The wall that he was leaning on was tottering. He watched as the wavering apparition of Mette wiped her mouth, slowly got to her feet and turned around.

Her eyes widened. "Thank God," she whispered as she threw herself into his arms. He staggered against the wall.

"M— Mette?" he said hoarsely, then pushed himself off the wall and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her, smell her, hear her breathe. It was real. She was alive. He held her tight, shaking with senseless, relieved laughter. When they broke apart, Mette looked down and lifted her foot.

"What... Severus! Is that yours?"

"Yes. I should do something," he said vaguely before his legs finally gave way.

Mette was at his hip, pushing away the folds of his cloak and browsing through the satchel.

"Knife," Severus said weakly.

His trousers were slit open. Mette sharply took in her breath. "It's like someone cut a slice off of you!"

The first drips of Dittany burned on his exposed flesh, but then the pain ebbed away. He rolled onto his side and tried to push himself up but the world was spinning out of control.

"You've lost too much blood. I'll call an ambulance."

"No... Replenishing... potion."

Again, Mette rummaged through the satchel. "I'm so glad you always label everything!" She carefully lifted up his head and put the vial to his lips. He swallowed the potion; the world slowed down and eventually came to a halt. He looked up at Mette. A sound between a laugh and a sob escaped his throat.

"I thought I was too late," he said. "How can this be? You were dead."

"Not dead enough, apparently." She chuckled shakily and wiped her face with her sleeves.

They looked at each other and laughed, giddy with the joy of being alive and reunited. Mette put her hand onto Severus' cheek. "I love you."

His insides melted into something warm and wonderful. "I love you too."

After Severus had stood up and mended his trousers, Mette asked, "How do we get back?"

"I'll try if I can conjure a Patronus to alert Minerva."

Mette, standing to his left, intertwined her fingers with his. The happy memory he needed was being made right this moment. He raised his wand and said, "Expecto Patronum." The shape that blossomed at its tip was smaller than he had expected. "It changed!"

"A heron," Mette said. "It's beautiful. Suits you."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Severus sat in their room at the Hog's Head, which was lit only by one single candle. Mette had stopped by her office and her house to retrieve some necessities, including the gloves. It had been a long day, but neither of them had wanted to go to bed just yet. Severus sat on the chair by the bed, wearing pyjamas and a bath robe. Mette just came out of the bathroom, her hair still wet, when an owl pecked against the windowpane. Severus opened the window and took a small roll of parchment from the bird. He told Mette what the letter said while he was reading.

"Kenneth had a skull fracture but is alright now... Claire might need more thorough treatment."

"What did you do to her?"

"I just bound her. And I also stunned her. But I don't think it's that. I suppose she has some psychological issues."

"Sounds about right... the stuff she said to you, about making old guys wax under her hands and you two becoming Britain's power couple... It sounded pretty disturbed."

"How do you know about that?"

"Kenneth put the other end of the listening device on me."

So that part of Kenneth's tale had been true.

"Claire showed me something..." Severus said. "She had some kind of recording of you saying you were leaving England..."

"Oh!" Mette exclaimed, "I had almost forgotten about that! I was asking Minerva whether she could, hypothetically, do without you as a teacher, so you could come with me, if you wanted... Now that I'm saying it, I'm realizing I should have asked you first. But yes, it's true, I want to leave to be a scientist again. And tonight, I was going to ask you to come with me."

"What did Minerva say?"

Mette sat down on the bed and said, "She wasn't thrilled but she said it would be your decision."

"Well, now that I have wasted my shot at being one half of Britain's power couple, I might just as well move to Norway."

Mette laughed out loud. Severus leaned forward and kissed her.

He said, "Kenneth told me you had taken sleeping pills..."

"Taken!" Mette snorted. "That sick bastard put them right into my stomach by magic. Just like the nurses at St. Mungo's used to put food in you when you were in that stupor. He did it immediately after Claire said that you weren't allowed to puke and then there was a lot of noise and she screamed. Kenneth said that something had gone wrong with the plan and this was their failsafe. They couldn't leave any witnesses."

Severus slowly shook his head. "Remind me to slaughter a few goats as soon as we get the chance."

Mette stared at him blankly, her eyes wide open. "Um... is this some pagan wizard ritual to thank the gods for not letting me die? Do they need to be appeased for not getting a human soul tonight or something?"

Severus threw his head back laughing. "No! Our technology might be outdated but we're not that dependent on the old ways! Goat's stomachs are where bezoars come from. They are a universal antidote to most poisons. After tonight, I want to make sure we both always have some on us."

"Oh wow, I'm relieved to hear that! I was just about starting to regret asking you to come to Norway with me."

They chuckled, then fell silent.

After a while, Mette asked, "Why would Claire go that far? Killing someone so she can have you? From what it sounded like, she's not even that emotionally invested in you. She just needed you as a 'ticket' to the life style she wanted."

"You tell me," Severus said. "You got a glimpse into her emotions last year, didn't you? Maybe there was a clue in there."

"Right..." Mette said slowly. She stared into space for moment, then said, "It was rather short and I didn't pay attention to it. I just remember... I felt really gross. Like something repulsive was happening to me. And I felt helpless and extremely desperate." After a pause, she added, "Maybe I should go to St. Mungo's and offer her my help?"

Severus stared at her. "She kidnapped you, she tried to kill you and she invaded your privacy for months. And you want to help her?"

Mette lifted her shoulders, saying, "People can turn rather evil when something terrible happened to them while they were young."

"You should let some time pass. Think about it again in a few weeks. She might not be enthusiastic about receiving help from you of all people."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Speaking of invading my privacy... could you remove the patch that Kenneth put on me? Even though I know where it is, I can't find the edge to peel it off. These things are really well-made."

Severus detached it from her skin using his wand. This reminded him... "Um, I think we should check ourselves completely. There might be more of these."

"Right..." Mette said, "in places where the sun don't shine."

Severus' face got hot. He blurted, "I wanted to stop Claire that day but I didn't fully understand what was going on. And it all went so fast."

"You did look really uncomfortable," Mette said with a crooked smile.

"I was. I didn't like it."

Mette made a sympathetic noise and said, "Usually, this sort of thing is really enjoyable. I'll show you sometime." She gently put her hand on his cheek. "Do you want me to help you look for the patches now?"

"Yes." He swallowed.

She pulled the Thestral gloves out of the bag she had brought. After they had put them on, she started to unbutton his pyjama shirt. They took off each other's clothes until they were naked. The only other patch they found was stuck to Severus' right hip. His wand clattered onto the table. Her skin on his was paradise. Glued to each other, they fell onto the bed.

The next morning, Severus was woken up by a clicking noise that came from the window. Groggily, he got out of bed and opened it. An owl dropped a rolled-up newspaper into the room. Severus picked up the paper. When he removed the string that kept it rolled up, a letter fell out. He recognized the flourishing handwriting and the magenta ink. The letter said,

Severus,

As of today, you may count yourself among Britain's celebrity wizards, which, of course, you have to thank me for. Despite what happened to poor Claire, I made good on my promise. It truly is the best piece of my career, if I say so myself.

Now, the next step will be an exhaustive biography of you. I will interview you at your earliest convenience. Do send your availability by return owl.

Truly yours,

Rita Skeeter

He dropped the letter to the floor with an incredulous laugh. "Go on then," he said to the owl. It hooted irritably and took off. Mette stirred, then stretched, yawning, and opened her eyes. When she saw him, she smiled and said, "Good morning." She sat up in bed. Severus came to sit next to her, unopened newspaper in hand. Mette's eyes widened. "She wrote it after all?"

"Yes. I don't think she's especially broken up about Claire."

"I'm not surprised. All those 'Darlings' and 'Honeys' they address each other with... it's all just for show. In the end, they'll claw each other's eyes out to get what they want. Are you going to read it?" She nodded at the newspaper

"I don't think so." He put the paper on his bedside table. "I really enjoyed how last night ended..." he said, not quite meeting Mette's eyes.

"Me too."

He could hear the smile in her voice.

She asked, "Want to do it again?"

"Yes, please."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

With lunch, a disgruntled Ab brought a big, sturdy cardboard box. "I'm not a mailman, you know!" he growled as he set down the box on the desk, which creaked under the weight. Ab took the covered serving platter off the top of the box and shoved it at Mette. "You'll have to come get the others yourselves."

"Other what?" Mette asked, confused.

"Letters!" Ab barked as he left.

Severus had joined Mette by the desk and took a handful of envelopes out of the box. "They are all addressed to me," he said, leafing through them.

Mette also took a wad of letters. "Fan mail."

"Or hate mail."

"Nah, I don't think so. This one has hearts drawn on the envelope. And the whole box smells like a flower shop. I think more than one of those is perfumed."

Severus scoffed. "Yesterday, they were ready to lynch me. Now they're sending fan mail?"

"The opinion of the masses is easily swayed. If you piss off Rita Skeeter, they might want to lynch you again next week."

"Well, I happen to have the perfect opportunity to piss her off. She wants to write my biography."

"Oh, wow."

"I can't wait to get out of this country." He stuffed the letters back into the box.

Neither he nor anyone else opened a single one of them.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Mette kept teaching to the end of the school year, while Severus lived at the Hog's Head. He still went into the school during the day, while lessons were on, to work on some potions recipes and start packing up. Minerva was allowing him to take everything from his office and private stores to Norway.

At the end of July, his former workplace was bare. So was Mette's cottage. All she owned, including all the Muggle kitchen appliances, where in one suitcase, thanks to Severus' help.

As they walked down the road to Hogsmeade station, Mette said, "I've had a really weird year. You?"

Severus laughed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They stepped out of the bus by the side of a narrow road.

"Now, we walk," Mette said. The road led into a pine forest. The summer sun heated up the trees and lifted their scent into the air. Severus stopped for a moment. The warmth and the smell enveloped him. He felt safe, for no one knew where he had gone. He could disappear here, maybe forever.

"Is your suitcase also too heavy?" Mette's voice pulled him back.

"Hm? No, I was just enjoying the forest.'

"It's great, isn't it? The smell always takes me back to when I was a child and used to spend my entire summer in here. I made a bow and arrows and shot it at squirrels. I never hit anything, though. I don't think I ever shot an arrow further than four metres or so. The bow was really wonky." She chuckled. "Anyway, can you make my suitcase any lighter?"

"I'm afraid not. I already made all your things as small and light as I could. If I overdid it, the magical density might become too great and your items could combust. And we with them. But I can levitate your suitcase. There's no one around, is there?"

"Not for miles!"

They kept walking, with Severus using his wand to make both their suitcases float along the path before them. The trees became less dense and a short distance away, there was nothing but open sky. As they stepped out from between the trees, Severus saw that they were standing on a cliff. On the other side of the fjord he saw another cliff rising up. There was so much space.

"There's the cabin," Mette said as she nodded toward a house a couple hundred metres away.

"Cabin!" Severus exclaimed. What he saw was a two-storey house, clad in slender wooden laths that had been bleached to a light grey by sun and salty air. The façade was broken by only a few high, narrow windows.

"Is your family rich?" Severus asked, astonished.

"Oh, yeah. Technically, I'm almost a Pureblood. One of my great-grandparents was a Muggleborn, I think. But apart from her – and my parents – my family is all wizards and witches, as far as the eye can see. 'The Pureblood Squib!'" she exclaimed as if announcing the next attraction of a Freak Show. "Ironic, huh?"

When they stepped into the house, Severus was greeted with another surprise. While from the outside, the house had looked almost like a fortress, the inside was bright and wide open. This was mainly due to the absence of walls in the main space, and the gigantic window front facing the fjord. Severus let down the suitcases, took off his shoes – that much he had learned about Norwegian habits – and walked to the wall of glass.

"Don't worry," Mette laughed from somewhere behind him, "there are also nice, cosy, dark rooms in this place."

He turned to her. "I'm not worried. There's no one here to watch me. Except you." He smiled. "How long can we stay here?"

"We can stay for about a year. It's my aunt's vacation home, and she just left last week. And even when she comes back, we can figure something out. Maybe your book will be almost finished by then."

"What book?"

"Your Potions book. People need to know everything you have found out. Didn't you say the subject of Potions needed expertise like yours?"

Severus gave her a sheepish look. He had said something along those lines, an eternity ago.

"Here's your chance," Mette said. "You can teach not only the students of Hogwarts, but every wizard in Britain, and maybe other countries, how to properly brew potions. And later, you can write advanced books on how to develop new ones. Go into the theory behind combining ingredients. I think we're looking at a good dozen volumes."

He blinked. How had he never thought of this before? It was perfect. In fact, he liked the idea so much, he felt like sitting down and starting to write straight away.

"Can I write it on your laptop?"

Mette laughed, "We'll get you your own!"

That same evening, Xanimus arrived on their doorstep via Portkey. He was the only one who Severus had told his location to.

"Wow!" the Healer exclaimed when he came in. "So much space!"

"Yes," Mette said, "I can finally breathe again! Living spaces in Britain are so small."

"Do you miss the dungeons yet?" Xanimus asked, looking at Severus. The latter laughed quietly and said, "No, this is different. Out here, I can look at the world, not the other way around."

Shortly afterwards, Mette retired to another room so Severus and Xanimus could start their session. They had agreed to meet every week for the time being.

When Xanimus had left, Mette came back into the living room. Severus had lit a fire in the fireplace.

When she sat down next to him, he said, "I'm ready."

She let a strand of his hair slide through her fingers. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I can always grow it back out."

"True." She gave him a crooked smile. "I'll get the scissors."

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This is it, my friends! Thank you a million times, everyone who has read the entire story!

I'll be writing some one-shots and/or shorter spin-off stories. Harry will probably make an appearance and I was thinking about giving you a glimpse into Claire's past (how does one get so heinous?). I might also write out a scene or two that I've glossed over in the story ;) Oh, who am I kidding, I've already written that scene °u°. Follow my profile to get an alert when I post.

If you liked it, tell your friends, rec it on reddit, blog about it on tumblr, tweet, do all the things! (I'm in the process of posting this story to tumblr as well, my username there is anne-caterina).

Until then, I love you all!

PS.: Big shoutout to my Italian reader who wrote a review for almost every single chapter! I could never answer you, unfortunately, because you weren't logged in ;) But I appreciate your engangement so, so much!