Chapter 43: Old Friends
{A/N: Here's Another update...It's been a while I know but deaths in the family tend to derail motivation...}
My Thanks To All My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Master Bedroom, Northside Cottage, Greenvile, England, Muggle World...
Silence filled the cottage as Hermione Granger-Snape found herself awakening to find that her husband had been gone and his side of the bed quite cold as a result of it. At first, panic filled her as she sprang out of bed and attempted to rush downstairs until she heard the front door slam and the familiar footsteps of her husband down in the sitting room. A rush of relief filled her as she made her way back to the bedroom, spelling on her attire and ensuring she'd been presentable. She knew not how long she'd been asleep but deduced Snape had allowed her to do so for the sake of the baby. She'd gotten half way down the stairs when she heard the voice of another woman and someone else. Their voices had been vaguely familiar as she neared the last step but she remained intent on seeing her husband.
Snape for his part had been working at the fireplace and carefully "mopped" up the excess water that had gotten all over the floor via their tracking it inside after being out in the rain. Claudia and her son seemed to be out of sorts as Hermione took notice of them resting together on the sofa. Snape handed them each a steaming mug full of coffee and turned his attention to his young wife whom he had noted having joined them. She had a most inquisitive expression filed across her youthful face but said very little as she made a move toward him.
"Up already I see." said Snape calling attention to her, much to the surprise of his dear old friend and her weary son.
"Naturally, you weren't in bed." she replied.
Claudia smiled as she caught sight of the young lass.
"Hello again, Hermione was it?" she asked chancing a glance at Snape whom had rolled his eyes. "I can see Sinister likes 'em young."
Hermione turned her attention to her rather annoyed husband whom had rolled his eyes at the age comment and folded his arms across his chest.
"She knows nothing about that time." he hissed making it clear that he had been in no mood to discuss it.
"Well as your wife whose currently expecting, I suppose it's high time I did." replied Hermione folding her arms across her chest as well, much to Snape's chagrin.
Claudia smirked. It seemed the little lass had been quite spirited, even more so than she'd been at that age...but that had been long ago.
"This one's quite spirited as well...no wonder you're so enamored." she said in jest. "Let me put your mind at ease Sweetness, Sinister and I are not nor have we ever been romantically involved or otherwise, although he was my first kiss."
Hermione arched a brow at this and looked over at Snape. He had a history of being quite selective with women in the past, but then again he had been with Bellatrix LeStrange before so his reputation for the unsavory had not been forgotten, not that Claudia had been of the unsavory sort.
"We use to run about together...or how do you kids say it...hang if you will." continued Claudia in explanation. "It was a lot of us then...Flint (At the mention of this name Snape seemed uneasy and looked away as if to hide the pang of sadness she noted before turned away.}, Marsh, Shades, Myself (They called me Trendy back then), Fats (whom had been quite portly in his youth), Thrifty, Marine, And Tone (sadly named due to his lack of hearing)...we were quite close as you could imagine.
Hermione looked over at her husband whom had been more interested in looking out the nearby window watching as the rain beat against it. She could tell by the stiff movements and tense stance he took that this topic was something he had not been looking forward to. Yet her curiosity persisted, he had by default known quite a bit about her circle of childhood friends (given his experience as their former Potions Professor.), but she'd known very little about the young man he use to be given his tendency to hide things or obit them from existence.
"As you might have guessed, He was Marine's first kiss too." continued Claudia amused by the squirming from her old friend. She had not intended to cause trouble, but seeing him after all those years of speculation and married no less had been quite the shock.
"So you and Marine ?" asked Hermione unable to resist getting under her weary looking husband's skin.
Snape rolled his eyes.
"Of course you'd dwell on that." he muttered before making his way toward the sitting room.
Claudia smirked this time noting just how uncomfortable she'd been making her old friend, it was refreshing to find out that they'd been neighbors again and that he was apparently starting a family of his own. Still, she'd been taken aback by Hermione's apparent youth and Snape's rapid aging since she saw him last. She would be forever puzzled as to how he'd looked near on fifty but had barely been in his mid-thirties to late thirties if she recalled correctly.
"As much as I love teasing him, he's always been quite sensitive about those days." explained Claudia with a now serious expression on her face. "I believe we all were at some point or another."
Hermione turned her attention back to Claudia further intrigued by the tale.
"Was he always such a grouch?" she asked with an arched brow.
Claudia took a sip of her tea and grinned.
"You'd better believe it...although I'd say he's mellowed with age." she replied with amusement in her tone. "Been a grouchy old sod since day one but then again, one can't go through a life like he did without being one...you know his old man was a right bastard."
Hermione nodded in agreement. She had known quite a bit about Snape's childhood and his drunken muggle brute of a father.
"I know a bit about dealing with drunken brutes myself." remarked Claudia referring to her current situation.
It was then that Hermione had taken note of the bruising. The bushy haired witch did her best not to stare too long and swiftly turned her attention toward finding where her husband had gone to. Leaving Claudia and her equally rain soaked son to their tea.
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The Sitting Room, The Master Bedroom, Northside Cottage, Greenvile, England, Muggle World...
Snape had been silent as he continued his former activity of staring out the large window at the drops that battered against the glass both soaking and fogging it at the same time. Hermione slowly approached him, not knowing what state of mind he'd be in given the situation with Claudia being a former friend of his and apparently in a good deal of danger from someone. She had guessed rather correctly that the encounter had taken him back to his youth doing all he could to survive the impoverished life he lived in Cokeworth.
"Severus." said Hermione cautiously.
Snape let out something of a sigh and turned to face her, his expression as empty as she had seen it in while as he quickly strode toward her and dropped down to his knees.
Hermione wrapped her arms around him as he rested his head against her belly. It didn't take much for her to notice that he had been fighting the urge to seek out something to take the edge off. His hands were trembling as it were and cold from his exploits out in the rain but she simply stood there in silence allowing him to use her to center himself again. There had been no doubt in her mind that he saw a reflection of Tobias Snape in whatever drunken brute had taken to putting his hands on Claudia and her son, and she had not been of the illusion that it had not taken a tremendous toll on the seemingly struggling wizard.
"I'm right here." said Hermione at last, as she continued to offer her husband her full support in the silence of their sitting room. "Take all the time that you need."
The silence that fell between them again seemed to do the ailing wizard a world of good as he focused his attention on his young wife's belly and the promise of their unborn child making him once more a father. He made up his mind that no matter what ghosts from his seemingly not so distant past decided to make themselves known, he was going to deal with them sober for the sake of his unborn child.