AN:
Because y'all have waited long enough...
Chapter Eighty-Three
Too Close by Alex Clare
Despite the revelations of Severus's addiction and the less than favorable odds, he gave himself at surviving the war, the weekend in Gordes was proving to be just what Hermione needed. Even with the arrival of the other four, she had received ample time with her husband, getting to freely coexist with each other without having to worry about who may be watching them. Going forward there were still a few kinks they needed to iron out before the revelation of their marriage was dropped on Monday morning, but within the bubble of domestic bliss he had created for them the war and all its problems were literally and figuratively miles away.
True to Severus's warning, Narcissa had barely even waited for Hermione to put her shoes on after arriving with Remus, Draco, and Theo, before hauling her out the front door to apparate back to the village. The witch had been merciful enough to take her to breakfast before the marathon shopping event commenced, but that was where her kindness ended. After her meager allowance of caffeine had been consumed along with her berry butter waffles, she was once more manhandled by the surprisingly strong Malfoy Matriarch towards the shops. Never let it be said that Narcissa wasn't cunning enough though, because she had started their girly morning by bringing Hermione to a tucked away baby shop where they both proceeded to buy more clothes than any one infant could possibly be able to wear, which had left her much more amicable to being dressed and styled till her feet had become too tired and swollen to carry on.
Returning to what had instantly become home upon her arrival the night before, Hermione carted her shrunken bags upstairs, dumping them all into the center of their bed to be resized as one. Fingering the ruffles on one of the small rompers she had purchased, she smiled thinking of the little girl that would soon be wearing it. Hearing Severus's boots on the stairs though, she quickly released the rose patterned garment and picked up the book she had purchased on child-rearing magics and made a hasty waddle for the daybed on the balcony, falling onto it in a graceless heap.
"What were you up to just now?" He asked with a teasing manner.
"Nothing, I just grabbed one of the books I bought and came out here to read," she said too quickly as she righted the upside-down book in her hands, an embarrassed blush heating her cheeks.
"Why do you even try to lie?" Severus laughed, plopping down beside her about as inelegantly as she had.
With a defeated sigh she stretched out to lay her head down in his lap and huffed, "I don't know… it's stupid really… I have schoolwork, a war for the right of my kind to be allowed to learn their magic, a best friend who is being targeted by the madman leading the persecution, and a husband who thinks he won't live to see our daughter's first birthday, and yet none of those things are what currently have my attention."
Severus's fingers easily combed through her hair, each stroke pushing the waves of melancholy further back from her mind. The give and take between them had always come naturally and was an easy dance she was grateful for whenever she needed his strength and grounding presence to bring her back.
The silk of his voice was as warm as a thick blanket wrapping around her as he spoke, "Having hopes, dreams, and wants doesn't make you any less dedicated, Hermione. You don't have to martyr yourself for this war to be taken seriously. It's only natural that your priorities in life are beginning to shift and shuffle, especially now that you are back. You're no longer just a student or Potter's best friend. You're significantly older than your peers in both years and life experience, you're a wife, and in a matter of weeks, you're going to give birth and become a mother. Life is not constant, it is ever changing, and we have to adapt with each twist and turn and new chapter."
Hermione turned over, to look up at his dark eye that had been watching her, his fair skin and raven hair haloed by the slowly sinking winter sun. Tracing her finger over the crease between his brow and down his too large yet perfectly fitting nose, she said, "Merlin Severus, when did you get so wise?"
"One of the few benefits of my advanced age," he sneered, pulling a startled laugh from her as he nipped the pad of her finger that had moved to map his lips. "Now tell me, what were you really doing?"
Pulling him down by the collar of his shirt, Hermione pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Releasing her hold on him, she handed the book over for him to peruse while she summoned the heap of her shopping from their bed. The half dozen other books she bought on baby-proofing magics, muggle versus magical child-rearing practices, and the developing mind and magic of children all stacked themselves neatly on the outdoor side table within Severus's reach. He eagerly began flipping through them all, stopping to mark several sections for in depth reading later as the mass of baby clothes followed out, getting dumped on the daybed beside her.
She could feel the excited upturn her face took as she lifted the first small dress up to show him. An obnoxious, "told you so," smirk graced his lips as he first looked at the delicate eyelet dress, then at her brightening face and mood.
"If this is what makes you happy, fuck all else," he murmured with a kiss to her forehead. Placing the books back on the table, he gave his undivided attention to the tiny clothes as she excitedly showed each one off to him.
By the time she had made it through the clothes and they had prescreened the books she purchased, the sun was hovering at the horizon, giving one last ditch effort to staying up. They were engaged in a heated debate on muggle versus magical children's books and how many of each to fill their daughter's library with, when Severus shot up from his reclined position on the daybed.
Feeling the sensation of a ringing bell in her chest, she sat up from where she had been laying on him and asked, "Severus, what is that?"
"It's the wards surrounding the property. Someone is approaching the gate," he replied, agitatedly yanking his boots back on and grabbing his wand from the low table in front of them.
"I didn't think anyone else knew of this place."
"Exactly my concern. There are only two other people who know of it, both of whom I know to be in Crete at this very moment. Which reminds me, we need to talk about your parents."
Giving a quick kiss to her head, he added with a growl, "Stay here," and disapparated with a loud crack, drawing the attention of Theo and Draco who were playing quidditch over the yard.
Pointing to the ground floor to let them know she was coming, she got herself up from the daybed and waved a hand over the folded clothes and stacked books, banishing them to the cloud grey dresser in Nova's room. Summoning both amulets to her, she slid her wand up the sleeve of her cardigan and fumbled to fasten the clasps into place as she headed for the stairs, ignoring his directive.
The odd vibration in her chest continued to pulse as she made her way to the end of the hall. Trotting down the carpeted stairs, she felt the sensation begin to fade, giving one final tap against her magic before stopping altogether. Stepping off into the foyer she was greeted by Narcissa arguing with the boys to go upstairs.
"Hermione, you too," she ordered, without even turning around. "Severus and Remus are checking the gate and perimeter. All of you need to go upstairs and wait."
"The feeling of the wards stopped though," she countered.
Cissy spared her a glance over her shoulder before quickly looking back to Draco who was already trying to move around his mother.
"I don't think so," she said, nudging her son back. "How do they feel now?"
"I'm not really familiar with this kind of warding, it's different from what Spinner's End had, but it felt like a bell ringing in my chest and now nothing."
"That's good, it means whoever is there comes without malintent, so Severus and Remus should be back any minute now," Cissy explained. "A muggle most likely got too close and tripped the wards."
With Draco distracting his mother again, Hermione slipped around Cissy and unlatched the locks on the front doors, slipping outside.
"Damn it, Hermione," Cissy swore going after her.
"I see you heeded my wish for you to stay put!" Severus called, from where the path opened up to the circular drive.
"Who was there?" Hermione asked, meeting him at the steps.
"Hello, Madam Prince," a gravelly voice that was normally thick with snark greeted.
"I forgot that as the manager of our estate, Rohet also knows of the house's existence," Severus said, the disdain at having their weekend interrupted by the goblin clear. "And the little interloper won't even tell me why he's here," he bit, coming behind her to remove the amulets.
"I told you, my business is with your lovely wife, not you, little Death Eater" Rohet taunted.
"Fucking goblin," Severus muttered, making Hermione quickly suppress her laughter.
Once free of the necklaces, she made her way down the steps to greet the goblin and relieve Remus of his escort duties, who had mirth dancing in his eyes.
"I've known him twenty-seven years and in that time I have never met anyone who can give Severus a run for his money with being ill-tempered," Remus snickered, before joining Cissy.
"How have you been, Rohet? Longtime, no see," Hermione joked.
The goblin made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, as he said, "You know you've always been too good for him, Madam Prince. You and the elf both."
"I have to disagree with you, at least about myself. Tippy on the other hand… She's too good for the both of us," she remarked as they walked back up the stairs.
Giving her husband a quick kiss as she passed him, making his petulant scowl deepen, she showed Rohet inside the house. Guiding him to the informal living room, she called for Tippy to bring a tea service out for their guest and add an extra setting to the table for dinner, despite his protests.
"Please Rohet, you've come all this way. Stay for a while and enjoy yourself this evening," she insisted, settling onto the sectional.
The others began to filter into the room as he unpacked his small briefcase, resizing a large, overstuffed file and a wide tri-folded piece of parchment, with a black wax seal and dark green ribbon keeping it closed.
"Madam, this is a private estate matter involving yourself, the Nott heir, and another client of mine. They specified that you may choose whomever else you wish to be present but that they must take wand oaths before we proceed," Rohet explained, his eyes lighting up as he saw that Tippy had arranged a tier with the smoked salmon tea sandwiches he favored.
"What does Theo have to do with this visit?" Severus asked.
Theo gave a shake of his head and a slight shrug, indicating that he didn't have any answers
"You all more than welcome to stay," Hermione invited, trying to pour herself a cup of tea from the caffeinated pot while everyone was distracted by wondering who she and Theo had in common that wasn't already in the room.
"Nice try," Severus said, taking the pot from her and trading it out with her own brew. "Cissy said you already had your max amount at breakfast."
"I can't believe she told on me," she grumbled, falling against the back cushions and crossing her arms.
Making her cup of tea, he pulled out his wand and tossed it atop the sealed parchment, showing he would take the oath, as he said, "You're a pregnant caffeine addict and she's your prenatal healer, of course, she told on you."
Severus's rolling wand caught Cissy's attention, making her head tilt to inspect the seal on the parchment. She leaned to the side to get a closer look, her fingers hovering over the handle of the teapot, forgotten mid-task.
Rohet's hand slammed on top of the stack, obscuring her view of it a moment too late.
"That's the Black Family Crest," she observed, adding her wand next to Severus's.
"What the hell, I'm in too," Remus added, placing his wand with the grouping at the same time as Draco.
"Excellent, we can begin in just a moment," Rohet announced.
Waving both hands over the wands they floated up along with the parchment and began to spin in a slow circle, spreading out to create a circumference around the document. The dark green ribbon that was secured under the wax, began to lengthen and glow, splitting itself from two tendrils into four as each one moved to wrap around a wand.
"You four are vowing to maintain a code of silence, never to speak about the truth that lays within, without the express permissions of Hermione Jean Prince, nee Granger, and Theodore Renard Nott, heir apparent to The Crowned House of Nott, how do you vow?" Rohet asked.
Crowned House… What the hell does that mean? Hermione thought, watching the mask Theo always wore crack to reveal a blush spreading over his cheeks.
"On our magic," the four answered as one.
The ribbon glowed brighter for a moment after they spoke, before unwinding itself and curling back to its original state within the wax seal.
As each wand floated back to its wielder, Severus squeezed her knee drawing her attention away from watching Theo who wouldn't make eye contact with her.
Did you not know? He asked, along their link.
Clearly not. What am I missing? She thought, turning to look into his eyes.
Someone has got to overhaul the History of Magic curriculum, he thought in agitation. The head of each Sacred family and their spouse holds the title of Lord or Lady, as you know , he began silently explaining.
What about the Weasleys? I've never heard them addressed like Cissy or Lucius, she interrupted.
That's another story altogether, one that either Cissy or Theo will need to tell because even I'm not entirely clear on the history of their near ex-communication from the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Anyways, they all hold titles of Lord or Lady with the exception of the Nott line, Cissy can explain more on this later as well. Actually, now that you know, you can ask Theo since his family is the definitive source of Wizarding culture and high society. The short version is the government we have with an elected Minister has only been around since about 1750. Before that, we were like the muggle government used to be and were ruled by a monarch dynasty, the Crowned House of Nott. Theo is heir apparent to not only his family name and Sacred Twenty-Eight seat, but the defunct title of King upon his twenty-fifth birthday.
Hermione's mouth dropped open as her eyes went wide and looked at Theo.
"Is he for real? You're a Prince ?"
"Unfortunately," Theo responded, with a self-deprecating smile.
Completely oblivious, or more probably uncaring, Rohet interrupted Hermione's stunned exclamations by saying, "Now that that has been taken care of, we can officially begin. To start, I will need to procure a drop of blood from the both of you so as to be allowed to remove the seal."
Hermione and Theo both leaned forward, extending the palms of their wand hands to be easily pricked. The goblin snapped his fingers and the sharp feeling of a paper cut glided across her hand, a single drop of blood floating up and over to wet the seal. When Theo's blood joined hers, the black wax began to change into the green of the ribbon. The detailed crest melted before their eyes, the liquid sliding off the center of parchment and hanging suspended in midair as the document unfolded itself. Once the long roll was presented to them, the ribbon and melted wax gathered at the bottom left corner, reforming beside a camouflaged signature, before drying back into its original shiny black coloring.
"If you all are ready to begin then," Rohet prompted, taking a sip of his tea while awaiting confirmation from everyone.
With everyone nodding in agreement, he placed a pair of half spectacles onto his nose and turned the parchment fully towards himself.
"Before his death in 1979, Lord Black was explicit in his directives that his estate be held in a state of suspension until your thirty-seventh birthday came to pass Master Snape. Upon the passing of nine January 1997, the reading of his Last Will and Testament was to commence in the presence of your wife, Hermione Jean Prince, nee Granger and that of your young charge Theodore Renard Nott, the two named heirs of Regulus Arcturus Black's estate and titles," Rohet explained.
"Did you know about this?" Hermione asked Theo over the clattering of Cissy's teacup and saucer.
"No!" He swore, emphatically.
Beside her, her always unflappable husband actually had his mouth parted in shock, staring at Rohet as though he had just grown a second and third head.
Acting as though he hadn't dropped a massive explosion within their living room, the goblin continued, reading directly from the will.
"I, Regulus Arcturus Black, the rightful heir to The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, hereby declare that upon my death all liquid and hard assets - barring one exception - properties, business holdings, and legal privileges and titles as a named Patriarch and Sacred Twenty-Eight seat holder pass to the lawful wife of my dearest friend, Severus Tobias Snape Prince, without whom my life would have been forfeited upon the night of my Marking. I will never be able to fully thank and repay you for your protection and companionship since my sixteenth birthday but offering your muggleborn wife the protection of a Sacred Title and family name should help to begin balancing the uneven scales of friendship between us.
"The one exception to her inheritance will be the possessions sealed within my chambers inside of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Everything within the room, to include my collection of journals in their entirety, shall pass to Theodore Nott, whom upon my death will be without guidance in coping with and protecting his gift. I am truly sorry to have left you without aid and training. I hope the answers you seek will be found within the records and documentation of my own journey to mastering the same curse you have to bear. I hope when things come to light, you will forgive me for sacrificing your protection and guidance, it was not an easy choice.
"The road ahead will be a long, difficult, and bloody one. I hope that my preparations and interference have been enough to change the tides. It's up to you now, may the gods be on your side going forward."
Upon Rohet's conclusion of reading the last directives of Regulus, the will folded itself up and floated to Hermione's lap where it settled like a potentially explosive lead weight. She stared blankly at it, her mind bouncing as she tried to pick one of the many revelations to examine first. Looking up from the folded parchment, she caught Theo's stunned eyes and dumbly offered him half a shrug before handing over the will as though it was burning her lap.
"Now, I understand this may be a bit of a shock, but we do have some details we need to attend to in regards to the late Lord Black's will," Rohet grunted.
She began nodding her head as everyone else watched on in silence saying, "Right… Right… Of course… But um… What exactly does all this mean? That is to say, what the hell just happened?"
"It means Granger," Draco said the shock melting from his face as a mischievous grin took its place, "that you just became the heir to one of the most wealthy and notable families in the wizarding world and will need a crash course in understanding Pureblood Society. And I for one thank you so much because you just lifted a massive burden off my shoulders by taking away one of my inherited titles."
With a flick of his polished wand and a murmured spell, a massive stack of books and journals came and arranged themselves on the table before her.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask, but I'm not taking that title back on my life," he laughed.
"The Malfoy heir is correct, regardless of his crude explanation. After reviewing the inventory we completed of the named assets and properties over the last several weeks," he said, patting the thick folder of documents. "The titles and such will automatically transfer to a vault of your choosing, whether that be the one you share with your husband or the one that retains your maiden surname. You may even elect to keep it inside of Lord Black's vault, however it will take several of our curse breakers sometime to strip and lower the blood purity magics that will prevent you entry."
She watched Theo trace his long fingers over the inked words on the parchment, his brow furrowed with emotion as he read and re-read the words that had been left for him. His predecessor hadn't forgotten or abandoned him in the face of going mad like he and Severus had begun to believe. The one meant to guide him had died to keep the horcrux he was gifted away from Voldemort and had prepared a legacy with which for him to learn from in the absence of a true mentor.
Feeling her heart soften even more to him, Hermione found direction and anchorage as she made an executive decision.
"We need to start with Grimmauld Place. Theo needs access to what is in that room as soon as possible. Harry inherited it last summer and Dumbledore reinstated the Fidelius Charm so I don't know how long it will take to get the deed transferred and the charm canceled so we can gain entry."
Rohet opened the file, shuffling stacks of documents around as he mumbled under his breath in thought.
"Ah, here we are," he announced, moving a thin grouping to the top and handing over a sealed piece of parchment with Severus's name written across the front. "A letter he left for you Master Prince," he said absently, pulling out an inkwell and quill.
Smoothing out the papers, Rohet adjusted his spectacles and began, "Property Title Six of Nine, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place of Islington, London, England…"