Chapter Eleven: Rebuilding A Home:

Fifty years had passed and Severus was happy, finally Minas Ithil of the Vale as it was called was fully cleansed and the rebuilding and population of the city was in full swing. It was gleaming white and pure and Severus loved it from the bottom levels to the top and there were trees here and plants hanging from windows and the laughter of children. In front of the teeth of Mordor before where the black gate once stood hobbits, yes hobbits had settled down after a massive explosion in population and the more adventurous moving there to lands cleansed and pure the dead marshes long gone. Now farms and villages were in the place of death and rot.

Mordor was taking longer to cleanse, and so it would, plants did grow there now, mostly small wholesome shrubs and stunted trees, but that was far more than before. Grass grew and animals had just started to move back in. Severus had traveled far and wide and found middle earth beautiful and lovely. He had seen the great road rebuilt and paved, far wider than before (think a muggle two lane road for cars) and safe to travel. The road to the eastern lands past the Misty mountains was given the same treatment and now a traveler could travel with ease over this road all the way from the grey havens, taking a loop around the shire, meeting up with the great road and back going east over lands that were now populated, past Rivendell and over (and sometimes through) the mountains through the greenwood and to the edge of the great lake.

The shire was protected land, considered the homeland of the hobbits, hobbits who had moved to other places still went back to see family and such. None lived on the other side of the misty mountains and most lived in two places now, the shire and right where the dead marshes and teeth of Mordor had been. Frodo had gone to the west as had all the rest of the immortal elves, those that stayed accepted their mortality. The world had shifted and everyone knew the world was now fully mortal and any who traveled west would come to new mortal lands. This world had great potential and Severus loved being here, it felt like home now and he was thinking of doing something he never would have thought before, but it was needed. In short he was in need of a wife. Which was why Sirius was here with him and two mage half elven maids who were sisters.

"We are in need of husbands." Ina the eldest said.
"Yes and as you are mages as are we, one marries one, and one marries the other." Ingrid added.

"You are combatable to me." Ina said to Sirius getting a grin from him, "I could love you."

"And you like healing salves, potions and the like?" Ingrid said to Severus.

"I do."

"Good, the we should wed, I think I like you very much." Ingrid said smiling at him.

Severus looked at her, she had the same dark hair as her sister and olive skin but her eyes were blue while her sisters were grey and she had a mole on her cheek. Severus walked with her and talked, and took her over Minas Ithil of the Vale and she was very interested in everything here. There were no torches here, no fire to light the way, rather soft glow globes that Severus had made that even a non-magical could use lighted everywhere. These were soft white light and when lit at night made the once evil city bright and friendly. The tower of Cirith Ungol had been cleansed as well and was a wholesome place once more and a good place to look over the transformation of Mordor into a good and peaceful land. Severus did not much go that way, his way was not that way and so he stayed mostly to Minas Ithil of the Vale and the lands around. When he traveled he flew in his raven form more often than not. Sirius had stopped trying to call him "Mr. Tweet" he hated being turned into a multi-colored dog or man and other things.

Though the four were not in love, yet like the king and his elven bride, they did care about each other very much. They were comfortable with each other and knew they would find love soon enough. The wedding was lavish, Severus was a princeling and Sirius was a duke now. They threw as big a party as they could and food and drink flowed for all. It was a party that was only rivaled by those in the shire it was told and one to remember fondly. Sirius as Radagast had learned how to make fireworks and his were nearly as grand as Gandalf's. Aragon and Arwen came to the wedding and party after and bestowed gifts on the couples that were practical and much loved, a new bed for each and linens and such.

"I am glad to be married to you Severus." Ingrid said as they traveled to Lake Town to see the splendor there. "You are a good man."

"Hardly, what I did in my past life." Severus replied, "that cannot be undone."

"Yet you passed judgment, one cannot do that if they are evil." Ingrid countered. "You deserve a second chance, and you have it."

Severus smiled and realized she was right. He had a chance to do things the right way and he was going to do just that. The happy couples rode from the bottom of Gondor to the very top and were invited to the shire to talk with Sam who had a fine family and though he was now very rich, he still loved to tend to his own garden though he had his children and servants to help with that. The shire did not show any ill effects of the harm Saruman had done to it and though there was industry it was the kind that did not harm the land. In fact Severus had learned a lot about how one could have industry and protect the land doing so. He saw the hobbits used coal instead of wood but that they had designed chimneys that kept the residue of the coal burning out of the air. He had adopted this in the Vale as he called his city and it worked well.

They then traveled over the Misty mountains through the lands of the bears, a populated area of small villages and farmland, through Greenwood and Lake Town again and up to the Lonely Mountain and visited with Dain the King under the mountain. They traveled no further east though those from the east were coming to visit and brought with them lots of trade, elves were the ones that traveled the most these days then mages. Severus invited many of these Eastern peoples back to the Vale and found them wise, educated and open minded. They reminded him strongly of the Chang and Li families he had worked with. They were grateful Sauron was gone for they had felt the effect of him even there and were saddened that so many of their kin joined with him.

Ingrid was very good at teaching as well and soon a school was formed for the children living here. It was a nice school set high so the children could look over the lands below. They sat on the floor and learned best that way and learned to read, write, do sums and learned history and herb lore and science too. School was six hours a day, but there was plenty for them to learn moving and lunch was far more wholesome than any Severus had growing up. That first school was popular insomuch as more popped up, not in their own buildings but rather in rooms set aside in each neighborhood for them. Severus liked this better, far better than the sterile cold school he had gone to at any rate. Children by law did not start work until thirteen and marriage was not allowed until seventeen.

Trade was going well, the roads that were now broad and paved made for easy travel and Severus was trying to figure out an internal combustion engine to run trains, these engines did not require coal and he had found middle earth had reserves of oil. Oil that orcs did not mind mining for, nor did they mind mining for coal for that matter. The dwarves were happy about that as they could mine for precious things while the orcs, a cunning and violent race (abet not to humans, dwarves and elves anymore) worked hard and enjoyed their work now that Sauron was gone and they were free to live as they wanted. Any caught eating people were executed on the spot and their clan was imprisoned. They did learn quickly.

"I am glad the world is better now." Ingrid said "I thought it would not be, I am nearly four hundred years old."

"You are beautiful." Severus replied, "and I am lucky to have you for a wife."

"Thank you Severus, now I am with child, and you are to be a father."

"I hope to be a good one." Severus replied.

He smiled at his dear wife and vowed to do all he could to take good care of her and their children. He had a feeling there was more than one. Sirius came to him in a panic stating Ina was with child and he had no idea if he could be a good father. Severus calmed him down enough and both vowed to do right by their wives. They had married out of need and found they did love their wives now. Sirius was head over heals in love and so devoted to Ina he fairly worshiped her. Severus found his cold heart had melted and Ingrid was perfect and he was in love, deeply so. He made sure to find the foods his wife needed and when the time came stayed out of the chamber where the midwives were. Men were not wanted or needed in the birthing chamber, that was a holy place for women only, not even a male pet was allowed in. The midwife a one Renna came out after a few hours with a smile.

"You have healthy babies, a girl and a girl and a boy." She said, "your wife is sleeping my lord but you can come see the babies, we have two wet nurses as well so no need to worry."

"Three?" Severus said stunned, "my wife is indeed strong as an ox to carry so many! Tell me she is well?"

"As well as one can be having three babies at once." Renna replied, "she will need much in rest, even if she were poor she would get that rest, it is part of the holy right of mothers to have rest after birth as you know."

"I do know, I shall light a sacred fire for each." Severus said.

"Good, you know the rites then." Renna said smiling.

Severus followed her into the birthing chamber, the windows were open as it was a fine spring morning and there were flowers fresh on the window sills. His wife lay asleep in fresh clean lien sheets and nightshirt her hair neatly combed. He saw three bassinets and walked up and smiled at the sleeping babes clad in new linen night dresses and bonnets. He turned as Ingrid woke and he was at her side smiling at her. His wife had brought these sweet babies into the world and he wanted to honor her in the choice of names. She took the cup of broth given to her and drank it down and then the babies were brought over. She took each one in turn and then gave them to Severus to name, they had names picked out and they would be grand names she was sure of it.

"Ingrid Galadriel Gandalf." Severus said for their first born daughter.

"A good name." Ingrid said.

"Eileen Arwyn Gandalf." Severus said for their second born daughter.

"Good, that is good." Ingrid said.

"Severus Elrond Gandalf." Severus said for their last born son.

"Good, they will grow to be strong." Ingrid replied smiling.

Two days later Sirius came and stated that his wife had children, twin girls and he could not be happier in that. They had named one Freya Andie Radagast and the other Maya Rosie Radagast as Radagast was the family name Sirius had taken on. There was a great celebration this year, not only were their new princesses and a prince, there were lots of births this year that were healthy. Potions were given to protect all children from childhood diseases and now most survived to adulthood. Severus loved this world and wanted things to continue to get better and he felt they would. He had a chance to make things better here and he felt that perhaps that was what he was doing now. His coming to middle earth had been hard but he had worse and now, now he was truly free.

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So yes, Severus is married, as he needed to be. He changed his last name as there does need to be a Gandalf here, no Saruman as that name was tainted. So Severus is no longer a Snape but has taken on the name of Gandalf, as Sirius took on Radagast.

Anyway, do review as that is they only way I get paid.