A/N: Characters and world property of JK Rowling. No copyright infringement intended.

Of Blacks and Boarhounds

They sat in silence for awhile.

Finally, Severus spoke. "How did stabbing the diary kill the specter of Voldemort?"

Lulabelle looked up into his dark eyes. "Lou, it was a horcrux."

Chapter Ten

June 28, 1992

"Fuuuuck…" Severus said, and without conscience thought he pulled Lulabelle onto his lap and held her tightly. His mind was much too busy contemplating her last five words to realise he had done so.

She wrapped her small arms around his neck and held him just as close.

"Let's take a break, Lou. I know this is rough. Let's walk down to the Dog for a drink, see if Paddy and Ern are there. I promised 'em I'd come back to visit anyway," she said, hoping a distraction would help the man she was coming to care deeply for. She had told him she'd been half in love with him for years and while that was true, those feeling were for Severus Snape, fictional character, Byronic hero. These feelings were for Lou, her Lou, who was right here in front of her. Touching her. Holding her. She stood up.

"Lemme go get Sin; I'll let ya have a minute before we go," she told him.

Walking through the kitchen, she thought, 'Instead of tellin' Mama it's his fault I can't find a man, I might just be tellin' her it's his fault I found one.' At that thought, her face lost its smile. Lulabelle suddenly realized that she didn't know when, or even if, she would see her parents again. She opened the back door for the dog, then retrieved her phone from her purse and sat at the kitchen table. Sinaka laid his head on her lap as she scrolled through pictures of her family, tears filling her eyes but not yet falling.

It was this sight that greeted Severus when he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Lulabelle, what is the matter?" he asked softly.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Nothin' Lou, I'm just bein' silly." She closed out the camera roll on her phone. Severus took the seat next to her and placed his hand on hers.

"It's not nothing if it is making you cry, my lady. Please, tell me what is wrong?" he pressed.

"I just had a thought about somethin' I'd say to Mama, and it made me miss my folks is all," she said quietly. "I was lookin' at some pictures of home, and…" her voice broke and she sniffed back a sob. "And I realized I don't rightly know when I'm gonna see my family again."

Severus immediately took her in his arms. "That's not silly at all, Lulabelle. I am so very sorry that I did not think about how hard this must be for you. I've been so concerned with what your knowledge would mean for me, I never gave a passing thought to what it meant for you," he said, holding her tightly. He had learned that the small woman craved closeness, and took comfort in touch. That much, he vowed, he would give her, no matter how awkward and uncomfortable he felt doing so. Although he admitted that it was becoming less awkward the longer he knew her, and more comfortable, more right.

"Please, tell me what I can do to make… this… easier for you. Tell me how to help you, my lady."

Lulabelle rested her head against his chest and sighed. "I don't rightly know that there is anything to do. It's just one of those things, I guess."

They sat together silently for a few moments. Then, "Would you like to tell me about your family? Sometimes, I've heard, talking about one's feelings can be of help," Severus told her.

Lulabelle chuckled lightly. "You've heard, huh? Yeah, I guess talking 'bout your feelin's isn't all that high on your list of priorities, is it, Lou?"

"Not as such, no. But I do want to hear about your family, whenever you wish to speak of them."

She blew out a breath and said, "Maybe later on? Let's go and have a nice time at the Dog. I don't wanna be sad when I'm talkin' 'bout Mama and Daddy. I wanna tell ya 'bout how wonderful they are, Lou. Because they are wonderful, for all that they drive me crazy sometimes, and I don't wanna be sad when I'm doin' it."

"As you wish, my lady. Now. Are you still insistent upon the beast wearing a leash?"

"L.T.! You brought her back!" Paddy yelled as the pair entered the pub a short time later, Sinaka at Lulabelle's side, leash nowhere to be seen.

"But of course. I gave you my word as a gentleman, sir."

Paddy guffawed at Severus. "Well come on over here, lassie, give us a hug!" Lulabelle rushed to his side to throw her arms around the elderly man.

"Two pints of Guinness, Ern," Severus said to the barkeeper.

"Oh, just a half for me, Ern," Lulabelle interjected. "Have ya seen Henry and Hannah today? I know Sin would be happy to see 'em," she asked the burly man.

"They don't come in everyday like some of this lot," Ern said with a smile and a jerk of his head towards Paddy. "But they're usually here on Fridays with their parents. You'll have to have L.T. bring you back then," he stated as he slid a pint down the bar towards another patron and started building their drinks.

"I'll do just that, thank ya," she replied. "I think Sin misses bein' around kids."

"You have sprogs back home?" Paddy asked her.

"Sprogs?"

"You know, sprogs! Kids! Children!" Paddy replied.

Lulabelle laughed. "No, no 'sprogs' of my own, but I work with a group of kids. Sinaka helps out at the ranch when they're there. They all love him."

"I can see why," Ern broke in. "He's a right good dog, lassie."

Lulabelle giggled at the unintentional pun that she was sure she was the only one who caught. "He's the best dog in the world," she agreed.

As Ern slid the drinks down to Lulabelle and Severus, he asked, "L.T., have you been showing the lassie around? You best be taking good care of her," he added.

Before Severus could answer, Lulabelle said, "I can take care of myself, thank ya very much, but Lou's been treatin' me just as fine as a frog's hair."

Three men stared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"'Fine as a frog's hair?'" Ern repeated.

"Y'all ever see a hair on a frog?" she asked with a raised brow.

A chorus of no's followed this query.

"Well there ya go, then," Lulabelle said as if this cleared things up. "Now, tell me how all y'all been doin'," she added.

They held hands as they walked back home. Severus was thrilled. He was still surprised at the ease in which she touched him, at how she didn't seem to mind being close to him. At how she even seemed to enjoy it, to seek out such intimacies; how she would hold his hand, lean into his side, kiss his cheek, even the one time kissing him on his mouth. He wondered what her feelings for him entailed, if they were as strong as his were for her. He certainly hoped so, even as he struggled to define exactly what it was he felt for the tiny witch at his side.

As they walked up the cracked path to the front door of the house, Lulabelle asked him, "Do ya wanna try Mexican food tonight? I was thinkin' 'bout makin' enchiladas for dinner."

"If you like, madam, that would be fine. Please do not feel like you must cook for us, though. I am perfectly capable of doing so," Severus replied.

"I don't mind at all, Lou. I really enjoy cookin'. I just hope ya like it. Not sure how it'll measure up to the food at Hogwarts, truth be told."

He snorted. "The house elves do their best to keep us fed, but one does get tired of the same things. I'm sure Mexican food will be a welcome change."

"Well, if ya don't like it, there's always the tequila. Drink enough of that and it won't matter how the food tastes," she laughed.

Severus quirked a brow. "You are determined to make me question your cooking skills, madam," he said as they entered the kitchen and she started pulling things out of the pantry.

"Hush your mouth! I guess you'll just have to wait and see, Lou," she said with a smile. "Why don't ya have a seat at the table? If ya don't mind listenin', I could tell ya 'bout my folks while I cook."

Severus did as she bade, and soon the kitchen was full of delicious smells. He simply watched her as she spoke of her home, her family, her animals, the work she did for the kids she helped as she flitted about his kitchen, completely at ease and as if she'd been so doing for years. So entranced by the vision in front of him was he that she had already climbed on top of the counter to reach a pan before he could offer to help.

"Merlin's beard, Lulabelle! All you had to do was ask and I would have gotten that for you!" He exclaimed as he helped her back down.

"It's not a big deal, Lou. 'Sides, who keeps their pots and pans up so high anyway?"

"Anyone of average height and above would be my guess," he grumbled at her. She swatted him with the tea towel she'd tucked into an old apron he'd found for her of his mother's.

"Oh you!" Lulabelle exclaimed. "If you're wantin' to help, though, chop up that cilantro for me."

"The what?"

"The cilantro. The stuff I tasted in the store cause it had a weird name and I wanted to make sure it was what I thought it was," she replied.

"Ah. The coriander. I wondered why you were sneaking bites."

"Lou! Ya shoulda asked. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person," she said exasperatedly.

"Never, madam."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, this is almost done. I'm just gonna feed Sin while it finishes in the oven, then put him out back while we eat. I'll make margaritas, too, if ya get the salt and those limes out for me," she said.

While the dog ate, she mixed their drinks. "Daddy's a bit of a tequila connoisseur, so if ya tell him I bought Cuervo I'll call ya a damn liar," Lulabelle informed him. "But I like it just fine. There's nothin' better for shots if ya ask me."

She poured two as she spoke, leaving Severus to once again silently ponder her words, then handed him the salt and a wedge of lime. "Ready?"

At his raised eyebrow, she said, "Lick, sip, suck, Lou. Here, I'll show ya. Lick the back of your hand…"

Once instructed, they licked, sipped, and sucked. Lulabelle laughed at the look on Severus' face. "Well, I guess it ain't firewhiskey, after all."

After Sinaka had been banished to the backyard, they sat down to dinner. Severus praised the food, thoroughly enjoying the spicy fare.

"This is actually quite good," he told her.

"Ya sound surprised," she laughed.

"Yes, well, you had me rather concerned, going on as you were about the food at Hogwarts, madam."

"Oh, is it not all that good, Lou? The books make it seem just absolutely wonderful," she questioned.

"It is… adequate."

"Huh," Lulabelle said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's just because Harry isn't used to eatin' all that much," she mused. "Well in any case, I'm glad ya like it."

Dinner over, dishes done, they were once again ensconced on the loveseat in the living room. This time, however, Lulabelle had settled herself directly next to Severus, who had in turn immediately placed his arm around her shoulders. She was smiling inwardly to herself about the ease at which the obviously touch-starved man was displaying with his embrace, while said man was internally questioning his own actions and desperately hoping they were welcomed, even as she snuggled closer into his side.

"Lou, I was thinkin'. I don't think I did a very good job of just givin' ya an overview of the second book."

"What do you mean? Was there more you needed to say?"

"No! Not at all. And that's, I think, the problem. We'll be clear into next week if I keep goin' on like that. So for the next couple stories, I think I'm just gonna hit the main points, if that's alright with you."

"As you wish, madam."

Lulabelle smiled softly and took his hand in hers. "The third book is called Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Now, before I start, I want ya to promise me again that you're gonna listen to me and not go runnin' off fit to be tied."

Severus quirked a brow even as he failed to completely hide his smile. "I promise."

"Just remember, Lou, I'm right here with ya. Durin' Harry's third year, Sirius Black escapes from prison."

Severus exhaled quickly and gripped her tighter to his side, but didn't say a word. Lulabelle looked into his face, so dear to her already, and quietly continued.

"Peter Pettigrew isn't dead. He's the one that gave the Potters up to Voldemort, not Sirius. He killed those muggles. He's an illegal animagus, and has been hidin' as a rat with the… with a Wizarding family ever since."

"With… whom… Lulabelle?"

"I'll tell ya, Lou, I promise. But ya need to hear what I have to say first, and then we need a plan. I promised ya we'd fix it, and you promised me ya wouldn't go runnin' off to do somethin' dumb. Now hush up and let me finish," Lulabelle commanded.

Severus nodded shortly.

"Pettigrew was a secret Voldemort follower. I don't know exactly when or why he turned, but by 1981, he most definitely had. After Sirius found out about what happened in Godric's Holler on Halloween night…"

"Hollow. Godric's Hollow."

"That's what I said. Godric's Holler. After Sirius found out about it, he went after Peter. Everyone thought Sirius had been the secret keeper for the Potters, but they switched at the last minute. Sirius was the only one left alive that knew, 'sides Peter. So he goes after him, and Peter starts screamin' in the street about Sirius betrayin' James and Lily, then he cuts off his own finger, blows up the street which kills twelve muggles, and escapes down into the sewers. Sirius is sittin' in the middle of the road when the aurors find him, most likely in the middle of a mental breakdown since he's laughin' and sayin' it's all his fault the Potters are dead. They throw him in prison without a trial, where he stays for twelve years until he escapes."

Lulabelle looked Severus in the eye. "Ya alright there, Lou?"

Severus was staring, unseeing, across the room. "I don't… I can't…"

She laid her head on his arm. "Should I keep goin'?"

"Please."

"Okay, well, Remus Lupin is the Defense teacher that year. Don't worry, he didn't know Sirius was innocent…" she started to say, but Severus interrupted her anyway.

"Albus lets a werewolf teach children?" he says incredulously.

Lulabelle chuckled. "You're the one who brews him the Wolfsbane potion every month. Are ya sayin' ya can't adequately prepare it? Or are you, Severus Snape, the man who once again ensures the safety of everyone around him?"

Severus squirmed awkwardly in his seat. "Er, right. Please keep going," he said, embarrassed.

"So Remus is teachin', you're kinda a dick to him," Severus huffed at that but didn't interrupt, "and at the end of the year, the truth comes to light one night in the Shriekin' Shack. You, Harry, Hermione, and Ron are there with Sirius and Remus when they force Peter to transform back into a person. They're takin' him back to the castle, when Remus realizes he'd forgotten to take his potion that day and it's a full moon. You, Lou, you throw yourself in front of three children ya don't particularly care for to protect 'em from a fully transformed werewolf. You're just, God, Lou, you're just the best man I've ever met."

"Er…" Severus mumbled. He cleared his throat as he blushed, quite certain he did not deserve her praise. "I… er… I thought you said my… death… was caused by a snake, not a werewolf."

"What? Oh, Remus doesn't kill ya, silly. Sirius transforms into Padfoot and fights him, then there's a thing with Hermione's time-turner and she distracts him so he runs off. Peter escapes in the ruckus and Sirius gets arrested again, then Harry and Hermione save him with the time-turner, and he and Buckbeak both escape. That's pretty much book three. The point is that currently Peter is alive and Sirius is prison, I mean Azkaban, and he never got a trial. So no one knows he's innocent. We're gonna have to fix that, too, ya know."

"No."

"No?"

Severus turned to look at her. "That… man… tried to kill me. And was given a slap on the wrist for my attempted murder. I will not facilitate his freedom."

Lulabelle patted him on his hand. "We'll just talk about it later, after you've had more time to think about it. I know ya won't let him suffer for a crime he didn't commit. You're too good for that, Lou. Now. Is there anything else ya have questions about?"

"Padfoot was a nickname. Explain."

"All four of the Marauders had nicknames, right? Moony was a werewolf, Wormtail was a rat animagus, Padfoot was a big black dog animagus that supposedly looks like a Grim, and Prongs was a stag animagus."

"Buckbeak?"

"One of Hagrid's hippogriffs that Draco insults and Lucius gets sentenced to death for scratchin' him. We're definitely fixin' that, Lou. Even if we have to have Sin eat Draco to prevent it happenin'."

Severus quirked a smile at her pronouncement, then asked, "Time-turner?"

"Dumbledore and McGonagall give one to Hermione so she can take every single class offered. She nearly runs herself into the ground with it, too. I mean, yeah she saves Sirius and Buckbeak with it, but we need to see if we can't just get her into AP classes or something. It's just too much stress for a kid, in my opinion."

"What are 'AP classes'?"

Lulabelle looked surprised at that. "Advanced placement? Back home some of 'em give ya college credit, too. Surely y'all have something like that at Hogwarts?"

"No, but you're right. We should. I'll look into it. Wait, you said she took all of the classes offered. Why would Miss Granger want to take Muggle Studies?"

"That's exactly my point!" Lulabelle exclaimed. "She's so freakin' bored with work that's so far beneath her intellectual level, that she took a class she already knows everything about! I was the same way growin' up, 'til Mama and Daddy let me start takin' college classes online. I still had to go to regular school, cause Mama wanted me to have a 'normal childhood' or whatever, but I had an associate's degree by the time I started high school. Now I have four bachelor's degrees and two master's. The girl is bored, Lou."

Severus looked at her in shock. "You have two masteries?"

She chuckled lightly. "Not like y'all have masteries. It's a master's degree from a university. I'm sure it's nothin' like bein' a Potions Master."

"Do not disparage your accomplishments, my lady. You forget, I am a half-blood. I understand what the achievement of a master's degree from a muggle university entails. And you have two such degrees. You are quite astonishing, Lulabelle."

She blushed. "I was really just a bored kid, Lou. Always bein' the smartest person in the room, regardless of age, gets old after awhile. And on the flip side, when you're not in the south, people assume you're just as slow as ya talk. So I studied, and I learned, and I went to high school at the same time. I had a few friends and I went to football games and to prom, but none of my friends really knew I wasn't goin' off to start college like they were; instead I was goin' off to finish up my graduate degrees. And now I have Sinaka, and the foundation, a couple good girlfriends, and my family of course, and that's alright by me."

"You sound as if you were lonely."

"Sometimes, sure. Everybody gets lonely. But it's hard to really connect with people when you're just so different, ya know? That's why I want… no, it's why I need to do somethin' for Hermione. I saw so much of myself in her when I read the books, only she didn't have Mama and Daddy right there, helpin' her find her way. She got thrown into a war just 'cause she was different. I can't let that stand, Lou."

"Nor can I, my lady. You are right. There are many things that need… 'fixin'."

She laughed at his attempt to mimic her accent.

"Say 'y'all', Lou. Say, 'I'm fixin' to go down the crick, y'all wanna come?'"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top?"

"Well alright…"