Chapter 19: Let's Start at the Very Beginning-A Very Good Place to Start!
After Severus and Rose had tucked themselves into her Taurus, she turned to him and asked: "Where to?"
"I have the ingredients back at the flat."
"Okay." With a sidelong glance at him, Rose set out for Severus' building, and he directed her to the parking for residents. He was frowning, as in deep thought.
Once they were inside, Severus lit a fire in his usual magical way. Rose maintained a very casual manner, but she felt she was becoming quite unnerved. It is one thing to know about wizards, and another to observe one in action; especially a large, masculine and powerful one. Thoughts about curiosity and cats kept running through her mind, like a hamster on a wheel. Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger, Tolkien warned. Rose began to regret her well-read background, vivid imagination, and comments about cassocks.
Severus stepped into the kitchen, leaving Rose to pace the room, stare at the fire, and plan a hasty exit. He returned before her courage completely deserted her, bearing her favorite mint chocolate chip hot fudge sundae, and a large banana split for himself. She wasn't even going to ask how this food came into being. She just took it with thanks and sat in one of the wing chairs near the hearth.
"My compliments to the chef," she murmured, after two delicious bites.
"I took some cooking classes last month. Hermione thought I ought to know how to pass for Muggle." Severus was doing justice to his banana split. It was rather cozy, sharing dessert and an open fire, and they both started to relax in each other's company.
"Do I pass for Muggle, Rose?" he asked rather earnestly.
She thoughtfully considered his question, while dealing with a generous bite of the sundae. "I never thought you to be anything other than a very closed-off kind of man, and that isn't anything unusual in my experience."
"I am a man, you know. We are all descended from common ancestors, and we are not separate species." Severus stared broodingly in the fire. "I just had a different upbringing, and some talents and training that others don't. The closed off part is due to events in the past, which left me preferring my own company over the delights of socializing."
"That is a common attribute of Mensans, too, you know. People who differ too much from average get too much grief from the crowd around them. If they don't have the skills and friends and family to provide emotional support and nurturing, they will wall themselves off in self-defense, or develop dysfunctional habits like drug use or delinquency and the like. Sometimes joining a Mensa group can help, if the person is not too far gone into outlawry." She thought of various people in her past.
"You never struck me as walled off or dysfunctional," Severus remarked pointedly. "I thought you reserved, until I got to know you a little better."
"Well, I had loving grandparents, the immigrant American dream, a lot of books to read, and a lonely and socially isolated childhood. I had no living peers in the neighborhood or in the family and unfortunately I was aware of that lack. I lived in books instead of the real world." She finished the sundae with a sigh. "I would say you passed for Muggle just fine. It was Arthur who gave away the game. He and his wife were also invited tonight, but he is feeling under the weather. The Grangers and Weasleys are making plans to get together next week instead. You and I are also invited."
"I cannot imagine how we would have survived this evening with the Weasleys present. I would have had to Obliviate everyone there." Severus broke into a sweat thinking about it. Rose was alarmed.
"And what does Obliviating get you?" she asked. "Are you planning to Obliviate me?"
"It's a charm to alter memory, and I have no intention of Obliviating you, unless you want to forget all about me. You may ask if you feel the need at any time, and I won't deny you. It is the least I can do for any trouble I impose on you." Severus wondered if he would ever have to honor that vow. It would be a sign of personal failure, to hurt a woman so much that she wanted to forget your very existence.
"That would be the ultimate cure for a broken heart. There's even a lounge song on that theme; it's called 'I Don't Remember Christmas'*. It's rather sad. I would prefer to do the breaker a permanent injury, myself." Now Rose had that brooding look. Severus decided to tread lightly around this woman. After all the little skills she had demonstrated so far, he wouldn't doubt her ability and will to inflict said damage, if she felt inspired. "Give me your dish. You made the food. I'll wash up," she said.
"Scourgify!" Severus waved his wand, and the dishes were clean. "Not necessary, but thank you for offering."
"I truly do not understand why your government is interested in having anything to do with us Muggles, Severus. What do you need us for?" Rose was feeling aggrieved. She never offered to wash anything for any man anymore, as a general rule, and her generosity had been rejected. Still, she could get used to not doing chores, if the possibility arose.
"We recently defeated a Dark Wizard after nearly 30 years of losing people, Magical and Muggle, to his cruelty and that of his followers. The Magical community is rather small. Out of 60 million residents in Great Britain, we can claim only 60, 000. About half have only minor talents, and only half are educated in those talents. We lost nearly 20,000 people in 30 years, many in the prime of life, so all their future descendants were also lost." Severus closed his eyes in pain. So many faces flashed before his eyes. "The Muggle losses were about the same, but not as devastating proportionally to the total population. The Minister of Magic feels that both groups should ally to better counter any future attacks by outlaws. He also feels that if we knew more about Muggles, we would appreciate them and befriend them and they would do likewise. Intermarriage would help to spread our talents in the general population, and relieve inbreeding, which is becoming a severe problem among the Purebloods. Of the Muggleborn wizards and witches, most minor talents do not receive training, and they can more easily run into trouble with your laws. Closer cooperation could prevent that. There is a lot of merit to the idea, actually."
"And how does one Severus Snape, of Hogwarts School, become involved in this Grand Experiment?" Rose asked. "There must be Muggleborn wizards who could bridge the gap more easily."
"Most of our senior Muggleborn members were the ones we lost in the war," he sighed. "The Purebloods always considered them outsiders, unless very well-connected by marriage. After two or three generations the distinction and discrimination would fade. We lost those generations. I am a default candidate, by virtue of having few ties to anyone or anything." He wasn't going to try to explain the dynamics of his obligation to Dumbledore, which was the real root of his selection. "So, there we are."
They both stared into the fire, lost in their thoughts. When the logs shifted, the hypnotic spell broke. Severus looked over at Rose. "I sat next to you for nearly two hours and didn't realize it. How many wigs do you own?"
Rose was amused. "I was beginning to wonder if you noticed, what with all the clues I dropped. And that information is Classified."
"Classified what? And in my defense I want to note that I was distracted by the lecture and a redhead with beautiful legs." Severus felt very daring, making such a personal remark.
"Classified is spook talk. In America the government likes to conceal information from critics by classifying it as Secret, Top Secret, Need to Know, and various other forms of secret agent speak." Rose felt embarrassed and pleased by the compliment, which came out so spontaneously.
"Well, will I be encountering more disguises, or are we both out in the open, now?" Severus was speaking half in jest, half seriously.
"Now that we seem to be working on the same side, I see no need to conceal my identity from you. After all, your cover is completely blown." Rose was getting sleepy from all the theobromine in the fudge sauce.
Not completely by any measure, thought Severus. There is so much more she doesn't know. But would I ever want to tell her? Would she really want to hear it? Would we still be on the same side then? After contemplation of his dark, dark past, Severus glanced at Rose. She was asleep. It was nearly midnight, so he could understand why she had dozed off. He debated Transfiguring the chair she sat in so that she could be more comfortable, or carrying her off to one of the guest rooms, but before he made any decision, he dozed off, himself.
After Severus and Rose had tucked themselves into her Taurus, she turned to him and asked: "Where to?"
"I have the ingredients back at the flat."
"Okay." With a sidelong glance at him, Rose set out for Severus' building, and he directed her to the parking for residents. He was frowning, as in deep thought.
Once they were inside, Severus lit a fire in his usual magical way. Rose maintained a very casual manner, but she felt she was becoming quite unnerved. It is one thing to know about wizards, and another to observe one in action; especially a large, masculine and powerful one. Thoughts about curiosity and cats kept running through her mind, like a hamster on a wheel. Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger, Tolkien warned. Rose began to regret her well-read background, vivid imagination, and comments about cassocks.
Severus stepped into the kitchen, leaving Rose to pace the room, stare at the fire, and plan a hasty exit. He returned before her courage completely deserted her, bearing her favorite mint chocolate chip hot fudge sundae, and a large banana split for himself. She wasn't even going to ask how this food came into being. She just took it with thanks and sat in one of the wing chairs near the hearth.
"My compliments to the chef," she murmured, after two delicious bites.
"I took some cooking classes last month. Hermione thought I ought to know how to pass for Muggle." Severus was doing justice to his banana split. It was rather cozy, sharing dessert and an open fire, and they both started to relax in each other's company.
"Do I pass for Muggle, Rose?" he asked rather earnestly.
She thoughtfully considered his question, while dealing with a generous bite of the sundae. "I never thought you to be anything other than a very closed-off kind of man, and that isn't anything unusual in my experience."
"I am a man, you know. We are all descended from common ancestors, and we are not separate species." Severus stared broodingly in the fire. "I just had a different upbringing, and some talents and training that others don't. The closed off part is due to events in the past, which left me preferring my own company over the delights of socializing."
"That is a common attribute of Mensans, too, you know. People who differ too much from average get too much grief from the crowd around them. If they don't have the skills and friends and family to provide emotional support and nurturing, they will wall themselves off in self-defense, or develop dysfunctional habits like drug use or delinquency and the like. Sometimes joining a Mensa group can help, if the person is not too far gone into outlawry." She thought of various people in her past.
"You never struck me as walled off or dysfunctional," Severus remarked pointedly. "I thought you reserved, until I got to know you a little better."
"Well, I had loving grandparents, the immigrant American dream, a lot of books to read, and a lonely and socially isolated childhood. I had no living peers in the neighborhood or in the family and unfortunately I was aware of that lack. I lived in books instead of the real world." She finished the sundae with a sigh. "I would say you passed for Muggle just fine. It was Arthur who gave away the game. He and his wife were also invited tonight, but he is feeling under the weather. The Grangers and Weasleys are making plans to get together next week instead. You and I are also invited."
"I cannot imagine how we would have survived this evening with the Weasleys present. I would have had to Obliviate everyone there." Severus broke into a sweat thinking about it. Rose was alarmed.
"And what does Obliviating get you?" she asked. "Are you planning to Obliviate me?"
"It's a charm to alter memory, and I have no intention of Obliviating you, unless you want to forget all about me. You may ask if you feel the need at any time, and I won't deny you. It is the least I can do for any trouble I impose on you." Severus wondered if he would ever have to honor that vow. It would be a sign of personal failure, to hurt a woman so much that she wanted to forget your very existence.
"That would be the ultimate cure for a broken heart. There's even a lounge song on that theme; it's called 'I Don't Remember Christmas'*. It's rather sad. I would prefer to do the breaker a permanent injury, myself." Now Rose had that brooding look. Severus decided to tread lightly around this woman. After all the little skills she had demonstrated so far, he wouldn't doubt her ability and will to inflict said damage, if she felt inspired. "Give me your dish. You made the food. I'll wash up," she said.
"Scourgify!" Severus waved his wand, and the dishes were clean. "Not necessary, but thank you for offering."
"I truly do not understand why your government is interested in having anything to do with us Muggles, Severus. What do you need us for?" Rose was feeling aggrieved. She never offered to wash anything for any man anymore, as a general rule, and her generosity had been rejected. Still, she could get used to not doing chores, if the possibility arose.
"We recently defeated a Dark Wizard after nearly 30 years of losing people, Magical and Muggle, to his cruelty and that of his followers. The Magical community is rather small. Out of 60 million residents in Great Britain, we can claim only 60, 000. About half have only minor talents, and only half are educated in those talents. We lost nearly 20,000 people in 30 years, many in the prime of life, so all their future descendants were also lost." Severus closed his eyes in pain. So many faces flashed before his eyes. "The Muggle losses were about the same, but not as devastating proportionally to the total population. The Minister of Magic feels that both groups should ally to better counter any future attacks by outlaws. He also feels that if we knew more about Muggles, we would appreciate them and befriend them and they would do likewise. Intermarriage would help to spread our talents in the general population, and relieve inbreeding, which is becoming a severe problem among the Purebloods. Of the Muggleborn wizards and witches, most minor talents do not receive training, and they can more easily run into trouble with your laws. Closer cooperation could prevent that. There is a lot of merit to the idea, actually."
"And how does one Severus Snape, of Hogwarts School, become involved in this Grand Experiment?" Rose asked. "There must be Muggleborn wizards who could bridge the gap more easily."
"Most of our senior Muggleborn members were the ones we lost in the war," he sighed. "The Purebloods always considered them outsiders, unless very well-connected by marriage. After two or three generations the distinction and discrimination would fade. We lost those generations. I am a default candidate, by virtue of having few ties to anyone or anything." He wasn't going to try to explain the dynamics of his obligation to Dumbledore, which was the real root of his selection. "So, there we are."
They both stared into the fire, lost in their thoughts. When the logs shifted, the hypnotic spell broke. Severus looked over at Rose. "I sat next to you for nearly two hours and didn't realize it. How many wigs do you own?"
Rose was amused. "I was beginning to wonder if you noticed, what with all the clues I dropped. And that information is Classified."
"Classified what? And in my defense I want to note that I was distracted by the lecture and a redhead with beautiful legs." Severus felt very daring, making such a personal remark.
"Classified is spook talk. In America the government likes to conceal information from critics by classifying it as Secret, Top Secret, Need to Know, and various other forms of secret agent speak." Rose felt embarrassed and pleased by the compliment, which came out so spontaneously.
"Well, will I be encountering more disguises, or are we both out in the open, now?" Severus was speaking half in jest, half seriously.
"Now that we seem to be working on the same side, I see no need to conceal my identity from you. After all, your cover is completely blown." Rose was getting sleepy from all the theobromine in the fudge sauce.
Not completely by any measure, thought Severus. There is so much more she doesn't know. But would I ever want to tell her? Would she really want to hear it? Would we still be on the same side then? After contemplation of his dark, dark past, Severus glanced at Rose. She was asleep. It was nearly midnight, so he could understand why she had dozed off. He debated Transfiguring the chair she sat in so that she could be more comfortable, or carrying her off to one of the guest rooms, but before he made any decision, he dozed off, himself.