Author's Note: This story is set the summer before Harry & Co.'s sixth year – the summer after the story 'Harry Potter and the Keeper of Secrets' (read and review please). The Snapes are spending their summer in France, with Morganna's (Severus's wife) family, the Montaques. This story uses all the plots and such that I left out of KoS, using something I had been going to use as a KoS subplot as 'the' plot. It may or may not be any good, but I'm hoping it will be. My friend Neshomeh asked me to work Este or Jenni into KoS, but I couldn't, so they can be in this story instead. I'm sure they'd love a holiday in France with friends.

Thanks to: Neshomeh, for her marvelous role-play talent. To Shannon, for his version of Severus Snape, which showed both sides of the one coin. To Chrissie, for her version of Lily Evans (Lily Potter), who will feature in a few flashbacks. To my friends in the role-play boards for putting up with me, and to the people here, for not giving me dreadful reviews. Yes, I've only got like six reviews (one of them was I, at least two were people I know and had gotten to read my work), but they're not bad ones!

Dedicated to: DamnCat, mostly known as DC. If Deece were alive today, he'd be fourteen, same age as me. He was the inspiration for my evil-yet-nice felines who have been written into my role-plays and my stories alike. He was a loyal friend and he was always there. I swear he had feline telepathy, and he was much loved. I don't care what anyone else says, he was the handsomest cat I've ever seen. Okay, so he was a Mummy's Boy. Delilah (his mother. A cat, duh.) spoiled him like no other kitten (cleaned up after him, fought off other cats…etc…etc) and then, when he was about five or so, he suddenly had to fend for himself. I'm proud of the way he coped, suddenly acting like a cat in his prime when he was well past. He died at the age of twelve, of old age. He had a heart murmur, cancer (either skin or in his eye. There was definitely something gross in his eyes), and we would have had to let him go anyway. He crept away and was gone, like autumn's leaves. He had always been there, and suddenly he wasn't, but he'll always live on in my heart, and in my stories. DC, if you're somewhere in Cat-Heaven (and I refuse to go to Heaven if DC, Delilah, and all my other dearly departed pets aren't there), and you're looking down at me, I love you lots and I'll see you in about 70 years.

Extra Author's Note: This is a first person story, and I apologize in advance for my portrayal of Severus. I've never been good at his character, but I'll do my best. Any bad reviews about it will be ignored, I'm afraid, since I already know that I'm not so great at ole Sevvy, and I'm working on it.

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Chapter One: And I thought the owl was bad.

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**Morag's POV**

I looked up at my father. He hadn't liked the idea of spending any long amount of time with Mother's relatives, but we begged and he gave in. I wanted to meet all Mother's friends and especially her butler, René LaJoie. Mother told me about times when Renè had gotten her out of trouble, and covered for her when she really had done something naughty. I wanted to see her horse; a white mare named Juliet, after the Shakespeare character.

Well, anyway, I looked up at my father. He was paler than usual, but that was probably just from the stress we'd all been under during fifth year. For the first time, I was glad to be leaving Hogwarts for the summer.

So, here we were. In France. The sun was shining, and so were Mother's eyes. She hadn't been back to France for so long, not since she spent a summer there before her sixth year. That had been many years ago, Mother was nearly 32.

But most of all, I wanted to see the room where Aunt Gloria lived.

Mother scolded me and told me that she certainly wasn't going to show me, and didn't I have any respect for the dead?

Montgomery promised he'd show me, and introduce me to Gloria's cat, Damnation. Apparently, Damnation's original name was Panda (he was a Persian with big dark circles around his eyes), but Grandfather kept shouting 'Damnation' whenever he saw him, so the name stuck. I thought it rather cute – but wasn't it strange the cat was still around?

No, Gom had told me. Damnation was a magical cat, wasn't I a silly girl for thinking that a Montaque would have anything less.

I would have felt better about my Montaque blood if it weren't for all the scandals I'd heard about.

It chilled me to think that I was one of those scandals.

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**Morganna's POV**

Morag and I had convinced Severus that coming to France for the summer wasn't a bad idea at all. It had taken a while, but we were very persistent.

It was a good idea, after all, to get away from the stresses in England. To at least try and forget for a while what had happened. I sat possessively close to my daughter as the carriage rumbled down the road that led to a manor I hadn't been near in so many years.

My family had been shrouded in mystery for so long – with more than our fair share of scandal. Gloria's death had been suspect, I found out from Renè, and I had confided my worries to my friend, Stuart LaJoie, Renè's nephew.

I felt a little guilty that I hadn't been back in so long, but I wrote faithfully to Stuart and Renè. Stuart was an 'odd-job-man' at my ancestral manor now, with Renè around to shout at the maids. I smiled to myself as I thought about it.

The sudden stop of the carriage startled me out of my thoughts, and before Severus reached the door-handle, it was open already.

Stuart winked up at us. "Miss Anna, back to the scene of the crime." He laughed as he helped me out of the carriage. Morag came after, she looked bemused.

I put my hands on my hips and looked him square in the eye. "You broke that vase, Stuart LaJoie, don't even think about blaming me – again!" then I laughed, because it has hard to even pretend to be angry with Stuart.

Severus didn't look too happy – was that jealousy? I resolved to be particularly wifely, wouldn't want him to think that he had any competition. Perhaps competition was healthy, but not when you have a temper like his.

"Severus, Morag, this is my friend, Stuart LaJoie. He is the butler's – Renè – nephew." I introduced them. "Stuart, this is my husband Severus, and my daughter Morag."

Stuart and Severus shook hands, Morag smiled brightly. Then Stuart looked around. "Where is Gom? Uncle Renè's been looking forward to seeing the old bird again. I swear, they are a pair of old grandmothers if ever I saw."

Severus scowled – he never got on with my owl. I sighed inwardly, and resolved also to make sure that Severus and Gom were never left alone together. I shuddered at the thought of what could happen.

"Gom is in the next carriage, with our luggage." I told my friend. Stuart gave me an odd look – Gom had always traveled with me, never with my luggage – but he didn't question further.

"Come along then, we can go out to the garden and catch up, and show your family around. Uncle Renè is still making sure everything is perfect, you'll spoil it for him if you go in now." Stuart said, leading us around to the gardens.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked around at places I hadn't seen in years. It was coming home, truly coming home. The gardens where Luci and I chased Gom down from trees, or where Gerad chased me up trees. Where Gom would tell us stories about Gloria, or stories that Gloria had made up. Where we would sit with Mother while she drew the most beautiful designs for her wizarding wear label. Where we were sent if Papa was in a bad mood. Where I would ride my palfrey Juliet around the fields, or with my friends to a picnic. Gloria's old mare, Sunrise, was my favorite horse by far. I loved Juliet, of course, but Sunrise was another connection to the sister that had such impact on my life, yet I'd never met.

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**Severus's POV**

Not only did my wife and daughter band together to convince me that a holiday to France would be a good idea, they made arrangements for others to join us at the Montaque Manor. I dreaded the idea of spending any amount of time with Gerad Montaque, but luckily the prat had taken his daughters to California for the summer, to stay with Morganna's silly cousin Lillias. However, I was not looking forward to seeing Lucia Montaque again either. Foolish, interfering, infernal woman that she was. Always poking around where she didn't belong. Into my own family business, years ago. I idly wondered what she'd done with the information she gathered.

Morganna and that odd friend of hers were leading us around to the gardens behind the manor. A pleasant enough place, I supposed. What was the name of her friend? Stuart something…La…gah. Not a very memorable name, in any case.

Morag was giving me that look of hers, one I've never really been able to decipher. I gather it's one of those patronizing looks that daughters give their elderly fathers who've forgotten how to eat with a fork. I am not that old, she could at least wait until I'm 40 before she starts looking at me as if I'm some sort of dinosaur. I severely disapprove of such 'looks'. She was doing it again! Damn it. But I didn't get a chance to admonish her, because Morganna was talking again.

"Severus, isn't this marvelous? The gardens are kept so well." Morganna beamed at me. I deny here and now that I in any way scowled. I did not.

"Yes, father, what do you think?" Morag asked in that drawl that reminds me of her irritating sire. I wouldn't mind beating Jonathan O'Connell to death one day, but somehow I suspect Morganna would disapprove. Ah well. What Morganna doesn't know won't hurt her…no! I really must keep my mind on what's going on. I attempted a smile. "It's lovely, Morganna."

I don't think she quite believed me, because she gave me one of her looks. What was it with them that had them looking at me that way? She was giving me a very suspicious look, the sort she gives me when I say that I'm not tired, or that nothing is bothering me. I do love my wife, but sometimes she is very trying. But, luckily, she did not press it further. Honestly, it's just my opinion of a garden, why would she press the matter?

Morag was trying not to laugh at me. For the thousandth time, I wonder if I was drunk when I agreed to this.

And then I saw the cat.

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**Gom's POV**

Infernal woman! Morganna shut me up in a cage and stuffed me in the carriage with the luggage! And then she has the audacity to tell me that it's for my own good! Being locked in a cage alone for three hours is not 'for my own good', I can tell you that! Sometimes I think she enjoys tormenting me. Perhaps there is squirrel blood in the Montaque lineage.

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**Damnation the Cat's POV**

Miaow.

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**Morag's POV**

I sat down next to Mother in the garden, while she talked animatedly with her friend Stuart. It was quite boring to listen to, and then they started speaking french, which meant I had to translate in my head what I was hearing.

I stopped listening.

Father was poking about the place, looking, I assume, for something wrong that he could complain about. I hoped he would have the tact to wait until Mother wasn't around to complain, though.

But just then, the most adorable thing I'd ever seen sauntered up to me. Sashayed, perhaps? It was that cat Gom had told me of, Damnation (once upon a time known as Mr. Panda). From his expression, I gathered that Father didn't think much of this addition to the family menagerie.

I snapped my fingers at him, the way Gom told me to, and he hopped into my lap. I was slightly astounded at the weight of him – he was a fairly large cat. And very much in charge, from the look of that swagger. I think he must be a very odd cat.

"Miaow."

"He likes you." Gom translated. What? How did he get out of his cage? I assumed he was let out when our luggage was unpacked. Wait – Gom spoke Cat? I would have to look into this.

"Well, I like him too." I said, not really wanting to ask.

Gom and Damnation spoke at some length. Finally Gom said, "He wants to know what right have you to look like Gloria?" Gom was trying not to laugh. "I tried to explain hereditary-ness and such to him, but he is, after all, a feline."

Feathers and fur flew. Gom apologized. I tried not to laugh.

"He says he thinks that a smart girl like you should be keeping a cat rather than a – hey! I resent that." Gom exclaimed, before he finished. Damnation looked like the cat got the cream. Evidently this rivalry wasn't exactly new.

"Than a what, precisely?" I inquired sweetly.

"Than a senile old bag of feathers." Gom muttered. I couldn't help myself. I burst into gales of laughter.

Mother and Father and Stuart looked up. Mother gave me one of those indulgent smiles and said to the others, "She's talking to Panda and Gom." Mother had always insisted on calling Damnation by his given name, rather than the 'more suitable' name that everyone else referred to him as. Apparently Damnation had been called worse things, and Gom felt that 'Damnation' was a perfectly good compromise.

I thought they were all crazy, but didn't say so.

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**Morganna's POV**

It was lovely, catching up with Stuart, but I was distracted when Morag had her dialogue with Panda and Gom.

I don't think Severus liked the look of Panda, and I supposed he hadn't exactly had good experiences with my pets. Though Panda was never really 'mine' he was just…Panda. And the only other pet Severus ever met was Gom.

Oh. That was probably the problem.

In all fairness, Panda didn't much like Severus either. I know this because he clawed his leg the first chance he got. And what he said through Gom was totally uncalled for.

"That is it!" Severus shouted, pulling out his wand. "And I thought the owl was bad! Say your prayers!"

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A/N: Not bad for a first chapter. There are two other characters that may or may not be joining us next chapter, Jenni and Este; it depends on negotiations with Neshomeh. All those in favor of Morag inviting a friend, if Jenni (Morganna and Severus's friend) and Este (Jenni's niece, Morag's friend) can't come, there are going to be others. Cousins, aunts, uncles, crazy relatives that nobody talks about. Should be fun.