Disclaimer: We want to move to JKR's planet . . . it's so much fun!
A/N: Thanks for the enthusiastic responses. We're extremely pleased that you enjoy our new characters. Oh, and Sarah, not to worry . . . there IS a method to our madness . . . or Snape's rather. It's been a long night, so I ask your forgiveness for any spelling and grammar errors you find. Too tired to pick them all out right now. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!
It had been a month since the Snape children had requested to visit their maternal grandparents, and Christmas was fast approaching. Hermione had written to her parents, as promised, the day after the argument; however, no replies had come.
It was early on a Saturday morning that found Taryn and Jordan surrounded by a large group of friends at a secluded table in the library. All were working on their respective homework, while chatting quietly amongst themselves. A number of times the noise levels had risen out of control, causing Madam Pince to threaten to throw them all out.
"That woman needs to get laid." Spencer Finch-Fletchly muttered, glaring at the retreating back of the formidable librarian. Jordan choked on the sugar quill he'd been sucking on, attempting to stifle back the laughter. Pepper rolled her eyes, muttering 'Boys!' under her breath.
"Do you ever think about anything other than sex, Spence?" Taryn whispered under her breath, elbowing the Hufflepuff in his left arm. Spencer frowned at the offending Ravenclaw, rubbing the newly developed sore spot on said arm.
"Of course he does." Hot breath whispered in her ear from the other side. A crimson blush crept up the side of her face; hard pressed to suppress the goose pimples dotting her body. Galvin Davies, fellow 7th year Ravenclaw and Head Boy, smiled seductively. "He thinks about broomsticks too, naturally . . . " he trailed off, pulling away from Taryn and resuming his work.
"You have a sick mind, Galvin." Aradia Malfoy smirked. "You really do."
"I'll take that as a compliment!" Galvin grinned at the younger Slytherin, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Take that however you like it." Aradia replied, not looking up from the parchment she was hunched over. "And then pinch yourself and wake up." R2W burst out laughing at that comment, receiving a nasty glare from Madam Pince. Jordan gave his best friend an odd look.
"What was that all about?" he whispered into the carrot-top's ear. R2W glanced longingly at Aradia, turning a deep shade of red to challenge that of his hair. Jordan's eyes opened wide in realization.
"Merlin! I dropped my quill!" Aradia exclaimed, ducking her head under the table. Instantly, R2W disappeared from sight. Muffled exclamations spewed forth from beneath the table, and twice someone kneeled on Jordan's foot.
"Ow!" Aradia reappeared from under the table, rubbing her forehead, while at the same time R2W appeared, quill in hand. Giving him a questioning look, she snatched the quill out of his grasp. "What were you trying to do? Play tackle football?"
"Play what?!" Beth Potter eyed the older girl imploringly.
"Tackle football . . . it's an American sport." Confusion was still etched on every face. "A Muggle American sport."
"Oh!" Nodded understanding before heads bent back over their work. Aradia was still waiting for R2W's explanation.
"I...I...was . . . w-well . . . You see, I . . . " he stuttered, eyeing the floor frantically. Aradia raised her eyebrows.
"You stutter."
"Y-yes . . . " he admitted, blushing once again. "But only when I'm nervous."
"I see . . . " Aradia nodded, sitting down. R2W took his seat, shuffling the papers before him. "Why are you nervous?"
"Uh . . . er . . . um . . . "
"He's very open about his feelings." Jordan supplied, rolling his eyes. Beth giggled, sneaking a glance at the sarcastic Snape to her right.
"How do you play tackle football?" R2W asked, forgetting the 3ft Charms essay before him. Aradia grinned mischievously down at her paper, before rising to meet the younger boy's eyes.
"If you're lucky, I'll show you some time."
R2W gulped visibly, nodding twice. Jordan rolled his eyes, yet again.
"Bludger! I ran out of ink!" Beth exclaimed some time later. Jordan smiled at her, pushing his ink bottle over to her.
"We can share." Beth blushed, dipping her quill in the ink absentmindedly.
"Thank you." She whispered, smiling shyly.
"Anytime." He replied, almost as quiet. Still smiling at her, he reached forward and attempted to dip his quill in the ink. Unfortunately, Beth's was still in there. The result . . . a very inky mess. "Bloody hell, I got it on you!"
"Oh, i-it . . . it's all right." Beth stuttered, wiping frantically at the mess on her sleeve. Jordan grabbed her hand gently away.
"Let me help you." Holding her hand tightly, he began scrubbing the ink out of her robes using his own. Beth was blushing furiously, staring at their linked hands; while the surrounding group watched, amused. Taryn snickered, trying extremely hard not to make a sarcastic comment.
Beth was about to say something, when a furry flurry sped through an open window and landed on their linked hands. Jordan stared at the lump for a moment, before coming to his senses. Releasing Beth's hand, he picked up the furry intruder.
"Hey Tare!" Jordan exclaimed, freeing the owl of its letter. "It's Wisdom!" Wisdom was the family owl. "It's addressed to both of us." He grinned from ear to ear, tearing the envelope apart.
"What's it say?" Taryn asked excitedly. Jordan shooshed her, eyes scanning across the page.
"It's a personal invitation from Gram and Gramps to Christmas this year!"
"Mr. Snape! If I have to ask you one more time to be quiet, I'm sending for your father!" Madam Pince snapped, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Sorry Madam Pince." He smiled apologetically while handing the letter to his sister. Once the librarian was out of ear shot, Taryn spoke.
"This is great! We have to tell Mum and Dad."
"What are you two on about?" Galvin asked, eyeing the brother and sister suspiciously.
"Never you mind." Taryn waved him off, throwing her belongings into her satchel. Jordan did the same, rising to stand next to his sister.
"We'll be right back!" He exclaimed, grabbing his bag and sister and running out the door. "Keep the ink!" he shouted to Beth without looking back. The two continued at breakneck speed, intent on reaching the dungeons in under a minute.
Jordan stopped suddenly, tugging on Taryn's robes to halt her as well.
"What do you think it's like?" he asked quietly.
"What what's like?"
"Life . . . out there." He pointed out the window, but obviously meant a place beyond the boundaries of Hogsmede. Taryn shrugged, staring out the window.
"I have no earthly clue." She whispered in reply. Jordan raised his eyebrows, moving to stand beside her.
"Do you happen to have an unearthly clue?" Taryn rolled her eyes, laughing.
"You're weird, you know that, right?" Taryn patted her brother on his head, starting toward her parents chambers again. Jordan looked at her oddly, jogging to catch up.
"I'm not weird." He stated, puffing out his chest. "I'm gifted!"
"Right . . . " Taryn smirked, throwing her arm about his shoulders. "You're gifted and I've never used sarcasm in my life."
"Meh."
"Meh to you too."
"Bloody hell." He muttered under his breath, glaring up at Taryn.
"So . . . " she grinned evilly, wiggling her eyebrows. "What was that whole ink thing with Beth a few minutes ago?"
"She ran out of ink, so I lent her some of mine. No big deal."
"You ARE weird."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are." Taryn countered, eyeing her brother warily.
"How so?" he inquired, running his free hand through his hair.
"For one, you don't know a hill of beans when you see it."
"What?!"
"Beth." She smirked, stopping before the hidden entrance to their parent's chambers.
"What about Beth?" he countered, furrowing his eyebrows and scratching his temple in thought.
"That's exactly what I mean."
"Eh?"
"Never mind." Taryn sighed, ruffling Jordan's hair. Glaring at her, he ran his hand through it to fix it once again. "We're here." She confirmed, placing a hand on the brick wall. "Let's go."
~*~
"Severus, you won't see them for a week." Hermione stood in front of the fire, watching as her husband flipped nonchalantly through the pages of the Daily Prophet. In only an hour, Taryn and Jordan would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to go spend the week with her parents for Christmas.
And her husband refused to see them off.
"You have to come bid them farewell." She pleaded softly, sadness replacing the usual merry twinkle in her eyes. The eyes, Severus noted, that Jordan inherited. He let himself stare into them for a minute, before looking away.
"I'm a busy man, Hermione." He stood, leaving the paper behind. "I'm sure you'll see them off just fine for the both of us."
"Severus . . . "
"I'm sorry Hermione." He frowned, pulling her lithe body against his own. Resting his chin atop her head, he closed his eyes; fighting back the tears. "Besides," he added, voice husky with raw emotion, "they don't want me there."
"That's not true! You know Taryn loves you and will miss you like crazy!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling away from her husband. "For Merlin's sake, she's practically you all over again!"
"Jordan doesn't want me there." He stated bluntly, looking away.
"In all fairness, I don't blame him."
"Neither do I." Severus whispered, staring into the dancing flames of the vast fireplace.
"Then give him a reason not to." Hermione placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Severus remained quiet, contemplating his wife's wise words.
"I can't treat him special just because he's my son." He spoke at last, turning to face Hermione once more. His eyes, she noticed, were once again devoid of emotion.
"Fine!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Don't treat him special . . . " she trailed off, frowning at Severus. "Treat him like every other student you come across."
"I intend to."
"Good, that's definitely a step up from the way you've been treating him." Hermione huffed, stalking toward the door. Severus swept after her, pulling her into his embrace.
"Hermione . . . " he whispered, passion in his eyes. "Merlin, you're beautiful when you're angry."
"I know." She breathed, refusing to meet his gaze. He leaned in to kiss her, but at the last moment, she pulled away and stormed out of the room.
"Bloody hell!"
~*~
"You two have fun now!" Hermione smiled at her children, pulling them in for a warm embrace. The three were huddled together in the cold, waiting outside Hogsmede station for the train to Kings Cross Station. Jordan rolled his eyes when he saw his mother tearing up.
"Mum! We'll be fine!"
"I know . . . " she laughed, patting him on the head. Glaring, he fixed his hair. "Don't give your grandparents a hard time!"
"I won't." Taryn assured her mother, smiling warmly. "J, on the other hand . . . "
"Hey!" Taryn laughed, throwing her arms about his shoulders. Jordan grumbled to himself, pushing the offending arm off. He glanced briefly around the station, before fixing his mother with an inquiring gaze.
"Where is he?" Hermione tensed visibly at the question, shifting her gaze to the snow-covered stones at her feet.
"Your father is a busy man, Jordan."
"That's what he always says." He pointed out while trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.
"He sends his regards and wishes you the best on your trip." Hermione's smile faltered.
"Sure. Right." Jordan started to walk away, but was pulled back sharply by his mother. Taryn watched on with worry.
"You know . . . " Hermione began, sick of always using the same excuse. Her children deserved the truth. "He didn't want to come."
"That's what I thought."
Sensing impending doom, Taryn pulled her at her cart and began pushing her brother to the train.
"We're going to miss the train if we keep talking any longer!" she yelled back to Hermione, who was looking on with confusion. "You and Dad have a wonderful Christmas. We'll send an owl when we get there!"
"I love you Mum!" Jordan yelled out the window, Taryn calling out the same moments later. Hermione waved goodbye as the train pulled out of the station.
And so began their journey into the muggle world.
~*~
~*~
As you have probably noticed, two new characters were introduced in this chapter. Here is the synopsis for them:
Galvin Davies: 17yrs old. Son to Roger and Cho Davies. 7th year Ravenclaw. Head Boy
Spencer Finch-Fletchly: 17yrs old. Son to Justin and Susan Finch-Fletchly. 7th year Hufflepuff.
A/N: Thanks for the enthusiastic responses. We're extremely pleased that you enjoy our new characters. Oh, and Sarah, not to worry . . . there IS a method to our madness . . . or Snape's rather. It's been a long night, so I ask your forgiveness for any spelling and grammar errors you find. Too tired to pick them all out right now. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!
It had been a month since the Snape children had requested to visit their maternal grandparents, and Christmas was fast approaching. Hermione had written to her parents, as promised, the day after the argument; however, no replies had come.
It was early on a Saturday morning that found Taryn and Jordan surrounded by a large group of friends at a secluded table in the library. All were working on their respective homework, while chatting quietly amongst themselves. A number of times the noise levels had risen out of control, causing Madam Pince to threaten to throw them all out.
"That woman needs to get laid." Spencer Finch-Fletchly muttered, glaring at the retreating back of the formidable librarian. Jordan choked on the sugar quill he'd been sucking on, attempting to stifle back the laughter. Pepper rolled her eyes, muttering 'Boys!' under her breath.
"Do you ever think about anything other than sex, Spence?" Taryn whispered under her breath, elbowing the Hufflepuff in his left arm. Spencer frowned at the offending Ravenclaw, rubbing the newly developed sore spot on said arm.
"Of course he does." Hot breath whispered in her ear from the other side. A crimson blush crept up the side of her face; hard pressed to suppress the goose pimples dotting her body. Galvin Davies, fellow 7th year Ravenclaw and Head Boy, smiled seductively. "He thinks about broomsticks too, naturally . . . " he trailed off, pulling away from Taryn and resuming his work.
"You have a sick mind, Galvin." Aradia Malfoy smirked. "You really do."
"I'll take that as a compliment!" Galvin grinned at the younger Slytherin, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Take that however you like it." Aradia replied, not looking up from the parchment she was hunched over. "And then pinch yourself and wake up." R2W burst out laughing at that comment, receiving a nasty glare from Madam Pince. Jordan gave his best friend an odd look.
"What was that all about?" he whispered into the carrot-top's ear. R2W glanced longingly at Aradia, turning a deep shade of red to challenge that of his hair. Jordan's eyes opened wide in realization.
"Merlin! I dropped my quill!" Aradia exclaimed, ducking her head under the table. Instantly, R2W disappeared from sight. Muffled exclamations spewed forth from beneath the table, and twice someone kneeled on Jordan's foot.
"Ow!" Aradia reappeared from under the table, rubbing her forehead, while at the same time R2W appeared, quill in hand. Giving him a questioning look, she snatched the quill out of his grasp. "What were you trying to do? Play tackle football?"
"Play what?!" Beth Potter eyed the older girl imploringly.
"Tackle football . . . it's an American sport." Confusion was still etched on every face. "A Muggle American sport."
"Oh!" Nodded understanding before heads bent back over their work. Aradia was still waiting for R2W's explanation.
"I...I...was . . . w-well . . . You see, I . . . " he stuttered, eyeing the floor frantically. Aradia raised her eyebrows.
"You stutter."
"Y-yes . . . " he admitted, blushing once again. "But only when I'm nervous."
"I see . . . " Aradia nodded, sitting down. R2W took his seat, shuffling the papers before him. "Why are you nervous?"
"Uh . . . er . . . um . . . "
"He's very open about his feelings." Jordan supplied, rolling his eyes. Beth giggled, sneaking a glance at the sarcastic Snape to her right.
"How do you play tackle football?" R2W asked, forgetting the 3ft Charms essay before him. Aradia grinned mischievously down at her paper, before rising to meet the younger boy's eyes.
"If you're lucky, I'll show you some time."
R2W gulped visibly, nodding twice. Jordan rolled his eyes, yet again.
"Bludger! I ran out of ink!" Beth exclaimed some time later. Jordan smiled at her, pushing his ink bottle over to her.
"We can share." Beth blushed, dipping her quill in the ink absentmindedly.
"Thank you." She whispered, smiling shyly.
"Anytime." He replied, almost as quiet. Still smiling at her, he reached forward and attempted to dip his quill in the ink. Unfortunately, Beth's was still in there. The result . . . a very inky mess. "Bloody hell, I got it on you!"
"Oh, i-it . . . it's all right." Beth stuttered, wiping frantically at the mess on her sleeve. Jordan grabbed her hand gently away.
"Let me help you." Holding her hand tightly, he began scrubbing the ink out of her robes using his own. Beth was blushing furiously, staring at their linked hands; while the surrounding group watched, amused. Taryn snickered, trying extremely hard not to make a sarcastic comment.
Beth was about to say something, when a furry flurry sped through an open window and landed on their linked hands. Jordan stared at the lump for a moment, before coming to his senses. Releasing Beth's hand, he picked up the furry intruder.
"Hey Tare!" Jordan exclaimed, freeing the owl of its letter. "It's Wisdom!" Wisdom was the family owl. "It's addressed to both of us." He grinned from ear to ear, tearing the envelope apart.
"What's it say?" Taryn asked excitedly. Jordan shooshed her, eyes scanning across the page.
"It's a personal invitation from Gram and Gramps to Christmas this year!"
"Mr. Snape! If I have to ask you one more time to be quiet, I'm sending for your father!" Madam Pince snapped, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Sorry Madam Pince." He smiled apologetically while handing the letter to his sister. Once the librarian was out of ear shot, Taryn spoke.
"This is great! We have to tell Mum and Dad."
"What are you two on about?" Galvin asked, eyeing the brother and sister suspiciously.
"Never you mind." Taryn waved him off, throwing her belongings into her satchel. Jordan did the same, rising to stand next to his sister.
"We'll be right back!" He exclaimed, grabbing his bag and sister and running out the door. "Keep the ink!" he shouted to Beth without looking back. The two continued at breakneck speed, intent on reaching the dungeons in under a minute.
Jordan stopped suddenly, tugging on Taryn's robes to halt her as well.
"What do you think it's like?" he asked quietly.
"What what's like?"
"Life . . . out there." He pointed out the window, but obviously meant a place beyond the boundaries of Hogsmede. Taryn shrugged, staring out the window.
"I have no earthly clue." She whispered in reply. Jordan raised his eyebrows, moving to stand beside her.
"Do you happen to have an unearthly clue?" Taryn rolled her eyes, laughing.
"You're weird, you know that, right?" Taryn patted her brother on his head, starting toward her parents chambers again. Jordan looked at her oddly, jogging to catch up.
"I'm not weird." He stated, puffing out his chest. "I'm gifted!"
"Right . . . " Taryn smirked, throwing her arm about his shoulders. "You're gifted and I've never used sarcasm in my life."
"Meh."
"Meh to you too."
"Bloody hell." He muttered under his breath, glaring up at Taryn.
"So . . . " she grinned evilly, wiggling her eyebrows. "What was that whole ink thing with Beth a few minutes ago?"
"She ran out of ink, so I lent her some of mine. No big deal."
"You ARE weird."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are." Taryn countered, eyeing her brother warily.
"How so?" he inquired, running his free hand through his hair.
"For one, you don't know a hill of beans when you see it."
"What?!"
"Beth." She smirked, stopping before the hidden entrance to their parent's chambers.
"What about Beth?" he countered, furrowing his eyebrows and scratching his temple in thought.
"That's exactly what I mean."
"Eh?"
"Never mind." Taryn sighed, ruffling Jordan's hair. Glaring at her, he ran his hand through it to fix it once again. "We're here." She confirmed, placing a hand on the brick wall. "Let's go."
~*~
"Severus, you won't see them for a week." Hermione stood in front of the fire, watching as her husband flipped nonchalantly through the pages of the Daily Prophet. In only an hour, Taryn and Jordan would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to go spend the week with her parents for Christmas.
And her husband refused to see them off.
"You have to come bid them farewell." She pleaded softly, sadness replacing the usual merry twinkle in her eyes. The eyes, Severus noted, that Jordan inherited. He let himself stare into them for a minute, before looking away.
"I'm a busy man, Hermione." He stood, leaving the paper behind. "I'm sure you'll see them off just fine for the both of us."
"Severus . . . "
"I'm sorry Hermione." He frowned, pulling her lithe body against his own. Resting his chin atop her head, he closed his eyes; fighting back the tears. "Besides," he added, voice husky with raw emotion, "they don't want me there."
"That's not true! You know Taryn loves you and will miss you like crazy!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling away from her husband. "For Merlin's sake, she's practically you all over again!"
"Jordan doesn't want me there." He stated bluntly, looking away.
"In all fairness, I don't blame him."
"Neither do I." Severus whispered, staring into the dancing flames of the vast fireplace.
"Then give him a reason not to." Hermione placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Severus remained quiet, contemplating his wife's wise words.
"I can't treat him special just because he's my son." He spoke at last, turning to face Hermione once more. His eyes, she noticed, were once again devoid of emotion.
"Fine!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Don't treat him special . . . " she trailed off, frowning at Severus. "Treat him like every other student you come across."
"I intend to."
"Good, that's definitely a step up from the way you've been treating him." Hermione huffed, stalking toward the door. Severus swept after her, pulling her into his embrace.
"Hermione . . . " he whispered, passion in his eyes. "Merlin, you're beautiful when you're angry."
"I know." She breathed, refusing to meet his gaze. He leaned in to kiss her, but at the last moment, she pulled away and stormed out of the room.
"Bloody hell!"
~*~
"You two have fun now!" Hermione smiled at her children, pulling them in for a warm embrace. The three were huddled together in the cold, waiting outside Hogsmede station for the train to Kings Cross Station. Jordan rolled his eyes when he saw his mother tearing up.
"Mum! We'll be fine!"
"I know . . . " she laughed, patting him on the head. Glaring, he fixed his hair. "Don't give your grandparents a hard time!"
"I won't." Taryn assured her mother, smiling warmly. "J, on the other hand . . . "
"Hey!" Taryn laughed, throwing her arms about his shoulders. Jordan grumbled to himself, pushing the offending arm off. He glanced briefly around the station, before fixing his mother with an inquiring gaze.
"Where is he?" Hermione tensed visibly at the question, shifting her gaze to the snow-covered stones at her feet.
"Your father is a busy man, Jordan."
"That's what he always says." He pointed out while trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.
"He sends his regards and wishes you the best on your trip." Hermione's smile faltered.
"Sure. Right." Jordan started to walk away, but was pulled back sharply by his mother. Taryn watched on with worry.
"You know . . . " Hermione began, sick of always using the same excuse. Her children deserved the truth. "He didn't want to come."
"That's what I thought."
Sensing impending doom, Taryn pulled her at her cart and began pushing her brother to the train.
"We're going to miss the train if we keep talking any longer!" she yelled back to Hermione, who was looking on with confusion. "You and Dad have a wonderful Christmas. We'll send an owl when we get there!"
"I love you Mum!" Jordan yelled out the window, Taryn calling out the same moments later. Hermione waved goodbye as the train pulled out of the station.
And so began their journey into the muggle world.
~*~
~*~
As you have probably noticed, two new characters were introduced in this chapter. Here is the synopsis for them:
Galvin Davies: 17yrs old. Son to Roger and Cho Davies. 7th year Ravenclaw. Head Boy
Spencer Finch-Fletchly: 17yrs old. Son to Justin and Susan Finch-Fletchly. 7th year Hufflepuff.