A/N: well, this is a chapter brought to you with blood, sweat and tears (literally), due to a small accident that makes it hard for me to type. Anyway, it's on time, again!

Thanks to IvyCrane for her correction on Narcissa's maiden name; as this has become AU with OotP's publication (which I still haven't read), in my story, she will remain Narcissa Malfoy, née D'Ivoire.

Disclaimer: I really don't own the characters created by Ms. JK Rowling, and I don't even pretend to own them.

FAMILY MATTERS

PART XXI

Draco remained for a minute or two looking at the carriage as it disappeared in the distance, his thoughts still gloomy and confused. A sudden gust of chilly wind prompted him back into the building. He had no desire to go back to the Slytherin common room, for he understood the cause of Pansy's desperation, but there wasn't anywhere else he *could* go. Unless, of course, he could find Professor Snape and just engage him in a game of chess, to take both their minds off more mundane problems. With that purpose in mind, Draco made his way down into the dungeons and knocked on the door to the Potions Master's office.

"Come in" answered a voice which made Draco's heart give little summersaults. He pushed the door open only to find Svetlana standing behind a cooling cauldron, her hands nervously trying to wipe the all-too-evident signs of crying from her face. "Draco, what is the matter? You look awfully pale!"

"I'm going to get married" said Draco with the right amount of indifference to inspire pity. He felt like being cuddled, and who better than Svetlana?

"Oh, dragon, so am I!" exclaimed Svetlana, her eyes brimming with tears and a confused little smile on her lips. Coming from a woman who had been Mrs Snape for twelve years, the answer could appear enigmatic, but for Draco it was very clear, even if he didn't know the causes.

But it wasn't the time to ponder on causes and consequences, for Svetlana kept the watery smile on her face as she fell on a stool and bit her lip. Half-instinctively, half-thoughtfully, Draco moved towards her and, awkwardly at first, found himself with an armful of a crying Svetlana Snape. He started patting her black hair softly, imagining what anyone would say if they stumbled upon them, and taking some relief in the closed door behind him; he noticed Svetlana had stopped crying, but she wasn't trying to get out of his arms, and Draco wasn't going to release her out of his own free will either. They remained like that for a moment before Svetlana rose her head to look at Draco.

Her cheeks were rosy from emotion, her eyes shining with unshed tears and her lips red from having bitten them repeatedly during the afternoon; she breathed in short little gasps and looked over to Draco from a distance of scarcely six or seven inches, close enough for him to feel the puffs of warm air on his skin. What's a man to do in that kind of situation? What little remained of Draco's sense of propriety disappeared as he leaned in very slowly, closing his eyes to avoid seeing rejection in the blue eyes of Svetlana. But there was no rejection to be seen: Svetlana herself closed her eyes and gave in to temptation. //Finally//

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A tired-looking man stepped out of the Yaoundé Airport and took one of the many taxis waiting between chaos. It took him to a shabby hotel whose only advantage was being near the bus-station, and left him there with his one meagre bag. The sleepy receptionist was quick in giving a room to the new-comer, and soon Remus Lupin laid in bed with his eyes open, seeing bloody images in the stained ceiling over his head.

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Severus Snape could never, in good conscience, remember how he got back to his quarters after Svetlana had announced their divorce. His mind was numb with shock and his body worked with auto-pilot from the moment he, using all his self-control, managed to leave his office without breaking down. He recovered some semblance of sense as he sat on his bed, the door shut firmly behind him.

Only then he allowed a tragically bitter smile to appear on his pale lips. He felt an unusual constriction in his chest, and he recognised it as the overwhelming need for crying he hadn't experienced since his mother's death, at age twelve.

"This is ridiculous!" he said out loud, hoping to undo the knot on his throat by talking. "You knew it would come down to this kind of tragic finale, what should surprise you is how long it took to do it….." A short cough, because those last words came out a bit strangled, and Severus continued "How could you expect her to remain faithful through twelve years of separation and after the humiliation you administered her? How could you expect to go back to living together peacefully after all that has happened?"

Snape sat back down on his bed. Inside him, amongst pain and hurt pride, a growing feeling of anxiety spread at the thought of having only seven days of Svetlana's quiet presence in his quarters. Or maybe she wouldn't go back there, but search for another room in the castle for the remainder of her stay, like she had threatened to do before. And he, Severus, would have to live alone again, facing Siena's questions and Serguei's accusing looks, without anyone who would wait up for him to return with a warm cup of tea and a hot bath.

He had to blink repeatedly to dispel an uncomfortable moisture in his eyes. He was going to miss her like Hell, and they had only co-existed for two months, including fights and long-lasting silences. What had she done to him?

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Harry was discharged from the hospital wing after dinner; Madam Pomfrey thought that there was nothing more than Medicine could do for his mourning and that it was time for friends to give their moral support. Had she known the state of Harry's relationship with his housemates, she would have forced him to move permanently into the infirmary, but she didn't, and now Harry trudged unhappily up the corridors leading to Gryffindor Tower.

But he couldn't face them then, not at that precise moment. Not with Sirius' death so near, not with the image of his mangled body so fresh in his mind. He took a left turn at a corridor and sat in the first open balcony he found, which overlooked the lake and the Forbidden Forest in the distance. Harry thought of Remus: his quiet strength, his shy smile, the warmth in his golden eyes when he spoke about his school-days, the affection he seemed to hold for Sirius….. how could he blame the shy man who had been his father-figure in ways that Sirius could never be?

And yet he couldn't seem to blame a inanimate Chocolate Frog either; a piece of chocolate that he couldn't believe Remus would have been so foolish as to eat….. There was no other possibility but a conspiracy against the werewolf, and who should be guilty of that except for Snape? Snape, the greasy bastard who hated Remus since their school days, for a prank he wasn't responsible for. Snape, who was the only one with an opportunity to boycott the Wolfsbane Potion and make it appear as an accident. Snape, who had been so humane and understanding after Mandy's murder, and yet…..

Harry sighed and wiped the stray tears from his cheeks. He was cold, and he decided to go to his common room once and for all. He had faced worse things than a bunch of half-concerned, half-resentful teenagers and as for Ron….. they would have to make up, even if it was only for Hermione's sake. The poor girl *was* worried and hurt, and Harry only regretted not having the patience and disposition to make good such purposes.

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Svetlana was the one to break the kiss, when oxygen began to be an issue. Far from being ashamed or confused, she looked at he young wizard before her like a mother, and a lover, would do. Draco, who was blushing before her, didn't understand the sudden change of affections he saw playing in her eyes.

"It's only fair that we should have a good memory to take into our marriages" Svetlana said softly, running a finger down Draco's cheek. The boy, who had now partly recovered his senses, couldn't find it in him to feel the slightest bit embarrassed, and took Svetlana's hand in his.

"Only a memory?" he asked, knowing fully well the answer.

"Oh, Draco, you are evil, but cheating on your fiancée, with your godmother….. I think that is a bit beyond you" answered Svetlana with a mocking smile.

"Nothing is beyond me when you are the aim" said the young wizard. Svetlana had the modesty of blushing.

"If I didn't know since you were a child, I'd worry about your sanity" She stood up and caressed Draco's hair "Who is it you're going to marry, then?"

"Gabrielle Delacour" answered the youngest Malfoy, standing up as well.

"I know the family. She'll make a good wife, of that much I'm sure" As if nothing had happened, once the tension between them had disappeared, Svetlana talked to Draco like she had never managed to do: affectionately, but without a hidden meaning to her words.

"And what about you?" asked Draco.

"What about me? I shall make a good wife too, Draco….. and to you, I'll always be a good memory, and an understanding god-mother. You wouldn't dare ask for more, would you?" Svetlana began to bottle the potion Severus had been making when Lucius had come in.

"And what if I would?" Draco sat on the desk and tried, in vain, to catch her eye.

"Oh, what indeed?" She said, totally concentrated on not spilling a sole drop of potion "Ask me that question again on your wedding night, and I might answer you"

"Svetlana, as far as I know, that could be in four years' time" Draco reminded her, passing her the stopper to the bottle.

"Many things can happen in four years, Draco. I'm sure you won't have a question to ask me when that time comes….."

"But in the meanwhile?" Still expectant, Draco watched as she labelled the potion and put it in a shelf.

"Draco, don't ask me for something I can't give you….." Svetlana shook her head and started walking for the door. Half-way there, though, she changed her mind and went back to Draco, who was still sitting at the desk, head bowed "Cheer up, Draco….. at least your marriage isn't to be held tonight"

She gave him a last, fleeting kiss, and walked out of the office.

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"Ron, do it for me, if you won't do it for yourself!" exclaimed Hermione to her boyfriend.

"Mione, will you at least try to understand?!" Ron was about to lose his temper with Hermione, a thing that had never happened. "Sometimes I think you love him more than you love me!"

"Don't be silly! I just hate seeing you fight like this. And Harry is having such a hard time of things lately….. please! Just give him a chance….. don't talk to him if you don't want to, but at least….. Oh, Harry, here you are!"

Hermione flung herself at Harry as soon as he went through the portrait of the Fat Lady. Awkwardly, he returned her hug and looked over her shoulder to where Ron was frowning at them.

"Harry, how are you?" Hermione's teary answer brought Harry's attention back to her.

"I'm fine" he answered, looking around the room. Everybody was looking at him, wit more or less discretion, and most eyes held pity and not contempt; apparently, Sirius' death and Harry's stay at the infirmary had made the Gryffindors forget all about his attitude before.

"Are you sure? Remember that if you need anything….." Hermione hoped that Ron would say something, but the red-head remained silent in his corner.

"No, it's OK. I'll go to sleep now. Goodnight" Harry walked up the stairs leading to his dorm, and fell on his bed, closing the curtains. Of the fifty-something looks he had received in the common room, only two he had really noticed: Ron's dark glare from his corner, full of seething anger and pain, and Seamus fleeting look from his armchair, disappointment and worry mixed in his clear blue eyes.

Guilt. That was all Harry could feel as the night danced past him and sleep eluded him. 

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"The bus to Tibati, please?" shouted Remus to a policeman guarding the Yaoundé bus-station. The man shook his head "Tibati, Tibati!" repeated Remus, trying to make himself heard over the noise of hundreds of people trying to get into the old buses with cages of chickens and bags of fruits.

At last the policeman understood and signalled towards a white bus, half-full already, with many packages tied anyhow to its roof and a smiling man on the driver's seat. Hauling his small suitcase, the werewolf went towards him and began an interesting discussion about the price of the ticket; interesting because while Remus shouted in English, the driver howled in French and they ended up exchanging an undetermined number of African Francs and throwing Remus' bag on the roof.

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Svetlana wasn't a brave woman. She had a great amount of physical courage (and she had used it to murder, steal and kidnap), but the kind of bravery she needed to face her husband was totally missing in her. So, first she went to pick up Siena from Mrs Vector's room, and then she put the little child into her cot, and she rocked her until she fell asleep and then she walked into the living room and stopped.

She was shaking and she felt like crying, but the fear for what the Fleurs might do to her if she failed to complete her mission was encouragement enough, and she knocked softly in Severus' door.

The man himself opened the door and looked at her, uncomprehending. He was dressed only in his white shirt and black trousers, and his face showed some amount of disarray.

"We need to talk, Severus" said Svetlana in a small voice, damning herself for not thinking of something more intelligent to say.

Severus stepped back, allowing her to go into his room, and closed the door behind her; never the clicking of a door had seemed so definite to Svetlana. She looked around nervously, sitting in the chair her husband was offering her with no small amount of hesitation.

"Let's talk, then" said Severus after a pause, repeating her words from an earlier discussion.

It was now or never. Svetlana faced Death or marriage, and she chose the later, even if she instinctively knew that the way leading to her husband was full of traps.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed suddenly "Goodness, I should have told you as soon as we met again, I should have….. it wasn't to spite you, Severus, I swear it wasn't! It was over years and years ago, anyway, I promise there is nothing between us now!" Snape remained silent, leaning on a wall, looking at the floor "It wasn't my idea that he shouldn't tell you about me: he thought it would be better at the beginning, and afterwards….. there wasn't really an opportunity, was it? And when I came to live here, and you asked me about him, I was so mad….. I'm really sorry!"

"I'm sorry too, Svetlana" said Severus finally, with a tired and bitter tone "I'm sorry for everything, since the very beginning. I'm sorry for not avoiding the marriage, and for not being able to live with that mistake afterwards. And I'm sorry for leaving you and Serguei alone….."

"It wasn't a mistake" she said firmly "I know I've said otherwise, but I don't want to think that Serguei and Siena are the result of a mistake, even if it might look that way….. As strange as it sounds, I don't regret what happened"

"Well, if you put it that way….." Severus stopped to reconsider facts "Truly, the children can never be considered a mistake, even if the circumstances of their birth weren't….. weren't optimal" Svetlana blushed, knowing he referred to the night when Siena was conceived. "But, Svetlana, what you said it's true: we've kept the façade of this marriage, and it has put you through many problems; I still remember what you said to me one night, of how difficult things were for you because of what I did. The children will be no more affected by our divorce than they have been affected for all that has happened lately and….."

This was the (strategically considered, and yet totally improvised) time when Svetlana broke down crying; she was finding this conversation much more difficult than she had imagined it, and the mere thought that Severus was *rejecting* her, and unknowingly condemning her to death, made her daring.

"Oh, don't do this to me!" she sobbed, interrupting her husband (and surprising him too).

"What do you mean, Svetlana? Svetlana?"

She wouldn't stop crying, and Severus went to her with the precaution he would have had towards a poisonous snake, not knowing Svetlana was really much more dangerous. But the witch was having a hysterical fit and wouldn't hear Snape's calls. He took her by the shoulders and shook her, but even then she only cried and repeated 'Please, please, don't!'

"Please what, Svetlana?! Merlin's beard, what's wrong with you?!"

It was very seldom that Snape lost control of his temper, and it usually resulted in an angry tirade, but this time the situation was so surreal that his temper lead him to take his wife and slap her twice across her face….. Anyway, it worked: Svetlana stopped crying and raised towards Severus her big tear-filled eyes, a technique that had never failed her.

"Please, Severus, don't leave me!" she whimpered.

Snape let go of her shoulders and looked at her in utter shock.

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A/N: A cliffhanger! Not really….. Bear with me, I'm typing one-handed. What do you think Sevvie is going to do now? You'll have to wait till next chapter to see.