Chapter 2: Business Before Pleasure
The sun's rays were slanting through the trees and an on shore breeze blew freshly when Severus awoke. He summoned the House Elf to request maps, tourist guides, and information on places and events on the islands. When he had a plan for the evening that would be sufficiently diverting without overtaxing Rose's strength, he went to wake her. She was still clutching his mother's pendant in one hand, her eyelids fluttering in dream, her body restlessly twitching. She woke with a start.
"There will be a folk art exhibit and live performances tonight at the resort. Would you like to see them?" Severus asked. "I thought we might try that moonlight swim after the show, just before bed. Tomorrow morning I would like to stop at the local Apothecary and browse through the potion supplies, and then see if we cannot find some tropical Muggle wear in town. Perhaps after that we can see some Muggle sights, if you are up to it."
"That sounds fine, Russ, as long as I can nap," Rose stretched and yawned. "I remember being this tired the last time I was pregnant, too. If I sleep through the hottest part of the day without nightmares, I should be fine. I had some wild dreams just now."
"How about a light dinner now, and a snack before bedtime?" Severus ordered food from Kiki, and they dined on fresh fish, hearts of palm salad, breadfruit and taro. Then they drifted down to the resort's main building.
The native art exhibits included tapa cloth woven from tree bark and colored with vegetable dyes, wood and stone sculptures of gods in the Polynesian Tiki styles, but much smaller, and performers singing traditional songs and dancing the dances that the missionaries had banned in the 18th and 19th centuries, with drum accompaniment on traditional instruments. Rose asked to learn this style of dance, much more vigorous than the Hawaiian hula, and the performers were delighted to show her the o'te'a vahini, a dance for women only. In return, she demonstrated Middle Eastern style dancing for them, after teaching the proper rhythms to the drummers. Many of the Polynesians bore elaborate tattoos, an ancient tradition undergoing a modern revival. Conversations blended Tahitian, French and English languages.
Severus circulated among the wizards, talking shop and politics. He met the local potions maker and supplier of potions ingredients: a wizard of French descent named Raymond Ouellette, and arranged a private visit to that worthy's shop, followed by a field collection/nature trip later in the week. He also met a crew that offered diving excursions. Capitan Alain and his English partner, Toby, both wizards, operated a 40 ft sailboat out of Teahupoo. Severus engaged them for a tour of the local reef later in the week. When the resort's bar staff announced karaoke time, people drifted over to drink and to attempt to sing.
Rose was coaxed by her newfound friends among the performers to join in. She sang an old Broadway tune from "Wonderful Town" (Lyrics by Comden and Green):
"Mmm-mm. I'm a little bit in love; never felt this way before.
Mmm-mm. Just a little bit in love, or perhaps, a little bit more...
When he looks at me, everything's hazy and all out of focus.
When he touches me, I'm in the spell of a strange hocus-pocus.
It's so.... I don't know; I'm so.... I don't know,
I don't know, but I know, if it's love, then it's lovely!
Mmm-mm. It's so nice to be alive, when you meet someone who bewitches you.
Will he be my all, or did I just fall a little bit, a little bit in love."
Rose, flushed and laughing, acknowledged the general applause. She joined Severus at his table, where he and his new acquaintances were sampling the native liquor. Severus was touched by her choice of songs, but kept a stern and aloof expression firmly in place, as the locals congratulated the newlyweds and watched them depart.
"Keep your hands to yourself, Alain, when you are out on the reefs," Raymond muttered when the newlyweds were out of range. "Snape is not someone to trifle with, nor is his wife."
"We have a saying in jolly olde England, mate," added Toby. "Don't mess with wizards' women wearing large emeralds." He placed one finger beside his nose.
"Mes ami, I assure you, I would never dream of such a thing, certainly not without an invitation," protested Alain.
"Even if you think you have an invitation, Alain, heed this word to the wise: Don't!" Raymond scowled. "There are some curses even my potions cannot cure."
Severus and Rose walked back to the villa. "Time to feed the children again, Rose," he said, as he patted her abdomen. "I gather you enjoyed yourself?"
"Yes, I did," she sighed. "But I am hungry again. Snack first, then do you still fancy a swim after?" she added. "The moon is brilliant tonight."
The moon was just past full, and the lagoon was an unruffled mirror, as they entered the water for their promised swim. Rose coached Severus in the little she knew of swimming styles and techniques, and he managed to make some improvements in his mobility in water. When Rose felt chilled, they returned to the villa, shared a hot shower, and climbed into bed. Severus pulled Rose into his arms, and she laid her head on his shoulder.
"I know that was a Muggle song you sang tonight, Rose, but do you truly think I put a spell on you?" Severus asked.
"I know you didn't," Rose replied. "I was just teasing. I married you because of my dream, actually."
"You are joking, surely?" Severus was amused. Rose sat up to look at him.
"Your mother spoke to me in that dream, a woman I never met! If the dream came from your mother, then I could assume she was a good enough witch to know what she was talking about. If you put that dream in my head, then you were very serious about marriage. No one else could have arranged such a message on such random and short notice. So logically, if I felt anything for you, your offer was a good one." Severus sat up in turn.
"My offer was anything but logical; ordinarily I would never propose marriage to an apparent Muggle, simply because of the cultural differences and the inequality of power," Severus frowned.
"Then why did you?" Rose was feeling a bit peeved, and crossed her arms.
After several long moments of silence spent staring at the covers, he replied, "Because of my dream, the one I had while you dreamt yours. My mother's image told me I would find riches in her wych elm grove. She turned me around, and there you were, under the golden elms, dressed in cloth of gold." He looked up at her, took her hands. "I thought about us going beyond companionship, friendship, what have you, much earlier, to be honest, but I was reluctant to inflict upon you the trauma of changing worlds. I thought the practical barriers too high for me to breach, or for you to overcome. It would be monstrously unfair to form an emotional attachment that could not survive real world conditions." He gathered her warm and fragrant body in his arms. "That dream gave me assurance and permission to act, so to speak. Mother was a Seer, and adept at long-lasting Charms. It is very possible that she set a spell to direct me to a suitable wife. Since you met her standards, I felt confident that we could make a lasting marriage. I don't think Mother looked for wealth, for she was never materially inclined. Mother valued love and family and community, even though she found so little of those in her marriage. I once asked her why she married my father, when he was so unkind to her. She said she was planting a fruit tree that would bear bountiful harvests in the future, and that rotten garbage produced the best crops."
"That wasn't a very flattering way to refer to your father!" Rose exclaimed.
"No, but it was accurate," Severus said dryly. "My father was the last decaying leaf on a long dead tree." He tucked her head under his chin. "I floundered about for most of my youth, rejecting my family. Albus stepped in, and as a foster father, undid the damage that my father had done, leaving me able to remember and learn from my mother's teachings."
"You still haven't accounted for my dream," Rose reminded him. "How could your mother have set that up?"
"Not my area of expertise. We can consult with Flitwick when we return to Hogwarts. I first thought you had received some portion of my dream, from my letting it leak out or maybe broadcasting it while you were in the same room and asleep. But our dreams were different enough to be separate events, and similar enough to be linked through some larger design. But we can explore this later, after we return home. For now, let's get some rest," Severus yawned, lay back down, pulled Rose to his chest once more, and muttered Nox. Lights extinguished, the newlyweds fell into deep slumber, and any dreams were peaceful.
The following morning, after breakfast in bed, Severus carried Rose off to the apothecary. Outside the weather had turned stormy, as the tail end of a monsoon swept the island. After greeting Raymond, who turned him over to a clerk, the Potions Master of Hogwarts browsed among the mineral, plant and animal products, selecting those that met his needs and standards. Finally finished, he turned his attention to his wife. Rose was walking in a daze, talking to herself, fingering and naming the items in the apothecary, commenting on their uses, properties, quality, and price, while clutching the pendant his mother had worn in her right hand.
"Rose!" Severus grasped her by the elbows, turning her to face him, then gently shaking her when she failed to respond. She blinked, focused on his chest, and then dragged her gaze upwards. Her hand opened, dropping the pendant.
"What is it, Severus?" Rose asked in a puzzled tone of voice.
"You were entranced, spouting information about the store's inventory and its uses," he replied. "Where did you learn so much about these things?"
"What do you mean?" Rose replied. Severus dragged her over to a shelf.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the contents of a bin. As she leaned over to look at the roots, Rose grabbed the pendant as it swung away from her body and into the bin.
"Aconite, also known as wolfsbane or monkshood, a heart stimulant, poisonous in excess, also used in treatment of colds and fevers or shock," Rose sounded distant, almost machinelike in tone. Lightning flashed outside, and a peal of thunder followed closely.
As Rose straightened, she dropped the pendant. She looked at him fearfully. "I don't know why or how I know this! Is it accurate?"
"Extremely accurate," he replied grimly. He looked about for something obscure, and found something he could not identify himself. "What is that?" he barked, pointing to a jar of pink powder.
Rose looked closely. She bent, grasped the pendant again as it swung forward, examined the contents, and in a distant voice responded, "The petals of the Chinese peony, powdered, for use in the cures for lycanthropy and vampirism. If you haven't any in stock, you should purchase a generous amount, as this is of exceptionally good quality, and processed for long-term storage." Rose dropped the pendant as she rose and blinked again.
Severus Snape took the peony powder to the counter. "Please add a good portion of this ingredient to my purchases. I have a werewolf to cure," he instructed the apothecary's assistant. "How much do I need, Rose?" She looked at him, flummoxed. "Ask the pendant, love," he prompted.
"The pendant?" Rose grasped the emerald intaglio and stared at it. "Each application requires 100 to 200 grams," was her faint reply.
"Best measure out a kilo," Snape told the clerk. He took Rose's arm. "You and I are going to walk through this shop together. You will hold the pendant and look for ingredients for the werewolf cure. You will be answering any questions I ask."
Walk they did, Severus questioning Rose minutely on every item, but especially those unfamiliar to him. Three more exotic items were added to his selections. Instructing the clerk to package the purchases and ship them to Hogwarts, Severus suddenly noticed that Rose was pale and shaking. "My brilliant wife, it is time for luncheon. Come with me." He took her hands and Apparated to their villa.
"Kiki, hot soup, please," he commanded. The House Elf materialized with 3 kinds of soup, and Severus spooned several cups into his wife. When she felt well enough to feed herself, he ordered a proper lunch for them both, which they consumed in silence. When Rose, replete, laid her head back in the armchair and closed her eyes, Severus undressed her for their midday nap and laid her between the sheets. She slipped quickly into peaceful slumber while he gently held her. Severus wasn't sleeping, though. He reviewed in his mind all he could remember about his mother and her pendant, while rain hammered the roof of the villa.