Mysterious Hearts
Truths
Severus opened the door to the teacher's lounge and headed inside, he groaned when he saw that the only other occupant of the room was Remus Lupin.
"Good afternoon, Severus," Lupin said pleasantly.
"Lupin," Severus said as he made a cup of tea.
"I had a rather curious conversation with a student the other day, Severus."
"And I am supposed to care because," Snape trailed off as he headed to the furthest chair from the werewolf.
"I was informed by this student that you were very much intrigued by the dark arts."
"I fail to see your point."
"Apparently you must have made quite the impression on your students, because I was informed that you would do anything to get my job, and it was alluded that you would go as far as to poison another professor or more precisely me."
"What nonsense," sneered Severus, "surely you realize that the very ingredients that make your potion so effective also would render most poisons worthless."
"I see," replied Lupin.
"But if you desire we could always try to find one that would work."
"Try what," Minerva McGonagall asked having only heard the last part of their conversation. But she knew from experience that any conversation between them would spiral out of control rapidly if not monitored.
"Poison the wolfsbane potion," shrugged Severus as if it was no big deal.
"SEVERUS," shrieked the transfiguration professor.
"What," he asked, lazily nodding to Dumbledore who entered.
"Is that not dangerous," she accused.
Snape let out a long sigh, "surely you have some remedial potions experience and should know that just because you put something in a cauldron doesn't mean it will work. The ingredients in Lupin's potion would render almost all poisons useless. He threw up his arms in disgust, "honestly doesn't anyone in this school have even a menial understanding of potions?"
"I can think of a few students who have the understanding of potions that you speak of," added the headmaster.
"Yes," Severus acquiesced, "but unfortunately the Weasley Twins used their talent for reeking havoc on their peers and tormenting the professors of this school."
"Reminds me of another young brilliant potions student, Severus," Albus said with a twinkle in his eye.
"I am sure that I do not know what you are blathering on about, Albus."
"Then you do not recall the time when you placed a personality changing potion in the school's pumpkin juice supply?"
"Yes, that was rather brilliant of me, was it not?" he said smugly. Lupin gaped; he and the other marauders had been the ones to get the blame for that.
"I knew that was you, Snape," Lupin exclaimed, "We tried to tell you headmaster, but you," he glared at the headmaster, "didn't believe us."
"At the time it seemed like something you would have done, besides a few of your number didn't have the juice that morning."
"James was allergic to it and I hate the taste," Remus protested then suspiciously added, "did you know all along, headmaster?"
"No, child," he said honestly, "but I did suspect that Severus had been the mastermind behind this, it had been the potion that he used. Am I correcting in guessing that a young Mundungus Fletcher was involved in this as well?"
"But of course, headmaster," Severus said and with a swish of his robes was gone, leaving in his wake one rather pissed off werewolf. Albus smiled sheepishly at Lupin, who was growling at him.
A few days later Severus slammed the door to his office and stormed into his rooms. It was getting closer to the full moon and he was rather busy, and his wife and Madame Pomfrey had forbidden him to attempt to brew Lupin's potion while intoxicated.
Tonks flooed in an hour later. She covered her ears because Severus was blasting the Who at an earsplitting level. She dropped her purse on the couch and walked into his office. She stood in the doorway and watched him irately scribble on papers.
"Severus," she called. He didn't hear, "SEVERUS."
She pulled out her wand and cast a silencing spell. Severus looked up when the music stopped, and said in a clipped tone "Nymph."
"How can you work with music that loud?"
"It helps me think," he said brusquely, "and unwind."
"Bad day?"
"That would be an understatement."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Maybe later," he said turning up the music and returning to his grading. Tonks smiled and left him to his work. She left him a note and flooed back home. A few hours later he headed up to dinner. After the usual meal he was headed down to his lab to start the next months batch of the wolfsbane potion, when he noticed the commotion up by the Gryffindor common room.
Sirius Black had been spotted in the castle. Severus joined the headmaster and Filch after Percy escorted the students back to the great hall. Albus filled him and the other professors up on what had transpired and they set off in search of the escaped convict.
Severus checked the dungeons and turned off his floo, just in case and it was a part of the castle lock-down procedures. As the students slept he and the other professors questioned the paintings and ghosts, and they searched the entire castle. Severus also made sure that Albus remembered his protestations about Lupin's appointment.
Upon return to his chambers he replaced his wards and sat down at his office desk and wrote his wife a note telling her what had just transpired.
Severus flooed to the apartment, he was worried about his wife. It had been a few days since he had seen her. In fact it had been the day of the Sirius Black incident. He was aware that she was busy, but they usually managed to see each other a few times during the week.
As he stepped out of the fireplace he noticed her curled up on the couch looking at old photo albums.
"Nymph," he said quietly and he noticed as she looked up at him that she had been and still was crying.
"Oh, Severus," she said as she scrambled into his arms. He rested his chin on the top of her head and tried to comfort her. Severus, not being accustomed to a lot of comforting in his years, just kept her tight in his embrace and he rubbed soothing circles on her back.
"Nymph," he said once she had stopped crying. She looked up at him with watery eyes, "Why are you doing this, looking at those pictures?"
"I don't know," she whispered gazing up at him as he wiped her tearstained cheeks gently, "I know what he, did Severus." There was no need for a name or a deed done. It was obvious just who she was talking about. But it was more than just the death of one wizard and thirteen muggles that he was guilty of in her mind. "And I know the law, and what will be done when he is caught, but there is a part of me that doesn't want him to be found."
"That is understandable, Nymph," Severus told her, "It doesn't change anything however."
"I know," she sighed, "but it's the part of me that never understood how he could do it, why he would support him."
"I do not think that we will ever know what possessed Sirius Black," Snape said with a sneer for old times, "why don't you come back to Hogwarts with me."
"Good idea," she smiled and kissed his lips softly, "I'll just go and wash my face."
"I will pick these up for you," he said as she walked towards the bathroom. Severus snarled when he picked up the offending album. It was open to a page of a much younger Nymphadora. She had to be about nine. But she was not alone; the reason for the sneer was a teenaged Sirius Black. Severus closed the book with a slam and picked up the other two albums and placed them back on their shelves.
They flooed back to Hogwarts and sat in Severus classroom. Tonks took her spot on his desk as she was writing notes in front. Tonks was teasing him about admiring his rather nicely shaped backside when a knock came on the door and a blond head poked in.
"Sorry to bother you, Professor," Draco Malfoy said, "but you were not in your office."
"It is quite all right, Mr. Malfoy," Severus told the boy, who was looking from his professor to the woman next to him. Draco's eyes widened when he recognized the face beneath the purple hair.
"DORA," he said shocked, that his cousin would be in the potions room, "what are you doing here."
"Is that anyway to speak to someone," Snape hissed.
"Severus," Tonks chided her wizard, and then turned to Draco, "didn't your parents tell you about me and Severus?"
"No," pouted Draco.
"I thought that they would have," Tonks mused, "Draco, Severus and I are married."
"WHAT!" Draco nearly shouted, "for how long."
"Three year."
"THREE YEARS!"
"Mr. Malfoy please contain your reaction," Snape said blandly looking at the boy.
"Why didn't you tell me, Dora," he asked with a betrayed expression on his face, "ME, you remember me, I thought I was your godson."
"Draco," Tonks said as the boy left the classroom as quickly as he had entered. Tonks looked at Snape and headed out after her godson.
She found him not too far from the potions room. He was sitting on the step to the dungeons. She sat down beside him, "Draco."
"What?" he asked sullenly, "anything else you forgot to tell me?"
"Let me explain," she implored, "Severus and I didn't tell anyone because we eloped."
"Three years ago."
"Lets go to Hogsmeade and I'll explain it to you."
"Hogsmeade is off of school grounds," Draco pointed out, "I'll get expelled."
"You will not," she smiled, "Severus will cover for us and if he doesn't, he will be on the couch for months, even though I'll surely miss him."
"Too much information, Dora," said Draco shuddering at the thought if Snape and his cousin. They headed up to the one-eyed witch passageway when Professor McGonagall, who had been patrolling the halls, stopped them.
"Just where are you taking Mr. Malfoy, Nymphadora?"
"Hogsmeade," she explained what had happened.
"Do you have the headmaster's permission?"
"We were just heading up for it."
"The headmaster's office is on the other side of the castle."
"Right," Tonks exclaimed, "I always get turned around in this castle."
Tonks scrunched up her nose as McGonagall turned the other way. Draco laughed as they headed towards the headmaster's office. They hadn't gone very far when they passed him in the halls.
"Have a pleasant time in Hogsmeade, Mr. Malfoy," he said pleasantly as the headmaster handed a coin sack to Tonks, "don't forget the F R O G S, Nymphadora." Draco blinked puzzled as the headmaster spelled out the word.
Tonks started to explain as she and Draco waked too Hogsmeade. The more she explained the more Draco understood. But he still was stung that she hadn't trusted him.
"I wouldn't have told anyone," he promised sipping a butterbeer, "besides who would believe me that if I said that someone was married to Snape."
"Draco Malfoy," she said swatting at him, "where are your manners, no wonder that hippogriff tried to take a bite from you."
"Hey!"
"You know what your father asked for don't you."
"No less than it deserved."
"That is not true," said Tonks with a frown, "hippogriffs are only dangerous only when provoked. Besides with the impeccable Malfoy manners you have there shouldn't have been a problem."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Only that a Malfoy is polite even when insulting someone." giggled Tonks, "But we should head back to the castle with the headmaster's frogs."
"Why did you buy them for him?"
"Because Madame Pomfrey wont allow him in to Honeydukes."
"Oh," said Draco while, like any good Slytherin, filed this tidbit away for future use.
They get back to the castle and Tonks leaves the chocolate in the usual spot underneath the hat of the one-eyed witch. Where later Argus Filch would take it to the secret passageway on the third floor, where Dobby would deliver it to Hagrid, who then sent it by owl to Snape. Snape left it outside under the fourth step up to the astronomy tower for Sinistra, who passed it off to Professor Vladimir in the halls; he left it behind a portrait of a fountain. Madame Hooch then picked up the package, and she took it to the kitchens and handed it to a house elf named Droopy who would deliver it to the headmaster.
Tonks left Draco at the Slytherin dormitory and headed to her husbands set of rooms. She said the password and found him sitting with a glass of scotch reading an elementary potions book.
"Did you explain everything to young Mr. Malfoy?" he asked not looking up from his reading.
"Yes," she said settling beside him on the couch, "I love you, Severus."
She smirked as his lips curled into a faint smile, "I love you too."
To be continued…