A/N: Yay for chapters and finally finishing them. This, I think, was my favorite chapter so far, at least to write. If next chapter doesn't top it, though, I'll be damned.
Disclaimer: I own nothing… especially not Harry Potter.
Happy Reading!
Chapter Six – Letters to You
"Ready, Christine?"
"Yes, Mummy."
"Do you remember what to do?"
"Yes, Mummy."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mummy."
"Okay. Add away, then."
Everybody in the room, minus Christine, held their breath as the child held the measured amount of the final ingredient over the cauldron. Just as she had been instructed by Severus, she poured the fine-ground powder slowly in with one hand while she stirred clockwise seven times with the other. When she finished, she quietly put down the stirring ladle and the cup and hopped off her stool, eyes on the cauldron. Nobody said anything for a whole thirty seconds, for the potion was supposed to turn a shade of sunshine yellow if it worked. Nothing happened. Miranda anxiously shot Severus a look of anticipation, which he returned without even a glare.
"What did we do wrong?" He growled in a low voice, rubbing his temples and staring at the floor.
Nobody said anything until –
"Nothing! Look, Severus!" Miranda exclaimed.
Severus looked up and saw that the potion was slowly going from its dark shade of puce to a bright yellow. Miranda jumped up, gave a whoop, and scooped up Christine, who was giggling madly.
"We did it! Go us!" Miranda shouted before bursting into song. "We are the champions, my friends!"
Both Harry and Christine laughed. Severus, who was evidently trying not to smile, busied himself with putting a shot glass into the cauldron and scooping out a shot of the potion. He placed it on the nearby table and turned to watch the celebration.
"Who's going to test it?" Harry asked. "Surely nobody's going to get Avada Kedavra-d?"
Miranda, who was in a better mood than usual, laughed.
"Of course not," she said. "No, I'm just going to test for side effects, like vomiting or headaches of whatever. I obviously wouldn't be able to tell if a side effect was infertility, but hey, that's life for you."
Her smile flickered slightly, but it was back on in a second. Severus noticed this flicker even if nobody else did, and he couldn't help but feel slightly bad on her behalf. He frowned slightly as he thought. He himself was just happy to have Christine, but Miranda had told him once that she had wanted a truckload of kids. Only the Progenitor Veneficium was standing in their way now. In fact, they had even spoken of trying to develop a potion or spell that would tweak the circumstances surrounding the spell. Something that would change the rules so that he, Miranda and any children would no longer be in danger. Something that would enable them to give Christine something that Severus and Miranda had both yearned for in their childhoods: a sibling.
Interrupting Severus' reverie, Miranda sat herself down in front of the table and picked up the shot glass.
"Bottoms up!" she said happily, conclusively, and tilted her head back.
In one swig she downed the shot glass of potion and then slammed the empty glass upside-down on the table. Everybody in the room watched her with uncertainty, as if she might just explode any second, but nothing happened. Miranda herself seemed to be in a state of concentration, as if she was trying to see if she felt any different. Severus sat down beside her and examined her face closely.
"What do you think?" he asked quietly, cocking his head as if to get a better view of the side of her face.
Suddenly, without warning, she gasped. Her hand found her throat, eyes wide with panic, and she fell to the ground, shaking. Both Harry and Severus jumped up in alarm and Christine gave a shout. Miranda sat straight up, grinning from ear to ear.
"Gotcha!" she exclaimed.
Christine began laughing, though Harry looked slightly stressed out and allowed himself to fall backwards on his bed. Severus rolled his eyes in exasperation, though he was clearly relieved.
"Not funny," he said in a warning voice. "Get up. I take it by your careless behavior that all is well?"
"Yeah, I feel great," Miranda said happily. "Never better. I could run a marathon."
"Please do," Severus said curtly, starting for the kitchen. "When you return I'll have dinner ready." He paused before adding nonchalantly over his shoulder, "Feel free to run in the road while you're at it."
-
Miranda immensely disliked cleaning. She disliked cleaning almost as much as much as she hated being bossed around and being given direct orders. No, she was not a house elf. But today she felt like one.
She climbed the stairs and, when she reached the top, pulled on a string dangling from the ceiling. A section of the ceiling came down on a hinge and exposed a folded-up ladder. She pulled on the ladder and unfurled it and, with one last look over her shoulder, clambered up into the attic. The place had not been cleaned for years. Dust covered the floor and cobwebs littered the corners of the ceiling and walls. Miranda took a deep breath and began shifting boxes. It was dull work, but it had to be done. Twice she tried using magic, but there was really no spell nor enchantment to put everything back in place.
Exhausted, she paused to take a quick break, conjuring a glass of lemonade out of nowhere. Severus was downstairs with Christine and Harry was reading up on more strategies for the attack he knew would come sooner or later. As she sipped her lemonade, she leaned against a box. The box fell over and she gave a yelp as she fell straight to the ground, spilling her lemonade everywhere.
"Dammit," she said quietly, and waved her hand.
The spilled liquid vanished and as she picked herself up, something caught her eye. It was another box that had been hidden by the box she had leaned on. She cocked her head curiously to the side, searching for a label and unable to remember bringing in this box.
"That's funny," whispered Miranda, and opened the box.
Inside the box was yet another box, this box no larger than a shoebox. Puzzled, she took out the shoebox and found that it was labeled. The word Letters was scrawled haphazardly on the top of the box in Severus' spiky handwriting. She opened the box and took out a letter, brows furrowed. The parchment was yellowing and the handwriting was slightly difficult to read, for it was fading. Miranda brought her nose closer to the page, her breath raising dust from it and sending it into the air. It was a girl's handwriting. Intrigued, Miranda read it.
Severus,
How's your summer been? I just wanted to tell you that some strange things have been happening lately, and I was wondering if you had answers. This Dark Lord guy – Voldemort – he's been killing people and recruiting members to his gang. I… well… just write me back. I need to know.
Lily
P.S. I'm pregnant (!), can you believe it?
Utterly nonplussed, Miranda set aside the first letter and took out another, which was in the same handwriting as the first.
Severus,
I don't know if you got my last letter, or maybe you're just too busy to write back, but I have something to ask you.
Who are the Death Eaters, exactly, and what do they do? It doesn't make sense to me that people would go around killing Muggles and Muggleborns like these people do. Then again, I suppose some people are just that way. I remember hearing you talk about this Voldemort guy and stuff. I was just wondering, that's all…
Lily
Letter after letter Miranda read, each letter getting a little more frustrated with their recipient. Miranda had known that Severus and Lily had been in the same year and that they had worked together on several Potions projects, but she couldn't figure out why she would be constantly writing to him of all people, when her significant other wanted to harm Severus.
The pile of letters grew taller and Miranda reached the last few. A defined frown on her face, she picked up the second to last letter.
Severus
I can't believe it was you! How could you do this after all we've talked about and after everything we've been through? Look, I'm not blaming you for the prophecy, alright? I just figured you'd have made better choices in your life. You're so smart, Severus, and you have so much potential. You could have done anything in the world, but you chose the easy way out. Well let me tell you, your decision will come back to haunt you someday.
We need to talk, face to face. I don't care that you haven't replied to any of my letters, but you will show up at Hogwarts on the third of September to discuss our options. Be there, Severus, or I will hunt you down.
Lily
Miranda was baffled. Her mouth hung slightly open as she put aside the letter and picked up the last one with quivering fingers. It was very short and quickly written, as if Lily had been in a terrible hurry upon writing it.
Severus,
I think today shall be the last time I write to you. My end is imminent and I have a terrible feeling hanging over me, like the end is near. Voldemort has been too quiet for too long. I'm just writing this to remind you of your promise and what you swore to. Remember this, Severus, if not for Harry or for yourself, then for me.
Do not forget, Severus.
Li –
The name was unfinished and had a jerky line following the second letter of her name, as if something had startled her and left her unable to finish the letter. Miranda looked at the date and paled as she saw that it had been written on the thirty-first of October. Her bottom lip trembled slightly against her will and she forced the letter back into the box, regretting her decision to read it in the first place, and followed it with the other letters.
She had just closed the lid of the shoebox when a strangled yell from downstairs made her jump to her feet in alarm.
"AAAAAUGH!"
It had been Severus; there was no mistaking his yell. She fled down the ladder and hurtled down the stairs in time to see Harry on the ground, eyes streaming. Severus was on his knees in front of Harry, his hands wrapped around the younger man's throat. Miranda gave a shout and pointed her finger at Severus, who instantly flew backwards and hovered a few inches off the ground.
"What the hell is going on here?" Miranda demanded in a severe voice, momentarily forgetting about Lily and her desperate letters.
Harry sat up slowly, gasping for breath and rubbing his neck. Severus, meanwhile, thrashed about in midair, never touching the ground.
"He contaminated it!" Severus yelled, face contorted with rage, pointing towards Harry, who was stumbling to his feet.
"Contaminated what?" Miranda asked, baffled.
"The potion! He contaminated the potion!" Severus yelled, making yet another attempt at freedom from the spell holding him in place. "I'll kill you, Potter!"
Miranda stepped hastily in front of Severus, hands on hips.
"Is this all necessary, Severus?" she asked in exasperation. "It's just a potion, just an experiment. Nobody's getting Avada Kedavra-d here. It's going to be okay."
Severus stared at her for a moment, unable to believe that she was defending Harry, and then began shouting again.
"He ruined it, dammit!" He yelled, following this statement with a slurring of jumbled together profanities.
Harry looked slightly alarmed, as did Christine, who knew better than to take one of her father's rampages seriously. It was only when both her parents were yelling that she became frightened. Miranda rolled her eyes at Severus, reached into her pocket, and took out a grape lolly.
"Don't worry about it, Severus," Miranda said, unwrapping the confection and shoving it into his mouth to silence his profanities on her behalf and on Christine's. "Just chill out. Take a breath or two – deep ones."
Severus glared at her before taking the lolly from his mouth and putting it in his pocket.
"Let me down," he said in a forced calm.
"You won't hurt Harry?"
"No."
Miranda shrugged and cast the counter-spell. Severus hovered for a moment longer and then his feet landed lightly on the ground. Harry backed up a few paces, trying to hide his nervousness, but Severus did not attack him. In fact, the greasy potions-master didn't spare Harry a glare as he turned, stomped up the stairs, and slammed his bedroom door. Miranda, Harry and Christine all grimaced slightly and a thin layer of dust fell from the ceiling as it shook from the slamming door. Miranda turned to Harry, who was trying to look composed.
"Honestly, he's got the temper of a five-year-old," Miranda said, rolling her eyes yet again. "No offence, Christine, of course. What did you do again, Harry?"
Harry looked slightly guilty.
"I, er, dropped something in the cauldron," Harry said apologetically. "My book. I guess it had a bad reaction with the ink because it's ruined. I'm sorry."
Miranda smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Harry," said Miranda. "It's not like we need the potion. And it's not irreplaceable anyway. Besides, it's out fault for keeping the cauldron in your room."
Harry shrugged one shoulder up and down, and Miranda tossed both him and Christine lollipops before turning towards the kitchen.
"Dinner won't cook itself," she said brightly, then chuckled and added, "without some help."
-
That night, Miranda sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor in front of the mirror. Her nose was half an inch away from her reflection and a pair of tweezers was in her steady hand.
"What are you doing?"
She didn't jump as she was addressed, but nor did she turn and greet the person who had done the speaking.
"Eyebrows," she replied, closing one eye and pulling, jaw set against the pain shooting through her skin.
"Want me to help?" pressed the voice that belonged to Severus as he moved about the bathroom, putting things where they belonged.
"Nope," she replied simply, holding her breath and pulling out another section of hair.
"Your streak of independence will be your downfall, mark my words," he said severely, opening a cabinet and casually tossing a package of cleaning mints into it.
"Will not," Miranda said grumpily, and then her hand slipped and she poked herself in the eye with the tweezers. "Ouch!"
He did not hide his sneer as she turned around on the floor, rubbing her eye where she had poked it. Instead he sat down in front of her, his greasy hair swaying about his face, and took the tweezers from her.
"What are you, a Muggle?" he said sharply, though not harshly.
"Yes," she replied, laughing. "And so are you… Seth."
He rolled his eyes and tossed the tweezers over his shoulders. He took her face gently in his hands and closely examined her brows. Then he ran a thumb below her right brow, slowly, and did the same to her left one.
"What're you doing, Severus?" Miranda asked, carefully not using her eyebrows to show expression so that he could do… well, whatever he was doing.
"Saving you a whole lot of pain," he replied shortly. "Done."
Miranda turned around and saw, to her amazement, two perfectly-shaped eyebrows, and she hadn't felt a thing. He smiled, not a sneer, but a smile, as he watched her examine her reflection in awe. She was not one to hide her emotions, but share them with everybody and anybody. Her expressions were just so expressive, and sometimes it drove Severus absolutely insane. Other times, however, much like now…
"Thanks, Sev!" exclaimed Miranda, turning around and kissing him. She seemed to sober up all of a sudden, her shoulders slouching and her smile fading. She edged away from Severus slightly and asked, "What did you promise Lily Evans?"
If Severus had been expecting anything at all, this had not been it. He stared at her for a moment, as if he wasn't sure of what he'd heard. Of course she knows, he scolded himself for wondering. She cleaned the attic today, didn't she? She was bound to come across those letters. I had only stowed them away for myself.
"You found the letters," he said in a low voice.
When she nodded, he sighed and rose to his feet. She slowly got up as well and followed at a distance, careful to give him some space.
"As you know," he began slowly, walking into the bedroom and staring at the floor. "I relayed the prophecy that lead to the death of Lily and James Potter. Shortly after the birth of Harry Potter, Lily found out that it was I who had relayed it and figured that I owed her. And I did owe her, so I agreed to make an unbreakable vow with Lily."
Miranda's eyes widened in surprise.
"The vow was that I was to protect Harry from harm until he came of age and was capable of taking care of himself. She found it fit to remind me the day she died; she knew it was coming."
Things made sense to Miranda all of a sudden. She crossed the room and touched his arm gently, and he shivered slightly, his eyes still fixed on the floor.
"That's why you didn't want Harry living with us, isn't it?" said Miranda as if she had figured something out. "You had finally been relieved of him and now you had to worry about him again."
Severus looked up for the first time, confusion etched into his face.
"What?" he said, confused. "No, that's not why. I didn't want Potter here because he is arrogant, reckless, and a walking reminder of the mistakes I've made. Like this."
He pulled his left sleeve back and exposed the bandaged Dark Mark on his flesh. Miranda, far from drawing back at his sudden harshness, came closer and laid a hand on his forearm. She slowly, as if unsure of what his reaction would be, unwound the bandage and revealed the ugly mark that he had had for years. Tracing the black skull lightly with her forefinger, she was glad to see that she still had an effect on him – goose bumps spread across his arm and he gave a slight shudder.
"I was wondering why you were hiding it," Miranda said quietly. "But it's nothing to be ashamed of, the past. It's happened and it's over, and now we can only live a day at a time from where we are. It's the choices we make now that will matter in the future."
She hugged him tightly now, her dark hair falling over her face. He returned the embrace, seeking comfort in her arms when he could go nowhere else and tangling his fingers in her silky tresses.
"I'm trying so hard to make the right choices," he murmured, frowning and inhaling her sweet scent, one he thought he had lost not so long ago. "I just don't know if I'm doing it right, if I'm on the right path."
"You're doing wonderfully, Severus," replied Miranda, a tear snaking down her cheek, unseen by the man she had her arms wrapped around. "And I'll always be here with you, guiding you. Always."
He said nothing in reply; no words could express the mixture of gratitude and love he was feeling at that moment.
-
Time passed. The snow melted and Christine turned six. The four that lived together plus Trish held a small birthday party that ended up with Miranda and Trish singing a very foulmouthed rendition of McArthur Park and Harry getting the salad turned over on his head. One March morning, Christine was finally asleep, for she hadn't been able to sleep the entire night because she thought that she had been hearing things outside her window. Severus, Harry and Miranda had taken turns staying up to keep her company; nobody had gotten much sleep. Miranda walked into the sitting room wearing a fuzzy blue dressing gown and matching slippers, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. Harry was already awake, and the scent of the morning beverage made him sit up.
"Morning H-h-Harry," she said, failing to stifle a yawn.
Harry groaned and rolled over into his pillow, pressing his face into it and becoming even more tangled in his bedclothes. Miranda, too tired to smile at Harry' exhaustion, sat down on the edge of the bed with her coffee. When he said nothing she became slightly concerned.
"You alright, Harry?"
Harry didn't reply, but held the orange pillow to his face and rolled over, his knuckles white from squeezing the pillowcase.
Finally he asked, "What's it like to be married?"
Miranda took a thoughtful sip of coffee, staring over the brim of the mug and into space.
"Well," she began slowly, reaching up and scratching the side of her face with a grimace, "it's a struggle, really, sharing everything with one other person. Don't get me wrong, it's the best thing that can happen to you – besides having a kid, I mean – and it's worth it if you're willing to work together." She glanced at Harry, who still had the pillow over his face. "It doesn't always go smoothly, especially when you have, er… conflicting interests, as you've probably learned from Severus and me."
Harry chuckled darkly and removed the pillow from his face.
"If I live through this," Harry said slowly, turning his green eyes to Miranda, "I want that. To get married and live a new life. With Ginny."
Miranda smiled.
"Did you propose to her yet?" she asked.
Harry shook his head, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. He reached over and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, put them on, and sat up. The bedclothes fell down and revealed a rumpled and fading Chudley Cannons shirt and a pair of red plaid shorts.
"I'ma wait until the war is over, or at least until I kill ol' Moldyshorts," said Harry, raising his wand and summoning a cup of coffee nonverbally. "But definitely, and I think she knows that I'm waiting. I haven't seen her in ages…" Harry's voice drifted off before he said suddenly, "I hope I can kill him. I'm sure I can. I'd better be able to."
Miranda nodded thoughtfully, bringing the rim of the mug to her lips but not drinking.
"You will," she said. "You've been trained to the best of our abilities. You've been studying everything you can that can help you. You've been preparing for years."
Harry nodded and drank from his mug conclusively. At that moment, Severus strode into the room, a mug of coffee in his hand and a comb in the other. He looked just as tired as Miranda and Harry, but he was dressed for work with a plain black tie slung lamely around his shoulders. He drank from the mug as he ran the comb through his greasy, wet hair, looking miserable and irritable. Miranda leapt from the bed and crossed the room on suddenly nimble feet.
"Going to work, Severus?" she asked cheerfully, lacing her fingers around his neck.
"Apparently," he replied dryly, absently stuffing the comb in his back pocket.
She smirked and began idly fixing his tie for him as he continued on his coffee.
"What's it like to be married?" she asked curiously, her eyes fixed on the tie in her fingers.
"Considering that you're a bloody pain in the neck, it's an uphill battle."
"I can make that literal, you know," she said, mocking pulling the tie tightly around his neck.
He sneered at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. Harry suddenly became very interested in his book, which he snatched up and held upside-down.
"It's a good thing you're such a nice, sweet person," Miranda said mockingly as she looped the tie. "A real pleasure to be around."
"It's a good thing you're not an annoying nag," he replied with the same venomous sarcasm.
She gave an almighty tug on his tie, pulling him down to her eye level and making his breath catch in his throat. She grinned evilly, her eyes glittering with wickedness.
"See?" she began slyly, leaning ever closer, "I know how to make you –"
She was cut off when a scream and a crash came from upstairs. Everybody froze, Miranda in the middle of her sentence, and her eyes darted to the stairs, brows contracted together.
"What the hell was that?" she said, but didn't stick around for an answer.
She sprinted off and up the stairs, Severus right behind her. Harry tossed his book aside made to jump up as well, but got tangled up in his sheets and went crashing to the floor. Miranda reached Christine's bedroom first and slipped inside, accidentally closing it behind her but not bothering to open it again. Severus stood outside the door and waited impatiently for some kind of signal or yell from Miranda, ready to launch surprise backup if needed. Harry arrived at last, panting from his wrestling match with the bedclothes.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, dropping his usual formal address.
"If I knew I wouldn't be standing here with you," Severus replied in a low murmur. "I'm just waiting for –"
The door opened and Miranda emerged, clinging to the door frame to keep herself standing. Both Severus and Harry turned to her, dumbstruck.
"There's blood everywhere," Miranda whispered. "The window's open. Christine is gone."
With that, her knees buckled and she collapsed forward with a gasp. Severus ran forward and caught her just in time.
"She's gone, Severus!" Miranda said again in a choked voice, her nails digging into his back. "I'm going to find her."
She made to pull away and run for the front door, but he seized her wrist and held her still. He turned to Harry first.
"Put up wards,' he told Harry quickly, dropping his usual spite. "Keep anybody from coming in or going out." Harry nodded and dashed away, and Severus turned to Miranda, who was struggling with the grasp he had on her wrist and, in her blind panic, forgot that she could use magic. "Are you crazy?" he said sternly to her. "First off, you're in slippers and a dressing gown – hardly apparel for a wild goose chase. Second –" she made to cut him off but he held up a hand and she fell silent. "Second, she's just been kidnapped. They could be anywhere, Death Eaters hiding behind any corner, waiting for you. They would love nothing more than to kill you."
Miranda opened her mouth, thought desperately for a moment for a solution, and then said, "I'll go as a fox. Nobody will even know it's me."
He shook his head, not letting go of her wrist.
"Anybody who looks at the Ministry roster will know that it's you."
She laughed coldly and retorted, "I've been in semi-hiding my entire life, keeping my heritage and my whereabouts on the DL. Do you honestly think I registered my animagus under my own name? No, I registered as Martha Kensington. Let me go, Severus!"
She made another vain attempt at freedom, but he held fast to her wrist.
"Lucius knows somehow, and if he does, so will the other Death Eaters. I cannot let you risk getting caught – I cannot lose both of you to this. They will not harm her, not right away. They need her, alive and whole. She will not be of use to them for some time, but they will not harm her. When I was a Death Eater the Dark Lord was constantly on the lookout for the heir of Ravenclaw. Christine is now that person," Severus said quickly and sternly, staring her in the eye with persistence. All thoughts of going to work had vanished from his mind. "You, on the other hand, are no more than an obstacle to overcome for the Dark Lord to gain power. You're not the heir anymore, Miranda, and this is not just your life we're gambling now. Hell, they'll need to kill us both eventually in order to get the Progenitor Veneficium. We need a plan. We need to talk to Albus."
She began to tug away again and he released her at having realized just how tight his grip on her wrist had become during his intense spiel. She rubbed her wrist unconsciously, but then her bottom lip trembled and she burst into tears. Throwing herself into his arms, she sobbed into his chest.
"Why did this have to happen, Severus? I thought we were safe," Miranda sobbed, gasping for breath as more tears overwhelmed her.
Severus wrapped an arm around her waist and put a hand on the back of her head, holding her closer to him in an attempt at a comforting gesture.
"The question is not 'why'," he said solemnly, his voice hollow and his brows furrowed in deep contemplation, "but 'how'."
A/N: Yay for filler chapters! I was going to leave off with "She's gone" but I decided a cliffie like that was only going to upset people. I like this better. It's more subtle. Oh yes, and for conversational purposes, I kicked serious arse in Harry Potter trivia the other day. I was happy. While my cousin knew the really random stuff that nobody should ever memorize, I was the Snape buff. Heck yes. Oh my gosh I can't get enough of that greasy potions-master. Sorry, I'm rambling now.
So, after a strange day filled with surprisingly well-behaved children, haircuts, surprise guests, and, most importantly, a very difficult dilemma, the chapter is finally done. I have some serious considering to do.