Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people or places that belong to the wonderful world of Harry Potter, as they belong to J.K. Rowling. The OCs (Katherine, Septimus, Helena, Christoph, Elisa, Henry, Nick, Justin, Kyle, Carlos, Mike, Nurse Canter & Headmaster Mickels) are entirely my own.
Chapter 6: The Prophet's Report, Part 2
The bed dipped quickly once again, causing Severus' eyes to crack open from the movement. For the second day in a row, he woke to Katherine's backside disappearing into the bathroom. Elisa had told him that morning sickness was common at this stage, but it wouldn't just occur in the morning; it could occur at any time of the day.
Severus rolled onto his back, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Once his hands left his face, his eyes surveyed the room. The Dumbledore Family book laid upon the bedside table. After Christoph and Elisa had left the night before, he had told Katherine about finding the book in Albus' library and coming across the wedding picture of her great-aunt Katherine Winifred Dumbledore and his 2nd great-uncle Severus Arcadius Prince. Severus thought it was only fitting, as to take the man's full name as his own, due to the fact that they looked so much alike...well...except for the nose of course.
Severus glanced towards the open French doors, whose curtains fluttered in the light breeze coming off of the lake. He was glad for the spell Katherine had come up with, one that allowed only Hermes and Fawkes to enter through it, but bugs and other creature would stop at the invisible barrier.
Five minutes passed, and Katherine still hadn't returned from the bathroom. Ten minutes, then fifteen. Severus couldn't stand it any longer, and slipped out of the bed. He padded his way across the hardwood floor to the bathroom door and knocked twice.
"Katherine?" But upon getting no response, he slowly opened the door and peeked inside. There he found her, propped up against the shower door near the toilet. She was pale; her blonde hair disheveled from her hand clenching the blonde locks.
Katherine's knees were bent up towards her chest, and her eyes, that were staring off into the unknown, were brimming with unshed tears of pain.
"Katherine?" Severus asked, rushing to her side. "Are you alright?" He sank down next to her on the green and white tiled flooring, and gently wrapped his arms around her person. She shook slightly in his arms, which Severus noted was probably due to fatigue and nausea.
"I don't remember the morning sickness being this bad when I was pregnant with Septimus," Katherine mumbled as she rested her head on Severus' shoulder. Her eyes shut tightly and he could feel her taking deep breaths to calm her body.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Severus said, burying his nose in her hair.
"I could really use an anti-nausea potion," Katherine whispered. "But there's none premade or are there any ingredients in the house for it."
"None in the lab downstairs?"
"No," Katherine said. "We'll have to go into town to acquire them...but I guess we'll have to go into town anyway. You still need new clothes."
"Yes, I do," Severus muttered. "But there is one problem. I have nothing to pay for them with."
"What are you talking about?" Katherine asked, raising her head from his shoulder to look at him.
"Katherine, my assets are currently sitting at the bottom of Gringotts, inaccessible due to the fact that they think I'm dead," Severus said, looking down at her.
"Your money is not at Gringotts," Katherine said, as she moved away from him and attempted to stand.
"What do you mean my money is not a Gringotts," Severus frowned, but moved to help Katherine, as she began to sway on her feet.
"Your money is here Sev," Katherine sighed, as she steadied herself against Severus' body.
"Here? How is it here?"
"Uncle Albus' doing again," Katherine explained, as she inched her way to the sink in attempt to brush her teeth. "At some point along the line he gave you a charmed galleon. It was a portkey that was linked to my locket and a charmed galleon located in my vault as well. Once the locket was activated, the galleons were activated, thus portkeying all but five percent of both of our vaults to a joint vault here."
"Why was five percent left there?"
"Something had to be left in your vault to make it look normal," Katherine frowned, as she looked at herself in the mirror. "If someone went in there after we left and found it empty it would raise questions."
"Seems plausible," Severus said, as he came up from behind Katherine, and enveloped her in his arms again. "So where is this vault?"
"It's in..." But Katherine never got to finish her sentence as the pair heard the floo flare up in the living room.
"Severus?" Christoph's voice shouted from the next room. "Katherine?" Quickly, both Severus and Katherine grabbed their robes and threw them on before rushing out into the living room.
"Christoph?" Katherine questioned. "Whatever is the matter?"
"This is the problem," Christoph said, thrusting a newspaper out towards the couple. Severus took the paper from the Unspeakable's hand, and looked down into his own face.
"Daily Prophet
Snape, Dumbledore to be Laid to Rest
by Rita Skeeter
Hogwarts' Headmaster Severus Snape and Deputy Headmistress', and supposed wife, Katherine Dumbledore Snape will be laid to rest this morning on the grounds of Hogwarts.
Snape and Dumbledore were both found dead in the Shrieking Shack outside of the village of Hogsmeade the morning after the battle at Hogwarts. Reports say that the two fled the castle shortly after nightfall the day before, when Harry Potter, the Chosen One, returned to the school.
More to come later in the day...
"Skeeter," Severus growled under his breath, as the newspaper crinkled in his fists.
"Please tell me this didn't get circulated here in the states," Katherine panicked, looking up at Christoph, but sighed in relief when he shook his head no.
"The Prophet has been banned from the states at the start of fall of 1996," Christoph said, as he sat down in a chair near the fireplace. "The only thing reported in the US Wizarding Journal this morning was a list of the fatalities for Barnabus Cuffe. No pictures, no birth dates; just names and occupations."
"That's good," Severus mumbled, as he lit the fireplace, and unceremoniously threw the crumpled paper into the flame. "I would really like to live peacefully for awhile at least."
"I also have other news," Christoph continued. "The USWG has decided to release the schools early...well...not just the US. It seems that all wizarding schools in the world are sending their students home this coming weekend."
"So Septimus will be home...?" Katherine paused.
"Sunday," Christoph explained. "NEWT and OWL students will take their exams this week, and the trains will arrive on Saturday at five in the evening, and will arrive at Union Station in Chicago on Sunday at five at night."
"Oh, I can't wait to see him," Katherine smiled, as she sat down in the chair opposite Christoph.
"What are you going to do when he comes home?" Christoph asked, glancing back and forth between the wizard and witch before him.
"What do you mean?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow in the American wizard's direction.
"Are you going to tell him the truth?" Christoph questioned. "The truth of who you both really are, and who he really is?"
"I suppose we should," Katherine frowned, looking down at her hands. "How to you think he'll take it?"
"Who knows," Christoph shrugged, leaning back in the chair. "He's a teenage boy. How do you think he will react?"
"He'll be angry more than likely," Severus sighed. "He'll feel like he's been lied to all of his life. That is own life is a lie. He will be angry Katherine."
"I rather have him know the truth now though," Katherine sighed, as she looked up into Severus' eyes. "Better now from us, then from a leaky Prophet later."
"True," Christoph mumbled. "Well, I best get back to work, and let you two get on with your day." After saying his goodbyes, Christoph disappeared through the floo, and Severus sat down in the chair that the American wizard had recenetly vacated.
"So..." Severus asked with a raised brow. "Now what do we do?"
"Well," Katherine said. "We really could use some food around here, plus potion ingredients for my anti-nausea potion, and some clothes for you."
"Is there somewhere around here that we can get all of that?"
"There's a small wizarding town not far from here," Katherine smiled slightly. "We can get everything we need there."
"And pray tell the name of this town."
"Amadahy."
A/N: Well I want to post this last night, but real work got the best of me. Chapter 7: Mr. Prince goes to Town should be posted sometime on Sunday or Monday, hopefully, if all goes well.
A big thank you to grumpirah, Edwardswife1988, sandradee27, , RequiemWolfenstein87, PresidentTheAwesome, Furionknight, Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape, lexiloo124, tigerlili48, LemonDropsWoolSocks and MRSSPICY for their amazing reviews!
Only two more chapter until father and son meet! YEAH!
