Chapter 1
Present Day
"I'm not sure it's a good idea to drink all that firewhiskey, Severus." Remus stated lightly as he came into the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Piss off, Lupin." Remus shrugged, somewhat pleased. The professor's personality-such as it was- had returned.
"No need to be so kind, Severus." Remus muttered, "you aren't the only one who is grieving."
"She was my responsibility. I could've-no, should have saved her. I had the fucking cure!" With a dramatic sweep of his arm, Severus threw the empty bottle against the wall where it shattered instantly.
"She would have died sooner had you administered that unfinished potion to her." Remus thought to make him see the truth in this, but instead it infuriated him more. Severus left, making it clear that the conversation was finished.
Her living quarters were empty. Severus had half expected to see her curled up on the sofa reading a book or writing one. A thin layer of dust was beginning to coat the objects in the room. Molly Weasley obviously hadn't discovered where Mina had been staying all this time, he thought wryly. He
A sudden movement on the other side of the room caught his eye. Amon, Mina's Siamese kitten, had perched itself on a box beside the bed. He crossed the room to pick up the kitten and further examine the contents of the box. Inside the cedar chest was a collection of odds and ends. Nothing too special, he thought before examining each one. Until he realized what he was looking at. Calla lilies, ones he'd given her whenever she was in the infirmary. A pendant given on graduations day. A pair of earrings and a photo of them both plastered on her twentieth birthday.
"She kept all this?" He muttered looking to the cat for confirmation. Amon mewed in concord and budged Severus impatiently, who conjured up some milk for the starved kitten. Severus shook his head, filled with awe and guilt. How had this girl, whom he'd had almost nothing in common with, managed to get under his skin? It amazed and terrified him.He stood up quickly, wanting to get away from the mementos. Memories were coming back to him in full force, begging him to take action- to do something. 'Don't forget me..' the words were haunting him constantly. Dumbledore hadn't even showed for the funeral. Severus spun about the room as though he were looking for something.
There! Parchment and a quill lay before him, and the now lit candles cast a warm golden glow over the abandoned room. The writing desk never looked so inviting. There was a story to tell.
