Translation by Jessinthedungeons.


Chapter 17 - Divine Spark, Reborn from the Ashes


— So why did you decide to come here instead of somewhere in Scotland? Or in London? — I asked, more than six hours later, when I turned the car into a parking lot in front of the building that Severus had indicated.

The trip itself lasted a little less than three hours. But we need to kill time, since Severus's appointment was only at 4 p.m. We stopped for lunch, walked around, and visited a muggle shop where he had lost his mind in the office supplies section, "does anything cost one pound?" I had a burst of laughter as he began inspecting every item we came across and mentally compared the man in front of me to Mr. Weasley and his fascination with muggle things.

Unfastening his seat belt, he gave me a still clearly insulted look, because earlier I assumed he would do a "plastic transfiguration".

— I know someone who trusts his own work.

That was all the information he gave me. We got out of the car and made our way towards the studio. A low song played softly in the background, and a red-haired man was sitting behind the black table at the reception, working on something with a pencil. He looked up as we walked in and gave us a friendly smile.

— Hey, how are you?

When I realized Severus didn't say anything, I smiled back at the man as he nudged my friend in the ribs for being rude.

— Fine, what about you? — I answered for him.

— Great. — He looked at Severus and something like recognition flickered in his gaze before he dropped his pencil on the table. Probably this tattoo artist was a wizard and now lived as a muggle, after the extinction of magic. He fiddled with the computer, possibly to confirm we were on the agenda, before slowly sliding his gaze back at us.

— Fox will leave in a minute, if you want to sit down.

— Thanks. — I smiled gratefully at him and went back to sit on one of the leather sofas.

Severus stood, walking towards the mural where several magazine articles were framed. A minute later, the sound of boots echoed on the ceramic floor and did not prepare me at all for the curly-haired man who came out of the back of the business. Tall, broad shoulders and with tattoos going up to his wrists, I couldn't get my eyes off him and I wasn't even a fan of people with such amount of tattoos, but I would have to be blind not to notice how handsome he was, even if he wasn't my type. Because, Merlin, he was delicious.

— He's wearing a wedding ring. — Severus's low voice murmured, at the right side of me.

— That doesn't mean I can't look. — I muttered back, already realizing that yes, he was wearing a bright yellow-gold wedding ring.

Something fell on my lap and I realized that Severus had thrown his scarf at me.

— Hold that! — He asked.

— Hello. — The voice of the curly-haired guy sounded closer, he and Severus stood before me, shaking hands.

Severus was only slightly shorter than the man, who appeared to be only slightly younger. As I examined their differences, Severus looked at me in a way that made me smile. His face, which I had been familiar with for years with the same expression of impassivity, now bore a mixture of irritation and warning. If possible, I found it even more beautiful. Severus doesn't know this, but I would still forever prefer him to the curly-haired man.

— Do you want to look at the drawing once again, before redoing the tattoo? — Asked the tattoo artist, taking a step back and not looking at me once.

— Yes. How long will it all take? — Severus wanted to know.

— About two hours.

Severus nodded before talking to me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

— Granger, do you...

— I'll wait for you, Severus. You don't know how to drive anyway. — I responded by teasing him.

He looked at me for a second and then pulled a handful of my curls up in front of my eyes. When I managed to roll them back, both men were walking towards one of the work areas, behind the front desk. I settled myself better on the couch, getting ready to read a book that I downloaded to my phone while waiting, when the tattoo artist left Severus next to the private room and made his way back to the table.

— If Rizzie isn't back in ten minutes, call her. — He told the redhead at the front desk.

— Alright. She texted me twenty minutes ago, saying she was on her way, so I'm sure she'll arrive soon.

The brunette grunted and before he had a chance to answer, the door opened and a woman about my age walked in, carrying a child car-seat in one hand and a large pack of diapers in the other. The man, whom I knew to call Fox, came immediately to her.

— What the hell are you doing? I told you to call me when you parked, so I could help you — He said in a harsh voice, taking the car-seat with one arm and holding it to face level, looked inside, and his dark eyes narrowed, before a smile stamped on his face. — How's my little one? — He whispered, even closer to it and making an audible kissing sound.

Oh, my Merlin! Such a man, making sounds of kisses, in what I could only assume to be his son. My uterus and vagina didn't know what to do with themselves.

The woman smiled, not at all distraught at the way the guy had spoken to her, or how incredulous I was looking at them.

— I won't call you, Fox, when I know you have an appointment. — She was still looking at the man with the baby before adding to the redhead: — Hi, Sean.

Sean kissed her. — I missed you.

— I missed you too. — She answered.

Fox lowered the baby seat back, and frowned at her. — What about my fucking kiss?

She rolled her eyes and cut the distance between them, rising on tiptoe to plant her lips against those of the dark-haired man. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her straight to his chest, deepening the kiss, even though he was still holding the car seat in his hand.

I had to look away. Maybe it was time to start thinking about letting someone into my life. It had been a long time since my only real courtship, and although I went out a few times with Viktor, it was not a relationship at all. My stupid eyes moved to Severus's direction, just for a split second, before I forced them back into my lap when I noticed he wasn't even looking in my direction.

I put on my headphones, peeked up again to see Fox holding the car seat in one hand, as he and the woman followed back to the back of the studio, and started reading on my phone, to keep me busy until Severus finished.

Sometime later, a hand swinging at me from the reception caught my attention. It was the redhead.

— Hi. — I said, taking off my headphones.

The woman from before was sitting next to the table with him, no baby car seat in sight, but there was an electronic nanny on the table.

— We usually respect privacy here. — He said in a whispered voice. — But... Is that Snape?

His face was very hopeful. I put my phone on my lap and saw when he leaned forward, for my answer.

— Yes. — I answered.

The guy threw his fist into the air and turned to the baby's mother.

— I told you! — He whispered to her, which only made me smile.

— His hair is different. — She answered him in a low voice, looking back to make sure she was not being heard.

— It looks different when he pushes the hair up and shows the sidecut. — I agreed, extending my neck, but I was only able to catch a glimpse of curved Fox.

— We know you're a hero too. — Said the redhead and I smiled at him.

— It's just that we knew you were around all along. But he suddenly reappeared. — She explained shyly and looked around before adding, looking at the redhead: — I had a big crush on Snape when I attended Hogwarts. He had a whole air of mystery and an absurdly seductive voice.

— Don't let the boss hear you! — The redhead smiled.

Or would he be jealous? How adorable was that? So sweet it made me feel a little weird. Busy as I was, I didn't spend much time with couples except Dean and Ivan, but even then, I didn't live as closely with them. Oh, hell! Why did I have to see this happy couple? My lonely life was great, I had nothing to complain about.

— Are you guys dating? — The guy let slip a second later and took an elbow from the woman in reprimand. — What? They were in the paper. — He justified it.

I felt my neck get hot, and although I realized I didn't have to answer, I did it anyway.

— We're just best friends. — I answered and put on my headphones again, mentally cursing reporters and the press for making a mere medical visit sound like a secret romance even to unknown people.


Severus, I really need to warn you, I think Harry's going to go into shock. — I told you when we finally got to the Potters' neighborhood. — I already warned him that I had a surprise, while I was waiting for you in the tattoo parlor, but I really think he will freak out.

I felt the weight of his gaze on the other side of the car.

— I'm not worried about Potter.

Of course, he wouldn't be. But I was. Harry, at the very least, would vomit. I didn't even have the courage to warn Ginny, because I didn't know how she would manage it either. There was a chance she would freak out for predicting her husband's outbreak, if I said so.

— Severus... you don't understand how bad it was for him to have doubted you for a lifetime, while you were just there protecting us and being true to your promise to protect Lily's son. He knows what she was for you. Those memories…

— They're proof of how loyal I am to a friendship. You should think about it while deciding when you're going to take me to that Tomb. — He cut me.

I sighed, conformed that he would rather underestimate Harry's current fascination with him. But it didn't help at all to calm my nerves as we got closer to the house my friends had chosen to live in. But Severus didn't give me much choice when he literally offered to come with me. What should I say? That he was not welcome? It was an uneducated answer, my parents taught me better. Also, I had already brought Dean himself home with me a couple of times during the holidays, which should have been weird since he and Ginny dated in high school. But the Potter couple has always been the embodiment of kindness.

The small three-bedroom house was located at the end of the alley. It was not new, anyway, but the couple took very good care of it and made that simple dwelling a home full of love. I shot a smile as Severus picked up my suitcase in the trunk, and we followed the stone path to the entrance door. He didn't even wait for me before he was knocking on the door, a little weaker than the way he knocked on mine, every time he went to my house. I pushed him to the side when the locks began to turn.

— Who is it? — Of course, it would be Harry.

— Mione! — I said back, putting my index finger over my mouth when Severus looked at me.

— Mione? Have you lost your key? — The bottom lock turned a moment later, the face of the boy-who-lived appeared in the crack of the door.

— No. — Smile, happy to see you. — I have a surprise for you. Don't be alarmed... — his forehead wrinkled in confusion as he opened the door completely. — Don't panic, okay?

Harry stopped. His gaze turning from me to Severus, then back to me and finally back to our former potions' professor. A hoarse and strange sound escaped from his mouth. So, he just closed the door in our face. Severus and I looked at each other, and a second later, he started laughing, a smile that caught me totally off guard.

— Harry! — I shouted his name. There was no answer, which only made me laugh even harder. — Harry, come on. — I pressed my forehead against the door, my shoulders shaking in laughter as I remembered the look on his face when he saw Severus next to me. — Oh, Merlin.

I turned my head to look at Severus again, he was still smiling.

— Hermione? What happened? — Ginny's voice came from inside the house a second before she opened the door, her forehead already wrinkled in confusion. — Why... oh, fuck! — She said, immediately looking at our former professor. Her face turned a little pale and her mouth opened in surprise for three seconds, before she looked at me and cleared her throat again. — Okay. — Her eyes turned to Severus before smiling at him cautiously. — Please do come in.

— Hey, Ginny. — I said, giving her a hug before walking away, as she closed the door behind us. I gave him a wide-eyed look that said "Please don't say anything". — I brought Severus with me.

He just casually shrugged and reached out a hand to my friend in an appropriate greeting. Ginny was very busy, looking at him from top to bottom, as if she couldn't believe he was here, and honestly even a small part of me didn't believe he was here either, like my friend, spending the next few days with the Potters because he had nothing else to do. It was surreal.

— Hello, Mrs. Potter. — He said politely. — Nice to see you again. Thank you for welcoming me.

I get along with Severus enough not to be surprised at how polite he is when he's not being a bastard, but it caught me a little off guard by his solicitude for a former student who even broke into his office when he was headmaster of Hogwarts.

A small smile crossed Ginny's face, satisfied with his greeting.

— It's a pleasure to meet you again. — She said, fortunately avoiding any topic from our past on opposite sides. Ginny finally looked at me. — I was wondering why Harry closed the door and hid in the room. He's there now, look for him while I give Severus a drink.

Simple as that, Ginny decided that she would call him Severus. I couldn't even say I was surprised, she was always by far the cheekiest person in our group of friends. I gave him a small smile, leaving him standing there with our backpacks in his hand.

— I'll be right back. You can leave the backpacks there in the corner, I'll put them away later.

He gave me what I was beginning to call his "Shut Up, Granger" look. I smiled at Ginny and gave her another hug, despite the fact that she remained more focused on the man next to me.

— I'm going to get him out of there. — I warned her while I was on the steps. When I went up to his room, the door was closed... I hit it twice. — Harry? I'm coming in. Please don't kill me.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, with his head between his knees, was the man who had defeated the greatest Dark Wizard of recent times. His dark hands were holding the back of his head, and took everything inside me so as not to start laughing at his mini panic attack. Smothering everything back, I sat next to him and slid my palm affectionately on his back.

— Surprise! — I whispered with only the slightest hint of laughter in my voice.

Slowly, he turned his head and caught his half-closed green eyes staring at me.

— I don't know if I want to hug you or curse you. — He said suffocated.

— You don't have magic anymore. — I remembered him with a smile.

Harry managed to make a grimace, with the small part of his face visible.

— Never doubt the "Chosen One". Are you trying to kill me? — Harry whispered.

I couldn't contain my laughter and denied it with my head so he knew it was just being dramatic.

— The way you drive, Harry, this is going to happen sooner than anticipated. You're not having a heart attack, right?

Harry finally raised his head, his green eyes now fully open and visible, which stood out against his brown skin. It was a beautiful combination. Lucky dog. Ginny already confessed to me once that it was the first thing she noticed about him.

— With the way you are treating me, I will end up taking blood pressure medicine soon. — He sat straight and continued to give me a naughty look. — You brought him to our house and did not warn me? You didn't tell me you were talking to him the last time we talked. — Harry shook his head exasperated. — I thought you were my best friend.

And he really sounded bad. Not much, but enough that I felt guilty for not saying anything to him about my friendship with Severus. Harry is my best friend. Usually, I tell everything, he and I have always had a special relationship. He had been my friend, my hero, my conspirator and my support since I was twelve. Thus, his words were enough to take the smile off my face, I leaned on him even more.

— I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you. I wasn't sure we really were. At first, he was just the same idiot we already knew, then suddenly we became friends.

— Humph. — Harry growled.

— I'm serious, Harry. It's weird. For the first two months, I had to think about cute unicorn puppies to avoid jinxing him in training, while also staying shut every time I was around him. — That made Harry break a little smile. — We dueled together a couple of times, I took him with me to play non-magical Quidditch with Neville and Ivan, and he took me to a healer a week ago. — I explained, surprise that Harry had not seen our photos in the wizarding newspapers.

But even when Harry's favorite wizard in the universe was within walking distance, the "borrowed little brother" of my life put me first.

— Why the hell did you go to a healer? — He freaked out.

Fifteen minutes later, I had summarized for him almost everything-mostly, from the somber visit to the tomb that had gone wrong enough for Severus to take me to the office, the conversation with Robards, and finally about the impassive man showing up at my house that morning.

Harry was shaking his head at the end, apparent anger in his eyes.

— I will ask Kingsley for Robards's head if he is unfair to you. — He said, still frustrated with my boss.

And I know that Kingsley idolizes Harry enough to accept any request he makes.

— We'll worry about it later. I haven't violated any term of my Hogwarts collaboration agreement, so I don't think he can do anything. — I really expected that. Harry narrowed his eyes, but grudgingly nodded his head. — So, ready to see your "almost-father"? — I asked with a smile on my face.

Harry lightly slapped the back of my head.

— No, but I think it's better to obey my "almost-stepmother". — He gave it back, standing and dragging me along with him, even though I was weak because of the crisis of laughter triggered by our jokes.

I followed him out of the room, realizing how slowly he was walking. In the kitchen, we find Severus crammed up, sitting at the small round table in the corner of the living room, with a plate of assorted snacks, another with vegetables, and a glass of water in front of him. Ginny was looking for something else in the fridge. He stood up and reached out a hand to Harry, who did not say a word, only looked at him in a way that was not his usual way, shyly, and raised a slightly trembling hand to shake that of the former spy of the Order of the Phoenix.

— Potter, it's good to see you again. — Severus spoke, maintaining eye contact with my friend.

I had to pinch my nose, Harry nodded quickly in return, pulling a loud sigh as his hands loosened. I came from behind, squeezing his shoulders and whispered in his ear that he just needed to imagine Severus pooping, and so I would see him as a normal person. I smiled at the shocked look on his face before I sat down next to my advisor, and secretly stole one of the snacks from his plate.

Harry grabbed a seat next to me, and in front of Severus, looking everywhere but the man who handed his memories to him when he thought he would die. And Harry was the same man, who even after the thud of losing his magic, was transformed by the war he won and took a weight off his shoulders, into a person who speaks loudly, is outgoing and has a light temper, who conquers everyone. But now he sat nervously in his chair. And that was exactly what worried me about bringing Severus to Bamburgh. I wanted to spend time with my friends, not have Harry so scared that he would refuse to talk.

I wasn't going to embarrass him by pointing out how weird he was acting in front of Severus, and I decided to have a little patience. We, or at least me, were going to be here for the next three days; Severus and I didn't discuss whether he would figure out another way to get back to Scotland, so we'll see how that would work. Severus stretched out the plate towards me and smiled as I grabbed a piece of cheese. Then I remembered that I had not asked for the children.

— Where are the little ones? — I asked them both.

Harry raised his eyebrows, but it was Ginny who answered.

— They're sleeping in the room. — I smiled, until my friend added: — With Ron.

Of course he would be here on holiday. And there was no way, in hell, that he did not know that I would come too and had already come home.

— Is Weasley here? — Severus asked, holding a piece of cheese in his hand.

— Yes. — Ginny confirmed.

He blinked. Oh yeah, that was going to be very interesting. I didn't even remember grooming him with the information that my former best friend and ex-boyfriend was now an idiot and that he indirectly blamed me for being the only one of us with magic. Fortunately, he asked nothing more.

I knew Harry would personally interfere if Ron acted like an asshole, but Ginny was sometimes annoyed that we were no longer understanding and patient with him. I was patient and respectful with Ronald. I didn't punch him despite the dozens of times he deserved it and never used magic in front of him, when we were together at home, I would hide my wand and act like a total muggle.

Ginny took a seat at the table and started asking if we had plans for tomorrow and then saying how the rest of the Weasley clan would like to see me. We amended several conversations about Ginny's huge family and funny stories about children. Soon it was close to ten o'clock and I was yawning and wondering how it was that my Harry had not let out a single sigh, when I knew very well that he was used to going to bed early.

The silence was awkward, with me exchanging glances with Severus and Ginny, while Harry avoided all eyes. All right, I'm tired.

— Do you want me to show you where you can sleep? — I asked my advisor.

He nodded. And then the record fell to me that in this house there was only one guest room and since Ron was in the children's room, I, sleeping in their room, was out of the question. When Severus followed me from the kitchen and passed through the living room with the sofa that had been bought for durability rather than comfort, I felt my eyes twitching a little. This thing was unforgivable, and there was no way to banish a guest to that cloth-lined stone. That's where I'd sleep.

The guest room had two small single beds, a chest of drawers with a TV and a mural with several posters of the Golden Trio stamped on one of the walls. I almost smiled when Severus didn't even wink at the accommodations.

— Welcome to The Potter Hotel. — I held my hand in presentation mode, letting him occupy one of the black metal beds.

— Where will you sleep? — Severus asked, dropping our backpacks on the floor.

— I still don…

— There too. — Ginny spoke as she walked past us, heading to her room at the end of the hall, as if she had given me this information before. — Good night.

Sleep in the same room as Severus?

The two times I had brought Viktor with me, she had made him sleep in the living room, and told me that it was out of "respect for his story with my brother," but with Severus, she practically threw me with him in the small room with two tiny beds. I should have waited for my friend to do this. She knew about my teenage crush on my potions' professor. Typical.

I could have argued, but did I really want to squeeze myself on the couch? No, thank you. My ribs and my sciatic would thank me if I didn't do that.

— Take the one on the left. The mattress is newer.

He gave me a look and nodded, before bringing our backpacks further into the room and then bending down to fiddle with his own.

— There's a bathroom next door. And take what you want in the kitchen, everyone sleeps like stone, so you will not disturb anyone. I want to see if Ron is awake upstairs before I get ready to sleep.

Severus just nodded and muttered something I didn't fully understand.

The children's room was on the other side of the bathroom door. The crack under the door was lit, so I knocked lightly, not wanting to wake the children.

— Ron? Are you awake? — No answer. — Ronald? — I hit again. — Nothing yet. — Ron, really?

There was no answer. I knew Ron and knew he couldn't sleep in any light. He was just being shit, again. I had not given him a hard time demeaning him for not being a wizard anymore, nor had I said anything to diminish him when we broke up. On the contrary, I have focused on my quest to solve the problem of magical scarcity since the day we finished burying the battle dead. But from the moment he became an ordinary person, he simply took all his frustration out on me.

I had to take a deep breath and let out a deeper sigh, so as not to let it knock down my mood. He wouldn't open the door and I won't beg either. More disappointed than angry, I went back to the room I would share with Severus, when he was going out with a necessaire in hand. It was easy to forget how taller than me he was, in general, I didn't notice much of our height difference, especially with Ron acting like an idiot pushing my focus away.

As soon as he returned to the room with a slightly damp face, I took my own things and headed for the exit.

— I'll take a shower. The TV remote is in the dresser, you know how to use one, right? — I asked, already passing around him to go to the toilet.

— Right. — He said putting his things back in his backpack.

— Okay, I'll be right back.

Less than fifteen minutes later, I went back into the room and Severus was sitting on the edge of the bed, in a thin, long-sleeved black shirt, where I could see, sticking out of his wrist, some of the plastic wrapping around his left biceps. He looked up as I entered the room, while taking off one of his socks.

— Are you okay? — He asked after I dropped my pile of dirty laundry in the basket by the door and crouched down to get my own pair of socks in my backpack.

— Yeah, why? — I got up, making sure my extra-large shirt covered everything properly.

He took off the other sock. — You're upset with Weasley. — He said casually, throwing the two pieces of cloth into my pile of clothes.

I thought I'd argue with him, telling him I was fine, when I realized I'd be lying and he'd probably know it. Severus knew how to read people like no one else, and often did not even have to use his Legilimency skills for that. So, I just also sat at the end of his bed to answer.

— Oh, yes. I'm a little angry that he decided to hide in the room.

I sighed, running my hand over my own face with a sad smile. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, frowning.

— It's rude and I apologize. I'm sure you'll meet him tomorrow.

My advisor shrugged, completely indifferent about meeting Ron or not. And I couldn't even blame him. Why would he care?

— If he's going to upset you, Hermione, I'd rather not see him. Weasley sounds exactly like the same brat as before.

— He's not a brat. — I felt like I needed to defend Ron. — He's just... he did not cope well with the loss of magic and became a little embittered. I can imagine how hard it must be for him to have grown up as a wizard and suddenly have it ripped from him, but we don't talk about it. — I quickly added, imagining Severus bringing up the subject only to annoy him. — He thinks that everyone is disappointed in him for being "normal". And he says it's a bad thing not to be useful in the work we do at Hogwarts. It's unfair when he says I'm happy to be the "new Harry Potter" and suggests that we muggle-borns don't move forward in search of the magic solution because we like the power. It makes it seem as if the work we do at Hogwarts is a hoax.

His eyes pierced me, right in my chest. In understanding? In similarity? I wasn't sure until he nodded slowly, as if he was remembering everything he had sacrificed in his life for a war that wasn't really over.

— Most pure bloods don't understand.

— I know, this is the kind of thinking that rebel fanatics have. And I get so much of that from other people, I just didn't want to get that from Ron either. I wanted him to cheer up, to have hopes. I don't care if he has magic or not. — Sigh. — Anyway, Molly often says that you always fight with the people you love the most, so I usually remember that when Ron is being a jerk to me. — I straightened up more in bed, crossing my legs below me and changed the subject, wanting to end our conversation about Ron. — And you, on your father's side, have any relatives left? — I asked, curious about more of his life.

— No. — He answered, sitting better on his bed too. Something strange moved my chest, seeing him sitting there, in thin pants and shirt and bare feet. It was so homelike, so natural. For so long, I had to remember that he was just a normal man who seeing him there like that really hit me hard. And Severus is really beautiful. Very. — Generations of only child of only child. — He added unexpectedly.

How lonely did that seem? Of course I was also the only child of only child parents, but I got brothers at Hogwarts, Harry is that to me. And the whole Weasley family was also the same as being members of my family, even if I wanted to strangle Ron sometimes, but he still managed to get in a good mood at least a handful of times a year.

— Not even a close friend from when you were little? — I immediately regretted the phrase, but it was already late.

— That was Lily. — Severus replied, leaning against the two pillows resting on the wall. — There was no one else but her in the muggle world. And I wasn't exactly popular at Hogwarts, the few friendships I forged there, were on the wrong side in both wars. There aren't many people left.

The "I'm sorry" was apparent on my face. It had to be. But I didn't explain it. Feeling uncomfortable that I had brought a dark and sensitive topic to our conversation, I reached forward and ran my index finger to the sole of his foot, being surprised when he pulled it out of my grasp violently. I watched him with a dumb smile stamped on my face.

— Do you feel tickled?

With both knees now on his chest, he grimaced. — No.

I laughed even more when I realized he didn't seem to be having fun.

— That's cute, Severus. — I spoke softly. — Can I see your tattoo now?

Severus had been reserved about it, and I had been curious about this tattoo from the first time I saw a glimpse of it under his sleeve as soon as he returned to Hogwarts. His chin shifted only a little to the side, until he nodded. Putting himself more upright on the bed, he stretched out his left forearm and carefully rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Where before I knew the dark mark was now there were the outlines of a splendid bird.

— It's beautiful. — I whispered.

— It wasn't so full of color before today. — He explained while I was still inspecting the beautiful details of the large wings and the eccentric-looking crest on its head. — It's a Phoenix. — Severus whispered, as if he could read in my mind that I had just recognized the image.

— Fawkes. — I whispered back, my voice slightly embargoed from knowing that Dumbledore's bird now occupied the space where once Severus's forearm was marked by darkness. — That's incredible. — I slid my index finger slightly over the plastic that still enveloped the image. — Why did you decide to color it only now?

Severus looked at me for a moment, until he looked away and pulled his shirt sleeve down.

— Someone told me that my wrong choices have dictated my life for a long time and that I cannot undo what I did, but what I do from now on is what matters. It seemed appropriate.

Shit. I hated it when he really listened to me, how could I react to it? I wouldn't be so nervous if he had pulled me over for a kiss instead of telling me something like that. I blushed nervously and jumped off his mattress, heading to my bed, vaguely conscious of keeping my long t-shirt covering me and turning off the switch to hide how much his confession left me stirred.

— Good night, Severus. Wake me up if you need anything. — I said with a weak voice from emotion.

— Good night, urchin. *

— You're not calling me an idiot or something, are you? — I asked with a yawn, as I pulled the sheet to cover my eyes.

— No. — He answered simply.

— Okay. If you want to return to Scotland tomorrow, or if you prefer to stay in a hotel if you are not comfortable here, let me know, all right?

— Yes.

Getting comfortable, I pulled the sheets up to my chin and rolled to face the wall. As soon as I closed my eyes, the thought invaded me: he colored Fawkes over the black mark for something I said. I mentally thanked the long car ride I drove for making me so tired, because if I were too conscious about the man in the next bed, I would be sighing and filling my head with the illusion that Severus Snape might like me much more than as a friend.


Final Notes


1. The riddle in our WhatsApp group was as it follows:

The title of a song by a Brazilian singer will have a special moment under the eyes of our protagonist. Somehow (in the story or outside of it), this song is linked to number seven. This number is not in the title of the song. This song was part of the soundtrack of a miniseries by channel Rede Globo.

The answer: Phoenix - Jorge Vercillo.

Chiasan, as always, having a fertile imagination and getting it right. I recommend everyone to listen to this hymn that has everything to do with this story and let me know if you are interested in participating in our WhatsApp group.

2. This chapter has an official fanart made by Mademoiselle Raposa arts, which can be found by the link: survianafics. carrd. co

3. This chapter would initially cover their journey and we would already return for our adventure, but everything became too big and I had to break it down into some parts. This is the first of them.

4. * If any of you don't know, 'urchin' is another way of saying 'brat', specifically a child who is mischievous and dresses poorly. It's Severus's affectionate nickname for our protagonist.