They Didn't Know We Were Seeds
Severus stares at the large home. It's not quite as large (or ostentatious) as the Malfoy Manor, but it is still bigger than the majority of houses he's had the pleasure (or displeasure) of visiting. He turns to the young man beside him. "Your home is very impressive," he says politely. Severus's is not one for ingratiating himself to others, but Sage's brother is a bit of an unknown to him and he would prefer this weekend to not be a disaster. From what he understands and has seen, flattery, if done right, can quickly endear one to another.
Unfortunately, Severus finds, he did not do it right, when Boyd snorts. "Compared to the hovels of your town, you must think so," he jeers. "But, really, houses like ours are par the course for families of proper breeding."
He bites his tongue hard enough to hurt and silently reminds himself, 'You're here for Sage.'. But Merlin, Boyd is a prat. Had his son been this way? Severus can't really recall. Graham was fairly well behaved – though, not exactly popular among his peers – from what he does remember. He got into a bit of trouble with Gryffindors now and again too, but that wasn't – and isn't – all that unusual.
The young man smirks at Severus before he begins to walk up the path to the home's front door. A moment later, as Severus hurries after him, in a lofty tone, Boyd informs him, "Wait another fifteen years, then this place will be worth calling impressive."
He makes sure the young man doesn't see him roll his eyes as he asks with fake interest, "What does that mean? What happens in fifteen years?"
"I have a plan I'm following. In fifteen years, the Montagues will be nearly as rich as the Blacks or Potters! If everything goes accordingly, anyway."
Severus can't say how well Boyd manages to follow his plan from his recollections, but he does know his son had a new racing broom every year he was at Hogwarts. Continuing his polite facade, he nods and hums appreciatively. Reaching the door, Boyd opens it for them, and then calls, "Topper!"
A moment later, an elderly house elf pops into existence. "'Lo, Master Boyd."
"Topper, please take Severus's things to the guest room down the hall from Sage's bedroom," Boyd orders.
The old elf holds out his gnarly hands for Severus's knapsack – which he promptly hands over. "Yes, Master Boyd."
Boyd nods once at Topper and then turns his attention to Severus. "Follow me," he tells Severus. "Sage is likely in Father's old study."
Severus hurries after the young man, trying to take in the home as he does so. The walls are painted an off-white and trimmed with cherry wood molding. While paintings and other decorative pieces are sparse, the few he does see as they travel through the hallways are quite tasteful in Severus's opinion. None are too garish or too plain. They are just colorful enough to catch the eye and make one want to stop and study them. Briefly, Severus wonders who's responsible for that. Is it Sage's mother? His father? A Grandparent?
"Here we are," Boyd says, stopping in front of a closed door. He puts his hand on the doorknob, only to pause in the middle of turning it. He looks down at Severus, expression threatening. "I don't know why Sage wants you here, since last year he was always complaining about how much of a prick and swot you are, but you better not make me regret fighting our mother to have you come spend the weekend."
His eyebrows raise a fraction. Fleetingly, Severus wonders if Boyd realizes just how much he gave away about his family. Perhaps he does, but doesn't care because he thinks Severus is just a nobody half-blood. Or maybe he doesn't. He is only eighteen. Eighteen-year-olds are dunderheads, more often than not. He's partial toward the first option, however. He was quite the arse when Severus complimented his home, after all.
Even so, Severus dips his chin in understanding. "I won't."
Boyd nods and finishes opening the door. Putting on a big smile, he shouts, "Look who's here!"
Sage, who's off to one side of the room, by a bookcase, turns his head. At the sight of them, his expression turns to one of delight. "You're here!" he yells. Hurrying over, he says, "I'm glad you came!"
Severus smiles back slightly. "It'd be rude not to," he says, then glancing at Boyd, adds, "especially after all the trouble your brother went to."
The boy shoots a vaguely confused look at his brother, but nods nonetheless. Sage then grabs his hand and pulls him toward the bookcase he was previously browsing.
"You know a lot about books. Which of these do you think has the best defensive spells? Dad liked to collect rare defense against the dark arts texts."
Skimming his finger over the spines of the books, Severus feels unusually excited at what he sees. Some of these books he's only ever heard of! Perhaps he will be able to convince Sage to let him take one or two home with him at the end of the weekend. Pulling one off the shelf, he begins, "Well, this one could prove to be very useful if you're looking for defense spells that will protect you from less precise spells, like a blasting curse…"
-o-O-o-
Like the evening's previous meal, Sage's mother, a tiny, compact woman with an equally small face (how she birthed her giant of a firstborn son, Severus doesn't know), refuses to look at Severus as she converses with her two sons. She talks about the twentieth-anniversary party she's planning for a friend. About how only the best witches and wizards are to be invited and they'll hold it somewhere spectacular, like at the seaside manor of a close cousin. Her bragging is so obvious in its attempt to make Severus feel poorly he finds it amusing. He makes sure Sage (and Boyd) knows this every time they glance his way with smirks and rollings of his eyes.
Often times, they'll smile back. They know what their mother is doing just as well as he does. They find it entertaining he not only knows, but finds it funny as well. After a while, it starts to feel like a game. How long will the Montagues' mother keep talking about this fairytale party before she realizes Severus is not the least bit envious or put off by her veiled contempt? So far, they are going on thirty minutes with no end in sight.
At one point, the woman prattles, "Perhaps your Great Uncle Demitri will attend. He doesn't much care for parties, but it was at a Christmas one your cousin Eustace's parents held at the manor he met Great Aunt Etta. He does so like visiting places that remind him of your great aunt."
Severus hasn't bothered to so much as introduce himself to the Montague brothers' mother since he first met her, but those names…
"Mrs. Montague, this Great Uncle Demitri of yours… Is his last name Prince, by chance?"
All three are looking at him now with their small, flinty blue eyes. This is the first time he's spoken since they sat down to eat. While Boyd and Sage's expressions are curious, their mother just frowns. Frowns as if he's insulted her drapes and her mother too. "Yes," she answers, tone clipped. Then, face brightening once more, she starts, "And if you like, boys, you can–"
"Why do you ask?" Boyd cuts in over the Montague woman. It's obvious in how he leans in Severus's direction he wants to know why that name, in particular, caught his attention over the rest his mother is throwing around, even if the Montague woman doesn't.
His mother sputters a bit, brows furrowing in a way that indicates she's about to scold her son for interrupting when Severus places his fork down and says, "My grandfather's name is Demitri, and my grandmother's Henrietta. Though, Mother did say once most people just called her Etta."
While the boy's eyes have gone quite large with surprise, the blood has drained from their mother's face, leaving her white as a ghost. Looking right at him now, she whispers, "How did I not see before?"
Severus, even though he's begun to suspect they are all related somehow, does not understand the Montague woman's reaction. Why does she look as if he's come back from the dead? "You've got Eileen's – Aunt Etta's – eyes exactly."
"Mother?" Sage says, confusion clear in his voice.
Now on her feet, the small woman walks around the table and takes Severus's face in her hands. "And your name… She always was partial to ones that began with S."
Feeling quite uncomfortable, he attempts to pull away. If he had known this would be her reaction to him trying to rub in her face the very Demitri and Etta she spoke of so fondly were, in fact, his grandparents he would have never said anything. In his last lifetime, he'd never tried to look for his mother's family. His mother ran away to the Muggle world for a reason, hadn't she? She never tried to go back for a reason, right? While Severus never asked, he'd always believed – hoped – the reason he spent his whole childhood afraid was because it was the lesser of two evils.
He does not know Sage's mother well enough to tell if this is some kind of act, but the tears in her eyes look unforced and her sons' faces hold enough unease that Severus leans toward this being a genuine reaction. If his mother has someone like this in the magical world, why does she stay with his father? There are so many things in his life he would not give up, because of how they shaped him, but his childhood was not one of them. And his childhood includes Lily. He would give her up in an instant if it means his childhood would not have been spent cowering against walls as his parents rowed and fearing thrashings from his father for accidental magic and fighting with the neighbor children.
In a whisper, he asks, "How are you two related, exactly?"
She finally takes her hands back to wipe away her tears. "We're second cousins on my fathers' side. But our families were very close as we grew up." She laughs. "I spent nearly half my summers home from Hogwarts minding your mother."
"Ah," Severus murmurs, not knowing what else to say.
Taking both of his hands in hers, she smiles. "Tell me, Severus, how is Eileen?"
Just as Severus is going to tell her she's just fine, an idea sparks to life in the back of his head. "Truthfully?" he starts, "Things could be better."
Thoughts? How do you like the surprise family relations this chapter?
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