The usual disclaimers apply.
xx
It was, after all was said and done, a glaring match. A staring competition between him and her. It was several moments until one of Ophelia's harrumphs made both of them looking in her direction at the same time.
"The bangers are burning," she said in a little voice – and had obviously picked up on the tension between Severus and Mary.
"Oh blo...," she said in a deeper voice than usual and pulled the pan from the cooker.
"Ophelia, please go into your room for a moment," Severus said – he needed her out of the room. Needed to talk to Mary Kelly.
Idiot woman had to dig, hadn't she? Had to ask his daughter questions, had to find out. And asking why he had done it? Ridiculous.
He was, despite what everyone thought, a man. A man who had needs – albeit his ability to suppress them to a certain degree. And Trixie had been – convenient. He had been used to her – or had used her and had paid her well. She had been healthy (a quick Petrificus and a diagnostic spell had confirmed that), and she had been okay in her profession. Of course he hadn't suspected she would use him – or parts of him. And he had been angry. He had raged, he had destroyed half of his living room – but if he had known that he had created something so perfect, something so lovely as Ophelia – he wouldn't have been that angry. He would have stormed in there, had taken the newborn from her and had raised her on his own right from the start. And not leave her to lead a miserable existence, lacking love, lacking basic comforts.
He had pushed the guilt he had felt, he still felt sometimes, when his little witch talked about her life with her mother, to the back of his head and Mary Kelly dragged it right in front.
He returned his glare to her – but hers, her eyes, had softened.
"I didn't mean to put it that way, Severus," she said gently, "I just thought that you'd be nice and good-looking enough to find a wife. Not pay for – what you needed."
He was – dumbstruck. Again. She seemed to have that in her.
"Sit," she said with authority and gestured on the chair he usually took when they were eating as she took her chair. "Severus, I'm sorry," she said gently and took his hand. "I didn't mean to imply anything. I'm just surprised because I thought Ophelia's mother was, had been, your girlfriend or an affair."
"And why," he found his voice again, "does it seem to absurd to you that I have needs, Missus Kelly?"
She shook her head, rubbing her eyebrow. "It doesn't. I've been married for over 25 years, I know about male needs. But as I said, it only surprised me."
He made a sound that almost sounded like a snort. "Do you know who I am?"
"Severus Snape, loving father who always reads to his daughter, always checks on her twice before he goes to bed himself, protects her, kind person who developed a potion just for me, horrible cook, avid reader, handsome man who scowls at every customer he's ever had. Brilliant potioneer with a messy storeroom. That's what you are, that's who you are."
"I was a spy. I killed..."
"Even I in my stupor I heard of that," she interrupted him. "But that was 15 years ago," she added, throwing her hands in the air. "Do you think that some of the women who don't exactly knowing what they want when they come in, come in because of your sparkling personality or the casy interior? They come in because they need something to look at. And that's you."
"Rubbish," he replied outraged and got up.
"Rubbish? No, Severus. Not rubbish. Women like bad guys. They don't want nicely coiffed men who always say 'yes, dear' and 'of course, dear' and 'as you like, dear' and pluck their eyebrows and shave their legs. At least not most women. Some, yes, but they don't come into your shop anyway. You need to get a perspective and a bit more sun and more vegetables," she said sternly.
"You're insane and I should have never..."
"Don't you dare finishing that sentence!" she exclaimed, and she was by his side, his hands on his chest in a heartbeat, "you saved my life, Severus Snape. Maybe it I wouldn't have died today or tomorrow, but sooner or later, I would have been lying in a ditch, dead. You saved me from this and don't you dare telling me you shouldn't have taken me in. Don't you dare, Severus."
Her eyes were brimming with tears and her hands slid down his chest. She obviously had to swallow hard around the lump in her throat. She looked – hurt by what he had said.
"Don't you dare," she repeated and her voice was choked by emotion.
What exactly had happened to him in the past years, months – he didn't know. But the woman, standing close to him, her arms by her sides now, her lip between her teeth, it – touched him. Touched him seeing her fighting for her countenance.
"Sit," he said suddenly. "Ophelia's mother knew what she was doing when she conceived her," he began slowly, knowing he would have to give her a little something. He wanted to give her a little something. Wanted that woman to stay there. Ophelia loved her. And he could stand her presence. She was a big help. And she deserved to get something in return.
"She wanted a child, apparently. And had me and another – well – as potential fathers. And I got lucky. Paid for Ophelia since she had Muggle testing that proved I was her father. Until she died."
Mary nodded and she wiped her hand over her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered in a strangled-sounding voice. "Thank you for telling me."
He only nodded sharply and wasn't sure what had possessed him to do it.
xx
"Molly!" Hermione was by her son's side in a heartbeat and glared at the woman. "What are you doing here?"
"Poor boy," she cuddled Hugo further for a moment before she looked at Hermione. "Harry told us."
"Harry told you? What?," she asked – then – of course, "Oh. And why are you acting as if he's dying?"
"Hermione," John was next to her and touched her lower back gently. "Hello Molly."
"Why do you take it so calmly?" Molly shrieked.
"Why shouldn't I take it calmly?" Hermione asked – her voice getting higher as well.
"Hermione!" her mother was by her side now as well and held her arm. "Molly, maybe we should discuss this without the children present? Hermione?"
"What?" she spun around.
"Hermione take the children inside, please," Jonathan said – a stern look on his face that she had not seen in years. Two decades. Or so.
"But...," she tried to protest but her mother looked at her in the same stern way.
"Please?" she said in a low tone that Hermione recognised from when she had been a mere girl. It rather meant 'do it, or else'. She raised her eyebrows but she knew that her parents were right. Neither Hugo nor Rosie should listen to this.
"Why are you sad, gran?" Hugo suddenly asked and wriggled out of her arms.
"Because," Molly knelt on the ground to look him in the eyes, "you can't do magic. Because you're a...you're a Squib."
Hugo began to grin. First it was only a slight twitching of the corners of his mouth, then it grew and grew and grew until it was a huge, beaming, toothy grin. "But Gran Molly, that's no reason to be sad. I can be a dentist," he replied happily. "And I don't want to go to Hogwarts. Daddy said there is a Chamber and a large snake and a three-headed dog. Ophelia has a three-headed dog as a pet but Daddy said there is a real one. I don't like three-headed dogs."
Hermione couldn't hide her grin. She knew Hugo on a roll. Hugo would go on. And he wouldn't stop until someone took him away. And she had decided that she would wait a moment more – despite Rose already standing in front of her.
"And Daddy said that I have to be in Gryffindor and that only Gryffindor was a good house because all the Weasleys were in it and I don't like red and gold. I like blue and green and purple and I don't want to be a Gryffindor. And then there's Care of Magical Creatures and people get injured there and the carriages are pulled by things that you can only see when you've seen death and I don't know what that is and if I've seen it or not and I don't want to go there. I want to be a dentist like Granny and Grandad. I don't want to be an auror. And Daddy thinks I should be an auror. I can't do this because I can't do magic," he shrugged but still grinned at his paternal grandmother. "I want to go to school here and learn all about teeth!" he shouted the last bit.
Molly seemed shocked – and sat back on her heels.
"Hugo, come on," she interrupted and picked him up, holding him in her arms, "You can fix Teddy's teeth, okay?"
"Will I see Gran Molly later?" Hugo asked as Hermione carried him away – Rose following them after waving at her grandmother.
"I don't know, sweetie," she replied and knew that she would get outside as soon as possible again.
xx
Ophelia was very careful. She usually never got send to her room but this seemed very earnest. Daddy and Mary had never really glared like this at one another. Not this evilly and she really wanted to keep both Daddy and Mary. Together. She liked Mary. She was a good almost-Granny and she was always good for a cuddle, just like Daddy but they were different and she liked both varieties. No, they were not allowed to fight.
Mary had to stay and she knew Daddy. Daddy had a temper. And Daddy sometimes did things that he didn't really want to do – she knew that too. She had to make Mary stay and so she carefully peeked into the kitchen where they sat, together, at the table and it didn't look like they were fighting. Mary was crying. And Daddy had his hand on her arm and she thought she saw him moving his fingers only a little – they way he did when she was sad and had to be consoled and she knew that this almost always worked.
But Mary was crying! Why was she crying?
Ophelia was torn – going in and consoling her and giving away that she had not stayed in her room or not going in and not consoling her?
"You can come in, Ophelia," Daddy said a moment later while she still pondered. And wondered why Daddy always knew she was somewhere. She usually walked so quietly – and especially now that she only wore her tights and socks over them to keep her feet warm and that didn't make any noise. But Daddy always knew. Somehow.
"Mary, why are you crying?" she asked concernedly and skidded in her socks to Mary's side and scrambled, with difficulty, on her lap and flung her arms around her neck. Immediately, Mary's arms tightened around her as well and she couldn't see anything but Mary's dress any more.
"It's okay, Mary," she whispered into that. "You don't have to cry. Daddy and I will take care of you."
"You already have, sweetheart," she replied and Ophelia felt her nose pushed into her hair. "You still do. Wouldn't know what I'd do without you and your Daddy."
Ophelia smiled and shifted a little sideways to look at Daddy – and he looked at both of them – almost tenderly. She winked, or tried to wink, and had to scrunch up half of her face in order to do it (it was hard!) but Daddy understood and winked back (without scrunching up his face – how did he do that?) and she knew that Mary was safe here and that they would continue to take care of her – she could lean back calmly.
xx
He strongly disliked hysterical women. He had known some girls, women, during his time at school and Uni. Some patients. And hysterical women were the most annoying things in the world. He had been lucky with both Jude and Hermione – both of them were only mildly hysterical. And only when the occasion called for it.
This however, this woman standing there, was hysterical. And why? Because her grandson could not do magic. What a silly, hysterical woman. Really. Just because Hugo was happy not doing it.
"Did you plant that in his head?" she had shrieked and had glared at both of them. He had remained silent – and had put his hand on Jude's back – and she was quiet now as well. He would try to reason but to reason with hysterical women – might as well wrestle with a lion. Or a rhinoceros. Or try to reach the North Pole barefoot and in boxers. Or – well – enough.
He would still try.
"Molly, please calm down," he said gently and took a step towards her. "Hugo is four years old. He doesn't understand all of it now. And to burden him now, to tell him that it is oh-so-sad that he can't do magic will seriously damage him."
"Bu..but..."
"No, Molly, I mean it. I know you think we have to discuss this – and maybe we do – but you're beside yourself because you're shocked and in no state to calmly talk about it. Besides, I honestly think that Arthur and Ron and Hermione should be here too."
She seemed startled – very startled but after a moment, nodded. "Yes," she said voicelessly. "I will owl."
John nodded and from the corner of his eye, he saw his wife smile gently and nod – and Molly apparated away – just as sudden as she had come.
"Thank you, John," Jude said softly and he turned and hugged her.
"She's right though," he replied, softly in her ear, "Poor Hugo for having a family that will think he's disabled just because he can't do magic."
She chuckled and lay her head against his chest. "Just make sure Hermione owls Snape before the Weasleys come here."
He chuckled as well and pressed a kiss on top of her head. "I will. He has to be there and scare them a little."
xx