Hogwarts
Glaring morning lights shone through the large window front. The sun was shaped like a white fireball on the horizon. Sea gulls reflected in the calm bluish-silver sea and temperatures climbed each day to summery highs.
Leonor leaned against the stove with a mug of coffee, just wrapped in a short, thin nightgown, the long hair casually across her shoulder. She watched Severus getting wood from the pile behind the house and stacking it next to the fireplace before making a fire with some billets.
"Why do you do that? It's hot outside."
Severus looked at Leonor briefly with his mind obviously somewhere else and sat on a chair watching the flames getting bigger.
"I want to check if the cottage is connected to the Floo Network. I examined the fireplace in the bedroom yesterday when you walked with Eileen, but unsuccessful. There are certainly no spells locking the place away."
Leonor sneaked over settling in his lap. He felt the soft skin of her thighs against his bare legs, the feminine curves pressed through his t-shirt. Leonor wrapped her arms around his neck and beamed.
"Let's go to the beach together and have a picnic tonight. It's extraordinary good weather," coaxed Leonor.
"Only if you go swimming," said Severus with a boyish grin.
"It is the Irish Sea, Severus, the muggles use wetsuits."
"I'm not asking to swim for hours." Severus pressed a deep kiss to Leonor's lips, tasting the coffee and smelling her perfume, the seating position a temptation.
"I'm not as brave as you," she teased.
"Well, I get us fresh fish if you join me."
"Blackmail," scolded Leonor softly. "I think about it," she said and slipped from Severus touch, who moaned slightly.
He worked hard on hiding the constant arousal; when he was alone taking a swim or a broom ride, the calculating occluded mind returned, but coming back made the desire worse every new day. Severus thought amused that he needed to get a grip on himself soon. A moment later he walked to the storeroom and took a sachet with Floo Powder from a high shelf, returned and threw a bit to the fire saying clearly 'the apothecary in Hogsmeade'. Green flames erupted and whizzed for a moment and then became quiet again.
Severus concentrated and threw powder again, holding his head, arms and wand into the flames. His upper body vanished and returned with a triumphant look on the face. Then he brushed the ash from shirt and legs and looked for Leonor.
She just changed the bedsheets, with her back to him, still in the nightgown and Eileen enjoyed the space in the large double bed. He was good at sneaking on her from behind.
"You can travel by Floo," whispered Severus and Leonor startled slightly. He pressed her shoulders softly, raining light kisses down her neck.
She giggled, "It tickles."
He just continued and croaked after a while, "Does it?"
"Yes, you are distracting me."
"Well," replied Severus firmly, pulling the night gown from Leonor's shoulders, cupping her breasts from behind, caressing them with his thumbs. "Do you want me to stop?"
"Yes," stammered Leonor and leaned back wrapping herself closer to his touch, giving away the true feelings.
Severus just grinned and placed the silk cloth back into position.
"Your choice. I'll make a trip to Hogsmeade. I just disabled the safety spells in the sales room. Do you want me to bring something?" he said while dressing in the usual black robes.
"You already got what I need. I mean the storeroom is also a lab now and even Polyjuice matures already," said Leonor matter-of-factly. "Do you think I can travel by Floo with Eileen?" she asked reflectively pulling the belt tighter around her waist.
"Let me try it first. The Floo Network is the easiest way of transport. The Knight Bus is meanwhile overheard by the conductor under the Imperius Curse," admitted Severus grudgingly.
At that moment Pauline soared through an open window and dropped the Daily Prophet to the bed, almost hitting the baby with it. Eileen flinched and began to cry.
"Nasty owl! Don't do that again!" beefed Leonor taking her daughter in the arms.
Severus snatched the scroll quickly and enrolled it.
"That's why," he said, showing the front page with his image. He looked angrily down at his own picture and read the quotation he never said himself. "Could have been worse," snarled Severus, walked to the fireplace in the kitchen and tossed the paper to the table. He had been snatched from a wonderful dream and fiercely reminded of the world outside the cottage. "I have to get going, I'll be right back."
Severus returned quickly from Hogsmeade, thin-lipped and quiet. He gave only a few letters to Leonor before mounting his broomstick and going to fly along the cliffs. Leonor hadn't noticed that he had a flask of Polyjuice in the inside pocket and a nicked long brown hair.
The mood in the afternoon appeared glum. Severus carried his daughter around as usual but spoke very little if at all. She knew by now that he needed space when situations became tense. She dreaded the thought that Severus returned to Hogwarts and their relationship became separation once again. It had been too good and not even the few short calls by the Dark Lord disturbed the happiness. They led a life without obligations in the last days — surreal, dreamlike, fabulous.
Leonor busied herself with perfecting the storeroom; it was now a decent working place. Severus brought half of the stocks from Hogsmeade to the cottage and enlarged the small room with a spell like she'd done once with the attic in the London' terrace house. It had now a decent size and Leonor wanted to start soon with delivering mail orders.
She handed Severus a tea and interrupted his brooding. They both required to face the unavoidable.
"When will you leave for Hogwarts?"
"Monday morning. There is time for Minerva to get used to the idea that I am her superior."
Leonor could tell that Severus struggled with that idea too.
"The upside is that we have two more nights," said Leonor cheerfully, "I'll pack some things for a picnic, and then we'll go down. Can you prepare Eileen?"
Her good temper seemed to cheer him up knowing well that Leonor just made the most of the remaining time. Severus did what he was asked to do, taking his time and having a longer while to reflect some more things. Leonor joined him when she was ready and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"You two are inseparably today," she opined fondly.
Eileen looked at her parents, eyes wide in joyful anticipation of the coming.
"No wonder, she looks like you," said Severus giving Leonor's shoulders a squeeze.
"Her eyes are more those of you and I think they will even get darker. Your charcoal grey colour is quite prominent already. If I remember correctly, my grandmother told me that my hair and eyes became only darker with the age and that I had auburn locks in primary school."
Severus snorted and frowned about the suggestion. Then he became stern.
"Leo, is it possible that Eileen shows already magic."
"It is. Did you notice something?"
Severus shrugged, "Our daughter appeared a bit ill-tempered when I buttoned the playsuit several times this afternoon and it took not long before it was open again."
"You, cheeky little monkey!" said Leonor, tickled Eileen's tummy and scooped her into an embrace. "Come, we go into the sun."
XXX
Leonor run fine white sand through her fingers and looked to the calm blue water. Severus stood with his feet in the wet, amber-coloured sand and the tiny waves nudged at his feet. She hesitated to follow him; she loved walking in the cool water but didn't trust the unknown flow and the steep shelving shore. He told her to be cautious and even more when Eileen started to crawl and walk. The sea was seldom so warm and calm, mostly stronger winds curled the surface and made it dangerous to swim into the open water.
"The sun's almost gone. Come now," called Severus annoyed, crossing the arms over his chest.
It wasn't fair to delay the inevitable even more. Leonor finished feeding the baby a while ago and Eileen was now fast asleep. Severus topped his cooking skills with backed potatoes from the campfire and a large grilled fish. He received the recipe from the fisherman with the cutter "Emma" and Leonor had a strange feeling that the two men liked each other, even though Severus always disguised himself with Polyjuice. It was her turn to keep the promise.
Leonor walked slowly down to Severus and couldn't suppress a loving smile. He was tall and straight, waiting impatiently for Leonor to join. Time was never boring with him as Francesco told her once. Her man was full of surprises, relaxed and with a slight suntan in the face. In such moments the worry lines vanished on the forehead and the black eyes filled with youth. She saw the other side of Severus Snape — the person that nobody knew except her and Eileen.
Leonor touched the water and it was refreshing, not too cold. She walked some more steps until the tiny waves nudged her thighs.
Severus took her hands saying quietly 'I love you'. His eyes sparkled. Leonor gently pulled him towards her. An urge to kiss him rushed inside her. She wrapped his cheeks in her hands and kissed him tenaciously, shivering slightly in the gentle wind.
"I love you too," she whispered. "I will miss you even more after the wonderful time, secluded from the world, on a private beach, enchanted by love."
Severus kept quiet for a moment, watching her eyes and body as if searching for something. He then spoke, "Time cannot erase memories. Trust me." Then he submerged momentarily and surfaced again holding out a hand, the water tripping in shining beads from the dark hair.
Leonor hesitated another moment making one more step forward and then the soft sand yielded. She had to swim; the cold water rushed her face. She squirmed in delight, a feeling of freedom covered the mind and lightness her body.
"It's like floating!" she called happily, and Severus smiled proudly.
It took him only seconds to hug Leonor and kiss her deeply. There was no reason to let her go this time.
"You've been much braver jumping to the depth of the Black Lake. It's been colder there," grinned Severus.
"— and you rescued me from Grindylows, just one of the numerous times you saved my neck," she smiled back.
Kissing and touching in the cool wet felt completely different; time stopped, and then they returned to the shore. The sun turned red and was about to dive to the sea. A summery breeze announced the evening and Leonor shivered. Severus grabbed the towel and rubbed her dry, no magic, preserving time and memory.
"Sit down," he said putting another dry towel around her shoulders. Eileen slept peacefully. He conjured a bottle of wine and filled two goblets generously. They toasted quietly, leaning shoulder to shoulder for a while, dwelling on the past days.
"It was the best summer," said Severus with a low voice. Leonor just nodded.
Then he took the wine glass out of her hand and balanced it next to him in the sand, careful not to spill it.
His tongue touched her lips, and he muttered, "You taste so good." Then he looked at her for a long time and bent over to kiss the graceful mouth, without bodily touching her. It was teasingly erotic. It wasn't just any kiss, but one of the special kinds; with lips trembling and tongue waiting patiently in its cavity inches away from contact. A kiss of longing and endlessness.
Leonor stretched on the warm sand, lying her head in Severus lap, and he just looked at her, the dark eyes filled with undying love. He wiped a stray strand of brown hair from her brow.
Leonor unclasped the bikini top with ease and waited for Severus' soft slim hands to touch her skin, then she spoke under breath, "Sleep with me."
"I don't want you to regret it. I can wait." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. The momentary shyness telling a different story.
"I don't want to let you go without," smiled Leonor with amusement. "I'll never regret a second with you."
Neither of them had to speak from that moment on. They made love in the sand with only the sea breeze and the ocean as a witness. She desired him, and she had not known passionate love before. The ferocity frightened her, she was enchanted, discovering Severus by inches as she discovered herself. The future defeated the past with all might.
XXX
At daybreak, Severus Snape landed noiseless in a small group of bushes. He checked the area thoroughly and walked towards the entrance of the Hogwarts' grounds. The lane coming from the village was deserted and the fresh morning air of the Scottish mountains covered the grass with dew. He hesitated a moment before pointing his magic wand to open the tightly closed gates. The chains rattled and unwound deliberately slow, giving grudgingly way to the unwanted new headmaster. Then the black clad man moved forward at a steadfast pace as if he did that every morning.
Severus lived in those halls for more than twenty years and it felt like an eternity. He returned despite knowing for the first time in life a better place to be than in between the draughty brickwork of the ancient building. The seven years as a student had been a lasting bullying and when he returned to teach, he'd been tested, quizzed and distrusted. Anyway, Hogwarts had been better than Spinner's End. Nobody of the former teachers or students trusted him and if it had not been for Dumbledore then he wouldn't have outlived fifteen strange years of waiting, plotting and protecting Potter's son.
Everything here was well-known; each secluded edge and every hidden stone kept no special secret. There was nothing to fear except the looks of hate in the eyes of those whom he convinced year after year of being a better man, at least in small wryly doses. And then it popped like a soap bubble! A wave of fresh self-loathing rolled towards Severus which topped even the awkward feeling as an abandoned boy. After Dumbledore's self-ordered death by Severus' hands, they were all proved correct, Lupin, Hagrid, Potter and all the others. There was no better witness than Harry Potter on the highest tower of the school to prove Snape's maliciousness.
The ancient magic worked its ministerial way giving him the powers possessed by many more rightful owners before. Severus noticed no obstacles entering the castle and walked to the Great Hall first. The powerful room with the once bewitched ceiling emanated a grey and harsh mood, oppressive silence filled the hall and the corridors. Hard, unfaltering stone replaced the magical mirror of the sky outside. Severus Snape could restore the magic, but the cold appearance of the previously homelike hall supported much better the Dark Lord's wishes. The place fulfilled no purpose of feeling good — not in a war. There was no room for sentiments or history.
The people in the portraits rushed from one frame to another, disappeared and whispered loudly when the hated new headmaster climbed the marble staircases. Some appeared again and again in another picture and peered at him like an awkward curio, and certainly all living creatures in the castle knew that Severus Snape returned before he even set a foot to the spiral staircase ascending Albus Dumbledore's office. Severus used those stairs numerous times with the old man's password and now he charmed a pure-blood phrase disguising the true alliance. The revulsion over living here for an unknown time overwhelmed Severus; it needed loads of willpower to open the door and enter an unchanged study. The familiar smell of parchment and sweets lingered in the air reminding of the old man's dignity.
All former headmasters dozed or snored in their portraits as if none of them noticed the dark-haired man observing them. Dumbledore slept orderly as everybody else and Severus certainly had no desire for useless small talk or nasty advices. Another rush of loathing filled his stomach like the one required for the 'Avada Kedavra' on the highest tower pointing at the man ruling his life for the better and trapping him with conscience. The unbearable sight of watching Dumbledore's innocent posture, pacing in between his ticking and clicking instruments and settling in that very study crept through Severus' mind like a poisoned snake. He, Severus Snape, stood his ground as expected and if he was not mistaken, he saw Dumbledore nodding in agreement. The old man's plan succeeded so far.
Severus conjured a scroll of parchment, wrote a line to it and called the elf. Hattie appeared in an instant, curtseying deeply and wringing her hands in fear. It was easy to read in the bulb like eyes that Hattie expected to be murdered or at least punished. But nothing of that happened and Severus handed her the scroll speaking quietly, "I wish to see Professor McGonagall."
The elf curtseyed in relief and disappeared with a plop. Severus sat in Albus' chair, straightened his back and expected the visitor. He didn't need to wait long until Minerva knocked, her mouth clenched and the eyes full of disappointment. She measured him and Severus lips curled in distaste.
Then he spoke without preamble, "I want the full faculty in the staff room, twelve o'clock."
Minerva just glared at him and bit her lips that it was almost amusing before turning on the heels and leaving. The door snapped shut with an irate thud.
Severus just wondered if indeed all teachers returned after the holidays; two vacancies had been enough to bring faithful pure-blood supremacists into position. He was sure that Alecto and Amycus Carrow arrived before him, eager to set a foot to the school and seize the power to satisfy their morbid lust of torture.