June 1979
Florence finished her first semester as a healer-in-training at St. Mungus with absolute certainty that being a mediwitch was exactly what she wanted to do with her life.
Well, that and being a mum – she loved being a mum!
Everyday when she picked up the twins at the day care centre and took them home, she felt complete.
They were eight months old already and she could begin to see big differences in their personalities; James had taken completely after his father – according to Eileen looking at baby James was a walk down memory lane; while Nicholas had taken after Florence, he was calmer and more patient than his brother.
No matter how tired Florence felt, she always spent time with her sons, playing and singing and staying with them until they'd fallen sleep.
Also, not a day went by that she didn't think of their father.
Sev would be so happy to watch the boys grow bigger and cleverer day after day... and he'd be proud to see that both boys have already shown signs of having magical powers.
She smiled remembering how there was nothing that the twins couldn't reach anymore – whatever they wanted, they made it fly towards their little hands.
She laughed as she got ready for bed, glad she was able to get through the evening routine without crying.
She looked at her empty bed and thought about how family life would be with Severus by her side.
If he were here, we'd put the boys to sleep, then take a shower together and spend a couple of hours making love, no matter how early we had to wake up the next day.
She lay down on the bed and continued: I'd let my veela magic sing to him until he was completely bewitched by her siren spell, and then he'd be taken by lust and make me cum so many times...
She closed her eyes, letting out an annoyed breath as she tossed and turned in bed, knowing she had thought it too soon when she realised she hadn't cried that evening.
As the tears wetted her pillow, she searched for him through the Enchantment to make sure that he was still alive – at least she had that to console her.
August 1979
Nearly midnight
Severus Snape had found out that Albus Dumbledore would meet someone in the Leaky Cauldron that night, so Voldemort had sent him to the pub to find out whom they were and why they were meeting the headmaster.
Leaky Cauldron
Severus arrived early, sat at one corner of the long counter, and waited.
A some point he ordered a glass of firewhisky to avoid suspicion, and kept waiting for the headmaster to arrive – part of him hoping that Florence arrived with the old man since Severus had heard stories that she had been acting as Dumbledore's bodyguard lately.
He had also heard she went by a different name now: Mrs Black. But he refused to believe she'd married the mutt, the pain of accepting that would certainly kill him.
He finished his drink and saw when Dumbledore, finally, walked into the pub with her by his side.
She was wearing pants – something that meant she was there expecting trouble, for she loved her dresses.
Florence felt a familiar presence as soon as they had walked into the Leaky, and her eyes quickly found who it was.
Severus.
She frowned, finding his being there curious.
"Severus is here," she whispered to Dumbledore.
"Hm," uttered the headmaster, looking at the man by the counter, "Curious. But we're here for a simple interview," he shook his head, "Let him follow us. It'll be alright."
Florence nodded and followed the professor upstairs.
Severus saw her lean down to say something in the Headmaster's ear and the old man looked up at him then back at her and shook his head before they walked upstairs.
Maybe they weren't there on Order business. Maybe it was just something related to Hogwarts.
Either way, he had been sent there to check, the Lord wanted to know Dumbledore's every step; so Severus waited a minute and then followed them.
In the upstairs corridor, he could tell, by means of the Enchantment, inside which room Florence and Dumbledore were.
He found the room and stood by the door, but he couldn't anything at first, until a Silencing spell was removed and he was able to overhear what was being said inside:
"So I expect to see you at the castle in two days, my dear," he heard Dumbledore say.
"Of course!" a woman exclaimed, "Thank you, Headmaster!"
Inside the room, Florence stood looking at the thin sherry-scented woman with curiosity and more than a hint of disbelief.
When Dumbledore asked her to accompany him to an interview he had with a new seer for the post of Divination teacher at Hogwarts, Florence agreed for she thought it was best if the Headmaster had some back-up in case that ended up being a trap – something still possible since Severus was there too.
But the candidate herself was innocuous; a young woman named Sybil Trelawney who did somewhat well in her interview – she looked mad enough to keep the students interested in Divination.
Florence watched Dumbledore shake Trelawney's hand and removed the Silencing spell she had cast in the room.
"Bye, Miss Trelawn-" she stopped for Trelawney had grabbed Dumbledore's arm with both of her hands, her eyes rolling up and her whole body shaking as she fell into a trance.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..." Trelawney said in a weird breathy voice.
"Holly shit," Florence gasped, realising what that was, "A Prophecy."
"Born," continued Trelawney, "to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..."
Florence, who had been momentarily shook by what she was witnessing, suddenly looked at the door, sensing Severus' presence on the other side.
"Fuck," she growled, opening the door and quickly attacking him non-verbally: Everte statum.
And he flew backwards, falling at the beginning of the narrow corridor.
"Bombarda," he cast, exploding the wall near Florence to distract her enough for him to escape.
But she didn't fall for that, running after him, "Depulso!"
And Severus flew over the stairs, falling on some tables, breaking them, making the people down at the pub run scared.
He quickly stood up and attacked back: "Oppugno!" and one of the still intact tables flew fast towards Florence.
"Reducto!" she cast and the table exploded into many pieces.
Severus ran outside the pub, looking around muggle London for some alley to disapparate.
He found a place and ran, but as he was getting ready to go, Florence caught up to him.
"Expelliarmus! Accio wand!" she quickly cast, and then he was wandless, "Inanimatus conjurus," she cast next, and one big metal trash container came alive and trapped Severus against the wall.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded, walking close to him, panting.
"Word on the street was Dumbledore had a meeting in the Leaky Cauldron, I was sent there just to check with whom," he didn't lie.
Florence sighed, he had overheard part of a- possibly very important- Prophecy out of sheer luck.
"And what will you do with the small piece of information you now have?"
"That's none of you business, Delacour. Or should I call you Mrs Black?" he said scathingly.
Florence looked him in the eyes, anger and need mixing inside of her. Her veela yearning for him, but Florence wasn't as easily controlled by her hormones as she used to be.
She decided to provoke him: "Perhaps you should call me that," she said, smiling.
Severus frowned, his heart beating faster, fearing he had understood correctly, "You've got to be kidding me! You married the mangy mutt?"
"And if I did, Severus? That's none of your business!"
"I doubt he can do to you what I can," he said, his sultry voice immediately having an effect on her, "I doubt your veela sings for him as she's singing right now for me. Does he make you scream, Florence? Does he make you beg for more?"
She felt her whole body tremble at his words, her skin burning in need for his touches; but her anger took the best of her, she pointed her wand to his face, furious that he was using her feelings for him to try and control her. She silently cast:
Sectumsempra.
And Severus felt blood running down his left cheek.
"I knew it!" he laughed, not caring that half his face was covered in blood, "Admit it, Florence, you're having second thoughts!"
"You're the one who should be having second thoughts!" she barked.
Then minutes went by as they stared at each other, their minds filled by longing and need and love, both knowing that right then there was nothing that could be done to restore what they once had, no matter how strongly they yearned to have it again.
"Finite," Florence whispered, and the trash can let him go.
Severus landed on his feet, his eyes focused on her, a few feet away.
She threw his wand at his feet, and he quickly grabbed it, pointing it at her.
"Carpe retractum!" he cast and a rope of light shot out of his wand and wrapped around her, binding her arms on the sides of her body, pulling her towards him.
He wrapped his arms around her, looking into her emerald eyes with a lopsided smile.
"Do you really think this is going to hold me?" she said, looking at him with contempt, "You underestimate me, Severus."
She closed her eyes and focused on casting Incendio on the ropes, easily freeing herself and making him take a step back to avoid getting burned.
They stared at each other again for a silent moment.
"Go on then," she said, "What are you waiting for? Go and tell your Lord everything you've heard; prove to me that I was wrong when I thought you could sink no lower," she finished in a whisper before turning around to walk out of the alley.
Impedimenta, he tried to attack her once more.
"Depulso!" Florence cast, faster and more furious.
Severus flew back, hitting his head against the wall and falling to the ground, unconscious.
She quickly walked to him and kneeled down by his side.
Oh, Severus.
She caressed his face, noticing it was still bleeding from her Sectumsempra so she cast: Vulnera sanentur twice, healing it.
Then she touched his lips with her thumb, feeling tears flooding her eyes.
She brushed his hair out of his cheek, softly touching the strands between her fingers; his hair was pure black, as dark as the hairs she had at home on two little heads that should be already asleep at that time.
"Enervate," she whispered and then disapparated before he could wake up.
It took Severus a while to come to, and once he opened his eyes, he needed a moment to remember what had happened.
Slowly the memories of that night came to him: Florence, he had duelled against her and royally lost.
She had been furious at him when he rubbed in her face that he was the only man that sexually satisfied her – but he was glad to know Black didn't make her scream as he did.
He touched his face, feeling the dried blood but no wound.
She healed me.
He smiled.
But it was a short-lived smile for he suddenly remembered something else: The Prophecy.
He had only heard the beginning before Florence attacked him, but it was enough to let the Dark Lord know that someone would be born destined to kill him.
Severus stood up slowly, thinking about where he should go; he had to tell Voldemort everything he had just heard. He was an excellent occlument, but the Dark Lord was an even better legiliment, so he would discover about the Prophecy sooner or later.
It was only a matter of Severus telling him about it that night and not being tortured, or not telling him and being tortured later.
So there was no question: he had to tell him.
Even if doing that meant the death of people he cared about.
Even if it meant dying by the hands of the woman he loved.