December 1996
Snapes' family home
The day after Christmas, Florence spent her evening in the downstairs lab, brewing alone, her hair up in a bun and her blood boiling in anger just like the Wiggenweld Potion in the cauldron in front of her.
She had spent a few hours in Hogwarts earlier that day, where she'd cared for Katie Bell. The girl hadn't woken up yet, but at least was showing promising signs of improvement.
Meanwhile, Severus had been helping Prof. McGonagall interview everybody who had been inside the Three Broomsticks on the day Katie got cursed.
And who was the owner of that pub? Cassiopeia Rosmerta, the damned bitch.
Florence heard the lab door being opened and knew it was her husband arriving.
Severus walked into the lab and closed the door, slowly walking down the stairs.
"Evening, love." He smirked, sensing her irritation and knowing the reason for that without needing to ask.
"How is Cassie?" Florence asked, bitterly.
"Oh, Cassie is recovering just fine." He repeated the name just to annoy his wife. "We were able to found out that Draco cast an Imperius curse on Cassie," He said the woman's name again and Florence narrowed her eyes at him. "And she was the one who cast an Imperius on Miss Bell. The plan was to have the girl give the necklace's package to Filch, saying it was from Cassie, thus going around Albus's Secrecy Sensor and the Castle's own protections against curses."
Florence growled: "Say her name again and I'll hex you."
He just chuckled, removing his coat.
"Such a stupid plan," Florence commented. "It proves that Draco is indeed nothing more than a child."
"He's getting desperate, Florence. And that makes the boy dangerous, child or not."
She just made a sound in agreement, her back still turned to him; anger and jealousy coming off of her in waves through their bond.
Severus removed his sweater and walked towards her.
"I bet your eyes are as light as the jade in your necklace." He said softly, stopping behind her, his body flush against her back; he kissed her neck, slowly, making her tremble. "You're so angry, love."
"You bet your ass I am angry!" She growled.
He kissed the other side of her neck, biting lightly at the curve of her shoulder.
"You know I'm all yours." He whispered.
"But that bitch likes to ignore that! I bet she needed your help during the interview, and that she tripped and fell into your arms! My veela can smell her in your clothes! She rubbed against you!" she ended, accusingly.
"Well, you are right in all accounts."
Florence stopped mixing the potion, too angry to focus. For the first time in years her veela was trying to take control over her – Need to prove he's mine – she heard her growl in her mind.
Severus forced Florence to turn around, his arms around her waist, holding her tight against his body.
"Ah, there they are," he whispered. "The light-green eyes of danger..." he licked her lips, sucking on her bottom one.
Florence moved her hands under his shirt, caressing his abs, going up to his chest, as he invaded her mouth with his tongue and his hands unfastened his own jeans.
He stopped the kiss to take his own shirt off and to pull her sweater off. She bit her bottom lip at the delicious sight of him shirtless with his pants unfastened.
"Like what you see?" Severus asked teasingly.
She nodded and rubbed against him, her veela needing to have his lips on her skin, her scent on his body and his cock inside of her.
He smirked again, "Such dirty thoughts, princess."
She unhooked her own bra and his eyes were immediately attracted to her hard nipples. "Who is having dirty thoughts now, professor?"
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, walking her to an empty space on the long worktable, making her sit there, kissing her lips again, his tongue caressing hers, slowly, making her whimper into his mouth.
Next, Severus lowered his head to her neck and Florence arched against him, offering her body for his attack. His teeth rasped over her neck, biting her as he pinched both her nipples.
She gasped, "I need you, Sev. Now!"
He slid her sweatpants down her legs, caressing her thighs on the way down. Then he bent his head and captured one hard nipple into his mouth, hearing her moan softly. He sucked hard, his tongue stroking and licking, his teeth biting hard.
Florence fisted a hand in his hair, wrapping her legs around his waist and trying to pull him closer, needing some friction between her legs.
"Sev, I need-"
"I know what you need." he interrupted, pushing her backwards until she was lying on the table, then he ripped her knickers apart and lowered his head between her legs, sliding his hands beneath her ass to hold her hips in place. Locking his gaze with hers, he licked her entrance, slowly.
Florence arched her back and closed her eyes, knowing he was going to torture her for long minutes, for he loved eating her up.
"Don't tease me, Sev." She begged. "Fuck me."
He held her hips firmly, then he speared his tongue into her and she moaned loud, letting him know he was hitting her g-spot. He repeatedly stuck his tong into her, licking her like a favourite ice cream. Her moans increasing, her pussy clenching and he worked his tongue on her faster and then he sucked on her clit.
She screamed his name as she orgasmed, her pussy contracting, begging to be filled. He pushed his pants down, stroking his hard cock, feeling powerful as that sexy woman still shivered in pleasure, sprawled on the table in front of him, fully naked, while he still had his pants on. After a few handstrokes, he poised his dick at her entrance, held her hips down firmly, and penetrated her to the hilt in one single thrust.
Florence moaned his name, her nails biting into his arms, her back arched, her head thrown back. She looked absolutely delicious, so sexy, her pussy hot and dripping wet.
"Fuck, you're so fucking gorgeous!" he groaned, bending his head to her nipples, sucking on one then the other, as he moved slowly and hard inside her.
Florence jerked her hips, trying to make him fuck her faster.
"No." he gripped her hips harder, stopping her moves. "I'll do this slowly, I want to feel your body." his voice sexy, filled with desire in her ear, his hands holding her down, his mouth sucking her nipples occasionally. "I love to have you under to me, mine to pleasure, mine to fuck." He sucked one hard nipple. "You, screaming and cumming, my cock deep inside your fucking delicious pussy." He kept his deep and slow thrusts.
"No!" she moaned. "How can you possibly want me to take it slowly…" she was gasping for air. "When you keep talking like that..." a moan escaped her lips. "Fuck me harder!" she demanded, rolling her hips, taking him deeper.
Severus groaned, tightening his hands at her hips to make her stop; but she pulled him forwards with her legs, forcing his cock even deeper inside her. Then she flexed her channel around his dick and he lost all control.
"You asked for it, princess." he growled, pulling her hips off the edge of the table and slamming into her, beginning a demanding rhythm that had the worktable shaking, cauldrons risking spilling their contents – but the couple didn't care.
"Yes!" she shouted, holding on to his back, feeling his strong muscles flexing beneath her hands as he impaled her mercilessly, making her scream while he grunted.
It wasn't the slow love-making he wanted; it was the wild, hard, deep fuck she needed.
He fucked her, dominating her body, making her cry out his name in absolute pleasure. His lips on her neck, on her nipples, biting, sucking on them, while he drove his cock inside of her with furious thrusts.
Florence couldn't stop the loud scream that was ripped from her throat when another strong orgasm took over her body and her walls clamped around his dick, milking him. He groaned against her breasts, his dick as deep as possible inside of her clenching pussy and he filled her up with cum, feeling it overflow her tight channel and drip out of her.
"Fuck, princess." He grunted, kissing her lips slowly and wetly.
Minutes passed with them like that, slumped on the table, gasping for air, kissing, covered in sweat, his dick still inside her.
Florence caressed his hair, sighing in contentment, her body sated and her veela under control.
"Love to hear that." He whispered.
"Hear what?" she whispered.
"A low satisfied humming from your veela when you're thoroughly fucked." He let his dick slip out of her channel.
"I don't hear a thing." Florence yawned and shook her head.
"So I guess it's just for me." He smiled, helping her sit up on the table. "I love you, Flor." He caressed her face.
"I love you, Sev. And you're mine!" she ran her hands down his hard sweaty chest.
He chuckled, "All yours, princess."
He kissed her lips again and Florence transfigurated her sweater into a dress, before they assessed the spillage they had caused.
Then they heard the door being opened and James shouting: "IN THE LAB? Ain't no place sacred to you?" and he quickly left, slamming the door shut.
Severus snorted: "As if he could judge us. Granger's back has yet to hit a mattress."
Florence laughed: "Why do you say that?"
"The library? My lab at the castle? I doubt he's ever introduced her to a soft surface."
Florence shrugged: "We're kinky – figures our kids would be too."
"Aaand this conversation has officially ended." Severus said.
Florence shook her head, knowing her husband had no qualms commenting on the twins' romantic lives, but if the subject even tried turning towards their third kid – that was the end of it.
A couple of days later, Severus received information that a big attack on the Order was being organized by the death eaters. For that reason, four nights after Christmas, Florence found herself back at the Burrow for a meeting; but she went alone this time, for Severus had been summoned by her father.
The meeting was supposed to be brief, but as Florence was telling them about the possible attack, she noticed Remus stiffening and walking to the window.
"What's wrong, Moony?" she asked.
And he whispered: "There's someone out there."
She went to the window, opening the bottom sash and looking around the dark grounds, trying to sense something and then she whispered: "Yes. Death eaters. I can sense them. Just three, do you agree?" she asked Remus.
He smelled the air and growled: "Yes. Three."
Florence turned around, being as discreet as possible, "Be ready to defend this place and protect yourselves."
Suddenly an explosion outside had them all running to the door; Florence, Tonks and Remus taking the lead.
As soon as they reached the yard, the death eaters cast a ring of fire around the house and ran into the tall wheat field.
Then they heard a very unique deranged laughter followed by: "I killed Sirius Black!"
"Bellatrix." Florence whispered to Remus.
"I'll get her!" Harry shouted, suddenly running into the wheat maze.
"NO! Harry!" Florence called. "Fucking teenagers!"
"I'll go after him!" Remus said, running after the boy.
"Harry!" Shouted Ginny running after him.
"No! Ginny!" shouted Arthur Weasley.
"Bloody stupid teenagers!" Florence shouted before casting: "Ignis furia!" And a powerful snake-like fire burst out of her wand, covering all the fire around the house quickly, and being put out just as fast as it had been created.
"That was freaking amazing!" exclaimed Tonks, impressed be Florence's quick thinking and power.
"Thanks." Florence smiled, using her recent discover that she could connect with the Dark Mark to see if she could sense the location of the three death eaters – without casting the Mark on herself; and she found out she could.
"There's one to the left here." She said.
And the Weasley twins went after that one with their father.
Florence and Tonks ran after Harry, Ginny and Remus, finding them in an opening in the middle of the field and circling the teenagers protectively.
"C'mon, Bella." Florence taunted the female death eater. "Let's have some fun like the last time we met."
After a moment of silence they all saw Bellatrix going up into the sky in a cloud of black smoke and then a second shadow did the same – both black clouds moved fast towards the house.
"They'll attack the building!" Shouted Tonks.
And they all ran back towards the Burrow just in time to see everyone had got out of the house before the three death eaters started to damage it.
"They'll destroy it!" cried Molly.
"No, they won't." Florence growled, casting a spell she had developed and tested on her own husband: "Mosmordre expulsare!"
And a large skull with a snake tongue appeared in the sky, suddenly sucking the death eaters into its mouth and forcing them to disapparate.
Everyone stopped and looked at her, completely surprised and even a bit frightened.
She quickly cast a protection and cloaking spell on the house and allowed herself to relax.
"How the fuck can you cast that?" asked Remus.
She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, making him remember he was the only one there who knew the answer to that.
"I just adapted the regular skull-snake conjuring spell. Those with the Dark Mark are taken to the last place they had been before apparating here. It's a harmless spell, unfortunately."
"It's brilliant!" exclaimed George. "I don't know how you did that but... if you hadn't, we wouldn't have a house anymore. So thanks."
"Don't mention it." Florence replied, smiling. "Now, let's fix what they managed to destroy, shall we?"
Then everybody joined forces to fix the Burrow, but Harry and the others glanced at Florence from time to time, a flicker of fear in their eyes.
January 1997
Just as Florence had predicted, the curse inside Dumbledore's body was spreading, making him sicker week after week.
One night, a cold night by the end of January, the Headmaster invited himself for dinner at the Snapes' safe-house.
Florence and Severus, of course, agreed to him joining them – the kids adored the old Headmaster.
Florence apparated to the safe-house and walked in, finding Elizabeth sitting alone in the living room, staring at the flames in the fireplace, a closed book on her lap.
"Hey, baby-girl. Where's Chris?" She sat beside her daughter, finding it strange that the boy wasn't around, he was always around his sister. Then she noticed Liz hadn't even noticed she was there. She touched Elizabeth's arm. "Hey, Liz. Are you ok?"
Elizabeth jumped in surprise, "Oh! Hi, mom. Chris is in the shower." she smiled softly and shook her head, "I'm not sure I'm feeling ok though..." her voice low. "Sometimes, like just now, I feel strange, angry, sad... for no reason. It's like these feelings aren't even mine! I just... suddenly feel them."
Florence nodded, quickly realizing what was happening. "It's your bond to... to him." She avoided saying Draco's name. "Even apart, the Enchantment strengthens that connection. It happened to your dad and me." She held Liz's hand, worried. "Draco is... not well. Those feelings are certainly coming from him. What you can try to do is send him good thoughts back. Maybe some nice dreams."
Elizabeth looked at her mother as if she'd gone crazy. "Good thoughts? Nice dreams?" she repeated. "He hurt me! Sent me that awful letter – in case you don't remember! I'm not sending him good and nice anything!"
"Alright. I understand, love. You're right. But..." Florence exhaled. "You know your father made the same stupid choice he did. Your boyfriend's reason at least was noble."
Liz frowned, "Why noble?"
"Severus did it for money. Draco did it to keep his mother safe – well, also a little bit for glory – but mostly to save Cissy."
Elizabeth looked at her, confused. "Why are you defending him all of a sudden?"
"I pity him, baby. He's miserable, losing weight, doing stupid things, hurting himself and others..." she paused. "If you clean your mind before sleeping, and focus on your connection, you may share a dream and you could talk to him."
"Was that possible between you and dad?"
Florence blushed. "Yes. We had many... shared dreams."
The girl snorted, "I can clearly imagine the kind of dream you two shared."
Florence looked at her with a smile, "Well, yes, but don't go having any ideas! Just because you'll be dreaming, it doesn't mean you're not only fourteen!"
Liz rolled her eyes. "Whatever, mom. I have to much to talk to him before even thinking of kissing him."
"That's what you say now... but the moment you see him... the Enchantment will make you crave him." She whispered before kissing her forehead. "Be careful, baby-girl. I love you."
"Love you, mom." She hugged Florence tightly.
A while later
After showering and getting dressed, Florence went to the room Sophie and Liz shared, and found Eileen dressing up her youngest daughter.
"Have Nick and Jamie arrived, godmother?"
"No, dear. They haven't returned from Diagon Alley yet. Liz and Chris are in the library, Severus sent a few wands for him to try and he's very excited to have his own wand."
"I know. And Dumbledore sent them some new books from Hogwarts too." said Florence, taking Sophie in her arms.
"Mommy kisses!" and she wetly kissed Florence's face.
"Love you, baby." She replied, smiling and holding her closely, reveling in the feel and scent of her youngest daughter. "Let's go downstairs to wait for daddy and Dumbledore?"
"Yay! Daddy!!" Sophie clapped happily.
Severus and the headmaster were already in the living room when Florence, Sophie and Eileen reached the last step of the staircase.
"Daddy!" shouted Sophie, jumping into her father's arms.
Florence kissed her husband, greeting Dumbledore next: "Evening, Headmaster."
"Hello, my dear."
And then they heard shouts coming from the small library room.
"This is it!" Christopher shouted, running into the living room. "My wand! I've got my own wand!"
"That's great, honey!" exclaimed Florence, hugging him. "Can I see it?"
"Yes, mom. Here." He gave her his wand.
"Cypress, twelve inches."
"Cypress?" asked Dumbledore, impressed. "That's a very special wood wand, little Christopher. Wands of cypress choose as owners the bravest wizards, the fearless ones, who are unafraid to confront the shadows in their own and others' natures." The headmaster reached out to get the boy's wand from Florence's hand and analysed it closely. "Nicely flexible, and has a Phoenix feather as its core. Very very interesting combination. You only rivals with your mother's wand in terms of uniqueness."
"What's your wand mom?" Chris asked, getting his wand back from Dumbledore.
"Hawthorn, eleven and a half inches, dragon heartstring, unyielding." She said.
"Completely unyielding." Added Severus, teasingly.
She narrowed her eyes at her husband.
Dumbledore smiled at them, "Gregorovitch made yours, right, Florence?"
"Yes, Dumbledore."
"Hawthorn makes contradictory wands," Dumbledore continued, explaining her wand to Liz and Chris. "As full of paradoxes as the tree that gave them birth. The Hawthorn's leaves and blossoms have healing properties, but its cut branches smell of death. Complex and intriguing in their natures, just like the owners who best suit them. Hawthorn wands are particularly suited to healing magic, but they are also adept at curses, and are not easy to master."
"And that perfectly describes you, my love." Severus whispered, before kissing Florence.
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Tell me about mine, please, uncle Albus!" asked Elizabeth, handing him her wand.
He held her delicately carved creamy-white wand. "Ah, spruce – called by many wandmakers the difficult wood. The spruce wand is told to have its own ideas about what magic it ought to be called upon to produce. It's match is a bold spell-caster; spruce is intensely loyal to its owner and capable of producing particularly beautiful and dramatic spells." He touched it some more and turned it in his hands. "Veela hair, eleven inches, pliable. A very elegant and feminine wand, Miss Liz."
"Thanks, uncle Albus." She put her wand back into her pocket.
"What's dad's wand?" asked Chris, finding that talk fascinating.
That one Florence began answering: "Blackthorn, fourteen inches, dragon heartstring, just a little pliable."
"Ah, yes." Said Dumbledore. "A very dangerous and powerful wand, your dad has. A wand of warriors. The blackthorn bush produces its sweetest berries after the hardest frosts, and the wands made from this wood seem to need to pass through danger or hardship with their owners to become truly bonded. Given this condition, the blackthorn wand will become as loyal and faithful a servant as one could wish." He smiled at the Snape couple. "Funny enough both blackthorn and hawthorn are very similar bushes in the wild, usually confounded when not covered in black sloes and red berries."
"Aww, that's so romantic." Said Elizabeth. "Mom and dad's wands complement each other!"
"Perfectly so, I'd say." Added Dumbledore.
Florence laid her head on her husband's arm.
"What are Nick's and James' wands?" Chris wanted to know.
And Florence replied: "Nicholas' is made of alder wood, dragon heartstring, fourteen inches, unyielding."
"Interesting." Said Dumbledore, impressed. "Alder wands are stubborn, obstinate, but often helpful; however, while most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. So the wizard who is chosen by the alder is usually comprehensive, helpful, and agreeable."
"Sounds a lot like Nicky." Nodded Chris. "And what about Jamie's?"
Then Severus spoke: "Yew wand, fourteen and a half inches, dragon heartstring, surprisingly flexible."
"A rare wand, yew makes." Explained Dumbledore. "It's got a particularly dark and fearsome reputation in the spheres of duelling and curses. Some say those who use yew wands are more likely to be attracted to the Dark Arts, which is untrue. The wizard best suited to a yew wand tends to be a fierce protector of others – the wand itself, when buried with its owner, generally sprouts into a tree guarding the dead owner's grave. It's a highly appropriate wand for a firstborn." He added.
"It's interesting how mom's, dad's and the twins' wands are all the same core." Said Christopher.
Dumbledore nodded, "Interesting, yes, but not surprising. The surprising is how yours and your sister's have different cores."
"That's such a cool subject!" Exclaimed Chris, very interested. "I'll certainly read more about it!"
"That's great, son." Said Severus.
Then Melody appeared at the kitchen door. "Dinner is served, Master."
Where are the twins? Severus asked Florence as they sat at the table.
No idea. Eileen said they went to Diagon Alley.
He sighed, worried.
"I'll send them a Patronus." She said, kissing him and going to the library for a moment.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Central London
Two teenagers were running like crazy through the narrow alleys – a pack of five werewolves chasing them.
"We're lost, you imbecile!" shouted James.
"But we're still alive, moron!" Nicholas shouted.
"Keep running!" exclaimed James. "We have to reach your boyfriend's place!"
"Let's find a hidden place and disapparate!"
And so they did, appearing in a blink of an eye right in front of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes shop in Diagon Alley and beginning to knock hard on the door.
"Open the door!" James shouted, his wand pointing at the second floor window. "Lumos maxima."
One of the red-haired twins appeared in the illuminated window.
"What's…?" then he looked down. "James, Nicholas? Wait a minute, guys!"
Less than a minute later the front door was opened and they ran in.
"Close the door!" James ordered as they entered the dark jokeshop.
"Let's go upstairs." Invited George.
And they walked upstairs to the Weasleys' apartment.
"What happened to you?" asked Fred, hugging and kissing his boyfriend, noticing he was gasping for air.
"Death Eaters." Nicholas answered, panting. "Werewolves. Both."
George gave each of them a glass of water and asked: "What were you two doing out at this late hour, dudes? You know it's dangerous times we're living!"
"We were coming here but we saw a gathering of five men at the square and we-"
"WE?" shouted Nick. "There's no WE! You're the one that had the brilliant idea to follow those guys!"
"What guys? The werewolves?" asked George, frowning. "Why would you follow werewolves?"
"I wasn't sure they were werewolves..." James said. "The death eaters are attacking in groups now, they call themselves Snatchers. They kidnap, torture, rape and murder whoever they find wandering at night."
"Lovely." Said Fred ironically. "And you thought: why not follow them?"
"James thought we could stop them ourselves." Growled Nicholas.
"And we could! But you ran!"
Nick stopped right in front of his brother and pushed him.
"Did you want them to take a good look at us, James? Is that what you wanted? You know that would only bring more problems for our family! One good look at your stupid mug and they'd know!"
George was about to ask them something when a Patronus wolf appeared inside the room.
"Where are you?" asked the wolf in a female voice. "If you're not dead, you better come home as soon as you get this message!" the wolf stopped talking but remained there, looking at the two black-haired boys with reproachful eyes.
"I suppose this is your mother's Patronus." said George, pointing at the wolf.
The dark-haired twins nodded.
"Wait! I know that voice." Fred looked at his boyfriend. "Yes. It has to be! You even have her eyes! You two are Mediwitch Delacour's sons!"
Nicholas shook his head, ready to deny it, but his brother opened his mouth first:
"Yes." Confirmed James, under the reproachful gaze of his brother.
"The hot healer?" Asked George, looking at his twin.
"I'd appreciate if you refrained from calling our mother 'hot'." Grimaced Nicholas.
"Not to mention, our father would have your heads if he heard you say that." James added.
"Your father..." George looked at them and suddenly realized. "Holy fuck! So the rumours are true? Snape does have a fling with the healer!"
"It's more than a fling." Confirmed James. "They are married."
"And I'm not sure you should be telling them any of this!" shouted Nicholas, looking angrily at his twin.
"What will they do? They don't even study at Hogwarts anymore!" James said dismissively.
"We get it. It's a secret." Said Fred, looking at his boyfriend. "You really look like your father. It's fine, I've always had a crush on professor Snape, it figures I'd fall for his son."
Nicholas grimaced, "I really didn't need to know that."
Fred chuckled and kissed him briefly.
"We won't tell anyone. Don't worry." Said George.
"About Fred's crush or our parents?" asked James, laughing.
"Neither." Said George, joining his friend in laughter.
"We'd better disapparate." said Nick, looking at his boyfriend, "If you don't hear from me in the next couple of days, it's probably because we're grounded." He kissed Fred once more and disapparated home with James.
Florence and Severus said goodnight to their younger kids and left the safe house a little after ten, going to their house in Hogsmeade.
They entered the house and didn't hear any sounds.
"Tiffany!" Florence called.
The elf quickly appeared. "Mistress Florence."
"Are Nick and Jamie home?"
"No, Mistress." Tiffany shook her head, seeming worried.
"Damn it." Cursed Severus. "I'll go after them."
Florence just nodded, too tired to spend the night wondering about their whereabouts. She walked with her husband to the backyard door, and then they heard the sound of two people apparating and could see them walking across the yard towards the house.
"Get in! Now!" Florence shouted at them. "What the fuck happened?"
"Snatchers followed us." Nicholas answered.
"Did they take a good look at you two?" Severus asked, closing the door.
"No." the twins answered together.
"They saw us running but never got close enough." said James.
"We hid at Fred and George's. But..." Nicholas hesitated.
"What is it, Nick?" Florence asked, sensing something bad had happened.
"James told them the truth about you being our parents and married! I never mentioned anything to Fred, but this moron just blurted it all out!" he pushed his brother.
"Who are you calling a moron?" James shouted pushing him back, angrily.
"You like to pretend you're the strong one," replied Nicholas, "But you're just a big coward, James!"
James punched his brother's face and they fell onto the floor, fighting and shouting at each other.
Florence looked at her husband. "What will we do?"
"Stop them from killing each other would be a good beginning." He pointed at their sons fighting on the floor.
"Let them at it. Then we'll only have one of them to deal with." She sat on the sofa, thinking about the huge risk her kids had run that night; Snatchers and werewolves had followed them. They could've been captured, tortured, killed.
While she thought about the consequences of what James had told the Weasleys, Severus grabbed James by his shirt and pushed him away from his brother.
"Enough of this!" he shouted at them. "Why did you have to tell the Weasleys anything, James?"
"Mom sent a Patronus." James explained. "They recognized her voice. Adding our looks to Hogwarts' gossip that you've been banging the hot mediwitch for years, it wasn't hard for them to reach that conclusion."
"Watch your mouth!" Severus growled at his son.
"I only confirmed their suspicions."
"Did you consider saying 'no'?" asked Severus.
"I-I just..."
"You just what James? You just had to be the smart-ass and shock your brother's boyfriend with that little piece of news?" Severus was furious, "You two know things are about to become even harder for our family! Your grandma and younger siblings are hidden in a safe-house while the four of us live here in Hogsmeade for a reason! We didn't break our family apart for the fun of it!"
"Tell us why then! What's going to happen?" shouted James.
Florence, still at the sofa, looked at her husband. "Severus. Don't."
He hesitated.
Nicholas decided to speak, "Dad, mom's summoning Death Eaters, you're having breakfast and lunches with the Dark Lord; however you're both members of the Order of Phoenix and Dumbledore still comes for dinner at our house." He paused. "Which side are we really on, dad?"
"Yeah, should we just go to Little Hangleton and bend the knee to grandpa?" asked James, arrogantly.
That had Florence jumping from the sofa and running towards him, "Feeling brave tonight, aren't you, James? Revealing family secrets, fighting your brother, bad-mouthing your mother, making jokes about working for my father." She wasn't shouting, her voice was low and terrifying.
Severus shivered and Nicholas just looked at her, equally scared.
"So you think you deserve to know what is going to happen?" she asked.
"Yes!" James kept on the brave façade. "We are all paying the price for whatever it is you and dad have to do. I want to know!"
"It seems being a stupidly brave teenager is an hereditary trait after all." Severus said, making Florence chuckle. "I must apologize for passing that on."
Tell them, Severus, as straightforward as possible. She said through their bond.
He glanced at her, feeling her certainty, so he spoke: "I'll kill Dumbledore in a few months."
The twins just stared at him. Nicholas was shocked into speechlessness, but James laughed:
"That's hilarious, dad. You'll kill Dumbledore! Right! Look, if you don't think we deserve to know the truth-"
"That's the truth." Florence interrupted him. "We are at war, James, Dumbledore is cursed and dying. My father wants the old Headmaster gone, so Severus will kill him before August."
"And if I don't, I'll die. For I made an Unbreakable Vow." added Severus.
The teenagers looked at their parents, fear beginning to fill up their bodies as they realized all that would happen once their father killed their Uncle Albus.
"We are at the eye of the storm, James." Florence continued. "We are both playing double agents and your father's head is about to be worth millions; once he kills Dumbledore, the Order will hunt us. And you just let Fred know you're his son. And I... as the gossip goes... I've been fucking Severus for years."
The twins remained silent.
"Still feeling brave, Jamie?" Florence asked derisively.
He shook his head, "I'm sorry I told the Weasleys... I-I shouldn't have."
"No, you shouldn't." Agreed Severus. "Now, I don't have to tell you that none of what was said tonight should leave this house, do I?"
"Does Dumbledore know?" Nicholas asked.
"Yes." Florence answered. "It is his plan we are following."
The twins just nodded, noticing how tired their mother looked.
"So you'll be working to destroy grandfather from the inside." Said James.
"Yes." Severus said, wrapping an arm around Florence's waist.
And she added: "Publicly, we'll be supporting him."
"Wait... what will happen to our relationships?" Nicholas asked, suddenly realizing the repercussions.
Florence scoffed. "You're dating a blood-traitor and your brother a mudblood. What do you think will happen?"
The twins looked at her in shock, they had never heard her speak about their partners like that.
"That's not what I think of Hermione and Fred – and you know it!" Florence rolled her eyes. "But that's how my father thinks. And Fred and Hermione are already in great danger for being the family and the best friend of Harry Potter."
"But... they will hate us!" said James, frowning.
"Probably. Yes." Florence confirmed, her anger with all that situation taking over her. "Oh, you're heartbroken? Welcome to the club." She said sarcastically.
Nicholas shook his head, his green eyes filling up with pain and hopelessness.
But James was staring at Severus, just as furious as his mother. "We're going to lose our partners because of your choices!"
"To quote your mother: welcome to the club." Severus bitterly said. "We were separated during the first war – but we found our way back to each other. You will too. Both Granger and Weasley will be too busy with the war anyway."
The twins silently looked at them.
I hate this, man! James told his brother.
I don't like it either! But look at them. They've been through this before, they lost eachother and all their friends the first time and now they're having to fight the same fight again. We'll have to stay away from Fred and Hermione for a while, yes, but... honestly, James, will they even want us after they learn who our grandfather is?
James gulped. I hope so.
So do I, but we can't be sure. And that's not something we can change, you know. War or no war, we'll always be the Dark Lord's grandsons.
James just nodded and lowered his head, going upstairs without another word.
Nicholas turned and followed his brother.
Florence touched her head to her husband's chest, breathing in his scent and finding comfort in his warmth.
"Do you think we did right by telling them?" she asked.
"I believe so, yes." murmured Severus. "They shouldn't have told the Weasleys though. That could put you in even more danger, after I kill Albus."
"I can handle the Order."
"I know you can." He whispered, holding her close. "I'm afraid I have one more thing to tell you, love."
"What is it?" she looked up at him.
"Dumbledore told me something before he left tonight. Something about Harry."
Florence frowned, "What? What happened to Harry?"
"Nothing. Yet. But all that we've been doing to keep the boy alive is just... just so that he can die at the right moment." He caressed her face, knowing she'd be very upset by that.
"What are you talking about, Severus?"
"Harry must die in the end."
"I understood that." She replied harshly. "I want to know why."
"Your father's made seven horcruxes that we know of, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, Harry is the eighth. Your father doesn't know about it. But as long as Harry is alive, a part of your father's soul will keep on living too."
Florence gasped. "Neither one can live while the other survives." She quoted a piece of the Prophecy. "And that's why Harry can enter his mind!" suddenly she realized something else: "Wait. He entered Nagini's mind a while ago!"
"He did!" Severus realized what she was saying: "Nagini's also a Horcrux! That's why your father has been keeping her even closer than he used to!"
"And it's because of father that Harry's a Parselmouth!" she added.
Severus nodded. "Yes. I told Dumbledore that we'll find a way to make sure that Harry lives in the end; that we won't let him die."
"And we won't." Florence agreed.
He exhaled heavily: "But I haven't come to any solution so far."
"We'll think of something, Sev. We must." Florence said. "We can't let Harry die!"
"No, and we won't, love."
Florence fisted her hands on his sweater and pulled him down to a kiss.
Severus could sense her anger, fear and worry through their bond. I love you, Flor. He whispered in her mind.
She broke their kiss and smiled briefly, saying in a worried tone: "What I said to James about being at the eye of the storm is something that's been haunting me for a while. Once you kill Dumbledore, we won't have anyone leading the war on our side anymore."
"There'll be just us." Severus nodded. "We'll have to be the ones planning everything; with no one to report to, no one to ask help from."
"And the whole Order will be hating us. Even Remus."
"Yes. But we can do it. We have to do it." He pulled her face closer, kissing her. "Together."
She nodded. "We'll bring my father down. Together."
"Then, once all this stress is behind us, we can think of making a couple more babies." He said over her lips.
Florence laughed. "That's your reason to end the war? Don't you think we already have our hands full?"
"As long as we don't end up making two little girls that act like their oldest brother, we'll be fine."
She shook her head, glad that he had found a way to distract her from the worrisome thoughts in her head.
"That could still happen, you know." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Oh, well, how bad is he really?" Severus whispered over her lips, kissing her softly.
"Not bad. Just wicked." She sighed as he kissed her again.
"I'll take my chances." He finished, picking her up in his arms and carrying her upstairs.
Note: a lot of wand research went into this chapter, for I realized I had never spoken about wands before. Florence's wand is my own wand according to Pottermore (same for her Patronus). Severus' wand no one knows canon details about, so I made that up.
Information on woods I took mainly from: https/hpwands./wiki/Category:Wood
I'm loving adding all these new chapters and details to this beloved fanfic of mine! Hope you're enjoying reading it!