Summer vacation

July 1977

That summer had all the makings to be a miserable one, but Florence tried her best to distract herself from the painful growing gap in her chest caused by Severus' absence in her life.

She took her time rediscovering Hogsmeade and easily understood why her mother loved that village so much - despite the wet and foggy weather.

Hogsmeade was as magical as one could expect it to be, with its quaint little shops and welcoming people that greeted each other in passing by their names, making Florence feel at home.

She walked around the beautiful village every day, had tea at Madam Puddifoot's and read under a tree at the border of the Forbidden Forest – where she oftentimes talked to centaurs, heard the scream of mandrakes in the distance, and even saw a rare baby unicorn once.

She loved that peaceful life, she could easily see herself staying there forever, opening a clinic in the village to help the people and being an active member of that small and loving community.

So she had a plan, once she finished Hogwarts next year, she'd study medicine.

She liked that plan, it was bittersweet like all the others she could think of – for she didn't let herself dream of having a family of her own anymore; whenever she thought about her future, no matter how much she wanted a family of her own, she couldn't see herself with any other man but Severus.

August 6th, 1977

It was a very hot Saturday afternoon, so Florence met her godmother for ice cream at the Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour in Hogsmeade.

Eileen and Florence were chatting and enjoying their ice-creams in the packed shop when a strange man entered the place and walked towards their table.

"Excuse me," the man spoke, and Florence raised her head quickly, her fight or flight instinct activating as she recognized his voice but not his face.

She stared into the stranger's eyes and frowned. The man spoke again as he sat in front of her, "Hello, daughter," he slowly turned to her godmother, "It's very good to see you too, Eileen," he didn't hide his displeasure as he looked at her.

Eileen didn't respond, looking from Florence to the man, fear paralyzing her on the chair.

No one in the ice-cream parlour seemed to notice the tension between the teenager and the tall stranger.

Florence cast: "Arresto horam," and everyone, but her godmother, herself and her father, seemed to froze in time. Then she pointed her wand to the stranger's face, and he didn't even flinch, knowing what she was going to do. She cast: "Polyfluis reverso," and the effects of the Polyjuice Potion worn off immediately, the stranger's face melting into the familiar face of her father, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Lord Peverell smiled, conjuring a spoon and helping himself to a bite of Florence's ice-cream, "I'm curious to know how my daughter's been doing."

But Florence didn't buy that for a second, "What do you really want, father?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

He sighed, "Alright, I want to let you know that I've been made aware of your... affairs."

Florence didn't let her face show the fear she felt inside; using occlumency to hide her thoughts, she reminded him: "I told you I'd befriend muggleborns and half-bloods. We have a deal, remember?"

"Yes," he agreed, "We do have a deal, but I'm rescinding it. And I'm here to tell you that I'm glad you dumped the half-blood."

Eileen inhaled sharply, her heart pounding as she was certain he was talking about her son.

"Don't worry, Lyn," Lord Peverell disdainfully said the nickname Florence's mother used to call Eileen, "I haven't done anything to your son – his mind is too valuable for me to dispose of," he paused, looking at his daughter again, saying: "Severus doesn't know you're my daughter."

"No. I haven't told any of my friends."

"And that's just what might have saved him, Florence," he had some more of her ice-cream, "You know I'd never accept you breeding with a half-blood, taking his dirty muggle surname. He's lucky he's so brilliant, actually – otherwise he'd be dead for having dared touch you."

Florence watched her father closely, sensing he had become even more dangerous since the last time she had seen him, "Will you tell him anything?" she asked.

"Me? No. Never!" he seemed revolted by the thought.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "And will you do anything about it?"

The Lord sneered, "Do you want to know if I'll hurt him for having put his dirty half-blood hands on my daughter?"

"Will you hurt him, father?" Florence asked angrily.

He paused, before saying: "No. As long as you don't get back together."

"So now you're interfering in my life?" Florence asked in the same soft and dangerous tone of his.

"Yes."

"If you hurt him..."

"Spare me, Florence," he interrupted her, "You can be sure I won't kill him. I need him. Actually, if it weren't for his half-blood status, Severus would be a perfect husband for you. If he can stand your temper, he's as strong a man as I thought him to be. Also, I have to say I enjoy his company, he's truly that brilliant," he finished her ice-cream, "So we have a new deal: you find a better suitor, and I won't end Severus once I stop needing him."

Florence gulped nervously and nodded, "We have a deal."

Then he took a sip from a flask he had retrieved from inside his pocket and soon he was unrecognisable again; he got up from the chair, "Goodbye daughter. Be proud of your son, Lyn," next he cast: "Finite incantatem," and left.

The people in the ice-cream parlour could move once more, the sounds of conversations and food being eaten filled the space again, they all carried on as if nothing had happened. The only thing they all found weird was that everybody's ice cream had melted.

Florence looked at Eileen, it was impossible to say who was more terrified.

"Do you think he'll keep his word?" whispered Eileen.

"I don't know," Florence shook her head, looking through the window to the beautiful sunny Hogsmeade, the brightness of the day a violent contrast from the fear consuming her soul.

September 1977

Hogwarts Express

Severus sat inside an empty compartment in the Hogwarts Express, going towards the castle to begin his seventh and last year of studies there.

Summer vacation had been great for business, but horrible in every other aspect.

Sleeping alone in his bed, where he had had Florence so many times was torture.

Going out with Avery and others to drink and party, finding out that girls really liked "bad boys", left him feeling empty and disgusting.

Most days, that one included, he just wanted to be left alone, so he had gladly passed on the offer to sit with his "friends".

Severus looked out the window, pressing his forehead to the cold glass, letting himself remember, with a sad smile, how a year ago he was riding that same train surrounded by good friends and with a beautiful girlfriend by his side, having a great time as they moved towards the castle, sharing sweets and joking around.

He remembered being annoyed at Florence for buying sweets for him... well, fast forward one year later and he could afford the entire trolley, only there was no one for him to share the sweets with.

During the week, Severus saw Florence every day, for they shared the same House and studied in the same year – so they were in all the same classes.

Seeing her every day, passing by her in the corridors, never getting close to her, never touching her, had him in the worst of moods; he blamed the bloody Enchantment for making him hyper aware of her.

However, she hardly ever talked to him, even in the days when a teacher would pair them up to work on an assignment together, which they did so diligently, she always treated him like any other classmate – which had him more than just curious.

How come he was feeling that all-consuming, uncontrollable need to be near her, to touch her, and yet Florence didn't even look at him?

Something's was up, he was sure of it.

Little did he know, he was not the only one capable of brewing original potions.

Florence had developed a potion herself during summer vacation, something that kept her veela under control and stopped the Enchantment from making her want to be close to him.

Therefore, as long as she had taken her Potentia Imperium Draught, Severus could try to talk to her as many times as he wanted and she would be able to easily ignore him.

Nevertheless, as under control as her body might be, her heart was a different matter; she loved Severus and feared her father wouldn't keep his part of their new deal.

The talk she'd had had with him at the Florean Fortescue never left her mind.

So whenever Severus left the castle – which he did some nights with Nott and a few others, Regulus Black amongst them – she waited for him on the sofa in the common room until early hours, for she needed to see that he was still alive.

She always pretended to be reading when he arrived; but some nights she'd fall asleep long before he showed up.

On those nights, Severus always stopped by the sofa to watch her sleep for a few minutes, regret eating him up inside.

December 1977

Christmas Break

Florence knew she shouldn't have promised Eileen that she would spend a few days of the Break with her at her house.

She knew Severus would be there, but she missed her godmother and she wasn't going to disappoint her on Christmas.

So Florence flooed home, packed a suitcase and apparated to Spinner's End with Tiffany.

"Florence!" exclaimed Eileen as soon as she appeared in her backyard.

"Hi, godmother."

Eileen pulled her into a tight hug, "It's so good to see you! And you Tiff! Let's go in!"

They walked into the living room and Florence saw Severus reading on an armchair.

"Evening, Severus," she greeted politely.

He slowly lifted his eyes from his book to look at her, "Florence," he said acknowledging her presence with a curt nod.

Eileen let out a soft sigh and pulled Florence to the kitchen, where Tiffany was already working on something.

Severus closed his book and looked at the fireplace, noticing the fire was nearly dying so he used a wandless Leviosa to feed chopped wood to the flames.

Florence was there – however just like at Hogwarts, she seemed to be able to completely ignore him.

He had hoped to be able to get her alone later that night and do something about the burning need he felt for her. But by her cold greeting, she seemed hardly interested in snogging him.

He had no doubt that something wasn't right, he could barely sleep at night with a raging hard-on, how was she treating him like a mere acquaintance?

Severus's puzzlement lasted two days; until the third morning, when he sat for breakfast and found only his mother at the table.

"Where's Florence?" he asked, "I thought she'd stay here til after Christmas."

"She will, she just needed to go home to pick up some medicine."

"Medicine?" he worried, "Is she sick?"

"No. She has this vial she drinks every morning, Potentia Imperium Draught she calls it; she thought she had packed enough of it but apparently left the bag with the vials on her bed at home."

"Why didn't she send Tiffany?"

"I don't know, Severus!" Eileen sounded frustrated and worried, "Why is she taking something that curbs her magic? I noticed her powers seem a little weaker than before..."

"Potentia Imperium you said she calls it?" Severus thought for a moment and then froze on his seat, realising what was happening there: "She's not sick, she's taking that to control her veela around me!" he growled low, "That's why she went to pick it up herself, she didn't want to risk bumping into me before she had taken today's dose!"

Eileen raised her eyebrows, understanding what he meant.

Severus was furious, "That's why she can ignore me while I can barely sleep at night!"

He stood up, needing to leave the house, his sexual frustration taking the best of him. He wanted to go after Florence and stop her from taking that damn Draught!

But he knew chances were he'd get hexed if he apparated to her house and demanded she stopped taking it.

So he ended up going for a run, his mind clouded by his need to touch and fuck Florence.

It was past noon when Severus finally returned home, going upstairs and finding Florence leaving his mother's room.

She stopped when her eyes met him, but soon walked towards the stairs, completely unaffected by his presence.

Severus snapped, moving fast towards her and pulling her against him, holding both her arms behind her back.

He pressed her against the wall of the corridor and heard her whimper needily.

Without a word, he kissed her and knew that was exactly what he had been missing the past months: her body against his, her tongue curling around his as small moans left her throat.

He kissed down her neck, "Stop taking the Draught, Florence."

"No," she replied angrily.

"You're mine, Flor, you can't deny it," he looked into her eyes, rubbing his nose on hers, "You want me-"

"No," she quickly replied, shaking her head.

"No? So if I reach under your dress I won't find your knickers soaked?" he asked in a low sensual voice.

She didn't reply, so he continued to kiss and lick her neck, "You want me as much as I need you-"

"Where do you go every afternoon, Severus?" she asked between soft breaths, "Where do you spend your evenings?"

He stopped kissing her skin, looking annoyed, "You know what I do, Florence."

"And you know I don't approve of it."

He rested his forehead on her shoulder and slowly let go of her hands, taking a few steps back, looking at her with pain and frustration in his half-lidded dark eyes.

She was the first to leave the corridor, going to the stairs without another word.

Severus went to his bedroom, taking a long shower, spilling his seed twice on the titles but remaining unsatisfied.

Christmas Eve

That evening, Severus didn't return early as he had promised.

Eileen and Florence had enjoyed the amazing dinner Tiffany had prepared and afterwards shared a late-night cup of tea in the living room, both worried about the same young man.

Florence looked at the clock on the wall, which showed it was half-past ten already.

"I can't stop thinking that your father-" murmured Eileen.

"I know. That's exactly what I fear," Florence whispered.

They sipped their tea in silence and then Eileen decided to go to bed.

"Please, let me know when he arrives," she said.

"Of course, godmother."

They both knew Florence wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew Severus was safe. Her father's threat kept playing in her mind and she began imagining he had left Severus dying alone in a dark alley somewhere.

Florence decided she couldn't take not knowing anymore, she had to go look for him; it was late, the draught she took to control her veela and the Enchantment near him was already fading, so she was certain their half-formed bond would help her find him.

She magically changed her clothes and summoned her coat, thinking about him, focusing on her love for him and then, as easy as breathing, she felt he was somewhere in Hogsmeade.

Wait. What if he is... visiting Rosmerta?

She knew that was a possibility, she had heard more than enough rumours about them being a couple.

But what if he's not? What if he's hurt?

She had to check, even if it meant getting her heart broken some more.

Taking a deep breath, Florence grabbed some floo powder and entered the fireplace, calling: "Delacour Manor," and disappearing in the green flames.

After Florence Scourgified her coat of the soot and dust from the fireplace, she looked around her living room.

Tiffany had cleaned everything before they went to Eileen's for Christmas. The beautiful home sat silent and empty with all its seven rooms, nine bathrooms, library, kitchen and backyard.

In the past, Florence dreamed of filling up that place with love and five kids – but that wasn't going to happen anymore.

She sighed and walked towards the front door, looking around one more time, the utter silence making her pain stronger.

She had dreamed so many times about their future together: Severus and she would marry in the backyard in a simple ceremony, their kids would grow up in that house; Hogsmeade had great pre-schools and she loved the village – it was small enough to allow her to feel safe living there.

They would maybe open a clinic and an apothecary shop and life would have been perfect.

But then her father interfered in her life and being with Severus meant risking his life, not only for his blood-status but also for his obsession with money that led him to work for her father.

Now none of her dreams would come true. There would be no wedding, no kids, no apothecary.

Only the clinic might still happen.

Florence wiped off the wet trails the tears had left on her face and walked outside.

She walked down the well-lit, snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade, following the connection between her magic and Severus'. She could feel he was nearby, but she couldn't pinpoint where exactly.

She sat on a bench near the entrance of the Forbidding Forest, the darkness of the night plus the shadows of the trees protecting her from being spotted.

She waited there for nearly an hour, it was close to midnight and she had yet to see him.

He is probably fucking Cassiopeia and I'm here, worrying about him like an idiot. She thought, deciding to leave.

Covering her head with her hood, Florence made her way through the snow back to her house.

She passed by Rosmerta's father's bar, the Three Broomsticks, which was still open at that late hour, and saw a group of men leaving the place.

Florence suddenly recognised them: Travers, Nott, Abraxas Malfoy, his son Lucius and the other one... so there he was, dressed in black from head to toe, his face hidden by the hood of his cloak, no one would be able tell it was Severus, but she recognized him, she could feel his magic, her own recognizing his as its equal.

Florence hid behind a snow-covered boulder and listened to their conversation:

"I never thought you could do it, Severus," said Lucius, "I thought you were nothing but a potions nerd."

"So did I," agreed Abraxas Malfoy, smiling, "But after what you did tonight, I'm pleased to inform the Dark Lord you are an expert at spells as well, Severus. And as cold-blooded as one could hope," he turned to the other boys: "Your fathers will be very proud of you, as I am proud of Lucius," he said to Nott and Travers, "We'll be seeing you three again very soon to brand you as one of us."

Florence was frozen in place, waiting in her hiding place for the Malfoys to disapparate and for Travers and Nott to say their goodbyes as well.

When Severus was finally alone on the street, she didn't know what to do, her veela starting to come to the surface, anger and pent-up sexual frustration making Florence want to punch and fuck him at the same time; she walked out of her hiding spot before she could think otherwise, letting him see her.

Severus seemed shocked for a second.

She slow-clapped at him, "What a future, Severus. Congratulations on passing their test," she walked towards him, stopping very close to him, "How many did you kill to be the recipient of such praises from a Malfoy?" she whispered, regretting getting so close to him for desire was quickly taking over her.

Severus saw her eyes getting a lighter shade of green and smirked, feeling his own body hardening at her proximity.

"It's not a long-lasting draught, is it Florence?" he whispered, ignoring her accusations.

And she hesitated, her heartrate speeding up, "What did you do, Severus?" she asked in a small voice.

He tensed up, replying dryly: "What I had to do."

Florence shook her head, feeling the tears flooding her eyes, so she quickly turned her back to him, walking through the snow as fast as she could, needing to put distance between them – a lot of it and fast.

She could tell he wasn't happy with whatever had happened that night, the dullness of his eyes hitting her hard. And with her Draught completely gone from her bloodstream, she knew the chances of her hexing and fucking him were equally high.

She entered her house and locked it with all the spells she knew, needing to keep him out.

But he hadn't followed her.

She sighed and walked to the sofa – the beautiful fancy white sofa her mother had loved so much – and she cried.

He had done it – Severus had passed their test, and she believed that meant he had had to kill someone.

There was no point of return for him now.

Florence was taken by surprise when the sound of someone reaching her house through the Floo Network filled the living room.

She was up and had her wand in hand within seconds for her godmother's house had access to her fireplace, and maybe Severus had remembered that.

Then she saw Eileen walk out of the fireplace and fell onto the sofa again, sobbing.

"Flor, my dear. What happened? Why are you here?" she sat beside Florence, "Tiffany woke me up, worried."

"He did it, godmother. He's one of them. I saw it. Tonight... I think Severus killed someone. He passed their test."

"Oh, dear..." Eileen was shocked, "There's really no way back now," she whispered, holding her goddaughter and crying with her.

When Severus walked into his mother's house, neither Eileen nor Florence was there. Only Tiffany greeted him from the top of the stairs, her big green eyes staring daggers at him.

"Tiffany doesn't like you, Snape-boy," she growled, "You make Mistress Florence cry again."

"Is she coming back here?"

"No. And Miss Eileen is staying with us for a few days."

He looked at the fireplace, "Is this still connected to Florence's house?"

"No. Mistress Florence blocked the connection," the elf had walked downstairs. "Tiffany will be going now," and she disapparated without another word.

And Severus found himself alone in the quiet house.

He threw his cloak onto the sofa and walked to his bedroom, cursing Florence's name – even though he knew none of what was happening to him was her fault.

But she had no business following him! Making him see the pain and the desire in the light-green eyes of her veela's.

Seeing that only proved that if he had the chance of leaving the death eaters behind, he'd have her for himself once more.

He undressed, feeling dirty and disgusting after what he had witnessed and done that night.

He took a long shower, letting the hot water relax his tense muscles, wishing he could turn back time and choose to never work for the Death Eaters.