Chapter Eighty-Five
If Severus had any dreams of married life being blissful, he would have found them shattered the first morning of their union together. All during breakfast, Lily kept glancing toward the door and out the window, her expression anxious and worried.
"What's the matter?" Severus finally asked, a bit put out by her attitude.
"It's just... Petunia," Lily sighed. "You saw the way she walked back into the house yesterday without saying a word. What if she doesn't talk to me again?"
Closing his eyes to keep from retorting, Severus said evenly, "You want to talk with her."
It wasn't a question. As much as Severus wanted to tell Lily that they were their own family now, he knew it would be horribly insensitive. While he hated seeing Lily saddened by her shaky relationship with her sister, he didn't want her spending her days feeling guilty and running off to try to speak with someone who didn't seem to want it as much.
"Well, yes," Lily admitted. "I'd ring, but seeing as you don't... er, we don't have a telephone, that won't do. I was hoping to pop on over after I got ready."
"And do you wish for me to accompany you, my wife?" Severus inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"What's the matter, Severus?" Lily asked archly. "I realize we're married now, but Petunia is still a part of my family... and by extention, yours."
"I didn't say otherwise, did I? Anyway, perhaps I should come along. I think it's high time Petunia and I cleared the air."
Lily was wary of an interaction between her husband and her sister. They had never gotten on well, but lately, they tolerated each other, which was more than she could say in the whole time they had known one another.
"All right," Lily agreed.
The rest of breakfast passed, and Severus quickly cleaned up the kitchen while Lily went upstairs to shower. Figuring he could catch a shower later, as the one shower used up all the hot water, Severus dressed in Muggle clothes and waited for Lily to finish getting ready.
He waited in the sitting room, staring at the empty grate, lost in thought. Severus sighed, wondering how things would be now that they were married. Lily seemed on edge this morning, and even if she was simply concerned about her sister, he had a feeling it went deeper than that. She had assumed the worst yesterday in thinking her father dead. Severus was sure she was very worried about the safety of her family now.
When Lily came downstairs a few minutes later, she was dressed in a pair of bellbottom jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt. She gave her husband a brief smile.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"Yes. Did you want to walk or Apparate? It's nice morning for a walk," Severus offered, in hopes it would calm his wife down.
"Can we just Apparate?" Lily posed. "I don't want to waste any more time."
Waste any more time? Severus thought, a bit put out. A walk through the neighborhood certainly hadn't been a waste of time before, but trying to keep things in perspective, Severus gave her a firm nod, standing and taking her hand.
With a crack, they went from their house to Lily's old house, appearing in the foyer.
Hearing the noise, Violet's voice called from the kitchen, "Hello? Is that you, Lily? Severus?"
"Yes, Mum, it's just us," Lily replied, walking toward the kitchen. "No need to worry."
Violet greeted her daughter with a kiss on the cheek. "I wasn't worried," she said, waving Lily's concern off. "I just wasn't expecting you both to be visiting so soon, is all. Is everything all right?"
Severus stepped into the kitchen, and Violet said, "And a good morning to you, Severus. I trust married life is treating you well?"
"It's only been a day," Lily pointed out.
Violet laughed. "Have you had breakfast yet? Lily, Severus, why don't you take a seat? Ross will be down shortly."
"Actually, we already ate," Lily explained. "I was hoping to talk with Petunia."
Violet sighed. "She's upstairs."
Lily murmured her thanks and excused herself. Severus watched her go, wishing she would have turned to him for comfort.
"Oh, don't look so down, Severus, dear," Violet said kindly, setting a plate in front of him, even though he wasn't particularly hungry. "When I first got married, I wanted to run back to my parents at every little sign of difficulty. It's not easy adjusting to a life with someone else, even if that person is the one you love."
Ross entered and joined them, having overheard the last part of Violet's explanation.
"She's right, you know," he remarked. "That's a smart woman I married there." He winked at Violet from across the table.
Severus gave them each a small, thankful smile and picked at the eggs. He wondered how things were going upstairs between the sisters.
A few minutes later, his question was answered. Lily came into the kitchen, tears streaking slowly down her cheeks. She simply shook her head, wiping the telltale signs of her hurt away. She joined them at the table, placing her elbows on its surface and burying her face in her hands.
"What happened, darling?" Violet asked, placing a comforting hand on her daughter's back.
"She didn't want to hear anything I had to say," Lily replied in a constricted voice, withdrawing her face some from her hands.
"Maybe she just needs a little more time," Ross suggested.
"But why should she be angry in the first place?" Lily demanded, now angry herself. "It's not our fault the wedding was attacked!"
"To Petunia, it is," Severus said softly. "Just the fact that we're magical means she probably sees us as the reason for the attack. Had you been a Muggle, Lily, none of this would have happened."
"Then what do you suggest I do?" Lily asked pointedly. "We can just as soon remove our magic as she can become magical. It's a part of who I am. Why should I change that?"
"No one is saying you need to change, Lily," Violet reasoned.
Before her mum could get another word in, however, Lily interrupted, "Petunia certainly begs to differ."
Agonized by the scene before him, Severus abruptly soon. "I'm going to talk to her."
"Severus, no," Lily said shortly. "That'll just make things-"
"Worse?" he asked. "It's unlikely to be any worse than it already is, Lily. You've tried talking with her on numerous occasions. I'm your husband, and- and... I already said I wanted to try and clear the air."
"Go ahead, Severus," Ross told the younger man, giving him a small smile. "And good luck."
Severus gave them a curt nod, thinking, I'll need all the luck I can get.
He exited the kitchen, walking down the short hall to the foyer. He gazed up the stairway, seeing it retreat into the darkness. Sighing, Severus took hold of the railing and began the trek up the steps. He stopped at the door to Lily's old bedroom before heading farther down the hallway. He had rarely been in Petunia's room before, so awkwardness was added to the trepidation he already felt. Finally reaching his destination, he knocked.
"Lily, I already told you to go away," Petunia's irritable voice barked from inside the room.
"I'm not Lily," Severus said.
There was a pause, then Petunia said nastily, "If I don't want to talk to Lily, I certainly have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Severus said mockingly. "I can think of plenty of things."
Suddenly, the door was flying open and Petunia stood there glaring at Severus. Almost nose-to-nose, Petunia's eyes slits, she hissed, "You dare? You have the audacity to marry my sister, and you think that somehow gives you the right to come banging at my door, demanding an explanation?"
Petunia made to close the door, but Severus shoved a leg between the door and the frame. Petunia glared at him.
"First of all, I didn't bang on your door," Severus said in a deadly calm voice. "Secondly, I think I do have a right to 'demand an explanation,' as you so delicately put it. You know by now that I don't care a whit what you think of me, but your sister's happiness should matter to you. She asked you to be her maid of honor, for heaven's sake. She is trying to build a relationship with you, no matter how fragmented and weak the pieces may be. She cares about you, Petunia, but she cannot help who or what she is. You shouldn't blame her for being a witch."
"But she didn't have to get involved with a wizard like you, one who somehow brings trouble with him. Who were those people who attacked the wedding? Whoever they were, it's obvious they were only there because of you. You've pissed off others, and now they're after my family. How would you have felt if someone had been killed? And why was my sister coming home in tears a few days before the wedding? Did you hurt her?"
Swallowing his guilt, Severus implored, "Petunia, please... Your sister would have been in danger even if she hadn't been around me. Those people who attacked yesterday are called Death Eaters, and they serve a Dark wizard. You've heard talk about him already. They target people like your sister because she's Muggleborn. They loathe Muggleborns and Muggles alike, but Lily and I are working against people like that. There are things... protections that can be done to help ensure your safety. I thought your home was amply protected, but obviously it wasn't. We can keep your whole family safe."
"You still didn't answer my question about why Lily was crying several days back. What did you say to her?"
This, Severus knew, he couldn't tell her. "Like anyone, Lily and I have our differences of opinion," Severus stated. "We got into a bit of a row, and like an idiot, I said some things that were hurtful and wrong. She and I have worked it out now, but if you don't believe anything else I tell you, believe this: I love Lily very much. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her."
Petunia didn't seem fully satisfied with this answer, for she wanted a more detailed explanation, but in spite of herself, her interest was piqued regarding the protection of which Severus was speaking.
"What do you mean about protection for my family?" she inquired shrewdly. "If we all have to be confined to this house and not have lives... Dad has work. I am planning on returning to university in the autumn. We can't just-"
"You wouldn't have to live like prisoners," Severus explained hastily. "Petunia, come downstairs and sit with the rest of your family. There's something I ought to further explain to you all."
Still eyeing Severus distrustfully, Petunia left her room, walking past Severus without a word. He followed her in silence back down the stairs.
Upon entering the kitchen, Lily and Severus locked eyes for a moment. Lily's expression of surprise trailed to her sister, and she watched as Petunia stiffly sat down in a chair next to her father.
"Severus would like to enlighten us on some supposed protection he's offered us," Petunia stated in way of explanation, although her tone was skeptical.
Severus stood rigidly by the door for a minute, wishing all eyes weren't on him.
"Relax, Severus," Violet said gently, patting the empty seat next to her.
Severus dropped into the proffered seat. "What Petunia says is true. There may be a way of keeping you all safe from people like those who attacked yesterday."
"May be?" Petunia echoed. "That doesn't sound very convincing."
Feeling his defenses rising, Severus literally bit his tongue to keep from lashing out.
"What do these protections entail?" Ross inquired calmly.
"When wizards are under seventeen, they have something called the Trace on them. It allows the Ministry of Magic to be informed if they use magic or not. I figured if a person can be Traced, then they should be able to be Untraced."
"But they are essentially Untraced when they come of age, Sev," Lily pointed out, wondering where this was going.
"The lack of the Trace being on them is more the proper way of looking at it," Severus proceeded to explain, trying to ignore Lily's dejected look. He wasn't trying to shoot down her opinion or understanding of things, but wishing to get to the important matter here, Severus continued, "As Lily could tell you, I have invented spells of my own. I have a knack for it, a natural ability if you will. Knowing the war would be escalating, I set to trying to develop something I call the Untrace, for lack of a better word. The Untraceable Charm, I properly call it. Once placed on an individual, they cannot be located, tracked, or their existence even known by magical means or by magical people."
Lily was impressed, as were her parents, and she wondered if Severus had actually developed this charm during his other life as an adult. Such a thing seemed very complicated and would have likely taken years to develop fully. Petunia, however, didn't appear completely convinced.
"Won't it look fishy?" she asked. "They already know Lily has a family. If we suddenly just seem to have disappeared..."
"Your house can be made Unplottable as well. They wouldn't find your home or you," Severus stated.
"But we're magical, Sev," Lily said. "Will we be able to know my family exists, or do I have to say goodbye for now and wonder when... if I'll ever see them again?" she finished in a small, constricted voice.
"We can be the exceptions... along with anyone else we deem trustworthy. In theory, it should work, but I haven't had the opportunity to properly test it on anyone yet. We'll place extra protective wards on your home as well as a back up."
"Well, what do you think?" Violet asked Ross.
"I think it's worth trying," Ross said readily. "If help is available, I'm willing to take it."
Petunia bit her lip, her eyes jetting from Lily to Severus and back again. Finally, she said, "All right, fine."
Severus instructed Lily's family to hold hands and form a circle. He concentrated on the incantations and spoke softly, and Lily watched, amazed. For a moment, her family disappeared from her vision, and a fogginess began to fill her mind. She wondered what she was doing in this familiar house, but couldn't quite place why it was familiar. She saw Severus finishing some sort of ritual, but then he approached her and took her hands, murmuring something she couldn't understand or properly hear. Suddenly, awareness flooded her mind, and she saw three figures she loved sitting around the table and holding hands.
Severus finished the incantation and took a step back. Lily released a relieved cry.
"It worked!" she shrieked, flinging her arms around her husband, overjoyed. She planted a dozen kisses on his face. "Oh, Sev! You're brilliant!"
"It worked?" Petunia asked in disbelief, for she hadn't noticed any change.
"Yes, you were here, then you weren't," Lily explained. "It was the strangest thing... not knowing you were my family or that you even existed, but then you returned, and it was the most amazing feeling."
A pleased look appeared on Petunia's face as she and Severus met gazes. Severus knew things would be fine between Petunia and Lily now.
Author's Note: Please check out my profile page and vote in the poll!
The Untraceable Charm is my own invention. It's not canon, but I thought it seemed plausable and a way for Lily's family to be protected. I figured Severus would keep trying to invent spells during his whole life.
