32. Prison Break
Bobbie had called Hermione on Tuesday evening and found out that she and Ron had just wanted to spend a few days in London for their honeymoon. Bobbie invited them over for Wednesday evening to talk about her idea and for Severus and Ron to play a game of chess.
When Ron and Hermione arrived they brought a bottle of wine as a gift. Bobbie had dressed Serina in the green onesie that they had given them during their last visit and handed the baby over to Hermione.
"Oh my goodness. You look so precious and it fits perfectly." Hermione baby-talked to Serina and tickled her tummy which brought a wide smile to the baby's face.
Bobbie said, "She just ate and will probably be asleep in about a minute."
"Fat and happy, just like it should be," Severus said with a smile.
After they were seated and Bobbie had Millie bring everyone a beverage she said, "Severus and I have a proposition for your honeymoon if you like. It would be your wedding present from us."
"Sounds intriguing," Hermione said.
Bobbie continued with a smile to Severus, "Yes, we have a house in Arizona, right next to the desert. It is a beautiful place. A house sitter is taking care of it right now. She and her family are living in the small guest house on the same property."
"Arizona..., in America?" Ron asked tentatively.
"Yes, maybe Hermione could find out if it would be okay to do magic there, or you could just pass as Muggles. The house sitter would love to get a few weeks off, so she could visit her relatives in Mexico. If you would be there she could take her vacation and the house wouldn't be unprotected."
Ron and Hermione were looking at each other in astonishment, so Bobbie continued, "That doesn't mean you would have to stay there the whole time. The house also has an alarm system and if you can use magic you could always cast a Notice-Me-Not charm so people would overlook it during the time you're gone. There are a lot of nice places to see around the area."
Still Hermione and Ron were not saying anything, so Severus spoke, "It was very generous of you two to agree to be Serina's godparents and we will pay for the Portkey to Phoenix. I think that is the least we can do."
Again the two looked at each other and finally Ron said, "I don't know what to say..."
"Yes, this is a very generous offer," Hermione added.
"There is also a car in the garage which would benefit from being driven a little more than what the house sitter is using it for. I know you both have your Muggle car licenses. Just make sure you drive on the right side of the road," Bobbie said with a grin and then continued, "Juanita could pick you up outside the Portkey station in Phoenix. On the way back you could just Apparate to the Portkey station."
"Well, just think about it for a while and let us know," Severus said and then added with a glance at Ron, "Ready for that game of chess?"
"Yes, let's do it. As much as I like Harry and my brothers, neither one is much of a challenge. It is about time someone is kicking my behind," Ron said with a chuckle.
While the women were putting a sleeping Serina to bed and then sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, quietly talking some more about the house in Arizona and which places Ron and Hermione could visit if they chose to take up the offer, the men were sitting in front of a chess set at the dining room table. More than once Bobbie or Hermione glanced over because it was so quiet. Both Severus and Ron had their eyes on the board and were deep in concentration.
Around 11 o'clock they decided to call it a night. Hermione asked the men, "How did it go?"
"A win for Severus and the second one was a draw," Ron answered.
"Barely! That first game could have gone either way. I can see how you managed to get past that chess game on the way to get that Resurrection Stone. I wouldn't mind sitting down for a game once in a while," Severus said.
"You're on!" Ron said with a one-sided grin.
They said their good-byes after each one of them checked on Serina and then Bobbie and Severus sat down for a little while on the floor in front of the fireplace with their backs against the sofa and a head of a dog in each of their laps while finishing their drinks. As usual Benton snuggled up with Severus while Bella preferred to be with Bobbie.
888
The day of the Hogsmeade trip arrived. Severus and Pomona Sprout, who was the other chaperone, called out the names of the students who had brought in their signed Hogsmeade permission slips. Then they waited until the head boy and head girl of each house had their students under control and then they marched off to the village.
When they arrived and before everyone disappeared inside Zonko's or Honeydukes, which were the two favorite shops, he and Pomona made sure that everyone knew when they had to be back in front of the 'Three Broomsticks' for the walk back to Hogwarts.
While Pomona decided to go to 'Dogweed and Deathcap' - a Herbology shop, Severus went first to the jeweller to drop off Bobbie's bracelet and then to the apothecary to drop off the list of potion ingredients and to see what new things they had gotten in. He was back in time to meet Pomona inside the 'Three Broomsticks' for some tea and to wait for the students to assemble outside.
Pomona waved at him when he walked in. He sat down on the chair opposite her and ordered his tea. She asked, "You got everything accomplished?"
"I have! What about you? Have you found the new seedlings you wanted?"
"I did! They will be delivered after the Easter holidays, and you won't believe it, they had Fluxweed seeds. As you very well know, it is used in many healing potions, but if we could grow these in the greenhouses you don't have to go out into the Forbidden Forest to harvest it during the full moon anymore, when you get ready to make a batch of Polyjuice."
"That would make things easier," Severus agreed.
"Then again, if you keep curing all of the werewolves it won't matter, because you wouldn't have to be afraid of running into one anymore." Pomona smiled and then mused with a thoughtful look on her face, "I wonder why we could never get those seeds before..."
"My guess would be that Voldemort prevented it. It would have been counterproductive for him if anybody could have made their own Polyjuice and disappear under his nose. A lot of his followers would surely have done so."
"You are probably right... Anyway, enough of that! It is over. Let's talk about some happier things. I hear that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are tying the knot the Saturday before Easter."
"Yes, they are and they have also agreed to be our daughters' godparents..." In that moment he saw Ginny and Luna Lovegood approach the table letting them know that all the students were accounted for and ready to head back to Hogwarts.
Severus nodded and Pomona said, "Thank you, Miss Weasley. We will be right out."
Severus paid for their tea on the way out, and after he and Pomona made sure the Head Boys and Head Girls had everyone on the way, they followed behind the throng of students.
Halfway to the castle he saw Bobbie with a pram and the two dogs as she approached the students who were furthest ahead. He saw her stop and talk to some of them and then handing the dogs over to two of them and the carriage to Ginny. Then she waited for Severus and Pomona.
When they got close enough Severus asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, there wasn't anything going on in the infirmary and there is only so much administrative stuff to do, so Poppy chased me out of there to enjoy the sunshine with Serina." She pointed to Ginny who was walking ahead of them and said, "Poppy even transfigured a baby carriage for me out of one of the chairs."
"I see you even brought the dogs," Pomona said. "Those two are always a hit with the children.
"Yes, and the kids promptly asked if they could walk them." Bobbie smiled. "And Ginny Weasley will never miss an opportunity to pamper Serina."
Pomona laughed and said, "I think she inherited that from her Mother." Then she said, "Pardon me, but I will see if I can catch up with her and have a glimpse at your little girl. I haven't seen her in quite a while." As soon as she had said it she sprinted ahead and left Severus and Bobbie following behind.
"I was hoping you weren't almost back and I could walk with you for a while. After the dreary weather we had, this is pretty nice," Bobbie said to Severus.
"I agree, and it has just gotten nicer because my two favorite girls have joined the walk," he said quietly and smiled at her.
"I love you too!" she said just as quietly and smiled back as she wrapped her arms around Severus's arm und briefly pressed her cheek to his shoulder.
They walked along taking deep breaths of the fresh air and then Bobbie said, "By the way, an owl just delivered the tickets for the Portkey for Ron and Hermione. I sure hope they like it in Arizona. There is a lot to see but it can also get quite hot there."
"They will manage, I am sure."
"I want to go there with you one day. See what you think. Maybe stay there for a couple of weeks and then sell it. Or keep it. We can make the decision then."
"But you like that house..."
"I do, but I'd rather see my family in Canada. If we really want to go to Arizona, we can always stay in a Hotel or with friends for a few days. How many houses do we need? We also have the cottage and now you have, or will eventually have, Prince Manor."
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it... For now, let's fetch our daughter and the dogs," Severus said.
When they had arrived in front of the doors of Hogwarts Ginny was waiting for them with Serina to catch up, and two fifth year students with the dogs.
888
The Saturday before Easter arrived and with it Ron and Hermione's wedding. Since both of them worked at the Ministry the ceremony and the reception afterwards was held there in the ballroom. It was a good thing because the numerous guests would never have fit into the Burrow or Hermione's parents house. All the teachers of Hogwarts were invited and all of Ron and Hermione's Gryffindor classmates. There were also all the kids who had been in the DA and also Draco, who had become a friend of Harry and Ron, and Draco's girlfriend Astoria. All the Aurors and their spouses and everyone in the Department where Hermione worked, including their spouses were there. Most of Ron's many relatives were there but on Hermione's side, there were only her parents. Both of her parents had been an only child and so was Hermione.
Oliver Thomson came over briefly to introduce his wife and to thank Severus once again for curing him. He also reported that people were readily signing up for the cure all over the world.
Ron and Hermione made a great bride and groom. Ron wore dashing black dress robes and the white dress Hermione had picked out with Ginny at Madam Malkins brought out her slim figure. Molly couldn't quit fussing with Ron's robes even though they looked perfect. Finally he rolled his eyes and said, "Mum, can we just get on with it...?"
Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was the one performing the ceremony once again, just stood there with his arms folded and grinning at Molly's antics. She finally looked around and saw everyone looking at her. A little embarrassed she said, "Sorry!" and moved out of the way.
During the ceremony Severus took Bobbie's hand. She moved in front of him and he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her. He was thinking about his own wedding and how happy it had made him that this wonderful woman had agreed to marry him. When he heard the words 'You may kiss the bride' he pressed a kiss onto her head and breathed in her scent.
The next thing they heard was everyone clapping and Hagrid honking into his over-sized handkerchief which made Draco and Harry look at each other grinning like Cheshire cats.
Finally everybody made their way to their tables, each of which had been set up for 8 people, just like during the ceremony for the Order of Merlin after the war. This time Severus and Bobbie sat with Frank and Alice Longbottom and their adopted daughter Cindy, who by now had grown into a very loquacious child. She had also lost her earlier speech impediment when she had trouble saying the 'V' and had called her big brother 'Nebbil'. One of the chairs at their table had been removed to make room for Serina's pram. The other two occupants at the table were Kingsley and his wife.
Even though it had been an enjoyable evening Severus and Bobbie packed up their little girl and went home early. It just wasn't very practical with a baby who was nursing and needed to be changed once in a while. More than once Bobbie had to excuse herself and take Serina into an adjoining room, but she didn't mind. She loved Serina and in no time she would be all grown up. The Longbottoms daughter was no problem at all. She disappeared right after dinner to play with some other children in a corner.
When they arrived at the cottage Severus took their daughter to bed while Bobbie went to the kitchen to get some tea for both of them and then they made themselves comfortable in front of the fireplace. While they were sitting there Severus said, "As beautiful as this wedding was, I liked ours better. Even though the ballroom was decorated nicely I preferred the rose garden at Hogwarts."
"I totally agree. I also liked that it was nice and quiet with just a few people. No offence to Ron and Hermione, but tonight reminded me more of a circus than a wedding. It wasn't just for them, it was for everyone else."
"I have the feeling that they felt obligated. The Ministry provided the ballroom, so they probably felt that they needed to invite all their coworkers. And of course there are countless relatives you don't want to offend. I guess in our case it was good that I was still a fugitive up until our wedding," Severus said with a chuckle.
Bobbie snuggled up to Severus and said, "Whatever the reason has been, I wouldn't want to change our wedding for anything."
888
Severus enjoyed the harmony of the Easter holidays with his family. They had visited Richelle a few times but his favorite was when he and his small family were going for walks through the meadow behind the cottage. The weather had been favorable and the dogs were able to run around while he and Bobbie strolled along hand in hand with one of them pushing the pram.
At one time Hermione called and said that they had made it to the house in Arizona and to say that everything was well there and that they loved the place. They also reported that the house sitter Juanita had gone to Mexico to see her relatives and would be back the day before their departure.
In any case Severus's and Bobbie's leisure time was over soon and they flooed back to Hogwarts on Monday morning. Severus was just about 30 minutes into his first class when the door flew open and Harry burst in. "Severus, we just heard that your cousin, Antonin Dolohov and two low ranking Death Eaters escaped Azkaban. I don't think they are stupid enough to show up at Prince Manor, but you may want to check on your grandmother nonetheless."
"I can't believe we are doing this again. That is the third time Dolohov escaped," Severus hissed through his teeth and then added, "and he is the most dangerous of them all because he is able to cast most curses non-verbally."
"Ouch!" Harry said. "I can see how that could be a problem. Anyway, I have to run. We're shorthanded. Ron's in Arizona and two others are on a special assignment to chase down an unwilling werewolf who is resisting the cure."
"I'll check on my grandmother right away," Severus said to Harry and then turned to the students and said, "Class dismissed!" He then headed straight to the infirmary and let Bobbie know where he was going and why and then used the Floo there.
The next thing he knew was that he hadn't gone anywhere. He went around in the Floo Network for a while and arrived back in the infirmary. "Shit!" he hissed and right away dialed Harry on his mobile phone.
Bobbie watched him frantically trying to find the number.
When Harry picked up, Severus told him, "Too late. The Floo to the Manor is blocked. You have to go there. Something is wrong."
Severus hung up on Harry and stormed out of the infirmary and ran as fast as he could outside Hogwarts gates to Apparate. In this moment he cursed the Non-Apparation zone because he was wasting precious time.
When he arrived in front of the Manor gates he saw several Aurors going in and out of the front door. He was just about to enter when Neville spotted him and held up his hands in order to block him. Neville said, "Severus, no! You don't want to go in there."
Severus looked at Neville and saw by the look on his face that something terrible had happened. He started shaking his head and then tried shoving Neville aside and said, "No, it can't be...!"
Neville stopped him holding onto him by his elbow. "Please listen. It is bad. Before you go in there, expect the worst."
Severus looked at Neville in disbelief and swallowed and blinked a few times until it hit home what he had just heard. He nodded and then walked into the parlor where he saw his grandmother's house-elf on his knees with his hands in front of his face and wailing.
Severus saw that the elf was hurt and bleeding. He still went to him and bent down and touched him on the shoulder and asked quietly, "Quincy, where is she."
Quincy wailed even louder but pointed to the other end of the long hallway, while Neville said, "She is out on the patio."
Severus slowly straighten back up and then tentatively made the long walk to the patio. He felt like an old man. He didn't want to know what was waiting for him but he needed to know. His chest was tightening on him and he had a hard time breathing. Just before he came to the patio door he took a deep breath and braced himself for the inevitable.
When he walked outside he saw a healer bent over the deckchair with a prone person laying on it. He stood there for only a moment before continuing on his walk. A quick thought came to his mind, that this was how it must feel to walk to the executioner. When he arrived next to the chair he saw his grandmother's face and her eyes were open. She weakly smiled at him when she recognized him and it almost broke his heart.
When the healer noticed him she stepped aside and slowly shook her head to Severus. By looking at his grandmother he recognized right away the signs of a misplaced killing curse. The victim didn't die right away but there was nothing that could be done. He kneeled down next to the chair and took his grandmothers hand, a lone tear making its way down his cheek.
Richelle whispered weakly, "Please don't cry, my boy... Our time was short but it was the best time I ever had."
"Grandmother, I am so sorry...," he said through a stifled sob.
"Please don't...! If it wouldn't be for you... I'd be dead already...," she whispered.
"Please Grandmother, save your strength...," he said quietly.
"No..., I want you to know... You and Bobbie and... your little baby... You gave me the... the first real family...," she breathed.
"But I just found you..., Severus said, his voice heavy with sadness.
Richelle's voice grew weaker but she said, "My boy..., d... do me a favor?"
"Anything!" Severus said.
"C... can you g... give me one of those h... hugs your wife... your wife is so fond of...?"
Another sob escaped him and then he wrapped his arms around her and gently hugged his grandmother to him. It was only a moment before he felt her go limp in his arms and he knew she was gone. He still hung on to her a while longer before he gently laid her back down.
He suddenly noticed Quincy next to him just staring at Richelle and then he started wailing again and wrapped his arms around her.
Severus had to walk away or he would have lost it. He breathed heavily a few times to get some semblance of control back and then went in search of an Auror to find out what had happened.
He saw Frank Longbottom and asked him.
Frank said, "I am so sorry Severus." When Severus just nodded weakly Frank continued, "We got here right away after Harry got off the phone with you. The front door was wide open. We found out from the elf that he opened the door for your cousin because he demanded it from him. He was still his master and had to. He went in search of Richelle and found her sitting on the parlor reading. He demanded money from her and she refused. That is when he cast the killing curse on her. The elf prevented a direct hit when he stabbed your cousin with the carving knife in the same moment."
"Where is he? Is he dead?" Severus asked with disgust for his cousin in his voice.
"Yes, the elf killed him and then he almost killed himself, saying he is a bad elf and punished himself severely. Harry finally had to tell him to stop."
"Where is that piece of trash?" Severus asked with hatred for his cousin.
"We got him out of here. We knew that you would show up and..., well, we didn't think it was a good idea for you to see him. We wanted you to concentrate on your grandmother. She was asking for you."
Severus let out a long breath and nodded. "Thank you. I am glad you did. At least this way she was spared from seeing me at my worst," he said quietly.
Severus walked back to the patio and found Quincy still crying over his grandmother, but by now he did so quietly. Severus went to him and said, "I am your master now. I want you to stop punishing yourself."
"Quincy will do as master says," he said while looking up at him wiping his tear swollen face.
The healer came back with a white sheet and Severus watched her cover Richelle. The finality of the gesture wasn't lost on him. Another life lost because of Voldemort.
Severus heard voices and saw Harry and another Auror outside the drawing room. When he walked up to them the other Auror left and Harry stayed behind. "I am sorry, Severus. We were wrong. We should have come here first. We just never thought..."
"I know!" Severus interrupted. "According to my grandmother Preston just never thought like a normal person."
"We still should have checked," Harry argued.
"What is done, is done. I am as much to blame, if not even more. This is my fault. I can't believe I have been so stupid. I should have taken ownership of the elf after my wife was taken. Preston was still his master and demanded he open that door," Severus said quietly.
"What? No! You can't think like that. Taking ownership of the elf was the last thing on your mind when this piece of rubbish kidnapped Bobbie," Harry protested. "How could you have known that he would escape Azkaban? Dolohov must have some route nobody knows about. That was his third time after all. Unfortunately your cousin was invited to join in the break, probably because he told Dolohov he had a way to finance their life on the run. Don't you dare put that on yourself."
"Maybe...," Severus said quietly reasoning with himself. Then he cleared his throat and asked, "What happened to the other three? I am surprised they went different ways."
"Well, your cousin had one of them with him, but according to Quincy he split as soon as he saw Preston get killed," Harry said.
"So they got away..," Severus said and hit the wall with his fist and shouted, "Bloody Hell!" He shook his head and said, "Doesn't this ever stop? This is so frustrating."
Harry saw how discouraged Severus was and quietly asked, "Have you told Bobbie yet?"
"No, I don't want to tell her over the phone."
"Maybe you should go home and talk to her," Harry said.
"I will in a while. I want to stay until they are picking up Grandmother."
"Okay, we are going to finish up here and hopefully by then I have news that they found the others."
Suddenly Severus thought of something. "Harry, have you checked on the Malfoys?"
"The Malfoy's? I don't know. Should we?" Harry asked.
"Well, just think about it. Who else has enough money to finance their new lifestyle? I would also bet that Preston has told Dolohov about Lucius's and Draco's part in rescuing my wife from him just before Christmas. Lucius and Draco are considered traitors now."
"Shit, shit, shit!" Harry hissed and fished his phone out of his pocked and dialed Draco. "Come-on-come-on-come-on, pick up...!"
Suddenly Draco did, and when he saw it was Harry he said, "What gives?"
"Where are you?" Harry asked without much ado.
"Hello to you too, man...," Draco joked.
"Shut up and listen! If you are home you need to get out a.s.a.p.," Harry almost shouted.
"We aren't home. We are at Hogwarts. Bobbie called me and told me about Dolohov. She said we should come to Hogwarts," Draco said.
Harry visibly deflated. "Thank goodness for small favors... Okay, you guys stay put. I will talk to the Head Auror and see if we can check on your house."
When Harry hung up he smirked at Severus and said, "It seems that Bobbie had the same suspicions. She called Draco and told them to come to Hogwarts."
Severus let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Thank Merlin! She may have saved all of their lives."
Harry nodded and then said, "Well, I better find my boss and tell him about Malfoy Manor. I'll see you later," he added and took off in the direction of the drawing room.
Severus still stood there a while longer, smiling at Bobbie's quick thinking. Then he took a deep long breath and made his way back to the patio, where he knew the healers were waiting for him to give word for his grandmother to be transported to the morgue in St Mungo's.
888
When Severus arrived in his quarters in Hogwarts he was exhausted and wanted to be alone with Bobbie but instead there were all three of the Malfoy's sitting in his living room. Draco was sitting on the floor messing with the dogs and Narcissa was rocking Serina. Lucius was going over the newspaper while nursing a drink.
One look at Severus told Bobbie all she needed to know. The Malfoy's picked up on it also and Narcissa gave Serina back to Bobbie saying, "I think we will be going to the rooms Professor McGonagall has so graciously made available to us for the night." She then smiled at Serina in Bobbies arms and said, "This is a darling little girl," and then she said to Serina in baby-talk while tickling her on the belly, "Aren't you? Yes, you are... Oh yes, you are...!" which made Serina squeal in delight.
Draco stood up off the floor and said, "Good night! We will probably see you tomorrow before we leave."
Lucius waved at Bobbie and nodded and then gave Severus a friendly slap on the shoulder before walking out.
As soon as the door closed behind them Severus let himself drop onto the sofa. Bobbie laid Serina down on her blanked next to the rocking chair Severus had bought her for nursing and sat down beside him and took his hand. He looked at her and whispered, "Grandmother..., he killed her."
Bobbie didn't have to ask who killed her, she already suspected. She stroked his hair and kissed him gently. It was the drop that broke the dam and Bobbie knew it. She pulled Severus against her where he started trembling. She let him cry and she cried with him. "Why, oh Merlin, why?" she heard him say muffled by her shoulder.
"It's okay, Baby. Let it all out." Bobbie soothed.
"She never has hurt anyone. She was finally free..."
"I know, Baby."
Bobbie held him as long as he needed her to. It took him a long while but eventually he slowly let her go and said quietly, "I'm sorry, my Love."
"Don't you dare feel sorry for being human," Bobbie scolded gently.
"Ever since I know you I can't seem to hold it together," he said quietly.
"It is because you know you don't have to in front of me, and I am glad. You know your feelings are safe with me. I want to share your joys and also your sorrows. It is probably the highest compliment you can ever give me," she said and brushed a strand of hair out of his face.
He looked toward the floor in thought and finally said, "She wanted a hug. She died in my arms." Thinking about it brought another short bout of tears. Then finally Severus had himself back under control and was able to tell Bobbie the full story.
All through the story Bobbie picked Serina up off her blanked, where she had fallen asleep, and gently rocked her.
Afterwards Bobbie asked, "What about Quincy. He is hurt from punishing himself. Can't you call him and let Millie and Winky take care of him? I don't know much about the feelings of house-elves but I can't imagine what it must be like to be all alone in that large house and being hurt. And on top of it he feels guilty for killing his master."
Severus thought about that and finally called Quincy, who appeared right away and asked Severus what he could do for him. He told Quincy he wanted him to stay at Hogwarts until he was well and to let Millie and Winky help him.
The elf blinked a few times because nobody had ever been nice to him beside Richelle, but when Severus summoned Winky and Bobbie called Millie, he did as he was told and left with them.
"I think we just earned a few points from Hermione if she finds out," Severus jested. Then he let out a long breath and said, "I think I've had enough for today. I'm going to take a shower and turn in."
"You do that. I will bathe Serina and feed her one more time and I will be right there."
Just when Bobbie was heading off to bed Severus's phone rang. She saw that it was Harry and picked it up. "This is Bobbie. Severus went to bed already."
"Yeah, I can imagine. This was a very unpleasant day for him. He must be exhausted. Anyway, I know it is late but I figured you would like to know as soon as possible that we got 'em."
"You mean the escapees?" Bobbie asked.
"Yes, they were ransacking Malfoy Manor. Since nobody was there to get money from, they were just packing up as many valuables as they could carry and were about to take off. We put a magical barrier around the premises and they had no way out. We narrowed the barrier until they were trapped in one room. It was easy pickings from there. Only one of them had a wand."
"Did you let the Malfoy's know?"
"I called Draco first, but told him not to go back home tonight. The place is a mess."
"I can imagine..."
"Oh, and before I forget... We interrogated Dolohov but he clamped up on us and never told how he managed to escape from Azkaban three times. The Wizengamot didn't play around this time. They called in an emergency meeting and stripped him of his magic right then and there. No more gimmicks and no more non-verbal magic. He's done and will never be able to escape now."
"That is wonderful, Harry. I am glad you called. You have a good night."
"You too!" he said and hung up the phone.
When Bobbie made it into the bedroom Severus asked, "Who called?"
"You are supposed to be asleep," she said.
"I can't turn my brains off," he said with a sigh.
"I understand," Bobbie said squeezing is hand which lay on top of the covers. "Anyway, that was Harry. You will be happy to know that Dolohov is finished," Bobbie said and told him what Harry had told her.
"That is good news. Unfortunately it is too late for Grandmother."
"I am so sorry, Baby. I know you loved her and she loved you. I think you made all the difference in her life, even though it was only for a short while."
"She said as much," he whispered more to himself than to Bobbie.
Bobbie got ready for bed and then sidled up to Severus. He held her close and was finally able to sleep.
