Chapter 77: One Big Happy Seemingly Muggle Family
{A/N: Here's Another Update...A Little Family Fun...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S
{"I was waiting...For the day you'd come around...I was chasing,...And nothing was all I found...From the moment you came into my life,
You showed me what's right...And it feels like tonight...I can't believe I'm broken inside...Can't you see that there's nothing that I wanna do,
But try to make it up to you?...And it feels like tonight..."} Feels Like Tonight, Daughtry
The Snape Residence, Muggle London, England...
Snowfall had never been one of Severus Snape's favorite times of the year, with all the witches and wizards going home to their families...even the muggles had someone to spend the cold months with in the spirit of giving and friendship. It wasn't until Lucius Malfoy came into his life did he even entertain the idea of a holiday. It wasn't exactly a personal choice to be the Slytherin equivalent of The Grinch, not that he had been opposed to the idea later in life. He simply grew up in a poverty stricken neighborhood with an abusive father and a long suffering passive mother. Not even having the luxury of a decent meal most days was his main concern as opposed to what piece of plastic or wood shaped toy he wanted from a morbidly obese candy cane dressed muggle who breaks into houses and possibly fondles children in their sleep. The entire idea of this so called holiday unnerved him truth be told.
Phaeron seemed to have been of a like mind about the so called festivities the twenty-fifth of December brings but played along to humor his mother, as Snape refused to do. He was how ever a fan of her running about the house decorating to sickeningly jolly tunes about the same boring stories sung rather badly by various muggles in an attempt to spread what was referred to as "holiday cheer."
The Potions Master found it rather simulating the way his overjoyed wife went about the house dancing in her small clothes. It did lead to some rather pleasant interruptions to her decor arrangements. The mistletoe had not been bad either coaxing a kiss from her even when she had been angry over something he said in one of their many intellectual debates. One particularly funny discussion was of Muggle Histories: the uncertain cause of the fall of Troy.
Hermione had been caught up on the romanticized excuse of it pertaining to Helen's affair with Prince Paris. A notion that made Snape roll his eyes and question her intellectual capacity. He knew full well that the battle was cause by Agamemnon's secret plans for a united Greek empire under his control. Hermione and he argued the fact for hours and it ended with Phaeron suggesting they try shopping for the holidays as a way to ease the tension. The boy had not known that tension was destined to be between his parents. It was simply a matter of which direction to take in alleviating it.
Lucius had stopped by filling the Snapes in on his brilliant idea of how to conceal Snape's reemergence into the living world. He had proposed he get a muggle identity and reintegrate into muggle society. Snape had not been too fond of that idea but having no choice in the matter relented. Lucius had even taken the liberty of giving Snape a muggle name.
Snape narrowed his obsidian eyes at his oldest friend, he had already looked into his thoughts and was privy to what he had planned.
"No." he replied. "The name Severus is bad enough, I will not subject myself to such a ridiculous muggle name."
"Oh get over yourself Severus." replied Lucius in a bored tone. "Besides, I've already made the arrangements for you with the name provided."
Snape narrowed his eyes at Lucius. He hated how the cocky blond wizard would both feign needing his input than going ahead and doing it without him. Typical Lucius. Not even Snape's near death at the hands of Harry Potter managed to dull this annoying trait in the Pureblood.
"Whatever you say, "Lucy." muttered Snape knowing full well how much Snape detested that infernal nickname.
Rage briefly flashed behind the said blond wizard's gray eyes.
"Everything you need to know about your new muggle I.D. is here." said Lucius levitating a briefcase over toward Snape as he sat back on the sofa.
Hermione had been curious as to what Lucius had in mind for Snape. She struggled to get into her attire for the evening with her mind so focused on what her husband was doing.
"Any news on that deranged bitch?" asked Snape inquiring after Bellatrix.
He had thought it a mistake to leave her as she was. There was no doubt that she would be looking to have her vengeance. It had been a minor over sight on his part due to barely returning to the land of the living and riding high on emotion. All he had cared for at the time was keeping his wife safe and getting home.
Lucius had just been glad to have the dour one back, and of course he couldn't outright kill Bellatrix. She was Narcissa's sister after all. The handsome gray eyed wizard sighed as he took in the homely setting of Hermione's flat. A lot had changed about it and her since Snape's reemergence. It was all for the best. She and the boy deserved a little happiness after all this time.
Lucius smiled and gave a little amused chuckle.
"No." he replied. "None except that she seems to have gone quiet."
Snape rolled his eyes. He had not liked the sound of that. As far as he was concerned a good Bellatrix was a dead Bellatrix though he couldn't bring himself to perform the killing blow. He would not hesitate if she was a serious threat to the lives of his wife and son. For the most part she seemed to just be out of place. Putting the thought of the deranged witch out of his mind, Snape turned his attention to the breifcase Lucius had given him and the subject of his identity.
"My initials are the same...is that an oversight or are you just being obvious?" asked Snape bitterly.
"Perhaps it's a bit of both." replied Lucius fiddling with his snake cane between his long pale fingers. "Did you expect anything less?"
Snape shook his head.
"Of course not." he replied with a wicked smirk. "We are Slytherins after all."
Lucius chuckled once more.
"Where might I ask is my godson this evening?" he asked looking around.
"He's getting ready for our little outing." said Snape looking through the briefcase.
Hermione peeked back into the sitting room from her bedroom. She saw Severus looking through the briefcase and arched an eyebrow. The curiosity had been getting the best of her.
"What's your new identity?" she asked.
"None of your concern for the moment." replied Snape. "You sure are taking your sweet time if you and the boy insist on this blasted "outing."
Lucius smirked as he looked at Snape.
"You know Severus, if someone had told me several years ago that we both would be happily married men with sons I would have laughed in their faces." he said amused.
"You would have hexed them at the implication and I probably would have been the one laughing." replied Snape turning his attention to the glass of whiskey he had been nursing since Lucius' arrival.
"Possibly." replied Lucius. "You know they love you a great deal."
"So I've noticed." said Snape looking a both bedroom doors. "The boy is impressive and his mother is as...feisty as ever."
"I heard that!" said replied Hermione as she struggled to finish getting dressed in the bedroom.
Snape smirked.
"I meant every word Mrs. Snape." he said in reply.
Lucius shook his head.
"Well, I have other business that needs my attention." he said by way of excusing himself.
Snape got to his feet and walked his old friend to the door.
"It's good to have you home, little brother." said Lucius putting his arm around Snape's neck like when they were students back at Hogwarts.
Snape rolled his eyes when Lucius let him go and tussled his lengthy raven hair.
"Knock it off old man." muttered Snape annoyed.
"You aren't far behind me." replied Lucius in counter.
The handsome blond took his leave and Snape went back to the sofa.
Trallworth Park, Boylstein, England, Muggle World...
Hermione had been all smiles as she gripped Snape's hand while they walked bundled up through the snowy streets with a pleased Phaeron at their side. Snape and Hermione continued their lengthy debate about the nature of the Trojan War. They appeared to be sticking to their respective opinions about the subject. He had been well on his way to making his point when he suddenly felt the icy sludge that had been snow hit him in the face and trickle down his neck.
Hermione burst out laughing as she saw the look of absolute shock and annoyance file across his pale face.
A hint of rage flashed behind Snape's obsidian eyes and he swiftly whirled on his son as if he had been a student evading curfew at Hogwarts. Phaeron's eyes widened as his father captured him by the scruff of his neck and glared furiously at him.
"You dare?" he started but had not been able to finish before he was pelted with another snow ball.
This time it had been from Hermione as she giggled readying another just in case.
Snape dropped the boy who had been frozen to the spot where his father left him as the former death eater stalked over to his giggling wife.
"You find my discomfort amusing?" he asked testily.
"Relax Severus." said Hermione still with a smirk on her face. "It's all in good fun...you act like you've never been in a snowball fight before."
Snape looked down at the ice beneath his feet. His black dragon hide boots were covered in it. It had not been as if he never participated in a snowball fight before. It was simply never done with him out of the interest of pure fun. His father often use to pelt him with snowballs for amusement when he had been a small child and it seemed to further contribute to his disdain for snow.
When James Potter and his precious friends started pelting with snowballs loaded with things ranging from ordinary stones to trick magical bombs it was all she wrote for Snape and snowball fights. Of course Hermione and Phaeron had not known that. The Potions Master sighed as he unclenched his fists and looked over at his son.
"So you want to play?...expect no mercy..."he said rather smugly. "Fuga Nivis globulos!"
Hermione's eyes widened as she and Phaeron witnessed snowballs rapidly forming in the center of the park and hurling themselves towards her and Phaeron. She quickly cast a concealment charm over area to ward off any muggles then started making a run for it toward Phaeron. Snape laughed as the floating snowballs chased both his wife and son pelting them as they went.
Phaeron laughed as both he and his mother tried to duck behind his father.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Snape when snow got into her hair and ended up trickling down her neck wetting her clothes in the process. Snape chuckled rather mischievously until Hermione pulled him down into the snow straddling his waist and pinning his arms above his head. Phaeron canceled the spell as Snape continued to laugh at Hermione's ruffled hair look.
"Think that's funny do you?" she asked bitterly.
She tried her best to shake the snow that found it's way into her hair into Snape's face. Phaeron stood laughing at the both of his parents, looking like children wrestling in the snow.
Hermione grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground next to his father. She pelted both Snape men with handfuls of snow not even bothering to shape it into a ball. Snape smirked as he looked up from the snow covered ground at his wife. He couldn't get over just how beautiful she had been nor how fortunate he had been to have her as his wife of all things.
Phaeron managed to squeeze out of the line of fire and ended up witnessing Snape pull Hermione down into his passionate kiss. The bushy haired witch closed her eyes relaxing in her husband's arms as she let her body press against his chest.
"I think we should...get something to eat." she said coming back to her senses.
Snape said nothing as he looked up at her with heat behind his obsidian eyes. Phaeron had like the sound of getting something to eat. His stomach had begun to rumble at his mother's suggestion. Snape and Hermione got back to their feet. The Potions Master had been silent when they headed toward the direction of a common muggle restaurant.
One couldn't tell by looking at them that they had been a family of magically gifted individuals, to the muggles in the restaurant and passing on the street they had been just one big happy, seemingly muggle family.
But to the enraged dark eyes of one Bellatrix LeStrange, they had been something else entirely. The deranged witch had been following them for quite some time and had been surprised when Snape's keen instincts had not allowed him to notice her. She guessed it had to do with his preoccupation with his Mudblood and young brat.
As Bellatrix stared through the large glass window into the restaurant where the Snape's had chosen to dine for the evening, her dark eyes fell on young Phaeron Snape. A wicked smile filed across her face. That boy would be instrumental to her future plans. She decided that she could be patient. She would watch and wait for just the right moment before she exacted her just revenge.
For now, let the Mudblood bitch enjoy her minor victory.
And let the treacherous Snape bask in his delusions.
Soon they would bend to her will.
And their bubble would burst.
Soon, she would have a pale lover back between her thighs where he belonged.
And there would be nothing that Mudblood butch or that idiot Lucius could do about it.
The Snape family continued to enjoy their outing oblivious to the dark storm that was brewing in their distant future. Phaeron Snape looked out the window of the restaurant feeling an odd chill descend over him as if he could sense the coming darkness.