These drabbles are in response to a challenge by Droxy. The whole point is to learn to write concisely (who me?) by writing scenes with no more than one hundred words. This is a post-HBP fic.
I own nothing you recognize. I simply play in JKR's universe for stress relief.
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Revelations
"She should have a choice," insisted Hermione.
"Apparently the Hogwarts Name Book still considers us British," snapped Severus, "In spite of the fact that we have lived in the United States for twenty-six years. Emily and Jonathan were born here and are legally citizens of both the Muggle and wizarding United States.
Hermione and Severus sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The children were asleep, giving their parents a scant hour or two of privacy. Severus held the letter that arrived that morning, inviting Emily Spanetti to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the autumn.
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"Emily has invitations to Salem Academy and St. Brigits," said Severus, "There is no reason to send her all the way to Britain. She can receive a suitable wizarding education much closer to home."
"She could receive a superlative education at Hogwarts," remarked Hermione. "OWLs and NEWTs are the same wherever one takes them. Hogwarts produces higher scores than any American school.
"We would be exposed," insisted Severus. "If Emily attends Hogwarts, our identities will eventually become known. There are those who still hate us for what we did in the Voldemort Wars. We cannot be certain of her safety."
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"Do you really think people still hate us?" asked Hermione. "According to Minerva, when the ceremonies were held commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the end of the war, people were more sad and sentimental than anything else. You read the articles in the Prophet speculating about the two missing heroes of the war. There was no vitriol there, just speculation about what sort of end you came to and where I might have ended up."
"Indeed," snorted Severus. "According to the urban legends, you joined a monastic order in South America and I became a faro dealer in Las Vegas."
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"And I can't even play a good game of exploding snap with our children," Hermione laughed.
"You could if you would learn to cheat," he teased affectionately.
"That's why you became a faro dealer and I became a nun," she chuckled, laying her head on his shoulder. Severus put his arm around Hermione and she snuggled against him.
Severus became serious again. "We have only newspaper articles, books, and letters from Minerva and our Secret Keepers to tell us what wizarding Britain thinks of Severus Snape and Hermione Granger. To make an informed choice about Emily, we need more information."
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Ten year-old Emily put down her orange juice and picked up the letter for the fourth time.
"We're going to go see where Mummy and Daddy went to school," she said to Jonathan.
"The principal invited us to come?" asked seven year-old Jonathan, peeling a banana.
"She's called the Headmistress," replied Emily around a mouthful of cereal.
"That's weird," decided Jonathan.
"That's Britain," explained Emily.
"I wanna see the stairs move," said Jonathan.
"They have suits of armor, too," she added. "Daddy says they sang Christmas carols really loud and he used to hex them."
"That's so cool," announced Jonathan.
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"You killed Harry Potter?" asked Emily, her brown eyes filling with tears.
"I know it hurts to hear this, sweetheart," said Hermione, holding Emily's hands. "I had no choice. Harry was my very best friend in the world, but there was a piece of Voldemort's soul in the scar on his forehead."
"Voldemort was winning their duel and if he killed Harry, he would have won the war. Daddy was there, but he had to kill Voldemort. If he killed Harry, Voldemort would have murdered both Daddy and I. Both of us would be dead and Voldemort would have won."
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"Your mother and I left Britain because of the wizards and witches who did not understand the reasons behind our actions," explained Severus. "We changed our names and started over. That is why we live in Vermont and work for a Muggle company developing new treatments for diseases. It was safer for us."
"Did you love Mummy when you were in the war?" asked Emily, looking intently at her father.
"No," he replied. "We did not know each other very well. I was her teacher and she was a teenager. Your mother was almost thirty when we fell in love."
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"Our last name is really Snape?" asked Jonathan, amazed. "That's kinda cool, like Superman's secret identity."
"That is kind of cool," corrected Severus.
"Yeah, Dad," said Jonathan, nodding in agreement, "That is really cool."
Severus rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Americanized English annoyed him to no end.
"You and Mum are kinda famous, aren't you?" he asked, oblivious to his father's reaction.
"Your mother and I do not wish to be famous," clarified Severus for his son. "We did things we did not want to do so we could win the war. All we want is to be a normal family."
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The family was gathered around the dinner table. They had to finish packing, so they had take-out Chinese for supper.
"First, we will portkey to Hogwarts," said Hermione. "Headmistress McGonagall is a good friend to your father and I. Since school is not in session, we will spend the night there and have a tour. The Headmistress has invited a few of our old friends from the Order of the Phoenix for dinner. It has been more than twenty-five years since your father and I have seen our friends. We expect both of you to be on your best behavior."
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"Daddy? Can we go to Ollivanders and get my wand while we're in Britain?" asked Emily. "I want to get my wand where you and Mummy got yours." She looked up at her father, excited about their trip.
Severus adjusted the collar of his daughter's jacket.
"That depends on whether or not your mother and I decide it is safe to go to Diagon Alley. We will be recognized. If too many people are still angry about the things we had to do to win the war, we will not go. We will not allow anyone to endanger our family."
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Crookshanks was not entirely cooperative about getting in the cat carrier. Hermione would not have brought him with if Minerva hadn't insisted. Apparently, they were old friends, too.
Severus held his daughter's hand tightly. Emily could hardly contain her excitement about the trip. Looking down at the sweet face framed by her long black hair, he was overwhelmed with love and intense protectiveness. He wanted her to have a choice, but if it was not safe, Emily and Jonathan would not go to Hogwarts.
Hermione took Jonathan's hand and smiled reassuringly at Severus. Grasping their portkeys, the Snape family disappeared.
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To be continued
My apologies to Enya for forgetting to attribute a line to her writing. In the last chapter, the line "ever and always, always and ever" comes from one of her songs. I thought it made a lovely wedding vow.