The "Harry Potter" characters belong to JK Rowling, her associates and affiliates. CPT Holdings Inc. and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment own "Bewitched" and "Tabitha". For entertainment purposes only. There. I have spoken.

A/N According to more than one website, Adam was a warlock in "Bewitched" and a mortal in "Tabitha". For this fanfic, he's a mortal. It just works better that way. And all due respect to anyone who disagrees.

A million thank-yous to the people who reviewed. I really enjoy reading them. This story has a very high hit count, so I know people are reading. And if you've read this far, there must be something in the story you like. Drop a line and let me know!

At the reception they were seated with Tabitha's family and an attractive middle aged couple named Rich. It was an appropriate name; they both had the look of money about them. Mr. Rich wore Armani and a Rolex watch, and Mrs. Rich was perfectly manicured and coifed, a picture of understatement in pearls and Chanel. But there was something more--Snape realized with shock that they were werewolves. The woman seemed to be good friends with Samantha, and she gave Tabitha a big hug as they all sat down. Tabitha inquired about their chldren.

"Oh, they were both so sorry they couldn't come, but Frannie's out in L.A. Can you believe it? She wants to break into film as a director. I don't like it. L.A. is such a wicked town, and I didn't want her to go, but she has a mind of her own, you know." Mrs. Rich was addressing Tabitha, but she included Snape at this point. "Oh, and Joey had to work. Did I tell you he's starting at Fordham this term?"

"No," said Tabitha and Mrs. Rich launched into a lengthy monolog.

Snape watched them as they talked. Apparantly, Tabitha used to babysit the son. That would explain why she was so comfortable around Lupin. But eventually, Tabitha got up to greet a friend she hadn't seen in a long time, and Mrs. Rich leaned across to talk to Snape.

"I must say," she said, putting a hand to her chest for dramatic effect," I love your accent."

"Thank you," he muttered, thinking that was the silliest thing he ever heard.

"Is this your first time in America?"

"No," he said warily, "I was here a few months ago."

"I see," she nodded her head. "We all miss Tabitha very much. But I'm sure you need her there," she said, putting a very subtle emphasis on her last word.

He was starting to think he was being tested.

"Are you familiar with a warlock named Albus Dumbledore?" She asked.

"Are you?" He replied, surprised.

"Of course we are. We've never met him, but we're donors to Hogwarts. Mr. Rich and I believe in magical education. We also donate to schools here in the States."

Snape paused. "I work at Hogwarts."

Mrs. Rich looked intensely at him for a moment, then slid over into Tabitha's seat. Lowering her voice, she said, "You look like a no-nonsense warlock, so I'll speak plainly. You have to tell Dumbledore he's losing the support of the werewolves. Not all of us, of course, Mr. Rich and I are fully behind the anti-Voldemort effort. As you see, I'm not afraid to say that name, and I know that you know what we are."

She looked around and lowered her voice even further. "We've tried to persuade some of the others but with only limited success. You see, we don't associate with very many of our kind. They can be so uncouth, and with the newer potions that have been discovered in the last several years, there's no excuse..." She looked up to see Tabitha coming back and slid into her own seat, but with a meaningful look at Snape. "Tell him," she said, again.

Dinner was served, and toasts were drunk and the dancing started. Tabitha and Snape were talking quietly together when Adam took his date on the dance floor, and the older couples took it upon themselves to encourage Tabitha and Snape to dance--mostly so they could talk privately amongst themselves.

Snape was not particularly looking forward to dancing, but he didn't see any way around it. As he led her reluctantly onto the dance floor, he was unpleasantly reminded ot the few dances he had attended at Hogwarts, with the nervousness, the longing, the fear of rejection. He doubted Tabitha would know anything about that. She was probably the golden girl of her school. She looked the part, anyway.

She didn't seem to have any selfconciousness as she took his hand and put her other arm around his shoulder, leaning on him ever-so-slightly. Well, he wasn't about to be shown up. He put his arm around her and tried to hide his discomfort at her sudden nearness. She didn't try to make conversation, although she looked up at him and smiled briefly. After that he became slightly less uncomfortable. After all, this wasn't school and he wasn't a teenager anymore. There was nobody around to laugh or point. Of course, he thought to himself, it also helped when your date was one of the nicest looking women in the room. That idea made him pause. He had never actually given her appearence much thought. He met her when she was pregnant and wearing oversized clothes. Not that she hadn't been cute even then, just not an object of desire. However, he couldn't deny that he had noticed the change in her in the last couple months. That day by the lake, the thought had crossed his mind in a vague sort of way that she looked good. And then last night, she had been downright pretty in her muggle clothes, but he had been under too much strain from his dealings with Narcissa to really follow that line of thought.

The evening wore on, with the dancing and drinking and revelry. The older couples left one by one, and only the younger couples remained for the party. Tabitha and Snape walked out to the parking lot with her parents to see them off and stayed watching the car turn the corner. The night air was warm and balmy.

"It's so nice and quiet outside, why don't we stay out here for a little while?" She suggested.

He agreed and they walked across the parking lot towards the lake. She slipped her arm through his for extra support walking across the uneven gravel.

"Thank you for coming with me today. Nina was all set to find me a blind date. You rescued me from that horror," she said, giggling a little. The wine she drunk was starting to go to her head.

"About half the people in there were magical," he mused.

"Well, sure, it was a mixed marriage."

"But how many of the muggles were aware of that?"

"Hard to say," she said. "I know for certain the groom knew, and of course my father and brother. I'm sure there were other mortals who were aware of us. It's pretty hard to hide magical ability from the person you marry. And sometimes mortals just find out. But you know, despite what a lot of magical people think, not all mortals are envious of magical powers. My father wasn't, for instance. You probably wouldn't understand."

"Understand what?"

"What it was like to grow up half-mortal."

Snape was silent for a while.

"That's where you're wrong."

They stopped and sat on a park bench looking out over the lake.

"My family was like yours," he said quietly. "Witch mother, muggle father."

"Then you do understand," she said smiling. "But why are you so against intermarrying...?"

"You'd be against it too if you saw what I saw growing up. The constant fighting..." He stopped abruptly when Tabitha put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "We should go back inside," he said, helping her to her feet...

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