Chapter 8 - The First Word

The trial were difficult for Severus who had been in Azkaban for several weeks waiting for the date. Fortunately between the court sessions he was kept in the Ministry holding cells. Albus was keeping his promise and it looked like he would be free soon to continue teaching. Albus had informed him that Madame Black was working as his replacement while he was away. He had his suspicions about her competency, but he knew he was in no position to criticise.

Much of his freedom depended on his knowledge of the Dark Lord's supporters and they succeeded in apprehending many. Getting rich families, like the Malfoys, to actually be sentenced was another matter altogether. He was glad that the most sycophantic ones, such as Bellatrix Lestrange, were taken to Azkaban. Albus complimented Severus on his skills as a spy. He never did see Madame Black during his time in the Ministry.

It took several months, but he returned to Hogwarts some weeks before the end of term just in time to write and supervise the exams. And it was making him nervous, for some reason, to meet with her again.

She had lived in a guest room off of his quarters that the castle had opened for her and her son. She had barely touched anything of his things, he noted, pleased. He noticed some books were less dusty in the shelves, which meant she must have read some of them, but he had known Hermione for some years to know that she valued books and was careful with them.

He showered and ordered food from the kitchens and was enjoying his first good meal for months when the woman in his thoughts, who surprisingly and increasingly was not Lily, entered carrying Cepheus.

"Oh! Good eve, Severus. Albus told me you were returning today. Will we go through happenings during your absence today or tomorrow? I will leave in the morning or as soon as we have done the debriefing tomorrow. I really need to get back to the cottage. Slytherins in this time are so much more delightful than in my time," she rambled and Severus had to clear his throat to interrupt her.

"Why don't you join me?" he offered.

"That would be wonderful. Cepheus was fussy during dinner, and I had no time for myself," she said and went into the guest room to put her son who was out cold to bed.

"I missed you and Walburga. She was always such a great help. When I wanted to concentrate on my studies or research, or just have some alone time... I'm rambling again, but I did hire a Mr. Lupin to take care of him during the day."

"A Mr. Lupin? he inquired feeling suddenly insanely jealous. "You wouldn't mean a Mr. Remus Lupin?"

"Why, yes. I met him on that day..." she silenced herself. "H-how was your time away?"

Severus snorted indelicately at her wording.

"As could be expected. I am most glad to be back," he answered.

"That's good, then. Cepheus missed you tremendously. Do you know he said his first word the day you were take away."

"And what was his first word?" Severus asked slightly curious. She had to have reason to look at him with such emotion. She was a Slytherin. He knew that very well. It would take a lot to pretend to be someone else, and she seemed to have some secret agenda. Her motivations were always about her family, never the war. She persisted on staying hidden and unknown, on the sidelines of the time, a nobody. Very un-Gryffindorish of her.

The silence stretched between them with her eyes studying him carefully. He was tempted to speak again and was about to open his mouth to do so when she did utter one word.

"Dada. He said dada. At first I thought he was wondering about Regulus, but that was absurd, because he- he died so many months before the birth and then I realised he meant you. I imagine because we speak about his father with you, never with Walburga, no, never her."

Severus was speechless. It too a lot to render him without words. He was called witty and sardonic, and never failed to answer with a clever comeback or at all. But being referred to as father, by his best friend's partly-orphaned son was stunning and something he had never imagined happening.

"That... Is... Surprising," he finally managed with much difficulty to break the awkwardness of the situation. Hermione just nodded and they continued in silence. When they finished they moved to the settee and Hermione showed him the essays and other notations she had done throughout her classes and told him what she suggested he do for the exams. And he found her to be competent.

"Thank you," he said when she finished. She nodded timidly and looked at him. They were too close. They leaned into each other...

"Good night, Severus."

And just so suddenly, she was gone.

Hermione closed the door behind her and leaned against it feeling suddenly exhausted. Now she could finally go back to the cottage and pretend that she had not missed Severus Snape more than she had thought possible.

He was not so scarred by life as to be totally bitter. He had a hard shell, but starting out as a Sytherin and the wife of his best friend made it easier for them to relate to each other. That and the addition of losing one's love. They were both sufferers of heartbreak.

She felt him to be a kindred spirit. Hermione knew that if she had grown in a similar environment as Severus, she would have ended up much the same as he was. She also recognised a well-built shell when she saw one. She had one herself, one that rarely slipped when she was in the company of others. Talking about Regulus and Walburga and even Orion made her remember more keenly her best friends Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter.

Hermione wondered if they missed her or if they even knew she was gone. They probably had noticed her disappearance by know and were looking for her. What would happen in the future after she had disappeared?

She remembered how almost in another lifetime she had gone to the Shrieking Shack to look for Professor Snape whom she suspected to still be alive. He was a talented Potions Master, spy and Slytherin, he would not be around a snake and the threat of death above his death unprepared. Unless he had a death wish and after seeing his memories, Hermione thought that maybe he had had a death wish.

But when she had come to the Shack where they had left the body, she had found dried blood and a note that had taken her twenty years in the past. She had thought twenty hours, but her time turner was special.

Then it dawned on her that it was quite obvious, wasn't it? She must have taken Severus to safety, this version of her, who was growing old with the generation of her parents. And probably it had been a portkey to Moor Cottage.

She staggered with the implications. In the future where they still friends or were they more? She hoped dearly. But she didn't remember a Black in her age group, so Cepheus must be homeschooled. Who was she or was she just an obscure person who nobody payed attention living a secluded life. Hermione didn't want her child to grow lonely.

"Kreacher," she called softly and the house elf appeared in front of her apprehensively.

"Miss Mia call Kreacher," he stated. "Miss Mia makes Mistress angry and lies to her."

"I am sorry, Kreacher. Do you hate me now that you know I'm a Mudblood?"

"No, Miss Mia always kind to Kreacher. Kreacher likes young Master Ceph."

"Young Master Ceph misses you too, Kreacher. I'm sorry I had to lie to Walburga. I never wanted to, but you knew that there was something off with me, didn't you?"

"I knews it, but never says a thing. Master Reg loves Miss Mia very much. Lovsing is important."

"You are a very good house elf. I know what loosing Regulus meant to you. I know you were there and I know what happened. But I couldn't stop him, because then there would be no Cepheus and I would never had met Regulus."

Tears were flowing down Hermione's cheeks at this point and Kreacher patted her hand gently.

"I knows, Miss Mia. Master Reg never blames Miss Mia. He says he loves you and tells Kreacher to honour him by following his last order until the day I dies. I is to take care of yous and Master Ceph," Kreacher explained gently.

"Thank you, Kreacher, that means a lot to me. Please also tell me how Walburga is doing. I miss her too very much," she said and sighed. "I must give you an order for the future. When you meet my younger self when Grimmauld Place will be used as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, you must pretend to hate me. I know you probably will hate the others and also my younger self, for we will clean and probably try to throw away many things. You must try to save them for they will belong to Cepheus one day. I also apologise in advance, but Master Sirius is an innocent and he will come back. He will think he inherits the family fortune and the house and you, but you must pretend that it is so and he will also think he has the right to give in his will to a Harry James Potter and again you must pretend it is so. We will give you Regulus' locket back, then you know you can act again as yourself."

"I will takes care of you, Miss Mia, and Master Ceph and remember whats you says."

"Thank you, Kreacher, now go back and take care of Walburga. She will need you now more than I will."

"She wills dies soon," the house elf whispered sadly and Hermione hugged him.

"I know, a few more years and she will be gone," she answered and cried. Then Kreacher popped away again.