Samantha reluctantly trudged her way down to breakfast. The previous day had been rather miserable. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still cordial to her, but their children absolutely refused to speak to her. Entering the kitchen, she saw that she was the last to arrive. She quietly greeted everyone, but Ginny and Ron didn't return her greeting – nor did they even bother acknowledging it.
Mrs. Weasley began lecturing her children, again, when a tapping at the window distracted her. A large raven sat on the outside sill, patiently waiting for the window to be opened. Mr. Weasley let the bird in and it flew to land next to Mrs. Weasley.
Once relieved of its burden, the raven flew from the room.
"Who was that from, mum?" Ron asked.
Mrs. Weasley had been unrolling the scroll and she absently replied, "Professor Snape."
"Snape? What does he want?" Ron asked, scowling.
"He has sent Samantha's tutoring schedule," she responded, setting the outer parchment aside and glancing at the inner one. "Oh! Oh my…"
Samantha suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Mrs. Weasley's eyes had gone large but she was now smiling. She handed the parchment to her husband whose reactions were similar.
"What does that say?" Ginny finally asked.
Mrs. Weasley took the parchment back from her husband and rolled both it and the schedule back up. "It doesn't pertain to either of you," she said sharply. Turning to her husband she said, "Arthur, perhaps you could take Ron and Ginny with you to Diagon Alley. I have a small list of things I need from there and it would be good for them to get out."
Mr. Weasley nodded, "How about it, kids?"
Excited affirmations followed as the two hurried from their seats and left the room – but not before they each threw a superior glance towards Samantha. Obviously, they thought she was being snubbed in not being asked to go. Samantha, who was quite good at reading body language and non-verbal clues, realized that Mrs. Weasley was using this as an excuse to get her children out of the house.
Samantha exchanged glances with Mr. Weasley before he left the room and he gave her a reassuring smile. The butterflies in her stomach settled slightly. Once Samantha and Mrs. Weasley were alone in the kitchen, the older woman handed her the smaller scroll.
"Here, dear." Mrs. Weasley was beaming now and Samantha quickly knew why.
Dear Samantha,
I am happy to inform you that your mother is alive and well. She had been held by the Dark Lord, but she is now safe with me. I will be coming by the Burrow this morning to discuss your schedule with you in person. Your mother is eager to see you again.
Sincerely,
Your Father
Samantha beamed at Mrs. Weasley. "Oh! That is fantastic!"
Mrs. Weasley nodded, "I will admit, my dear, that I'm a bit worried about that second line. There's no telling what has happened to your mother during that time…"
"Oh," Samantha said softly. In her excitement of knowing her mother was alive, she had completely dismissed the how and where of the situation. "You don't think…"
"Well, there's no use worrying about it," Mrs. Weasley said in a brusque, reasonable tone. "Your mother is alive and that is what is most important. Why don't you go get some more studying done before your parents arrive?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Samantha said, clutching the note in her hand as she went back upstairs. She returned to her study, determined to get as much reading done as she could before her parents arrived.
-- --
Severus slept miserably and by morning he was regretting not dosing himself with some Dreamless Sleep potion. Images of the previous evening kept replaying through his mind. Each time the sequence began, he turned it over in his head, trying to discover if there was some way he could have avoided what had happened. Each time, he came to the same conclusion – no matter what he did, this was the best outcome.
Finally, he dragged himself out of bed. He pulled on a robe over his nightshirt and headed for the bathroom. The bathroom door was closed and he could hear water running in the sink, so he simply stood there waiting. A minute later, the door opened and his brain derailed for a moment as he gazed at Katrina. The t-shirt he'd given her only fell to mid-thigh, leaving a long expanse of leg revealed. He mentally shook himself as he glanced up at her.
"Good morning, Severus," she said, giving him an uncertain smile.
"Hmm. I will transfigure some robes for you to wear today. We can go to Diagon Alley after breakfast."
"I have perfectly good clothes back at my home," she argued.
"Muggle clothes, I'm sure," he said sharply. "You're a witch and you will dress appropriately."
She frowned, her hazel eyes flashing in anger, "I will wear what I want, Severus."
"You will wear what I tell you to!" he growled.
She pushed him out of her way, "Fuck you, Severus." She was slamming the door to her room before he recovered from his shock.
Taking a couple deep breaths, he decided to take care of his morning ablutions before facing her again. Once in the bathroom, he cupped his hands under the tap and brought the water to his face. The cold water woke him up quickly and he winced as he replayed their argument in his head. Merlin, had he really just spoken to her as if he was her master?
Sighing, he emptied his bladder, jumped in the shower, and brushed his teeth. He wrapped a towel around his waist and pondered how he could apologize to Katrina.
Finally coming to a decision, he bypassed the bedrooms, instead making his way to the attic where his raven roosted. He sneezed as he got a nose full of dust as he made his way to the small table he kept stocked with parchment and ink. His raven, Athena, fluttered down from the rafters and perched on his shoulder. The bird gave an affectionate nip at his ear as he wrote a quick letter to Maggie. He also jotted down a copy of the girl's tutoring schedule. Tying the two together, he put Mrs. Weasley's name on the parchment. He handed it to Athena who grabbed it in her beak before flying off.
Well, perhaps the news of a visit to their daughter would cool Katrina's temper. He went back to his bedroom, dressed quickly, and finally decided to 'beard the lioness in her den' so to speak.
Knocking on Katrina's door, he heard a muttered response from inside. Taking it as an invitation to enter, he opened the door and stepped inside. Katrina was perched on the edge of the bed, still dressed in the t-shirt.
She glanced up and glared at him, "How dare you try to treat me like a bloody pet!" She seemed to deflate as she glanced down at her hands in her lap. She stroked over the snake tattoo with her thumb. "I woke up this morning and for an instant I could believe this was all a bad dream. Then I saw this," she said, still speaking to her lap, "and I knew it wasn't."
Slowly approaching her, he gently grabbed her right hand and turned it. Raising it, he gently kissed the snake tattoo. "Please forgive me," he said softly when he drew away. His lips tingled slightly where they'd met her skin. His eyes met hers, "It was wrong of me to say that."
She nodded slowly, her lips parting slightly. Leaning over, he gently brushed his lips over hers. He was pleasantly surprised when she returned the chaste kiss.
He sat next to her, his hand still holding hers, "I was thinking that after we visit Diagon Alley, we could go visit Maggie…" He saw her break into a smile. "I do apologize for earlier. I'm afraid I'm not the most pleasant person in the morning. I did have a reason, though, for wanting you dressed in robes – it is what is expected of you by the Dark Lord. He would expect me to enforce it as well. There may also come times when I will need you to obey me without question or argument. I'm not saying this to hurt you, Katrina, but to prepare you. Both of our lives are at stake if someone decides to visit us here."
"I'm sorry I made such a fuss, Sev. I just… it's still overwhelming, you know? Everything has just happened so quickly… We were dating again and everything was just so nice! Then this bastard has to destroy our lives again."
Unsure of what to say, he simply stroked his thumb over her hand. After a couple minutes of silence, he rose and gently pulled her to her feet. Pulling out his wand, he transfigured her t-shirt into simple robes. "Let's eat and then we can get you some proper clothes. After that, I'm sure Maggie will be glad to see you. I sent her a short note telling her that you are okay. She was very worried about you," he said, silently adding as was I.
"Albus said Maggie had a glamour and assumed name?"
"Oh, yes," he responded as he led her downstairs and into the small kitchen in the back of the house. "She now has your auburn hair and my dark eyes. She chose to go by the name Samantha Johnston." He settled her into a chair and was about to open the cabinets when a small pop sounded in the room. There stood Dobby the house-elf. Growling, he glared at the house-elf, "What are you doing here?"
"Professor Dumbledore tells Dobby to come care for Master Snape and his wife," the elf responded. "You wish to eat now?"
Sighing in defeat, Severus sat across from Katrina, "Yes, Dobby, that will be fine."
The house elf disappeared and reappeared a minute later with a tray laden with breakfast and coffee. The tray on the table, the elf smiled. "Dobby will go clean now."
"No, Dobby," Severus said sharply. "No cleaning down here. You may clean the bedrooms and upstairs bathroom only. You may also bring us our meals. You must never come here when others are present, do you understand?"
Dobby nodded quickly, the hats on his head tipping precariously. He then disappeared and Severus sighed in relief.
"That house elf is a bit… touched in the head," Severus said to explain his behavior. "He's been freed and demands payment for his work."
"How odd," Katrina said, pulling a piece of toast off the tray. "Who did he work for?"
"Lucius Malfoy."
Katrina choked on her toast, "The Malfoys freed a house-elf?"
He patted her on the back, "No, Harry Potter did. It's a long story, but I can assure you Lucius was none too pleased."
Chuckling, Katrina nodded, "I can just imagine."
They finished the rest of their breakfast in companionable silence. Soon enough, they were both finished and it was time to leave.
"We will have to walk a bit before we can apparate," he said. They left the house and walked for fifteen minutes before he drew her into a thick stand of trees. Drawing her into his arms, he apparated them to the edge of the Burrow.
They were halfway through the yard when the door opened and an auburn-haired bullet shot out. "Mum! Father!"
Katrina opened her arms and embraced the girl. "Oh, Maggie, I missed you so much!"
"You should all come inside," the voice of Molly Weasley called from the direction of the house.
Severus glanced away from his daughter and his… Well, he didn't rightly know how to refer to her now. Was she his wife, his pet, the 'mother of his child'? Katrina was right about one thing, the snake-faced bastard had ruined their lives again. A hand on his shoulder brought his thoughts back to the present.
"I'm glad to see you too, father."
He glanced at Maggie and then up at Katrina who seemed to be pleasantly surprised. "Come on, we should go inside," he said, addressing them both. He led the way towards the house and the red-headed woman standing in the doorway watching them.
"Arthur took the kids out for the day, so you could have some peace," Molly Weasley said as she stepped back and invited them inside.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Severus said, glancing around the inside of her modest home.
"That's Molly to you, Severus," the woman corrected sternly. "Why don't you give me a hand in the kitchen, Severus, and give these two a couple minutes to catch up, hmm?"
He gave the woman a measuring glance and saw her eyes flick to Katrina, notably, Katrina's neck were the silver of the collar was partially visible. Realizing the matronly woman was trying to give Katrina an opportunity to explain things to Maggie, he nodded, "Of course… Molly."
"You girls make yourselves comfortable and we'll be back in a bit," Molly said, leading Severus into the kitchen. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to one of the chairs surrounding a well-worn wooden table. "Ok, speak while I get these tea things together. I saw the collar," she added as she gave him a quick glance over her shoulder.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself that Molly was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and therefore trusted by Dumbledore. Closing his eyes, he began at his summoning the night before. He left nothing out as he spoke – shakily mentioning the rape and forced bonding. His eyes still closed, he pulled up his sleeve enough for the new tattoo to become visible. He explained the collar – reminding himself as he did so that he needed to replace it as soon as possible. He didn't like the thought of Katrina being powerless. Just as Katrina had, he mentioned her ingestion of the unknown potion last. He remembered that he had to look that up still.
Gentle hands landed on his shoulders and squeezed gently. "You had no control over what happened, Severus, and both of your girls will understand that." The hands left his shoulders and Molly took the seat opposite his. "I know I'm no expert in potions, Severus, but could you describe the potion Katrina ingested?"
"She said it was cornflower-blue, had a consistency like watery oatmeal, and had a tropical flavor."
"Hmm, that sounds familiar," Molly said as she tapped one finger on the table, obviously deep in thought. "Oh! I know where I've heard of that before…" She rose and went to her kitchen counter. She picked up a magazine and flipped through it. "Well, this certainly sounds like it," she said, returning to the table and handing him the newest issue of Witch Weekly.
He glanced at the page in question. It was a full-page advert for 'Flora Fanwraith's No-Fail Fertility Philter.' 'Now in new Tropical flavor!' the ad proclaimed brightly. Glancing at the bottom of the page, there was a bit of technical jargon which he skimmed to discover that the potion was indeed cornflower-blue and that the consistency could be considered to be similar to watery oatmeal.
Looking back up at the ad itself, he paled at the boast '99 effective!' with a small adjunct below reading 'when taken within 24 hours of sexual intercourse.' He dropped his head into his hands. Well, fuck.