Chapter 16:
A Big Day:
The next morning, Harry awoke to the sound of the Floo opening in the main room of their quarters and crept from bed, donning a dressing gown, as he went, being careful not to wake his lover.
"Morning, Harry," Hermione greeted him, her head bobbing in the emerald flames.
"Morning," Harry murmured, yawning.
"How are you feeling, you still want to go with us?"
"Yes," Harry replied. "I'm feeling all right and I want to go, there's something I need to do."
"Oh, good," Hermione said and smiled. "We'll meet you in the entrance hall in fifteen minutes?"
"Yeah, all right," Harry answered and the Floo connection closed with a pop.
Harry stuck his head in, checking on Abbey in the room near the fireplace and smiled when he saw that she was sleeping peacefully. He watched her for a moment and then hurried off to get ready.
Forty-five minutes later, a smile on his face, Harry, Hermione and Ron were walking down the streets of Muggle London, not having found what he was looking for in Diagon Alley. Once he'd told her, Hermione had agreed to by-pass Flourish & Blott's since they would be passing by it later on the way back.
Upon entering the Alley, a mob surrounded them, everyone glad to see Harry out and about after so long, wondering where he'd been and if he had any comments on his husband's activities. "Out of the way, out of the way!" Ron yelled, shoving witches and wizards as he cleared a path and Hermione led the way.
Harry growled and noticing his change in mood, Hermione put her arm around him and whispered, "Just ignore them, Harry, remember where we're going and what it's for."
That had done it; that had put the smile back on Harry's face as they headed toward The Leaky Cauldron. "You should be a bouncer, Ron," Harry said, making Hermione laugh.
"A what?" Ron asked, causing his girlfriend to laugh harder.
"Nothing, Ron," Harry said with a grin, glad his comment hadn't been a complete loss. "Never mind."
Ron shrugged as the trio headed through The Leaky Caldron and out into the streets of Muggle London.
"Where is this place again?" Harry asked as they walked down Pall Mall.
Hermione sighed, she had already told Harry three times since he'd told her what he was looking for today. "It's over on Burlington Arcade. Honestly, Harry," she scolded. "It's not far now."
Soon, Harry saw large stone building appear, not a whole lot different in appearance from Gringott's, except for display windows with gads of jewellery in them. The sign above the doorway said 'Susannah Lovis', and there was even a doorman stationed outside.
"Are you sure about this, Harry?" Ron asked as the doorman nodded in greeting and opened the door for them.
"Yes, Ron," Harry answered. He sighed when he saw his friend's expression and turned, grasping his shoulders. "You know how I feel… I was devastated when Sev disappeared and now, I have another chance. I'm not going to lose it again."
Ron nodded reluctantly and Harry turned his attention back to his purpose, noticing Hermione browsing the store cases as they waited.
Severus awoke to find something poking him in the face and it wasn't very comfortable. He opened his eyes, to find himself alone and that he had been laying on a portion of parchment. He swallowed dryly, fear gripping him and sat up slowly, picking up the parchment with a shaky hand before beginning to read:
Dearest Severus,
Thank you for last night, it was wonderful. You were right, it wasn't the best of ideas to do anything exhausting last night. It's not even eight o'clock yet and Hermione has already flooed. She and Ron are waiting for me up at the entrance hall, so I only have a few minutes. I won't be gone long, maybe a couple of hours. You and Abbey both looked so peaceful, that I didn't want to wake you. I hope you have a good day together. I'll be sure to bring something back for both of you.
Love,
Harry
Severus sighed, closing his eyes a moment as he held the letter to him; Harry wasn't gone, hadn't left him except for a day trip with his friends. He berated himself for thinking otherwise and looked at the clock on the bedside table: 9 a.m. Shaking the sleep and surprise from his foggy mind, he rose and began to dress for the day.
"Good morning, Papa," Abbey greeted a few minutes later, when she entered to find Severus sitting down to a breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee, reading the Prophet while he waited for her to wake. "Where's Daddy?"
"Good morning, sweetie," Severus said as he folded the paper and laid it down on the table. "Daddy went out for a couple of hours with his friends. It's just you and me today, what shall we do?"
Abbey cocked her head, looking thoughtful for a moment as she pulled herself up on a chair beside him. He set the plate of eggs and toast before her, and then poured her a glass of pumpkin juice. "I wanna go outside," she said finally, picking up a piece of toast.
Not long after Abbey finished her breakfast, they headed out onto the grounds; not knowing as they ran around that those in the castle could see them from the high windows. Many students paused to watch them curiously, while one, remembering the rumour of the man's reputation, whipped his wand out and started running down the hall, believing the poor girl was in trouble.
"Mister O'Conner," Minerva's voice rang out from behind him as he flew passed her down the straightaway without notice, and came skidding to a halt, breathing hard. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"Mister – Snape," the boy gasped. "He's after little Abbey!"
Minerva smiled and beckoned the boy to her side, somewhere along the way, she had picked up the motherly tendency of consoling her students when they were frightened, and decided that she probably had Albus to thank for that. She had seen 'little Abbey' wandering around the castle with Dobby while Harry had been in the infirmary and was pleasantly surprised that the students took to the child so well –they had in fact, dubbed her 'little Abbey' – but then again, she was Harry's daughter and the reports of Draco's attempt to kidnap her helped. Minerva had seen them together quite often, and knew that Severus wouldn't hurt her. He had been praying for some light to shine in his dark corner and it had done just that with Harry and Abbey coming into his life.
Reluctantly, the boy moved closer and they stood looking out the window. Minerva's smile widened as she watched the man playing with his daughter. He had always had a hard life, always studying and following the path set in front of him by others, never having fun. He deserved a chance at a new life and she wasn't going to deny him that.
"Headmistress?" O'Conner asked uneasily. He had thought that the woman would do something once he told her what was wrong, but she just stood there watching them with a smile.
"Leave them," murmured Minerva, her eyes still on the father and daughter running around the grassy grounds that where bathed in sunlight.
"But Headmistress, we have to do something!"
Minerva blinked, coming back to the present and turned to the boy. "Mister Snape will not harm the girl," she said gently, moving away from the window. "It is not my place to explain their relationship, but they are merely playing." The boy looked at her in astonishment and turned back to the window, lowering his wand slowly. Minerva smiled at him, then turned and slowly made her way down the hall.
"Come back here, you little brat!" Severus yelled after Abbey, who had been enjoying the chase, giggling. He scooped her up in his arms, spinning her around, smiling up at her as she laughed, before they settled down to rest by the lake.
"Papa?" Abbey asked as she laid her head next to him on the grass.
"Mmm?" Severus murmured, not looking at her, but acknowledging the question.
"Why did you call me a brat?"
"Aren't you?" Severus asked, arching a brow and propping himself up on his elbows to look at his daughter. "Your dad was a right pain when he was a student here."
Abbey shook her head. "No," she said with conviction. "I'm a good girl; I always listen to my Daddy."
Severus smiled at her. "Well, he either did a good job raising you or you take after me. He never listened and almost always did something he wasn't supposed to, usually landing himself in hot water."
Abbey smiled, remembering the stories Harry had told her. "You were one of Daddy's teachers, weren't you, Papa?"
Severus looked at her in surprise, unaware of how much she knew, but nodded slowly. "Yes, I taught him Potions."
"Will you teach me?" Abbey asked, looking at him hopefully.
"If you wish," Severus answered. "There is a lab in the basement of what is to be our home. Abbey," Severus asked. "There is something that I want to ask you."
"Yes, Papa?"
Ron was still looking rather pale as he, Harry, and Hermione looked around at all that Susannah Lovis Jewellers had to offer. While browsing, something drew Harry's attention and he as he moved down the isle toward it, he saw a beautiful, gold necklace, shaped like a snake, and adorned with emeralds and rubies.
"Hello," a woman greeted, drawing their attention. "May I help you?" She was blond, but not as blond as Draco was, and had her hair pulled up in a vertical bun, a few strands pulled free, framing her face. Her eyes were green, and she was wearing a fitted grey suit with a skirt and white satin blouse.
"Yes," Hermione replied. "My friend here is looking for wedding bands."
"Oh," the woman said, smiling at Harry when Hermione pointed to him. "How nice. Who's the lucky lady?"
Ron choked in the background while Harry blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Actually ma'am," he said quietly. "I'm gay."
"Oh," the woman said, flushing. "I'm sorry. Well, I mean, I'm not that you're gay –," she muttered, flustered. "I mean…"
Harry smiled and held up his hands, motioning the woman to stop. "It's okay," he assured her. "I know what you meant."
"Um," Hermione interrupted. "Is Mister Anderson in today?"
"What? Oh," the woman answered, slightly disappointed that she may have lost a sale. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'll be right back." Harry nodded, smiling as the woman headed to the back.
"Mister Anderson?" Harry asked, arching a brow as he whispered in Hermione's ear.
Hermione nodded. "He's a wizard," she whispered back. "He's actually the shop owner. He named the store after his daughter. I figured we'd better come here after you told me what you were looking for. It would take weeks the Muggle way."
Harry nodded and smiled his thanks.
"Hello." A cheerful male voice drew their attention and Harry looked up only to hear the man gasp. "Mister Potter," he greeted, reaching out to shake Harry's hand. "It's an honour. My name is Chris Anderson. Camille said you were looking for wedding bands?"
Harry nodded. He didn't know if Mister Anderson had heard the news of his separation and pending divorce from Draco or not, but he didn't care. His heart was telling him that this was the right move. He had already lost Severus once and if he could help it, he wasn't going to lose him again.
"Did you have anything in mind? We have lovely wedding sets."
"Yes," Harry answered, not bothering to look as the man directed him to the case. "I want two custom pieces. One, gold with rubies and the other, silver with emeralds. I require enough of each stone to spell the names I provide. Both rings will also bare an inscription."
Ron and Hermione blanched. Harry had not told her this part. He had just said that he wanted something special and that he really hoped that his request wouldn't take very long. Hermione was glad that Ron still didn't understand the conversions from Wizarding to Muggle money, but he obviously knew it wouldn't be cheap.
Mister Anderson blinked. He had never received such an order. "Very well, Mister Potter," he said, beckoning the young man to follow him to another counter. "Please come with me and we will work out the details." Harry nodded and turned to follow him, Hermione tagging along behind and Ron wandering up out of curiosity, but trying to appear as though he could care less.
Mister Anderson pulled out a piece of paper and began asking questions, taking notes as he went. Some, Harry didn't really understand, but answered the best he could. He'd never bought anything like this before and had no idea that it was going to be so complicated. Finally, after trying to explain things to the young man several times, Mister Anderson beckoned them back to the vault.
Once inside, he closed the door, locking them in from the outside for security reasons and opened several cases holding the different sizes and cuts of the gems requested, electing to show them the difference. After Harry had chosen the size and cut of gems that he wanted for both rings, Mister Anderson started on his sketch based on Harry's other answers. Soon, he had a sketch of both rings and calculated the number of gemstones required, hoping in the back of his mind that the young man would go through with the sale.
Turning the sketches around so that Harry could see them more clearly, he arched a questioning brow. Harry studied the pictures and nodded with a smile. Mister Anderson smiled slightly, steeling himself for the denial. "The first ring," he said, clearing his throat and pointing it out on with his pencil. "Comprised of gold and rubies will require thirty-six stones of the size you've chosen in order to make your name legible." Harry nodded, showing no qualms with this number, while the others looked on in shock. "The second," he continued, moving his pencil. "Comprised of silver and emeralds will require forty-six stones of the size you've chosen, but we could cut that down some if you want to use a nickname."
Harry shook his head. "No," he said decidedly. "That's what I want."
"All right then," Mister Anderson said, locking the gems away for the time being, and then opening the vault door with a key card, letting them out once more. "Shall we go run the numbers?"
Harry nodded and was the first to follow the man from the vault.
"Harry," Hermione murmured, glancing to Ron as Mister Anderson walked on ahead to calculate the cost of the requested rings. "Are you sure about this? This is going to be very expensive. These aren't semi-precious stones we're talking about here."
Harry paused and looked at her steadily. "I know, Hermione," he answered as Ron caught up with them. "But you're forgetting my inheritance not only from my parents, but from Sirius as well. It won't be an issue. Besides, Sev's worth it."
"What's going on?" Ron asked, looking at them in confusion.
"Nothing," Harry answered, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. He knew Ron wasn't poor any more, but the man still had issues when it came to money.
"Well, Mister Potter," Mister Anderson said and Harry walked over to the counter after giving Hermione a pointed look and seeing her nod. "I have the numbers ready."
"Okay," Harry asked and smiled. "What's the damage?" Mister Anderson swallowed dryly. "And please, I don't want my identity to play a part in this. I'll pay what you would charge anyone else asking for such pieces." The man nodded, feeling slightly better about his news.
"Well," he said, once more turning the sheet so Harry had a clear view and pointed to each item with his pencil. "Since this is a custom order, all materials will be charged separately, but depending on how soon you want them, labour will not be a factor."
Harry looked around, making sure that no one else was in the room before leaning forward and asking, "Can I get them today?"
The man looked at his watch and then nodded. "I'm sure I could get them finished in a couple hours, I could even have them delivered if you want. Rumour is you're staying at Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded. "Thank you," he said, sitting back once again. "This is real important."
Mister Anderson returned his smile, and nodded in understanding. "Now, the gold will be £511.167, the rubies will be £251.088, the silver will be £170.385, and the emeralds, keeping them at forty-six stones, will be £2,158.97, for a total cost of £3,091.61."
Harry nodded, but then a thoughtful frown graced his features. "No," he said and Mister Anderson's hopes of making this sale died. "My ring cannot be more than his," Harry continued, not noticing the look on the man's face. Then, remembering the necklace he had seen earlier, he smiled. He turned and walked to the case, looking down at it. It was beautiful… perfect in every way – just like Sev. He knew the man would love it.
Mister Anderson looked at him curiously as he walked away, expecting him to leave, but he'd walked to one of the other cases instead. Intrigued, he followed. "Is there anything you'd like to see?" the man asked and was surprised when Harry pointed out the most expensive piece in the case: a golden snake necklace adorned with rubies and emeralds.
The man pulled the keys out of his pocket and opened the case, removing the necklace and placing it on the counter for inspection. Harry picked it up, turning it over in his hands as he studied it closely. It truly was an exceptional piece; he was sure Sev would appreciate it as much as he did.
"Please include this with the rings," he said, handing the necklace back to the man, who gaped at him. He had heard and seen plenty of customers ask about it, but once they inquired about the price, they walked out.
"W-would you like a price quote?" Mister Anderson asked apprehensively, preparing to return the necklace to the case once Harry discovered it.
"No," he answered. "That won't be necessary. Just do me a favour."
"W-what's that, Mister Potter?" Mister Anderson asked, swallowing dryly.
"Please make sure that Miss Camille gets a decent percentage from the total sale," Harry answered with a wry smile.
"Y-yes, o-of course," Mister Anderson said happily as he and Harry headed back to the sales sheet. "And how will you be paying, Mister Potter?"
Harry smiled and took a piece of scratch parchment from his pocket and picked up the pencil Mister Anderson had left on the counter, quickly scrawling the needed information. "You can contact Mister Griphook at this address; he's my personal financial advisor. Here are my account numbers that he has permission to withdraw the required amount from if one is not sufficient." Harry signed the parchment and handed it to Mister Anderson with a smile.
Mister Anderson paled when he saw two of the largest accounts in the Wizarding world on the parchment: the Potter account and the Black account.
"Y-yes sir, Mister Potter," Mister Anderson stammered.
"Thank you, Mister Anderson," Harry answered and beckoned his friends to join him. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."
"The pleasure is all mine," Mister Anderson replied, shaking Harry's hand once more.
"Please have these delivered to me at the school this afternoon," Harry said before he, Hermione, and Ron, who had a bewildered expression on his face, departed and Mister Anderson set to work on the order.
Severus couldn't be happier. Abbey had been thrilled when he'd asked her opinion on something that he'd been thinking about a lot over the past few days, but had not wanted to pursue if the child had not been all right with it, no matter what his feelings were.
"Abbey," he said, sitting up and looking to her. "Would you like to go with me?"
"With you where, Papa?" Abbey inquired.
"Well, I need to pick something up from the house we will be living in once your Daddy is better," Severus answered. "It's not far, on the outskirts of Hogsmeade."
He saw her shift, an uneasy expression on her face and wondered what was wrong. "Would we go alone?" Abbey asked quietly and Severus blinked, realizing why she was nervous. He smiled slightly, though he was a little hurt. Harry had taught her well.
Severus nodded. "We won't be Apparating," he replied. "So, probably. Your Uncle Remus is still upset with me, so he probably wouldn't agree to go."
"Oh," Abbey said quietly, shifting nervously under his gaze.
Yes, he thought. Harry has taught her well. She already knows better than to trust someone with whom she's unfamiliar. What else could I have expected after being in her life for only a few days?
"What's wrong sweetie?" Severus asked, already knowing the answer. "You came with me when we came here before my trial."
"But we weren't alone," Abbey replied, looking up at him. "Auntie Minerva and Uncle Remus were there, and Grandma Molly and Grandpa Artie were there, too."
Severus smiled. Grandpa Artie? That was the first time he'd heard that, and he had to admit, it was rather cute.
"All right, sweetie," he said, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to her. "Would you want to stay here with Dobby and Auntie Minerva, too?"
Abbey smiled and nodded, taking his hand and scrambling to her feet before they headed back to the castle. Once inside, they headed up to Minerva's office to talk with her.
"Minerva," Severus said, once the door opened and the witch invited them in. "I have something I need to go get at Snape Manor. I've invited Abbey to go with me to get it, but she's nervous about going with me alone. Do you think she could stay here with you or Dobby while I go get it? I shouldn't be long."
Minerva arched a finely sculpted brow, looking at him inquiringly.
"It's a surprise," Severus continued, not really wanting to divulge too much. "For Harry."
"Ah," Minerva replied, smiling. "Of course she can stay. I'm afraid that it will have to be in the company of Dobby though, it is a school day after all, and I have a lot of work to do."
Severus nodded. "Of course," he answered, and then turned to Abbey. "I'll be back soon, sweetie," he said and caressed her cheek before kissing her on the forehead, then, in a flurry of black robes, he was gone.
He headed to the dungeons first, glad that Minerva had seen fit to offer a 'better' office to the current Potions Professor; he couldn't remember the man's name now, but right now he really didn't care. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his password, 'fucking Potter' still worked and easily opened the door, moving to sit behind his old desk. He paused briefly, his hands placed reverently on the smooth, mahogany surface. The house-elves, it seemed, had kept the room clean, for there was not a speck of dust on it.
After a few heart-pounding moments he moved, slowly opening the center drawer and opening a secret compartment, removed his mother's ring – a small, ornate silver one with a diamond surrounded by emeralds; a Snape family heirloom. He would need it to enter the manor and after giving Harry the one he wore the night of his trial, was glad he'd kept this one as well, since he had yet to see the return of its mate; not that it really mattered. He sat there a moment, just staring at it before leaving the room. This one didn't belong to the set he wanted. That one resided in the safe at the manor, and he wanted to get back before Harry returned.
"Harry," Hermione asked condescendingly as they headed back to The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. "Did you even see how much they were asking for that necklace?"
"Yes," Harry answered. "I saw the tag when I looked at it earlier."
"And?"
Harry smiled. "Don't worry about it, Hermione," he replied. "You don't have to pay for it."
"How much was it?" Ron asked curiously, not having been very interested. In fact, he had been dreading being in a jewellery store with the woman. They had been dating off and on since the end of their fourth year and that was just too much pressure.
"About thirteen-hundred Galleons," Harry answered cheekily and continued walking as his two friends halted, gob smacked. "What?" he asked with a laugh, turning to look at them when he noticed they weren't with him anymore.
"T-thirteen h-hundred Galleons?" Ron squeaked. "On Snape?"
Harry sighed, shaking his head with a sad smile. "Yes, Ron," he answered, patting his friend's shoulder. "Actually, I spent more than that on him and you should know by now, just how important he is to me. I've never done a thing with the money I've inherited from my parents or Sirius except for school, and that was even before Sirius was gone. I've finally found someone I love, who loves me and I'm not going to be bothered with money. I'd happily be without it if it meant that he would be a constant in my life. I love him, Ron. That's all that matters."
When they entered Diagon Alley again about five minutes later, the mob immediately surrounded them, still seeking answers. Ron tried to clear a path once more, but this time, failed miserably. Backing up like caged animals into one of the shop doorway, Harry stepped up onto the stoop, reaching behind him for the knob and holding it closed just in case the occupants decided to rush them from the other side, he shouted for their attention.
"Everyone, please stop!"
Silence fell as they all looked to him, hoping to get answers to their questions and he noticed a good portion of them were from The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler, all looking for a different slant. He sighed heavily and looked at the ground for a moment, looking up at them again after coming to a decision; he noticed Ron and Hermione watching him with worried expressions.
"Look," Harry said, drawing the crowd's attention, as if he hadn't already had it. "I know you all want to know where I've been, what happened between me and Draco, how I feel about his attempt to kidnap my daughter, what my feelings toward the Ministry are now for their involvement, and how Severus Snape factors into all of this." He paused and there was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.
Harry raised his hands for silence, and continued, "Well, you're not going to get it." There were several cries of outrage from the crowd, especially those from The Daily Prophet, but Harry shook his head, raising his hands once more. "Not today at least. If you contact Minerva McGonagall, I am sure we can set up a press conference. Please be aware however, that this will not be a question and answer session. I will brief her on this, so do not attempt to coerce her. If you want the answers, you will sit quietly and listen. There will only be one press conference, so I suggest that you get together to decide on a date."
Harry turned to his friends with an apologetic look as the crowd immediately broke out with more queries, each trying to get an answer to their question, or a comment. "Sorry, guys," he murmured and after receiving an understanding nod, Apparated away.
A/N: Susannah Lovis Jewellers is an actual jewelery store I found within walking distance of King's Cross Station, and they really do have the necklace that Harry purchased for Severus. You can visit their website to browse for it at http://www(dot)susannahlovis(dot)com - all prices are accurate of Wizard/Muggle money value when this was originally written a year ago. I do not recall if JKR calculated in the rise and fall of the money market when she made the Wizard money or even if it would be affected by such things. Because I was dealing with real world information in this chapter, this was the hardest to write, but one of my favorites.