Truth and trust

Opening quote

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.
Arnold Bennett

Irene was sitting on her porch in the shade with a glass of freshly made lemonade when she noticed the black panther slinking around the edge of the clearing. Carefully she stood up and very, very slowly inched towards the door. Once inside, she closed and locked it, immediately reaching for the shotgun over the fireplace. Her heart was beating so fast she imagined it must be audible all the way to Timbuktu… well, at least all the way to Forks. She stood next to a window, peeking outside to see what the big predator was up to. She knew that panthers would only seek out human dwellings if their own food sources ran out. Since she had no livestock, and not even chickens, SHE was the only available red meat and she'd be damned if she let the cat get the better of her. To her surprise, the panther was right in front of the porch, and as she watched, it lay down and rolled over on its back and put its feet up in the air, looking towards the house with an almost begging expression. Irene decided that this was possibly worth exploring and if all else failed, she still had a loaded gun after all and knew how to use it.

She opened the door a little, waiting for the black cat's reaction. It didn't move an inch. She let the door swing open. Not a muscle moved. She raised the gun and walked out on the porch. The panther turned its head towards her in a slow, calculated move. That's when she dropped the gun and ran to his side, dropping to her knees and hugging the huge head. "I suppose I have more explaining to do than I anticipated," she sighed.

Irene had guts, he had to grant her that. Would he have returned outside to figure out what a black panther was doing on his doorstep, or called animal control instead? Severus wondered while his grandmother tried to come up with a way of explaining to him how to phase back. Finally she decided she might as well tell him what it all meant. He could always ask questions later and this way she wouldn't be interrupted. She smiled ruefully. After all this time she had become used to the silence that surrounded her most of the time. Having a grandson who actually needed her would take some adapting.

Irene began by telling him of her childhood and family. The Blacks had lived in La Push for generations and their Quileute heritage was undiluted through time. Part of it was also the protection from wandering vampires – some of them carried a gene that would enable them to shapeshift to be able to protect the tribe. Usually, the form they took were large wolves. Apparently his wizard side had made a slight course correction and changed the shape he'd transformed to. She assumed that in his already emotionally charged state he'd accidentally wandered onto Cullen land, the resident vampire family that came and went every few decades. They had to, or people would being wondering why they didn't age or die, and they would return, posing as distant relations of themselves. Only the Quileute knew the secret, as the Cullens knew theirs and would keep it forever while their treaty lasted. More explaining to the cold ones, she thought, with wry amusement at their supposed reactions to Severus' shape. Even though the Cullens were not a threat, in all likelihood at least, of course Severus' predisposition to guard the tribe had caused him to go into protective mode and shapeshift. He had been listening attentively, but his mind was going a hundred miles a minute. Vampires? Werewolves? What on earth have I let myself in for?! Irene finally told him that most of these changes happened during puberty, normally, but of course he had not lived here then and had not been affected. She promised to introduce him to Billy Black later who could explain a great deal more in detail. Then she tried to put into plain words how he would have to concentrate and focus on his original shape and that there was no threat in the immediate vicinity, and both would allow him to phase back. While Severus attempted to get his confusion under control, Irene went inside and retrieved a bathrobe from the box of Henry's things she had chosen to keep after giving the rest to Goodwill. She handed it to Severus and went back inside to finish supper preparations, and to give him some privacy in this rather awkward situation.

Lucky for me that I left my wand at the house before I walked off – how dangerous could a forest inhabited by wild animals be, after all?! he thought and shook his head, thinking of wolves and vampires and the things he thought he knew about them. Then he took a deep breath and focussed, the blur and dizzy feeling telling him something was happening. He found himself standing, slightly off balance and quickly wrapped himself in the robe. He realised he was ravenous and went inside to see if he could help Irene with supper. While they ate, she explained to him that the Cullens were not considered a threat because they'd chosen not to prey on humans, feeding off animals. She told him that he could always recognise vampires by their eyes. Red, for those that fed on human victims, or amber, for the "vegetarian" kind. She said that Dr. Cullen had once let her in on this family joke they had when he was treating her at the hospital. "He works as a doctor, constantly in the vicinity of blood?" Severus asked incredulously and Irene nodded. "So you can see why most of us do not think we have to worry about them. We only worry about the nomad vampires who cross our land and take what they can get away with. Between the wolves and the Cullens, we haven't had problems for at least thirty years now though. The Cullen family doesn't like intruders either."

They continued their conversation over doing the dishes. Irene washed, Severus dried and soon enough they were sitting on the porch again. "I made some calls yesterday," Irene announced into the quiet that had settled over them. "I spoke to the principal of Forks high. She was one of my students when I still taught and went on to become a teacher herself eventually. She said the only position that would be available this fall would be that of the chemistry teacher as the current one is going on maternity leave and won't be back until the next schoolyear at the earliest. Is that something that would suit you, Severus?" Now that he'd returned to some semblance of sanity after a good meal, Severus managed to answer with dignity, that yes of course that was a subject he could teach. After all, he had been Potions Master at Hogwarts. Granted, not for an extended period of time, but still. You didn't become Potions Master without Dumbledore's approval and that really said it all. Well, in the wizarding world it did. He would have to contact Dumbledore for references that could actually be listed in a human CV, he thought and smiled, knowing that part would be a cakewalk. Actually teaching teenagers again made him groan inside. But, definitely better than doing dishes at the diner. "Now, Alicia also asked where you would be living, seeing you plan to stay here for a while. I told her that for the moment you would be staying at this address. I know that was presumptuous, but I have an empty apartment upstairs that should have been your father's originally. After he left, I could never bear to let it, so it's been empty all these years and until you find a place of your own you're free to use it. I won't charge rent, unless you insist, but I would ask that you contribute a little time to help this old lady as my eyesight isn't improving exactly and driving is becoming a chore." Irene took a deep breath and added, "So, enough food for thought. I will take you back now, you need your own space to do your thinking and clothes.. maybe?" She laughed and even Severus chuckled at his predicament. He collected his wand from the livingroom where he had left it hours before and got into Irene's car. They were silent on the way to the B&B but it wasn't an uncomfortable quiet, rather the hush that follows a storm. To her amazement, he hugged her when they said good night, and asked for her phone number so he could call her the next day. As she returned to her home in the forest, she wondered if she could dare to hope he would move into Tobias' apartment, and how the changes this would bring, would affect both their lives.