Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it and if you can leave a review to tell me what you think!
Welcome EmmyEliz, Zlorea, Bhavya, reddragonfl, topazgiraffe, Ri0tMak3r and jkc1997! Thanks for following the story and adding it to your favorites! But a here's a special shout out to XOXMaximumcullenXOX who followed the story AND left a super nice review! THANK YOU!
vampirela69: Severus is not in love with Lily, but he still loves her very much! That's why he feels so devastated. Also, thanks for reviewing again! You're a darling.
XVII
Hope
Another year always means another birthday, and today happened to be Cassie's. In the kitchen of their home, Juliana carefully finished the last touches of her birthday cake, while the little girl looked at everything she did with an awestruck grin. Juliana couldn't help but smile every time her eyes fell on her daughter's small frame; she reminded her so much of Severus. And as usual, that kind of thoughts made her feel incredibly nostalgic. Before she could stopit, a sigh made its way out of her lips, yet it wasn't enough to erase the smile from her face.
"Mommy?" Cassie called her almost shyly in a small voice after a while of being silent, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"Yes, my love? What's wrong?" Juliana asked quickly walking to check on her, fearing she had hurt herself.
"Is daddy coming?" Juliana couldn't help but feel a sharp pain on her chest and resisted the urge to start crying. Still she managed to smile and picked her up. Cassandra laid her head on her shoulder and grabbed a lock of her hair.
"I don't think so, darling. He's very busy now." She replied softly, her voice about to break.
"Okay." The little girl replied, her tone soft and somewhat resigned.
"Hey! Why don't we go visit grandma before your party?" Juliana asked, trying to cheer her up. Thankfully, it worked.
"Yes!" Cassie yelled, clapping her hands excitedly.
...
Cassie's birthday party was very simple; it consisted only of a few relatives and kids from the neighborhood— just that was enough to make her feel overwhelmed with joy and happiness.
Juliana had been talking to her mother when suddenly Teresa appeared on the doorway running fast to where she was; a wide smile adorning her face.
"JULIANA!" She cried out and grabbed her hand. "Come! Come!" She urged, dragging her along as she ran. Juliana frowned in confusion but followed her anyway.
"What happened?" She asked without any traces of worry in her voice; the smile on her Teresa's face told her it couldn't be anything bad. She led her to the backyard, where Cassie was running on the grass giggling, chasing her older cousins who moved slower so she could catch them.
"Look what happens when she steps over the grass." Teresa beamed, pointing at the spot where her daughter had just been. Juliana's eyes opened wide and a grin formed on her face. In every place where Cassie had stepped on, little flowers grew at an alarming speed.
"Mom— MOM! COME SEE THIS!" Juliana shouted, unable to contain the excitement on her voice.
"What is it?" Isabel asked while approaching her. Juliana only pointed at Cassie, her eyes filled with happy tears. Once her mother understood what was happening, her eyes widened and a grin lit up her face. "Her first signs of magic." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Soon enough everyone was outside marveling on what was going on. Cassie didn't quite understand why people where suddenly looking at her like something weird had happened, but it was her birthday and she was perfectly happy being the center of attention.
...
Time flew and nighttime arrived, which meant that Juliana had to put Cassie to bed— and also that she was going to ask for the same thing she asked for every single night.
"The pictures?" Cassie requested in a small, hopeful voice. It's still her birthday, I can't say no, Juliana thought and nodded with a smile. Cassie squealed in excitement and got inside the covers by herself.
"I'll be right back." Her mother assured and walked to her bedroom to get her photo album. Once she found it, she carefully inspected the cover; it was identical to the one she gave Severus for his birthday when they were still in school. She sighed dejectedly before she stood up and composed herself, entering Cassandra's bedroom with a warm smile on her face. This happened almost every night, with little to no changes.
Juliana moved to rest on the bed with her daughter, her small head resting on her chest. Cassie always stared at the pictures with a dreamy look on her face. And when they finished, Cassie would look up at her with a happy smile and then she would say something like:
"Mommy, I love daddy very much."
Juliana would smile, kiss her forehead, and then she'd say:
"Me too, baby. Me too."
...
After Cassie had fallen asleep, Juliana went downstairs to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea that she ended up not drinking. As a matter of fact, she rarely drank any tea. The thing about this little habit she had created was that drinking tea when one was upset was something that reminded her of Britain, and remembering Britain meant remembering Severus. Remembering Severus meant pain, but it was one she welcomed. It reminded her of how much she loved him, and it kept him fresh in her heart. She stared at the untouched cup, her mind elsewhere. After a while she sighed tiredly and rubbed her eyes, deciding it was best to finally go to bed.
Just as she was going to turn the lights off and go upstairs again, a loud knocking on the front door stopped her. She frowned deeply and looked at the clock on the wall.
1 a.m. What could anyone possibly want now? She asked herself as she made her way to the door.
"Juliana, open up!" She heard a loud male voice say before she had even checked to see who it was.
"Henry?" She asked to herself, walking faster. When she opened the door and took in his appearance, her eyebrows rose in surprise. He looked flustered and excited, making her eyes narrow in suspicion."What are you doing here so late?" She asked defensively, extremely confused. "And weren't you working in Ireland this week?"
"He's dead, Juliana. Voldemort's dead." He breathed out and she could've sworn on her life that in that moment she felt ten buckets of frozen water falling simultaneously over her head.
"What?" She questioned with her face cold as stone and showing no apparent emotion.
"HE IS DEAD! HE DIED! HE WAS KILLED BY A BABY! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?" He yelled happily, entering the house as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Juliana didn't move from her spot on the door, she didn't even turn around. "Harry Potter. That's his name. His parents were killed but when he tried to kill him... BAM! HE COULDN'T!" Potter. Potter. Something clicked in her mind and she turned abruptly to face him.
"Did you just say Potter?" Her uncle nodded, not realizing how weird she was acting. Her heart started beating faster and faster and she felt herself about to have a panic attack. "What— what was the name of the mother?" She asked, desperate.
"Uh…." Henry frowned, trying hard to remember. "L... it started with an L, I know... Lizzie—"
"Lily Evans?" She asked, her voice strained.
"That's it! Lily Evans. Well, she was Lily Potter." He replied.
"Oh God." Juliana breathed out as a wave of sickness clouded her senses. Her knees shook and she had to hold onto the door for support.
"Juliana!" Henry cried out and ran to catch her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just— it's a lot to take in." She lied smoothly. He nodded and moved to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. She took it from his hand and drank it in two large gulps.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm very tired; you know Cassie's birthday was today." She half-lied again and he nodded. "Go see your family, they missed you. I'll be fine." He seemed very unsure but finally relented.
Once he was gone, Juliana let her emotions overtake her. She started crying desperately in silence— she didn't want to wake Cassie. Her whole body trembled without control and only one person plagued her thoughts.
How is he feeling? He must be devastated.
A few moments later a thought so horrifying crossed her mind that she couldn't stop the loud gasp her mouth let out.
Is he even alive?
