July 1993

Snapes' family home

When Severus reached the bottom of the stairs one morning, he found his wife smiling as she read a letter at the breakfast table, while their kids, Liz and Chris, watched cartoons in the living room.

"Who's that from?" he asked, giving her a kiss before sitting down at the head of the table.

"Remus. He wrote to tell me he'll be teaching at Hogwarts this year!" she smiled, truly happy, "It'll be so good to spend time with him again."

"Hm. So he'll be the new Defence teacher," Severus didn't hide his annoyance.

"Yes, he will," she smiled at him in mockery, "Is that jealousy I see, James' father?"

"Yes," he admitted through gritted teeth.

She smiled, pulling him to a kiss.

"I know he desires you," he added.

"He also knows I've got no such feelings for him," she sipped her morning juice and whispered: "Only my husband can satisfy me. Unfortunately."

Severus arched an eyebrow, "Unfortunately?"

She smiled wickedly, "Of course, I can't even imagine the nunber of orgasms I didn't have because neither Sirius nor Remus pleased my veela."

"You're really pushing it this morning, wife," he looked at her through narrowed eyes.

Florence laughed, kissing him again.

"Three kisses?" they heard Elizabeth ask, "If Jamie were here he'd be screaming."

"Where are the twins by the way?" Severus asked.

"Still upstairs, Tiff woke them up, they must be getting dres-"

A sudden loud noise upstairs made her stop.

"What-?" started Severus, but then they heard from upstairs:

"That's my shirt, Nicholas!" James shouted.

"No, it's not! Yours is on the bedroom floor – where you left it, three days ago!"

"How do you know that on the floor isn't your shirt?" insisted James.

"Because mine is clean, James! Mum forbade Tiff from picking up your messes! That's why half our room is a pigsty!" Nicholas shouted.

"I'll show you who's a pig!" and the sound of the two teenagers physically fighting could be heard.

"Downstairs, now!" shouted Severus and the sounds of their fight suddenly stopped.

Uuh, teacher's voice. Florence whispered in his mind, staring at him with desire and biting her lip.

He shot her a glare but with no real anger and they saw the two boys appear at the top of the stairs.

Florence sighed looking at them as they walked downstairs and sat at the table.

"You, speak," Severus pointed at James.

"You always choose him," complained Nicholas.

James pushed his brother and Nick raised his fist to punch him.

"Enough!" shouted Florence, glaring at them and adding: "Maybe it's time to finally put you in separate rooms."

"Yes! Please!" exclaimed Nicholas, "Put him in a barn in the backyard, with a mud pool, and he'll be right at home!"

"We get it, Nicholas," Florence replied, looking at the other boy, "James, you really should start taking better care of your stuff."

The boy glared at his mother, "If you hadn't told the elves to not pick up my stuff-"

"Stop right there!" interrupted Severus, "Tiffany and Melody aren't our slaves."

"Technically they are," whispered Nicholas.

"You know pretty well what your father means," Florence said, "We don't treat them as inferior beings. They help us. Your messes are yours, James. Your brother can put his clothes in a hamper. Why can't you?"

"Saint Nicholas The Perfect," muttered James, angrily.

"Alright. That's it!" exclaimed Florence, "Being together since the womb ends here!" She looked from one to the other, "James will stay in your current bedroom, while Nick will move to the one near Christopher's, so you won't have to share a room anymore; also, Nick will be transferring to Beauxbatons this year, so you'll be the whole year away from each other. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" they said in unison, looking at each other in anger.

"And after breakfast today, James will spend the day with you, Severus. While Nick stays with me. I don't want you two together anymore."

"Great!" they both exclaimed.

This won't last a day. Said Severus through their bond.

I know it, you know it, but they don't. Yet.

As ordered by Florence, James spent the day with his father and Christopher, learning about potions and talking about school and the future.

"It'll be a relief to not have Nick in Durmstrang anymore, right?" Severus asked his son as they bottled a Wiggenweld potion in their home lab, in the middle of the afternoon. "Every sentence you say about school starts with Nick and I. From now on you'll have all the fun to yourself."

James nodded slowly, a small frown in his face, "Yeah. I think so."

"And when you come home, you won't even have to look at him at all. Each of you has his own bedroom now," continued Severus.

"Yeah," agreed James, his expression showing he was beginning to understand what it meant to not see his brother for months.

Meanwhile

Florence was in the library with Nicholas and Elizabeth.

"I'd hate to share a room with James," Liz said, "He's always making messes and finding reasons to fight with you."

"Aren't you upset that I'll be at the same school as you, though?" Nick asked, "I mean, this will be your first year there..."

"Upset? Of course not! It'll be awesome to have my big brother at Beauxbatons with me!"

"Liz is definitely not like James, Nick," said Florence, "Won't it be a great relief to not have to worry about what stupid thing your brother is getting up to daily?"

"Yes. I guess it will be," Nick replied, unenthusiastically.

In the evening, when James walked into the room he had always shared with his brother, he stopped after a few steps in.

The right side of the room, known as Nick's side, was empty. Nothing to remind him of his brother remained.

He sat on his bed and contemplated how curious it was that the emptiness in the room seemed to reflect how he had begun to feel inside as that day had gone by.

Spending the day with his father had been great, however James had caught himself more than ten times wanting to share something with his twin – but Nick hadn't been there.

And I'd better get used to it. He thought, feeling a tightness in his chest.

Meanwhile, down in the library, Nicholas wasn't feeling as cheerful about being away from his twin anymore either, at least not as he'd been that morning.

He had come up with many clever jokes during the day, but he had had no one to share them with.

Nicholas had also read some interesting things and automatically turned to share them with his twin – but James hadn't been there.

He was tempted to use his bond with his brother several times, but he didn't, for he wasn't sure he'd be welcomed after their fight that morning.

But while he pondered about his feelings of loneliness and loss, some thoughts started to come to his mind:

Who'd discuss Quidditch with him until he fell asleep?

Who'd talk to James, keep him company, when he couldn't sleep?

Who would he call when he needed help?

Who would be James's partner at school?

Nick felt his heart clench, the pressure in his chest making it hard to breathe – and he could tell that anxiety attack wasn't just his.

"Are you ok, Nick?" Liz asked, looking worriedly at her brother, "You look a little sick all of a sudden."

"No, I'm not ok," he whispered, raising his head to look at Florence, "Mum I think there's something wrong with James too."

Florence stopped reading her book and turned to him.

Finally!

"And do you care enough to have me go there and check on him?" she asked.

"Y-yes, mum, please," he nodded.

Florence opened the door to the twins' bedroom and walked in, spotting a hyperventilating James sitting on his bed.

"What is it, Jamie?" she asked, maintaining a harsh tone, "Couldn't contain your happiness at seeing this big room is now just for you?" she wasn't going to let him out of that situation easily.

The teenager just shook his head.

"Well, better get used to it," Florence continued, "In less than two months you won't be sharing not even a roof with your brother anymore. Liz is very excited she'll have Nick with her in Beauxbatons."

She saw when he broke down: he lowered his head on his hands and his shoulders shook as he began to sob.

"What's wrong, baby?" Florence asked him in a softer voice, sitting beside him on the bed.

"I don't want to-"

"Don't want to share a roof with Nick for the whole summer break?" she pushed him a little further, "Alright. I'll send him to your grandmother's tomorrow then."

"No! No, mum, please!" James stared at her through teary eyes and with a desperate face; he held her hands, "I-I'm sorry. I won't ever fight with Nick again! Please, mum, please don't send him to Beauxbatons!"

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to."

James nodded and immediately got up from his bed, walking to the door and stopping as he saw Nick sitting on the floor of the corridor, crying just like him.

He kneeled beside his brother.

"I'm so sorry, Nick! I won't pick fights with you again. I'll try to be a little less of a pig. I promise!"

"It's ok, Jamie. This day was punishment enough. I forgive you, bro," he hugged his twin, and slowly they stopped crying, "But now we have to convince mum to not send me to Beauxbatons," he sounded worried.

"She even threatened to send you to grandma's tomorrow, man! Because she thought I didn't want you here anymore," James said, horrified.

"Let's go talk to her!"

They got up and Florence appeared by the door of their room, smiling.

"You two have never, in your lives, been able to spend a whole day apart, boys," she opened her arms and they threw themselves at her, in a group hug, "I hope you've learned that today."

"We have," they replied in unison, smiling.

Florence kissed each of their cheeks.

"Now, I've already put your things back in here, Nick. And I'm not sending you to Beauxbatons."

"Thanks, mum," and he looked at James, "Come on, I have to tell you a lot of things about today!"

"Same here!" and they ran downstairs.

"Hi, dad!" Florence heard them say in unison and she sighed in relief; watching them spend the day apart had been painful even for her.

"So, it didn't last a day, as predicted," said Severus walking into the corridor.

"Thankgoodness," she exhaled, "Not even I could take another day like that."

He hugged his wife, "They'll have to learn to live apart one day, but they still need each other for now."

"Yes. Let them be kids a little longer," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes as she worried about the future.