***Chapter Fifteen***

November 2012

Leo sat next to Eden, who was sitting in between him and Mia in the common room.

No one was surprised to see Eden in here anymore. She actually wanted to switch houses, but Headmaster McGillan had not allowed it, an attempt to keep the friendly competition the houses had fair. If Eden and Mia were in the same house, there'd be no chance for any other house.

"So?" he asked as Mia and Eden finished reading the letter from their parents.

"Dad's officially retired from his position," Mia said. Eden was reading through the letter a second time.

"For now they're staying put at Mom's," Eden added.

"I don't think Mom wants to travel."

Mia hoped Eden didn't take that the wrong way. One thing she got from her mom over the years was that stability was important to her. The owned house. A house that allowed Mia to do essentially anything she wanted outdoors every day of the year without having to leave their property. Her grandparents close to them. She just didn't see her mom wanting to travel. To not have much of anything around her that was hers.

Before coming back to Ilvermorny this year, Eden showed Mia the things of theirs that had been moved from their house in Saskatoon to the basement of their mom's house. Well, there wasn't much. Most of it was their dad's equipment. Mia had a barn full of equipment to look at. Eden didn't have any of that. She didn't seem to miss it, but Mia liked that she had a home. That she had memories. She supposed the memories weren't in the things, but she just liked knowing that they were there. That her mom kept those things. That Mia's children, or Eden's, might use them one day.

"I don't think Dad does either. Honestly, I think he was rather over it a few years ago, but he didn't know where he wanted to live. And they'd agreed no Hogwarts. I didn't know that was the reason I couldn't go there, obviously."

"Obviously," Leo said from beside her. She slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

Mia hugged Eden tightly once she put the letter down.

"What is that for?"

"We did it, Eden!"

She smiled then with a nod. "We did, didn't we?"

"I helped, you know! I made sure you could pull off being one another," Leo muttered. She knew he wasn't really mad.

Mia reached over Eden and kissed his cheek. Eden did the same once Mia drew away. Leo blushed deeply after Eden's kiss. Virtually no reaction from hers. That was normal, not that either of them kissed him often. Well, she didn't. She didn't know for sure about Eden.

"What's he going to do, do you think?" Mia asked, thoughts going to their father. He was a potions master. There was nothing in any article she'd read about him that hinted at what he might do otherwise. She doubted he'd come to teach here. And, yet, father or not, he'd certainly be a huge improvement.

"Do?" Eden asked.

"Yeah, for work."

"Well, I imagine he'll just expand Mom's apothecary to supply magical people, too."

Mom's lab at her apothecary was not big enough for what Dad would need to make potions like Eden was talking. Mom stuck with potions for basic things: headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis, and various things like that. She also ensured that someone who purchased the same thing more than twice in a short amount of time knew that they should schedule an appointment with a medical doctor. Headaches could be a sign of other, more serious, things. And she was not a medical doctor.

"And he'll be happy doing that?" Mia asked.

"Yes. Honestly, Mia," Eden said, patting her arm. "He never said so, because I think he thought I liked moving around. I did, don't get me wrong. I've seen and done things that some would only dream of. He always told me once I was in school, he'd look at options that would allow me to go home to the same place all seven years."

Leo snorted softly. "Well, he certainly did do that, didn't he?"

Mia and Eden gave into a fit of laughter because Leo wasn't wrong!

"Thank you for ensuring my first American Thanksgiving was enjoyable," he said, his arms wrapped around her from behind in their tub. She, for her part, was aimlessly grazing his arms with the loofa she used and the bubbles she'd put in the water. Tonight's was her concoction, but she had some that he'd made for their baths as well.

He'd never taken a bubble bath in his life until recently. The … feminine scent upon getting out clinging to him for hours aside, he found them as relaxing as she did. The local public radio station playing some jazz from the other room was a nice addition tonight. He was honestly impressed they had a dozen or station muggle radio stations here to choose from. The public radio station was by far their favorite.

"You found it enjoyable?" She sounded appropriately suspicious. It hadn't been easy. It wasn't the first meal he'd eaten with her parents, but it was the first formal dinner. A holiday.

He shrugged. "I did. I know your parents will take a while to warm up to me completely. I don't blame them. So, was it the most comfortable day I've spent? No, but it was also a far cry from my worst."

She scoffed, turning her head enough to kiss his shoulder.

"That's not saying much."

He kissed the top of her head. "It was fine. They didn't poison me. They were polite to me. I can only hope that Christmas dinner will be better and Easter even better and so on until it's just normal for me to be included.

"They'll adjust."

"They love you and want you happy. As do I. Eventually, they will come to the realization that is so."

"They will."

"And Pansy is coming for Christmas?"

"Yes, with her son."

"That is nice of you."

"He's my best friend. And, well, they're obviously together."

"It's still nice of you."

She shrugged. "Honestly, I don't want him to feel as if he has to choose between us. He's been a part of our Christmases for so long now. I'm sure my parents and Mia would miss him as much as I would."

It was a good thing Eden and Mia didn't mind sharing a bed to this point. He and Hermione both imagined one day they wouldn't want to any longer, but it meant that Harry and Pansy would share his normal room and Thurmon would have his own. Worst case scenario, he would have had to sleep on the sofa, but Hermione was pretty sure she'd figure out a way for him to have an actual bed if they hadn't had one available for him. Like if Harry and Pansy didn't want to sleep together.

"And New Year's?" he asked.

"That's your thing," she said.

He knew it drove her crazy that he was planning something. Something she didn't know anything about. Her parents had agreed to keep the girls so that he could take her to Tokyo to ring in their new year.

Together.

With a new wedding ring to replace the rather simplistic one he'd bought for her years ago.

"You're looking forward to it?"

"Yes," she said.

He planned on enjoying the Christmas festivities this year a lot more than he had their first Christmas together.

Eventually, she stood from the tub when the water cooled to the point that even a warming charm didn't do much for more than a minute or two. He watched as the bubbles clung to her form as she slid first one leg and then the other.

Honestly, he knew there were women who were more … whatever. She wasn't perfect. Neither was he. He was fairly certain that she was the most extraordinary thing he'd ever had as his in his life, and he planned to spend the rest of that life ensuring she knew that he thought she was exactly that.

"You coming?" she asked once she grabbed her towel.

"Not yet," he murmured and she laughed.

"I'll fix that as soon as you get out." Not that they hadn't utilized the tub for such activities many times now. Tonight neither seemed to want that, though, just the togetherness and quiet that this bit of time together offered them.

"Music to my ears."

Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt started a bit when an elf popped into his bedroom. He looked at the middle-aged elf who had served him well for years now.

He glanced at the clock on his wall as the elf walked the the rest of the way to Kingsley's bed.

"Hello, Torna."

"All of Master Snape's belongings have been moved to Madam Snape's home."

"We knew that," he murmured, wondering why this was worthy of the elf coming here so late. They'd been at her home for at least a week now. Hadn't they?

"Master Snape has turned in his notice."

Kingsley nodded his head in acknowledgement. Again, not news.

"We expected that," he said.

"They are talking of staying at Madam Snape's home."

Kingsley closed his eyes, shaking his head. That was not what he'd hoped to hear.

Of course they were.

Harry had warned him when he clued the auror into his plan back in April. He told him that neither Severus Snape nor Hermione Granger Snape would play into his hand.

He just assumed, though, that if they got together.

Officially.

Well, he presumed they'd come home.

To London.

Or at least to Britain.

He never dreamed that day twelve years ago when he signed the papers for Hermione so that she could go by Granger yet retain her full name legally. Well, that it would take him this long to get them to speak again.

Were there two more hard headed people in the wizarding world? He didn't think so and would want to meet them if there were.

"No, that is not a challenge," he growled, glaring at the elf, just in case she had the power to grant such a wish. He didn't really wish to meet anyone more stubborn.

He completely understood why Hermione wouldn't … beg or plead Severus to stay. She knew the wizard's past. And his personality at the time they married.

He assumed Severus would seek out his wife. He wasn't a bad professor, overall, but he'd never really been around small children. Babies. Not that anyone else had remembered anyway.

Other than Draco Malfoy. Somehow Kingsley doubted there was too much hands-on there.

So, he presumed the wizard would get overwhelmed when young Eden started walking, hit the terrible twos, or wanted pretty dresses and the black patent leather shoes that went with them.

He'd been wrong. Who knew Severus Snape was father material. Single father material?

So, Kingsley had had to wait. He knew Hermione had fallen in love with the wizard. How it escaped Severus' notice, Kingsley hadn't a clue. Other than the wizard might simply not have known what to look for.

He'd fought in a war and wasn't sure he'd felt more helpless than the day he watched a furious and hurting Hermione Granger Snape leave his office and disappear from wizarding London hours later. Yes, it bothered him he'd been unable to stop the decree from being put into effect for anyone. He could admit he had a soft spot for the witch, though. She had done well for herself, but it could have very easily gone the other way. If she hadn't had the support of her parents.

Years.

He had to essentially give Hagrid to Beauxbatons (and more mead than two people should be able to imbibe in and remain standing) because Olympe Maxime really wanted Severus Snape's daughter as one of her students. … She would have preferred both daughters, but she was willing to take the one Severus was petitioning for permission to enroll her there last year.

Minerva was not pleased with him about that transaction.

That was the only time Kingsley had been grateful the girls were not raised together. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to offer her any compensation to get her to tell Severus Snape that his petition for his daughters to attend Beauxbatons instead of Ilvermorny was denied if he had both of them. (Not that any of this would be an issue if the two were together all of this time.)

And now, here they were. The couple together. Living together.

He huffed as Torna popped away, evidently having delivered her message and had nothing more to tell him.

Twelve years, bribery, and risking a powerful witch and wizard getting upset enough at him to hex him when he locked them in Severus' sitting room to force them to talk.

He really had hoped they'd relocate here.

And yet…

They were together, where he truly believed they belonged.

He supposed he should settle for that and be happy with the result.

And be on guard for hexes if he ever saw either of them again.

He was not expecting to see a fruit basket on his dresser when he woke the next morning.

~The End~

NOTE: Happy Sunday! I got home yesterday evening after spending Friday at my dad's. They're leaving for the winter, so I was glad to get a night with them despite the circumstances.

Thank you for reading this silly idea that came to me, and suspending belief for me that this would ever happen. I know there was more I could have done. I know that the girls will likely have some issues once the shinyness of their success wears off, but I hope I mentioned (at least) Hermione acknowledging that fact so we're aware she will get them what help they need.

See you Wednesday with the next story.

I appreciate you!