Molly was putting the final touches on a light lunch for her family. The twins, Ron, and Ginny were home with her, Arthur wouldn't be back until a little after 5 unless Albus needed him. Being a member of the Order benefitted her and her family in many ways.
They would have more protection than their neighbors, more wands willing to fight by their side. They would have access to information that was not being released to the public. Intelligence on who was and wasn't a Death Eater also helped as it would help her keep her children away from theirs. That and it gave her easy access to Albus and Harry.
She needed to speak to and confirm things with Albus, but it was easier if she would be seeing him in person more often than the monthly floo call. Molly knew she probably fussed about things more than was necessary, but after her plan to marry Arthur backfired on her she decided fussing was an acceptable offense.
There was also the knowledge that Albus would keep Harry where he felt was best. If he planned on removing Harry from those horrid muggles, then she could make sure that Ginny was around to keep him company. Not too much company, she would see that they were busy with chores.
The plump redheaded witch looked out of her kitchen window ready to announce lunch when she noticed a large owl was flying towards the house. It wasn't a familiar owl, so she was rather leery with the recent commotion of You-Know-Who's return.
The large eagle owl landed in front of her, his feathers were a warm gray, allowing him to easily blend in with a tree's bark. However sitting on her windowsill he looked regal, official, and stared at her coldly. He held out his leg for her and she promptly took the letter from him. She reached for a treat to give him, but instead he screeched at her and she cringed, before taking flight again.
"Blasted bird," she muttered, straightening out her apron before looking at the letter.
The envelope was thick and heavy, turning it over she saw it was from Gringotts.
"What is this all about?" she asked herself quietly. The letter was addressed to the Weasley family instead of someone in particular.
Molly knew they had some sickles and knuts in their vault. She made sure to put her change back after spending the regular amount of galleons she received from Albus, so it couldn't be about the low amount in their vault. It also wasn't their monthly statement, the goblins only sent them at the end of the month (which she always hid from Arthur anyways).
The short witch opened the envelope and carefully took the papers out.
Dear Weasley Family,
We are writing to notify you that the marriage contract between Ginevra Molly Weasley and Harry James Potter has been terminated, effective immediately.
Termination was completed this afternoon in official capacity with the Potter account manager present. Conditions and reasons pertaining to termination are not required to be shared with the corresponding party and will not be released per request. Should you have any questions that correspond with this matter you are free to contact Gringotts for legal terms, or the corresponding party, of your own will.
The void contract has been attached for your perusal and personal records.
Sincerely,
Gringotts Bank
Molly's hands were trembling with trepidation as she shifted the papers to see the contract Albus and her had agreed upon years ago with a large red 'VOID' stamp on it.
Her heart started beating erratically unsure of what happened. She had just seen Albus yesterday and everything had been going as planned. They both benefited from the agreement, so there was little to no reason that he would void the contract without talking to her. Surely there had to be some sort of mistake? She felt lightheaded.
She couldn't even claim that someone had done so on his behalf illegally, as the goblins were very efficient at what they did.
Stumbling over to the kitchen table, she allowed herself to sink down onto a bench chair. Taking a few deep breaths, she allowed herself to calm down before deciding what to do.
The twins were still upstairs in their room, doing who knows what. Ron was outside flying on one of the brooms, with Ginny. She hadn't announced lunch yet and none of them were aware that it was done, or close to being done. They only knew that she was in the kitchen and not to come in until they were called.
Taking another breath the Weasley matriarch sneered before taking her wand out and marched to the fireplace. She cast a cushioning charm on the stones before grabbing a pinch of floo powder and tossing it into the flames.
"Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts," she annunciated clearly before sticking her head into the green flames.
Albus had returned a while ago from the Ministry and was making plans for the Order. He had arrived three hours early to find out everything he wanted to know about Harry's trial. Where it would be, when, who was on board, and which members of the Wizengamot were going to be present. He wanted to make a stand, he wanted to sweep in and save the lad from what were his over exaggerated fears. He was never going to allow the Ministry to expel Potter, he would have pulled every favor he had to keep him in the magical world. He was not expecting a lawyer.
She had done an excellent job, no doubt. Most likely saved him a headache or two. However she got into the way of his plans. It was going to be on record that he spoke with Cornelius about Voldemort and the upcoming war. She kept the case crisp and clean. There were no power plays, no scouting to see who was willing to be aware and who wasn't, he didn't have the floor to do so.
He was considered a political dragon! But he didn't have the floor, he didn't command their attention, he didn't have their ears! He was going to use this to his advantage, and it was a missed opportunity. He had been prowling those halls waiting for Harry's court date to be changed. He knew Cornelius would try to do something drastic, or give in to peer pressure from someone else to do so.
Arthur told him after that he hadn't brought Harry to the Ministry as planned. It was concerning.
So Albus sat there and thought long and hard about everything he noticed that transpired while he was at the Ministry. He made sure to stay out of departments where he had connections. He avoided previous Order members (even though they had been sent coded invitations). He made sure there was nothing he did that could be investigated or put those with him under a magnifying glass.
A flash of green caught his attention alerting him to a floo call and he answered.
"Hello?" he asked with his grandfather persona in place, his eyes twinkling.
"Albus! What is the meaning of this!?" Molly's head wailed, expressed in flames.
"What are you talking about Molly dear?" he asked, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
He had more pressing matters to deal with than Molly's agitation.
"What am I talking about?" she hissed scathingly, "The contract, Albus! The marriage contract has been terminated! I want to know WHY!? WE HAD AN AGREEMENT, ALBUS! SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US!?" she wailed.
She wanted to yell at him, but he was Albus Dumbledore, and she knew yelling wouldn't get her anywhere. Molly wanted Albus as an ally not an enemy.
Albus looked piercingly at Molly, "Terminated? Molly, I didn't terminate the contract. When did this happen?" he asked seriously.
"What?" she asked quietly, "I- I got the letter just now. It said that the contract was terminated this afternoon."
"What letter?"
"The letter from Gringotts," she said pitifully.
Severus had decided that he would make a few stops by Knockturn and Diagon Alley before he went home. He wanted to pick up a few questionable potion ingredients for his personal stores before the Dark Lord called him as well as a new book or two.
Word would get back to the Dark Lord quickly about Miss Granger's social status, and he was unsure how the madman would react. One of the few boundaries they were given was that the Royal Family was to be left alone, and muggleborn Miss Granger just so happened to be a member of that family. Would the Royal Family rule supersede her being a muggleborn? He would simply have to wait and find out.
At least he would be able to go about his usual business and socialization for the time being. The Dark Lord was pleased that he 'kept up appearances' and told him to continue to do so. At least this time around he was allowed to hang out with his friends. He would have had Minerva come to his rooms anyways to keep him company, but he would have had to cut Hooch out. As much as Hooch bothered him, she was also a decent friend. He just had to be careful when he drank liquor.
Walking through the shelves he heard a few other customers enter and sneered to himself. From the sound alone he could tell it was a group of people, most likely a family. At least they were here because they liked books rather than because they had to. Nothing irritated him more than a bookstore full of students who didn't care for their books… besides dunderheads.
He turned holding a new edition of Magical Drafts and Vapors, ready to leave the store when he saw her hair. It was unmistakable, as he was now extremely familiar with the mass due to their private lessons. His breath caught in his lungs before his heart reminded him he needed to breathe.
He just saw her this morning, what was wrong with him. Severus scowled at himself and walked steadily toward the register.
"Ah, Professor, fancy seeing you again. Twice in one day," Abagail said charmingly to him.
Her voice was low enough to be respectful of the atmosphere, but loud enough for him to have heard her.
"It would appear so," he said baldly.
"Now my daughter mentioned that there would be lessons going on this summer," she continued, walking closer to him, her voice getting lower in volume as the distance closed between them.
"Yes, she's going to be taking her potions OWL this summer before term. She is to be my… assistant. As I've been told," he replied.
"Yes, my husband and I gathered as much. I'm not sure how Hermione would feel about it, but if you're not against it, wouldn't it be better if she were your apprentice?"
Abagail looked him in the eyes and raised a challenging eyebrow, while the rest of her face was politely neutral. Severus was almost taken aback being on the receiving end of what would characteristically be determined as one of his 'faces' as Hooch would call it.
"Duchess Granger, with all due respect, do you understand what would be required of us should Lady Granger be my apprentice?" Severus asked pointedly.
"We have a lot of books in my home, Professor. We did as much research as we could to understand this world better for our daughter. Even with the private resources allotted to our family. So yes, I do understand."
"And you would be agreeable, even knowing the intimacy of such a relationship?" he asked carefully.
"Frankly, not for some time. My husband on the other hand, yes," she took a breath, "Aside from our social standing, an apprenticeship would help keep her safe with the political climate."
"I'm not sure if I'm the right person…" he said, drifting off.
"Professor, I can read my husband better than I can read a book. He has a good feeling about you, and his feelings are never wrong. Honestly, chances are Hermione got her magic from his side. But he has a good feeling about you, and doesn't hate you being so close to our daughter. Which is a hair trigger reaction with him," she explained, "so you are the right person. However I won't force you into such a binding relationship. So think about it, please," she finished and walked back to her husband to explain what had just transpired.
Severus on the other hand finished making his way to the register and paid for his book before leaving the store and apparating himself to Spinner's End.
Carefully placing his book on the coffee table, he walked over and laid down on the worn couch.
Spinner's End was Severus's childhood home. He inherited it after his father died. It would have gone to his mother, but she saved enough to rent a nice cottage and refused to step foot back into the house. After suffering domestic abuse and nearly being killed on several accounts in the house, he never pressured her and dropped the subject altogether.
The house was decently sized; it had a porch, a yard, and 4 bedrooms. One had been repurposed into a library and another as a home office. His bedroom was the second biggest room, the largest was the library. The smallest, that was once his bedroom, was now his office; and the last was a spare bedroom. Not that he ever had any company over, but he figured it would be for the best should something unexpected happen,
The first thing he did when he officially owned the house, was gut it. Anything he didn't like that reminded him of his horrid past or his father, he changed. He kept whatever furniture was salvageable though, often times a worn in couch was better than a new hard one. Severus remodeled the whole house, using magic for the whole thing. All the walls and floors were redone and all the wallpaper was removed. He put his wand to use and transfigured some parts of the house, so it was hard to tell that it was the same house. The hardwood floors were clean, solid, and bright, looking nothing like the near rotting dead brown wood before.
Once upon a time the bathroom was small and cramped, but functional. There were water stains in the walls, cracks in the rusted white tiles, and leaks in the pipes. He fixed it all with a swish of his wand. His mother could have fixed it when she lived there, but Tobias snapped her wand when he was 9.
It had a large porcelain clawfoot tub with shower attachment, a short toilet, and an awkward sink. He expanded the room, changed the tiles to a solid marble gray, fixed the water stains and made the walls a light slate grey, made the toilet taller, and changed the sink entirely. He made the claws on the tub black, he had the pipes bend until they were nearly invisible (but fully functional), and transfigured the old shower curtain into a waterproof sheer that had white to black gradient.
The bedroom walls were a soft green with white trimming, simple and clean. The library had two chintz couches, a coffee table, and wall to wall bookcases. The hallways were a warm cream coloring, and the walls were bare. The kitchen was a warm yellow, and the floor tiled an oatmeal brown, it had a breakfast bar that looked into the living room. The basement had been remodeled into a proud potions lab.
He didn't like it much here, as Hogwarts was home, but he made sure he was comfortable returning to his house.
The potions master rubbed his face with his right hand.
He couldn't get away from her if he tried, not that he had mind you, but all the same. He gave her private lessons at work, he was forced to give her private lessons on his holiday, and now her parents wanted him to give her a special kind of tutelage that was a sacred right in the magical community.
Taking an apprentice was no walk in the park, it was a lifetime relationship. Granted his master met an untimely death in what was said to be a potions accident, but Minerva still kept in touch with her master. A master didn't just teach you their specialized field, they taught you all that they knew.
Minerva wasn't horrid when it came to potions, but she struggled to remember certain recipes from time to time. If the recipe and instructions weren't in front of her, she wouldn't remember how to make it. Never mind the recipes that left out ingredients on the list on purpose. Waving her wand and directing her magic was about intent, focus, and purpose. Often for her they were instinctual. Things that weren't an exact science. Her master still teased her in his letters.
Was he prepared to form an amicable working relationship with Miss Granger? Was he prepared and willing to interact with her for the rest of his life?
A master apprentice relationship was special. He still found himself wistful when he saw Minerva's master's owl. In the beginning his master sent him weekly owls, giving him advice and much needed banter. It was like missing an old friend, but one he could look up too. The only one he had ever been able to look up too…
And he was to be that important to Miss Granger?
Duchess Granger wasn't forcing him, but if either of his masters found out, they probably would. He wanted to make his final decision before either of them got wind of it. Either through gossip, mild conversation, or legilimency.
He was given a choice. The first time in a long time, he was given a life altering choice. He wanted to make the right one this time. So he laid on his couch and thought about it and Miss Granger until the sun fell and he fell asleep with it.