Lorna begins each day with such verve and tenacity that it creates a whiplash effect. One moment you're groggy, sipping your morning coffee while rubbing the sleep for your eyes, the next you're racking your brain to come up with the answer to one of endless questions being thrown your direction. The moment she had learned to string words into sentences, talking became her favorite hobby.
Lorna was blind to just how bad things were for the two of them, Danu has done her best to keep the bare cupboards closed when she wandered into the kitchen, she was much too young to notice that anything of value that Severus had left in the home at Spinner's End was now missing and had yet to begin asking why her mother was skipping most of her meals and her clothes were constantly needing altering to fit her rapid weight loss. Her many late-night stays with the Weasley's were meant to be fun, not a means to allow her mother to work a second job at a local apothecary.
The jewelry Severus had gifted her had been the first to go, sold at a jeweler in Diagon Alley, likely for far less than Severus had purchased them for. The silk gowns he had zipped up her back as she trembled at the bathroom sink before going to meet The Dark Lord were the next. The bits and bobs lining the bookshelves in their parlor that Severus had left behind were worth a few meals. The only things remaining of him was the golden band on her hand, the cauldron Draco had brought by the day Severus had been released from Saint Mungo's, the scarf he had left Lorna, and a few handwritten notes in a wooden box atop her dresser. His discarded wedding band had not been safe, it was sold the same day the string of pearls he regularly clasped around her neck had gone.
She had lost count of the number of times her right thumb and index finger wrapped around that thin, golden band, prepared to remove it and add it to the pile of items to sell, but backing out at the last moment. She couldn't do it. One day, if Lorna wanted it, the ring would belong to her. Until then, it would remain safe on her finger, just where Severus had left it.
Severus was seeing someone else, had been since he had left her. Molly liked to think that the other woman was the reason as to why Severus left, perhaps he met her, fell madly in love, and ran off to the beach to live another life, with a new family. For a while, Danu believed it, too. Now, she simply did not care. Molly urged her to file for divorce, to serve him for support for Lorna as well. If Severus wanted a divorce in order to live a life with Cathleen, he would need to be a man and come to her himself.
Danu dodges Lorna's right hand wielding a long twig as she prances around the room shouting spells she had picked up, and thrusting the twig through the air as if it were a sword. From his golden frame, her great-great-great-great grandfather, Phineas Nigellus Black watches her with a look of pride. Harry had recently left the portrait there with her, against her will. No one else wanted him in their home, he felt guilty simply chucking it or locking it in a closet, and for whatever reason Phineas was not telling, had requested to be reunited with her. For the most part, Phineas leaves this portrait empty, opting instead to spend the majority of his time at Hogwarts in the Headmaster's Office. He stops by several times a week, watches Lorna for a few moments, and then leaves without a word.
"She will make an excellent addition to Slytherin." Phineas remarks for the thousandth time.
"She will be whatever she will be and will make an excellent addition to any house The Sorting Hat chooses." Danu reminds him once more.
"No." Phineas says dryly as Lorna shouts Wingardium Leviosa in an attempt to lift her stuffed hippogriff from the floor. "This one will be a Slytherin. I can feel it."
"We'll see, Phineas." Danu replies as she makes her way out of the room to pour a glass of water, an attempt to calm her shaking hands. Harry would be meeting her at The Burrow in half an hour so that the two of them could venture to Clagmar Coast.
Hermione had a theory regarding Astoria's blood curse. The answer was in a book titled Complex Maledictions and Other Ailments. Only two other copies were known to exist, and neither owner were able to be located. Whether they were in hiding, or were a casualty of the war, no one knew. Draco, however, was adamant that his father had given Severus that book for Christmas many years prior. Danu could not be certain, but she thought she had remembered seeing him work in it on more than one occasion. So, it had been decided that Harry would go and ask for his help, and Danu would remain in the village in case Severus turned Harry down, she could go and ask instead.
—
Danu paces back and forth in the sand at the base of a trail head leading down to the shore from the village. Harry had only been gone a few moments before she could see him stalking back up the trail, which could only mean one thing. She would have to go see Severus.
Clutched in her left hand is a folder filled with photographs of Lorna taken with a Muggle camera Harry had gotten her for her birthday the year prior. She wanted to bring them to see whether or not Lorna's image would hurt Severus. She wanted to see the pain in his eyes as he looked upon their daughters face. She wanted to dare him to ask after her.
"How you could have possibly dealt with that man is beyond me!" Harry spits as he makes his way towards her. His face is red with fury, his fists are balled at his side and shaking slightly as he breathes heavily.
"That bad?" Danu asks, trying her best to seem sympathetic. She knew the moment this plan had been laid that it would not work out the way they had wanted and had warned Harry at least a dozen times that Severus would likely be in a miserable mood at being visited.
"Oh yeah, he's right foul." Harry declares as he runs his fingers through his hair.
"Go back, Harry. I'll see what I can do."
"No, I'll wait here in case he tries something."
"It's alright. Go back, I might be awhile. There are things I need to say to him."
Her hands shake and her heart pounds as she makes her way slowly down the beach, desperate to make this time stretch on forever instead of coming face to face with her estranged husband. That is, until she passes by the opened window and hears the woman who had been fucking her husband call him by the fake name he was now going by. The woman likely didn't even know that she existed, which only pushed her further into rage.
Standing before Severus felt ominous. He looked foreign to her. His once sleek, straight hair is now wavy and dry from the ocean air. The skin on his face, while still pale, is now darker than she had ever seen it, and peppered with freckles that were once contained only to his nose. He had grown his facial hair out, something he would never do before. He now wore a salt and pepper goatee with a chin strap connecting it to his temple. Grey hairs glisten from his temple in the sun, crow's feet line the corners of his eyes. Resting at the end of his nose is a pair of square, wire glasses.
He is breathtaking, but he is not her Severus.
This man is Dalton.
—
Lorna takes to Severus instantly, and on their second meeting, once more at the beach one week after their first meeting, actually calls him dad. Severus had been just as surprised by it as she had been.
Severus is lying on the beach on the blanket she had spread out to eat on. He had shaved his face and applied product to his hair, leaving it sleek and shiny in the sun. The sleeves of his white button down were rolled up his forearm, reminding her just how strong his arms truly were. He looked far more like her Severus than he had the first time she had seen him.
His right arm is draped across his eyes, blocking the sun as he dozes on the blanket, his ankles crossed as his legs stretched out before him. Lorna had drug her to the water where she dove under the choppy waves repeatedly, each time coming up with another treasure. She pops up with a chunk of green sea glass clutched in her small fist.
"What is this?" Lorna declares, holding her prize up to the sunlight.
"I don't know. Why don't you go and ask your dad?" Danu replies, an attempt to get Lorna and Severus to socialize more with one another. While Lorna was not shy in the slightest, Severus was more apprehensive of his daughter.
Danu watches Lorna's small form barrel up the beach towards Severus, her little legs pumping as fast as possible as she struggles to run in the sand.
"What is this?" She hears Lorna shout over the crashing waves. Severus doesn't budge.
"DAD!" Lorna shouts. Severus jerks upright and stares at Lorna, a look of shock on his face. "What is this?"
Whatever Severus had told her satisfied her curiosity, for she thrusts the sea glass into his waiting hand and rushes back down the beach to her waiting arms as Severus stares after her in disbelief.
Afterwards, Severus brings them to his house for Lorna to use the restroom. She insists on holding his hand as the three of them made their way down the coast. She looks up to him with such trust, such awe, it is hard to believe he is not much more than a stranger to Lorna.
Three more meetings occur before the end of summer, each time the same as the last. Lorna finding discarded items and shells in the water, proudly showing them off to Severus after he had identified nearly every sea dwelling object to exist in the last several beach trips. Each trip ends with Lorna holding his hand.
The final beach trip that summer, Lorna stands on a stool in Severus' small home as she peers down into an empty cauldron. Various potions ingredients line the wooden make-shift bar housing his cauldron. Severus jumps into action using a wooden board and knife to move a bundle of Aconite out of Lorna's reach.
"Don't touch Acon….Accccoooon…"
"Aconite." Danu and Severus correct her at the same time as she pulls a sprig of dried lavender from a glass jar and brings it to her nose.
"You can smell this!" Lorna exclaims, thrusting the dried lavender sprig towards Severus. Severus accepts it, brings it to his nose, and tucks the dried bundle behind Lorna's ear.
Severus watches with tense shoulders as Lorna fiddles with every item he has lining the wooden bar. Danu grins to herself, knowing exactly how much he hates having his things touched and moved. He says nothing as he watches on, ensuring Lorna does not make a move for he Aconite he had pushed back against the wall.
"Lorna." Danu begins just as Lorna almost sends a bottle of moon water toppling to the floor. "We need to leave soon, it's getting late."
"No. I stay." Lorna states defiantly as she turns her attention back to the ingredients lining the bar.
"I'm sure Sev- your dad has things to do. Plus, you don't have Simon, Bram, or any pajamas. We need to go home, I have to work tomorrow, and you're going to go to Aunt Ginny with Nan."
"And James!" Lorna exclaims as she throws her arms in the air before slamming her fists against her thighs, a habit she has when she becomes excited.
"Yes, and James."
Danu glances out of the corner of her eye to see Severus staring at Lorna, a pained expression on his face. Perhaps it is due to Lorna leaving, or the fact that she would be spending the next day with the grandchild and namesake of the person that had made his adolescence a near living hell with his constant torment and bullying.
Before her or Severus has a chance to stop her, Lorna launches herself from the bar stool into Severus' arms. Her arms lock around his neck, her legs wrap themselves around his waist. Her head rests on his shoulder, her hair tickling his nose. He freezes for a moment, his arms lifted midair from where he had tried to catch her. Severus relaxes, closes his eyes, and wraps his arms around Lorna. His eyes drift shut; his face becomes tranquil as he returns Lorna's hug.
Lorna pulls herself from Severus' grip and reaches out to her. Danu offers him a sympathetic look and smile as Lorna turns and gives him a small wave.
—
Harry and Ginny gift Arthur and Molly and all-expense paid trip to Paris for their anniversary. Molly was beside herself, as she had wanted to go to Paris her entire life. Arthur, on the other hand, was more practical about it and was far more concerned about the crowds. Danu is happy for them and helps Molly pack as she goes on and on about everything she had planned for the trip.
One small catch, they would be gone a week and a half, leaving Danu with no one to watch after Lorna while she worked. She had assured Molly that she would figure something out, or just take a holiday herself. The later, however, was a small fib.
Even though she had gone to Gringott's and seen the gold lining the vault herself, every ounce of that gold was being saved for Lorna's future. She was not going to rely on that gold for their day to day lives unless absolutely necessary.
She finds herself knocking on Severus' door once more, in an attempt to ask him for yet another favor. This time, however, she had more faith that he would say yes.
Severus answers, as if expecting her. She watches as he removes his glasses, his dark eyes glare down at her. The sun glistens off of his black hair as he places one hand on the door frame and towers over her. Her heart speeds up a bit at the memory of the last time the two of them had been alone together. He had pinned her to the wall in an effort to intimidate her, and she had kissed him tenderly on the lips before he pulled her against his chest. He had not smelled like himself, when she closed her eyes, it was almost as if he was a stranger. Her heart, however, had long since memorized the beat of his heart as it hammered alongside his.
"Would you like to keep Lorna while I work until next Friday?" Danu blurts out as Severus backs away, allowing her to slip inside.
"I was under the impression that Molly watched her while you worked." Severus responds, lifting one brow at her.
"Molly and Arthur are leaving tomorrow for a trip. They will be gone for nearly two weeks. I can't ask Ginny or Fleur; they both have newborns."
"Touching." Severus replies dryly as he reaches for a second mug on the wooden bar before pouring in boiling water from the kettle whistling on a small burner. He reaches around her and places a tea bag in the freshly poured mug before it sliding towards her.
"If you can't, that's fine. I just thought I'd ask." Danu brings the mug to her nose and takes a whiff, it is berry scented with a hint of mint, not his former favorite orange spice.
"I will watch her. I have no plans." Severus states between sips. "It is blueberry and mint."
"I didn't think you liked mint tea." Danu retorts as she takes a small sip of her mug.
"I do not. I have not gone to the shops; I am out of my usual brand."
"There is one more thing." Danu begins, attempting to change the subject to keep from thinking that Cathleen is likely the person who purchased this tea for him. She places her piping hot mug of tea on the wooden bar and looks u[ into Severus' coal black eyes, he raises his brow at her in response. "I have to work overnight this Saturday night at my second job. I won't get off of work until nearly six in the morning."
"She can stay. I can arrange a bed for her."
"Are you sure? It might be hard to get her to sleep. If it's easier for you, you can come stay at our house."
"That will not be necessary. We shall stay here." Severus gestures around the small shack with an open hand. There was not much room, but if Severus thinks he can make room for Lorna, who is she to argue?
"She will insist on going in the water, I hope you are prepared for that." Danu offers with a small smirk.
"I taught insolent, spoiled children for nearly twenty years, I am positive I will be able to handle a mere toddler for one night. Just because you are incapable of telling the child no does not mean that I will be." Severus barks down at her, yet another attempt to intimidate her.
Danu grins at him, which only further agitates him, for he place his mug down on the bar and stalks towards her. Her heart picks up speed, her breath quickens. She can feel the warmth from his body as he stands before her, one foot between hers, the other pressed against the outside of her thigh.
He smells of salt and mint.
He smells like a stranger.
Severus places his index finger beneath her chin and lifts her head, forcing her to look into his black eyes. Her breathing stops a moment as he relaxes his brow and smirks down at her slightly.
"Why are you still working two jobs?" Severus' deep, velvety voice vibrates through her chest, turning her bones to elastic as she tries desperately to compose herself.
This is why she fell for him. His all-consuming presence, his resonant voice, those coal black eyes that could peer into your soul.
Severus' thumb dances across her bare thigh, just above her knee. She lets out a shaky breath as she snaps her head back upright. She hadn't even realized that her neck had moved back and to the left, an autonomous reflex to allow him access to her flesh.
Severus leans forward and grazes his lips across her jawline. Every hair on her body stands on end as a shiver scurries down her spine despite the warmth. Danu closes her eyes, finding contentment in the way his nose brushes her cheek as he dips down once more and kisses the soft flesh beneath her earlobe. His right hand finds its way behind her, pressing her further into his front. His left remains on her thigh, gripping it tightly. His large, strong hands nearly wrap entirely around her thigh.
"You can't do this, Severus." Danu finally manages to croak out. She didn't believe the words herself, there is no way Severus did.
He continues kissing her jaw, making his way painstakingly slow from the skin beneath her earlobe to midway to her chin. She raises her hands and grips the fabric of his shirt tightly in her clenched fist before taking a single, shaky step back.
"I mean it." Danu whispers, her eyes still closed as Severus releases his hand wrapped around her thigh. "You left me, Severus. You can't do this to me, you can't play these games with me. It isn't fair."
"I seem to recall that it was you that kissed me first." Severus clears his throat and takes a step back himself, leaving her chilled at the loss of his hand pressed firmly to the small of her back.
"I apologized for that. I just…I needed to know whether or not you still felt anything for me."
Severus narrows his eyes once more at her, but the crease between his brows that typically indicated his rage was nowhere to be found. The two stare at one another for several moments, before Severus finally sighs and makes his way back to the other side of the small shack. Danu watches as he picks up his mug with the hands that had only moments ago held her protectively and brings it to his lips. Her grimaces at the taste of the tea before dumping the contents out of the opened window. Danu smirks, Cathleen knows nothing about him.
"You hate mint tea." Danu says, mockingly.
"Indeed."
"I have to be at work at eight tomorrow, I can drop Lorna off by seven-thirty, if that isn't too early. I'll make sure she has everything that she needs. If you get tired of chasing her away from the water, bring her to our house. We live near the Weasley's, just Apparate there and Lorna will show you the way home. I will leave the door unlocked."
"I am positive that I can manage one child for a handful of hours, Miss Bla—"
"Miss Black." Danu echoes back to him as her voices catches. Despite the fact that she had promised him she would take her own name in the event of his death, she had fought for his name, had earned his name, she was Missus Snape whether he liked it or not, and clearly, he did not. "You can't even say my name."
"That is not—"
"You've never been able to say my name."
Danu turns and storms from the shack, allowing the door to slam behind her. Severus is hot on her heels; he grabs her by the elbow and spins her around to face him. She wants to strike him, wants to wound him as deeply as he had hurt her. He grips her chin and leans in, kissing her deeply on the lips.