'Oh gosh, this will take so much more time than I though...' Harmony thought as she entered her library.

She had promised to search for answers that could help understand what was wrong with Severus. What could be causing his condition. But she had made the mistake of tricking herself to think that it would be easier than it probably would be in reality.

She had shelves bending downwards because of the weight of all the paper on top of them. She had stacks upon stacks of books everywhere. She had wrongly postponed a very needed cleanthrough on the library after the war and now there would be Hell to pay for it.

'Everything okay there Harmony? You feel a bit overwhelmed.' Severus smooth voice came to her through the connection. She would need to be careful while browsing through the books otherwise he may find out really soon who she really was. And she wasn't prepared for that just yet.

'Everything fine dear. I just have a lot more paper to go through than I thought I had.'Harmony replied as she scratched her neck, contemplating with desolation where to start. 'Has Rufus arrived meanwhile?'

'Not yet. I guess he must be having fun today outside. Do you know how is the weather outside?'

'Cold and a bit windy but sunny all the same. We usually have good weather till later in the autumn.'

'That sounds nice.'

Her heart clenched at the thought that he probably missed being outside. She probably should try to give it to him sometime. Take him to the garden.

'You tell me if he comes back please?'

'Sure.'

'Thank you. Then I will go back to this mess.'

It was easier said than done but she had never been a woman to stay behind when there was work to be done.

Slowly but surely she started to look through volumes and gathering to the side those that she considered that could hold any useful information. She mentally thanked her mother and grandmother for the new index section that they had added to the volumes written by her ancestors. She should probably keep that in the future. The only volume she had added to the library was a Chronicle about the war time but she hoped that she could add something more fun in the future for further generations to enjoy.

'Here he comes...' Severus told her as she heard barking outside. Rufus was very happy with himself. Way too happy for her taste.

'Tell me that he is not covered in mud, please.' She cringed at the thought.

'Sorry but I cannot lie. His fur is so caked that I can hardly notice his scar at all.' The man apologised with uneasiness.

'I'm going to kill him!'

'You could never do it.' The dark wizard smirked.

'You right. Damn. Give me 5 minutes and I will go pick him up.'

'He's on the carpet by my side. I think he brought me a gift.'

To that she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I will kill him." Harmony fumed.

Later that day…

The witch had ended up showering after Rufus, as he had made a point of filling her with mud too in revenge for her dragging him to the bathtub. Meanwhile it had been lunch time and they had all sat down to eat.

'Did you find anything?' Severus asked between mouthfuls of mashed potatoes.

"I may have. But I will bring it to the table afterwards so you aren't left here alone. We should try and find out what happened to your magic. With it you could try and entertain yourself while I'm not around like this morning."

The mention of his lost magic left him clearly sad. He refused more food and moved his head to face elsewhere.

"Severus? Did I say something wrong?"

'I never felt my magic again since the day the snake… I tried but, I think I became a squib.'

His sadness was almost palpable in the air.

" I refuse to believe that. You cannot simply become a squib due to poisoning. At least I never heard anything about it."

'Still… No magic from me whatsoever in years.' He mumbled.

"Maybe...Maybe it is time to try again Severus."

He turned to gaze at her incredulous.

'You really mean it? You want me to try and do magic now?'

"Tell me one good reason why not?" Harmony dared him. "Try something easy. Like..." Harmony looked around, searching for something easy enough. She spotted a candle in a nearby coffee table."There. Try to lit that candle. It's fairly easy."

"I don't think I can..."

"Non sense. At least give it a try, Severus."

Severus gave Harmony a look that spoke volumes but decided to try anyway. After all, in the worst scenario what could happen? Nothing? Closing his eyes, he tried to focus as hard as he could. Tried to find his magic somewhere inside. Yet, he felt only emptiness. Harmony grasped his hand on hers and pointed at the candle.

"Don't give up, Severus. Feel it with your heart, not your head." Her encouraging words came to meet him in his own mind. Severus sensed one of her hands touching is chest, in the place of his heart."Feel it here, Severus."

A sudden warmth started just were her fingers grazed his shirt, spreading through the rest of his chest. Severus had to gulp for air, for the sensation was so strong and overwhelming that knocked him out of breath. He sensed it, like if it was his own blood, flowing across him like if it was the first time. It felt like ... Home.

"Incendio."

Severus opened his eyes slowly after a minute or two, afraid of whatever was waiting for him in the real world. The candle was lighted. Well, it actually looked a lot like if a dragon had just sneezed upon the table, as there was sparkles flying everywhere and some of the stuff on top was scorched. He looked at Harmony, a little insecure. She seemed to understand his unspoken question.

"It wasn't I..." She smiled brightly. "I just helped you a tiny little bit. But the fire was entirely yours."