***Chapter Twelve***

Severus looked up at the sound of someone coming into his lab.

He knew who it was before she opened the door. She knew it, too, and would sometimes stand on the other side of it giggling, knowing that he was waiting for her to come in.

He peered at his youngest, and only, granddaughter over the tops of his glasses. He used them for far more than just reading purposes these days.

Of his seven grandchildren, Lucille was the only one who enjoyed watching Grandpa do his potions work.

Scratch that.

She was the only one of his grandchildren who enjoyed watching him with the same rapt attention - as well as peppering him with endless questions - as her grandmother and mother before her had done.

Of course, her grandmother hadn't known him to watch him at the age of eleven, but would have if she had. He was sure of that. He had no doubt that was true when it came to Hermione.

"Good morning, Miss Lucy," he said, offering her a bit of a smile.

She looked just like him when he was this age. The hair, the nose, the pale complexion, kind of gangly because she hadn't hit a growth spurt yet. All of it. He found it ironic, too, because every time he said her name he thought of his past, and John McClane.

The police officer's children had done little in the magical world once they completed their education.

He wasn't surprised. Honestly, he was surprised the lieutenant believed in magic to allow his children to attend Ilvermorny. (Then Holly McClane was no push over either, Severus knew this just from a few hours in her company.)

The daughter, who also preferred Lucy from what he could tell, had gone to university from what Severus could determine, and the son had done some sort of policing as his father had done. It sounded more clandestine, along what Severus had done during his years living as Hans Gruber, which meant he wasn't able to find much. He didn't scour the papers daily or anything, but he did try to keep up on their doings. Especially now that their parents were both gone.

The downfall of being a muggleborn, one's parents left most witches and wizards too soon. Hermione hadn't escaped this either. There weren't many times over the years that he felt as if he let her down or failed her. That was one of them. They both passed naturally, having met their oldest great grandchild, but that he couldn't prevent her from experiencing that pain still bothered him.

Monty had passed on years ago, so the ability to grease palms for information had gone with him. He and Hermione had quietly attended his former handler's funeral. Overall, the man had not only been a good human being, he had believed in Severus at a time it would have been very easy to do anything but.

He and Hermione had moved to this smallish island in the Gulf of Finland, more or less smack dab off of the coast of Helsinki, when both decided they were tired of being involved with the education system of wizarding Britain. Both had contributed their pound of flesh to the cause.

He was ready to call it quits about the time she finished her apprenticeship with Filius. She wasn't quite yet, so he continued on, knowing she would let him know when she was ready.

When Lucy had been born, and the soul mate registry in his office glowed for the first time in at least three years, indicating there was an entry in there for her.

Well, he'd pushed hard for them to get on with their life away from Britain. He did not want to meet the young man his granddaughter was a soul mate of as Headmaster Snape. No doubt he would have an … issue liking anyone his granddaughter met, soul mate or not.

They'd carved out a good life here. He had a profitable potions business, and his wife acted essentially as a private tutor for students who wished to work on things one-on-one during the summer months. She also advised and took magical people into the muggle world who were curious about jobs and opportunities there. That was what she did now. Initially, she'd gone to university and helped institute guidelines for the healers at St. Mungo's, and other magical (and some muggle) medical facilities, about crisis management.

He'd known when she'd talked to him about doing something else about seventeen years later, when Lucy's mum, Hannah, started at Durmstrang that it was time. At first, there'd been mostly muggles on the island, but that had changed as the years passed. Now, there were no muggles left, except the muggleborns the other magical inhabitants of the island brought with them. To say he liked the privacy was an understatement.

She didn't have to work, not that he would ever tell her not to. So, when she approached him about being ready to leave that position, they talked over her possibilities, vast as they were. There were articles published throughout the years on an array of topics by both Hermione and Severus Snape. A few they'd even co-authored together.

Grandparents seven times over now, with the last one about to start her magical education, certainly they were not as … busy as they were years ago, but both needed things to do. It was how they were built, so he imagined neither of them would retire completely for quite some time yet.

Living rather reclusively was enough. Fortunately, her friends had no problem coming here to visit. Occasionally, they made their way to Wizarding London for an extended visit, but now that the kids were all older those trips weren't as consistent as they'd once been.

Not that his daughter and twin sons had minded living on an island. Far from it, and they had privacy here they couldn't get anywhere else. No one could apparate onto the island, so anyone approaching would be visible. They hadn't experienced many threats over the years, but there had been enough of them that he still valued the safety and privacy this area offered him and his wife.

Their sons had chosen to go to Koldovstoretz. For a while he was sure they were going to elect to go to different schools, but like Fred and George Weasley they were inseparable, so hadn't chosen separate schools when it got down to it. His daughter, on the other hand, had chosen Durmstrang Institute.

Bradley and Geoffrey were both successful curse breakers.

Lucy's mother, Tamara, followed in her father's footsteps. So a new generation of Snapes was teaching potions at Hogwarts. Students liked her far better than they liked him, so he took that to mean she was doing her job well.

Somehow he thought Lucy just might follow in her mother and grandfather's footsteps and become a potioner, too. As a result, he was not surprised she'd chosen Durmstrang, too. She had a potioner's mind, like her mother. And, yes, he could already tell that was true.

"Where is Grandma?" he asked.

"In the kitchen."

"I see, and you came to me, hoping to escape having to assist?"

She shrugged, a familiar glint in those eyes that looked identical to his.

"I won't tell," he said.

She let out a low breath, clearly relieved. He didn't foresee his only granddaughter being a housewife anymore than he pictured his daughter or his wife doing that.

"That doesn't mean you won't escape being my assistant."

She set her hands on the table he was working at, lifting herself onto the tips of her toes to see his lab tabletop better.

She wrinkled her nose. "You want me to cut up eels?"

"How ever did you know?" he asked.

"Grandpa," she said. He was aware she would know what potion he was working on when she saw the ingredients.

"Wound salve?" she asked.

"Indeed. Just for that, you'll get dessert tonight."

She laughed. "I'd get dessert anyway."

"I suppose you're right."

There were a few options as to what he was making with the eels. The salve meant she could slice off larger pieces and use her pestle for the grinding and crushing necessary to make the salve. Obviously, under his watchful eyes.

"Is your grandmother all right up there?" he asked after a few moments of silence between them as Lucy got her equipment together.

"She's a little crazy," Lucy said, causing Severus to chuckle.

Lucy's cousin Vance was getting married.

The wedding itself was not here. He wasn't sure he would allow that, just for the mood Hermione would be in organizing such an event.

The rehearsal dinner was tonight, and everyone was coming here.

Everyone.

His family as well as Vance's fiance, Veronique.

That was why he was working now.

He knew it would be a late night and a long weekend.

He knew once the guests started arriving he would have no downtime.

He also knew he needed to stay out of Hermione's way. She did not need his help, and when he'd tried to assist in the past. Well, she was just better at organizing social events than he was. That might have something to do with the fact he still didn't particularly care for social events.

They set to work, both seemingly able to stop thinking about the chaos that was going on upstairs.

Severus was in the yard, taking a breath when he felt his wife's arm snake around his.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello," he said simply.

"You aren't inside."

"I know my duties, so no."

"You'd like to be?"

"Honestly," he said, looking into the tent.

All three of his children were married, and to seemingly good spouses.

Three of his grandchildren would now be married.

Veronique's family was here, too.

People wanted and liked coming to his home.

His home.

Pfft.

Their home.

She made it a home. Not just for the children either.

She'd given him a home.

"No," he said finally.

"Really?"

"No, in fact," he said, stepping away a bit so that he could take her into his arms.

"In fact?"

"I think I wish to dance with my wife."

"There's no music, Severus." She sounded almost shy, but not put out at the idea.

"I remember every lyric and beat of our wedding dance song."

"Me, too," she whispered, as she slid one of her hands into his and one of his arms slid around her. He held her far closer than was respectable, so it was a good thing they were married and their families were used to their displays of affection.

He'd spent too long single, being Voldemort and Dumbledore's man, so he enjoyed these moments that showed him just how far he had come from that old house on Spinner's End.

Vance and Veronique came out to join them a few minutes later. They didn't seem to need music either.

That was how he knew Vance had chosen the right partner.

~The End~

NOTE: I am truly sorry for the delay. Life threw a few curveballs at me, culminating in my house nearly catching fire last week (I'm fine, the house is fine). Anyway, with everything going on I struggled to get this chapter edited to post it. Things are quieter now, thankfully, hopefully that means I can work on some of the WIPS I have going. As always, thank you for reading and commenting.