Severus' foul mood had at last begun to calm in the days leading up to Danu's departure. He had taken it upon himself to not only invite Rose but book several days in a hostel for the two of them: plus, Molly, Hermione, and Ginny. She had written to Luna on two occasions during the week to invite her as well, despite Severus' protests that it likely was not a good idea for her to tag along with Rose being there, but she had not written back. They couldn't afford this without dipping into the gold hoarded in the vault at Gringott's, she knew that much for certain, however, the potion that Severus fed her each morning ensured that she did not care.
Danu had felt lighter, optimistic; the irrational thoughts and paranoia that supporters of Rita Skeeter were following her no longer plagued her day and night. She no longer sat awake each night, unable to rationalize her thoughts or quell her pounding heart. She did not stay locked in the attic, staring into space as her mind raced, too afraid to sit on the main floor in case someone looked through a window to find that she was home. Now, she was able to play with Lorna, found interest in her plants once more, laughed for the first time in what felt like years, and even began a friendly correspondence with Neville Longbottom, who wrote to her several times a week. They discussed ideas of crossbreeding different plants to see what would happen, and what properties the seedlings would inherit. Thus far, none of their ideas had been successful, but it was exhilarating to not only try, but to have someone who was just a passionate about the flora as she was.
Neville had not only brought her a tiny, sickly-looking pod from his mimbus mimbultonia, but had helped her nurse it to health. She had traded him a niffler's fancy, two pritcher's porritch's, and a lady's mantle for the tiny grey cactus, Severus raised a brow at this due to the price and rarity of the pritcher's porritch alone, but to her, it had been more than worth it simply to study the mimbus; not to mention the fact that he could use and make good money from the potions he would be able to brew using the stink sap. The mimbus mimbultonia, while almost healed, still wept often and made a pitiful, low whimpering sound that was impossible to hear unless you put your ear right up to it, which was often inadvisable as the weeping often turned to sobbing which would cover the listener in the foul, putrid smelling sap seeping and spurting from the newly forming boils rising from the flesh. Lorna had, on more than one occasion, run gagging from the greenhouse after being covered in the noxious green substance.
Leaving her plants, Lorna, and even Severus for five days seemed more than a little daunting, as she had never been away from Lorna for that long. Danu watches from the bedroom doorway as Severus packs, and then unpacks her suitcase. She had assured him that she was an adult and more than capable of packing her own suitcase, yet he insisted. First, he packed cloaks and thick jumpers before realizing that not only was it summer time and ordinary shop owners do not tend to keep their spaces as cool as he was prone to keeping theirs, but she would stick out like a sore thumb in the crowds of Muggles that they would be around that week. Severus dumps the contents of the suitcase onto the bed, sighs loudly as he runs his hands through his sleek black hair and turns to her armoire once again to remove several light, flowing sun dresses that he loved running his hands under while she wore them. After several minutes of contemplation, and five days' worth of under garments were successfully packed, he turns to his bedside table, opens the top drawer, and places three vials of a shimmering, yellow liquid on top.
"Take one of these every other day, do not forget, as you will become quite ill." Severus instructs her as he zips the bag and places it next to her armoire in the corner of the bedroom. "You will begin weaning yourself this week, taking one potion every second day, until next week where you will take one every third day, and so on until you are able to simply take one dose per week. Should you wean yourself correctly, you will not experience the…unsavory side effects that I suffered."
"Will I go back to the way I was before?" Danu asks, they had not discussed what would happen to her once she stopped taking the potion, only how she felt while she was currently taking it.
"You should not need to take it again; it should have successfully stabilized your anxiousness. However, it is not unheard of for individuals to need to begin another regimen in the following months. If that is the case, then we will settle it swiftly so as to minimize your suffering."
Lorna wanders in at this moment and begins circling the packed suitcase on the floor before climbing on the bed and rifling through the pile of unpacked robes Severus had dumped there moments prior. She stretches a black, wool cloak above her head, scoffs at the itchiness, for Lorna despises wool, and tosses it unceremoniously to the floor. She scrambles to her feet, kicks off her sandals, and begins bouncing up and down on the bed while Severus attempts to snatch several garments of clothes from the bed as her feet leave the mattress. Lorna decides that this is a new game and bends her knees with each bounce in an effort to come down even harder, maneuvering herself expertly directly above Severus' hands while howling with laughter.
As Severus- hand still intact, removes the final article of clothing from the bed, Danu snatches Lorna from the air mid-jump and slams her back on the bed. Lorna cackles loudly as Danu begins tickling her armpits, her stomach, and the bottoms of her feet. Lorna twists, rolls, and roars in an effort to escape her mother, all while laughing loudly. Finally, panting and sweating, Lorna frees herself, stands to her feet, bounces on the mattress once, and leaps from the bed and into Severus' arms; narrowly avoiding being dropped as Severus had just turned around to face the bed and was not anticipating being confronted by a flying toddler.
"Throw me, Daddy!" She shouts as she throws her body backwards, Severus groans at the impact; his back had been bothering him for several days, ever since he caught Lorna as she jumped from her broom several feet above Severus' head and into his arms, though he would not admit it.
"I am not throwing you." Severus grunts as he attempts to remove Lorna's limbs from around his neck.
"Daddy's back hurts, he can't throw you." Danu answers for him as she makes her way to the other side of the bed to rid Severus of the child now dangling from his body.
"My back does not hurt." Severus lies, as his face betrays him with a grimace each time Lorna throws her weight backwards.
Lorna tightens her hold on Severus each time Danu attempts to pry her off of him, his face turning slightly pink from the force at which she was squeezing his neck and chest with her arms and legs. Lorna squeezes once more, and grunts loudly just as she passes gas loudly and forcefully. She freezes for a moment, a surprised look etched upon her face, then throws her head back and laughs so hard tears begin to stream from her eyes. Severus' face remains stony and blank before wrinkling his nose and glaring down at her still cackling in his arms.
"That is far from lady-like." Severus says as Lorna begins to quiet down.
"She's three, she doesn't need to be lady-like, but she does need to say, 'excuse me' when she does that."
"'Scuse me!" Lorna cackles and finally releases her grip from around his neck. "Throw me now?"
"The only place I will throw you is in the bin." Severus makes his way from the room, while loudly detailing precisely how he was going to throw her in the garbage, tie up the bag, and carry her to the rubbish collection, all while Lorna laughs and begs him not to.
—
At four forty-five, Severus apparates Lorna and Danu to a quiet alley three blocks from the hostel he had booked for the women to stay in for the next three nights, before they relocated to an insanely overpriced suite at Caridge's. Lorna had been inconsolable and rambunctious all evening since she skipped her usual afternoon nap in the excitement of watching Danu drift through the house ensuring that she was not leaving anything behind which she may need.
Lorna spots an ice cream stand across the street just as they round the corner to the hostel, where Rose is standing out front waiting on them. She begins to whine and beg for a pumpkin pasty, which Severus explains they will not have, and then begins wailing for strawberry ice cream. Rose, in an effort to get her to stop howling, takes it upon herself to cross the street and buy her a small cone. Severus scoffs at his mother-in-law as she passes the cone to Lorna. Danu pats his arm and shakes her head at him, silently telling him that it is not worth the fight to tell Lorna no a second time. One night of eating dessert before dinner will not kill her, and besides, Rose never gets to spoil her granddaughter.
Forty minutes later, Rose and Danu are settled into their room where two single beds sit at opposite ends of the room with a dresser separating them, Lorna is jumping on Danu's bed, still covered in strawberry ice cream, and Molly and Ginny had just arrived. Hermione, Ginny explains, was held up at work and would be joining them as soon as she was finished.
Severus announces that he and Lorna will be leaving, kisses Danu gently on the corner of the mouth, and passes her the cheque book from his pocket. From the corner of her eye, she sees Rose grimace and roll her eyes. Lorna, however, has other plans. She wraps herself around Molly's leg and begins throwing a tantrum.
"I WANT MY NAN!" Lorna shouts, her face turning bright red as tears well in her eyes.
"We are leaving." Severus states firmly as he attempts to pry Lorna from Molly's leg.
Molly begins negotiating with Lorna and kneels down to brush the hair from her face as she screeches even louder. Severus bends down and whispers something in Lorna's ear which only makes her cry harder; his hand brushes his wand nestled securely in the sleeve of his button down, then flutters to his side as he glares down at Lorna causing a scene at their feet. Danu attempts to calm her but is kicked in the stomach in the process. Severus pushes her behind him then clenches his fists at his side, scoops Lorna up in one swift motion the very second, she flings herself back on the floor, narrowly missing knocking her head on the dresser, and stalks towards to door, all while Lorna flails and screams in his arms.
"You do not kick your mother. I had better not ever see or hear of you doing that again." Danu hears Severus scold Lorna as he closes the front door of the hostel swiftly behind him. Lorna's voice carries for several moments before finally quieting, and they all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Sorry. She skipped her nap today." Danu explains, Rose offers her a smile and pats her on her arm.
"Good luck to Severus tonight then." Ginny chuckles. "Harry has Teddy and James this weekend, the house is going to be a wreck when I get home."
"Knowing Teddy, he'll convince Harry to bring him to ours to play with Lorna. You know he can never tell him no."
"Isn't it a rather long drive from London to Devon?" Rose asks, Danu and Ginny each freeze a moment, wondering how they were going to get out of this one. "Severus is driving all the way back there tonight with Lorna? It'll be nearly eleven before he makes it, even without traffic."
"Oh, he's going to stay with Harry tonight." Danu lies, Ginny nods her head.
"Oh." Rose narrows her eyes a moment, then softens her face. "And where at in London do you live? I don't think Harry's ever told me."
"Islington. Near St. Clement's Church."
"Oh, such a lovely area. I would love to pop by some time, I am over in that area often."
"We would love that. It's been ages since we've caught up." Ginny smiles warmly at Rose. A pang of jealousy hits Danu briefly before subsiding. It was her own fault that Rose spends so much time with Harry and Ginny; they actually answer the telephone when she calls them.
After much debate, everyone finally agrees to ordering pizza for dinner, and staying in to get to know one another over a bottle of wine. Hermione arrives shortly after seven that night, just as the pizza was being delivered. Rose had wanted desperately to go to a pub, and only after much convincing did, she finally relent and decided to stay in that night instead.
Rose pops the cork on the first bottle of red wine, fills four glasses, and is reaching for the fifth when Danu puts her hand over the rim of the glass to prevent her from filling it for her. The others raise their glasses to their lips and seem to be too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice the exchange between the mother and daughter.
"Come on," Rose begins, raising her eyebrow and grinning at Danu. "Severus isn't here, one glass won't do any harm."
"Maybe tomorrow night." Danu says with a small smile.
"You aren't pregnant, are you?" Rose laughs mischievously.
"Who's pregnant?" Molly whips around, abandoning her conversation with Ginny and Hermione. The woman never let any amount of gossip go unnoticed.
"No one is pregnant!" Danu throws her hands up in defense and shakes her head.
"I was only joking!" Rose laughs as she refills her and Molly's glasses. "Danu doesn't want a drink, I just asked if she was pregnant."
"Oh, thank God." Molly sighs and takes a gulp of her wine. "No offense, of course. I just, well, you know."
"I know." Danu answers quietly as Ginny throws her mother a sideways glance.
"Know what?" Rose asks as she sits between Danu and Molly on the sofa. "I feel like I'm left out here!"
"I just don't want to be pregnant on another wedding day." Danu blurts out quickly before Molly can say a word to Rose about how Severus had abandoned her the last time she had a newborn. Rose did not need to know about this detail yet, especially with how much she seemed to detest Severus as it was.
"Is that why you married Severus then, because you were pregnant?" Rose asks as she crosses her legs and turns to look at Danu.
"No, it's not the only reason why I married him."
Rose opens her mouth, but Ginny clears her through loudly and steers the conversation away from Severus, and on to what plans Danu had made so far. Admittedly, she had made zero plans. From the colors, to the location, guest list, food, and even maid of honor, nothing had been decided. The only thing that she knew for certain was that it would take place on the ninth of January; Severus' forty-fourth birthday, and their eighth year together.
"Have you at least thought of what style of dress you might like?" Rose asks as she fills her glass once more.
"Well Severus likes— "
"It doesn't matter what Severus likes, what do YOU like?"
"I know but— "
"The entire purpose of a wedding is for everyone to have their eyes on you, and for him to not be able to take his hands off of you by the end of the night." Ginny cuts in once more, causing Rose to howl with laughter, Hermione to playfully put her index finger in her mouth and mimic gagging, and Molly to turn red.
"He can't seem to be able to do either of those any other day, so I don't think I'll have much of a problem impressing him." Danu says right as Molly announces that she is retiring for bed. She kisses Ginny, hugs each of the other women, and pads down the hall to her and Ginny's shared bedroom. The only one to have their own private room that weekend was Hermione, since Luna never answered any of Danu, or Ginny's letters.
"I cannot imagine that man being intimate in any way whatsoever." Hermione admits as she shakes her head.
"It happened at least once, they have Lorna!" Rose laughs as she agrees with Hermione.
"Nope," Ginny cuts in as she stands from the sofa. "Twice. Harry walked in on them one night!"
"He told you?" Danu feels her face heating as Rose, Ginny, and Hermione all turn towards her.
"Of course he told me! He tells me everything, he's actually quite the gossip."
"Oh my God. Poor Harry." Hermione shakes her head and allows Rose to refill her glass of wine.
"More like poor Severus. His face stayed red for a week after that."
"He's so serious all of the time, does he just, I don't know, schedule it? Lie there?"
"No, we don't schedule it!" Danu laughs as Rose shakes her head. "And he definitely doesn't just 'lie there.' Severus is a gentleman."
"So is Harry. He's very polite and sweet."
"Ron can be— "
"Do not finish that sentence! I do not need to hear about my brother's bedroom habits, it's bad enough I had to grow up with a house full of teenage boys!"
"Vincent, my husband, is very submissive. A submissive man is a great man, and not only in the bedroom." Rose winks as she grins behind the rim of her wine glass.
"I wouldn't call Severus submissive at all, but he can't seem to ever say no to me or Lorna, especially Lorna. He sulked for three days when she didn't give him a goodnight kiss after he told her that she couldn't have a puppy. I'm surprised he didn't go out and buy her one that very night just to get her to hug him. He doesn't like people to know that he's soft, but he really is."
"I see how he is with Lorna." Hermione agrees. "He has been much nicer to, well, everyone since she was born."
"I just don't like how he speaks for you and is always hovering over you. And I saw him give you the cheque book earlier, why don't you have your own?"
The room suddenly becomes tense and awkward. Ginny and Hermione slip silently from the room to give Rose and Danu space. Ginny is well aware of Rose's feelings regarding Severus, and apparently so is Hermione.
"I just get anxious around a lot of people and Severus knows that. He gave me our cheque book earlier because he goes out more than I do."
"So, you have to ask him for it when you go out? You can't just leave without asking him for it?"
"I always have money on me. It just makes more sense for him to carry the cheque book with him since he goes out more than I do. I don't have to ask his permission to go anywhere, or do anything, but I always communicate with him since we are married and share finances."
"I work with women in these situations every day, I know the signs to look for. He's significantly older than you."
"I know that, and I appreciate the concern, I really do, but Severus isn't like that at all. I know what it may look like, but Severus' name isn't even on the mu—bank account. Everything is in my name; the house, the accounts, I wouldn't doubt it if the shop weren't in my name also. Severus takes really good care of me."
"He was your teacher. He married you not even a year after you finished schooling and is no longer a teacher. It looks like— "
"I know." Danu objects, hoping that Rose doesn't take it any further than she already has. If not for the potion still coursing through her system, she would be a complete mess right now. "Severus helped me after Si—my dad died. He wasn't inappropriate with me at all when I was his student, but I trusted him. We just…fell in love. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. I'm happy, he's happy. I don't want to think of life without him, or without Lorna. I love what we have together and don't regret a single moment of it. Severus was never happy being a teacher, he only did it because it made sense. He's happy now, he's doing what he loves, and he gets to bring Lorna to work with him any time he wants."
"You never answered my calls. I called so many times, and it was always him that answered, he would never put you through. He made so many excuses that I almost drove down to Devon myself, if I had known the address. I was so close to calling the police, but Vincent kept talking me out of it, he thinks Severus isn't a bad guy, but I remember him when he was a child. I remember how intense he was even then."
"I—I was going through some things. Severus was taking care of me. I'm sorry I didn't answer, I'm much better now."
"He told me that you were unwell, he didn't elaborate when I asked, said it was up to you to tell me when you were feeling up to it."
"Severus is a good man. No one else ever sees it, but he is. He loves me, he takes care of me, and he respects me. I don't care if he were a hundred years old, I would still choose him."
"As long as you're happy."
"I'm very happy. Thank you for being concerned though. If it were Lorna, I think I would go mad."
—
By Sunday morning as they were packing their things to relocate to Caridge's to finish their stay in the suite that Severus had booked for them, everyone is exhausted, pink nosed from hours of walking the streets of London in the blazing sun, and Ginny and Hermione were nursing terrible hangovers from the night before. Rose and Molly had not shown it, but Danu could tell that they were beginning to grow increasingly frustrated with each dress that Danu tried on and deemed not good enough.
Hermione had made a list of ideas that they had come up with each day they had spent in London. Lorna and Victoire would each be flower girls, James and Teddy would be the ring bearers, Ginny the matron of honor, and Hermione the bride's maid. Harry would be walking Danu down the aisle, and although Severus had not mentioned it himself to her, she put Draco down as his best man. The wedding would take place in their back garden, and the colors would be emerald green with white accents after finding the perfect bride's maid's dresses on the first day.
The dresses that Ginny and Hermione were set to wear are simple, yet elegant. The style and color perfect for each of their bodies and complexions. Despite the fact that the dresses are Slytherin colors, which both Molly and Ginny quietly pointed out, they both looked beautiful in them. Danu watches from a stool as Ginny twirls in the floor length gown, the off-shoulder sleeves have slits on the inside which reveal her arms at the elbow, and flow down into a train which trails behind the dress as if they were a cape. Small white pearls take the place of buttons running down the length of the back of the dress which stand out beautifully against the rich green material.
While Ginny and Hermione are trying on their dresses, Rose happens to find a gown of her own which matches theirs perfectly, except ends midway down her calf in a tea length as opposed to their floor length gowns. After much back and forth, Rose allows Danu to pay for Hermione and Ginny's dresses, while she purchases her own. Danu writes a steep cheque for Ginny and Hermione's dresses, and the shop attendant expertly packs each dress in a cloth bag which they hang on the back of Danu and Rose's shared room door later that evening.
Saturday morning, Rose spies the perfect dress for Lorna and Victoire nestled between two hideously pink dresses that looked like cupcakes. The dress, while large, matched the dresses that were already picked for Ginny and Hermione. She may have to bribe Lorna to wear it, but she would look stunning in it. Mounds of emerald green tool act as a slip, which is covered in a white lace petticoat with long sleeves. An emerald green ribbon ties around the waist, the ends of which flow down the length of the dress.
Two black Rolls Royce's pulls up in front of the hostel, an older heavyset man in a tuxedo steps out of the first one, bows to the five women waiting on the walkway with their bags and begins lifting their bags into the boot of the car. In the other car, a slender middle-aged man with a thick mustache begins opening the car's door and gesturing for the women to climb in. The drive to Caridge's is much longer than they had imagined with the Sunday evening traffic, but at last, they make it.
The drivers open the doors of the cars where they are greeted by a two doormen smiling brightly. A bellhop rushes from behind and begins quickly unloading their baggage from the boot of their cars onto a silver trolley. A young woman steps out of the double doors that the doorman had opened and smiles warmly at them.
"Missus Snape?" She asks sweetly.
"Yes, that's me." Danu says, feeling drastically out of place as she looks down at her nearly threadbare simple cotton dress and back up at the woman wearing a perfectly tailored skirt suit.
"Follow me as I show you to your room."
Danu and the rest of the party file in behind the woman as she directs them through the hotel and into an elevator. Molly and Ginny's heads whip around the room trying to take everything in, Hermione and Danu each look down at the floor in an effort to not seem out of place, and Rose looks as though she were born here. Rose fits in, in these settings. She knew how to look important, how to look at ease. Danu wishes that she did, too.
Once they step out of the elevator, they follow the woman escorting them to the left, where she uses her key to unlock a simple white door. She throws the door open, steps aside, and with a wave of her hand, escorts them inside where their luggage was already waiting on them in the entryway as the bellhop presses himself against the back wall to allow them to pass through.
Every inch of the room is covered in golden accents, velvet, and embroidered silk. Molly gasps and brings her hand to her chest as she turns in a circle to take in every inch of the room. A grand piano sits proudly in the corner of the sitting room surrounded by plump sofas and wooden tables. Every surface houses a different bouquet of freshly picked flowers, a bottle of champagne is already chilling on the center of the coffee table in a bucket of ice. A chandelier, one of many throughout the suite, casts rays of light throughout the room as the sun peeking through the drawn drapes reflects on the crystals dangling from it.
"Mister Snape asked that we place a third single bed in the guest room, so it is a bit cramped."
"That's fine." Danu mumbles as she leans against the balcony doors and down at the street below. She had never been anywhere as nice, and expensive as this. This had to have cost a fortune. Her stomach flips at the amount of money she had spent this week on dresses and begins to feel a bit sick to her stomach.
"Missus Snape, if you will follow me."
Danu does as she is asked and is led into the master bedroom where two single beds are separated by a large end table with a crystal covered lamp. On her bed is a robe embroidered with her initials, a dozen long stemmed roses wrapped in white paper with golden designs, a box containing fruit cut into the shapes of flowers and note propped against the roses in a white envelope.
"Mister Snape asked that we deliver these upon your arrival. Enjoy your stay, Missus Snape. If you need anything at all, please ring the front desk."
Rose hovers over her shoulder as she breaks the seal on the note, her name written in tight, neat cursive tells her that it is from Severus.
I trust that you are enjoying your stay, though I miss you terribly.
I can hardly wait to see how beautiful you are on our wedding day.
You have made me the happiest man in the world.
All of my love,
Severus
and Lorna
Danu smiles to herself as she runs her thumb over the spot where Severus had helped Lorna sign her name and quickly puts the note back into the envelope before clearing her bed. In the master bathroom, she finds a rounded glass vase already filled with water for the roses.
Later that evening, while Hermione is preparing for a shower and Rose is in the living area searching for a bottle opener, Molly pulls her and Ginny aside.
"Do you think I can pop over to The Burrow? I've got a terrible headache, and those Muggle tablets are doing nothing to help me."
"I can cover for you if you're quick." Danu assures her.
"I won't be but a moment. I'll bring a few extras with me."
"I'll come with you, Mum." Ginny says patiently. "I want a potion for my allergies and a pumpkin juice. These Muggle drinks are awful!"
"Shut the door and disapparate from the guest room, I'll tell Rose you're both having a lie down while Hermione showers."
Molly and Ginny rush towards the guest room where they would be sleeping that night and Danu turns towards the telephone nestled between a large vase of hydrangeas and a menu for room service just as a muffled pop filled the silence. She dials her home number and waits patiently as it rings several times.
"Hello?" Severus' voice booms from the other end.
"Hello." She smiles, imagining the way his eyebrows are likely furrowed as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I just wanted to say thank you, and that I miss you too."
"Ah. So, you have arrived at Caridge's."
"This place is…a lot."
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I am."
"Have you found a dress?"
"No, not yet. Nothing that I think you would like."
"It does not matter what I like, you could be wearing a sack, and I would not be able to take my eyes from you."
"Hmm." Danu chuckles as Severus sighs on the other end of the phone. She presses the phone closer to her ear, wishing desperately that she could be in his arms at this moment. "How's Lorna?"
"She is currently in the bath. Would you like to speak to her?"
"No, it's okay. Just tell her that I love her for me."
"Any plans for tonight?"
"No. The others will likely drink some wine and gossip as they have been every other night. I haven't drunk any, only tea."
"Have a glass of wine with your mother if you would like. Though, try to limit it to only one. It may have adverse effects as your weaning yourself from the potion. You have been remembering to take it, correct?"
"Ye— "
"DADDY!" Lorna shouts from upstairs, causing Severus to sigh once more.
"One moment, Lorna."
"You should go deal with that. I'll see you on Tuesday, I love you."
"I love you." Severus says before gently hanging the phone on the receiver.
"Checking in?" Rose asks with a smirk as Danu turns to see her leaning against the door frame.
"Yeah." Danu offers her a smile.
"He doesn't let you drink?" Rose raises a brow at her. "I heard you tell him that you only had tea."
"It isn't like that." Danu assures her as they make their way towards the sitting room where Rose had already opened a bottle of wine.
"Have a glass with me, then." Rose raises a brow at her and waves the bottle of wine before her.
"One glass." Danu counters and accepts the glass that Rose had just filled.
"Vincent told me that Severus told him that he didn't drink when we had dinner together. He said that he and Harry had both offered him one and he turned them down. Is that why you don't drink?"
"Partially." Danu admits. "I became a bit too reliant on it after Siri—my dad died. Severus' father was a violent drunk, and so was his grandfather. He chooses not to drink and has asked me not to."
"Why do you call your dad by his first name? That's the second time now that you've almost done it."
"We weren't close." Danu admits, sweating slightly at the line of questions.
"Harry says that the two of them were close."
"They were."
"You're like him, aren't you?" Rose asks as she rests her elbows on her thighs and leans forward, staring intently at Danu who is raising a brow at her mother. "Like Sirius. You're like him, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Sirius could…do things. He could make things happen that didn't make sense, things that I couldn't explain. That I still can't explain."
"What—what kind of things?" Danu stammers, heart pounding in her chest at the thought of her not being careful enough over the weekend.
"He could make things move, could disappear, and reappear out of thin air. Make things look like other things. He carried around this…stick…thing. Just a piece of wood that he used to do things with. Lily could do it, too. I saw her one day when I was walking past her bedroom. Petunia saw it too, she yelled at her, called her a freak. Said she was a freak just like Severus."
None of this made sense. Sure, Sirius was reckless, but he wasn't even of age when he and Rose had been together, he would have still had the trace on him. He would have received a Howler on the spot and Rose's memory would have been modified if he had ever done magic in front of her, and not only because she was a Muggle. The only way he could have possibly gotten away with it, is if he were of age and was married to her, and neither of those were the case. Lily, who seemed to be far less impulsive than Sirius based on what she had heard of her late cousin, would not have been of age or allowed to perform magic outside of school for Rose to have been able to see. It had to have been something that Hermione slipped in; memories that she fabricated as a way to tell Rose about magic without them needing to be the ones to tell her.
"Well?" Rose presses, drawing her from her thoughts. Danu slams her mouth shut; she hadn't realized that it was hanging open.
"Yes. Yes, I'm like him."
"Who else?" Rose asks enthusiastically, her eyes the size of saucers.
"All of us. Molly, Ginny, Hermione, Harry, James, Severus, even…even Lorna."
"Will Clare and Iris— "
"No." Danu answers abruptly. "No, you would have known by now. They won't be…they won't have magic."
A muffled pop down the hall announces the return of Molly and Ginny just as the water in the shower turns off. Danu stands abruptly and excuses herself as she rushes towards the guest room, leaving Rose alone and gaping after her. Danu throws the guest room door open just as Hermione exits the bathroom in a cloud of steam and wrapped in a thick white towel.
"She knows." Danu announces with a pant. "Rose knows about magic and it's legally impossible for her to know about it. The story she told about how she knows, it doesn't add up. Hermione, did you add something when you…you know?"
"Yes." Hermione states plainly as she turns to face away from them and begins rummaging through her suitcase for her pajamas. "I added something plausible and simple for someone who doesn't know our laws. She would have known anyway, you know. If Dumbledore hadn't wiped her memory, she would have found out when you got your letter. Now you don't have to worry about telling her and won't get fined if she somehow catches you. Plus, Lorna's magic will only become more powerful and unstable, she's bound to see something that she can't explain. Weren't you worried how you were going to hide so many witches and wizards from her during the wedding?"
"I just thought…I don't know what I thought. I hadn't fully thought about how it would work to tell you the truth."
"Well, now you don't have to. You just have to worry about how you're going to break it to the rest of her family." Hermione pulls her shirt over her head, turns towards the rest of them women standing before her, and leads them all from the room where they are greeted by Rose, still staring towards the guest room door opening and closing her mouth like a fish. "Well, now that we know that you know, do you have any questions?"
They spend the rest of the evening nursing their glasses of wine while explaining the ins and outs of wizarding world to Rose, who seemed to be having a far harder time wrapping her head around everything than she herself had expected. They told her of Hogwarts, the wars, the Ministry of Magic, and how magic can spring up in families who otherwise had no magic. She learned of potions, herbology, the truth of Severus' business, magical creatures, and even Quidditch.
Finally, once her brain could handle no more information, everyone retired to their own beds where Rose and Danu lie on their sides looking at one another in the darkness across the room from one another.
"Can you show me?" Rose asks quietly. "Just so I know that I'm not mad."
Danu pulls her wand from beneath her pillow where she had deposited it while Rose was changing into her nightgown and flicks it towards the candle on the table separating their beds. The flame roars to life as Rose gasps. With another flick of her wrist, the heads of the blue hydrangeas transfigure into tiny blue butterflies which flutter throughout the room before landing gently on the carpet about the room, nothing more than pedals once more.
"Amazing." Rose whispers to herself as Danu extinguishes the candle she had lit.
—
"Finally!" Hermione and Ginny cry out together as Danu steps out of a tiny dressing room in a small charity shop, they had walked past while leaving a cafe. Danu had stopped dead in her tracks, backed up, and came face to face with the dress that she knew without a doubt would be hers draped across a headless mannequin in the display window.
It is form fitting with a lace, mermaid style train that flutters behind her. Off shoulder, long lacey sleeves that make the skin of her arms peeking through the fabric look pink. A thin strap connects the bodice in the back, a single strand of pearls trail down her spine, connecting the strap to a deep V cut out right above her rear, leaving the entirety of her back on display. There is a small stain on the lower skirt, and a rip in the lace; all repairable.
"This is the one." Danu whispers as she turns before the mirror, admiring the way her shoulder blades and collarbones jut out when she moves.
Danu turns to see Molly standing in the doorway, one hand on her chest, the other covering her mouth, a tear leaks from the corner of her eye. Rose's face is expressionless, but her eyes are soft and kind as she nods towards her.
"This is the one." She agrees. "Nothing else compares."
"You can wear Aunt Muriel's tiara. You know, the one that Fleur and Hermione wore? I'll ask her as soon as we're home."
"No." said Hermione and Rose together.
"It's too much," Explains Hermione "It'll be too big."
"A tiara will take away from the dress." Adds Rose. "We don't want to take away from the dress."
"She needs something small, something simple. Like a headband, or pins. Pearls maybe, or emeralds to match the colors." Hermione goes on to say.
"We'll find something. You look so beautiful." Molly says as she wipes a tear from her eye.
"Snape's definitely not going to be able to take his eyes or hands off of you in that!" Ginny offers with a chuckle.
—
"I have had such a good time this week, girls. Thank you for having me." Molly hugs Danu tightly and retires to bed after finishing her glass of wine.
"Thank you for coming." Danu kisses her on the cheek and watches as she closes the door behind her, leaving Rose, Ginny, Hermione, and Danu alone in the sitting room.
"So," Ginny begins as she turns towards Hermione. "Has Ron let you in on him and Harry's grand plan?"
"What plan?"
"Harry told Ron that he wants to have another baby, and then Ron decided that he wants one now too so that our kids can start Hogwarts together."
"Oh, yes. He filled me in on that grand plan a few weeks ago."
"I told Harry that if he wants another, he can carry it and give birth. I'm not doing that again."
"Severus wants another, too." Danu admits. All eyes turn towards her.
"Is that a good idea?" Ginny is the first to ask. "You know, after everything that happened when Lorna was a baby."
"I told him the same thing."
"Was she a fussy baby?" Rose asks.
"Incredibly." Danu, Hermione, and Ginny sigh at once. A chill runs down Danu's spine at the memory of her constant wailing, and Severus leaving her alone with it.
"So was Iris." Rose adds. "Chloe was an angel though. Now they're both…assholes." Ginny snorts and Danu hides her laugh behind her hand. "I'm allowed to say it because they're mine, but they are monsters! Teenagers are ruthless. Enjoy yours now while they're still young!"
"Do you think you'll have another?" Ginny asks Danu as she sips a glass of water.
"I told Severus maybe. It's so odd hearing him ask for another, as adamant that he was that he didn't want any before we had Lorna."
"I take it Lorna wasn't planned, then?" Rose asks.
"Not at all. She was definitely a surprise, but I think we'll keep her. We've grown quite attached to her."
"She's so beautiful, too. She looks so much like Sirius."
"Harry says that all the time." Ginny says with a small smile. "He loves how close her, and Teddy are."
"I always thought that she looked like Severus when she was a baby, then the older she got the less of him I saw in her. I wish that Sirius could have met her, and Teddy and James, too."
"Do you not remember how they acted at Hermione and Ron's wedding?" Ginny laughs loudly and sits her glass down on the table. "Sirius would have made it a hundred times worse! He would have had them dueling or hiding under tables tying everyone's shoelaces together!"
"Ah." Rose smirks. "So, he never grew out of that, did he?"
"Sirius loved a laugh." Hermione agrees.
—
Danu and Rose trek along the dirt path leading from The Burrow up to her cottage in the valley. The sun hides behind the clouds, a nice breeze wafts the scent of lavender and poppies through the air. Their baggage trails behind them as Danu points her wand over her shoulder to direct it as they walk up the path.
Molly had directed them all to Diagon Alley early that afternoon where Danu had to drag Rose into the closest shop and grip her hand tightly as the used Floo to bring them to The Cottage. It took ages to convince Rose to leave; she was truly obsessed with the way Molly's knitting needles clicked together in midair, the way her dishes sprung from the drying wrack and in to the cupboards with the flick of her wrist, and was even eager to see the ghoul that inhabited in the attic. After nearly thirty minutes of inspecting the clock with a single hand to indicate where everyone in the family happened to be at the time, Rose finally allowed Danu to drag her from the Weasley home and down the path towards her home.
As they top the hill, Rose catches her first glimpse of Quidditch. Lorna and Teddy soar through the air on their brooms, both much higher and faster than Danu herself would have liked them to, but agile and precise, nonetheless. Rose gasps as a brown ball whizzes towards them from the ground. Lorna dodges it, Teddy intercepts it and sends it barreling back down toward where they now saw Severus, Harry, and Ron standing in the garden tossing Quaffles at the two children.
"It's Quidditch." Danu assures Rose as they make their way further up the path. "Well, almost Quidditch. They're still learning."
Severus, Ron, and Harry each turn in unison at the sound of her voice, each wide-eyed and shocked as they whip their heads back around to Lorna and Teddy still flying in circles around the garden. Severus' hand reaches automatically for his wand, Danu grabs his arm and pulls him into the kitchen.
"She knows, Severus."
"How? How did she find out?"
"Hermione added it to her memories. She didn't see anything this week, she came to me after we got off of the phone the other night and asked me."
"Granger." Severus sneers as he pulls the curtains on the door's window back to see what was happening outside.
"It makes things easier, with the wedding anyway."
"Did you choose a dress?"
"I did. It's at The Burrow so you don't get tempted and peek."
"I believe that rule only applies when you are not already married." Severus smirks as he leans forward and kisses her tenderly on the lips.
"I missed you." Danu smiles against his lips as she leans forward and kisses him once more.