Petunia hummed to herself as she went through her evening ritual of wiping down all the kitchen services. She felt happy, relaxed, and perfectly content. It was April and therefore spring and actually felt like it with the balmy weather. It was Friday. Vernon had taken her out to a lovely candlelit dinner in downtown Surrey, not even for an anniversary or holiday, just for them, which made it special. Arabella had stayed with the boys for the evening, and reported they were well-behaved and already tucked in when Petunia and Vernon returned home at eight-thirty. Little Dudley was already asleep when Petunia looked in, and Harry was just awake enough to smile with his goodnight kiss. It was an entirely blissful end to the day.

Vernon came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders as she worked. "You had a good time, dear?"

"I had a wonderful time."

"Good."

"I had a wonderful week. In fact, I've had a wonderful month! Do you realize it's been three full months since we had to break up any physical fights?"

"Dudders had scratches just last week, Pet," Vernon reminded her.

"I mean at home. I don't count the scraps with Robin at day school. The teachers aren't even concerned about them, since Dudley actually spends more time playing with Robin than with Piers now."

"Little girlfriend, eh?" Vernon chuckled.

Petunia grinned at his reflection in the window of the microwave oven. "They're hardly old enough for that. Cynthia - Mrs. Polkiss - says Robin has more stamina for the ball games Dudders and Harry like, that's all. Piers has asthma, poor thing." She sighed. "Another year and they'll be in school all day, not just mornings. I don't know what I'll do with myself when they're not here."

"Relax and enjoy the peace?" Vernon suggested, gently rubbing her chronically tight shoulders.

Petunia leaned into his touch for a moment, then turned around and smiled up at him. "I could. Or we could think about having another one..."

Vernon raised his eyebrows. "Is that the idle consideration of just this pleasant evening, or something you've been thinking about for awhile?"

Petunia pondered this. "I've thought about it before, on and off. It wasn't logical, but I resented Harry when he first came to us because I was so busy, so stressed, I felt like he had somehow taken away our chance to grow our own family..." Vernon frowned guiltily, and Petunia hurried on, "which I did most definitely want to do before... everything. I thought about it again this time last year, when things were mostly going well before all the fighting and tantrums became such an issue. Now, well, we're on an even keel again. The boys are turning four this year. It's a good time to think about whether we want another child. I don't want to wait so long that Dudley is too, too much older than a younger sibling that they miss out on getting to be very close in childhood."

Vernon smiled then and leaned forwards to kiss her lightly. "Then let's think about it. I'd like to wait a little longer before we decide, to make sure things are really sorted between Dudley and Harry at the very least. The last thing I want is for them to be causing you all kinds of grief when you're pregnant or caring for a newborn."

Petunia hugged him, leaning her head on his broad shoulder. "Give it a few weeks, and we'll talk then." Vernon kissed the side of her neck then, and she giggled. His mustache always tickled. "I'm almost done down here. You go on upstairs. I'll join you in a bit."

Vernon squeezed her a moment longer, then let go. "Yes, dear."


Death Notice: Eileen Helga Snape née Prince passed away on fifteenth of April, 1984 in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, after a prolonged illness. She is survived by her son, Professor Severus Snape of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The memorial will be held in a private ceremony, date to be determined.

Severus kept staring at the Daily Prophet obituary page for several minutes. He had acquiesced to Healer Valerian's offer to submit a short death notice to the paper, not having the desire (or possibly ability, at the time) to compose something himself. He had likewise not replied to the Prophet's request for a full obituary and funerary information. He had not considered how it would feel to read his mother's life and death condensed into a paltry three sentences, bereft of any sign of... personhood. Merlin, he was neglecting her just as much in death as he had in life.

He was startled by a touch on his arm. It was Poppy, staring at him with wide eyes that darted to the newspaper and back. "Severus... I had no idea," she said softly.

Petrus grunted from his other side, then suddenly stopped chewing when he read over Severus' shoulder as well. Severus silently folded the paper up again.

"Are you alright, lad?" he asked. His voice was thin and nasal, Severus marked, even more than it had been a few months ago, not to mention achingly slow.

"I'm fine," Severus whispered.

There was a pause. "Does Minerva know?"

"She knows." Albus had been at the hospital with him at the end, watching with tears in his eyes as the mass of dark, wailing miasma Eileen ultimately became blew itself out. He must have told Minerva, as Severus' schedule was mysteriously cleared this morning and would remain relatively light the rest of the week. He was not sure if he would rather have the distraction of the students over solitude, but she was probably trying to protect them from his mood as much as help him.

There was another long pause, during which Severus stared at his plate. He was startled again by Petrus' hand gripping his other shoulder firmly. The man's tremor was more noticeable than it used to be, he thought, persistent even through his grasp. "You were going to monitor the study hall this week. Don't worry about it. I'll cover it."

Severus fought down a welt of grief. He would not weep in the Great Hall. "Thank you."

"Poor Eileen. I met her a few times, when she was little." Severus suddenly remembered Petrus was technically his second cousin twice removed. "She was a demon at gobstones, even at age seven or so. I never beat her."

"Neither did I," Severus said emptily. She had never even let him win as a child.

"If I recall, she always won at chess against all the other young cousins, too," Petrus mused. Severus glanced at him. They had never had a wizard chess set in the house at Spinner's End when he was young. Besides gobstones, all they had were various worn muggle games with pieces missing, including a chess-checkers-backgammon box. Petrus shook his head darkly. "Don't invite her sister to the funeral."

"I wasn't planning on it." Eileen's sister Julia was Drussus' mother. Severus had not realized Petrus cared to know so much about the sordid history of the Prince family.

"Or any of the rest of that family. I assume that's why you didn't include a date for the memorial in the notice? Clever of you, really. If you like, whenever you do send out the updated announcement, you can direct correspondence through me."

"There won't be any correspondence, Petrus. Half the family disowned her, and the other half forgot her."

"Oh, there will be correspondence, even if only because you're mentioned in the notice, and you teach at Hogwarts. People pay attention even to junior staff members if it looks like they have staying power, and that you do." He paused. "You're not planning to send out notice of the memorial at all, are you?" he asked shrewdly.

Severus hadn't thought much about the funeral one way or another. There wasn't much point, really. "There is nothing left to bury," he explained grimly.

Poppy made a small noise, and Severus realized Pomona on her other side had also stopped eating and was listening in. "Well... be that as it may... the offer still stands to help with correspondence." Petrus said awkwardly.

"If you wish," Severus said in defeat. He picked up his fork again and started pushing eggs around on his plate, even though he no longer had any inclination to eat them.

"I can insult your aunt without fear of reprisal," Petrus said, his tone now sardonic temptation. "If you agree to hold a memorial. Eileen deserves to be remembered by more than this." He gestured at the newspaper with distaste. "And you would benefit too."

Severus shot him a glare. He had never had an opinionated uncle/grandfather type figure in his life before, and he quickly decided he didn't want one now. "Very well."

As it happened, Petrus was correct. Severus did receive a shower of letters over the next three days. Most were from parents of Slytherin students. They knew Petrus' days as head of house were numbered, they knew who would succeed him, and they desired his favor. A few were from current students, mostly Hufflepuffs. One was a howler from his Aunt Julia, which Petrus calmly vanished out of existence the moment it was delivered with the comment, "No one wanted to listen to that drivel." Petrus had then written his own nastily-worded letter back, though not a howler, as his own shouting voice had become enfeebled with age. He did mix fresh bubotuber puss into the ink; Pomona did not even blink when he asked if she had any available.

Severus was also correct: only one letter professed to be from one of Eileen's old friends asking about attending the memorial. Undeterred, Petrus told him the Hogwarts staff and most likely some of Eileen's healers would make up the numbers. Severus was about to argue the point when Poppy interceded and said she would do all the planning if he would only pick a location, date and time. Severus immediately chose that very Saturday at six o'clock in the morning.

"Saturday at ten it is," Poppy said serenely, deliberately mishearing him. Petrus snorted. Embarrassed at his own surly behavior now, Severus did not correct her. "Where would you like it to be, since we don't have to worry about a burial?"

"Cokeworth. Spinners End. Her house," he said finally. It would be dreary, but he could not imagine his mother any other place anymore. Going home was the last thing she had asked of him. So many times.

Poppy nodded. "I'll speak to the headmaster about borrowing a house elf to spruce up the place, then. Petrus, rather than a public notice, perhaps you should send out individual invitations?"

"Good idea. And you can borrow my elf Maxie too. He'd be chuffed to land a good, special occasion cleaning job, there's so little to keep him occupied since Pearl died back in '75. He's even asked me to send him over to my son's cottage, even though he secretly hates my little great-granddaughter who practically lives there. She's always trying to grab his ears when she comes over. Of course, Percival did the same thing when he was that age..." He turned over an envelope and started writing a list of invitees.

"I'm sure Minerva and Albus will want to attend," Pomona supplied. "Filius and I can help you with setting up, Poppy, and then we'll come back to mind the school during the memorial itself." It was rare for all four heads of houses to leave the school at once.

"Thank you, Poppy, Petrus. And you, Pomona."

"Oh, Severus, of course," Poppy said, patting his hand sympathetically. He blinked at a startling reality. They weren't offering to help out of pity but out of... right and natural sympathy for a colleague. The evidence even suggested some of his coworkers even liked him. It was strange. And nice. And it felt like a weird distraction when he should be concentrating on grieving for his mother. He suddenly felt the need to be elsewhere and stood up abruptly. His... friends? Coworkers. His coworkers looked up at him uncertainly.

"Double fifth years this morning," he lied brusquely by way of explanation, and left.

Note: Percival appears to be Pansy Parkinson's dad's canon name. Petrus of course would be more Albus Dumbledore's generation, and quite content to sit out Voldemort's first rise to power after living through Grindelwald.

Poor Severus. Grieving is hard. I can only imagine it's worse when you've trained yourself not to show emotion around most people, and when no one else really knows the person you're grieving.

"Twilight" comes from two-light, thus literally indicating the light of both dusk and dawn.

Thank you for the reviews, next update will be Friday.