Severus scribbled away on a spare parchment as he added and subtracted several numbers while trying to figure out the bills for that month and budget in groceries and other necessities. He was seated at the dining table with several muggle bills scattered around him. Dahlia was sitting on the floor in the living room with Iris, changing her diaper at the moment while blowing raspberries on her belly, making the fourteen-month-old giggle loudly. Severus couldn't help the annoyed look he threw Dahlia's way.
"Dahlia," he said loudly, "I need your contribution for the mortgage and utilities this month."
"I know," Dahlia said as she finished changing Iris, taping up the diaper. "I'll get it in a couple days."
"No, I need it now," Severus insisted with a frustrated sigh as he scribbled out a few numbers and rewrote a math formula to recalculate. "The deadline is today, I need your share when its due, not a couple days later. I can't keep juggling money around from one account to another just because you're behind, it screws up everything. You pulled this last month and the month before that."
"You'll get it, calm down," Dahlia said, throwing an exasperated look at her boyfriend before focusing on fixing up Iris's pink skirt outfit. "I just need a couple days to figure out some things."
"Like a new job?" Severus rebuked. "When is that happening?"
"I'll get a new job." Dahlia combed Iris's hair quickly before doing up elastic braided pigtails in her daughter's hair.
"Who's going to hire you? You're not making a very good track record for yourself. This is the third job you've lost since we've been together. I'm starting to think you have commitment issues."
"I'll make something work out. And no, I do not have commitment issues, thank you very much. I just haven't found the right fit for me, that's all. There's plenty of openings in town and in the wizarding community, I'll find something that I enjoy and also pays well." Dahlia picked up Iris and carried her over to where Severus was seated. She hugged her daughter close, resting her head against Iris's as she said, "Come on, Sev, who wouldn't hire us?"
Severus couldn't help but smile at Iris, who was grinning at him with her nearly toothless smile.
"I suppose I would not be able to resist such a cute face," Severus said. He reached up to tickle Iris's sides, earning a squeal from his daughter as she hid her face in her mother's neck.
"Iris and I will go look for applications in town," Dahlia said, rocking her daughter slightly. "Maybe we'll grab some dinner to bring home."
"Alright but stay out of trouble," Severus warned half-heartedly.
"Me? Trouble?" Dahlia leaned close to Severus with a mischievous smile. "Never."
The two shared a kiss, and when they pulled away, Severus added, "Don't be out too late."
"We won't." Dahlia moved Iris closer to Severus. "Give Daddy bye-bye kiss."
Iris leaned forward and gave her father a kiss, then applauded her hands and grinned at her parents. Severus waved goodbye to his daughter and Dahlia before returning to figuring out the money situation for his bills and then allotting what was left for groceries and toiletries. Once again, he would be covering everything for the month, and while his teaching job at Hogwarts paid well enough to convert to muggle money to cover his expenses, it did not leave much room for extra amenities, such as a new coffee pot or even spoiling his daughter. He was living paycheck to paycheck, and Dahlia's inability to keep a job was not helping. He grew more annoyed with her each day, and the spark he once felt for Dahlia when they first met was hard to keep ignited, and he often wondered if Dahlia felt the same way.
A couple days later, Severus woke up late one morning, and as soon as he saw the time on his nightstand, he jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready for the day. He must have forgotten to set his alarm the night before. As he changed into one of his teaching robes, he noticed Dahlia's side of the bed was empty. He frowned, as it was rather unusual that Dahlia would be awake before him, but as he had clearly slept in, he didn't think much more of it.
Severus left his room, ready to head to the floo when he heard Iris let out a loud cry. He redirected to her room, and he found his daughter standing upright in her crib crying.
"It's okay, sweetie," Severus said, lifting her out of the crib and setting her down on her changing table. "We'll get you cleaned up. I thought your mother had you."
Iris seemed happier to have attention on her now, so her crying ceased and she merely watched her father as he changed her. Once Iris had a fresh nappy on and a simple outfit, Severus carried her out of her room and paused outside the hall bathroom.
"Dahlia?" Severus called out, knocking on the door.
The bathroom door creaked open, revealing an empty room.
Concern grew in the pit of Severus's stomach, but he readjusted his hold on Iris and took her downstairs.
"Dahlia!" he called out, glancing around the living room and into the dining room. "I have to go to work; you need to keep Iris with you."
Each room he walked through was empty, including the kitchen and even his study and the downstairs bathroom. There was no sign of Dahlia anywhere. Did she have an emergency that required her attention that morning? Why didn't she wake him on her way out? Maybe she had a job offer and was needed at the site immediately for evaluation of some kind? Where on earth would she have disappeared to?
What if she hadn't left willingly?
Severus quickly ran to the front door, swinging it open and checking the driveway. His car was in the driveway. Dahlia's old, beat up, Morris Minor was gone.
Unsure of why Dahlia was absent or if she was even safe, Severus set his daughter down in her highchair before he began calling every number he knew, starting with Dahlia's parents. Perhaps one of them was sick and Dahlia had to see them urgently. However, her mother explained that she had not spoken to Dahlia in a few weeks and that she did not know where she currently was. Dahlia's closest friend, Amber, was also unsure of her current location. Severus leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as he considered calling the authorities to start a search, but he wasn't sure if such extremes were warranted yet. Was it too soon? There was no sign of forced entry anywhere in his house and by the look of things, Dahlia had taken her wallet and a few personal possessions. She had left willingly, it would seem. But what if she hadn't?
Iris cried out impatiently for her breakfast, and Severus pulled out some milk for her and handed her the beaker along with warmed oatmeal. While she happily drank her milk, Severus heard the floo flare up in his living room, and he walked over to his fireplace.
"Severus," Albus greeted, his fiery head blazing away in the green flames, "you have a classroom full of unattended third years wondering where their potions professor is."
"I'm sorry, headmaster," Severus said, "it's just, my girlfriend's missing and I have no clue where she is or if she's hurt and I can't leave Iris unattended."
"I see," Albus said. "Have you tried owling her?"
"No, Dahlia's afraid of owls, so we don't have one."
"What about muggle authorities?"
"I don't know if it's too soon." Severus rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want to cause alarm where it may not be warranted, especially if she did just leave for an interview or something. Besides, would they even start a search this early? She left with her purse and her car."
"Perhaps it may be best to give it some time. If it appeared no intrusion has occurred, and she took her belongings, then perhaps she left on her own and will return shortly. Come to work, and I'm sure she'll be home when you return."
"I can't leave Iris. And I don't have a babysitter."
"Bring her with you! We have several staff who would love to look after her for you, especially Minerva—you know how she loves babies."
Severus snorted, feeling slightly less panicked.
"I suppose there is not much more I can do. I'll bring her in with me and check back on my lunch hour. If Dahlia is not back, I'll call the muggle authorities."
"A good plan, Severus."
Yet, on his lunch hour, Dahlia had still not returned. And Severus's talk with the muggle authorities did not bring much hope in finding her. Severus got the impression that the police were not all that concerned or taking his report seriously. He was sure Dahlia was at the bottom of their priorities, and they would not yield much to her whereabouts.
Nine days passed by. An entire week and then some of Severus solely tending to Iris and bringing her back and forth to work, which Minerva did not mind at all. Severus's concern for Dahlia grew with each day as he considered the worst scenarios that could have happened, and he beat himself up over every decision he made regarding her missing report. Was he not being proactive enough? What if something terrible had happened to her? Why didn't the police take this more seriously?
Iris did not help matters. She often called out for her mother and grew frustrated when only Severus appeared. She had crying spells now and then that Severus could not put an end to no matter what he did. And juggling being a single father and working his full-time job was not easy, as Iris was not always cooperative in the mornings, and he was often late to his first classes of the day. Severus often found himself rubbing his aching temples or snapping at his students a little too harshly as the week went on.
Nine days later, a thunderstorm rolled in, a gentle rumble in the distance that stirred Severus from a fitful sleep. He readied himself for the day, dressed in a teaching robe, then walked down the hall to Iris's room. He was surprised that Iris was not crying as she usually was in the morning. However, entering her room, he nearly did a double take.
Dahlia was finishing dressing Iris for the day, and she lifted her daughter off the changing table and held her on her hip. A flash of lightning flashed before the window, lighting up the room in an eerie way.
"There you go," Dahlia cooed. She noticed Severus standing frozen in the doorway and smiled. "Hi, Severus. I have Iris set already."
"Where the hell have you been?"
"You won't believe it," Dahlia said as she set Iris down to let the baby toddle around the room. "I met a friend the day I took Iris out with me to put in applications, and he invited me to an event and asked that I do a little modeling, and I've been hired."
"Hired?"
"Yes, I'm going to make us very rich. See, my friend, Eduardo, works in the fashion industry, and I modeled a few of his outfits and he loved it."
"What, you couldn't call and let me know?" Severus growled between his teeth. "No note? You vanished into thin air! I had no clue where you were, what you were up to, if you were safe."
"I . . . we got busy, is all. Things were happening so fast with Eduardo and the job offer and . . ."
Red flags flashed before Severus's eyes at Dahlia's stammering, and he saw more red as he glared at his girlfriend, thunder rumbling louder as the storm moved closer.
"Did you sleep with him?"
". . . no." Dahlia gave Severus an affronted look.
"You hesitated."
"No, no." Dahlia shook her head and frowned at Severus. "How could you think that of me? I would never. You know, he wants to meet all of us. Me, with you and our daughter, he thinks we could all model, it'd make good images, it'd look good to have family photos. There's a social event tonight . . ."
"Oh, family photos?" Severus gave Dahlia a fierce look. "With the family that you disappeared on? All but abandoned!"
"I did not—I'm back now."
Severus took a step back and forced himself to breathe in deeply as he ran a hand down his face, trying his best to occlude so many emotions threatening to attack him at once. The anger he was feeling was too powerful however, and he knew he needed to walk away from this now or he would absolutely lose it on Dahlia. He stepped back into the doorway and waved his hand at Dahlia dismissively.
"I can't deal with you right now," Severus said. "I have to go to work."
Dahlia threw her hands up in defeat as she turned away.
"Fine," she snapped. She grabbed Iris's coat that was hanging in the room and walked over to her daughter and began helping her put the coat on. "We can discuss everything after you're home, but it's a good job and I think it'll really set us ahead . . ."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm putting her coat on, obviously. Iris and I can . . ."
"You're not going anywhere with her."
"Well, I can't leave her home alone while you're working."
"What the hell do you think I've been doing the last week and a half? She goes to work with me."
"She doesn't have to today." Dahlia picked up Iris after successfully getting her coat on.
"She does, put her down." Severus walked into the room and reached for his daughter, but Dahlia pulled her away.
"What is your problem, Sev?"
"My problem? What is your malfunction that you don't see how what you did was irresponsible and selfish? I had no clue where you were!"
"I'm sorry, but I did it for us!"
Iris whined in her mother's arms at the yelling at the same time as thunder shook the house.
"I'm sure you did, right while you were sleeping with someone else."
"I told you I didn't. Stop bringing it up. Why are you against this new offer? I don't get what your problem is with the event tonight, with the money, we could be set!"
"We're not getting into this right now." Severus reached for Iris once more, who started crying a bit louder, but Dahlia pulled back once more. Severus grinded his teeth together and resisted physically and magically lashing out at Dahlia in favor of raising his voice more. "Dahlia, give her to me!"
A bit shocked by his yell, Dahlia did not resist when Severus pulled Iris away from her and held her against his own hip. Iris was crying very loudly now.
"Stop yelling, you're scaring her!" Dahlia shouted back, her eyes red and teary.
"I'm scaring her?" Severus fired back, rocking Iris instinctively while glaring at Dahlia. "You have some nerve coming back here and talking absolute bollocks."
"I'm not. I'm sorry I was gone longer than I thought I'd be, but I did this for us."
"You need to leave, right now."
"You're kicking me out?"
"You left!" Severus couldn't help but shout.
"I came back! For us!"
"Dahlia," Severus screamed, pointing out the room. "Get out!"
With a huff and a tight face, Dahlia stormed past Severus and out of the room. Severus followed her to be sure she actually left, carrying a sobbing Iris after her. He followed her down the stairs and watched as she grabbed her purse and car keys off the dining table. At the front door, Dahlia threw her cloak on before swinging the door open and stepping out into the pouring rain. She paused in the entryway, looking back at Severus. Even with the rain, Severus could see the tears rolling down Dahlia's cheeks, and the hurt look she pinned him with did nothing to ebb away the slight guilt he was feeling at how he handled her return. However, he held Iris protectively as he met Dahlia's eyes.
"I will be back for my daughter," Dahlia said.
"Leave," was all Severus could grunt out.
Lightning lit up the sky as Dahlia slammed the door shut, and Severus hugged his daughter close, rocking and shushing her as she cried in time with the roaring thunder.
Severus opened his eyes as he heard the thunder outside, and he glanced at the grandfather clock ticking in his bedroom. He noticed it was three am, so he rolled over to get more comfortable and fall back to sleep. However, as he did so, he noticed Iris was not in his bed as she usually would be whenever there was a thunderstorm. He frowned and sat up, looking around his room and then waiting, watching his bedroom door expectantly. Iris did not come through it, even as another bang of thunder reverberated through the castle.
Something was not right.
Severus slipped out of bed and walked out of his room and headed for Iris's room. The room at Hogwarts was much smaller than her room at home, but Iris had managed to cover every inch of it with stuffed animals, dolls, and drawings posted on the walls. Her twin sized bed was buried by thick blankets and toys; however, Iris was not in her bed.
Severus pulled the blankets back first, then checked under the bed.
No Iris.
He checked the wardrobe, but Iris had not managed to squeeze herself into that either like she had done when she was four. She was not in her room.
A bit panicked, Severus moved over to Harry's room. Maybe Iris had been confused in her panic and rushed over to her brother's room.
Harry's room had once been Severus's study, but Severus wanted Harry to have his own space in his quarters like Iris, so he had no qualms about changing his study into Harry's new bedroom. It was not packed full of toys and personalization like Iris's room, but Severus was sure it would get to that point soon enough.
Severus opened Harry's door, then froze, his eyes widening, as Harry stood blocking the entryway, knife in hand and angled at Severus.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Severus asked.
"I'm protecting Iris from the storm," Harry answered, lowering the knife. "With my sword."
"That is a steak knife," Severus corrected. He held his hand out for it. "Give it to me."
Harry pouted and handed the knife over.
Severus vanished the knife then crossed his arms, quirking a brow at his son.
"Do I need to lock up all the kitchen cabinets and drawers?" Severus asked.
"No," Harry answered softly, looking at her sock clad feet.
"You know very well that knives are not for playing with."
"I wasn't playing with it. I was using it for protection against the storm. Iris is scared. I was just trying to make her feel better."
"Even so, you should have woken me instead of grabbing a knife. I'm sure I can be of more use than it anyway. Do not do that again."
"Okay, Daddy. Sorry."
"That was very brave of you to try to protect your sister, though. Where is Iris?"
Harry pointed at his bed, and Severus noticed Iris curled up against the headrest, hugging her knees to her chest, visibly shaking as thunder echoed through the room once more. Severus moved past Harry and sat on the bed next to his daughter. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, and she leaned into her side but did not uncurl herself yet, her eyes wide and unfocused.
"I'm right here, honey," Severus said. "I know it's scary, but I am going to be right here with you, as always. We'll get through it. You didn't come to my room like you usually do. Why is that?"
Iris shrugged.
"That's okay. We don't have to discuss it. Harry was very brave to protect you. Did that help you feel safe?"
Iris shrugged once more, then nodded her head.
"He's a good brother to do that for you." Severus brushed her hair out of her face. "We talked about the lightning and thunder before. It can't hurt you. You are safe."
"Thunder's just the noise lightning makes," Harry added helpfully as he crawled up on the bed, sitting at the foot of it. "Lightning's really hot, so it makes the air hot, then it disappears and makes the air really cold and it's so fast that it makes a wave in the air and goes BOOM!"
"Well done, Harry," Severus said with an amused smile. "That was . . . incredibly accurate."
"We learned that at school," Harry said. "Light is faster than sound, that's why we see the lightning first and then hear the thunder, but it's just the noise of the lightning."
"Indeed. Which means it can't hurt you," Severus said to Iris.
"But the lightning can," Harry said.
"Harry," Severus chided gently. He shook his head at his son. "That's not helpful. It can't hurt us while we are safe in the castle. It is outside and by the sound of the thunder, it's already moving away."
"I don't like it," Iris whispered.
"I know. You never have. But it will get easier as you get older and realize that it is harmless. It's a part of nature."
Another loud roar made Iris squeak, and she buried her face into her father's side. Severus sighed and rubbed small circles into Iris's back. At least Harry didn't seem bothered by the storm, but Severus wondered how often Harry had endured the scariness of storms on his own locked up in that cupboard. He couldn't imagine leaving Iris locked up in a room and all alone to brave the storm by herself. She would work herself into an absolute fit.
As they sat there listening to the heavy patter of the rain, an idea struck Severus.
"Perhaps we should build a storm shelter," he said. "To better protect ourselves from the lightning."
"But it can't . . ." Harry started to say.
"Just as a precaution," Severus interrupted. "What do you think, Iris?"
Iris glanced up at her father silently for a moment, then nodded her head.
Severus picked up his daughter then gestured for Harry to follow him out of the room. Using his wand as a flashlight, they walked out to the living room, where Severus set Iris down before summoning extra blankets and pillows from his own bedroom.
"We can use the chair and the sofa," Severus said, using his wand to move the sofa and chair closer together. "We'll build around them to make a sturdy and super safe storm shelter. Harry, grab the blanket and help me put it over the furniture."
Harry helped Severus with the blanket while Iris wrapped her arms around herself and watched curiously. Harry decided an extra layer of protection was needed and used a thicker blanket to drape over the furnishings as well.
"Iris," Severus began, "why don't you pad the floor with pillows for us, hmm?"
Iris reluctantly picked up the pillows and lined them up inside the makeshift fort while Severus secured the blankets with a spell, so they did not fall off. Once all the pillows created a cushioned bed on the floor inside the fort, Iris dragged a blanket into the fort and covered all the pillows with it. Harry crawled under as well with another thick blanket to be used over everyone, and he snuggled up under it next to his sister.
Severus had left the living room for a moment to make three cups of hot chocolate, and he returned to the little fort with the mugs floating behind him. Iris looked a bit frantic that he was not in the living room until she saw him returning with the mugs.
Severus crawled in next to his kids, who pulled apart to make room for him so he had one child on either side of him. The mugs of hot chocolate landed in front of them, and Harry and Iris grabbed a much each, blowing on the beverage before taking a grateful sip.
"There," Severus said, dimming the light of his wand to be a nice subtle glow like that of a nightlight. "Isn't this much better? Now we are extra secure."
"No lightning or thunder can get in here?" Iris asked.
"Certainly no lightning. We may still hear thunder, but remember, it's just the noise lightning makes. And since lightning can't get us, we are perfectly safe."
As if to make a point, thunder clapped outside, and Iris wriggled closer to Severus with wide eyes, but she wasn't shaking as much as she had been earlier. Severus rubbed her back and whispered in her ear, "You are safe, Iris. Deep breaths and drink your hot chocolate. It'll make you feel better."
Iris nodded her head and took a couple deep breaths before sipping her drink.
Harry, meanwhile, had chugged his hot chocolate, and was eyeing Severus's untouched mug. While his father was busy talking to Iris and making sure she drank the treat, Harry carefully pulled his father's mug closer to himself, then began drinking it as quickly as he could.
"You little thief!" Severus said with a look of amused disbelief when he realized where his own mug had gone.
Harry couldn't hold back the laugh, and he spat up some of the hot chocolate in his poor attempt to not laugh. Iris realized what her brother had done and began laughing as well. Severus shook his head at Harry fondly. Hot chocolate wasn't his favorite anyway, so he really didn't care that Harry was drinking his share, though he was sure Harry would be up needing the loo in an hour or two.
"Did you want some, Daddy?" Harry asked, holding the half-filled mug out to his father.
"Finish it," Severus said. "I'm not thirsty anyway."
Harry smiled as he happily finished the hot chocolate. Iris continued drinking hers, and the warm beverage made her feel a bit sleepy, and the thunder above them was slowly becoming a distant rumble. When her drink was finished, she curled up close to her father, wrapping her arms around his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. Severus kissed the top of her head.
"Love you, Iris," he said.
"I love you, too, Daddy," Iris replied. It did not take long for her to fall back to sleep.
Harry, on the other hand, was very much wide awake, especially after inhaling two hot chocolates. He squirmed around in the fort, trying to find the most comfortable position to fall asleep, yet could not seem to accomplish the task.
"Harry, try to settle down," Severus said with his eyes closed.
"I am trying," Harry said. "I have to use the loo."
"I'm not surprised," Severus said. "You drank enough chocolate for a mountain troll."
Harry crawled out of the fort and ran to the bathroom, leaving Severus and Iris alone for a couple minutes. While waiting for his son to return, Severus checked on Iris. She remained fast asleep, and Severus was reminded of the day he had broken up with Dahlia. There had been a thunderstorm then, and Iris had developed a strong fear of the storms shortly after. He hated to think that, somehow, he may have traumatized his daughter without even realizing it, without herself even realizing it, but he hoped she would learn that she did not have to fear thunderstorms. Or storms of any kind.
Harry returned and crawled into their fort. He curled up as close as he could to Severus, nearly lying on top of his father, and Severus wrapped an arm around his son, stroking his back soothingly.
"Are you ready to fall asleep, son?"
"Yeah," Harry said through a yawn. "I'm sorry about the knife."
"I know. You were already forgiven."
"I just want to be as brave as you are when I grow up," Harry said in a sleepy voice.
Severus felt his throat choke up at those words, and he gave Harry a small hair ruffle before kissing his temple. He returned to rubbing Harry's back as he said, "I'm sure you will be."
So, there was that dreadful break up between Dahlia and Severus. I had been wanting to get to that for many chapters now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
