Hermione gave a startled yelp when she saw the rather scary looking patronus standing in her bedroom.
"What is it?" Severus asked from his closet.
He had scoffed at their rooms having not one, but two walk-in closets, but he was evidently more of a clothes horse than he realized because he no longer found having a large closet to himself unnecessary. She liked how stylish he was when they were seen in public together. It was a far cry from what she knew of him from before. She sensed that not wanting to make a bad impression for the boys or her was behind it more than wanting to be impressive to people. He didn't want people to wonder why she was with him. Or treat the boys badly because of their impression of him.
"Um," she said. "A patronus. It looks like a very mean looking pig? I think anyway."
Severus chuckled as he stepped into their room. He wasn't laughing at her she knew, but her description was rather vague. It looked like a pig, but not like Wilbur from Charlotte's Web . "It's a boar, and it's Regulus."
"Oh!"
"Please meet me at your convenience sometime within the next week. I would like to be reunited with my brother before the holidays. I have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off from the bar."
"Wow," she said.
She hadn't been expecting that. She wasn't sure of his reasons for staying away from Sirius. She didn't ask, it wasn't her business, and she didn't know him well enough to pry. She totally understood not wanting to return to the wizarding world, but coming so close to dying. And changing sides. Well, she'd think he'd want to see Sirius.
"Indeed," Severus said.
"He obviously doesn't want a response," she said.
"No, he can't get one amongst muggles, and no doubt knows we are aware of that. I'm surprised he sent it."
"I'm assuming he did somewhere secure or where it wouldn't get noticed. He knows. It's been years. He's not a stupid man." She didn't talk to him at length or anything, but she hadn't gotten the impression from him, Severus, or Sirius that he was dumb.
"I hope so. And you are right, he's not. You've spoken to him?"
"I mean, I've checked on him. Sirius has been surprisingly calm about my telling him that his brother will contact him when and if he's ready. So, yes, I've seen him a couple of times. We haven't had any in-depth conversations or anything. I really just check to be sure he's still all right, and knows Sirius really does want to see him again."
"All right. Well, are you busy tonight?"
"No," she said.
"And he usually works evenings, correct?"
"Last I heard, yes."
"All right, tonight then. We'll tell others we're going to muggle London for dinner. Maybe you're craving Italian?"
"Do we want to tell someone I'm craving things?"
He chuckled, running a finger along her lower lip.
"It wouldn't be unheard of two years on…"
"We are still working on our home!"
"The main portion is done. It's the village that isn't, and we are in no rush to get to that."
"Harry and Everett aren't enough?"
"Harry is not mine, and I did not truly get the privilege of creating Everett with you."
"Mm," she said. They'd … joked about a second one, but hadn't actually agreed to have one. She kind of … liked that he wanted another one. She liked that he embraced being a father, to Harry and to Everett. Some men wouldn't, viewing neither of them as his.
"For tonight, though, you are right. I suppose we should avoid telling anyone you're craving anything. Gossip would start for certain. I will tell them that you are feeling homesick, and would like a meal similar to what you're used to without having to do the work yourself."
"Sounds plausible."
"Meet you at the Ministry then?"
"Yes," she said.
x.x.x.
Severus stood in the foyer of the Ministry of Magic, waiting for Leandra. It was funny that she was the one with the job that could extend beyond its scheduled hours. Unless he gave a pop quiz to an unruly class, he really didn't run late often. He didn't want to. He preferred doing what he needed to do so he could go home. That Albus was allowing him to do so nightly was a bit surprising.
Minerva had indeed questioned Leandra's wanting Italian food, so it was probably good he strayed away from mentioning cravings. Gossip would spread like wildfire if she thought they might be expecting a second child.
"Severus," a male voice came from his left and Severus looked in the direction.
"Arthur," he said, walking toward the other wizard. He extended his hand to be polite, which Arthur took.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
"Leandra and I are going to dinner."
"Oh?"
"Albus has given us an elf who can cook quite well, but it seems his Italian cuisine is not what ‘dra is used to."
Arthur nodded in understanding. "She's from Italy, correct?"
"Indeed. So, we thought we'd take an evening and go out to eat."
"Enjoy then. She is a wonder! I'm surprised the Italian community let her go."
"She is at that," Severus said wryly. "I am very lucky to have found her."
"A good wife can do wonders for a man."
"Then we are both very lucky in that regard. ‘dra told me of your invitation to dinner. We will of course look at our calendar. I don't see a problem with a Saturday."
"Good, good," Arthur said. "And the boys?"
"They are getting along well. Growing quickly, as children that age do."
"Good. How old is your boy now?"
"Almost two."
"Trying age."
"So we've found, but he's a good boy and he and Harry get along."
"Good."
"And yours?"
"All good. You know Bill, of course."
"I do. He has quite the mind already."
"I agree. And Charles will start next year."
"I look forward to meeting him then."
"Well, before then."
"Of course."
"Hey, Severus. Mr. Weasley," Leandra said, sliding her arm under his and giving him a kiss. "Sorry I'm late."
"Please call me Arthur."
"Very well, Leandra then please."
"Enjoy your dinner."
"Thank you! Severus is full of surprises. It was only the other day I mentioned wishing we could take a trip to Italy because I miss the food."
"I hope you find what you are in the mood for tonight."
"Me, too," she said.
"Shall we then?" Severus said.
"Yes. Goodbye, Arthur, and we will get back to you on a date."
"Severus mentioned that. We are looking forward to it."
"Us, too."
x.x.x.
Dinner was, in fact, delicious. They were both a little on edge, though, not knowing exactly what they were going to be seeing with Regulus.
"This is actually a pretty decent neighborhood," he said as they walked.
"Yes, of course. Did you think I'd set him up somewhere he wouldn't be safe?"
She sounded legitimately affronted that he might be accusing her of such a thing. He would never. She'd proven that she thought of everyone, even his mother who she'd never met prior to her coming here from his understanding. A mother who, to the Severus she'd gotten to know first, was not a kind woman. It would have been very easy to overlook doing anything for her.
"No, that wasn't my implication at all. Clearly you've taken great care to look after everyone that you could. However, he didn't have to stay here. It's been years, Leandra."
"True. I get the impression he likes it here."
"Oh?"
"He's a good looking man who's also rather charming when he wants to be, Severus, and he works as a bartender. You can fill in the blanks."
"Ah," he said with a low chuckle.
Regulus had in fact been interested in witches. He had that in common with his brother. Both had the looks to go with that interest.
She squeezed his hand as they approached a bar and he held the door open for her as they entered. It was dim so they took a second to allow their eyes to adjust before going in further. They spotted Regulus at the bar who nodded in their direction.
They approached the bar then and took seats. Severus ordered a whisky and Coke. Leandra asked for an amaretto sour. It wasn't the type of bar to order a margarita or anything like that. Well, likely she could, it just wouldn't be very good Severus imagined.
"Severus," Regulus said under his breath as he set their drinks in front of them. Being a Thursday it wasn't overly busy.
"Regulus, it's refreshing to see you."
"Back at you," he said with a wink.
"You married this guy?" he asked, turning his attention to Leandra.
Wandlessly, she cast a Notice-Me-Not and then settled her left hand over Severus'. He saw the soul marks glow and gave a soft hiss, glancing at the him with admiration in his eyes.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked.
"It does," he said with a nod. "Congratulations, friend."
"Thank you. She is quite the catch, soul marked for me or not."
She dropped the Notice-Me-Not and the two wizards regarded one another.
"So, Sirius?"
"I don't see him much," Severus admitted.
"Neither do I. He flirts too much," she said with a shake of her head.
Regulus chuckled. "He would with you for sure, honey."
"He would come with us, though. He aided us with our project."
"It was destroyed then?" Regulus asked. "The locket?"
"It was, but that was not the only one that had been created." Severus said. "They are gone. He is gone," he said. "Not without cost, of course. We are raising James and Lily's son, along with our own. Harry was one, too. The Dark Lord managed to do that. The effects of surviving the curse, but I managed to come up with a spell and potion to take care of that."
"You have a son?"
"We do, Everett will be two later this month."
"Congratulations, and happy birthday to him."
"I will tell him."
"Sirius seems to trust us, he knows you're alive. He would come with us," Leandra offered, getting back to the reason for their visit here tonight. Likely she knew they could talk for hours about a great many things if left to their own devices.
"Can you arrange it?" he asked. He slipped her a piece of paper. "This is my address and my telephone number. It's a mobile so you can call anytime. Tuesday or Wednesday?"
"We will talk to him, of course. I see no reason why he wouldn't come. He seemed disappointed that I wouldn't bring him to you immediately."
"Thank you. I was not ready. I'm still not sure I am, but if the Dark … Voldemort is really gone, I would like to see him if he truly wants to see me."
"He is," Severus said with a nod.
"I'll see what I can arrange. I think he'll reply to my owl faster than Severus'," Leandra interjected.
"I would agree," Severus said.
"I will owl him when we get home, and hopefully he'll answer tomorrow and I can call you when I leave work tomorrow or over the weekend."
"Sure. Whatever works, just let me know."
He stepped away for a few minutes to take care of other customers.
"You find him attractive," Severus said, leaning in closer to her.
"He is attractive."
"And you never…"
"Severus! Of course not."
"I don't know that I could blame you. I'd just passed, you were embarking on a journey, you weren't sure how it would end. I'm sure he would have been grateful you saved his life."
She glared at him. He hated admitting it because he shouldn't, but he loved that look in her eyes. Fire. Heat. He didn't like that look connected with anger, but he loved it just the same.
"How dare you, Severus Snape. As you say, you'd just passed. My soul mate. I'd spent essentially seven years fighting a war. You think I went to 1979 to shag someone?"
"No, I don't think that. I simply said that I don't know that I could blame you if you'd entertained the idea."
"I never would have with someone you know anyway. If I was to entertain such a notion, which I assure you, I did not."
"That is exceedingly good to know." The idea actually made his stomach curdle. The very thought of her touching someone else…
"Oh, there's that look," she whispered.
"What look?"
"I haven't seen it in a while."
"What look, Witch?"
"Possessive."
"Well, you are mine. Do I not look at you in that manner all of the time?"
"No, not like this. This is …" she shrugged.
"What?"
"It's just different, Severus. Then … we were surviving. We weren't sure we'd have next year. You had this way of looking at me, as if I was all that mattered in that moment. When the three of us were on the run and I saw you, I could see in your eyes." She shrugged again. "I'm not explaining it well."
He stared at her for a moment.
"It's funny because I don't agree with that whole ‘you can't look at anyone else ever in your lifetime' rhetoric. I'm human as are you. Other people can be attractive. That doesn't mean I'm going to shag them, or you are for that matter. I liked that look, though. I liked knowing that you thought of me so deeply because no one would have expected it out of you."
"You can look all you want, Witch, just come shag me when you're done."
She laughed softly, leaning in to kiss him. "I don't look often. I wasn't even looking at Regulus."
"You looked."
"I haven't seen him for a while, and you were friends. So, it's different. The first time I saw him, I wasn't looking at him from the perspective of someone you got along with. I was trying to save his life and ensure he was safe. Today, I can look at him as someone you called friend, something I know you don't do easily. I'm curious to see how the two of you interact."
She kissed him again, deepening it just as Regulus returned to them.
"Get a room," he said with a low chuckle.
"I can't believe a Black brother just said that to me," Leandra said. "On that note, I'm going to go to the restroom and see about some music."
She kissed him again as she stood and walked in the direction of the bathrooms. Severus watched her go, as did Regulus.
"How did you get bonded with a witch like that," Regulus said.
"I have been wondering that myself for nearly three years."
"I imagine you have," Regulus said.
They were both quiet, Regulus was likely thinking very different thoughts than Severus.
"When she showed up I thought I was dreaming," Regulus said finally.
"I assure you, I did as well."
"I would have died."
"I am aware. She has told me. I am very glad that she was there, Regulus. I don't know why you didn't talk to me."
"I didn't know who to trust, Severus."
"I know," he said, bowing his head.
He understood perfectly well. It was why he'd turned to the headmaster. He had no idea where else to turn. He had no idea why Regulus hadn't thought of Dumbledore also. The headmaster was very staunchly opposed to Tom. Then again, if he was trying to see if Riddle had actually succeeded in making a horcrux and died originally. Well, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to talk to anyone. Leandra saved his life and hid him, likely telling him not to trust anyone. He would have taken her at her word most likely, especially since she'd saved his life.
"He is truly gone?"
"He is. The Potter's son bears a scar as a result."
"I don't know if I'll come back."
"Really?" That surprised him. Even Sirius who liked muggle things remained in the magical world.
"I …" he shrugged, glancing at the bar. "I've established a life here. I own this bar now. No one knows that but me and the former owner. There's someone I find myself intrigued by."
Severus rolled his eyes.
"No, really, I mean she's not my bonded mate, but she's … nice."
"Oh?"
He shrugged and Severus looked at him curiously.
"She is. I don't know that anything will come of it, but I am hopeful." That was very new. Regulus hadn't seemed all that interested in marriage and embarking on a family. Of course, it had been a few years since he'd seen him.
"Interesting," Severus said.
"You should talk. Look at you. A wife and children."
"I know," he said with a shrug.
"Involvement with Sirius does not mean I have to return."
"No, of course not," Severus replied. Regulus sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than anything, but what he said wasn't a lie. Having a relationship with his brother did not mean he had to return completely.
"I didn't think I'd survive a month let alone this long when she first set me up here. She paid for my rent a year in advance so I didn't have to worry about it."
"She did?"
"Yes, she said that she didn't want to risk my having to come back. The apartment she put me up in was quite small, but decent as I had pretty literally nothing to my name anyway. I've moved from it since then, but not having to pay rent for a year allowed me to save up for a better one." Regulus regarded Severus evenly. "She really didn't tell you that?"
"No. She didn't tell me you were alive at first either."
"I will pay her back."
"She doesn't want your money, Regulus. That's not why she did this. She did it because she knew that you were on the right side, and that your brother would want a relationship with you. She has been acquainted with him." Severus wasn't sure how much Regulus knew about his witch. Did he even know her real name? He had no idea.
"Then I will give you the money, spend it on her. Buy her a diamond necklace or something."
Severus smirked. Somehow he didn't see Leandra wearing diamond necklaces very often. "I'll see what I can do, but again it's not why she did this."
"I know. I don't want to be indebted to anyone. A year's rent was not pennies."
"I am aware."
She returned to the bar then, taking a seat.
"If you decide you want to have attractive babies, just let me know," Regulus said.
Severus scoffed.
"I am perfectly happy with the baby I have, and knowing that any others that I have with Severus will be no less attractive or intelligent."
"Oh, she is like you."
"She is," Severus said with a simple nod.
"So, you will talk to Sirius then and get back to me?"
"I will," Leandra said.
"And I was just kidding," he said.
"About which part, Regulus? Either way, I know you were. Severus wouldn't share anyway, and would likely hex your bollocks off if he had thought you were serious. So we're quite good, I'd say."
Regulus winced a bit at that threat, but merely nodded. He knew his witch spoke correctly.
Severus stood then, offering Regulus his hand.
"Will you come with him?" Regulus asked. "If he agrees, that is."
"He will. Telling him you were alive is what got him to help us. I'm surprised, honestly, he hasn't hounded either one of us daily to lead him to you already."
"We are brothers, he knows I can be equally as stubborn as he is."
"Valid point," Severus said.
Regulus came out from behind the bar and hugged Severus. Something the wizard was not overly comfortable with, but he accepted it just the same. They'd been friends, they'd both come to the conclusion, albeit for different reasons, that the Dark Lord's way was not the path they wanted to travel. And this witch, his witch, had seen fit to save both of them.
"Be well," Regulus said.
"You do the same."
"Thank you for coming," he said, taking Leandra's hand and kissing it politely.
"You're welcome. I told you then I wanted to help you. I would have brought you back two years ago."
"I didn't want you to, but I know, and your help will not be unrecognized."
"I don't want recognition, Regulus. I really was trying to prevent as many deaths as I could. Have a good, productive life. That's more than sufficient recognition as far as I'm concerned."
They left after Regulus would not let them pay their bill.
"So you will contact Sirius then?" Severus asked as they were walking to an appropriate place to apparate from.
"I will."
"Do you need me with you?"
"I don't believe so. Unless for some reason you don't trust me."
"I do."
"That means a lot."
"You have done nothing untrustworthy."
"Well, I did abscond with all of your money, your mother's ring, and your name."
He snorted. "You did at that. Yet made me richer for it, and it seems, according to my mother, that the ring is rightfully yours."
"Let's go home and see our boys, Severus."
"Gladly, Witch."
Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com