"Hello, Severus," Marie Prins said, bringing him out of his thoughts. She looked surprised to see him. As surprised as she ever allowed anyone to see her be anyway.

"Hello, Marie."

"What are you doing out here, Severus?" she asked.

"You know, I don't know," he said. It was difficult for him to admit that because he wasn't prone to frivolous walks to the Whomping Willow. Especially at this time of year. It was, he had to admit, a rather decent day for a walk. Weeks before the end of term just wasn't the time for such a thing.

He glanced from the tree that, as far as he knew, only a handful of people knew the purpose of, to the wizard and witch who were obviously out for a walk. Then they were here, too, which was odd because the Whomping Willow and Shrieking Shack weren't exactly on their usual paths. He supposed he didn't watch them all day, every day either to truly know what their habits were. So, he could ask them the same question.

"Oh?" Erik said, and Severus noticed a look pass between the older couple. It was one of those looks that couples like this one shared. It wasn't a look he was meant to understand, but they did. Severus didn't doubt these two could communicate without the use of occlumency.

"Yes," he said with a shrug.

It didn't really matter why he was here. It was a nice day for a bit of a walk, and he was relatively current with everything to where a little extra time outdoors was not a hardship.

"It's irrelevant, but something told me to come here. I remember this is where they housed Remus on the nights of the full moon before you came up with the potion for him."

"We," Erik said.

"I didn't do much, we both know that."

"You were paramount to the potion coming to fruition, Severus."

"If you say so," he said, regarding the tree and shack again. A thought occurred to him. Was he interrupting them? Neither were the type to avoid telling him they were about to do something, but still. "Are you two on your way to Hogsmeade?"

"No, we actually came to see the old tree," Marie offered.

"I suppose you remember Hogwarts longer without it than with," he said, realizing it wasn't here until his first year. Because of Remus. He still to this day had no idea why Remus Lupin had been allowed to attend Hogwarts and put every student at risk. Not that he was upset about it, clearly, as he was to this day his best friend. However, it was still a risk.

"A clever diversion Albus thought of, though," Erik said. "He's truly lucky it worked."

Severus watched as Erik visibly tensed as if he seemed to be thinking about something. He'd seen a lot of emotions cross his professor and mentor's face over the years he'd known him. He saw anger and fear here today, and he'd truly never seen the man angry. Frustrated at someone's incompetence with a potentially deadly potion, yes, but never outright angry.

"It's okay. We're okay, you're okay," he heard Marie murmur to Erik. His grip on his wife's hand was tight. To the point Marie had to be uncomfortable. "I'm right here and we saw her, Erik. She's fine."

He nodded simply, that angry look receding from his eyes slowly. About a minute or two later, he saw Erik's grip on Marie's loosen. He released it, brushing the back of his hand against hers. The redness that had been there a moment ago from his tight grip was gone.

"I'm fine," she said softly as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips to kiss it.

"What are your plans for the summer, Severus?" Erik asked, as if nothing unusual had just happened. Had something happened to one of the grandchildren near the Willow?

He shrugged. He hadn't heard of anyone getting hurt out here. Well, aside from Remus, but that wasn't unexpected.

Plans.

He had none to speak of. He never did. He wished he could make something up, but Erik would likely know so he didn't bother.

There were times he wondered what he'd done - or who he'd pissed off - to deserve such an absolutely boring and lonely existence. Oh, he could do things he knew. He had the means, both monetarily and scheduled time off from Hogwarts that he knew about well in advance. However, going out and picking up women at bars or clubs just held no appeal to him. Going somewhere and sitting alone didn't either. He didn't care to appear pathetic to others. Or, worse, desperate. There were times he wondered if that made him … strange. Once Lily had made her feelings (or lack thereof) for him clear. Well, he just hadn't gone looking. Pathetic since that was when he was eleven years old.

It wasn't as if he was closed off to the idea of a witch. He very much liked the idea of having what these two had, however, going out to get it. That was another thing entirely. It didn't sound to Severus as if Erik had gone out to get it either. It had just happened.

What were the odds that would happen for him, too?

Low he imagined.

And he still hadn't answered Erik's question.

"Nothing," he said. "Some writing, some reading."

Erik had seemed so … pleased when Severus invested in a small house of his own a few years ago. His mum had offered his childhood home to him, as they had made the decision to move into something more conducive to his father's age and more delicate health. He had turned the offer down. He truly had no desire to set foot in it again, let alone call it home. So, he'd rented a room from someone during summers for a couple of years while he saved for a house of his own. It wasn't much, but it served him well. He imagined if he were to find a witch and marry her, they could live there with a child or two comfortably. Of course, as he was approaching thirty-five with no prospects, he wasn't holding out much hope of either a wife or any children living under his roof.

Fitting, really, the Snape name deserved to end with him. His father didn't deserve the privilege of descendants as far as Severus was concerned.

"Well, Marie and I are headed to Asia for a couple of weeks in July to collect some specimens for my business. After classes let out, of course. You'd be welcome to join us."

"I would not want to intrude…"

"Nonsense. I wouldn't make the offer if it was an intrusion. Have you ever been?"

He scoffed. Trips to Asia were not quite in his budget. Well, they were, but not if he wanted to live comfortably later in life.

"No," he said.

"Well, think about it, you have about a month."

"What he's not telling you, Severus, is that he could use the younger hands and eyes," Marie said. He could hear the teasing tone in her voice and, yet, there was probably a grain of truth to the statement. He knew he was over one hundred years old.

"I will think about it," he said.

"The hotel we booked has a spare bedroom. We always book bigger than we actually need in case we get last minute guests."

Severus smirked at that. He imagined they got last minute guests often, and he also guessed they didn't mind in the least. They were the type that seemed to want people around them. And yet, Erik had mentioned to Severus more than once that until Marie he had been similar in nature to him.

"I would not want to take a grandchild's spot."

"Well, that's the great thing about being the patriarch of the family, Severus. I can say that someone who actually needs the trip for his occupation needs the room. And, truthfully, I think they all have other plans this summer."

"I truly will think about it."

It did hold more appeal than going to his home and sitting by himself for two months. Even better, the Prins' were not bothersome, so would not get after him to do this or that with them.

"Great," Erik said.

Suddenly, the three of them were surrounded by nearly twenty of the Prins and Harrison relatives. Severus was pretty sure that all but one of those twenty were great grandchildren, but it was admittedly hard to keep track. Bennett Prins as well as two of the Harrisons would be finishing their schooling within the month and be onto other things. He'd heard Bennett Prins mention playing in a band in his spare time over the years. And wishing to pursue that as a career going forward. A few of the muggleborn witches seemed to recognize him, so Severus supposed the wizard was on the right track.

"Will anyone be replacing them?" he asked.

"The three graduating, you mean?" Marie asked.

He nodded.

"Truthfully, I think there are no breaks for you with regard to our great grandchildren until about 2007. Of course, there could be great great grandchildren by then. Larry, Thomas' oldest grandson got married last year and Cole's granddaughter had a little boy just two months ago. Toby will start in 2005 so you may not get much of a break after all."

He had heard about Catherine Litrell nee Harrison having a boy. Merlin, he wondered if the family would ever stop having offspring here. Good for Hogwarts and the magical world, he supposed.

"That is incredibly disappointing to hear."

Marie's low laugh told him she knew he was being sarcastic. That was a relief. Erik seemed to be more attentive to the children around them than what he and his wife were discussing. He heard something about a muggle baseball game. Were they going to America then? All of them?

"Oh, you like us, Uncle Severus," Meredith Daughtery said, distracting him from thinking of the expense of taking all of their descendants to America. She had obviously been paying attention to what he and Marie had said. She smiled widely at him. She was the youngest girl of the group at twelve, and a second year. There were two younger Harrison boys that were first years. They seemed just as excited to see Erik and Marie as the rest.

"You are tolerable, Miss Daughtery. Your grandfather has at least taught you the art of silence and caution in my classroom."

She laughed and shook her head. She blushed, too, which Severus could only attribute to the fresh air. He hadn't said anything embarrassing in the least.

"I will leave you to your family. I hope you all have good days," he said with a polite bow of his head.

"Severus," Marie called after him as he turned to go.

"You don't have to leave."

"I know, but contrary to my lollygagging by this infernal tree, I do have things to accomplish today."

"I, for one, am glad that we ran into you."

"As am I, Marie. It's always a pleasure."

"He's such a charmer, Erik," she heard him say to her husband.

"I keep telling you, dear, he is far too young for you. If you're looking for a fill-in you'll have to aim a little older I fear."

He shook his head at their banter as he took his leave then.

"You know," Erik said to Marie in bed later that night.

"Mm, I know lots of things."

"You are hilarious."

"Well, I have to be to put up with you."

He shrugged slightly. "There is some truth in that statement."

"You were saying…"

"I am wondering if I am a virgin."

"I assure you, Erik, you haven't been for a very long time. If you've lost your memory of that fact, I'm happy to bring it to the forefront of your mind."

"Not this me, insolent witch."

"Oh. Oh?" Obviously catching onto his meaning. That that surprised her was a bit interesting.

"Well, I wasn't exactly swimming in possibilities my first go around and my mood was much fouler as you might recall, but he doesn't even have the … group of people I joined up with."

She turned to face him then, resting a hand on his chest. He clutched her hand with his. "That was your first time?"

"It was better than someone at Knockturn Alley who had been with ten wizards before me in the past twenty-four hours," he said, knowing he sounded defensive.

"Oh, well, I'm not judging. You just never said I guess. I just presumed," she shrugged. "You were thirty-six, so it never occurred to me that you wouldn't have experience."

"It had been … some time admittedly."

"Well, obviously."

He scoffed. "Even longer than that very long eleven months. I did not find casual joinings beneficial."

She ran a foot against his leg, snuggling against him. He loved this time of the day. Nearly seventy years later and she still craved being near him.

"It's why I did, you know."

"Why you did what?"

"That, on Valentine's Day."

"Did what?"

"You had promised to be faithful, but I knew that you wouldn't wait forever. Like I said, I assumed you had before we were married. The idea, though, that you would … need to go elsewhere afterward bothered me."

"I wouldn't have. I gave my word. If you knew anything about me, even then, it was that my word was not something I gave lightly."

"Of course not, that didn't mean you wanted to wait years to get laid."

He kissed her hair. It was still curly and probably one of his favorite things about her, but it had since turned grey, and he knew she was self-conscious that he would find her old looking.

The irony.

"While I was very grateful that first night, I would have waited."

"I didn't want to wait!"

He chuckled. "There have been times I've cursed your overly curious brain. That night was not one of them."

"Mm," she said, settling against him. "So, are we endeavouring to get him that experience?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Witch," he said with a low chuckle. "I just thought of it today. He doesn't do anything. I can assure you, if he doesn't join us in Asia, that he will sit at his home all summer. The idea of going out to try to meet someone does not occur to him."

"Do we want him to do that?"

He turned onto his side a bit, grazing her forearm with his fingers. "Hmm, are you saying you'd have preferred that I was a virgin?"

"Well, no, I wouldn't have expected such with someone your age. I do admit, though," she said, leaning up slightly, getting a gleam in her eyes he recognized well.

"What are you plotting now?"

"Nothing, but assuming it is them. Could you imagine the mischief they could get into if both of them are inexperienced?"

He chuckled. "We may not see him for weeks."

She laughed then. Left out that she had been very curious about everything .

"He wears the stick pin she gave him," she said, pulling him out of his thoughts at remembering her willingness to learn many things over the years.

"That was from her?" He had no idea!

"It was, Christmas a year ago."

How had she known that? Had Hermione told her? Or had she just guessed? He recalled the pin, and just presumed Severus had seen it and liked it. The thought of it being a gift never occurred to him. He thought back to that visit to his office. That Severus thought he might have been interrupting him.

"She was who gave him cookies?" He remembered the gift and cookies when he'd visited him Christmas night.

"Yes."

"What was she doing in his office?"

"Oh, she told me that he hadn't shown up for dinner, so she baked him cookies. Nothing nefarious or untoward. She didn't even sit down she told me."

"Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?"

"Because I knew you'd react in such a manner. It was cookies and a gift, Dear. He sent her a patronus after you left I think."

"Oh?"

"She told me it woke her so I imagine so."

"Hmm."

"He thanked her for the gift and wished her a Happy Christmas. It made her day, she said because she was afraid he'd hex her."

His murmured "hmm" was his only response.

"It's a swan."

"Makes sense, as it is mine. And not to sound egotistical or full of myself, but I think Severus' happy memories are rather tied to me."

"I think so, too," she murmured. "And Remus, but mostly you."

He chuckled softly, thinking of Hermione thinking Severus might hex her. For baking him cookies and giving him a gift. The stickpin was nice. Was she interested in anyone in her class? He had no idea, under ordinary circumstances, who might be of interest to the witch in her peer group. He had noticed one wizard interested in her.

"I may have told Stephen she was too much witch for him."

"What?"

"Last year? He seemed rather … smitten."

"I noticed," she said, obviously amused.

"That could not happen. You and I both know why."

"Yes." She did of course know. Severus knew that. "And he took that in stride?"

"He actually told me he was coming to that conclusion on his own. He said he felt too young for her, and he's two years older."

She laughed softly, yawning. "He's not wrong. I'm not sure she'd be happy with someone her age."

"Have you noticed Ronald Weasley isn't even in her stratosphere?"

"I have. It is interesting, isn't it? Harry and Ron became friends in part because neither had anyone on the train. Without that in play," she shrugged.

"Does it bother you?"

She shrugged. "A little. She's not me. She's had a different experience at Hogwarts and I'm very grateful that's the case. I do miss hearing the three of them laugh, though," she said.

"You three were amusing to watch. When you weren't causing me to grey prematurely."

"It is interesting he was drawn to the Whomping Willow today."

"It is. It got me to invite him to join us on our Asian excursion, though."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too."

"Erik," she whispered in his ear after a few moments' silence between them. He assumed she'd drifted off to sleep.

"Yes, dear."

"I need you."

"Those are magical words indeed."

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com