Not being secret kept made it much easier to find the home. Eden said Severus preferred being assigned homes out of the way, where they were likely to be undisturbed. He never knew if a job was going to last weeks or months, and it seemed the various ministries found the homes for him as part of his compensation. From what Hermione gathered, this one lasting two years was not the norm.
Harry got them very close on the first try, and then to the yard on the second.
They did not land in, or on, the lake. Hermione could admit to not being disappointed by that. She'd been in her lake when it was late autumn or early spring. It was miserable, even with proper gear on.
Hermione hugged Eden tight before starting toward the door. She could feel the girl was tense. Understandably. Hermione was, too. If Eden thought this was easy for her, she was mistaken.
Likely, her father already knew someone was here.
"It's so weird to have to ring the bell to my house."
"Yes, well," Hermione said simply.
"I know," Eden mumbled and Harry laughed.
"You find this amusing, Harry?" Hermione asked, knowing she sounded irritated.
"Not at all. Well, maybe a little." He leant toward her. "If you had just talked to him twelve years ago, this likely wouldn't be happening."
"Really, Harry? We're doing this now? Here?" She practically hissed the words under her breath. "Believing what we both did as to who he might love, do you really think I was going to do something so humiliating?"
Two things happened at once.
Harry's arm hooked the strap of her bag, causing it to fall down her arm to the ground so she stooped to pick it up just as she heard the sound of a lock being worked and the door open.
"What has happened with Hermione?"
The question was asked by a voice she honestly wasn't sure she'd ever hear again. She'd dreamt about it more than once over the years, but dreams weren't nearly as … fulfilling. She was surprised to hear not anger or irritation in his voice, but genuine concern. Twelve years or not, she recognized the tone well enough. She was likely the only person who knew him who'd ever heard a concerned Severus Snape. The first time she'd had fake labor at about six months along, he'd fretted over her. It was, honestly, sweet. If only she'd asked him then if he cared or was just doting on her to be kind.
There were plenty of times she could have asked. Said something. She was twenty, pregnant, and kind of scared. Of what was going to happen. Of his answer. Of him telling her to get out because she ruined their agreement by bringing feelings into things.
So, she'd said nothing.
"Um, nothing," Harry said as she stood back up from getting her bag. Had he done that on purpose? He did seem legitimately surprised that Severus hadn't seen her, so maybe not. Or maybe he was just being very sly.
Her husband's eyes snapped to hers then, and she felt herself blush at the very thorough way he took in her appearance despite the chilly night's air.
"You are truly all right?"
"I am. Our daughters might be in trouble, though," she said, settling her hand on Eden's shoulder.
An eyebrow arched up.
Still an expert in that gesture then.
Evidently, she still liked the gesture, too.
"It seems Eden," she said, squeezing the shoulder she had her hand on. "Did go to school with the Yankees the same as Mia does."
He frowned slightly, looking as if he was thinking that over.
"You're in Australia."
"I haven't been in Australia since 2001."
"I see," he said.
It wasn't that complex of a story as to how she ended up where she had, but now didn't seem the time to hash that out. That wasn't why she was here.
"They evidently met and decided …"
"I can fill in the blanks, yes."
His eyes widened a smidge, a gesture she knew at one time meant that something made sense to him that hadn't. Little didn't make sense to him, so it was something she remembered. Had something happened with Mia that was unexpected to him?
He stepped aside, pushing the door open enough so they could enter. "Come in then."
Hermione watched as he set a hand against Eden's cheek. She felt tears form in her eyes at the gentle way his thumb grazed her cheek. He gave an audible huff, but he wasn't mad.
"I'm going to guess this was your idea."
"It was," she said.
"You are both truly your mother's daughter."
She slid her arms around him and he hugged her back.
"Thank you for not being mad."
"Oh, I'm rather furious. Glad that you're all right, but furious just the same. What if something had happened to you, or for that matter to your sister? Your mother and I wouldn't have known we had a different girl."
She drew away. The look on her face told Hermione that she hadn't thought of that, the fact that something could have gone wrong.
"What your dad means," Hermione said. "Is that there was probably a better way to go about this than just taking one another's place."
"Yes, precisely."
"I'm sorry. We just wanted," she trailed off here.
"I think we both understand what you wanted," Severus said.
"Can I go see Mia now?"
"Oh, you do remember how to ask permission?"
This was said with a kiss to the top of her head. Hermione blushed, looking away. She could recall him doing that precise thing for a much different reason to her more than once as they drifted off to sleep. Together. She never woke up alone, with him having gone back to his room either.
"Yes, go. You haven't forgotten the way, I trust, despite not having been here since September."
"Harry," he said after Eden had left.
"Severus. It's been a while. It's nice to see you looking well."
"Thank you. Were you going to return home right away?" he asked, regarding Hermione.
"Well, I should…"
"Hermione," Harry said.
"Cooper."
"I left the door unlocked for him."
"Harry!"
"I knew your mind was on other things."
They had a doggie door. Hermione hated using it. She didn't like leaving her house open like that.
"You two figure it out. Can you direct me to a bathroom, Severus?"
"Of course," he said, telling him the information.
That left them alone in his entryway. She had no idea what to say. She really didn't. She'd thought over what she'd say to him if they saw one another again, but nothing ever sounded right. And as one year turned into two turned into twelve.
Well, she hadn't thought about it in a very long time, so today she had nothing.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes, why?"
"I cannot imagine you enjoy surprises anymore than you did twelve years ago."
"Oh, well, obviously, I'd have preferred to see her again under different circumstances. Something planned."
"Obviously." He wasn't laughing at her, exactly, but he was amused.
"I don't remember you enjoying surprises anymore than I did."
"Mm," he said. "Come sit." This was said with a gesture to what was intended to be a sitting or front room that he'd obviously converted to a library. She could likely spend days here. Did Eden?
She followed him, sitting on a surprisingly comfortable sofa. Surprising because nothing about his home thirteen years ago had been that. Old. Untidy. Everything was clean (though she didn't get the impression that had always been the case), but nothing had been looked after. Nothing was there with comfort in mind.
"Harry never told me you were in America," he said.
"Did you ever ask?"
"Well, no."
She didn't have time to concentrate on the look he'd given her with that question. Movement behind him caught her eye and there was Harry, standing in the doorway then … With Kingsley? Hermione was very confused.
"Harry?"
"You two need to talk. You're both idiots. No offense meant, but you are. I didn't do this or that because the other wanted this or that. You don't know because you never talked about it. Either of you. The odds of this," he said, gesturing to both of them, "happening again anytime soon don't seem likely. So, I'll make sure my goddaughters are fine. You'll be allowed out once you both actually, you know, talk. Like the two married people who share twin daughters you are."
"Harry Potter!" Hermione said.
Too late because Kingsley shut the doors and Hermione shivered at the … spell that followed. She didn't use magic real often anymore. Not spells like what Kingsley had just cast anyway. Most of her magic was potions related, healing.
Silence.
She had no idea what to say.
Severus looked somewhat amused more than upset.
Harry's comment about them being married made her notice that he still wore his ring. And it was the ring she'd given to him, not a different one. Not that she believed he was a bigamist who would marry someone else while still being married to her. Eden would have mentioned a stepmom, too. She believed Eden when she told Hermione he still wore it. It wasn't the same as seeing it there on his finger, though.
The silence was overwhelming. He clearly didn't know what to say either. She didn't sense that Harry or Kingsley were going to let them out simply because they asked to be.
Would it hurt to start?
"I understood why we didn't exchange gifts on April first," she murmured.
"I'm sorry."
She supposed it was an odd place to start, but, to her mind, it seemed the perfect place to start.
"Harry, and Kingsley it seems, wants us to talk, so I'm talking. I said I understood why we didn't exchange gifts on April first, but we did exchange presents on Christmas."
"Yes."
April first was their wedding anniversary. She hadn't expected anything from him on that day, neither had he. They hadn't said anything about not exchanging gifts, it just seemed a given. They did have dinner out that night, his idea not hers. She was feeling hugely uncomfortable by then, so being out in public hadn't really been forefront on her mind.
"And you did get me flowers for Valentine's Day."
"I did."
That gesture had made her positively giddy, which she completely blamed pregnancy hormones for. It was well known he loathed Valentine's Day. They weren't roses and they weren't red, but they were proof that he'd thought of her nonetheless. Even if it was last minute and it was the only bouquet the store had left. She had no idea. The arrangement of various flowers had made her think…
"You're lucky we were home," he said.
"What?"
"We just got home about twenty minutes ago from a movie and dinner."
"Oh," she said, glad Mia got to do something with him.
"Mia is like you," he said.
"Yes, well."
"She's giving. She gifted me with a basket earlier this morning."
Morgana, it was still Easter Sunday, wasn't it? It was late enough, no she supposed not. It was technically Monday.
"I reacted much the same way as I did with yours. That is to say, I didn't know how to react and angered her. Well, hurt her feelings. Fortunately, she did not go into labor to where I couldn't explain."
She stared at him for a moment, certain she was hearing things.
"Explain what, Severus?"
"I didn't know," he fidgeted with his wedding band. She smiled a bit, because it was a gesture still familiar to her. She'd done it, too, when thinking. "Christmas." He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I knew. Staff exchanged gifts yearly. I'd been to Lucius' home over the holidays and saw that gifts were waiting for Narcissa and Draco. It wasn't something I knew firsthand. I'd never had that. As a child or as an adult."
"But…"
"Let me finish, please."
"Of course," she said.
"Easter is a different animal. The staff does not exchange gifts. I never saw a basket or any trinket for Narciss from Lucius. Of course, for Draco there was something. His son, not his wife. I had no other … examples to go by. Not really. None I trusted or looked to as to how a couple should act. Or what they should do. I was not expecting you to give me anything."
"Yes, well, that's what you do for someone you love, Severus. You want to give them things."
His eyes looked sad with that statement.
"I had no idea, until much later, that you made the basket even. I was going to spend the next month working on an apology for not doing something you obviously expected me to do. I really was. I'd been fumbling for weeks with telling you that I had feelings for you. That it was no longer just an arrangement to me. That was frightening, too. Given my past. Well, I was unwilling to have you accuse me of trying to hold you to a marriage you didn't want to be in to begin with. I didn't know. I presumed you weren't someone who could spend the time we did together, in and out of our bedroom, and feel nothing. Some could, but not you. You went into labor. I assumed you'd return to my - our - home once you were discharged, but you returned to Harry's with Mia, and then you were gone."
"You didn't seem as if you wanted to be at St. Mungos with me."
"I was there for hours, Hermione. Every night while you slept, I sat by your side. When I wasn't at your side, I was in the nursery with them."
"You did not," she said. She was certain she'd remember. Mia had been a rather easy delivery, but Eden had been a little more stubborn. Hermione didn't remember much about their delivery, other than she was exhausted afterward.
"I did. The first night I didn't even bother trying to go home. The second I did, but it was not right without you. How you could change the tone in a year, I don't know, but you managed."
"I don't remember."
"I tried to be gone early enough so that I wouldn't wake you."
She sighed, glancing at her hands. Did that change anything? Would it have? If she knew he'd sat with her? Probably. And yet.
"I wasn't that difficult to find," she threw out there. She knew it was a lame defense.
"Says you! Harry nor I had any idea what name you had given your parents. He thought you'd told him, and we searched through his memories to no avail." She hadn't thought of that. "Eventually, yes, he did know where you were. What was I to do? Show up? And say what when I did appear on the doorstep of your parents' home exactly? The man, twenty years older than their only daughter, who entered into an agreement with you to father a child with you."
"They wouldn't have…"
"And again, says you. I look at Eden and am pretty sure I wouldn't stop at merely hexing someone so they'd never be able to create a child if they entertained the notion of entering into such an agreement with her."
"Yes, but I came to you, Severus."
"The marriage was my idea. I could have assisted you in getting out of the decree. Getting out of London. Something other than … making you."
She stood then, walking to him. She slid her hand to his cheek, pressing her palm against him there. He was well past his five o'clock shadow. She hadn't ever shied away from touching or kissing him when he looked like this.
Is that how he saw it? That he made her? She honestly never realized that.
"You didn't make me do anything, Severus Tobias Snape. That was the Ministry of Magic that passed a decree, not you. I ran the numbers and I chose you. I went to your house. I did that. You never once made it a chore to work at creating them."
"But you had never …"
"And you think someone like Goyle or whoever else my options might have been would have cared that I had no experience?"
"Well, I'm sure…"
"Stop." She knew they wouldn't have. She knew they wouldn't have been as kind as he had been.
"Obviously I didn't do something right. You left!" he said.
"Because you made me think I was a fool for falling in love with you."
"We slept together long after they were conceived, Hermione."
She knew that. It was one of the things she went to more than once when she was trying to figure out if he cared for her or not. Why would he sleep with her every night if he didn't? He wasn't the most emotional man, though, so she didn't think it was incredibly far-fetched that he could sleep with her without feelings involved.
"I'm aware, Severus, I was there, too."
"You think I would share my bed with someone for months. Months, Hermione, if I didn't care about them?"
"Severus. Our agreement…"
"Yes, of course, the agreement. I was equally as involved in coming up with it, so am aware of its contents. It said nothing about continuing to share a bed once they were conceived. Or even while attempts at conceiving were made. We were intimate after it was confirmed you were carrying them."
"Well, you'll forgive me for not being able to read your mind!"
"You left!"
"You didn't give me a reason to stay."
"You changed your name!"
She stared at him for a moment, not sure which name change he was referring to. It dawned on her then. He didn't know she could still legally go by Snape if she wanted to. It never dawned on her Kingsley wouldn't tell him. That he would think she not only left but took Granger back before leaving, when their daughters were only a week old.
"Actually, that's not true. Kingsley never told you that?"
"Explain," he said.
"If you had looked at the paperwork that I know I left for you, you'd see that it was done as an also known as. Yes, all of my documents are under Granger, but our marriage certificate is still valid and my name change with it. Did it never occur to you that in twelve years, I've never contacted you to nullify our marriage?"
"Not everyone wants to marry these days."
"I'm not a cheater, Severus. Dating someone might have been different. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't looked in twelve years. Mia has friends whose parents are divorced. I never did, though."
"I couldn't either," he said. If she wasn't mistaken there was a hint of … gratefulness in his tone. As if he thought she might have had relationships. If she'd met someone she seriously contemplated having a relationship with, he would have heard from her before today.
"And did you really expect me to confess my love for you? You, the man who was in love with another woman for nearly twenty years? You think I wanted you to ridicule me?"
"I would not have. I knew before they were even conceived I cared for you."
"You should have said something! Damn it, Severus."
"And you don't think I wasn't concerned that you would laugh at me? You came to me with an agreement. I didn't think someone like you could make love to someone as we did and have it mean nothing, but I didn't know. Things were quite different in 1999 from 1979."
She stepped away from him, finding a window. It was dark, so there was nothing to see. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"I"m not sure what they're hoping we'll resolve," she quipped. What were Harry and Kingsley hoping to resolve with this stint?
He stepped up behind her, hands at her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head, similar to how he'd kissed Eden a bit ago. It was different, though, she knew. He lingered with her where he hadn't with their daughter. She sighed softly. She couldn't help it. Morgana. She never thought she'd be in the same room with him again, let alone this close to him.
And she realized, in that moment, that they were still in this room together because he wanted them to be. She doubted very highly there was a spell Kingsley could do in someone else's home. This wizard's home. That Severus wouldn't be able to undo.
So. That meant he agreed that they needed to talk.
Right?
His hands. Even just touching her shoulders as they were. They were strong and capable. Protective. She knew nothing would happen to her, or to Mia or Eden, as long as he was alive. She wasn't sure she'd ever told him how … safe being with him made her feel. For the first time in years, after living through a war. This man, who was probably more damaged than most of the survivors combined. Not that he would have ever said so. She slept beside him. She knew he had nightmares. Knew he woke sometimes not entirely sure where he was. Who she was. Who he was.
"How did you discover she was Eden?" he murmured. This was accompanied by his thumb grazing the nape of her neck under her hair.
She snorted softly. Of course he'd ask that. "I didn't. Harry did."
"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not."
"Right?"
"When?"
"About two hours ago. Well, this evening. Harry mentioned it. I got home from my parents' house when she went to bed. I figured I'd have until tomorrow, today now I suppose, to figure out what to do. She came down to talk to me."
"And you came here?"
"Not bringing her back to you immediately would have been wrong. What was I going to do? Call you on the telephone and tell you what had happened? Or have her call you? And then you'd wonder who was in your house. Or not believe her."
He nodded, his thumb rubbing gently along her neck and shoulder now.
"I did not want her going to Ilvermorny. I tried to get her into Beauxbatons. To say I was surprised they were not willing to accept her is an understatement."
"Do you think it was Kingsley?" She glanced at him over her shoulder. It would make the Minister for Magic being here tonight make a little more sense.
"Interfering?"
He shrugged. His lips thinned, as if he hadn't entertained that possibility until just now. She hadn't either, until seeing Kingsley and Harry standing there together. Kingsley had to come here because Harry told him they were here.
All of them.
Together.
"I don't know."
"They got detention. That's how they met."
"For what?" He sounded as shocked as she had been when Eden mentioned detention.
"They both turned in near perfect vials of Antidote to Common Poisons. Their professor thought they cheated."
"I will be speaking…"
"Oh, I will take care of it, Severus. Don't you worry."
"To think a Snape would have to cheat at potions."
"Yes, well. He evidently is not familiar with you."
"I knew there was a reason I didn't want her to go there."
She turned then, unable to stop herself from laughing at that. He could be a pompous arse at times, but he had reason to be when it came to this.
"What do you want from me, Severus?"
He slid his hand to her neck, grazing it with the tip of his finger. He tugged on her chain there, cupping her wedding ring with his fingertips.
"You don't wear it?"
"I told people it didn't fit me anymore after having Mia," she said.
He nodded.
"Eden can't see yours."
"And Mia can see yours?"
"No, I think she knows I have something on my chain but she's never asked. Eden says Mia saw your ring in some pictures."
"Where?"
"Oh, they stayed together over the Christmas holidays. I knew as soon as Harry mentioned he thought she was Eden that's what they'd done."
"So there are no friends?" Severus asked. He sounded … concerned.
"I think there are a couple of friends, a boy named Leonard Miller in Mia's house. I get the impression Eden doesn't fit in very well with those in her house. They like her because she's smart and gets them points others can't. She gets along with some of Mia's. It makes sense, though, to switch for Easter holidays versus the summer holidays. Ten days versus two months. I didn't recognize the look in Eden's eyes that Harry did when she was looking through photo albums." She shrugged. "Her nails are a little longer. She styled her hair a little different, but I didn't think that was out of the ordinary for having spent seven months away from me."
"I had noticed her nails Friday night. I asked her about them. She told me she kept breaking them and just decided to keep them shorter. It seemed plausible. I should have known this morning."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"The Easter basket she gave me. I should have known. It isn't something Eden and I ever did before. Well, not for years. I just thought," he shrugged. "Maybe she'd missed me."
Hermione's heart broke ever so slightly with that sentence. Likely, if he truly did care as he seemed to be implying tonight. Well, he probably thought she hadn't missed him either.
"I'm sure that she did, Severus. Being curious about me doesn't mean she doesn't love you."
"And yet…"
"And yet nothing, Severus. Mia came here. She didn't come home to me with Eden. She came here. They're almost twelve and were curious. I'm surprised I haven't encountered more curiosity and problems about you before now, truthfully."
"Same," he murmured.
She reached for his left hand then. She couldn't help it. She grazed his wedding band with the pad of her thumb.
"Why do you still wear it?"
"I am still married, last I checked. To you."
"And charming it so only Eden couldn't see it?"
"I did not want her asking questions. And I don't see many men wearing rings around their neck."
She laughed softly.
"No, I suppose they don't. So that means you presumed I would be the one initiating a divorce then? Or are you one of those who uses the ring to …"
"I presumed you would meet someone, yes. I have not used my ring, or anything else, to gain another woman's attention, physical or otherwise."
That surprised her. Why, she wasn't sure. Other than he was an incredibly passionate man and, other than maybe the first time or two when she'd been somewhat shy and uncertain, she couldn't say he'd ever left her dissatisfied.
"You said you were falling in love with me."
"Mm, I'm not sure I said it like that, no. I fell pretty hard before they were conceived, I think."
"Same," he said. "I did not think I deserved you. I thought you would think I was trying to make our agreement more … sinister than it was. I truly did not expect you to just leave as you did."
"Yes, well, it hurt."
"I apologize for hurting you, Hermione. Ever."
"I know, Severus. I don't blame you." She really didn't. "I was afraid, though, that once they were born and the rumblings of the repopulation decree being reversed came to fruition. Well, I thought you'd blame me, or somehow make me into being the one who'd wanted Eden and Mia."
"I know you wouldn't have had them without that decree. I also know that doesn't mean, to either of us, that they weren't wanted. She has changed my life, as I'm sure Mia has for you."
"Yes."
"Who is Cooper?"
"Our dog."
"And he would truly be all right if you stayed the night?"
"I'm not…"
"Relax. I'm not a monster, I think I proved to you once before that I can think with my brain."
She laughed softly. He had. No one but the two of them knew it hadn't really taken them four months to conceive Mia and Eden. They'd taken a couple of months to get to know one another before actual sex, both thinking lovemaking with the stress of "we have to make a child" might result in the opposite happening.
"Yes, the doggie door would be sufficient and I could ask my parents to feed him, presuming you have a phone so that I can call them."
"I do. I think our daughters might get upset with us if we separate them so soon."
"They'll see one another again in a week!"
He chuckled. "That is true. It is late. It's been a day."
She couldn't agree with him more.
"Stay. Have breakfast with us."
"Will you make pancakes?"
"I think I could be convinced of that."
"Have you made them for Mia yet?"
"No."
"Mm," she said.
She turned then, looking out the window. She crossed her arms over her chest, hand at each upper arm. Was this wise? One hand moved from her arm to the necklace she wore. She took the ring at the end of the chain in between her fingers, sliding her thumb along the edge of the band. He hadn't bought the cheapest, most generic looking wedding bands possible.
"Severus," she whispered. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I can't," she whispered.
"You can't?"
"Stay here. Let me talk to Mia, find out if she wants to stay for a day or two and I can come back and get her."
"That's not fair to you."
"How so?"
"That gives me more time with Mia and you less time with Eden."
She shrugged. "She can come back with me for a day or two."
"Hermione."
"I want to go home, Severus. To my house! If Mia chooses to stay here with you and Eden, that's her decision."
He sighed.
"Might I bring them to you in a couple of days?"
She sighed heavily. "You could."
"Well, go speak to her then. I would not mind a day or two with her."
"Both of them?"
"They're weeks shy of twelve, not two. I managed to keep my classroom relatively injury-free for nearly twenty years. And if it escaped your notice, Eden is okay."
She smirked a bit. She couldn't help it.
"She's more than okay, Severus. I wasn't doubting you, just making sure you thought about the fact you'd have two of them."
"I would like that, I think."
"Let me go talk to them."
She walked to the door, taking a deep breath as she tried the handle. It opened. She wasn't sure if it was because the spell Kingsley cast determined they had actually talked. Or if Kingsley removed the spell once it was clear that they were going to talk. Or if Severus did.
She'd likely never know.
They had talked. She wasn't sure what Harry and Kingsley were hoping would come out of them talking. They certainly hadn't resolved anything.
"Where am I going?" she asked once she'd stepped out into the hall.
"Ah," he said, leading her to the stairs and then to the bedroom that was obviously Eden's.
Mia ran up and hugged her.
"I missed you," she whispered.
"I missed you, too, sweetie."
"Daddy took me to see Casablanca ."
"Did he?" she asked, glancing at Severus. She shouldn't be surprised, he'd been a fan of it thirteen years ago.
"I'm going to go home. Check on Cooper and things. Do you want to stay here for a couple of days, and your dad will bring you two to my house? Or do you want to come home with me?"
"You're not mad?"
"As we told Eden earlier. We're not mad. There was probably a better way to go about this. Your dad, for instance, doesn't know that you are more likely to get a respiratory illness since that time you were in the hospital. That could have been very dangerous if you'd gotten sick and he didn't know."
"I haven't been sick since!"
"You haven't been as sick. That's true."
"She was in the hospital?" Both Severus and Eden asked this.
"Yes. She had Bronchitis and Respiratory Syncytial Virus. She was only there for a couple of days. Potions weren't helping."
Severus looked concerned. Eden looked … stricken.
"She's fine, Eden," Hermione said. "She's just more prone to bronchial infections now."
"So, shouldn't have been at Ilvermorny over the Christmas holidays learning about quidditch," Severus said.
Hermione shrugged. "She has never let it stop her from doing things. She skis and snowmobiles. I'm not going to keep her wrapped in bubble wrap. I just know what to look for, where you would not without her health history."
She smoothed Mia's hair down, hugging her a little tighter once more before releasing her.
"It's up to you."
"I can really stay?" she asked. This was said to Severus.
"You can. I would like to get to know Mia. Not Mia pretending to be Eden."
"Oh, but, Mom. That's not fair…"
"I would have you both here for a couple of days and then would bring you both to your house for a few days. And then if your mother is agreeable we can bring you back to school together."
Mia glanced at Eden who looked rather happy about this turn of events.
"Thank you, Mommy," she said, hugging her.
"Oh," she said. "You haven't called me mommy in a while, but you're welcome."
"Why are you making her leave, Dad?" Eden asked.
"I am not making her do anything, Miss Snape. I offered her a room here for at least the night. She wishes to go home."
"But Harry went to their house…"
"Did he?" Hermione said. "Well, that is excellent, because I have a few things to say to him."
"Is he really my godfather, too, Dad?"
"Why? Are you two planning to off us so you can live with him?"
Eden laughed while Mia frowned a bit at the question.
"Yes, exactly," Eden said.
"I shall check my tea from now on then. And, yes, to answer your question. I had no one else I trusted enough to ensure they would care for you if something happened to the both of us. I have had my differences with Harry Potter over the years, but your mother has proven to be a fairly good judge of character for me to concede my biases of his last name may have clouded my judgment."
"Fairly good?" Hermione asked,
"Well, you did have a crush on Gilderoy Lockhart."
She sighed with a scoff, rolling her eyes.
"I was twelve."
"You were not twelve when you kissed Ronald Weasley."
"You kissed Uncle Ron?" Mia asked, scrunching her nose. It was a gesture Hermione knew well, it meant she didn't understand it. Obviously, she understood what kissing Ronald meant.
"I did. We had just survived a war. We thought we liked one another."
"But you and Dad…"
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him if he wanted to compare regrets, but that would be … cruel. And while she didn't want to stay here tonight, she didn't want to be cruel to this man. Certainly not in front of their daughters.
"Married nearly a year after the war, and had you more than a year after that, even with you coming almost four weeks early."
She'd had enough … talking for the night. She wanted to go home, talk to Harry, and then probably cry again.
"Now, Mia, are you okay staying here? Or do you want to come home with me?"
"I want you to stay here."
"Not an option, honey. This is your dad's house."
"Yes, but…"
"I am going home. With or without you."
"Fine," she said with a pout. "I'll go home."
"Mia, honey, you don't have to. You can absolutely stay here if you want to be here with Eden and your dad. I will miss you, but I'm not leaving because I want to force you to leave with me."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"I was going to show Eden how to ice fish."
Hermione gave a soft chuckle at the look on Severus' face to that declaration.
"You cannot go out onto the lake! It's too far into spring. The ice is not thick enough," Severus said.
"I know, Dad," she said with a roll of her eyes. She did know. Severus might be a bit amazed at the things Mia knew how to do when it came to sporty things. "We can break a hole in the ice along the shore and…"
"I see. Yes, that can be done."
For her part, Eden didn't look too certain about the benefits of learning to ice fish. Well, if they were going to get along and be together, like sisters, they'd have to learn to do things the other liked.
She drew away from Mia then, realizing she hadn't gotten Eden's things from her pocket. She removed them, returning them to their normal size. She walked up to Eden.
"I'll see you in a couple of days."
"I wish you would have kept me…"
"I couldn't do that, Eden. As much as I absolutely wanted to. What you did, while I understand it on a fundamental level, was wrong. I absolutely do not blame you. I get it. You were both curious. How would your dad feel if he knew I was aware for days we had a different child and did nothing? He'd be hurt, by me and you, that we allowed him to continue to be fooled by Mia. Your father would enjoy feeling stupid even less than I do."
She hugged Eden and then Mia.
"Have fun. I love you. Both of you. I'll see you in a few days."
She left the room then, surprised, and yet not, that Severus followed her moments later.
"You are really leaving?"
"Yes, I'm going home."
"You are upset. I just don't want you splinching yourself."
"I'm not that upset, Severus."
"I assure you my invitation is not intended as a come-on. How I can come on to my own wife, I'm not sure, but that wasn't the reason for the invitation."
"Yes, well, I'm still going home. I can't do it, Severus. I can't wake up tomorrow and have breakfast with you and our daughters as if we're a normal family."
"I would be within my right…"
"Really? You're going to play that barbaric card? You want to force me to stay here? One of the reasons I chose you was because I knew you didn't think that way!"
"And yet you left!"
"You keep saying that. How was I supposed to know you wanted me to stay? You are a resourceful wizard who acted as a spy for years. Something tells me if you really wanted to find me, you would have. So that leads me to believe you didn't."
"You didn't look for me either."
"You're right, because I assumed you didn't want me! I wasn't even twenty years old and essentially sold myself to you because on paper you were my best option. You never once indicated any of it meant anything to you!"
He huffed.
"This is not a discussion I want to be having tonight. I'll see you in a few days. Mia knows our telephone number if you want to call first, but I'm not going anywhere or doing anything that you arriving unannounced would be problematic. I presume she has her keys with her things. Or Eden does, I suppose."
"Hermione," he said.
"Good night, Severus. Thank you for taking care of Mia."
"You think I would do any less, even if I had known it was her?"
"No, I don't, but I can still be appreciative. She loves Casablanca . I'm glad she got to watch it with you. I've never told her it was a favorite of yours."
"Another thing I should have recognized. Eden is not much into black and white films."
Hermione smiled a bit at that.
"It was right after the Easter basket incident, so I presumed that she was just happy I wanted to do something with her." He shrugged.
"See you soon, Severus."
"You will," he said, opening the door for her. She hated the wash of … joy that went through her at the gesture.
She apparated into her home. Something she rarely did if she knew someone was there. She didn't know for a fact that Harry was here, but she guessed he was.
"Harry James Potter," she called out.
"In here," he called out from the kitchen.
She walked in that direction.
"How could you do that to me?"
"Do what? Make you talk to your husband? Merlin forbid."
"No! You knew. You knew she was Eden…"
"Actually," he said, cutting her off. "I didn't know. I found someone who had an elf who was willing to allow me to use it to pass a message to Kingsley. I asked if he knew if Eden was at Ilvermorny. Turns out, maybe their meeting was his plan, but I had nothing to do with it."
"What do you mean?"
"Severus wanted Eden to go to Beauxbatons. Kingsley, seeing that he lived in Canada and she would, therefore, go to Ilvermorny with Mia."
"Asked Beauxbatons to reject her application."
"Yes."
"And the detention?"
"Mm, Kingsley," he said with a shrug. "I'm not sure their professor knows of Severus, or if that was just part of his script."
"Harry!"
"I didn't know, Hermione! I wouldn't do that to you."
"But you would lock me in a room with a man I haven't seen in nearly twelve years!"
"Yes, so that you would talk to one another. He wouldn't hurt you now anymore than he would have then. I knew that. You knew it, too, or you wouldn't have brought Eden to him yourself. You would have had me do it, or sent him an owl asking to meet somewhere neutral."
"So, Kingsley…"
"Like me, just wanted you two to talk, Hermione. You both still wear your wedding bands. Granted, yours is on a necklace, but it's there for anyone to see. You haven't dated in twelve years and, as far as I can tell, neither has Severus."
"You really didn't know?"
"No, Hermione. Come on. Give me some credit. Best friend, remember. Godfather to those two girls. Maybe you believe somewhere in that head of yours I'd do something stupid to hurt you, but I'd never do that to either of them. You know that I wouldn't. I wouldn't do that to you either. I know it hurts you. I know it does. I see you on their birthday. I see the tears that form in your eyes when Mia blows out the candles on her cake. Every year. I know why they're there. I don't have a wife or kids. You and those girls are all the family I have."
It was a sore spot, she knew, that he was still single. He very much wanted a family, but he had yet to find someone who just wanted Harry Potter. They wanted The Boy Who Lived. Or his money. It was why he was here for holidays and Mia's birthday. He hadn't gotten those things as a child, and he wanted some part of it. Even if she wasn't his.
"If you want to be mad, I get it, but all I did was tell Kingsley I thought Mia was Eden. He told me he presumed you'd bring Eden back immediately, and met me there."
"You went along with it, though, Harry!"
"Because you two are the bravest people I know, but also very stubborn. It's ridiculous. You're mad at him over an Easter basket."
"That isn't all!"
"Okay. You know what I mean, though. You give me leeway. A lot of it, knowing I wasn't raised to be loving and kind. Neither was he."
"Harry, it hurt too much. I couldn't do it. I wasn't going to go back there and have him tell me our agreement was over…"
"I can see that. I get it, but I'm telling you he has not behaved like a man who is single for the past twelve years."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't do that. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking of my mum. He never married or had sex with my mum. He never created children with my mum. He didn't love my mum, Hermione. And if you're holding onto that, well, then that's on you. And further proof that, despite creating those two girls together, you didn't talk!"
"We had an agreement!"
"Agreements can be broken."
"Harry."
"Listen, I'm not saying he's madly in love with you, now or then. I do know that from everything I can tell, he hasn't said one disparaging thing to Eden about you."
"I haven't either…"
"Of course not, but you're telling me that he let you leave. You left. I tried to tell you to stay, even at my house, for a while. To be sure."
"I didn't want to stay and have him not come!"
"Well, he did! He showed up, and I had no idea what to tell him. You never told me your parents' names, until later obviously. And then by then," he shrugged. "Well, you hadn't mentioned him, so I just went with that. I didn't want to hurt you."
"Oh, Harry." She sat on a stool at the breakfast bar, setting her chin into the palms of her hands. "What do I do?"
Harry shrugged. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. All I know is that as much as I enjoy living here, the things that Mia has learned to do and can do." She shrugged.
"There's no one like him."
"No," she said. "I mean, you're right, I haven't gone on dates, but there hasn't been anyone I've wanted to go out on a date with. I've left Mia with Mum and Dad and gone to a bar or whatever."
"I'm not implying I think you're pathetic, and I know being a single mum has kept you busy. You've done an amazing job. So has he."
"He has."
"I don't think Eden knows how to do half the stuff Mia does, though."
"No, but she's lived all over the world, Harry."
"And they will both likely be jealous of the other one for that reason. Mia because she'll be envious Eden saw so much. With her dad. Eden because Mia had stability with you and your parents."
"And you."
"Yes, well, I wasn't going to force myself in Severus' life. I didn't know how to tell him I'd like to see her without him thinking I was spying on him for you."
She rubbed her eyes with the pads of her fingers, shaking her head.
"You were caught in the middle of that, weren't you."
"Just a bit," he said.
She sighed heavily.
"I really made a mess of this whole thing, didn't I?"
"I don't know about that. Both Eden and Mia seem good and as smart as I assumed a child you two created would be. They're loved. Eden didn't want to come here because she was miserable with Severus. The same was true for Mia. They just wanted to know their other parent. Are they worse for not having you or Severus around?" He shrugged. "Maybe. If you two weren't willing to talk, though, that wouldn't be healthy either. Kids aren't stupid."
"Listen to you."
"No, it's true. They can pick up on stuff. I didn't know why Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't like me, but I knew."
"I know Harry."
"I went along with Kingsley's idea because I agreed with him that you two needed to talk. I'm not suggesting that you move in together tomorrow, but you two have feelings for one another. At least you did twelve years ago. You both opted to stay married to one another. It's time to find out if they're still there or not."
"That's very scary," she admitted. Morgana, it was more than just scary.
"I can imagine it is."
"How would we even do that?"
"I don't know. Spend time together. Eden and Mia are at school until July, that gives you nearly three months to be Severus and Hermione versus Mum and Dad."
She sighed. "I need some wine."
He chuckled, gesturing with his hand. She looked beside her and there was a glass of wine already there.
"Thank you."
"Cooper was fine, by the way. You could have stayed."
"I didn't want to. It was too confusing seeing him again."
"He seemed pretty genuine in his concern that something had happened to you when he opened the door and saw me standing there."
"He did," Hermione said, taking a sip from the glass of wine.
"I wish Kingsley would have told me…" she murmured.
"I think Kingsley is a busy man who saw an opportunity and took it, and didn't think about the personal repercussions. He just knows that two of his war heroes, and their intelligent daughters, aren't in Britain where they belong because they couldn't admit they loved one another."
"Hmm."
"Am I forgiven?" Harry asked. He didn't sound as if he really thought he wasn't forgiven. Bastard.
"Maybe," she said. She was pretty sure the slight lift of her lips told him he most likely was, though.
"Do you want me to stay here until he brings Mia back?"
"No, that's not necessary."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm a big girl, Harry."
He snorted softly.
"She likes my caramel corn," he said softly.
"She does," Hermione said, spinning her wineglass around a bit on the counter with her hand over the top of it. "She liked Snoopy, too," she said, choking back a sob.
"Yeah, well, Merlin, Hermione. I mean, they're not identical identical, but considering they never saw one another until December they're a lot alike."
"I know," she said.
"I mean, they did very well. If I hadn't been here to notice things…"
"I'm glad you were here. Like I told them, I understand why they did what they did, but that doesn't make it right."
"Spoken like a person who never did anything they weren't supposed to do when they were twelve years old."
Hermione laughed at that. She couldn't help it.
"Touche."
Silence.
"We did get into a bit of trouble, didn't we?"
"We did."
"I still can't believe we thought Severus was trying to kill you."
"I thought it, you mean. You went along with me because you couldn't find proof that he wasn't, but it was me."
"Would you do it again?"
"Not in a million years, even if I was assured Voldemort wouldn't be a factor."
"I think I'd kind of…"
Harry shook his head. "Yeah, I know. All those pesky things trying to kill Harry interfered with your studying."
She smirked, pushing some hair from her face. "Well, you're not lying."
"Come on, bring your wine into the other room. Let's watch a movie or something."
"You're staying the night?"
"I am, just to be sure you're really all right. I'll leave in the morning."
"Thank you. Tell Kingsley I will have words with him."
Harry laughed.
"I have a feeling he will not relish the idea, then again. I'm not sure he's ever been on the receiving end of your temper. So, maybe he doesn't know to be scared."
Hermione knew she was blushing.
The phone rang. Harry headed toward the living room as Hermione stood, glancing at the clock. It was late. Morgana, if something happened to her parents…
"Hello," she said.
"Mom?"
"Mia?"
"Mm hmm."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes. I just wanted to make sure you're not mad I'm staying here."
"I'm not mad. Enjoy time with Eden and your father. I'll see you in a few days."
"Are you okay?"
Hermione smiled a bit. It was just like Mia to worry about her. She was … kind that way. A trait Hermione wasn't entirely sure where it came from, as neither she nor Severus were … kind people. To those who earned their trust, yes, but not to just anyone. Mia was kind to most anyone.
"I am fine. Harry and I are going to watch a movie before going to bed. Then he's going to leave in the morning."
"Oh. Okay."
Silence.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too, sweetheart. Does your dad know you're calling me?"
"I asked him."
"Okay. Good. Tell Eden good night."
"Dad, too?"
Hermione rolled her eyes with a soft sigh. "Your dad, too."
"I'm sorry. We weren't thinking about something happening to one of us, or one of you, and not knowing."
"I know, sweetheart. I totally understand, and am sure your father does, too."
"Thank you."
Her daughter disconnected then. Honestly, she had no way of knowing for certain that it was Mia she'd just spoken to, and not Eden.
Hopefully, Harry picked out a good movie, because she needed that tonight. She brought her wineglass out to the living room where he was. Something told her this was going to be a long couple of days.
Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com