Severus Snape watched Hermione Granger use her Portkey to return to the Leaky Cauldron and stared in amazement at his wife. He could feel fluttering in his stomach and fought to keep his lips from curling into a smile. She said it. She acknowledged their marriage to the whole group, and Severus found his heart thumping almost as quickly as the day of his first Occulumency lesson.
He rose from the easy chair and forgot the others in the room. He found himself on his feet gliding slowly toward her, ready to take her in his arms, but the loud crack of someone Apparating forced Severus to stop just before he reached her.
A lovely young girl entered the room. She was tall and lanky with silky raven hair that was pulled into a pony tail and silver eyes that darted excitedly to all of the people in the room. Her eyes sparkled like stars as she flashed a welcoming grin. Richelle’s grin.
“Heather, I, well, I - I wasn’t expecting you this afternoon, darling.” Suddenly, Richelle didn’t seem right. She began to sway, and turned slowly to meet Severus’s gaze, but before she could speak she collapsed, fortunately, into his arms.
“Richelle!” His voice reeked of his concern as he lifted her in his arms in one fluid motion.
“Mum!” The young woman shrieked as she ran to Snape’s side.
“Mum?” Snape inquired of the girl, and the truth dawned on him like a lightning bolt striking a metal pole. The black hair. The silver eyes. The unmistakable grin. Richelle had not been alone. Richelle had been raising her child. This girl was her daughter.
Realization now dealt him a blow to the stomach, nearly knocking out his breath. This girl was his daughter. In shock, he nearly dropped his wife.
“Severus,” Albus Dumbledore spoke soothingly, “I suspect my dear niece just needs some repose. Perhaps a potion for Dreamless Sleep is in order. It is quite a challenge on one’s body to Apparate other people such a great distance. Heather, dear, if you could open the door to your mother’s room for him, I believe that Severus can carry her there.”
“Of course,” Severus carried his wife to her bedroom finding himself still numb about the news that he was a father. He followed the girl down the hallway that he had not dared to venture. At the end, Heather pushed open the door to a room with light purple walls and a silk covered bed. Along the table there was fresh lavender, charmed, Severus thougt, to always bloom. He remembered how she loved lavender as he gently placed Richelle in her bed. Stealing a glance at the young witch, he noticed that the girl and Albus engaged in a conversation, and he hated himself for not earlier thinking of Richelle’s needs. He leaned over Richelle, lightly stroking her honey-colored hair. Of course she is exhausted, and all I have worried about is whether or not she could love me again.
“I daresay she hasn’t stopped, Severus,” Albus said after the girl left the room, “and apparently you still love her too.”
“I hate it when you do that.” Severus said emptying his mind and turning to his mentor.
“I know that you do, Severus, but I do think we should talk for a few minutes.” Dumbledore inspected him over his half-moon spectacles. He heaved a sigh and quickly conjured two chairs beside Richelle’s bed. “Heather is quite gifted with Potions, a natural talent; she works as an apprentice in the potions lab at a magical hospital on the mainland, where she has gone to retrieve a vial of Dreamless Sleep for us.” He paused for a moment, casting a silencing charm around them so as not to disturb the unconscious woman. “Have you told her everything?”
“I have tried to tell her.”
“Did most of the talking, did she?”
“Yes, and-”
“Tried to dig into your mind herself.”
“Yes,” Severus felt a smirk creep upon his lips and thought that’s what I love about her. Abruptly, however, his thoughts drifted to what she had not told him. “Albus, did you know, did you, did you know about the children?”
“I see she told you about the boy.” The aging professor brought his forefingers together, tapping them gently. “Yes, Severus, I did know.”
Silence hung between them. Severus owed so much to the man standing before him, but he could not help feeling resentment for this betrayal.
“Severus, understand, please understand that when she wanted to go into hiding she told me that it was because she was afraid for the babies, not herself.” Dumbledore paused, considering his words very carefully. “She is so wise. She knew the danger the babies would be in and because of your situation at the time she was quite concerned of you knowing the truth. Now, of course, she did not tell me you were the father then. I did not know until you told me of your marriage.”
“Why didn’t “ ”
“Severus, if you would just listen for a time. I wanted very much to tell you where she was. I wanted desperately to take you to her and fake your death as well.” Dumbledore sighed, his voice sounding weary. “She was just miserable at first, but she was afraid of Voldemort, afraid for her babies. Then, well, then your emotions got the better of you didn’t they?”
Severus could not look at the old man. He regretted thinking it was the Order, namely Sirius Black, that killed Richelle. Even more so, he despised his own devotion to Voldemort thereafter. Unexpectedly, he remembered his meeting with Lilly Evans Potter, just before she went into hiding. She looked at him with her lovely emerald eyes” full of hurt and sorrow, mourning the passing of her dear friend and stressing strongly to him that there was no way Sirius would have killed Richelle. He had wanted to believe her eyes, and those eyes haunted him for years, especially after Harry came to Hogwarts.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. “Severus, by the time you realized your mistakes and came to me again, it was too late. Your daughter had arrived, your son and Lily were dead. Richelle began writing her books. She was bitter too. I don’t think she was ready to see you again.”
Severus looked out the window, wishing for a way to reverse time and efface the mistakes of his youth.
“I did tell her about you, often. I spoke of your work with the Order. I told her of your tenure at Hogwarts. I told her how you had given invaluable protection to Harry in such a way that no one would even remotely suspect that you cared for him at all. I even sent you to several educational conferences at which Miranda Goshawk would be speaking. And, I involved her as a key piece in this great scheme of ours. I did, Severus, try to bring her back to you.”
Severus looked back at his mentor, and swallowed his emotions. “Does Heather know about me?”
A loud pop announced the girl’s arrival, and a twinkle flickered in Dumbledore’s cerulean eyes.
“Severus,” the old man yawned, “you know I am still a little weak. I think I shall have a respite as well. I will take the room in which you were sleeping, and you can stay here with your lovely wife. I should think that she would like to wake with you next to her.” He stood smiling. “Heather, I trust you to administer the potion to your mother and take the opportunity to get to know your father.”
The girl’s silver eyes looked questioningly between Snape and Dumbledore, her brows furrowed together. “Father? She told me my father was dead.”
“She told me she was dead.” Severus replied coolly, raising his brows and piercing his lips. He did not know how a father should act in the least.
Heather shook her head and rolled her eyes. “That’s typical, Mum,” she said using a droplet to place potion in her mother’s lips. She placed the empty vial on Richelle’s nightstand and turned to face Severus. “Mother has a veranda off of this room. Would you like to have a chat?”
“I think we should.” He felt so discomfited. His stomach lurched. He wasn’t even sure how he should feel. This girl, while a stranger to him, was indeed his daughter. She was tall like him and her hair was silky and black like his. And when she had raised her brow just then at hearing he was her father “ well, that was something he would have done. He felt a connection growing between them and they had barely said a word to each other.
She led him to a small porch overlooking the sea and conjured two comfortable chairs and a pitcher of lemonade.
“So,” she started, filling a glass with the lemonade. “When did you find out about me?”
“When you Apparated into our conversation earlier.” Severus tried not to sound annoyed as the frustration he felt had nothing to do with the lovely young woman sitting across from him.
“Well, you must be reeling!” Heather let out a nervous chuckle. “If I may be candid, I don’t know where to begin, Mr. ““
“My name is Severus. Severus Snape.”
“The Potions Master at Hogwarts?” Her eyes were dancing and her lips were beaming at him.
Severus felt a smirk creep onto his face as well, and he lifted both eyebrows as he said, “I understand that you share my passion.”
“Always drove Mum crazy.”
“Indeed.” He found himself nearly sniggering. He could just imagine Richelle’s exasperation with her daughter’s love of potions.
“So,” Heather averted her gaze from the man who was her father to a couple of gulls flapping in the horizon. She squinted her eyes slightly in the lowering sunlight. “So, what happened? Why did Mum keep us apart?”
“This is a bit unnerving for both of us, Heather. We are both in a bit of shock right now, and I for one am feeling inept at communicating.” Severus saw the girl concede with a nod before he continued. “Let’s just say that I am the world’s biggest git. I did some terrible things and your mother left me to think she was dead. However, we were reacquainted a few days ago.”
“Are you two back together then?” Her silver eyes stared directly at him now, and Severus was sure that her mother had trained her as a Legilimens.
“I’m not sure.” Severus maintained her gaze.
“Do you want to be?” She cocked her head slightly, elongated her lips, and raised just her left brow.
Severus knew exactly what he wanted to say. He could only hope that it was what she wanted to hear. “Absolutely.”
He found the girl smiling, a sense of relief ebbing over her face. “So what would you like to know about me?”
They talked until dinner. Severus learned that his daughter had recently graduated from Beauxbatons and was strong in Potions and Herbology. She wanted to be a healer, a career requiring a few more years of school. She was a decent flyer and had been a leading chaser for her Quiddictch team. She had wanted to come to Hogwarts for the Tri Wizard Tournament, but her mother would not allow it. Her mother was quite overprotective, but loving nonetheless.
“I’m going to make some dinner for all of us,” she smiled. “Besides, I want to get to know this cousin of mine.”
“I’m fine for now, Heather. I would like to stay with your mother if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” she hesitated before adding a nearly inaudible whisper, “Dad.”
Severus could not help himself. Heart beating in his throat, his arms engulfed her long, lithe body, and he gave his daughter a hug, their first hug. He did not let himself cry.
“I like being called Dad,” he confessed, his voice nearly cracking, as they broke their embrace.
“Good, because I like saying it!” And with a smile, she exited the room.
Severus stayed with Richelle for the rest of the afternoon and night. He occasionally conjured himself some food, but he mostly napped next to his wife, stroking her hair and finally drifting into a deeper sleep. When he awoke, he was lying on his back and found Richelle curled upon him, her head on his chest and her knee resting lightly on his thigh. This is how we used to sleep.
He felt her stirring and realized that she was going to wake, and he hoped that she would not be upset by his presence.
“Severus? What are you doing in here?” She was puzzled but didn’t sound angry to Severus.
“Your uncle took the other room and suggested that I move in here. Our daughter thought I should stay here too.” He added with a smirk. “Are you upset?”
“No,” she smiled and then looked away from his gaze. “Are you upset about Heather?”
“Of course I am,” Severus retorted, “but not with you. You were right to hide her from me and from the Dark Lord. Look at Draco. I shudder to think of putting a child through that. You did the right thing,” his voice faltered slightly, “but I cannot believe what I have missed.”
“You’re going to love her, Severus. She’s like a perfect blend of us.”
“I already do love her.”
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“Sixteen or seventeen hours.”
“What!” She started to sit up, but Severus stopped her. “Severus, I need to check with Hermione and see if she got the locket yet. I can’t believe I have been snoozing like some housecat.”
“Miss Granger can wait, Richelle,” his voice cooed, “but this cannot.”
He pulled her face to his and landed his lips on hers. Electric pulses went throughout his body and he moved his hand to her robes.
“Severus, stop. I, I, I, I have no potion.”
“Richelle, we have been married for twenty years, I don’t care about the potion.”
“Severus, it is not responsible. I have duties. I may need to travel back to Britain, I may-”
“Richelle, haven’t we sacrificed enough for this war?” He didn’t want to remind her of their son. “This does not have to fall on your shoulders now. We have Miss Granger and I can assure you that she is as bright, if not more so, as you and Evans.”
“Severus Snape! I just might be insulted,” she smiled coyly and he felt a victory coming his way. She looked down at her fingers and her face became more serious. “Severus, I just have a few more things to say.”
He sighed. Frankly, he did not want to hear any more.
“Severus, I do love you. I have loved everything that you have done since returning to the Albus’s side. I love that you tried to undo the harm you did to Lily. I love that you tried to help her son, and I love that you risked your life for Albus’s plan. I love that you are not angry with me for keeping Heather a secret, and I want nothing more than to spend everyday of the rest of my life making up for lost time with you. And,” she looked around the room and finally shrugged, “and I want you to make love to me after you have performed a silencing charm on this room. It seems I cannot find my wand.”
As they lay there hours later, Severus reveled in the feel of her skin against his and the smell of her hair. She was sleeping again and he loved feeling like he was there to protect her and the baby he knew she was now growing thanks to the ancient charm placed on her at her own birth. It was not too late for them, he smiled thinking of their children, and grandchildren. He smiled knowing that he would grow old not alone, but with the woman he loved by his side. He smiled knowing that through his “death” he was finally free of the Dark Lord’s grasp. He smiled knowing every sacrifice Richelle had made to earn his freedom, and he smiled knowing that soon Harry Potter would defeat Voldemort and they could all return home.
THE END --please review!
R.A.B. and the Beginning of the End by Wicked Wench
Chapter Notes: This is the final chapter! Thanks to those of you who reviewed on this site or helped with a Beta read. I am working on a spin off now. It is a series of one shots about Severus and Richelle's past.