THE POWER OF WORDS: CHAPTER 1
It was a bleak Sunday afternoon in mid-December. It had been over four months since Poppy Pomfrey had diagnosed Zoe as a perfectly normal and healthy little girl, yet Severus had been unsuccessful in trying to coax any words out of her since that day. Of course, he had also been strongly discouraged from putting too much demand on the child to do so. That admonishment had come in the form of a rather curtly worded missive that had arrived by owl from the matron soon after their arrival home the afternoon of Zoe’s appointment.
She’s just a child, Severus, Madam Pomfrey had written. There’s no need to rush her. When she has something she wishes to tell you that she can no longer communicate without speaking, she will talk. In the meantime, be encouraging, but be wary of any unnecessary pressure.
Be encouraging, indeed. How the bloody hell was he supposed to encourage the girl without specifically telling her that she should speak? For to actually say, ‘Zoe, why don’t you ask me to hand you the biscuit off the table?’ or even, ‘Zoe, I do not understand what that hand signal means. Do you need to use the loo?’ would be much too damaging to the child’s apparently delicate sensibility and self-esteem.
Rubbish, Severus thought. My daughter does not have self-esteem issues.
She was merely…shy. Yes, he supposed that was what it could be. Upon first meeting strangers, there was a wariness, a timidity, that the girl possessed, he supposed, but once properly introduced and spoken to kindly, it took little time for Zoe to become outwardly--if not vocally--amiable, trusting and polite in her own way.
Zoe had had a birthday in early September--she was now four years old and with the coming of a new year, Severus rather hoped Zoe spoke soon. For the older she grew, the more curious she became and, considering she had no verbal way of asking questions or permission for anything, she had to be watched constantly lest she touch something or go somewhere she shouldn’t. Ollie, something of an over-bearing, yet motherly sort of house elf, was quick to scold and swat a little hand when it reached for something hot or messy. Severus, more often than not, was more inclined to use the redirection tactic; pulling Zoe away from where ever she shouldn’t be and enticing her to focus her attention elsewhere. Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn’t. At least if the little girl could speak, he may have a better sense of where she was and whether she understood directions.
Severus heaved in a great breath of resigned frustration, took off his black, rectangular glasses--they were a rather recent accessory that he loathed to admit he needed for reading--and rubbed his eyes.
When the humming began, he looked down to his daughter. Zoe was lying on her belly on the sitting room floor, a cushion up under her elbows and her feet sticking up in the air. Her long, brown hair would have been falling unkempt in her face had Severus not tied it up nearly twenty minutes before when Zoe had pulled out her pastels and coloring papers. He couldn’t quite tell what it was that she was humming, exactly. It may have been Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Though not inclined to indulge her regularly, Severus knew that of the songs he sometimes softly sang to her when she couldn’t sleep, she liked that one the best.
Severus watched his daughter for quite some time. She seemed oblivious to his intent gaze and continued to hum contentedly. When she grew bored with her blue pastel, she released it from her fingers and watched as it slowly rose up into line next to where the other dozen colors or so hovered a few inches above the rug.
Examples of this tiny bit of harmless, wandless magic had been occurring from time to time since Zoe’s third birthday and Severus had been intrigued by it. Though he knew the Ministry expected parents to try to control the magical displays of their children, he did not intend to scold Zoe for her underage magic—as if she’d understand enough to heed any Ministry statute anyway. Instead, he had watched every display raptly, noting each occurrence in a diary he kept in the desk in his study. He had no idea whether this was normal for a child her age (after all, he’d only ever heard of accidental magic occurring during temper tantrums or moments of fear in young, magical children) but had chosen to believe that it was. At least it was becoming normal for Zoe, allowing her father to take pride in the control his little witch possessed at such a young age.
Zoe wrinkled her brow for a moment before finally plucking the green pastel (an excellent choice, in his opinion) out of the air and, placing it to the paper, began to draw great swirls and loops. The drawing looked like an explosion of multi-colored tapeworms to Severus, but the way Zoe focused so intently on it, he reckoned she must have seen something entirely different.
Severus smirked lightly before finally shaking himself from his musings and getting back to the letter he had been reading from the editor of The Subtle Art of Potions, a Masters-level textbook he had assisted in the updating of around the time Zoe was born. It seemed the publishers wished to release a new volume within the next year and had been pleased enough with his additions to the Veritaserum formula that they wanted his help in revisions to numerous other potions he was known to brew more effectively. This would take consideration indeed. Not only did the revisions promise a hefty deposit into his Gringotts account, they would also give him the opportunity to make his work known on a wider scale, allowing his enhanced brews to become the standard formula among Potions Masters, apprentices and apothecaries the world over.
As he finished the letter and folded it back into its parchment envelope, there came a knock at the door. Severus looked up just in time to see Zoe’s pastels fall to the floor as her head whipped around to stare into the entryway. She looked back to him curiously for she was as unaccustomed to someone coming to the door as Severus was. Rarely did they receive visitors and those few that did stop by used the Floo anyway.
Severus stood and as he walked toward the entryway, Zoe rose hastily and began to toddle after him. Severus stopped, turning to face the little girl.
–Zoe, stay here,†he said.
The little girl stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. There was another knock. Zoe started forward again, but Severus caught her arm and pulled her back. He leaned over to address her.
–No,†he said firmly, looking her in the eye. –You are to stay in this sitting room.â€
The four-year-old frowned, but nodded her head. She understood no, Severus was certain of it, and if she understood the meaning of that one little word, she could obey.
He left the girl to go back to her coloring as he made his way into the entryway. As the front door came into view, Severus noted that the phosphorescent glows of his wards that normally informed him as to the nature of the guest were in a bit of a conflict. They would glow blue if the person on the other side was a friend; red was reserved for those he deemed undesirable. Currently, however, the door was glowing a brilliant purple, as if the wards couldn’t decide whether Severus would welcome the guest into his home, or hex whoever it was on site. This was truly intriguing.
Clutching his wand in his pocket, Severus reached forward with is left hand and cautiously opened the door a crack. There was a man with light brown hair and plain, grey robes standing on his stoop. He was turned away from Severus and gazing around the neighborhood as if truly interested in it.
–May I help you?†Severus asked coldly.
The man turned around quickly and Severus suddenly understood the confusion of his wards. After all, the man standing before him was, technically, a Dark creature and not, exactly, someone Severus would consider a friend, yet he was also never openly hostile--in human form, anyway.
–Ah, Severus,†Remus Lupin said pleasantly. –How are you?â€
–I was perfectly content until you showed up on my doorstep, Lupin,†Severus drawled, opening the door a bit wider. –What do you want?â€
–May I come inside?†Lupin asked. –It’s rather brisk out here and I have a favor to ask.â€
–No.â€
–’No’ I may not come inside or ‘no’ to the favor?â€
–Yes.â€
Lupin smiled kindly, patiently. –We aren’t boys anymore, Severus. I’m willing to forgive and forget if you are.â€
–There is nothing for you to forgive,†said Severus coolly, –and as for forgetting, I can hardly be held accountable for my impeccable memory.â€
–We were on the same side during the war; we fought alongside each other for years. Surely this petty, boyhood feud has--â€
Lupin suddenly cut off as something inside the house caught his eye and he stared, awestruck, apparently. Severus looked behind him and found that Zoe had allowed her curiosity to get the best of her and had ventured into the entryway. She was actually standing rather close to him, peeking up at the stranger in the doorway from behind her father’s robes. Severus rolled his eyes and picked the young girl up, seating her on his arm.
–Did I not say that you were to stay in the sitting room?†he admonished the four-year-old.
Zoe merely nodded her head distractedly as she gazed warily at Lupin. Severus sighed. He supposed introductions were in order.
–My daughter, Zoe,†he said to Lupin. –Zoe, this is Mr. Lupin.â€
The little girl nodded again, sticking two, pastel powder-covered fingers in her mouth absentmindedly, while Lupin beamed. Severus pulled her hand away from her mouth and eyed her sternly.
–Ah, so this is the famous Zoe,†Lupin said before addressing Severus’s daughter. –I’ve heard so much about you, of course. You have one very proud and boastful godmother, I must say.â€
Zoe grinned shyly and Lupin reached out a hand to tickle her belly, causing her to giggle and squirm in Severus’s arms.
–Yes, Minerva dotes upon her more often than she should,†Severus said before turning back into his home, more to get Zoe out of the cold than anything, but resigning himself to the impromptu visit also. –Come in, Lupin, if you must. Let’s see what this favor is all about.â€
Severus strode purposefully back into the sitting room, paying little attention to Lupin closing the door and following him inside. He conjured a small, low stool and used his foot to place it along the wall near the fireplace. He stood Zoe on her feet beside it and leaned down to her level.
–For your disobedience, you’ll face the wall for four minutes,†he spoke lowly to his daughter, indicating the stool.
Zoe put her fingers back into her mouth and looked curiously over at Lupin who stood near the sofa, his hands clasped behind his back, waiting to be invited to sit down. The man watched the exchange, a knowing smile on his face. Severus frowned.
–Mr. Lupin hardly cares that you’re being punished. Sit.â€
Zoe nodded and obediently sat down and turned away from her father.
–Get your fingers out of your mouth, child, you look like an animal,†he scolded then, reaching down and pulling Zoe’s hand away once more, before standing upright and striding to his green armchair, shaking his head.
–I suppose you may sit as well,†he said to Lupin, indicating the sofa, as he pulled his pocket watch out and glanced at the time. He sat down himself. –I would offer you tea, but my house elf is out for the day and, frankly, I think doing so would only encourage future spontaneous visits from you which I would much rather not endure.â€
–I’m fine, Severus, really,†Lupin took a seat to one side of the sofa and looked over to Zoe’s turned back. –I remember the days of time outs,†he said amusedly. –There was a time when it seemed Teddy spent most of his day on a chair sitting quietly.â€
–You mean you and Nymphadora didn’t simply let the boy run wild? How very surprising. I’d have thought a former Marauder would have reveled in his son’s lack of propriety and obedience,†Severus drawled nonchalantly.
–Well, having your own children has a way of making us understand exactly what our parents went through when we were young,†the professor chuckled. –Teddy’s a good boy the majority of the time, but he has his moments. Boys will be boys, after all…â€
Lupin trailed off and looked at Severus curiously then. Severus arched an eyebrow at his contemporary.
–Tell me, what is it like raising a girl?†he asked.
–Why?†Severus inquired. –Do you find the world lacking in clumsy-troublemaker hybrids of the female variety and wish to take up the cause of remedying the situation?â€
Lupin let out a bark of laughter at that. –Actually, Grace was born in April. I’m surprised Minerva didn’t mention it to you… We’ve already had our ‘clumsy-troublemaker hybrid of the female variety’, as you say.â€
–Wonderful,†Severus said sardonically, looking down to his watch. –Zoe, come here, please.â€
The girl stood and walked to her father. She stopped before him and put her hands on his knees, only meeting his gaze from time to time.
–Look at me, Zoe,†Severus said. Zoe did. –You mustn’t allow your curiosity to overpower your common sense. When I tell you to do something or to stay somewhere, as I did earlier, I expect to be obeyed. Is that clear?â€
The girl nodded.
Severus inclined his head, determining the girl had learned her lesson—for now, anyway. –All right, you may greet our guest properly now.â€
Zoe cautiously walked to Lupin. When she stood before him, she held out her hand to him. Lupin grinned indulgently and took her small hand in his to shake it.
–I’m very pleased to meet you, Zoe. How old are you?â€
When Zoe held up three fingers, Severus cleared his throat. He watched as Zoe startled and glanced back at him for a moment, before sheepishly putting up her smallest finger and turning back to the professor.
–Four years old? Almost a lady.â€
Zoe giggled. Severus snorted. Yes, if a lady enjoyed blowing bubbles in her pumpkin juice and had a proclivity for getting unnaturally grubby, he thought.
–You know, I have a little boy and a little girl.â€
Zoe’s eyes widened and she leaned against Lupin’s legs, clearly willing him to continue. Severus raised an eyebrow at how quickly his daughter had warmed up to the man who had been a stranger to her not ten minutes ago.
–My son, Teddy, is eleven years old and started at Hogwarts just a few weeks ago. Do you know what’s special about my Teddy?â€
Zoe shook her head emphatically.
–He can change his hair color whenever he wants, just like his mum—â€
–No need to gloat, Lupin,†Severus chided, but it fell on deaf ears.
–It can be blue or red, black or brown or ginger,†the other man continued, playing on Zoe’s inquisitiveness. –But do you know what color he likes best?â€
Again, Zoe shook her head. Suddenly, Lupin had a Muggle wallet in his hand and he pulled out a photograph of a young boy and showed it to Zoe.
–Turquoise.â€
Severus could see from where he sat the similarities in the father and son. Aside from the outrageous hair, of course, there was no doubt that Teddy was the offspring of Remus Lupin.
Zoe squealed in delight and clapped her hands as she looked upon the magical photograph of Teddy who looked back at the camera with a wry smile as his turquoise locks fluttered in the breeze.
–Zoe,†Severus reprimanded for the loud outburst, plugging his ear uncomfortably. Again, he was ignored.
–And this here, is Gracie,†Lupin continued, holding up a new photograph of a rather plain-looking infant. –She’s just a baby now, but maybe when she’s a little bigger, the two of you can play together.â€
Zoe smiled and turned to look at Severus, her eyes pleading. Severus afforded an exasperated glare at Lupin for putting that idea into his daughter’s head before turning his eyes back to Zoe and softening his gaze.
–We’ll see,†he said simply, pursing his lips at the undesirable notion.
Zoe seemed to think that meant it was a done deal and smiled happily. Severus sighed.
–Zoe, I said to greet our guest, not to pester him relentlessly. Go color quietly while Papa speaks with Mr. Lupin.â€
Zoe nodded and moved back to her place on the rug, this time gathering the pastels that had scattered into a neat line on the floor. When Severus looked up to Lupin, the man was smiling back at him.
–What are you grinning about?â€
–She calls you Papa?†Lupin asked.
Severus looked away, annoyed. He had spoken to his daughter in the third person, hadn’t he? Damn. He shifted uncomfortably as the werewolf looked on, an amused, almost triumphant smirk on his face.
–Yes,†Severus responded rather tersely. –Or, at least, I expect she will when she decides to speak. The house elf refers to me as such so it seems inevitable that Zoe will also.â€
–When she decides to speak? You mean she isn’t talking yet?†Lupin asked quietly, looking over at Zoe on the floor, shocked, before settling his eyes back on Severus.
–No.â€
–I just assumed she was shy around strangers…†He shook his head, apparently still in disbelief. –Not at all? At four years old? She’s never spoken once?â€
–Did you not hear me the first time?†Severus snapped. –And I thought dogs had acute hearing…â€
Lupin scowled, but in an amused way. –Personal jibes aside, has she been tested for, you know…?â€
Severus nodded, not completely knowing why he was discussing this with one of his childhood tormenters. –Yes, of course. She’s perfectly healthy. Poppy Pomfrey has assured me many times, as has Minerva.â€
Lupin seemed genuinely interested.
–I don’t mean to pry--â€
–Of course, you do.â€
–--but what are Minerva’s thoughts on the issue?â€
Severus sighed heavily. –Far-fetched. She keeps stating the ages of Dumbledore, Mozart, and Einstein and their respective ages when they started to speak.â€
–Really? Well, this is wonderful, Severus!†Lupin beamed suddenly.
–I beg your pardon?â€
–Don’t you see? Your daughter may very well be a prodigy! Not that I’m really surprised considering who her father is.â€
–I think you’re barking,†Severus stated.
Lupin glared good-naturedly at Severus. –There’s that jibe again… I don’t see why you’re so skeptical. What did her mother do, may I ask?â€
Severus frowned now. –By all means, ask away. You seem perfectly comfortable delving into other aspects of my personal life, setting up play dates between our children…†He took a deep breath. –She was a Muggle,†he said lowly.
Lupin simply stared and Severus assumed it was because the man couldn’t believe that he, Severus Snape, would produce a child with a Muggle.
–For Merlin’s sake,†Lupin said, exasperated. –What does that have to do with anything? I didn’t ask whether Zoe’s mother was magical or not. What did she do?â€
Severus blinked; he was a bit surprised by the turn this conversation had taken. –She was a doctor, a pediatric surgeon, actually.â€
–So, highly-educated and intelligent, in other words,†Lupin nodded, as did Severus. –It’s not uncommon for highly intelligent parents to beget extremely bright children. I’m sure your daughter is already gifted beyond her years. You must be very proud.â€
–Hmm,†Severus said, scowling slightly.
Lupin shook his head. –Don’t be blasé about your child’s talents, Severus. I think you should encourage her to speak, but don’t rush her. When she’s ready, she’ll talk. Just let her do it in her own time.â€
–Remus Lupin: Child Psychologist,†Severus drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes and looking away. Lupin merely smiled warmly. –Well, as much as I’m enjoying sitting here and swapping stories and advice of fatherhood with you, Lupin, I believe you came here for a reason. Get on with it. What is this favor?â€
–Ah, of course.†Lupin cleared his throat, wiping the smile off his face. –As I’m sure you’re aware, Damocles Belby has developed a new formula of the Wolfsbane Potion.â€
Severus nodded. He’d read about the advancement of the potion nearly a month ago in Potions Quarterly. It was supposed to take the current formula one-step further and not only allow werewolves to transform into relatively docile wolves during the full moon, as the original version did, but also allow them to retain their human mind. Severus saw the merit in it, as nearly everyone would. No longer would werewolves have to seclude themselves away from their families once a month--for many taking Wolfsbane continued to do this; wolves were, after all, still wild animals. Lycanthropes could now enjoy the company of their loved ones year round, merely in a different form. Belby had also explained in the article that the new formula had a strengthening agent in it that made the transformation from human to wolf and back less draining on the werewolf. Though the full moon would still induce a painful experience, it would now be more akin to an Animagus transformation as far as fatigue and magical depletion were concerned, allowing those afflicted to spend less time –under the weather†in the days following their transformations.
–I know that you are developing your own Potions business,†Lupin continued, –and I would be much obliged if you would add this particular brew to your stocks, even if it were just me that you supplied with it.â€
Severus raised a single eyebrow at the other man.
–What happened to your last supplier? Why can’t they brew the potion?â€
Lupin looked rather sheepish for a moment, but then he frowned.
–My last supplier was Madam Darrow, in Edinburgh. Aside from finding out that my last few doses were outdated and could very well have caused me to become a full-grown, snarling werewolf, she has informed me that the new formula is much too complicated for her abilities.â€
Severus snorted. –I don’t doubt that. Madam Darrow is known within the Potions community to be notoriously careless with her inventory and a mediocre brewer.â€
–I would pay you well for it, of course,†Lupin added. –I receive a handsome sum from my Order of Merlin still and Minerva gives me a monthly stipend from Hogwarts to help pay for the cost of the potion.â€
Severus rolled his eyes. –Despite the money, what makes you think that I would want to brew this for you?â€
–You brewed it for me before.â€
–That was the original formula and it was on Dumbledore’s orders that I did so. You may recall that I stopped supplying it for you upon his death.â€
–Yes, and we both know the reasons behind that,†Lupin said significantly.
Severus’s nostrils flared. He didn’t need to be reminded of exactly why those orders had ceased. Lupin sighed heavily, closing his eyes.
–I’m sorry. That was out-of-line,†he said. –Of course, I appreciated you doing what you could, while you could. It’s just that--â€
Lupin paused, a look of frustration on his face. Severus could tell there was more the other wizard wished to say, but he was having a difficult time saying it. When Lupin glanced down to Zoe again, Severus grew agitated.
–What is it, Lupin? I don’t have all day…†Severus drawled.
–Look, I never liked you,†the man said finally, his gaze shifting to Severus in a flash.
Severus raised an eyebrow. –That’s certainly endearing me to your cause…â€
–Let me finish!â€
Severus’s eyebrows rose at the outburst and a whimper met his ears. He rose from his chair and approached his daughter.
–Come, Zoe.â€
The girl eyed Lupin curiously, but helped her father gather her supplies. Severus then led her into the kitchen where he settled her at the table. He placed his hand on her head reassuringly before making his way back into the sitting room.
How dare the werewolf raise his voice to him in his own home and in front of his daughter, no less. Severus wouldn’t allow it. He reentered the sitting room and stood before the wizard, his arms crossed.
–You have quickly depleted my patience, Lupin,†Severus said dangerously. –Were my child not in the next room, you would already have found yourself hexed and the door closed in your face.â€
Lupin looked remorseful at having startled Zoe, though he still seemed a bit agitated--whether with himself or Severus, Severus couldn’t tell. Lupin’s jaw tightened and one of his hands was curled into a fist. After taking a deep, calming breath, he ran a hand through his hair and stood, walking to the fireplace. He seemed to glance at the photographs there for a moment before he turned to Severus and continued.
–I’m sorry I alarmed your daughter. That was not my intent,†he said, his voice low, apologetic.
–As I said, I never liked you much…in school, that is. You were sour, sarcastic…cruel. I understand now that you were a product of incessant taunting and bullying. I also know that the way that James and Sirius treated you was horrible and that I was just as horrible to stand by and let it happen—especially after I became a prefect. I was wrong and I’m sorry. I would like to move on from that.â€
–Like I said earlier, we fought together on the same side for years. And in that year that we taught together at Hogwarts, you brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for me perfectly, every month. I know you did it on Dumbledore’s orders and not because you wanted to, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Though I may not have the prowess that you possess, I was not so ignorant to think that, though you dared not make the potion ineffective, that you could not have at least made me very ill upon my transformation back to human form. Yet, you didn’t. Not once.â€
Severus’s gaze stayed upon the wizard, but he kept his expression impassive, despite being offended that Lupin would suggest that he would sabotage a potion for his own gain or as retribution.
–The truth is,†Lupin continued. –I may not have liked you, in school or as your colleague, but I learned to respect you. I trust you, Severus. I did because Dumbledore did and I do now of my own accord and I am asking you this time, sincerely: Severus, will you please supply me with this new Wolfsbane Potion?â€
Severus unfolded his arms, walked back to his chair and took a seat. He was quiet for some time, letting the other wizard suffer as he thought.
On the one hand, he had to think about Lupin and their past. He didn’t particularly care for the werewolf either and, though Nymphadora had always been a proficient, if not sometimes clumsy brewer, Severus tended to discredit her by association for marrying Lupin. It may have been a bit irrational, yes, but what did he care? However, the new Wolfsbane was sure to be a complicated and challenging brew. It would make a pleasant break from the mundane Pepper-Ups and Skele-Gro elixirs St. Mungo’s was demanding by the vat.
Still, Lupin had yet to make a viable case for the Potions Master to consider…
–I’ll have to think about it,†he finally said to the wizard.
Lupin looked downhearted, but nodded. –That’s all I can ask, I suppose…â€
Severus rose once more and started toward the entryway, holding out his arm to indicate to Lupin that he was no longer welcome. –Well, if that is all…â€
Lupin started forward then paused in front of Severus, his expression thoughtful for a moment, then resolved.
–If you were forced to spend time away from Zoe once a month, would you be able to?â€
Severus narrowed his eyes at the man before him. –It’s time for you to go,†he said menacingly.
–If you knew that you could hurt her--kill her, even,†Lupin pushed forward, pleading, ignoring Severus’s rising ire, –And what if there was only one potion that could keep you from it, something that could keep her safe… And not only keep her safe, but allow you to be with her all the time. Wouldn’t you pursue that avenue with everything you have?â€
Lupin looked away from Severus then and took a deep breath. –Please, Severus, if you can’t find it within yourself to do this for me, do it for my children. I don’t want to be a danger to them and I cannot take a risk with Madame Darrow again.â€
Lupin seemed not only truly sincere, but also rather desperate. Severus couldn’t help but pity the man. Only four years before, had Lupin posed that situation to him hypothetically, Severus would have scoffed and thrown the man from his house. But now…
Lupin had hit home when he talked of keeping Zoe safe at all costs. He would do anything for that little girl and the other wizard knew it, whether from what Minerva had told him about Severus or simply because he understood a father’s duty and love. It really didn’t matter.
Severus closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He looked back to Lupin.
–Fine. I shall add the new Wolfsbane formula to my schedule each month. You will arrive here every day at exactly six in the evening during the week leading up to the full moon in order to drink each dose while it is fresh.â€
Lupin was positively beaming. He looked as if he wanted to do something ridiculously foolish--like hug something--and Severus instinctually took a step back in order to dodge any exuberant displays from the other wizard.
–Thank you, Severus. You have no idea how grateful Dora and I am. We are forever in your debt…â€
–Yes, speaking of debt--†Severus began, only to be cut off.
–Yes, yes, of course. We should discuss compensation. Madam Darrow demanded sixty Galleons per dose and I’d be willing to offer more for this improved brew…â€
–Keep your Galleons, Lupin,†Severus hissed testily. –I only ask for a reimbursement for the cost of the ingredients. Of course, the aconite will be the most costly, but no more than twenty-eight to thirty Galleons for each month’s regimen. I shall gather everything needed today and send you an invoice for the price of the supplies.â€
–You really don’t have to do that, Severus,†Lupin said.
–And yet here I am, doing it. I suggest you take my offer. It’s more than fair by any idiot’s estimation.â€
Lupin smiled broadly and nodded. –I really don’t know how to thank you.â€
–You could certainly start by exorcising me of your presence,†Severus stated plainly, striding to the front door and opening it wide.
Lupin wrapped his cloak more securely around himself and walked forward. Before striding fully through the door, he turned back toward Severus once again.
–She’s a beautiful little girl, Severus,†he said. –And it suits you, by the way.â€
–What’s that?†Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.
–Zoe calling you Papa. Fatherhood. It suits you.†He smiled kindly. –Thank you again.â€
Then the man turned on his heel and Disapparated away, leaving Severus feeling a bit perturbed, but not entirely resentful.
That’s my one good deed for the year, he vowed silently to himself as he closed the door and made a mental note to make it abundantly clear to Lupin that he was not to start spreading rumors that Severus Snape brewed potions pro bono.
The Power of Words by MetamorphmagusLupin
Chapter Notes: If you haven't read The Art of Communication, I would highly suggest that you read that one-shot before you start this story. Other than that, I own Zoe. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling. Enjoy!
Chapter Endnotes: Reviews are like oxygen. All you need are reviews. Please don't deprive me of something so life-sustaining. ;-)