The Tribulations and Tranquility of Travel
Chapter 3: Birds and Bees and Dragons
For Severus to say that Zoe had been an absolute angel for the duration of their trip to Ventnor would have been a lie. She hadn’t been an uncontrollable terror or ill-behaved, by any means--she knew far better than that--but she had been…troublesome.
The day after her unfortunate foray into deliberate disobedience and, thus, the raging waters of the English Channel, found her sitting quietly in a conjured little desk under an outcropping of dark rock, shaded from the sun, with her bare toes in the sand, and situated as far from the water as Severus could possibly get her.
It had turned out that the traces of moss he had found on the previous day led him to the overhang where he had been surprised to discover enough of the shade-loving flora to brew all the potions he’d been commissioned for and then some.
As he carefully and tediously collected and stored the moss, Zoe worked on the sums he had given her and practiced writing with a calligraphy pen--imitating the letters and numbers he had written out for her. Severus hoped to get her writing with an actual quill soon but, in the meantime, the self-refilling, training pen would do.
However, after nearly three hours of morning schoolwork with no complaint, Severus told Zoe she could put it all away and the two of them sat down on a conjured blanket in the sand to have lunch from the picnic basket he’d packed that morning. Severus leaned his back against a rock while Zoe situated herself onto her belly to eat her sandwich and crisps, her legs bent at the knee as she swung her feet back and forth through the air.
–You make the best roast beef, Papa,†Zoe said, happily munching a corner of her sandwich.
Severus inclined his head, rather amused. –Thank you. Though, I shall have to disappoint you, for I merely paid for the roast beef, I did not make it.â€
Zoe seemed to mull that over for a moment and then shrugged. Severus smirked.
After lunch, he had allowed her to stand by him as he continued to work. He had shown her the moss and explained to her the significance of it in various potions. She had been curious for a minute or two, but Severus knew that she had grown rather bored of it when she started asking a plethora of different questions--most of them oddly timed and none of them having anything to do with the cultivation of moss. He had been as patient with her as he could and continued his work while trying to answer them to the best of his ability but, eventually, Zoe grew bored with him altogether and began wandering and exploring the sandy, rocky area under the rock face. She had been very good about staying in the shade of the overhang, as he had instructed, though Severus made sure that he kept one eye on her at all times.
It was nearly two in the afternoon when it occurred to him that the girl had grown silent. Having come to learn early on that such an occurrence often meant that a young child was up to something, he looked up from where he was magically sealing moss into sterile containers.
Zoe was straight across from him to his left, crouched down and poking at the sand with her fingers. She appeared to be digging quite inquisitively and with a surprising amount of care. Severus watched her as she dug her little hands into the sand and combed her fingers back slowly, allowing the sand to fall back smoothly and naturally. This was odd to Severus for he’d watched her for a time attempt to build a sandcastle the previous day and the girl had hurriedly flung sand every which way then. Now, her movements were gentle. Precise, even.
She paused and reached out, poking at something. She crouched down further to inspect the object then she picked it up and brought it to her face. After a moment, she flung the thing away from her with a somewhat disappointed expression and went back to digging.
Severus was most definitely intrigued by his daughter now. It seemed obvious that something had piqued her interest and that she was searching for something more. The question was what.
He tried to focus back on his work--he was very nearly finished, after all--but his eyes kept straying to the little girl across from him.
When he had finally sealed the last container several minutes later, he looked up and was surprised to see that Zoe was now sitting in the sand rather than crouching, but was in the exact same place as before. She was also still precisely moving the sand around in her search.
He narrowed his eyes. For a child who could hardly keep still long enough to finish a meal, she had remained incredibly focused for quite some time.
Severus approached her slowly, observing her actions. She didn’t seem to notice him until his boots entered her line of vision. Even then, she only looked up at him briefly.
–Hi, Papa,†she said indifferently before going back to her digging.
–Hello. What are you doing?â€
–Digging in the sand.â€
Severus rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself for continuing to forget that children this young were very literal.
–Yes, I see,†he stated calmly. –I was curious as to why you are digging in the sand.â€
–I’m looking for dragon eggs,†she said, still looking down.
Severus raised his eyebrows and then furrowed them.
–What makes you believe you’re going to find a dragon egg in the sand?†he asked.
Zoe looked up at him then. –I already found some,†she said matter-of-factly.
–Oh?â€
Zoe nodded, smiling.
–May I inquire as to where you found a dragon egg?â€
Severus was suddenly worried. Although he knew inherently that the possibility of Zoe finding a dragon egg in the sand outside Ventnor on the Isle of Wight was slim, he couldn’t help but be curious. Just because it was unlikely didn’t mean it was a complete impossibility.
–Not a dragon egg, Papa,†Zoe corrected, obviously affronted by her father’s assumption. –Lots of dragon eggs.â€
Now Severus was just confused. Dragons didn’t typically lay large clutches of eggs--one or two, usually, if he remembered his Care of Magical Creatures lessons correctly. He supposed Zoe’s idea of –lots†could be somewhat skewed… She was only six years old, after all, and she did tend to exaggerate, as children are wont to do.
–Could you show me the dragon eggs?â€
Zoe had gone back to her digging, but she froze then and looked up at him with sternness in her features--something he rarely saw.
–Can you keep ‘em secret?†she asked in a rather scathing, skeptical tone that Severus was certain would land her in quite a bit of trouble if she were to use it in about ten years.
At her current age, he allowed it to go unchecked, however, but gave her a stern eyebrow raise, glaring back at her with a similar intensity to her own.
–Yes,†he drawled.
‘Unless they are truly dragon eggs, for I am legally obligated to report them to the Ministry,’ he added in his head.
Zoe perked up immediately and grinned, happy to have a partner to share her discovery.
–Okay,†she said and waved to him to follow her.
She crawled on her hands and knees through the sand while Severus followed behind on foot. He had barely finished his thought that Zoe was going to return to Spinner’s End with the filthiest clothes he’d seen yet, when the girl stopped abruptly. Severus, in fact, very nearly stumbled over her.
Biting back a sharp scold, he watched as she moved around an indention in the visible surface of the sand.
He took another step forward and followed her eyes downward into the hole that revealed a clutch of small, perfectly round, white eggs. There had to have been two dozen of them at least, though there were many that were half buried in the sandy pit, so it was very possible that many more were buried beneath the surface.
Zoe reached out a hand and delicately wiped some sand away from one egg. She then looked up at him with a look of wonderment on her face.
–See, Papa. Lots of dragon eggs.â€
Severus couldn’t help but smirk, amused at her grandiose assumption of what animal the eggs belonged to. He crouched down then to get a better look.
–Yes, I see,†he indulged the little girl. –There are, indeed, ‘lots’ of eggs. However, I do not believe these belong to a dragon.â€
–They don’t?†Zoe asked, somewhat crestfallen at the news, but with a different gleam of enthusiasm at the mystery of the discovery.
Severus shook his head. –No. If I had to guess, I would say that these belong to a sea turtle.â€
Zoe’s face lit up even more as she turned away from him to gaze down upon the eggs.
–I never seen a sea turtle,†she said.
‘You’ve never seen a dragon either,’ Severus thought logically.
Zoe sat quietly staring down into the pit for several minutes while Severus watched his daughter’s amazement eventually fade. She looked up at him then with inquisitiveness.
–There are little baby sea turtles in those eggs, right?†she asked. The way she asked it, however, gave Severus the impression that she was trying to confirm a bit of knowledge that she couldn’t quite remember if she had learned.
Severus nodded. –Yes. The young will grow inside the eggs until it is time for them to hatch.â€
–Hatch?â€
–Until it’s time for them to be born.â€
–Oh.â€
Severus could see the cogs moving behind Zoe’s eyes as she took in the information.
–Where is the baby sea turtles’ mummy and papa?â€
–They are in the sea,†Severus said simply.
Zoe nodded and looked out at the waves several meters away. Severus saw her wrinkle her brow.
–But… don’t the mummy and papa want to see the babies when they are born?†she asked, continuing to look out into the Channel.
Severus also turned his gaze toward the water.
–It is not their way,†he responded, then looked down at his daughter once more, reverting to his teaching voice. –When the young turtles hatch, they will find their way to the sea by instinct.â€
He deliberately left out that predators on the beach would likely eat many of the tiny creatures before they ever reached the water, while some may never make it out of the pit, having never hatched. She already seemed quite troubled by the idea that the adult sea turtles wouldn’t be there to see their young; it was probably best not to traumatize the girl by imparting the unpleasant facts of some of the reptiles’ bleak futures.
There was an extended moment of silence except for the sound of the waves before Zoe turned and looked down at the eggs once more.
–My mummy went away, too,†she said to them almost in a whisper, as if it was a secret. –But don’t worry, your papa will take care of you, just like my Papa takes care of me.â€
She was so resolved and sincere in her statement and Severus was so thrown off by it, yet surprisingly touched, that he didn’t have the heart to correct her--to tell her that the male sea turtle was even more unlikely to find this beach and care for its young.
–Papa?â€
Severus focused his attention back on his daughter.
–Do people come out of eggs too?â€
Severus’s eyes widened for a brief moment before he managed to compose himself.
–Er…no.â€
–Where do people babies come from?â€
Severus opened his mouth to respond then closed it as a number of thoughts entered his mind. Was this conversation really heading in that direction? Was Zoe even old enough to wonder about or learn the intricacies of human reproduction?
‘She’s obviously old enough to be curious about it.’ That voice in his head sounded oddly like Minerva.
What was he supposed to say? The thought of explaining procreation had not once entered into his mind, much less the thought that he’d have to try to make a six-year-old comprehend the process in terms she could understand.
Of course, Severus had given these sorts of talks before. As the Head of Slytherin House, occasions had sometimes arisen where he’d had to sit an adolescent boy down and caution them on promiscuity. It simply came with the territory. From time to time, he’d even had to explain the physical changes of puberty and adolescence to a younger student--but always to boys. Girls, of course, were referred to Madam Pomfrey immediately at the slightest indication that an uncomfortable conversation was forthcoming.
Severus couldn’t send his daughter to the mediwitch, however. Zoe was curious now, here. What was he to do?
‘She has a godmother for a reason, let her explain it,’ he thought as he attempted to convince himself that he’d subconsciously made the decision for Zoe to have a godmother for these very instances.
‘No, she’s your child. It is your responsibility to explain as best you can.’ That was Minerva’s voice again. Damn the meddling old witch. Even when she wasn’t here, she was ever-present and always seemed to be right.
He looked back at his daughter who was watching him curiously, waiting for an explanation. He took a deep breath.
–Human children are born… differently,†he began explaining, very uncomfortably. –They come from their mothers.â€
Zoe nodded. –I know that, Papa. They’re in the mummy’s tummy but, how are they born?â€
Severus was a bit relieved that she understood that small aspect of pregnancy at the very least. However, how was a rather broad question, in Severus’s opinion.
–What do you mean, ‘how’?†he asked, convincing himself that it was a legitimate question and not a stall on his part.
–I mean, how does a mummy have a baby?â€
Severus sighed heavily.
–The child grows inside a mother’s womb for many months and when it is time for the child to be born, it is,†he said quickly, completely straightforward.
Zoe still looked confused as she bit her lip and wrinkled her brow. Severus watched her cautiously, curious if that was the end of her questions on the subject. Personally, he thought his explanation was rather broad and, knowing his inquisitive daughter, she was unlikely to let it rest at that, but he was wary of telling her much more.
She looked up at him after several moments.
–But how does the baby get out of the mummy’s tummy? Is it magic?†Zoe’s brow was furrowed and Severus could tell that she would be perfectly willing to accept that the baby vacated the mother’s body through the use of magic if he were to tell her that. However, that wasn’t how it was and he was unwilling to allow her to assume--even for a short time--that it was.
Severus sighed heavily again and decided to situate himself into a sitting position as well, leaning his back against a rock jutting up out of the sand.
–No. It is not magic, exactly. A magical child is born in the same manner as a Muggle child; it is a much more biological process.â€
Zoe was riveted to his explanation. She even crawled around the pit of sea turtle eggs and across the sand to sit a little closer to him, her legs crossed and her eyes bright with curiosity. She watched him, waiting for further explanation, but he had no intention of being more forthcoming than that.
After playing with the sand next to her for a bit, she looked up and stared at him with a contemplative frown on her face.
–Papa, how does the baby get into the mummy’s tummy?â€
He brought a hand up to rub his forehead, his eyes closed. He knew this question would come one day, of course; he should have steeled himself better for it. Running his hand up over his forehead and through his hair, he opened his eyes and settled his gaze back onto his six-year-old.
Suddenly overwhelmed with the desire for Elizabeth to be here, to give this explanation, or deflect it somehow, Severus took another fortifying inhale of air and addressed his child.
–The father puts it there,†he said simply.
–How?†Zoe suddenly asked.
How. Severus had never felt so much resentment toward any one word in his life. He stood abruptly.
Severus made the sudden decision then that Zoe was much too young for this explanation, besides the fact that there was just too much to consider regarding the subject anyway.
On the one hand, he thought that if he just stated exactly what caused pregnancy by incorporating all of the technical terms, perhaps she would be so confused that she would just drop the subject entirely. Then he had to remind himself that she was an inquisitive child—his child—and that she was likely to ask for a definition or more clarification for every single word or situation she didn’t understand. That would not only prolong the overall explanation, but would also make him more uncomfortable than he already was.
And there was even so much more than the simple mechanics of it all--there were also the emotional aspects to take into account and Zoe would never understand that.
He had no intention of spouting off the –when a mummy and daddy really love one another†scenario for, after all, Zoe had been conceived out of wedlock and he couldn’t even be sure that it had been love that had brought him and Elizabeth together. It most certainly hadn’t been a fling but, to this day, he was still uncertain as to how to categorize the relationship they had had.
At the time, Elizabeth had ignited something in him; she’d introduced him to the advantages of impulse and shown him what it was like to live, rather than merely exist, in a world where his primary purpose had ceased. She had died much too young, but she had left with him a gift--a new purpose--in the form of a blue-eyed, brown-haired little girl with freckles on her nose.
He had seemed to be just what Elizabeth needed as well. Her prior relationships had been neglectful and caustic, from what little information she had imparted to him during their short acquaintance. Severus had been something stable in her life, he supposed. They had bantered well and they had seemed to heal each other.
Until it all ended, of course.
Elizabeth, eventually frustrated by Severus’s secrecy and ultimate inability to trust her with his heart, had thrown a house slipper at his head during that last argument and told him she never wanted to see him again. Severus, snarky and proud as ever, had been unwilling to admit to his portion of the fault; he’d grown spiteful and reentered the wizarding world, determined to forget the six-month-long personal experiment that Elizabeth Agnew had represented.
If he hadn’t gone, perhaps he would have been there to help the woman. Perhaps he would have been there to see his child come into the world…
–Papa?â€
Zoe, adamantly trying to gain his attention, rocked Severus out of his musings and brought him back into their conversation with a renewed sense of dread. How was he to explain to his daughter about her mother? He’d never really thought about it before. Surely, Zoe would ask eventually and he was rather curious as to why she hadn’t already. What was he to say? He wasn’t even entirely sure that Zoe knew about or understood the idea of marriage. Would she be upset if he were to tell her that she was an illegitimate child born from two parents who were never entirely sure where their feelings toward each other were headed? Would she resent that she had been unplanned--an accident, in essence?
‘A beautiful, happy accident,’ he thought.
He shook his head. ‘She hasn’t asked anything about her mother and she has no basis of judgment toward being a bastard or otherwise.’
He pulled out his wand and pointed it toward the containers situated several feet away.
–Put your shoes on, please,†he said to Zoe, deciding to end the conversation. –It’s time to go back to the cottage.â€
–But--†Zoe started, but a stern look and stiff shake of his head and the girl didn’t argue. She did take up a rather sour facial expression, however.
Severus tried to ignore the fact that he had frustrated his daughter due to his own insecurity as he levitated the containers of moss up out of the sand, shrunk them, and placed them in the picnic basket they had brought along before levitating that to him.
As his daughter went to find her trainers, Severus went about vanishing Zoe’s desk and chair as well as the blanket they had used for lunch. He grabbed the picnic basket when Zoe had joined him and started to walk out from beneath the overhang of rock.
Zoe instantly took hold of his free hand and started walking along as best as the sand beneath her feet would allow her. When she yawned next to him, Severus couldn’t help but smirk. So, their conversation had been just a bit draining on her--as it had been on him.
–Do you fancy a walk into Ventnor this evening?†he asked.
Zoe looked up at him with excited eyes, her melancholy at not having her questions fully answered forgotten. –Oh, yes, Papa!â€
He nodded resolutely. –After a short nap.â€
Her features instantly fell.
–I’m not sleepy,†she defended, whining.
–Your yawn and tired eyes say otherwise. Just a short nap--for the both of us--then we’ll go into Ventnor for dinner and some shopping.â€
–Okay, I guess so.â€
*******SS*******
Zoe didn’t like that she had to take a nap when she wasn’t even tired, but since her Papa let her lay curled up on the big bed beside him instead of in the trundle bed she’d used the previous two nights, she thought she would be good and do as he asked without any fuss. She figured she could lie quietly while her Papa slept and then pretend she had napped when he awoke later.
Therefore, she was thoroughly surprised when the soft sound of her Papa saying her name made her eyes flutter open. He was sitting on the bed looking down on her, his hand moving soothingly between her shoulder blades.
–I fell asleep!†she exclaimed, sitting up quickly and disengaging herself from the afghan her and her Papa had shared.
–Indeed, as I knew you would,†he said. –But it is time to get up now or you will not sleep tonight.â€
Zoe had done just that, vaulting off the bed and making her way to the loo. When she had finished in there, she walked into the sitting room to find her father talking with Madam Adrienne and two other men she hadn’t seen before.
Matthew was running about the space with a toy dragon and when he spotted her coming out of the bedroom, he approached her.
–Zoe! Look at the dragon my brother, Morgan, bought for me!†he said, holding it out to show her. Zoe merely nodded her head, relatively uninterested in the boy’s toy as she walked to stand in front of her father. She leaned her back against his legs as Madam Adrienne leaned down to address her.
–Good afternoon, Zoe.â€
–Good afternoon, Madam Adrienne,†Zoe said politely and she felt her father place a hand on the top of her head and pat it softly.
–These are my two eldest sons, Mark and Morgan,†Madam Adrienne continued, standing upright once more and indicating to the men beside her. –I’ve just introduced them to your Papa. They’ve come to clean out a few boxes from the potions shed so the two of you can brew in there tomorrow.â€
Zoe nodded and turned her head to look up at her Papa. –Can I call them by their given names too, Papa?†she asked.
–I suppose you can. If they do not mind, of course.â€
Zoe nodded again and grew quiet as her father continued to chat. Eventually, she grew bored and walked to the sofa, where Matthew was still playing with his dragon. She stood beside it and leaned over the armrest and watched him, though he seemed pretty absorbed in his play. Suddenly, a thought and a question occurred to her and she blurted it out without preamble.
–Matthew, you’re a boy, right?â€
–Yeah,†Matthew said, disinterested.
Zoe nodded in confirmation. –That means that you’re going to be a papa someday and that you have to put a baby in a mummy’s tummy.â€
The adults stopped talking instantly and Matthew looked up at her with a perplexed look upon his face.
–Zoe,†her father admonished in a hiss and, for the first time in her life, she saw a bit of pink appear high on his cheeks as he looked uncomfortably between her and their hosts.
–What?â€
–Mum?†Matthew seemed confused by the statement and Zoe didn’t understand why it had grown so quiet.
However, just then, Mark and Morgan Robertson began to roll with laughter and, as Matthew made his way to his mother, Zoe felt tears start to spring to her eyes. What had she said that was so funny?
–My apologies, Madam Robertson,†she heard her father say uneasily. –Zoe found some sea turtle eggs on the beach today and her subsequent questions led to a short conversation on human procreation. I imagine it is still fresh on her mind. We shall have to discuss what topics are appropriate for company, however, I think.â€
Madam Adrienne started to laugh then, too. –There’s no need to apologize, Mr. Snape. She’s done no harm aside from spawning curious questions from Matthew, no doubt. Questions I’m sure his brothers will be more than eager to assist in answering.†She shot a stern look at the still-chuckling men and their laughing ceased instantly. They now looked as uncomfortable as Zoe’s Papa did, but they fidgeted much more.
–Well, have a lovely evening in Ventnor, Mr. Snape,†Madam Adrienne said, turning toward the back door of the cottage with her sons. –I would recommend The Spyglass for dinner. It’s very good.â€
–Yes, thank you,†her Papa said and, once the door had closed, he turned toward Zoe, his features a bit exasperated as he rubbed at his forehead.
Zoe looked up at him through misty eyes before the overwhelming urge to be near him took hold of her. She sprinted to her father, buried her face in the fabric of his shirt and sobbed without really knowing why. He reached down and held her to him with a hand between her shoulder blades, allowing her her cry. Eventually, though, he crouched down to be more on an even level with her.
–Why are you crying?†he asked.
–B-because they was laughing at me. I didn’t m-mean to say anything bad, Papa. I promise.â€
Her father sighed. –Zoe, you didn’t say anything bad. It’s just that the conversation we had earlier today about the, er… origin of children… is not necessarily an appropriate topic to discuss with people you’ve only known for two days. And I think you may have frightened Matthew a little.â€
–I didn’t mean it,†Zoe said, her tears merely sniffles now.
–I know,†her Papa said, conjuring a fresh handkerchief to wipe Zoe’s face clean. –Now, are you ready to walk into the village?†he asked once he’d vanished the dirty cloth.
Zoe nodded her head vigorously.
Her father gave his own curt nod as he stood and moved to fetch their coats from the bedroom. As they left the house, Zoe took her father’s hand for their walk into Ventnor.
*******SS*******
The rest of their time in Ventnor seemed to rush by in Severus’s opinion. Zoe had been exceptionally well behaved each time they had ventured into town, which pleased Severus immensely. He had taken her to the Botanical Gardens the previous day and watched her closely as she had walked around in the paddling pool beneath The Cascade on the esplanade. When she had asked permission to wade into the water, he had told her it was likely to be cold, but she hadn’t seemed to mind as she pulled off her plimsolls and socks, rolled up her trouser legs, and splashed into the water, giggling. He sat down on the bench of a picnic table as she ventured over the Isle of Wight-shaped island in the middle of the pool, pointing out Ventnor to him once she had found it.
Zoe had been quite keen to –help†him in brewing his potions in the shed as well. She was barely able to see over the top of the workbench, however, and Severus had lost much time in his actual brewing each time she had pointed to an ingredient and asked what it was and, subsequently, what it was for.
He did his best to be patient with her, assuring himself that she was genuinely curious and that she merely wanted to be a part of the process, but his patience wore thin when she had started dancing about the already cramped workspace and humming to herself. When she bumped into the back of his legs, he accidently poured a bit too much wall lizard blood into his Coagulating Concoction causing it to turn a sickening green color rather than the forest green it should have been at this stage.
He lost his temper.
–Sit. Down,†he had spoken menacingly to her, pointing to a wooden crate across from him.
Zoe’s eyes had grown wide and she had instantly obeyed and remained quiet as he quickly recalculated ingredient proportions and saved the solution.
Over ten minutes later, the girl hadn’t uttered a word and Severus turned to see her watching him, a look of dread on her face. At least she wasn’t crying this time. He sighed heavily.
–This potion can be very finicky,†he explained softly. –Proportions must be precise and when you jostled me, you caused me to put too much of one particular ingredient into the potion.â€
–Is it spoiled?†she asked, something akin to terror on her face.
Severus shook his head. –No. I have managed to save it.â€
Zoe nodded solemnly. –Do I have to go away now?†she asked, looking at her lap.
Severus’s heart nearly sank. This transgression had been far milder than the beach incident and she assumed he would send her away for it? She hadn’t really done anything wrong.
–No. You are not in trouble. I merely wanted you to understand that I was in need of some concentration for a few minutes. I would not send you away for something so small. Besides, we leave tomorrow.â€
Zoe had nodded again, but still acted subdued, as if she’d been harshly rebuked. Severus rubbed his forehead and sighed. He felt the need to do something to make amends to her for needlessly raising his voice and making her worry that she had ruined his potion.
–Come,†he said suddenly. –We’re going down to the beach.â€
Her mood change was instantaneous. A huge smile erupted on her face as her entire demeanor shifted from melancholy to gleeful. She vaulted off the crate and preceded him out the shed door, racing down the sandy path toward the sea.
–Wait!†Severus called out to her sternly and the girl froze, looking back at him sheepishly.
Severus quickly locked the door and followed his daughter’s footprints in the sand. He allowed her to run ahead of him a bit, but made sure to keep a hawk’s eye on her wandering.
A few yards from the wet, compacted sand, Zoe plopped her bottom down into the sand and started to peel off her shoes and socks. She looked up at him, squinting against the brightness of the sun as it temporarily peaked out from behind the grey clouds.
–Are you going to take off your shoes, Papa?†she asked.
Severus hadn’t planned on it, but he imagined that, based on Zoe’s previous disregard for the temperature of the water, that she would want to put her feet into the surf. He did not intend to let her go down there on her own, no matter how close her proximity to him was this time; therefore, he supposed he could indulge her on their last day.
He sat down in the sand next to the six-year-old and began undoing the laces of his Muggle trainers. Apparently, he was being too slow for, as soon as he had gotten it untied, Zoe all but tackled his foot, wrestling the shoe off. It was a bit tighter than she had anticipated, however, and it took her several tugs before it came off. She lost her balance and fell back onto her bottom. A shocked expression took over her features for a split second before the girl erupted into peals of giggles. Severus couldn’t help but smirk at her antics as well.
Once they were both shoeless and their trouser legs rolled up, Zoe took Severus’s hand and immediately tugged him down toward the wet sand.
–Come on, Papa!†she implored.
He only allowed her to pull him so far before he made her stop and wait for the water to come to her. She giggled when the icy liquid cascaded over their exposed skin. Severus, on the other hand, had to bite back a colorful curse. It was too bloody cold for this.
Eventually, he grew used to the chill of the water and he and Zoe walked along the beach hand in hand. From time to time, Zoe would pick up a seashell and examine it closely. When she found one she liked, she would hold it down in the water to clean off as much sand as she could before standing up and tucking the shell into his trousers pocket. Why she couldn’t put the cold, wet shells into her own pockets instead of weighing down and soaking his was beyond Severus, but he made no comment.
That night, after less of a struggle than normal, he put a very exhilarated, but exhausted little girl to bed.
Severus now sat in an Adirondack on the observation deck to the side of the house, listening to the ever-moving waves and the stillness of the land. He sipped tea that was quickly growing cold in the cool night air. As a breeze fluttered his hair, he sat back and sighed, feeling thoroughly content with life.
As he gazed up into the dark sky, he saw a star streak across the sky, then another. In fact, the longer he sat there, the more shooting stars he saw. He vaguely recalled reading about a comet shower in the almanac portion of the Daily Prophet that morning and, after seeing two more stars trace through the sky, he stood from the chair, resolved, and entered back into the cottage.
He slowly cracked open the door into the bedroom, allowing a small portion of light to spill onto the blankets of Zoe’s trundle bed. The girl slept on her back with one arm tucked securely under the blankets and the other curled up beside her head. Her breathing was light and rhythmic as Severus leaned over her and started to lift her from the bed.
Zoe stirred sleepily, but remained almost entirely limp as her father heaved her up into his arms. She instantly turned her head to the side on his shoulder and continued to snooze as Severus reached for the now familiar afghan on the edge of the larger bed and draped it over his daughter, making sure to tuck her feet in. Then quietly, he made his way back out onto the observation platform.
When the cool breeze hit his daughter’s face, she wrinkled up her nose and cracked her eyes open slightly.
–What time is it?†she mumbled drowsily.
–Late,†Severus whispered. –Look. Shooting stars.â€
He pointed up into the sky just as a larger star streaked across it. Zoe’s eyes burst open fully and she stared into the night sky, mesmerized. She didn’t say a word until she had watched several stars fly through the black sky.
–This is a good present, Papa,†she said and Severus knew that sleep was taking her once again.
He continued to stand against the rail, however, holding his sleeping child in his arms and vowing to return to this place at least once a year in order to give Zoe something to cherish--to give himself something to cherish.
As troublesome as his daughter had been on this trip, this very moment made up for everything. For her nearly frightening him out of his mind, for their impromptu talk in the sand under the outcropping of rock and inappropriate comment to Matthew Robertson and for her nearly making him botch his first potion in thirty years--he would suffer through all of it again to have this time with her.
He knew Zoe would whine and plead to stay longer once the morning came and, though he’d have to tell her that they must return to Spinner’s End, though he’d have to be the rational one, the adult, he knew his heart would be silently offering up the same pleas.
The Tribulations and Tranquility of Travel by MetamorphmagusLupin
Chapter Notes: Ok, here it is. The final chapter in this story. Please enjoy.
Chapter Endnotes: Hey! Let me know what you think! Also, for anyone wondering... this IS the end of this story but I have several other Severus and Zoe stories waiting in the wings, so keep an eye out!