Torque

Disclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.

Severus opened his eyes to full morning light, or as light as it would be on a rainy morning. The first thing he noticed was the way his black hair mixed with her brown on the pillow they shared. He pondered the various urges he felt right at that moment and decided to stretch his hand out and brush her hair away from her face, back toward her ear. He located the wedding ring and kissed it along with the soft flesh underneath it. Then he continued brushing her hair back.

When he uncovered her mouth, he couldn't resist kissing it, or her eyes and cheeks. His hand, having uncovered her face, started dipping under the sheets. His fingertips grazed over her shoulder and back and his hand finally settled lightly over her hip. She was starting to stir and respond, so he moved closer.

"Happy New Year," he whispered.

She tilted her head just perfectly to touch her lips to his. "Happy New Year to you as well," she responded.

"So far it's the best year of my life." They kissed again, and then they were celebrating the new year with their bodies.

He had become a compulsion to her in just a week. Looking back, she couldn't understand why she had waited so long, other than there was always a crisis to deal with for the kids. Her world contained just him right now, his body pressed to hers and the rhythmic tapping she heard. He groaned into her ear and pulled her closer. She lost the breath she didn't realize she was holding and with it all control over the feelings that came upon her. "Oh, Severus..." She adored this man.

"My dove..."

Most of the sounds in her ears quieted, but the tapping did not. "Blasted owls," he muttered. He leaned up and aimed his wand at the window. A few minutes later, the witch and the wizard each held official-looking scrolls. The owls, hooting in annoyance, flew away, singed tail feathers still smoking.

Severus looked his over and then glanced at her. "It's from the Department of Taxes and Revenue," she whispered. "They want an account of all my assets at an appointment tomorrow."

"You'll be fine; you planned for this, and the goblins have put your portfolio together nicely."

She nodded, but she still looked nervous. "What's yours, if I may ask?"

He kissed the pucker in her forehead. "You may ask. It's a summons from Hogwarts. They want me to consult for them as they prepare the O.W.L.s and the N.E.W.T.s."

"Will there be a conflict of interest since you've been teaching the children here?"

"Everyone knows about it, so I gather they don't see one. I'll know more after I go."

"Ah, Mrs. Tonks, I'm glad you could make it to our meeting." Andromeda groaned as she walked into a room containing Dolores Umbridge.

"Good morning, Dolores." Andromeda sat in the indicated seat.

"The letter requested an accounting of your finances. Do you have that?"

Andromeda handed over several scrolls, and Dolores hummed delightedly. A second witch entered the room and went over the parchments quickly, making calculations. Dolores ran a finger down a list of numbers and tutted.

"But, Andromeda...I may call you Andromeda, mayn't I?...this isn't what I was told your trust fund is worth."

Yesterday had been tense, and last night was sleepless despite Severus's best efforts at calming her. So much hinged upon this one moment. Everything she and Ted had worked for, much of what Uncle Alphard had done, and even what she and Severus would work for during the next months was at stake. She cleared her throat nervously. "I...it was hit by some bad investments a few years back. If it weren't for Ted's income..." She let it rest. It was true enough that they had been living on Ted's income for the most part, only using the trust fund for special purposes. It was also true that the investments hadn't done as well as in previous years. Voldemort's activities took a toll on commerce. Yet the investments had actually continued to profit, and most of the profits had actually rolled back into the principle that was now safely tucked away in Switzerland. Andromeda simply withheld that bit of information.

"Well, that's a shame, because with the assets you show, it appears..." There was a murmur from the other witch, and Dolores passed that witch a glare before speaking sweetly. "Ah, yes, Candace, I did forget to explain the tax structure." She cleared her throat and handed Andromeda a pamphlet.

"Due to the nature of the recent troubles, the Ministry must go to a great deal of expense to rebuild some things that were destroyed by You-know-who and his supporters. Since those with a certain blood status benefited the most from his work, this year's taxes have a structure based upon blood status. As you see on this pamphlet, those who have been granted the status of 'war hero' are exempt from taxes. Then the actual taxes are based upon the number of magical grandparents a person has. It ranges from twelve percent for a person with one magical grandparent, up to fifty percent for those with four magical grandparents."

Andromeda was floored, but Severus's foresight had indeed saved them. "Of my income from last year?" She knew the truth very well, but asked anyway. It was a question designed to make Dolores feel superior, and of course it worked.

Dolores chuckled and wriggled delightedly in her seat. "Oh no, it will be fifty percent of your total assets."

"I see." Andromeda bit her lip. "That won't leave much."

"No, I can see that it won't. In fact, it appears that your home comprises almost half of your assets and your trust fund is the rest." Dolores chuckled yet some more. "We have two different forms here; will you be transferring the money from your Gringotts vault or will you be transferring the property?"

Andromeda gaped at the bald way the question was asked.

"We'll give you a month to find new premises and vacate, if that's your choice." After decades of watching this witch get everything she wanted, Dolores was delighted to take something from her.

Dolores watched and enjoyed the agony on Andromeda's face for a moment. While they waited for her to respond, a space opened in the door and a paper airplane flew through the aperture. The witch named Candace took the memo and read it, then showed it to Dolores.

"Ah, yes. Have him sent in."

Candace made a note on the memo, and the airplane went back through the door. A moment later Severus was shown in by a staff assistant. A chair appeared next to Andromeda, and Dolores smiled sickeningly at both of them. "Now we're here all nice and cozy, aren't we?"

Severus reached a hand out to Andromeda and squeezed it in greeting. He smiled blandly. "Good afternoon, Miss Umbridge."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Snape. I thought it might be best to go over your situation as we finish that of your...companion?"

Severus looked down his nose at Dolores. "She's been my hostess during my recovery."

"She's a great deal more than that," said Dolores brightly. "We've discussed her taxes, which leave her with very little assets. Should we discover that she has other assets, we would have to recalculate her taxes. Unfortunately, she has no means of income that we can ascertain other than her war widow stipend."

It wasn't a problem. Andromeda could live for years using that stipend, and when the laws were different, she would be able to reclaim her trust fund. If she wasn't allowed to draw from the interest, it would simply revert to principle. Although the money in Switzerland was never acknowledged, Umbridge seemed to know all about it and to be following her line of thought. She smiled in that unpleasant way she had of indicating that she was enjoying herself. "And now it's my duty to tell you that your war-widow stipend has been cut off."

Andromeda and Severus looked at each other. This was something they had not accounted for. Dolores was still talking.

"It seems that Mrs. Tonks is no longer Mrs. Tonks. Nor is she a widow these days." She smiled brightly at the pair across the table. "I would offer you congratulations, but since you seem to be keeping your marriage secret, perhaps you don't want them?"

They glanced at each other again, but said nothing. Dolores cleared her throat and started again.

"That being the case, your stipend has been cut off, which leaves you with no visible means of income."

"I have a stipend of my own." Severus reached for his wife's hand. "We'll be comfortable enough."

"Hmm, hmm. Yes, well, we were coming to that, Severus. Do you mind if I call you Severus? The situation is that since you fought against He-who-must-not-be-named, you qualify for a veteran's stipend, but since you were also a Death Eater, you do not. The Wizengamot will take up the issue at such time as they've finished with fines for the lesser Death Eaters and their sympathizers. For now, that stipend has been discontinued. It was decided that we didn't want you to have to give a significant amount of money back, should it turn out that you were improperly paid."

"How kind," murmured Andromeda ironically.

"I still have some savings," he said blandly.

She simpered back. "Oh, yes, of course you do. You probably should pay...do you go by Mrs. Tonks or Mrs. Snape now? You should pay her for all of the nursing care you've received prior to your marriage. The Wizengamot may reimburse you for costs associated with that injury. Mind that you give a detailed description of each and every cost. Of course, there are some... therapies... that aren't sanctioned by the Hospital." She paused as if a new thought occurred to her. "Is that why you married? Were you forced into it by... circumstances?" Her glance strayed to Andromeda's middle before she smiled again into their faces. "It's a shame that a potential source of income was cut off this way..."

Severus growled low in his throat but said nothing. He had experience in dealing with Madam Umbridge in the past and knew that for today the only victory lay within getting out of the Ministry with as little damage as possible. He looked at his wife and willed her to relax. It wasn't as bad as the toad-woman made it sound. He would take her home and explain things. He would show her that they had everything they needed, and perhaps a little more, too.

Andromeda felt the world turning gray. The house was safe, and there were sufficient groceries and other materials to get by for at least a month, but what then? She had to think of something else. Teddy. Nymphadora and Remus's combined estate were saved. Teddy would have his inheritance. Yes, Teddy would be fine. Somehow they would get around this, and in any case Teddy was going be fine. His education would be covered, and he would be safe.

Tim would be fine, too. The funds he had inherited from Ted were untouchable under the tax structure, which didn't apply to Squibs at all. Somehow Andromeda would find an income source, and things would work out, just like everything else would work out.

The gray came back. As the summer approached, Severus would leave, and he couldn't be expected to support her, except that their marriage contract required it. She looked at him in horror, thinking of how she had compromised his life. Of course this would impact him.

He had changed the contract so that he had no claim on her assets, but he hadn't changed it so that she would have no claim on his. He would therefore be expected to provide for her even after they were no longer together. She wouldn't let that happen. Somehow, she would manage to affect his life as little as possible. It would be late spring, perhaps summer by the time he left. The garden and orchard would produce vegetables and fruit after that. In any case, she forced herself to set it aside for now. She stared determinedly at Dolores.

When Severus saw Andromeda's placid smile and the set of her shoulders, his heart nearly burst. She didn't shriek against the unfairness of it, and she didn't fall to pieces. He enjoyed the thought of one of her sisters blasting a hole through the middle of the witch while the other went into vapors. Andromeda simply nodded that she understood it all and reached for the paperwork. "Which of these forms was for the transfer of cash assets, Dolores?"

As he watched, she read through the documents and asked for clarification a few times. The name "Andromeda Snape" was applied in her economical script on several copies of different forms. She might be hiding their marriage from their friends, but her signature on these official documents boldly stated that she was his. He nearly reached for her, but then he remembered their audience. When Candace declared that they were finished, she arose from her seat with a wry look on her face. Severus took her arm and steered her to the lift where he kissed her to within an inch of propriety.

"I'm so proud and impressed. You were so poised and calm, and you used my name because you're my wife."

"It's my name now, too. Dolores knew all about it and seemed to expect it..." She smiled but then shook her head. "I very nearly fainted...Severus, how am I to manage?"

He smiled and kissed the side of her head. "The consulting job will be just what we need. Everything will be fine. We can discuss it at home... Mrs. Snape."

If he was expecting delighted conversation while ensconced in their bed, he didn't get it. Andromeda started speaking in the kitchen, and he had to follow her to the sitting room. She was already talking and thinking aloud.

"How did she manage to keep her job, anyway? She led the raid on our house, looking for Ted and Tim, and I know she was behind the operation that killed him. At the very least, she was complicit with the Death Eaters."

He was quiet for a moment. "She's a brilliant middle-manager. She ingratiates herself to those who lead, and manages to look unimportant enough that the highest levels at the Ministry don't pay any attention to her."

"I felt naked when she mentioned our marriage."

"The Ministry Privacy Charm will prevent her discussing our situation with anyone else."

She nodded. "Financially, we should be fine for at least a month. We'll have to economize, but I think we can manage, unless they levy the same taxes again next year. Then I'll have a choice between admitting how much money I really have and losing the house."

"We're better off than that. I've been hired as a consultant, not just for the testing, but as they rebuild the entire curriculum. Dumbledore's plans were necessary for fighting against the Dark Lord, but now they want something new. I shall have an income regardless. I can support us."

His kindness always caught her off guard. She had known many witches and wizards who had laughed that he was stingy, but with her he was always generous. "Thank you. I'm sure that if you can do a little for the household, here, we'll do fine for the rest of the winter. After that the garden can be made to bear. I shouldn't need much from you in the future..."

"I forbid you to speak of the future."

It was harsher than he intended, and she looked uncertain. He tried to understand what she must be thinking, and he wanted her to understand him. "Andromeda, my dove, whatever the future holds, we'll face it, and I'll make sure you want for nothing. Please realize that I intend to care of you."

She slid her hand up along the side of his face. "You've fooled them all into thinking you're angry and selfish, but I see what you're really like, Severus Snape. I don't know how I deserved to be here with you, or why I'm the recipient of your generosity, but I'll do everything I can to make you happy while it lies within my power. You'll never regret our time together if I can prevent it, and somehow I'll make sure it doesn't cost you that much."

"Haven't I told you not to worry about it?" He slid his hand into his pocket and placed a small object into her hand.

Andromeda couldn't quite focus on what she was looking at, but of course it was what it looked like. "I should have realized you would have one of these," she said, "but you know we couldn't use it. They would notice."

He put his arm around her. "The consulting work will cover almost everything, and we'll just use this if we really need it. Andromeda, I can take care of you even if you never get the money back from Switzerland." He turned her head to make sure she was looking at him. "Please, my dove, the only thing you've never given me is your full trust."

"I never thought..." She relaxed against him, then, and rested her head on his chest. After placing the stone in his hand, she said, "It's a hard thing to put myself in your hands... in anyone's hands. I've never really been able to trust my family, Ted was only able to do so much for so long, and lately I've had to rely upon myself more than I thought I ever could."

"Things are different now."

"Yes." She closed her eyes for a minute and allowed herself to feel his strength. She looked up into his face and realized that he needed her to rely upon him as much as she needed his help. It was a further step over the abyss she sensed, but it was suddenly the right step. The future didn't matter. For their marriage to work at all, she had to allow it to be an actual marriage. Whatever would come later, he would take care of her.

"I do trust you, Severus. I know you will fulfill the terms of our marriage contract, and I also know that, whatever may or may not happen between us, you will look after the interests of me and those who depend upon me. I do trust you."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. He turned his face and captured her lips. She fit herself into his body and kissed him back. The afternoon was finally going in the direction he wanted. Severus took her hand with a smile and led her up to the bedroom. Harry had taken Teddy for the entire day, in case the meetings went late. Their impromptu school would be back in session soon, and he didn't want to waste any time he had alone with the witch before then.

They lay together as the twilight worked its way into the corners of the room. Rather, Andromeda lay on her stomach as Severus rubbed her shoulders. His hands were strong yet nimble enough that she could feel each knot releasing. "I'm going to miss this when you're gone," she said with a groan.

His hands went still as she gasped in annoyance with herself for saying it aloud. "Are you planning to send me away?" he asked.

She was frightened at having brought up the question that haunted her. There was nothing to do now but face it. She rolled on to her side so that she could face him. She looked into his eyes and then closed her own. "I will never send you away, Severus. I told you what would happen after we started... well, all of this. When you leave, I won't just miss your incredible hands or even what we share in this bed. An enormous piece of me will leave with you."

He reached to touch her, but she shied away. She looked at him and smiled sadly. "I accept it, Severus. I know that for whatever reason, this is part of your recovery and part of something that has been lacking your whole life. When you're ready, though... when all the scars have healed, and when your heart is rested... Well, I accept that you will leave me. It's only natural that you will want to move on."

He closed his eyes as he processed what she said. Was she somehow punishing herself for everything that had happened to him in his life? He really looked at her then, taking in the timid expression she had worn since Christmas Day. He held her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Do you think I somehow don't want to be your husband forever? Is that why you changed the contract?"

"I wanted to make it easy for you..."

"I don't want easy, Andromeda. You're my wife, with all the honors, rights, and privileges thereunto appertaining."

She smiled but shook her head. "I fully understand that there will be someone else. I won't stand in the way of your happiness."

He sighed and got out of the bed. "Damn, Andromeda, I didn't expect you, of all people, to behave like this, treating me as if I don't know my own mind. When will you realize that I know what I want?" He looked around for his trousers and shirt.

"I just want your happiness, Severus." She looked up at him, all pulled up against the pillows with the sheet under her chin.

He sat on the bed next to her and ran his hand along her face. "I think the best happiness for both of us lies in being together, my dove. With your kindness and generosity, you fill the spots that I'm lacking. I believe that I'm shrewd enough to look after your interests in ways you do not. We're good together, and I think that will only improve."

"If you're sure, then?"

He hooked his hand around her neck and brought her close for a kiss. "I'm very sure. This is what I want for always. I know we didn't do everything the way it's usually done, but it doesn't make this any less real to me. You've become the most important person in my world."

"That's what you are to me, too."

"Then trust it. Trust us."

The edge of safety and sanity was far behind her. The only thing to do was to keep stepping forward. "I do. I will."

He moved close and put his arms around her. "That's all I ask."

A/N: I guess this story went upon a sort of hiatus while it had an identity crisis of sorts. Thank you for your patience. Trickie Woo was kind enough to beta read this for me.