V: For Them

Thanks go to JKR for letting us play around in her universe.

Thanks also go to Apple Blossom for beta reading.

Chapter V: For Them

Everything had started with a letter from Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy's sister. She, too, was Cassandra's cousin, and seeing that she was what could be called the nice cousin, it was only natural that she had written and enquired about Cassandra's health after childbirth. And it was also only natural that Cassandra had invited her for tea.

Severus had been pleased at first. The little family gathering at Malfoy Manor had been a disaster, and hence he was glad to see a happy smile on Cassandra's face when she had read Andromeda's letter. And having Andromeda over for tea had seemed like a delightful idea. Too late had he realised that Andromeda would bring her grandson, too. And he had not even dreamed of little Teddy having the idea of bringing his god-father along.

The moment Harry Potter's shadow had darkened the doorstep, Severus had decided that the little cottage in Hogsmeade was the very last place on earth he wanted to spend his day. And so he had left, making up the excuse of having to prepare a potion for the next term, the term that wouldn't start until six weeks from now. A ridiculous excuse. Ludicrous! But both Andromeda and Potter seemed to have bought it. Cassandra, however, had not. And Severus knew it.

He had been at Hogwarts for about two hours and had indeed started a batch of Essence of Dittany when the fire crackled and Cassandra's head appeared in the flames.

'Done brooding?' she asked.

'I am not brooding,' he replied sourly. 'I am working.'

Cassandra said nothing to that. But Severus could have bet his last Galleons that she was rolling her eyes at him, if only inwardly.

'Have they left yet?' he enquired.

'No, they have not. Eydis has taken quite a shine to Teddy, and he's reading her a story right now. They will be staying for dinner. Teddy, Andromeda and Harry. And Ginny will be arriving shortly as well, with the children.'

To that, Severus gritted his teeth and declared that the potion would keep him busy until after nightfall. And that earned him a lecture about manners.

'You are being rude, Severus Snape. Are you aware of that?'

He just cocked an eyebrow at his wife. Surely, manners had absolutely nothing to do with the whole situation.

'I have to prepare my lessons, Cassandra,' he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. 'This potion needs to be ready when the new term starts.'

He saw anger flash in her eyes and knew immediately that she was still not buying his excuse.

'Dinner's at six,' she simply said. And he could hear in her voice that she was not angry. She was more disappointed than anything else. 'Try to be on time.'

The fire flared up, and Cassandra's face disappeared. And suddenly, Severus regretted his decision to leave for Hogwarts. He was well aware of how much Cassandra had wanted him to be at home that day, how much she had hoped that he would at least talk to Potter. He knew he should go back to Hogsmeade immediately. But he was both too proud and too stubborn.

~ ~ ~

It was a quarter past five when Severus approached Hogsmeade on the dusty gravel road. He figured that the forty-five minutes until dinner would give him enough time to explain to Cassandra why he had kept away all day. He had, after all, had more than enough time to think about his reasons. All the ingredients to his potion had been in the cauldron by half past one, and for the rest of the afternoon, he had basically just stared at the simmering brew and let his thoughts run free. And however hard he tried to analyse the situation, he always came to the same conclusion. The reason why he had left the cottage had jet-black hair and green eyes.

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, over and over again, the Chosen One, the Saviour. Severus still did not like him. He had made that very clear the first time they had met upon Severus' return to the Wizarding world. But they had talked that day. And one could say that they had made some kind of peace. Potter had seen Severus' memories and understood. And he had even said thank you. But all that was not enough to make Severus forgive and forget. He was still very much determined that this boy was too much like his father to ever be liked.

That boy? No, Potter was not a boy anymore, Severus corrected himself as he reached the small gate that led to the garden. The boy was a young man now, a husband and soon a father of three. And as Severus watched Potter now as he was playing with his two sons, he had to admit that there wasn't much left of the insolent, strutting brat he remembered.

Nobody had noticed him yet, and Severus decided to linger at the gate for a little while longer to observe the people he had known in another lifetime:

Andromeda Tonks looked a lot older than she should have. The war had deprived her of everything she had held dear: her husband, her daughter, her son-in-law. All she had left was little Teddy. And the only time her face lit up was when her eyes fell on her grandson.

Teddy Lupin. The boy had his mother's kind face and her hair, but his posture and the way he walked reminded Severus only too much of Remus. He had hated Remus for the better part of his life. It had only been towards the very end that he had understood that the werewolf had never meant any harm. He had just tried to fit in. Just as Severus himself had done. Remus had chosen the Marauders, Severus the Death Eaters.

Ginny Weasley. Or rather Ginny Potter. Severus allowed himself a tiny smile. Had anyone asked him, he could have told them already in Ginny's first year that she was going to end up with Potter. There had been something in the eleven-year-old girl's eyes that had made it very clear that she would not rest until Potter was hers. But as usual, nobody had asked him. And as usual, he had held his peace.

He watched Potter walk up to his wife and gingerly put his hands on her rounded belly. And as they both smiled, Severus figured that the baby was kicking. And he remembered the first time he had put his hand on Cassandra's belly and felt the little life that was growing inside her. And he understood exactly why Potter was smiling.

The two Potter boys were sitting on a woolly blanket under the apple tree with little Eydis between them. When Severus caught sight of them, his face turned into a scowl at first. How dared the Potter brats get close to his little daughter? But then he saw James Potter tickle Eydis' belly. And when he heard her gurgle happily, he considered that maybe, just maybe, the two boys were not doing any harm after all.

'Would you like to have your dinner out here on the street?'

Cassandra's voice made Severus spin around. He had not heard her approach.

'I saw you come walking down the street some minutes ago,' Cassandra explained. 'When you didn't come inside, I figured you didn't know how to open the garden gate.'

There was a mischievous grin on her face, and Severus couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from twitching.

'I'm quite glad you're back, you know,' Cassandra went on. 'Please, say something intelligent to me, Severus. I am begging you.'

He raised an eyebrow. Whatever did she mean?

He got his explanation in a blink of an eye. 'It's terrifying, really. As soon as you've given birth, people expect that you don't want to talk about anything else than nappies, rashes and colic. Please, Severus, save me!'

Severus smirked. 'Would you like me to give you a lecture on Flobberworms?'

'Merlin, yes,' Cassandra moaned. 'Give me two!'

~ ~ ~

Dinner wasn't as bad as Severus had expected. Teddy Lupin was a very well-behaved little boy, and even the young Potters seemed to have manners. And when they forgot them and started to be loud or play with their food, one stern look from their mother was enough to make them remember again.

Yes, Ginny Potter-Weasley had indeed grown up to be a remarkable young woman and mother. And Severus was very pleased that she and Cassandra seemed to get along so nicely. He liked the thought of Cassandra making a new friend.

He had been worried about her, to be honest. Since they had returned to the Wizarding world, she had not made contact with any of her old schoolmates or acquaintances. He had mentioned this one or twice, but Cassandra had always changed topics rather quickly. Too quickly, maybe. And Severus had started to wonder if she simply did not want to reconnect with anyone from her old life.

'Young Mrs. Potter is rather nice,' he pointed out after the guests had left and he and Cassandra were sitting on the swing under the apple tree. They had only lived in the little cottage for two weeks, but already it felt like a tradition to spend an hour or two on the swing after they had put Eydis to bed. And it was Severus' favourite part of the day.

'You mean Ginny?' Cassandra answered in a sleepy voice. She had pulled up her feet, and her head was resting at Severus' chest. It wouldn't be the first time that she fell asleep in this position.

'Do you like her?' he inquired, wrapping his arm tighter around his wife's shoulders.

'Yes, I do. She has a wonderful sense of humour. And she has a great hand with children.' She shifted slightly in his arms before she went on. 'It's funny, really. I am nearly old enough to be Ginny's mother. And there she is, bearing her third child and knowing so much more about handling babies than I do.'

Severus raised an eyebrow. 'You are not feeling ... inadequate, I hope?'

There was a moment of silence before Cassandra spoke again, and Severus frowned. She should not have to think about that answer. She was a loving mother, and Eydis never lacked anything.

'I know we haven't discussed this, Severus,' she started tentatively. 'But I am considering going back to teaching in September.'

Once more, Severus frowned. This did not entirely come as a surprise. He had not expected Cassandra to resign to the standards the Wizarding society had set for their women. She had never seemed the type who would be content with just staying at home, looking after their child and have tea with other mothers. But still, her going back to teaching presented them with some minor problems.

'I'd still be teaching at NEWT level only,' Cassandra went on. 'And Minerva said that there shouldn't be a problem arranging my schedule in a way which makes it possible for me to be with Eydis as much as possible.'

She had obviously already given this a fair bit of thought. And somehow that fact annoyed Severus.

'And who will take care of Eydis while you are teaching?' he asked in a tone that was slightly harsher than he had intended it to be. 'You know I have signed up to teach Potions again. And that is a full-time position.'

Once more, silence settled over the swing. Severus' arm was still wrapped around Cassandra's shoulders, but he could feel that she had tensed up. Had he been too harsh, he wondered. Did she now think that he wanted to lock her up at home with their child, just as upper-class wizards had done with their wives for centuries?

Then she shifted in his arms and sat up, and Severus' first reaction was to pull her back against his chest again. But the look on her face made him withdraw his hand.

'Ginny made us a very nice offer, Severus,' she started. 'She will be home with her children until they start school. And she would very much like to take care of Eydis a couple of days a week.'

'This is out of the question,' Severus retorted before he actually had had time to think about it. 'If you insist on going back to teaching, we can arrange one of the elves to look after Eydis when you and I are both occupied. And I am certain that Poppy will not mind helping out either.'

He could have sworn that he saw a flash of disappointment on Cassandra's face, but her voice revealed nothing of it when she spoke.

'Can we at least talk about this, Severus?' she asked. 'I am confident that elves are good babysitters, but they do have other tasks in the castle. And Poppy, too, has a job of her own. And Eydis will soon be old enough to want to play with other children.'

'The students of Hogwarts are practically fighting over who gets to play with her,' Severus replied, knowing very well that this was a ridiculous argument.

'Playmates of her own age, Severus. I've seen her with the Potter boys today. They loved cuddling her. And soon they will have a baby sister of their own. They would grow up together. They would be friends. Because whether you like it or not, those children will be at Hogwarts at the same time as our daughter. It is only fair to let her become friends with them already at such a young age.'

'I am not having my daughter being brought up by the Potters,' Severus snapped.

'So this is what it is all about: you not liking the Potters.' Cassandra shook her head. 'Is this fair, Severus? Is it fair to transmit your resentments to our daughter? Is it fair to make this decision for her just because she is too little to make it herself?'

Severus opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a heart-wrenching howl from the nursery. The little one had woken up.

He had already gotten up from the swing when he caught sight of Cassandra's face. She suddenly looked very tired to him, and he was torn between the urge to rush to his daughter and the longing to wrap his arms around his wife again. But he decided that it was wiser to think about his words carefully before he said any more.

~ ~ ~

As so often, Eydis had stopped crying the moment Severus had picked her up. But still, he had cradled her against his chest and taken a seat in the rocking chair by the window. He cherished the feeling of the little warm body in his arms, the smell of honey that emitted from the red down on her head. He loved this little child more than anything else in the world. And the day she was born, he had promised her to always be there for her, to protect her and to make sure that she never wanted for anything. But now his promise presented him with a dilemma. Yes, he wanted his daughter to grow up with other children, he wanted her to make friends and be loved. But why, why by the fires of Hades, did it have to be the Potter boys?

But Cassandra was right. It was a perfect solution. He, too, had noticed that Ginny had a wonderful way with children. And the boys were indeed rather nice. And around umpteen corners, the Weasleys were family, after all. Wasn't Arthur Weasley something like Cassandra's cousin once removed?

Severus shook his head. This did not matter. What mattered was the fact that Ginny Weasley had had nothing better to do than choose Harry Potter as father for her children. And as much as the rational part of Severus' brain told him to grow up and get over his schoolyard grudge against the boy's father, he could not. He simply could not.

'Did we rush things, Severus?'

He didn't need to look up. And he wasn't surprised to find Cassandra standing beside him all of a sudden either. His nostrils had filled with her comforting scent a while ago. He knew that she had been standing at the door for at least five minutes, watching him.

She took a pillow from the crib and kneeled down on it in front of Severus' feet, wrapped her arms around his legs and laid her head in his lap. And he caressed her hair with his free hand while he still held Eydis safely against his chest with his other.

'What do you mean?' he whispered.

'Were we in too great a hurry to return to the Wizarding world?' Cassandra rephrased. 'Should we have waited? Should we have made peace with our ghosts before we came back?'

He didn't reply for a while, but continued stroking her hair and gently rocking the baby. He knew which ghosts she was talking about. He saw them flickering in dark corners, met them in his dreams. And sometimes, they even took shape. Like they had today.

When Severus finally spoke, he had made his decision. He had to make a stand. Not for himself, but for his wife and his daughter.

'No, Cassandra,' he said. 'We did the right thing to return. We cannot battle our ghosts at a distance. We have to come face to face with them to make peace. And tomorrow we will visit the Potters.'