Chapter 16
Chapter 16 of 16
phoenixSeverus Snape, Deputy Headmaster, is beholden to no man with the Dark Lord finally vanquished and Dumbledore gone. He is free to choose the course that his life takes, to make friends, to finally know what it means to lead a normal life. How does he adapt to being able to experience this normality. Sequel to "Wounded" (the link is in the story). Rating is for later chapters.
Chapter 16
The term was almost over, and Severus was looking forward to some time away from school. He had a new appreciation for what Minerva had done as Deputy. It wasn't that the work was difficult, just that it was tedious. Of course, he would not have much time off during the summer, as he had to see to the letter for the new first years as well as the book lists for all the classes.
Since it was the lull before exams, he had decided to see if Aurelia was in their quarters. She had indicated she had some errands to run, but she had expected to be back early in the afternoon. He would take advantage of his free period.
When he did not find her in their quarters, he started to grow concerned. She should have been back by now; it was not like her to wander the castle. After checking her office at St. Mungo's through the Floo and finding she was not there either, he began pacing nervously.
When the door finally opened, he snapped, "Where have you been?"
"Good afternoon, to you, too," she replied. With a few quick waves of her wand, she summoned the tea set and soon had a cup of steaming tea in hand.
"Where were you?" he demanded.
"I was with your mother, and then we were looking at some of the vacant quarters here in the castle."
"You should have left a note so that I would know where you were."
"Honestly, Severus, you don't expect to know where I am every second of the day, do you?"
He scowled at her cavalier attitude. "Something could have happened to you, to our son, and I wouldn't know about it until it was too late," he said defensively.
Setting her teacup down, she motioned for him to sit next to her. After he had done so, she said, "I won't do anything reckless. It's just not who I am. I'm sorry that I gave you cause to worry." She leaned into him, enjoying being near him.
He wrapped his arm around her, relieved that she was safe. After her kidnapping, he had become more paranoid about her going anywhere alone, especially since Malfoy was free. His other hand gently rested on her stomach, trying to feel his son moving within her. That morning, he had felt the movement for the first time. Suddenly, part of what she had told him registered. "What were you looking at vacant quarters for?"
"Well, your quarters here are a little cramped for the two of us and a baby."
"This is an enchanted castle. Another room could be added quite easily."
She sighed. "It's not only that. This is a dungeon, and a nursery should be light and airy. I'm afraid we won't get that with only the transom windows."
He was about to protest when he recalled his mother's advice about marriage requiring compromises. "Where are these quarters?"
"On the second floor, away from the classrooms. There's a lovely window that faces the lake. We could move the furnishings from here up there. Will you come take a look?" she asked excitedly.
He had seen some of the quarters on the second floor, and those that he had were not ones that he could imagine himself living in. "Of course," he replied reluctantly.
Once on the second floor, he could tell how much the move would mean to her. She grew quite animated as she discussed the layout of the room. He did have to admit that the view was quite spectacular.
"And you can keep your office down in the dungeon, but I think this would be much better for raising a child, don't you think?"
Her words barely penetrated his consciousness. He was trying to determine if he could stand living here. Most of his life had been spent living in darkness and shadows, and it was hard for him to shed his aversion to the light. He reasoned that he had survived at her house, and this was not really all that different. Memories of hiding in darkness during his childhood made him realize that he could not subject his son to the same thing. He would try to provide his son with those things that he had not had as a child.
"It is," he finally answered. "I will see that our things are moved up here over the summer." This would be one of those sacrifices Eileen had mentioned.
She had a huge grin on her face when she threw her arms around him. "Thank you very much."
**********
After the students were gone, Severus escorted Aurelia to the gates. It was a nice day, and she had convinced him they should walk to the gates rather than ride in one of the carriages. Their trip home was much shorter than the girls' would be. Once the unpacking was finished, Aurelia saw that it was time to go to London.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" he asked.
"No. I think it will be best if you don't. I'd like a little time with Julia." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Really. It might be a couple of hours or it might be rather short. It depends on her."
"Be careful."
She gave him a reassuring smile. "You worry too much, darling."
As Aurelia waited for the train, she couldn't help but feel nervous. She had not really communicated with Julia since she had announced her impending marriage, and Helen was still rather reluctant to mention her sister whenever they talked.
When the train arrived at the station, Helen was one of the first students off the train, rushing over to give her mother a hug. "Where's Professor Snape?" she asked quietly.
"He's at home." Having Helen by her side made her feel slightly less nervous.
Finally, Julia emerged, one of the last students left off the train. She did not look pleased. "I suppose he's at home," she said disdainfully.
Aurelia suppressed a sigh. "He is. I thought you might like to have a butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron before we go home."
"Why?"
"I thought you might like to talk about what's happened."
"Not really," Julia said shortly. "I'd rather just go home." As they started walking out of the station, she continued. "Elizabeth has invited me to spend part of the summer with her."
"I see. We'll discuss that later. I won't have you spending your entire vacation at someone else's house," Aurelia said, noticing that Julia was not pleased to hear that.
The rest of the journey to the Leaky Cauldron and through the Floo was spent in silence. By the time Aurelia Apparated home, Julia was already up in her room. She held back her tears. "Helen, why don't you go up and unpack before dinner." After her younger daughter was upstairs, she hurried down the hall and slammed the door to the library shut before collapsing in tears on the sofa.
It was not long before she felt strong arms on her shoulder, and Severus pulled her against his chest.
He held her and let her cry herself out before asking, "Julia still isn't talking to you, is she?"
She sniffed, wiping her nose with the handkerchief he had given her. When she replied, she was hiccupping. "N-no. I do-don't know what t-to do."
Holding her and rubbing her back, he replied, "Just wait. She will be forced to confront the situation sooner or later."
That started a fresh round of tears. "She-she doesn't want to b-be here. She w-wants to l-leave."
"Shhh. Just calm down. We'll deal with this later. Right now, I want you to relax and get some rest before dinner. You have about half an hour."
Wiping at her tears, she said, "No. I'm all right. I want to help."
Placing his hand on her cheek, he said. "I insist that you rest. Besides, there isn't much left for you to do." Before leaving, he kissed her gently on the lips.
************
The next two weeks were anything but pleasant. When Julia was home, she sequestered herself in her room other than for meals during which she volunteered nothing. If Aurelia asked her any questions, she made the answers as brief as possible.
Severus did his best to give Aurelia time alone with Julia, but it didn't seem to be helping. Aurelia was growing more and more despondent, and he was concerned about her. He didn't think that she was eating properly, and he knew that she wasn't getting enough sleep. Deciding that Julia had been indulged for long enough, he decided to have a talk with her whether she wanted to or not.
After Aurelia went to work, he knocked on Julia's door.
"Go away!" she shouted.
"Julia, open this door. I need to speak with you."
"I don't want to talk to you."
Reaching for the doorknob, he found that it was locked. While he could easily unlock it, he would prefer for her to let him in voluntarily. "This is about your mother. It is very important and you will let me in."
"I don't have to do anything you say. You're not my father."
He was rather quickly losing what little patience he had, and he waved his wand at the door. "True, I am not your father," he said from the now open doorway. "But I love your mother very much, and this grudge you are holding against her is affecting her health."
"So?" Julia asked as she turned her back on him.
Grabbing her shoulder, he pulled her around to face him. "I fear your brother's life may be in danger if she does not start taking better care of herself."
"Good," she snarled.
He barely maintained control of his rage, replying through clinched teeth, "I know that you do not mean you want an innocent life to come to harm." After taking a deep breath, he said, "I am not asking you to like me. I am not asking you to like the fact that your mother and I are married. What I am asking is that you quit treating her as though she does not exist. She loves you very much."
"Hmph," Julia replied.
"She cries herself to sleep every night because of how you are treating her. I know that you are too self-absorbed in your personal teenage angst to realize how much your behavior hurts her, but if you paid attention for even one evening, you would see how much she truly loves you. If she did not love you, would she send you a letter every week inviting you to tea? If you still do not believe me, talk to your sister." He didn't like discussing Aurelia's most personal feelings, but he knew that Julia needed to hear the truth.
"Like I'm really supposed to believe you?" she retorted.
"I don't care if you believe me or not. Trust your own eyes and make the observations yourself. But whatever you do, you will cease this pouting in your room, and you will spend time with your mother. Starting this evening when she gets home." He spun on his heel and left her room without closing the door.
That evening, dinner progressed somewhat better than it had since the end of term. While Julia was not exactly chatty, she was at least answering with more than one-word responses, and she was looking around the table rather than staring at her plate.
Severus took this as a step in the right direction, but he suspected that it would take more than one day for Julia to begin to accept their new family dynamic.
************
Over the course of the next few days, Aurelia noticed that Julia wasn't avoiding her quite as much. She did still ask to spend time at her friends' houses, but not all day, every day. Julia still wasn't really conversing with anyone, at least not that Aurelia knew of, but she hoped this was a step in the right direction.
On Saturday morning, she was up early preparing breakfast when Julia joined her in the kitchen. "Can I lend a hand, Mum?" Julia asked softly.
Aurelia smiled broadly. "Of course you may." She was amazed that Julia was not only talking to her, but offering to help, besides.
Julia looked at her slippers. "I'm...I'm sorry."
At this apology, Aurelia nearly crushed Julia in a smothering embrace and started crying tears of happiness.
"Mum. Too tight," Julia said, her voice muffled against her mother.
"Terribly sorry," replied Aurelia as she released her daughter.
Aurelia led her to the table. "I should have been more considerate of your feelings. I know that it was an awfully big change in a very short period of time."
"I'm sorry I've been so horrible to you."
"It's all right, dear. I know this has been terribly hard on everyone. Truce?"
Julia smiled weakly, as though she still felt guilty about her behavior. "Truce. Let me do breakfast this morning."
"You know what? Why don't we do this together?"
Aurelia couldn't be happier as she finally got Julia to open up to her. As the two of them prepared breakfast, Aurelia listened to Julia tell her about her exams, how her school year had gone and how she was thinking about becoming a Healer after graduation.
************
The remainder of the summer passed much more smoothly. At the end of July, Severus had to spend time at Hogwarts preparing the letters for the incoming students. Thankfully, the quill was automated, and he only had to dictate the names of the incoming students who were to be invited and verify the list of returning students.
The tedious part was dispatching the owls. He did not like making trips to the Owlery, thus he had his own owl for personal correspondence, but in this case, the school owls had to be used just due to the sheer volume of letters.
He also knew there was a very difficult topic he needed to bring up with Aurelia. He knew that she would not take it well, but he really could not put it off much longer. He would have to address it when he returned home.
Home. What an odd concept that he no longer thought of Spinner's End as his summer home. Early in the summer, he had taken Helen with him to retrieve his books. He did not care about any of the other possessions. He had never left any of his Potions materials at the house during the school year. He did have wards set up, since he had some material there that he did not like to leave unguarded. Now, he was reasonably sure that he would not be returning there again.
When he arrived at home, he found it was much later than he had thought. Dinner was already on the table. "I lost track of time," he said simply.
Aurelia replied, "Don't worry about it. I put a warming charm on the food."
After dinner, they retired to the living room and played games for a little while before Aurelia excused herself for bed, warning the girls not to stay up too late.
Severus followed her upstairs.
"There was no need for you to turn in this early."
"That's not why I'm here." He sat on the bed and patted next to him. He still couldn't believe how much his son was growing. When the summer holidays had started, she had barely been showing. Now, there was no doubt that she was carrying his child. Placing his hand on her stomach, he asked, "How long were you planning on working?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe another month."
This was not the answer he had hoped for. He knew that once they returned to Hogwarts, she would have to use the Floo and that Floo travel did not agree with her even under normal circumstances. "That would put you rather close to your due date, wouldn't it?" he asked cautiously.
"A couple of weeks. Why?"
"You cannot Disapparate from the castle, and I do not like you using the Floo."
"I'm not taking a leave of absence when the term starts. There is no reason I cannot continue to work."
He realized that he was on the verge of getting himself into trouble, but at this point, he didn't care; he only cared that she and his son were healthy. "No? You have had a very rough time of things this summer."
"But that's over. Everything has been fine since Julia and I worked out our differences," she insisted.
"I know. But you have been under more than enough stress as it is. I don't think you need the added stress of using the Floo."
"Well, I don't think you are qualified to make that judgment. You are not a Healer," she snapped.
She was definitely taking this even worse than he had anticipated. "Aurelia, I am only looking out for you..."
"Smothering me is more like it. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"I didn't say you weren't." He tried not to become defensive, but it was hard to ignore her attacks.
"But you implied it. I have raised two wonderful and well-behaved girls. I think I know a great deal more about raising children that you do. I will keep my own counsel on this."
She was crying again, and he tried to comfort her. Normally, she would collapse into his arms and try to draw strength from him, but this time she shoved him away.
"Just... go away," she said and turned her back on him.
Deciding it was best to let her calm down a little, he left her alone.
Thankfully, the girls were already upstairs. The last thing he needed was either of them asking him why he was downstairs again, especially Julia, who was polite with him, but not overly friendly. He tried to look through the latest issue of Potions Quarterly, but found he could not concentrate on the words.
After twenty minutes, he gave up and decided to go back upstairs and see if she would see reason. Slowly, he opened the bedroom door and could see her lying with her back to the door. He stripped down to his boxer shorts and crawled into bed behind her, wrapping his arm around her, letting his hand lie gently on her stomach. "Aurelia?" he asked softly.
"What?" she snapped.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Apparently, she had not completely calmed down. "I'm sorry I upset you. I'm concerned and... inexperienced." He hated admitting when he did not know something, but despite the books he had read, he was still quite ignorant of what occurred during pregnancy.
"I shouldn't have snapped at you." She pressed herself against him, placing her hand on his. "I should have listened to your concerns. I know I don't always react well to Floo travel, but I'll be fine. There is an alarm on my office that chimes in the Ward when the Floo is used, and you can set one up at Hogwarts that will enable a house-elf to check on me."
It was something, a small consolation, but it wasn't enough to ease his concerns. "Since most of your work is administrative, perhaps you could cut back on the number of days you go to the office? Our new quarters are large enough to afford you a work area." He trailed his hand along her stomach, drifting lower, hoping to distract her so that she would agree to his wishes.
"Are you trying to distract me?" she asked playfully.
"Is it working?" he whispered seductively into her ear.
"Perhaps," she answered coyly as she placed her hand on his thigh.
"Just a moment; let me cast a Silencing Charm." Rolling over, he grabbed his wand from the table and flicked it at the door. When he rolled back over, Aurelia's lips met his, and she gave him a deep kiss. He didn't think that he would ever completely get used to these mood swings, but when they happened like this, he was not going to complain, and he eagerly returned the kiss. At the same time, he slipped his hand under her nightgown, wanting to feel her skin against his.
He was not alone in wanting to be rid of clothing. She tugged at his boxers until he was able to get out of them, and then she firmly grasped him, quickly bringing him to full erection. "I love you," she whispered breathily.
"I love you, too," he whispered as he shifted behind her, eager for release. Reaching down, he found her as aroused as he was. He loved the changes to her body as his child grew within her. He especially enjoyed her increased libido.
As he teased her, she squirmed and moaned for him to continue. "Severus, please."
"Not yet, darling." He gently caressed her breast, enjoying the soft feel and how she arched her back against him. When he could not longer hold back, he finally did as she asked, glad that he had placed a Silencing Charm on the room. At times like this, she was very vocal. As she snuggled against him, he enjoyed her closeness, knowing his life was soon to change and these moments would become more infrequent.
**********
On September first, he accompanied everyone to the train station, though he waited just inside the barrier, hoping not to be noticed. He did not need to draw attention to his presence.
As the train pulled away, he could tell that she was fighting back the tears, and he slipped to her side, placing his arm around her. "Are you all right?"
She dabbed at her eyes. "I'll be fine. Just a little emotional. I never expected to feel this way about them leaving."
"Are you sure you're all right?" They had planned on Apparating straight to Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure if she was up to it.
"I'm fine. I just need a minute."
"Take your time." He led her over to a bench. By now, the platform was nearly empty.
After a couple of minutes, she said, "I'm ready."
When they Apparated to the Hogwarts' gate, a carriage was waiting for them. Aurelia saw the beasts hitched to the carriage and instinctively pulled away. "Oh, my!"
He held her protectively. "It's a Thestral and it's perfectly safe." He had not thought that she might not be familiar with Thestrals.
"Have have they always pulled the carriages?"
"Yes. But you can only see them if you have seen someone die."
"Ah. I never took much interest in Care of Magical Creatures." She let him lead her to the carriage. As they rode up to the castle, she didn't say anything, but merely leaned against him for comfort, still disturbed by the Thestrals.
While walking into the castle, he asked, "Would you prefer to take lunch with the staff or in our quarters?"
"Let's eat with the staff." She followed him to the staff room, where they ate in the days leading up to the start of term.
As soon as they entered the room, Eileen hurried across the room to give Aurelia a hug. "Look at you. You look wonderful."
"Thank you. You should have come by this summer."
"Oh, I think you had enough going on that you didn't need me visiting. I'm so glad that you and Julia settled your differences."
"Me, too. It was hard having her not talk to me. And look at you? Looks like you've been busy this summer."
At this, Severus appraised his mother. His attention had been focused on Remus and Kalliope sitting together on one of the sofas trying to occupy the same space. He noticed that she looked tan and was smiling quite broadly. Over her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Adrian looking equally tan and relaxed.
Before he could say anything, Adrian announced, "Well, now that we are all here, let's eat lunch."
Eileen took a seat next to Severus. Once conversation started back up, she leaned over and whispered, "I would like to let the staff know about our relation to each other."
From the tone of her letters, he had expected this. "And the students?"
"I doubt many of them know my first name, and I'm not opposed to keeping Pince as my last name."
He really couldn't see any reason to oppose her request. "I think it would be good to reveal this secret. After all, I see no reason to keep it anymore."
She smiled broadly. "Thank you." Turning her attention to the table, she said, "Excuse me, everyone. I have an announcement to make." Once the table was silent, she continued. "During the first war, I had a powerful memory charm placed on me for my protection. It was removed during the last school year. I spent a good portion of that year trying to come to terms with the removal of the charm, and the resulting changes in my life. After having time away from school, I have decided to reveal my true identity to the staff.
"My real name is Eileen Snape. Severus and Albus Dumbledore worked together to keep me safe, to protect me from You-Know-Who.
"I've decided that I will retain Pince as my last name, but I would prefer if you would address me as Eileen. Thank you."
There were a few moments of silence before people started asking her and Severus questions. He was pleased when Aurelia gave his leg a reassuring squeeze.
**********
This term progressed much better than the previous one had. The first few weekends, Aurelia enlisted Helen and Julia to help her set up the nursery for the baby. Eileen would come join them, too, when she could get away from the library.
Severus was glad that she had the extra help. He had given up on suggesting that she not do things, but instead had started offering to do them for her. This had met with more success than his previous attempts at modifying her behavior.
Of course, with her due date rapidly approaching, she was more willing to rest and utilize the house-elves. He was glad that she was no longer commuting to St. Mungo's. What little work she did was generally sent by owl.
That night, he thought that she was taking longer than normal to get comfortable. "Is everything all right?"
"Fine, darling. Just having a bit of a hard time settling down."
"You aren't having contractions, are you?" He knew that the baby was past due.
"No."
"You...aren't worried about this?" He could not keep the concern out of his voice.
She laughed softly. "It's not really a big deal. Both girls were late, too. Babies don't come on a specific day."
"I know. I'm just concerned." He rubbed her stomach.
"Mmmm. That feels good. Maybe you could rub my back, too."
"Of course."
************
Through the next week's worth of classes, he was incredibly distracted. He was taking all his meals in his quarters, and it was not unheard of for him to rush up to their quarters during breaks.
Thankfully, his students had quickly caught on to his edgy mood and were incredibly careful not to provoke him once word got around that he was even taking points from Slytherins.
On Thursday, he was instructing the sixth year N.E.W.T students when Eileen burst in through the door. "It's time," she shouted out.
Severus dropped the textbook to the floor and rushed out of the room.
"Miss MacLean, you too," Eileen said. "The rest of you, finish your potions."
Severus ran for the hospital wing as quickly as he could. At this point, he didn't care how undignified he looked. "Aurelia?" he called out as he hurried into the private room they had prepared for her.
She smiled at him. "I wasn't sure you'd make it." She grimaced as she had another contraction.
He took hold of her hand and immediately regretted that decision as it felt as though she were going to crush it. "So soon?"
"And thank goodness, too."
"Are you ready?" asked Poppy.
She nodded and released Severus's hand as she gripped her thighs.
Theoretically, he knew what to expect. Realistically, he was not prepared for it to happen so quickly. He was in a daze as he watched her going through the birthing process. It wasn't long before he heard the wails of his son and saw Poppy handing the small, screaming child to Aurelia.
"Severus?"
Someone was calling his name. "Yes?"
"Would you like to cut the cord?" Poppy asked in a tone of voice that suggested she had been trying to get his attention for a while.
"Of course." He tapped his wand where Poppy had indicated.
"Did you want to hold him?" Aurelia asked.
"Hold him?" He was still in a bit of a state of shock. She held him out for him, and he tentatively took the wriggling child in his arms. He held tight, afraid the baby would squirm out of his arms.
"Not so hard. He's not going anywhere," Aurelia said gently.
Slowly, he relaxed, becoming more comfortable with holding his son. "My son," he said softly. Noticing Julia at his side, he asked, "Would you like to hold your brother?" As he transferred the child to her arms, the door opened again. Eileen and Helen were quite winded, having run up from Care of Magical Creatures.
"Are we too late?" Eileen asked.
"Just," replied Severus. "Helen, come see your brother." As Helen and Eileen crowded around Julia, he noticed that Aurelia was crying. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just so happy that everyone is here. Our whole family."
He sat down on the bed and embraced her. "What did you want to name him?"
"You still don't have an idea?"
"I told you. I'll let you choose his name."
"Mum? What's his name?" Helen asked as she handed her brother over.
"Well, if Severus agrees, Marcus Aurelius."
He thought about this for a second. "I think that is an excellent name. Welcome, Marcus."
~The End~
***********
A/N: First and foremost, thanks to Zen Lady and nota for their dedicated work beta reading this story for me. Second, thanks to all the readers, especially those who have taken the time to leave a review.
Now, for those that are interested in more behind the scenes action for this story, I have started writing a look at Eileen's point of view of these events. It's called "After the Awakening". It picks up in Chapter 3 after Severus removes the charm. Click here.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Beholden To No Man
20 Reviews | 6.25/10 Average
Great read, I'm not usually too intrested in stories with origional characters, but yours were well developed and rounded. Thank you. :)
I am intrigued, so far so good. Well done!
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thank you. I'm glad that you have enjoyed it. I always appreciate it when folks tell me they have enjoyed my work, even if it takes me a long time to reply sometimes.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thank you. I'm glad that you have enjoyed it. I always appreciate it when folks tell me they have enjoyed my work, even if it takes me a long time to reply sometimes.
blimey that was a twist and a half. will keep reading, great story
xx
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks. That was one of my favorite scenes in the whole story. I just really couldn't resist. I think it a lot that so long after I wrote the story I knew exactly what you were talking about. LOL
Yes, the girls behaved just as I thought they would, Helen was pleased as punch and Julia was a typical difficult teenager. The only thing more difficult than a sulking sixteen year old is a sulking fifteen year old, so it could have been worse.It looks like politics and criminal justice in the wizarding world are no different that they are in the Muggle world. I hadn't even thought of a plea bargain, but it's so typical of Lucius.Things are winding down, but don't end the story until the baby is born, she finally has the right formula for Remus ( it looks like she's super close now), Julia finally comes round, and most of all what is brewing between Eileen and Adrian.I think they would make a great couple, and Adrian is even more fatherly towards him than Dumbledore was. Another plus is that Adrian is much lees manipulative than DD was. You hint that Adrian has a great sorrow in his past, will we find out what it is?
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks. I had a lot of fun with the different responses. After all, they are different people. Teenagers in general can be incredibly exasperating and Julia definitely fills this role.
Politics, what can I say? It doesn't seem to change no matter where you are. And we already know that Lucius has taken advantage of having money in the past.
Yup, the story is winding down. Probably one more chapter to wrap this installment all up. As for Eileen and Adrian, I am working on a story that is a companion piece to this one that will explore some events from her point of view and provide more backstory to what's going on at Hogwarts and about those two characters. :) And yes, Adrian is definitely less manipulative, something I'm sure Severus is happy for.
I love the twist at the end! Eileen /Elaine was right and now he is forced to make a decision. I'm betting on marriage. I bet Eileen/Elaine will be thrilled to find out she's going to be a grandmother.it really shouldn't be a hard choice for him, he wants her there with him. After her materninty leave there should be plenty of house elves who would volunteer to do day care and she could commute by Floo or apparate back and forth to work every day. The baby would also have it's sisters and grandmother nearby and they would be a complete family unit. This story must be nearing it's conclusion, is there any way I could once again inspire you to write another sequel? I will miss Aurealia, her girls and the new character you added to this story, Eileen. I know Severus would never be a Mr. Chips, but how about Powlett-Jones from Delderfield's To Serve Them All My Days? That would take him into the Headmastership and then to retirement.Since this update hasn't shown up on the site where I usually read it, I decided not to wait, to read and review it here.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks for the head's up on the Elaine/Eileen. I felt like such an idiot. And neither or my betas caught it either. LOL We all saw what we wanted to see.
As for house elves, I think that would be a wonderful thing to have when dealing with an infant. LOL I think that Severus will realize what a good thing he has and be bright about making choices.
For a sequel, I am working out some plot ideas. It will be set a bit in the future, probably around 15-17 years. We'll see how it works out. I need to see if I can write something that will cover some key points of the intermediary years without getting bogged down.
Response from Trickie Woo (Reviewer)
I'm a really good proof reader, not much gets by me. I caught a real zinger in the Wayside Gardens newsletter this week. They sent the email on June 14 advertising a buy 3 get 2 free sale on roses (shipped bare roots); at the top of the page were 2 pictures, one of a rose bush in full bloom and beside it a picture of the plant with bare roots the way it would arrive at your address. The picture of the bare roots rose said this picture taken June 16, 2006. I sent them back an email asking how they got a picture from the future because I'd love to have a camera like that. My email was sent June 14, 2006 at 11:13 PM. I got a reply from them today thanking me for pointing out the error. It was easy to see how Eileen became mixed up with Elaine, it's easy to overlook when the lettering sequence is so similar. But the date on that picture in the newsletter should have stuck out like a sore thumb.
Oh, my! I was not expecting that one! Wow! Wonderful job. I really can't wait to see how Severus reacts to this. This story has me captivated. Thank you so much for sharing. I can't want for the next update. :)
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
LOL I don't think Severus was expecting it, either. Oh, how horribly he's likely to take this news. I love the little evil cliffhangers and this was a really good one form my standpoint. I am in the final revision phase of the next chapter and have even started on 14.
Hopefully, his reaction won't disappoint. I know I had fun imagining it.
How wonderful to find this updated! Must I hunt down and kill the plot bunnies attacking you or at least trap and release them later. So much is happening in this chapter - your unhurried pacing and attention to detail almost obscures that! Beautifully written as always!
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thank you very much, kari. Especially for the help on trapping the offending plot bunnies. I'm having a hard time picking a project to settle on right now. I need to whip them into shape. On the upside, I did have a huge brainstorn on the next chapter and I think it will be a wonderful twist.
Well done. Her anxiety is so believable and just when Severus is becomming courageous. Remus' timing is doing nothing to endear himself to Severus! Remus is the one I'm worried about falling into the love the doctor syndrome... Looking forward to more!
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thank you very much, kari. This is a scary time for Aurelia. Remus is such a sweetheart and I have a soft spot for him. Fortunately for Severus, Aurelia only sees Remus as a friend, though as you said, Remus should be careful not to get too attached to her.
“Contrary to popular belief, the world does not revolve around you.” Well said! Coded banging? Is Remus just changed enough to be wily and deadly? Thank goodness the next chapter is posted!!
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
I completely loved that line. Once I had it come to me, I knew I had to make sure to leave it in. Yes, you did get lucky that the next chapter is up.
What with her nervousness and mourning and his awkwardness and insecurities, you'll need all your skill to get them together.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Yes, it will take a lot of skill won't it? Hopefully everyone will show the right amount of patience. :)
Feel sorry for the girls it must be hard to pull back from their previous relationship with Severus.The story has flowed nicely into the sequel. Once more I am going to enjoy the promise and a brilliant story to read. Best wishes
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
THanks,
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
. It will be tough for everyone to adjust, but I think they will. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Some chapters are proving more difficult than others to write. *sigh*
I've enjoyed this story and its predecessor very much. Aurelia and her daughters are very satisfying OCs. Part of me wanted some sort of an epilogue but I think that's more a harking back to storytelling convention -- really, it ends very nicely.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thank you very much. :) There are times I do epilogues and times I don't. It really depends on how I think the story ends. Here, I thought it ended nicely. I do hope to revisit these characters in another future set fic once I knock out some other projects. :)
I hate to see the story end, is there any chance of inspiring you once more to continue with Severus, Aurelia and their children? Maybe a series of one shots as they grow up. I'd like to know if the have anymore children and what happens with Helen and Julia after they graduate; and maybe something about Marcus and his school days.I read and reviewed After the Awakening. Are you taking that beyond that day in the staff room when Eileen revealed her secret? If you do, then I hope there will be more of Severus & Aurelia in it. Eileen is Marcus's grandmother so it would fit in very naturally. I suspect there is something going on with Eileen and Adrian, but I don't think Severus would act in the bratty way that Julia did. I think he has matured emotionally now that he is a husband, father, and stepfather. Those hormonal mood swings taught him a lot of patience and diplomacy and he now seems to be a full fledged adult. Now about the baby'e name, I understand where the Aurelius came from, but if there was anything earlier in the story about the name Marcus I can't remember it. So where does the Marcus come from?
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
I have 3 other WIPs and a couple of one-shots I would like to pursue, but time permitting, I would like to revisit this view of the HP universe. :D
After the Awakening will probably be 4-5 chapters (I have to laugh at that since every other estimate I have made has turned out to be horribly off). I do think Severus would definitely be more mature than Julia. After all, he still feels some residual guilt over her situation. And this whole experience has definitely matured him.
Marcus Aurelius was the last of the great Roman emporers and philosophers. When he died, so did the Pax Romana, or so they say. While the movie Gladiator is not completely accurate, there is some truth, That was just happy fortune that Aurelius/Aurelia are fairly common names. Her name is the same as the mother of Julius Ceasar's mother.
Response from Trickie Woo (Reviewer)
I was looking at the family tree of Caesar Augustus's family Sunday night. I had come across something about Caligula and wanted to check it out.I loved 'I, Claudius' and it was on a web site about that mini series that I found the family trees. they were well documented and went into great detail. What little history of the Roman empire I learned about in school came from my 2 years of Latin in high school. I learned more from Robert Graves' books than from school.When we were on a Parish Holiday in Kent just west of Sandwich the first place they took us was Richborough Castle where the Roman occupying forces first landed in 43 AD and remained as their main port of entry during the occupation. In an area filled with history and many, many interesting places to see that turned out to be my favorite.I haven't been to Italy yet, but someday I'll get there and see the remnants of the Empire as well as the other place I have a strong desire to visit, Tuscany.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
I had two years of Latin and then as one of my required humanities courses in college I took Roman History. Michael Grant's History of Rome is a great book on Roman history. While I've been to Italy, I never had near enough time. I had but one day in Rome, which is a travesty. I could spend weeks there. I love ancient Rome and Greece and hope to spend more time studying that area.
He's learning fast how volatile pregnant women can be, after the baby is born the experience will make it much easier to deal with PMS. He's learning the magic words are yes dear, I was wrong, and I was selfish. He hasn't yet learned my favorites though, I brought you chocolate, have some chocolate, and would you like to go out and get some chocolate. When I was pregnant with my son my morning sickness was 24/7 for the first 5 months, the only thing I could eat that would stay down was chocolate. It's funny, isn't it how you can get sick of eating almost anything, but chocolate never loses it's taste or appeal. I lost 30 lbs. during those 5 months and when he was born I weighed the same as I did when I got pregnant. When I left the hospital I weighed just a little more (15 lbs.) than I wanted to weigh.His adjustment to marriage would have been easier if they had time for a shakedown cruise before she got pregnant, but that can't be helped. Besides, if it hadn't happened they wouldn't be married yet. He would still be courting her and getting up the nerve to propose.I had thought about asking you to have Eileen talk to Julia, but no one but Severus, Aurelia and possibly Adrian knows who she really is, do they? Or is her identity common knowledge since the wedding when she was so obviously close to both of them. Maybe Severus could talk to her, he has around 25 years of experience in dealing with petulant (I had to ge that word in there) adolescents and it's not him, personally, that bothers her. Although he was never known for tact and diplomacy in dealing with any of them. But he always did take his responsibility to the Slytherins very seriously and took good care of them. Julia has to come round sooner or later, maybe it will be the new baby that will draw her in towards her mother.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
LOL yes, poor Severus really has a steep learning curve here when it comes to women, doesn't he? He's not exactly starting it at the most advantageous point, but he is learning. Personally, I couldn't imagine losing 30 lbs over that short a time, it must have been miserable for you.
At this point, I would actually have to look it up. I can't recall if anything wsa mentioned at the wedding or not to the girls. I don't think they do know. As for the petulant teenager, you have read the next chapter, so you know what happens. :D
I'm going to try again, I hope the whole shebang doesn't collapse when I try to post it this time.It was amazing how far he managed to regress in his emotional development at the beginning of the chapter. It was as if he took 10 steps backward for every step he had advanced before. It just goes to show that every boy can benefit from a good chewing out from his mother. And when he actually listened to her, look what it got him, make up sex and that's always the best kind. Plus he got a fiancee, a wedding to plan, a baby to get ready for, and she told him she would come to Hogwarts to live with him. Maybe the chapter should be titled 'Mother Knows Best'.I have one small worry, how will Julia respond to her mother's news when she finds out about the baby? The first and second years at Hogwarts seem to be more innocent that Muggle children. Helen probably doesn't know the mechanics of sex, or of pregnancy, or the signifigance of counting to nine. Since she already tried to set them up she will be pleased at the news. Julia is past that stage and at the age when teenagers think they are much smarter that any adult. She will probably be highly embarrassed at the thought of her mother having sex and even more embarassed and highly outraged that her mother became pregnant out of wedlock. The wizarding world can be very judgemental and moralistic, so I can just imagine the reaction of a teenager from that background to her mother's news.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thank you very much for your wonderful review, especially since you got hit by the database hiccup (I try to copy all long replies before submitting, but I still forget LOL)
Severus did take a big step(s) back, didn't he? Fear can do some amazing things to you, can't it? You know what, 'Mother Knows Best' would make a great title for this one. LOL If only he'd listened to her sooner.
I have been working on the next chapter and you will see reactions. This next chapter, for various reasons, has been one of the harder I've had to write. I won't say anymore for risk of ruining the surprise. :)
Hooray for this update! Now there's a sign of true love, Severus taking Harry along. Aurelia's captivity was very believable, espcially her alternating thoughts of capitulation, rescue and strength.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks, kari. LOL Working with Harry would be a sign of true love, wouldn't it. LOL I'm glad you found her captivity believable. It's always a hard thing to do. In this case moreso since Aurelia isn't as much like me as some of my other OCs have been. I'm just glad that her captivity is over.
I'm thrilled to find an update to your wonderful story. I jealously watched as your other stories were updated here on PP... finally, this one :) Quite a cliffhanger, I'm hoping this has nothing to do with Malfoy. Anxiously awaiting the next chapter!
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks, kari. As for the other one getting updates, it's been done for a while now, I'm just catching up on posting here.
As for why Aurelia didn't make dinner, that will be revealed in the next chapter. Patience, my friend.
Well, there are indeed a few twists here! It would have seemed more natural to me to have Elaine's awakening back story. It felt too rushed here, what with the new job, identity and face. But it is nice that he will have someone with his best interests at heart to talk to. And I like the clever idea of hiding someone in Hogwarts as a new staff member. I don't think I've seen that done before. Also, how ironic and fun that Adrian would leave her door open for Severus!
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
In hindsight more backstory would be good. I might be convinced to do a little filler fic for this when I finish one of my projects. I wanted this story to focus on the story of Severus and Aurelia. I have to thank one of my betas of another story for that twist, though I wish I could take credit for that. I'm glad you are enjoying this. :)
You've doen an excellent job of capturing Severus' paranoia and awkwardness.
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks, kari. Severus is a lot of fun to work with and I really have to thank Zen Lady for keeping me straight when I try to take him too far of his course. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
I'm so glad to find this sequel up so quickly. Helen a Slytherin, lol. I'm enjoying this more mature look at what happens after the war. In many ways harder to write I think...
Response from phoenix (Author of Beholden To No Man)
Thanks, kari. You got lucky on this. I actually started posting Wounded becasue I knew this sequel was getting ready for posting. You will see more about Helen and her Slytherin stripes in the future. :) The hardest part about this one was that I killed off so many from the pervious world and the rebuilding involved quite a bit of creation on my part, though that was fun. I hope you enjoy the rest of it.