Across the Threshold

Chapter Ten

Across the Threshold

The village of Downham was green. This was the one thing about Severus's new home which took the most getting used to. When the sun shone, the fertile landscape luminesced with natural beauty. He felt as though he had never inhaled so deeply, not even in the Scottish Highlands where lakes and mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. There was something invigorating about the shadow of Pendle Hill which inspired him, instilling a sense of harmony.

Since moving into his new home, he'd made his new house on Lapwing Row untraceable, so he could not be located by the wizarding world. However, he had stopped short of casting an Unplottable Charm on his location because his house was part of a Muggle community.

Severus knew he would inevitably meet his new neighbours whilst out in his back garden, which was perhaps why he'd procrastinated about setting foot outdoors. After a few days spent unpacking his belongings and arranging his house to his liking, he could no longer busy himself indoors, and the time came to venture outside and turn his hand to Mother Nature.

Within half-an-hour, a voice called over the wooden fence as Severus laboured, turning over soil with a spade.

"Hallo!" the voice sang.

Severus kicked the spade into the sod and shielded his eyes from the sun as he wiped his muddy hands on his shirt and straightened to greet his neighbour. Leaning over the fence was an old man, probably in his early seventies, with white, wiry hair and tortoiseshell glasses. He wore a flat-cap and a beige shirt with braces, and his pale blue eyes held a sparkle which reminded Severus fleetingly of Dumbledore.

The neighbour held out his hand, and Severus stepped forward and wiped his hand on his trousers before accepting the handshake.

"How do yeh do?" said the old man. "Name's Dawson, Albert Dawson. And you are?"

"Snape. Severus Snape."

The neighbour's eyes widened with curiosity. "Interesting name yeh got there, if you don't mind me sayin'."

"My mother was fond of the Romans," Severus replied.

"Aye. Mothers have a lot to answer for. Take my wife. The poor lass were named Ermintrude. Course, we all call her Trudy. What do yeh go by, my lad?"

"Severus."

Albert's silvery eyebrows twitched slightly. "Severus it is, then."

Severus picked up his spade and recommenced digging the plot from which he'd Vanished weeds and dead plants the night before.

"You've been busy this morning, eh? Cleared the garden quick enough. Keen gardener, are yeh?"

"Not really."

The older man didn't miss a beat. "Yeh got some interestin' shrubs there. Wormwood, Meadowsweet, Monkshood, and, by the 'eck, is that Belladonna?"

Snape stopped digging and looked at the potted Deadly Nightshade which was about to be treated to a new home. "Yes, it is. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Albert said with an air of solicitude, "yeh want to be careful with that kind of stuff. Folk round here, some of 'em still get twitchy 'bout witchcraft."

"Twitchy?" Severus asked, faking innocence whilst leaning on his spade.

"Yeah. Only the older families, mind. The ones descended from the old stock. Some folk round here think the Pendle witch story is a good little money-spinner, brings in visitors, sells a few books and knickknacks; other people think it's a tragic part of our past, but there's one or two still superstitious 'bout things. They say Belladonna was used to kill some of them men, back in the seventeenth century."

"You seem very knowledgeable about such things, Mr Dawson."

"Call me Albert."

"Albert."

"Well, I grown up in the village, see? Been here all me life. Seen a lot come and go."

"You knew the previous owners of this house, then?"

"Yeah. A bit." Albert seemed to hesitate. "Yeh never met the vendor, did yeh?"

"I was told they lived in Australia."

"Aye, that they do. The old lady what lived here, she died years back and left the house to her sister. Bit of an odd thing, that, seeing as they hadn't spoke for decades. But then she didn' have any other kin to leave it to."

Severus nodded but said nothing.

"Yeh had any problems since you moved in?"

"None to speak of."

Albert looked as if he doubted what he had heard. "So, do yeh live on your own, Severus?"

"Yes. Well... no. My... lady-friend teaches at boarding school. She'll be here at weekends."

"And is she... like you?"

"Like me?"

Albert frowned, as if he'd said something he'd regretted, but seemed to recover quickly enough. "Fair of skin, with dark hair and eyes?"

"None of those things."

"Good, good," Albert said distractedly. "Well, I'll let you get on with it, Severus, nice day for gardening. Make the most of it. When it rains, it doesn't stop for days!"

Washing his hands at the kitchen sink, Severus admired his work through the kitchen window, pleased that his freshly watered and planted garden would provide him with potion ingredients, reducing the need to visit apothecaries.

As he scrubbed his fingernails, he noticed his Tiger's Eye ring had become caked in mud, so he removed the band from his little finger and employed a small brush to clean the grit from its crevices. As he repositioned the band on his finger, he made a mental note to remove the ring before any future outdoor labour.

The ghoul in the attic made a strange sound of strangulated giggling, seeming to mirror Severus's own feeling of nervous excitement. Very soon he would hear the sound of the Doorbell Charm. Severus went upstairs to make himself presentable, and then opened the loft door and let loose two large house spiders which he'd found in his outhouse; the ghoul quickly fell quiet. He hoped the arachnids would provide the house guest with sufficient distraction for the evening.

When the long-awaited sound of a wind chime rang through the house, Severus glanced at himself in the bedroom mirror, straightened his black waistcoat, and nervously pinched the cuffs of his deep plum shirt.

Casting his final assessment on the room, he quickly smoothed out a crease on his bed linen, and then marched downstairs to the front door. The rapping of the brass doorknocker raised a swell of warmth in his chest. She was here.

Tess smiled broadly when he opened the door, and she dropped her trunk onto the stone footbridge to fling her arms around him. Severus leaned in, claiming her lips in a kiss which expressed the deep longing he'd felt ever since she'd left for Hogwarts. She responded passionately, pushing him inside the house and up against the wall of the hallway. With the tips of his fingers, he flicked the door shut then ran his hands through her long wavy hair, massaging the nape of her neck with measures of insistence and tenderness.

Tess felt, tasted and smelt absolutely delicious; his plan to sit down and eat the meal he'd prepared evaporated quickly into the air. Soon he was carrying her up the staircase and kicking open the door to his bedroom. Their bedroom.

When Tess's feet touched the floor she drew an audible intake of breath, immediately noticing this room to be the product of an Undetectable Extension Charm. The window, which Muggles would not be able to discern from outside, faced the front of the house and overlooked Pendle Hill. At her feet were polished wooden floorboards, and whilst they looked stunning, she imagined they'd be cold if she were barefoot. One solitary piece of furniture dominated the room: a king-sized mahogany four-poster bed.

Severus let go of her hand as she stepped closer to take a look at the unusual bedstead. There were no curtains or canopy, and the pillows and eiderdown were dressed in plain, albeit luxurious, white cotton. Severus's style of simplicity and practicality were obvious, and she made a mental note to add some soft-furnishings to her shopping list.

The vertical posts at each corner of the bed were about as wide as dinner plates, made from solid wood, and adorned with beautiful carvings of ivy. Tess reached out and touched the climbing, leafy pattern, which felt silky to the touch, and quickly realised the piece of furniture had been fashioned by master craftsmen, and probably cost at least six months of a Hogwarts professor's salary. She realised Severus had splashed out on this impressive bedstead with the money he had saved on the house purchase.

Tess turned to smile at him and noticed he was holding his ebony and phoenix-feather wand in his hand, poised to cast a charm. He seemed slightly nervous and unsure of himself, as though he were concerned she would not like his choice.

"Severus, this is the most beautiful bed I've ever seen," she reassured him. "Where did it come from?"

"The bed came from Indonesia, via Borgin and Burkes. Special request."

"I'm so pleased we have similar tastes," Tess remarked, laughing with relief.

"I hoped you'd like it."

Severus walked over to the bed and tapped the frame with his wand. In response, the ivy leaves shivered as though caught in a gentle breeze, and Tess giggled as the heart-shaped leaves brushed against her fingers.

When Severus's gaze caught her attention, his eyes were smouldering. His lips were soon upon hers, encasing her in a kiss which left her in no doubt of what was to follow.

His body pressed her back against one of the bedposts then he took hold of her hands and restrained them behind the wooden post. Tess felt a flutter of excitement as he pushed his tongue firmly into her mouth and silken branches of ivy encircled her wrists, holding them in place.