Who Says You Can't Go Home Again?

A Knock At The Door Revisited by Pearle

Summary: Silenus Snape has grown into a lovely young witch, the apple of her parents' eye. She has met the wizard of her dreams. Hermione is thrilled with her daughter's engagement. So, why isn't Severus smiling?

A Knock At The Door Revisited takes place six years after the epilogue in the original story, A Knock at the Door. It is not necessary to read that story first, though it would give you the back-story and background on some of the characters here. A Knock At The Door Revisited can be read as a stand-alone.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling and Co. I promise to return them when I am through. Well, most of them anyway.

~~~~~~~~~ A Knock At The Door Revisited ~~~~~~~~~

Chapter One: Who Says You Can't Go Home Again?

He wasn't a vain man. She constantly told him she thought the silver at his temples was sexy, but really, what else did he expect her to say?

Severus studied his image in the mirror. While still thin, his face had lost that gaunt look he'd had throughout his years of spying. Regular meals and normal sleep had done wonders for his constitution, not to mention his libido. He had started to grey at the temples a few years ago. He thought it made him look older, not wiser as his daughter had suggested.

His daughter. Silenus was coming home for the weekend and bringing her fiancé with her. He had not been that impressed with the lad when he and Hermione had met him at Christmas. Now he was her fiancé. A loud crash, followed by a cat yowling from the other room, cut through his thoughts.

"Alexander. Melinda. What is the meaning of this, and where is your mother?" Severus stood in the playroom glaring at the twins. They were five their last birthday, more trouble than Fred and George Weasley and ten times as smart, thought Severus smugly.

The two exchanged meaningful glances. They seemed to be able to communicate on a level known only to the two of them. It was Melinda, the spokesperson for the two, who addressed his questions. "Well, father, since Silenus is coming home for a visit, Alex and I thought we would like to surprise her with a small gift." She gestured to the various boxes that had fallen out of the wardrobe. Several tops had flipped off, spilling their contents on the floor.

Severus shook his head. There were days he thought his daughter was born being thirty-five. While having a surprising amount of patience for his own brood, considering his treatment of his students throughout the years, his daughter's eerie maturity tended to rattle him. She appeared to be a miniature version of his wife, right down to the speech patterns sometimes. "I see. Let's clean this up before your mother returns, shall we? What items did you need? I'll get them for you." A fast cleaning spell later and the room was returned to its original state. Severus removed the items the twins needed to make a Muggle-type water ball to congratulate Silenus on her engagement.

A small hand tugged at his vest. "Dad, would you write the message so's we kin copy it?"

"So we can copy it, Alex, not kin. Kin is a relation, a cousin or an aunt," Melinda said automatically while organising their supplies.

Severus chuckled, a tiny know-it-all, just like her mother, right down to her unruly head of brown curls. The children were a combination of he and Hermione, except for the eyes. All four had his black eyes.

It had unnerved him all those years ago, the first time he had looked into Silenus's eyes, fathomless black, so like his own. He had been in shock at the time to learn he had an eleven-year-old daughter, born in America, that he knew nothing about. He had almost come unhinged at seeing her likeness to him, though he had never admitted that little fact to Hermione, then or now. Now it pleased him to see his children hold some part of him; his own small bid for immortality, he supposed.

"Yes, of course. Let me get a quill and parchment." He wrote their message on a sheet of parchment, and the two settled in to work on their project.

A gentle pat to both their backs and Severus headed for his study, intent on finishing his grading. He was not a demonstrative man, but more than twelve years of marriage to Hermione had lowered some of his shields where his family was concerned. There was no question he loved them all, without end. He had fallen into the habit of a gentle touch and a quiet word when relating to his children. If he still found it difficult to openly express his love for them, his family had no such compulsion. Hermione was well known for hugging and kissing and had passed this trait on to their children. They had no problem initiating a hug or a kiss on the cheek, even if he did.

Severus was scowling over third-year essays when he felt the wards drop on the chamber door. The clock over his desk chimed. A glance at the clock showed the hand with Nicholas's picture moving to- Snape quarters - needs a haircut. The hand with Hermione's picture continued to change - Third floor corridor, to West wing stairs - Third Floor, to West wing stairs - Second Floor, to Second floor corridor - Office, running late. He assumed Hermione was on her way back from the path she was taking. He heard his son calling from the other room.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

The clock chimed again. The hand with Silenus's picture moved to, Snape quarters - accompanied by a questionable male of unknown origin. Severus shook his head. He had to have the only clock that critiqued the members of its household.

"Hello?" A female voice called out from the foyer. "Leave the bags here, Garrett. We'll put them in our room in a minute."

The household seemed to converge on the sitting room. Alex and Melinda, sounding like typical five-year-olds for a change, were shrieking Silenus's name as they ran from the playroom. Nicholas's head appeared from the direction of the kitchen, greeting his sister and the twins. Severus stood unnoticed in the shadow of his study doorway, watching his family.

Silenus's laugh seemed to fill the room. She stooped to hug the twins. "Hey, guys. My God, you're getting big. Nicky. How's first year going?"

"Great. I love living in the dormitories. Mum said you're engaged. Congratulations." Nick stood in the doorway eyeing Garrett.

Silenus raised one eyebrow. Her tone was smug as she pointed to her brother's tie. "Gryffindor? You were sorted into Gryffindor? Oh, I'll bet Dad had a field day with that."

"Better a lion than a snake." Came the outraged reply.

Severus's rich baritone cut through the childish taunting. "Careful, you two; which parent would you rather insult, your mother or your father?"

"Hi, Dad." Nicholas nodded to his father, pleased to see Garrett take on that deer caught in the headlights look as he regarded the elder Snape. Past and present students alike feared the dreaded Potions master. Even those individuals he'd never taught, that knew his dad by reputation only, still quaked when faced with his father's presence. Only his family and a few friends ever saw a softer side to the man.

Silenus hugged her father. "Hi, Dad. A Gryffindor, huh?" Her eyes alit with mischief.

"You do recall your mother was a Gryffindor." Severus felt the wards shift again as Hermione entered the foyer. The twins made a mad dash for their mother, bursting with news of Silenus's homecoming.

Just another day in the Snape household.

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After settling in, Silenus sought her father out. "You have a minute, Dad?"

Severus was grading yet another stack of third-year essays. Red ink seemed to bleed across each page. "Yes, I would welcome a diversion from these appalling excuses for an assignment." Severus looked at his daughter, amazed at how much she seemed to change each time he saw her.

Silenus fingered the chess set sitting next to the fireplace. "Who is setting the password these days?"

Father and daughter had been in the habit of playing a weekly game of chess throughout her school years. It had started first year as a way to break the ice, giving them a chance to become better acquainted. The game had continued as a cherished time between the two for the remainder of her years at Hogwarts. The winner set the password for Slytherin house for the week.

"Your brother has followed in your footsteps." Severus shook his head. "Though this is the last time I allow Potter and Weasley to take him to a Chudley Cannons match in London."

Silenus look bewildered. "Why? What happened?"

Severus looked pained. "They took him to Muggle London. This week's password is Krispy Kreme."

She fell into the side chair laughing. Tears streamed down her face.

"I am so happy you are amused." Severus glared at his daughter.

"Krispy Kreme! And you allowed it? You must be getting soft. I would never have gotten away with that." Her laughter had dimmed to a few chuckles as Silenus tried to get herself under control. She shook her head. "A Gryffindor setting the password for Slytherin. Unbelievable."

"House rivalries are not as stringent as they used to be. That not withstanding, I had your brother sign a magical agreement not to discuss our arrangement with anyone." Severus shrugged indifferently. He was a Slytherin after all.

"Nicky, a Gryffindor. I'll bet that just about gave you heart failure. Did Lily and Catherine get sorted into Gryffindor, too?" Her brother had been a friend of Lily Potter and Catherine Weasley ever since she could remember. Her father had ranted to her mother something about this trio would be the death of him. Her mother, always the calm in the middle of the storm, would pat her father on the shoulder and tell him he would die of boredom without them.

"I imagine it was similar to how your mother felt when you were sorted into Slytherin. I blame his friendship with Potter and Weasley. Did you doubt they would be in Gryffindor?" Severus smiled. He really had missed his eldest.

Silenus was amused. "Problems?"

"Is it any wonder? You lot grew up hearing stories of the adventures your mother and the idiotic duo got into. At the very least, this group has not caused half the trouble of the original trio. Yet." Severus's smile was secretive as he recalled the night before the end-of-year feast.

Somehow, Catherine's uncles had managed to smuggle a package of Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes finest to their niece. Minerva was fit to be tied. It had taken hours, even with magic, for the two of them to restore the Gryffindor common room to any semblance of normal.

Severus was just as pleased to see his son turned red and covered in multi-coloured polka dots that shimmered and swirled. He called Hermione for a look before trying to figure out how to undo the spots. He and Hermione had a hard time trying to reverse the spells through their laughter. Needless to say, Nicholas was not amused. Nor was Minerva happy about the number of house points she was forced to take from her own house since issuing detentions was out of the question the day before the end-of-year feast.

"We heard quite a few stories about you too, you know. Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron have always been happy to tell us what you were like when they were students." Silenus laughed. "The twins always think they're making it up just to be silly."

"Indeed. And how have you been? How is Egypt?" Silenus knew how he felt about 'Uncle Harry' and 'Uncle Ron'. It was best to let it be. They had reached a truce years ago; while not fast friends, they did not hex each other either.

Silenus had apprenticed under Bill Weasley as a curse breaker, taking a job as his assistant after finishing her training last year. "I'm great, Dad. Egypt was amazing. I can't tell you how much I learned working with Bill. I'm sorry to leave him, but this is an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Severus quirked one brow questioningly. "Opportunity?"

"Yes, we're moving to London. Garrett has taken a job with the Ministry in their Experimental Charms Division. I start working for Gringotts next month." Silenus was beaming. She had been bursting at the seams to tell her parents the good news. She had told her mom while unpacking. Hermione had been thrilled to learn her eldest would be closer to home.

Severus eyed his daughter. "Curse breaking for Gringotts? Aren't you too short to be working with goblins? What if the customers cannot tell you apart?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Very funny."

"We?"

Silenus sighed. "We've been over this before. Garrett and I will be married in less than a year. It just doesn't make sense to set up two flats." Silenus came round the side of the desk to give her dad a kiss on the cheek. "I need to get changed. Jessie is coming in on the Hogwarts Express in an hour. We're meeting a few old friends at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer."

Severus smiled. "How is Miss Brownynn?"

"Jessie's fine. She's still living in Italy and working for a division of the Italian Ministry. She's been seeing someone new. Looks like it might even be serious. It will be nice working for Gringotts. It means more regular hours, and I will be closer to my family and friends." Silenus moved toward the doorway. "Just think, Garrett and I can come round more often. Mom has an endless supply of lists for us to go over. I need to get moving. See you later."

And she was gone.

'Garrett and I can come round more often.' Severus shook his head. He wondered how long it would be before Hermione or Silenus would talk to him again if he hexed the young man. Maybe he could get Nicholas to do it, with the proper bribe. It might be worth considering.

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Hermione leaned against the doorframe and watched her husband annihilating the remainder of the third-year essays.

"Are you planning on standing there all day or was there something specific you wanted to discuss?" Severus continued to grade essays, marking comments in red ink across every available inch of blank parchment.

"You could just burn them and save yourself the trouble. At least it would be more merciful."

"And miss an opportunity to bring the little brats down a peg or two? Really, why would I give up my whole reason for teaching?" Severus fixed his wife with an evil grin, knowing that gambit had lost its power long ago. He shifted back in his chair as Hermione came round and perched on the edge of his desk.

"It's nice to have them all home again, isn't it?" she said, sighing contentedly.

"It does make for an interesting time." Severus reached out and gently stroked her arm.

There were times he thought he touched her just to make sure she was real and not the result of a late night binge. That all of this - Hermione and the children - was not a dream still caught him off guard at times. He expected to wake up alone in his bed one morning and the dream would be gone. He had come by his family later in life. It seemed to give him a greater appreciation for those around him.

"Did Silenus tell you she's moving to London? It will be wonderful having her closer. And much easier to plan the wedding." Hermione smiled. While the twins kept her busy, she missed having Silenus around now that Nicky was living in the dorms.

"They are moving to London." Severus's scowl deepened when he thought about the young man his daughter was engaged to.

"Ah, so that's what's bothering you? Feeling a bit...territorial?" Hermione smiled in the face of his annoyance.

"Unfortunately, my daughter tends to be as headstrong as her mother. What do we know about this wizard?"

"Aside from what you've dug up on him since Christmas? Oh, don't give me that look. Bill owled me to make sure you received the information you requested. Really, give the boy a chance. He seems nice enough." She thought he was acting like a typical father, rejecting his daughter's suitor on principle alone.

"Remind me to hex Weasley when I see him. That was supposed to be confidential. And may I remind you that 'boy' you're referring to is twenty-seven-years-old. Hardly a child." And that was what worried him the most.

The Anders family had moved to France when Garrett was barely seven-years-old. His education at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was unremarkable. Severus had managed to obtain a brief summary of the young man's academic career and his NEWT scores. While respectable, they were...unremarkable. Garrett Anders appeared to be just a nice man, and that too annoyed him.

"And may I remind you? You weren't happy when she dated either Neville's son or Harry's son. There's just no pleasing you where she's concerned, is there? Silenus seems happy with Garrett. I doubt she would have said yes when he proposed if she didn't love him. In any event, his parents will be arriving on Friday for the engagement party. Albus has cleared a guest suite on the main floor for them. There'll be less chance of the Anders getting lost in the castle that way." With its constantly shifting stairways and rooms, Hogwarts was impossible to map, let alone navigate at times.

"Oh, goodness," he said snidely. "We wouldn't want to lose them, would we?"

"Severus." Hermione shot him a look he chose to totally ignore. "Silenus said they were very nice people. She met them a few weeks ago."

There was that word again – nice. "And?" he asked.

"And what?"

"I'm sure there had to have been some comments. Hermione Granger is her mother and Severus Snape is her father. So I ask you. And?" Severus sat back in his chair and watched his wife.

"Yes, well of course they've heard of us. Silenus said they asked the usual: the final battle, Hogwarts, Harry. I'm sure they're very nice." Hermione knew it was hard for strangers to separate the legend from reality sometimes, especially where Severus was concerned. He had been heralded as a war hero. He had stood with Harry and Albus and brought an end to the evil that called itself Voldemort. She knew he still felt others judged him by his past, regardless of his contributions to the light.

"If you expect me to be human this weekend, I suggest you let me finish my grading. I still have to meet with Minerva to change the Quidditch schedule for the coming term."

The number of students entering Hogwarts had continued to increase at a significant rate since the end of the war. It had become necessary for Albus to appoint a second deputy Headmaster to help with the increased workload. He had asked Severus to fill that position.

Severus was touched by Albus's continued faith in him. It surprised him the Ministry had approved the appointment, but as Hermione pointed out, you don't berate a war hero, even if the man in question was Severus Snape.

Hermione smiled. "Talk about magic. Severus Snape acting like a human being. Maybe I should call The Quibbler. "

She shrieked as Severus pulled her onto his lap. "Witch!" He kissed her passionately before releasing her and sending her on her way. He had promised himself long ago, when she had returned to him, that he would try to remind her daily why she came back. "Now, go! Leave me in peace."

"I need to check on a few things for Saturday's party, anyway. The guest list seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. I think we're up to a hundred with the staff that is staying over at the castle."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "You are not putting these people in our sitting room."

"No, even if I thought it would expand to hold everyone, I don't think we'd be comfortable. I'd rather not strip the room of its furnishings, so the house-elves can set up tables. No, I was thinking of the Room of Requirement. I think it will be perfect for what we need," she said.

It had been the same with their wedding years ago. The Great Hall had been too large and their quarters too small. In the end they decided to have the wedding in the Room of Requirement.

Severus nodded. At least his home would not be left in shambles. The sound of a loud crash and yelling interrupted the remainder of their conversation.

"I suppose I should see who or what caused that."

Severus heard his wife's voice as she tried to sort out the three-sided explanation. Whatever Nicholas and the twins had gotten into couldn't have been too bad or she would have called him by now. He sighed as he attacked the third-year essays with renewed vigour.

TBC

AN: While I know you'all are waiting for the next chapter of Dances (and it's coming along nicely), I have been working on this for a while. Just a chance to revisit my story, A Knock at the Door. For those who choose to read it, please be aware it was my first effort after being away from writing for more than twenty years. While I am proud of the story, it needs to be corrected for punctuation and my lack of commas.

I imagine this story will only be a few chapters long, but then, I have been known to write more than what I start out thinking will be the length. How ever long, thanks for coming along for the ride.

Please review and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! As always, thoughts, comments, reviews, whatever are always welcome.

A grateful thank-you to my beta, Nakhash, for her corrections and suggestions. Another set of eyes is always helpful, the mistakes, however, are still mine

Regards, Pearle