Outside the Potions Classroom

Outside the Potions Classroom




Chapter Ten


When he first owled Granger about dinner, he felt awkward. When she owled him back shortly, marveling at the idea and setting it at her home the next Saturday, he was more than apprehensive, he was terrified. The fates were telling him it was a bad idea from the start, and he often obliged their recommendations – but he couldn’t say no to Hadrian. The boy had him wrapped around his little finger.

The boy was so excited too, already formatting a list of what he had to show his father upon his arrival. “I know you’ve been to our house, but did you see my room?” Severus only laughed. He could understand the boy’s enthusiasm. This dinner would in fact bring them all closer together, even if he wasn’t sure that is what he wanted. What child didn’t want the ideal family picture to hang upon his wall? Severus had wanted that for years, only to give up trying to be normal when he hit puberty. By then he was too self-involved to think about his horrible parents anyway.

Saturday came, albeit too quickly for his tastes. Hadrian disagreed.

Severus Apparated with Hadrian in tow, landing upon a very familiar doorstep with a pop and a crack. Hadrian threw open the door and ran into his mother – almost knocking her down in the process. She laughed and squeezed her son just as tightly, smothering his face in kisses.

Of course, Severus was not watching this, his eyes were locked on another’s – Potter was standing by the stove stirring something in a pot. It unfortunately smelled wonderful and made his mouth water.

“What are you doing here, Potter?” he demanded.

“Uncle Harry!” Hadrian rushed up to the Auror and hugged him. “Are you still cooking for mum?”

Harry looked a lot harder since his days at Hogwarts, aged beyond his 29 years. He still had the lithe build of a seeker, toned and maintained daily as he heroically fought the good fight – but it was apparent that being the boy hero grown up had taken a toll over the young wizard. He hugged Hadrian back, and the smile on his face didn’t diminish when he reached over to shake Severus’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, Professor.”

Reluctantly, and really to his son’s benefit, he shook it. “Likewise, Potter.” He didn’t know what else to say.

Granger must have realized the confusion…ahem, anger…at the prospect of enjoying a meal with the boy wonder and quickly explained. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be here to see this, but I had Harry help make the dinner. He is a much better cook than I am.”

“Understatement of the year – Hermione burns water.” Harry laughed.

Hadrian nodded in accord.

The edge of Severus’s mouth quirked up at this thought. “For such a diligent Potions student, I find that fact quite comical.”

Granger’s face soured, but she laughed as well. “Well that’s just different. There is a method, particular end result, and it is very systematic. Cooking however…I don’t usually have the time. And since Harry is a swinging bachelor who lives a few rows down, he helps me out. Often.”

“Too often, mum.” Hadrian jumped up on one of the kitchen island bar stools and reached for the bowl of fruit before his mother swatted his hand away. “I cook too, Dad, almost as good as Uncle Harry.”

That word again. After almost a weeks’s worth of usage, he was slowly getting accustomed to it, but for Granger and Potter, it must have bee shocking – as the feeling was evident in their features.

“Well,” Granger recovered slightly quicker than Potter did. “You mean to say, almost as well as Uncle Harry…Dad.”

Hadrian’s face screwed up in annoyance over being corrected. “Oi, right. I forgot. Want me to set the table?”

His mother nodded. “Please take out Gran’s china,” she insisted, and he went scrambling into the adjoining dining room. “Would you care for a drink before dinner, Severus?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Not right now.” He would probably need a few after dinner to help calm himself down, but that was another story.

“'Mione,” Harry spoke up, breaking what inspired to be an awkward silence, “do you mind going into the cellar and getting that Bordeaux we talked about earlier? I’m almost done here and that would go perfectly with dinner.”

“Sure, I’ll be right back,” Granger said. “Why don’t you give me your overcoat so you can get comfortable?” She turned to him with her hand outstretched.

Although he was put off by the loss of one of his layers of protection, he knew he would be more comfortable to just let her take it for now. Removing his over jacket and leaving him in his shirtsleeves, he handed it over. She smiled just then, and for a moment he forgot how beautiful she really was.

She bustled out of the kitchen quickly, leaving himself and Potter alone. He had so many questions for his son’s uncle, so many snide comments that clung to his tongue ready to be unleashed upon its breach – but Harry beat him to it.

“I love Hermione and Hadrian and will not have you coming into their lives to muck it up.” Harry spoke in a cool, low tone that promised bodily harm. “You made enough of a mess the first time around – and if you leave them again, so help me Merlin, you’ll be begging for Azkaban. Do I make myself clear?”

Severus was about to retort that Harry didn’t know anything about it when Hadrian burst in, searching for napkins.

“Dinner’s almost ready, why don’t you go have a seat?” Harry smiled again, leaving Severus’s skin crawling.

Granger emerged a moment later, bottle of wine in hand. “Got it!” she exclaimed. She took a look at the sour expression on Severus and the hidden one of Harry’s and her brow furrowed in concern. “Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing amiss here,” Severus said.

“Come on, Dad. This way,” Hadrian took his hand and led him into the dining room.

Severus vaguely recalled what his son was saying about the age of the house as he watched Granger and Potter interact through the doorway back into the kitchen. He saw Harry whisper something into her ear and shrug. She smiled, very sadly, and hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. They parted from their overly tender display and Harry poked his head into the dining room. “I’ll be seeing you later, Squirt,” he waved goodbye. “I still need my brooms oiled, so they will be waiting for you when you come home whining you have no money. Enjoy your dinner, Professor, and have a great evening.” He waved again before he Apparated.

“Well,” Hermione emerged shortly, her hands laden with several dishes, the opened bottle of wine under one arm. “Who is hungry?”


The dinner was delicious, delectably seasoned rosemary chicken with rice and asparagus, with French crusty bread. Harry had even prepared crème brule for dessert, one of Hadrian’s favorites. Over dinner the conversation was polite – with a hint of rigidity. Hadrian did most of the talking, informing his mother of school events and happenings, randomly seeking input from the two more docile parties at the table.

Severus couldn’t believe he was actually sitting down to a meal with his son and the mother of his son and not running away in sheer terror.

“Do you have any plans for Christmas, Severus?” Granger asked, pouring more wine into his glass.

“I usually just visit my mother and returning for Christmas dinner with Albus and Minerva,” he answered without thinking. He must have sounded so boring and desperate.

“Then why don’t we spend Christmas here after?” Hadrian asked. “With mum and my uncles and Gran…”

“Hadrian,” his mother interrupted. “I’m sure your father has other-”

“No,” Severus interrupted. “I was going to mention it. It wouldn’t be fair to keep family apart on Christmas.”

A spark lit in Hermione’s eyes and Severus felt the air change. “That is awfully big of you to include me.”

Hadrian must have recognized the chill in his mother’s voice. “Dad knows how important it is to me that you be with us.”

“Does he, now?” Granger smiled sweetly, although she looked like she was seething. “You know what would be brilliant? If you went upstairs and grabbed one of our photo albums to show your father what kinds of Christmases we have had before.”

Hadrian nodded. “I can do that,” he said, slowly sliding out from his seat. He cast a nervous glance over his shoulder before he left the room.

“Spit it out,” Severus said softly.

“You bastard. ‘It wouldn’t be fair to keep family apart at Christmas?’ I already said I was sorry! What do you want me to do? I am giving up my baby to appease your stupid ego and you keep throwing it in my face!” She hissed, her eyes glowing in anger.

His arms folded across his chest of their own accord. “Take it as you wish, but I simply said it as I have found a new meaning of the word. It was not said to cause offense.”

“Not intentionally? You Slytherin!” She threw her face into her hands in frustration. “I had to make a choice, and I made it. I live with the consequences everyday. You can’t keep making me grovel. I want Hadrian to be in your life, too. I never would have let him go to Hogwarts or given him as much information about you as I did if I didn’t want the chance for him to meet you. You can’t keep making me feel this way.”

“I am doing nothing of the sort. It’s probably your conscience.” He took a deep swig of his wine. “Which it should, especially since you had to bring your watchdog Potter on me.”

“Harry?” Granger frowned. “What did Harry do?”

“Potter is not above threats. He seems to believe I am set to ruin you again, only this time include your son.” Severus cocked an eyebrow. “What did he mean, again? As I recall it was you-”

“Here it is!” Hadrian emerged from the corridor, leather bound album in hand. “Is everything all right?”

Severus was slightly annoyed that Granger chose to ignore their conversation and focus on their son instead. They were going to have to discuss it sometime, and especially sometime soon.

Tbc…