Go Back

Chapter 16 The New World


“You can’t wear that.” Harry frowned as he exited the washroom. His outfit consisted of faded, dirty looking jeans, brown dress shoes, a deep burgundy sweater and a brown corduroy jacket. “You’ll look ridiculous walking around muggle America in your robes.”
“You look ridiculous.” Snape lied. He momentarily entertained the idea of stripping Harry and returning to their bed. Severus glanced into the full length mirror that hung inside of his wardrobe. “This will have to do. I don’t own any of that mediocre attire muggles pride themselves on.”
Harry ran gelled fingers through his hair. “I have some stuff you can transfigure to fit.”
“No.” Was the man’s simple reply.
“You don’t have a choice.” Potter shook his head. “You can’t wear your robes. It’s not Halloween.” He dismissed the argument and began to rummage through his closet, returning with an armful of clothes. “Just put these on. I promise that you’ll be fine.” He smiled gently.
The Professor grumbled an ill-received retort, took the clothes, and vanished into the bathroom. It was a few moments before Snape returned. Harry was impressed. His dark denim jeans hung nicely from his hips. The black and silver striped shirt fit him perfectly, its vertical lines complemented the tailor fit of his black leather jacket. The look was topped off with a sleek ponytail and black boots.
“I loathe this.” Sev shifted uncomfortably.
“You look stunning.” Harry wrapped his arms around his fiancé. “Are you ready for this?”
“I scarcely believe that I am.” Snape rested his chin atop Harry’s head.
“I’m here with you.” Harry whispered.
“Promise?” Snape searched for comfort, even if it felt against his nature.
“Let’s go.” Were the last words spoken before they found themselves surrounded by whirling and falling sensations. (Maybe before they were overwhelmed by the sensation that they were falling in to a tornado.) They stopped suddenly. “We’re here.” Harry reassured his lover. They stood outside of a slender, three-story, brick apartment building. They soon realized that they had landed on a rather busy sidewalk. People pushed past them roughly, dropping statements of resentment as they went.
“You sure as hell are.” A gruff voice was issued from a kind looking woman that was perched on the front stoop. She had spiked hair and square rimmed glasses. Her facial features were unrefined, yet friendly. Harry chuckled at the fact that her outfit resembled Snape’s.
“She should have given you a better…landing spot or whatever. I’m Rachel.” She extended her hand towards the men. “You must be Severus and Harry.” Severus crossed his arms over his chest and raised his nose.
“I’m sorry. I’m Atheena’s partner. I’m…she…shit.” The woman nervously lit a cigarette. “She’ll be back soon. We didn’t have bacon for breakfast.” The potions master gave her no slack.
“I’m Harry.” The man shook her hand tightly. “Don’t pay attention to him, it’s all the time in the dungeons…do you mind if I…” He gestured towards her smoke.
“Oh, go ahead…here.” Rachel handed Harry a cigarette and a lighter. Potter drew the smoke into his lungs lavishly. “I didn’t know if you all did that.” She signaled for them to follow her up some stairs.
“The better of us don’t. It’s just something I need from time to time.” Harry trailed behind her.
“I know the feeling. Sometimes I think I’ll explode if I don’t have one…here we are.” Rachel opened the door to a large loft. Its open design held incredibly unmatched furniture and various amounts of clutter on the walls and many tables. Each wall was painted a different vibrant color. “Can I get you some coffee?” Severus eyed her apprehensively.
“It’s a muggle drink. If you’ve never had it, you probably won’t like it.” Harry answered.
“Fuck. Sorry, I forgot you guys are into the whole British thing…tea then?” Harry wished he could find a way to make the woman less nervous.
“Yes. Thank you.” Harry elbowed his silent bonded as hard as he could.
“Please.” Severus scoffed.
“Did you make good time?” A soft voice interrupted them from the doorway they had just passed through. A small woman with tan skin and long curly black hair smiled. Her purple and orange paisley print skirt flowed to her knees. She wore an orange tank-top and several pieces of turquoise jewelry.
“Sevi.” Her smile grew wider as she closed the distance between them. “You do clean up well.” The woman tightly embraced her brother, burying her face in his broad chest. Harry stepped away. Severus wrapped his arms fiercely around his older sister. He wanted to remember this moment exactly the way that it was, the feel of his sister beside him, the earthy smell of her shampoo, the sound of her softly crying.
“It’s great to see you.” She sobbed into his shoulder.
“You look lovely.” He squeezed her impossibly tighter. They stood that way for several minutes before Atheena jumped away and rolled her brother’s shirtsleeve up, revealing his forearm.
“It’s gone.” Her eyes gaped in amazement. She ran her hand over the spot where Voldemort’s mark had previously marred flesh. “After all of these years…” Atheena was at a loss for words.
“It was gone when I was…revived.” Severus rolled his sleeve down.
“I hate this.” The woman held her brother’s hand. “I hate that you died. I hate that it was him who killed you. I hate that we’ve lost all of these years.” She turned suddenly to Harry. “Come here.” Atheena pulled him into a strong hug. “It’s so great to meet you and I’m being a complete ass…I’m Atheena.”
“Harry,” He laughed patting her on the back. “And it’s ok. This all must be a little much for you.”
“Atheena, I do hate to rush you but…” Snape withdrew an envelope from his jacket. “He could figure it out at any moment. If you wouldn’t mind we really must attend to this.”
“Oh, Christ of course.” She ran to a bookshelf and returned with her wand. “I just sign it right? You’ll both be good to go then?” Atheena swept stacks of paper off of the table to make room for the parchment.
“That’s it.” The woman quickly kissed Snape’s cheek, then Harry’s and signed her name. She then handed the paper back to Severus.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married!” She squealed. “Rach, my baby brother is getting married.” Atheena entwined her arm around the waist of her partner. “I never thought anyone would see this day. Harry, I wish you could have seen him when he was younger. He wouldn’t talk to anyone, let alone have a relationship with him. How’d you do it?
“It was me or hell so…” Harry grinned. Snape gently rubbed his back as if to express that it was so much more than that.
“Oh, and the old man must be losing it! Harry Potter, a Snape! Voldemort has to just be livid.” A sincere smile swept across Atheena’s beautiful face.
Snape scowled. “You have to get him to lighten up.” She laughed at her morose sibling.
“Not bloody likely.” Harry returned the joke and the man’s frown grew more severe.
“So, let me get a look at you.” Atheena assessed her soon to be brother in law. “The Harry Potter. He’s a cutie isn’t he?” She looked to Rachel.
“Mmm-hmm, very British chic. Harry, do you know your way around the kitchen? I could use some help with breakfast.”
“Oh, sure,” Harry gratefully followed her out of the room.
“Jesus, I can’t even believe that you’re here.” Atheena gestured them to the sofa. “When I got your letter…well I don’t know how I felt. I thought all of these years that you were just like them, evil. And all this time you weren’t even a Death Eater. I knew you were a good man.” She placed her hand on his knee.
“I wasn’t.” He whispered. “I may not have been loyal to Voldemort after a certain point, but I was still a Death Eater. I’ve still done terrible things.” He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.
“For the greater good.” She huffed at her brother. “I remember a young man telling me that wars are not won with single battles. You’ve always fought your battles Severus. You won when you could and lost when the situation called for it, but you will win this war…and now that you have that new arm candy…” Both Snape’s burst into laughter. “Really, Sev, he’s as old as some of my students.” Her voice was nonjudgmental.
“He is one of my students, a disruptive one at that.” He chuckled at the thought.
“He makes you happy though? He’s the one? Really the age difference doesn’t matter when you think about it. When he’s 100 you’ll only be 120.” She tried to joke.
“He does make me happy and I believe that he is the one for me. For the first time in my life I feel like I can breath. When he’s with me, I’m at peace.” Sev smiled.
“That’s all I ever wanted for you.” Atheena thanked a higher power for allowing her brother some happiness.
“So, who’s this Rachel?”
“Damn, it has been a long time baby brother. We’ve been together for just about ten years. She’s great…she’s my one.”
Snape switched to a serious expression. “We need to talk about what happens when they find out that you’ve done this for me.” He leaned towards his sister.
“Don’t worry about me Sev. I’m still a witch and if I remember correctly I was a bit more talented than you.”
“You most certainly were not.” He was offended.
“Relax, I have wards around the house. They can’t find it unless Rachel and I tell them where it is. I’m still his daughter he wouldn’t…”
“He would and you need to be prepared. I’m marrying the man that is to kill his lord, you’re allowing that.”
“It’s time for new blood.” Atheena dismissed.
“Atheena please!” Snape begged.
“No. Can’t we just have a good time while you’re here. I have two immortal wizards looking out for me and when you’re gone, I can Apparate us to you if I smell trouble. It’s too late for you to worry about my safety after all these years.” She finished.
“I owled the marriage registration papers before we left Hogwarts. The ministry already has them, which means Voldemort…and our father and brothers have been made aware.”
“Don’t you need to hand in that permission slip thingy before they get it all figured out?”
“No.” He countered sadly. “Once he strips you of our lineage, your wand won’t allow you to sign for the Snape line. You’ve signed it. No one can invalidate it.”
“Well then, Sev, we’re all set.” Her eyes fell to the floor. “Will I know it? I mean when he does it, will I know? Will it hurt?” Snape thought he could make out slight fear etched into his sister’s face.
“No, you’ll get a letter saying that you no longer are a part of the lineage and there for hold no claim on the estate…that’s not what you have to worry about…” Severus found himself cut off.
“Theena one of those damn owls is perched on the balcony again!” Rachel called from the kitchen.
“They move fast.” Atheena moaned remorsefully and lazily walked into the kitchen. “It smells great out here, babe.” She gave her lover a kiss before going outside. She returned with an envelope from the ministry. Atheena opened it and read with a snigger. “Atheena Leona Snape this letter is to hereby inform you that your rights to the Snape family lineage have been absolved. A senior member of this line has accused ill-use of these rights. This accusation has been found to be valid. You must, at this point, surrender anything belonging to your parentage to the Ministry of Magic’s Department Of Magical Ancestry and imminently cease contact with anyone from the Snape line. Furthermore we request that you appear for a hearing December 17th at 8:00AM….blah blah blah…” Atheena crumpled the paper and tossed it into the garbage can.
‘A hearing? Why would they…” Rachel questioned.
“It’s nothing, Sweetie. Don’t worry about it.” The woman hid her anxiety well. “Let’s eat, ok? This looks wonderful you two.” She would worry about all of this later.
*** *** ***
“I like Rachel and your sister.” Harry cooed as he snaked his arms around Severus from behind. The dark man had removed himself to the balcony after dinner. When he hadn’t come back inside in over an hour, Harry had been sent out to fetch him. He now stood directly behind his partner with his chin buried in taller shoulder blades. “It’s warm here.” Potter fished for a reply. When he did not receive one, he turned Snape to face him, trapping his back against the railing. “You’re worried about Atheena.” Harry stated matter-of-factly.
The older man nodded. “And Rachel, You, your friends, the order, the school, the war…shall I continue?” His face was tired.
“I fire called Dumbledore and he talked to Atheena.” Harry waited for a scolding. “The hearing has been canceled and she may keep all of the family possessions that she already has. Atheena cannot over turn the ruling on her lineage rights.”
Snape stared darkly at Harry for several moments. Harry did not back down. “Don’t get all manly and full of pride. He did something nice. Say thank you. I did.” Atheena stuck her head out quickly then went back inside.
“Thank you.” The words tripped from Snape’s mouth as if they were spoken in an obscure language, his eyes still searched Harry’s.
“You want to be furious at me for interfering, don’t you?” The younger man grinned and kissed the tip of his lover’s nose.
“Yes.” The professor admitted through a slight smirk.
“C’mon, Sev. We share a soul now. Accept that our burdens are also shared.”
“Impossible brat.” Snape hugged his bonded.
“Dumbledore said that you’ve been getting post from Snape Manor all day.”
“Charming,” Snape groaned.
“Will you answer them?”
“I rather think not.” Snape pondered whimsically. He held the young man strongly in his arms. “I’m sorry.” He breathed.
“What for?” Harry didn’t care about any of these tribulations.
“This could get messy…this will get messy.”
Harry lifted his eyes to pained orbs. “When the dust settles, it will still be us left standing. Sev, we have huge battles ahead of us and I don’t think that this is one of them. Whatever comes, we have each other now.” An out of place giggle escaped Harry’s mouth. “You want really bad news? Draco’s mom flipped on his dad and now he’s been cleared of all charges. Dumbledore has no choice but to let him come back to school.” Potter’s whine could have cut through glass.
“Oh, for the love of Merlin,” Severus rolled his eyes. “We would have done well to have remained dead.”
“You’re telling me.” Harry pulled his mate down into a slow, gentle kiss. Severus held them close as he deepened the kiss.
“What will the neighbors think?” Atheena interrupted with mock disapproval.
“Man on man love.” Rachel shuddered. “You’re setting a terrible example.”
Atheena threw a bottle of whiskey, which Severus caught skillfully out of mid air. “My little brother is here. I’m going to adore my new brother-in-law. We’re in good health. I say…we drink.”
“God, yes,” Came form three separate voices, all longing for a reprieve.