Another Dark Star

Chapter 23- 7th year

Late next day, Sadira was woken pleasantly by a pair of lips brushing gently with hers. She returned the kiss and turned into the body that was lay next to her, reaching out for him as he deepened the kiss.

“Definitely better than the alarm clock. I always want to wake up like that.” She said, opening her eyes to find that Severus was already partially dressed in shirt and trousers.

“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, we have to get ready for the feast. I had a house elf bring your clothes and luggage to make things easier. I trust you have everything packed?” he asked.

“Yes, all ready. Thank you, it was very considerate of you to fetch my things.” She said as she shuffled into his bathroom to get ready. When she came out, she found laid out on the bed; her jeans, a tight navy band tee, her socks, plain grey cotton bra and pants and black Converse.


She dressed quickly and left his room before him, via his office as usual.

“Sadira, we were looking for you” called Mary-Anne.

“I was just saying goodbye to Professor Snape and thanking him for his help with NEWTs.” She lied smoothly.

“We know, Snape’s pet!” her friend teased. “Come on, we don’t want to be late for the Gryffindor humiliation.”


Unfortunately for the Slytherins, Potter and his friends earned enough points protecting the Philosopher’s Stone to earn Gryffindor the House Cup. Not the way she wanted to end her year as Head Girl. Still, at least they had the Quidditch Cup. Severus looked like he had been force-fed Flobberworms.

She hoped he wouldn’t be in a mood all day over it. She might be able to rectify that later. She knew he already had issues with Potter, something to do with his dad being in his year at school, but he hadn’t elaborated and she felt it wasn’t a good idea to pry into it.

She sat with the friends she had made that year in the carriage to Hogsmeade and collected her trunk and her new owl, Xerxes, from where they had been left on the platform where the student luggage was piled, waiting to be claimed.

“How come you aren’t getting the train with us?” Tonks asked.

“I want to spend a little longer in Hogsmeade, before I say goodbye to the place for good.” She explained.

“Oh, I think I understand. Well thanks for all your help in Potions this year, and hopefully I’ll see you in Auror school.” Tonks replied, hugging her briefly then running towards the train, tripping over a First year’s luggage on the way.


Sadira dragged her trunk and cage to the Three Broomsticks and ordered a Butterbeer while she waited.

“Shouldn’t you be on the train Miss?” Rosmerta asked.

“I’m Apparating home later, I’m just not quite ready to say goodbye yet.” She said, taking a sip of the warm buttery liquid.

“I see, it’s hard leaving after so long.” The landlady said kindly as Sadira levitated her stuff to a table near the door. A couple of drinks later, a tall dark figure entered the pub and stood beside her.

“Are you ready?” he asked, making sure no-one was looking their way.

“Yes.” She replied, grabbing her stuff as he took her arm and lead her outside.


He Apparated them both to a grassy embankment in a dingy industrial town, which she assumed was his childhood home.

“Follow me,” he said curtly. She put a weightless charm on her trunk to make it easier to carry and let Xerxes out of his cage and shrunk it, while the bird followed them high above.

“Are you all right Severus?” she asked as his mood had clearly not improved.

“I’m fine.” He snapped, but softened when he saw her hurt look. “I am just not happy to be returning here. Although I have always lived here it has never felt like home.” He told her.

They turned a corner, down another row of terraced red brick houses. He stopped at the last house and hovered at the doorstep.

“Please excuse the mess; I am unused to receiving guests and have not inhabited the place in some time.” He said uncomfortably.

“I really don’t mind Severus.” She assured him as he opened the door and she followed him inside.

He pushed the door shut behind her and she stood taking in her surroundings with eyes wide and mouth open in wonder.

“I warned you. What did you expect, the Ritz?” he snapped defensively.

“Severus, this is wonderful, did you collect all these yourself?” she asked in rapture, taking a step towards the bookshelves that lined the room. She began stroking her fingers gently over the spines of the books, almost sensually. She hadn’t even noticed the broken and threadbare furniture.

“I...yes, most of them. Although some were my mothers.” He replied, dumbfounded. He had expected her to run a mile or kick up a fuss when she saw the state of his childhood home, but she was mesmerised by his library. She even looked happy to be there.

“This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever been in.” She whispered.

“I’m glad you like it.” He said softly, feeling a little guilty for snapping at her before. “I hope your stay will be enjoyable.” She turned and smiled at his expectant face.

“I’m sure I’ll be very happy here.” She replied stepping into his arms and pulling him close. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was glad to be home.

“I hope so.” He muttered into her hair, before leaning down and tilting her chin for a soft, gentle kiss.

“So, apart from the magnificent library, what’s the rest of your house like?” she asked.

“Quite boring I’m afraid. Follow me.” He sighed, sliding a bookcase apart to reveal a short corridor and a flight of stairs.

“Through there is the kitchen.” He gestured to an open door, revealing a large kitchen with a small dining table.

Then he ascended the stairs with her in tow, carrying her trunk.

“That’s the bathroom. That’s the spare room; it used to be mine when I was a boy.” He pointed to each door respectively.

“And this is the Master Bedroom” he said sarcastically as he entered the final door in the hallway.

It was a reasonably sized bedroom with a Victorian style iron bedstead, a pair of wardrobes in a dark wood, a dressing table and a pair of bedside chests of drawers. It was simple and a little dusty, but otherwise fine.

“Which side is yours then?” she asked, putting down her trunk.

“I usually take the left side.” He replied.

He wasn’t sure how he expected her to react but he was pleased that she had merely accepted the place. She sat on the right side of the bed and bent down to open her trunk.

“Do you mind if I unpack now?” she asked.

“Not at all, I shall be in the kitchen making tea if you should need me.” He replied and left her to settle in.

Ten minutes and a few domestic charms later; the bedroom was dusted and aired, and her things neatly put away in the drawers and wardrobe. Her uniform and books, and other school equipment she left in the trunk which she put at the bottom of the wardrobe.

She trotted down the stairs to meet him in the kitchen. While she poured herself a cup of tea, he watched her intently over his own cup, calculatingly.

“Do you really like it here?” he asked her incredulously.

“Of course I do. I get to spend all this time with you. If you’re bothered about the state of the place, I can make a start on the housework later if you like.” She said brightly.

“That won’t be necessary Sadira; I did not invite you here to be my housekeeper.” He said, affronted.

“I know, but you so kindly invited me to stay with you. The least I can do is help around the house.” She replied. “I’ll cook the dinner tonight if you don’t want me to clean.” She suggested.

“You are determined on this matter?” he asked.

“Of course Severus, I didn’t expect to come here and be waited on hand and foot. I’m an adult, and an equal in this relationship. I expect equal responsibility.” She told him. He smiled at her.

“Yes, you are equal in this relationship. I merely did not wish you to believe that I expected you, as the woman, to do the lion’s share of the housework. I have lived here alone for a long time and I am perfectly capable of performing the necessary charms.” He replied.

“So, what do you say we make a start on the cleaning together? Then we can go to the shops and get something in and I’ll make the dinner.” She suggested. He raised a brow at her sudden assertiveness, but agreed.

They spent the afternoon banishing the dust and airing out the abandoned house, transfiguring the furniture where it needed repairing. Sadira took the kitchen, and made a shopping list, after running an inventory of his kitchen cupboards.

She thought it was typical of him to have a perfectly well stocked Potions pantry, but when it came to food, all he had was some OXO cubes, a tin of peaches and a tin of chopped tomatoes. She dug out her handbag and ordered him to change into Muggle attire so they could go to the supermarket.

When he came downstairs in a pair of smart black trousers and plain black silk shirt, she had been so surprised (and impressed) that they almost didn’t end up going out at all. Their heated snogging session on the sofa only ended when he reminded her that she had been the one to suggest the shopping trip, and soon the shops would be shut and she would be hungry.


The neighbours were quite surprised to find ‘that odd Snape lad’ had a lovely young house guest. They wondered if she was family, as no-one knew much about Eileen’s side, but that was soon put right when she kissed him square on the lips! The older women were soon chattering on about how disgraceful it was, ‘carrying on in public with a lass young enough to be his kid.’

Fortunately, no-one listens to gossipy old biddies, and Snape and Sadira were pretty much left alone. They were stopped by one nosy old woman who had known his paternal grandmother and wanted to know how he’d been and who this lovely young lady was, but they deflected her quickly and all but ran home, Sadie giggling most of the way.

“You do realise gossip travels quickly in this town and by tomorrow, everyone will know you are staying here, and what you are to me.” He said crossly as she put away the groceries.

“If it bothers you so much, you should have warned me before you let me snog you in public.” She retorted.

“I am not bothered by idle gossip; the old crones always have something unpleasant to say about me. I cannot stand the idea of them saying such things about you.” He replied.

“That’s very sweet of you Darling, but I don’t care either. Besides, if they usually say horrid things about you, surely the news that you have a girlfriend is nowhere near as bad?” she assured him.

He made a noncommittal noise that said he didn’t agree but wasn’t prepared to argue about it.

“By the way, how thick are these walls?” she asked him suddenly.

“Not very, some evenings I can hear Mrs Ferguson’s blasted television set now she’s going deaf, why?” he asked with confusion at her change of subject.

“Because, if they are as thin as you say we’d best put strong silencing charms on the bedroom walls or they’ll be calling you a dirty old man around the town tomorrow.” She grinned.

“Oh really? And why would that be?” he asked silkily, backing her into the corner and trapping her against the cupboards.

“Because I intend to make the most of a whole summer shacked up with you. Unless you’d rather we christen the kitchen first?” she suggested saucily.

“That sounds like a very good idea.” He replied, hoisting her onto the worktop and kissing her hungrily and fumbling with the zipper to her jeans.


Over that weekend they did indeed christen every room in the little house, including the stairs and Severus’s Potions lab in the cellar.

Sadira was right; they forgot the silencing charm once or twice and the old goats gave them disapproving stares and muttered behind their backs whenever they went out but they just glared back, and she put her arm round him to aggravate them.

They spent as little time as possible in Snape’s hometown anyway. True to his word, he took her to London to look for a place of her own and after much searching, found a nice small flat in a decent Muggle district. She had only to wait for the solicitors and wrote to tell Arthur and Molly she had found somewhere and would invite them to tea when she was settled in. All she had to do was wait for a letter from the examining board.
She had been given a provisional acceptance to Auror School on her predicted grades, but the actual marks could make or break it for her.


When the results letter arrived in the second week of August she stared at the envelope nervously, until Severus threatened that if she wouldn’t open it, he would. She looked at the parchment dumbfounded, then smiled and passed it to him.


‘Miss Sadira Prewett. Slytherin House, Hogwarts.
NEWT results for Examinations taken June 1992.

Transfiguration - E
Defence against the Dark Arts - O
Charms - O
Herbology - O
Ancient Runes - O
Potions - O + Distinction
Divination – A ’


He beamed at her proudly.

“Clever girl, I knew you would do well. And a distinction in Potions! I am very proud of you, and I am sure your mother would have been too.” He said, wrapping his arms around her.

“Thanks Severus, that means a lot to me.” She replied thickly, nuzzling into him and fighting back the tears that pricked her eyes at the thought of her mother reading her exam results.

“Do you think she would have been happy about us?” She asked.

A shadow passed over his face and he stepped back to look at her.

“I hope that she would have believed that as long as you were happy, that is all that matters. However to be honest with you, Delilah Prewett hated me at school, possibly feared me even. She was enamoured of a group of Gryffindor boys who had a vendetta against me and as she was a Gryffindor also, she would never trust a Slytherin.” He sighed.

“It’s ok. She was furious when I was sorted Slytherin, said I was no good. I’m the first non-Gryffindor in the family you see.” She explained.

“This calls for a celebration,” he said, pulling her into his arms again. “I think we should go out to dinner tonight. Did you bring something suitable to wear or do you wish to owl your cousins to arrange to collect something from your other trunk?” he asked.

“I think I need to owl Molly. I’d look a bit overdressed in my ball gown and I only have my uniform and jeans and stuff.” She replied. He gave her a smouldering look.

“Overdressed or not, I believe I should like to see you in that gown again.” He said in a voice that made her knees buckle.