Angelica's Sorrow

A/N Warning - this will be the last chapter for a little while, possibly until after the 15th.

jonelin - I\'m sorry I haven\'t gotten those secret plans to you yet. Dang taxes keep getting in the way. You\'ll have to let me know if you were right about where it was heading.

Deb - I think it put Severus off his stride for a bit, but I\'m sure Hermione helped him recover.

Lindsay - A small one.

Redflower - Welcome - hope to hear from you again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


Going through records covering a thousand years took several hours even with the aid of magic. Each ledger had to be tweaked to highlight the lineage left by Margaret Woodmont. Hermione and Minerva were getting worried, there was only one female descendant left and they still had close to two hundred years to track.

The next to last volume was spelled and it opened a third of the way through. Three quarters of the way down the left page a name had been highlighted. Alexander Jonathan Snape! Hermione and Minerva were stunned, looked at each other briefly and quickly followed the entry to the right. Anistasia Laveta Whitestone-Snape and Jonathan Mitchell Snape were listed as the parents.

\"What are the chances that Severus is a descendant?\" Hermione asked.

\"There are at least one hundred and fifty years to cover and we don\'t know yet how many children they had. I know Severus is the last of his line, so I would say the chances are relatively good,\" Minerva answered, as she taped the book lightly with her wand, watching the pages slip by.

\"That would be wonderful. They already have a close relationship.\"

\"How strange, it only went forward about 10 years.\"

\"Maybe they had a baby 10 years later?\"

Another name highlighted on the right side of the ledger, this one midway through the page.

\"This isn\'t possible! Who\'s listed as the parents? Oh, my. Hermione, I\'m sorry, but there is nothing that will persuade me to tell him,\" Minerva stated, after recovering from her initial shock.

\"We need to follow the lineage through the rest of the books before we come to any conclusions.\"

\"If this turns out the way I think it\'s going to, Albus would be the best one to break the news,\" Minerva said, with total conviction, taping the book yet again.




Approximately a half hour later, Albus was on his way to the classrooms in the dungeons, carrying two ledgers and a highly amused smile. The twinkle currently contained in his eyes would have lit a small room on their own.

\'I should be ashamed of myself, but this will be extremely enjoyable.\'

Albus stopped at the door of the classroom and immediately spied Severus at his desk putting away fresh supplies.

\"Filling up your red ink containers?\" he asked from the door.

\"Actually I did that last week, couldn\'t wait, even though I know I should save the best for last.\"

\"If you have a few moments, Minerva and Hermione have found two descendants,\" he stated walking in and approaching the desk.

\"Who are they?\"

\"I think it would be best for you to track the last four generations yourself. It will save a lot of explanation on my part. These two ledgers cover the time period in question and have been marked appropriately.\"

Narrowed eyes looked up at the Headmaster, judging the smile and twinkle. \'Trouble, pure and simple,\' was his silent appraisal.

\"Please, have a seat. I\'m sure from the expression on your face, there\'s no chance of my doing so in private,\" Severus stated, while gesturing toward a chair, pulling it to the side of the desk.

\"Before I give you the ledgers, do you by chance know the name of your great-grandmother on your father\'s side of the family?\" Albus asked as he sat down, ledgers in his lap.

A dark eyebrow rose, interesting.

\"Anistasia Snape. I take it I am one of the descendants through her?\"

\"Yes, you are. Whatever happened to her, do you know?\"

\"My father would not speak of her, other than to say she disgraced the family after my great-grandfather died. My mother, if she knew, followed his wishes on the matter and never spoke of her.\"

\"How old was she when he died?\"

\"I have no idea, Albus. What is the point of all this? If I am a descendant, that should be enough.\"

\"She apparently was young enough to remarry and produce another son. Don\'t you want to know who your second cousin is, Severus?\"

\"I thought the point in bringing the books was to avoid any long explanations. Hand over the bloody ledgers so we can get to the point.\"

\"I\'m so glad you\'re anxious to locate your relative. Maybe you could start spending the holidays together,\" Albus suggested as he placed them on the desk.

\"Highly doubtful.\"

Severus opened the top ledger at the first bookmark and found his grandfather\'s name highlighted. The next bookmark revealed another highlighted name.

\"Bloody hell, no! I refuse to believe this.\"

The remaining bookmarks were quickly accessed and defeat registered in slumped shoulders.

\'I\'ll never be able to live this down,\' he realized as the ledger was slammed shut on the damning names.

\"Please, tell me you haven\'t notified him. If it was anybody else, I might be able to accept it.\"

\"Sorry, Severus. I had Minerva send an owl just before I came down, so he can have time to make arrangements to visit. I can\'t very well inform him in a letter.\"

\"Sorry, my arse! You\'re tickled beyond belief at this turn of events, aren\'t you? I swear if any of the staff members or anyone else learns of this, I will hex him out of existence.\"

\"You must admit, there is a certain amount of ironic justice present.\"

\"I admit nothing,\" he growled.


Albus was still grinning when he left the classroom ten minutes later. It couldn\'t have worked out better if he\'d planned it from start to finish. Angelica would have two living descendants and hopefully that would be enough. He had to stop before reaching Minerva\'s office to laugh out loud, again.

\"Minerva?\"

\"I\'ll be right there. How did it go?\" Minerva\'s voice came from the attached storage room.

\"I wish you had been there to see the expression of absolute horror on his face.\"

\"Albus, shame on you. You\'re enjoying this far too much,\" Minerva said, as she joined him in her office.

\"He takes seriousness to the extreme, more laughter is needed in his life.\"

\"There is that, but I want your promise you won\'t twit him about it in the future.\"

\"How far into the future?\"

\"He and Hermione will have some serious adjustments to make with the students coming back tomorrow, and they don\'t need any additional stress right now.\"

\"I realize that, my dear. Here are your ledgers back. I thought it prudent not to have them around Severus too long.\"

\"That was probably wise. He didn\'t put an erasing spell on them did he?\" she asked, drawing her wand to check for any underhanded acts.


Severus didn\'t make an appearance for the evening meal. Albus, Minerva and Hermione were not greatly surprised and had to contain their mirth when Poppy expressed some concern.

\"Don\'t worry, Poppy. He\'s fine,\" Albus reassured her with a brilliant smile.

\"We had a late lunch,\" Hermione explained as she rose. \"If you don\'t mind, I\'m not all that hungry myself and I do have a few things left to get ready for tomorrow.\"

\"Not at all, Hermione. Enjoy yourself,\" he chuckled.

She found him in her quarters, sitting on the sofa, staring into the fireplace. Kneeling beside him, she started kissing the side of his jaw, working around to his mouth. He pulled her onto his lap, holding her away from him, glaring.

\"This is all your fault, you know.\"

\"Really? I didn\'t know my influence could go back in time more than a hundred and fifty years. Would you really rather I hadn\'t thought of it?\" she asked seriously. \"Is it that hard for you to accept?\"

\"I can\'t think of anyone worse.\"

\"I can think of something worse. We could have ended up being related somehow.\"

\"Ever the optimist, aren\'t you? I admit that would have been much worse,\" he said, softening enough to draw her close.

She began kissing and nibbling the tender skin above his collar, working her way up to his ear lobe. Hands were rubbing her back and there was a lump growing under her arse.

\"Shall we try the cushioning charm on the rug tonight?\" The husky whisper sent shivers of fire to her belly.

\"Only if you block the floo first,\" she whispered into his ear, delighted when she saw a few goose bumps break out on his neck.

\"Too time consuming, bath or bed?\"

\"Bed,\" she decided, while sliding to her feet.

\"I thought you enjoyed the bath?\" he asked, rising as well.

\"Too time consuming,\" she echoed, pulling his hand and leading the way.

After closing the bedroom door behind him, he was astounded to find himself under attack. She ripped his robes off his shoulders and began tearing through the buttons of his coat with a speed that rivaled his own, muttering under her breath.

\"Don\'t mumble, I can\'t understand what you\'re saying.\"

\"I was merely wondering why you always have so many blasted buttons. Buttons on the coat, buttons on the shirt, buttons on the pants. I\'m surprised you don\'t have buttons on your boxers.\"

\"Actually, I -\"

\"Throw them away or I\'ll rip them off,\" she said as she slipped the coat off his shoulders, starting on his shirt.

\"There\'s only one on three pair.\"

\"I don\'t care, remove the buttons,\" she demanded, as patience was lost and the shirt ripped open.

He stayed her hands from his trousers, not liking the gleam in her eyes, drawing her closer.

\"I think I\'ll take care of those buttons if you don\'t mind. It\'s my turn now,\" he growled against her throat.

The hem of her sweater was lifted over her head and thrown to the side. He returned to her neck as he unfastened a lacy black bra letting his hands cup, hold and caress. The bra slipped down her arms and was stepped on as they made their way toward her bed. The elastic waist of the skirt made removal easy and it was trod on in turn. His loafers and her sandals were kicked to the side. A black thong and his trousers soon huddled together as they were abandoned on the floor. A ripping round preceded a button being tossed in a corner as they landed on the bed.

\"Hermione, these are silk!\" he exclaimed, as he pulled them off to check for damage.

\"I warned you, no buttons on the boxers,\" she admonished, pushing him onto his back.

\"I would have - uh - ummm. Merlin\'s robe, do that again.\"

\"You mean this?\"

\"Yyyyeesss!\"

\"You\'re beginning to sound like the symbol of your house, are you all right? Should I stop?\" she teased, removing her mouth from his penis. \"I just thought this might help you adjust to your new relative.\"

\"If you continue, I guarantee it will help,\" he assured her with fervor.

\"Just trying to help establish a good relationship with your cousin. If you\'re sure?\"

\"Even if I have to accept Longbottom as a relative, it - Oh, gods, don\'t stop!\"




The next day, Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank met the first years at the train and lead them to the boats. The tradition would continue and someday would be joyous again, but this year without Hagrid was difficult for returning upper classes. A vision of him striding through students, calling for first years, was universal. Sobs, tears and snatches of sentences with his name mingled without regard to house, or gender.

A blockage occurred near the carriages, thestrals were seen by all but a blessed few. Professor Hooch and Madam Pomfrey were there to assist those frozen. Finally, the last student was loaded and headed to school. Some would not, could not look until reassured by friends. Hogwarts was really there, whole and appearing unblemished.

The wind was gentle on their faces as they hesitantly approached. It dried tears, whispered hope and tugged playfully at cloaks. Steps were solid under their feet, doors were sound beneath their hands and they began to believe. Believe that life could be good again, perhaps even fun once more.

The Great Hall was quiet as they gathered at the student tables. Noisy chatter was suspended, but the mood wasn\'t solemn or gloomy. Dumbledore was there with his twinkle and one of the most wondrous sights of the evening, Snape wasn\'t scowling. Ripples of surprise swept through at the sight of Hermione Granger seated at his side.

Dumbledore rose to his feet, gaining everyone\'s immediate attention. Small pockets of conversation died naturally. This was unprecedented, he usually didn\'t speak until after the sorting.

\"I have asked Professor McGonagall to delay the entrance of the first years. They are shortly to become part of our family, but are not quite members yet. Since last dinning together we have lost friends, some on the opposing side. They are still a part of us and should not be ignored. There will be brothers, sisters, and cousins who are unsure of their welcome. I ask for tolerance and patience from all of you this year for our new and returning members.\"

He drew himself a little straighter, the twinkle died. A pulse of power seemed to amplify his next words.

\"No one, regardless of house, family or suspected loyalties will be persecuted by any other student. I cannot emphasize this enough. This will be difficult for those who have lost loved ones. The person or persons responsible for those atrocities are not and will not be attending school. Our physical wounds have healed, now we must allow our souls to mend as well. To further this, I have added an additional ward to the grounds. It will grow or recede as needed. My sincerest hope is for it to lie dormant throughout the year. Any type of activity practiced upon another student, motivated by irrational prejudice or malice will be brought to the attention of the closest teacher. Specific details on punishment will be provided by your Prefects, but continued violation will result in expulsion with no hope of reinstatement. This has been approved by the Board of Governors and the Ministry.\"

A pause was granted, the twinkle returned and he clapped his hands twice. The doors to the Great Hall opened as he said, \"Please, welcome the new members of our family. They will help you build a better, brighter world for all of us.\"