Letters From America

Thanks as always for the generous feedback each of you have sent.

Special thanks to Jilliane, red-mouser supreme. I appreciate your hard work after a day babysitting your grandchildren. You are one rockin' grandma!

Chapter 4

Darling Girl,

I don't know what to tell you about the events of last evening. I will say that Potter and I have had a difficult relationship from the start, and that our fight was a long time in coming, though I never figured we would resort to fisticuffs. I always thought it would be wands drawn at ten paces and a full out duel. But to be honest, that would not have been nearly as satisfying. I am sorry you were alarmed when the police phoned you. I hope I didn't put you out of your pin money for the week with the fines I had to pay. Even though I know you hate doing it, please have Ginny take you to Gringotts and withdraw anything you need. And quit pouting, I know you. I will not have it bandied about that I kept my heavily pregnant wife in penury whilst I was off on a raucous adventure, no matter what I think of said adventure at this point.

Baby, I feel lost...

They were near Omaha, Nebraska the next day before either of them spoke. Until that point, their communication had been effected through half grunts and pointed looks. It was Potter that broke the silence. "I'm hungry. You?"

Draco turned to Potter, giving the Auror a full view of his new black eye. "No"

"I wish you would let me heal that shiner," Potter said, turning his full attention from the road to Draco's face. "I swear, medical aid was my best subject at the academy."

"Watch the road!" Draco said, keeping his tone as even as he could as they hurtled down the blank highway at... his eyes darted to the dash to see that they were doing in excess of eighty miles an hour. "Potter, please. I am newly married and expecting a child. Slow down. I'd like to live beyond the day to see my family again," he pleaded.

Potter muttered just below Draco's hearing, but eased off the accelerator. "Better?"

Draco slid his sweating palms down his trousers in an attempt to dry them. "Are you hungry?"

"No," Harry shrugged and then added, "Yes, a bit."

Draco leaned forward. "Look for a likely place then. Just not burgers."

Potter exited the highway and began his search in earnest, finally settling on a small diner in the midst of an industrial area. He pulled into the car park and switched off the engine. "I'm sorry about what happened last evening. I said some things I shouldn't have."

Draco knew Potter was expecting an equal apology to be returned by the way Harry looked out of the corner of his eye at him. "I'm not sorry for what I said, Potter, maybe about the way I said it. I just don't want you to expect more from Severus than what he can give."

"Point taken," Harry finally answered. "I... uh, I... I suppose I would like to just see if he's fine. I don't expect him to ever forgive me for being born." Potter flicked his glasses up, and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "He's just the last link I have to either of my parents, you know? He... loved my mum, knew her for something besides a martyr."

Potter covered his face with his hands, knocking his glasses to the floor, his shoulders slumped. Draco Accio'ed them before Potter could break them, which would cause him to become more of a menace on the road. Draco looked out the window as Ian's favourite quotation came back to him about soft words turning away wrath. He took a breath through his nose, letting it whistle out before he said, ”Potty, I may spoken too harshly about some things too. Just don't... worry about the situation so much. Whatever happens when we find him, I'll be with you."

After a few more moments of thick silence Harry said, "I went to Hogwarts so I could see his chambers. Did you know he had visited my family? When I was in fifth year, he found out that I was... not wanted by them. He, uh, he threatened to report them to the authorities if I wasn't well after the summer holiday. He left a Pensieve with that memory in it. Why would he do that, and still hate me so much?"

Draco was at a loss. Severus' motives had never been clear to him, or anyone, for that matter. Maybe they hadn't even been clear to himself.

Potter took his hands away from his face, and as Draco placed his glasses on his knee, he wiped his eyes with his palm. "Let's eat. We'll stop in Kansas City for the night. Tomorrow we should reach Heavener."

So, Darling, I was thinking about our daughter's name. Though I like Iris, I don't understand why you think you should follow the Black family traditions. My mother certainly will never care about our children, so why should you care about it? The choice is yours, just so you know that I'm not pushing for any wizarding names. Plain Muggle names would be fine with me.

I am very unsettled to hear about the attack on Dr. Patil. Please Darling, be circumspect in your dealings with other Muggles. I don't want you to be attacked if there is some kind of threat to wizards and their families. I do wonder about the situation though; Padma has a reputation for ruthlessness when she needs it. I duelled her at the Final Battle, and still carry the scars. I cannot imagine how Father came to be at the scene. or why he involved himself when she's so capable. Did Finnigan give you any more information on it?

We'll be at our destination in a few hours. I'll let you know what we find out. Pray that we get the information we need. Harry worries me with the near obsessive need he's exhibiting about finding Snape.

As always, you are my voice of reason, and the sexiest thing to ever grace the planet.

Antonia was worried about her husband. He had withdrawn, much like he had in the first stormy days of their acquaintanceship. He was still a good father to the children, attentive to her demands during her pregnancy, still made love like a crazy man. It was in the quiet moments that he withdrew, his mouth set in a hard line, the tension that had receded over the past few years returning in the tight line in which he held his mouth, and the silent way he observed his family, his dark eyes like chips of jet. It was as if he was squirrelling memories away, once again waiting for the inevitable collapse of his world.

She thought they had dealt with this in the early days of their marriage, and was frustrated beyond words at his apparently renewed insecurity.

Antonia flipped the pillow on which she reclined, hoping that he would come to bed soon. She couldn't sleep without his arm wrapped around her burgeoning belly. She couldn't be comfortable without his breath in her hair in those moments before sleep took her. She flounced as well as a beached whale could, and turned to her other side, smoothing her hand over the cool sheets of his empty spot.

"Dammit!" she said aloud, hoping that wherever he was, he heard her frustration. Tears pricked her eyes and she rolled over, moving her feet so she could let them flop off the side of the bed in preparation to rise. The door to their room opened and Antonia rolled over on her back, not the most comfortable position for a woman in her seventh month, but one from which she could gaze at Severus as he readied himself for bed.

The soft rustling of his clothing, his weight on the bed, and then a sigh followed. "Darling, please, if you were thinking any louder, you'd need a broadcasting license. And what are you doing on your back? You know it makes you dyspeptic."

"I was going to look for you." She gave a weepy chuff of laughter. "I've missed you since you've been brooding."

As she attempted to roll onto the bed again, she groaned. Severus said with some impatience, "Give me your hand. You never ask for help when you need it."

"You're one to talk," Antonia muttered as she took his outstretched hand, pale in the moonlight spilling through the window. "Were you working or brooding?"

"A little of both." Severus settled beside her, his hand straying to her drum-tight belly. "The phage worked. Kaya was able to shift tonight without the moon being involved, and she retained her coyote mind."

For the past eight years, since Pansy Zabini had started sending calculations to them via Fed Ex, their team had been working on a phage to inject into the cursed DNA that was causing the shapeshifter gene to express itself in such a virulent way. The initial use of the phage had led to groundbreaking work in the treatment of hereditary curses. The small fortune they had each earned in bonuses had allowed Severus and Antonia to start their own venture, and they had eventually been able to fund their own research with that nest egg, along with the generous federal grants for which they applied. They had moved to Newalla when Antonia's father became ill, and thus had a legitimate reason to cut ties with the potions development corporation for which they both worked. She and Severus were now an incorporated business, complete with employees, taxes, and a lawyer in the form of one Richard "Dicky" Holman. The lawyer, over the years, had become a fixture in their lives, especially since he had married Phuong Nguyen, Severus' pain management healer.

Their fame was growing, yet Severus still kept his name off the papers, saying that he did not want his personal infamy to impede the progress they had made. The phage in question, a small sub-viral particle that attacked and inserted its own genome into the targeted cell, had been engineered by Antonia, with her background in science, and Severus, with his vast magical knowledge. They had essentially caused the phage to replace the infected and cursed DNA with sequences that allowed the expression to be under the control of the curse victim. The lycanthrope would still have to change at some point in the month, but the expression of that change would be more along the lines of the type undergone by an Animagus rather than a true werewolf, even though the creature would remain infective during the full moon cycle.

Antonia knew better than to become excited about the news. The phage therapy was extremely experimental, and frankly, in it's infancy in the application to magical diseases. She and Severus were the only two wizards she knew of who had even attempted the process, and their success had been more miss than hit. "That's good news. We have at least another year of werecoyote and deer woman testing before we can apply it to humans. Now, Heathcliff, you told me about your work, tell me about the brood. You've gone back to doubting this family-thing is real, haven't you?"

Antonia pressed his hand to her belly as Severus settled closer to her. He sighed, gusting her hair with his breath. "I was wrong about the boy, Potter. Yes, he was an arrogant fool, and yes, he garnered more attention than his middling skills actually deserved, but... I never saw him as more than an extension of his father."

"Is this something you're going to say to him, Severus?"

"Mmm...," Severus hummed. "You know it is not in my nature to apologise, Antonia."

"But you're considering it." Antonia threaded her fingers through her husband's.

Severus drew closer to his wife, holding her tightly for a moment before letting the tension leech from his arm. "I am."

"So, were you also thinking that I might have a problem with this? Maybe that I'd think you're less of a man?" Severus snorted softly, the sound more nasal than throaty. "Oh, come on, Severus, you've been giving me that look. You know, the searching one that you used to give me when we first got together." She felt the baby stir in her belly, the kicking disturbing their intertwined hands.

"I was giving you no such look," Severus said. "I was merely wondering how all this will look to outsiders, especially Draco."

"Draco is the one you took the Unbreakable Vow for, isn't he?" Antonia's displeasure at the prospect of a continued obligation to the boy he had told her of crept into her voice. "You are still obligated to him, aren't you?"

"No," Severus answered. "When the Dark Lord fell, I believe the Vow was fulfilled."

"You believe? You don't know? You won't know until he puts himself in danger again, will you?" Antonia felt a stab of something close to panicked jealousy at the thought. "Is there a way to nullify it?"

Severus sighed, his breathing becoming even and shallow as he attempted to mimic sleep. Antonia elbowed him in the gut. "I know you're not asleep, Sev. Is there a way, or do I have to worry about being a widow because some pampered hot-head can't keep his head on straight?"

"I love you, darling," Severus' voice, thick with feigned sleep cleared as he chuckled softly. "I do hope that Draco has aged mentally past the age of sixteen."

Antonia relaxed against her husband, knowing that much of her distress was due to her uncertainty over the outcome of the impending visit. As Antonia was drifting off, Severus said, "They will be here tomorrow. Brick Fire-called me just before I came to bed."

Antonia's eyes popped open, wakeful even as her husband's breathing settled into the softer pattern of sleep.

Damn!

&*&*&

Scorpi,

Thank you so much for the drawing of the Kneazle that you want. I would never have thought to see a green one, until you drew it for me. Purple eyes are a daring innovation too. Do you think it sees in purple?

I hope you are caring for your mother and not letting her worry too much about anything. You know how she is.

I hear you've excelled in your studies. Mummy sent me the progress report from your school. If you keep this up, you will surpass James and Al and maybe even Toby's Rose. You're such a smart boy. Mummy also tells me that your school has an excursion planned for the London Zoo. I had a fine time when I went there with Headmaster Snape when I was your age. Pay particular attention to the apes. I have a special friend there that I believe is still alive. If he is, give him my greetings. His name is Congo, and he is a western lowland gorilla. I'll tell you how we met when I return.

Now son, your mother and Aunty Ginny wrote to me about James' prank. I am telling you this once, and once only: Under no circumstance are you to ever convince Al to try to fly a vacuum off the roof of a house again. I was distressed that you believed James had charmed it to be able to fly. You know better. Mummy was very upset. You could have hurt your friend badly.

I am sorry you miss G-pa. I'm sure when he returns he will have plenty of stories and a few treasures for you. One time, when I was a little boy, he brought a shell from Jamaica back for me. That was my most favourite thing that he ever brought me.

We will be home soon. I love you son, and am happy for the picture you sent me. I keep it in my wallet along with the family photo we took at the wedding.

I Love you,

Daddy

They reached Heavener late the next afternoon. Upon entering the town, Harry noted that there was a stone, carved with Norse runes in the area, purported to be from a Viking excursion over a thousand years ago. Draco was duly impressed and they made a short trip up to the park that housed it. When they finally reached the unimpressive stone, Harry began laughing, drawing looks of consternation from the other late afternoon guests. When Draco saw the interpretation that the confused Muggles had given the runes, he stifled his laughter behind a cough.

The runes had indeed been set down by some hapless explorer, one that had a good grasp of the power of ancient runic alphabets. What the Muggles had interpreted as "Glome Dal" or Glome's Valley* was actually an explicit bit of warding against an invasion of locusts as far a Draco could tell. The valley still fairly thrummed with the power created by the runes.

Once they finished their little bit of sightseeing, they found a rather quaint bed and breakfast that catered to a small wizarding clientèle and they set about finding Brick McGowan, an herbologist who worked for Severus' last known employer. What they found would determine their next course of action.


AN: The Heavener Runestone is a real site and is one of about seven found in Eastern to Central Oklahoma. There is a great debate over whether the stones were actually written by some Viking explorer or whether they are fakes. The official, state park's interpretation of the inscriptions is the one in this chapter. There are other, more fantastical ones, such as my personal favorite: Beware, among property made for dead one. (What the hell???)

It is known that the Vikings had contact with the Thule natives (the ancestors of the Innuit) in both Greenland and Newfoundland at L'Anse aux Meadows. Let's face it, those Vikings did get around. (Yum, in a scary, rapine and pillaging kind of way.)

You can email me if you want to know my feelings on Old World and New World pre-Columbian contact.

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