Another Dark Star

Chapter 52


Sadira decided to stay with Severus the following week. It was her birthday and she insisted they spend it together as a family. It was late November and Hadrian was now 10 months old and beginning to get adventurous. There was also the matter of Ginny’s strange gift from Molly to attend to. Her birthday wasn’t until the Wednesday but on Monday mother, baby and faithful Elf were packed and returned to Hogwarts via Floo.

Severus had been waiting anxiously y the fireplace in anticipation. The portraits were also looking forward to the visit as they were dreadfully bored after centuries of administrative duty and discipline, a family would be a welcome change.

“Hello Love.” Sadie greeted with a smile.

“Hello yourself.” He replied with a slight smile. He drew her close for a brief, soft kiss before taking Hadrian from her arms.

“What have you been feeding him? Skelegro? He’s enormous!” Snape chuckled, amazed at how fast his son had grown in his absence. Hadrian copied his father, clapping and giggling at the joke he didn’t understand.

“Well, he’s nearly completely weaned so no wonder.” Sadie admitted. Winky remained in the background like a good Elf, but she was smiling, pleased that the family she had come to consider ‘hers’ was back together again.

“You can go see the other Elves in the Kitchens if you like Winky. I’ll call you if I need you.” Sadie suggested.

“Winky is thanking Mistress. Dobby must have missed his Winky.” She beamed before Apparating into the kitchens.

“Mam-mam!” Hadrian called, pointing at his mother who smiled. Severus looked at his son in wonder, then turned to his wife.

“He talks?” he gaped.

“Yes.” She replied with a smile.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, disappointed that yet again he had missed something major in his son’s life

“I thought it would make a nice surprise.” She shrugged.

“Does he say anything else?” Snape asked.

“Not really. Mam-am for mum, Ef for elf; he can’t say Winky in any form. He quacks at the ducks in the park though, and barks at dogs. Makes me wish Dad was around to see it.” She said, her mood turning sombre at the memory of her father.

Severus put Hadrian down on the floor safely before drawing his wife into his arms, kissing the top of her head sympathetically.

“Knowing your blasted father, he would have transformed and been giving Hadrian doggy-back rides by now!” he joked.

Sadie chuckled at the mental image of the enormous black dog her father became in his
Animagus form, with her son on his back, sticky fingers gripping tightly onto his grandfather’s thick fur. Her momentary melancholy melted away with her husband’s dark humour.

“Thank you Love.” She whispered, leaning up for another much longed for kiss. When they broke apart, Severus scanned the floor around them for his son but was unable to find him.

“Where’s Hadrian gone?” he asked and Sadie looked behind her, only to see Albus Dumbledore’s portrait chuckling amusedly.

He pointed to the Headmaster’s desk where Hadrian had managed to climb up onto the Headmaster’s chair. He had grabbed a quill off the desk and was sat quite happily, chewing on the feathery end, his fingers black with ink where he held the nib. All that could be seen from a distance was a shock of untidy black hair and tiny black finger marks on the blotter on the desk.

“Usurping your father’s position already are you Son?” Snape remarked good humouredly, lifting him into his arms to retrieve the soggy feathery mass from his mouth and cleaning his fingers with a whispered Tergeo.

“Damn, I wish I’d brought a camera. That would have been an adorable addition to the family album!” Sadira complained with a rueful smile.


Severus found that having his family around back around him made the school situation seem less bleak. It was as though the Carrows, staff and students were his own personal Dementors and Sadira and Hadrian were the world’s strongest Patronus.

That evening he made sure that an extra place was set at the Staff Table for Sadira. He had initially been uneasy about putting his family on display, but decided that it were best to seem as normal as possible. Besides, Sadie had insisted on seeing for herself just how bad things really were.

He hoped that the presence of a heavily pregnant woman and a small child would encourage the staff and students to tone down their mutinous behaviour, but he somehow doubted they would. After all, what did they care for a Death Eater’s wife and child? He led her proudly through the school and took his usual seat in the Headmaster’s chair in the centre of the table.

Sadira sat in Severus’ former seat, at the Headmaster’s right hand side, with Hadrian on her lap. Her reception was a mixed one. Most of the staff gave her dirty looks, as did most of the students. She did her best to ignore these, and concentrated instead on the look of pride her husband allowed himself to bestow upon her without betraying his façade. He was allowed to be proud of her. She had been favoured by the Dark Lord personally for being an obedient and fertile wife.

Professor McGonagall was the most civil, following their brief discussion a month ago. Minerva still believed her to be naïve where Severus was concerned; a victim of her love, which blinded her to his faults. Aurora Sinistra seemed to be over her crush on Severus at least. In fact, she seemed rather smug that the girl who had snatched the object of her affection was now ‘going down with the ship’ as it were. Sprout and Flitwick tried hard not to show their disappointment, dismally failing in their endeavour.

The worst was Hagrid, who was so kind-hearted usually. He was grieving the loss of Dumbledore sorely and was still very angry at Severus, and therefore Sadira also. Slughorn seemed mildly disapproving, but more uncomfortable at her presence than anything. She didn’t know why, but wasted no time bothering to ask. Pomfrey seemed to have taken the same opinion as her long time friend Minerva. She gave Sadira looks that varied between outright disapproving and sickeningly pitying. No doubt much of that was due to the additional stress on her pregnant body. Good old Poppy could always be counted on to fuss over anyone with a condition, injury or ailment, no matter who they were.

As for the Death Eater contingency; Alecto kept glaring at Sadira mutinously. She was still jealous and was now unsure of the balance of power. Alecto bore the Mark, but Sadira was the Headmaster’s wife, and the Dark Lord’s favourite. Alecto was an idiot, but she hated not knowing where she stood. Amycus however had to be reprimanded by Severus for making Sadira uncomfortable with leering grins, constantly checking out her chest, increased as it was by her pregnancy.

It hurt Sadira to be viewed with hatred, revulsion or even betrayal by the students. Some of them barely knew her. Some of them she had taught Ancient Runes to, two years previous. It was dismaying to see some of her most promising pupils that she had built up a rapport with glaring at her as though she carried the Mark herself. The only students who seemed to be pleased to see her were the Slytherins, especially Draco.

She chose to ignore it, concentrating on feeding herself and Hadrian. She engaged in hushed conversation with Severus, communicating more with looks and gestures than their actual words. The others took this as a display of solidarity and proof of their alliance, which it was in part. However this was Sadira’s way of showing Severus that she supported him and was willing to endure anything to help him.

Throughout the meal, Sadira kept her mind on a small glint of red in her peripheral vision, on the Gryffindor table. When she saw it leave, she feigned tired and excused herself from the table. She quickly left via the staff exit. She trotted as fast as she could with Hadrian in her arms and a large pregnant belly up two flights of stairs and down numerous corridors before she caught up to her quarry.

“Ginevra, may I have a word please?” Sadira called coldly to her cousin, who was among a group of students, mainly Gryffindors. Ginny’s friends looked frightened and wary, yet defiant; as though daring Sadie to do anything to their friend while they were there.

“What for?” Ginny asked suspiciously.

“Do I need a reason to catch up with my dear family?” Sadie asked, affecting a taunting tone. If any spies were near, she had to appear to be acting as Snape’s wife, not Ginny’s friend.

“A word only, briefly. In private.” Sadie snapped imperiously. She pointed to a door nearby. Ginny nodded to her friends and followed her cousin into what looked like a former professor’s office. It was well appointed and furnished but was coated in a fine film of dust through disuse. A quick swish and jab motion from Sadie’s ebony wand banished the dust from a handsome pair of armchairs so she could sit and rest her aching back and hips.

Ginny, however, remained standing; glowering down at her mutinously. ‘How dare she side with that evil, murdering Death Eater bastard husband of hers and still claim to be family? Acting like nothing had changed, worse than that prick Percy!’

“Ginny, I will be brief. I visited Molly and your brother’s the other day and your mother requested that I bring you this. ‘A taste of home’ she said.” Sadie began, reaching into her voluminous maternity robe and producing a gleaming, deep red apple.

“I assume it’s from the orchard at the Burrow. Cut into it only in the privacy of your room. Something gives me the impression that this is not to be shared.” She added warningly, passing it to her. Ginny looked at it warily.

“Come on Ginny, give me some credit! If I was going to poison you I would choose a far more subtle way of doing it!” Sadie sighed exasperatedly.

“At the very least, Severus would never let me live down the shame of the cliché.” She joked; a hint of the familiar quirky humour Ginny remembered returning.

“Is Mum ok? Why did you go to see them? Were there other Death Eaters at the Burrow?” Ginny blurted out in a rush, stowing the apple in her bag.
Sadira put Hadrian down on the Chinese rig in front of her and rolled up her left sleeve slowly.

“I am not now, nor never shall be, a Death Eater Ginny.” She sighed sadly. “As far as I am aware, all Weasleys are unharmed. As for why I went there, that is none of your business. Now, I have held you here long enough. I have kept to my word to Molly and seen that you are fine for myself. You should return to Gryffindor Tower before anyone becomes suspicious.”

Ginny’s mind reeled at this turn of events. ‘Was Sadie spying now?’ that was how it seemed to Ginny. She saw Hadrian crawling quickly across the floor back to his mother, a new development to Ginny’s eyes. How long had it been since they were all sat together as a family? Snape or not, Sadira and Hadrian were still kin and Ginny finally allowed herself to admit that she had missed them.

“Mum-mum!” Hadrian griped, holding up his hands to be picked up.

“He can talk?” Ginny gasped, grinning.

“Go, quickly.” Sadie said urgently, a worried look crossing her face. Ginny rushed forward and hugged her briefly, blinking back tears, before bolting for the door.

“If anyone should ask, I was questioning you about Dumbledore’s Army and you told me nothing.” Sadie ordered. Ginny nodded.

“Thanks Sadie.” She said, wishing she had time to tell her more, but then sped off toward her common room.


When Ginny was finally alone in her dormitory, she drew the heavy gold and scarlet curtains around her bed and laid her bag on the counterpane. Gently she cut into the ripe skin of Sadie’s gift with her potions knife and nearly squealed in surprise when the fruit transfigured itself into a sheet of parchment. Molly Weasley’s comfortingly familiar script lay before her in loops of azure blue ink and the parchment itself even smelled of home. She fought back a wave of homesickness to read what her mother had written.


‘Our Dearest Ginny,
We hope this letter gets to you safely and that you are well. You hold within your hands proof that your cousin can be trusted. Bill placed a very strong protective charm over this for me, so it would only revert to its true form for you. Anyone else attempting to open it would simply find a harmless fruit. I know lines of communication are risky at best and owls are being routinely searched and yet I needed to find a secure way of keeping in touch with you Dear. Your brothers worry me greatly and yet, with the exception of Ronald, they are all close by.
The message your father and I wanted to send is simple; stay safe, be good and we love you very much. If you have anything important to send us, I am certain that Sadira can be relied upon to ensure it reaches us without interception. Likewise, do not fear too much should you be summoned to the Headmaster’s office. Sadie has given me every reassurance that she has compelled her husband to pass on messages and to protect you as much as he can as her nearest and dearest family. This is no doubt a secret agreement between them, so take care not to push the boundaries or do anything to reveal this or any scant protection may end.
Once again dearest, we miss you, we worry for you and we love you so take care and be good. Burn this letter when you have read it for safety.
Hugs and kisses,
Mum. XX’


As Ginny watched the flames engulf the levitating parchment, tears rolled silently down her cheeks for her mum, her brothers and her cousin; all of whom were in grave danger to protect her and none of whom knew how desperately she wanted to help.