An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 54 ~ Changing Traditions

Snape let himself in the house and immediately smelled a very savory scent on the air. He removed his traveling cloak and gloves and slowly walked through the living room, eyeing how much Eileen had accomplished. Books were stacked everywhere, apparently according to subject matter, but very little were on the shelves. Well, he hadn’t expected the few that were there.

Eileen wasn’t in the living room, so he followed his nose into the kitchen and saw his daughter bent before the oven, taking something out. Snape’s black eyes scanned the well-set table. She’d used a green silk tablecloth and the good dishes and silverware. A bottle of wine and little candle sat in the middle of the table. Eileen turned and saw him, surprised.

”Hi, dad,” she said, setting the hot pan on top of the stove and removing her oven mitts. She walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Snape accepted it stiffly, his brows slightly furrowed.

He smelled more than dinner here.

”Hello, Eileen. What’s all this?” he asked

Eileen acted as if she’d done nothing special.

“Oh, just dinner. Sit down,” she said.

Snape eyed the table.

“Just dinner, eh?” he replied, taking a seat as Eileen hurried over to pour him a glass of wine. He sipped it and watched with an arched eyebrow as she quickly zipped around the kitchen, taking his plate and her own and serving from the stove.

She brought his plate to him, and Snape looked down at it.

She had served him baked salmon with sea vegetables, roasted shallots, broad beans and wild St. George mushrooms, with a bit of herb salad.

This was quite a lavish meal for a weekday and no special occasion. Snape’s dark eyes flicked up toward his daughter for a moment, then back down at his plate, his lip quirking slightly.

Eileen quickly sat down and they had their customary moment of silence before they began eating.

Snape cut into the flaky salmon with his fork, popped it into his mouth and chewed blissfully. He hadn’t had salmon in ages.

Eileen pretended to focus on eating, but she kept looking up at her father to see if he was pleased. A pleased dad was an easily manipulated dad.

But Snape wasn’t fooled at bit.

”This is quite good, Eileen,” he told his daughter, “but I know for fact we didn’t have salmon or any of these foods in the house.”

”Oh, I ordered it by Floo,” Eileen said. “They delivered.”

Snape frowned slightly. He’d forgotten about the Floo. Eileen could have gone anywhere during the day. But the amount of neatly stacked books showed she had stayed home like he’d requested. Besides, there might be an emergency and without her wand or broom she had no way to travel quickly. He couldn’t cut her off completely.

”I purchased it with my own money, too,” she informed him. “I didn’t put it on your account. It’s my treat, dad.”

Snape studied her for a moment, then returned to his meal.

”Well, I appreciate the meal, if not the obvious attempt at bribery, Eileen—it’s not going to help your situation one bit,” he said firmly as he cut into a sea beet. “Your punishment remains firmly in place.”

Eileen frowned a bit and viciously speared a mushroom.

Damn it.

Tomorrow he could have a thin chicken broth and a crust of bread for supper.

**************************************

Eileen was hoping to arrange her meeting with Hermione on New Year’s Eve. Snape was very aware of what she was doing by putting it off. On the second she would be returning to Hogwarts. For the past sixteen years, they’d have a quiet New Years at home, Snape shooting off wonderfully shaped popping sparks from his wand to fill the night sky. When Eileen turned seven she insisted they wear New Year’s hats, too. So her father would stoically don one of the ridiculous pointy things to oblige her. When she got older, she’d get him to wear them just because he looked so out of sorts and would grumble.

”When you were little, Eileen, I donned these ridiculous hats to humor you. You’re not a child any longer,” he complained as she strapped a hat on his head.

“Just humor me, dad,” she’d say with a wicked smile, trying not to laugh at his scowl.

The night before New Years Eve, Eileen picked at her peas at the kitchen table in the way she had when she wanted to say something to him but didn’t know how to approach the subject. Hermione did the same thing when she was hesitant about saying something.

Tired of hearing her fork clink, Snape said, “Eileen, what is it?”

”I want to go see mum tomorrow,” she said quickly.

”On New Year’s Eve?” Snape asked, still eating, without looking up at her.

”Yes,” Eileen said in a small voice.

Snape didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes.

”I suppose you want to see the New Year in with her,” he asked his daughter.

Eileen looked at him. If he said yes, it would be the first time in her life she didn’t bring in the New Year with her father.

“Yes,” she said softly, looking down at her plate.

Snape felt just a little twinge of disappointment.

”New Years celebrations fall into the ‘doing something pleasant’ category,” he began as Eileen’s face fell. “However—I think bringing in the New Year with your mother is long overdue, so you may go, but—I expect you back home before lunchtime on New Year’s day.”

Eileen looked up at him, shocked.

”Really, dad?” she asked him, unable to believe he was letting her go.

”Yes, Eileen. I mean it. Now, finish your dinner. I’ll make the arrangements for you.”

”Oh, thank you, dad!” she said, smiling at him and returning to her meal with gusto.

Snape felt he needed to make her aware of an unpleasant possibility.

”Eileen, it could be that your mother spends New Years Eve at the Burrow,” Snape interjected.

Eileen’s face went black.

”If that’s the case, I won’t go. I’ll just see her on New Years day,” Eileen replied.

************************************

Snape was right. Hermione and her family always spent New Years Eve at the Burrow. It was as big a gathering as Christmas, with plenty of food and celebrating. And George had the best fireworks.

When Hermione received Snape’s message via Raucous, she called her family together.

”I’m not going to go to the Burrow tonight,” she said softly as Hugo and Rose stared at her. Mum not going to the best celebration other than Christmas?

”Why?” Hugo asked as Ron looked at her soberly. He already had an idea why.

”Because Eileen wants to bring in the New Year with me,” she replied. “We—we need to talk. You understand that, don’t you? And I can’t bring her to the Burrow—“

Rose and Hugo stared at her a moment.

”I just need to spend a little time with her,” Hermione continued, looking at Ron for support.

”Of course you do,” he said with a smile. “We can get along without you for one New Years Eve, can’t we Rose and Hugo?”

Both of them nodded, but it was going to be strange to be at the Burrow without mum there to yell at them about getting too close to the fireworks as George set them off. You couldn’t help but get close to them. A lot of them chased people.

“Thank you,” she said softly, then wandered away, preoccupied. She had to write Snape back.

Rose and Hugo looked over at Ron, who was looking after Hermione thoughtfully.

”You think she’s going to be all right with Eileen, dad? What are they going to do, just the two of them?” Rose asked her father.

Ron looked at his daughter and gave her a reassuring smile.

”I’m sure your mum will be fine. They’ll come up with something,” Ron reassured her.

“They won’t have as much fun as we will,” Hugo said. “I bet Uncle George has some really great fireworks this year. Better than the dragon that chased granddad last year and set his robes on fire. Everybody soaked him with their wands.”

The three of them chuckled at the memory of a water-logged Arthur sputtering after being deluged with water from the tips of nearly everyone’s wands.

”No, they probably won’t be able to top that,” Ron agreed.

*****************************************

When Snape came in, he greeted Odessa quietly and set about looking over new orders. There was a heaviness about the wizard, Odessa noticed immediately as she tended the till.

”I suppose you and Eileen will be bringing in the New Year together,” she said to him.

Snape looked up at her.

”Actually, we won’t be. She’s going to be spending it with her mother. She’ll be picking her up from home this afternoon. She’ll be back tomorrow before lunch,” he replied, his voice rather flat. He returned to looking over the orders.

“Oh,” Odessa said softly.

She imagined he and Eileen had always brought in the year together. This had to be difficult for him.

”So, what are you going to do tonight?” she asked him.

”Nothing,” Snape replied.

”I see,” Odessa said, feeling sorry for him.

Snape suddenly looked up at her.

”What are your plans for the evening?” he asked her.

Odessa shrugged.

“Well, this is the first time I’ve had no plans for New Years. It used to be a very busy time, you know. Wizards out on the town. It was a money-making night. But now—“

She fell silent for a moment, then said, “You know, my birthday is January first. This is the first time in a long time that—that I’ll be bringing it in alone. I never really celebrated it, couldn’t really—I always had to work. But there was always someone with me.”

She stopped talking and busily shuffled some papers.

Snape continued to look at her, wondering how it had been for her not to have her birthday acknowledged, and having to whore through it as well.

”Perhaps you’d like to bring it in with me,” he said softly.

”You?”

”Certainly. Eileen will be with her mother,” Snape said.

Odessa looked a bit doubtful.

”I don’t know, Severus. I mean, I work for you now—and I don’t know if that’s appropriate,” she said to him.

Snape quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Inappropriate for a single woman to have a date on New Years Eve? Don’t be ridiculous,” he said.

Odessa looked at him.

”A date?” she repeated, hardly able to believe her ears.

Snape gave her a smirk.

”Yes, a date. There are various venues around the wizarding world that might be entertaining if I had company,” Snape told her. “We could have dinner, maybe attend a ball. There are several. The Ministry throws one each year and I have a standing invitation since I received the Order of Merlin.”

Odessa just blinked at him. Dinner? A ball? She hadn’t attended a ball since she was a fifth year at Hogwarts. Then her face clouded over.

”Severus, you don’t want to be seen with me. Like this, no one really recognizes me unless they’re a Knockturn Alley regular. But if I dressed up, I won’t be able to hide who I am. Everyone will know you’re out with a whore.”

Snape scowled at her, and deliberately put his clipboard down and stalked toward her, anger in his black eyes.

”You are not a whore, Odessa. You don’t turn tricks. You don’t walk the alley. You don’t take money for sex,” he told her in a low voice. “Who you were is no longer who you are, and you need to see that as clearly as I do.”

”But—but my past,” she said weakly, her green eyes watering.

”Is past, Odessa,” Snape responded. “I have no problem having you on my arm. You are one of the most honest witches I know, and despite what you’ve been through, your heart is as big as Hogwarts. How it stayed that way is a wonder. Men may have used your body, Odessa, but it appears they haven’t touched your soul. Come out with me. Enjoy your newfound freedom.”

”But I might be recognized,” she argued, wanting to say yes, but holding back. “Someone might say something—point me out—or even worse, approach me.”

”Then, we’ll deal with it,” Snape assured her. “And in such a manner that will make sure it’s understood that you are no longer among the fallen. Now, don’t make me beg you, witch. It’s unbecoming.”

Odessa gave him a small smile as he arched an eyebrow at her.

”But, I don’t have anything to wear,” she said to him.

”You have the rest of the day off,” Snape responded, walking over to the till, opening it and taking out a few Galleons. “Go buy something.”

”Oh, no. Severus, I can’t just take your money,” she demurred as he put the coins into a drawstring pouch.

”You won’t be. I’ll take it out of your pay in installments,” he replied, pressing the pouch into her hand.

Odessa looked down at the pouch, then up at the sober wizard. Then she hugged him tightly, jumping up and down a bit, then kissed his cheek. She reminded him of an excited Eileen when he did something that pleased her. It was a bit heartwarming.

”Oh, thank you, Severus!” Odessa gushed, looking down at the pouch again.

”I’ll pick you up at eight,” he told the excited witch.

She gave him a breathtaking smile.

”I’ll be ready,” she replied, getting her cloak and slipping it on.

”Good. I don’t like waiting,” Snape growled..

She gave him another bright smile then exited the shop. The sound of Apparition followed.

She wasn’t wasting any time.

As Snape returned behind the counter, he found he no longer felt out of sorts about Eileen spending New Years with her mother. She was slowly moving on, her world becoming larger.

Apparently, so was his.

**************************************
A/N: Thanks for reading.