Voldemort’s Heir

Chapter Fifteen

Snape awoke to the sound of a drawer being pushed closed. The person was moving slowly, pausing every few moments in order to quietly shut the drawer, which, of course, only brought Snape’s attention to it even more.

He raised his head from his pillow, frowning as he noted the empty space beside him in bed. “Mackenzie?” he called out softly.

He heard a soft gasp and the sound of something thudding against the carpet. Sitting up, he called up the lights with a spoken word.

Mackenzie stood at the foot of the bed, holding a wadded up shirt in her hand. A navy blue duffel bag sat on the floor beside her.

“What. . .are you doing?” Snape said, frowning.

“I was. . .um. . .” She glanced down at the shirt in her hand. “Packing.”

He looked confused. “Packing?” he repeated. He looked at her for a few moments, working his jaw open and closed. Finally, he said, “You were. . .planning to sneak away in the middle of the night?”

“Severus, I. . .” She trailed off, then sighed, tossing the shirt onto the dresser behind her.

“What, Mackenzie?” he snapped.

She closed her eyes for a moment. “I wasn’t going to sneak off,” she said. “I was just packing. . .for tomorrow.”

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief, consulting the clock on his bedside table. “Mackenzie, it’s almost midnight.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, shrugging. “I figured packing would help me wind down.”

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Mackenzie, if you were planning on leaving me, this is not the way.”

“Severus, I don’t. . .I don’t want to leave you,” she said.

“Then why are you packing your bags in the middle of the night?” he demanded.

“Because I need time to think!” she cried. “I can’t do that here, in this castle, sleeping with you every night!”

“What is there to think about?” he said, confused. “You’re obviously still very much in love with me, as I am you.”

“It’s not that easy, Sev,” she argued. “I have a new life. A life I’ve worked very hard to build. A life without you. Everything that has happened the last few days has ripped that life apart.”

“You cannot think I’m going to just let you walk away,” he said. “After you come in here and-and force your way back into my life.” He shook his head. “No, you’re not leaving me again. Not after you’ve unlocked my heart and taught me how to love again.”

“Severus,” she whispered.

“Damn you, Mackenzie,” he said, rising from the bed and pacing. “I love you!”

“And I love you too!” she cried.

“Then what is the problem?” he asked.

She hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek. “I. . .”

“Yes?” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well. . .I. . .”

He waited, tapping his fingers against his arm.

“I’m afraid,” she said finally.

“Of what?” he said, frowning.

“Losing you again,” she said. “We’re both very stubborn people, Severus. Once we put our mind to something, it’s nearly impossible to sway us. That’s what drove us apart the first time.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Mackenzie, that’s what fresh starts are all about,” he insisted. “I love you too much to let you slip away this time.”

“Do you?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he said, placing his hand on her chin and tilting her face upward. He gave her a soft kiss. “I had intended to wait until a more opportune time. . .”

He moved away from her, crossing over to his bedside table. Opening a drawer, he withdrew something.

She frowned, tilting her head to one side as he moved back over to her.

“But. . .seeing as how there is now a risk of you fleeing,” he told her. “I’ll just have to ask you now.”

He held his hand out to her. A gold band was held between his forefinger and thumb. “Mackenzie, will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Snape again?”

“Oh Severus,” she said, her eyes tearing up as she recognized the ring he held. “You kept it.”

“Of course I did,” he responded. “I had hoped that one day I would be given the chance to put it back where it belongs.”

She shook her head, bewildered. “Severus. . .” She blinked away her tears, gazing at the ring.

He waited, his breath held in anticipation of her answer.

“Yes” she said finally. “Yes, of course I will.”

His heart soared as he reached for her left hand, gently sliding the ring onto her finger. “I love you, Mrs. Snape,” he said in a hushed voice.

She smiled, placing one hand on the back of his neck as she rose up on tiptoe to kiss him. “And I love you, Professor Snape.”

******

The next morning, Eric and Krista lay in bed, his arm around her as her head rested on his chest. He wove his fingers through her hair, marveling at how complete he felt.

“You have no idea how worried I was about you,” he whispered, skimming his hand down her back.

“Oh, I bet I do,” she responded. Idly her hand went to her throat and she frowned.

“Oh, that reminds me,” he said, grinning as he gently eased her onto the bed and then rose to his feet. “I’ve got something you might like.”

He crossed over to where he’d dropped his pants the night before, and rummaged around in the right hand pocket. As he let the pants fall back to the floor, Krista saw that his fist was closed around a silver chain.

“Is that my necklace?” she said, grinning as she sat up.

Sitting down beside her, he fastened the chain around her neck. He adjusted it so that the pendant rested in the hollow of her throat and then pulled her back against his chest.

“Much better,” he mumbled, placing a gentle kiss where the pendant lay.

She smiled, running her fingers through his hair. “So when are we going home? I bet Momma’s freaking out by now.”

He hesitated, raising his head to look at her. “Yeah, we need to talk about that.”

She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to one side. “What’s there to talk about?”

He licked his lips. “I got to thinking last night. You know, about being a wizard and Snape and Mackenzie. . .Mom and Dad.” He paused.

“Yeah?” she prompted, having a feeling that she knew where this was leading.

He took a deep breath, then released it slowly. “I want to get to know them.”

“Yeah, well, that’s good,” she responded. “I mean, they’re your parents. You should get to know them. We’ll just tell Wes that we need some time off and come back.”

He shook his head. “No, Krista, I mean, I want to stay.”

She blinked. “Stay? As in here? In London?”

He nodded.

“What about our jobs? Our life in Silver Hills?” she responded.

“We’ve been talking about moving,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but not to another continent!” she protested. “Eric, this isn’t like just picking up and moving across town. This is moving to another time zone.”

“Krista, think about our child,” he pleaded. “Chances are good he’ll be a wizard like me. I want to raise him around magic.”

“Chances are just as good that she might be a Muggle, like her mother,” Krista argued.

Eric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, a sure sign that he was fighting to control his temper. “Krista. . .” he groaned.

“Eric,” she said. “I can understand wanting to get to know your birth parents. Really, I do. But moving here is a big step. It’s not something that you decide overnight without even consulting your spouse.”

“You just don’t want to leave your family,” he snapped.

Krista’s face took on an expression of shock. “Okay, that is not fair,” she said, holding her index finger up in the universal symbol for ‘wait one minute.’ “This is not about leaving my family.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he asked.

“It’s about a lot of things!” she insisted. “Leaving behind our lives in Silver Hills, our good paying jobs, our friends.” She paused for a moment. “And me fitting in.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Have you even stopped to think about it?” she said. “I’m a Muggle, Eric! Didja even bother to consider what it might be like for me to try and fit in with the little magical world you’ve suddenly become a part of? And what exactly am I supposed to do for work?”

“You could get back into journalism,” he said. “There’s plenty of newspapers in London.”

She rubbed her forehead, sighing. “I don’t know, Eric.”

“Let’s just try it,” he said, taking her hand in his. “We don’t have to pack everything up and move right away. But let’s just stay here for a little while. See how we like it. Besides, you’re right. There is a lot to be done, and it won’t happen all overnight. I mean, we have to sell our house, find someplace to live here.”

She sighed. “And what about my family?” she asked. “Since you brought that up. . .I’ve never been that far away from them. I mean, England is a long way away from California.”

“So we’ll visit them,” Eric said. “I’m a wizard. I can fly you there on my broom.”

She giggled. “Oh my God, that would be a sight to see.”

“Well. . .I haven’t actually tried to fly a broom yet,” he admitted. “But Harry told me all about Quidditch.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Huh?”

He shook his head. “It’s a game wizards play. Kinda like soccer on broomsticks but different.”

She nodded. “Right,” she said.

“We’ll think of something,” he told her, pulling her into his embrace. “We can fly them here.”

“On an airplane, right?” she said, grinning. “I don’t know if Momma could handle a broom.”

He laughed. “Yes, an airplane.”

She was silent for a few moments. “So what do we tell Wes?” she said finally.

He shrugged. “The truth.” At her raised eyebrow, he added, “C’mon, Krista. He fell in love with a girl 3,000 years into the future. I think he can handle me being a wizard.”

She nodded. “Good point. But what about Momma? You know she’ll wanna know why we’re moving all the way to London.”

He hesitated. “That’s your call, honey.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Okay, let’s do this,” she said.

He grinned, pressing her to him as he kissed her passionately. “Thank you, Big Mouth.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “C’mon, let’s get some breakfast. I’m starved.”

He grinned, pinning her down to the mattress. “Me too, but not for food.”

She laughed. “You’re insatiable.”

He smirked. “Hey, that’s supposed to be my line.”

She grinned, cupping his face in her hands. “Shut up and kiss me.”

******

That evening, Sirius stood at the end of a long table in the Great Hall. Dinner had already been served to the students of Hogwarts, and the Great Hall was deserted except for the guests of Sirius’ dinner party.

“Thank you all for coming,” he said. He glanced at Dumbledore, grinning. “And thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for allowing me to use the Great Hall for this little get together.”

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling more than usual.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I asked you to come tonight,” Sirius said, running his fingertip over the rim of his glass.

“I suppose you have some kind of important announcement to make,” Snape muttered before sipping from his own glass.

“Severus,” Mackenzie whispered. “Behave.”

“Actually, Snivel. . .Severus, you’re right,” Sirius said. He grinned as Snape glared at him.

“Boys,” Isabene said in a warning tone. “This is supposed to be an enjoyable evening.”

Eric watched the exchange between his father and Sirius with an upraised eyebrow. Mackenzie shook her head, glancing across the table at him.

“I’ll explain all about that at another time,” she told him.

“So what’s this important announcement?” Remus Lupin asked from his spot at the table next to Harry. He’d arrived an hour before the party began, having received a letter from Isabene that morning. He looked a little haggard, though it could be chalked up to his journey from Spain, where he’d been staying.

Sirius grinned. “Funny you should ask, Remus,” he said. “It’s something that I’m sure you’ll tell me has been a long time coming.”

Remus raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense!” Harry said.

“Remus, you remember a few months ago, when I asked you to pick out a ring for me?” Sirius said.

Remus blinked, then his eyes widened. “Did you finally do it?”

Sirius grinned. “Isabene.”

Isabene held up her left hand so the occupants of the table could see the ring.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Hermione breathed as she leaned past Ron to get a better look at the ring.

“And definitely a long time coming,” Remus said, grinning.

“Congratulations,” Ron told Sirius and Isabene.

“Thank you,” Isabene responded, smiling.

Mackenzie cleared her throat, glancing at Severus. “Well, not to steal your limelight, Sirius, Isabene, but, uh, Severus and I have something we’ll let you all to know as well.”

“Mackenzie,” Snape muttered, looking at her. “I don’t think now is the time.”

“Don’t be silly,” Mackenzie said. “It’s a perfectly good time.”

Draco raised an eyebrow, glancing at Harry, who shrugged.

“Severus asked me to remarry him,” Mackenzie said, holding out her own left hand. The light from above reflected off the gold ring on her finger, making it sparkle.

“Oh!” Isabene said, grinning. “Wonderful!”

Ron blinked, exchanging surprised glances with Harry, Hermione and Draco.

“Well, congratulations,” Remus said, smiling.

“Yes, congratulations on your remarriage,” Sirius agreed, nodding.

“Thank you,” Snape said coolly, eyeing Sirius suspiciously.

“You are all, of course, invited to the wedding,” Mackenzie said. “I’ll let you know when a date has been set.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Isabene said, grinning.

Snape raised an eyebrow, glancing at Eric and Krista, who were quietly conversing to each other.

“Go on,” Krista whispered, nudging Eric.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, since everyone’s making announcements, Krista and I have one of our own,” he said. “We were gonna wait until tomorrow, but. . .now’s a good a time as any.”

He glanced at Snape and Mackenzie. “We’ve decided to stay.”

Mackenzie’s face lit up. “Really?”

Krista nodded. “Yeah, we talked it over and decided it would be a lot easier for Eric to get to know you if we were actually in the same area.”

“You’ll need a place to stay,” Snape said, frowning thoughtfully.

“Yeah, but we got plenty of time to find somewhere,” Eric responded. “This is supposed to be a party.”

“And a dinner party at that,” Ron pointed out, rubbing his stomach, which obligingly growled.

Everyone laughed, then Dumbledore said, “Well, let it not be said that we let anyone starve.”

With a wave of his hand, the table was suddenly filled with food. “Tuck in!”

Krista’s eyes widened. “Wow!” She glanced at Eric. “Man, you should get him to teach you that trick.”

He grinned as he helped himself to some roasted peasant. “It would definitely be a step up from your cooking,” he teased. “Ow!” He mock-pouted as she playfully punched his shoulder.

“Please, like that really hurt you,” she said, rolling her eyes as she grinned.

“It did,” he said. “Wanna see the bruise?”

“Maybe later,” she responded, winking at him.

Mackenzie smiled, watching Eric and Krista. “Look at them, Sev,” she said. “They’re so happy together. So in love.”

Snape glanced at his son and daughter-in-law and smiled. “Yes, they are,” he agreed, taking her hand in his. “Just like we were. . .and will be again.” He raised her hand to his lips, gently kissing it.

Further down the table, Harry shook his head. “You know, it’s really strange to see Snape so. . .so. . .”

“Loving?” Draco supplied.

Harry nodded. “It’s hard to believe he was even married.”

“I know what you mean,” Ron muttered. “I mean, she’s a knockout! What would she want with a git like him?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Really, you guys,” she said. “Obviously she sees something in him that none of the rest of us can.”

“Maybe he’s just that good with his wand,” Draco said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Ron spit out his drink while Harry choked on the bite of bread he’d just taken. Snape frowned in their direction and Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. Hermione looked embarrassed as Draco tried his best not to laugh.

“Harry? Ron? Are you two okay?” Remus asked, concerned.

“Just. . .fine,” Harry managed between coughs.

“Peachy,” Ron said, glaring at Draco, who smiled innocently.

“That was not funny, Draco,” Hermione hissed.

“Oh, but the looks on your faces!” Draco said. “It was worth it.”

Harry shuddered. “I’d rather not think about Snape that way, thank you very much.”

“Sorry,” Draco said, grinning.

Remus rose to his feet, clearing his throat. “If I could have everyone’s attention just for a few moments,” he said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. Remus nervously tugged at the neckline of his robes as everyone’s gaze, with the exception of Snape’s, turned to him. Snape remained staring at his dinner plate, a scowl etched on his face.

“Severus,” Mackenzie hissed, digging her elbow into his side.

He startled, then reluctantly raised his head to glare at Remus.

Remus cleared his throat, letting his gaze sweep over the occupants of the table. “As the best friend of the host of this little dinner party--not to mention the one who picked out his fiancé's ring--I believe it is my duty to give a little toast,” he said.

“Speech! Speech!” Harry said, thumping his wine goblet against the table.

“Hear hear!” Draco and Ron chimed in, grinning.

Remus smiled, motioning for them to quiet down. He grabbed his goblet off the table and held it out at chest level. “Sirius, Isabene, you are two of my oldest and dearest friends. I couldn’t wish any two people more happiness. Especially since this marriage is something that should have happened 21 years ago.”

Isabene glanced at Sirius, placing her hand over his on the table, smiling at him. “Better late than never,” she said softly.

Remus licked his lips, glancing in the direction of Snape and Mackenzie. Seeing the cold expression on Snape’s face, Remus nervously cleared his throat, rubbing the side of his thumb down his glass.

“Mackenzie and Sn. . .Severus,” he said finally. “May the two of you know again the wedded bliss you once shared.”

Mackenzie smiled and Isabene mumbled into her glass.

“I’ll drink to that,” Harry said, picking up his glass.

“Me too,” Ron said, draining the last of his wine.

“Ron!” Hermione hissed. “You were supposed to wait for the rest of us!” She rolled her eyes as the others clinked their glasses together, offering toasts to the couples.

“Oops,” Ron said sheepishly.

Some time later, as dinner began to wind down and conversation was at a lull, Dumbledore pushed his chair back from the table, rising to his feet.

“Thank you for a most enjoyable evening,” he said to Sirius. “But now I’m afraid it is time for an old man to retire.”

“Yes, it is quite late,” Remus mumbled into his glass. “I think I’d best be going as well.”

“You’ll be at the wedding, won’t you?” Isabene asked as he stood.

Remus smiled. “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

She grinned, rising to her feet and hugging him. “I’ll send you an invitation by owl post.”

“I’ll be watching for it,” he said. “Good night.”

“Night,” Isabene said, waving as he and Dumbledore left the room together.

House elves appeared to begin cleaning up the remnants of the dinner and everyone bid good night, making their ways to their various homes and living quarters.

******

Some time in the wee hours of the morning, Mackenzie lay awake, staring at the wall. She was curled up next to Severus, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand lying on his chest.

Idly, she trace her fingertip down the little trail of hair that ran from his chest and disappeared beneath the sheets. She felt his abdominal muscles ripple under her fingertip and was startled by his hand suddenly grabbing hers and pressing it down flat against his midsection.

“You’re obviously awake,” he mumbled sleepily.

“And now, so are you,” she said.

“Something’s troubling you,” he responded.

“What?” she said, then snorted. “What makes you think that?”

“Well. . .it’s some ungodly hour in the morning and yet you’re tickling me,” he answered.

“Maybe I’m in the mood,” she said, grinning.

He raised an eyebrow. “Mackenzie. . .”

She sighed. “All right, all right. Yes, something’s troubling me.”

“Well?” he said expectantly. “Are you going to tell me or are we going to have to play ‘Twenty Questions’?”

“‘Twenty Questions’ sounds like fun,” she said.

He sighed. “Mackenzie, darling, I don’t think I have the patience to play ‘Twenty Questions’ right now. What is wrong?”

“I can’t help thinking it was all too easy,” she responded.

He frowned. “What?”

“Fyril’s rescue of his wife,” she said. “It just. . .he and Harry defeated Father much too easily.”

“You think he’s planning something?” he asked.

“Oh, he’s always planning something,” she answered. “It’s more a question of what is he planning. And how devious is it.”

“And you think it has something to do with our son,” Snape responded.

She sighed. “Unfortunately. . .yes.” She sat up, tucking her hair behind one ear and turning so that she faced him. “Think about it, Severus. He spends all that time capturing Krista, luring Fyril to his lair, only to be defeated by a simple banishment spell?” She shook her head. “No, something doesn’t feel right.”

“Well, maybe they caught him off guard,” Snape suggested.

“No,” she said. “There’s something else. Some other piece of the puzzle we’re not getting. I doubt this is the last time Fyril will come to face to face with my father.”

The End