Their gazes met; their minds met. Severus saw without surprise that Al too had recognised the owl, knew that the letter was from Jamie.
In a wordless pulse of regret, the knowledge was shared: Al's sister, and her baby, had been found dead. And the suspicion of Lily's suicide.
In the physical world, far outside the aching inner world of their shared thoughts, spindly arms reached for Al, hands reaching to gather him into a close embrace.
Sorrow beat between them, a funereal drum, as inevitable as their pulses.