Family Fest Fic: Turbulence, PG Title: Turbulence (part 1/?) Author:firefly124 Rating: PG Challenge: Family Fest Word Count: 1900 this part Summary/Prompt: Severus and Remus are already raising Teddy together and discover that Severus has a daughter he never knew about. (By one of the DE's perhaps, or one of the minor Order members like Hestia.) How does their little family handle this adjustment? Notes: I’ve had to tinker with some of the Next Generation ages a bit to make this work, but compared to resurrecting people, what’s a little time twisting? ;-) Also, since this bunny didn’t bite until today, it hasn’t been beta’ed or Brit-picked, though I have plagued saracen77 with several Britglish questions that she has very graciously answered. Anything that doesn't sound overly American is thanks to her help, and any errors are all mine.
Turbulence is life force. It is opportunity. Let's love turbulence and use it for change. - Ramsay Clark
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Remus demanded. “After all the recriminations about Nymphadora—“
“It was precisely because of Nymphadora … I could hardly expect you to understand.”
Remus shook his head, still almost numb with shock. It wasn’t as though he could accuse Severus of betraying him, not during that time, yet his trust was shaken as it had not been in many years.
“How could you think I wouldn’t understand?”
Of course, Severus had been every bit as alone as he had. Possibly more. Remus could hardly bear to think of him with someone else, but she had been his only contact with the Order after the night he killed Dumbledore. It was understandable that he might seek comfort from her. It was rather more surprising that she had offered it. Not that she wasn’t a kind soul, but that he’d thought she was with someone else and unlikely to cheat on him.
“One hardly need use Legilimency to see that you do not understand even now.” He wore an expression that Remus was certain had reduced many a Hogwarts student to tears. Even after all these years, it still had the ability to hurt him, though Remus would never let him know it.
“What I don’t understand, Severus, is why you never told me.”
“It was a single encounter. Had I known that she had so little practice with the Contraceptive Charm, there would never have been a need to tell you at all.” Severus went on to mumble something about overconfident witches who needed to be taken down a peg.
“I think she rather has been,” Remus replied. After all, the fact that Hermione and Rose now needed somewhere to live was what had started this conversation. “Though you have to admit, your daughter’s spellwork is obviously brilliant. She couldn’t have known her twist on the Ostendo Prosapia Charm would show anyone other than the family she’d always known, but it certainly did work.”
Unfortunately, it had worked in front of the board of O.W.L. examiners.
“And clearly, just like her mother, she hadn’t the sense to practice the spell on her own first.” Severus grimaced. “Though I do wish I could have seen their faces. Filius, in particular.”
Remus scrubbed his hand over his face and said, “I believe we are straying from the point.”
“Then you will not agree to allow my daughter and her mother to stay here until other arrangements can be made?” The look in Severus’ eyes was somehow both dangerous and vulnerable. “Should my child be required to live over the Leaky Cauldron until her mother is able to amass sufficient funds to purchase a home of their own?”
Does he really expect me to refuse? Does he think I am going to tell him to leave as well?
“I never said that,” Remus answered, though he hardly thought that would be as terrible a fate as Severus seemed to believe. “It’s just a lot to take in at once, Severus. Surely you realize that?”
The other man crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw set.
“Have you even asked Hermione what she wants?”
“I could hardly extend the invitation before discussing this with you.” His eyes clouded, making it clear that the Leaky Cauldron scenario was not merely a product of his imagination; it was what Hermione intended to do.
Remus placed his hand on Severus’ shoulder, vaguely reassured when he did not pull away.
“Her reasoning is flawed,” Severus replied. “She will waste hundreds of galleons in rent and board, and my daughter will, no doubt, be allowed to run amok in Diagon Alley.” He sniffed. “While I am hardly surprised by Potter’s failure to assist his friend, no doubt because he fears his wife as he never feared the Dark Lord, I cannot stand aside and allow her to take such a foolish course of action.”
Something in Remus’ chest twisted. Is this more of his need to redeem every wrong he believes he has ever committed? Or is there something else? Was it more than comfort that they shared?
“I rather imagine your daughter’s idea of ‘amok’ includes spending the majority of her day in Flourish and Blott’s,” Remus said with forced lightness.
A scowl was his only answer.
“Of course, they can stay here, Severus,” Remus heard himself say as if from a distance. “We’ll need to split the guest room somehow, assuming Hermione agrees.”
Severus nodded sharply, and Remus wondered whether he would come to regret this.
~*~
Everyone was avoiding her, it seemed. No one knew what to say to her or even how to act around her. Even Hugo. Not that there weren’t other students around, but they all managed to find other places to study or chatter or whatever else they were doing, places that were nowhere near the tree against whose trunk Rose was leaning. Well, almost all.
“So Uncle Severus is your father?” Teddy asked. “Wicked.”
Rose shot him an incredulous look through her tears.
“What? I always wanted to have a brother or a sister,” he said. “It’s not like my Dads could have one for me with just them.”
“Oh, well that’s all right then,” Rose spat. “So long as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter that my whole family just fell apart.”
His forehead scrunched up and his hair turned a slightly lighter shade of violet. “What do you mean it fell apart? It just got bigger is all.”
She picked up the tear-stained parchment and read. “‘I don’t want you to think this is your fault, Rose. If anything, it’s mine.’ Oh, that makes me feel so much better, Mum. ‘Your father and I have decided to separate.’ And then there’s more than I ever wanted to know about wizarding custody law, but the bottom line is Hugo stays with Dad, and I stay with Mum, and they’ll let us visit each other sometimes. So, yeah, Teddy. Fell apart. Ripped apart. All because I had to try to get fancy in Charms.”
Teddy rested a comforting arm on her shoulders. “It’s not your fault, Rosie. Your mum even said so.”
She glared at him. “Well, if it’s not my fault, then it’s her fault for not being able to keep her skirt down. And with … with …”
“Hey, careful there!”
“I wasn’t going to say anything bad about him, Teddy. But he was her teacher, for Merlin’s sake!” She knew he was trying to cheer her up, but he was really, really bad at it.
He appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Not at the time, I don’t think. Wouldn’t that have been the year he was Headmaster?”
“And you think that’s better?”
“No, but I don’t think she and Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron were even in school then. Maybe part of the time, but I don’t think so.”
She pulled her knees in close and rested her forehead on them, muttering, “Thanks. That just makes it all better.”
The arm across her shoulders gave a brief squeeze, and Teddy gave her a few minutes of blessed quiet.
It couldn’t last.
“So … well, your O.W.L.s are over. Where are you and your mum going to go when term ends?”
She shrugged. Mum was at the Leaky Cauldron now, and apparently had been ever since she and Dad – or whatever she was supposed to call him now – had heard the news. Things hadn’t been right at home for awhile, and now it looked like Rose had handed them the last straw. A fresh batch of tears soaked into her robes and wet her knees. She was glad Teddy couldn’t see them.
“Well, your mum’s brilliant. She’ll think of something,” Teddy said. Another squeeze of her shoulders. “It’ll be okay Rosie.”
She couldn’t imagine how that would ever be possible.
~*~
Hermione looked horribly uncomfortable as she sipped her tea. Part of Remus wanted to put her at ease. Another part of him very much did not want to at all. Always lurking just under the surface, Moony wanted to see her roll over and concede his claim on Severus. Perhaps the way she was twisting at her napkin could be taken as such.
“I’m really not sure what to say, Remus.” She straightened her napkin only to twist it up once again. “The situation is entirely different for you, I suppose. If Ron can’t forgive me for something that happened when he …” She brought herself up short. “I’m not blaming him. But if he can’t bear the sight of me or Rose, it hardly seems fair that you should have us underfoot to remind you … to remind you.”
Moony was thoroughly pleased. Remus felt rather badly for her. Harry had told him about Ron’s desertion. No doubt, Hermione must have felt somewhat like Remus had when he’d turned to Dora, and with similar results. As Severus must have felt when he heard of Remus’ marriage. A familiar ache accompanied the thought, dulled by the years since Dora’s death but painful nonetheless.
And he has abandoned her again. Dare I trust her not to seek comfort from Severus again?
His lips tried to quirk at the thought that they might be nearly the only two people in the world who could think of Severus as a source of comfort. The feeling of amusement was brief as the concern that had prompted it reasserted itself.
For that matter, was her marriage to Ron the reason Severus returned to me?
“You’re right, Hermione,” he replied. “The situations are entirely different. Severus and I were not together at the time that you and he … that Rose was conceived.”
She blushed furiously, but gave him a sharp look as well.
“All I mean is that I have no reason to hold it against you.” Or, at least, I hope there will not be any reason. “I invited you to lunch to reassure you that you and Rose are welcome to stay with us until you are able to locate and purchase a new home for the two of you.” He sighed. “Severus seemed to think it necessary, and I see he was right.”
“It’s not just that,” she said. “I’m relieved that you seem to be taking this so well.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that.
“But we really can manage, you know.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“If I agree to this, I will contribute to the household expenses.” Her eyes were determined.
“Hermione …”
“We aren’t a charity case, Remus,” she insisted.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “But you are friends, Hermione. And … I think this is something Severus needs to do. Not so much for you, but for Rose.”
She sat back into her chair slightly, her lips forming a silent “oh.”
He waited a moment, until he was certain she truly understood, then asked, “Shall I show you the guest room and tell you what we’ve thought we might do to it?”
She nodded, set the napkin aside, and stood to follow him.
This is a good thing. It will make Severus happy. It’s a good thing that she’s going to agree to stay here.
He wondered how many times he would need to tell himself that before he would believe it.