Enter the Three Witches Characters: Severus, Serenus, Gaius, Remus, Tybalt, the wee Snapes, and some unexpected visitors Summary: The Snape family has some strange and unexpected guests.
"Come on, say 'Da'," Tybalt crooned at Serafino, tickling the baby's feet as Serafino flailed and squealed happily. Then the chubby boy rolled over and attempted to crawl off the changing table, and Tybalt laughed, scooping Serafino up and holding him high over his head, which only made Serafino laugh harder.
In the double crib the twins shared, Etienne made a grumbling sound, then gave what sounded suspiciously like a huff of indignation. Tybalt lowered Serafino and tucked him under one arm, then reached down into the crib to scoop up Etienne, who scowled and stuck out his lower lip. "Now what's your problem, young man? I already changed your diaper!"
Etienne didn't answer, but he reached out with one hand to grab a fistful of Tybalt's red hair, tugging on it sharply and smiling in satisfaction as his father winced. "Yeah, that'll teach me to forget to tie it back, right?" he asked ruefully, giving Etienne a smacking kiss which made him scowl again.
"Why don't we go down and find Papa?" Tybalt asked. He turned toward the door, intending to head down to the parlor, but he stopped in his tracks at the sight which greeted his eyes. Three women, all with dark hair and eyes stood just inside the room, looking at him and the children with a strange intensity. His paternal instincts warred with his Auror training, and he backed up toward the wall, clutching the children close and wondering how in the world he was supposed to draw his wand with his hands full. Thoughts of Bellatrix Black caused a shiver of pure terror to run down his spine, and he did the only thing he could think of in the circumstances.
"SERENUS!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "INTRUDERS IN THE NURSERY!" Then he turned to shield the twins with his body, although he kept his eyes riveted on the women, staring at them over his shoulder. "What do you want? Get out of our house!" he demanded.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Serenus jumped, startled by Tybalt's bellowing, but he dropped his wooden spoon into the pot of alfredo sauce, pausing just long enough to lower the heat before drawing his wand and sprinting upstairs to the nursery. He skidded to an abrupt halt when he saw the three women, protective fury rising up, and he raised his wand, aiming at the intruders.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded. They had warded the house and grounds to protect against just such an invasion, and the women had to be powerful indeed to have broken through.
One of them turned to look at him, and his wand wavered and fell as he stared, pale and wide-eyed with shock, at features that were achingly familiar - and impossible for him to be seeing again.
"Mum...?" he whispered hoarsely.
Tybalt was relieved when Serenus stormed into the room; if Serenus could distract the women so that Tybalt could get the twins out of the room to safety, then they could fight the intruders off. He was shocked when instead of attacking, Serenus stopped, his face drained of all color as he stared at the women in disbelief. Tybalt blinked as Serenus actually addressed one of them, and he shook his head violently.
"It's a trick, a trap!" he warned, torn as he realized Serenus was now vulnerable if the women decided to go after him. "Think of Lestrange, Serenus!"
"No," Serenus murmured, still staring at the three women, all of whom had turned to face him now, and even if he had never seen any of the photographs of his adopted mother and her sisters, he would have been able to see the family resemblance. Their features mirrored his and Severus' and their children, and he had no doubt about who they were. "Bellatrix couldn't have done this. She couldn't have known."
He stepped closer and reached out hesitantly, his eyelids prickling. "It is you, isn't it?"
Alecto nodded and moved to meet him, smiling warmly. "I'm glad to see you looking so well and so happy."
"I am, but I still miss you," Serenus replied, reaching out to touch her arm, but his fingers passed right through it.
"What is it, who are they?" Tybalt asked, confused and wary. When Serenus' hand passed through the woman, however, the pieces began to fall into place, and he noticed the resemblance between Serenus and the women. "Ghosts? Your mum?"
"Yes." Serenus' voice was barely above a whisper as he wrenched his attention away from Alecto and looked at Tybalt with a wavery smile. "Tybalt, this is my mum, Alecto. She raised me. And this..." He looked at one of the sisters, the one who was looking at him with tearful wonderment. "This is Megaera, our birth mother, and this must be Tisiphony, Gaius' mother," he concluded, and the third sister nodded.
Tybalt's heart lurched as he saw that sad smile on Serenus' face, and he hoped for his husband's sake that this wasn't some kind of sick trap. Still wary, he turned around, his blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the ghosts. "Hello," he said quietly, not loosening his hold on the twins. "Sorry to not be more welcoming, but this is a bit... unorthodox."
"We apologize for frightening you," Alecto said, partially turning back toward Tybalt. "We didn't mean to. We just..." She smiled and shrugged in a manner reminiscent of Serenus, showing where he had picked up the gesture. "Wanted to pay you a visit."
"But how?" Serenus blurted out. "Not that I'm not glad, but like Tybalt said, this is a little unorthodox. Ghosts don't usually take this long to return."
"I don't know how it happened," Megaera said, shaking her head. "One minute we were there, and the next, we were here." She gazed longingly at the twins. "And I wanted to see my grandchildren."
The shrug of Alecto's shoulders more than anything else made Tybalt relax at last. Appearances and voices could be faked, but he knew very well that gestures were far more difficult to imitate, and hers had been so purely Serenus that Tybalt had no doubt that this must indeed be Serenus' mum, no matter how strange it was that she and her sisters were here now. Gaius had told them that strange ghosts had been showing up, and he'd witnessed the storm at Snape Manor with his own eyes. Something was afoot, and he was going to have to report this to Moody as he had the storm, but for now, there seemed to be less danger than he'd thought.
He glanced at Serenus for confirmation, and since his husband seemed to be accepting things at face value, he stepped forward with the children. "This is Serafino Severus, and this is Etienne Serenus," he introduced the children to the three ghosts, unable to suppress a small feeling of pride in the beautiful little boys.
"Oh..." Megaera glided closer, one hand outstretched, and she gazed down at the babies with obvious happiness and pride. "They're beautiful." She skimmed her hand along Serafino's head, seeming to want the illusion of contact even if she couldn't actually touch them, and she glanced up at Tybalt, smiling. "They have your eyes, I see. It's a good combination."
"We think so, too," Tybalt said, unable to keep from smiling in response. "It's also amusing that Serenus' namesake takes more after Severus, and vice versa. But we love both of them dearly, and we're blessed. I'm glad twins run in the family."
Alecto and Tisiphony drifted over as well to fuss and coo over the twins, and Serenus watched wistfully, wishing his mother had lived to see them, that she could hold them and dote on them. Then again, if she had lived, he might not have come to England; it was, he thought, a bittersweet trade-off. A thought struck him, and he shook himself out of his reverie.
"I should get Severus and Gaius," he said. "There are three other grandchildren to fuss over, too."
Megaera glanced up and nodded eagerly. "Yes, please do."
"Yes." Tisiphony spoke for the first time, her pale face lighting up at the mention of Gaius. "I'd like to see my son again."
"Of course." Serenus gave Tybalt a questioning look. "You'll be all right if I go downstairs to call them?"
Tybalt hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, that's fine. They should be here. Go on, we'll be fine."
If the ghosts had intended harm, no doubt they would have tried something by now, so there was probably no further reason to worry. Serafino and Etienne were looking at their visitors with frank curiosity, and Serafino reached out to Megaera, then laughed when his hand passed through her.
Serenus paused long enough to watch the interaction, feeling a pang of wistfulness for what might have been, and then he hurried downstairs to call his brothers. It wasn't difficult to convince them to drop whatever they were doing and come to Azoth House; he contacted Severus first, and after a brief round of "You're having me on" "No, really", Severus finally agreed to round up the children and Remus, but it would, he said, likely take a few minutes. Serenus contacted Gaius at Haven's Loft next and quickly explained what was going on.
In the flames, Gaius' eyes widened, but then he immediately nodded. "Step back, I'm coming through," he said, grabbing a pinch of Floo powder on his side and tossing it onto the hearth. Then he stepped through into Azoth House, looking at Serenus with excitement. "Sirius has been going on and on about his friend James' ghost, so I can believe Mum is here! Where is she?"
"Upstairs in the nursery," Serenus replied. "All three of them are here - your mum, mine, and Severus'. I've called him, and he'll be here in a few minutes." He smiled wryly and raked his fingers through his hair, unable to believe what he was saying. "Our mother wanted to meet her grandchildren."
"Can you blame her?" Gaius asked with a smile. He wrapped his arms around Serenus, hugging him hard. "I can imagine it was disconcerting for you and Tybalt, but I'm so glad you summoned me. I'll wait for Severus to arrive. I don't want him to feel I stole a march on him."
Winding his arms around Gaius, Serenus returned the embrace and held on tightly, wanting something solid to cling to after this unexpected encounter. "It was... disconcerting, yes," he said, his smile still a little watery. "Tybalt thought it was a trap at first, but I recognized Mum, and there was no mistaking the other two. It was just so strange," he said, shaking his head. "I wish..." He drew in a sharp breath. "I wish it was real, you know? I wish it wasn't happening like this."
"So do I," Gaius agreed, stroking his hands over Serenus' back, offering comfort and support. "I understand the feeling. I've missed Mum so much, and I'm anxious to see her, but at the same time, it's not quite the same, is it? But I'm happy to take what I can get. I don't know why the ghosts have been appearing lately, but I'm glad that we get this opportunity, at least."
"So am I," Serenus said, nodding somberly. "Mum looks good. Not wasted away like she did before she died. It's good to see her looking like I remember before she was ill."
In the hearth, the flames flared green, and Severus stepped through with Gaia in his arms; he moved aside, looking over his brothers with one eyebrow raised. "Figures I would arrive in time for soppiness," he said.
"Your timing is impeccable," Serenus teased.
Severus snorted, but before he could respond, Cymbeline appeared, and he reached for her hand to draw her off to the side. "We need to make room for your daddy and Lysander," he said, and she nodded and dusted off her dress before darting over to greet her uncles.
"Hug me too," she exclaimed, holding out her arms.
"Of course, your majesty," Gaius replied, scooping Cymbeline up with one arm and pulling her into the embrace with him and Serenus.
At that moment, Remus stepped through the hearth, Lysander clinging to his shoulders. He was a bit out of breath from having run all over Snape Manor making certain that Cyanide and Winslow were secured before the family made its hasty departure, but he was also curious as to this sudden ghostly manifestation. "Well, it looks like we're all here," he said, smiling at Serenus and Gaius as he moved to Severus' side. "Are we ready for this?"
"I don't know." The words came from Severus and Serenus at the same time, and they glanced at each other in surprise.
Serenus chuckled quietly. "I was just telling Gaius how strange it is," he said, dropping a kiss on Cymbeline's cheek before disengaging from the embrace and stepping back. "Rather bittersweet, if I'm honest."
"I can well imagine." Severus rubbed Gaia's back absently as if to soothe himself as much as her; oblivious to the significance of the occasion, she burbled happily at the sight of her uncles. "It's all three of them, you said?"
"Yes, and they look well," Serenus assured him. "They look quite solid, actually, but they aren't. My hand passed right through Mum's arm."
"So not traditional ghosts, then," Remus said, frowning thoughtfully. "How odd. I would suggest that we do keep an eye out for anything that feels wrong, even if it seems harmless enough." He exchanged a look with Severus; neither of them would do anything to risk their children, and Remus knew Serenus and Tybalt no doubt felt the same way.
Gaius nodded, agreeing with the caution, then gave Serenus a final squeeze before releasing him, although he still held Cymbeline as though he, too, needed the solid contact of another person to help keep him grounded. "Well, then, let's go up and see our mothers." He gave a lopsided smile. "One positive thing about them not being able to touch us is that they can't give us some undoubtedly well deserved thrashings, right?"
"Speak for yourself," Serenus said lightly. "I was always a very well-behaved child."
"We see who would have been the family suck-up," Severus muttered, and Serenus paused long enough to stick out his tongue at Severus before heading back upstairs to the nursery.
The three ghosts were still there, seeming caught up in fussing over the twins, and Serenus moved quickly to Tybalt's side, reaching out to take Serafino, not only to help lessen Tybalt's burden but also to give himself the comfort of being close to his partner and children.
Severus entered the room behind Serenus, and he instinctively held Gaia tighter when he saw the three figures; he knew two of them only from photographs, but there was no mistaking his mother's face, and he felt a fresh surge of regret that he had been at school when she died, knowing it meant she had died alone because his father damned well wouldn't have been there to offer her comfort or support in her final moments. If anything, his father had hastened her into the grave.
Tybalt was relieved to see Serenus and the others, and he pressed close to Serenus after passing over Serafino. "They wanted to know all about the children, and how so many men ended up with all these babies," he said with a half-smile. The ghosts had been chatty and friendly, but they were still strangers to him, and he was definitely glad of the additional support.
Remus kept close to Severus, placing one hand on his back in a gesture of support. He recognized Severus' mother from the family photographs, and he smiled at her but waited for Severus to speak first, offering his silent presence and comfort in what he knew had to be an uncharacteristically emotional moment for his mate.
Gaius was less reserved than his brothers once he saw his mother's smiling face. He sat Cymbeline down near Remus, then immediately moved toward the ghosts, reaching out a hand even though he knew he wouldn't be able to touch. "Mama," he said, his voice rough with emotion, his dark eyes glittering with tears that rose up unbidden. "Oh, Mama, I've missed you so much! But I've found my brothers, and you have back your name and your place now. We will all remember."
Megaera moved away from Tybalt and the twins and glided toward Severus, her pale features etched in lines of sorrow and regret. "My son," she whispered. "I'm sorry for what you suffered at your father's hands. I'm sorry I had to leave you alone with him. But you know now that I tried to escape. I wanted so much better for you." She glanced at Serenus. "Both of you."
"It wasn't your fault," Severus said gruffly, not quite able to look her in the face yet. "It was his."
"I wish I'd tried to come back and help you both," Alecto said, her expression regretful as she glanced back and forth between Severus and Megaera. "I was too afraid."
"With good reason." Severus shifted Gaia in his arms, focusing on her a moment longer before finally looking up at his mother. "You needn't worry. Neither of you," he added, glancing at Alecto. "We found each other in the end, and that is the important thing. I don't blame either of you."
"Neither do I," Serenus said quietly. "The three of us are together and happy, despite our father's best efforts. That's all that matters." He smiled affectionately at Alecto. "You did your best."
"I'm glad you all found each other," Tisiphony said, her smile at Gaius tender and sweet. "And I remember now, too, so I'm even happier for all of you. You three belong together. I wish things had worked out as we originally planned, but if they had, I wouldn't have had my little Gaius. I think things happened as they were meant to, and the important thing is definitely that you are happy now. And look at all these beautiful children!"
"They are rather gorgeous, aren't they?" Gaius said, although he was having a hard time tearing his eyes away from his mother. Still he meant it about his nieces and nephews; he might never have children of his own, but he loved his brothers' children as much as if they had been his own.
"As if my handsome boys could have anything less than beautiful children," Megaera said, beaming proudly. She drifted over to Cymbeline, who regarded her with somber curiosity, and Lysander, and finally to Gaia. "A redhead?" She blinked, appearing startled.
"That's Daddy's fault," Cymbeline announced.
"Ah." Megaera lifted one hand to cover a smile. "I see outspokenness still runs in the family."
"It has been said that Cymbeline takes after me in more than appearance," Severus said casually.
"I find myself not terribly surprised," Megaera replied, obviously amused.
"Do they have any living grandparents?" Alecto asked, glancing between Severus and Serenus.
"Tybalt's mother and grandmother are still alive," Serenus said, but Severus shook his head.
"It's unfortunate," Alecto said wistfully. "I always looked forward to spoiling my grandchildren. It's such a special part of childhood, having grandparents to run to."
"We have Gaius. That makes up for a lot when it comes to spoiling," Severus said blandly.
Remus smiled a bit ruefully at Cymbeline's pronouncement about her sister's coloration. "My mother had red hair and green eyes, so Gaia is a bit of a throw back," he explained.
Tisiphony watched her sister examine her grandchildren, then gave Gaius a playful smile that everyone immediately recognized as being just like her son's. "I looked forward to spoiling grandchildren as well, but I suppose I always knew my boy wasn't quite cut out for fatherhood. Although it seems to me that your brothers have managed fairly well in that department despite also preferring men."
"Mama!" Gaius moaned, his cheeks flushing. "I should have known! Even you can't resist trying to talk me into having little ones. I'm more than happy being the doting uncle!"
"Uncle Gaius gave me a kitten!" Cymbeline said proudly, seeming to feel the need to defend her uncle to his mother. "He's a good uncle!"
"Good," Lysander chimed in shyly, then hid his face in Remus' neck as Tisiphony smiled at him.
"Ah, you have a shy one." Alecto smiled as she drifted closer to Serenus. "This one was never shy," she added, a light of mirth in her eyes as she inclined her head toward Serenus, who glanced at her, wide-eyed with alarm.
"Mum..."
But she continued on as if he hadn't spoken. "I'll never forget the time he tried to escape taking a bath and ran through the whole village, naked as a jaybird and too agile for me to catch him with a spell. I thought I'd never catch him, but Serafina's husband grabbed him and carried him home, kicking and screaming every step of the way."
"Mum!" Serenus buried his face in his hands, his cheeks as flushed as Gaius'.
"Well, I never knew that. I'll have to ask Serafina if anyone managed to get a photograph," Tybalt said teasingly, amused by Serenus being the one embarrassed by parental stories for once. "Something like that should be preserved for posterity."
"Indeed it should!" Remus laughed, delighted by the interaction between Alecto and the son she'd raised. He looked at Megaera, raising a brow. "Dare I hope that my snarky love got up to mischief I don't know about?"
Severus scowled fiercely. "We do not need to dredge up ancient history," he growled.
"Why not?" Megaera gave him the same sort of disingenuous look he so often gave Remus himself, making the resemblance between them pronounced. "I haven't any idea how long we will be able to stay. We might as well take advantage of the time we have." She turned to Remus with a mischievous smile. "Severus loved cabinets - any dark, enclosed place, really."
Serenus snickered. "Good to know some things never change," he said, earning a glare from Severus.
"When he was very young, he often crawled into the kitchen, opened any cabinets he could reach, cleared out its contents, and then he crawled inside and curled up to sleep or play, perfectly content. I remember one day, I was convinced he was lost, and I ran around the house and the neighborhood in tears until finally, I saw the tins stacked outside one of the cabinets. He had crawled inside and managed to shut the door. When I opened it, he was fast asleep. He couldn't really talk well then, but he looked at me as if to say, 'I knew where I was, so what's your problem?'," she said, laughing and shaking her head.
"That sounds like Severus!" Remus said, delighted with the story. "He's definitely one to want things his own way." His eyes moved to Cymbeline. "Like father, like daughter, too."
"My little katzchen always had to be in a lap," Tisiphony said, obviously as willing to sacrifice her son's dignity as her sisters were. "Didn't matter whose it was, either. Visitors to the house from the time he could crawl would find themselves with a baby insisting on being held. Nothing shy about him!"
"Some things never change," Tybalt snickered, and Gaius sighed deeply, rolling his eyes.
"Mothers," he said, shaking his head, but the glance he gave Tisiphony was full of love and yearning. "I hope you're happy, Mama. If you can't be with us here, I hope you have found peace and comfort where you are now."
'I have," Tisiphony said, drawing close to her sisters, placing an arm around each of them. "You three have each other now, and we three have each other again. I am content, especially now that I know my son and nephews are happy and living the lives they were meant to live."
"As am I," Megaera said, and Alecto chimed in with her agreement as well. "I wish I could be with you in more than spirit, but at least we have this chance now."
"Look, why don't I go make some tea, and we can all sit down and visit in comfort?" Tybalt said, smiling at Serenus fondly. "Since we don't know how long they can stay, it seems a shame to waste a moment. I'll get something for the children as well."
"That sounds like an excellent idea. I'll even help," Remus said, placing Lysander down on the floor as Tybalt passed Etienne over to Serenus. He gave Severus swift kiss on the cheek, then he and Tybalt slipped out of the nursery.
"Well, if there is one family as odd as mine, it's this one," Tybalt said as they descended the stairs.
"So it is - but I wouldn't trade for anything in the world," Remus replied.
"Nor would I," Tybalt agreed, and the two of them shared a look of perfect understanding as they entered the kitchen to make the tea. Snapes were wonderful things, after all, and they both knew they were the luckiest men on earth to be able to claim two of them as their own.