Chapter 59. After the Holiday
Diagon Alley
When Severus appeared in the shop, he immediately noticed Nagini lying on the counter, stretched out along the wood, watching him with narrowed eyes.
"I'm back."
"It's already one in the morning," she hissed gloomily.
With a smile, he sat down across from her and rested his head on the table, as if he had been carrying the weight of the night on his shoulders.
"Sorry. I really thought I'd be back by twelve, but something held me up," he said, reaching out to stroke her head slowly.
"You saw that woman again?"
"Well, that too," Severus drawled, his eyes half-closed. "And don't be jealous. Falling in love at my age is completely normal, and I won't abandon you until I restore your human form. Only then will you decide whether to stay with me or go your own way."
"As if you don't know the answer to that question."
With a tired sigh, he lifted his head and looked straight into her eyes.
"Maybe I haven't lived long, but I've seen enough of how people act. Right now, you're in a desperate position, ready to cling to any chance at all, as long as you can keep your humanity." He ran his hand gently along her smooth scales and smiled warmly. "And when you're human again, you might start thinking differently. You might decide I'm not some fairy-tale prince, just an ordinary wizard, and that you'd be better off without me."
"That's not true!"
"Nagini, I'm only assuming. Let's wait until you're human again, and then we'll decide what to do with your feelings, all right?" A flood of emotions rolled through him, from anger to joy and even sadness, so for a while he blocked their connection and kept looking at her in the eyes, not letting a single stray feeling slip through.
The silence stretched for a full minute until she nodded timidly.
"All right. But what if I still feel the same then, and you're already with her? Not just that. You'll definitely be with her by then. What then?"
"Polygamy isn't forbidden in wizarding Britain, and by then I'll probably be the last of the Prince family. The family line will need to be restored, if you understand what I mean." He winked at her with a somewhat lewd smile, but Nagini merely let out a tired sigh. "All right, the joke didn't land. Still, let's not get so far ahead of ourselves. Maybe nothing will work out between her and me, so we'll wait and see."
"I."
"Don't rush your answer," Severus cut her off, poking her muzzle with a finger. "We still have two years ahead of us, three at worst. That's plenty of time, so let's not bring this up again, all right?"
All right. Thank you for being honest. But what if you fall in love with another woman?
Severus couldn't hold back a laugh, which made Nagini a little embarrassed.
That won't happen. I'm not into harems. Technically, two wives count as a harem, but I don't see it that way. I still prefer traditional relationships. But like I said, we'll see how things go. Maybe it won't work out between us, who knows?
I understand, but I'm sure you two will end up together, and I wouldn't even mind. If I can't get my human form back, you won't end up alone because of me.
"Are you doubting my abilities?" Severus asked, feigning offense. He poked her muzzle again, then continued in a mock-menacing tone, "If I said you'll be human again, then you will be. So don't bring this up again, understand?!"
"Uh-huh."
"Good. Then climb on. It's time to return to Hogwarts." Nagini nodded shyly and crawled onto his hand. Severus glanced at the empty space beside him. "Tobby, take us to my room."
"Yes, Master!" an excited voice replied, and with a sharp crack, they vanished from the shop, leaving the air empty and still. On the table, a small letter lay beside a pouch of potions and Galleons.
The morning after the previous day's festivities, which had been celebrated not only at the Blacks' estate but at Hogwarts as well, classes resumed. The Divination professor had even been discharged from St. Mungo's, only to end up back there the very next day, but that was another story entirely, and it could wait.
News of what had happened at the ball reached the school by morning, and nearly everyone in Slytherin was discussing it, trying to guess who could have treated the Lestranges so brutally, and why anyone would dare do such a thing. There was even a rumor that Walburga herself had arranged it to avoid marrying off her niece, having found a more suitable candidate. Others claimed the brothers had insulted someone they shouldn't have and paid the price.
And, of course, Severus, the red-haired guest who had practically been hugging Bellatrix Black in front of everyone and had all but slid his hands under her skirt, had not gone unnoticed either. Bellatrix hadn't been against it, not even a little.
Strangely enough, Rodolphus did not back out of the marriage and still announced it would happen, and Severus even started wondering whether he should pay him another courtesy visit. He dropped the idea almost as soon as it occurred to him. He was simply too lazy to deal with it, and what was the point when the wedding would not be until July seventh, 1978? There was still plenty of time. Killing such a worthless wizard would take seconds. Even a house-elf would be enough.
So he did not think about it any further, and he did not have time for it either, because he had far more important matters to deal with. First, he needed to deal with that room and all the junk piled inside. Second, there was the Grimoire. Karner was buying the materials, and, thanks to his connections, he promised it would be finished within a week, while Severus was not slacking either. After classes, and sometimes even in place of them, he worked on the cover, which he planned to make from basilisk skin, carefully preparing every stitch and edge. Third, there was preparing for the date.
As for searching for the founders' legacies and the other secrets of the castle, Severus decided to postpone that until the Grimoire was done. After that, he planned to transfer all the knowledge from the library books and that room directly into it, and calmly continue his search at home. That way no one would take an interest in what he was reading, and he would not be distracted by the red-haired girl who kept accidentally ending up in the library at the same time, or throwing casual glances his way during breaks, as if she expected him to look back. He did not even want to know what was going on in her head, so he simply ignored her.
A few days later, Regulus returned to school looking somewhat dejected. Strangely enough, he did not confront Severus with accusations, but he still regarded him with resentment.
Severus learned from Regulus that after his departure, Walburga had interrogated Bellatrix for nearly two hours, pressing her relentlessly, until Bella finally explained everything. Neither she nor Regulus revealed his identity. Bellatrix brushed it off, saying, "He is not someone our family can offend," and that was enough to satisfy Walburga's curiosity. Walburga was accustomed to trusting her niece, who put the family's welfare first, even at balls and even in beautiful dresses, although her fanatical loyalty to the Dark Lord still irritated Walburga.
Walburga tormented Regulus for several days, but she did not go to extremes, because she understood perfectly well that he was not at fault, assuming that someone had placed him under a spell. Still, she became interested in his new friend, Severus Snape of the Prince line. Walburga did not force Regulus to cut ties, but she advised him to seek out more pure-blood friends.
The very next day, after gathering information about him, she deeply regretted those words. At the same time, she did not take them back, because she had her pride, and that stubbornness every Black seemed to be born with.
Severus was not particularly surprised by Regulus's tragic story, and when Regulus asked if Severus would really stop speaking to him, Severus answered firmly that he would not. After all, it was thanks to him that Regulus had been able to advance much further in his magical studies and grow several times stronger than before. In a training duel with Bellatrix, Regulus had even surprised her and earned praise. Still, he did not admit that all of it was because of him, because his life, and every single bone in his body, was still dear to him.
Regulus also warned Severus to be careful, because the Lestranges had begun searching for whoever had inflicted that horror upon the brothers. At the same time, Regulus kept casting suspicious glances at Severus's calm smile, as if trying to confirm that it had really been him. Deep down, Black was absolutely certain it was him, but he decided to keep that thought to himself.
The rest of the week, right up to the weekend, passed quietly. No one bothered Severus, and he could calmly focus on sewing and sorting without anyone breathing down his neck. After sorting through about ten percent of that junk, he found many interesting things, and he made sure to mark them. Once he could leave the castle, he would definitely take it all with him, though for now he still took a few artifacts to analyze their runic patterns and magic.
The day of his date with Bella was drawing closer, so Severus didn't linger in that room and wanted to finish the Grimoire as quickly as possible. From a house-elf, he learned that Karner had finally gathered all the necessary materials, so on Friday evening, after classes with Slughorn, he returned to Diagon Alley almost immediately, without wasting another second.
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