Amour

REMINISCENCE

Snape said that he needed to write some letters, so while he was doing that, Hermione decided to explore on her own some more. She strolled around, casually to the basement. The kitchen was there but it was empty now, devoid of any of the house elves, the dinner already over, and a narrow corridor that led down to rooms that she assumed where Mr.D'onfrio and Mrs.Reynolds stayed. "Would you like anything, miss?" A shriek escaped Hermione's mouth as she was taken by surprise. "Oh, Mr.D'onfrio. You scared me!"she said, laughing her sillyness away. She wasn't used to helpers around the house always at her beck-and-call and she wondered how long would it take for her to get used to it. Mr.D'onfrio was embarrased too that he had caught her unawares. "Um..I just wanted a glass of milk, but I'll get it myself, thanks."she told him. "Please, allow me. I insist."he smiled and got to work. Hermione just leaned on a table and watched him work. "So how long have you been working here?"she asked. "Since I was a boy...Ms.Prince was about my age then. My mother worked as a maid here, my father was the gardener."he said. That's a long time. Hermione thought. He must've been around for.."So, you were there to see everything?"Hermione asked, continuing her train of thought. His hand stilled for a second as he recalled,"Oh yes, I'd say I've seen far too much." He handed her the glass he just warmed up and gave a smile to try to make it as if the memories didn't trouble him. As Hermione sipped on it while she was still there, he understood that she wanted him to continue. "When Ms.Prince was married, there were a lot of objections from her parents. However, they didn't live long to see their daughter's marriage turn bitter. Ms.Prince was beginning to think her parents were right after all- she regretted her decision of marrying a muggle. Abuse and altercation was their daily affair; every couple has their differences, but this was...barbaric. The poor little boy...he was the unfair victim of it all. You could say it was almost a redemption for him- what he did."his breath caught in his throat, and Hermione remembered about the time Snape himself had told her about it with so much regret in his voice. "Although there's no excuse for doing what he did."he added,"After Mr. and Mrs.Snape's death I didn't expect to be continued in my employment. But Master Snape made a different call. I never thought scum like me was worth noticing, but he said- he said that he had always loved me as a father." Tears gleamed in his eyes. "We should've taken better care of him. Then he wouldn't have gone over to the dark side..." He looked at Hermione with a smile full of gratitude,"He had always been an introverted fella. But I guess, he turned out to be okay in the end. Otherwise he couldn't have done what he has done and that includes you too missy. Congratulations ma'am. I'm happy for the both of you." Hermione smiled back at him and even surprised the old man with a hug..............................
Snape finished replying to McGonagall's letter. After him, she had assumed the position of Headmistress and Hogwarts was going to start its new session in a few months. All the awards and accolades decreed upon them by the Ministry had been adressed to her and she had written to them requesting them to collect theirs. Snape answered back for the both of them, telling her that he and Hermione would visit Hogwarts the next day and also gave her the news of their engagement. He sealed the letter and took out a fresh parchment, his quill poised over it, unable to decide what to write in the next one. He had been thinking about it but was unsure about the reactions from the letter receiver as well as his own lover when she came to know about this. After stroking his lower lip with the end of the quill for a long time, he gave a low whistle of a sigh and began:
Dear Mr.Dursley............................
Mrs.Reynolds was dusting in the study when Hermione came in. "Sorry Ms.Granger, it's just that Master Snape never brings any guests. And the last time he went away, he wasn't sure he was ever coming back."she said straightening up. "Please, don't let me interrupt you."Hermione told her. Instead, she went over to the table as a framed photograph attracted her attention. It was a very old picture, in sepia tone that subjected a little dark-haired boy, that she recognised as Snape, and squatted beside him so that they were of the same height was presumably his father. They had the same hooked nose, same piercing onyx eyes, same strong jaw, only Tobias had wavy brunette hair while Snape's hair resembled his mother's, but both were smiling widely, even as Eleanor Prince looked on from a distance. Hermione regarded the Snape family closely and tried to imagine what they were thinking when this picture was taken. The smiles on the father-son duo made her wonder whether they knew that this was probably their last good day together. Eleanor was eyeing them warily. Hermione remembered that she didn't particularly like the boy because he looked too much like his father. There was something of a disapproval in the crooked way her brow was arched. Did she start having her doubts then? Was she already planning on ruining their family? Did she know how cruelly she was going to break her own son? "This was Master Tobias's old study."Mrs.Reynolds broke through her thoughts,"Though Master Sev doesn't like to work in here- too many sullen memories.." Hermione observed that although pictures of the members of the Prince family were scattered on various walls across the house, this was the single existing picture of Tobias Snape. And there were the books on dark arts on the bookcases and also over at the corner of the floor. This was the study where he used to hide when his parents were bickering outside. This is where he took the worst decision of his life. "I wish he hadn't locked himself up in here so often. Maybe then, he wouldn't have been influenced by the dark arts like the way he had. But little Severus had always been gifted in academics, curious about everything, always challenging himself." Mrs.Reynolds recalled with compunction,"I wish he came to me like he used to when he was a kid." Hermione moved closer to her, curious to hear more and also to let her know, Snape turned out the way he had through no fault of her own. "He used to come to you?"she asked her. "Yes. Master Severus had never been the naughty kind, he was rather peace-loving. With the slightest commosion he used to come running to the basement. 'Mommy and daddy are doing it again'- he used to cry. If it was daytime, Mr.D'onfrio would carry him out to the lake for fishing and if it was late at night, I would read him to sleep." Hermione was pleased that she was getting to see such a different side of the man she was going to marry. Mrs.Reynolds had a slight smile on her face as she remembered the good-ol-days,"Sometimes Master Sev and I would practice some magic together, by ourselves. I just about kept up with him- I'm a squib- but even at such a young age, he was very good. My God, that smile on his face when I clapped for him; I could trade anything for that smile on that boy's face." But her own smile disappeared then. "All this stopped when Ms.Prince found out. She never let him mingle with us servants again; she wouldn't allow him even that much respite. He was at such a tender age- he..he turned for the worse." "I know, he told me everything. But he has changed, he was always pure at heart."Hermione said,"I admit he is not the easiest of persons. Most students would call him 'a pain in the ass' but he had never been cruel to me, if not overtly nice. It wasn't love at first sight or anything for us; our love sort of- grew." She changed her speech a little because she wasn't sure whether Mrs.Reynolds was aware that she had been his student. "I would'nt be alive if not for him."she added. Mrs.Reynolds wiped the tears that was freely falling now with a handkerchief,"I know. I'm so glad that he has found someone. And you know what? You said your love 'grew' and I think that that's what's most important. I never thought he'd fall in love, after what he went through. And certainly not- well he wasn't the marrying kind. But let me tell you something. That smile I was talking about- I definitely saw that smile on his face again when he was holding you." She looked at Hermione with a big smile and tears in her eyes and Hermione felt her eyes watering too. "So you're not- you don't have a problem with..you know, the obvious age difference between us?"Hermione asked after a pause. "Hells no! Pardon my language ma'am, but I'm too overwhelmed. I'm just happy he doesn't have to spend the rest of his days an old man, waiting to die alone. Atleast he has someone- that's it. You could have a third arm for all I care." They laughed a little and then Mrs.Reynolds continued,"No, you're truly the reason for his change. I learnt about the prophecy and what was destined to happen. You have brought him back from the dead- both literally and figuratively. After- after that accident of his parents, after those years of him doing the Dark lord's bidding, one day I caught him staring out of the window, brooding. He turned back to watch me while I was bringing his dinner to his room and take out yet another plate of untouched lunch. We were both aware of the distance that had created between us since his adolescenct years but he chose to break through it and confess something. He told me,' Mrs.Reynolds, I can't do this anymore. I'm breathing in and breathing out but is that what life is all about? I can't find a reason to live anymore...'. Can you imagine how much a person could've endured to make him say that?" Hermione grasped her hands and they both weeped. Snape entered the room then,"What's going on...?" He caught them sniffling. "What on earth is the matter?"he asked, looking from one to the other. "Nothing Master Snape,"Mrs.Reynolds replied quickly,"W-we were j-just having a stroll down memory lane." He understood what had happened but kept quite, staring at Hermione's back, as she had turned the other way to hide her tears. Mrs.Reynolds whispered to her,"Thank you for giving him a reason to live again." She gave him a nod of approval and excused herself from the room. Snape came forward and made Hermione turn towards him. He sighed and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "Don't trouble yourself with my past troubles."he wiped the tears away that had stained her face,"Please don't cry. Certainly not today- not on this happy occasion. No. This house has seen far too much of that. I don't want any more bloody tears here. These rooms would only know of happiness, these walls would only hear voices full of love, only laughter should echo through these halls." Hermione nodded to him and he delivered a peck on her soft lips. "Now, where is that beautiful smile of yours? Where have you lost it? Is it here?"he asked and on the pretext of finding it in her pockets, he tickled her and Hermione flashed her sparkling smile. "There it is!"he smiled widely himself and Hermione giggled and pulled him closer for a longer kiss.