The Redemption of Severus Snape

Part 71

Severus slept quite a bit for a couple of weeks and lounged in bed reading when he was awake. Occasionally he'd sneak off to his study and do Merlin-knows-what, but generally he was quietly amiable-suspiciously so, in fact. The house had become very quiet now that it was just the three of them, and Lin was missing her house-guests; Severus was not. The weekly gathering of survivors reduced their frequency to monthly gatherings, and Severus was never present for any of them. The only time he was seen at a gathering was when Horace Slughorn had a few too many drinks and went into the cellar to fetch him. Severus nodded politely to everyone, but said little to nothing, not that anyone minded. His presence was fleeting, and no one minded that either.

Lin went about her activities as though she and Severus had a normal happy relationship and everyone politely accommodated her. If Lin were happy, then her friends were happy for her despite their general dislike of Severus; he may have been loyal to Dumbledore, but that didn't make him a likable person. Still, Lin seemed to think the sun rose and set in him.

Once Severus was fully healed, Lin began making requests of him that would've pleased most normal men, but that irked Severus to no end. His vision of being part of a marital-type relationship was very different from the true reality of it.

Lin had risen earlier than usual for some reason and taken the baby's bassinet with her. Severus had little interest in the baby's daily needs and left all the work to Lin. He'd never been around a child younger than ten except for Draco, and he was tended to by a bevy of house-elves and his indulgent mother; so in Severus' mind, babies were the responsibility of mothers and servants. Severus had occasionally looked at Niketas, but hadn't made any attempt to hold his own son.

As Severus approached the kitchen, intent on a hearty Hogwarts-like breakfast made by Lin, his sensitive nose was assaulted by a revolting odor. Lin was bent over the bassinet and babbling at the baby who was cooing back at her and laughing. Breakfast wasn't waiting for Severus as it usually was.

"Oh good, you're awake," said Lin as she lifted a very messy and smelly baby from his equally messy bassinet. "Nikki's made an extra-big mess this morning. Do you want to clean him or the bassinet?" Lin moved the baby toward Severus, who backed away.

"Eww!"

"Honestly, Severus, you were a Death Eater."

"Death Eaters don't change nappies!" Severus swished his wand at the bassinet. "Scourgify!" In an instant, the bassinet was as clean as the day Lin had bought it.

Lin moved toward the sink, smelly baby in hand. Severus headed for the cellar stairs and slipped on the mess that had fallen unseen from Nikki's nappy. "Looks like you missed some," said Lin, grinning. "If only Albus had known that the Dark Lord's entire army could've been defeated with baby poop."

Severus grumbled something incomprehensible as he swished his wand again. "You could've done this in the washroom," said Severus as he glided silently down the cellar steps without looking back at Lin.

"It's just easier to do it here. I don't have to lean over the tub and the bathroom sink is too small. Besides, I have to cook breakfast."

The mention of food preparation made Severus cringe. He was disgusted by the thought of what Lin was washing down the sink's drain until he heard her muttering some charms that he didn't know; they were presumably childcare charms likely taught to her by Molly Weasley, the resident expert on all things domestic.

Less than an hour later a tray filled with a hot and hearty breakfast was presented to him. Severus was famished. He rose from behind his desk to take his breakfast in one of the chairs that sat in front of the fireplace. He conjured a small table to set the tray on and tucked in. Lin looked over at Severus' desk and noted the great pile of parchment stacked on it. Her notes and calculations were intermingled with his. She picked up Severus' lab notebook and glanced through it. Severus had refined the formula as well as he could in a lab setting. The new potion was ready for testing on a live subject. Lin hadn't even broached the subject with Remus yet, and she feared that Tonks would react badly. Lin could sympathize. In a similar situation, she would be hard-pressed to agree to Severus using himself as a test subject. Lin had to admit that she was apprehensive about the possibilities. An eighty-percent survival rating was good, but not perfect-and even worse, the odds were only theoretical. No matter how one approached the problem, it was a dangerous situation.