The Redemption of Severus Snape

Part 73

Harry and Ron arrived via broomstick instead of Floo. There was something about the wind in their hair and the freedom of the open air that temporarily settled the recurring sense of uneasiness that the war had left them with. They set their brooms against the wall near the back door and dusted themselves off before entering the kitchen.

"Ugh! Smell that?" said Ron as he waved his hand in front of his nose.

"Yeah," replied Harry, "Snape must be brewing something."

"I hope it isn't something for us," said Ron quietly. He peered down the cellar steps before whispering, "I don't know how I got talked into this."

"Ginny threatened to hex you."

"You heard that?"

Harry's head turned as he heard high heels clacking in the hallway. His wand hand twitched, and he had to stop himself from gripping his wand. His jumpiness was a vestige from the war, and he hoped it would go away on its own. He was determined not to become as paranoid as Madeye Moody had been, but sometimes he felt like he was losing ground to his fears. Lindsay entered with two bassinets floating under her hands. She was wearing a stunning turquoise evening gown that showed off both her lithe figure and her ample cleavage. The color complimented her blue eyes very well. Ron's mouth sagged open at the sight of her, and Harry elbowed him. Lindsay was pleasant as always, and pretended not to notice Ron's boorish behavior. She launched into a greeting at the sight of them and then continued to prattle on. Harry greeted her and moved to sit at the far end of the kitchen table, barely listening to her rambling.

"Teddy's still asleep, but Nikki's a little messy," said Lindsay as she settled the bassinets. Ron nodded with a dumb smile on his face, his eyes moved up and down the lines of Lindsay's gown. She really did look lovely, but the war was still so near to Harry that he just couldn't let himself appreciate simple pleasures yet. Ron was handling his war wounds very differently and, much like Fred, George, and Ginny, embraced anything and everything that was even slightest bit pleasurable.

"You look great," said Ron.

"Oh, thank you," replied Lindsay with a pearl-white smile. She lightly pinched Ron's cheek, which made him blush furiously. Lindsay stooped over to clean Nikki. Both Ron and Harry were shocked to see her use her wand. She removed Nikki's soiled clothes and hung them on the side of bassinet. She then launched into a recital of the foods she'd prepared and told them to help themselves. Ron needed no further prompting and opened the refrigerator door and poked his head inside. Harry smiled and nodded and tuned her voice out until it was little more than a dull buzzing in his ears. Changing a baby and talking about food turned his stomach. Ron's ever-present appetite was imperturbable. Lindsay straightened up and called for Snape and that brought Harry's attention fully back to her. He'd hoped he wouldn't see the Git.

Snape glided up the cellar stairs and into the kitchen; to Harry's eyes a shroud of blackness seemed follow him. He wore his familiar-looking, solid-black, wizard robes sans teaching robes. His hair was cleaner than usual and shoulder-length. He didn't acknowledge Harry, but did notice Ron's head in the refrigerator and the light inside it cascading over Ron's neck.

"Weasley, the back of your neck's going to be burnt." Ron straightened up with a chicken leg in his mouth and looked over at Harry.

"The heat from the light bulb," explained Harry. Ron clearly didn't understand that Snape had been sarcastic as he began to feel around the back of his neck.

"Eat as much as you want, Ron," said Lindsay. She handed a bottle she prepared to Snape. "Give this to Nikki. I need to get him fresh clothes." Snape looked at the bottle in his hand like it was an obscure tool that he wasn't sure how to use. "Don't forget to burp him," said Lin as she left the room. Snape appeared puzzled, and Ron took it upon himself to explain.