The Snake and the Eagle

Chapter 25 - A Wedding to Organize

That morning, Severus Snape woke up in the best mood he had ever been in in his whole life. His mortal enemy was dead, he had been cleared of all charges for his past as a Death Eater and, which was the best of all, in half and hour he would meet his beloved wife-to-be for a ride and a picnic. He got up, had a quick shower, and put on the riding suit they had bought together. The suit was composed by a black jacket, ivory trousers, white foulard around his neck, a black and white cloak, and a pair of polished, black, leather boots. His face lightened up with a broad smile, as soon as he saw her reaching the Entrance Hall.

"Good morning, Severus," she warmly greeted him.

"Good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?" he said, softly kissing her cherry lips.

"Very good, and you?" she happily smiled to hear him use that endearment.

"Wonderfully. I forgot to take my sleeping potion last night, but I've slept soundly all the

same!" he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"That's a great improvement!" she cheerfully commented.

"Well, my life has actually improved in more than one way," he tenderly whispered.

They made a quick stop in the kitchens to take the picnic basket the house-elves had prepared for them, then walked across the grounds to the shelter where their horses waited for them. Alexandra mounted Nabil, her gorgeous black Arab, while Severus rode on Princess, a smart white female Anglo-Arab. She had the whole day free from classes, but he had to get back right after lunch break for his first class at 1:00 pm. They reached a small stream in the middle of the moor, just outside Hogsmeade Village, and stopped there. It was a lovely, peaceful place, not very far from Hogwarts. They dismounted, and he stretched a blanket on the grass, at the feet of an old tree standing by the stream. He sat with his back against the trunk of the tree, while she was snuggled in his arms. After a few minutes of silence, she said something that took him by surprise.

"Do you remember the night before the final attack?" she seriously asked.

"Yes, why?" he said, wondering what was crossing her mind.

"You promised me that, once the war was over, you would have told me about your past. Remember?" she gravely said.

"Yes, I do. I always keep my promises, and I think you've every right to know everything about the man you're going to marry. But I should warn you, it won't be pleasant!" he said, cupping her chin in his hand to stare at her straight in the eyes.

"I know it's hard for you to talk about it, but I need to know," she softly whispered.

The tenderness he found in her stare gave him the strength to began his long, sad story. He told her everything, everything about his awful childhood with his dreadful father and the only support of his loving mother. Alexandra had seen Severus's father once, when a boggart took his creepy features, and her suspicions were finally confirmed. She felt a pang in the stomach and had to bite back her forming tears, when Severus told her about his father's verbal and physical abuses, the curses he had cast on him, even the Cruciatus.

"Our only moments of peace were when he was away!" he said with a deep hatred in his voice. "After her death, I used to go home only for the summer holidays and he never looked much ... pleased to see me again," he bitterly said.

He told her of his school days, of his maddening study in the vain hope to make his father proud of him by becoming the best student of his year, for seven years in a row.

"I became a true know-it-all, but he couldn't care less," he angrily spat.

He told her about the Mauraders and their pranks against him. He even told her about the accident with the werewolf, but this time he pictured Lupin as an innocent victim of his own friends.

"So that's why you've always treated Harry Potter that way. It was because of his father!" she wittily concluded. She found it childish for a man like him to keep on an old school grudge, but when he looked at her, he could see no blame in her eyes. He told her how he met Lucius Malfoy and joined his gang of Slytherins.

"I knew Lucius didn't care much for me. He was four years older than me, and just wanted to exploit my talent and knowledge for himself. I was well aware of this but, all the same, I felt so lonely that I wanted to join his group at any cost! The Malfoy family was powerful, and I wanted to have a share of that power too," he bitterly said with a note of self-blame. "The price I had to pay for that friendship was really high, and I only realized it when Lucius led me in front of Lord Voldemort himself," he bitterly admitted, "and even then, I still joined him."

She silently listened while he told her what his Death Eater's duties were. For the first time she avoided his gaze, and pushed her horror at his words deep inside of herself. He was being earnest with her, and she felt grateful for that. She understood the effort that confession was for him. He had joined the Death Eater for his foolish ambition and the hope to achieve a power strong enough to take his revenge against his father. It was Voldemort who killed his father, and that made him his hero for some time. But he soon realized that, unlike many of his fellow Death Eaters, he did not enjoy what he was ordered to do. He understood that, up to then, he had been able to accomplish his tasks just because he was unconsciously projecting his hatred for his father on his victims. But after his father's death, he began to open his eyes and realize the meaningless cruelty of his actions. When he came to know that Voldemort wanted to kill a helpless one year boy, because a stupid prophecy said he was his mortal enemy, Snape had finally realized Voldemort's incredible madness and the foolishness of his cause.

The night Voldemort attacked the Potters, Snape had desperately run straight to Dumbledore to warn him about the approaching danger. His sudden act of redemption would have been enough to save the Potters, if only Peter Pettigrew had not already sold them to the Dark Lord. After his meeting with Dumbledore, he had reached Godric's Hollow, but it was too late. Voldemort was nowhere to be seen, James and Lily were dead, and their house was on fire. He was about to leave the place when he suddenly heard a baby cry, and it came right from within the burning house. Without a moment of hesitation, he entered the house and brought the baby safely out, wrapped in a bundle of covers. The little boy had a bad scar on his forehead, but at least he was safe and sound. Snape had burned his right arm in rescuing Harry, and it hurt like hell. But all the same, he had remained there hidden, holding the baby in his arms, waiting for the arrival of the Aurors. At the sudden sound of an approaching vehicle, he quickly hid the boy among the ruins of the house and Disapparated.

"You know, I still have a scar from that burning. It's funny how my arms help me to tell good from evil!" he said with a weak smile.

"Does Harry know about it?" she curiously asked.

"No, he doesn't need to," he said, firmly shaking his head.

"But you saved his life!" she pointed out.

"But I left his parents die," he angrily spat back.

"You did everything was in your power, and Dumbledore knows it. That's probably why he gave you a second chance. He knew you were ready to change the course of your life," she encouragingly whispered.

He took a deep breath, and went on with his tale. He spoke about the dangers of his double role as a spy, and how Dumbledore taught him Occlumency to protect him against Voldemort's mind reading, to keep him alive.

"You know, I still wonder why he trusted me," he said thoughtfully.

"Because Dumbledore is a wise man. He saw right through you and recognized the good hidden deep inside of you. He saw there was still hope for you," she whispered, tenderly caressing his face. He lovingly stared back at her, but a sudden sadness overtook him.

"After all the terrible things I've told you, I'd understand if you'd change your mind about marrying me," he lowly whispered, staring away from her.

"Stop talking nonsense!" she angrily shouted, startling him.

"I don't care about your past! That was neither the Severus Snape I know nor the one I've fallen in love with," she stated, before giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. "Let's forgive about the past and think about the future, our future," she tenderly whispered, cupping his face in her hands.

"You're perfectly right, my love," he said, and pulled her closer for a passionate kiss.

"There's still one thing I haven't told you," he said with a smug expression on his face.

"What, dear?" she asked curious.

"Do you remember Saint Valentine's night, when you led me to my rooms?" he said, trying hard to suppress a forming smirk.

"Yes, the night you got drunk," she said, staring at him questioningly.

"Well, you should know that I was just pretending to be drunk," he shamefully confessed.

"Are you telling me you were playing the drunk only to ... to kiss me?" she exclaimed scandalized.

"Why, yes. Well ... it's not my fault if you're so irresistible," he teased her.

"You cunning, tricky Slytherin!" she said with fake anger.

"Well, I'm not their Head of House for nothing!" he pointed out with a raised eyebrow. She burst out laughing, and he merrily joined her.

Before they could realize it, the time for Snape to go back to Hogwarts had come. He kissed her goodbye, and mounted his horse. He had just the time to change in his teaching robes, gather the students' marked essays in his office, and head to his class.

"Good morning class!" he greeted them, slightly panting.

"Good morning, Professor Snape," they politely chorused back, exchanging astonished looks among them. They were flabbergasted by the sight of a Snape in a good mood, and addressing them that kind greeting instead of the usual, cold "take your seats!" the old Snape used to say, before slamming the door shut behind him.

***

That evening, Severus and Alexandra decided to meet in her sitting room to plan their wedding.

"First of all we should fix a date, do you have any idea?" she kindly asked him. He stood a few seconds silent in thought.

"I want our wedding to be celebrated under the best auspices, so ... What about the summer solstice? There's a lot of positive energy gathering on that particular night!" he readily proposed. He probably had already chosen that date shortly after proposing to her.

"The summer solstice? It's a wonderful day for a wedding but ... Do you realize this leave us only three weeks to get everything ready?" she stated a little perplexed.

"Don't worry. With Albus and Minerva's help it would be easy, specially as the final exams have been cancelled," he reassured her, looking very optimist.

"Did you forget that the twenty-first of June is also the date of the Leaving Feast?" she pointed out.

"That's the other reason why I chose that date," he calmly said. At this statement, she stared at him with growing confusion. She could not understand why he wanted to celebrate their wedding on the very last school day. He took notice of her perplexity.

"You know I have no family. I spend the summer holidays at home, but Hogwarts is the only place on earth that feels like home to me, therefore students are my only family. That's why I want this place to host the most important event of my life," he readily explained.

"Are you telling me you're inviting the whole school to our wedding?" she asked amazed.

"Yes. Considering the fact that my only acquaintances are Death Eaters, you see I have very few people to invite, except Igor Karkarof and his family. It seems pretty obvious that I cannot invite Narcissa Malfoy, not after I've sent her husband to Azkaban!" he smirked.

"Well, no. I doubt she'd be glad to come," she giggled.

"Before we begin organizing everything, there's one very important thing we should do," she said getting serious again.

"What?" he asked, surprised by that sudden change of tone.

"I still have to introduce you to my family," she said, smiling amused by the peculiar expression Severus's face assumed at the mention of them.

"Is it really necessary?" he said, arching an eyebrow.

"Severus! Don't be silly, please," she mildly scolded him.

"Yes, yes. I was only joking," he smirked, holding his hands up in defeat. "And I suppose I should ask your hand to your grandfather too," he sighed.

"So wants tradition. Don't worry, my grandparents are such lovely persons. I think you'll like them," she said encouragingly.

Severus wore a doubtful expression, as he wondered if those people would ever like him at all. But he loved her too much to care about it. He was ready to marry her no matter what! As soon as they parted for the night, she took sit at her working desk. She began writing a long letter to her grandparents to give them the happy news, and told them Severus and she were going to pay them a visit as soon as possible. Once it was finished, she sent out a sleepy, and not so willing, Silver to deliver her letter. The morning after, her falcon flew in in the Great Hall during breakfast with a letter bound to his claw. Silver landed in front of his mistress, but he still looked rather upset for the unexpected nightly delivery. He let her take the message, giving her an angry look before flying back to his perch in her office. Mary and Joseph Falconbridge, her grandparents, were more than happy at the news of her decision to get married, and looked forward to meet her fiancé. The Falconbridges invited the couple to dine with them that very night, to spend some time together and to get to know each other. Severus did not look very enthusiastic about that sudden invitation, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Later that afternoon, they left the castle together and crossed the grounds to Apparate home. Severus was very nervous. He had never cared much for the impression he did to people, but this time it was different. He had spent half an hour in front of his mirror, trying every suit he possessed, before making up his mind and choose a very smart one, obviously black. He was thunderstruck by the warm welcome her family gave him. He was not used to so much spontaneous kindness. When dinner was over, Mr Falconbridge invited Snape to drink something with him. Snape was still quite nervous, but his tension began to loosen as soon as the conversation fell on his work with potions. That, and a good glass of brandy, helped him to relax, and the two men soon were engaged in a very pleasant conversation. When the time to say goodbye came Severus was smiling, and he friendly shook Mr Falconbridge's hand, and bowed to Mrs Falconbridge as he gallantly kissed her hand. Alexandra was overly exited by the positive meeting, and kept smiling all the way back to the castle. She was still smiling when she finally closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

The following evening, Severus and Alexandra were happily heading to the Headmaster's Office, where they had to meet Albus and Minerva to organize the wedding ceremony.

"Who's going to be your best man?" Albus curiously asked.

"I was thinking about Remus," Severus thoughtfully said.

"Oh, Severus. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to accept," Minerva cheerfully said, while Albus's eyes twinkled merrily.

"And I suppose your bridesmaid is your friend Sabrina," Dumbledore told her.

"I think she'll be delighted, once she recovers from the impact of the news," Alexandra giggled.

"What do you mean?" Snape glared at her.

"Relax, Severus. I'm just saying that it will be quite a shock for her. You know, last time I ever wrote her about you, we were just good friends. And now I suddenly invite her to our wedding!" she giggled, imagining her friend's face as she read her letter.

"Well, I think you're right. I doubt I'm on top of the list of the most desired man to marry!" he sneered, and the four of them burst out laughing.

"What kind of ceremony were you thinking about?" Minerva asked.

"I'd like to have a traditional, wizarding wedding. It's so romantic," Alexandra dreamily said.

"A very good choice my dear," the older witch nodded in agreement.

"Severus, do you know the details of this particular ceremony?"Albus asked.

"I don't know much, but the basic idea should be that , after the wedding is consumed, it binds the couple for the rest of their life. Divorce is not allowed, only death can part them," Snape said a little surprised by the man's weird question, but most of all, he was slightly worried by the amused twinkle he could see in those benevolent blue eyes. He suspected the headmaster could be hiding something from him again, something he was finding funny, and potentially embarrassing for Snape.

"One last thing ... Where are you going to live?" Dumbledore said, taking out a map of the castle, and stretching it out across his working desk.

"We can spend the summer holidays at Snape's Manor. It's a little creepy, but with some changes here and there, we can make it look like a real home. During the school year, one of us could move to the other's private rooms," Severus proposed.

"You're perfectly right, my boy. Although I don't find it the best accommodation for a freshly wed couple, your private quarters are unmistakably large enough for two, without great changes in the furnishing," Albus wisely concluded, as he stared carefully at the map in front of him. "Well, then. I'll owl Fudge to ask him to speed up the whole bureaucratic iter, so that three weeks would be enough to have everything ready. I have no doubt he would do me this favour, he owe me more than one,"Albus matter of factly said.

Severus and Alexandra left Dumbledore's office together. They reached the main staircase, where their ways parted. He gave a quick look around to see if there was anyone in sight, then he tenderly kissed her goodnight, before heading down to his, not for long, lonely dungeons.

***

The following day just after breakfast, Severus and Alexandra started sending out their wedding invitations to relatives and friends with the school owls. Everybody in the Great Hall, both staff and students, found their own letter lying at their seats. Dumbledore explained to the thunderstruck crowd it had been Professor Snape's kind thought to invite then all to the ceremony, which was to take place the day of the annual End of Term Feast. That same day, during lunch break, Snape invited Lupin to have a little walk with him.

"How are the preparatives going?" Lupin asked with a kind smile.

"Rather well. We've set the main things yet, but there's still a lot to do," Snape serenely informed his friend.

"Remus, I was wondering ... Would you like to be my best man?" Severus hopefully asked.

Lupin was really surprised by that request. The bridegroom was used to choose his closest friend as best man, or at least that was what Remus remembered James Potter had said, when he chose Sirius Black over him.

"Are you sure you want it to be me?" Lupin asked amazed.

"Of course I do. I thought you were my friend?" Snape coldly said, giving him a side look.

"Of course I am. You only took me by surprise, that's all. I didn't know you considered me your best friend," Lupin quickly justified his stupor.

"Well? What's your answer?" Snape smirked.

"I will be honoured to be your best man," Remus said, giving the other man a grateful smile.

"Well, then. You'll come with me to Madam Malkin's. I'm going there to buy my wedding suit, I'll buy you one too," Snape said, turning on his heels to head back inside.

"Oh, no, Severus. You don't have to," Lupin muttered embarrassed.

"But I want to. By the way, I don't think you can afford a decent one, and I don't want my best man to look like a beggar," Snape idly said. Snape's words were rude, but Lupin could easily read Severus's very personal way to say "thank you" in them.

***

One day, Dumbledore summoned Snape in his office.

"Good morning, Headmaster," he curtly said, crossing the room.

"Hallo, Severus. Come, take a seat. Would you like a cup of tea? Some lemon drops?" he kindly offered him.

Snape accepted a cup of tea, but refused the sweets, and began to sip it while Dumbledore filled him in on the last details of the bureaucratic iter for his wedding.

"Everything it's nearly ready. Here are some papers you and Alexandra should sign, and a note from Gringott's about your request to move her possessions into your vault," Albus said, handing the younger man a bunch of parchments.

"Is that all?" Snape asked with a certain annoyance. He hated bureaucracy, but who could blame him?

"No, one last thing. The Department of Marriages and Legal Bounds has requested a detailed copy of both your family trees. You have to be very careful in tracing back both your fathers and mothers sides," Albus added.

"I'll start working on mine at once. There should be an up-to-date copy of the Great Book of the Wizarding Families in the Library," Snape matter of factly said, and walked off the room.

He came into the Library, and headed straight to the section containing the book he was looking for. He did not even bothered to ask for it to Madam Pince, as he knew that place perhaps better than the librarian herself after all the time he had spent there as a student, and for his own researches. He balanced the huge, leather bound tome in his arms, and headed towards Madam Pince's desk to fill the borrowing form.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape. That book cannot leave the Library. You'll have to consult it here," she sternly said.

Professor Snape glared through narrowed eyes at the librarian, then resigned himself to start his quest for an empty table to set himself to work. He searched the whole Library, but all the tables were crowded with studying students. He even considered to threaten a group of Hufflepuff first years to clear their table, but thought it was not a good idea. He was beginning to lose his patience, when he noticed an empty chair at the table where Hermione, Ron and Harry were busy working on their assignments. In that moment Hermione's gaze raised, and she saw her Potion Master standing in the middle of the reading room, holding a huge tome in his arms.

"Over here, Professor. There's a free chair right here!" she cheerfully called him, and readily pushed aside the tall pile of books she was consulting. Snape sighed in relief, and made his way towards the three Gryffindors.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," he kindly said, and laid his book on the table with a loud thud. As soon as he took seat, he suddenly realized he had nothing to write on.

"Could some body lend me some paper and a quill? I wasn't expecting to have to work here. I believed that, being a teacher, I could freely take this to my office," he said annoyed, gesturing to the big tome in front of him.

"Here, Professor. Take my spare parchment!" Ron generously handed him a blank sheet.

"And here is a quill," Harry said, fishing in his bag for his extra quill. Hermione then pushed her ink pot towards him. Snape's head gave them a little thankful bow.

Snape dutifully set himself to work. He opened the book at the "S" section, and searched for Snape. He read his own name at the bottom of his family tree. Soon there would be another name next to his own and, for a moment, he wondered if there was going to be a third line coming down from the union of those two names. A small smile gently arched his lips, as he dreamed about his future heir or, who knows, heirs at the bottom of that page. Once he had completed his father's line, he moved on to his mother's side. He turned back the pages for the "O" section in search of his mother, Elizabeth O'Connor Snape. He knew very little about her mother's family. He only knew she was Irish, but he had never met his relatives. They had never come to England, neither when he was born. Severus was sure that had to do with his father. It had been an arranged marriage, without love. Her family did not like her husband, but the Snapes were a wealthy and prestigious family, so it had been considered a good choice. But the only good thing she ever got from that marriage was just her "little black-eyed cherub", as she used to call him. He was careful to write every name correctly, as the Ministry bureaucrats were obsessively fussy about these matters. He had just written the name of James O'Connor, and was tracing the line which linked it to a woman, a certain Gwendolen Potter.

"Potter?" he shouted thunderstruck, his black eyes wide open.

"Yes, Professor?" a startled Harry uncertainly asked, raising his eyes from his homework.

"Nothing, Harry. Go on with your homework," he quickly dismissed the boy, and hurriedly run through the pages to go check the Potters' family tree.

And there it was again, Gwendolen Potter married to James O'Connor. He followed the line coming down from those names with his long finger, down to the bottom of it to find that of a boy, Harry James Potter.

"Merlin's beard!" he shouted again, startling everyone around him.

"Is there something wrong, Professor?" Hermione asked with concern.

"I just found out something unexpected. Here, look at these two family trees," He said, showing Hermione the pages dedicated to the O'Connors and the Potters.

"Oh my!" she said, clapping a hand to her mouth.

"What's up?" Ron asked amazed. She then pushed the book toward Ron and Harry, who put their heads together to read it. Their eyes opened wide in shock, as realization fell on them.

"Blimey, Harry! You and Professor Snape seem to be related from his mother's side," Ron observed, amused by the absurdity of that discovery.

The three kids stared curiously at their teacher. Snape sat there silent, his eyes staring at the paper in front of him, his right fist pressed against his lips. Then his shoulders began to shake, and a low, guttural chuckle erupted from his throat.

"Silence!" Madam Pince shrieked from behind a bookshelf, but her admonition only caused the four of them to burst out in a roar of laughters.

"Wait till Albus and Remus know it," Snape said with tears of mirth in his eyes, fighting hard to regain control over himself.

"Hey, Harry! This means the Dursleys aren't your only relatives alive!" Ron shouted cheerfully. Harry's eyes opened wide, alight with the sudden realization.

"Maybe, I'm not obliged to go back to them over the summer ... Maybe I could spend it with Professor Falconbridge and you, sir?" Harry hopefully asked to Snape. Anywhere but with his dreadful Muggle relatives seemed to Harry the best place on earth, apart from the Burrow with the Weasleys of course. Snape was really surprised by the boy's request.

"Take it easy, Harry! I cannot promise you a thing like that!" Snape said to restrain the boy's enthusiasm.

"Shame on you, Harry! How can you even think to go live with a couple of newly-weds?" Hermione scolded him.

"Oh, don't worry Hermione. It's not that the problem, unless Mr Potter here pretends to come with us on our honeymoon!" Snape smirked. "I can only say I'll talk about it with Alexandra, and if the headmaster agrees too, you could be able to join us when we come back home," Snape said, giving Harry an encouraging smile. "Those Muggles should be really horrible, if you prefer to stay with me!" Snape chuckled. Then they all fell silent, and each went back to his own work.