The Web Wizard

The Christmas holiday was upon them, and most of the students were going home. Tara was going to go visit her mother for the holidays and she had told her about her relationship, so naturally Severus was invited too. He had been working on his potion for the floo powder side effects and they had done some testing and it seemed to be working. She still got very tired, but didn't drop into a dead sleep all of a sudden; she could make it a couple of hours before she needed to get to bed, so they arranged their travel when their arrival would be just before Tara's bedtime. This made adjusting to the time zones easier on Tara also.

They arrived the day before Christmas eve, in the evening.

"Nice to see you again," Joan Hall said to Severus, as he got to his feet. "Thank you for having me for the holiday," he said, and extended his hand to help Tara up. He tweaked her chin. "You didn't scream this time," he commented.

"Well all of the testing - I guess I'm getting sort of used to this," she said. Joan sighed. They made a very unusual couple. He wasn't exactly handsome in a common way; but there was something very striking about him and his very presence was nothing short of charismatic. She could see why Tara was crazy about him. Despite his austere appearance, he was very gentle with Tara and Joan could see he cared for her very much.

"Do you have to go to sleep?" Joan asked her daughter.

"No, Sev perfected his potion for me - I'll need to in about 2 hours, unless he tweaked it some more. Did you?" she asked, looking up at him. "A little bit, so we'll see what happens," he told her.

"So, where am I sleeping?" Tara asked her mother, picking up her bags.

"I thought you guys could sleep in the guest room." Tara was alarmed. "Both of us--?" she asked, flushing crimson.

"Oh - I assumed you...you're a grown woman, after all" Joan said awkwardly.

"Um, no we don't, uh, haven't..." Tara stammered.

"Okay. Well good for you two! Most couple just dive straight into the bedroom, and, you know...well I guess I could put one of you in the den on the air bed..."

"I'll take the air bed. I am prone to insomnia, so I only sleep a few hours each night," Severus told her.

"Well there we go. Can I treat you two to something to drink?"

"That would be nice," Tara said. She went to drop her things in the guest room, and then joined them in the living room. They had a glass of wine and visited.

"Is the whole family coming tomorrow?" Tara asked.

"Yes, the usual crowd."

"How are we going to explain..." Tara asked, looking at Severus.

"I'll behave," he told her.

"Are you sure about that?" Tara teased. He nodded.

"No slip ups from you either," Joan told her daughter sternly. Severus looked at Tara questioningly.

"Well on Thanksgiving, they were asking me things like when I was going back and I absently said either Friday or Saturday, then had to make up something about being on standby, and then I mentioned the word muggle, and well...I'm used to being around it now. Maybe I just ought to shut up and not say anything."

"No, you wouldn't last an hour. Not even a minute. Maybe 5? 10 seconds at the most?" Severus teased her and Joan had to laugh. "You sure know my daughter, don't you?"

"Oh yes..." Severus said, turning to his flustered companion. She stuck her tongue out at him and made a face. "You're no better," she commented. Severus sighed and looked back to Joan, who was amused by their banter. "You see what I have been putting up with for the past few months?" he said to Joan. "Well you're sometimes a big old moody--" "Don't start..." he said putting a finger gently on her lips, his expression soft, "and I'm not that much older than you are, you know." Tara held up a hand with her thumb and index finger indicating a bit. He reached out and pushed her fingers closer together, taunting her. Joan shook her head. They were too much.

Tara grew tired after a few hours (3 hours this time!) and she said goodnight. Severus stayed up, talking with Joan. Joan found him intriguing and very intelligent. They talked about Tara and how impossible she had been when he had first met her, and that she couldn't stand him. Severus could see where Tara got her fiery wit; clearly from her mother. It was easy for him to feel comfortable with her.

"Since I knew she couldn't stand me, it was fun to toy with her," he said. "She would get so pissed off at me and say the damndest things. It was quite enjoyable."

"Yes, I'm afraid she gets that from me. She'll get mad, blurt something, and then regret it later."

"Exactly. For a while, she had this fear that I would turn her into an object if she pissed me off. I made the mistake of telling her I wouldn't do that, and she got a lot more brave. But it was sill enjoyable," he decided.

"I guess it's time to tell her about her father," Joan said, sighing.

"Her father?"

"Yes. She never knew him. You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Well, Albus knows..."

"Do you know Albus Dumbledore?"

"Oh yes. Tara's father...was one of your type. A wizard. I never told her because she never developed any powers of her own, never got the letter to go to Hogwarts', so I guess she wound up like me instead. I believe the term for mixed kids from a wizard and a muggle is 'mudblood' but I know that is a derogatory term."

"Yes it is. So she does have something. Albus has never mentioned it to me, but I think I can understand why. That explains how she told me what ingredients in a certain potion work..."

"What?"

"I think she does have some power as a telepath," he told her. "It was as if she read words right out of my mind. A lot of us have that capability, I have it to a certain extent. But hers flickers on and off like a loose electrical connection."

Joan was not that surprised, she had experienced clairvoyance from her daughter from time to time, but figured it was just a female intuition thing. Clearly there was much more to it.

"So what happened to her father?"

"He was in a Quidditch practice. Slammed into a wall. Tara was only 2 years old."

"That is a shame."

"I figured I would have to tell her sooner or later, and I almost did when she was contacted to do the Hogwarts' site; Albus contacted me first, but we decided no, not to tell her. For then anyway. But I think it's time. I almost told her last month when she was here, but I couldn't find the right opportunity."

"Maybe we should both tell her," he suggested. "I suspected there was something."

"All right, we'll have to do it before the family gets here. It's the muggle side of the family. They never had any idea about Thor's special talents, so to speak."

"Thor--Quidditch player--Thor Beringer by any chance?"

"The very same. After he died, I went back to my maiden name and changed it for Tara as well. Since she wasn't showing any talents at 2, and we were told that it would be very apparent by then, I decided to raise her as a muggle without exposure to your world. I kept in contact with Albus, he was always a good friend.

"I remember hearing about that accident years and years ago, even before I went to Hogwarts. I was a little kid -- I guess I was 4 when it happened since Tara was 2. It seemed so unnecessary."

"Yes, it sure was."

Joan was starting to get sleepy and bade her guest good night. Severus stayed up, thinking about how it all made sense. This also made it easier with regards to any future they had together. He couldn't wait to tell her, but also feared her reaction. She could be so sensitive - he didn't want to send her over the edge.

They were getting along together so well...why spoil it? But perhaps Joan was right, it was time.