The Web Wizard

Tara woke up the next morning and stretched happily. She heard rattling in the kitchen area of their suite, and Severus appeared with a Diet Pepsi for her and a cup of tea for himself. He sat down on the bed.

"Good morning, Mrs. Snape," he purred.

"Good morning....Mr....Snape," she laughed, taking the cold can from him. She took a sip and set it down, then laid back, and lifted the covers, beckoning him to get back in bed. He obliged her.

Afterward their early morning tussle, Tara arranged the pillows so they could sit up, laid back again with a sigh, and reached for her clove cigarettes and lit one. "Well that was more fun than laughing," she commented, casting a sideways glance at her husband. He looked at her naughtily, smiling slightly, then announced he had a gift for her. "It's of a more tangible type than the gift we just...had," he explained, opening the drawer on his side of the bed. He drew out a small velvet box and handed it to her, then laid down beside her again. She put out her cigarette so she could concentrate on the task at hand. She really needed to quit again! "I didn't--get you anything--I forgot!" she said, shamefully. "That doesn't matter, we did sort of rush the wedding. I picked this up when we were at the race," he explained.

She opened the blue velvet box and gasped. Inside was a Faberge egg that was checkered in black and white. Inside was a tiny race car. She had seen these at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and had always wanted one. "Severus! These cost the Earth!" she exclaimed, taking it out. She sat up and he fastened it around her neck. "Yes, but I had a lot of time to save for a gift to give to my wife," he told her, planting a kiss at the nape of her neck before she dropped her hair.

She got up and went to the mirror to admire it. "I love it! And I love you," she said, turning to him. They got themselves showered and 'saved water' by taking one together, then dressed for breakfast. A small cafe was nearby where they had a light meal on a sunny patio. Afterwards, Tara took a cigarette which Severus lit for her.

"So when do you want to go home?" he asked her.

"Home? You mean back to Hogwarts'?" she asked.

Severus smiled at the thought that Tara considered Hogwarts' her home. "No, I meant the US," he explained, "but I think it's something else that you consider Hogwarts' your home now."

"Well it is, during the school year. But yes, we should go soon."

There was much to do at Tara's old home. She needed to get it sold, and they had discussed getting a home to spend summers. Tara had several possible locations in mind and suggested they go visit one of her favorite mountain retreats for a bit of camping. She had a boat and couldn't wait to take him out in it.

"You mean you've never been camping?" she asked. They were heading up a steep, mountain road in her pickup truck, towing the boat.

"Well, not for recreation," he explained.

"It's great fun. I think you might like it." They passed a sign indicating that they had reached an elevation of 5000 feet. "We're going 7000 feet in the mountains--the air is so fresh and clean!"

She was right about that--the scent of the trees was very pleasant and fortunately didn't make him sneeze. They got to the campground, checked in, and chose a campsite, then they took the boat to the ramp to launch it. This took a bit of instruction from Tara.

"We can't just use magic to launch the boat, someone might notice," she explained, "besides, I've always done it the muggle way anyhow, but I definitely see the advantages of the new way...but we can't." She backed up the trailer and had Severus stand on the front of the trailer to release the boat into the water. He was dressed in muggle attire - a pair of cargo shorts and a t shirt - so he looked semi normal. Tara thought everything was going well until she heard a splash.

Somehow Severus had managed to slip and fall into the cold water. He stood up, sopping wet, and Tara couldn't help but laugh, he resembled like a drowned cat. He got out of the water, making a face, his waterlogged shoes making squashing sounds as he walked. "You okay?" she asked. "Yes. Just pissed off..."

They somehow managed to launch the boat without further incident and Tara carefully tied it at the dock. "Okay how will we do this? I guess we can drive back to the campsite then I'll walk back here and get the boat--" Tara said, thinking out loud.

"I can take the truck back to the campsite," Severus offered. Tara stopped, motionless. "Um, I don't think so...you can't drive..." she began. Severus made a face. "What is the expression--I didn't fall off the wheat truck--" "Turnip truck," Tara corrected him, fighting laughter. "All right, turnip truck yesterday. I've done things...I've driven autos before," he told her. "Not race cars or anything of the sort, but I am quite capable of taking the truck back to our --" he made gestures trying to think of the word for their temporary residence. "Our campsite?" Tara asked. He nodded. "Okay, well let me get the trailer unhitched anyway. Come on."

He looked around carefully, then asked, "can you dry me off? No one is around," he said. She surveyed the area and confirmed that they were alone, and took her wand out of the truck's door compartment and did so, then they locked up the trailer and Tara handed him the keys. "You sure about this?" she asked. "I'm positive."

"Okay, see you back at the camp." She walked back down the ramp and heard screeching sounds, and noticed the truck going jerkily out of the parking lot, stalling a few times. She stopped and started to go back up and he looked out the window at her and waved her off. Someone wasn't doing too well with using a clutch. Tara turned and laughed all the way to the boat.

Tara had no trouble getting the motor fired up and was back at the camp site in no time. The truck and Severus had somehow managed to make it in one piece, but she could sniffed the air and made a face. "Did you burn up the clutch?" she asked. Severus frowned. "It's been a while since I've driven a manual transmission," he explained. "Made quite a show coming in here." "I'll bet," Tara remarked.

They began taking the gear out of the back of the truck and she spread the tent out. Severus took out his wand and aimed it at the tent and Tara stopped him. "Are you nuts?" she asked, jumping in front of him. He put the wand down and sighed. "Tara, haven't you learned the dire consequences of being in front of a wand when one is about to--" "SHHH!" she hushed him, looking around. There was a family in a nearby site and the woman had put down her paperback and was studying them intently. Tara grabbed the fiberglass poles and began inserting them into one of the sleeves and motioned for Severus to do the same. Together, they erected the tent 'the old fashioned way' and then staked it down.

They made their camp and then Tara broke out the lantern, and began tying a new mantle on.

"We're not done yet?" Severus asked.

"No, not quite. You're not going to get whiny on me, are you?"

"I think not..."

"Didn't think so; it doesn't suit you."

That night by the campfire, Severus had to admit it was an interesting experience, but a "bloody lot of work." Tara was in perpetual motion - gathering wood, building a fire, cooking the food. Severus was helping, of course, but merely followed her lead, coming to grips that they weren't in a good place to use magic. They had made friends with the couple next to them and they brought over some marshmallows, and Severus watched Tara and the couple put them onto sticks.

"Don't tell me...you've never roasted a marshmallow?" Tara asked. Severus shook his head.

"You haven't lived!" Carolyn, the woman they had met said. She and her husband, Tim, were visiting from the valley below.

"Try it. It's good," Tara said handing him a marshmallow which she carefully put on a stick. He made a face at the fact that he was going to eat something off part of a tree, but so was everyone else, and no one seemed worse off, so he held it over the fire, a bit too close, and it burst into flames.

"Um, it's not supposed to be flambe, just roasted gently," Tara explained. "Come on, I know you're a good cook..."

He eventually got the hang of it, but set a few on fire before figuring out the proper distance. Carolyn broke out some crackers and chocolate next and they showed him how to make smores.

"Smores?" he asked.

"Yeah. Cos you'll eat one and want some-more," Tara explained.

Severus shook his head. "You Americans are too much..." he commented, enjoying the experience immensely.

By the end of the evening, they all went out to sit on the lake shore and look at the stars. Severus pointed out constellations and planets to all of them. The lake was so calm, they could see the stars and the Milky Way reflected in it. Carolyn and Tim said goodnight, leaving Severus and Tara alone on the lake shore.

"You're right, it is magnificent out here," Severus sighed.

"Isn't it? Ooo! There's another shooting star!" she exclaimed. They sat for a very long time, neither one saying anything. "I want to get a house here," Tara heard Severus say. "Are you sure? We haven't looked at other places..." she began. "Well, it's up to you, but I love it here," he told her.

The next few days, they spent time looking at cabins until they found one they liked, tucked into a grove of trees. "This should give us all of the privacy we need," Tara commented, her eyes sparkling. "That sounds appetizing..." Severus said quietly. To Tara's delight, she had news from her mother that her house had sold and was now in escrow. Everything was going so perfectly!

They returned to the Bay Area to take care of getting Tara's things cleared out, and then spent the next few weeks moving into the cabin. Tara and Severus spent every waking moment enjoying their new home. They were always out on the lake in the boat during the day. Tara had taught Severus to fish and he found it strangely relaxing.

Their cabin was a very nice retreat; there was a large wraparound deck, and they had a hot tub installed at Tara's insistence. Henry and Heidi enjoyed galloping up and down the stairs to the loft where Tara had her office set up. There were enough trees around to give them privacy, yet they could look out onto the lake from the deck. One night they were in the hot tub, sipping wine under the stars, after one of their exhausting lovemaking sessions. Tara lit a cigarette and exhaled luxuriously.

"You know, when I think of this last 10 months, I can't believe what has happened," she said. "I remember when you and Dumbledore rolled out into my living room and you scared the hell out of me. And here we are. I can't believe it..." her voice trailed off.

"You can't believe it! Look at the effect you've had on me," Severus commented. He surprised her by reaching for her cigarette. He inhaled deeply, and Tara expected a coughing fit, but to her surprise, he expertly made perfect smoke rings, then looked at her quizzical expression. "I was young once...and well...tried things," he said, handing the cigarette back to her. She glanced at the dark mark on his arm, thinking of things he had tried, and he noticed the flash of fear in her eyes that accompanied the elevator drop feeling in her stomach. He looked into Tara's eyes and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry," he told her. But how could she not? "I'll try not to." She took a sip of her wine, chasing her worries away and looked at him mischievously. "Now, would you teach me how to make smoke rings like that? I never have been able to do that. Not that I'd want you to take up a nasty habit you once discarded...like I ought to..."

"If you insist...I can teach you how to make rings...but I think there are more valuable things I could teach you," he said in a dangerous tone.

"Sounds intriguing...go ahead, I'll be your best student..."

He smiled at her then. "If you get out of line, you might have...detention!"

"I'll be sure to misbehave then..." she challenged, as he took her in his arms again...