Angelinus

Chapter 10

Reflections

Remus slipped into the sitting room, glanced at the clock on the wall and let out a heartfelt sigh. He had one whole hour where he was pretty much guaranteed no interruptions and he was feeling very grateful for that reprieve. He kicked off his shoes, summoned a cup of cinnamon and apple tea, grabbed his copy of Harry's latest Muggle novel and curled up in his favourite corner of the sofa to enjoy some 'me time'.

It had been one hell of a month, he mused, his book forgotten. Anyone who thought raising a child was easy needed his or her bumps read, preferably with a two by four. He giggled at that very 'Snapish' solution and stretched slightly as various tense muscles relaxed. His hat was off to the young ladies of his acquaintance who were bringing up three or four children with what looked like serene dignity. He and Severus were merely frazzled.

Angelinus had spent the first two days of her stay in the infirmary, mostly sleeping and eating and curling up close to Sandy who had agreed to stay on for a few weeks to ease the transition, Thank Merlin and his Hosts!!! Once Angelinus was well enough to leave the infirmary, they had brought her to the dungeon rooms and showed her where they lived. Severus and Albus had spent quite a long time talking to the castle and as a result a corridor with two bedrooms and a bathroom leading off it had expanded their private suite. By a mixture of command, cajolery and main force magic, the castle had also manifest windows in all three rooms, quite a feat as the dungeons were thirty feet below ground level.

Between them, Albus and Severus had furnished and decorated the rooms, which gave rise to some bizarre decorating notions. The first room, destined for Sandy's occupation was very neat and trim in black, silver and green, very Slytherin, very masculine and very plain, obviously Severus' effort. The second bedroom was done in primary colours, reds, blues, yellows and greens. Animated animals and mythical beasts danced and flitted across the garish walls. The bed was a flower shape with mounds of bright silk covered duvets and pillows, so many that when Angelinus threw herself onto it with a cry of delight, she disappeared from sight. Her giggles made Albus glow with pleasure and Severus shook his head in disgust, phrases like 'spoiling her outrageously' muttering under his breath.

The bathroom was surprisingly well designed, a large bath, a shower, separate toilet cubical and a vanity unit all fitted neatly into the space. However it was evident that both wizards had collaborated on the creation of the décor and neither had compromised. The bath was black marble with gold taps and long enough to swim in while the shower cubical was tiled in sky blue with pink and navy-blue unicorns galloping all over them. The vanity unit and toilet were canary yellow with gold taps and fittings while the walls were moss green and the 'window frame' painted black.

"Oh mi gosh," Sandy said, round eyed as she surveyed the clashing décor. "It's lively," she commented when it was obvious both men were waiting for comment. "The bath is perfect for soaking two splashing kids and the shower is definitely well designed for the quick process of getting clean."

"Good, glad you approve!" Albus said firmly. "He thought it was a little too much and wanted to make everything black and gloomy. Black would not be at all suitable for a child."

"There again, one would prefer not to be confronted with galloping equine 'intrusions' first thing in the morning," Severus commented grimly, eyeing the unicorns in disgust. They all came to watch the people gathered in the doorway curiously. "Merlin, can you imagine how it would be to stumble in here in the middle of the night and find that lot staring at you? At least I managed to stop him putting the horrid beasts in the lavatory."

"And I stopped him creating everything black!" Albus said firmly.

"Er, gentlemen, I think you have done a magnificent job but we all must remember that some of the inhabitants of this set of rooms are going to be female and I do think Sandy should have a say in decorating her own room, as well as Angelinus, yes?" Remus put in reasonably only to be glared at by both combatants.

Remus laughed to himself as he sipped his tea. They had compromised eventually, normalising the décor in the bathroom to a pleasant, almost Muggle style for Sandy but when Angelinus entered the room, the charm immediately brought out the unicorns and rainbows, dancing crups and kneazles running wild over all the fixtures and fittings which obligingly turned into primary coloured miniatures of themselves, except the bath which became the size of a small paddling pool.

Everything had been fairly smooth sailing for the first couple of days while Angelinus settled in and did what the books called 'test the waters'. Basically, she was on her best behaviour, acting like a guest and trying to impress them with her extraordinarily good manners. Oddly enough, she was usually female, Linus taking a very low profile during the adjustment period. Sandy said he was the shyer of the two and tended not to come out unless there was a situation where his sister was intimidated or threatened, and then he came out to protect her as any brother would.

Commenting on it, Sandy had laughingly replied that, "they're typical siblings in that respect. They fight like cat and dog but woes betide the third party who tries to step in. They will both leave their argument; attack and defeat the intruder like a well oiled team, then get back to their own argument as if nothing had stopped them."

Severus, as an only child, had no experience of it but Remus vaguely remembered his own brother and their relationship with each other before he had been killed. Sandy confirmed that it had been that way with her brother too, enemies to the end, unless intruded upon.

Then came the night when a blood curdling scream split the silence. Both he and Severus were out of bed, wands drawn, adrenaline pumping before the reason registered. The sound of someone whimpering 'mummy' was not what usually followed such a screech in their experience and both had sheepishly sheathed their wands, catching up dressing robes. Angelinus had a nightmare and had clung to Severus as if he was a lifeline. Unused to such emotional storms, Severus had patted the child's head and sent looks of pure terror to Remus who had stopped to procure a small cup of hot chocolate for the little boy. Taking pity, Remus had summoned hot chocolate for all three of them and they had sat with Linus until he fell asleep again and gradually morphed into Angelinus.

As they left the room, they found Sandy standing by her bedroom door, a fluffy coat thing pulled tightly around her. "Did you manage to calm them down alright?" she asked sleepily. "Good, was it Linus in charge or Angel? Ah, it was a monster dream then. If it's a running or falling dream then Angel is the pilot of choice."

It was funny. As they got to know the child better they had discovered there were almost three children to be dealt with. Angel was female to her toenails. When she was totally in charge of the body, she was so girly it was almost terrifying. When Linus was solely in charge then he was a rugged little boy, shy but masculine and a lot easier to relate to. Their usual state was Angelinus, a tomboyish child both courageous and shy, neither male nor female just all child.

The honeymoon period had lasted all of two weeks before the first argument was entered into. Remus had bathed Angelinus and dried her off, slipping her into her nightshirt with the blue happy faces on it. Usually he tucked her into bed and Severus came in to read a story before turning the torches down to a low nightglow. They had all had a good evening, a walk around the lake, playing ball on the lawn then in for a light supper and bed, nothing unusual about the Sunday night but then Angelinus declared that she wasn't tired and was going to go out and play some more. Remus said no, now was time to relax ready for bed but his reasonable tones were like a match to tinder.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" she screeched kicking and scratching out at him, making him fall back in shock. "I want my mummy. You aren't my mummy, I want my daddy!"

Severus had entered at a run and caught up the child, smothering her attack as effectively as a body bind with his long arms. "That is quite enough!" he snapped coldly, plonking the little girl onto the bed. "How dare you behave like a little barbarian? You will apologise to Remus immediately."

"No!"

Severus glared at the child who failed miserably to quiver or be intimidated. Instead, she bounced to her feet, stuck her fists into her hips and glared back, looking eerily similar. Remus opened his mouth to say it was all right but was forestalled by a raised hand. "No, Remus, the attack was uncalled for, unkind and unfair. You were doing your best for the ungrateful brat and she behaves like that? She showed appallingly bad manners at best, studied cruelty at worst. An apology is called for and you will have it or there will be no story and no comfort."

"I won't! You can't make me! You aren't my daddy; you're a meanie old fart!"

Hissing through his teeth, Severus drew himself up to his full height. "Very well, as a, er, meanie old fart, I decree that you shall go to bed immediately. When you are ready to apologise you may come out and do so. Do you understand? Remus, out." He swooped, picked the now boy up despite his kicking and struggling, peeled back the bedclothes, slipped him into bed and covered him over. A gesture dimmed the torches and he exited, head held high despite the screams of temper coming from the room. Remus and Sandy looked at him anxiously as he clicked the locking charm on the door and drew a deep, steadying breath.

"You know," he said softly, almost soundly. "I almost back handed the little brats, almost banished them into the wall," he mused in dry academic tones that eased into a wry smile. "But I didn't. Maybe I can be a better parent than my father."

"I never had any doubts," Remus had declared stoutly, giving him a reassuring hug.

The temper screams had diminished into sobs and whimpers behind them so Severus unlocked the door but did not open it. Ten minutes later there had been a timid knock and Angelinus had launched across the room to hug them both and apologise profusely. She ended up curled up between them on the sofa; sound asleep and he'd had to carry her into bed much later. Still, the storm had done the trick and the preternaturally well mannered and unnaturally well-behaved child had become a normal five year old with all the ups and owns that entailed.

Stretching and smiling, Remus turned a page in his book then realised he hadn't read it anyway so he gave up the pretence and continued to think about the past month.

Being full time workers as well as new parents was not easy. Admittedly, Sandy had taken up a lot of the slack in caring for the little one during the day but even with her help it was not easy. Still, routines were being created slowly but surely. Remus was always more functional in the mornings so he got up with Angelinus, making sure she dressed suitably for the day. If left to her own devices, the child would put on the first thing at hand, usually shorts and a t-shirt but the concept of 'colour matching' had never entered into her sphere of interest. The day they both realised she had no fashion sense was the day she appeared in a fuchsia t-shirt with spots of red and bright green shorts with lime stripes. To add insult to injury she had also added yellow frilly topped socks with baby pink fluffy slippers.

Now they chose clothes the night before and laid them out on the chair so Angelinus could dress more easily. Breakfast was usually taken in the Great Hall so it was not so bad except that Angelinus was fascinated with the long tables of children and spent more time watching and laughing at the students than she did eating. Once they had accomplished food, Sandy took Angelinus off to the governess' care for the day. Keelie Harkness had arrived two weeks before and settled into Hogwarts quite readily. She had assessed Angelinus on the first day and proposed a program of learning exercises that would suit the child's temperament and intellectual level. It all sounded very impressive and sometimes Angelinus even learned something but it was hard to judge what a five year old was learning. Sandy seemed unimpressed with the woman but had Severus wondered if it was just that the woman was not impressed with Sandy and obviously was not comfortable around Squibs.

They would meet up again at lunchtime when Severus would supervise Angelinus' meal, encouraging her to eat what ever was on the menu. As Severus' appetite was a little precious itself, it was quite funny to hear him extolling the virtues of a balanced diet and eating heartily, but it did encourage him to eat too. After classes finished at four thirty their time was their own and having Angelinus was a joy. They took walks in the gardens, apparated or flooed out to various destinations, including a puppet show in Hogsmeade and a Muggle style play-park in Weston-super-Mare that Sandy mentioned. Dinner again was in the Great Hall and after that came bath time, story time and then bedtime. Then and only then did they get time for marking or essay reading or research. The advent of Angelinus had cut down dramatically on Severus' casual handing out of detentions. If he had to hand one out, it was usually supervised by Argus Filch.

Two weekends ago, a fire call from Harry had seen them all take a portkey to Ottery St Catchpole for Sunday dinner with the Potter-Weasley-Malfoy clans. That had been an experience for both Sandy and Angelinus. The full clan ran out to over ten children, including babies. Both Remus and Severus always found it a little overwhelming and obviously Angelinus was equally swamped. She clung to Remus like a limpet and would not leave his knees for anything. Even when Molly Weasley approached and held out her hands, the little girl hid her face in Remus' neck and refused to even look at her.

"Losing your touch, old girl?" Severus smirked out of the corner of his mouth as he passed to hand Remus a cup of coffee and put Angelinus' lemonade down on the side table.

"Much you know, Severus Snape," Molly snapped back, showing a touch of her old fire. Since the second war, Molly had shrunk with age and sorrow, losing her belligerence and growing introverted. Her medi-witch had diagnosed depression but everyone around knew it was more like deep unremitting sorrow that weighed the once rotund and strong woman down. Only occasionally did she show a flash of spirit and it was usually only when Severus needled her over one thing or another.

Sandy had thoroughly enjoyed being part of the loud, laughing crowd of people who took her straight into their midst and made her welcome. Much as she had enjoyed her time at Hogwarts, she was always acutely aware that she had no magic in a school full of powerful kids. Here there were Magicals, very ordinary children, some powerful wizards and witches and a couple of truly adorable babies. A tall blonde woman introduced herself as the only genuine Muggle in the lot, in the same tone as one might say 'a rose between the thorns'. Desiree took Sandy under her wing and looked after her all during the free-for-all that dinner turned out to be. Even the blind guy was not spared from the push and shove of the exuberant crowd but he didn't seem to mind, 'pushing and shoving with the best of them' she'd remarked on the way home.

Finally, last week, Sandy had decided it was time she left them to take up her own life. She had approached them on the Saturday night after dinner and bedtime rituals. Remus had been sad that she wanted to leave but Severus was more interested in where she thought she was going to go and how she was going to survive once she got there. Sandy laughed at him, telling them about her plans to get a job in a London hospital, save some cash and then go to University to study Psychology.

"Why get a job first?" Severus asked in his usual blunt style.

"Moolah; no dollars, no eats," Sandy said derisively.

"Oh, is that all. You know Lachrima would be most distressed if we did not take care of your needs, including school fees. After you have had to abandon your life to take care of hers. Which University do you want to go to? Oxford? Humm, didn't Bartholomew Trews from Ravenclaw end up lecturing there in something or other? I should give him a call."

"Whoa, hang on! Are you offering to pay my University fees? But that's thousands and thousands of pounds!" Sandy gasped.

"Humm and you will of course need to live on campus. It shouldn't be too hard to accomplish," Severus muttered, ignoring her exclamations.

"Get real! You can't be expected to pay for me on a school teacher's wage; even my parents can't afford the fees they charge at Oxford for overseas students." Sandy protested, over-riding his musing.

"I should think not," Severus, said affronted. "They only pay a pittance here, hardly worth it. My dear girl, you don't think this teaching post is my only source of income, do you?" He sighed when she nodded tentatively. "Oh dear, much as I hate to admit it, I am the Head of my Family these days and all the titles and entails have devolved to me. Technically, I suppose, I am Lord Snape in our world and the Earl of Snape as well as Viscount Hardington in your world, until the formal adoption of Linus then he gets the Viscount title. And if I had managed to become a vampire, there's a European title, monies and lands waiting to be claimed too." He bridled huffily under her incredulous gaze. "Sorry, it's not my fault. So, a few measly pounds on education are neither here nor there."

The argument had grown quite heated but Severus prevailed simply by ignoring her and making the arrangements through Gringott's. Remus had advised Sandy to simply give in gracefully and let Severus enjoy himself. Money smoothed the bumps in the road and before Sandy's head could stop spinning, she had applied and was accepted to commence her further education in the following September at the college of her dreams, without the hassle of trying to balance a job and study.

They gave her a farewell party on her last night, the twins growing weepy toward the end but they seemed resigned. Severus gave both Sandy and the twins what looked like Muggle clipboards with a single sheet of paper, some bright buttons on the top and an attached Muggle quill.

"See, if Sandy writes on her board, then pressed the owl button." He gestured for her to write something. "It appears on your board, see? And if you write on your board and owl it, it appears on her board. To save the letters for later you press the keeper key and it is stored until you want to get rid of it. To throw out the old letters, you press the retrieve key and use the arrow keys to go through the pages. You simply press the sanding wand to erase the page."

"And it will work in Oxford?" Sandy asked, glancing up impressed.

"It most certainly will. You can also use it as a note taker," Remus told her, handing her another parcel that looked like a folder of ten pence stamps. "Here are ten inactive portkeys, for emergency use only. Each one is keyed to your saliva. To activate it, lick your finger and put it onto the picture and it will bring you to the Three Broomsticks. Rosemerta will contact us for you as soon as you arrive. Don't lose them and don't post any letters with them." He warned cheerfully.

They had escorted Sandy to the railway station in Hogsmeade next day, the twins giving her a tearful farewell and made her promise to come back on Saturday for a visit.

And now they were on their own. The children were entirely theirs to care for and raise and he hoped someone was watching over them because the responsibility was enormous and mistakes could be disastrous!