A Cloud Before the Moon

Chapter 39

Letha looked out of the carriage window. In front of her was an expanse of garden, behind which stood a moderately large house, quite newly constructed in a simple modern style. The driver stepped up to the door and knocked. A house-elf answered and the driver handed him a card. While the elf went off to inform his master, Snape and Letha descended from the carriage. The house-elf returned and bid them enter. "Madame Patil will be with you momentarily." He bowed stiffly and led them into an anteroom that was part-salon, part-waiting room. The pungent aroma of curry wafted in as the house-elf disappeared through a rear door. Feeling a bit nervous, Letha looked to Severus for reassurance. He stood with his arms crossed, eyes flickering over the eastern-influenced decor of the room.

They both started as the door burst open with a loud bang. Two little girls came tumbling in, giggling and squealing. The first one came to a halt right in front of Snape. The second girl ran into her; they both fell down on their rear ends. The first one stared at the pale sour-faced man with the greasy dark hair, in wide-eyed terror. "Mummy!" she shrieked.

They heard rapid footsteps approaching. "What is the matter, Parvati?" a woman's voice asked anxiously. A swarthy young woman, short and plump, flew into the room and hurried over to the little girls. Her eyes fell on Snape, and narrowed suspiciously. She snatched up both children in her arms, as little legs and arms and long pigtails went flying. "Stay away from them!" she hissed.

Snape regarded her impassively, but Letha called out with annoyance, "He's not going to eat them, you know!"

The woman turned to Letha; at first she appeared startled, but then her face lit up. "Letha! I am so happy to see you!" She lowered the squirming girls to the ground, ran over and gave Letha a joyful hug, which she returned politely.

"You don't remember me, do you?" She squeezed Letha's hands. "Raj and I will do our best to fix that."

"I would be very grateful if you can do so, Madame Patil," she responded.

"Oh, Letha, please call me Anji. You know, you have always been my best and dearest friend."

"Severus told me as much."

"Never would I have believed," she whispered, "you could be on a first-name basis with - THAT!"

Letha walked over to Snape and put her hand around his arm. "That's it, Severus - please, let's leave!"

"No, no, Letha, I am sorry, I didn't realize..." Anjana Patil apologized. "After all, Mr. Snape has been kind enough to bring you to us."

Letha looked uncertainly at Snape. His expression was completely unreadable. "I cannot take you back with me at any rate," he said coldly. "You must remain here."

Letha sighed unhappily. "I suppose."

Anjana Patil looked down at her daughters, sitting quietly on the floor. "I must say, I've never seen Parvati and Padma behave so well."

At that moment, the door opened. A tall, dark, athletic-looking man with thick black wavy hair strolled cheerfully into the room. The two little girls jumped up and ran to him with outstretched arms. "Daddy! Daddy!"

The man took them both in his arms and they hugged him tightly. "Good afternoon Miss Faraday, Mr. Snape. Welcome to our home." He kissed each of the girls, who resembled him far more than their mother, and gently placed them back on the floor. Bowing to his guests, he said, "I am Dr. Govindaraj Patil; I believe you have already met my beautiful wife, Anjana." As he looked towards his wife, his eyes reflected an expression of rapt adoration. Letha had to smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Healer Patil," said Letha.

"Ah, please call me Raj. You are not just a new patient, but a dear friend. He turned to Snape. "Come with me, Mr. Snape; there are certain matters we must discuss. We will leave the ladies to become reacquainted."

"Raj..." began his wife, in a warning tone.

"I will be back shortly. You and Letha, I am sure, have much to talk about." With that, he beckoned Snape out into the hallway. When they were out of earshot of the women, Patil turned to Snape. In a far less genial tone, he said, "I am afraid my wife does not trust you. Given your past history, I cannot say I blame her."

Snape's nostrils flared and he clenched his fists behind his back. Why were they so intent on persecuting him? He had done nothing but seek their help for his wife's friend; why did this arrogant swaggering peacock and his know-it-all wife have to treat him like a criminal? He could feel his face growing hot, but he endeavored to keep his voice steady and calm. "I have brought Miss Faraday to you because of your," he forced himself to say it, "excellent reputation; why would I do so if I wished her any harm?"

Patil regarded him intently. "I do not know what your intentions might be. I do find it quite curious that you happened to come upon Letha so conveniently, at just the time that this misfortune befell her. I have learned that she argued quite strenuously before the Ministry, in favor of keeping you incarcerated in Azkaban. That makes it difficult to comprehend why you would care to assist her in any way. You know, the possibility that you are the cause of her present condition is one that cannot be completely ruled out."

Snape screwed up his face. "Then why on earth do you suppose I would seek to help her now?"

"If you are the cause of her condition, you may have fear of the consequences, of returning to Azkaban. Or, perhaps, you may feel some degree of guilt? Or..."

"I assure you...."

Patil calmly held up his hand. "Or possibly, you have been completely forthright. I do not say that is impossible. Tell me, Mr. Snape, do you care for Letha?"

"I am concerned about her well-being...."

"That is what I am trying to understand. Why have you gone to such trouble on her behalf? Can you explain this to me?"

Snape considered. There were a number of good and true answers to the question, but he dared not speak any of them. Only one honest answer would do. "She was a very good friend to me, when we were young. I have never forgotten that."

"Now that is interesting," said Patil. "Anjana and Letha have been the closest of friends since childhood, and yet, Anjana cannot recall her friend ever so much as mentioning your name. And, other than a random insult now and then, neither could my wife recall a single conversation between you and Miss Faraday. That hardly supports your claim, does it, sir?"

Snape flushed and immediately knew the Healer would take it as embarrassment or distress at having been caught in a lie. "Mr. Patil, what you say is true. But there was good reason for what I did."

"I am certain you believe it is so. I do not require an explanation for your past actions; they are of no interest to me. I do thank you, however, for bringing her to us, whatever your motives might be."

The last vestige of color drained from his face; he shut his eyes momentarily, compelling himself to ignore the obvious insult. It was quite clear to Snape that the man was intentionally goading him. 'No', he thought irritably, 'if he expects to be entertained with a stormy diatribe, he will be sorely disappointed.' "I have brought her here with the expectation that you will help her, and I will look forward to seeing her improvement when I visit."

Patil shook his head gravely. "I am afraid you cannot do that. I cannot permit you to visit."

"What? B-but I promised her that I would!" he sputtered.

"Can you not see the danger in that, Mr. Snape? She seems to have grown quite dependent on you. I ask that you stay away, in the interest of fostering her independence."

Snape considered Patil's words. It was true, he had said exactly the same thing to her himself. "Then I will remind her of that," he said acidly, "in my letters."

Again, the Healer shook his head. "You may not write to her either."

"This is utterly outrageous! If she should correspond with me - shall I leave her notes unanswered? She will..." Never forgive me, he thought. Believe I am thoughtless and capricious and merely took advantage of her captivity. Hate me. "Be rather insulted, don't you think? I told you, I promised her I would visit."

"And you will have the opportunity to keep that promise," Patil reassured him, "but not until she has had a chance to acclimate to her new surroundings and has begun to stand on her own feet. Until then, no visits, no correspondence." Dr. Patil watched curiously as Snape sank down on the divan. "Is there some factor you think might influence my decision on this matter, Mr. Snape?"

Snape looked up at him, his expression inscrutable. "No, none that I can think of."

"One must always take into consideration all relevant data; oughtn't one? I thought you might have something to add."

"No," he responded flatly, "I do not."

"Very well. Then the house-elf will show you out."

Snape stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Certainly, I must first bid farewell to Miss Faraday - and to your wife, of course. It is only proper."

"I will be happy to convey your message. I'm certain no offense will be taken."

"But I must..." he protested, a bit stridently.

Once again, Patil regarded him with interest, in a way he found highly discomfiting. "Why is it so essential, Mr. Snape?"

Snape rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It is a fundamental social amenity".

"If that is all, you need not concern yourself. Good day, Mr. Snape."

A few minutes later, a very distraught young wizard found himself standing outside the entrance to the Patil residence. In frustration, he pulled out his wand, and pointed it at a small tree out in a field across from the house. He uttered the word "Eruptus!" and the tree blew apart, scattering leaves, birds and shreds of bark into the air. The violent demolition gave him

a momentary satisfaction, but as he recognized the childishness and futility of annihilating a perfectly harmless and innocent tree, he felt worse than ever.

Snape stalked over to the carriage, and told the driver to go on ahead without him. The driver was much relieved that he did not have to endure the return trip with a passenger who was so clearly in fiendishly foul mood. As soon as the driver took off, Snape Disapparated.

That evening, Severus paid a visit to Narcissa's old room. There was nothing there to indicate that it had recently been occupied. The bed was freshly made with clean linens, and anything that Letha may have displaced had been returned to its accustomed location. Fresh flowers sat in a vase on the nightstand; a cheery fire glowed in the grate, but there was no sense of any human presence. He sat down on the flowery silk bedspread and ran his fingers across its smooth, cool surface. Bringing his face near the pillow, he took a deep breath - but wrinkled his nose and drew away quickly when he smelled nothing but the flowery fragrance favored by his cousin. He stood up, shut the light, closed the door, and headed for the dungeon, seeking the solace of a simmering cauldron.

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4 November

My dear Severus,

I will not presume to guess why you left without saying goodbye. Perhaps you were in a hurry to pursue some Important and Mysterious Business, or maybe you were just being your cantankerous Snape-y self. Of course, I prefer to believe that you were simply too overwhelmed with heartache to face me. If it was your intention to make me hate you, you have succeeded beyond your wildest dreams. Nevertheless, I miss you inordinately. The Patils are very kind, but I miss you, Severus. Did I mention that I miss you? I look forward to seeing you soon.

All my love,

Letha

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14 November

Dear Severus,

I still haven't heard from you, and I still miss you. I suppose you're not the sort to write sugary words (apparently, I am), but even a brief owl will do - you promised! I am enclosing a small piece of parchment for your convenience. If you have no time to write a proper letter, simply mark it with an 'X' and send it back. How obliging is that on my part?

We have begun retraining in magic and other skills. You will be pleased to know that, so far, I have caused no catastrophic incidents with my efforts.

Love,

L.