Two Old Friends

Chapter 14

"If there was one thing you could ever say to me without consequence, what would you say," I suddenly ask. She blinks at me.

"That you lack subtlety," she responds.

"That's something you said to me every day of our lives, pick something else." She looks at me oddly, as though I am something incredibly annoying and she is trying to remain patient with me.

"I would say that..." she trails off, trying to think of something. "I would say that you were the best and worst thing to ever happen to me."

We are silent after this. I think on it, I am neither flattered nor offended. I reckon she's right. I don't know her complete reasoning and I doubt she'll tell me, not now, at least, but the little I know I've mentioned before. We couldn't be able to live with some innocent wide eyed person. Innocent people want to know what haunts you and why you are the way you are, and if we were to tell the respective innocent person, then they would either not believe us or they'd make us out into some sort of tormented soul and that sort of sympathy gets old real quick. But if we had each other, or other people like us, then we'd be happy. We wouldn't be healthy, but we were happy for the most part. We knew each other's secrets and held no sympathy for it, but only empathy. We needn't have talked about it, we already knew what we had to say for the most part and we were able to move on. However, the emotional abuse we gave each other because of the lack of talk was probably something we could have lived without. Yet, that was also our therapy because we always made up afterwards.

"What about you? What would you say to me?" she demands.

"That I have always cared for you," I say simply. "No matter what we dealt each other and from the first time we actually talked at three o'clock in the morning in our third year, I had always cared for you."

"That's ridiculously sentimental," she says. I smirk.

"You asked."

"You started it. Since you brought it up, you ought to have a better answer than 'I have always cared for you.' That's something I could figure out for myself with the knowing each other for twenty odd years." I shrug.

"It's never anything that I actually came out and said, though. I could have easily figured out that I was the worst and best thing that have ever happened to you."

"You're a prat."

"Aw, see? We're bonding."

~*~

August third rolled around again and Rosalyn had turned one year old. She had been weaned and still I was not getting shagged. But I didn't let that get to me, I soon picked up a few hobbies such as hovering over my potions night and day so I could get a raise. I was still out of a job from the Purple Haze and although I didn't ask, Adriana started making house payments for me. Life was grand and I was celibate for the time being.

"Severus! Severus!" Adriana barked at me that morning.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"Wake up! The guests are going to be here any minute!" I blinked blearily at her in the doorway.

"Guests?"

"For Rosa's party," she said. I blinked again.

"Party? Why didn't you tell me you were having a party? I would have left the country," I said irritably.

"I've been telling you this since June."

"Oh."

"Get up, you're in charge of streamers." I was in sitting position in my bed and I stopped in mid eye rub and stared at her.

"Streamers?" I said, dread sinking in.

"Would you rather be in charge of the diaper station?" I hated her at that very moment.

"Why are you bringing in more children into my home?"

"It'll be only for a little while and it's only two others. Their twins named George and Felicia and they'll fall asleep before you break yourself or something. So, get up and hurry. Birdie is tending the cake right now."

"I thought I said no cooking!" I snapped. She gave me a deadly glare and I didn't push it.

I got up and got dressed, growling the entire way just in case she didn't get the message before that I wasn't happy. I followed her downstairs and I charmed the rolls of streamers to decorate the walls. I hated every moment of it.

Soon after the streamers of purple and pink had been thrown about, the doorbell rang. Adriana flew to the door to welcome in the witch, noticeably older than us, flanked by her children and her husband called Jeff.

"Severus, this is Jeff and Amelia. This is Severus," she introduced. They smiled and shook my hand, and although forcibly and under Adriana's stare, I returned it.

"So, where is the birthday girl?" Amelia asked.

"She is waiting eagerly in here," Adriana said, bringing everyone into the living room where Rosalyn sat on the floor clothed in a very frilly jumper.

"Aw, isn't she just darling!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Where would you like the birthday gifts?" Jeff asked, holding out a couple of colourful boxes.

"Oh, we'll just put them over here on the coffee table," Adriana said, taking them.

"So, Severus, what do you do?" Jeff asked.

"I'm a potions supplier."

"Ah. I daresay you couldn't hook me up with anything at a discount?" he said, chuckling to himself. I curled my lip and turned to Adriana.

"Should I be doing something?" I asked.

"Now you want to do something, eh?" she replied, her hands on her hips. "Well, you can go check on the cake for me." So I went to the kitchen and looked at the cake. It was lopsided. But, it had been finished. So I pulled it out of the oven and started putting the frosting on it.

As I busied myself with the cake, Adriana started entertaining the children with a sort of game she got for them. While the babies squealed in amusement, Adriana offered Amelia and Jeff some drinks. She summoned the tray of drinks off the kitchen table and brought it to them in the living room. I was happy in the kitchen, avoiding socializing, and Adriana was happy in the living room. It was all quite well.

Soon it was cake time and I was forced to come out of my hidey hole in the kitchen with the cake. It was lit and the one candle sang rather squeakily "Happy Birthday." I sat on the couch and let Adriana cut it for everyone. Thankfully, the other parents caught the hint that I wasn't social and avoided conversation with me. I ate my slice of cake. After cake it was present time.

"Let's see here, let's open George's present first," Adriana said taking the small box and unwrapping it with Rosalyn in her lap. "Ohhh, how sweet! Do you like that, Rosa? ¿Quieres lo?" The baby started batting at the toy and everyone laughed as I sipped my beverage. Adriana opened another present, this one was from Felicia. It was something that squeaked when you squeezed it. I felt the first of many migraines come along. Then she opened a present from Amelia and Jeff (although in all realness all these things were from Amelia and Jeff) and it turned out to me a picture book. I soon found out that it talked. Rosalyn seemed fascinated with the thing and there was one present left.

"I wonder who this last one is from," Adriana said, glancing at me with a slight glare. It was obviously from her, which meant that I didn't get the brat anything. I figured a place to live was enough. Adriana didn't seem to agree.

Adriana opened it and acted surprised when it turned out to be the levitating broomstick that she had bought a few weeks ago. Rosalyn laughed as Adriana put her on it and rose four inches off the ground. Soon after that, the children grew sleepy and the guests had finally left.

Adriana put Rosalyn in her cot in the living room with a stony silence while Birdie cleaned up the streamers and cake crumbs. I sat on the couch and thought about working on a potion when I noticed how cold Adriana had been to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Where was your gift?" I looked at her as if it were obvious.

"I didn't realize I had to get a gift."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"She's a year old, she wouldn't notice, for one thing. Another thing, I already let her live here--"

"You asked us to stay," Adriana reminded me in a loud whisper. She was trying to remain quiet so Rosalyn could sleep, but her anger was getting the better of her.

"Well, I'm sorry. If I was supposed to get her a gift, then you could have told me."

"It's her birthday, it's a little self explanatory." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, if I have to get her a bleeding present, I'll get her a bleeding present."

"No, you don't have to. It's called being courteous and kind. Yes, she's a one year old, but she's my one year old and I would like you to be civil towards her every once in a while."

"I just said I'd get her a gift!"
"Not because you want to, but because I'm making you! I wanted you to get her something out of the goodness of your heart not because I'd get mad at you!"

"Well, then. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to stop being so immature and selfish."

"Alright, Adriana. I'll get right on that," I said dryly.

"You better." She glared at me. I knew she wasn't really angry with me, she was just irritated, and that could be amended. She came over and sat at the other end of the couch and tried to keep me reminded at how mad she was at me.

"Don't be mad," I coaxed, reaching over and holding her hand. She wrenched her hand from my grasp. I scooted over to her and put my arm around her and started kissing her neck.

"That was a very cute party, though," I told her. "I especially liked the lopsided cake." She sniffed in attempt at concealing a laugh. I grinned into her neck as I made my way to her jaw line. She turned her head on me to say something, but before she could I kissed her mouth. She gave in and returned the kiss. So we sat on the couch and continued the snog-fest. My hands went down to her waist and she didn't do anything to stop me. A few moments later she parted.

"Come on," she said. She stood up and led me upstairs. "Birdie, keep an eye on Rosa!" she hollered before closing the door to my bedroom. I could have skipped.

Needless to say, Adriana was much more open-minded to sex again and I revelled every moment of it. We fucked night and day when she wasn't in class and I wasn't working on potions. It was a wonder that she ever got any of her homework done.

While that was happening, Rosalyn was slowly getting a hold on words. She could blather a few words in Spanish and would occasionally repeat one or two English words. What was worse, though, was when she tried to combine the Spanish and English and came up with her own language. Adriana was often at school, so Birdie and I were left with the child. I often let Birdie take care of her, but on occasion Birdie was out running errands and I had to fulfil the baby's demands. She was a very demanding child and was easily offended when I didn't understand what she was saying.

Not only was she learning to talk, but she was learning to walk. Well, I should say gallop, really. She used to crawl, and then she'd stumble around a bit, and then she immediately started running. She didn't get a good grasp on walking, and when baby's run they look like their galloping, I think, and so I often said that she galloped. Adriana found it amusing. However, this was a dangerous thing. Rosalyn would gallop about the living room and then run into the wall or something. She didn't get a good grip on stopping. And compared with her talking, she'd gallop about, run into my leg while I sat at my potion workplace, look at me as if it were my fault that she ran into me, and then would demand that I get her something to eat. On many occasions I was ready to punt her out the window, but I restrained myself for my sex-life's sake.

One day, Adriana was in class and Rosalyn was sulking on the couch because I wouldn't give her a "manzana" and the doorbell rang. I got up and answered it while Birdie sliced apples in the kitchen.

"Lucius," I said in surprise when I answered the door.

"Hello, old friend," he said. "I haven't heard from you in a while so I figured I'd drop by and say hello."

"Oh, well. It's not a very good time right now," I said, thinking about Adriana's reaction if she found out that Lucius had come in contact with Rosalyn.

"Oh, is Adriana here?" he asked.

"No, it's that her child is and I don't think that Adriana would be pleased if she found out that the father had stopped by," I said, curling my lip. Lucius's eyes went steely every so slightly when I insinuated that he was a father. He chewed on his tongue while he gave me a small glare.

"Uh-huh. Well. Perhaps you'd like to come with me for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron? Or are you playing baby-sitter?"

"No, I can come. Birdie, I'm going to the Leaky Cauldron," I said, leaning back to holler to the kitchen.

"Okay, Mister Snape. Birdie will take care of Rosita."

"Rosita?" Lucius asked disbelievingly.

"It's a Spanish name. Short for Rosalyn," I explained, closing the door behind me.

"Ah." We walked to the Leaky Cauldron. "Two gins," Lucius ordered for us while we took our seats. The drinks came and Lucius started to talk.

"I proposed to Narcissa," he told me without preamble.

"Did you?" I replied, sipping my gin.

"And we're thinking next year in February or somewhere around there. I wanted to know if you'd be my best man."

"How kind of you," I said.

"Adriana's invited, of course," he said as if that'd convince me.

"I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear from you."

"So you'll do it?"

"I don't see why not. I don't know how I'll break it to Adriana."

"It's not as though she owns you, Severus," he said, bringing his glass up. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" I dared him.

"Are the two of you together now?" I didn't say anything and he took that as an affirmative. "How incredibly adorable. Well, if the two of you are together, then she shouldn't have any hard feelings, should she?"

"It's not that she is jealous of Narcissa," I said, "it's that you acted as unjustly as you did, completely ignorant of how she might feel. But it doesn't concern me, so I'd rather not have to explain her to you."

"How very noble. And now you're taking care of her bastard-child. Is it calling you Daddy?" I felt like cursing him.

"No, she is not calling me Daddy. And you might think to be a bit kinder if you want me to be your best man." For some reason, hearing Lucius insult Rosalyn brought up a feeling of hatred. It could have been a paternal feeling and it could have been a feeling to defend Adriana, I didn't know and I'd rather not admit it now. But I didn't like Lucius at that moment and it wasn't likely to change.

"Ah, I do apologize," he said, completely unconvincing. "But you have to realize, people are starting to talk."

"Who is starting to talk? Who has actually seen Rosalyn?"

"People know about her, Severus. Word travels."

"Are you spreading rumours about Adriana and I?" I asked.

"I hope you're not implying that my intentions are anything but good."

"Well, no one else knows about Adriana and I and her child except you and probably Narcissa."

"I'm not trying to start an argument, here, Severus. It's just that people are curious and they are asking me, because we're good friends," he said this almost to remind me, "and they assume that I know what is going on."

"Who are these people asking you? They can very easily ask me next time I'm in Knocturn Alley." Lucius sighed.

"What is between you and Adriana and her brat?"

"What is it to you?"

"Just curiosity, Severus. Plain, blunt curiosity."

"Well, if it is just curiosity, then it can remain so. You're getting married, what do you care about Adriana and Rosalyn?" I kept using her name, I didn't know why. I called her a brat at least every day and I often referred to her as so. I very rarely actually used her name in regular conversation, but now I couldn't help myself. As Lucius continued to insult the one year old, I had to instil the fact that she had a name and that Adriana was a respectable human being.

"I think I have the right to know what's going on."

"You lost that right when you hurt Adriana. If that is all, then I'll get going. Congratulations on your engagement," I said coldly.

"Severus, you owe me," he reminded while I fished my pockets for a galleon. I paused. Damn, I thought. He was right. I owed him.

"Adriana and I are together and I am enjoying it immensely," I told him flatly. "I tolerate her child and I do what I feel is required to make them comfortable in my home. She does not call me Daddy and I do not call her daughter. Her name is Rosalyn Galena Rodriguez and I doubt that Adriana will ever attach a man's surname to that little girl's name, and I will never do anything to interfere with Adriana's choices. If you want anymore information, you'll have to ask her." Lucius nodded, looking straight ahead at the bottles on the wall behind the bar.

"Interesting. Thank you, Severus. I will send the two of you invitations and I'll contact you when I need you to fulfil you best man duties."

"Thank you," I said, already dreading my decision. I turned around and Disapparated to go back to my potion.