“Well you see…” Sophia began.
“We really didn’t mean to…” Nimue picked up the line.
“Do anything wrong. We just wanted…”
“To get out for a bit.”
“Exactly. It was for our own mental health.”
“Being a target of the most powerful dark lord ever is liable to send you over the edge…”
“Unless you take it upon yourself to live as normally as possible.”
“And that includes…”
“The occasional trip…”
“Unescorted…”
“To the village.”
“I see…” Remus said slowly, “and why, exactly, does that excuse you from missing lessons with me and your duties in the temple? And more importantly, why does it, when everyone here is working to ensure your safety,” he made sure he caught Nimue’s eye, “excuse you from putting yourselves at risk?”
“We’re sorry?” Nimue tried.
“And we won’t do it again,” Sophia added. “So…” she continued to break the heavy silence, “it’s getting rather late, I think the best place for Nimue and I right now is our beds…”
“Not quite yet,” Remus said softly. He was surprised at how hard it was to keep his voice low. It was very difficult to keep himself in check when what he wanted to do was scream at the. Try to find out why they would leave the protection of the temple, especially Nimue. “I believe that you girls missed four hours of lessons with me today. You still owe me those four hours.”
“And I suppose you want them now?” Sophia asked, a sullen expression falling into place.
“That is absolutely correct. Shall we continue this in the classroom?” Remus allowed to two girls to precede him to the room attached to the storehouses that had been set up as a classroom for them.
“Are we going to do the lesson you had planned for this afternoon?” Nimue asked, once again sounding like her normal timid self.
“Not quite,” Remus answered her as he gestured both the girls into their seats, “let’s see… four hours…” he retrieved a piece of chalk and scrawled a sentence on the blackboard:
The rules are in place for my own safety, I will follow them or suffer the consequences.
“No set number of lines,” Remus told the girls as he settled onto a low couch with a book, “just keep writing it… for the next four hours.” He sighed at the blank looks he was getting, “I mean it, start writing, or I’ll keep you here longer.”
Nimue reluctantly reached for her quill and dipped it in the inkwell and started writing in small, neat script. Sophia wasn’t quite as gracious in her acceptance of the punishment, but after a moment of glaring at the blank parchment in front of her she reached for her quill and began writing.
Remus listened to the quills scratch as he settled in with his book, pulling out his watch every so often to check the time.
By the time they were one hour in the girls started to slow down. By the time they were two hours in they were stopping ever few lines to shake their hands out. By the time they were three hours in they looked absolutely miserable and not much was being accomplished.
“I think that’s enough,” Remus said as he set his book aside.
Nimue glanced down at her watch and then back up at Remus in surprise, but didn’t say anything as she set her quill aside and painfully flexed the fingers of her right hand.
“Is Kalliope still going to lay into us?” Sophia asked as she threw her quill down. At the moment she never wanted to write another sentence again.
“I have a feeling you can count on it,” Remus said, a small smile coming into place, “the decisions you made today,” he glanced at his watch, “well… yesterday, technically, were not your best.”
“You know,” Nimue mused, “as angry as you were with us, you still went easier on us than Dad would have…”
Remus snorted, “I suppose it’s good that I’m still more merciful than Snape is. Although I agree with you, if I tell him about this he will think that I went easy on you.”
“You’re not going to tell him… are you?” Nimue asked.
“No, I don’t think I will,” Remus decided, “but you are going to write to your mother and tell her. I’m sure she’ll find a way to tell Severus that will not end up with him coming down here to drag you home where he can keep an eye on you.”
Nimue gave a small sigh, “I suppose that’s fair.”
As much trouble as they gave him, Remus found that he was truly starting to enjoy the time he spent with these two girls more than he had enjoyed teaching large groups of students. He figured a large part of it was the personal connection. The difficulty of the seer training they did with Kalliope often sent them running to him for a reprieve, and he was quickly becoming their confidant. Even as Head of Gryffindor, he hadn’t felt this close to his students. He had never felt this relaxed, this at home.
“Can we go to bed now?” Nimue asked.
Remus shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back together, “of course. Sophia, a word before you go.”
“Don’t wait for me, I’ll catch up,” Sophia told Nimue when she noticed the other girl hesitate at the door. “You going to lecture me about ‘leading her down the wrong path’ or something?”
“Not at the moment, although I’m sure I will eventually. I wanted your approval before I sent this,” Remus said as he handed Sophia a letter.
Sophia looked at him questioningly, but Remus gave no hint as to what it was about. She read the letter once, and then twice, and then read it a third time before looking up, “you want me to use your surname?”
Remus suddenly looked uncertain, “it was just a suggestion, if you don’t want to we’ll throw out the letter and I’ll think of something else to tell Minerva…”
Sophia launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck, “of course I want to use your name! So… I get to be Sophia Lupin?”
“I thought it sounded rather nice.”
“I love it! Thank you,” Sophia perched herself on the couch next to him, “I know how close you and Sirius,” she just couldn’t bring herself to say ‘my father’, “are. It means a lot to me that you would want me to use your name instead of his.”
“I still want you to give Sirius a chance, he deserves that much.”
“I will, but only because you want me to,” Sophia said as she handed the letter back to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Morgan had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream when she was suddenly grabbed from behind, “Dammit Severus! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?!” she fumed as she kicked her feet in the air as she was held off the ground.
“When you stop reacting like that I’ll stop sneaking up on you,” Severus informed her as he set her back down.
Morgan turned around to frown at him, hands on her hips, “I wasn’t expecting you back until tomorrow.”
“I couldn’t stand being in the same room as Eric and Albus for another moment.”
“You could have given me some warning,” Morgan accused, her feathers still ruffled from being startled.
“Well, you certainly don’t look pleased to see me,” Severus commented, “hiding a lover upstairs that you don’t want me to know about?”
Morgan only glared at him.
Severus gathered her into his arms, despite her protests, and kissed her soundly, “think you can find it in your heart to forgive me for sneaking up on you?” he asked as he nuzzled her neck, “what are you doing out of bed anyways?”
“Hmmmm…” Morgan was finding it very hard to think coherently with the way Severus had tangled his hands in her hair. “Oh… I was having trouble getting back to sleep, thought I’d get myself something to drink.”
“I think I can manage to sufficiently tire you out Mrs. Snape. You should have no trouble falling asleep once I’m done with you.”
Morgan pulled herself out of his arms and gave him a cheeky smile before turning and walking out of the kitchen, knowing that Severus would be following very closely.
However, all amorous thoughts flew right out of Severus’ head as soon as he saw the body already curled up in the middle of his and Morgan’s bed. One far to small to be the lover he had teased his wife about earlier, “Morgan…” he began, not sounding at all pleased.
“Now Severus…”
“I want her in her own bed. Now.”
Morgan knelt on the bed next to Olivia, who was sound asleep, “Sev, be reasonable, it’s not as though you were supposed to be back tonight anyways, you can wait.”
“I’m going to move her.”
Morgan couldn’t help but smile at Severus’ outraged look, “she feel asleep in here, it’s only go to upset her if she wakes up somewhere else.”
“You mean she’s been in here all night?” Severus asked, his disapproval clearly showing.
Morgan rolled her eyes at him as she settled herself under the covers, “we were both feeling a little bit lonely for you the last few days, we decided to have a slumber party.”
Severus snorted at that as he changed into his pajamas, “you spoil her.”
“And you don’t?”
Severus slid into bed on the other side of Olivia, “if she tries to sleep across the bed, I’m kicking both of you out. Because, as far as I’m concerned, you can bloody well find someplace else to sleep, especially if you’re not going to fulfill your wifely duties.”
Morgan giggled as she extinguished the lights, “you know you don’t mind, you’re on your way to becoming one big softy.”
“Hmpf… she’s just lucky she’s so adorable, as are you. I suppose I would be heartless if I didn’t allow both of you to stay.”
“Awww… how sweet. Just think of how your reputation as the bastard professor would be ruined if I let that slip…”
“You let one word of this slip, especially to Minerva, and I swear you will regret it.”
“Are you trying to threaten me professor?” Morgan asked as she smiled into the darkness.
“I assure you my dear, I am not trying, I am threatening you. And you would do well to remember it.”
~~~~~~~~~~
