Chapter 69: Back to tutoring
Things had been tense at Potter Manor for months. At least between Bella and Lily. The former was still in the dog house and the latter wasn’t in a very forgiving mood. Rick had to put his foot down when Bella said she was going back to her mother for a while and Lily was way too happy about it. He had been quite clear that no one was leaving home for somewhere else. To make his point he banished both from their shared bedroom to a single guest room on the other side of the manor and would only be allowed back until they made peace.
He presented it like that but it was really Lily having a problem with Bella who while remorseful wasn’t about to take things lying down. She may have called Lily mistress in private but that was during sexy time. Bella was the Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Black and had quite a lot of pride. She wasn’t accepting the way Lily was treating her. Once during a fight she almost used the m-word but stopped herself in time. Mad at herself for unconsciously going back to her father and aunt’s teachings, she left the room crying angry tears.
Thankfully, he wasn't the only one to maintain the tentative peace. Dorea helped of course but surprisingly so did Andromeda who was at Potter Manor more and more. By the month of May she was coming everyday. She dropped Nymphadora at her muggle school, came to the manor and only left when school was about to end. Sometimes, mother and daughter came back for dinner.
Lily had an agreement with the Weasleys. Their eldest son, William, was currently in his second year at Hogwarts and while he was an excellent student, he could use a bit of help in some subjects. Furthermore he already knew he wanted to take ancient runes and arithmancy as elective the next year but wasn’t sure so Lily would introduce him to the two subjects but also the three others (care of magical creatures, divination and muggle studies). In the meantime she was supposed to tutor their second son, Charlie, who would start Hogwarts in September.
The Weasleys had refused at first because they didn’t want charity but Lily said that on top of gaining teaching experience it was to get away from the Manor and Bellatrix. Molly, not liking Bella much for her actions during the war whether she was a spy or not, agreed when she noticed that Lily was pregnant and that all this stress wasn’t good for her and the baby.
The feud stopped or rather Lily began to forgive Bella when she saw her learning how to knit, of all things, with her own hands, a baby blanket for the next Potter.
“That child came to be because of me. The least I could do is take responsibility for it as much as I can.”
Of course Bella being Bella, she had said that with venom in her voice and murder in her eyes but it made Lily rethink her stance on the subject. When she asked for Rick’s opinion, he simply told her that her greatest fault was not really her stubbornness but the way forgiving others came with difficulty to her. No matter if she was in the right or in the wrong. It took her almost a decade to forgive Severus for calling her the m-word when at the time, he was dealing with his mother’s death, the exams, the marauders' bullying and abuse and the public humiliation.
Was it alright to use that racial slur? Absolutely not. Does everything that had happened was good enough an excuse? No. Was it understandable why it happened? Yes. Yet, she didn’t take that into consideration. There were other factors of course but she didn’t try to understand why that happened in the first place and as a result secretly missed the friendship for years after their graduation while never entertaining the idea of forgiveness.
“It’s one thing to be mad at someone Lily. It’s another to stay mad at them forever. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting or going back to how things were before. You forgave Severus but your relationship is different than the one it used to be. Forgiving is as much for the person you forgive as for you. Forgiving allows you to let go of things and to move on properly.
Now, I’m not saying you should forgive everything just like that, as Dumbledore does, but if the other person is really trying, why not take the opportunity to let go and perhaps not only make life better for you but for them? Look at Marlene. She has Ducan and her duelling but she’s miserable because she refuses to forgive Sirius and on top of that still holds a grudge. Is that how you want your life to be? Is that what you want our children to witness? Tension all around between you and Bella?”
She didn’t want that one bit. For anyone. Even Bella. If she wasn’t already in love with her husband she would fall for him right here right there. She had given him a kiss and went on working on forgiving Bella. Starting by secretly making a baby blanket in the House of Black’s color.
By the time both Ladies gave birth in June, they had reconciled.
Bella had given birth, to her greatest joy, to a boy. She didn’t care anymore about having one but she was glad because she already had two daughters. Vega Charlus Black got the dirty blonde hair of his father and hopefully much more of him.
The biggest surprise however was on Lily’s side. Not for the first time she gave birth to a daughter, so it wasn’t it. No, the surprise came from the fact that little Veronica Dromy Potter had hair as black as the night. Rick had joked that Lily had an affair behind his back since she was a redhead and he a blonde.
He nearly pointed to Sirius as her lover but stopped his joke there. He was just glad that his daughter had his mother’s hair. Rose was a redhead, Camelia and Sage had Rick’s dirty blonde hair (and his grey blue eyes) and finally Veronica had her grandmother’s hair (and her mother’s bright green eyes). Rick was glad he had every color in the family.
When it was time to choose godparents, Bella chose her sisters. There was no godfather, just two godmothers. Just like she did for Lyra and Lea. Lily was a bit in a bind. Camelia had as godparents Amelia and (surprisingly) Moody. Sage had Marlene and Sirius (who had proven to be more than responsible enough to take care of a child) She had thought about Alice and Frank Longbottom but they were already godparents twice over from some friends’ children. As such Lily was out of male friends to name as godfather.
“What about Severus?”
Her husband's words shocked her to the core. She hadn’t thought of the man for the job and she certainly didn’t imagine Rick putting his name forward. The idea however had a certain appeal. Severus was already Draco’s godfather and from Narcissa’s words was strict but caring in his own way, which she was very glad about. Would she, could she entrust her youngest child to him? Had it been the Severus Snape in their last years at Hogwarts she would have immediately answered with a resounding ‘no’. But the Severus Snape she was corresponding with? The one that was seeing a mind healer to deal with his abusive childhood and years at Hogwarts? The one who was sincerely trying to be a better person?
“Would you be alright with this?”
“It’s your decision, Lily. I name the godmothers, you name the godfathers and we can’t say no about the other’s choice. And I don’t mind, really. If you’re on friendly terms with him again after everything then he must really have changed.”
“Then… Yes. I think I'll ask Severus. Who did you choose?”
“I’m not quite decided yet. Rhianon is married to Remus who’s already Rose's godfather. Narcissa is already godmother thrice over.”
“Narcissa, really?”
“I... wanted to have someone of the Black family linked to the Potter family.”
“You’re married to Bella.” The deadpan stare he got made him fidget.
“I… understand myself, so nevermind. My last candidate was… Minerva.”
“Huh. That’s a good choice actually. Rhianon wouldn’t have the time, Narcissa is already a godmother thrice over like you said and she has Draco to raise while being a single mother. Minerva is… recently married with no children. She’s used to children… I think she’s the best choice.”
“Then Minerva it is.”
To celebrate the births of the last children of House Potter and Black, in every sense of the term, Rick paid for a vacation at a chalet in the French Alps. A vacation for Lily and Bella only, to allow them to recuperate from the birth, to bond and finally relax without any children around. It was a well deserved two weeks vacation in his opinion.
It meant that Lily wouldn’t be able to tutor Charlie Weasley but before she could cancel the sessions, Rick told her he would take care of it by tutoring the boy himself. He kissed his wives goodbye, warned them jokingly to not kill each other then sent them on their way. Just after them, he took the floo and arrived at the Burrow at the time Lily usually arrived.
“Hello~” he greeted Molly who was shocked to see him in her house.
“Lord-”
“Rick or Corvus, Mrs Weasley. Please. Lord X or Y is only for formal Wizengamot stuff.”
“O-oh! In that case, please call me Molly. Hm… Is Lily sick? Did something go wrong with…”
“Oh, no! Lily is fine. She delivered our little Veronica last week. Both are as healthy as can be! Here, take a look.”
Rick pulled from his coat a wallet full of pictures of his daughters and son and pointed at Veronica.“Aw, what a cute little girl.”
“She got my mother’s hair. Not spoiling her is going to be a challenge.”
“I bet.”
“Now…” he began changing the topic. “I know Lily was supposed to come and teach Charlie, unfortunately I sent her and Bella on a surprise vacation for the next two weeks. To recover from the births in peace without the stress of all the children around, you know. As such, to make sure Charlie doesn’t lose any more time with his studies I decided to take Lily’s place until she gets back.”
“That’s… Thoughtful of you but… Do you have the qualifications to teach?”
Rick patted his pocket and after finding the right one pulled out a copy of his NEWTs results and gave them to Molly. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their orbits when she saw them.
“Because I’m a professional quidditch player and because Lily is the Woman-Who-Won, people are not really aware of my academic prowess but I’m fully capable of teaching Charlie everything he needs to know to start his first year wonderfully.”
“That’s… Now I know why you could fight You-know-Who and make him retreat.” She said her thoughts aloud but quickly caught herself. “Oh, where are my manners?! Please come in, come in! Charlie is finishing his breakfast. Have you had yours?”
“I’m good, Molly. Thank you.” he replied with a smile.
The Weasley matriarch led him to the dining table where all of her children, minus her eldest, were present. Six in total. She even had a pair of twins.
“I suddenly feel some kind of kinship, Molly.”
“Do you, now?”
“I have seven children. Six girls, one boy, including a pair of twins and you…”
“Have seven children, six boys, one girl, including a pair of twins.” she replied with a chuckle.
“Life is really full of surprises sometimes.”
“It is.” she agreed. “Charlie, it’s time for your lessons!”
“Yes, mom!”
The eldest ginger at the table, got out of his chair and turned around to look at his mother. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Rick standing next to Molly. Before he could shout his name, he saw Rick putting a finger against his own lips in a ‘sssh’ motion. Rick didn’t want to bother the other children nor did he want a riot. Most of the children were old enough to recognize who he was and he didn’t want to deal with fans.
“You can work in Charlie’s bedroom.” Molly whispered.
“When it’s such a beautiful day outside? Nuh-huh. I’ll conjure a desk, some chairs and we’ll just work under the shade of a tree. A bit more relaxing for studying. I just need Charlie to take his notebook Lily has him working on.”
Molly nodded and signaled her son, who had been listening, to go fetch his stuff. She then led him outside through the kitchen door and Rick waited patiently for his student. Five minutes later, they were at the edge of the garden under an apple tree.
“Sooo… I’m sure you already know who I am but let me introduce myself properly. I’m Corvus Potter although I answer to Rick too. Nice to meet you Charlie.”
He offered the young child his hand for a handshake and got it.
“Before we begin, do you have any questions not related to quidditch?”
“Is Miss Lily sick?”
“No. She’s on vacation to recuperate from the birth of our daughter. For the next two weeks, I’ll be replacing her as your teacher. For your brother William too.”
“Bill. Everyone calls him Bill.”
“Noted. Any more questions?”
“Are you… Hm…”
“Qualified to teach you?” Rick guessed his question and Charlie nodded. Just like for Molly, he showed him his NEWTs results. The young Weasley had the same reaction as his mother. “Just because one is a sportsman, doesn’t mean they can’t be academy inclined too. Anything else?”
“Hm… no sir.”
“Alright. Let’s see what you and Lily worked on.”
Picking the notebook, Rick quickly had a look at what he worked on. As expected the core subjects with a bit of an emphasis on charms. Potions was the least subject they talked about for obvious reasons and Rick would see that Charlie would catch up with the other classes. Lily took it slow and Charlie was not yet at half the first term of the first year and everything was theoretical.
“Alright. What was your schedule? Did you do one subject a day or a bit of everything everyday?”
“A bit of everything but not all. Charms, transfiguration and defense together and another day herbology and potions.”
“Make sense. Wand class a day, no wand class the other. Alright. What do you want to start with?”
“Charms?”
“Is it because you like the subject or because it’s my wife’s favorite?”
“...Both?”
That was such a child answer that Rick snorted.
“Okay. Let’s quickly start with reviewing the basics of wand use when you want to cast a spell. How many are there and what are they?”
“There are four: wand movements, pronunciation of the spell, the will to make the spell and understanding. Miss Lily said that understanding is not really considered one by people in general but it helps.”
“Do you know why it helps?”
“Because if I understand what the spell does or how it works, it is easier to picture it in my mind to actually do it.”
“Perfect answer. Now if I wanted you to use the light spell…”
“Lumos.”
“Do you think you could do it?”
“I suppose.”
“Let’s see, then.” Charlie’s eyes widened when Rick offered him his wand. “My wife may have a more theoretical approach but I’m more of a do things to see if it works. Keep in mind that it’s my wand and may not suit you, so don’t feel down if the results are not what you expected or wanted.”
Charlie nodded and delicately took the wand. After admiring it for a few seconds, he took a deep breath.
“Lumos.”
Nothing happened.
“Intimidated because it’s my wand?”
“A bit.”
“You're not going to blow it up, don’t worry. The will to make a spell is… a very vast and vague concept. It’s the picture of the spell in your mind but also your conviction to use it. If you don’t believe you can do it…?”
“I won’t do it.”
“And if you believe you can?”
“I will.”
“Try again.”
Charlie took another deep breath and used the spell again. This time a small light appeared at the tip of the wand.
“Alright. It’s good. What’s light for you? How do you imagine it? Cold? Hot? Shining like a star or bright like a quidditch projector?”
“I… picture a candle?”
“That works too. Now imagine the candle’s flame growing and growing and the light it emits revealing more of what’s around it.”
Concentrating a bit to the point of frowning, the small light became brighter and brighter.
“Alright! That’s good. Now try to control the intensity. Make it brighter or dimmer. It’s an exercise about control. Sometimes you may want a bright light, sometimes you may want a very discreet one.”
“Okay.”
For ten minutes Charlie practiced diligently. It was difficult at first but when he began to get it, he quickly progressed.
“That’s good enough. That was a very good try even. Now let’s see something a bit more difficult like changing the light’s color.”
Up in Hogwarts, in the Headmaster’s office. Dumbledore and the four heads of house were conversing about the end of the year and exams. Just as the meeting came to a close Morrigan swooped in from the window and dropped a letter on Severus' head, right before she landed on Fawkes’s (Dumbledore’s phoenix) perch as if it belonged to her and started a conversation with the fantastic bird.
“This is for you, Minerva.” the head of Slytherin’s house said, handing her the letter and not understanding why Morrigan dropped it on him and not his colleague.
“There are two, Severus.” she remarked and took the one who bore her name while Severus noticed the second letter bearing his name.
Both Professors opened their letters and began to read. Both had the same reaction and took a seat in front of Albus. He was very curious about what those letters contained that the two most stoic and hardened people he knew needed to sit down for.
“They had another girl. Veronica, Dromy P-.”
She stopped speaking when she read the last part of the letter. Severus was frozen in place. So still that one could think he may perhaps be a stuffed human.
His curiosity getting the best of him, Albus broke the silence with a question. “Well? Is everything alright?”
“They want me to be the godmother.” Minerva said with a quivering voice.
“Severus?”
“...”
“Severus?”
“Yes?” the man finally answered but his eyes never left the words on the parchment.
“Is it safe to presume they made you the godfather?”
“...They did, yes.”
“Wonderful news!” Jiovally exclaimed Dumbledore who handed a tissue to Minerva. The woman was crying of happiness. “That is if you’re accepting the responsibility. You do, right?” he asked his colleagues.
“Of course I do! As if I would say no to being the godmother of a Gryffindor and the child of my favourite students!”
“...Is it… wise of me to accept?”
“Severus! What are you saying?!” shouted McGonagall.
“After all… my sins…. Is it right of me to accept the offer when I don’t deserve it? After putting them and their daughter in the most perilous danger?”
“You’ve come a long way into your redemption, Severus. The fact that Lily is asking you to take care of her youngest child if something happens to her, is proof enough that you deserve it, don’t you think?” using his soft grandfatherly voice, Dumbledore tried to sooth his potion teacher.
“Even if you didn’t. Does it really matter? Sometimes, good things come knocking on your door. You either welcome them into your home or not and watch them go away and regret it for the rest of your life. Nobody’s perfect, we all make mistakes. Some more than others, some less. Sometimes the mistakes are insignificant, sometimes they are not. If we stop and focus on every single one of them then we’re wasting the precious life we have. The only thing we can do is strive to do better.”
“I wouldn’t have said it better, Minerva.”
“Thank you, Albus.”
“Now, is there a picture attached?”
“Oh, yes. Here.”
While Minerva and Albus were discussing the latest Potter, Severus looked outside the window, lost in thoughts.