Chapter Text
Madalena's POV
Very slowly, I sit on one of the station benches, waiting for the Hogwarts train to arrive. I place my hand on my chest, feeling the fatigue grip my bones. I should have gotten used to this by now. But it seems that with each passing day, it's getting harder to bear this pain, this fatigue, and the fact that my magic is getting weaker and weaker. And it's becoming almost impossible to keep my situation a secret; everyone is already noticing that I'm getting weaker, and I don't know what to lie about anymore. But I refuse to tell the truth. I don't want them to look at me with pity, or become vultures wanting my inheritance, which belongs to Severus and no one else. The only one who knows about this situation is Daniel Avery. I feel I can trust him, so talking to him always makes me feel better. He doesn't look at me with pity, nor does he care about the Prince Family Inheritance; he's simply trying to do his best to help me and give me the support I need. And I'm so happy to have him by my side, especially because he'll be the one to take care of my grandson when I'm gone. The healer told me I have a few years left, that I'll probably last until Severus is 15. I know that may seem like a long time, but it's not enough! I wanted to see my grandson graduate, to see him become a great wizard, but this damn cancer seems to be slowly taking everything from me, and I simply hate it. Because I want to fight, but how can I fight something that's inside me? And consuming me?
I shake my head, trying not to think about it, instead, I allow my thoughts to drift to Severus. Finding my grandson was the best thing that ever happened; he's simply perfect, and I'm so proud of him. Severus is very intelligent, always knows the answers, but he's not the least bit self-centered, and my grandson is always ready to help his friends. I know he would go to the ends of the earth for his friends, and beyond that for Lily Evans. I admit that I like Lily and believe she could be a great wife for Severus. They fit together perfectly; whenever Severus talks about Lily, you can hear the love he feels for her, and Lily is always radiant when I see her with Severus. I'm relieved to see Severus's happiness; he's suffered so much in his life, endured horrible situations, and yet managed to find the strength to carry on. And I simply hate to think that, despite the happiness Severus feels right now, I know he will suffer much more in the future. Whether it's because of my death, or because Fleamont Potter, along with his allies, will do everything possible to destroy any happiness my grandson has, and I can't protect him from now on. Soon, Severus will have to fight alone, and I fear for his future, but I try to remain hopeful.
This makes me think of what happened at Hogwarts. My grandson beat James Potter. Although I'm disappointed with Severus's choices, I know it must be hard to keep my emotions in check. After all, James Potter's cruelty is no secret, along with his ability to make anyone lose their temper. When the train pulls into the station, I immediately remember being on that bench, waiting for Eileen to return from her first year at Hogwarts. And I remember her smile, her running up to me, wanting to tell me the news. But it was then that I smelled Severus, which dispelled those bittersweet memories. He hugs me and then asks,
"Grandma, are you okay? You're so down. Besides, I noticed your sad look. Did something happen?" I smile as I allow Severus to help me up from the bench. I see the love in his eyes as he looks at me, and he looks more and more like Eileen. We start walking out of the station, toward the car waiting for us outside. I'd already asked the House Elves to get Severus's luggage, and I say,
"I'm fine, Severus. You don't need to worry about me. I'm just very tired, and I spent the night reading. Besides, I was thinking about Eileen and when she first came back from Hogwarts." I see a small smile spread across my grandson's lips, but it was obvious that his smile was becoming increasingly crooked. I'm not sure if it was because of his growth or because of the suffering he'd been through. But he was still beautiful and wonderful, and he asked me.
"Can you tell me, was I anything like my mother? Would she be proud of the wizard I'm becoming?" The fear in Severus's voice was obvious. I know he's very insecure, while I simply hate not being able to help him. To show him that he was perfect just the way he was, that he didn't need to change anything, and I say,
"Your mother would be very proud of you, and she was very stubborn, something you inherited. And like you, Eileen would do anything for the one she loved, without thinking of the consequences. She was also very naive, always getting tricked. Fortunately, you didn't inherit that trait from her, and besides, you're just as handsome, with the characteristic black eyes of the Prince Family." My grandson looked away. I know he thinks I'm lying, or saying this just because he's my grandson. But he really was handsome, and his scar or his past didn't matter. Severus asks.
"Grandma, I need to know something. Did you ever think I was the one who killed my mother? That Fleamont Potter is right, and that I'm actually a cold-blooded killer?" I immediately gave Severus a light slap on the ear, but he didn't seem to care and continued to look at me anxiously. And I know this is an important question for him, so I sigh and say,
"Severus, I'm your Grandmother. I may not have seen you born or been by your side in your early years. But I know you like the back of my hand, so I know you only killed Tobias and that Fleamont is the monster who destroyed our family." That's when we get to the car. Severus helps me in, then sits next to me, and the car begins to move with magic. For a moment, we're silent; I know Severus is deep in thought, until he speaks.
"Thank you, Grandma, for answering my question. I had a conversation with Theseus the Centaur. He said I should accept my past, to heal my sadness and manage my anger, but how can I do that? If it haunts me every second of my day." I sigh, leaning closer, placing a kiss on his head. And I hate that my grandson, so young, already has such a heavy burden, and I say,
"Allow time to pass, let it wash away your pain and suffering, but above all, you need to learn to forgive yourself and understand that you did nothing wrong." My grandson nods, but it's obvious he doesn't believe my words.
Lily's POV
I look out the car window. My mom picked me up at the station, and I barely managed to say goodbye to Severus. Since my mom pulled me to the car as quickly as possible, I know she wanted me to stay away from Severus, and that's just so annoying. And I already miss Severus, and there's so much time until the Yule Ball! It seems like the more time passes, the harder it becomes to be away from Severus, especially after everything that happened, and I know he feels the same way. At least my weekend is going to be great, because Petunia and I are going with Druella Black and her daughters to buy dresses for the Yule Ball. Obviously, my mom thinks we're going on a trip to London to study the differences in china with Mrs. Valeria Simpsons, who is actually Druella and will take us dress shopping. This lie is actually useful because it's the only way to go to the Yule Ball and the Wizarding World without our parents throwing a fit about how inappropriate these friendships are. I know that, like me, Petunia is very excited, since this will be her first ball and she wants to dance as much as possible with Rabastan. It was then that I felt my mother's eyes on me, and she said,
"I'm so glad you're home! Your father and I planned a great Christmas dinner! But you spent more time with James, how did we talk?" I pulled my knees to my chest, hugging them tightly, resting my head on them. I just felt tired and had no desire to have this conversation with my mother. And I said,
"It turns out James is an idiot, and I'll do everything in my power to stay the hell away from him! But I need to know, why do you want me to be with James so badly?" My mom sighed, which meant she didn't like what I said, which usually means something bad is going to happen, and I just didn't want to deal with it right now! But I hear my mom say,
"It turns out James is a sweet young man who deserves a chance. Plus, he's very handsome and flirtatious! I don't understand why you don't like him?" I close my eyes, wanting to just disappear, but that's impossible, which makes it all the more annoying. I don't understand why my mom can't accept my choices. I wish she'd give Severus a chance and see how incredible he is. And I say,
"James is cruel. He likes to hurt others and laugh at their pain. He doesn't want a partner by his side. What he wants is a trophy to show off! And I'm not going to be a trophy!" It was then that my mom started laughing, which made me look at her. This situation was truly uncomfortable. And I just hate that my mother doesn't understand me. Sometimes, talking to her is like talking to a wall, and she says,
"My daughter, the truth is, all men want a trophy to show off, not a companion! Even that Severus guy just wants to show you off because you're a beautiful girl and all you need is to choose the right guy, and in this case, it's James!" I look away, trying to forget this conversation. That's when we get home and I say,
"I'm going to my room. This conversation is horrible!"
I get out of the car as quickly as possible, trying to put as much distance between me and my mother as possible. But I make a point of grabbing my things so she doesn't think I left everything for her to carry. When I get home, I see my father writing a letter, and I'm sure it's for Fleamont Potter. I don't even greet him; I just go upstairs to my room, where I throw my things in a corner and see that Arthur is already lying on my bed. I simply go there and bury my face in his mane, which actually makes me feel better, despite the slight itch in my nose. But none of that matters. I knew the Christmas holiday would be awful, but I never thought it would start with such an uncomfortable conversation. I refuse to be a trophy for James or anyone else to flaunt around. Severus truly loves me and treats me as his equal. With Sevy, I know I'm safe, that no harm will come to me. While being in James's presence is simply toxic, I think it could even kill all the vegetation around. It was then that I heard my bedroom door open. I lifted my head from Arthur's mane and turned to yell at the person. But I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed it was Petunia, smiling at me, and she said,
"I heard Mom complaining to Dad about the conversation you had in the car, so I thought I'd come here and see if you were okay. Since Mom's furious, she said she's going to make several recipes with cauliflower." I let out a weary sigh, because the last thing I wanted was to deal with an angry Mom. I sat down on the bed and lay down on top of Arthur. As Petunia came closer and lay down next to me, I said,
"I don't think I'll have dinner tonight. I just can't stand cauliflower, and Mom knows it! This is just another damn way she's getting back at me because I don't want to be with James and I'm dating Severus!" Our mother has always been very creative in showing her anger; one of her methods was cooking food she knows we don't like. She'll also make sure your laundry isn't done, that the TV only shows what she wants, and give you the worst chores. And Petunia says...
"I admit, Mom can be creative when she wants to be, but I imagine it must have been a horrible conversation. And I admit, this Potter obsession is getting really annoying. And do you know what style of dress you want yet?" I smile excitedly, thinking about buying the Ball dresses. I can't wait to see the store. Druella and the Black sisters didn't say what they were because they wanted to surprise me. And I tell Petunia.
"I'm so excited to go dress shopping. I want a long-sleeved dress, I want to twirl around the ballroom, and I want it to match Severus's outfit. Druella said she knows what Sevy's outfit will be, so she'll help me pick one that matches." And I was really excited to dance around the ballroom with Severus, especially since this time, there won't be any fires to get in the way and Petunia will be there, which makes everything better, my sister says,
"She said the same thing about Rabastan's outfit. I hope I can dance. I've never been to a ball, what if I do something wrong!" I rest my head on Petunia's shoulder as I tell her,
"We'll practice the dance together, don't worry, Tuney!" It would be amazing.