ch 32

Snape's black robes billowed out behind him. His right arm extended towards me, wand in hand. His black eyes were locked onto mine, with zero wavering in them.

My eyes returned his intense look, both of us waiting for a signal to start but unwilling to say anything. My own stance was much more relaxed to the naked eye, but if you were to look closer, you would see it was an illusion.

Snape's wand flicked without warning or giving away the type of spell he casted. The color, consistency, and my magical senses told me that it was a variant of the cutting curse. I deflected it nonchalantly and returned with a spell of my own, an overpowered bombarda. I fell into a rhythm and sent two more dangerous but easily countered spells.

He didn't bother moving, instead he sent the bombarda to his right. In a rare display of pure skill, he deflected my second spell into the third heading his way causing them both to cancel each other out. Then he moved into offense, sending four spells in quick order.

Then our duel started in earnest. We both used spells that would be deadly to normal opponents, but the monsters of our world would counter easily. This was a duel of pure skill, not power. Severus Snape was supremely skilled, and it just so happened that so was I.

I limited myself to not using my more powerful elemental and runic spells, eliminating my greatest strengths. The purpose was to develop a more solid and sound foundation of dueling skilled opponents. I also didn't want to show my trump cards, in case Snape decided to snitch to Voldemort or his Death Eaters. Something I suspected was the reason he even accepted my apprenticeship. He was loyal to himself, through and through. I respected him more for it.

We traded offense and defensive spells for close to six different engagements, standing still and not moving. My personal style lent itself to distractions and finding different angles to overwhelm my opponent. Even still, I did not waver against his onslaught of quick and painful spells. I gave just as much as I got.

Then out of nowhere, Snape increased the severity of his spells. His wand whipped in the pattern of a lighting bolt and I knew the spell before he cast it.

"Avada Kedavra"

A silver shield appeared in front of me according to my will and my mind switched to battle mode. A controlled anger settled in my mind. How dare he. I stayed still, behind the cover of the shield. Before the killing curse even connected the shield, I sent one of my more powerful fire spells.

A loud gong rang out as the killing curse was absorbed. My fire spell connected with the back of my silver shield and shot towards Snape. It was a clever use of a physical and elemental attack. Snape would have to conjure something to block the spell, and it couldn't be small or the fire would overpower it.

An explosion rang out in front of his form as I let the fire expand. I moved left to avoid a counter spell that came through the fire just as I let a flame whip head his direction. The flames from earlier parted as the whip neared him.

I could see he was mid cast of another spell and his eyes widened at the whip. He expected me to still be defending from his earlier spell and couldn't raise a defense. Normally I would have stopped the spell as we both knew that I won, but he cast the killing curse at me ...in a duel. Something I wouldn't let go unpunished.

The whip of flame slashed him from left collar bone to right hip, cutting a thin line across his torso and cauterizing it at the same time. But I wasn't done, and the silver shield that had melted on the floor earlier from my first elemental spell sprang up as a spike and pierced him on his left thigh, deep enough to need attention immediately.

He fell to the ground with only a grunt of pain. Then he had the audacity to send another spell my way, which I calmly deflected as I walked forward.

His arm dropped, seeing that I wasn't actually trying to kill him, although perhaps I should have. Then his eyes went to his chest and leg, taking in the damage. His mouth whispered and he ran his eyes over his chest and leg.

Diagnostic spell. Similar to Harry's wand movements when he heals. I observed.

Then he acted quickly and closed the wound on his leg. First the bleeding stopped and the muscles tied themselves back together before the skin sealed shut finally. He was left with only a small scar, much smaller than the actual wound.

My eyes widened at the powerful healing he displayed, much more potent and effective than any healer I had ever seen, besides Harry of course. My respect for him rose even as my anger for him simmered because of the killing curse.

Next his wand ran over his pale chest, sealing the burn and healing the skin. This scar was much bigger and puffier, a result of the fire, instead of the clean cut from his leg. When he was done, he looked up at me and met my eyes. He must have seen something in my eyes he liked because his mouth turned up slightly.

I turned around to walk out of the room, satisfied he wasn't going to bleed out and die. Before I exited, I left him with something to think about.

"Never, cast the killing curse at me."

I tried my best to avoid Snape for a while. It turned out to be impossible considering we had classes the next day and I was required to sit in. Luckily, Snape didn't deem it very important and we picked up right where we left off before the battle.

The week passed by quickly, my days fell into a familiar routine. Wake up, breakfast, classes pretty much all day, dinner, and then either a duel with Harry, working on runic clusters for the vanishing cabinet, or perfecting my notebooks.

The more I studied runes, the more I realized that it was a broken piece of magic that almost nobody was taking advantage of. It integrated into all aspects of magic, even the more frowned upon, esoteric, blood and ritual magics.

It was Friday when Snape finally decided to bring up the previous duel.

"It is time we stop avoiding the manticore in the room."

I looked up from the stack of papers underneath me and met his eyes, something I had been doing more and more with people I knew were legilimens. I was just that confident in my occlumency.

"I haven't thought about it too much." I lied. Snape caught the lie easily.

"Do not lie to me." Snape replied. "I probably shouldn't have cast that curse at you, although I knew you would counter it. I had to see it for myself, Bellatrix has always been one to embellish."

I guess we're really doing this then.

"I admit that I was a little heavy handed in my reaction. I haven't decided if I regret scarring you." I said truthfully.

It was something I had been warring with myself about. I kept drawing conclusions to people who also teach lessons through power. Namely, Grindelwald, and Voldemort. Dumbledore's accusations seemed realistic after the duel. As was his claim that occlumency can reinforce viewpoints, making one close-minded. It was a double edged sword.

"I can remove them if I want." Snape replied nonchalantly. "But some scars I have decided to keep."

Then he lifted his left arm and peeled back the sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. His symbol of loyalty to Voldemort.

"What would it take?" I asked curiously. The claim to be able to remove the mark was extremely intriguing. Not many had the knowledge or power to be able to. I knew I would start with runes and rituals to achieve it, but what about the potioneer?

"There is a reason I pursued potions so adamantly in my youth." Severus drawled out. "There are esoteric purifying potions I could adapt to my purposes."

Just as I thought then.

"I could give it a go with runes, I think. Probably wouldn't even need a seven count." I blurted, thinking out loud.

"Yes, it is not so difficult for those with the motivation." Snape said.

I was reminded that he was, quite possibly, the most powerful Death Eater and wizard in the country beside Dumbledore and Voldemort. Well, if the duel the other day was any indication, myself and possibly Harry.

He just doesn't have the resources we do. But his mind is probably on par with my ritually enhanced mind, strictly off of his prodigious skill in occlumency. I thought, taking in all that the man knew. It's ridiculously impressive actually.

"Is that how you got into healing?" I asked curiously. In my mind, that would be another route one could take to remove the dark mark.

"Partially. My curiosity first came about when learning of the dark arts, and the defense against them. I wanted to know how to heal myself, and others, from them, should the time come, and the time came quickly." Snape offered but didn't elaborate. He was content with only sharing that amount.

"You could give Pomfrey a run for her money." I commented, wanting to draw more out of him.

He scoffed. "All she does is feed her the potions I brew, no true healing. The Ministry has wrapped them in so many regulations that they can only use magic to directly affect the body in rare circumstances. They rely on potions." Snape said.

I hummed in response. "Harry is fairly good also." I said.

Snape smiled. "Oh yes, Nymphadora can't stop ranting about it. She follows him around like a lost puppy now."

I visibly reacted, something I normally wouldn't do. My eyes widened and it took all I had to not open my mouth and let it drop. "What?" I asked intelligently.

His eyebrow rose, unimpressed. "You should pay more attention to your friends extracurricular activities, Black." Snape said mockingly.

Oh shit, I don't really remember when Teddy was conceived, or born…. Did I fuck that up? I wondered for a moment. It took me a second to toss the idea out the window, there was nothing I could do about it.

"That is a surprise, professor." I commented, and he didn't answer. Instead we fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually I pulled out my notebook and turned to a page that was covered head to toe in a runic cluster that could only be called a masterpiece. It was the cluster that powered and operated my notebooks.

At the smallest level, there were seven clusters, made up of seven clusters of three runes. It is almost impossible to accurately describe. Snape took one look and his tongue clicked.

"Another talent you have hidden." Snape said. It was as close to awe as he would let himself reveal.

"Yes but this one will make me rich, that's all." I said, misdirecting him from the truth that it was my ultimate trump card. My use of it in duels was getting so good that Harry was rarely ever won, even with the raw power he threw around. It's what will cement my legacy in the history books.

Snape's face told me that he bought the lie, but he was also a master spy. I never know whether to trust him or not, so I erred on the side of caution.

"Another reason I pursued potions first." Snape added.

My eyebrows rose. "I didn't know it was so lucrative." I commented.

Snape's lip curled up again, and didn't comment. I knew that was all I was getting out of him.

"You should pursue mastery, after I grant you this one." Snape said.

I nodded to him. "You can test for others, instead of the apprenticeship when you get your first mastery right?" I asked, trying to confirm what I already knew.

"Yes, I tested for Defense a few months after receiving my potions mastery." Snape confirmed.

"I just might have to do that then." I said.

Snape nodded at me and stood up from the desk he had been half-sitting half-leaning on. He asked me a quick question before leaving, one that didn't need an answer.

"Good. Sunday again?"

Harry stepped forward, into the runic cluster on the ground. His right leg locked, unable to move. At first glance I thought I had achieved what we needed for the Vanishing Cabinet.

Then he started moving the rest of his body. I groaned and flicked my wand at the ground, dispersing the runic cluster.

"That was much better than last time." Harry commented. "You're getting there."

A part of me loved his optimism, the other part wanted to strangle him for it. No, optimism in this world is good. I reprimanded myself.

"Yea, you're right. I'll keep working on it. I think we've got time. Malfoy is ridiculously incompetant." I said, ripping the page up and throwing it away.

I needed to distract myself, and I knew the best way to do such a thing.

"So ...you and Tonks huh?"

I approached it in the same way that I approached him and Hermione. And Harry reacted the same way he did so long ago. He turned beet red and groaned.

I immediately started laughing, and spoke again when he didn't respond. "Hermione not good enough mate?"

"Can you stop?" Harry asked.

"I can, but we never talk about this stuff." I said, a grin permanently plastered on my face. "We are still teenagers you know?"

"We don't act like it." Harry responded quickly. "And the world won't let us."

That kind of sobered me up. Mainly because of the influence I had on him, essentially taking his childhood away with training and studying. No one outworked me, but Harry came close. He actually spent more time learning new magic than I did.

"Yea, I'll take the blame for that one." I told him.

"No, no. It's the world's fault, you just taught me how to properly deal with it." Harry said. I knew where he was trying to take the conversation.

"You can't misdirect me with flattery, mate. Tonks, let's talk about it." I told him.

Harry actually smiled then, knowing he had been caught. "Ok, if it gets you to shut up about it." Harry responded.

"So when did it start? And when did Hermione and you stop?" I asked simply.

"After the battle in the Ministry, sometime in the summer when her and Remus called it quits. I just kind of ...outgrew Hermione ya know? That hasn't been an option for a long time. It was good for a little bit but it just didn't ...work in the end." Harry answered, struggling to find the right words.

I nodded about the Hermione situation, understanding. "I didn't even know they were together." I told him honestly.

Harry snorted. "I know, all you care about is magic and Fleur."

I took offense to that and let it show on my face. "That's not true." I denied it.

"You don't even care about money, Ron. Something that drives literally everyone else around us." Harry said, trying to prove his point.

"That's because I know money doesn't lead to happiness. Do what you love to such a level that the money will come." I answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's the point! Nobody else thinks like that." Harry said.

"Well they're dumb, but we're off topic again. Who confessed to who?" I asked curiously.

"Well, it just kind of happened. You would go to Fleur's when she got off so you never got to see us flirt, which she did mercilessly. It lasted for so long before I acted on it. One day I was in the library, she came in and plopped down beside me, claiming that I needed to unwind. I really don't know what came over me, I just kind of ...grabbed her …" Harry trailed off, blushing.

I waited while he replayed the scene over in his mind. In the end I had to remind him to continue.

"And then?"

Harry looked at me with a huge grin on his face. "Guess."

"And then you shagged all over the library?" I asked, throwing the most ridiculous thing I could think of out there. I never expected it to be true.

If it was possible. Harry's face became even more red and a dopey smile crossed his face. My brain short-circuited.

My mate lost his virginity in a library. He's a fucking legend. I thought about the situation. My shock showed on my face, before a proud smile split over it.

"Yea, apparently she's very submissive, so when I grabbed her it drove her wild." Harry said.

"What a fucking legend."

"It's beautiful."

I smiled at the comment, one that is mirrored by most people who see the glorious willow tree. During the day, I was hard pressed to find the small lights that appear on it's branches when the sun sets.

I turned to my beautiful blonde companion. Fleur's head was tilted up, and had a look of concentration on her face.

She must be trying to figure out the height. I thought.

"And only a few months old." I said.

Fleur's eyes met mine and her smile dropped, as if I caught her in something. I frowned and tilted my head in a silent question. She ignored the question and her eyes looked past me to the benches and seats underneath the tree.

"Where is everyone?" Fleur asked as she moved past me to the tree.

I ignored the question for a moment and took a good look at her, trying to gauge what it was that she was hiding from me.

Has she found someone else? Is that why she was so adamant in coming to see me? To come clean. My mind raced, panicked even.

A hand gripped my heart, as my mind raced. I clamped down on my emotions with occlumency and the pain in my chest eased slightly. Just enough for me to be functional, but not enough to stop my mouth from blurting out the first thing I could think of.

"At the quidditch match. Who is it?" I asked, my voice wavering half-way through.

Fleur turned to me, a frown on her face. She looked confused, which made the hand that was squeezing my heart fade, although the panic and fear was still there.

"Who is what?" Fleur asked.

I moved slowly over to her, before sitting down right next to where she was standing. Her eyes followed me the whole time and I could tell she knew what I was asking but wanted me to clarify before answering.

"Just a second ago, you looked like I had caught you. You looked panicked and then you avoided the question completely, you never do that. You never hide things from me. Who is it?" The words flew out of my mouth like vomit, almost too quick to catch. Obviously occlumency wasn't helping me too much.

Her hand inched towards herself for a half-second, towards her abdomen. Then it redirected itself to my head, in my hair. Her face split in a smile as she moved to respond, hopefully to reassure me.

I didn't focus on anything, all I could see was her hand almost touch her lower abdomen. Then the words I said to panic her earlier rang in my mind.

"And only a few months old." My mind supplied. Everything clicked into place. She wasn't cheating on me, something my now calm mind told me she would never do. No, this was something much more important, something world changing.

"There is no one else, silly man." Fleur teased with a wide smile on her face. She stepped closer to pull my head into her chest in a reassuring hug.

My eyes stared at one spot on her, her abs. Then my hand instinctively reached out and I placed my palm against it. My magic reacted to my will and it went as a wave through her body. It's impossible to describe what my magic told me with that single act of truly wandless magic. All I know is that I got confirmation.

It's true. I realized as I felt the reason she had insisted on meeting with me under this tree.

"You're pregnant."

The words fell out of my mouth. My head snapped up to hers, meeting her eyes. She had what had to be the biggest smile on her face I'd ever seen. I felt my own face light up, mirroring her own.

She nodded. I could tell that she didn't trust her mouth to speak, she was on the verge of breaking down into tears. When I stood up, my arms wrapped around her and lifted her off of the ground slightly. Then she started absolutely bawling into my shoulder. I actually got worried for a moment, thinking I had done something wrong.

"Those are tears of happiness right?" I was unable to keep the joy out of my voice.

She was in no condition to speak so instead she just nodded into my shoulder. I stood there for a good while, letting her get it all out onto my shoulders. The dampness from her tears didn't bother me at all. Instead, my mind was racing a million miles a minute as the implications hit me.

She'll become a target, as will our child. There is so much to do. I thought to myself while planning our next steps in the near future.

A few obvious precautions entered my mind. She would need to move into 12 Grimmauld Place, for the ridiculous protections the house offered. I am still tied to the wards, and Sirius will be there to look after her when I can't. Then, I will order Kreacher to absolutely pamper her, daily. And then…

"You are not upset?" Fleur's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

Now her panicked expression from earlier made sense. She was worried I would be mad at this outcome.

"Of course not, love." I tried to placate her. "A child is a blessing."

Her lip quivered again and I knew the water-works were about to begin. So I did my best to distract her, by claiming her lips with my own. The kiss lasted a long time, we didn't wrestle for dominance like normal. Instead, we caressed each other, pouring our emotions into it and finding support with one another.

"I was worried for nothing." Fleur said when we broke apart. "I kept overthinking it."

"How long have you known?" I asked curiously.

"About a week." Fleur said. "I couldn't bear to wait any longer, my mind kept torturing me."

I smiled a bit about that. I would have done the same. My mouth opened to bring up a topic that I knew was on both of our minds.

"We'll need to get married, to make it legitimate." Fleur said out of the blue.

My eyes narrowed, as I knew what game she was playing. "No no, I'm the one who is supposed to propose." I said.

She graced me with another huge smile. "Nope, too late, I already did it. I'll be able to tell everyone that I was the one who proposed to you."

"But I'm going to get teased mercilessly for the rest of my life if you do that!" I exclaimed.

"Deal with it." Fleur teased me.

This is such a Fleur thing to do. I thought, accepting the lifelong teasing I will receive. I kissed her one more time, to seal the deal.

"Worth it."