Forget Me Not (Severus Snape x OC)

Chapter 11: The French Ministry of Magic

"Marius!" Theda cried as she waved to a familiar face across the busy Parisian street.

"Theda, darling!" He said as they kissed each other on the cheek. "It's so good to see you!"

"I know, It's been much too long!" She said, clutching his hand between her own.

"10 years." He said matter-of-factly. "I was thrilled when I received your owl!"

"Thank you so much for being willing to meet with me." She said. "I'm sorry I haven't been better at keeping in touch. What with work and all..."

"I completely understand." He replied, shaking his head. "Listen, I know you're here to do some research but I thought maybe we could get lunch first. I know this charming little café just around the corner. I thought perhaps Hugh could meet us there."

"Oh, that would be lovely!" She replied. Hugh was Marius' partner. The three of them had all been very close when they were in school, all sharing a love of history. Theda had spent years waiting for Marius to confess his love to Hugh, but he hadn't managed to muster up the courage until several years after they'd all graduated, so this was her first time seeing them as a couple.

They made their way to the café, which was every bit as charming as Marius had promised. They sat outside, enjoying the lovely autumn weather, and were soon joined by Hugh. He and Theda greeted each other with a kiss just as she and Marius had done, and then they all began catching up.

Marius, having been born in France, had gotten his job working for the Department of Magical Artifacts at the French Ministry of Magic shortly after finishing school. Once he and Hugh began dating, Hugh moved to Paris and began working as a journalist. They told Theda all about their idyllic lives, working just across the street from each other, meeting daily for romantic lunches, and walking home to their luxury flat in the heart of the city. Theda told them about her travels, her photography, and her new job as a teacher, all of which they found fascinating. Inevitably, the subject of her love life came up.

"Didn't you reconnect with that friend from Ilvermorny a few years back? The one you used to write to when we were at Hogwarts? What was his name? Donald?"

"Douglas."

"Oh yeah, I knew it was something like that... So what happened with him? Do you guys still talk?"

"No, he... We don't talk. It ended a little over three years ago." They'd been having such a nice time catching up, Theda really didn't feel like going into detail about it.

"You're telling me you've been single for three years?" Hugh asked in astonishment.

"Three years isn't that long." She said.

"Think about it," He continued, "In those three years, how many couples have met, dated, gotten engaged, gotten married, and settled down? Hundreds. Thousands, even. A lot can happen in three years."

"Thanks, Hugh. That makes me feel so much better." She said sarcastically.

"Honey, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm trying to wake you up! You need to put yourself back out there."

She groaned. The pain of losing Douglas still felt so fresh. Not that she expected Hugh to understand.

"Really, I'm happy the way things are." She insisted. "I don't think I'm ready to pursue another relationship yet."

"Okay, well just because you're not ready for something serious yet doesn't mean you can't have a little fun, right? PLEASE tell me the teachers at Hogwarts are cuter than the ones we had when we were there."