The Ten Year Hex [Severus Snape]

26

There was an uneasy silence amongst the three of them as Jynx ran her thumbs over the side of her cup. Severus sat to her left, his own cup gripped between his fingers. Hilda seemed to be the steadiest, sipping her tea though it was boiling. Jynx watched the steam rise and swirl before her heavy exhale rushed it away.

According to Severus three of the shadows that attacked The Three Broomsticks had managed to flee. Arvell, Greyback and one whose face he had not seen. The others were members they knew, ones they had worked with. Severus was sure it was an attempt on her life and if the shattered table was any indication, she was sure he was right.

"Greyback had said they couldn't kill me," Jynx recalled, "When I thought Demi was dead. I was sure Arvell was going to strangle the life out of me but Greyback stopped him."

"Perhaps not everyone received that decree," Severus muttered.

"And you," she narrowed her eyes at Hilda, "What does any of this have to do with my mother?"

She had attempted to draw out the truth as soon as Severus had emerged from the pub but neither of them would answer until they were somewhere private. Severus insisted it be behind his own wards.

Hilda straightened and shot a sidelong glance at Severus who gave her a curt nod. She took a deep breath, "As you know, your mother had powerful friends," she said, "But she had even more powerful enemies."

Jynx's eyes glanced between them both. Her emerald and gray inspected the black and the pale blue, "Many of her 'allies' are dead."

"Don't be dense girl," said Hilda, her silver flecked eyebrows drawing down, "Your mother had a truce for fifteen years and that time is up," she finished, tapping the table with her pointer finger.

"What-what does that mean?"

"When your mother died, she made sure anyone with a grudge against her was unable to act on it for fifteen years. It's very complicated magic," she said as if this were common knowledge.

Jynx looked to Severus who had claimed to be protecting her all these years, "So you weren't-"

"Of course I was!" he said indignantly.

Hilda held her hands out between them, "He plays a different role. Have you ever read for him?" Jynx shook her head, he had never asked and she had never offered, "Good, because you can't."

Jynx's eyebrows shot up as she examined their faces. What in the world could they be talking about? She ran her hands through her hair, twisting the ends between her fingertips, "Why?"

Hilda took a long sip of her tea, "Did you know your mother shared the same gift?" Jynx felt her eyes widen as she shook her head, "She did and she had seen all of this," Hilda waved her finger around the table, "which is why she tried to suppress your gift instead of hone it. It had only ever brought her great sorrow and enemies."

Jynx reached for Severus' hand, "But what does that have to do with both of you?"

They exchanged a glance between each other, "I received a letter, one that explained something that I still to this day don't understand. It was just after your mother died and even though you despised her, I remember how crushed you were," his eyes softened as he held her gaze, "It told me that I could never be read."

"You're not telling me everything."

"Some things are not meant to be known at this moment," Hilda interrupted, "Just that your own enemies are not the only ones with a vendetta."

Jynx felt her stomach curdle, her throat felt tight. She squeezed Severus' hand and then released, taking a sip of her now frigid tea, "Maybe I should have gone to America," she whispered.

"I was tasked with protecting you and I would not be able to do so if you went to America, I abhor their food," Hilda said with a sly smile.

"Was there anyone my mother was never able to read?" Jynx asked, the curiosity overwhelming. Her mother had always spoken grievously about her gift, as if it were something to be ashamed of but she had never explained why. She let her daughter believe she was broken, something to be hidden behind closed doors. She was always told to keep her gift a secret, which was why Jynx did exactly the opposite. She wore it like a badge.

"Yes," said Hilda, "Your father. The love of her life. He was the one she was never able to read."

Jynx felt her heart constrict, like a fist was wrapped around it. Severus reached for her hand, his thumb grazing her knuckles as he faced Hilda, the same look of shock on his face, "And you knew all this?" she asked him.

"I knew what I was told. Only what she wanted me to know," he glanced at Hilda.

"I stopped him in the pub the night you read for me. I knew who he was, but he did not know me. He told me of a woman with one emerald and one gray eye," she smiled.

Severus' cheeks flushed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Hilda was not forthcoming with any more information. It seemed Jynx's mother was even better at keeping secrets than she suspected and she knew nothing of these enemies that Hilda spoke of. Her mother's life had always been shrouded in mystery, or perhaps she just made sure Jynx stayed in the shadows. The old witch departed but Jynx expected to see her again.

She began to clean, the dust filtered through the house with her, following her like a dusty old cloak. Severus watched, his mouth opening and closing with the need to speak but not quite knowing the words to say.

She wasn't upset with him, it wasn't his fault that her mother dragged him into whatever this was. It was a specialty that Flora Masters was adept at, pulling people into her plans without them knowing, using them as pawns for her own schemes. Jynx just wasn't sure exactly where he fit into it all.

Her wand moved in swift flicks with the beat of her heart. The shelves were no longer dusty. The spines of books no longer lay crooked and grimy but instead stood straight and bright. The windows were clear, no longer caked in thick years of filth. The many emotions running through her needed an outlet and she did not feel like burning Spinner's End to the ground, so she cleaned.

Memories of her mother buzzed in her mind. The way she held Jynx by the shoulders and begged her to never use her gift because it was a curse. The way she reminded her constantly of what her name stood for, bad luck. Yet she was reading her own daughter with the gift she accused her of harboring and making future plans.

She bit her lip, trying to fight the mental pain with the physical.

She passed the broom which was still sweeping and made her way back to the kitchen where Severus now stood leaned against the counter, he glanced at her before looking back down at his crossed ankles, "I can't tell you," he said sadly, "I can't tell you anymore than what Hilda did and I'm sorry for it."

Jynx felt the anger flare, her hands folded into fists but then released. Severus moved toward her, smoothing her hair and pulling her into him, "Don't think for a second that your mother had anything to do with me loving you. She may have drawn some of my path but I loved you long before and I have loved you long after," he tilted her chin to face him, "You are what gave my life meaning even when we were apart. My heart doesn't beat for me anymore," he whispered.

Jynx felt the warmth of tears prick her eyes as she buried her face into his chest. He was the shape of everything, her very core, "I love you Severus," she whispered, her voice so weak she wasn't sure if he had actually heard. She pulled him closer, but even with her face pressed to his chest, it wasn't enough. She wanted to feel his skin against hers and his heartbeat under her fingertips.

In no time at all she pulled him to the freshly cleaned bedroom, the sun scattering warmth across the bed. Their clothes were forgotten, little piles of fabric littering the floor.

As their fingers traced each other and their lips crashed like two ships colliding at sea, everything fell from her mind. The thought of her mother, her betrayal, whatever Severus was not yet able to tell her fell to the depths of the ocean as he held her. The feel of him inside her caused different emotions to blossom in her stomach. His words kissed her ears on the gentle wings of the butterflies that threatened to carry her away. She was greedy for more of him, she could never have enough.