Forever Yours

Chapter 27: Re-Bonding & Re-Healing

"Katherine is not most women," Severus stated, as he carefully stirred the bubbling potion.

"No truer words spoken," Christoph said, as he returned to the table where Severus was working. "I mean, you wouldn't have to have a big to do, you know. It could be just the two of you, with the two of us as your witnesses of course...the government official as well..."

"Christoph," Severus sneered into his cauldron. "You're flying off course. We were talking about Katherine's birthday, not the bloody re-bonding ceremony."

"Alright, alright," Christoph sighed, as he leaned against the table. "What about just taking her for a night out then? Maybe take her out to dinner, and still find a nice romantic spot for the ceremony."

"The only romantic spot that I have planned is the comfort of my own home," Severus snarled, as he increased the fire under his cauldron.

"Oh please Severus," Christoph scoffed. "The cabin's nice and all, but it is far from romantic."

"You're right, it's not," Severus said in a serious tone, looking up at the other wizard. "It is about comfort and safety."

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Christoph rolled his eyes. "Comfort and safety? What in Merlin's name are you worried about? The weather? The fresh air?"

"What I am worried about is the safety of my family," Severus said sternly. "I fear that one false move or even one blink of the eye and they'll be gone. Christoph, a year ago this all was nothing more than a dream. A dream that would plague me...no, mock me in my sleep. I still fear that this isn't real...that I will wake up one morning and I will be back in the dungeons of Hogwarts, still in the mist of war. Where there is no cabin, no children and, most of all, no Katherine."

"Severus," Christoph sighed, as he gazed into the dark haired wizard's black orbs. "I realize that you have those fears. You are not the first wizard that I have had to relocate. I seen men go mad by fear.

"I..." he paused, swallowing hard and looking away from Severus. "When I first started with the relocation program at work, I was assigned to an older wizard, who was being relocated here in the state from Italy. He...he had been trailed by a group of wizards, whom claimed that he knew too much information. Whatever that information was, I was not privileged to.

"Anyway," Christoph paused again to collect himself. "He had a wife, a daughter, who was a squib, and a grandson, all of who he brought with him during the relocation. We placed them in a small town, much like Amadahy, and figured that they needed some time to adjust and meet the people there. His family, after a couple of months, began opening up to their neighbors and making friends in the town. But, unfortunately, the husband didn't.

"I would do my monthly rounds, checking in the family, and every time I visited, the man became more and more distant. His wife finally told me that he was still plagued by nightmares and that he would sometimes have flashbacks during the day; seeing the wizards in his home, attacking his family.

"And then we got a floo call," he stopped; swallowing so hard that Severus could see his Adam's apple bob considerably. "The Aurors in the area where the family lived received a call saying that neither the wife, daughter nor grandson had been seen in few days. So they called us, and I made my way over there. Do you know what I found?"

Severus found himself not being able to speak, let alone shake his head, as horrible thoughts filled his head.

"Dead..." Christoph sighed heavily. "All four of them. The wife and daughter had...had been killed with a severing curse. Both had been in the kitchen. Merlin there was so much blood. The grandson, a two year old, had been suffocated with his own pillow on his bed. And the wizard..."