The Dark Lady (Severus x OC)

17. Cards on the table

She had never dared to live in the same place for so long, outside of Hawaii. For the last few months, Hellen had lived in a small Scottish village, far from the big cities, and located by the sea. In that place, the woman had found a new paradise.

The rocky cliffs had a unique beauty, and from the old, abandoned castle it was possible to observe incredibly beautiful sunsets. Even the bad weather was new to her, and she found beauty in the dark gray of the clouds, the rough state of the sea, and the sound of grass moving in the wind.

And for the first time, not even Severus had any complaints about the safety of this place. The village was inhabited only by muggles, but it was not too far away from Hosmeade, which was very convenient for him to escape without attracting attention.

One afternoon, they were both sitting on the stones of the old ruins of the castle, holding hands, while observing the twilight landscape. They had tried to preserve that custom, and whenever they could, they met to watch the sunset together.

"I have spoken with Kapono. He says he is going to close the bar for a while, to do renovations. He asked me when I'm coming back."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That I didn't know," Hellen hesitated for a few seconds. "I think he senses that one day I won't come back," Severus looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I can always visit him during the holidays. After all, I still have my house," she smiled, implying that the prospect, although it saddened her, did not displease her at all.

They were both silent for a few minutes, still holding hands. The silent landscape radiated peace.

"Let's get married," he said suddenly. Hellen looked at him, surprised because she wasn't expecting it.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely. We don't need the Ministry to know, we can do it like the muggles," she continued looking at him in disbelief, but Severus seemed calm and very confident. He knew it wasn't the most romantic proposal in the world, but it was completely sincere.

"I don't want you to leave, Hellen, I want to be able to see you every day, and not have to talk to you by letter. You could stay permanently, in this town, if you like it so much. We could buy a house. You wouldn't have to leave anymore. We could... We could have a life together. We could have a family."

Hellen's eyes were wet, and her heart was pounding. She hadn't realized how much she had wanted to hear those words. Moved, she squeezed his hand and smiled.

"I would like that," she whispered, approaching him to kiss him. "I don't want to be apart from you either."

They got married in Hawaii. Hellen wanted to be surrounded by the only family she had, and that included the man who had been like a father to her. This was also how she was able to say goodbye, at least temporarily, to her friends, and disappear without raising suspicions.

Continuing as planned, they bought a house in the small Scottish town that Hellen had fallen in love with and set about creating a new home.

Severus and Win surrounded the house with countless protective spells, being careful not to attract attention with the magic. To integrate into the muggle community, Hellen began working in the local tavern, and in a short time she had earned the acceptance of the neighbors.

Within a few months, she became a local, and no one considered her a stranger.

With Severus' increased presence, Win was able to relax her role as guardian, and travel the world again. Every time she returned, she came loaded with strange objects and gifts.