The Dark Lady (Severus x OC)

18. The last clue

Her pregnancy was a long-discussed and planned decision. By now, Hellen had been living in complete anonymity in the small Scottish town for a couple of years, and she felt safe.

Her neighbors knew her husband visited her regularly. Everyone thought he was a teacher in the big city, and no one asked too many questions. The protective spells took care of that.

For the first time, they both allowed themselves to make plans for the future, and that included the possibility of having children. Hellen wasn't sure she could ever be a mother, due to the side effects of the Dark Lord's curse, so it was a big surprise to discover that a new life was indeed growing inside her.

The girl was born in summer, and in the eyes of her parents she was the most beautiful and perfect creature in the world. She had inherited Hellen's blue eyes, and dark fuzz covered her head. She slept in her mother's arms, never imagining how much love and joy she had brought with her.

"How do you want to name her?" Hellen asked, rocking her carefully. Severus was sitting next to her, staring at the girl in awe.

"I would like her to be named Eileen, like my mother."

"What do you think about Lily?" she asked, innocently, but Severus looked at her alarmed and surprised at that suggestion, not knowing what to say.

"Why would I want her to be named that?"

"Because it's a pretty name, and it belongs to someone you love," Hellen said softly. "There is nothing wrong with honoring the people we love."

"You are the person I love," he replied, more nervous than he wanted to appear.

"You can love several people at the same time," she smiled reassuringly, and took his hand. "It's okay, I'm not jealous, and I don't want you to feel guilty for having fallen in love more than once. That only makes you human. Besides," she added, handing him the small bundle carefully, "the only thing that matters is that her father loves her more than anything."

Severus placed the girl in his arms. From the first moment he had looked at her, there had been nothing else in his thoughts. That girl was the most important thing in the world to him. The mere fact of having her in his arms made him feel dizzy and an euphoric happiness.

"Eileen Lily," he murmured, and instantly knew it was a good choice.

"Our little Eily," Hellen snuggled next to him, smiling.

They couldn't be happier.

And yet, Eily's birth brought a new complication. They both hoped that the girl would develop as a witch, inheriting her parents' magical potential, which would mean that, sooner or later, her name would appear on the list of children who would go to study at Hogwarts.

Severus was aware that as soon as that happened, his secret would come to light, and he wondered, not for the first time, if he should come clean to Dumbledore before it was too late.

Hellen had left the decision in his hands, saying that they could continue saying that she was a muggle, or even a squib, to satisfy the headmaster's curiosity, but still, Severus couldn't decide.

He couldn't explain what was stopping him from talking to the wizard who had trusted him so much, after all, Dumbledore knew much worse things about his past and he hadn't judged him. But he wasn't able to do it.

The first time he tried to come clean was when he decided to marry Hellen, but Severus told himself that it wasn't worth drawing Dumbledore's attention for something like that, even though it would have made things easier for him to admit that his continued absences from Hogwarts were because he was married and preferred to spend time with his wife rather than stay in the castle.