A one time thing {Severus Snape}

Chapter 54: Mutually Beneficial

Jack looked at the skinny child whose nose was stuck high in the air as he sat clutching a small box in his bony fingers. He gave a silent prayer of thanks for his own childhood and stood forward sliding his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, his fingers curling around the smooth wood of his wand.

By the time Snape got to the bottom of the stairs Sengawas already stood there, her face white and pinched.

"Is it Mother?" she asked him fearfully.

Snape shook his head his eyes going to her hair. Meg had just finished dying her hair and it had taken well, leaving it a deep brown with hints of black in the strands.

"Damien is here on his own."

Senga frowned at him and looked back up the stairs to where Meg was coming down wiping her hands on a towel.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Damien," Snape replied and saw her eyes go wide with surprise.

"Where's Clarity?" he asked her softly.

"Asleep in her cot."

He nodded satisfied and reaching out took a strand of Senga's still damp hair in his fingers.

"You look lovely," he said quietly and not a little awkwardly.

"I don't feel any different." She smiled weakly at him. "You were right it doesn't change anything really..."

Snape sighed and let his hand rest on her shoulder.

"You look as you did Senga, your hair is the same..." He looked into the deep brown of the contacts that covered her eyes. "Your eyes are as they were. Looking at you no one will be any the wiser."

He drew his hand back and was surprised when she reached out and gripped his hand in hers.

"Where is he?"

"In the kitchen," he replied. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to see him."

Senga nodded, took a deep breath and letting go of his hand she moved around the bottom of the banisters and towards the kitchen.

She went in slowly, her eyes darting around nervously. She saw Jack stood by the counter and felt relief flow through her as she heard Snape and Meg move in behind her. She felt their support, not through magic, but just by the fact that they were willing to stay there with her. She looked up at Jack and caught his quick wink; it made her smile weakly at him.

She turned to where her brother sat, his eyebrows lifted when he caught her eyes.

"Damien." She said and sat down on the chair opposite and furthest from him.

"Morgana." He sounded slightly relieved. "Mother said you'd lost all your colouring, that you had white hair..."

Senga shrugged and refused to let him know what her aunt had done for her.

"Have you really lost all your magic?" he demanded and his eyes narrowed slightly "Whatever possessed you to do that you idiot?"

Senga looked at him in surprise, his voice was still cold but there was underlying tone of concern in his voice.

"What do you care anyway?" she heard herself ask and waited for one of the adults to reprimand her for being nasty but no one said anything.

"I don't." Damien shot back. "Well..." He frowned and looked down at the box in his hands. "She said you almost died. You look fine to me."

"I feel fine." She shrugged again and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Would you like a drink?" Meg asked them keeping her tone light and even. "Lemonade? Coke?"