After dinner, everyone withdrew to the living room with their desserts – tubs of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream of different flavours, and of course, Meredith's scones. The ladies sat together in one long couch while Harry and Ron occupied another long couch opposite them, enjoying their ice-cream.
"Your scone with strawberry jam and extra cream, my lady," Snape said as he offered his wife a scone.
"Thank you, love. It always tastes extra delicious when made by the husband," she winks at him in gratitude.
"Four years and I honestly still don't understand your AWFUL obsession of scones for every meal and every part of the meal," Snape said, stressing on the words 'awful' with a frown, as he took his seat on his reading couch opposite the ladies, Scotch in hand.
"Four years and I still love your honesty about my awful obsession," Meredith countered playfully as she took a bite of her scones.
Honesty. The word hit Snape hard and he downed his Scotch in regret and shame at having lied to her, or never fully telling her the truth about himself.
"Slow down there, tiger," Meredith said, as she had always known her husband to be someone who loved to take it slow and steady with his Scotch.
"I was a wizard," he said out of the blue, looking straight into his wife's eyes with a guilty look. Deafening silence ensued as all eyes were now focused on them.
"And I was Cinderella's fairy godmother," she added, sounding serious too, but then laughed as she took another bite of her scone, loving her husband's spontaneous humour. Hermione found it very funny but she dared not laugh, for she knew her former professor was serious.
"I haven't really been honest with you, Mer," he confessed. Meredith swallowed whatever she had in her mouth while eyeing her husband with a somewhat confused and a questioning look.
"We'll excuse ourselves to allow you both to talk in private," Minerva said and got up from the couch.
"You don't have to. You can stay," Severus told her. Turning to his wife again who was still quiet, "Mer, I came from a different world. I was a wizard."
"What... do you mean... you were a wizard?"
Snape got up and knelt in front of her. He took her hands and she knew this was a serious conversation. He continued, "I come from the wizarding world. I knew magic. Spells. Charms. Curses. Hexes. And other magical stuff."
"Is this... Bruce's idea of pranking your wife?" Meredith asked incredulously.
Not giving up on trying to make her understand, Snape asked, "What do you remember from this afternoon?"
Meredith appeared thinking.
"After coming home from shopping, I found a man, your friend from the café whom I said I didn't like,"
"Lionel."
"Yes. Lionel. He got all grabby, I didn't like it. I tried to fight back but I was no match to his manly strength. I ran to the kitchen. He caught up with me and grabbed me by the hair. I lost my balance. I fell. My head hit the counter. I remember seeing blood flowing down my face and I could feel it coming out from my nose. It was... painful," she grimaced in pain and continued, "Then, I heard him mutter something weird and after that I couldn't move at all. And I don't know what happened after that until you came."
"How does your body feel now? Any pain? Any pain at all? Your head? I found you bleeding on your head."
"It feels... OK. I don't feel any pain at all," Meredith responded. She traced her fingers on her temple and her head, "There isn't any scar. No pain. Like it didn't happen. But it did. It did, Sev," she cried, her hands cupping her husband's face as if trying to convince him. She realised now that everyone was looking at her, not saying anything. A tear fell from her eye. She felt stupid that everybody did not seem to believe her story. She turned to look into her husband's eyes as her voice croaked, "I'm not crazy. I didn't make this up."
"You are not crazy. Not at all," Snape assured her as his thumbs wiped the flowing tears on her face. "There are people with magical abilities, Mer. People without it are called Muggles. You're a Muggle, for example. Hermione's parents are Muggles. Even Harry's maternal family is Muggle. I... I'm half-Muggle too," he explained. She was silent still. "This evening, when you were attacked, you were under a paralysis spell when we found you. Lionel must have cast that spell to render you powerless. Minerva took you out of that spell."
"Minerva?" Meredith said, looking at the lady. She just nodded.
"And your pain... Hermione used her healing spell to heal you," her husband added.
"So, you both are..." Meredith tried to guess...
"Witches, yes," Hermione confirmed.
"And we are wizards," Harry and Ron said, almost simultaneously. "We put the place back together, it was a mess when we got here," Harry added.
"I... I need some air," Meredith said and then stood up. She opened the door and went outside, leaving Severus and their guests inside.
She sat on the bench where her little flower garden was. She shuddered as she crossed her arms on her chest, trying to keep warm. The night breeze brushed against her exposed skin. Her dress was made only made of thin material. Her lips quivered. Her face felt cold in her hands as she wiped her tears away. Then, a shawl was draped around her.
"I know it must have been too much to take," Snape said as he took his seat close to her. "If magic is what scared you..."
"Was that what you thought made me so upset, Severus?" Meredith questioned. "Magic? I don't care what you were. Even if you used to be a mafia leader, or an escaped convict, I just don't care at all. I just couldn't understand why you lied about yourself."
"I didn't lie to you, Meredith. I just... did not tell you the whole truth about myself."
"And how is that different from lying, Severus?" she countered. "I'm not upset about you being a wizard once, even if you still are. I'm just upset because you lied about it. I'm an orphan, Sev. Yes, I considered the nuns who raised me as my family. I considered my colleagues as my family too. But they are... still other people who have their own families, to whom they have natural familial obligation. You...," she poked his chest repeatedly, "You are my ONLY real family, Sev. If you don't find me worthy to be trusted..."
"I trust you with all my heart," Snape interrupted as he cupped her face in his hands. "I'm sorry I lied about who I was. I hated the old Severus. He was a miserable guy. A dejected loner. I escaped from my wizarding home because I wanted to leave that wretched guy behind. I wanted to forget he ever existed. I was in doubt of my future when I wandered that alley four years ago, but you found me, took me in, and loved me. You, Meredith, loved me more than I thought I deserved, and no one, no one in my past had ever loved me even a little. I had to hate everyone just so that I wouldn't feel bad being hated by them. But you, you showed me love even before you knew my name, when you found me broken. You patched me up. Not even magic can do that to me. You are an incredible woman, Meredith, and I cannot thank God enough for making you a part of me. I hid my past from you because... I wanted to hide it from myself. I'm sorry for being selfish."
"They were just idiots who did not know how to appreciate a great person like you," Meredith replied. She kissed him and did not break it for a long time, as if trying to show how she appreciated him. She was lost in the heat of the moment she did not feel cold anymore. "You'll love your anniversary present next week, I guarantee that. You're hard to please with presents but you'll love it," she said when she finally pulled her face from his.
"I haven't got you anything."
"You have. You."
"Forever the hopeless romantic one, are you?" Snape teased.
"Thank you, Mr. Wizard. Do you... still... practice it? Magic?"
"No," he shook his head. "Haven't used it since you found me that fateful day. You used your own magic in your own way to make me the man I am today, Meredith. I live this wonderful life because of you, and... until the day I breathe my last, I will allow no harm to befall you."
"You're so sweet... so sweet I might get diabetes." And she kissed him again.
"I was... a renowned Potions Master... If I... practice it... again... I am more than capable... to find you a cure," he said in between kisses.
"Let's get inside. The others might be worried. And I don't think our neighbours would appreciate our public display of affection," Meredith told her husband. Snape smirked naughtily.
When they entered the house again, Minerva, Hermione, Ron, and Harry immediately stood up and looked at them. They had the looks on their faces, all over which was written worried. Meredith could not blame them. They might have thought they were getting a divorce or something over a silly argument. She smiled at them, the same sweet smile they had seen earlier today, and with excitement in her eyes asked, "So who... wants to show Professor Snape's wife some magic tricks?"
The others looked at her in surprise and then it dawned on them everything was alright. They breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll gladly teach you some useful spells but I'll let these three teach you some... tricks," Minerva winked at her.
"I'll teach you beautification spell!" Hermione suggested. "Not that you're not already beautiful but you can always be more beautiful," she corrected herself.
"And I can teach you some charms to charm your man more," Ron grinned. Snape just gave him a smug look.
"Name any tricks you'd like to learn, it will be my honour to teach the spouse of my former teacher," Harry said.
Meredith laughed at their eagerness, "No, just show me some. I don't need to learn. I'm married to a wizard already. He can magic things up for me. Hahaha!"
"I said I WAS a wizard," Snape protested.
"Can't you be one again?" Meredith said, disappointed.
"If need be. I have you. And you're the only magic I need," her husband replied, kissing her hand. "Alright, excuse me, please carry on showing my wife some... magic. I need to take a nice shower, it's been a long day." With that, he walked into their bedroom, leaving his wife to enjoy her own private magic show.