Eclipse
Prompt: Eclipse
Genre: Friendship/Hurt/Comfort
Rating:PG
Warning: ANGST
Word Count:708
Summary: Severus meets someone unexpected at a lunar eclipse.
Author’s Notes: I wrote a reply to the Challenge post but haven’t received a reply yet so hopefully, it’s not too late to sign up.
January 20, 2000
Severus wondered why he had come. While the lunar eclipse wasn’t a typical occurrence, the fact that he had come to Mount Davidson to watch meant he was surrounded by people and noise and all sorts of the things that bothered him. He preferred to be alone, even his research was independent and in his private lab. Perhaps now that it was orange was an apt time to leave with the moon having entered its total eclipse stage. Then, he saw the boy.
No older than two with bright blue hair and no one paid it any mind, but it was San Francisco. Why had he chosen San Francisco for his exile? It was as far west as he could go without learning a new language, Alaska was far too cold for his liking and Australia was…Australia. However, Severus had heard things before he left Britain of one blue-haired newborn in particular even that was nearly two years ago.
Can’t be, Severus thought, unable to accept that any part of his former life had followed him to America. It was supposed to have been a fresh start. His black eyes tried to focus on the moon yet kept glancing back to the boy darting through legs before returning to a young woman with pink hair.
Rubbish, he told himself, it was California and lots of young women had pink hair, it didn’t necessarily mean…
His hands slid into the pockets of his black trousers and he felt somehow naked in the Muggle clothing without his cloak. He quickly looked in the opposite direction although that was the giant cross.
“Hi,” said a very small high pitched voice. Glancing down revealed what he knew it would: the blue haired boy.
“Teddy!” called a familiar female, “Don’t bother…”
He had closed his eyes with the confirmation and when they opened, they met her brown ones.
“Severus,” she finished in surprise, “I thought you were dead.”
“As were you,” he said softly.
“I thought I was,” Tonks admitted; her expression very pained.
“Bezoar,” he explained, not sure why he felt such a need to interrupt the second of silence following her statement, “It was a bezoar and Dennis Creevey stumbling upon me.”
She was so changed. He supposed they all were, but he could still remember how young and carefree she was when first joining the Order.
“His brother had died, too,” the young woman added and it was if the temperature had dropped in the clearing.
“Moon!” little Teddy yelled and pointed at the amber orb above.
“Yes, honey,” she agreed, patting his head before looking up at Severus, “He loves the moon, but when it’s full like this…it’s hard.”
Her head turned away as though she couldn’t look at him before continuing in broken tone, “I thought it would be good for me to come here because in Britain everything reminded me of him, but…everything’s hard…with just me and Teddy.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder because it was the right thing to do, he was sure of that. However, she whispered, “I’m a bad mother. Sometimes…sometimes…”
Her hands came up to her face and he realized she was wiping away tears as she confessed, “Sometimes I wish I had died, too.”
There was nothing he could do to help that so he put his hand on her other shoulder. Suddenly, she twisted to grab him into a hug. Arms embraced him and he couldn’t even recall the last time that someone had touched him by their own will. It felt even better than he cared to admit yet it shamed him that it came from her pain, but he knew that pain: had known it ever since Voldemort had entered Godric’s Hollow that Halloween.
He surprised himself by holding her tighter and letting her cry into his shoulder for several minutes until Teddy pulled at her large purse. Tonks picked the boy up in her arms and opened her mouth for what would inevitably be a goodbye.
“Would you like to come for tea at my place?” he asked, not wanting her to leave. She needed help and he realized that at least for that night, he wanted to be the one to give it to her.
Genre: Friendship/Hurt/Comfort
Rating:PG
Warning: ANGST
Word Count:708
Summary: Severus meets someone unexpected at a lunar eclipse.
Author’s Notes: I wrote a reply to the Challenge post but haven’t received a reply yet so hopefully, it’s not too late to sign up.
January 20, 2000
Severus wondered why he had come. While the lunar eclipse wasn’t a typical occurrence, the fact that he had come to Mount Davidson to watch meant he was surrounded by people and noise and all sorts of the things that bothered him. He preferred to be alone, even his research was independent and in his private lab. Perhaps now that it was orange was an apt time to leave with the moon having entered its total eclipse stage. Then, he saw the boy.
No older than two with bright blue hair and no one paid it any mind, but it was San Francisco. Why had he chosen San Francisco for his exile? It was as far west as he could go without learning a new language, Alaska was far too cold for his liking and Australia was…Australia. However, Severus had heard things before he left Britain of one blue-haired newborn in particular even that was nearly two years ago.
Can’t be, Severus thought, unable to accept that any part of his former life had followed him to America. It was supposed to have been a fresh start. His black eyes tried to focus on the moon yet kept glancing back to the boy darting through legs before returning to a young woman with pink hair.
Rubbish, he told himself, it was California and lots of young women had pink hair, it didn’t necessarily mean…
His hands slid into the pockets of his black trousers and he felt somehow naked in the Muggle clothing without his cloak. He quickly looked in the opposite direction although that was the giant cross.
“Hi,” said a very small high pitched voice. Glancing down revealed what he knew it would: the blue haired boy.
“Teddy!” called a familiar female, “Don’t bother…”
He had closed his eyes with the confirmation and when they opened, they met her brown ones.
“Severus,” she finished in surprise, “I thought you were dead.”
“As were you,” he said softly.
“I thought I was,” Tonks admitted; her expression very pained.
“Bezoar,” he explained, not sure why he felt such a need to interrupt the second of silence following her statement, “It was a bezoar and Dennis Creevey stumbling upon me.”
She was so changed. He supposed they all were, but he could still remember how young and carefree she was when first joining the Order.
“His brother had died, too,” the young woman added and it was if the temperature had dropped in the clearing.
“Moon!” little Teddy yelled and pointed at the amber orb above.
“Yes, honey,” she agreed, patting his head before looking up at Severus, “He loves the moon, but when it’s full like this…it’s hard.”
Her head turned away as though she couldn’t look at him before continuing in broken tone, “I thought it would be good for me to come here because in Britain everything reminded me of him, but…everything’s hard…with just me and Teddy.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder because it was the right thing to do, he was sure of that. However, she whispered, “I’m a bad mother. Sometimes…sometimes…”
Her hands came up to her face and he realized she was wiping away tears as she confessed, “Sometimes I wish I had died, too.”
There was nothing he could do to help that so he put his hand on her other shoulder. Suddenly, she twisted to grab him into a hug. Arms embraced him and he couldn’t even recall the last time that someone had touched him by their own will. It felt even better than he cared to admit yet it shamed him that it came from her pain, but he knew that pain: had known it ever since Voldemort had entered Godric’s Hollow that Halloween.
He surprised himself by holding her tighter and letting her cry into his shoulder for several minutes until Teddy pulled at her large purse. Tonks picked the boy up in her arms and opened her mouth for what would inevitably be a goodbye.
“Would you like to come for tea at my place?” he asked, not wanting her to leave. She needed help and he realized that at least for that night, he wanted to be the one to give it to her.