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Epilogue II – Bríd's Tale

"Severus, we must do it. Now that our children are still small." Said his wife, putting her palm onto his knee.

"I suppose we must." He said, staring at the floor in between his legs. "Send owl to the Potters."

"How lovely to see you, Professor!" Ginny cried and shook hands with the guests. Sinéad requited her hostess' smile and was ushered into a nice large house full of light. Her husband walked behind her like a ghost and pretended this visit wasn't concerning him at all.

"I must say we were quite shocked when we read your letter, Professor." Ginny said with a soft smile and by waving her hand, offered her guests a selection of afternoon tea and sandwiches.

"I guess so, I'm sorry, if your husband doesn't wish to deal with my husband I fully understand–"

"Nonsense!" Cried Harry enthusiastically from the doorway and walked in casually. Both Sinéad and Severus rose to shake hands with him, but Harry threw himself forward into a warm hug.

"It's good to see you, Headmaster." He said, his voice muffled. Severus felt almost ashamed by this sudden influx of emotions and thus only patted Potter on his back. Harry finally let go off Snape and sat on the couch next to his wife.

"So, what can we do for you?"

"Well, you see, Potter, it's quite delicate and awfully personal, I don't think I'll express myself clearly without any necessary embarrassment in my voice–"

"The point is," his wife interrupted him and looked at Harry, "we've got two small children now and we'll soon need to… go public with them, you see, going shopping or whatever, and we don't want anyone attacking their father with or without a wand for what he'd done–"

"They could get it wrong, you see." Added Snape and wiggled uncomfortably.

"Yeah, just for the children– I mean, thinking about the children–" His wife smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, naturally," Harry agreed with a smile, looking understandingly from Mr to Mrs Snape and back. His wife was nodding thoughtfully and was smiling as well. Suddenly, Harry's understanding smile vanished and he looked blankly at the couple: "And what do you need from me?"

"Some sort of public purification, you see… Just thinking of the children, of course, be it for myself I would have never–"

"Of course," Harry interrupted him and nodded, "anytime. Anytime!"

"And I mean, if Granger could also… As I understand she's now close to be elected a Minister for Magic… I mean, that would really help…"

"Yeah, she'd be delighted!" Harry said hurriedly. "She's not been thinking of anything else."

The awkwardness could be almost visible in the room.

"Thanks, I mean, thank you a lot, Potter– I mean, Harry–"

"Potter is fine, really," Harry gave a nervous laugh, "Potter's brilliant actually…"

"Isn't it Teddy Lupin?" Sinéad cried and pointed at a moving photograph standing on the shelf of the living room. There was a little boy, smiling, about five or four years of age, and his hair colour was constantly changing.

"Yeah, it is." Harry smiled proudly. "I'm his godfather."

"How nice!" Sinéad exclaimed, mainly to diffuse the tension. "What a lovely boy!"

"Yeah, lovely." Severus was agreeing with his wife, however, his feeble attempt seemed to him blank and embarrassing.

"And you have how many kids?" Asked Ginny, attempting to be polite and not knowing what else to say.

"Two actually," Sinéad beamed and pressed her husband's hand, "there's Finn, he's five, and then there's Bríd, she's a little devil, she's just been born–"

"Oh, the same as James Sirius!" Cried Ginny. The bond of motherhood was established. The husbands could only watch the two women coaxing and chattering about their newborn babies. The men looked awkwardly at one another. Then Severus stretched out his hand.

"Thank you Harry. For everything."

"Yeah– No, it's you. Thank you, Severus. The victory wouldn't have been without you."

The two men hugged one another again. And it wasn't awkward this time.

Bríd was the exact counterpart of her brother. She was fierce, passionate, impatient, hot-headed and self-important. Sinéad used to say quite often that Bríd was all the aspects of her husband's temper incarnated. Bríd had a very very thick shiny black curly hair and sharp green eyes. She was bossy and it was easy to offend her. Sinéad had quite a hard time during Bríd's early infancy because Bríd never seemed to obey her mother's orders. Bríd would run through the house, screaming, throwing down everything that was put into her way. However, she feared her father quite a lot when she was little, so that was a tool to use at least when Bríd was ill-mannered, however, Sinéad wasn't quite sure why did the child feared its father so much. Have you done something to her darling? Sinéad asked her husband several times, and he always responded negatively. Bríd was quite talented in terms of singing and dancing, she learned to play the piano very well. She was very artistic and very creative. When she was a child, both her parents considered it welcome that their daughter had something to amuse herself with, but what they didn't expect was that this fancy of Bríd's would last even up to her Hogwarts' attendance years. Bríd was a very clever student, but she was very cunning and she hated authority in general, so she could be very naughty sometimes and ended up in detention a lot. She immediately understood the purpose of the tasks the teachers were assigning and when she reckoned it to be too stupid, she didn't bother. She was a very fierce user of her ebony black wand which was thin and long, and all the other kids were avoiding any conflict with her because she would pierce them through with her gaze and curse them with any spells her cunning mind could remember. No wonder then she was put in Slytherin. There was some whispering spreading through the Great Hall the evening Bríd was sorted, because not only had her father already returned to his old Head of Slytherin House post some years ago (as well as to his Potions Master post), but also, her mother had joined him and became the Head of the Hufflepuff House. Everybody thus expected Bríd's bad behaviour to be excused and covered for by her parents, and Severus Snape was notorious for his partiality with Slytherin students, but none of this really happened. Bríd was treated just the same as the other school kids, and if anyone tried to raise any accusations, she would beat that person herself with her bare hands. She had to address her parents Professor just the same, and quite soon she created a court of admirers which she held for her entire career at Hogwarts. The truth was that Bríd was the school beauty, she was exceptionally pretty, and she knew it. One sweet smile was enough to beguile boys into doing her homework and all the other girls from her year cursed her name because no matter what they did, Bríd was always better. There was one boy who left his girlfriend just to fawn and flatter her, and that girl then made a scene out of it in front of the whole school. She called Bríd wicked and evil snake and maybe a floozie, I'm not sure now, and what Bríd did was so strong of her character that those boys who hadn't already been in love with her fell for her in that moment – Bríd mocked the girl, scoffed at her, laughed at her, totally derided the girl's whole reason. Yes, Bríd was certainly proud. Her lifelong rival was Rose Weasley. Those two were always on each other's back, trying to surpass one another. Once she saved Rose from being bullied by some ghastly seventh years by hexing the hell out of them and when she got a detention to wash up the Quidditch uniforms of all the school teams, Rose appeared and with her face pulled offered to help. And even Bríd knew better than to refuse help from her enemy. So they became friends, eventually, when Bríd was in the sixth year.

But what was the most peculiar about her was her wholly artistic personality. She loved singing, she loved dancing, she loved playing the piano. But what she loved most of all, what she loved awfully, was her ability to design clothes for herself and to bring them to perfection afterwards when she really made them. Bríd loved drawing sketches, and sewing, and decorating the fabric with fancy embroidery and beads. Her fame soon rose to unexpected heights and she was most frequently seen in the Slytherin Common Room, where she was adjusting the fit on one student or other. She was even rumoured to make some clothes for Teddy Lupin, and that they were snogging afterwards, but she never confirmed nor disproved the rumour. She was always dressed up the best, and she managed to recreate her Hogwarts uniform so well that she was actually officially asked by Minerva McGonnagall, the Headmistress, to design new school uniforms for everybody, and this was the last step to fame. Everybody talked about her then, entirely oblivious that she had an older brother, for the school it was just Bríd and Bríd only. She was strutting about the school like a peacock hen, always surrounded by her little court of girl mates and followed by one or two boys who were enchanted by her charms at that moment. Plainly speaking, Bríd's fame was comparable to Harry Potter's, and she was proud enough and vain enough to actually having enjoyed it. Her mother was proud of her, and was always enthusiastic about one new dress or other that Bríd had made, her father, on the other hand, was wry and sceptical. Once when he went for a stroll with his wife, he couldn't restrain himself from grumbling:

"She's lazy and arrogant. She doesn't do anything proper, just fooling around making costumes for everyone to laugh at. She's the clown of the school."

"Oh, come on, honey, she's popular, the students like her!" His wife tried to persuade him.

"Don't tell me you approve of such folly."

"Severus, dear, Bríd is talented and handy." His wife said.

"Is it too much that I wanted from her?" He cried bitterly, "I just wanted my daughter to be a good witch, to be exceeding all others in any subject she pleases to choose, is that too much?! Apparently, it is. For that bloody wench isn't good at anything."

"I sometimes wonder at your bitter tongue." His wife said sharply, stopped walking and looked at him coldly. "As far as I recall, all you wanted at first was to have any children at all, then you wanted her to exhibit any magical powers whatsoever so that we could send her to Hogwarts. Now that she is at Hogwarts you want something more. Why cannot you put up with whom she is?" Her husband was sullenly treading behind her. After few more minutes, he ejected: "What will become of her? Tell me, I'm listening! What will become of her?!"

"Why, she might be a singer. Or a dressmaker, she's already good enough!" His wife cried, but she couldn't be upset with her husband too long. She put her arm around his shoulders and smiled at him convincingly: "Just trust her, honey. Trust her. She's our Bríd, she won't be lost in the world."

"Mum? Can I bring my boyfriend for dinner?" Asked Bríd indifferently, having bewitched a pink nail polish so it was painting her nails by itself.

Sinéad smiled. She knew this question would come one day. And she was prepared to answer it: "Of course darling. What does he like to eat?"

"Pretty much anything really. He's not picky." Said Bríd, watching her father's parchment-coloured face going through white to green, and his fingers clutching the doorframe of Bríd's bedroom. Her mum was putting some freshly washed clothes into Bríd's chest of drawers and Eileen was curled up in her sister's armchair.

"Okey dokey then." Smiled Sinéad again and turned to go, but she bumped into her husband who was standing in the doorway like a stone and wasn't moving. He was just staring into the open space. Eventually, he mumbled: "Boyfriend? What boyfriend?"

"Mine, Dad." Bríd said and pulled a face. He stared at her in a deep disbelief ignoring his wife who was inconspicuously directing him out of the room.

"How– yours?! I won't let you have a boyfriend." Said Severus with a frown.

"Come on, dear, she's young, let her have some fun." Smiled Sinéad benevolently and pushed him out of the room even harder in order to avoid conflict.

"Who's he anyway?" Asked her husband, walking slowly off.

"The most popular boy in the school of course," smirked Eileen who watched the family scene with interest and smirked in disapproval of her sister's decision, "James Potter."

What followed were multiple simultaneous actions happening at the same time so dear reader must picture them with as most vivid images he can produce. Severus forcibly wrenched from his wife's arms and with a split-second movement he pulled his wand from his cloak. Bríd shrieked and braced her head in her arms, expecting her father's most powerful jinxes to be fired on her head. Eileen jerked and gasped, covering her mouth. Sinéad jumped in front of her husband to reduce the impact. There were multiple voices shouting:

"JAMES–"

"Severus stop shouting–"

"– BLOODY–"

"Oh Daaad, come on!"

"– POTTER–"

"Come, honey, leave the girls alone–"

"OF ALL THE BOYS–"

"No worries, dear, everything will be fine–"

"NO IT WON'T! Mum–"

"– YOU COULD CHOOSE–"

"Calm down, honey, it's just a boy–"

"How can I have a normal relationship with this madman of a father being constantly on my back?!"

"– YOU PICKED THE BIGGEST SMARTASS–"

"No worries dear, bring James out, we'll all be happy to know him–"

"How about Dad?!"

"– OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL–"

"No problem love, I'll talk him into it–"

"– I'LL NEVER HAVE JAMES POTTER–"

"– Or I'll lock him into the basement." Grinned Sinéad which was meant to be a reassuring smile and pushed her protesting husband out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

"– CROSS THE THRESHOLD OF THIS HOUSE!"

Once the door was shut the girls could hear their parents shouting at each other as they walked downstairs.

"JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT JOE BLOGGS BUT JAMES POTTER–"

"I WON'T HAVE JAMES POTTER CONSTANTLY RUINING MY LIFE–"

"– IT IS YOU WHO ARE RUINING YOUR DAUGHTER'S HAPPINESS RIGHT NOW–"

"– SHE COULD CHOOSE JOE BLOGGS, I WOULDN'T OBJECT TO JOE BLOGGS–"

"– JUST BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN PAST YOU KEEP BLAMING THE POTTERS–"

"– I'LL LEAVE HER AT THE MERCY OF JAMES POTTER OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

"– NO YOU KNOW YOU WOULD OBJECT TO JOE BLOGGS YOU HATE ALL STUDENTS YOU KNOW THAT!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is!"

"She might have whomever she chooses–"

"Well that's settled then!"

"– but that jerk James Potter!"

"You're NOT calling a jerk a boy you don't know!"

"He's lazy, arrogant – JUST LIKE HIS FATHER – and he received a D from Potions in the last school year!"

"You're NOT forbidding your daughter to date boys you don't approve of!"

"I'm her father, she's gonna do what she's to–"

"AND I WON'T HAVE YOU CONTROLLING YOUR DAUGHTER'S LIFE, YOU GET ME, YOU'RE GONNA SIT HERE, EAT YOUR DINNER AND PRETEND YOU LIKE HIM, AM I MAKING MYSELF CLEAR?!"

A loud slamming of a pair of doors was heard.

"Hey Bids," Finn was leaning on the doorframe with his smirk-like smile on as if he were having a great fun of all this, "I've noticed you're having a lad around, but I must'ev misheard 'is name somehow…"

"Oh fuck off Finn." Bríd murmured, hid her face into her pillow and turned her back towards her brother, she wanted to forget all this and she wanted to imagine her new boyfriend not being greeted by complete psychopats.

"You too you little snitch!" Bríd cried, knowing her little sister was creeping around to apologise and be comforted by Bríd, expecting to hear that nothing happened and everything was fine. Bríd swished her wand with such force that the door of her room shut violently and Finn could barely save the fingers of his left hand from being smashed. Eileen gave a start and ran out of the lioness' cage as fast as she could; when she was outside she started to weep. She was only about to turn twelve at that time and she wanted to get on well with her big sis again.

"No worries," Finn smiled and squatted down to have his face on the same level as his younger sister, "I'll put some Draft of Peace into her butterbeer tonight–"

"No you're not! I'll tell Mum!" Bríd roared through her sobs from behind the shut door. Finn got back to his feet to his full height which was not less than seven feet already, smirked and winked, patting Eileen's hair and walking off like a giant pole. Eimear giggled and smiled, her inner peace was restored. Oh, how she loved her big brother!

Their mum and dad seemed a bit stiff at dinner, casting each other a lot of angry looks.

"Bríd is bringing her boyfriend next month." Sinéad said resolutely and just as Severus was taking a sharp breath and deciding to speak up in protest, his wife roared: "AND YOU'RE NOT SAYING A WORD AGAINST IT."

"It's gonna be okay Dad." Finn grinned from the opposite side of the big family table and smirked: "We can poison him together if he's ever a jerk to Bids."

Eileen burst out laughing and Bríd turned red and kicked her brother under the table.

"I'm reassured." Severus smirked at his eldest child and took another mouthful of the meal.

"Mum! They're not poisoning James!" Squaked Bríd, her face red with shame and anger.

"Of course not, Biddy, but if he's naughty to you, I will see to it myself that–"

"Why the hell must both my parents be teaching at Hogwarts?!" Howled Bríd and punched her forehead with her right palm in an exaggerated gesture. Bríd was always the little actress of the family. She was the most stylish one, the most trendy one. She couldn't understand why her father was dressing like a cemetery column and her mother in rags. She was always making some new clothes for herself, or redesigning the old ones, she always had her hair clean and shiny and the skin on her face was spotless. She had fierce eyes and thick lips, no wonder she was the celebrated beauty.

"Hey, Dad, looks like yer gonna be related to the Potters." Finn smirked and shoved a big pile of potatoes into his mouth. Finn just loved teasing people and making fun of them. He loved to laugh.

"Finn I warn you–" His mother gasped and pushed her purple-faced husband down into his chair.

"Yeah, mind your own business, pumpkin head!" Bríd snapped.

"You know, I'm just thinking about the crowd of uncles that your kids're gonna have." Finn continued with a smirk. He was just teasing the patience of his sister and his father, who were, after all, more similar than one would think. At least in being so hot-headed.

"Finnegan!" His mother cried and silenced her son immediately.

"Well, I was just… Looking forward to it I suppose." Finn said apologetically after a few minutes, cleared his throat and looked sheepishly at his dad and sister.

"Yeah, considering you are dating only whores!" Bríd struck for revenge.

"Hey! I have commitment issues." Finn protested, and suddenly looked guilty. "I'm not the family guy you see? Not for my family at least."

"Finn, darling, but think about your poor mother and father, don't you really want to give them any grandchildren to amuse themselves with when they're old?" His mother asked him with a conciliatory tone in her voice.

"Why, I thought that's Bríd's job. Especially now, more probable than ever!" He gave a hoot of laughing. Bríd's anger boiled over, she shouted an offence on accord of which her mother shrieked: "BRÍD!", grabbed her glass of water and splashed its content into her brother's face. She hurled the glass at the stone floor and ran upstairs where she shut the door loudly behind her.

"How I love family dinners…" Smiled Eileen, still eating her supper. Her father's face had still the colour of a beetroot.

And what happened with Bríd at the end? Well, she got popular more and more for being the first modern designer of the wizarding world. She held big parties and shows in which she exhibited her models. Everyone who meant something in the wizarding world got invited. Naturally, such success couldn't remain unnoticed and apart from opening her own dressmaking shop in Diagon Alley, she married James Potter. Apart from enduring her wedding with his lips pressed into a thin line, her father didn't object much. And thus, the successful Potter dynasty continued. Despite all her success and fame, Bríd never forgot her parents. Her mother got new robes whenever she wanted and she even managed to persuade her father to have a new attire tailored at her salon! When the old couple went home, Severus squeezed his wife's hand gently and said:

"Sorry for not believing in her before."

On which she replied softly: "She'll always be your little girl, honey."

He smiled and said: "She won't. I know she won't. She has her own life now. But God, how proud I am of her!"