The Sacrifice // Severus Snape X OC (Sequel to Spiteful Beginnings)

3 - Forever

Telling Neville about the Order was a daunting mission Kalina had been subsiding for a while now so for her to finally come clean, it was a breath of fresh air almost. Neville was so confused about it all he had to sit down on the couch and look between Kalina and Mr Weasley who was too busy looking at all the Muggle objects she had in her home.

"Is this the same Order my parents were apart of?" Neville asked, his eyes wide not in horror but in awe.

Kalina wasn't so surprised about Neville discussing his parents since he had never been hidden from the truth about them from his late Grandmother but she knew it to be a sore subject for him still.

"Yes, yes it is." Kalina smiled, hoping that he was okay with it all.

As Neville was about to speak up, Arthur walked back into the living room from the kitchen with her egg-timer in his hand, inspecting it curiously before smiling. "Although pleased I am to see you too talking about the Order I really am on a tight schedule and we should get going." He said, not even asking anything about the egg-timer in his grasp.

"Oh yes, of course." Kalina breathed, moving past Arthur to go and grab her coat and a beanie to keep her head warm from the coat rack but not before swiping the egg-timer out of his grasp and placing it back into the kitchen. When she returned, she turned to Neville and smiled. "I'm sorry I have to rush off again."

"Wait - can't I come with you?"

Kalina pulled her lips into a tight line, humming slightly before turning to Arthur for advice.

"Well you see Neville; the Order isn't for people underaged and you are." Arthur explained. "However, my kids will be moving in over the next few days. So, why don't you come up then? Today it'll just be all adults talking about boring things." Arthur suggested, looking to Kalina for confirmation. 

Kalina thought about it but knew she would be at these meetings more often than non and how it wouldn't be fair on Neville to be cooped up here all summer by himself. "Okay, that sounds good to me. But remember Neville, this is top secret. You can not tell anyone. Promise me?"

And so Neville had promised with the unbreakable bond, aka, his pinkie finger wrapped around her own. Then, in a blink of an eye, Arthur had taken a hold of Kalina's hand and the two had apparated from her home to a bleak looking side passage between two large blocks of apartments with rubbish pins fill to the brim left out for the binmen to come and collect.

"Here we are. Like clockwork." Arthur hummed, taking an exasperated foot forwards and then walking ahead of her to where they need to go. Of course, they weren't going to apparate in front of 12 Grimmauld Place, they appeared a few streets away so started their short walk along with some small talk.

"Do you know who's going to be there, Mr Weasley?" Kalina asked once catching up, her cane making a satisfying sound as it hit against the pavement.

"Please call me Arthur," he chuckled, slowing down so they could walk together but he had seemed more on edge about the whole ordeal he was letting on, "and most of us I believe aside from Albus and some others. I'll assume Professor Snape won't be joining us either, no?"

"Erm, no he's... well, he's doing something else." Kalina sighed heavily, a dreading feeling hitting her gut whenever she thinks about her being away from Severus and what he was currently doing.

Arthur hummed and looked down at the cane she was leaning on as she walked and frowned. He obviously knew what happened and knew not to address it and therefore allowed her to hold onto his arm as they walked, helping her pulling the hood over her head of her red coat as slightly drizzle came from the sky.