Once Again

Chapter XII

It was Sunday afternoon and Snape came out of his house, dressed to go to Neville and his boyfriend Homer's place for dinner. Since morning, he had been cursing himself for having accepted the invitation in the first place, but he forced himself to not get into an uncivil mood for his hosts and he needed the distraction anyway since he was still anxious about what 'she' was going to say in her next letter. But he still had over two arduous hours of journeying to the neighbouring island ahead of him.

He came up the pebbled path down his beachside cottage, while the gulls cawed him a welcome. He reached the crest just as the sun moved above the townhouse rooftops, exploding amber light onto the whitewashed stone walls. It was his favourite moment of the day. He momentarily looked over the violent beauty of the sea with gratitude. He lived in a home drenched in sunlight and perfumed with the tang of the ocean.

On the ferry, he sat thinking, that no matter what 'she' said about Bhutan, he was quite happy here in Koufonisia. He felt that the island, the sea, the air had transformed him a lot- he was a changed man. Perhaps she didn't feel the same way because she had been living here her whole life. Or her eyes hadn't been opened to the magic and beauty of this place. He didn't know whether he was ever going to show her that magic or the magic that was in him, but he surely hoped to make her see the place through his eyes one day.

There was a lute-playing musician on the barge and children were merrily singing along to his songs. Snape leaned out of the window to feel the breeze go through his hair as he kept listening to the melodious tunes, amused.

Snape arrived at Corfu and he was greeted at the dock by Neville, who was waiting to give him a ride up to the house that he was currently staying in with his partner. It was a two-room dwelling, with a kitchen on the side, a bathroom and a terrace. It wasn't much and they hadn't been here for a long time, but the place still looked cozy- it felt like a home. Neville introduced him to Homer, a strapping lad with an easy smile and Snape shook hands with him, offering him the bottle of wine he had brought along.

"Thank you for coming, sir," he said, his eyes glistening with respectful admiration, "Neville speaks very highly of you."

Snape allowed him an appreciative nod. "Thank you for having me." he added, "Your house looks lovely. I hope you haven't made a big fuss over me."

"No, no, it was no trouble at all," he waved a hand, beckoning him to get himself seated at the dining table, where somewhat of a large assortment of food preparations had been set out.

The three of them sat down to dine, eating and speaking at specific intervals. Neville was evidently very excited to have his ex-professor over for dinner and kept insisting that he take more food on his plate before he had finished his first servings.

"Have some more chicken, sir."

"No, thank you, Longbottom. I already had plenty. It- it's very good. Everything is great, I must say..."

"It's my own recipe, it's different every time," Neville beamed.

"That's because you cock up the recipe every time, luv," Homer remarked, after which they engaged in hearty laughter and chuckles.

They talked about Neville's paper and Snape asked about Homer and his family- not because it was social protocol but he was genuinely interested in talking to the boy. He told him about his academic background, his work and how he and Neville met. Neville's grandmother was now dead, but it was a lot harder to come out to his family since Homer's parents were Greek Orthodox Christians.

"My mom was very accepting from the first but my dad took a while to come around," he said, "But it's all good now."

"He's a very dangerous man, his father," Neville was saying, "I don't think he has smiled since his wedding day. And that was only because he had to pose for a photograph. I think you would like him, sir."