Mattheo glanced back at Chrys. Maybe attending Hogwarts so soon after escaping an abusive situation had been too much too fast. It seemed like something was happening at every turn, some good, others stressful. He's surprised it took this long for her to be affected by it. Maybe it was because she could focus on herself and her well-being, for once in her life, or because she was in a safer environment and had let her guard down.
He wasn't sure.
"Petals, you okay?" he asked lightly, once again glancing back at the small redhead.
Chrys sighed, her freehand rubbing her eyes, "Yeah.. 'm just a bit tired. Can we take a nap after we talk with Sev?"
He nodded, a small smile on his features, "'Course, Petals."
She returned the small gesture. Chrys always felt at ease with Mattheo, she didn't know why, but, barring Hadrian, he was the one she was closest to.
After a couple of minutes, they arrived at a large painting of a potion master stirring something in a large cauldron. Chrys absentmindedly noted how similar the man in the painting looked to Hadrian and her Dad. Maybe they were related? She'd ask him later, after their nap.
When he looked up at them, Mattheo offered the password, "Lilium."
The portrait swung open. Chrys let Mattheo tug her through the portrait hole and into a cosy room. There were two couches, a coffee table, shelves full of books, and a fireplace. Off to the side was a desk, where they found Severus jotting something down in a thick, worn journal. He looked up after a moment and frowned.
"Mattheo, Chrys, is everything alright?" he questioned, setting his quill aside before rounding the desk, "Did something happen?"
"Sorta." the brunet offered.
Chrys sighed, "Percy Weasley stopped us on the way to the library asking to speak with me..." she explained everything that happened, wincing at the stony expression the Potions master bore. It only got worse the more she told him, "And then they told me about the books about Hades and me. I don't want these books out there if they give people false views of us."
Severus heaved a sigh, "I'll call Lucius and Narcissa and we'll set up a meeting with your solicitor. For now, I'll talk with the other professors and see if we can separate you two during classes. Outside of classes keep at least one of your familiars with you. If you can't for whatever reason, stay with your friends."
The little ginger nodded, "Ok."
"Hey, Sev, could we nap here for a bit?" Mattheo asked.
Severus nodded, "Of course, sleep well."
"Thanks, Sev."
Severus simply smiled as he stood and returned to his desk.
As he did so, the two preteens shifted until they were both laying down, Mattheo on his back with Chrys on top, laying on her stomach. She was out like a light once they'd settled, much to the boy's amusement. He let out a content sigh as he played with her curls, listening to her soft snores and the light scratching of a quill on parchment. After a while, he too fell asleep.
Thirty minutes later, Severus set his quill aside and stretched. He glanced over at the two children, fast asleep on his couch and smiled. It was nice to see the two so at ease, given who they were, such peace was few and far between.
He stood from his desk and walked over to the sleeping children. He summoned one of the many blankets tucked away in his storage closet and draped it over the children, being extra mindful not to wake them. After that, Severus settled in his go-to armchair, got comfortable, and flipped open a book. Judging by the bags under Chrys' eyes, she wouldn't be waking up for a while. He'd talk to Narcissa later about contacting a mind-healer specialist.
For now, he enjoyed the rare moment of peace as he read, occasionally glancing at the children, mostly Chrys, to ensure they were doing alright. He realized weeks ago that he'd grown rather soft, especially when it came to the two Potters. He wasn't entirely sure when it happened, just that it had, though he couldn't find it in himself to be bothered with this fact.
A few more hours would pass before either child would wake. Mattheo was the first to do so, he'd been so quiet that Severus had thought he was still sleeping. His continuous motion of combing his fingers through Chrys' hair gave away the fact that he was indeed wide awake. Another thing the Potions Master noticed, was Mattheo's apparent obsession with playing with Chrys' hair. He'd always be combing his fingers through the curls, braiding them, or simply twirling a bundle around his digits. Chrys didn't seem to mind, she seemed to enjoy the little ministrations.
"Hey, Sev?" Mattheo piped up, his voice quiet to not disturb the two-tone-haired girl.
Severus hummed, flipping another page in his book absentmindedly, "Yes, Mattheo?"
"What'll happen to Chrys and Hazza when Father comes back?" he inquired, his arms tightening around the ginger protectively.
The man paused, his gaze flickering briefly between the children and his book. "I cannot speak for My Lord, so I'm not sure." he mused, looking over the pages but not truly registering any of the words, "I can only hope for the best and plan for the worst."
"That's fair..." Mattheo sighed softly, smiling small as Chrys nuzzled his neck unconsciously, "I guess we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."
Severus could only nod. He didn't know what else to say if he was being completely honest. He couldn't say with certainty that his Lord wouldn't try to harm the Potter children. The Dark Lord hadn't been the epitome of sanity before he was vanquished. In the beginning, he'd been a marvellous man with extraordinary ideas. Somewhere along the line, however, his ideals twisted and he became a cruel, curse-happy brute.
It was often that Severus replayed all those moments in his head, trying in vain that he'd find the trigger that caused the Dark Lord's downfall.
All the Potions Master could do was hope that when the Dark Lord returned that he wouldn't be so willing to kill children. It was all just a matter of time. For now, he'd worry about the problems as they came along. Doing too much would only cause trouble later on.
