The Last Horcrux

Halloween

It was Halloween.

Severus Snape was hurrying up Spinner's End in the fading afternoon light. He held a carrier bag from the curry shop in each hand. His black trench coat, which he wore for his forays into the Muggle world, whipped around his legs in the chilly wind.

The street of his childhood pulsed with excitement. The neighborhood of dreary brick row houses where he had grown up had been discovered in recent years by an assortment of young families. They were attracted to its Victorian charm, its proximity to London and its affordability. Almost every stoop sported a glowing jack-o-lantern, or a string of pumpkin lights, or a plastic ghost blowing eerily in the wind.

Sev's own house was no exception. Remus and the children had gone a little wild with the decorations. Three carved pumpkins marched up the front stairs glowing with candles lit from within. There was a string of orange lights shining in the parlor window. Paper cutouts of bats and black cats were taped to the front door. A fake spider web from the pound store was draped on the front stoop railings. A homemade mummy of old bog roll tubes, wrapped in white cloth and dabbed with fake blood, rattled as he opened the door.

He was greeted in the foyer by a tiny batman complete with mask and cape, who hurtled into his stomach as if shot from a cannon.

"Papa! Papa!" Oakley cried, holding up his arms, wanting to be picked up. It was a gesture that Sev had never yet found within his power to refuse. He set down his carrier bags, and picked up the lithe wriggling three year old body, buried his nose in Oakley's soft curls, breathed in his clean little boy smell. He felt himself relax. He was home.

A moment later a white figure came flying down the stairs with a loud "Boo!" It was Gavin in his ghost costume. "Did I scare you Mr. Sev? " he wanted to know. "Did I?"

"You are quite frightening, Gavin, in many ways," said Sev dryly. "Pick up those bags, would you, and bring them into the kitchen."

"What's in them?" asked Gavin.

"Dinner," Sev replied. "Where's Mr. Moony?"

In the kitchen, Remus was setting the table and filling water glasses. Sev set Oakley down. He took Remus in his arms and kissed him. He let his fingers brush the bump pushing against Remus' loose robes. Remus smiled and kissed him back.

"Thanks for getting dinner," he said, taking the carrier bags from Gavin and starting to unpack the white cardboard containers of food. It smelled delicious. "It's been a day. It's nice not to have to cook. Wash your hands, you two," he called out to Gavin and Oakley, "and come eat something before you start stuffing yourselves with candy!" He turned to Sev. "Will you take them round for trick or treating?" he asked. "I'm knackered."

Sev studied Remus' pale face critically. "Everything all right?" he asked with concern.

Remus smiled at him. "Worry wort!" he said. "I'm fine. Just tired. There were a lot of orders to fill in the greenhouse, and the boys have been a little hyper about Halloween. It would be nice to put my feet up for an hour. That's all."

Sev looked at him as if he didn't quite believe him.

"Really," said Remus. "I'm fine. And the boys will love it if you take them round. You can wear your cloak. You'll look fantastic. Sit down and eat. How was your day?"

They sat around the kitchen table and ate the delicious curry, as the dusk outside the windows deepened. Then there was a flurry of activity. Sev insisted that the boys wear jumpers under their costumes and they needed to find bags for trick or treating. Sev left Remus fussing with masks and zips and went upstairs to fetch his cloak from the wardrobe. He looked at his face in the mirror. He was pale, as always, his long hair pulled back from his forehead, his dark eyes glittering. And the nose - always the nose, the feature he couldn't get away from, defining his face. He didn't think he looked too bad though, all things considered. His nose, he felt, fit better on his older face than it had when he was younger.