You Know It's Not the Same as It Was...

Chapter 7- New Routine

Severus POV

It has been roughly two years since the children's encounter with the Marauders.

Sometimes I feel it's been longer, but with Potter and his friends coming, it doesn't always seem to be the case.

Harry feels happy to get to know his other parent, although Potter always reassures him that he doesn't need to call him Dad. I took it as an attempt for him not to force anything on Harry.

Katheren, on the other hand, only makes small talk with Potter. I told her that she didn't have to be in a relationship with him, and Potter agreed. So far, she has done saying her greetings, asked questions, and said goodbye.

It's a work in progress, but still. Better than nothing, for Potter's part at least.

As for us, we agreed to be on civil terms so that it wouldn't be an issue. Potter sometimes brought my favorite flowers, carnations, which always made me blush.

Honestly, I thought he would have forgotten some facts about me, yet he kept proving me wrong.

Later on in life, I found out about Potter's life status thanks to Remus, or should I say Moony?

Yeah, Moony's okay with me calling him that, but it does piss him off slightly. I chuckled at the thought of that.

So, back to Potter, he's a teacher in Hogwarts for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he's single. He lost his parents after Hogwarts, which means Katheren and Harry would never get to meet them. He debated finding me but decided against it when he knew he had broken my heart. He never dated anyone but me. He... He's changed.

Despite the fact he's a professor, he comes to visit them every weekend.

He smiles whenever I hold Katheren or Harry, winces whenever he does something wrong and blushes when I laugh. He looks so sad whenever he has to say goodbye but puts on his fake happy face.

I could tell he was still in love with me, which was impressive for a man like him. Then again, he did go after Evans up to the fifth year.

Ah, yes, Evans-Black. I still find it surprising to this day.

Katheren and Harry accepted Reggie into their lives, whereas they are very cautious of Evans.

I don't blame them, as Evans tried using a bit forced on them. Even though I was wary of her, she apologized for every wrongdoing she's done to me.

I apologized for calling her that word that day, but I told her I wasn't interested in being friends. It wasn't to spite her, but I didn't want to be in a toxic relationship with anyone. She looked defeated but asked if we could go on civil terms.

I gave it a thought and nodded.

She apologized for being bashful to the kids, which they accepted.

Harry lets her cross-dress him, which was okay with Potter and me, whereas Katheren refused. She doesn't like girly dresses, which I can respect, but Harry is all in for it, which I also accept.

As for Reggie, the children love spending time with him, which I liked myself back at Hogwarts. Reggie always pays attention whenever they talk or ask questions, and he answers to the best of their ability.

One time, Katheren accidentally called him Uncle Reggie, which caused her to be embarrassed for the rest of the day. Harry soon picked it up afterward.

Going back to Potter, Katheren told him about her situation, which Potter cried after the kids fell asleep. But that was after she revealed it to Moony first.