The Last Horcrux

The Planning Committee

For a week the Order kept a guard at Spinner's End. The house was triple warded by Sev, Hermione and Minerva. They kept the boys home from school. Between Phoenix's night feedings and his own anxiety Sev barely slept.

But nothing happened. After a week, guard duty was discontinued, although Sev still slept with his wand in his fist. They let the boys return to school. Strangely, things returned to a kind of normal. Life went on.

Phoenix slept and nursed, cried and looked about, taking in the world. Sev spent long hours walking his daughter in the quiet of the night so Remus could sleep. They were both exhausted, in a haze of new baby love and fatigue. The sink was full of dirty dishes, the new washer in the basement seemed to always be in use. They ate takeaway from the curry shop or had pizza delivered from Machievelli's. Sev dropped the boys off at school and picked them up, ever watchful, alert to any danger.

One afternoon, while Remus and Phoenix were sleeping upstairs Sev made soup. Sev was a potion maker but he had learned the art of making soup from Remus. Onion and celery, odd bits of wilting veg from the cold box, a bouillon cube, a can of beans, a dab of marmite and there was a pot of nutritious food for dinner.

Once the soup was simmering on the stove he went into the parlor and started taking down the Christmas decorations, stowing them in Remus' carefully labeled boxes, while Gavin and Oakley watched him.

"Mr. Moony always puts up the Valentine's decorations when he takes down the Christmas decorations," said Gavin with the air of someone who knows how things are properly done.

So Sev dutifully went down to the basement and found the box marked Saint V's. He wafted it upstairs with his wand.

Inside were heart shaped lights and homemade paper snowflakes. There were gel stickers from the pound store, carefully packed away in their plastic sleeves, that said Happy Valentine's Day and Be Mine. They stuck them to the window. Sev had a hard time convincing Oakley that the letters had to go in a certain order and not just randomly stuck on the glass.The red lights shone against the grey wintery sky and Sev was rather pleased with the effect.

The smell from his soup was wafting in from the kitchen. "Papa, play snakes and ladders with me," Oakley begged.

"All right," said Sev. "Just let me put in a load of washing."

He went down to the cellar, loaded the new washer and turned it on. Then he went upstairs and played snakes and ladders with Oakley. He started to get sleepy beside the warm fire. Oakley was intent on the game, completely entranced by the movement of the pieces over the board. Sev wondered how such a boring game could be so appealing to him but Oakley's small mind was one hundred percent engaged. Sev's eyes were growing heavy. He wondered if a cup of strong tea would get him through to dinner.

Remus came downstairs with Phoenix in his arms. He came over and handed her to Sev. She looked up at him, opened her tiny mouth and yawned.

"You decorated!" said Remus, noticing the pink hearts glowing softly against the lowering winter sky.

"Mmmm," said Sev. "Have a good nap?"

Remus stretched hugely. His back cracked. "Merlin, yes. I feel as if I've been asleep for a week." He looked over at Sev appraisingly. "You look as if you could use a nap yourself."

"Probably," said Sev.

"Go," said Remus. "I've got this." He took Phoenix back from Sev. "Maybe we'll give the baby a bath. Would you like that, little sprout?" He kissed her tummy. "Want to help me give Phoenix a bath?" he asked Oakley.