Mend Me

Twenty-Five

After Severus had showered, he offered her his arm, she took it and allowed him to lead her out of the house. While she had grown up in Cokework and had been sent to live in homes in almost all of its districts, she had never been to the neighborhood of Spinner's End. It looked like every other neighborhood in Cokeworth, and she never understood why it got such a bad rap with the locals. In fact, hardly anyone seemed to live on this side of the river at all. On the street Severus lived on, all of the other homes had boarded windows and doors that were nailed shut, the outsides holding the appearance of long term neglect and abandonment. His was the only home even occupied. As they walked three blocks down the cobblestone streets, and across the bridge with the rusty handrail she had gripped countless times, she knew exactly where they were heading: a small fish and chip shop by the bank of the river.

Severus leads her inside of the shop, the overwhelming scent of used grease and fish almost enough to make her go back out. It was after nine at night, and the shop was empty of customers, it didn't take long to receive their meal. Severus paid, grabbed their paper bag of food, and offered his arm once more. Four blocks down from the fish and chip shop was Bernadette's, and directly across the road was a small, unkempt park where she would play each day as a child, even in the dark its large oak tree towered over the rooftops and was visible from where they stood. Danu stops for a moment and stares up at it, wondering how it could feel taller to her as an adult than when she was a child. Severus looks down at her, takes note of what she was looking at, and gently tugs her arm to follow.

Danu and Severus sit across from one another at the small dining table, in the equally small kitchen. The house as a whole is clean but holds the musty scent of a home that sits abandoned for months on end. The plaster walls are cracked and dingy, and all of the furniture wildly outdated and mix-matched, but it is cozy; it is now her home. Danu could imagine herself cooking meals here, decorating for the holidays, even tending to the rose bushes in the back garden. Perhaps Severus would allow her to grow herbs, maybe they could have a cat of their own. Severus clears his throat and pulls her from her daydream. She looks up at his standing above her, one eyebrow raised in question, she hadn't even notice him stand. He gestures down at the plate before her with his chin, and she nods her head, allowing him to take it from her and scrape the contents into the garbage can next to the garden door. Severus fumbles with something in the cupboard for a moment and comes back with two long stemmed wine glasses and a bottle of something blood red with a wax seal on top. He breaks the seal and pulls the cork below; a sweet scent fills the air as he pour two large glasses and takes his seat once more across from her.

"I've never seen you drink." Danu states, accepting the glass he was sliding across the table to her.

"I do not drink. It has simply been a long year."

Danu lifts the glass to her lips and takes a small sip. The sweetness and alcohol content causing her to scrunch her face and suck air through her teeth. She runs her tongue over her gums to take away the numbness the alcohol had caused and looks to Severus who was making an identical face.

"It is very sweet." She giggles slightly at his reaction and takes another sip of the wine, not wanting to waste it. The second sip proved to be a bit smoother, but still overpowering.

"Elf-made. Very strong, and much too sweet. It was recommended by Albus. I should have known, though. He has always had a sweet tooth."

"People actually enjoy this?" She asks, watching as Severus attempts another sip, but quickly admits defeat and pushes the still full glass away.

Severus makes a noise in the back of his throat indicating his own confusion in the matter. He stretches his left leg out to the side of the table and reaches deep into his pocket for something. He produces a small box wrapped in a simple white paper, a small red bow sitting neatly on top. He places it before her and begins playing with his wine glass, placing the stem between his pointer and middle finger and cupping the base gently with the pads of his fingers. They both watch as the liquid inside waves and sloshes around as he pushes the glass gently back and forth. Danu takes another sip of her wine and reaches for the box tentatively. Inside is the ring he had placed on her finger the day she was told that they had been married; the ring that belonged to his grandmother, Elspeth.