Yours truly | Severus Snape - Sequel to Sincerely yours

The tale of love and loss

"I'm so excited!" Clary clapped her hands together as they sat on the Hogwarts Express. Alison, who sat next her, gave Clary a loving smile as she settled next to the blonde Slytherin.

"Me too", Mary said as she sat opposite the two girls, straightening her skirt over her thigs.

It was Thursday evening, 16th of April, the beginning of the Easter Break. During that time, most of the students remained at school, but as it was a couple of days long, students were able to visit their families if they wished to do se. Mary's uncle, Theodore Montgomery had written to her a few months ago, requesting her to join him during the Easter Break. Mary, who was rather hesitant at first, ended up accepting her uncle's request and taking her two best friends with her.

"I can't wait to see your house!" Clary continued on babbling. Clary, who had now known Mary for over one and a half years, knew that Mary's family was rather wealthy. And being Clary, she was more than eager to see what kind of a life Mary lived outside the school walls.

Mary only rolled her eyes and exchanged amused looks with Alison as Clary went on about how Mary's home must be a mansion, that there are probably a dozen on maids and butlers and that Theodore must be a very kind man for allowing Clary and Alison to join Mary.

"I don't know about kind", Mary muttered, mostly to herself, when Clary brought up her uncle. Clary, who was too excited to hear Mary's silent comment, didn't bat an eye, but Alison, who had noticed the sudden shift in Mary's demeanour, tilted her head.

"You don't like your uncle?" Alison asked, her voice silent enough to not interrupt enchanted Clary and her fantasizing. A small, almost bitter smile climbed on Mary's lips when she heard Alison's question.

"It's not that I don't like him", Mary started. Then, she held a pause, pondering on how she would continue that sentence. "But we aren't very close. Not ever since my mother passed away."

Alison blinked in surprise. Mary rarely spoke of her mother, so hearing Mary speak of the death of her mother was enough to pull even Clary out of her dreams.

For a moment, the three girls sat in silence, Clary and Alison staring at Mary as anticipation grew in the air. Then, Mary sighed deeply and slightly shifted in her seat.

"My uncle, Theodore, is a troubled man", Mary begun, her eyes wandering to the window of the train, staring at the passing landscapes as she continued telling about the history of her parents and her uncle.

"You see, he used to be different. He was never a sunshine, but he wasn't... He wasn't like this. But when my mum died, it all changed. He stopped laughing, he stopped smiling... He almost stopped speaking."

Alison and Clary held their breath, waiting for Mary to continue the tale of love and loss.

"I believe... I believe Theo was in love with my mother."

Clary gasped, mostly in surprise, but there was a lilt of excitement in her voice.

"How tragic!" she hissed, squeezing her hands together as she imagined the young Theo, falling in love with his brother's wife and watching her die. Alison, who had remained silent, slowly exhaled through her nostrils as she leaned back, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"I see", she muttered silently, frowning slightly as she stared at the floor.

After another moment of silence, Mary spoke again.

"So, now you know", she sighed, turning her gaze back to Clary and Alison. "And because of that, I ask you to not bring up my mother, or my father, in front of Theo."

Alison and Clary both nodded in understanding, exchanging grim looks as they only now realised what it meant to be a part of the Montgomery family.

****

It was nearly midnight when Mary, Clary and Alison finally arrived in front of the great gates of Montgomery Mansion. Silently, they hopped out of the car and took their bags as the gate opened. A slender, old man stepped through the gate, nodding sharply at Mary, Clary and Alison.

"Shall I take your bags?" the man requested, lengthening out his arm, ready to take the bags from the three girls. Clary and Alison exchanged another; this time confused looks before handing their bags to the butler.

"Thank you", they mumbled silently as the man took the bags and turned around, heading towards the front door. Mary watched as the butler walked for a brief moment, before taking a deep breath and glancing at Clary and Alison quickly.

"Alight then. Follow me", Mary spoke as she started to follow the butler inside the building.

****

The next morning Mary was woken up by a stray of sunlight seeping through the curtains. Slowly, she blinked her eyes and sat up, stretching her eyes as she let out a deep yawn. For a minute, Mary eyed her surrounding, trying to get used to the idea that she was back in the Montgomery Mansion. Then, she swung her legs off the bed and stood up, wrapping a robe over her night gown before stepping out of her room.

Hearing the slight clinking from downstairs, Mary concluded that Alison and Clary were already awake and had gone downstairs for breakfast.

As she entered the dining room, her conclusions were proven right. The two young women were sitting by the table, enjoying coffee, toast and fruits and talking with... Uncle Theodore?

"Oh, good morning, Tilly", Theo looked up as he noticed Mary lingering at the doorway. Mary cheeks heated ever so slightly as Theo's dark eyes landed on her, but she didn't let it show.

"Morning, Uncle Theo", Mary replied and gave him a quick smile before joining Ali and Clary by the table. Theo, who was sitting opposite of them, handed Mary the coffee pot and smiled. Mary blinked her eyes in disbelief before managing to stutter out a small "thank you".

"So, Clarissa, you were telling me that you are part of the Slytherin Quidditch team", Uncle Theo said and turned his attention back to Clary. Clary, who seemed to be very captivated by Uncle Theo's presence, nodded excitedly.

"Yes, I am, sir", Clary agreed. "I am a chaser."

"A chaser, you say?" Uncle Theo mused and leaned back in his chair, sliding his fingers over his moustache. "When I was in school, I was the Keeper. And your father, Mary, was the captain of Slytherin team."

Clary's eyes sparkled as she listened to Theo talk about their many games, how he had dodged many near-impossible strikes and how he had injured his left elbow when he had fallen off a broom during a thunderstorm.

What is going on? Mary thought as she listened Theo and Clary talk about Quidditch like old buddies.

"Did Mary's mum play Quidditch too?" Clary asked before thinking about what she was doing. Mary and Alison froze when those words left Clary's mouth, and by the way Clary stopped fork midway to her mouth, she had noticed her slip as well. But, against all the odds, Theo merely laid back in his chair and stroked his mustacho, again.

"Katherine was an exquisite woman", Uncle Theo started, eyes locked somewhere far away. "But she was not the one to mount brooms and chase flying balls like a maniac."

Uncle Theo chuckled lightly before continuing his story.

"No, Katherine's talents resided elsewhere. She was always an excellent student, always nose in a book. Her specialities were in Potions and Defence Against Dark Arts, and therefore it was only natural that she became one of the best Aurors even known. Maybe even too good for her own good..."

Mary, Clary and Alison stared at Theodore in silence. Mary had never before heard her uncle speaking so freely of her mother. Theo barely mentioned his brother, but ever since Mary's mother had died, he practically lived as if she hasn't existed.

"But enough of all that, you three must have better things to do than listen an old man dwell in his memories", Theo said, his tone now much firmer and happier. He clapped his hands against his thighs and stood up, giving Clary a sharp nod before walking out of the room.