Redemption II

Chapter 93

Hermione smiled softly, waving goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasely. They had come to the town to surprise Hermione with two beautiful handmade gifts for the babies. She'd been extremely tight-lipped as to the names of the children. Only giving her friends and family the first letter of their names but not telling them what letter went to which. As she didn't want to know the gender of her children she'd foregone having the midwife tell her the genders and had thus chosen two names that would fit either gender.

It was completely opposite of her normally extremely prepared character but considering how well that had gone for her in the past she'd decided to just sit back and let fate decide. It was a sort of cathartic moment for her when she just let the stress of needing to know everything there was, go. She'd never looked back.

Severus had wanted no part in their names. At least, their first names and had subsequently secretly created his own list of middle names to give the children. Hermione had happened across his 'secret' list one day while cleaning his desk but hadn't told him her opinion about what he'd chosen. He hadn't been as creative as she in the name department but she loved them all the same.

Hermione watched Galia lead the couple down the street to stay the night at the inn. Though they could portkey back home they had said they wanted to explore some of the shops and possibly see the inside of the castle, if Hermione had the energy. Their small conversation and quaint little tea and snacks had ended rather abruptly when Hermione had fallen asleep, teacup still in hand. She hadn't realized how much her daily life was exhausting her until that moment. It wasn't as if she was doing too much, at least not in her world.

Just normal housework, paperwork from the office that she'd brought home to keep her busy and reading books Severus would bring from the castle. The walk to the castle wasn't far but it was increasingly more tiring as the days had worn on. As much as she wanted to show them more of the castle than what they'd seen when they'd come for her wedding she just didn't see it happening in the near future. Even still, Mr. and Mrs. Weasely found the town a wonderful place to spend the weekend just relaxing from their children and grandchildren.

Hermione turned her head towards the castle, her eye catching on the green crystal lantern shining softly in the growing darkness. She and Severus had charmed a lantern beside the gate to light up if either of them were inside. It allowed for them to come and go without having to find the other and also let others who may have been looking for them to know where they were. Green for Severus, red for her and white if they were both inside.

oOo

Severus slowly walked down the steps leading down into the catacombs. The voices of those therein were ominously quiet but he could feel them reaching out; as if they too knew what he held in his palm. A hand had slowly taken hold of his heart, not painfully, but oddly comforting. As though it was being cradled in warmth. He didn't know what had possessed him to 'steal' his mother's soul from the hospital. As many times before in his life, it had just felt right. She never got to come home. So, he was going to bring her home.

He turned his head down the hall coming to the same level that Galia had brought her son to. He was sure there was plenty of space on the other levels but it felt only right that she be laid to rest beside another who had lost their life before their time.

The orb from which Galia's son had been kept remained broken upon its pedestal, neither he nor Hermione had had the heart to disturb the area. Even now as he approached it, he gave it a slow and wide birth turning his head to look down the shelves. He counted the spaces between, wanting to make sure that when Galia and he were to pass, there would be plenty of space to lay them both to rest beside their loved ones of this life.