"Just one day ..." - Hazel said standing up, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders. - "Fern, put David in his crib and let him sleep, help me make breakfast. Laurel, go to the shed and take out the Christmas decorations. With all this drama, there was nothing to celebrate this year, but now... Just one day".

Laurel hugged her mother again and then, signalling Severus to follow her, they exited through a sliding door onto the back porch of the house that led into a small garden, surrounded by a chain-link fence. In the middle of the garden there was a brick fire pit and a few weather-beaten plastic chairs. In the distance, beyond the fence, the outline of a distant forest, no houses in sight. That lonely and silent landscape filled the wizard with an infinite tranquillity. A sense of calm that he could not enjoy at Hogwarts, surrounded by stone walls and the school bustle.

"Severus" - Laurel called him, she had already entered the shed and began to take out dusty boxes.

"Allow me to help you". - He said approaching her and helping her with a long box where the Christmas tree would most likely be found.

"Help me?" - Laurel giggled, putting the box down and shoving Severus into the shed. - "You have done much more than help me today, Severus."

The man felt a chill down his spine when he felt the warmth of Laurel's body very close to his, the smell of moist, the darkness of the shed and the adrenaline of doing something secretly, made him lose any control of himself. Taking the woman by the waist, he pressed her against his body. Laurel raised her face to him, she could almost hear the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Severus tilted his head towards her, nervous, but convinced that his kiss would not be rejected, Laurel's eyes slowly closed as she felt the warmth of his breath getting closer.

"¡LAUREL!"

Fern's shout stopped them instantly. They both parted, their faces like flares, almost lighting up the interior of the shed.

"Sorry". - They both said at the same time.

Laurel opened her mouth, staring at the wizard, prepared to tell him what she felt, rubbing her hands nervously.

"Severus, I ..."

"Laurel, hurry up!"

"Sorry". - She murmured again, leaving the shed and taking one of the boxes with her. She angrily walked to the porch where Fern was waiting, her arms crossed, and an eyebrow arched. - "No need to shout."

"What were you doing?" - Fern asked, glaring at Severus, who had also come out, and was lifting the box with the Christmas tree.

"Taking the boxes out." - Laurel lied. - "I was also showing my old toys to Severus."

"Severus?" - Fern repeated, with a suspicious tone. - "Were you showing your old toys to your boss?"

"Just shut up, Fern."

After breakfast and after Severus had to refuse the third portion of scrambled eggs and toast that Hazel insisted on putting on his plate, they headed to the living room to start putting up the decorations. It was still a couple of weeks before Christmas, but from the atmosphere that was felt at home, it could be Christmas Eve that very same night.

It took some time and many refusals to accept Laurel's aid before he finally had to surrender to the inability to set up the Christmas tree by himself.

"I still don't understand how you have enough patience." - He whispered as he helped holding the tree, while Laurel screwed the pieces together. - "I would have solved this with a touch of the wand."

Laurel shrugged.

"It would not be the same. The enjoyment is to do it as a family, to have fun doing it". - She replied, standing up and admiring the tree, which still needed its lights and ornaments. - "Ha! Old Henry and I have spent many Christmases together."

"Did you name it?" - He asked with a mocking tone.

"Obviously! He is part of the family... As you are now, Severus". - She replied, imitating his smirk. - "Pass me those lights, please."

Severus stared at the woman's hands for a moment, they were moving through the branches of the artificial tree, dressing it lovingly in lights, as if it were a child. He knew that Laurel deserved so much more than just a single day with her family, she deserved so much more than being used as a source of research. He would not have the willpower to lead her back to the manor, he would not have the heart to lock her up again. If only he had the guts to separate from her, to disappear from her life and grant her the fortune of never seeing him again. A hero would do that, free the princess from her condemnation... He wanted to be her hero.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

"We should call Rebecca." - Hazel said, admiring the work of Laurel and Severus who were having the tea and biscuits that she had brought them as a snack. - "She will be very happy to know that you are all right. She was so worried about you. She took care of bringing your things from London".

"You know you can't do that mum." - whispered Fern, who was feeding little David in a rocking chair next to them. - "It would not be convenient."

Laurel noted the knowing look between them and the sudden shadow on her mother's face.

"What is happening?" - She asked frowning. - "What about Rebecca?"

Fern let out a sigh and in a hard voice said:

"Nothing happens with Rebecca. The problem is the insurance agency".

"What agency?"

Fern looked suspiciously at Severus, who had gone very still and silent, his eyes fixed on Fern, Laurel knew he was reading her mind.

"Fern, whatever is, you can say it in front of him."

"If you don't mind..." - Fern let out a snort of irritation. - "The club has offered to pay the families of the deceased around one hundred thousand pounds for each one so as not to initiate legal action. They have also approached us..."

"Laurel is not dead, but they need the money." - Severus whispered. - "Whatever the club offers them, it would be foolish not to accept it."

"You are correct, Dr. Smarty-pants."

"But, I am..."

"We know that!" – Said Fern, with a softer voice, looking tenderly at her sister. – "We know that now! But Laurel, we really need the money, the bank, the mortgage..."

"How far behind?"

"Since July. The government support is not enough, we have asked for help to neighbours, to friends, but you know, with a new-born baby... we are only surviving a day at a time".

"Right... right..." – Laurel stood up, pacing nervously - "It's my fault, I wasn't looking after you... I couldn't ... How much money have you been offered?"

"Eighty thousand pounds."

"Without a body, less money... Okay..." - Laurel stopped, crossing her arms. - "I think I am a ghost Fern; you were right."

"Laurel, we can stop this madness, we can just call the police, report that you showed up." - Hazel begged, - "We'll get by with the money later."

"No, mum, Fern is right, Severus is right, it would be foolish not to take the money." - Laurel said with determination.

"Laurel, are you sure you want to do this, pumpkin?"

"Yes". - She said, turning to Severus. - "We will have to go back, won't we? We must go back to Geneva."

Without waiting for an answer from Severus, she walked with determined steps towards her old bedroom that she shared with her sister, she was going to pack everything she needed to try to make her confinement in the Malfoy manor more bearable.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

"So, what's going on between you and that Dr. Gloomy?"

"What?"

Laurel was in her old bedroom, rummaging in their closet, selecting some personal items to take with her: clothing, a few photographs, her old diary, a small radio. She was shoving everything in a plastic bag, knowing that it all would fit in Severus' enchanted satchel.

"You know what I am talking about". – Insisted Fern. – "You two are an item".

"You are mad, Fern. There is nothing going on. He is my boss, that's it".

Fern laughed, approaching the plastic bag and glancing inside, removing a rather skimpy set of lace underwear and dangling it mockingly in front of her sister.

"Then why are you taking this with you? Who do you want to impress?"

Laurel's face turned red, and she ripped the underwear off her hands embarrassed.

"It's just clothes, you idiot."

"Yes, of course, if you say so." - She answered with a grimace of disbelief. - "I don't like that man, he has... a dark aura."

"More than yours?"

"I'm not kidding, Laurel. That man gives me a bad feeling. Besides, he is too old for you and too ugly".

Laurel took a deep breath, quelling the urge to yell at her sister. Her heart pounded; she was very upset to hear those words.

"Don't you dare, Fern... Severus is... he's very good to me."

"Seriously, you deserve better! That man gives me the creeps."

"Not to me! He is... different... sweet, he cares about me... "

Fern narrowed her eyes, she knew very well how to get everything out of her sister, like an expert surgeon, she lashed out with her sharp scalpel of cruel remarks until she reached the delicate nerves of her older sister, forcing her to release all her secrets.

"He's bitter, Laurel, what do you like about him? That big, hooked nose? Or that lanky greasy hair? "

"Everything! I like everything about him! " - She whispered exasperated. - "Are you happy?"

"No". - Fern smirked. - "There is something in all this that I do not quite understand, something that does not fit, what is your job exactly? Maybe he has just taken you as his lover... "

"I'm just his assistant, Fern... Could you please stop bothering me? Could you behave as if you were really my sister? "

"I only worry about you... I would not want you to end badly."

"Ending up like you? - Laurel said sarcastically. - "Pregnant and abandoned?"

"Noah is going through a rough patch." - Fern answered indignantly. - "He comes to visit David every week."

"Yes, and I suppose he should bring him money, no? Clothes, food, diapers? No?" - Laurel growled, savouring the opportunity to get revenge on her sister. - "Did he go back with that girl from the institute? The one who's only sixteen?"

Fern had turned red and was shaking with rage. She stood up and went to her nightstand, pulling out a few boxes of birth control pills. She returned to where Laurel was and dropped them into her lap.

"Take them." - She said in a low voice.

"I do not need this..."

"Take them." - She repeated, putting them herself in the bag. - "Don't make the same mistake I made."

"Fern ..."

"I love you, idiot". - She said, hugging her.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

"As a child I would have wanted to grow up in a place like this." - Severus commented, looking at the sunset in the distance. - "and not in a maze of brick houses and broken windows like Spinner's end".

"Your house is not so bad." - Laurel replied. - "Besides, you only spend the summer holidays there. Your home is Hogwarts."

They were both squatting by the brick pit where they had put firewood and old newspapers; Laurel tried to strike the matches, but the icy wind blew them out with each attempt. Severus looked around and realized that they were alone, Hazel and Fern were inside the house washing the dishes after their homemade pizza dinner, the carols playing on the radio and the noise of the matches scraping against the box were the only sounds in the garden. He drew his wand and muttered:

"Incendio".

"Thanks". - Laurel murmured when she saw how the flames engulfed the dry wood and consumed the newspaper immediately. - "You can always move, I would offer you to live here, but it seems that I can no longer call this place my home."

Severus watched her stand up and head back inside the house. His heart was confused, his head was spinning, he knew what he had to do. For Laurel's sake, he had to disappear and this was the opportunity, he had only to turn around and apparate, she would never find him, and he would meekly surrender to the Dark Lord to receive his condemnation.

His legs trembled as he stood up, the wind was blowing his hair and he closed his eyes tightly, thinking of his house in Cokeworth, in his dark little room. He took a deep breath.

"Severus, are you okay?"

He opened his eyes to find Laurel in front of him, a cardboard box under her arm and a copper pot dangling from her hand.

"Yes". - He answered trying to keep his voice firm.

"Happy Christmas". - She said as she handed him the box.

He looked inside in surprise to see a pile of notebooks and newspaper clippings that looked quite old and worn.

"Thanks?"

Laurel laughed as she busied herself placing the pot on the fire.

"They belonged to your father." - She explained. - "Letters, diaries ... it was all he had, all he left."

Severus looked into the box again, a feeling of longing and loathing mixing within his chest.

"I really don't know what to do with this."

"Look at them, read them, sniff around a bit, maybe you will find something that interests you."

Laurel headed back inside to get the rest of the ingredients, while Severus sat down on one of the chairs and began rummaging through the box. He did not have the strength, nor the will, to read that tangled and slanted handwriting. The weak rays of the sun were fading little by little.

The fragrant smell of the mulled wine was intoxicating, Laurel had managed to transform the cheap boxed wine into a fine, splendid beverage by adding a few touches of exotic spices, some drops of the ancient brandy they kept for important visits and the sweetness of ripe oranges. As far as Severus could judge, she could pass as a rather talented potioneer.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

It was cold, and the pot with the mulled wine was almost empty. Her mother had entered the house a couple of hours ago, after hugging Severus tightly, wishing him good night and thanking him for the miracle of her healing. Fern had finally gone to bed after announcing that she would be delighted to visit Switzerland very soon and launching a threat on anyone who dared to hurt her sister.

"I got my eye on you, Dr. Gloomy!" - She yelled from the porch; her face flushed from the wine.

"I'm sorry." - Laurel muttered. - "She's not that bad, once you get to know her."

"We don't have the option to choose our family, Laurel." - He said throwing a look at the box again.

"Nothing that interests you about it?"

"I couldn't... I have enough with everything that is going on."

"I would like to show you this". – She said, rummaging in the box until she found the worn black photo album. – "I love these pictures".

She sat next to Severus, their heads together, looking at the old photographs. Laurel narrated the stories that Tobias had told her, how his parents had come to Cokeworth, fleeing the fury of both families; showing him the beautiful flower print dress his mother wore, posing in front of their house; the euphoric smile of his father holding him and the shiny, long, straight hair, so strange in a one-year-old baby.

"They are beautiful, don't you think?" - Laurel asked looking at him, the firelight illuminating his pale face, his black eyes glowing in the dark.

Severus nodded slightly.

"Yes, they are". - He answered with his low and soft voice, his eyes fixed on her lips, dyed red by wine and cold - "You are beautiful, Laurel."

Cupping her face, he brought it close to his and ravished her mouth, kissing her fervently, savouring those lips that tasted of wine and spices, tasted like glory, like the summer fires, like the damp earth of autumn, like the sweet nectar of the flowers in Spring, tasted like the warmth of a home in winter. Laurel bit his lower lip gently, introducing her tongue into his mouth, brushing, teasing, feeding on his breath. She tangled her fingers in his long black hair and let her eager mouth move over his jaw, nuzzling his neck, biting him gently, licking the salt of his skin, drowning in that irresistible scent of herbs, of magic. Severus muffled a weak growl against her ear and Laurel felt her body began to melt.

An icy wind whipped their bodies and made their faces separate.

"I love you, Severus."

He leaned his forehead against hers, giving her little kisses on her red lips, drowning in the scent of mulled wine.