The goodbye
The news came in the late afternoon. A letter from Dumbledore, carried by an unfamiliar owl, arrived at their doorstep.
They weren’t in danger anymore.
The Death Eaters had lost their trail, and it was safe to return to Britain.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The words were there in the air, undeniable, but none of them wanted to be the first to acknowledge what it meant.
They could leave.
But did they want to?
Sirius sat stiffly on the couch, staring at the letter like it had personally offended him. James ran a hand through his hair, looking away. Remus and Peter exchanged uneasy glances. They’d spent a month and a week in this place, and in that time, Egypt had stopped being just a hiding place. It had become something else.
It had become home.
For Sirius, it had been the warmth he never had in Grimmauld Place.
For James, it had been a house that felt full, unlike the vast emptiness of the Potter estate.
For Remus and Peter, it had been family. People who noticed when they were quiet. Who cared.
And now they had to leave.
Severus, standing by the doorway, arms crossed, watched them carefully. “When do you want to go?”
It took a second for James to answer. “Tomorrow,” he said quietly. “We should leave tomorrow.”
The rest of the day passed in a blur of quiet moments and lingering looks. At dinner, Nabeela smiled warmly as she passed them more food than they could possibly eat, as if already trying to keep them here a little longer.
When Intisar heard the news, she got up without a word and returned with tightly wrapped homemade food for their journey. “So you don’t eat that terrible plane food,” she said, voice thick with emotion.
Severus disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and came back carrying four jars of jam, the same jam they’d eaten every morning, the one he had made himself. He placed them in front of them with a shrug, not meeting their eyes.
“So you don’t forget breakfast,” he muttered.
Sirius picked up the jar, running his fingers over the lid, swallowing thickly.
The next morning, they stood outside the apartment with their bags packed. Hassoona clung to Severus’ sleeve, eyes watery.
“You’re coming back, right?” the boy asked.
Severus smiled, ruffling his hair. “After summer break.”
The family watched as the Marauders piled onto the motorcycle one last time. Severus, as always, made sure it was running properly before revving the engine, the familiar hum vibrating beneath them.
The ride to the airport was silent, the wind rushing past them.
When they arrived, it hit them all at once—this was it.
The Marauders climbed off the bike slowly, their movements reluctant. Severus stayed seated, gripping the handlebars.
James was the first to step forward. “So…”
Severus smirked. “Try not to die before next summer.”
James let out a shaky laugh before, in a rare burst of emotion, he pulled Severus into a hug. It caught the shorter boy completely off guard. Before he could react, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had joined in, surrounding him in a tight, warm embrace.
Severus, small next to them, his head barely reaching Sirius and James’ shoulders, let out a breathless chuckle. “Alright, enough of that,” he grumbled, voice rough with unsaid things.
The Marauders finally pulled away, eyes slightly red.
“We’ll see you soon,” Remus promised.
Severus nodded. “Yeah.”
And with that, they turned and left, disappearing into the airport.
Severus sat on his bike for a long moment before finally starting the engine and riding away, back to the home that was his.
Back to Egypt.