Two Years Later
"Is everything ready for the party later?" Remus asked, stepping us behind Alyssa and pulling her into his arms.
Alyssa smiled as she kept cutting up the vegetables and fruits that would go on the platter. "I assume so," she said wryly, flicking her gaze from the streamers (in green and gold, Harry's favorite colors), the balloons floating near the ceiling (charmed to flash different colors at random intervals), and the cake that was currently cooling on a rack on the oven, waiting for her to decorate it after she finished her current task. "Have you wrapped our presents?"
Remus nodded. "They're sitting on the coffee table in the living room with the ones from Severus and Sirius, and the ones Minerva and Poppy sent. What time are they arriving?"
Alyssa put a stasis charm on the appetizers, checked that lunch was underway, then started on the cake, answering her husband's question. "Poppy and Minerva should be flooing over in about ten minutes, Sev and Sirius should be bringing Harry in about fifteen."
A lot had happened in two years. After Spinner's End was attacked by a group of Death Eaters, led by Lucius Malfoy, it was decided that moving was for the best. Lucius and six others had been taken into Auror custody, but had escaped. Remus and Sirius were targeted by a second group, led by Narcissa and with similar results. After careful consideration, the four adults decided moving would be their best bet.
Severus had continued his research, aided by Alyssa, Remus, and Sirius, and they were able to find a place to suit all of their requirements. They moved to America, to a small town in Pennsylvania. It was quiet, and the war was just a news story, nothing more. Voldemort had never managed to expand his influence across the sea, so they were safe from Death Eaters.
Alyssa and Severus opened their own apothecary, not worrying about losing business because of their past. Here, all people cared about were that they were a qualified Potions Master and Mistress and that their potions were beyond reproach. Remus found acceptance that he hadn't in Britain. Here, he was able to go back to school, learning how to be a Healer. He's currently one of the best Healers at St. Theresa's, the magical hospital in Pennsylvania. Alyssa and Remus continued dating, marrying after a year together. Their anniversary was actually only a few days after Harry's birthday. Sirius had decided to try to join the magical police force, and was currently the best officer with magical/muggle relations. Sirius still lived with Severus and Harry, and their house was across the street from Alyssa and Remus's.
Today was Harry's birthday, and they had decided to throw a surprise party at the Lupins' for him. Severus and Sirius were keeping Harry (who wanted to go get his present from Aunt Lyss and Uncle Moony) occupied by taking him flying. The area they lived in was a mixture of magical and muggle, so they were going to a secluded park that had trees surrounding it, blocking them from view of the muggles if they didn't fly too high.
A hissing noise from the backyard had Remus moving to open the door. Nyx stuck her head, which was the only part of her body still small enough to fit in any house, in the door and hissed, "They are going to be here in a few minutes. Sirius was doing a trick on the broom and fell off."
Alyssa shook her head as she finished icing the cake. "Is the mutt alright?"
"Severus took care of him, but he decided that was more than enough flying for the day," the snake hissed in response.
The basilisk was smaller than her mother, measuring only forty feet, and she had spells placed on her which made her invisible to muggles. Most of the magical residents of the town knew about her, as it is rather hard to hide a basilisk, but they were unconcerned after they found out. Basilisks are rare creatures, and after it was promised that she wouldn't hurt anyone without reason, many magicals accepted her. They knew that Nyx was the reason that Snape & Co. Apothecary always had basilisk venom and scales in stock.
"Was Harry on the broom with Sirius?" Remus asked, even though he thought he knew the answer to that question. There was no way Nyx would be reporting the accident if Harry had been injured; Severus would have apparated them here immediately.
"No, he was with Severus. He thinks that Sirius has something wrong with his head," Nyx replied, flicking her tongue at the scent of the cooking food.
Absentmindedly tossing the snake a piece of meat from the refridgerator, she said, "I've always known there was something wrong with his head."
"Who's head dear?" Minerva asked, stepping out of the Floo in the living room and moving to the kitchen where her former students were.
"Sirius. It's a good thing you're early Minerva; Harry will be here sooner than expected. Is Poppy coming behind you?"
Minerva and Poppy had remained good friends of the family, even though they only saw each other during the holidays. Neither had told Dumbledore that they were still talking to them, so he never pestered them for information.
"No, she asked me to give her apologies, but she caught a bug the other day and the poor thing's still not completely over it," Minerva said, embracing the woman she thought of as a daughter and one of the men she considered her son.
"I'm sure Harry will understand," Remus said, hugging the aging witch, "Did Dumbledore retire yet?"
"Not yet," Minerva sighed, taking a seat at the table and accepting the butterbeer Alyssa handed her, "But he's getting worse. He doesn't get much sleep, and that's affecting his decisions."
Alyssa and Remus smirked at each other. The penalty set by the familiars was still in place.
Fawkes flew into the kitchen, trilling softly. He was still Alyssa's familiar, and now spent most of his days in the apothecary with his mistress. He was part of the reason that people came to the apothecary, as many people wanted to get a glimpse of the magnificent bird. Harry would usually be there as well, unless Remus or Sirius were off, and the two would usually be able to entertain each other if both twins were busy. Indeed, Alyssa often remarked that having both of them in her shop at the same time would give her gray hair, because both were adept at getting into trouble.
"We can only hope that he will retire soon and leave someone fit in his place," Alyssa said, sighing. "Let's hope that he names you Headmistress Minerva," she added, causing the older woman to blush, but before she could reply the front door opened and Severus, Sirius, and Harry entered.
A wave of Remus's hand dimmed the lights, leaving the candles on the cake as the main source of illumination. "We're in the kitchen," he called out for Harry's benefit, moving to stand beside his wife as footsteps approached the door.
"You put a temporary invisibility charm on the presents in the living room, right?" Alyssa asked, looking at Remus. She took in the werewolf's guilty expression as she heard a shout from the other room. "I guess not."
"Oops," he said, smiling sheepishly.
Alyssa rolled her eyes and kissed her husband, taking his hand and leading him into the living room, where Harry had already started on his presents. The party was for family, so everybody who was invited was already present. Harry had already opened two presents by the time the three from the kitchen moved into the living room. Severus and Sirius were sitting in armchairs by the fire, smiling indulgently at the excited child on the floor.
A tapping on the window drew Remus's attention from the birthday boy. He moved to the window and let the owl enter, checking the letter automatically for dark curses. When none were present, he gave the owl a treat and accepted the letter, noticing that it was addressed to Alyssa Snape. He moved over to Alyssa and silently handed her the letter, catching Severus and Sirius's attention. Alyssa's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Nobody calls me Alyssa Snape anymore," she murmured, unfurling the parchment to read the short paragraph that was written there. Her face became more worried with each sentence, before she looked up and wordlessly handed the letter to Remus.
Dear Alyssa,
It is wonderful that I have found you at last. We were most displeased that you left two years ago without notifying us. Someone needs to remind you of your manners. It has been most difficult to ascertain where you have been hiding out, but luck was apparently with us. You should have known that you couldn't hide forever. We are coming for you, your half-breed husband, your traitor brother, the blood traitor, and the Potter brat. Know that there is really nowhere that you can hide from us, as we will avenge our Lord.
Lucius Malfoy
"Oh hell," Remus said, looking at Alyssa as he handed Sirius the letter. What now?