And Counting || Silvanna Snape

Chapter Twenty-Two

Not me waiting a full year to update...

Welcome if you're a new reader, ever-so-sorry if you're an old one. Love you all!!

 Sirius Black had not proved a problem to Silvanna. According to the tiresome MACUSA reports he hadn't even made an attempt to enter the country, let alone contact her. The only issue he had caused, aside from the murder of all her friends and love of her life, was Aaron.

 Aaron Johnson was the auror that followed her everywhere. The supermarket, work, even the canteen. She couldn't even escape him at the AIDs hospital. Once or twice she'd hinted to Catherine that he wasn't good at his job, and asked her what he'd actually done since he arrived, but she only shrugged. 'Sorry Silvanna, he's come from the higher-ups. Probably some HR dude.'

 As a last resort, she avoided him like dragon-pox. The friends he made at work she avoided too, she reduced her meetings with him to a minimum, and she ate her lunch in her office. It wasn't that she disliked him or that he acted as a painful reminder; he simply annoyed her. He represented MACUSA's disrespect towards her decision to leave the Wizarding World. She thought about leaving the States, but decided firmly against it. Sirius would be caught soon enough with the whole world looking for him - even the muggles. And then Aaron would leave.

But he hung around for two full years - two years of being followed by him everywhere she went. She was certain when he picked his career at Ilvermorny this wasn't what he had in mind. Once or twice she'd even gone to the MACUSA headquarters to get rid of him, but each time they declined. So it was 2 years with no privacy and a stake-out outside her apartment. Why couldn't they just catch him? The hiding and waiting brought back memories of the war, all of them painful.

 She thought about Sirius Black most days - in particular whether Regulus had suspected his involvement. He wouldn't have said so, so there was no way of knowing. She waited for him to be caught. And waited. But the day never came.

 Silvanna never read her copy of the Daily Prophet, and only read The New York Ghost when it concerned her investments. But Harry was Hogwarts age now, she thought, so whenever there was a headline article about Hogwarts she made sure to read it, even if it upset her.

 It was the start of the summer, two years after Aaron started, when she opened her wizarding post one Tuesday morning over coffee.

BOY DEAD IN TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT HELD AT HOGWARTS

 Panicking, she read further, as Harry Potter's name seared into her eyes throughout the article. But it wasn't him that was dead. A boy named Cedric Diggory - oh how sad. But Harry had been confunded - bless him - and was preaching You-Know-Who's return to anybody that would listen...

 It was seven minutes past eight and if she didn't leave right now she'd be late for work. She stuffed it into her bag and ran out the door.

*****

 Silvanna was surprised, and very relieved, when her boss Catherine informed her that Aaron had quit. Having read through the Prophet it did make sense. The death had been a terrible accident, and it seemed Harry was recalling the terrors he'd faced as a baby. How horrible, for Lily and James's son to end up like that - reliving their deaths each day.

 But there was no threat. Voldemort had not returned. Sirius Black had not been found. With this long on the run she was surprised he hadn't died of natural causes. Here's to hoping.

 She had a dinner with Catherine that evening. As far as she was aware, she didn't have any children, so it would be lovely and peaceful. She'd go home and shower, and then pick out something from the pile of dry-cleaning she hadn't put away yet. It wasn't often she dressed-up these days, and she was grateful - it brought back too many painful evenings in stiff corsets and pins digging into her head.

 The image must be comical, to compare Silvanna then to how she was now. Never dishevelled, but not as uncomfortable. She loved her loafers, and the sponginess of the leather, and had vowed never to buy another pair of stilettos again. The only remnant of Silvanna Black was the ring on her finger.

 Until she reached her apartment and saw an owl perched outside her window.

 There was an urgency in the way she snatched the letter, and she wasn't sure what had prompted it - but she'd been right to do so.

Silvanna,

I am sorry to write to you after all this time. In truth, there isn't much to say. I know you've hidden yourself from our world, so it is with much consideration I offer you the following invitation.

Padfoot is alive and well. He is here, with me, in his old family home. And Silvanna - he's innocent. We hope you will come and see us, to meet Harry, and discuss the recent headlines with Dumbledore.

 It's been a long time Silvanna, and we'd like to see you.

 With Love,

 Remus

 She stared at the words, trying to work out what they meant. And when she finally did, she threw her clothes into a suitcase, grabbed her wand from under her bed, and quickly dialled Catherine's phone number.