Severus read and re-read the latest, and likely last, letter from Professor Leighton Culstee on the subject of the artifact. While he'd found some who had grown up with rumors about such an artifact existing he could not track anyone down who had any first hand knowledge of it.

To this point, the muggle contraceptives seemed to be working as three months into their marriage being consummated there were no signs of Hermione being with child. He could only hope that as she, so wisely, thought the artifact would not take into account muggle only magical means of pregnancy prevention.

Harry was right in his assessment of the artifact being an unusual one for a British wizard to have, but no one could garner information as to how it got here. As academics, he and Hermione wanted answers, but sometimes there just wasn't information to be had. No one had been able to trace known followers to a Native American background. Of course it could have been passed on to a friend or a non-Native American family member. It was just impossible to know.

Leighton indicated he would continue to keep his eye out for any information in his own research if he came across it. The man, though, had his own work to do. It was more than Severus could ask of the man, really, but he suspected the professor was equally as curious for knowledge as they were.

"So that's it, I guess," Hermoine said. She'd already read the letter.

She was finishing up the first year of her apprenticeship with Filius, and as typical for the brains of The Golden Trio was ahead of where most witches and wizards would be normally. He was planning on working with her during their summer holidays on her unofficial apprenticeship in potions. They were going potion ingredient collecting. It wasn't much of a honeymoon, but he planned on taking her to quite a few of the more exotic places they could go for ingredients. She'd balked at the cost of such a trip. He'd assured her that he'd been quite frugal over the years and such a trip would not set him back. Some would probably laugh at the idea of a working honeymoon (never mind a honeymoon nine months after their wedding) but it suited them well.

They'd used the last few months (on his dime) to remodel one of the back rooms in her home so he would have a potions lab. They hypothesized that it had been an informal sitting room originally. As neither of them planned on hosting very many gatherings that would require an informal sitting room in addition to the more formal sitting room she went along with his plan. His plan, of course, meant that her home was now, well, their home.

A home that he hoped one day to raise at least a couple of children with her in. The right way.

He would sell his childhood home and the property next to it he'd purchased, even if he took a loss. The third home he had made the family a more than reasonable offer of a rent to own agreement. They did not have the credit or collateral to purchase it outright. 

So he, very much like Hermione Granger, would live off the radar for the rest of his days. He was okay with that, and happy with the fact that neither wanted to completely turn their backs on the muggle world. Hermione was thinking of university studies once she finished her apprenticeship. In truth, he was a little envious that was open to her (she told him he could, too, but he'd scoffed at the idea of a forty year old taking university classes).

"You never know," he said, folding the letter. "He may run across something in an unexpected place."

"I will be grateful if he does, but at this point I'm not counting on it happening."

"I hope we have girls," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry. What?"

He shrugged. "It would be far more difficult to explain to a male why he needs to wear protection every time than it would a female. I'd expect anyway. If he's raised in the wizarding world and it's twenty-five or thirty years from now, the artifact having been mostly forgotten about. A male may not fully grasp the ramifications. Males: wizards and muggles, tend to let that part of their anatomy think for them more often than not."

"Oh, you're thinking of those couple dozen grandchildren?"

"Indeed."

"I would like one boy, I think," she said.

"Mm," he said.

"Just as I think it would be good for Harry to have a son, I think it would be for you, too. Ginny nor I can undo how you were raised, but we can help undo some of the sins of the father," she shrugged.

"You are too kind. I agree, I think Harry stands to be a good father."

"Oh?"

"Well, he certainly has demonstrated he knows how to be a better person and friend than his father. I'm really not sure he was ever a good or loyal friend to Black when it got down to it. Assuming they made it into their adult lives, I mean."

"I would agree from what I've heard about James and the memories I saw. I think neither were very good people and they just happened to find one another. Singularly I doubt they would have been so bad."

"At least he stated he will still meet with Arthur the next time he gets to London."

"He will love that!"

"Yes, though it could be dangerous if Arthur Weasley starts getting interested in ancient artifacts!"

She chuckled. "Hopefully Mrs. Weasley will keep him in line."

He scoffed. "As if she could."

She slid onto his lap then, moving the letter to the table next to them. "We witches have our ways, you know."

"So I've heard."

"You don't believe me?"

"I think I need proof."

"Oh?"

"Mm hmm. It will take many years for me to come to a proper conclusion, I'm sure."

"All in the name of research," she said, sliding her arms around him as she drew closer for a kiss.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com