They hadn't been to Charleston since they'd first arrived and caught a train from there to Atlanta. Almost two years ago now. While a lovely city there were just so many other cities that they wanted to see that it just hadn't occurred to them.

This wasn't a social visit, though.

It wasn't difficult to find the Butler home. It was as grandiose and impressive as one might expect from a name that carried weight and respect. Rhett clearly came from money and liked nice things despite his claim not to like adhering to society's rules.

They'd both noticed that since the turn in his marriage to Scarlett the night of Ashley's birthday that he seemed to be a little more concerned about his image than before. It was … good to see, because the children would suffer even if he didn't. Wade, Ella, and Bonnie might have doors closed to them they otherwise wouldn't because of the reputation of both Scarlett and Rhett.

They dressed for their day, hoping this wasn't a huge mistake. Both thought it was worth the risk, though.

Severus tried to imagine having access to all of this and turning it down. He liked to say he wouldn't have done it if he had been in Rhett's shoes. And yet, the dark arts - knowledge - had still called to him even if there hadn't been a Dark Lord. He'd still want to accumulate the knowledge above and beyond what Hogwarts was willing to teach. So, he wagered if he was raised back in this time he probably would have been disowned, too.

They approached the home in question and knocked after watching for a few minutes to ensure they weren't truly interrupting something. An older, stately-looking, servant answered the door. Much stiffer and formal than those they'd observed at the Butlers' home.

"My name is Severus Denby. My wife, Hermione. We apologize for coming by unannounced. My mother was childhood friends with Mrs. Butler. She told me if I was ever in Charlotte that I should call on her. Would you please be so kind as to let her know that Elaine Macusa's son is here to see her? That's M-A-C-U-S-A."

They'd debated who should play the child of the mother's friend. Hermione would be awfully young to be someone's child that Eleanor Butler knew as a child and Severus knew day to day her skills at subterfuge were sufficient that they hadn't betrayed to anyone the fact that they shouldn't be here. However, she was still a Gryffindor and both agreed she may not like lying to a nice Southern lady, witch or not.

So, Severus was the friend's son.

"If she does not have time today, perhaps she could provide you with a better time to come by. Or if she'd like to come see us, we're at the Runner's Inn."

Severus and Hermione both found it amusing they were staying at an inn essentially named for the son of the woman they were coming to see. He was the ultimate blockade runner and certainly one of the most famous in this city (which his father probably loathed they'd realized). Of course, the inn was far older than Rhett Butler, but surely his escapades during the War Between the States made locals think of him when talking about the hotel.

The servant shut the door and returned a few minutes later.

"Mrs. Butler says now is not convenient but she can meet you for tea after dinner at the Runner's Inn around six o'clock if that works."

"Please tell Mrs. Butler I look forward to meeting someone my mother speaks so fondly of. We will look for her around six o'clock then."

They walked through the city, did some shopping, and eventually returned to their hotel where Severus left word they were in the dining room if Mrs. Butler came to call on them. They debated about taking dinner, and therefore waiting for her, in their room but decided she would likely feel less threatened or put on the spot in the dining area.

She found them and Severus stood from the table, taking her offered hand. It was something he was far more adept at nearly two years into this assignment. Initially, the idea of … kissing someone's hand (actually kissing it or not) went against everything about him. He didn't like touching or being touched by people. It was what these people expected, though.

So now he didn't even think twice about the gesture.

"Mrs. Butler. My wife, Hermione Denby." The two women nodded their heads in acknowledgement of one another. "Will you join us for tea? Our rooms are more private if that is amenable to you."

"I think your rooms would be safest, yes."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

The three of them walked to their rooms then.

"You caught me off guard. I hadn't heard MACUSA for several years. It took me a moment - and him spelling it out as I presume you did for him - to realize you hadn't given Ajani an actual name."

"I apologize, I knew that calling on you without an invitation would be suspect regardless. We couldn't chance a letter or telegram in case someone else read it. I had to hope using it as a name wouldn't violate anything."

"No apologies necessary."

"Your husband does not know then?"

"Of course not," she said.

Severus eyed her as she prepared her tea. She was very precise and meticulous in doing so. Not unexpected. While Rhett spoke … kindly of his mother it was clear she was a formal and proper woman. Once that was accomplished she sat ramrod straight. The picture perfect Southern Victorian lady. Not a hair was out of place despite the late hour and the fact she hadn't been expecting to leave her home after dinner. Her dress was impeccable. He wondered if the war had affected them much.

"My wife and I have been living in Atlanta for the past two years and have come to know your son and his family."

"Are they well? Rhett hasn't visited in a while."

"They are. Rhett obviously does not know about his abilities?"

"No," she said quickly. It was clear by the widening of her eyes she thought the idea that he might know was somewhat … scandalous. "He's not a squib, but he never had incidents of accidental magic. At least none that I was aware of. So, I just never told him. How would I have explained it? He was free spirited even as a boy without knowing about magic. I was afraid he'd tell someone! My other two do appear to be squibs. I've always thought Rhett's magic manifested for him in the form of luck. I'm aware he has led an eventful and colorful life where more than once he's been lucky to walk away alive."

Severus nodded. He understood.

"Your granddaughter does as well. We assume Rhett, Junior will, too. Scarlett's oldest son, Wade Hampton is, too. From his father presumably."

"Okay," she said. What more was there to say? Severus realized he needed to push forward, give her something for her to understand why they were visiting her.

"My wife and I work for a department in the British Ministry of Magic. In the Department of Mysteries. We are Unspeakables."

Her lips thinned and she nodded her head. "I understand."

Severus smiled, glad he didn't have to go into detail on that. There were few he could actually share.

"It is important, Mrs. Butler, that your son become aware. Bonnie  and Rhett Jr. need to develop those skills. His wife's first husband, Charles Hamilton might also have magical abilities somewhere in their family tree. I admit we're not sure if Wade is, like my wife, a muggleborn." The fact that Wade Gerald Hamilton in their time was magical also wasn't enough to say that there had been magical people prior to Wade Hampton. It was just as likely he was muggleborn and married someone with magic, ensuring he produced more magical people. "Perhaps, if Scarlett is not keen on believing she can have a talk with Melanie about them."

"I can try."

"My mother married a muggle, rather a No-Maj, as well."

"Was she happy?"

"No," he said simply. To this day, he wasn't sure his mother would have been happy regardless of who she'd married. "I, however, did get my magical education. Rhett may be more receptive than you think. It may make things make sense to him. My wife and I debated how to tell him, but we thought perhaps if you did it. We need the children educated. We thought information coming from you would be the best chance for that occurring. He speaks highly of you."

"Not his father."

"No," Severus said shortly.

She sighed heavily. Perhaps he should have answered in the affirmative. The woman seemed to already know the answer, though, and Severus wasn't going to lie to her.

"I need to tell him is what you're saying," she said softly.

"I won't say that it's imperative, but I think his children need to be prepared and I would hope that they would be able to get their education at Ilvermorny. I think you realize we wouldn't be here, revealing ourselves to you in such a way if it was not of some import."

"May I ask where you are from?"

"You are aware we would only be able to tell you London."

She nodded then, but she seemed to grasp that they weren't from 1873. That there was a reason they were seeking her out. Wanting her grandchildren to be magically trained and educated as they should be.

"I can say that the Berg line has an intriguing gift associated with their magic that is not prevalent and may prove to be, if not essential, important."

"Working with plants."

"Yes," Severus said.

"My husband thinks I have a natural ability with plants. I do, of course… Our plantation. Rhett always loved the camellias. I never thought that by not teaching him about his magical abilities that it would suffer, but of course as I'm getting on in years - even as a witch. I just don't have the energy anymore. It breaks my heart seeing things not growing to their potential when Steven and I visit. It's been since I was a girl I even used my magic aside from the plants that I'm not sure I even remember. I have no wand."

"You could certainly get one," Severus offered.

"One day, perhaps," she said. There was a look in her eyes, though, that told him she hadn't thought until now of the fact that she would likely outlive her husband, barring some calamity befalling her. Or maybe she had, but until today it had been at the back of her mind where she didn't have to think about it.

"What will you do," Hermione asked.

Eleanor smiled at the question, clearly understanding what his wife was asking. She couldn't stay here indefinitely. Well, she could, but not without drawing attention to herself. 

"Likely travel abroad once Steven passes so that no one here will realize that I live years longer than he did and that I shouldn't have. Evidently, teach my grandchildren what I know, though hopefully Rhett and Scarlett will send them to Ilvermorny. My magical education is almost non-existent and what I did learn was years ago."

"I would avoid Britain when that time happens," Severus offered and she nodded.

"Thank you. Is it safe now?" she asked. He was pleased that she seemed to understand his implication.

"Yes, but it wasn't easy or without great loss."

They made small talk after that. Eleanor told of her upbringing. She had to have been born shortly after the turn of the 19th century, Severus knew Rhett was born in 1828 and the oldest of the three Butler children. (Severus took some solace that Rhett had found his happiness with someone sixteen years younger than him.) She recalled when she discovered that going to Ilvermorny would not be an option for her, that her parents wanted "more" for her. She was a product of her time, when marrying well was more important than the race. It didn't sound as if there were many (acceptable) pureblood or halfblood candidates for her from the perspective of her parents.

Too the times of witches being persecuted would have been a recent memory. If she was born in the early eighteen hundreds she likely had relatives or her relatives who had friends who could tell of the trials and the climate surrounding them firsthand. They likely didn't want their daughter hurt.

"I hated my parents for it. Yes, I learned the basics, they taught me that much. I knew that there was so much more to it. For some reason they thought that not being magical would bring about a better future and as their daughter," she shrugged. She had a wistful look in her eye. "Well, let's just say Rhett did not get his thirst for wandering and bucking tradition from me. I wasn't pleased about it, but I did what I was told to do."

"On the contrary, Mrs. Butler. The fact that you wanted to do something different than what was expected speaks volumes. As you've said, it was a different time then. What would you have done if you'd gone against your parents wishes? You wouldn't have been able to do your schooling without them."

"And you won't be around to educate them?"

"I'm afraid as our assignment will be coming to an end within the next nine or ten months and we will return to our home that no, we would not be."

Severus glanced at Hermione. There was something they hadn't spoken about. Where would they live? Would she get back to their time and change her mind about wanting to be married to him? He found it difficult to believe she would. He thought they'd formed the base for something permanent regardless of the time period they were living in. In their time she had friends, people she could do things with who she didn't have to pretend she was something she was (or something she wasn't in her case).

"And I also believe that type of information would be better received from his mother than people he really doesn't know well enough to trust completely. Your son and I have some traits in common I've discovered as I've gotten to know him the past two years. Trust is very much earned for us, not something easily given."

By the time she left after nine o'clock that evening, Severus and Hermione had a better idea of why Rhett was the way he was. And why he revered his mother as he did. It was clear in the few more personal conversations Severus had with the man that while he didn't think his mum was a paragon all women should be compared to he did respect her. It was also clear that the man did not feel that way about his father.

At all.

It was one of the things the men had in common and perhaps the reason they got along at all.

They also bid her good night believing that she would make a point of telling her son the Berg secret and what it meant for Bonnie and Rhett, Junior. She knew it had to be soon, too, because of Wade Hampton. They hoped that by her telling Rhett what signs to look for he would see those signs in the boy as well. He was getting to the age his education should start. His birthday was in January, so that meant he was turning eleven soon. Rhett's mother would not be able to admit she knew Wade was magical, so hopefully he would show some sign that Rhett would understand.

Eventually, they made their way back to Atlanta after New Year's Eve.

Nine more months. They'd discussed and agreed they would stay through Melanie's death. Severus was still debating about giving her the prenatal potion he knew how to brew. It wasn't part of their assignment, but if he could do something to help another child and its mother not die unnecessarily, shouldn't he? Of course the voice in the back of his mind told him he couldn't possibly save every mother and unborn child. They'd be stuck in this time period forever if he endeavoured to do that. More importantly, he truly didn't know if his potion would prevent anything. It may not. So, where did he draw the line? And yet, Melanie Wilkes had been nothing but kind and accepting of both him and his wife. Surely, the world would be a better place with someone like her in it for years longer than she was.

Assuming his potion worked.

Fortunately, he still had a bit of time to come to a decision with regard to that. It was a fine line to toe. Why did she warrant his assistance more than anyone else? He knew and liked her? The one thing he had going for him? He wasn't a medical doctor so he hadn't taken an oath or anything to help all.

It still … left him uncertain at to what to do.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com