"Are the seats to your liking, Mistress Snape?" he queried softly against her ear, accompanied by a brushing of his lips there.

"Yes," she said breathlessly. "My husband has most definitely pleased me."

"Your husband hasn't even started pleasing you yet, Witch," he murmured. "He has to demonstrate later how very impressed he is with his wife achieving dual masteries in just over two years."

"Odette will hear you," she said, blushing prettily at his statement despite her protest.

"So she will. She's no doubt impressed, too."

The three of them were dressed to the nines to take in the first Saturday evening performance of London's Phantom of the Opera.

Odette had been told about the time turner Severus had created and it was decided that she would be included in this trip, this memory. Severus would never forget the Live Aid concerts Hermione had gifted him with and he wanted to give something like it to their daughter. A night that she'd never forget. It helped that it was her first muggle theatre experience, so she was excited across the board. The only stipulation being that she could never tell anyone about this evening.

Grandma McGonagall, who was not fully retiring but was stepping down from her deputy headmistress duties this year and wanted Severus to start looking for a professor to take on her teaching sooner rather than later, was watching after young Erik for the night in their time, having no idea what the Snapes were doing.

Hermione would be the Potions professor while Odette would be entering into her fifth year. Odette and Draco had taken the past couple of years to form a bond that Severus presumed would lead to courtship when Odette was of age. Nothing untoward had occurred and nothing official had been spoken, but Severus knew his godson well enough by now to know when something interested him.

Odette was that witch.

And from what he could ascertain the witch felt the same about his godson.

"Impressed you've been matchmaking no doubt," she said.

"I have not and would do no such thing! She clearly enjoys his company, and they have plenty of time. She's an intelligent witch, that's important to Draco. Perhaps they will remain nothing more than friends."

"I know." She rolled her eyes. They both knew Draco and Odette were not remaining just friends. "It's just one aspect of our world that I'm unaccustomed."

"At least I didn't betroth her to him."

"There is that."

"Let's enjoy your show, Hermione, and worry about Odette's future later. Nothing is set in stone, no intention has even been presented. I see what I see, you see it, too, and we both realize that forbidding or denying would be futile."

"You're right," she admitted with a curt nod, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for this," she said.

"You are welcome."

He enjoyed the show, but the pleasure his witches took in it moreso. He watched as they gasped and cried, often at the same points. He knew the show was wildly popular and still running today from his research after Hermione mentioned wanting to see it. He'd made sure of it so that none of them would have to lie about what show it was they were taking in this evening.

His two witches talked about Christine's options and choices as they made their way to a place they could apparate from. They'd stopped at the stage door, getting many signatures on their show program, not that they'd be able to show it to anyone. Well, he supposed Hermione could and claim she saw it as a child or it had belonged to her parents.

August 2001

Back in their time in muggle London they had a nice, formal dinner out since they were dressed for the theatre.

"He's kind of like you," Odette said once their conversation about the show had dwindled down. Severus hadn't joined in much. He could appreciate the music, staging, costumes, and everything but he wasn't captivated by it.

"I'm sorry, what?" Severus said and Hermione stifled a giggle.

"Well, he is. I mean, okay, he lived in the bowels of the Opera House, you lived in Hogwarts dungeons. You're both rather dark and can be seen as sinister to those you don't care to let know you any differently."

"I'm not a psychopath last I checked, Odette. We defeated one of those not that long ago."

"No, but you were drawn to that psychopath's rhetoric."

Severus sighed. She'd been given an edited version of his past so she was aware he'd taken the Dark Mark willingly and why.

"And you were drawn away from it because of love."

"I was not in love with Lily Potter, Odette. Those memories have been taken out of context..."

"I know that! You did love her, though, the same as Hermione loves Harry and Ron. She'd do anything for them. Well, maybe not so much anymore because of you, me, and Erik, but still I'm pretty sure she would if it wasn't life threatening."

Severus fought back a smile at that statement because he knew full-well it was true.

"Anyway, I'm not saying you're the same person or anything, but I can understand why Hermione loves you after knowing how much she loves that show."

"You truly believe Miss Daae made the wrong choice?" he asked, glancing at Hermione.

"Well, yes," she said and shrugged. "I've thought a lot about it after seeing the show and reading the book as well as another based on the story."

Severus rolled his eyes at her. Of course she'd read the books.

"I just can't see how, ultimately, she'd be happy with Raoul. He was a part of proper, titled society who saw actors as lesser people with loose morals. I can't see how he would have allowed her to continue her pursuit of the stage once they were married, certainly after they had children. What kind of person would she be without doing what she loved?"

She shrugged.

"And Odette's not wrong. I know you're not who anyone expected me to end up with, but I couldn't imagine being with anyone else. We support each other, encourage each other. You're rough around the edges and not an overly kind man to those who annoy you," he scoffed at this. "But to those who have earned your respect, loyalty, and love you are a hero. Hell, the entire Wizarding world is indebted to you and I know they didn't respect or believe in your loyalty. And yet you did it."

They finished their dinner and walked some around muggle London before finding a spot they could all apparate from.

"I know I don't have to remind you, Odette, what we did tonight can never be revealed to anyone. Not even Draco if your friendship evolves into anything more. If anyone he knew was to find out about its existence, even accidentally, it could lead to them wanting to go back and change things in their favor."

"I understand, Sir," she said.

"You don't have to call me Sir. What I created, I did as a safeguard as I told you when I first told you of its existence. If the Dark Lord had won, or if things had ended leaving the Wizarding world worse off and I knew how and why he'd been able to come back I would have gone back to change things. However, as pure as my intentions may have been in creating it, others would not think the same way. Some may use it, knowing about the horcruxes and move or seek to protect them better."

"I know," she said. "I swear. I'm truly flattered you even told me about it at all."

"Well, we decided it would be nice to include you in our evening."

"Thank you."

They made their way to the castle and their quarters there. On holidays Odette stayed with them. She did sometimes during the school year, too. She'd taken to helping Hermione and Severus with brewing more often than not, or at the very least doing her homework in his lab while they worked. She thrived on the different instructional styles of her adoptive parents, which Severus respected.

"Did you enjoy your night out?" Minerva asked.

"Yes, it was fun," Odette said.

"Good. Well, young Erik is sound asleep."

"Thank you, Minerva," Hermione said.

"It's my pleasure, dear, you know that."

"Now, come, Witch," Severus said, taking Hermione's hand once Minerva had left and Odette had gone to her room. "I believe something was said about a reward for my sitting through the night's event."

"Are you sure you consider Erik getting a sibling a reward?"

He cast the charm that would enhance the possibility of conception, though she'd already told him that she was in the peak time of her cycle for such a thing to occur. So, between the two he felt pretty confident this would work. The subject had come up as being a good time because she'd have the baby toward the end of the school year this time instead of shortly before winter holidays. That and the Potter's were actively trying and though no one said anything, he knew that she wanted at least one child of theirs to be in the same class for their Hogwarts education.

"Does that seem as if I think it's not?"

"Well, no, put like that."

"Come then, Wife, let's create our own music of the night."

"You know just what to say," she said as she followed him into the floo to his potions classroom.

"Indeed," he quipped, wandlessly removing both their clothes once they were in his classroom. He ensured the door was warded and a silencing charm was cast hastily.

"That's all I ask of you."

His lips quirked into his version of a smile as she moved to his desk.

"Well," she said, shifting a bit. "What's taking you so long? You're all the way over there."

"Not anymore," he said, moving to join her. "I do have to admit you make me understand why Arthur and Molly were so prolific."

"Oh?"

"You are so receptive, my witch, my Basil, I'd create both sides of a Quidditch pitch if that is what you desired."

She blushed deeply at that and he chuckled as he worked to ensure she was ready for him and pleased in the process. He was incredibly thorough during the course of the night to do what he could to ensure their attempts took hold. After twice in his classroom (once on his desk, once on her old desk) they moved to his office and the desk there. It was dawn with her leaning against it and him seated in his chair, her facing away from him as she rode him that their left hands intertwined as they were wont to do when they were in similar positions. They both enjoyed the extra feeling they experienced when their soul marks were in contact. Today was no exception. This time, though, as the time they accepted their bond and their marital bond, the lasso-shaped light traveled over them, almost caressing them as he spent himself in her once more.

"Wow," she whispered, breathless.

He kissed the back of her neck, finding the spot just below her ear she loved him to kiss when he was behind her.

"Do you think that means it worked?"

"I can only assume, it didn't do that with Erik."

"We weren't using a conception charm with Erik."

"You are right. I guess we will find out soon enough."

She shifted off of him though neither wanted her to do so. They dressed enough to get from their fireplace to their quarters so they could both stretch out in bed. He brought her against him as he nuzzled her ear.

"I'll wake up with Erik," he whispered.

"No, you didn't get any more sleep than I did tonight."

"It's fine, Hermione, sleep."

As it turned out, Odette woke up with him, letting both Hermione and Severus have a bit of a lie-in the following morning.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com