Severus rolled his eyes. “Tori, meet Christobal Di Matteo, my cousin. Christobal, I see you already know who Tori is, but for the record, Tori Bloom, my fiancé.”

The little man clapped his hands enthusiastically.

“I knew it, I knew it! As soon as I saw that picture in the Daily Prophet I knew you had found your other half.”

Tori raised an eyebrow when she looked at Severus; she certainly had not expected this kind of welcome!

Severus mumbled: “Never mind him, he’s the family geek.”

“I heard that cousin Severus!” he sounded hurt, but the twinkle in his eye gave away his amusement.

“Come, my mother is looking forward to seeing you again and would want to meet your lovely bride, oh, she will be thrilled! I must say we were quite worried when you didn’t show up for your annual holiday last July. We were ever so proud when we learned what you did at Halloween.”

They followed him through an enormous hall and entered a cozy sitting room. Tori rather liked their host. He was a funny character and his babbling made her feel comfortable in some way.

“We were most surprised when Albus’ head appeared in our fireplace earlier this evening. He told us you were here on Malta and couldn’t find a way home. He assumed you would come here and wanted you to know that he doesn’t expect you back until Christmas. Your interrupted celebration will take place at Hogwarts during the Christmas banquet. He says all students will be present for that special occasion. Don’t you just love the guy?” He winked at Tori. “And of course you need some time to rest, especially with a baby on the way.”

Tori almost choked. “Eh, Albus told you?”

Christobal shot a quick glance at Severus. “Not exactly…Tori, how much did Severus tell you about his family?”

She saw Severus was getting uneasy. “Um…not much.”

“I see. Shame on you cousin!” After he shot a dark glance at Severus he turned back to Tori. “You must think I’m a freaking lunatic! Let me tell you a little bit about the Di Matteo family.” Tori was all ears now and didn’t even notice Severus was leaving the room.

“Well, where shall I begin? Let me see…right. Maltese wizards are kind of special. Our magical powers go way back. I take it you know about Stonehenge in England? Well, we have several similar pre-historical sights here on Malta, all wizard-related, but the archeologists don’t know that of course. These sites were constructed near ritual grounds to perform magical ceremonies. That’s where we come in. Ahem, no, not exactly…err…what I’m trying to say is that in every generation, a wizard-priest is born into each Maltese wizard family. I am the current Di Matteo-priest and as soon as my gift became clear, I was sent off to a special school for wizard-priests, a lot like your Hogwarts actually. Don’t ask me to tell you its name or where it’s located, for I am not allowed to tell you. Anyway, because of my training and my gift, I know and sense things other wizards cannot. No one had to tell me you are an expecting mother and cousin Severus is the proud father.”

Tori tried to understand, but something was bugging her.

“If wizard priests are so special like you say, why weren’t they included in the fight against Voldemort?”

He sighed deeply. “Well, would it make you feel better to know that the Aurors are trained by priests? Guiding the Aurors was the only thing we could do to help. You must understand, becoming a wizard-priest is a very difficult and hazardous task. It involves some incredibly complex magic, many of it related to the Dark Arts. There is a thin line between the white magic of a priest and the dark power of a Death Eater. The Ministry would not take the risk of loosing even one priest to the dark side, whether it was by own choice or by force. One priest turning to the dark side would have a bigger impact than ten Voldemorts. I think you know Severus was a Death Eater? I’ve always feared he was more susceptible to Voldemort’s attraction because the blood of the Di Matteo priests runs through his veins. It can be a terrible burden.” He sighed again and looked at her, smiling. “I’m going to leave it there for now, before I loose myself in complaints about my tasks in life. If you have any more questions about the family, don’t hesitate to ask, I know my cousin very well and I know he doesn’t like to talk about himself.”

Tori smiled. “I always thought he must have had a terrible childhood and that was the reason why he became a Death Eater. Silly, no?”

Christobal cleared his throat. “Well, that’s not totally besides the truth. It’s not really my story to tell, but I think you have to know so you can be prepared when Severus brings it up, and I suspect he will, in time. My Aunt Maria, his mother, and Llewellyn, his father, were both killed by a dragon when he was barely 6 years old.”

Tori spread her eyes and dropped her mouth, but let him continue.

“He has lived with us ever since and his childhood was a rather happy one, however, I don’t think one can ever forget the image of one’s parents being devoured by a monster.”

“He SAW it?” Tori’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Alas, yes. My father had gone after them, but he came too late and was only able to save Severus. Foolish, Llewellyn, he always wanted to fight dragons to prove himself worthy to be married to a member of our family and by doing so he destroyed his own family.”

“Why dragons?”

“Most of our ancestors were knights, you know, the Order of St. John?”

Tori nodded. “Yes, Severus told me about the Grand Master.”

“Oh, did he? I’m glad he told you that much at least. Well, our famous Di Matteo Grand Master reportedly killed some nasty dragon in the late Middle Ages – early Renaissance period. His sword is still on display in the Grand Master’s Palace.”

“Severus killed Lucius Malfoy tonight, with a sword.”

“With a sword you say?” Christobal chuckled. “So he did learn something from following me around.” Then he paused. “As for Malfoy: about time, I’d say.”

The playful look in Christobal’s eyes had totally disappeared and if she ever thought he resembled Snape…his face was a spitting image of Snape’s right now.

“You knew him?”

“Not in person, but I know enough ABOUT him to be more than happy that he’s gone.”

“Never forget, I’m a wizard first and foremost, and he was the one that dragged Severus into that Death Eater-rubbish. Maybe we don’t always act like it, but Severus and I are very close.”

“Oh, I could tell that. You’re constantly at each other’s throats, but you cannot hide your love for one another.”

“I guess you’re right about that. We’re about the same age and I was the first person he actually confided in after the incident with his parents. I remember him telling me he was glad I was going to be a priest because then I wouldn’t run off and get killed by dragons.”

“Oh, that’s so sad!”

“Indeed. I know it should have been up to Severus to tell you this, but I think it’s still too difficult for him, even after all these years. Maybe now that you know, you’ll understand why he’s so reluctant to show his emotions. His deepest fear is being left alone again, or worse: bringing harm to his loved ones. After all, if it hadn’t been for him – a child slowing them down – his parents might have been able to escape. Never underestimate a child’s feeling of guilt.”

She nodded. What Christobal had told her was just awful and she couldn’t even imagine how he must have felt! She needed to go see him, not knowing what to say, but she desperately wanted to be with him and hold him.

“He’s with my mother at the moment, but I think your rooms should be ready by now. I have extended the guest quarters for your stay. You are in the Blue Room.”

Tori was familiar with the housing of wizard families ever since she had visited the Weasley’s. Even though the palacio had looked big from outside, she knew it could never contain enough space for the entire family that seemed to be living here.

After Christobal informed her that breakfast would be served at nine, she wished him goodnight and went up to look for her room. When she saw a door with a golden label saying ‘Blue Room’, she entered. Severus was already there.

“I take it Christobal has told you about my parents?” He was very pale and looked a bit insecure. She ran to him and threw her arms around him.

“Oh Severus, it must have been so horrible!”

“I’m sorry I’ve never had the guts to tell you. You must feel that I don’t think very highly of you.” He said in a shaky voice.

She kissed him and patted him on the back. “Of course I understand. I wouldn’t expect you to make love to me and then go ‘oh, by the way, did I tell you…’ No, I believe you would have told me when the time was right and I think I will want to hear it from you the way you experienced it, but that doesn’t have to be now. Take all the time you need. When your ready, I’ll be there for you.

He leaned against her and she rocked him, holding him tight. They sat like that for a while, and then he stood up.

“Well, what do you think of my family so far?”

“Well…I’ve only met Christobal and if he’s anything to go on, I’d say they’re pretty wonderful. Is he always that energetic?”

He smiled. “Oh yes, he reminds me a lot of Flitwick.”

She giggled. “Yes, completely! But he looks more like you though.”

“Hmmm, are you trying to let me know gently that I need to go on a diet?”

“No way, silly. You’re perfect just the way you are. I just meant his hair and his eyes!”

“Ahaaa…well, I’d better be off now. They gave me the Amber Room.”

She looked up. “You mean you’re not staying?”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to vex my aunt. Remember, Malta is veeeeeery Catholic and they don’t like an unmarried couple to spend the night together.”

“Um…isn’t it a bit late for that? Besides, they’re wizards, what would they care about Catholic beliefs!”

“I know, I know, and believe me, I’ve been begging for the last half hour to let me stay with you, but it’s like talking to a brick wall with that woman!”

Tori laughed. “Can’t you sneak back in?”

“Are you crazy? With a wizard-priest around? Christobal would know I was here before you did! And believe me; he would be more than happy to tell his mother that his beloved cousin was defying her orders.”

“You make it sound like she’s the aunt from hell!”

He mumbled something like “very much so”, but then he grabbed her and a spark lit his usually cold eyes.

“Unless…we get married as soon as possible.”

Tori opened her mouth. “You mean…”

“Tomorrow! Christobal can perform the ceremony…” but she interrupted him.

“Wow Severus, aren’t you going a bit too fast here? I thought we agreed not to hurry the wedding?”

“Yes I know, but…”

“Have you changed your mind because of the baby?” She didn’t like this even a little bit; she wouldn’t want him to marry her for the baby’s sake.

“No of course not, I could care less about the baby…” and then seeing the horrified look on her face he corrected: “Err, that didn’t come out the way I meant it to.”

“Hmmm…I see.” She gave him a fierce look and for a moment he thought he had ruined it, but then she laughed. “You should see your face! Severus, I know you want the baby, believe me, you’ve made it quite clear already, and thanks for reassuring me that you’re not marrying me because you feel you have to do the right thing. It’s just that when you suggested to get married tomorrow, it kind of sounded like that to me.”

“Ah, I can clear that up for you if you’d like.” She looked at him in anticipation.

“Go on. I’m waiting.”

“My dear Tori, if I say I want to marry you tomorrow, I say this because: A. We are on one of the most romantic islands I know of, surrounded my by family AND in the presence of a wizard-priest, B. We have a few days off to enjoy a honeymoon, which we otherwise would have to postpone until after the baby is born and then we would have to leave him or her behind somewhere and most importantly C. because I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you for one more day. Now, what do you say?”

She laughed her head off and managed to giggle: “That you’re totally insane and I love you to pieces.”

Then she jumped into his arms, gave him a sloppy kiss and cried out: “Yes I’ll marry you tomorrow, you crazy professor. Now go to your room or I’ll have to spank you!”

“Is that a promise?” he laughed and closed the door on his way out before she could throw one of the sofa’s cushions towards him.

The next morning Snape knocked on Tori’s door, to announce his presence and walked right in.

“Did you sleep alright?” he asked.

“Yes, fine, thank you.”

“Um…Tori…before I say anything to Christobal, do you still feel the same about marrying me today?”

“I do. I know that my parents could never witness a magical ceremony and if we get married now, we will at least have your family with us.” Then she gave him an extremely seductive smile “and I also can not stand being separated from you for one more night.”

“Then I will let him know that he can start preparing.” He hesitated a little before he continued: “If you’d like, we can hold a muggle-ceremony in a few weeks. I suppose that your parents would want to see their daughter getting married with their own eyes. We will even throw a big party if you want.”

She smiled happily. “I think I would like that very much, but are you sure that you’re up to a muggle-wedding?”

“I think I’ll manage.”

She smiled, “I’ll take you up on that offer then, but it doesn’t have to be a big event, just as long as you are there, that’s the main thing.”

When they got downstairs, the entire Di Matteo family was there to greet them and to get to know the newest addition to the family.

Tori’s head spun after she shook hands and hugged everyone and she gave up on trying to remember all of their names.

She had been a little scared to meet the notorious aunt, but the fragile, white-haired, little old lady didn’t seem to be such a threat and she was being really nice to her.

“My dear child, I’d like to welcome you into this family with all of my heart. You have made my Severus so happy.” The elder lady looked at Severus and her eyes filled with tears. “He’s such a nice boy, I’m so glad that you are going to take care of him from now on.”

They told the family about speeding up the wedding and the news was greeted with much enthusiasm.

Christobal dashed out of the room, mumbling “so much to do…”

Severus had to rescue Tori from his little nieces that were fighting to be flower girl. “All of you know that there is no such thing as a flower girl at wizard weddings!” This made the girls look rather blue and Tori stole their hearts when she told them:

“You can come over for the muggle ceremony and then all of you can be flower girls.” The nieces were extremely excited and Severus rolled his eyes.

“Do you have any idea of what you’re getting yourself into?”

She chuckled, “No.”

They managed to escape his family members and found a quiet spot to have breakfast.

“The ceremony will be held at sundown.” He said.

“Is that required?”

“Not really, but it will take place at the altar of Hagar Quim, and we really don’t want any tourists to witness it. Do we?”

She laughed. “That would be some treat for them.”

“It’s more likely that we would get arrested for paganism.”

“And that would damage the reputation of your family on the island, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know. We get away with a lot of things. I guess that’s the privilege of nobility.”

“You have blue blood?”

“Ah, you didn’t know? The Di Matteo family is of noble birth in the muggle world, most of my family members lead double lives. It comes in very handy, even in the 21st century.”

“Wow, sometimes I think that you will never cease to amaze me.”

“I sure hope so; we wouldn’t want to slip into a boring routine, would we?”

“With you? Never!!”

They talked more about their upcoming wedding and Severus explained the ceremony to her, or at least as much as he himself knew about it.

He went out during the afternoon to buy the wedding rings. Tori was escorted to her room, where the female Di Matteo’s started on her outfit.

When she came down the stairs that evening, Severus was waiting for her in the main hall. He held out his right hand and she placed her left one on top of it. She looked at him and saw that he was wearing a white robe with a golden ceremonial cloak draped over it. The bright colors of his clothing made his eyes look even darker and she had never seen them sparkle like they were doing now.

When he had first seen her coming down the stairs, he was overwhelmed by his emotions. She was like a vision of light in her white robe. The flowers in her hair made her look like a fairy-queen and he trembled when he held out his hand to show her that he was willing to accept her as his bride. He held his breath as he waited for her to put her hand on his, as a sign that she wanted him as her groom.

When she did so, the ceremony had begun and he wrapped a golden cloak similar to his own around her shoulders, to show his family that he was going to provide for her from now on.

Christobal rolled out a long rope and when they all touched it; they were transported to the site of the wedding.

Tori saw that they were surrounded by pre-historical remains and found it hard to make anything out of the large, massive blocks of stone. When Christobal led them onto a slight hill, she could hear the waves breaking on the cliffs and realized that they were near the sea. On top of the hill, she recognized an altar. She and Snape stood in front of it, Christobal was behind. The family members had formed a circle around the altar, holding hands.

Christobal began to speak in an ancient language. He held a black, polished stone, engraved with runic writings high above his head and Tori could hear him call out their names.

He was introducing them to the Gods, pleading for them to hear their vows and approve of their eternal bonding.

When he finished addressing the Gods, he looked around and said in a clear voice:

“Will the witnesses to this union please step forward?”

Tori hadn’t thought about any witnesses and her heart jumped with joy when she saw Ron appearing next to her and Harry going over to Severus’ side.

“You didn’t think that we’d let you go on this big adventure on your own, did you?” Ron managed to whisper, and he winked at her.

She had no idea when they had arrived, but Severus didn’t seem to be surprised, so she assumed that he had something to do with it.

Christobal came towards them, his face showing a solemn expression. He brought a strange looking bronze artifact with him. It had a short fixed string and a few needles were sticking out on both sides, turning it into some kind of pincushion.

They had arrived at the heart of the ceremony; it was now time for them to declare their vows. Christobal showed the artifact to the witnesses and gave it to Severus. He picked it up in his right hand and slipped the string over his middle finger, the needles brushing against the palm of his hand. Tori raised her right hand and held it against the other side of the artifact.

The family members that were standing in the circle started chanting.

Christobal looked Snape in the eyes and nodded, and then he did the same with Tori. When he started muttering a sacred text, they locked eyes, entwined their fingers and pressed the artifact into the delicate flesh.

A few seconds passed and Christobal removed the artifact. He gave them another nod and they crushed the drops of blood between their palms. Severus spoke first.

“Tori, I hereby express my undying love for you. Let the fusion of our blood create the eternal bond that we so desire. When I leave this life, through space and time, my soul will search for yours until we are reunited, for I shall only be complete with you, my other half.”

Their eyes remained locked and as she was drawn into those familiar black depths, she felt their minds connecting. The ritual words came natural to her:

“Severus, my love for you is everlasting. Let the fusion of our blood be the symbol of our union, for we are the same. Beyond the boundaries of life and death, I will never seize to look for you, for I belong with you, my other half.”

The chanting had stopped and Tori and Severus held their right palms in front of the witnesses to show them that their blood had mixed.

Christobal handed them a wet linen cloth and they wiped their hands. He held a goblet decorated with rubies and emeralds high above his head. When he held it in front of them, the goblet, which had been empty when he raised it, contained a colorless liquid. He said:

“Drink this nectar as a gift from the Gods, who have blessed this union.

They both drank it; Tori thought that it tasted rather sweet.

The final part of the ceremony was the exchange of the rings. Christobal took both platinum rings from a silver plate on the altar and presented Tori’s ring to Severus. He slipped it smoothly on her left ring finger, never loosing eye-contact. She followed his example. Then he took her in his arms and they kissed. The family members, including Harry and Ron, showered them with gold-dust.

When they finally released each other, the moon had come up, giving the ceremony just that extra magical touch.

After the ceremony, when they had returned to the palacio, Tori finally had a chance to talk to her friends.

“Did Severus send for you?”

“We both got a message from him this morning, saying that it was your wedding day and if we would be so kind as to use the included pebble as a portkey at sundown. I must say, it was quite a surprise to us, as was the site of the wedding. Talk about magical!” Harry was deeply impressed.

Ron looked around in the palacio, his eyes scanning the priceless painting and other pieces of art. “Wow Tori, you never told us that dear old Snape was loaded.”

Tori felt a little awkward. “I didn’t know about that, besides, it’s his family’s house, so I don’t know if he…” but Harry interrupted her.

“So you don’t know where he’s taking you for your honeymoon yet?”

“Um…I assumed we would stay here, because we’re expected back at Hogwarts in two days.”

Harry and Ron exchanged a knowing smile. “That’s true, but until then…anyway, I’m sure that your hubby will take you there soon enough.”

She was intrigued, but knew that they wouldn’t tell her anything else. Therefore she changed the subject; there was something else that she had wanted to ask them.

“How’s Draco?”

Harry changed his smiling face to a serious expression. “He’s as well as can be expected I guess. When your ‘package’ arrived, he wasn’t in Arthur’s office, so we were able to break the news to him gently. He tried to not show any emotion, thinking that we wouldn’t understand, but luckily Shannon was there and I think he’s fine now.”
Ron intervened, “I don’t think any Order of Merlin Ceremony has ever been as exciting as this one. First you guys disappearing, then us barging in…it all must have happened quickly, because we had barely reached Arthur’s office to come up with a plan when Lucius’ body appeared in the fireplace. Say, what did you guys do to him exactly? He was covered in blood and it seemed that he had run into something big and sharp.”

“A sword?!” both young men gasped simultaneously. “Too long to explain, let’s just say that there was one at hand, and since we didn’t have our wands…”

Ron couldn’t quite take it in and he looked at Snape with a new level of respect. “I’ll bet it was awesome.” He sighed.

Tori gave him a fierce look. “Nothing of the sort, I was scared to death!”

Ron was going to ask more about the fight, but at that moment, Severus decided that it was time for him and his new bride to leave.

“Excuse me boys, but I think you have demanded enough of my wife’s time. I trust it you will be able to get back home?”

He had been very polite to them, but still, they couldn’t shake the feeling of being intimidated by him.

“Tori, if you’re ready, I’ll be outside on the patio.” With that he left them standing there.

Both Ron and Harry sighed in relief; they had almost expected him to yell ‘ten points from Gryffindor for monopolizing my wife’. His marriage certainly seemed to have softened him up.

“Well, I guess we will see you at the banquet.” Harry said and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Sorry, I had to kiss the bride.” He winked, “Oh…and before I forget…a wedding present.” He handed her both hers and Severus’ wands.

Ron kissed her on the cheek as well and said: “I still can’t get it…you’re married to Snape…but I’ll get used to it somehow…just…don’t go starting on any babies will you…that would be too much for me to take in.” He had a horrified look on his face, picturing his former Potions professor holding a little baby in his arms. He shuddered and said goodbye.

Tori laughed and thought that there was plenty of time to let them know. Maybe she wouldn’t say anything and just send them a card when the baby was born. No, that would be too cruel…wouldn’t it?

She turned around and headed for the patio, excited to find out where her husband was going to take her.