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A Better Fate COMPLETE	By : FemmeBono Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 3299 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Cht. 7, Meeting Halfway
After the first snowfall of that year, when Severus was halfway through his term in the world of the fae, the Lammas festival commenced. The last crops of apples, potatoes, leeks, broccoli, cabbages, greens, and blackberries had all been brought in from the fields at the edge of the forest, and there was a huge feast to celebrate the time of year when everyone in that forest tribe came indoors and kept warm in their underground chambers.
There was a sampling of everything they had raised, but to Severus� surprise Scathach and her daughters began the meal by coming around to both of the tables, each of them offered blessings with whatever form of nourishment they carried.
As Latiaran rounded his table he noticed that she brought a platter of Lammas bread, a piece of which she popped into his mouth as she smiled. �May you never hunger,� said the young fairy.
�May you never thirst,� said Inghean, offering a large silver goblet of water as she spoke. Severus took a sip before she moved on to the next person down the row.
Finally came Lasair, with a basket of blackberries. As she offered him one of the tart fruits, she smiled and blushed softly. �May you always be prosperous and your life filled with abundance,� she said warmly.
Scathach wandered down rows, stopping at each person in turn as well, but with no food or drink. Instead as she approached she asked, �what blessings are you thankful for, from this passing year?�
And it was a very amazed Severus who found that he did have things he was thankful for in his life. �Now I can honestly say I am thankful to be alive,� he mused. �I never thought I would be, more that I just wanted to get this life over with and see what would be of the next, if there was one.
�I�m thankful for the chance to come here and train, to learn as much as I have in a place that I thought existed only in myth.�
�And I�m thankful for the people I�ve met here,� he said, surprising himself. �I�ve never met people who I found to truly appreciate me for what I am and accept me.�
Scathach smiled, deeply touched at such a personal response. �And Severus, we are very thankful to have you here with us.�
�Indeed,� said Cian, clapping him on the shoulder. �You and your student.� As he said this, Hermione glanced up and met his eyes. The girl turned a vibrant shade of pink and smiled shyly before ducking her head back into her friends� conversation at the table. Cian smiled broadly and propped his elbows behind him on the table watching the girls. After a second, he looked over at Severus and winked. �I�ll personally thank you for that.�
�And I�d thank you if you�d keep her,� said Severus sardonically.
�Would you now?� quieried Cian interestedly.
Ignoring Cian, Severus watched Scathach and her daughters as they circulated. Just as he was about to turn, he saw Lasair offer a blackberry to one man at the end of the table. As he watched, the man sucked in the tips of her fingers, lingering a moment until he released her. Noting the flush on her cheeks, Severus� eyes narrowed. Lasair ducked her head and continued to the women�s table without a word, but glanced back once to the dark-haired man.
�Who is that,� Severus said, jerking a shoulder in the man�s direction.
�Eh? Ferghus, you mean?�
�The dark one there, at the end,� Severus said angling his head to get a better look as nonchalantly as he could.
�Aye, that�s Ferghus,� said Cian grudgingly. �He�s a fearsome beast in the ring, that one. Seems he�s everywhere at once.�
�I thought that was you, funnily enough,� Severus said dryly.
�Nah, you�d think so,� said Cian laughing. �He�s wicked fast and strong as a bear. You�d not want to tangle with him, that�s sure.�
�Happens I might,� said Severus under his breath as the warrior queen and her daughters signaled the meal to begin. Turning into his plate, Severus stole a quick glance up to where Lasair was seated only to find her looking at him questioningly. When she saw him returning her gaze, she looked quickly back to her plate and turned to engage her youngest sister in conversation.
When the meal had finished and the tables cleared, Severus found himself in no mood for the dancing and festivities that followed. Claiming a headache from too much of the mead they had imbibed, he took a walk in an attempt to clear his thoughts. As much as they were in a jumble, he tired himself before he could quiet the jealousy he acknowledged that he felt raging since he had seen the exchange between Lasair and Ferghus.
Exhausted and troubled, he dipped back into the base of the oak and made his way to bed, skirting around the crowd in the hall and waving away Cian�s attempts to draw him in.
***
In his dreams that night, Severus found himself again in the forest walking in an attempt to clear his head. Did Lasair have an interest in this man Ferghus? Did she have an interest in him? Did he warm her blood and fill her thoughts as she did him? Or did it even matter since in less than six months hence he would be married to some as yet unnamed woman?
Further, would he get his pick of the women here or would one be offered up like prize? Had she already been chosen? Surely Scathach would not part with one of her own daughters�
And as if summoned by his thoughts, there stood the warrior queen in front of him, blocking the path. She bore her spear, but held it as a staff.
�What would you ask of me, Severus,� she questioned, as if in challenge.
�Would you send one of your own daughters forth into the world to couple with a mortal man?� Severus shot back.
�If it were their wish I would allow it. Yet each one of my daughters remains chaste, an unsullied warrior without the vice of lust to sway them. Were they to be sent in marriage however, it would be with a heavy heart that I would allow it, not only because they would live away from me, but because it would limit their lives as well. When one of the fae takes a mate not of this world and leaves to live with him, she is no longer immortal. She would age, get sick, die� No mother wishes to outlive her child.�
�Better instead,� Scathach continued wistfully, �that she marry another fae, so she may stay close and live out limitless years.�
�Ultimately,� she continued, her gaze sharpening again, �the choice is her own.�
With that, she stepped aside to the edge of the path and gestured with the spear. �Better question is: what do you want yourself? See if you can find your heart�s desire and see what it brings you. Can you get out of your own way from it, or will you go for what you want as you have never done before?�
Severus looked down the darkened path, wondering what was there. He looked back to ask Scathach what lay beyond, but she had vanished as was the nature of most things in his dreams. Taking that as his cue then, he slid stealthily into the darkness and strode down the path as silently as any of the fairy beings.
He thought of the message Scathach had essentially conveyed. It was a bleak existence that any of the fairy women would be condemned to for marrying him, whoever it was. To give up everything in this world and become mortal with it? It seemed a hefty price for one to pay for continuing the fairy lineage. How could one not be crushed by such a fate unless she loved the one she chose? Would love be enough? Love is always enough, he heard in his thoughts, when it is combined with friendship and trust. Did he and Lasair have that, he wondered. As he did so, he caught a flash of blue at the curve of the path ahead and picked up his pace.
Walking faster he could hear the swish of fairy silk on the path ahead. Taking a sharp turn he caught a glimpse of none other than Lasair ahead of him on the path, close enough that he knew it was her yet far enough away that his calls could not reach her. Waves of raven hair flying on the breeze and the cornflower kirtle she wore floating around dainty feet, she traipsed lightly down the path ahead of him, turning out of sight around another sharp bend that he knew led to a clearing.
When he broke into a jog to catch up, however, he saw not Lasair in the clearing but Ferghus. He was standing dead center, hands fisted on his hips. �Do you want her, Severus?� he queried mockingly.
Severus stopped short, faintly winded, and shocked at the turn of events. Rather than register any emotion at all, he instead stepped slowly up to Ferghus and sized him up.
�Is it your business whether I do or not?� he replied tersely.
�Well, to get her, you�ll have to get through me first,� he laughed. And taking a step to the side, his appearance began to alter. His face became softer, his eyes changing to a murky brown, his hair lightening to brown and bushing out in an unkempt look. Severus blink, only to find that when he opened his eyes again there were glasses perched on the man�s nose.
�You again,� Severus breathed, his voice hitching with the scarcely contained venom that threatened to spew forth. �What is it you want?�
�It�s the very same again isn�t it?� replied James. �You�re chasing after a girl who belongs to someone else, who doesn�t know you�re alive Snivellus.�
�Bollocks!� Severus raged. �She belongs to who she chooses and she bloody well kissed me back, didn�t she? It�s up to her, and you�ll not stand in my way or I will mow you down,� he ground out.
�Go get her then,� Potter laughed, stepping out of the way, �if she�ll have you that is.�
Without another word, Severus stormed past and down the darkened path. Once out of the clearing, James Potter visage vanished to reveal Ferghus� again. He looked over to Cian, who climbed silently out of the shrubbery beside him.
�Where is Lasair tonight,� Ferghus asked, clasping hands with Cian.

�Sleeping peacefully I�d say. Leastways, she�s not traveling about tonight.�
Ferghus chuckled deeply and kept an eye on the edge of the clearing where Severus had disappeared. �It�s a wild goose chase he�ll be having this evening then.�
�Aye,� said Cian looking on as well. �That he�ll do.�
- 6
- 7
- 8
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A Better Fate *COMPLETE*

A Better Fate COMPLETE