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Chapter Text

Severine laid on the bed, staring ahead at the window. The night sky reminded her of the dangers ahead. All the activities that were happening. All the activities that have happened. She couldn't bare the thought of it. She felt a shift, and turned her head.

Her husband, face hard, held out something to her. He was holding a blanket, and without waiting for an answer, he covered her with it. It reminded her of how cold Autumn was.

It had been their wedding night, and he wasted no time once the ceremony was over. She dutifully reciprocated, remembering her place in this partnership. It was this, or joining Dumbledore.

Hamish Bulstrode had been one of the upper years during her time in Hogwarts. Not too old, a simple two year difference. He paid her no mind, but she was certain he'd witnessed all her worst traits. He was a nothing son, and would inherit very little. The only thing he had in his name was a cottage gifted to him by one of his grandmothers, where they resided.

"The aurors will do nothing now that you're under our protection," he said. "They will suspect me and find nothing. They won't expect you to carry the mark."

His ginger hair - Prewett on his mother's side - hung over his shoulders in curls. He wasn't a flattering looking man. His gaze was cold, and there were dark bags under his eyes. He had a brutish figure, and no one ever had nice things to say about him regarding his studies and his personality.

After all, who wanted an incompetent fool to serve them, and it played in his favour. Severine knew he lacked knowledge academically, but not everything else. Hamish decently knew enough to get by.

The next three months were a mix of tremor and stillness. Tensions were getting worse, and Hamish only requested that she take advantage of Lord Slytherin's kindness and stay indoors.

Severine would no longer be called into meetings, but she was expected to occasionally do tasks from home. Lord Slytherin would hate for his most vulnerable soldier to be put in harm's way.

Hamish's expressions remained unreadable. Severine only understood two things about him: neutrality and anger. He usually held anger towards their neighbours, who were older and lower-classed. A meaner generation of folk who had expressed their displeasure with him marrying a mudblood, and he almost caved to their provocation. Word travelled fast, and soon everyone knew of Mrs Severine Bulstrode.

His parents knew, of course. He came from the lesser line, so it didn't matter who he married. They were mostly thankful Severine wasn't muggleborn, and knew many pureblood customs despite her muggle upbringing.

Others had unflattering things to say about the couple. It took some attention away from the Potters with how much shock it sparked into the community. Hamish was labelled a blood traitor, and a desperate coward. Some articles even claimed Severine laced him with a love potion, listing the high possibilities in regards to her potion skills. That last part was almost charming.

Hamish didn't think so. She quietly requested he keep his anger in check, so as not to make things worse.

It took a while to get used to the silence of the home.

Hamish was busy with work, and openly debated taking time off to watch over her. He didn't want to risk any sudden death eater visits in his absence. On the other hand, they could use the extra gold. Severine assured him many times that it wouldn't be necessary. He had fed her, clothed her, and she slept well. Their cottage was enough.

He was never convinced, torn between cutting his hours and bringing more food to the table. He really cared about the thing growing in her womb.

By month five, her stomach had become a lot heavier. Hamish had personally requested Lord Slytherin that Severine would be given no more tasks for the sake of her health. A tough request, but Slytherin thankfully had mercy.

The light side knew something was coming, but didn't know what. Severine knew deep down she could've done something about it, but it was a good thing Hamish came to her before she went to Dumbledore. She would've been used, worse than her current predicament. He told her that protecting Lily shouldn't have been her concern, and she knew back then that there was more he wanted to tell her.

The letter Severine received months ago proved that suspicion. Lily had the nerve to question Severine on 'what she was playing at', and the like. Lily went on to say that Hamish was 'working for the dark lord', and that she 'should've known with Mulciber'. That one stung. Mulciber broke off their relationship to marry some other pureblood girl. Severine never forgot that pain. Instead of supporting Severine in these tough times, Lily only had ill words to share.

Hamish was right to assume that the light side would be nothing but trouble. He was right to keep her away from Lily, because he saw what Severine didn't.

Even with that resentment, Severine grieved once again.

Hamish caught the way Mrs Lestrange sneered at him. There was no respect for anyone marrying lesser blooded folk. He'd thought she'd gotten over it by now, especially since his affairs didn't concern her. Then again, she was a Black through and through. The hatred of Blacks was erratic, and even nonsensical at times.

Lily Evans, for the hundredth time, inspected the news paper. The picture of the quiet couple was only a glimpse into their untimely life. It came out of nowhere. Snape hadn't expressed any romantic interest towards any boy, Lily would've known if she did.

It was almost certain that Snape did it for money, even though she would've been too proud to. It wasn't her style, but she may have been desperate. James debunked it. The Bulstrodes were lower middle-class, and Hamish in particular came from the poorer branch. There was nothing for him to offer.

They must've had something in common.

"He had already been interrogated," James said, displeased. "Even used a truth serum at some point. He isn't involved in any of the Dark Lord's affairs. He no longer believes in blood supremacy, and as a result, none of his buddies want anything to do with him. There's nothing on him."

It was Spring when Severine finally gave birth. She could barely move, and the only company she had was Hamish and the nurse that arrived via floo. As wars do, things have gotten worse. It was not safe to go outside. Hamish himself was on thin ice.

Hamish was insistent on her staying home instead of getting a room at St Mungos. He spent a lot of his free time trying to make the bedroom more comfortable, and making sure she had everything she needed.

Things would be easier if they had an elf, but he had to make use of what he had.

At the end of the day, Severine's experience was still a painful one. She barely registered her daughter being placed in her arms as she fazed in and out of consciousness. They kept snapping her awake.

Hamish said something, but Severine didn't hear him as she stared at the thing. She was tiny. For some families, it was an honour for it to be the mother's choice to name the first born daughter, but nothing came to mind for Severine.

"Millicent." said Hamish. Suggested, actually.

Severine nodded, "Millicent... Amabel Bulstrode."

Chapter Text

November was nothing but chaos. Death Eaters were being round up everywhere. All the Bulstrodes had to do was stay calm.

Things were going fine until Kakaroff opened his mouth. He listed as many names as he could, and among them was one Severine Bulstrode. Hamish wouldn't have known if it wasn't thanks to his cousin, who was in the court hearing that day.

Hamish was informed through the floo call, and rushed to get Severine.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, staring down at the paper.

"Yes, sign this, and then get to Portsmouth as quickly as you can. Buy a ticket to France, I have family there. I'll transfer some Galleons through a separate account."

Not every Death Eater knew each other, there were ranks. But Hamish truly underestimated how highly Lord Slytherin thought of Severine for her to be around... that company. Weaker Death Eaters like Wilkes wouldn't have told on anyone, too eager to die loyally with their master. However, Kakaroff was unlike that. It was more about partnership than serving on his end, and there was no way he was going to Azkaban for someone who couldn't hold their end of the bargain.

This wasn't good.

Not intelligent enough for Ravenclaw. Too mean for Hufflepuff. Terrible for Gryffindor. What point was there for him to be in Slytherin if he wasn't cunning enough, never mind ambition.

"Hamish?"

He looked up. The papers were signed, and Severine waited for an answer.

"Yes?"

"What about her?" she jerked her head to the crib.

"I'll take care of her. I'll take care of everything- Come now," he ushered her, "You need to get going. I'll try to hold them off, they might arrive any second now. They'll be too busy questioning me to find you at the same time. Don't tell anyone where you're going."

Severine nodded, and gave Hamish one last kiss before disappearing into the fire place.

Only seconds later did someone else arrive. Catriona Bulstrode.

"Auntie," he greeted her. "Please, sit by the rocking chair."

"So, you're saying that you've been here since the morning with your auntie?"

"Yes!" Hamish said, exhausted. "My auntie came over to help me with my daughter."

"And your wife wasn't home because she wanted to go for a walk?"

"Yes." Hamish hissed.

The aurors looked at each other, sceptical.

"Could she not go out months prior? Your daughter is a year old, yes? That would've been plenty recovery time for your wife."

"No," Hamish glowered, "It was dangerous for her to go out before. It was dangerous for both of us! Do you know what it feels like to be called a blood traitor when you're just trying to do your job?"

"Mr Bulstrode," started another auror, "Your wife was serving the- you know who. You speak against blood supremacy, but she supported it. It doesn't make sense."

Hamish bristled, "She denounced him. She realised what he actually believed in, and she wanted nothing to do with it any longer. He lied to her. All of them lied to her. She found out about the murders happening, and she couldn't stand it. We were both in hiding. I married her to change her name, that way she could be protected. That got ruined when someone found out and leaked our relationship to the press. That's why we both had to get into hiding."

The lead auror sat up, "Hamish, I think you're being blinded by your feelings for her. Are you sure you didn't see any odd behaviour with Severine?"

"How do we know you weren't serving him and using your wife as a puppet?" spoke a snide voice.

"Sirius, that's a warning," The auror snapped. "Remember, you're only observing. Questioning comes after you finish training."

"Yes. The Dark Lord was finally defeated. She wanted to enjoy her freedom for a bit, so she went outside. Before that, we went out together, but today she wanted to do it alone. I understood that, and looked after my daughter while my auntie was on her way."

The auntie was dead asleep in the rocking chair in the nursery room. You couldn't question an exhausted older woman who just put a baby to sleep.

"Right," the auror nodded to himself, "All right, we'll leave it there. You don't mind if we search around the place, do you?"

Hamish shook his head. "Go ahead."

Chapter Text

"He respected her privacy," said the older auror, inspecting the divorce papers. "He didn't think to check through her things for clues or anything. Took her word for it. Poor man was crushed."

"It was fake shock," scoffed Sirius, "How long do you think he practised it in the mirror?"

"No. His pain was real, Sirius. You won't understand until you marry."

The junior auror frowned, "Why'd she sign divorce papers, though? Wouldn't she want her husband on her side?"

The elder shook his head. 'Half bloods', he thought to himself. "You know how these old fashioned families are. There was probably something in the marriage contract that she didn't want." He hummed to himself. "He would've had the authority to find her. Know where she is. It's one of those man of the house things that dark families love to practise."

The junior frowned. "She gave up on her child."

Sirius crossed his arms as he watched his instructors softly debate and argue amongst themselves. They didn't get it. Sirius didn't either, but he knew his theory was better than whatever these two came up with.

"Is that the only lie you could come up with?"

Hamish didn't look up from where he sat. In his arms was Millicent sleeping peacefully. He adjusted her, uncomfortably avoiding the gaze of his auntie Catriona.

She frowned, "Your lie was that she abandoned us? That she tricked you into signing divorce papers? Do you expect everyone to think you're that stupid?"

"Quiet down, please," he shut his eyes tiredly, "They showed up the very second I asked you to take Millicent. I didn't have any time to think of something that made more sense."

"Ah, yes. Your precious heir." she smiled mockingly. "Didn't even birth a son. That wasn't the reason why you wanted to marry her, is it?"

Hamish stayed quiet.

She sat down beside him, tilting her head curiously. "When did it start? Where did these feelings come from? Did you see her one day, and perhaps thought she would make a good wife? Or did you get insecure about your bad luck with women, and decided a halfblood would suffice?"

He glared at her. His eyes promised death, yet Catriona wasn't bothered.

"I'm just trying to understand what goes through that head of yours," she began petting his hair soothingly. "You never talk to anyone about anything. You always keep to yourself. It surprised everyone when we heard about the wedding. We wanted to be respectful, which is why no one questioned it."

Hamish looked away. The dark circles under his eyes became more prominent as he thought to himself.

"It started in my fifth year. I can't remember how, but I loved her. I saw her one day, and I wanted her."

Catriona rolled her eyes, "So you came up with some thoughtless plan. That was your solution. You couldn't court her before any of this?" 

"She wouldn't have wanted anything to do with me!" Millicent stirred in his arms, sensing the alarm in his voice. He glanced down guiltily. He rocked her. With a softer tone, he began "She was smart. She had friends who didn't let anyone else near her. I thought her and that Mulciber boy would surely marry."

"So what happened?"

"He left her. I don't know what happened between them, but he married that Bole girl before moving to Italy."

It was only then that Catriona became disturbed. Goosbumps slowly appeared on her skin.

"How long have you been spying on her?"

"I didn't! I just found out some things. She told me most of it."

"Start from how the marriage proposal even started."

"One of my old friends considered joining Lord Slytherin until he found out they were letting halfbloods be among them. That's when I found out Severine was a death eater. I tracked her down, and it was a good thing I did, because she was going to betray Lord Slytherin."

She narrowed her eyes at him and he shook his head.

"Which is a good thing," he tried to assure, "But if he were to find out, it wouldn't have ended well. She was going to go to Dumbledore for help."

"Dumbledore?" Catriona shrieked, "Why would she be that desperate?"

"There was a prophecy. Something about a child born on the last day of the month, and would defeat some upcoming madman," he shrugged. "I don't understand it either, but Lord Slytherin believed it was valuable information." he snorted. "One that caused his death."

"We can't say that he is dead, Hamish. He disappeared. Vanished. He could have easily faked his death."

Chapter Text

Lily Potter turned up her nose as the house elves tried their hardest to place the painting on the wall. The moving portrait of James was already moving, but it's- his attention was on other things.

The funeral had been exhausting. Dealing with James' family, and his friends had taken a toll on her. Peter's betrayal sent a shock to the Order. Lily always got strange vibes from him, but James was never good at sniffing out the odd people.

She remembers that night. The night the Lestranges and that other boy came after her and her child. James died protecting her, only managing to take Rodolphus with him. Bellatrix managed to give Lily a terrible scar. One so bad that makeup wasn't enough of a help. It was the first thing everyone saw when they looked at her.

To be the woman that survived the wrath of Bellatrix Lestrange should've been an honour, but one Lily couldn't accept. Not when her son was without a father.

The Longbottoms were getting on just fine. Frank and Alice were hailed heroes in their deaths for fending off the dark lord. Many came to their memorial to honour them. Their son, Neville was now in the hands of his gran. She remained quiet, staying away from journalists and other news related sensations.

Rita Skeeter published the Bulstrodes once again. Severine was a fugitive, divorcing Hamish so that he couldn't do anything. As long as they were separated, he was not obligated allowed to help the ministry in finding her whereabouts.

That relationship, whatever they had, was suspicious to Lily. She didn't know what it was, but there was something that was being kept from the public.

"Your name is Senthilde Prewett, correct?"

Severine wrinkled her nose at the ID card. "My husband's my cousin now, is he?"

The older woman with faded ginger hair scowled at Severine, "Don't get smart with me. You're better off as a Prewett instead of a Bulstrode. Lucky you, we're a quiet bunch," the older lady adjusted her jacket slightly. "Whatever you do, don't mention Iggy."

Severine blinked, "Iggy?"

"Word travels fast in France. We can't have people thinking you're Ignatius' illegitimate child. You know your story, yes?"

Severine rolled her eyes, "I grew up in Stirling, where I was home schooled in Scotland. Father faced backlash once he became a blood traitor, so he raised me amongst muggles in secret. I studied potions the most."

"That'll be good enough," the older lady sniffed. "I know a friend of mine that will give you an apprenticeship, so long as you show dedication and willingness to learn. What's unfortunate is that you have to keep your head down. And don't talk to anyone you don't know." she warned.

Severine resisted a sigh. It's not like she knew anyone anyways.

It was great to know that Hamish had so many aunties that loved him. Aunt Pompeia was no different. They rarely contacted each other, but she was very willing to help him at his lowest. She'd been the most respectful towards Severine so far.

His uncles were less than savoury people.

"Bulstrode."

Hamish turned around and was still for a moment, and then proceeded back to his work.

"Hello, Weasley." he said curtly. He busied himself with sorting out stock.

Arthur frowned sadly, "We heard about what happened. I just thought I'd check on you and see how you're getting on."

"I'm at work."

Arthur raised a brow, "I reckon that means you're getting on just fine?"

Hamish didn't answer. Arthur took a moment to look around the store. It was a nice, pleasantly decorated place, though there was a thick energy that hung around. Arthur couldn't tell if it was because of Hamish's mood, or the room itself. Funeral homes were never easy to be in.

Magic couldn't prepare bodies.

"Molly's worried about you," said Arthur. "She was wondering if you wanted to meet for dinner. You have a daughter now, don't you? Congratulations!"

Hamish paused, "You're her messenger, then?"

He had not heard of or seen Molly since Hogwarts. As most Bulstrodes do, he was sorted into Slytherin. She didn't have a problem with it, but became swept up in her own problems. At that point she had already married Arthur and started a family with him, earning scorn from many supremacist family members.

Nothing good ever came from being in a neutral family, because everyone assumes the side you've chosen before you've come to that conclusion for yourself.

"I'm not anyone's messenger. Molly's been busy, and I'm sure you can understand why."

"Yes, all those children," Hamish chuckled. "I'd imagine you're both very busy. I wonder why she keeps having them."

"How's the business?" Arthur asked, averting his eyes.

"More food on the table now that the war is over," Hamish shrugged, "There's been a lot of corpses to take care of."

"How come you weren't at the funeral. Fabian and Gideon?"

"I had to prepare them. I already said goodbye."

Arthur nodded in understanding "You should really visit one of these days- or we'll visit you. All this keeping to yourself isn't healthy."

"Everyone says that."

"Because it's true. You don't have to see us all the time, but we'd love to see you. It would do us some good knowing you're alright."

Hamish, looked away. "I'll think about it."

Chapter Text

Hamish knew what to expect, but failed to realise just how loud the Weasley family would be.

As he sat at the kitchen table, boys ran around the house as Molly washed the plates.

The only somewhat peaceful one was Percy, who still went out of his way to loudly scold his younger brothers whenever they made a mess of whatever they bumped into next.

Hamish felt himself flinch at each sudden noise. The only thing that made him fit in was his hair.

In an attempt to soothe himself, he bounced Millicent on his leg. She had woken up the very second he stepped into the house, and her cries camouflaged into the petty arguments and constant fighting. She calmed down since then.

"Put her down, Hamish." grinned Molly. "Let her play with Ron. If you want, you can hold Ginny."

Hamish paused, before doing as suggested. It was after Millicent was born that he found out his love for babies. There was something comforting about holding them that he couldn't explain.

"Those bags under your eyes," Molly tutted. "You still don't sleep enough."

"They're natural, Molly."

"You still believe in that lie? Aunt Orpah should stop saying that."

He felt his heart squeeze as she lightly pinched his cheek. He didn't realise how much he had missed her. The family had not been peaceful since the last time he saw her. Some supported her decision, others didn't. Hamish believed Arthur's saving grace was his pure blood. 

"What do you think you're doing here?" growled Walburga.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the woman, "Just looking through some family records. All of which concerns you."

Orion's side of the family would've been easier to investigate, but Sirius was met with unfortunate luck. Anything from Walburga's side, be it grandparents or someone else, were less peaceful.

Walburga's luck was worse. Her health had been deteriorating, and that was when her family decided to visit, and not out of the kindness of their heart. Not that she would ever admit her loneliness.

As Walburga sat shaking, Sirius casually sat beside her.

"I'm looking for a Violetta Bulstrode," he said. "Anything that would teach me about some of the Bulstrode family ties or customs. Anything that would give me a clue for my investigation."

"Why don't you ask the Bulstrodes about her?" Walburga narrowed her eyes. "She became a Black the very second she married into this family."

It was Black tradition for the wife to throw away her identity the second she married. This was why Walburga refused to marry outside the family, for it meant leaving behind customs she grew up with. Customs that made her who she was. Sirius didn't bother learning the half of it, because it didn't apply to him.

Sirius released a heavy sigh. "Baird Bulstrode doesn't like me. Ardghal Bulstrode avoids me at work. I have the impression that the rest of the family will not respond to any letters I send."

Walburga quickly thought to herself, "Is this about that fugitive?"

Sirius sat up. She rolled her eyes.

"I should've known," she sat up. With a sugary sweet voice, she asked "Do you want me to write to Lachlan and Orpah for you? I can even ask them to arrange another interview with Hamish."

"Still, you don't care about your son's needs," Sirius shook his head.

"The only thing that failure son of theirs accomplished was marrying that half blood. Why would I take that happiness away from him?" She tiled her head. "Why should I help you, Sirius?"

"They're divorced!" Sirius stood up, getting into her face. "There's no happiness there!"

Walburga only grinned, "And she's the Dark Lord's most successful soldier. I support her escape." She sat back. "I enjoy your desperation even more. What's looking into grandma Violetta going to do? You're not going to find anything useful. Bulstrodes aren't good at hiding. Why do you think they're so open?"

Sirius leaned away, "She's not a Bulstrode anymore." he said slowly.

Walburga's frown returned, "No. No she isn't."