We're All that's Left [Severus]

[Deleted]

January 31, 2026
@severus

Gabrielle was really confuse by the fact that her older brother was working at Hogwarts. When she'd returned to the UK she'd been caught up in her own thing that she hadn't really registered that he was now a professor. It was.... unsettling. Not that he couldn't teach, but rather he was old enough to teach. Between his new school schedule and her getting settled back in the country they hadn't been able to see each other, but he knew she was "home". It seemed that they'd finally found some to catch up though, the last weekend of the month. Where he didn't have any classes and no Hogsmeade trip so no students to worry about. 

Gabrielle had arrived at the Three Broomsticks a little and decided to find them a booth while she waited. She ordered herself a firewhiskey, taking a few sips as she scanned the popular pub. She didn't recognize anyone, but to no surprise. She'd been gone a while and the crowd of the Three Broomsticks wasn't really her sort of place anymore. But heaven forbid, she wasn't going to meet her brother at the Hog's Head, a place she would have been more likely to frequent. 

Finally she spotted a free booth. She set her pint down and slid into one of the seats. She took another sip before pulling out her phone and skimming a few texts as she waited for her brother.

[Deleted]

One of the kids had very graciously given Severus a cold, which had made his evening the night before a snotty mess of coughing because... he didn't feel his cold was enough reason to bother the matron after normal business hours for a pepperup potion. Of course, as an adept adult wizard he could also have made his own but again... he felt the effects too late in the evening and as he had stirred groggily from his bed earlier this morning... he regretted his polite upbringing. Especially when he realised that he was run-down on the day of the long-awaited reunion with his littlest sister. You know? The one that disappeared off the face of the Earth as if that wouldn't tear at the family's already raw heartstrings. Severus made his sniffling way to the Hospital Wing, where the Matron took one look at him and promptly administered the Pepperup Potion and the chills that racked his body were instantly gone. Of course, he did have the unfortunate after-effect of steam coming from his ears ... but it wasn't a date, so that's fine.

Feeling so much better than he had the night before, Severus set off for a pleasant walk to the Hogsmeade village. The air was fresh and it made the steam coming from his ears look even more conspicuous, but he hoped that the physical exertion would help him stave off future infections. He had forgotten how close quarters that people were in at the Castle and he really must introduce kids to washing their hands and going to see the nurse if they're feeling unwell. Focus, Severus, he chided himself as he opened the door to the Three Broomsticks. In the last thirty days all he'd really focused on were the kids so it was hard to steer his wandering mind away from that. Gabrielle, Severus reminded himself as his dark eyes searched the establishment for his sister.

Once he found her, the eldest Shacklebolt made his way easily through the small crowd to stand at the booth she'd chosen. "Little sister," he started, a large grin on his face as he opened his arms for a hug, "it is so good to see you. Ýou look well. Ah - I see you've started without me!" Severus motioned to her firewhiskey with his eyes, almost with a look that said and why didn't you order me one?' "Come and give your brother a hug before I go and sort myself out a drink. Would you like anything?" his ears were still steaming, even in the relatively comfortable warmth of the Three Broomsticks - luckily it didn't look quite like the steam engine it had in the cool January air outside.

@gabrielle

[Deleted]

January 31, 2026
@severus

Gabrielle wasn't sure how to react to seeing her brother. Overjoyed after a long time apart or very concerned that he was literally steaming from his ears. Amazingly though, that dramatic entrance was enough to prevent any sort of awkwardness after being apart so long and Gabrielle found herself genuinely laughing as she got to her feet so she could hug her brother as he held out his arms. "Sev, you've always known how to make an entrance," she answered as she pulled back from the hug to motion to his ears. "And what, pray tell, have you been up to for this show?"

She smirked as he mentioned her drink. "Had to keep myself busy while I waited for you, didn't I?" She teased, though partially it had been her own nervousness after being apart so long. "If I'd known you'd get her so quickly I would have ordered you one too." Gabrielle slid back into the booth and her smirk softened to a smile. "No, I'm good. Thanks though."

[Deleted]

Aaahhh, the feel of his kid sister in Severus' arms was just divine. He gave Gabrielle an appreciative squeeze before she had a chance to get away from him. He laughed easily when she commented on his smoking ears. "When you're this good looking, it just comes naturally," he gave his sister the most cheeky grin as he popped his collar playfully. "I woke up with a cold of all things! The joys of working with snotty nosed kids, I guess - though I had thought that meant toddlers and not teenagers."

The new teacher had to laugh when his sister chided him for being late. "Merlin, I'm going to ask McGonagall if I can start drinking while I wait for the next class of kids. If I did a shot for every minute they were late... I would be under the table before the class even began," Severus decided with a shake of his head. He waited until Gabrielle had tucked herself nicely into the booth before he nodded that he understood she didn't need another drink just yet and then he went to order himself a drink.

When he returned to the table, instead of his usual fire whiskey he had a tall pint of butterbeer. He gave his sister a sheepish look, "the barkeep advised against fire whiskey as I'd clearly taken a pepperup potion. Said it wouldn't be good for the throat. Felt a little like a chided school student if I'm honest, so I couldn't say 'no'." With the explanation over, he lifted his glass towards the middle of the table so as to clink with Gabrielle's. "Cheers to seeing you back in our old stomping grounds! Ahhhh you have no idea how much I missed you. Tell me everything."

@gabrielle

[Deleted]

January 31, 2026
@severus

Severus had always been a confident person. And while no sibling wanted to admit their brother or sister was good looking, she would at least admit her brother wasn't totally unfortunate looking... Though as he went on to explain him having a cold the effect made more sense. Ah, a pepper-upper potion. Gabrielle, who'd been in school far more recently then Severus, rolled her eyes. "You're the one that decided to go work with teenagers. Did you really expect anything less?" Not only that, students now a days were always up to no good, with very little consideration for another's personal space.

As he joked about drinking every time students were late she chuckled and smirked. "All that would do is tell students you have alcohol to begin with, and thus worth stealing it from." She explained. Students had always been sneaking alcohol into the school. "Plus, you'd become an alcoholic if you did that."

Gabrielle took a sip from her drink as she waited for her brother's return. When he did, she was surprised to see a butterbeer instead of a firewhiskey. As he explained though, it made sense. "Aw, poor Sev. Not allowed to drink with a cold," she teased. She raised her own glass as he held his own out. She smiled at his toast, before taking another sip from her drink and setting the glass down. "I'd rather hear about how you've been. You're the one teaching at Hogwarts now. That's far more interesting then anything I could share."

[Deleted]

"Well, frankly, yes," Severus replied curtly as his sister pointed out that it was his decision to work with kids and, in turn, he shouldn't whine about his unfortunate current circumstances. "I had visions of ... well, let's just say the world is very different when you're in another's shoes," he shuddered, though whether that was from the cold he was recovering from or the fact that he felt sorry for their teachers in years past, Severus would not be able to determine even if a dark wizard held a wand to his throat and a killing curse in their heart. "Thankfully the matron says I'll be better by tomorrow, just in time to put a stop to all sorts of teenage debauchery. Once upon a time it was fun getting away with sneakin' about, now I secretly enjoy the chase. I understand why a lot of curse breakers retire to a life of teaching now," Severus mused with more than just a hint of delight in his dark eyes.

"You do have a point there Gabrielle," Severus conceded, laughing easily at the idiocy of his plan. He could see the way McGonagall would do that half chortle that told you she thought you were too ridiculous to even reply to. "I'm too kind-hearted to put a bad jinx on the hiding spot and teaching's not a profession to get into for riches. I'll go broke before I become alcoholic, no doubt," he surmised as he took off to order his drink.

"You're the one that's been gone for a long while," Severus quickly replied, his wit not dampened by the cold he had suffered this morning. "However, I am a man able to compromise, so perhaps I'll share a story or two of my new profession.. or why the change ... if you share some stories of your time abroad. Or, more importantly, why you're back?"

@gabrielle