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The Snapes were the most remarkable couple Elliot Quinn had ever met – and he didn't only mean that in a positive way.
Well … to be honest, he wasn't quite sure how he meant it at all.
He had met quite a few couples so far; first and foremost those who needed help since that was what he did for a living. But even with all his experience, the Snapes were … remarkable.
Apart from the fact that they couldn't have been more different visually (he was as much the night with his black hair, black eyes, black clothes and pale skin as she was the sun with her golden brown hair, tanned skin and honey-coloured eyes), there was also the age difference.
“Nineteen years, eight months, ten days,” Mr Snape, Severus, said when Elliot asked about it as if he had answered that question countless times before.
Now, Elliot had met quite a few couples with a large age difference, but there had been few who were separated by nearly twenty years. And even though he could tell there was an age difference, he hadn't expected it to be that much.
“Six years, three months and five days,” replied Mrs Snape, Hermione, when he asked how long they had been married. “But we'd already been together for five years when we got married. And um … two months and … eighteen days.” Her voice had grown quieter as her husband looked at her. But while Elliot almost expected her to apologise, she only raised her eyebrows. And Severus snorted.
“Hers,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest when Elliot asked whose idea it had been to come here.
“I take it you weren't exactly enamoured with that idea?”
“Hardly,” Severus snarled and that was the last thing he said until they parted after this first meeting.
Hermione proved more approachable. “I wanted this because … we're not as close anymore as we used to be. I work a lot and so does Severus, but … there still used to be those moments in between when we were just … together. Now we're more … next to each other. Does that make sense?”
“It does.”
“Oh, good!” She said it with such relief that Elliot smiled briefly. “I mean, our relationship has never been easy but … we always somehow managed to find a common ground.”
At that Severus snorted and Hermione blushed a little and Elliot had a rough idea of what that common ground had been. “And you can't find that common ground now?”
“Um …” she muttered self-consciously and glanced at her husband but he just looked at her with narrow eyes. “Well … sometimes …” she murmured. “But … it is no longer enough to …” She exhaled deeply. “It's no longer enough to cover up the problems we have.”
“I see.” Hermione was visibly uncomfortable with the subject, lowering her eyes and rubbing her forehead. And Severus had clenched his teeth and looked like he was going to lose his temper at any moment, so Elliot changed the subject. They talked about their professions (chemist, politician – “Oh, no, you wouldn't have heard of me, I'm more on the … local level.”), the housing situation, getting to know each other.
“Well, um … Severus was … my teacher, sort of.” This time Severus raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Hermione sighed. “Not just sort of, he was my teacher.”
“And you fell in love at school?”
“No!” she said emphatically. “No, definitely not. We … met again later.”
Severus rolled his eyes.
It seemed there were some intimate issues between the two of them that Elliot should approach cautiously. They had given him a lot to think about by the time the first session came to an end and he saw them off.
“Don't take his silence to heart, Mr Quinn,” Hermione said quietly before she left, “he's … special.”
Elliot smirked. “Actually, not that special,” he assured her. He'd met quite a few men who'd had difficulty getting involved in counselling – and quite a few women too.
“Oh … good.” She smiled uncertainly before turning away.
Elliot watched her go and as she followed her husband out of the consulting room, he heard him hiss, “Did you just apologise for me?”
Regrettably, he couldn't hear what she said in reply because she closed the door.
Something about them was … remarkable. And he just couldn't pinpoint what it was.
So he was surprised to see them both again a week later.
“Do I have a choice?” resented Severus.
“You do,” Elliot replied earnestly. “I can only help you if you are both willing to get help. No one is forcing you to come here.”
Hermione looked at him. Her expression gave nothing away about her thoughts, only her mouth seemed a little tense. When Severus nodded, she exhaled deeply.
“I'll stay.”
Elliot nodded slowly. He still didn't get the impression that Severus really wanted to be here. Or expected anything from it, and doing couples counselling for one's partner was usually not much better than doing it unwillingly. He would suggest one-on-one sessions, maybe that would get them somewhere.
In one of the following meetings, there was a situation in which Severus looked him very deeply in the eye after Elliot had asked him about his previous relationships. So deep, Elliot couldn't even blink and he soon didn't remember what question he had asked him either.
“Severus, stop that!” Hermione hissed and that was when he finally managed to break eye contact.
“Stop what?” Elliot asked, running his hand over his eyes, which were watering a little.
“Um … Staring at you like that,” she muttered, giving her husband a chastising glare.
Elliot raised his eyebrows. “Does it bother you?”
“Always,” Severus snarled, looking … sort of smug.
“Then she tells you not to do it often?”
“All the time. I don't know why …” Now a smirk was adorning his face. One that Elliot had never seen on him before and that made him feel like he hadn't understood something when Hermione crossed her arms in response.
What did he ask again?
It took over a month before the two could relax enough to address critical issues. And to argue.
“Why is it always such a problem for you,” Hermione asked, upset, “just to be there and look a little friendly?”
“Have you ever seen me look friendly?” he asked, his voice heavy with cynicism. “You should have married your ex if that's what you expect from your husband.”
“But I didn't want to marry Ron, I wanted to marry you!”
“Well, you knew what you were getting into, we've been together long enough.”
“Yes …” she huffed.
“And yet you keep making a fuss about it.”
“A fuss?” she asked indignantly.
He raised his eyebrows. “What would you call it when you ruin all the dishes?”
She gasped and pressed her lips together.
“All the dishes?” Elliot cut in in surprise, though he would have actually liked to watch them for a moment longer in that first interaction where they didn't seem to be holding back for his sake. But he hadn't thought Hermione the kind of person who got destructive tendencies when angry. Remarkable …
“That was … an accident,” she muttered, her cheeks flushed, giving her husband an annoyed look.
“You accidentally broke all the dishes? How am I to picture that?”
Now she exhaled sharply, crossed her arms in front of her chest and hissed a pointed “Thank you!” at Severus as he actually tried to hide a smile behind his hand.
Elliot frowned. What was it about these two that he didn't understand?
“He's ill,” Hermione said at the beginning of a session for which she had turned up alone. “Quite unexpectedly. I didn't want to cancel the appointment at such short notice. I hope that's okay.”
“Of course,” Elliot said, motioning for her to sit down. “I wanted to make appointments with the two of you alone anyway, I think this might be helpful.”
She froze and looked at him, blinking. Several times. Frowned. And then suddenly she looked annoyed.
“Is that a problem?” he asked, puzzled.
“No!” She shook her head, faking a smile. “No, not at all. Severus will … be fine with it too. I'm sure he will …” The last words sounded more like a threat before she smiled at him, all the politician that she was. “So, what did you have in mind for a one-on-one session, Mr Quinn?”
“Tell me about yourself, Mrs Snape. About your childhood, your parents, the relationships you had before you married.”
She swallowed and took a deep breath. “Okay …” she murmured, wiping her hair behind her ear, and nodded before she began.
“I wish you would stop making sarcastic remarks or raising your stupid eyebrow every time I say something you don't like!”
“My stupid eyebrow?” Severus echoed, raising that very eyebrow.
“There, you're doing it again!”
He snorted, averting his eyes. “I remember a time when you thought that was sexy.”
“Well, now I don't,” she murmured, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Mrs Snape, how do you feel when your husband does that?”
She took a deep breath and held it. “Sneered at,” she said then, without looking at him. “Like he doesn't take me seriously. Like … I'm his student again.” She lowered her eyes.
Elliot turned to Severus. “How do you feel about that?”
He pressed his lips together. “That's rubbish,” he said, “If I wouldn't take her seriously, she'd know.”
“Apparently she doesn't,” Elliot objected. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “I believe you that this is a misunderstanding between you two, Mr Snape. But your wife is no longer comfortable with your method of non-verbal communication. How do you feel about hearing that?”
He ground his teeth. “I'm sorry,” he then pressed out, but it sounded like he was saying it because it was expected of him. “That wasn't … my intention.”
Elliot eyed him thoughtfully. Considered addressing the feeling he had regarding Severus's words. But the man didn't seem amenable to that right now. He really needed a one-on-one with him. But until then, “Say that to your wife, Mr Snape.”
As if it was physically taxing him, he turned his gaze to her and gulped when he saw that there were tears in her eyes. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I wouldn't take you seriously.”
She looked at him for a long time, appraisingly, then she nodded.
“How are you feeling now, Mrs Snape?”
“Better,” she said, struggling to smile.
“And you?” He turned back to Severus.
He uttered a non-committal sound.
Elliot frowned. “Speak up, Mr Snape.”
He turned his gaze out the window, pursing his mouth contemptuously.
“What, Severus?”
He looked at her. “I don't feel particularly taken seriously either when you keep expecting me to accompany you to these receptions and political events when you know how much I hate them!”
She gulped.
“What do you want to change, Mr Snape?” Elliot asked since this was definitely an honest feeling and he would try to hold on to it.
“I want to be left in peace!” he said fiercely. “I'm tired of being photographed and having pictures of me in the paper all the time! The public has had its fun with me long enough …”
Hermione exhaled deeply.
“Did you know that, Mrs Snape?”
She shook her head. “No. I mean … yes, I knew …” Severus's gaze hardened. “I didn't know it affects you so much.”
“Well, it does,” he said now.
She swallowed. “I wish you'd ever had a serious talk with me about it.”
“I did!”
“No, you didn't! You complained and were sarcastic and ungracious but you always are! You even are when I ask you what we're going to eat! How was I supposed to know that -” She swallowed.
Elliot sat back and gave them both a few seconds. “You need a new way to communicate with each other,” he then stated. “Tell each other when you don't feel taken seriously – and take those cues from your partner seriously!”
Hermione nodded, obviously still dismayed by her new realisation, while Severus just scowled at him.
Elliot returned the look thoughtfully. “I'd like to meet with you alone, Mr Snape.”
“Indeed?” he asked, almost bored. Only when his wife looked at him admonishingly did he nod. “As you wish.”
“Why do you keep coming here?” Elliot asked during that one-on-one appointment. Perhaps it had been a tad bit provocative.
Severus raised an eyebrow. “As long as we pay our bills, do you really care?”
The corners of Elliot's mouth twitched, mirthlessly. “This is not about me, Mr Snape. Although I would prefer to be reading a good book rather than doing counselling with someone who doesn't want to be here …”
“And who is it about then? Me?”
“Yes. And about your wife.” Severus drew his eyebrows together until there was a deep crease between them. “She's here because she has hope. Because she doesn't want to give up on this marriage. Is that true for you as well? Or are you just waiting for this counselling to come to nothing so you have a good reason to leave her?”
The man, dressed completely in black as usual, took a deep breath and ground his teeth. For a few seconds, he looked at Elliot in an almost menacing way, as if he was considering whether or not to attack him. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head softly. “It's not me who will leave,” he said barely audibly.
“What do you mean?”
He snorted. “Hermione and I, it should never have happened. To this day, I don't understand how it even could have happened. Why she didn't leave a long time ago.” He lapsed into silence. “I should never have married her, that would have made it easier for her to leave when she realised her mistake. But …”
Elliot watched him intently as the silence spread past the sentence he had started. He could roughly imagine the words Severus refused to say out loud. He had that aura of someone who had not been loved sincerely for most of his life and was firmly convinced that there was something about him that made it impossible. That he was inherently unlovable and that sooner or later everyone would notice. It was this aura that broke Elliot's heart every time he felt it because so far every one of these people had been absolutely lovable.
“She proposed to me, I was too weak to refuse,” he finally said quietly. “And here we are … She will leave eventually, she just has to take the step.”
With a small sigh, Elliot leaned forward. “Mr Snape, did you hear what I just said?”
He looked at him wearily. “What did you say?”
“That your wife is here because she has hope. Because she doesn't want to give you up. She's not looking for proof that she made the wrong decision with you. She's trying to figure out how you can get close again.”
“And what if that won't work?”
“Do you dare take the risk that it might?”
“Homework?” Severus asked, aghast, at the end of their next session together.
Elliot smiled. “Don't worry, I'm not asking you to write papers.” While Hermione smiled, Severus just continued to look at him suspiciously. “I want you to spend an evening together. Go out to dinner, see a movie, go to the theatre, in short, have a date.”
“A date,” Severus repeated tonelessly. Then he snorted. “We didn't even have a date before we became a couple.”
“Then it's about time,” Elliot countered. “In order to get close again, you need to spend time together. Time that isn't about work or everyday life. Get to know each other as husband and wife again.”
As Severus rolled his eyes in response, Hermione lowered her gaze.
“What do you think of that, Mrs Snape?” Elliot asked.
She looked up in surprise. “Me? Oh, um …” She swallowed and gave her husband an almost apologetic look. “I would love to go out with you.”
Now he was looking at her at least as aghast as he had looked at Elliot earlier. But after a few seconds, he nodded stiffly. “Fine.”
“How was your evening together?” Elliot asked the next time they met.
Hermione smiled as he had never seen her smile here before. “Wonderful,” she said then, looking over at her husband who pursed his lips.
“She talked about work.”
As Hermione rolled her eyes, Elliot grinned. “Really?”
“I only told him that one of my friends is going to accompany me to the political events in the future. I didn't think you'd snitch on me for that.” She looked at him sternly, but there was still a smile on her lips.
He smirked, twitching his eyebrows, and she huffed, shaking her head slightly. It was this kind of non-verbal communication long-time couples developed that Elliot hadn't seen with them before – at least not in this positive way.
“Anyway,” Hermione resumed, “my friend's wife isn't very fond of these events either, so we've decided to go as friends.”
Elliot nodded. “That's wonderful. Is he a politician too?”
She frowned. “No, he's … chief of police. But he's expected to appear at most events as well.”
“How do you feel about that, Mr Snape?”
“Fine,” he drawled. “But Rita's going to give us hell for it,” he added, turning to his wife.
“Who's Rita?”
She groaned. “A local reporter who has it in for us.” She looked at Severus. “You know that I know how to handle her. Let that be my problem.”
He ran his hand across his mouth, no doubt to hide a smile, and snorted.
Elliot watched them contentedly. They were making progress. Seeing that was the best part about his job.
Elliot held his breath for a moment and then let it escape slowly. What Severus had just told him in this second one-on-one session … He just couldn't understand how anyone could treat a child like that. With a furrowed brow, he shook his head.
Severus snorted. “You wanted to hear it, Mr Quinn,” he said coolly as if he hadn't just told him about a nightmare of a childhood.
“Yes,” Elliot said, smiling mirthlessly. “And I think it's important for you to talk about it, Mr Snape. What happened then is part of you to this day. It's one reason why, even after being a couple for over eleven years, you can't believe your wife that she really and truly loves you and won't leave unless you make her do so.”
He grumbled non-committally, looking out the window. “And what does that mean? More one-on-one sessions with you?”
Elliot shook his head. “One-on-one sessions yes, but not with me. You need someone who knows about trauma and that's beyond my skills.”
“Trauma?” he asked snidely, looking at him with raised eyebrows.
Elliot nodded. “Yes, trauma.” And because his sceptic look wouldn't leave his face, he added, “Mr Snape, it is not normal to wake up at night after a few hours' sleep, plagued by nightmares, and spend the rest of the night reading to get rid of the images.”
He blinked and looked away, gulping. “I don't know any different …”
“I know. But that doesn't make it normal.”
For a few seconds, he was silent, just grinding his teeth against each other. “Can't you help me with that?” he then asked.
“No, I'm afraid I can't. I'm just a mediocre couples counsellor. I don't have more to offer than a few tips on how you can improve listening to each other.” He winked.
“You don't say …”
Elliot laughed. Then he stood up and circled his desk. “I'll give you the card of a friend.” He hesitated. “Or would you prefer a female therapist?”
Severus swallowed again but then nodded jerkily.
“Fine, a female colleague then,” Elliot said, reaching for another business card, of which he had several in one of his drawers, before returning to his seat and handing it to Severus. “Contact her, she'll be able to help you.”
Briefly, Severus's gaze flickered over the business card, then he let it disappear into his shirt pocket. “I'll think about it.”
It was about ten months after the first session that the Snapes, that strangely remarkable pair, last sat before Elliot. Hermione had reached for Severus's hand (whereupon he had rolled his eyes but not pulled it away) and beamed at Elliot.
“I'm so grateful for your help, Mr Quinn! I don't know how long our marriage would have lasted without you.”
“It's been my pleasure,” he said sincerely, even getting a small nod from Severus as he met his gaze. “Do you have a plan for how you will continue to maintain the status quo?”
“Yes, we do.” She briefly looked around at her husband. “Severus has been seeing the therapist you recommended for a few weeks, I will never pester him with my public events again, and we're going to make time for each other regularly.”
“That sounds great. And if any problems do arise again, you know how to reach me.”
Severus snorted. “Haven't you made enough off us yet?”
Elliot hunched his shoulders. “How much is enough when it comes to the person you love?”
“About what we've paid you in total,” he snarled with raised eyebrows.
And while Hermione rolled her eyes, Elliot laughed. He very much hoped he would never see them again - even though he still hadn't quite figured out what was so remarkable about them.
“Was that really necessary?” Hermione gave Severus an annoyed look after they had left the building where Mr Quinn had his practice.
“It was,” he replied. “After all, he was kind enough to make sure his colleague is earning even more from me.”
She laughed, short and sharp. “As if you'd keep seeing her if it didn't help you!” He only hinted at a shrug, but she'd noticed he was getting calmer, sleeping better. “I just hope you don't take away her memories of the sessions as you did with Mr Quinn after your first one-on-one.”
He screwed up his face. “After the lecture you gave me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Will you really not do it or are you just going to be more clever about it?”
“For once, the former,” he complied with a smug look. “But if I'm going to tell her about the war, I won't have much choice.”
Hermione linked her arm to his and sighed. “Yes, the magical world is in desperate need of therapists … Next on my agenda.”
“Don't you dare make me an example,” he said quietly.
“Never!” She looked at him with wide eyes. “I promised you, Severus. My work is my thing.”
He nodded curtly.
And after a few seconds, Hermione added, “You don't use Legilimency on her either, do you?”
He grinned but said nothing.
“Severus!”