Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not and has never been the property of R S Slagondrayer who has not and has never claimed any right to its copyright. All characters are copyright to their respective creators.

Synopsis: It's 1976 and the end of childhood begins, cast in shades of orange and wrapped in the silence that follows the screams.

Warnings: Themes. Imagery. spoilers, possible British spelling, deliberate abuse of grammar, possibility of disappointed expectations etc. and the writer's long-standing bias favouring Slytherin House as being the most human of the four Hogwarts Houses.

Read Responsibly.

The Secret Keeper

by

R S Slagondrayer

"She's not here," Petunia Evans growled, her nose wrinkling, as she glared at the black-haired boy standing on her doorstep. The afternoon sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the neighbourhood.

"I have to see her, Petunia," Severus, the boy in question, pleaded.

"I told you! She's. not. here!" Petunia snapped. "She stayed behind in your fancy magical world. You ought to know that. After all, you two are always hanging around together doing your god-awful magic." Come to think of it, Lily and Severus were usually hanging out together at the station at end of terms and he should have known she hadn't come home. Her eyes narrowed as something clicked.

"Did you fall out?" Petunia asked, curiosity now filling her voice. She might not have liked the surly, greasy teen, but he did have his merits. For one, he was the one great, wonderful smear on Lily's perfection, the one thing about Lily's new life that their parents disapproved of quite whole-heartedly. The one bone of contention between Lily and her parents, that made Petunia feel less... less. She wondered what they could have fought about for her saccharine sister to now be avoiding him, to the point of not coming home, when she'd blithely defended him to one and all before. As her mind wandered over the possibilities, Severus grew more irritated. "Did you try to kiss her?" Petunia blurted out.

Severus made an ugly face. "Watch it," he said, darkly.

"Come on! It's not like you've been any good at hiding it - Even mum and dad suspect. Lily's just daft for not seeing it."

"Still the jealous sister I see, 'Tunsey?" Severus growled, turning his back to leave. Something at the end of the street caught his attention. Five somethings actually. Wearing black robes and hoods. It was unusual for there to be many wizards in this part of town. He frowned, and then he caught the flash of white (not skin) under the hoods. Shit. He turned round, grabbed Petunia and pushed her forward and into the house, slamming the door behind them.

Petunia felt a slight chill of fear as he manhandled her into the parlour. Please, God, no... she shut her eyes tightly. I take it back. I take it back. Please don't - She had no time to finish naming her nameless fear, because he was now hissing at her.

"Back door!"

His eyes glanced widely round before spotting the entrance to the kitchen. She felt him push round her and then he was past and dragging her. She heard the swing of the back door, the creak from its hinges, and the cool air as they stumbled into the backyard. She opened her eyes. "What! Severus, what the -?" he turned around and her words died in her throat. There was a look in his eyes that frightened her more than anything he could have said or done. Death. Those black eyes seemed to scream it at her. She could see her own death reflected back at her. It was only a second, but she'd seen enough.

"Move it, Petunia." He tugged her forward, and ran for the backyard fence. He'd head for the river bank and the green shrubs there that could provide them some cover. He'd have preferred a bridge but it was better than nothing.

"What is going on?" Petunia gasped, stumbling as she struggled to keep up with him.

"Dark Wizards. Death eaters," Severus hissed. Even the name gave her chills as she found herself boosted, and already leaping down the other side of the fence. He was already following her, half over the fence, a scrawny black-clad body that jumped down next to her. "They're here - and unless you want to die, you'll move it, Tuuns." He grabbed her hand again and ran, fast enough to make her stumble, the green bushes beckoning them. He swung her round and pulled her down, ducking into the bushes.

He shoved her into the bushes just in time. There was another apparition, and Severus almost gasped at the sheer power washing over the neighbourhood in its wake. It could mean only one thing... Lord Voldemort. Severus shuddered as he saw the man floating in the sky. His hand clamped tighter over Petunia's mouth just in case she screamed. He was glad he hadn't tried to cast spells right now. Not when it would only get them noticed. No, he and Petunia were best off being as Muggle as possible - falling under the radar of whatever magic sensitivity the death eaters and their dark lord possessed.

His house, unplottable, as his mother had made it, couldn't be detected, but Lily's could. The traces of her magic there might be enough to bring them. He hoped not. There was no guarantee they wouldn't be able to sense him if that happened. At least Severus had not apparated. They'd definitely have been hunted then.

His heart was racing in his chest even as Petunia was staring at him in abject horror, her mind recalling all those titbits of conversations she'd overheard between Lily and Severus. The things they'd spoken about when they'd forgotten all about their unspecial third wheel. A dawning horror rose in her throat. Dark Wizards, he'd said. And she'd remembered them arguing, Lily chiding him for his interests in the dark arts and the company he kept. Petunia's heart leapt into her throat. There'd been something desperate and almost frantic in him when he'd been demanding to see Lily, now that she thought about it. Why had he come down to see her, when he should have remembered she wasn't home, that the Evanses hadn't been at the station to pick her up? Perhaps... she clawed his hand from her mouth. She had to ask. She had to know for sure, even if it wouldn't change anything. .

"A-are you a death eater, Severus?" she asked, her voice shaky. And at the back of her mind, she wondered where the hell Lily was, because she should have been here, going through this. These were her wonderful, magical friends, and her wonderful, magical world, right? So why was she, plain Petunia, the one being left with all the bad bits? Like death eaters and dying.

"Believe me, if I was, that would be the least of your worries." he said. His voice was barely a whisper. His eyes kept darting to the houses they'd just left. She realised with a start that he was afraid. And if Severus Snape, the one who'd grown up being a wizard, was afraid... Petunia choked. I hate you, Lily. You have no idea how much I hate you right now. I knew it was no good. I knew.

"I don't want to die." she said, in a small voice. She was going to die and somehow she knew it was all Lily's fault. Her and her magic. She'd known it was no good. It had taken her sister away, it had taken their friendship away, and now it would take her away. Don't be silly. She could hear Lily's voice chiding her with that note of dismissiveness that had grown over the years to sound like disdain to her ears. It isn't evil. It's just like in those Muggle fairytales. There's good magic and bad magic. Somehow Petunia didn't think she'd just fall into a hundred year swoon if the bad magic got her. Maybe if she'd been Lily... She smothered a sob.

"Don't think like that. In fact -," Severus barely glanced at her, his eyes still watching the banks and the surrounding areas, "- don't even think." There was a crackle as anti-apparition shields slid into place. Watching breathlessly for any sign of the black-hooded robes and the white masks, he froze as his eyes caught sight of an unfamiliar and unwelcome sight coming down the opposite end of the street where the Death Eaters had apparated. Of all the times for the Evanses to come back early from their dinner engagement. He closed his eyes with a strong sense of doom. He could hear the shrieks beginning further up the road. His eyes flickered open, and he turned to his side, choice made. Petunia was still cowering next to him. He looked down at her. Black eyes meeting hers for the first time since they'd stopped.

"Close you eyes, and cover you ears Petunia," he said softly. She turned wide, fearful eyes to him. "Just do it, Petunia. Cover them tight. It's okay. I'm here. I'll protect you."

She'd never ask what made her believe him. She'd never want to even think of that day again or of the moment under the bushes when it had been just her and him, and she'd known people were going to die, and she just didn't want to be one of them, and he'd been there... except he'd promised. And she'd believed.

He'd had a terrible choice to make. Lily's parents had driven right into the midst of it. Or rather it would have been a terrible choice, if it had been a choice at all. He could have tried to save them, cast a spell, sent a warning... but he'd have given away not only himself but Petunia, exposed them both to the death eaters. And accomplished nothing. Severus Snape discovered something about himself in that instant. Despite their mutual distaste for each other, he would not abandon Petunia. Right now, even if Lily were to apparate in, and her voice was to join the screams of the neighbourhood as it would if she did; he would not leave Petunia, because right now, Petunia was the one he could save. He clutched her tightly, burying her head deeper into the thickness of his jacket, and willed his body to be still and kept her still. Her hands would not be enough to spare her the screams, but they would make the sound more distant. He began whispering into her hair, his chin resting on her head... of spells and magic, and what they learned at Hogwarts. The teachers, the halls. All the while, aware that his kind were torturing and killing the world she'd known. He hoped his voice reverberating through her skull would help cover up some of the screams .Thank God most of the people here were too old to have kids staying with them and too young to be looking after the grandkids. A child's wail rose above the shrieks before suddenly being cut off. Most.

Are you out there, Luci? If you are, do you even know how close we are to each other? Unbidden images of blonde hair, like a fae, he'd thought at the timae, rose in his mind. What would happen if you found me now? How would you kill me? Would it be painlessly quick, or would it be slow and torturous? Because you would. You would have to, wouldn't you? He's here, and I'm what he hates. Mudblood. His tears sank into Petunia's hair. Mudblood. It was worse than being Muggle. If Voldemort found them, Petunia was the one who'd have it easy. She was only a Muggle after all. He... he was a Mudblood. He prayed that they wouldn't come, and that if they did, none of them would remember that Severus Snape was a half-blood.

It seemed like hours before the great, green, ghastly skull rose in the sky, and the death eaters were off. Pops of apparitions indicated their departure, leaving the two hidden teens in an eerie silence broken only by the crackle of fire above their own breathing. Severus stayed still with Petunia, waiting for the choking, sickening madness to settle.

It was another wait for the aurors to arrive. Severus stayed. It would have been easier to slip away between the departure of the Death Eaters and the arrival of the aurors, but that would have meant leaving Petunia amidst the wreckage and the burning corpses. And the aurors would apparate in. After what she'd just seen, he doubted she'd react well to that. Her head was still buried in her jacket and he could feel the wetness of her tears seeping through his shirt. The sound of cracks followed by the brusque shouted orders couldn't have been a more welcome sound for Severus. He observed them for a while just to be sure.

He gently pulled her hands away from her ears and held them in his, painfully aware that his own were trembling only slightly less than hers. "Listen to me, Tunia," he said, his voice still gentle. "The Wizarding Police have arrived. After I'm gone, you go towards them." He turned and scanned the group of aurors for a friendly looking face. He was sure he'd spotted a Prewett somewhere. Ah, there. He placed his hands on Petunia's head and pulled her out from where she'd buried it in his jacket. He met her eyes with his, promising her safety. "I told you I'd protect you, and I've done that. Go up to that man," he said, turning her head so she could see the redheaded Prewett. "Or any of the others. They'll take care of you. They'll give you some tea and ask you what happened. You can tell them. Once they're done, they'll make you forget all this. You won't have to remember it. You can go back to living your life." He stopped. He didn't know whether he should tell her: her parents were dead. He decided against it. Let the aurors do it, that way when she learned, the shock would be real. And it would be kinder for her not to have the fact he'd knowingly kept them hidden while her parents were being murdered a few metres away to dwell on .

Petunia looked up at him and swallowed hard as she nodded. Severus started to crawl away.

"Sev," her voice was hoarse, and on the brink of tears. "What if they come back?"

He stopped.

Petunia's voice quivered slightly but then steeled. "You said those men will make me forget. Sev, what if they come back? I won't know. I won't know! I want to know. I want to know. I always knew it was no good. I knew. They were all so happy that she was a witch! But I knew it was dangerous. It wasn't right. Everyone said it would be okay. It isn't, is it? I want to know. I don't want to die like that. I want to know why." Petunia refused to entertain the idea that she could one day be out there, screaming and dying and not know that it was all because of Lily and her bloody wizarding world. She didn't want it. If she was going to die at some death eater's hand, she had the bloody right to know why.

Severus stared into her eyes, and then looked away. "Tell them you're Lily. She'll be on their list. They don't obliviate witches. They probably won't check. Not when there's so much else they need to do." his voice trailed off, as he surveyed the undamaged areas of town. "And Petunia -" his voice was distant.

She looked up at him. He turned his head to face her and Petunia met endlessly black eyes. Death, at least not hers, was no longer reflected in them. She nodded even before he finished what he wanted to say.

"I was never here."

Four words and she stood by them for her whole life. Not even when she learned from Lily that he'd become one of those wizards who'd attacked her home and destroyed the little hope she'd ever had of seeing magic as anything other than that force that kept stealing her happiness. Not even when she heard his name from Harry's lips many, many years later as he introduced his second child with a note of almost regretful admiration. Severus Snape gave her a secret to keep, and Petunia Evans, the Muggle, kept it better than many wizards, even bound by magic as they were, could ever have. He'd been there. She'd never forget that Lily hadn't.

Fin.

The Secret Keeper

A/N:

I've had this completed for a while but didn't post it in the vain hope of being able to add to it. I personally found it to have a rather nostalgic air about it which I attempted and failed to recreate in any of the story ideas I wanted to add onto it. Compared to this, all my other ideas seemed trite and unrealistic, and only lessened the impact. So it seems this will stand alone.

There really isn't much to say about this that isn't self-evident I believe. Youth, the horror of a Death Eater attack, and choices: Petunia's defiant declaration that she wants to know why she's dying, and Severus resignation to the fact that he cannot save everything he cares about. I see this as the moment when the two take the definitive step that says this is how they will live their lives.

(And now for something completely different...)

Sometime after I wrote this, I had an unnerving epiphany. Harry Potter, in being from the perspective of the side of magic, never adequately conveyed the threat of the Death Eaters - and it is a far lighter book without the chilling realisation that in the context of the Harry Potter World, I am not Harry or Hermione, or Ron or Draco or anyone of those children who are at that hallowed school, I am a Muggle - as Muggle as Petunia Dursley - without wand or spell upon which to even dream of defending myself. And I will find myself not as easily amongst the heroes, but far too easily amongst the victims who knew not they knew nothing and are long dead when the battle cry sounds at Hogwarts. It hurts when I realise that neither Dumbledore nor Harry were actually fighting to save Muggles... fighting for Good and the Light are not the same as fighting for the human beings who would suffer under the yoke of Evil, and even Hermione Granger does not realise that this war is not about her but about her parents. Voldemort's war is not about the elimination of Muggleborns, half-bloods or Blood-Traitors, it is ultimately about the subjugation of the Muggles. Ultimately about subjugating Vernon, Petunia, Dudley, the Grangers, and ultimately Me. In Voldemort's world, the irony is Half-Bloods like Harry and Pure-bloods like Ron would still retain rights and recognition. Is the greater injustice that Hermione, brilliant, bright Hermione, would be bundled off with Muggles, or that the Muggles in the book have already been intoned as cattle for the slaughter - our portrait drawn at JKR's unforgiving pen with a prejudice as dismissive as any Death Eater's? There is a lack of human compassion in the characters on the side of Light that makes me uneasy, because the side of Dark has shown a very human compassion for their own and a very human contempt of those who are not. I can understand the Dark, even whilst I am glad they do not win, but while I am glad the Light wins, I do not understand why it is they fought. For all those who died, or because it was the right thing? The 'right thing' is so easily a matter of the creed one subscribes to as any examination of human failings can tell you. Dumbledore was once on Grindelwald's side, and his about face as far as I know, had little to do with the evil inherent in Grindelwald's plans than his own anger and guilt. Had Adrianna lived, what would the world have been and what would Dumbledore's role have been in it all? Contemplate that this is the "Champion of Muggles" and maybe you can understand then my misgivings about this 'Light' and 'Right'. In the end, did Dumbledore truly discard the idea of Wizard-supremacy or did he merely embrace an opposing stance to Grindelwald out of spite rather than conviction? Is he truly against Voldemort, or is it merely a battle for power and control over the wizarding world - two mafia bosses eyeballing each other's territories. And why a school - the closer one examines Harry Potter the less appealing its convenience becomes And I withdraw to sulk and despair elsewhere.

Your Beloved Muggle and Slytherin for Life

R S Slagondrayer Esq.

The Summer We Bathed in the River Styx (Trilogy)

1. The Secret Keeper (Severus/Petunia) - The Summer itself.

2. I Love You (Draco/Pansy) – The Summer followed Spring's end.

3. Onomatopoeia (OC/Salazar Slytherin) – There were many summers before the last.