The McKinley Incident
By: DorkPangs

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters (except Snape's mother), just the idea.

A/N: I wrote this awhile back, and felt like posting it. I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Severus Snape and Lily Evans lived in the same small town as children. How did Snape discover that Lily was special? Maybe after an over-exciting argument as children...

McKinley's was the local grocery for the small community. It wasn't very big, but its service was very friendly and helpful, and usually had rather good prices. So, many a housewife with children clutching their skirts was a common sight, if not an expected one. However, today it was unusually slow, and there were but two mothers, an old senior, and a well-known bachelor walking the aisles, carts leading their way.

Most that lived in the small community were social butterflies, although there were a few hermits here and there. Normally, these 'hermits' were considered with suspicion and speculation, but Mrs. Potpourri Evans treated everyone with respect and kindness, especially those she didn't know. She was a wonderful woman, full-figured with long brown hair, and she seemed to have a permanent glow about her. It was rare not to see a smile pulling at her lips, and it was even harder not to smile back.

Today, in a summer dress that flowed down to her knees, her presence graced McKinley's bread aisle, two girls following at her heels. The elder girl had her mother's gorgeous brown hair, but that's where the obvious resemblance stopped. Petunia was tall and thin like her father, a long face and long neck like her grandmother, and a frown crossed her features. She was watching her little sister twirl around in circles, and then fall when she got dizzy, only to get back up and do it all over again.

Lily had tried to convince her sister to join her, but Petunia was "too old for that now," though Lily didn't know why you couldn't have fun when you were older. Unlike her sister, her resemblance to her mother was striking, however she had her father's startling green eyes and dark red hair.

As their mother rounded the corner, Mrs. Evans spotted Mrs. Snape. The woman wore dark long clothes, a hooked nose dominated her face, and lank black hair was tied back into a tight bun. She was a rather quiet woman, who seemed to avoid her neighbors like the plague. However, she apparently needed to go shopping sometimes, and she brought along her young son, who looked to be about Lily's age.

There was a dreadful lot of rumors going around about Mrs. Snape and her taciturn husband, but Potpourri loved to meet new people, and even though Mrs. Snape had lived in her neighborhood for quite some time, she'd never actually had the chance to really talk to her before.

Pushing her cart adjacent to Mrs. Snape's, her honey-sweet voice soothed the distance between them, "Well, I don't believe I've seen you in McKinley's before, Mrs. Snape."

Mrs. Snape's pale hands suddenly dropped the lettuce head back among the others, as though she were caught in the act of stealing it. She glanced behind her shoulder, as if to see who Potpourri had been speaking to, but they were the only ones among the broccoli and tomatoes.

Swallowing nervously, she glanced down to her son, "I don't often shop here. My husband suggested it."

Smiling widely at the woman, Potpourri looked down at the boy who clutched tightly to his mother's skirt. "Oh, how I've always wanted a boy. What's your name, dear?"

The boy looked alarmed at being addressed directly, and seemed to hide further in his mother's skirts. Mrs. Snape removed his hands and crouched beside him. He wore a long coat, odd for the weather, and looked very much like his mother with long black hair and a hook nose. He looked as nervous as his mother, and his eyes seemed to plead with her.

Mrs. Snape, after a moment, shook her head and said in a much stronger voice than before, "She asked you a question, you need to answer her."

Looking at his shoes, he murmured, "Severus, ma'am."

Crouching down as well, Potpourri looked into his eyes as she sweetly said, "Well, what a strong name! You can call me Mrs. Evans, dear, and those two little girls behind me are my daughters, Petunia and Lily." Mrs. Evans indicated each as she spoke their names, and she was glad to see his eyes had raised a little to look at them. "My Lily's rather bored, and so is Petunia, even if she won't admit it. If it's alright with your mother, would you like to play with them while your mother and I finish shopping?"

Mrs. Snape looked utterly shocked, and tears started to well in her eyes as she stared at Mrs. Evans. "I-Are you sure?"

Potpourri, startled by the tears, was utterly taken aback. Whatever has happened to this poor woman? Reaching out, she put a gentle hand on Mrs. Snape's shoulder and said, "Well, I did suggest it, and he looks to be a good boy."

"I am a good boy," Severus said, and then seemed surprised to hear his own voice.

Before Mrs. Snape could say anything, however, Potpourri added, "I could also do with some adult company. I have wanted to meet you, dear, ever since you moved into the neighborhood, but your husband has told us you've been quite ill."

Rising, Mrs. Snape nodded, "Yes, I have been," and pausing to look at her son, she said, "Severus could do with company his own age, for a change."

Getting up as well, Potpourri turned to Petunia, "You think you can be a big girl and watch your sister and Severus while we look through the vegetables?"

"Yes, Mama," Petunia swelled at this chance to prove how big she was, and her voice resonated with confidence, "I am nine-and-a-half now."

Smiling, her mother said, "Yes, you are," and turned to Lily, and her voice suddenly took a sudden edge, "Be a good girl and don't make trouble for your sister. We'll just be right over there, so…" she bent and whispered, "don't climb the shelves again. I don't want to have to wait for you to pick the cans all up again."

Looking guilty, she tried to appeal to her mother, "But, Mama, that wasn't my fault! It began to shake--"

"Because it wasn't designed for you to climb, Lily!" Potpourri took a deep breath and glanced up at Mrs. Snape, who was pointedly looking elsewhere. In a much softer voice, she patted her daughter's hair, "Just be good, and play with Severus."

Eyes cast down at her feet, she glanced at the boy once before saying solemnly, "Yes, Mama."

Mrs. Snape murmured something to her own son, and then a smile slightly pulled at her face as she looked at Mrs. Evans own wide smile, and Mrs. Snape seemed suddenly much younger than she first appeared, as though rejuvenated by that one smile.

The adults pushed the carts away, not very far, but enough to have a private conversation in which Potpourri carried most the exchange and Mrs. Snape made monosyllabic responses.

Among the children, however, was an awkward silence. They each tried not to look at each other, but being children, it was hard not to let their curiosity of each other get the best of them. Petunia was the first to succumb.

"What kind of name is Severus?"

Sudden anger blazing in his cold dark eyes, he said arrogantly, "It's a strong name. Even your mommy says so. What kind of name is Petunia?"

Looking aghast, Petunia scoffed, "It's a beautiful flower! Everyone knows that!"

"Well, I've never seen a petunia before. I've seen a lily though. That one was really pretty," Severus murmured the last bit, but Lily heard him anyways.

"Yep, I think it's even prettier than petunias, Petunia," and Lily began to giggle, Petunia looking indignant.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll show you!" Petunia said, and raised her arms and ran at her sister.

Lily, laughing, ran towards Severus, grabbed his hand, and dragged him along, saying, "C'mon, she's going to get us! We gotta hide!"

Severus had never really played with children his own age before, and so didn't know how else to respond to Lily's pulling than to do what she told him. The only time he'd played with other kids, they locked him up in the basement… and then scary stuff happened. But, they were in a brightly lit grocery, and there was no basement for them to go into.

Rounding a vegetable stand, there was a bunch of empty cardboard boxes sitting on their openings. Lily grasped for the largest one and lifted it up and hid underneath, pulling Severus in with her.

She was laughing so hard, Severus had a hard time not laughing as well. Suddenly, she put her hands over his mouth, and put a finger to her lips, even though he couldn't see her do so. They could hear the plodding heels of Petunia's Mary-Jane's.

"I'm gonna get you!" They heard her call, and they both had to restrain themselves from giggling until they heard her plod past.

Once Lily thought her sister was gone, she said, "It's really dark in here. I can't see you."

Not knowing what else to say, Severus answered, "I can't see you, either."

In a conspiratorial whisper, she said, "You think there's a monster in here?"

Taken aback, he replied, "No! Of course not! We're in a box."

"But I can hear it breathing!" Lily claimed, and of course, now Severus heard it as well.

"It's-- It's probably just us. I hear you, you hear me."

"Uh-uh, it's a monster! And it's gonna get us!" Lily announced, and then threw the box off.

Since the store wasn't all that big, there weren't too many places that Petunia could look for them, and she had rounded back to the boxes by the time Lily threw it off.

Triumphant as she saw her, Petunia called, "I got you now!"

"You can't get me! I got a boy!" Lily said, pushing a nervous Severus in front of her.

Petunia looked surprised at this announcement, "A boy can't save you! You gotta save yourself!"

"Yeah, but, he's got cooties, and you can't touch him, or he'll infect you!" Lily announced.

Severus was mystified, "I don't have cooties!"

Lily kicked his shin, and muttered in his ear, "She doesn't know that!"

Petunia looked as though she didn't know what to do, and asked, "Well, how come you're not infected?"

"Because I'm special," Lily said with confidence.

Petunia didn't seem to question this, but looked curiously at Severus. She suddenly asked, "Is it true? Is your family a bunch of freaks and you have cooties?"

Before, Severus wasn't sure whether he wanted Petunia to believe he had cooties, but now he was certain that he didn't, and was mad he got tricked into admitting he did. "I'm not a freak! I'm special, too! My Mommy says so!"

He was speaking rather loudly now, but their parents were across the store, still talking, although his mother looked over at him.

Petunia, however, didn't seem to care, "Carol's daddy says you are, and he's a copper. They know everything."

Severus was getting really angry, and behind Petunia, a shelf full of heavy canned fruits began to shake.

Lily really didn't seem to like where this was going, and said to her sister, "I don't think he's a freak. I think he's a boy."

Petunia rolled her eyes, and said, "Well, you don't know anything, and I'm older, so I know. He's a freak."

"I am not!" Severus raged, and suddenly the shelf began to lean over.

As mentioned before, the store was not very big, so the shelves that held their goods were exceptionally tall so they could get as many goods as possible for display to sell. So, as it began to fall, all three children looked up at their certain doom.

Petunia backed up a bit, but couldn't move fast enough, and Severus was a doe caught in the headlights, but Lily moved into action. She shoved Severus aside, out of the way and grabbed for her sister, but the shelf was already falling and it was certain it would finally topple and crush them, as cans began to fall off the shelves.

Petunia weighed much more than her three-year-younger sister, so that when Lily tried to pull her out of the way, she fell and Lily tripped over.

Severus, certain they were about to be mushed, suddenly found his voice and called out for help. He rushed forward, certain to be crushed now as well, and Lily raised her hand, her eyes wide, the shelf falling--

And suddenly not falling any more. In fact, it was righting itself, pulling out of its dramatic forty-five-degree angle back into a ninety. All three children sat stunned, Severus utterly amazed. She really is special!

The parents had rushed over, and Mrs. Evans face was flabbergasted, but that was ending rather quickly. Disapproval began battling with anger and worry, and the clash was reflected upon her features.

"What did I tell you about climbing the shelves Lily!" Mrs. Evans said sternly, leaving an open-mouthed Mrs. Snape in her wake, who understood what had actually happened.

She pulled both her children into a standing position, and looked apologetically at Mrs. Snape, "I'm so sorry! I know Lily didn't mean anything to happen; she was probably showing off again, but I'm going to have to take these two home with what groceries I managed to get. Please, please, ring me sometime, and we'll have a girls' night out, and you can meet the other mothers."

Looking at her son quite seriously, she said to Potpourri without glancing at her, "I'm not sure I'll be able to, but I really do have to go as well. Have a good day, Potpourri."

And Potpourri Evans watched her new friend collect her son and grocery cart, and walk away. Defeated, she looked to her daughters, her normal glow lost.

"Come now, let's pick up the cans."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Please tell me what you think.