Author's Note: This story is based off of events and conversations as found throughout the Harry Potter series as written by J.K. Rowling. Most of this work will contain original prose and dialogue, but references will be made in specific chapters where Rowling's exact words are used. This is written purely for recreational purposes; I do not own any rights to Harry Potter or affiliations of Bloomsbury Publishing.

Letters

by Kimmae

Chapter One: Severus and Lily

The wind was rustling the branches of the bush in which he was hiding in. He was staring at his oversized loafers and trying to disappear within his large coat. The girl—Lily—didn't come back. He'd waited for the past few days now, hoping...

Always making a muck of things. That's what his dad had said once. Absent-minded, mind you, but he said it all the same. And it was true; that was why he had no friends, not because of how poor he and his family were. He didn't know how to talk to people. That was why he had spent so much time trying to think of the right things to say to approach her, the only person around who was like him, besides his mum. But someone couldn't be friends only with his mum.

Maybe it was the way he leapt out of the bushes while they were playing. Maybe spying on people wasn't the best way to meet others and make friends. Then again, she seemed to be offended when he called her a witch, which was exactly what she was. She had loads of magic, and she didn't even to seem to know what that meant at all. He would have been able to show her, to tell her everything, but she had run away.

It was all that Muggle's fault, the girl's sister. Tooney, whatever kind of name that was. Muggles and their names. She had been the one that took Lily away. If only he had the chance to explain himself; that's all it ever was, never a chance to explain. People jumped to conclusions too early, leaving him feeling guilty and small. If he could talk to the girl again, he'd set everything straight. He just had no way of finding her except the park.

"Lily, don't!"

When he looked up, his heart seized. All the hoping and praying he did worked; as if magic brought her back. At the gate stood the blonde haired girl who had ruined things the first time; marching across the playground with purpose, straight towards him, was just the girl he had been hoping to see. "Lily!" the Muggle shrieked again. "I'm telling Mummy!"

With that, Tooney took off down the street and raced back the way she had come, off to do the bidding she had warned her sister she would do. Lily glanced back and paused for a few moments, watching her sister go. Severus Snape stayed crouched, petrified and as still as stone. He was sure Lily would take off after her sister and try to not get into trouble—that's what Severus would have done.

But Lily turned back and advanced toward him again, the same high and confident air in her step as before. He stood up as she got closer, clamouring clumsily out of the bush. He decided to keep his mouth closed and let her have the first word this time. Maybe it would go better that way.

Lily stopped in front of him, her fists clenched at her sides and her feet planted firmly together, standing ramrod straight.

"Tuney told me not to talk to you."

"Why?" he asked, a little affronted.

"She says you're a mean liar. And... and a creep."

"I'm not," he protested, "I'm like you."

"Why did you call me a witch?"

"Because you are!"

"That's an awfully mean thing to say, though."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is," she said, planting her fists on her hips. "Witches are green and ugly with long noses and warts."

"Who told you that?"

"I read it. In a book."

Severus frowned as if he had swallowed a lemon whole. "Witches don't look like that at all. They look normal. Like you."

"How do you know?"

"Well, because. That's what everybody looks like."

"What do you mean 'everybody'?"

Of course, she was raised by Muggles. She wouldn't know. "The wizarding world. It's full of people like you and me."

"The... wizarding world."

"Lily! Lily, Mummy says to come back now!"

Lily spun around, her dark red hair flying. "I have to go. I'll come back soon!" She took off across the park, running towards her sister and leaving Severus behind. From up the street a blonde woman emerged, wearing an apron over her spring dress and yellow rubber gloves on her hands. Severus could make out what looked like mild concern on her face as her children raced toward her. They stood at the edge of the street for a while, their mother questioning them. Then the Tooney girl turned and pointed at Severus. Immediately he turned tail and fled, all but diving back into the bushes. A few branches poked and prodded at him, and one made his eye water. He sat still for an eternity, not even daring to breathe for a whole minute. When he felt he had given it enough time, he slowly poked his head out over the bush. The three ladies were gone.

Brushing himself off and heaving a great sigh, he sneaked out to the swing set and sat down. She said she would be back soon. He would wait.

When the sun started to set, he trudged his way home, dragging his feet the entire way. Maybe her mother didn't let her come back because she'd caught a glimpse of the too-short jeans and the too-big coat. "Can't have my daughter hanging around that lot," she'd likely have thought. What if he'd messed up twice in a row?

When he got home, his father was alone in the sitting room, a mug in his hand. He was staring at the empty wall across from him. Severus's mother was crying softly somewhere upstairs, and he could just barely hear her.

He went into the kitchen, cut himself half a block of cheese, then took it up to his room to eat. After he finished it, he brushed off the crumbs, climbed into bed, and lay staring at the ceiling. He hoped the Lily girl would come back soon. He would wait for her every day.

He didn't have to wait long. Breakfast lasted all of three minutes for Severus before he bolted out the door and down the street to the park. He sat on the swing deftly, staring at the avenue of which Lily and her sister usually came from. Shortly before noon, he saw her dark red hair shimmering like a garnet in the sunlight as she journeyed toward him. This time her sister was not with her—she was alone, and Severus was so excited that a smile crept onto his lips.

She stood in front of Severus on the swing set, who had stood up to meet her her. "My mum said I didn't have to go out with my sister anymore. My name is Lily, by the way."

"I'm Severus."

"Severus? That's an odd name."

"Tooney's an odd name."

"It is not!" Lily cried indignantly. "It stands for Petunia. I call her Tuney for short. I've never met someone named Severus before."

"I'm named after a great-great grandfather. Or something like that," explained Severus.

"Oh. Was he... was he part of the wizarding world too?"

"Yeah. And back and back and back," he said. "Everybody. But my dad."

"What's your dad like?"

Severus shrugged. "Muggle."

"What's that mean?"

"Not a witch or wizard. Like your sister. Probably your parents, too."

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked with a moderate amount of concern.

"No. It just means they can't be a part of the wizarding world."

"Oh." She strode forward and sat on the swing next to Severus. He sat back down as well. "So your mum can do magic, too?" she asked.

"Mhm. Though she doesn't do it much anymore. Dad gets mad at her when she does."

"Why would he do that?"

"Says it's not right. Not what normal people do."

"That sounds like what Tuney says."

"Well... what they think doesn't matter. We'll get to go to Hogwarts and learn about it all there."

"Hog warts?" Lily repeated, sounding halfway between fascinated and repulsed. "What are hog warts?"

"It's a school, for people like us," he said.

"Hogwarts," she said, as if to test it out on her tongue. Then she looked pensive, staring at the ground intently. They sat in silence for a while.

"Severus?"

His name sounded like honey coming from her. It jerked at his chest and made the corners of his lips turn upward. "Yeah?"

"What's it like? The wizarding world?"

In all honesty, he had no clue. He'd never seen it, never had the chance to walk a single wizarding street. All he knew about it was the snippets his mother used to tell him, before his father insisted he go to a Muggle school to receive some sort of education instead of staying at home and rotting away into a "layabout wizard type." Ever since his mother stopped telling him stories of Hogwarts, and all he had was the reassurance that he would most certainly be attending the school, not before long. He just had to wait one more year.

"Is it big?" she asked when he didn't answer.

Severus shook his head. "Not really. It's actually in London, for the most part. There are witches and wizards everywhere, and they're really good at getting Muggles not to notice them. That's why most people don't know about it."

"But are there—dragons, and things?"

"Oh, yes," he said, holding out his hands to show gigantic size. "Big dragons. But the Ministry keeps them hidden."

"The Ministry?"

"The wizard government. Ministry of Magic. The Minister of Magic is like the Muggle Pine Minister."

"Prime Minister."

"Yeah, that."

Lily looked a little worried. "What else is there?"

"Giant squids, banshees, ghosts, Dementors, hippogriffs, house elves—"

"Dementors?" Lily repeated. "What are those?"

"Scary monsters that float around in black cloaks, scaring wizards and sucking happiness from them. Only wizards and witches can see them—Muggles can't."

"Do they... do they kill people?"

"Not kill. But they can suck out your soul. Usually people who break the law get them."

Lily looked visibly shaken. She hugged her arms and looked down. "The wizarding world sounds a bit scary."

"It's not so bad. Most wizards are good. They can fight off the Dementors."

"Severus, will you show me?"

He nodded. "When we're eleven, we'll both get to go. When's your birthday?"

"In January."

"Same as mine. We'll get to go in the same year. Then I can show you everything."

Lily stared up at the sky, looking thoughtful. Then she started to push back and swing her legs out, climbing higher and higher. Severus joined her too, slowly building momentum until he was at her height. "I'm going to jump!" she said. At the bottom of her swing, she swung her legs upward and soared, flying high over the swing set in a gracious arc and landing without disturbing the sand.

Severus cheered after her, and she spun toward him, smiling. "Now, you jump, too!"

He did.

After several weeks of visiting each other, in which more than once Lily had decided not to be friends with Severus and then immediately went straight back to the park, Mr. and Mrs. Evans wanted to meet the boy their daughter was so enraptured with. At least, that's what Lily said. For all he knew she begged and cried for him to come visit the family. That Tooney girl probably kicked and screamed, crying bloody murder that this wizard boy was from unfavourable stock. In any case, when Lily relentlessly asked Severus to visit her home, he finally broke down.

He lied to his mother, telling her he was just going to the park and he would be home before eight. She didn't seem to be concerned in the slightest where he was going; she didn't so much as say goodbye when Severus stepped out the front door.

He went straight to the park, and Lily was sitting on the swing, waiting his arrival. She stood when he came close. "I was worried you wouldn't come. Let's go, dinner's gonna be soon!"

They ran all the way from the park to Lily's home, which turned out not to be too far at all. Her house was two storeys tall, with creme siding and red shingles. It looked quaint and welcoming. She led him up the cobblestone path (which ran through a garden) and stood on her front doorstep. Lily had to use both hands in order to open the heavy oak door, and she looked at him with a beaming smile. "You go first."

Severus walked inside tentatively like he was walking into a dragon's lair, but he relaxed as he drank in the sight of Lily's life. Everything was warm and homey looking; a huge contrast to his own home.

She took his large loafers from him and put them on the shoe rack. "Wanna come sit and watch the telly before it's ready?" she asked.

Severus balked. "The what?"

"Telly. Television. TV. Right?"

"Uh..."

"I would've thought you had one, your dad being a Muggle and everything. It's like the live paintings you've told me about, except more interesting. Come on."

She led him through a room that had a few couches and chairs and a grandfather clock on the far wall. The next room was separated by French doors, and inside it had another couch, some bookshelves, and an odd brown box sitting in the middle.

"You've really never seen a telly before?" Lily asked.

Severus shook his head.

"Well... I hope you like it. Come on, sit down."

So he sat on the couch next to Lily as she fiddled with a dial on the face of the box. There was a popping sound (Severus jumped) and the front of the box began to light up. Then he could see the outline of people moving about, and as the screen became brighter and brighter, they began to make noise.

A woman on screen was giving wild eyes to a man and brandishing a frying pan, shrieking at him over something to do with dinner. A line appeared between Severus's eyebrows. Lily giggled at what she said, and the man stormed out of the room. As he did, Severus looked to some of the paintings on the wall. Oh, no, they were Muggle paintings, he wouldn't be appearing there anytime soon.

"Where did he go?" asked Severus.

"Who?"

"The man in the telly. Where is he now?"

"He went into his own living room, I guess," Lily said.

"Oh."

The woman was now smacking a turkey with the frying pan, and a chorus of laughter sounded around them. Severus jumped again and looked around the room. "Where did that come from?"

"The TV," she said.

"But who's laughing?"

"The audience," Lily replied, now looking a little annoyed.

"You mean, other people watching this right now?"

"Not right now, no. When they recorded it."

"What?"

"Muggles go somewhere and play pretend, then they watch it through these things called video recorders, and then they replay the scene for us to watch at home."

"That's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard!" Severus said, then leaned toward the television.

"Excuse me!" he said to the woman, who clearly appeared to be ignoring him.

"Severus," Lily hissed, taking him by the arm and pulling him back against the couch. "It doesn't work like that!"

"I thought you said it was like a wizard painting," he retorted.

"It is!"

"Those paintings talk back, though," said Severus. "You can't even make eye contact with the people in this box!"

Lily blinked and looked increasingly more perplexed. Just at that moment, however, another French door opened from behind the couch, and in walked the blonde woman Severus had seen several weeks prior, the second time Lily ran away from him. "Ah, I thought I heard another voice. You must be Severus; I've been looking forward to meeting you!"

She had oven mitts on her hands, which she promptly removed to shake Severus's hand. No one had ever done that with him before, and his arm was a limp noodle from mere surprise as she shook it. "I hope you like chicken and potatoes, Severus," she said cheerily. "Oh, for heaven's sake, look at me. My name is Marigold Evans, Lily's mother. You can call me Mrs. Evans, or just Mum—I would like that very much. Mr. Evans will be home shortly. Do you want to munch on some bread while you wait?"

"Uh... no. Thanks." Severus said. Lily's mother had been talking at an alarming speed and he barely caught most of her message.

"Lily, go get your sister and help me set the table. Severus, you can relax and watch the telly a little longer, dear."

"No, thanks," Severus said quickly. He'd had enough of Muggle television for one night. "Can I help, too?"

"O—h, Lily, I like this boy already!" said Mrs. Evans. "All right, come with me, sweetheart!"

Lily had brought Petunia into the kitchen where Severus was taking plates from Mrs. Evans to set on the table, and immediately the girl narrowed her eyes at him like he was an insect. "What is he doing here?"

"Now, now, Petunia, don't be rude to our guest," Mrs. Evans said sternly, shaking a wooden spoon at her daughter.

"Our guest?" Petunia cried in dismay. "But, Mummy—!"

"That's enough, now, or you can go to bed without any supper."

Lily looked torn; she most certainly did not want her sister to get into any trouble, and she did not want her sister insulting her friend. With a great huff, Petunia turned her back on Severus and snatched up some silverware from a drawer, angrily wiping at her eyes.

As the table was set and the food laid out, Mr. Evans came home. He tiredly walked in to the kitchen and sat down at the table, barely offering his family a smile before dishing out his plate.

"John, dear," Mrs. Evans said, "this is Severus, Lily's friend."

Mr. Evans looked up from his plate with bloodshot eyes. Lily received all her looks from her father; the dark red hair, the bright green eyes. And from the erratic zeal her mother displayed, Severus was quick to assume Lily's gentle and accepting personality came from this man.

As his face lit up in a warm smile, Severus couldn't help but smile back, too. "Well met, son," she said, reaching across the table and shaking Severus's hand. He looked old and tired—his temples were flecked with white and there were great bags under his eyes. But there was still something young about his face, which suggested to Severus that he was simply overtired and overworked, in a much different way from his own father.

"Sorry I'm a bit late, dear," he said softly, his voice croaking, "but there was a bit of a problem with my last case today. Had to sort out some pent up emotions with the parents."

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Evans sighed. "We had best not talk about it at the dinner table, then. Delicate ears about."

Severus looked up curiously, but had been conditioned into not asking questions from adults, so kept his mouth shut. Once Mr. Evans had filled his plate with a heaping serving of potatoes, he passed on the dish to his wife, who then passed to Petunia, Lily, and then Severus. There was baked chicken breast in lemons, glazed potatoes, and mountains of corn to be had. Despite the lurch his stomach gave at the potatoes (he'd been eating nothing but at home for several weeks), Severus felt he was attending a feast.

The rest of the dinner was filled with idle chatter, but Petunia and Severus remained silent. The former was simply bent out of shape over Severus's presence; the latter was scared that he'd open his mouth and destroy his delicate balance between friend and outcast with Lily and her family. He didn't know how much Lily had indulged to her parents over their meetings about the wizarding world, and the last thing he wanted to do was bring it up first and shatter the peace, which was the usual result whenever he spoke.

Through their airy discussion, Severus discovered Lily's father was a lawyer. He was able to deduce that that kind of a job was similar to the witches and wizards in the Wizengamot, or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that his mother used to tell him about. Mrs. Evans appeared to be a stay at home mother, and Petunia was doing very well in seventh grade English studies.

After dinner, they had a dessert which was called trifle or trufle—he couldn't remember which—but whatever it was, it was delicious. He wasn't abashed at all to take seconds, which Mr. Evans scooped onto his plate with a hefty helping.

Once they finished dining, Severus and Lily helped clean the dishes and put away the leftovers (of which there were little), and then Mrs. Evans sent them off to play. "Just be back before sundown," she called after them. Lily had decided they should go to their secret hiding place, which was a glade not too far from the park in which they met.

"Have you told them anything? About Hogwarts?" asked Severus.

"No. I'm too scared to."

"Why?"

"What if they think I'm lying? I have no way to prove it to them."

"It'll happen eventually. You'll see. We'll get to go to Hogwarts together."

"I really want to, Severus," she said. "Promise you'll stick by me when we get there?"

"Yeah," he said. She held out her pinky. He stared at it bewilderingly for a moment before she poked him with it and he hooked his own pinky around it. "What's that do?"

"It's a pinky swear. Tuney taught it to me. Now you can't go back on your promise."

"I'd never," he said proudly.