"Lass, get that man a cuppa an' a biscuit, will you? Been badgering Mag fer a good minute about another round," Fat Pauly motioned with his head at the older gentleman in a tweed suit seated at a table on the far side of the bar. The man's pepper hair stuck up in different places and his suit was disheveled by booze-driven neglect. "Feel like the poor bloke's been 'ere since yesterday. Cut em off." Fat Pauly shook his head and dropped a serving of fries into bubbling oil. Sweat broke out over his brow, running down the sides of his face towards the collar of his stained, white shirt. Fat Pauly had built Fat Pauly's Pub in the middle of their little town several years ago and regularly had customers from in and out of the town. He was a large man, built like a bear, who spent almost every day serving food and drinks to those who came in. He had a way of using his size to keep even the most unruly customer in line. His wife, Mag, was a brutish woman that tended the bar with an iron fist, leaving Eri to bring food and drinks to those seated in the front of house.
Eri nodded and took the biscuits Fat Pauly had just plated. The old man swore under his breath when she placed it and the cup of tea in front of him. "I've ordered an ale, bloody broad. It's a pub for fuck's sake!"
She ignored his comment. "Fat Pauly says you've had enough, sir. If there's a problem, he'd like you to take it up with him."
The man swayed a bit in his seat and looked towards the small serving hatch between the kitchen and the bar. Fat Pauly lumbered towards the hatch and gave the man a hard look, silently challenging him to cause more trouble. The man, clearly no match for Fat Pauly, backed down and took a bite of biscuit. He was still muttering to himself when Eri walked away. She made it into the kitchen with no issue and grabbed her pre-packed dinner. Her stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm going to take my dinner break now, if that's okay," she said, holding up the bag. Fat Pauly looked at her and then out to the front of house. Aside from the old man and two middle-aged women sitting at the bar talking with Mag, no one new had come in for almost an hour. He grunted and shrugged. She took her dinner and went through the back door to sit outside.
The sunlight was blinding compared to the dim innards of the pub and Eri had to squint just to see. She allowed herself a yawn before settling down on the steps and taking a sandwich from her bag. She didn't care much for the rest of the people here or even the town itself, but she did like Fat Pauly and Mag a lot. Mag had grown a soft spot for Rider, like most people do, back when he was around and frequented the pub. That's the reason Eri had the job in the first place— Rider had smooth-talked Mag into giving Eri the spot.
She chewed her sandwich in silence, content with listening to birds chirping and the buzz of cicadas and locusts enjoying the last of August's heat. She munched through the rest of her sandwich, wondering about the bowtruckle she had seen two weeks ago and if it was still doing well. There was muffled chiming from inside the pub signaling the end of her break. A new customer would be inside and she would need to be back on the floor. Eri took the last bite of her sandwich and dusted breadcrumbs off. With one last look around the back and a deep breath of fresh air, she opened the door and went back inside. The smell of ale and grease hit her like a wall. From the hatch Eri could see that a tall lady, nothing but skin and bone, was looking around for a place to sit. She wore an ankle-length, black dress and her face was hidden by a rather large and peculiarly billowing, black hat.
Mag's face appeared suddenly in the hatch. "Oi! Y'know who that is, yea?" She was talking to Fat Pauly but looked at Eri as well.
Fat Pauly stepped away from the stove and wiped his hands on the dirty apron tied around his beer-gut. He squinted while he watched the woman take the booth closest to the door and sit facing the bar. "That looks like ol' Eileen," he said gruffly.
"Innit?" Mag said, looking astonished. "Ye don't think Tobias will show 'is face 'ere, do ye?"
"Can't say," Fat Pauly said. He looked at Mag then back towards the woman. "Strange fam'ly, that one is. Use'ta be a good man, Tobias was." Fat Pauly shook his head and stepped away from the hatch. Mag shrugged and waddled away to tend to the women at the bar. "Best get to 'er then, lass," Fat Pauly said with his back to Eri.
She nodded and pushed through the door separating the kitchen from the bar. Mag watched her as she picked up a menu from the edge of the counter, straightened her apron and walked towards the lady in black. Eri knew a great number of townsfolk, all muggles of course, but she had never heard of an Eileen, nor had she ever seen Mag and Fat Pauly riled up about someone. The whole thing made her a little nervous.
She cleared her throat, trying to shake off her nerves, and put on her best welcoming smile. "Good evening, ma'am. Can I get you a drink?"
The woman, Eileen, looked up as Eri placed the small menu on the table. Eri could see her face clearly now. She had bushy, thick eyebrows, pasty skin, and a long, narrow face framed by straight, lengthy black hair. Her cheekbones jutted out sharply, giving her a soured and angry natural look. There were deep purple bags under her eyes and it looked as though she may have recently been crying. She stared at Eri for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. Unlike her face, her voice was soft and sweet. "Water, please."
"Will you be eating anything," Eri asked, trying hard to match the tone of Eileen's voice.
"No, thank you," Eileen said gently. "However, my son should be joining me momentarily. He may want to order."
Eri nodded and told Eileen she would be right back with her drink. Eileen said nothing back and Eri made her way back to the bar.
Mag saddled up to her instantly. "Did she say anythin'? What does she want," she whispered harshly.
"Just a water," Eri said. She took a glass from behind the bar and filled it. A moment more and she was back at Eileen's table, setting the glass down carefully. Eileen thanked her and assured her there was nothing else Eri needed to do for the time being, so Eri left Eileen to her own devices. She had just stopped to check on the old, drunken gentlemen when the tiny bell over the door chimed. Eri figured it was probably the son Eileen had mentioned.
The energy in the room changed instantaneously.
"So," came a deep voice. "This is where you've run off to, eh?" Eri turned to see a scrawny, tall, brown haired man with a crooked nose standing in front of Eileen. He looked very drunk already and his clothes were discolored and ill-fitting— easily two sizes too big for his thin frame. It was easy to see that he could have once been very handsome, had he not taken to massive amounts of alcohol and if aging had been more kind. "Is this where you're hiding the boy, huh? Is he in the back somewhere?" His voice was loud and everyone in the building had fallen silent. Eileen was looking down at her lap and the shadow of her hat covered her entire face.
This only seemed to escalate the situation. The man's face started to burn and a vein in his forehead had begun to swell. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, you worthless bitch," he roared. He slammed his palms down on the table causing the whole room to jump and the glass Eri had just brought to tip over. Water ran across the table and into Eileen's lap. She leapt to her feet in both terror and surprise and the man took advantage of this. He grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled her out from behind the table, causing her to cry out in pain and her hat to fall off. "You'll tell me where the damn boy is! I made it clear that the next time he was caught—,"
"Now, yer lissen 'ere, Tobias Snape." Mag rounded the corner of the bar, wielding an empty bottle. "Yer not gonna come in ter my pub acting this way. Wha'cher doing is inappropriate and yer be leaving right now or so help me God and 'is son, I swear on my dead mum's bosom I'll conk ye one!"
The man, Tobias, looked at Mag before swearing loudly. "You will not tell me how to handle my family affairs, pub wench. I'll do as I damn well please!"
At this, Fat Pauly moved faster than Eri had ever seen. In a moment he was around the bar and on the floor, pulling Mag away since, as she swore, she was rearing for a fight. "Tobias, ye better let 'er go b'fore I make ye. Leave or I'll pick ye up by the scruff of yer neck in front of God an' ev'ryone else an' throw ye out myself," Fat Pauly said in a gruff, threatening voice.
Eileen whimpered in his grasp. "Tobias, please."
"Shut up, bloody muppet," he hissed at her. "I'll deal with you later." Luckily, in his drunken haze, he was more concerned with Fat Pauly's threats than Eileen. He threw her down to the ground in one movement, letting her hair go, and stepped towards Fat Pauly. "If you touch me, I'll call the authorities, I will," Tobias said. "I'll leave when I find that damned, useless son of mine."
Fat Pauly stuck out his chest, more than willing to meet Tobias' challenge. Fat Pauly towered over the man and was easily four times as wide. "I'll dial the number me-self. Tell em all about this rumpus yer causin'."
Behind Eileen, the door opened and a boy with long, jet black hair and sallow skin walked in, unaware of what was currently unraveling. Eri knew immediately that this had to be the missing son. He was built exactly like his mother, but carried the softer facial features and the crooked nose of his father. Eri noticed his mismatched and ill-fitting cloths and her stomach turned. This was definitely the boy who'd been practicing magic at the lake. He was most definitely everything Eri had feared: a fellow seventh year student and housemate, and here were his parents, fighting in the middle of her pub. She didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because at the same time Eri recognized Severus Snape and he recognized her, Tobias had made a jump for him.
"Wretched twat," yelled Tobias as he hurdled towards the boy, knocking over a table in his rage. Fortunately, Fat Pauly was more than ready. He scooped Tobias Snape up by his underarms and lifted him off the ground. Mag was quick to Eileen's side, helping her stand and gathering her hat.
"Take yer mum an' run, boy," she said and she handed Eileen off. Severus stood frozen to the spot for a moment, watching his father struggle against Fat Pauly's grip and yelled obscenities. "Go, boy!"
Without further hesitation, Severus put his mother's arm over his shoulder and was out the door, quickly disappearing. Tobias was screaming all kinds of crazy, half-baked insults at them far after they were gone. Fat Pauly told Mag to call the authorities anyway and they could deal with a crazed and drunken Tobias. Eri wished more than anything that she could curse this awful man, but knew something like that would get her expelled for sure. Now that Severus knew she worked in the pub, however, she wasn't sure it would be all that bad to get expelled.
Once Fat Pauly felt that Severus and Eileen had had plenty of time to put enough distance between and the authorities would be minutes away, he dropped Tobias, who crumpled to the ground like paper. Eri being suddenly very aware that if Tobias was also a wizard, he could very well hex them all. The thought of him cursing Fat Pauly or Mag made Eri's heart race and she wondered if she could draw her wand from the elastic band of her pants fast enough to stop him. She knew very well that Severus was a part of the group that prided themselves on their hate for muggles and this could very easily be a family trait, shared by all the Snapes.
Something made her think maybe that wasn't the case. The way Eileen had spoken so kind and sweet to her told her that if Eileen thought Eri a muggle, she clearly didn't share the same hate as other wizarding purebred, Slytherin families did. And Severus, like herself, was a student. A good one at that. She couldn't see him risking expulsion for harming muggles that had just helped him escape his nasty father. Maybe, just maybe, this meant he wouldn't mention her working for muggles to any of his disgusting friends either, and all the painstakingly tedious work Eri had done to keep her secret safe wouldn't be all in vain.
Fortunately, Eri didn't need to draw her wand. Tobias was passed out from the alcohol moments after hitting the ground and calming down. Everyone sat in silence, trying to process what had just happened, while the officers took Tobias away and got a statement from Fat Pauly and Mag. Once they were all gone, Fat Pauly lumber slowly to the overturned table and sat it upright. He muttered something about how a night in jail was just the kind of sobering up Tobias needed. The older man rose shakily from his seat to pay his bill and scurried out. The women at the bar figured now was as good a time as any to close their tabs and call it a day. Mag took their money while Fat Pauly made his way back to the kitchen. Eri made quick work of gathering the overturned glass and cleaning the spilt water before following after Fat Pauly. She found him scrubbing the stove with half a lemon and a washcloth.
Eri stood awkwardly aside, unsure of what to say or do.
"Ye know," Fat Pauly started. "I grew up with Tobias. Ev'n went to school with em." Eri didn't respond. "Tobias wasser good kid, 'e was. Upstanding lad, too, when 'e got older. Not a thing wrong with em, at least not 'til af'er 'e married that strange woman." Fat Pauly kept scrubbing as he talked. "Sommat must've changed. All I know is that she ended up pregnant soon af'er the wed'in and I reckon the bottle became 'is mistress around the time the boy was born." More silence passed between them. Fat Pauly scrubbed a little longer before wiping his hands on his apron again and turning to face Eri.
"Go 'ead on 'ome, lass," he said, finally turning around to face her. "Yer done good and I know yer off ter school in the morn." Eri, not yet finding her voice, nodded and turned towards the back door. "Take this with ye." Eri looked over her shoulder. Fat Pauly held a white envelope in his large, meaty hands. "It's what I owe ye fer yer work 'ere, an' a li'le extra as thanks fer yer help o'er the years."
Eri took the envelope, but protested. "You don't have to do that. I'm the one that should be thankful you've let me have a job!"
Fat Pauly shook his head. "Mag an' I are proud of ye. Ye work hard, ye do a good job, an' we know it's been rough for ye. It's not much at all, so don't worry yer 'ead o'er it. We don't 'ave any kids ter spoil anyways, so yer 'ave to do."
Before she could stop herself she was hugging Fat Pauly, grease, sweat and all. He seemed taken aback for a moment, but gave in and returned the hug. Eri realized just how much she would miss the two of them when she was gone. "Do well, lass, an' we'll see ye next year."
Eri blinked away the tears she felt swimming in her eyes, smiling at the big man in front of her before turning to leave once more. She walked down the steps and started towards her house, trying hard not to think about what she was feeling or what had happened. She made it all the way home without incident, but the moment she enter the house she broke into sobs. Fornax found her straightaway and rubbed up against her, softly mewing as if to comfort her. It didn't help as much as he would have liked. She felt so guilty about leaving the pub without giving Fat Pauly or Mag a proper explanation. She could imagine them on the second day of next summer, smiling and chatting with each other while they open the pub, expecting Eri to show up half past nine as she had every year since she was hired. But, she hadn't the heart to tell Fat Pauly that there was a good chance she probably would never come home again, much less work for them. She knew Fat Pauly would be heartbroken. He'd just called her something akin to "the daughter he'd never been able to have," and she was leaving the only parental figures she'd ever known without so much as real goodbye. She hated herself for it. This was the same thing her biological parents had done to her and she hated them for it, too.
It was almost dawn before she'd cried herself out and fallen asleep. In no time at all, Fornax would have to wake her. She'd need to be at King's Cross Station and on the train by 11 o'clock on the dot.
As always, thank you for reading. This has been my favorite chapter to write so far. More on the way.
-LadyGhoul