Platform 9 3/4, 12.15, 29th June 1972
'Have a good holiday, Sev!'
Lily hugs him, and, after a moment of hesitation, he hugs her back.
'See you soon, I hope,' he says quietly, and she grins and hugs him one last time before running off to greet her parents. Petunia must have stayed at home, Severus notes absently, scanning the crowds for his mother.
'Hey, Severus, have a good holiday!' calls Sylvan above the crowds. Severus doesn't even dignify his comment with a response. Ah, there's his mother, in a muggle dress with a faded floral pattern, drab robes slung over the top. He walks over and she kisses the top of his head, smiling happily to see him again. She has missed him - his father hates owl post, so his letters are infrequent and limited to when he knows she'll be alone.
He has missed her too, he thinks as he grabs her hand with his free one, and walks through the barrier into the Muggle world.
Spinner's End, 11.23am, 20th July 1972
An owl is tapping on the window of Severus Snape's bedroom. No one sends him owls, he thinks bemusedly, but opens the window nevertheless to let the animal in. Good thing it had come to his bedroom; his father would have pitched a fit if he'd seen it, and Severus shivers slightly.
It's a beautiful tawny owl, and the letter attached to it is written on thick, creamy parchment - expensive stuff. If he had to guess, Severus would say that one of the rich, older Slytherins had written him, though for the life of him, he can't work out why.
He breaks the seal on the envelope.
Dear Severus,
Just wondering if you'd like to meet up for lunch sometime?
Hope you're having a nice summer!
Yours,
Elias Sylvan
Oh, for God's sake...
The Final Days of a Student-Free Hogwarts, 15th August 1989
Dear Severus,
We really must do lunch more often. I don't see you nearly enough anymore, and everyone else is frankly appalling company. I can't imagine Hogwarts is much better, despite your adoration of your students...
On an even less enjoyable note, I've been rooting around the archives again. Honestly, all this spending time in London is doing atrocious things to my lungs. Here's some more stuff I've managed to dig up, but to be honest, I don't think it'll be that helpful. Half of it's nonsense, and the other half could've written by a drunk gerbil for all I can make out. As always, I'll keep looking, but I think at this point you'd almost be better trying to devise your own cure. I don't know what those medieval alchemists were doing, but it was nothing useful.
Yours,
Elias
Elias,
I fear the main reason everyone else is appalling company is because you've killed them with your "experiments". On that vein, I don't think that it would be advisable to devise an original cure - quite apart from the risks attached, there is also the question of time. We have not got much of it, Elias; the boy is in a bad way, from all that Albus reports, and we need to find a cure soon.
You were, unfortunately, correct about the notes you sent through. All the alchemists did in those days was, I believe, get horrendously drunk and waste perfectly good parchment and ink on their senseless ramblings. Thank you for your continued assistance - I am well aware that you have no obligation to aid me, and I am grateful.
Severus
My dear Severus,
Don't be stupid, of course I'll continue helping you. You're my friend, you idiot.
I wasn't aware that we were working with such urgency. Who is this child that Albus cares so much about? I wasn't aware that he gave much thought to his precious students before their House affiliations became clear. And he's got none of his own, has he?
Obviously, I will keep scouring the archives.
Yours,
Elias
Elias,
I can see through your attempts at subtle gossip-gathering with embarrassing ease. This is why you were not sorted into Slytherin. It would frankly be kinder to us all if you desisted.
I believe that I may have come some way in deciphering the notes you sent through - I have enclosed them if you wish to take a look, but otherwise ignore them. It looks like there are several elements to the removal of the curse - spell work and potions obviously, but perhaps some runes as well (far more your forte than mine). I fear we may well have to create some of this ritual ourselves, unless you discover anything more. What there is leaves too much unknown to be practically useful.
Severus
Dear Severus,
Is it maybe an idea to meet up and work through this together? It may be more useful, and certainly much quicker, than owls. I think you're still on summer holiday, so why don't you stop by the barn for a couple of days, and we can both go over this - two heads being better than one and all that? Further to the runes, I've gathered a few scrolls, my runic friends being far more industrious than my potions ones, and I suspect you are, as per usual, completely right. What with the time pressure and your dislike of social interaction, I'm going to make plans myself and assume that I'll see you this weekend, and that you will stay with me (the only rooms in the village are above the pub, and they're quite grotty, to be honest). Any major problems, owl me, otherwise I'll see you on Saturday morning.
Yours,
Elias
Elias,
Adequate. I will see you tomorrow.
Severus