A/N: Thank you for the comments, even those that criticize. While I admit that it's AU, I did quite a bit of research to see how exactly removing one domino might affect the rest of the HP world (think chaos theory) and then had a little fun with it. Thank you to Heiress for her help.
Lily hadn't expected much from Severus in the way of answers. But she hadn't expected to be completely stonewalled.
Unsurprisingly, the two of them abandoned their Christmas sightseeing in favor of returning to Surrey after their bizarre encounters in London. The entire train ride home Severus had completely refused to answer her questions, all excepting one.
"Muggle is an insult at my school for people who do not attend," Severus finally offered after refusing to speak most of the way home.
"You have a name for people who don't go to your school? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Lily scoffed. "It's not like your school is well known or prestigious or worthy of such snobbery. I've never even heard of Hogwarts until today!"
Severus, covered her mouth quickly, glancing around as if to make sure no one had heard her rapidly rising voice. "That's not a word to throw about. There's a reason I never told you the name of my school."
"You mean, there is a reason you've lied to me for six years, telling me you went to Fettes school?" Lily's eyes flashed, but her voice remained quiet, although no less fierce. "Is your school really in Scotland?"
Severus closed his eyes, telling Lily all she needed to know.
"So when you told me that you were heading to public boarding school . . . all that was what? A lie? What is the point in lying?" Lily hissed.
"Lily . . ." he started helplessly. She did nothing to help him out, instead waiting for his explanation with a glare that would freeze flames.
"My school is . . . different. It is very prestigious amongst a very select group of people. It's also very secretive and invitation only, which lends itself not only to its prestige, but also to the snobbery you saw today."
"So . . . the reason your friend didn't like me because I wasn't a member of his school? And I almost got thrown out of a coffee shop for it?" Lily mused going over the events of the day. "But that makes no sense? What about the stick that that man pointed at me. Sirius called it a wand?"
Severus smiled tightly. "And no other schools have strange aspects to their uniform? You've seen the tossers on our street with their Smeltings' sticks ready to trip anyone who gets in their way." He shrugged, trying to make it seem like she was making a big deal out of nothing. "Our school merely does so more . . . secretly."
"But Severus, you hated those Smeltings boys even more than I did!" Lily protested. "Why would you choose to go to such a school and become one of those stuck up arses?"
"Would you turn down a scholarship to get out my house?" he asked quietly.
Reminding Lily of his violently overbearing father and simpering mother had the added effect of stopping her questions. She felt unbelievably guilty for insulting him. She couldn't say she wouldn't have done the same to be out of that house if their situations were reversed.
"Lily . . . I'm not one of them. I won't ever be. But my school values it's privacy to the point where it takes drastic measures to ensure it," Severus looked nervous again as he reached across the train compartment for her hand. "Promise me you won't tell anyone what I've told you or what happened today. Try to forget it if you can. Don't even mention the name of my school again or the name you were called. It's dangerous."
"Dangerous . . ." Lily repeated. She pushed aside memories of the way Severus had treated her when his friend Malfoy showed up and tried to believe his pledge to not become one of them. She wasn't sure she believed in such a severe threat for something as minor as using a few secret words, but Severus' eyes looked desperate.
"I've told you the kind of classmates I have. I told you how they looked down upon those they thought to be less worthy . . . I wasn't kidding . . ." he was pleading now and it was a rather strange sight to see the proud and secretive boy looking so vulnerable. She recalled his words from earlier, told in that same urgent tone. But if I told you there were some people that had no good in them at any time? Someone who would kill you just because you were different? Less worthy?
She couldn't refuse him. Not after she had seen first hand what some of those people were capable of. It still didn't explain what had happened in that coffee shop with the lights. It didn't tell her what a sickle, a Slytherin, Gringotts or a Death Eater was or what it meant to obliviate someone or any of the other strange terms used today. Still revelations of secret schools with ominous procedures for maintaining said secrecy was enough to put a damper on her curiosity. For now.
"Okay," she agreed, slightly dissatisfied when she saw him sag into his seat in relief.
Acknowledging she had gotten all she could out of Severus, she turned to relax the rest of the trip home. However, it seemed instead it was her turn to be interrogated.
"How exactly did you find yourself alone with Sirius Black?" Severus asked suddenly. He tried desperately to look as if it was a casual question but Lily knew him better.
"I thought you said to 'try and forget it,'" Lily said with a smirk, trying not to let her hurt feelings show. She sighed, not wanting to fight anymore. It had been a long day and the lingering effects of last night's nightmare still weighed heavily on her mind. "He got me out of a sticky situation at a coffee shop that is apparently only for folks from your school," she finally admitted.
"How did you . . . you saw the coffee shop?" Severus asked, somewhat perplexed.
"Believe it or not, Sev, my eyesight is quite normal. Of course I saw the coffee shop," Lily replied annoyed. It seemed as if despite her best intentions she couldn't avoid another fight. "And considering the way you had abandoned me telling me I was – what was it? Unimportant? Well, I was looking for something to do until I was important enough to merit your attention."
"Lily, I didn't mean . . ." Severus started to explain, looking once again guilty, but the train conductor interrupted.
"Little Whinging stop!" was announced over the loud speaker.
"Don't bother coming to call tomorrow, Severus," Lily said, deliberately using his full name. "I'm sure you have more important things to deal with this holiday. Wouldn't want to do anything else I'd have to completely forget."
There was a slight snow falling as Lily exited the station and for a moment she wished she had been less rash than to storm out on her own. Not for the first time, Lily wished there was some way you could will yourself to another place and arrive straight there with just a pop.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Her parents had been initially surprised to see her home so early, but Lily shrugged off their concerns with vague allusions to feeling unwell which seemed to do the trick. Her sister, however, was not so easily persuaded.
Lily had begged off after dinner family time in favor of retiring early when Petunia stopped her on the stairs.
"What really happened today in London?" her sister demanded of her.
Lily flashed to all the various events of the day, trying to find one innocuous enough to share with her older sister. Reflecting on everything she had seen she was hard pressed to find one believable, let alone harmless enough to avoid further questioning.
"Pet, nothing happened. I'm just tired," Lily finally gave up on finding a more accurate version of the truth.
"Did that boy try something?" Petunia asked softly, stepping closer to her sister as not to be overheard. "I've always thought he was an awful boy; I have no idea what you see in him. I know you think I'm overbearing, but I can help!"
"Sev! No! What, Petunia . . ." Lily was speechless. Severus had hurt her emotionally, by being secretive and dismissive, sure, but he most definitely hadn't tried anything like what Petunia was suggesting. In fact, he hadn't even tried anything physical after Lily had pulled away from his kiss at the door in the morning. Other than manhandle her, she thought wryly rubbing her forearm.
"Fine! Don't trust me! Don't tell me anything!" Petunia shouted, mistaking Lily's hesitating for something else. "I'm your big sister, Lily, I'm supposed to watch out for you! And I hope you realize that and trust me or someone before your weirdo boyfriend gets you seriously hurt!"
Petunia stormed away leaving Lily with a genuine headache, rather than the one she had made up to avoid her parents. While she resented Petunia's attempts to be the big sister inserting themselves into her already dramatic day, she couldn't help but acknowledge that this time, in regards to Severus, her sister may actually have a point.
Shoving this thought aside, she made her way to her bedroom, barely changing into her pajamas before falling into a mercifully dreamless sleep.
The next day dawned all too soon for Lily. She felt vaguely disoriented as she looked around her small bedroom. The events of the previous day came swimming to the forefront of her mind and Lily ducked under the covers as if to avoid them.
Unsurprisingly she was unsuccessful. She was disappointed to find that she also could not go back to sleep. Day two of the Christmas holidays and Lily was already bored. She vaguely wondered if she had purchased any Christmas presents for her family yet. She couldn't remember having done so, but then again, she didn't remember doing much of anything lately.
Grumbling, she reluctantly got out of bed and moved towards her closet. Sure enough, she had no gifts hidden behind the pale pink doll house she had gotten for her fourth birthday and refused to get rid of. Not because she still liked to play with dolls, of course. It was handy for hiding things behind.
Smiling a bit to herself as she righted a miniature chair that had fallen, Lily decided that today she must attempt to make a dent in shopping for her family.
With this plan in mind she was able successfully ignore the events of the previous day while going about the morning routine. She bounded down the stairs a short time later into the breakfast nook, giving her father a kiss as he read the morning paper. "Morning, Daddy!"
He merely grunted in response, but Lily saw the smile that lurked behind the pages of the Surrey Comet.
"Morning, Mum!" she called out sweeping into the kitchen. "Anything I can help with?" she asked, observing the chaos that surrounded everything.
"Thank you, Lily, dear, but I think we have it all under control," Mrs. Evans replied with a smile, looking up from the pancake griddle.
"We?" Lily asked momentarily confused.
Just then Petunia emerged from the pantry. "Mum, we don't seem to have any more . . ." Petunia paused as she took in Lily. "Oh. It's you."
Apparently, Petunia had not yet forgiven her sister for yesterday's slight on the stairs. Before Lily could attempt to apologize, Petunia continued.
"It's so nice of you to join us, Sleeping Beauty. I do hope your . . . headache was it? Is feeling better today!" Petunia's voice oozed with its fake sugary tone. "Why don't you go sit down in the breakfast nook and I'll bring you some Earl Grey tea, Little Sis? The caffeine can do wonders for a headache? Mum and I have this covered. And don't worry about the Christmas cookie baking either."
Lily's eyes narrowed as she thought back to the comment about Petunia being sometimes evil. The three Evans women had always baked Christmas cookies together for their friends and neighbors and if Petunia thought she could take that away from her sister . . . "I'm feeling much better, thanks," she replied trying to refuse Petty's bait. "Mum, I think I'm going to go to the Centre and get some holiday shopping done today, if you don't need me then."
Petunia's face fell. The Centre was the place to be seen on holiday, everyone fresh from break from University would be there. She couldn't ask to go now, not after telling Lily she would do Lily's share of the holiday baking in addition to her own.
Lily felt less satisfied than she would have thought at gaining the upper hand. She didn't want to fight with her sister.
"Pet, why don't you come, too? Mum, we could do the cookies tomorrow right?" Lily asked, throwing Petunia a way out.
Petunia wrinkled her nose in distaste and for a moment, Lily was convinced she was going to refuse just because Lily had been the one to suggest it. "I couldn't!" Petunia began, before smiling slyly. "Although . . . I was going to tell you we don't have any more confectioner's sugar for the icing in the pantry, Mum. So perhaps we should get that today and bake the cookies tomorrow?"
"Don't be silly, Petunia, we don't need two of us to run to the market for more sugar. You go with Lily and have a great time," Mrs. Evans insisted, rolling her eyes at her daughter's bickering. It was like they didn't realize she could see right through them. "The three of us will have our baking day tomorrow."
"But Mum . . ." Petunia started to protest weakly.
Lily wasn't the only one tired of her sister's pretend martyrdom.
"Petunia, I'm going by myself and that's final! Now both of you, out of this kitchen before I burn your father's pancakes. One of us needs to work around here!" Mrs. Evans replied exasperatedly.
The two girls raced out of the kitchen as their mother shooed them good naturedly towards the door with a dish towel.
They stopped in the entry way giggling a bit, before Petunia seemed to realize she was mad at Lily and stopped, standing stiffly. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to call Marge and ask if she wants to come along."
Lily inwardly winced at the name of her least favorite of Petunia's friends. She knew that Pet didn't much care for Marge either. Petty just thought that her friend's older brother, Vernon was hot. Lily couldn't say she much cared for either Dursley sibling as both were unbearable know-it-alls and had disgusting table manners to boot, but she wouldn't say so to Petunia. It was a test.
"That's fine. Would she come here or would the three of us meet up at the Shopping Centre?" Lily asked, trying to sound casual.
"The three of us?" Petunia asked surprised. "You mean, you aren't bringing that boy? Or Susan? Or Emily?"
Lily shrugged as Petunia named her best friends from primary school. Oddly, she didn't much care to see either of them, although the logical part of her brain knew that they were best friends. For some reason the term best friends seemed to call to mind two girls who were nothing like the demure and docile Emily Winters and Susan Patterson. Lily couldn't explain how the girls from her dreams felt more real to her than her neighborhood friends, but it was just one of many things Lily was having trouble explaining lately. "I thought it would be fun to have a Sisters' Day?" Lily admitted, hoping to bridge the rift Severus had apparently caused. "But if you want to bring Marge, that's fine, too. I just feel like we haven't hung out for a while."
Petunia narrowed her eyes, tilting her head slightly to the left. It was a move that Lily herself used when trying to figure out a problem that was just beyond her grasp. "If this is just to win points with Mummy and Dad . . ." she started.
Lily cut her off, tired of the sibling rivalry games. "Look, Petunia, I want to go shopping with you and find Christmas presents for our parents and friends. But if you're going to spend all day questioning my motives you might as well stay home and play saint in the kitchen some more."
For a minute, Petunia said nothing and Lily was afraid she had been too harsh to keep the tentative truce she was so desperately trying for.
But then, Petunia was hugging her around the middle. "Fine, but we shop for shoes first! Marge has the most ugly platform heels she wore last Friday to the cinema, but they were six inches high! I felt downright tiny in my three inch heels!"
Scampering up the stairs after her sister, Lily couldn't help but wonder what she had gotten herself into.
Next chapter:
Lily met his gaze and felt a jolt of recognition as green met hazel. "Do I know you?"
"Awww, Padfoot, don't make me choose between you and Bella," Potter sighed.
"If it isn't Snape's little Muggle flower come to join in our fun!" a low voice drawled.
