Lily's suggestion seemed unrealistic at first. How could Severus convince Eileen that she needed professional care when she wasn't even able to function properly on her own? The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized it was the best option they had.
He considered Lily's words for several minutes before speaking. "And assuming we can get her admitted somewhere, there's still the problem of getting there. We can't very well travel by Apparating, broom, or the Floo Network, Lily."
Lily thought, then said, "My parents could drive us."
Like Lily's previous suggestion, it was valid and reasonable, but Severus was hard-pressed to concede. "Well... yes," he said with much hesitation, "but I don't know how much I want others to know about my mother's condition."
If Lily could appreciate the difficulty Severus had in simply telling her and introducing her to his mother, then she would understand how much more challenging it would be for him to tell her parents. Next thing he knew, Mr. and Mrs. Evans would be wanting to visit Eileen.
Lily nodded, gazing in defeat at the cup of tea clutched between her hands. They were sitting at the kitchen table during their discussion, with Eileen in the other room. She sighed and looked into Severus's eyes.
"I can't pretend to know what it must feel like to be going through what you are, Sev," Lily said gently, reaching across the table with her hand and taking his, "but... it would be for the best, wouldn't it? You want your mum to be taken care of properly when you're not around to do it, and this seems like the best option we have."
Severus stirred the tea with his free hand, digesting what she had said. He knew she was right, but that didn't make it any easier. He watched the tea as it swirled, contemplating his mother's future. He detested the idea of leaving her alone in this horrible house, a constant reminder of years of abuse at the hands of her husband, the place where she had lost her resolve to be a witch, and where she had been slipping away from the world for so long. It would be cruel to leave her at Spinner's End, and so, swallowing his fears and anxieties, Severus finally forced himself to meet Lily's soft gaze.
Looking into her green eyes, he was reminded of why he had come to love her in the first place, even though he failed to oftentimes show it. She didn't judge like others. She was simply kind without expecting anything in return. That kind of selflessness was almost lost on Severus. Even in his years of spying for Dumbledore and protecting Harry Potter, he had done it for Lily.
At least at first he had.
A man couldn't go through what he had without changing, and although he would never admit it, he had chosen to fight against Voldemort because it was the right thing to do.
Just as helping his mother was the right thing to do.
And he did it because he wanted to. That was the difference of experience.
"All right," Severus finally agreed. "If you want to get your parents involved, you'll need to tell them first. They deserve fair warning before agreeing to something, and if they don't want to be involved, I'll understand."
Lily offered him a small smile, and after they finished their tea and Lily said she needed to return home for dinner, Severus led her to the door. Before parting ways, Lily embraced him, to which he, momentarily shocked by her display of affection, returned the gesture a few seconds later.
"You're a good person, Sev," Lily whispered into his ear, brushing his hair back. Her breath tickled, and he swallowed, unsure of himself to reply.
Lily released him from her embrace, and before leaving, she kissed him on the cheek, very close to the mouth. Rendered speechless, Severus watched Lily go through the door and close it behind her. He stood there for a moment, his hand coming to touch the spot her lips had graced less than a minute ago.
And he smiled.
The following day, Lily came with good news - that her parents were willing to meet Eileen and hear her story from Severus. They had also graciously invited the Snapes to their home for dinner whenever it would be convenient for them. While that would save Severus the embarrassment of having them over his house, he didn't know how his mother would take to the news.
"Mum," Severus said, stepping into the sitting room, Lily close behind him, "I have something I'd like to share with you."
Eileen closed the book she had been reading and gave them her attention. Today was obviously one of her better days.
"How would you like to meet Lily's parents? They've invited us over for dinner." As he spoke, he kept his voice even, as to not add to his mother's potential anxiety upon receiving the information.
"Lily's parents?" Eileen asked, puzzled. "And why would I want to meet them?"
Lily wasn't insulted by Eileen's tone. She knew Eileen had a fear of Muggles because of her experiences with Tobias, and that fear fed the dislike Eileen's parents had tried to teach her as a child. Eileen, having wanted to prove her parents wrong, married a Muggle and later regretted it, thinking Mum and Dad Prince had been right all along.
"Because," Severus hesitated, "because they want to meet you, Mum... and they want to help."
"And why would I need help?" Eileen questioned, sounding offended.
Now, Severus was beginning to wonder if today was really one of her better days. Her indignance could have been induced by the illness or just a part of her naturally prickly personality. Wanting to kick himself for having no tact, Severus thought this had been a bad idea. He hadn't even tried to explain their plan of taking her to a psychiatric ward for help... or tried to convince her that she needed to admit she needed said help.
"Because," Severus sputtered, "you need help, Mum."
Eileen looked affronted. She stood and placed the book firmly on the table next to the chair. "I'm your mother, Severus, and I won't be told what to do by you. You're the child here, not me."
"Won't you listen to reason, Mum?" Severus demanded, trying in vain to convince her how wrong she was.
"Don't you use that tone with me, young man!" Eileen exclaimed, now clearly vexed. She made to head for the door, but Severus blocked her.
"It's for your own good, Mother," he said, his voice growing louder with every word. "Look at what you've become! You're a witch, Mother, a witch, and yet, you haven't done magic in years, and why is that, Mother? Because you've let Father rule you. He's not here to tell you how to live your life now, and it's time you started trying to reclaim some of your dignity!"
Lily was standing in the background, too shocked to speak. Severus was breathing fast and shallow. Eileen cowered away from her son, tears falling down her face, her hands over her head as if she was trying to protect herself from being struck.
"Stop it, Tobias!" she screamed, and then she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, a complete wreck.
Stunned and hurt, Severus stepped away from his mother. "I'm not-" he tried to say, his voice breaking. "Mum, I'd never-"
He suddenly felt hands gently pulling him away from the scene, and he noticed Lily was at his side, trying to calm him. "Come on, Sev," she whispered consolingly into his ear. "Just... leave her be for a minute."
Numbly, Severus nodded and allowed Lily to guide him to the couch, where he sat and buried his face in his hands. Lily sat there in silence, giving him as much time as he needed. In the corner, Eileen's sobs had stopped, and Lily wondered if the older woman had fallen asleep.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that," came his sullen voice.
"Sev-" Lily tried to say.
"No, Lily," he cut her off, looking up. "You really shouldn't have seen that. I'm sorry. Maybe it would be best if I just kept her here and dropped out of school to take care of her. Who was I kidding by thinking she could be taken to a Muggle institution for care? She doesn't like Muggles a whole lot, not after my father."
Severus didn't voice the worst of the whole episode - his mother calling him by his father's name. He hated himself for acting in any way that would have made her think he was his damned, bloody father.
"What can I do to help?" Lily's meek voice asked.
"For now," Severus sighed, "there's nothing you can do. Tell your parents... tell them thank you for their offer, but right now, it's just not feasable."
Lily wanted to say that it might be possible on another day, but she held back, knowing Severus wasn't in the mood for platitudes. Instead, she stayed there with him in the silence, hope just out of reach.
Much later that day, long after Lily had gone, Severus was going through the nightly routine of putting Eileen to bed. Eileen had been calm but unresponsive the rest of the day, but at least she was cooperating. He pulled the covers over her and was about to leave and turn off the lights when he felt his mother's hand grab hold of his wrist.
"Severus," Eileen murmured.
For a moment, Severus refused to look at her. As much as he cared about his mother, the pain from earlier was still too strong. He sighed and turned his head, never a coward to face the truth.
"I'm sorry for calling you by his name," Eileen whispered.
Severus's eyes searched eyes so much like his own, and he sighed again and sat on the edge of the bed. "I know you didn't mean it," he told her. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Mum."
"You make me proud, Severus," Eileen said, smiling slightly.
For the first time in years, his mother had spoken those words. He knew she was very much in control of herself in these moments, more than she had been in a long time. He blinked back tears. How had she known?
"Good night, Mum," Severus whispered as he stood. He turned out the lights and went to his own bedroom, a small glimmer of hope alive.