Chapter 11: Birthdays, Gifts, and Other Strange Things

Lily had been planning to surprise her friend with his birthday gift after the Easter egg hunt in the park. Every kid in the neighborhood attended the annual event, but she'd been unable to spot Severus. She should have expected him to be absent. He seemed to avoid large crowds, even if no one could see him except her.

Perhaps he spent Easter with his family. She sometimes wondered if the younger boy had any family at all. He must, though he never talked about them. It was only due to Lily's pestering questions that she even knew that his birthday was the day after Easter, making him several months younger than her.

With a sigh, the little girl trudged home; her basket filled with brightly colored eggs, and one undelivered gift.

Three days later and Severus still hadn't shown up. Lily gazed at the gift in her hand and shook her head. There was no point in continuing to drag it along to the park every day, just in case she saw her friend. She could always leave it at home and run back to get it when he finally made an appearance, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise then.

Green eyes roamed the grassy hillside near the park, coming to rest on the gnarled tree at the top of the hill. A smile of pure joy lit up her face at the sight of the dark-haired boy sitting against the trunk of the tree. He was here!

"Severus! Severus!"

The immortal child raised his eyes from the book in his lap. His red-haired friend was rushing up the hill toward him, a huge smile on her face. Setting the book on the grass, Severus got to his feet as the mortal girl approached.

"Close your eyes," Lily demanded, clutching her hands behind her back.

The boy quirked an eyebrow at her before doing as she asked. A soft, warm weight draped around his neck, followed by the girl's delighted giggles.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Severus asked.

"Of course, silly. So... what do you think?" Lily was barely keeping herself from bouncing on her feet as the boy stroked his fingers over her gift. "I know how much you hate shoes, so I got you a scarf instead."

"It's... green. And fluffy," Severus whispered. His mind drifted to his uncle's soft fur. Without realizing it, a tiny smile curved over his lips.

"Sev, you are so CUTE when you smile!" Lily chirped.

"I didn't know you had to give presents on birthdays, too," the boy whispered, before slipping around the tree and disappearing from sight. Lily was just about to follow him when he popped into sight again. Severus' eyes silently urged her to accept the gift he had in his outstretched hands.

After taking a moment to study the book, Lily looked up at her friend and said, "Severus... this is a library book."

"You don't like it?"

The red-haired girl bit her lip, struggling to find the words to explain his error. "No. I mean, I do; it's just that library books should be given back to the library. People don't normally give them as gifts."

"Oh... but I don't have anything else to give you."

Lily was startled to see a slightly troubled look on her friend's normally impassive face.

"It's okay, really."

The rest of the day seemed to pass quickly. Catching a glimpse of the sun setting in the distance, Lily pouted and let out a dramatic sigh as she slipped off her swing. Spinning around, she peered deeply into her friend's eyes, searching for something.

A few moments later the girl made a huffing sound and straightened, smiling brightly at the boy sitting on the other swing. "I have to go home now, Severus. But first, I want you to do something for me."

"Alright," the boy agreed, getting to his feet and waiting for her to continue.

"I want you to hug me, Severus," Lily stated.

The boy blinked slowly, a frown crossing over his pale features. His lips parted, but he clearly couldn't think of a proper response to her demand.

Lily's eyes softened, taking in the child that was her most trusted friend. Everyone needed comfort sometimes, and it was clear that Severus was not receiving much of that in his life. The girl stepped closer and slipped her arms around the slightly taller boy's waist, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. She could feel the tension in his body, his arms dangling uncertainly at his sides as he allowed her to embrace him, but made no move to return the hug.

"It's not hard to hug people, Severus. Just put your arms around me and pull me close a bit. It's as easy as that," the red-haired girl whispered, peering up into the boy's intense gaze.

Pale hands slowly clasped behind her back, tightening uncertainly.

"People normally like hugging. It's a way to tell someone that you care about them. You can hug me anytime you want to, Severus," Lily commented, a smile passing over her lips.

"Alright," the boy agreed calmly, even as she pulled out of the chilly embrace.

"And next time you see one of your family members, I want you to try hugging them. I'm sure they'd be happy to get a hug from you," the girl smiled even as she waved goodbye to her friend and started walking away from the park.

Glancing over her shoulder when she reached the other side of the street, Lily could see that Severus was still standing in the same place, watching her go. Another quick wave of her hand and she turned the corner, hoping that the boy took her advice.

"Maybe he'll invite me to his house someday. Then I can meet his father and maybe even some of his relatives," Lily commented to herself, trying to remain optimistic. She had attempted to invite Severus to her house to play several times in the past, but had been turned down each time. She hoped that would change in the future.

...tbc...

Note: I had to revise this chapter a lot to have it flow the way I wanted it to. Sorry for the long wait :)