Disclaimer: The usual disclaimers apply.

Chapter 21

Rose came out of the kitchen as Hal and Petunia came in the door. The house smelled good from all the Christmas baking. "You're just in time, dears," Rose said, giving Hal a kiss. "I've got lunch all ready." She looked around. "Where are Lily and Sev?"

"Let's have lunch and I'll explain," Hal said, leading Rose out into the kitchen. Petunia followed. Rose served them toasted roast beef sandwiches with melted cheese, grilled onion, and a couple of slices of bacon, along with a side of crisps. She set the teapot on the table and poured them each a cup. "Now, what's going on Hal?"

Hal explained about what Severus suspected and why. "He is right. Neither the Headmaster nor the Board of Governors will accept Severus' accusation without proof."

"It not right," Petunia said. "I saw Potter and he was angry at Severus because he wouldn't let Potter cut in on him and Lily. Of course, Lily wouldn't have danced with that fool no matter how many times he asked her."

"No, it not, Petunia," Rose agreed. "I have a strong suspicion that Mr. Potter learned his prejudice towards Slytherins at his father's knee."

There was a tapping at the kitchen window and Aries, Liam's owl, was sitting patiently on the window ledge. Petunia got up and let him in. He held out his leg and she took the note off of him and gave him a treat before he took off again. "I'm going to answer Liam's note, if you'll excuse me."

"I told Sev you'd bring him over some lunch. Lily's going to stay with him until Eileen gets home. I thought it was all right to waive ours and Eileen's rule this one time."

"Of course, dear," Rose replied as she got up. "I wouldn't want Sev to be left entirely alone after what happened."

There was more tapping on the kitchen window and another owl sat outside, waiting to be let in. "This must be our day for owls," Rose remarked as she let it in. It flew over to Hal and stuck out its leg.

Hal carefully took the letter off it, but the owl didn't fly away again. "I guess he's been told to wait for a reply. He opened the letter and read it quickly. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Who's it from, Hal?" Rose asked curiously. The owls that came to them were always from Lily, Sev, or Eileen.

"It's from Charles Potter. He requesting a meeting with me and he's willing to meet me wherever it's convenient for me."

"Well isn't that so nice of him!" Rose exclaimed sarcastically as she poured some chicken noodle soup into a large thermos. "After that wretched juvenile delinquent he calls a son deliberately beat up, Sev."

"I'll ask him to meet me tomorrow at Corbin's at ten o'clock," Hal decided. Corbin's was Corbin's Campus Eatery, a diner near the University frequented by students, staff, and the public alike.

Rose finished packing a picnic hamper with soup, sandwiches, and dessert and went to get her coat. She came back and saw Hal was sending his note off with the Potter owl.

"I don't think we should mention this meeting to anybody until we know what Mr. Potter wants," Rose said. "Especially Lily as we know her temper."

"Yes, she had her wand out in Flourish & Blotts as soon as Sev told her. I had to grab her and hold or she would have hexed that little bast …right then and there!" Hal shook his head. "I hope Mr. Potter's intention isn't just to badmouth Sev some more or it's going to be a very short meeting."

"You'll find out tomorrow, dear." Rose replied. "I'm going to take this over to the kids and be right back."

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Lily was once again reading to Severus from A Christmas Carol when they heard a knock at the front door. "It's probably mum with lunch," Lily said putting down the book and getting up.

"Okay, but don't open the door without checking first," Severus cautioned.

Lily nodded and took her wand with her. She peeked out the blind on the front window and saw her mum standing on the front porch, carrying the Evans picnic hamper. She opened the door and Rose came in. "My, it's getting colder. Maybe we'll have snow for Christmas this year." She went out into the kitchen and set the hamper on the table. "How is Sev feeling, Lily?"

"He's feeling better, but I'm making him rest until Eileen comes home. Did dad tell you what happened?"

"Yes, and it's too bad wizarding society doesn't have some sort of a lock-up for juvenile delinquents," Rose stated as she poured the soup into bowls, arranged sandwiches, and the cookies and fudge she had brought over, on plates and placed them all on a tray. She carried the tray upstairs and set it down in front of Severus. "I want to see you eat every bit of that, young man." She placed her hand on his forehead, but he didn't feel unusually warm.

Lily dug into her soup with relish. Her mum made the best chicken noodle soup ever! After they finished lunch, Lily helped her mum pack up the hamper. Rose gave her a kiss and said, "Dad and I will see you later. Take good care of Sev."

"I will, Mum. Thanks for bringing us lunch."

When Eileen and Robert came through the floo later, they found not only Severus, but Lily and her parents waiting in the living room. Eileen looked around in alarm. "Has something happened?" She looked at Severus. "Sev …"

"Mum, I have something to tell you, but you best sit down first." Severus said.

"Sit down, Eileen, and we can hear what Sev has to say," Robert said, leading her over to the recliner by the couch. She seated herself and he stood beside her. Elieen nodded and said, "All right, I'm sitting down so what's going on, Sev?"

"Mum, I ran into Potter in Flourish & Blotts today and remember how I told you that I didn't think Potter had done it? Well, I was wrong …"

Eileen immediately shot to her feet. "What!"

Robert put his hands on her shoulders and said soothingly, "Let's hear the rest of Sev's story before you decide on what action you should take." He coaxed her into sitting back down. "Did he admit it to you?" Robert asked.

"Not directly, but he did say I should stop thanking the elves because I only end up getting my head kicked hard. Lily is the only one that knows I visit the elves to compliment them on their cooking. I must have been saying something complimentary to the elves as I was leaving the kitchen that he overheard. I'm sure Potter and probably Pettigrew, were under that stupid invisibility cloak of Potter's," Severus said bitterly.

"I warned Dumbledore I'd go to the Board of Governors if anything else happened and I warned the Potter's and the Pettigrew's they were going to get a visit from MLE." Eileen yelled. "And I'm going to do exactly that!"

"Mum, Dumbledore probably didn't know about it. I suspect it might have been a spur-of-the-moment thing on Potter's part. He was really angry that I wouldn't allow him to cut in when Lily and I were dancing and then Lily refused to dance with him at all; he probably blamed me for that." Severus shook his head. "I know you want to do something, but since I can't remember what happened, we don't have any proof. I doubt they'll ever find what Potter hit me with. It was probably a beater's bat, but I imagine he got rid of it right quick."

"Well, maybe I should take you out of Hogwarts, Sev." Eileen said. "Dumbledore cannot seem to insure your safety."

"What!" Severus shouted. "I'm not going to allow Potter to drive me away and I don't want to attend either Durmstrang or Beauxbatons! I don't want to leave Lily!"

Lily grasped his arm, attempting to keep him calm. "Sev, calm down, please or you're going to end up back in bed for the entire holiday."

"I'm not talking about sending you to either of those schools. I can teach you at home."

Severus took a deep breath to calm himself. "Mum, I know you're really smart and you've taught me a lot of things over the years, but you work all day and I don't want you to come home and then have to teach me, too."

"I'd rather do that then have to attend your funeral. Do you realize that you might have died in that corridor if Black hadn't found you? And that incident last spring; you could have snapped your neck if you'd fallen differently."

"Mum, this is all supposition. I didn't die," Severus argued.

"And what about the next time those bullies attack you?"

"Eileen," Hal interrupted. "I know how you feel. Lord knows every time we read about something horrible this You-Know-Who fellow's done, Rose and I just want to pull Lily out of school and never let her out of our sight." He sighed. "But we also know that despite everything that's happens and as much as we want to protect her, we have to let Lily go, to live her own life."

Eileen sighed and slumped back into the recliner. "I know you're right, Hal."

"Eileen," Robert said soothingly. "What don't you give it a few days? Severus' memory may come back and you can decide then what to do."

"I suppose I must," Eileen agreed.

Severus nodded in agreement, but he was damned if he was going to let his mum pull him out of Hogwarts and away from Lily.

Hal, Rose, and Lily excused themselves to go home. Lily jiggled Severus' arm to get his attention and said, "Be sure to owl me tonight."

Severus nodded and squeezed her hand. He escorted the Evans family out and watched until they were out of sight.

Eileen went into the kitchen to start dinner. Severus followed her out and offered to help her. She smiled. "Thanks, Sev, but it won't take me long. Why don't you keep Robert company while I'm doing this?"

Okay, Mum," Severus nodded. He went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Robert was standing before the Christmas tree.

"That's a really nice tree," Severus commented. "I can't see any bare spots anywhere."

"Eileen picked it out." He chuckled. "I'll bet she dragged me to every Christmas tree lot in the surrounding area until she found just the right tree."

Robert sat down on the couch next to Severus. "So you're still feeling tired, Severus?"

"I get tired easier it seems and I still get dizzy when I floo." Severus paused and looked at Robert. "Is it normal not to be able to remember?"

"You've had serious injuries including a head injury. Sometimes when the body is healing itself it will block traumatic memories that might be a detriment to healing." Robert explained. "What is your last memory of the night, Severus?"

"I remember tickling the pear and opening the door to the kitchen, but everything after that is a complete blank."

"Dumbledore did confirm with the elves that you had been to the kitchen at midnight and you spent several minutes praising them for the food they cooked for the Yule Ball."

"So I must have been attacked when I left then?" Severus frowned. There was something not right about this. He had always had unusually sharp senses and they had saved him from many jinxes thrown by Potter and his friends, but they appeared to have utterly failed him that night.

"Dinner's ready," Eileen called from the dining room. Severus waited until Robert had seated his mum then sat down. She had made pork chops in tomato sauce with onions and garlic, garlic mashed potatoes, a salad, rolls, and treacle tart for dessert.

"Dinner is delicious, Mum. The salad tastes like you just picked the vegetables," Severus complimented her.

"That's because the vegetable are from my garden. I picked them last fall, cast a freshening charm over them, and I have the baskets stored down the basement."

"How long have you known Lily, Severus?" Robert asked.

"We met when we were both nine. We both hung out in the park three blocks from here. I saw her swinging one morning. She used to swing very high then jump off the swing when it was at the highest point and she'd just float back down to the ground. Tuney would be screaming in fright, but Lily never got hurt. That how I knew she was a witch. I kind of blurted it out to her and she got mad at me because she thought I was insulting her." Severus smiled remembering his first meeting with Lily. "Once I explained myself better, she understood and we became fast friends. I told her all about Hogwarts and the wizarding world in general." He frowned briefly. "I think I gave her nightmares when I told her about Azkaban and the Dementors. She thought she was going to be arrested for doing magic until I told her you would have to do something really bad to be thrown in Azkaban."

"Sev's and Lily's birthdays are only three weeks apart, too," Eileen added.

"I'm assuming that you plan to marry Lily at some point in the future?" Robert asked.

"Yes, but it probably won't be until I'm a certified Potion's Master. At least then maybe we'll have enough set aside not to have to scrimp all the time."

"What does Lily say?" Robert asked curiously.

"We've only talked about marriage in vague terms. We both assume we're going to be married, but we've never talked about when."

"After having met Lily I would think she wouldn't want you making plans without her input. She may have different views," Robert suggested.

Severus grinned. "She does have a temper and I know she's gotten angry at me in the past for assuming things and not talking to her about it."

Eileen brought dessert the table and handed the plates around. Severus added a dollop of clotted cream to his, thought about what Robert had said as he ate, and knew he was right. Lily might not want to wait and she would resent him making decisions that affected both their lives.

When they were done eating, Eileen put the food away, cleaned the dirty dishes and utensils with a wave of her wand and put them away in their proper place. "Shall we get started on the tree?"

Severus changed the colors of the ornaments while his mum and Robert decorated the tree with fairy lights. He changed the color of the ornaments in four boxes to green and silver then changed the fifth box of ornaments to blue and bronze as he knew Robert had been in Ravenclaw. The last box he changed the ornaments to red and gold for Lily. When tree was finished Eileen shut off all the lights with a wave of her wand then they stood back to admire it.

Severus gave his mum a hug. "It looks great, Mum. You did an excellent job of picking out the tree."

They left the lights off and the only other light was the light from the fireplace.

Severus …" Robert began, but Severus held up his hand. "You can call me Sev, Robert. Nobody calls me Severus except the professors.

"All right, Sev. When you were talking earlier about having no memory of how you were injured, do you mean you have no memory at all or your memory is very foggy or fuzzy?"

Severus shook his head. "No. My last memory is tickling the pear and pulling open the kitchen door. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital, but there's nothing in between those two memories."

Hmm ..." Robert murmured pulling at his bottom lip. "Would you permit me to perform Legilimency on you, Sev?"

Severus hesitated for a moment. Normally when they practiced Ligilimency he was able to put some memories, such as his intimate ones with Lily and his childhood beatings, behind his shield, but now Robert was asking for full access to his memories which meant he would have to lower his shield completely. "Okay, I guess. I mean it's better to know what might be lurking in there than to have it come out unexpectedly and bite me in the arse." He knew what was expected of him. He lowered his shields completely and looked into Robert's eyes.

"Ligilimens!" Robert said softly. He entered Severus mind and got flashes of memories: the first beating Tobias had administered when he was five, his first meeting with Lily, his first day at Hogwarts, being hung upside down and humiliated by James, Sirius, and Peter then dropped on his head, the Yule Ball, he and Lily snogging, him tickling the pear and going into the kitchen, then waking up in the hospital. Where the memories of his attack should have been, there was a barrier. It didn't look very strong, but he didn't want to tamper with it. Robert disengaged himself from Severus' mind gently so as not to cause him any pain.

Severus fell back against Eileen with a groan rubbing his forehead. "Are you all right, Sev?" She asked.

"Yes, it's just a weird feeling." He sat up again and asked Robert. "Did you see anything useful?"

"Those memories are there, but they're hidden behind a barrier of some sort and that's why you aren't able to remember them," Robert explained. "Would you be able to come with Eileen to St. Mungo's tomorrow?"

Severus looked at his mother who nodded. "I can, but why?"

"I'd like you to see a colleague of mine, Master Healer Cromwell. He's a mind healer and I'd like him to have a look at that barrier. He would know how to safely remove it."

"Are you saying, Robert, that after hurting Sev, Potter tried to obliviate his memory to cover his crime?"

"That's what I suspect Eileen and that's why I want Sev to see Master Healer Cromwell. He's in charge of the Spell Damage Ward."

Severus absently nodded. "I guess it would be prudent to see an expert." He got up. "I'm going upstairs and get a start on my homework." He shook his head. "The professors are piling on the homework as if they think our NEWTs are this year."

"Eileen, I'll meet you and Sev at St. Mungo's tomorrow at seven." Robert said. He got up.

"Thanks, Robert, for your help," Severus said.

"You're welcome, Sev."

Severus went upstairs to his bedroom. He took a piece of parchment out of his desk drawer and wrote Lily, telling her what had occurred this evening and that on Robert's suggestion he was going to St. Mungo's tomorrow to see a mind healer. He tied the note to Aesculapius's leg. "Take this to Lily and wait for a reply," Severus instructed his familiar, scratching the Eagle Owl's head then opening the window so the he could fly out. While waiting for Aesculapius to return Severus opened his Arithmancy textbook to the assigned reading after which he started creating a number chart to solve the assigned problem. He heard tapping on his window, opened it, and Aesculapius flew in. Severus detached Lily's note and opened it. Lily wrote: Sev, Potter attacked you physically then attacked your mind, too? That's horrible! Do you want me to come with you to St. Mungo's? Love, Lily

Severus went downstairs and into the lab where his mother was brewing. "Mum, can Lily come with us tomorrow?"

"That's fine with me, Sev. I won't be able to leave when you're done so it will be good to have Lily with you when you leave St. Mungo's."

"Are we going to floo, Mum, because I'm not sure about apparating when flooing makes me dizzy?"

"We'll use the floo, Sev. Please tell Lily to come over before seven o'clock.

"I'll still walk over and pick Lily up," Severus decided. He went back upstairs, wrote her back and gave Aesculapius the note and instructed him to wait for Lily's reply. The owl flew out the window, but was back in a few minutes. Lily wrote: I'll look for you before seven then. I love you! Lily

Severus smiled, turned the parchment over, and scribbled: I love you, too, Lily! Sev. He gave the note to his owl and said. "You needn't wait for a reply," Severus said then gave the owl a treat before he flew out the window. He stared at the calendar hanging on the wall next to desk realizing with a start that he and Lily would be seventeen next month; they would be considered adults. They would be able to start Apparition lessons this year and could learn to drive should they choose. He idly wondered if Mr. Evans had the patience to teach both Lily and him.

He finished his Arithmancy assignment which by far was his most time-consuming of his assignments. There was a tapping on the window and he let in Aesculapius, who was carrying a dead vole. He decided to go to bed even though it was 9:30 because he had to be up earlier.

When his alarm went off at 5:30 the next morning it startled him until he remembered his appointment with Master Healer Cromwell. He got up, showered, dressed, and came downstairs. He stopped to admire the tree then went into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mum." He gave her a hug and sat down at the table. He pulled the Daily Prophet over to him and scanned the front page. "I don't know how this paper stays in business. Most times the news is more gossip than anything else." He got up and started making toast.

"For some reason which I don't understand; Rita Skeeter seems to have a great many fans who think the ground she walks on is sacred." Eileen said setting a plate of bacon, eggs, and sausages in front of him. She sat down opposite him and began to eat.

"And the rest of us think the ground she walks on is cursed," Severus joked, digging into his breakfast.

"Are you ready for today, Sev?" Eileen asked.

"I hope I can remember the entire sequence of events so Potter and Pettigrew can be expelled."

"I hope they're sent to Azkaban and their families disgraced!" Eileen said vehemently.

Severus finished breakfast then walked over to pick up Lily. She was ready and opened the door when he knocked. They walked back to his house where his mum was waiting.

"What a pretty tree!" Lily exclaimed when she saw their Christmas tree. She also noticed the red and gold Christmas ornaments and gave Severus a questioning look.

He shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I just thought you might like them."

"That was so sweet of you, Sev," Lily said squeezing his hand.

Eileen threw floo powder into the fireplace and said clearly, St. Mungo's." They stepped in and were quickly whisked to St. Mungo's. Eileen found Robert who volunteered to escort Severus and Lily to the fourth floor so she could go the Potions Lab. Eileen gave Severus a hug. "Good luck, Sev. I'll see you when I get home tonight."

"Thanks Mum." He took hold of Lily's hand and they followed Robert to the fourth floor where a sign over double doors read Spell Damage Ward. Robert knocked on the door of an office next door with a plaque beside it that read Heathcote Cromwell, Master Mind Healer. He went inside and spoke to somebody briefly then opened the door and invited Severus and Lily in. Healer Cromwell was short, stocky and had a cheerful expression. He got up from his desk as they came in.

"Heathcote, this Severus Snape, and his girlfriend, Miss Lily Evans. They're both sixth year students at Hogwarts and both at the top of their class. Sev, Lily, this is Master Healer Heathcote Cromwell." He smiled and said to Cromwell, "I'll be getting back to work and leave Sev in your capable hands.

Cromwell smiled at Severus and Lily then asked them to take a seat. They settled in chairs in front of his desk. "I understand, Severus, that you were attacked by an assailant a few days ago and received serious injuries as a result, but you're unable to remember the attack."

Severus nodded. "I can't remember anything about the attack at all."

Cromwell nodded. "Robert told me he performed Ligilimency on you last night and found some kind of a barrier that prevented him from seeing that memory. Is that correct, Severus?"

Severus nodded. "He said he thinks the person who attacked me tried to obliviate my memory." Severus knew better than to mention outside his family who had attacked him

Healer Cromwell got up. "Would you follow me, Severus?" He turned to Lily. "Would you like me to have some refreshment sent up for you while you wait, Miss Evans?"

Lily shook her head. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Cromwell escorted Severus to an inner room that was painted a pale blue and had comfortable furniture. He threw a silencing charm over the door then had Severus sit down in an armchair and he sat down in one directly across from him. "Robert tells me you've been studying Occlumency with him and he says you're a natural Occlumens."

Severus smiled. "It came fairly easy for me and I've found I can do transfiguration easier after learning it. I'm studying Legilimency, too, but I'm not as good at that yet."

"I'm going to be using Legilimency on you as Robert did last night so I can get a look at that barrier. I'll need you to lower your shield completely, Severus, and look straight into my eyes."

He nodded and did as Cromwell requested. Suddenly he could feel Cromwell penetrating his mind and gripped the arms of the chair to keep him from looking away.

Cromwell quickly went past Severus' memories until he came upon the barrier described by Robert. He studied it carefully. Whoever had tried to obliviate the memories had done a poor job of it and he would be able to easily take it down. He pulled himself out of Severus' mind and Severus sunk back into the chair. Cromwell gave him a few minutes to recover. "I found the barrier Robert described and I can take it down. I suspect whoever tried to obliviate you was unfamiliar with the spell because it was poorly done. This is usually the case with this spell because very few people with the exception of Obliviators are trained to use it."

"What will happen when you take down the barrier?" Severus asked uneasily.

"The memory will fill your mind entirely. It will be as if you're reliving it. You may even feel some physical pain. Do you want to do this now or would you prefer to wait?"

Severus shook his head. "I want to get it over with today."

"Okay. Lower your shield and look directly into my eyes again," He instructed. He was able to get back into Severus' mind without any trouble. He came upon the barrier and with one good pull the entire barrier collapsed, and he watched as the memories flowed past him. He pulled out of Severus' mind and watched him carefully as he relived the memories. It was obviously a very traumatic for him and when it was finally through, Severus slumped weakly in his chair, tears running down his face.

Cromwell sat silently until he recovered his composure. "Severus?"

Severus looked up. His face was extremely pale and his eyes were red.

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

Severus shook his head and wiped his face. "I'm pretty sure I know who did this to me, but I can't see him. I think he and his friend used a invisibility cloak and they didn't talk. I came out of the kitchen, heard something, and I threw up my arm to protect my face. I felt something heavy hit it, and break it. The pain was a sickening shock and I fell to my knees. That's when they clubbed the back of my head."

"You're sure there was more than one assailant?"

"Yes because I was still conscious when they were kicking both sides of me and breaking my ribs." Severus shook his head. "I don't remember them leaving, but I remember trying to get up but I felt too weak and my ribs hurt too bad. I ended up collapsing on my back." Tears ran down Severus' face again as he whispered, "I knew I'd die if somebody didn't find me, but who would know I was there?"

"You said you think you know who did this to you. Were they students?

Severus nodded. "Yes, but I don't want to mention any names since I have no proof. I had an encounter with one of them yesterday in Diagon Alley and he all but admitted he'd done it. He knows I won't be able to accuse him and claimed Dumbledore would take his side anyway."

Cromwell frowned. "Things must have changed quite a bit since I was at Hogwarts."

Severus shrugged. "It is a fact that Dumbledore tends to favor his former house."

"You've had a big shock today so I want you to take a dreamless sleep potion tonight and see me tomorrow." Cromwell ordered.

Severus nodded. He felt battered and bruised mentally. It was a terrible shock to realize how much Potter really hated him.

Cromwell escorted Severus back to his office and to Lily. She hurried over to him when she saw how pale he was. "Sev, are you all right?" Lily asked anxiously.

He nodded, smiled slightly, and said softly, "I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."

They left Healer Cromwell's office and walked downstairs to the floo to Severus' home. "You aren't going to stop and see your mum before we leave?" Lily asked.

"No. She'll be busy brewing so I'll tell her about it tonight." When they stepped out of the fireplace in Severus' house, Lily took his arm. "Mum said to bring you over when we got back."

"Okay, but let me go upstairs and get my books so I can do my homework. I haven't been able to start on it because of my concussion."

Lily waited while Severus went upstairs and when he came back down carrying his book bag, they left for Lily's home. "I'm stuck on Arithmacy," Lily complained.

"I can take a look at it if you'd like me to," Severus offered.

"That would be great, Sev. Maybe you can see where I went wrong."

They arrived at Lily's home and went in. "Mum, we're home," Lily called. "I'm going upstairs and get my books, Sev." Rose came out of the kitchen. From the delicious smells issuing from there, it was obvious she was baking. She gave Severus a hug. "How are you feeling, Sev?"

Severus shook his head. "It's really a shock to suddenly find out Potter hates me that much."

"Do you remember what happened now?" Rose asked, sitting down beside him.

"I remember what happened that night, but it does me no good because neither of them spoke and they apparently used Potters invisibility cloak so I couldn't see them."

"I suppose Potter is smart enough not to get caught for his dirty deeds," Rose remarked.

"Unfortunately, he'll probably get away with it," Severus agreed. "I can't prove anything."

Lily came back down the stairs with her book bag and sat down on the couch next to Severus. She pulled out her Arithmacy homework and handed it to him. "There's where I'm stuck, Sev."

Rose smiled, went back into the kitchen. Lily knew how to distract Severus and take his mind off of what had happened to him for a while at least. She soon came back out carrying a tray on which there were two glasses of milk and a plate of cookies. She set it down on the coffee table. "If you kids are going to be studying you'll need some extra energy."

"Thanks Mum," Lily said.

Severus looked up from the Arithmacy chart he was studying and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

"You're welcome," Rose replied to both of them.

Severus leaned over to Lily and pointed out something on the Arithmacy chart. "There's where you went wrong, Lily. You just need to re-calculate this is all," Severus explained.

"Thanks, Sev," Lily said with a sigh.

"Is your dad home today? I haven't heard or seen him yet this morning."

"No. He had a meeting of some sort at the Uni, I guess."

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Hal Evans entered the diner near campus and looked around. He spotted Charles Potter immediately. He was surprised as hell to get an owl from him yesterday asking for them to meet and even agreeing to meet where it was convenient for him. He didn't know why he had agreed to it except he was curious. But if Potter was just going to badmouth Sev, it was going to be awfully hard to hang on to his temper, knowing what his bully of a son had done to Sev. "Mr. Potter."

Charles Potter looked up, extended his hand, and said, "Professor Evans, it's nice to see you again."

Hal shook his hand and sat down at the table. A waitress came over immediately. "Professor Evans, what can I bring you?"

"Good morning, Gina. Please bring me a cup of Earl Grey tea and one of your wonderful raspberry Danishes."

"Right away Professor."

"Thank you Gina," Hal replied. He looked back at Mr. Potter. "What did you wish to discuss with me?"

"It concerns our children."

"Mr. Potter, there is no our children. There's just my daughter and your son." Hal had to bite his tongue to keep from saying and your thug of a son.

"What I'm proposing, Professor Evans is that you betroth your daughter, Lily to my son, James. There would of course be a reasonable exchange of gold to seal the betrothal."

Hal could not believe he was hearing. Betroth Lily to that brute! Despite his feelings, Hal managed to ask calmly. "And what, in your opinion, Mr. Potter, is a reasonable amount of gold to pay for my daughter's happiness?"

"I believe one thousand Galleons should suffice. I am very wealthy, Professor Evans and James is my only heir. Your daughter would be very well taken care of and would never have to worry about being without as she would with that Snape boy." He wrinkled his nose distastefully. "Although his mother was a Prince she was disowned and I don't believe he has even the slightest chance of inheriting the Prince fortune which I have heard is considerable."

"What about my daughter's happiness?" Hal demanded. "How is she supposed to be happy married to a man she doesn't love and a career she wants, but won't be allowed to pursue?"

"She'll come to love James over time. Her first priority of course will be to provide an heir and that has to take precedence over anything else. She won't need a career, but she may do volunteer work, I suppose, if she wanted too, as long as she remembers her first duty is to James as his wife."

Hal got up just as Gina came over with his order. "I'll take that to go please, Gina." He gave her the money. "The answer is no, Mr. Potter. I will not subject my daughter to a loveless marriage with a spoiled brat who can't accept that Lily loves someone else." Gina came back and gave him a paper bag. "Thank you, Gina, and since I won't see you before Christmas, have a very happy Christmas."

"Thank you, Professor. You have a good one, too." She replied, casting a curious glance at Mr. Potter as she left.

"If you mean Snape," Charles shrugged. "He's of little or no consequence. I could probably buy him off with a hundred Galleons. He's probably never seen that many Galleons at one time in his entire life." Mr. Potter rose, too. "I am a very powerful wizard, Professor Evans. I have a great deal of influence I can use it in whatever way I see fit. I always get what I want."

"You may or may not have influence in your world, but you have none in mine, Sir," Hal replied curtly. He left the diner and got in his car. The drive home was only ten minutes, but as he pulled into his driveway his anger had began to give way to concern.