Back for more, my friends!
Thanks again for the reviews and views, everyone. The fact that you are all sticking with me makes me feel wonderful.
I'm sure all of you have been positively dying for the moment our heroes returned to Hogwarts, so here it is!
If Someone Cared Enough
Chapter Twenty-Five: Hogwarts Bound
Smoke billowed from the Hogwarts Express in voluminous clouds, hanging low over the hustle and bustle of students and their families. Everywhere one looked there were cart loaded with trunks and baggage, animals wrestled disgruntledly into carriers and owls squawking indignantly in cages. Mothers pulled resisting children into their arms for one last lipstick covered kiss on the cheek while fathers patted sons on the back and warned daughters to stay away from troublesome boys.
Severus and the Evans family walked through the crowded platform with practiced ease, navigating their cart past running children and fussing parents. While the place abounded with endless excitement and jubilation, the air was tense around the little, tight knit family.
It was the first time that Lily and Severus would be entering the train since the end of last year and their mood was an uneasy one.
Lily stared at the train warily, "Just like old times, right Sev?"
Severus pulled his eyes away from the train, looking down, "Yeah…"
"Davis and Nesme said we could sit with them," Lily reminded him, "Mary will be there too. There's too many of us this time for there to be any trouble." Whether this was to reassure Severus or herself, she didn't know.
"Right…" Severus said, glancing around them suspiciously, "No sign of Rosier or Wilkes, right?"
Lily looked around as well, "Nope. They must have already boarded the train. Do you think they'll bother you this year?"
"There's no telling with that lot," Severus admitted, "Rosier is the sort to lie and wait, biding his time, but I doubt even he wants to sit back after I turned on the lot of them."
"You should talk to Dumbledore," Lily suggested, "Perhaps he can make Slughorn actually look out for the students in his House."
Severus shrugged, "I suppose that's a possible solution; though I question how much good it will ultimately do."
"You really don't trust him do you?" Lily asked, "Though I suppose I can't blame you."
"I just don't trust his motives," Severus said, "He ignored me and all I went through for years, but then I save someone and he gives a damn? He should have been looking out for me as his student, even when he thought I was a lost cause."
"Lily! Severus!"
Mary pushed her way through the crowd, her parents and brother's following behind. Her father pushed her heavy cart of luggage as if it weighed nothing at all.
"I'm glad I found you," Mary said when she reached the pair, "We're sitting together, yes?"
Lily nodded, "That's the plan."
"There should be more security on the train this year as well," Severus added, gesturing to an Auror walking by, "They'll be patrolling the train."
Mary relaxed, "That's a relief. Want to get our trunks on the train?"
"Might as well," Lily said. She turned to her parents, "Mum, dad, we're going to load our stuff on. We'll be back in a jiff."
Willow nodded, "Alright dear, we'll be here."
Severus took their cart from Hank and pushed it after Mary and Lily, Mary's father following with Mary's things.
As Hank and Willow struck up a conversation with Miriam, Petunia stepped away to get a better look at the train. Bags and people cluttered up the platform, owls in cages hooting to one another and cats yowling in their carriers or sleeping lazily. Several students set off color toys they had bought in Diagon Alley, making sparks fly through the air and waving their wands to produce things like bubbles and streams of light. The ancient brick of the platform gave the place a castle like feel to it, something magically historical.
"It's a shame I never allowed myself to enjoy this in previous years," Petunia thought aloud, staring longingly at the train.
"We could try and smuggle you onboard," a voice suggested behind her.
Simone and Thea approached, both clad in elegant, velvet robes of gold and green respectively. Their hair was pulled back in matching plaits, Simone's draped over one shoulder. In Simone's hand was a large carrier.
Petunia smiled happily at her friends, "Oh sure, I be that would go well. 'Oh hello Mr. Conductor. How are you today? Me? Why I'm a witch going to Hogwarts…where's my wand, you ask? Well I don't know where it is now, but I can tell you where you can stick it.' Brilliant!"
Thea giggled while Simone smirked.
"Lovely to see you, as always, Pet," Simone greeted, drawing Petunia into a hug.
"So what are you two doing here?" Petunia asked, pulling away, "I thought you said Minks brings you to Hogwarts."
"Our luggage arrives on the train," Simone explained, gesturing to the back of the train where a wizard was levitating their bags into a train car, "We just thought we'd come along to wish our friends safe travels. Then we have to meet with Thea's parents before Minks takes us to school."
"And to see you," Thea added, "We figured you would be here with your sister."
"Where is that little spitfire, anyway?" Simone asked, her eyes traveling over the crowd, "I figure she and Severus would be somewhere close by."
Petunia jerked a thumb towards the train, "They're loading their things right now."
"I do hope they hurry up," Simone remarked, "Thea and I can't linger long, her parents will not be pleased if we dawdle."
"They're very punctual people?" Petunia asked.
Thea glanced around them, as if expecting her parents to pop out from behind a pillar or something, "Something like that. They take more issue with some of the people on this platform, to be honest." She didn't elaborate on that statement.
Petunia was about to ask what she meant, but a glance at Simone had her wisely keeping quieting, the dark skinned girl grimly shaking her head at her muggle friend.
"Well look who it is," drawled someone nearby, causing them all to turn.
James and Sirius sauntered up to the three girls, arrogant grins decorating their faces.
"A gathering of snakes, is it?" Sirius mused, "Colluding on something sinister, eh?"
Simone rolled her eyes, "Hardly. Don't you have something better to be doing?"
"We're waiting on Peter and Remus," Sirius said casually, "What are you up to? No good, I bet."
"Is it crime to catch up with friends?" Simone asked dryly.
Sirius smirked, "For you it should be," He glanced at Petunia, "I've never seen you before. Are you a slimy snake too?"
Petunia sniffed disdainfully, "I'm Petunia Evans, not that it is any of your business. And I'm a muggle."
"Evans?" James asked, perking up, "Like Lily Evans? Where is she anyway?" He craned his neck, trying to peer through the crowds in hopes of catching a glimpse of fiery red hair.
"That's not your business either," Petunia said snippily, "You're Jim Potter aren't you? I've heard plenty about you, Potter and if that's anything to go by, I think you should leave my sister alone."
James scowled at her, "My names James." He squinted at her, trying to place her face, "Aren't you Lily's mean sister who hates magic?" he asked rudely.
"People change, Potter," Simone said, stepping protectively in front of her friend, "Something I suggest you and your cohorts work on doing."
"Oh come off it," Sirius sneered, "Acting all high and mighty like you're better than us. You're nothing but a greasy, slimy snake. A no good dark wizard. And if I were you," he added to Petunia, "I'd want no part of them or their dark ways."
"There's nothing dark about them," Petunia said hotly, "They're perfectly wonderful people."
Sirius snorted, "As if. What about this one and that creepy little power of hers?" he pointed accusingly at Thea.
Something hard passed through Simone's eyes.
"Don't you have luggage to get onboard, Black?" she asked, a bite to her tone.
Sirius shrugged dismissively, "We have house elves for that." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at where several old house elves were working on levitating a few trunks onto the baggage carriage of the train, "Aren't yours doing the same?"
"No I have a butler to do that," Simone deadpanned, pointing at the wizard loading her luggage, "You know, someone paid? Has his own free will? You'll find people like me aren't too fond of the idea of slavery."
Sirius blanched, but recovered, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It wasn't too many decades ago that wizards of color were used as little more than house elves in pureblood homes such as yours, Black," Simone drawled, "Can you honestly think about that and not see the dark parallels between that and using house elves?" She tipped her head back, sneering down at Sirius, "How very Pureblood of you."
Sirius's face went crimson, "What are you implying?"
"Exactly what you think I'm implying," Simone said empirically, "They say you can tell a lot about the character of a man by how he treats his servants."
"Why you," Sirius began, lips curled back in a snarl. He reached for his wand.
"Sirius, leave it," James commanded. He spared Simone a nasty glare, "There's Aurors roaming around; she isn't worth it."
Simone smirked, making it clear just how little Potter's opinion meant to her.
"Let's go find Remus and Peter," James went on, tugging Sirius away, "Maybe we'll spot Lily too."
"Yeah, with Snivellous," Sirius said meanly, sending Simone a mocking smile.
His comment seemed to bother James more than it did Simone, the bespectacled boy scowling to himself at the thought of Snape and Lily spending any time together.
"Severus would mop the floor with them," Simone observed once the boys were out of sight.
"In a fair fight at least," Thea agreed.
"Of course those boys don't know the meaning of the word fair," Simone remarked.
"Hey you guys," Lily greeted, her and Severus coming with Mary from the opposite direction than Potter and Black.
"There you are," Simone said, arms held out welcomingly with a dramatic flair, "You just missed the Blithering Idiot Brigade!"
Severus smirked, "Potter and Black found you?"
"Oh yes," Simone replied, "And they made such a lovely impression on Petunia, didn't they, Pet?"
Petunia huffed, crossing her arms, "They're about as rude as you were when we first met," she told Severus, "The only difference is you had the excuse of being nine years old to fall back on. What's their excuse?"
"They're spoiled and stupid," Simone said with a straight face.
The others laughed, Simone and Severus smirking.
"Hey now," Mary chimed in, "I agree they're pretty obnoxious and hard to tolerate, but at least they aren't Wilkes and his lot."
"True," Lily agreed, "I guess they aren't as bad a future Death Eaters."
"Still pretty bad though," Simone muttered.
"I'm honestly not sure who I would rather deal with," Severus said dully, "Rosier is no doubt going to try and take over as top dog in Slytherin, but Potter is probably going to ramp up his efforts to depose me as a 'wicked Slytherin'. You should have seen how he was glaring at me at the trial."
"If he has an issue with you, he has an issue with all of us," Lily declared determinedly, "I won't stand for him stirring up trouble."
"You'll have enough on your hands, keeping this one out of trouble," Simone stated, pointing at Severus.
Severus glared at her. "I beg your pardon," he said coldly.
Simone shrugged, "Come on, you aren't perfect. Potter's group and the Death Eater wanna-bes go after you without justification, but any other enemies you make at school are your own doing. You're cold, you're prickly, you always have something sarcastic to say. You're combative and you keep others at a distance. And you're lack of tolerance for the slow minded doesn't exactly make you the warm and fuzzy type. I mean, would it kill you to smile genuinely?"
Severus scowled, "I smile."
Simone eyed him skeptically, "Yes, but not enough."
"She does have a point, Sev," Lily said gently, "You'd make more friends if you were a tad less critical of everyone."
"There, you see? Someone agrees with me," Simone said triumphantly.
Severus gave Lily a weak glare, "Traitor."
Lily wisely chose to ignore him.
"Think about it Severus," Simone implored, stepping closer to him, "Do you honestly believe that everyone who dislikes you just does so because of Potter? You piss people off all on your own; I bet you've said some unkind things yourself, so don't act surprise that some people are willing to stand by and watch you get picked on because it makes them feel better about how you've treated them."
"I can't help it if most people wear on my nerves," Severus defended flippantly.
"But is it their fault or yours that your patience is so thin?" Simone challenged.
Severus didn't reply, his mind going to his sessions with Marcus, their discussions on his struggle to get along with others.
Simone stepped back, looking away, "Look, I didn't come here to argue with you, okay. I just think you would be happier if you let people in more."
"I'll take it into consideration," Severus said, grateful to drop the conversation.
"So who's this little guy?" Lily asked, gesturing to the pet carrier at Simone's feet.
"This is Amadeus," Simone explained, crouching down to unlatch the door.
When the door to the carrier open, a massive cat strutted out onto the platform. It was a giant as far as housecats went; with each paw nearly filling a person's palm and it's body almost as long as a man's arm, not including the tail. It's head was nearly the size of a humans and it was covered in thick, busy gray and brown speckled fur.
A handsome face peered up at them from amongst the fur, large, pale green eyes staring up at them all.
"He's huge!" Mary gaped.
Simone smiled proudly, "He's Kneazle bred with a Norwegian Forest Cat/Maine Coon mix breed. Just about the smartest, bravest, most awesome sort of cat there is. Affectionate, great with kids, and hypoallergenic to boot. Plus, he loves to swim."
"Got to be careful, or he climbs into the bathtub with you," Thea warned.
Petunia nodded, "He does. It's how I met him the first time I slept over."
Simone smirked, "Startled the Head Boy in the Prefect's bathroom last year."
Amadeus sat primly at Simone's feet, soaking in the attention with a majestic air, head held high and regal, tail curled daintily around his legs. His gaze traveled lazily over everyone, stopping on Lily. He stared the redheaded girl down and gave her a simple, plaintive meow.
"He's beautiful!" Lily squealed, putty in the beasts hands. She knelt down and scratched behind Amadeus's ears, "And he's so sweet."
"A regular ladies man," Simone quipped, grinning down at her familiar, "he's playing you for a fool, Evans. Won't be long now before you're sneaking him scraps from dinner like Thea does."
"He just looks so hungry," Thea simpered, gazing adoringly down at the cat.
"He eats several times a day," Simone said exasperated, "Plus I think the house elves are giving him leftovers from dinner."
"It's those eyes," Thea went on, "They just look so pleadingly at you. If I was allowed a pet, I'd want one like him." She smiled wistfully.
Simone wrapped an arm around Thea, "He's your honorary pet."
"Look," Mary cooed, "He's doubled pawed!"
As if understanding Mary's words, Amadeus raised one of his paws, stretching it out, flexing his toes. His feet were almost mitten shaped due to the extra digits on each one.
Amadeus sprawled out on the ground, showing off his belly.
Mary, Lily, and Thea 'awwed' at the display.
Simone rolled her eyes, "Quick hamming it up, you silly creature," she chided.
Amadeus sniffed the air, his head up high and his tail straight up as he turned with a huff and waltzed back into his carrier, kicking his back feet out once in turn like he would in a litter box, as if telling Simone, 'I'm done with you.'
"Love you too, you menace," Simone kneeled down and closed the case, "Well now that that's done, we best be off. You'll be leaving the station soon and Thea's parents are expecting us for a 'fond' goodbye before we leave with Minks."
Thea nodded, checking her watch, "We're already behind schedule as it is," she said fretfully.
Simone placed a comforting hand on Thea's arm, "Relax, I'll deal with your parents."
Simone turned back to the others, "Right, so this is goodbye for now," she pulled Petunia into another hug, "I'll write often."
"I will too," Thea said, hugging Petunia tightly.
Petunia returned both embraces with enthusiasm, "I'll be sure to write back."
"We'll see you all at school," Simone said to the rest of the group. Pausing, she eyed Severus momentarily, before springing forward and wrapping her arms around him.
"Because it annoys you so much," she said teasingly, "See you at school."
Picking up her pet carrier, Simone linked arms with Thea and led her away, disappearing in the crowd.
"We should say goodbye to our folks too," Mary said.
Finding their families right where they left them, everyone began saying their goodbyes.
"Goodbye, Lily-flower," Hank said fondly, hugging his daughter tight, "Try not to break too many hearts, alright."
"Dad," Lily half whined, half laughed, "I'm not even thinking about boys. There's too much work to do at school."
"That will change, trust me," Willow said, pulling her daughter into her arms, "Write us, darling."
"I will mum," Lily promised.
Lily stopped and turned to her sister, unsure what to expect. It was their first year on good terms in ages.
Petunia broke the silence first. Pulling Lily into a hug, she held Lily for a long moment.
"Be safe, okay?" she whispered worriedly.
Lily could only nod, touched by her sister's concern.
Severus stood off to the side, unsure what to do. When Willow glanced up and spotted him, she leaped forward tugging him into an embrace and squeezing him tightly, "Take care of yourself, you hear?" she said, "Don't be afraid to write to us, okay?"
Severus flushed, feeling quite awkward in her arms, "Um…alright."
Satisfied, Willow released him, only for Petunia to step forward.
"You're still not the nicest boy," Petunia sniffed, not looking Severus in the eye, "But I suppose you could be worse. You're not so bad to live with. I'd...appreciate if if you looked out for Lily."
Severus nodded, "I intend to."
Petunia looked at him, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
"See you at the holidays," she said, walking back over to her mother and effectively ending their conversation.
Just when Severus thought the awkwardness was done, he was swept into an embrace by Lily's father.
"Have a good time, my boy," Hank said, patting Severus on the back, "Make the best out of each day. We'll see you both come holidays."
"I think you've made your point, dad," Lily said coming to Severus's rescue, "We have to get on the train."
Severus shot Lily a grateful look when something caught his eye over Lily's shoulder. Or rather someone…
Eileen Snape stood by one of the station pillars, peering out at the crowd much like a frightened mouse would overlooking a room of sleeping cats. Not seeing her son approach, she jumped when he touched her shoulder.
"Mum," Severus said in lieu of a greeting, "What are you doing here?"
Eileen looked around nervously, her mannerisms reminiscent of a skittish bird.
"I wanted to come see you off," she admitted timidly, "But I missed you before you left Cokeworth this morning."
Severus observed his mother carefully. She was still painfully thin as ever, with bony hands and a near skeletal frame, but her color was better, a tiny bit of sun to her face. She appeared to be bathing more, her hair clean and pulled back in a loose bun, fingernails lacking dirt underneath them. The clothes she was wearing were clean, wrinkled but absent of any of the dirt she usually bore. Clearly time without Tobias was being remotely good to her, thought Severus had a feeling Eileen would be hard pressed to admit that.
"How have you been?" Severus ventured.
"Okay, okay," Eileen said anxiously, looking around and bobbing her head in short, jerky motions, "I've been going to the classes they appointed me in court; things have been well. No Toby, no drinking…it's different."
"Same here," Severus replied, "I'm seeing a therapist, working on sorting out my past…"
"That's good, that's good," his mother murmured, but it was unlikely she had truly heard, "Been cleaning up the house a tad; so many beer bottles. Don't know how we even bought them all over the years. There's money coming in, though I don't know where it comes from...the ministry I suppose. Been visiting Diagon Alley a lot…looking for work. I go alone, of course…because I don't know anyone…it's been so long…"
Severus stayed quiet, letting his mother ramble.
"I-I haven't gotten a new wand yet," Eileen admitted, "It's too soon, Toby wouldn't like that..."
Severus froze, wondering if Eileen realized Dumbledore and Wrence had no intention of ever letting Tobias impede on their lives ever again.
"B-but I've started playing Gobstones again," Eileen rambled on, "I used to love it so much. I taught you once, do you remember? I was...I was one of the best at school...those were different times..."
When the train whistle blew in warning, Severus cut his mother off, boldly hugging her around the middle.
Eileen stiffened up in shock when Severus first touched her, but after a few moment she relaxed, enfolding her son in her arms and stroking his hair.
For a moment or two, mother and son just stood there, phasing out the rest of the world to just be together. Neither of them knew when they would be able to see each other yet.
"Take care of yourself, mum," Severus whispered, "I'll write you."
"…You too, Severus," Eileen said softly.
Severus stepped back and gave his mom a weak smile, getting an even weaker one in turn. Turning away, he hurried over to Lily, who was lingering by one of the train doors.
"Everything alright?" she asked. She watched as her parents went to approach Eileen, their intent clearly friendly, but the woman scurried away before they reached her.
"No," Severus said honestly. And he was right. Things were still strained between he and his mother. She was still lost, still unsure and broken. She hadn't apologized to Severus for how she treated him over the years, for choosing to stay with Tobias all those years, but then again, Severus hadn't expected her too. Not yet, "But I think we're getting there."
Not one of my longer chapters but decent all the same I think.
I'm honestly not sure where things will go with Eileen at this time. On the one hand I would like to see her get her life together, but I also don't know how I feel about Severus ever returning to her care. Truthfully, Eileen strikes me as someone who's life would have been better without children. Having grown up in a home with parents so flippant about love that they would cast her out for who she married, I don't see Eileen having the most nurturing upbringing and therefore not instilled with a lot of maternal capabilities.
Motherhood represents a time in her life when she was left pregnant and lacking an inheritance to support herself meaning she would be stuck with her abusive husband just to fed and raise the child. At this point in her life, Eileen might benefit from living life for HER and learning how to be selfless and giving by choice instead of out of obligation.
So yeah, that's a thought I have been mulling over.
Amadeus is dedicated to my Maine Coon Pandora, the fat furry fucker who gives me cuddles and likes to headbutt my laptop closed on me.
Read and review :)