Severus wandlessly shrank his empty trunk to fit in his pocket. He trotted down the stairs and out the front door so quickly he only caught the first word of his mother's protest.
He set off towards the woods for he had a boggart to find.
It took him a good twenty minutes of walking before he found the clearing the kids were at. The trail he found yesterday was ignored as he followed the two sets of trainer imprints, under that of boots, backwards in the other direction. Once he reached patchy grass the trail was a bit harder to follow, but he managed.
He traced the slightly winding path for another five minutes or so before he came upon an abandoned shack with no door.
That made much more sense: a couple of the kids disturbed the boggart in its home, it did not just attack them. Unfortunately, that still didn't explain the 'dead things' the butcher had mentioned.
Severus entered the rickety shack and found nothing more than dust in the outline of where a cot once may have been, an empty crate with a broken side, a falling apart shelf next to a gutted cabinet, and what appeared to be a battered wardrobe with a curtain draped across the front.
Actually, this would be the perfect place to brew potions away from the prying eyes of muggles...including his father.
Movement flickered behind the curtain.
He removed the trunk from his pocket and returned it to it's normal size. He left his wand in his jeans, though he was certain he had never tried to cast ridikkulus without one.
It couldn't be any more difficult than anything else...
The boggart emerged from its wardrobe. This time it opted for just the form of Nagini: the cause of his death.
Severus did flinch, but quickly (and loudly…) cast the spell on it. It turned into a (rather long) colored scarf, he then leviosa'd it in his trunk and locked it.
All of this happened within less than a minute, but he found himself short of breath.
Well, now it won't be bothering anyone anytime soon.
He cast a featherlight charm on the now surprisingly heavy trunk. He secured it over his shoulder with a hand on the end and made his way back home.
As he passed the playground for the second time that day, he heard a familiar voice.
"Sev?"
He turned to see the confused face of Lily.
"Hey."
"Why are you lugging your trunk about?"
"I caught a boggart."
"What, really? How'd you manage that?"
He smiled at her. "With a bit of magic of course."
She frowned. "We're not supposed to use magic outside of school yet, Sev."
"I am well aware, but the ministry doesnt know unless you use your wand."
"...You can do wandless magic?"
"Of course. I've been practicing, haven't you?"
"Well, a bit...without much luck."
"We'll be learning wordless spells next year, and I thought it best to try wandless as well."
She smiled then. "You're such an overachiever."
He smiled back. "Look who's talking, Prefect Evans."
She laughed and it made his heart feel both lighter and heavier. "Where did you find it?"
"In an abandoned shack out in the woods. I think I'll use it for projects...you're welcome to share the space with me of course."
"I'd love to see it, perhaps we can practice wandless magic together and brew some weird potions."
He nodded. "My thoughts exactly."
"Shall I meet you here tomorrow?"
"I am actually busy tomorrow and I don't know for how long...can I come over to your house after work so we can make plans?"
"Work?"
"Mr. Courtney has hired me for the summer."
She looked appalled. "Did your parents make you get a job?"
"No, of course not. I just decided I want to have a bit of freedom, you know?"
Lily shook her head. "I mean, I guess… Anyway, you're welcome to come over. You should stay for dinner too."
"I don't think my mother will approve, but I'll ask anyway."
"Alright, see you tomorrow then." She smiled broadly at him again.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Severus walked the rest of the way home with a smile plastered to his face.
Upon entering the house, he went straight upstairs and shoved the boggart's temporary new home into his closet. He then bolted back down and came to a halt in the kitchen just as his mother looked as if she were about to holler for him.
She stopped mid-breath in her confusion at him suddenly near her. "Severus?"
"I'll set the table before father gets home." He said before she could ask.