Chapter 16: The Potters
Summary: Severus spends boxing day at the Potters' house.
Notes: Hello everyone. It took me a while to write this chapter. I haven't been feeling my best lately and as much as I enjoy writing about little Severus I didn't feel up to it.
A few weeks back I had to go to the dentist. They performed root canal on one of my teeth and pulled out the wisdom tooth next to it in one session. (I think because of the coronavirus they didn't want me to go in multiple sessions). Both of those things cause a good amount of bleeding. Also, my wisdom teeth are very deep and the bleeding doesn't stop right away for me. To top it off I got my period right after. A couple of days later, I started to feel very sick and it only got worse. It turned out that my iron level was low. I've been taking a supplement for a few days now and feel a lot better. So everything's fine.
I hope you guys are doing OK. Please take the coronavirus seriously and be as careful as you can be and stay home if you're able to. No matter where in the world you live, remember we're all in this together. Be safe.
...
After Christmas the pub was once more filled with customers, which meant Severus' mother had to go back to work. It was a relief that Severus was invited to spend the day at the Potters', otherwise he would have felt too lonely.
That morning after breakfast, Severus dressed in the new clothes he had gotten for Christmas and sat waiting. The only fireplace with a floo connection was at the pub's dining area and mother didn't want him to go downstairs while the place was too crowded. He didn't understand why Eileen was so concerned with the idea of him going in the pub but he knew it had something to do with what happened to him almost four years ago. Before that, his mother hadn't been half as strict as she was now.
He wondered what things would be like if his mother let him go down from time to time. He could work in the kitchen with Aunt Maggie, preparing food and drinks or perhaps help his mother serve the tables and wipe them clean when the customers were done. He frowned as he realized he was too short to do most of those things. Mother always told him he was going to become tall enough to loom over her one day but Severus didn't know how long he needed to wait for that to happen.
Minutes passed by as he sat there waiting for the morning rush to pass. His thoughts turned to the upcoming visit. It was the first time he was going to a friend's house. James' parent had seemed nice at the train station. The family had earned their fortune brewing potions according to Eileen. Perhaps they could help him invent a potion that'll make him grow faster. It would probably cost a lot of money though.
Severus was lost in thought when his mother opened the door, looking out of breath as if she had run the whole way up.
"Come on, Severus. Time to go." she announced.
Severus didn't waste any time. He grabbed his bag, patted Julie goodbye and followed his mother downstairs. He glanced curiously at the few customers that were sitting around the pub as they made their way to the fireplace. His mother handed him some floo powder and kissed him goodbye. Severus hesitated for a moment before throwing the powder into the fire and braced himself as he stepped into the green flames. He came out of the other end on his hands and knees, the world swimming around him. Staying where he was, Severus waited for the sensation to pass.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?" asked a feminine voice.
Severus looked up to see Mrs. Potter crouching beside him. "I don't like flooing" he murmured.
Mrs. Potter smiled and helped him to his feet. "Me neither. It always ruins my clothes." she said and waved her wand at him to get rid of the soot on his clothes. "There, all better. It's Severus, isn't it? I'm glad you could make it. Let's get you to James' room. Everyone else is already there." she continued as she guided him out of the sitting room and up the stairs.
"I'm sorry I'm late. My mother was busy this morning." said Severus as he tried to match Mr. Potter's brisk pace.
"That's alright, love. You have the rest of the day to spend with your friends."
"Your house is really beautiful." commented Severus. It was true. The house was big and spacious like Hogwarts but had a fancier look and feel to it. It almost made him feel out of place.
"Thank you. We've just gotten it redecorated. I can't say I'm happy with all of the designer's choices but I'm sure with a few tweaks here and there it'll become perfect."
Severus didn't know what to say to that so he stayed quiet as they entered a hallway and stopped in front of one of the doors.
"James, honey, Severus is here." called Mr. Potter as she knocked.
The door was opened by an overexcited James. "Finally! Come in Severus." he said, stepping aside to let him in.
"Have fun boys. Remember to come down on time for lunch." said Mr. Potter.
"Ok, mom." murmured James, closing the door.
"This is your room?" asked Severus. It looked as fancy and spacious as the rest of the house.
"Yeah. I'll show you around later." answered James and dragged him to the other side of the room where Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting together on a circular carpet.
Severus grinned at his friends. He had really missed them. "Merry Christmas!" he said.
James pushed him down to sit on the carpet. "Time for that later. We want to open our presents." he said and sat next to Sirius.
Severus noticed there was a small pile of presents in front of each person. He reached into his bag and took out his own, handing them to the other boys. Not touching the wrapped gift in front of him, he anxiously watched his friends.
"Is this a book?" asked James, making a face.
Severus shook his head no.
"What is it then?" wondered James as he ripped the wrapping paper and opened the box. "It's cookies." he announced and inhaled, taking in the smell. "They smell delicious."
"Cookies?" asked Peter eagerly. He left the present he was unwrapping and reached for Severus'. He opened the box and bit into one of the cookies. "Hmmm, it's good. What flavor is that?"
"That one's pumpkin and the other ones are chocolate chip." explained Severus.
"Let me taste." said Sirius and reached for Peter's box.
"You've got your own." protested Peter, hiding the box behind his back. "Where did you get them?" he asked Severus. It was the first time the boy was paying him this much attention. They had barely talked to one another up to this point.
"We baked them at home." answered Severus.
Peter grinned at him. "We do that, too. My mom loves baking." he said.
Sirius suddenly burst out laughing.
"What's so funny about that?" snapped Peter, defensively.
"Nothing, I was just… I was imagining my mother baking cookies." said Sirius between giggles.
No one said anything for a second. James shifted uncomfortably where he sat and Peter shoved another cookie in his mouth while Sirius kept laughing.
"My mom isn't much of a cook either. I'll share these with her." said Remus, trying to lighten the mood. "How about you guys open mine next?" he added with a nervous smile.
They complied, finding a pair of mittens each. James' and Peter's had snitches on them. Sirius' had a dog and Severus' had a shaggy looking gray cat.
"It looks just like Julie!" exclaimed Severus.
"It's probably not going to fit you. I had to get them all the same size." said Remus, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's Ok. I love it." said Severus, giving Remus a hug.
They went back to opening the rest of their presents. Peter had gotten them chocolate frogs, which he proclaimed to be the best wizarding candy. James' gifts were glowing quitdditch posters. The one for Severus was from the British national team, since he didn't have a favorite team. Sirius had bought fancy stationary for everyone. They looked like something an old business man would use.
Once they were done, James went through his drawers to find a deck of cards. Severus took the opportunity to look around the room. James had more stuff in his room than Severus, his mother and aunt Margaret put together.
One shelf caught Severus' attention. It was filled with all types of toys, ones that he had never seen in his life. "Are these all yours?" he asked in awe.
James blushed. "They're old. I don't play with them or anything. My mom wants me to keep them for some reason." he said dismissively and started dealing the cards as everyone gathered on the carpet again.
Severus longed to touch the toys and play with them but restrained himself. He couldn't help feeling envious though. Growing up he had only had a couple of toys and none of them were magical. The feeling stayed with him as they played exploding snaps and later when they maneuvered their way to the dinning room.
Mrs. Potter had roasted a whole goose. She cut it up and served each of them a hearty portion. Severus stayed quiet as the other boys started talking about their holiday and everything they had been up to.
"What about you Severus? How was your Christmas?" asked Mr. Potter with an encouraging smile, noticing his silence.
"I, err…" he cleared his throat nervously. It had been a fun day but nothing like the others' Christmas. "My mom taught me how to play gobstone." he said quietly.
"That sounds like fun." commented Mrs. Potter.
Severus shrugged. "We couldn't play properly because my cat kept running after the marbles." he admitted.
Everyone laughed, making him feel less awkward.
"That's for the best. Gobstone sure is great but you need to focus on quidditch." Mr. Potter told him.
Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes. "Here we go, again." she murmured under her breath.
"Severus doesn't care for quidditch." James informed his father. "He says it's boring."
"He'll change his tone when he gets on Gryffindor quidditch team."
James snorted. "He practically weighs nothing. All quidditch players are muscular." he said matter of fact.
"That's where you're wrong, son. Players with slighter frames are perfect as seekers. Seekers don't need to be as muscular as the other players since they don't have to swing a bat or pass the quaffle around. First and foremost, they need to be quick. And light weight equals speed."
James frowned in thought. "He's not good on a broom." he said.
"Then we'll need to whip him into shape."
Both father and son turned to Severus, matching expressions of determination written on their faces.
"What do you say young man, ready for a challenge?" asked Mr. Potter.
Severus looked around the table. Mrs. Potter sighed and shook her head but Sirius, Peter and Remus were all leaning forward eagerly, waiting for his answer.
"I'll do my best." said Severus finally.
"That's the spirit!" said Mr. Potter. "We'll go to the pitch as soon as we're done eating. You better polish your plate. You're going to need the energy." he added, looking pointedly at Severus' half eaten food.
Severus gave the man a small smile and ate his lunch with gusto. He didn't really like flying much but Mr. Potter's attention filled him with warmth and he didn't want the sensation to go away.
