Chapter 21: The Reunion

Summary: Severus' first day back home doesn't go as planned.

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Eileen was anxious to see her son. It had been too long since she had last held him and it pained her knowing she was missing out on him growing up. They wrote to each other often. She knew all of his friends and what he did every day in the castle from his classes and his exams to his adventures in the castle. But it wasn't enough. Severus was already nine years old and was going to become a teenager in a couple of years. There wasn't a day she wasn't tempted to pull him out of school and bring him home. If only she could afford better living arrangements.

Her dream was to one day live in a house where her son could run around and play like a child his age was supposed to. The house would have a garden where they could grow their own herbs and a shed where Severus could practice brewing potions, which was his absolute favorite activity. Instead, they lived in a room with only enough space for their beds and wardrobes. Where his son would be locked in all day while she worked only a few meters away.

Not this summer, Eileen had vowed herself. She had been working overtime and had saved some money, so that she didn't have to work long hours for the next few weeks and Maggie had promised to cover for her as much as possible. Already planning Severus' first day of the holidays, Eileen stepped out of the building and apparated to the station. She crossed the barrier and stood in a corner, waiting. A few minutes later, the train pulled into the station and children started pouring out. She scanned the crowd for Severus. Her heart skipped a bit when she saw him climbing the stairs down with his friends. His eyes lightened up the moment he saw her. He waved to her, grinning.

Eileen waited patiently as his son said goodbye to his friends and finally ran to where she was standing. She opened her arms to catch him.

"Sweetheart, I've missed you so much." she murmured against his hair and held on to him for a few more minutes.

"I've miss you, too." whispered Severus and cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Ready to go home?" she asked, straightening up. To which his son nodded. They were about to turn and leave when a young voice stopped them.

"Excuse me." said a read headed girl, getting their attention. Her cheeks were flushed red and she was panting as if she had run all the way there. "I almost forgot, Severus. I still have your quill." she added as she handed the quill back.

"Thanks, Lily." said Severus, grinning. "Mom, Lily helped me study for charms."

"How wonderful. Thank you for helping my son." said Eileen, unwilling to alienate Severus' friend despite her reservations.

"It wasn't a big deal. I've wanted to become friends with Severus for the longest time. He's always nice to everyone." explained Lily.

"I'm glad he has a friend like you." said Eileen. "It was nice meeting you, Lily. But I'm afraid we're going to have to leave."

"Goodbye, Lily." said Severus, giving the taller girl a quick hug.

"Goodbye. Have a nice summer." said Lily. "Oh, here come my parents." she added as she was about to leave.

"Did you find your friend, dear?" asked Violet Evans.

"Yes, this is Severus and that's his mother." answered Lily.

"It's nice to meet you …" Violet trailed off. "Eileen?" she whispered, disbelieving.

"Mrs. Snape?" exclaimed the man standing next to her.

Eileen paled but held her head high. "It's Prince now and we were about to leave." she said, putting a hand on Severus' shoulder, protectively.

"No, Eileen. Please don't go!" said Violet. "It's been so long. We would have contacted you if we knew how. Can we go somewhere to talk?"

"We have nothing to talk about, now if you'll excuse me …"

"He's been in prison for five years. Lord knows he deserves every minute of it but he's changed. He's sober now and he's desperate to see his son." said, Mr. Evans.

"There's no way in hell I'd let him anywhere near my boy after everything he put us through!" hissed Eileen, losing all control. "He's sober because he can't get his filthy hands on a drink. That man will never change."

"Mom?" whispered Severus, pulling on her robe. "Are you talking about my father?"

Eileen looked down and felt her heart break at the vulnerable look on his face. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Let's go home."

This time nobody protested as they turned to leave. Severus didn't say anything the entire way home and then sat quietly on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Severus? Say something, darling." said Eileen, kneeling in front of him.

"You lied."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You said he left and that you didn't know where he was. Why did you lie?"

Eileen sighed. "Tobias went to prison because he hurt someone very badly. I wanted to protect you." she tried to explain.

"I thought I could never see him again."

"I don't want you near that man. I know you don't remember much but he put us both through hell. I don't regret leaving. My only regret is that I didn't leave sooner."

"I do remember." said Severus in a small voice. "He was mean and nasty but … they said he's changed."

"People like that don't change that easily."

"What if he has?"

"What if he hasn't? I don't want him to hurt you again."

"Please? Can we go see him?" asked Severus pleadingly.

Eileen blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. She sat down next to her son on the bed him into a tight hug. She didn't know what to do. All she had done was to protect him from getting hurt but it was obvious he was hurting. The thought of being in the same room as Tobias made her skin crawl but denying her boy's request could do more damage than good.

"You know I'll do anything for you, sweetheart. If you want to see him this badly, we'll go but I don't want you to get your hopes up. Chances are, he's still as mean and nasty as he used to be."

Severus nodded into her chest. Eileen realized he was crying and held him closer, drawing small circles on his back. She let her own tears fall and prayed to Merlin that she wasn't making the biggest mistake of her life.