She comes home to the sound of arguing and heads towards the living room to find Lily and Petunia in the middle of a heated argument. Fortunately, the boy still seems to be sleeping soundly, his brow furrowed with worry, clearly he's still worn out from earlier.
"What's he doing here?!" Petunia asks indignantly, pointing at him, "I don't want his sort here in our house."
"Leave him alone Tuney he's my friend, besides you shouldn't be mean to him it's not his fault he's hurt!" Lily retaliates defending him.
She stands in the doorway glaring at her two girls "Petunia! A word in the kitchen, now!" She says, pointing in the direction. Petunia looks up at her defiantly before moodily storming off into the kitchen. She turns back to Lilly more kindly "don't worry I'll have a word with her."
She walks into the kitchen shutting the door before turning to her sullen-looking daughter "Petunia I expect better of you than to behave like that. Severus is our guest"
"But Mum, why's he here?" she interrupts.
"He's hurt dear so I've been treating him. His parents are struggling to look after him so I've said we'll look after him for now"
"But I don't like him, he's a filthy freak and he's weird, why does he have to stay here?!" she objects pouting.
"Petunia, I don't want to hear you talking about him that way you understand? Those sorts of remarks are very insulting and hurtful. Now tell me, has he ever done anything to you too deserve to be talked to like that?"
"Well he's always going off with Lily and making up stuff about being a wizard or doing those freakish tricks of theirs and then they ignore me or he says something rude. You know he was hiding in the bushes and spying on me and Lily last year, he called her a witch and he called me a nasty word he said I was a muggle"
"Petunia dear, do you know what that word means?"
"Well no not really" she admits "but Lily asked him about it and apparently it's what they call people like us who can't do magic"
She sighed "I see and did you say anything to him?"
"No" she says adamantly, her mother looks at her and puts her hands on her hips waiting, eventually she cracks under her stern gaze, "ok well I guess I said that he comes from Spinner's End which is true, no one goes near that part of town, I didn't want Lily hanging around with someone like that, he's creepy and filthy just like his father"
"I see. Tell me dear did you think about how that may make him feel, don't you think that the other kids might judge him unfairly based upon his family and where he lives? I'm sure I've brought you up better than to judge people, he doesn't need more people reminding him about his poor upbringing something I might add which he has no control over"
Petunia shifts uncomfortably, feeling a bit guilty "I guess"
"I've seen him hanging around the park before and I've seen the way the other children act towards him. I'd imagine it must be hard for him to make friends if people already look down on him and judge him, don't you think? Maybe that's why he was watching you if he hasn't had much practice talking and playing with other children. Lily seems to think he didn't have any friends so I imagine he wanted to make a good first impression particularly if he's never met anyone like him. I'm sure he didn't realise that he may upset you or Lily by calling her a witch since he's been brought up differently to you"
"I suppose I didn't think of it like that but I still don't like him much, there's something weird about him"
"I know and I don't expect you two to be the best of friends. I just want you to try and be nice and civil towards him. Remember he's a very scared little boy who's experienced a lot of trauma in his young life" she notices her daughter looking at her uncertainly "I know it's a big adjustment and I'm not trying to single you out or punish you, I expect the same from Lily and Severus, I'll be talking to them as well if they start making nasty remarks towards you just try and get along alright?"
"Ok" she agrees reluctantly.
"Good, be patient. I know it's going to take a bit of getting used to, but we'll get there" she says giving her a quick hug before dismissing her.
A while later their father returns home and peeks into the living room, noting with surprise the unexpected visitor curled up next to his daughter, he quietly backs out and searches for his wife in the kitchen.
She turns around upon hearing his steps approaching "Oh hi dear, good day at work?" she asks, pecking him on the cheek.
"Yes, it was fine, nothing too exciting though. Tell me who's our little guest in the other room?" He asks curiously.
"Oh that's Severus, you know the boy Lily's friends with" she explains.
"Yes, I can see they're good friends, still curled up together in there. So what happened?" He smiles at the image, glad that Lily's kind heart has allowed her to form such a strong friendship.
"Well, it's a bit of a long story. Lily came back earlier all upset, she said that he'd been hurt so naturally I took him into the front room and treated him as best I could. When I saw what a state he was in, I became quite worried about him. He looked terribly thin and his back was in a real state, just look at his shirt" she says finding the offending article and holding it up for him to see.
"There was barely an inch of his back that wasn't covered in sores and bruises. They looked very painful and tender, many of them were still open and weeping, and some of them looked infected. It looked as though someone had been beating him regularly with a belt"
She pauses, sighing and looking at her husband, whose frown has increased as he listens with a mixture of shock and barely contained anger. "I couldn't bear the thought of sending him back home while he was still injured like that so I went round to talk to his mother. She doesn't appear to be very well herself. She's struggling to take care of him and from what she's told me it sounds like his father's very violent and regularly lashes out at both of them"
She pauses "I met his father you know, as I was leaving I could tell he's the worst kind of person, foul-mouthed, violent and blind drunk, cursing his own son. He clearly doesn't care at all about the boy or her for that matter, I dread to think what he'll do to him if we send him back. The poor boy already needs so much love and reassurance if he goes back there I fear he'll truly break him mentally if he doesn't break him physically first. I suggested that he could stay here for now. I'm sorry I couldn't ask you first"
Mr Evans shakes his head, looking equally disgusted, having seen the man himself drinking into oblivion "My interactions with him have hardly been pleasant, I dread to think how he treats his family. You're right of course, we could hardly leave him in that situation. How could anyone do that to a poor defenceless child?" he starts angrily, tailing off disgusted and lost for words, "Are you sure about this though, taking in another child, it's a big decision love, are you sure we're doing the right thing?"
"I know it'll be a challenge looking after another child, finding enough space and making money stretch further but it's not as though we're stretched so thin that we couldn't manage. He needs a loving family to give him all the care and attention that he deserves, I know we can give that to him and provide him with the love and care he needs to heal from all the trauma he's endured even if it's just till his mother's well enough to look after him"
"I see, well I suppose when you put it like that"
"What's the alternative if we don't? We'll have to report his parents and then he'll probably end up being sent to an orphanage or stuck in the system bounced between foster homes for who knows how long. It could make him far worse and more withdrawn if he's not getting the individual attention he needs. Besides, his mother said his father beat them up because he was afraid of their magic. How many families are out there who could cope with a child like that and take him in? I'll bet most families wouldn't know what to do with him or worse they might be afraid of him and end up hurting him"
"Yes, I suppose you're right, but it's hardly as though we know much about magic ourselves, are you sure we're any more equipped to deal with that than anyone else?" he asks with concern.
"No I suppose not, but we can learn. At least we know and we'd accept him and treat him with love and kindness. Besides, from what Lily says it sounds like he's convinced that she's going to be able to do magic like him and he probably knows more about it than we do so we'd have to get used to it anyway, it might actually be fun raising two magical children"
He smiles at that suggestion "it would certainly explain all the strange things she's been able to do recently, it'd actually be a relief to know how she can do those things" he muses thoughtfully coming round to the idea.
"Right and maybe he can help make the transition a bit easier for all of us. At least we'd always be able to talk to his Mum if we had any questions or concerns and Lily says they should be getting their letters for this magic school next year so I'm sure they'll be able to offer us some help and support and answer any questions we may have"
"It seems like you've got it all figured out, I think you're right we can find enough love in our hearts and space in our home to welcome another child" he says smiling and embracing her.
"I'm glad that's settled then and that you're ok with him staying here for now. It looks as though it's going to be a busy day tomorrow, I want him to see a Doctor so I can make sure we're doing all we can to get him healthy. I want to report his father to the police so he can be brought to justice for everything he's done to them, then there's social services and I think we'll have to do something his clothes" she says, indicating the small pile of worn and discoloured clothes, many of which look too big for a child of his age and thin frame, "it doesn't look like he's had any new clothes in quite a while. I just hope it's not too much for him"
"It's alright we'll get him through this, just make sure not to overwhelm him, it sounds like he's already been through enough" he says reassuringly, holding her.
"Right, I'll try not to, I'd better go check and see whether he's awake"
"I'll come with you"
They enter the room quietly to find him still curled up on the sofa with Lily resting next to him, an arm wrapped protectively around him.
They stand watching over them for a minute, "he looks so much more peaceful when he's sleeping, it's hard to believe anyone could subject a child to such horrific violence" she says softly.
"It's alright we're doing the right thing, he's safe now, we'll make sure this doesn't happen to him again and we'll give him loads of happy memories from now on" he reassures her, squeezing her shoulder.
Lily stirs first, looking around drowsily "Mum, Dad?"
"Yes dear, why don't you go play upstairs or see if you can patch things up with your sister, we just need to have a quick chat with Sev when he wakes up"
She looks up at them and then back at Sev debating the matter before nodding and heading off upstairs.
After a few moments, Sev stirs, seeming to sense the absence of his friend laid beside him. He wakes bleary-eyed and confused, trying to remember where he is and what happened earlier before he notices the faces staring kindly down at him.
He startles at this "oh hi Mrs Evans, Sir? Uh thanks for you know treating me earlier" he says uneasily, self consciously rubbing his neck, "I'd better be getting home or my Mum will be getting worried and my Dad will be angry" he says swinging his legs over the sofa and preparing to make a quick exit.
"Woah hang on there son" Lily's father says gently, catching him on the shoulder and directing him back towards the sofa.
"Uh, have I done something wrong? I didn't mean to fall asleep honest" he asks, feeling confused.
"No dear, you haven't done anything wrong. It's just well I've been talking to your Mum and we agreed that it may be best if you stay here at least for now until you've had a chance to heal, I don't feel comfortable sending you home knowing your father might hurt you again and your Mum sounds like she's struggling. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to" Lily's mother tells him.
He looks up at them in shock "oh yeah she is" he agrees his shoulders sagging "are you sure? I won't have to go back? Does that mean I won't have to see him again?" he says uncertainly.
"Yes, you're safe now, you're not going back at least not while he's there to hurt you. We're going to report him for what he did to you and your Mum so he can be punished, with a bit of luck he'll be locked up for a long time. We'll do everything we can to make sure he can't lay a hand on you ever again"
He breathes a sigh of relief at that before something else occurs to him "what about my Mum? Will she be punished too?" he asked, panicking at the thought of her being locked up "she's not a bad person, she tried to protect me, it's just she's not very well" he says sadly.
"Hush now it's alright, I could see that, I can tell she cares a lot about you as well, she wants you to be safe. We're going to try and make sure she gets help as well so she can get better too"
"Will I still be able to see her?" he asks nervously.
"Oh dear of course, you can. I told her she's welcome to come round and visit you anytime she wants or you can go round to see her if you prefer"
"Thank you" he says, tears of gratitude welling up, "why though? Why are you doing all this for me? No one's ever been nice to me before, no one's ever cared enough to help me"
"I think you've kind of answered your own question" he looks up at her in confusion "you've been through so much, it's about time you had someone to care for you, you deserve to feel safe and loved just like any other child"
"But I don't deserve this" he protests in confusion, thinking about what his Dad's always told him, "my Dad says I'm a burden and magic's the devil's work and …"
"Hush now don't fret. Every child deserves this, to be safe and happy and loved. Whatever your father told you he was wrong, you're not a burden and you absolutely do not deserve any of what's happened to you. Your father was brought up differently to you and your Mum. I think that he doesn't understand your magic, and it scares him. Think of all the wonderful things you've shown Lily. Magic is a gift, a wonderful beautiful gift"
"She's right, you know. What he did to you and your mother was wrong, he should not have been allowed to hurt you like that. No one deserves that, particularly not a child. If I ever get my hands on him" he says angrily, his wife places a hand on his arm to calm him.
"Even a freak like me?" he asks uncertainly.
They gasp in shock before Lily's Mum reaches out and strokes his cheek gently "don't use that nasty word, you're not a freak, you hear me? You and Lily are different from a lot of kids but that's not a bad thing in fact I'd say being able to do magic is a wonderful gift to be born with" Mr Evans sticks his arm around him before giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, he looks from one to the other reassured by their kind smiles, perhaps his Dad is wrong about him.
Sev looks at them both in shock "I don't know what to say, thank you" he says feeling overwhelmed with tears and conflicting emotions.
"It's alright dear" she says, wrapping her arms around him and holding him to her as he releases all his emotions, "things are going to be different now" she says, rubbing his back gently. After a few minutes, he begins to calm down "come on dear I'll bet you're hungry. I'll just call the girls down and then we can have some tea"
She leads him through into the other room while her husband calls the girls down. When everyone is seated, she serves him a full bowl of rich vegetable stew which she figured would be easy on his stomach if he's not used to good food. He stares down at it in surprise. It smells good he thinks inhaling and it looks much less watery than his Mum can manage to make for him.
He looks up uncertainly while everyone else starts chattering and tucking in, "Have as much as you want dear, there's plenty more and bread" she says indicating the basket of soft bread rolls in the middle of the table, not at all like the food at home, "I think we need to feed you up with some good food" she teases him gently.
The food tastes as good as it smells, it's much richer and more filling than the watery stew he's used to and by the end, he's struggling but feeling pleasantly full.
They soon retire into the living room to watch the telly, before long he feels himself beginning to get drowsy snuggled in between Lily and her parents on the sofa. Her mother notices him dropping off and decides it might be time to get everyone ready for bed, particularly since it's no doubt been a long and trying day for him.
"I think it's getting to your bedtime, it's getting late. Why don't you girls go get changed and washed up and then your Dad can read you a story" she suggests.
Lily looks up yawning, she gets up hesitating "night Sev" she says smiling shyly at him "oh right, good night Lily" he replies feeling equally shy as her Dad shepherds her over to the doorway where her sister is hovering uncertainly waiting for her, for a minute they can hear them disappearing up the stairs chattering to each other.
He looks up at her Mum unsure what to expect "I'm afraid it may take a few days before we're able to set up another bed for you and sort out the rooms. Are you alright with sleeping on the sofa for now? I know it's probably not as comfortable as what you're used to but we can bring down loads of blankets and pillows and make it nice for you"
"Oh yes that's fine really, I wouldn't want to be any trouble, it was quite comfy earlier, thank you Mrs Evans" he says hurriedly, not wishing to be a bother, as they were going out of their way to take him in.
"It's no trouble, are you sure that's ok?" he nods vigorously grateful for their hospitality and not wanting to appear too needy "well then, in that case, I suppose we'd better get you ready for bed as well, I'm sure I saw some pyjamas in those clothes your mother gave me" "she says leading him into the kitchen and sorting through the pile of clothes.
"Ah, here we are, this looks like it" she says holding up a grubby-looking oversized nightshirt.
He nods looking away face flushing with embarrassment at the old well-worn and dishevelled clothes "yeah that's it" he mumbles.
"Don't worry we'll get you some new clothes tomorrow", she reassures him "now I think I saw a toothbrush in here as well, oh and I think these are yours as well?" she says more quietly winking and digging out a somewhat battered-looking teddy and blanket.
His face brightens up at spotting his old friends "really thanks!" before looking down at his feet and trying to hide his excitement, he rmembers what his ad says about telling him to man up and that he's too old for toys and tries to act all grown up "I suppose I'm probably a bit old for them, but well I don't exactly have many toys, I've had them since I was little and they always help me to get to sleep" he admits.
"It's alright you're never too old and you're in a strange place, besides I wouldn't feel too embarrassed Lilly still sleeps with her favourite toy bunny" she confides in a whisper causing him to smile "why don't you go get changed and do your teeth while I make up a bed for you and then I can brush your hair for you. The bathroom is just at the top of the stairs"
"Right" he says, placing them on the table and disappearing upstairs and then returning a few minutes later, holding his clothes in his arms and looking a bit cleaner, swamped in his old nightshirt. She sits him down on her lap in one of the armchairs before attempting to run a comb through his hair. It's tough-going as it's been allowed to grow long and is all matted and greasy. Clearly, no one's helped him with this for a while she thinks determining that he's going to get a good bath when his sores have started to heal up. She tries not to be too rough, aware that pulling the matted hair apart will be painful, after a few minutes she decides that's enough for one evening.
She tucks him into the bed that she's made up for him on the sofa, making sure he's cosy along with his teddy and blanket "you want me to read to you to help you go to sleep?" she asks.
Sev thinks about this "if that's alright, it's been a long time since anyone's read to me or tucked me in like this, although my Mum always used to tell me stories about Hogwarts and Merlin and King Arthur, I liked that" he says wistfully.
"Well, I can't tell you any stories like that. We can go to the library another day and you can pick out some books to read and I can have a look upstairs and see if we've got any books that you may like. I know, have you read The Chronicles Of Narnia?"
"No, but Lily's always talking about them and saying how they're really good and they remind her of when I tell her stories about Hogwarts. She says I should read them"
"I thought she might have mentioned them. I think she's right, and you'll enjoy them, the first one's called the Magician's Nephew," she says, watching his eyes open wide in surprise at this, "so what do you think, you want to give them a go? I can read some of them to you if you'd like?"
"Yeah, I'd like that, thank you" it doesn't take him long to make up his mind, he's excited at the prospect of reading these books he's heard so much about in fact just the idea of someone reading him a story and tucking him in makes him feel happy, it feels like so long since anyone's done that for him.
She returns quickly and settles herself in a chair next to him and he listens entranced as she starts reading to him. He makes himself comfy nestling into the soft sheets clutching his teddy. It doesn't make a bad bed, he thinks as he listens to her reading to him, he can already tell that it's a good book just as Lilly said. After a few pages, he finds himself struggling to keep his eyes open.
She reaches the end of the page she's reading and looks up smiling as she notices that he's already drifted off, clearly exhausted. She knows it's going to take a long time to heal this vulnerable child. It won't be easy but they'll get him through this with a lot of love. He looks so different asleep, more innocent and peaceful yet still so vulnerable, he looks tense and guarded as though expecting to be attacked at any minute she thinks as she carefully brushes the hair out of his face before adjusting the blankets around him and bending down to kiss him on his forehead hoping she's made the right decision.
A few hours later she's woken by a noise from downstairs, suddenly alert she rushes down to the living room and switches on the light. She hears Sev mumbling and crying out in his sleep, clearly upset. She hurries over and gently shakes his shoulder trying to rouse him.
Suddenly his eyes snap open, he looks around him in confusion before settling on her face "Mrs Evans?" he asks groggily, feeling confused.
"It's alright dear, were you having a nightmare?" she reassures him.
"Yeah" he says as the dream comes back to him, "I dreamed about having a family, then my Dad came and he wanted to take me away and lock me up so I'd never see them again and …" he starts beginning to sob as he recalls it and the intense emotions that it stirred up, it all felt so real.
"Shush it's ok I get the idea. It was just a dream, you're safe we won't let him get you. You want me to sit with you till you get back to sleep?" he nods sensing that she will protect him "come on" she says before lifting him onto her lap still wrapped in the blankets. She rubs his back, running a hand through his hair and humming a lullaby softly to him, he sighs feeling comforted by her soothing presence as his eyes begin to grow heavy again.
Reviews:
PhoebeSmilee: Thanks glad you liked my interpretation of his parents, that's the way I've always seen them and I think it fits with what little detail we're given in cannon except perhaps the bit about them arguing all the time. The main focus will be on Sev but yes both their lives should improve going forward.
raymond21: Yes I agree it would be good to have more good examples of Slytherin's, I've already written the sorting and I have my reasons for writing it the way I have which I'll explain when it's posted, I'm not one to do spoilers though.
I agree about his Dad, he's a horrible character. I can see why Eileen comes across as being neglectful and not a good mother but I think she and Severus are both victims and it has a lot of that has to do with being stuck ina an abusive relationship for such a long time, I think it must be very depressing and damaging to her as well as Severus. This is my take on it:
Clearly from what we know in cannon (which is what I normally start from) she's a witch so from a magical and quite possibly a pureblood family (would explain why Severus is so keen to be in Slytherin) so it's quite likely that her family won't be too happy about her marrying a muggle and may even cast her out from the family.
This would mean that if she chooses to leave behind the magical world to be with Tobias that she would feel cut off and probably not know enough about the muggle world to be able to provide for herself and her son when she realises that Tobias is becoming more violent and abusive towards them and therefore feels trapped in an unhappy marriage. I can imagine that Tobias probably hurts both of them and doesn't care who he hits particularly if he's drunk and I don't think that he'd have a problem with hitting or shoving Eillen out of the way if she's standing between him and Severus to try and shield him. Bearing that in mind if the abuse has been going on a long time it's going to have a draining effect on her both physically and mentally to the point where she feels exhausted and worn down and it becomes a struggle to look after herself and her family particularly if she can't afford to put good food on the table and make repairs to the house etc. By this point, I reckon she probably feels so depressed that she can't see a way out until Mrs Evans actually suggests taking Severus in at which point she realises that's best for him as they are able to provide him with a good home and family and more love and care then she's able to.