Severus was annoyed to discover that the article Bellatrix had forced upon them actually revealed very little. It named several children and noted that they had been traveling in a group. Then, it listed their ages-the oldest was thought to be around thirteen years of age, and the youngest around eight. They had been dressed in muggle costumes at the time, and it had been speculated that they had been on their way to or from a Halloween party. Their parents were, of course, unable to give much in the way of comment.
"I expect the older ones were being homeschooled, since the Prophet claims they're from wizarding families," Peter mused.
"But why would You-Know-Who attack children?" James asked, reading over the article once more.
"He didn't like their parents? Anyway, it could have been Death Eaters having fun, and not caring who they killed," Sirius put in. With a glare at the Slytherin table, he added, "No wonder Bella's so happy."
"She wouldn't want him to kill you, would she?" Peter asked. "You're her family."
Sirius shrugged. "My whole family is into the pure-blood nonsense, and my parents think that You-Know-Who is completely right. Not sure if they think half-bloods and muggle-borns should be killed...except Bella, maybe. She's dark."
Severus shivered. He was a half-blood, after all. Just how safe was he? Or his mum, come to think of it? He didn't know a ton about her family, only that they disowned her after she married a muggle.
Glancing at the table, it looked like most of Slytherins looked elated as well, but perhaps that was Severus' imagination.
Sirius folded up the paper with a look of disdain on his face. Before he could say anything, the flock of owls arrived, and within seconds, one dropped a letter by his breakfast. It wasn't a red one, either.
"Oh, it's from my favorite uncle!" Sirius grinned as he saw the return address.
Severus opened his mouth to respond, but became distracted when another owl dropped a letter by his plate. He grabbed at it as soon as he saw it was from his mother, then ripped it open, all thoughts of his breakfast abandoned.
My dear Severus,
I am writing to you to give you some news that will, I hope, you will be happy to hear. Put plainly, I have left your father. Severus, I should have left him when you were a baby, and begged my family to forgive me and accept us back into the Prince House. As it is, I fear that it is far too late for that. However, I have started a new life, and I hope you will not be too ashamed of me to be a part of it.
A week after receiving your letter, I journeyed to Hogsmeade in search of work. I did not truly expect to find anything, but your father had been more volatile since you went off to school, and he had taken to drink away even more of his wages than before. My cousin Hilda, as I learned, had opened an inn in Hogsmeade five years ago. It had become very successful, and she was in need of more help. To condense a very long story, she hired me because of my skills and our familial relation. After a week, I believed I could trust her enough to tell her the truth about my husband and how he had treated us. She immediately offered to house me in one of the rooms for a small portion-a pittance, really-from my wages.
The room is smaller than our house, but certainly large enough for two people. There are two large beds, and when you visit during the summer (if you so choose), we can hang a curtain to provide you with some privacy. I know that you will be twelve soon, and should not have to share a room with your mother. I am hopeful, however, that I will have saved enough by the end of your second year to move to a cottage on the other side of Hogsmeade. There are some available for rent that are quite a good bargain. As it is, Hilda pays me ten galleons a week, and since my meals are covered by the inn, my only expenses will be for your schooling.
Your father signed the documents for divorce without any complaint, so we will not have to worry about that.
Please write soon, especially if you wish to visit for any of you school holidays.
With love,
Mum
Severus read the letter three times, disbelief turning into respect for his mother. He realized that he hadn't thought much of her, not really, until now. Oh, he knew that she loved him, but his failure to protect him from his father had meant she was hardly a protector. Worth protecting, perhaps, yet hardly someone he could really respect. Certainly not after what he had heard about the others' parents (well, except Sirius'). And while he felt a bit let down that he would not be able to hex his father upon returning home, he was also rather relieved that this would not be a battle he would need to fight.
The others, he realized, upon putting the letter down, were staring at him. Even Sirius, who must have finished reading his uncle's letter.
"All right, Severus?" Remus asked, giving him a gentle smile.
He nodded abruptly, then slowly grinned. "Mum's left my father. She's gone to work for a cousin in Hogsmeade, and she's living there."
The other marauders, who knew directly or indirectly about the abuse Tobias Snape had inflicted upon his wife and son, looked relieved. Happy for Severus, too.
Sirius, who was sitting next to him, put an arm around his shoulder. "That's great, mate."
Remus, sitting on the other side of him, squeezed his hand. "You must be relieved."
"Yes, I am," Severus answered, truthfully.
He felt a bit let down, of course, that his father wouldn't pay for his crimes, but he couldn't say that here.
His friends likely knew this, anyway.
"Mum wants to know if I'll visit her during the school holidays," he continued. "Have any of you thought about your plans for Christmas?"
Until now, he had planned on staying at the castle, but he didn't know about the others. Lily would be returning home to see her family, and likely try to reconcile once more with her sister. Never mind that Petunia hadn't written her one letter since Lily had left for school, and while the owl post was the fastest, there were people working in the post office who could certainly deliver a letter to Lily. Dumbledore receiving her letter nearly a year ago had proved that.
"I'll be returning home," Remus answered, "but I'll be staying here for the Easter holidays. Dad says the teachers will give us loads of homework then, so if we don't get a head start, that's all we'll be doing."
"Dad said the same," James added, with a nod. "I already asked them what work they'll be giving us, and took notes. We can get started right away. It's mostly essays. Oh, and I reckon I'll be staying here, because the festivities are supposed to be incredible."
"I'll be staying, 'cept I don't plan on telling my parents until the last minute," Sirius put in. "Don't want to get another Howler."
"Our ears are still ringing from her last one," James teased.
Sirius attempted a glare, but ended up grinning. "She probably made history for the longest Howler for something stupid."
Severus snorted.
"Well, Mum and Dad don't want me to stay," Peter added, looking disappointed. "They say they'll think it over for next year."
"Afraid you'll get into trouble?" Severus asked him, with a smile.
Peter chuckled, but shook his head. "No, it's only as they haven't seen me since the start of term, and they'd rather not wait until April or June."
"That's two of us, myself and Sirius," James noted. "Severus? What about you?"
He shrugged. "I'd like to see how my mum is, especially without my father around. It would be nice if I could spend a week with her and a week here."
"You can, just ask McGonagall," Remus told him. "You'd take the train...well, you'd likely take a Portkey, since your mum lives in Hogsmeade."
"No, the train makes a stop in Hogsmeade," James corrected. "They make more stops during the holidays, and that's the first. Since it's an all wizarding village, some of our classmates live there. No sense in having to travel all the way to King's Cross if you're just going back. Not for a holiday, anyway. And," he added, "I believe you can ask McGonagall about going back here after the first week. But you'll need to check."
"I'll do that," Severus decided. "Thanks, James."
"We'll do loads of exploring while you're gone, and we can show you all the secret passages and shortcuts we've found once you return," Sirius added, grinning.
"Not that we've managed all that well with the secret passages," James added, a bit disgruntled. "Still, we've got over six and a half years left to look."
Severus smiled at the two of them. When he'd first started school and been Sorted into Gryffindor, the idea of spending a week alone with James Potter and Sirius Black would have made him choose going up against his father without his wand. Now, though, he had no doubt that they would ever intentionally hurt him.
"I'd take a shortcut over a secret passage," Remus put in, taking another piece of toast. "Do you realize how far the Astronomy tower is from the Gryffindor one? If we could figure out a route that would take us directly to the Hufflepuff House..."
James lightly slapped him on the back. "On it, mate. Oh, look, another round of owl post!"
"I better not have gotten another Howler," Sirius groaned.
Luckily enough for Sirius, there was no red envelope.
Remus, on the other hand, got a package that was carried by two owls. He looked a bit embarrassed as he tucked it into his bag without opening it.
Sirius and James, perhaps seeing his expression, didn't pry, but Peter didn't share their tact.
"What have you got there, Remus?" he asked, between mouthfuls of eggs.
"Say it, Peter, don't spray it!" Sirius grumbled, giving him a (from Severus' line of vision) a not so gentle shove.
Remus chuckled. "It's nothing terribly special. Not chocolate or anything like that," he explained. "Just some, er, toiletries. From my parents."
Sirius changed the subject to suggesting they explore the third floor again after lunch, and they all agreed.
Severus, using the excuse of having forgotten to brush his teeth before breakfast, followed Remus into the bathroom. His friend unwrapped the parcel to reveal a large bottle of the shampoo and conditioner. Severus felt his stomach turn as he realized he had been using not school shampoo, but his friend's, since his first day in the tower.
He had to say something. He couldn't continue to steal from his friend, even though he hadn't realized he had been doing so. He would have to pay Remus back, as well...
"Remus, I, er, thought those were provided by the elves as well, and, uh, have been using them," he managed to get out. "I'm sorry, I'll pay you back for them..."
Not that he had much pocket money, but perhaps his mother would let him work with him in Hogsmeade that summer.
Remus put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Severus. That's why I put them out, for anyone who wanted them to use. Anyway," he added, "they're not expensive, not like the stuff James and Sirius uses." Remus gave Severus' shoulder a squeeze. "I'd thought that you or Peter, or both, had been using it. Really, I was surprised they had lasted as long as it had."
Severus forced himself to look in his friend's eyes. "I didn't mean to steal from you. I thought it was provided by the school."
"You didn't steal from me, Severus," Remus insisted. "Really, you didn't. I put them out for everyone. It's not as though you went through my trunk. Do you notice how James and Sirius always bring their items in? Sure, they'll give you a handful if you need it, but it's theirs. I didn't want to bother with that. Really. You don't need to pay me."
"Well," Severus conceded, "I'll be more careful about how much I use. And see if my mum can get some...she's working now, so..."
He trailed off.
"If you like," Remus allowed, with a smile. "What did you use before, anyway?"
"Soap," Severus said, with a shrug. "My father told my mother he didn't want her wasting his hard-earned money so we could smell like flowers-to put it mildly-so we used that on our hair as well as our bodies. It worked well enough-neither of us got lice or ticks or anything."
Of course, it gave both of their hair a dull, lank appearance. His mother could pull her hair back in a bun and hide some of the lankness, but Severus couldn't.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Remus began, cautiously. At Severus' nod, he added, "Why do you keep your hair...rather on the long side?"
Severus lifted up his hair and motioned for Remus to stand behind him. Starting at the base of his neck, he knew, were a mixture of burns and scars.
Remus gasped before he could control himself, and Severus lowered his hair and faced him, knowing his face looked grim. "All the work of my dear father," he said, grimly. "Mum's great at Potions-she won all sorts of awards when she was here-but we didn't have the ingredients available that Slughorn does. Anyway, she reckons you need a Healer to get rid of the scarring, and that would cost money we didn't have."
"You could go to Madam Pomfrey," Remus offered. "I expect she could remove the-the marks."
"You think so?" Severus asked, skepticism making his voice sound harsher than he intended.
To his surprised, Remus smiled. "Sure. It's not dark magic, is it? She could heal you up in less than a day. Less than an hour, probably."
Severus shrugged, although he tried not to let the hope show on his face. "Well, maybe. She'd probably talk, though."
To his relief, Remus simply nodded, and just put an arm around Severus. They headed out of the bathroom.
Author's note:
Will this earn a reprisal of sorts in later chapters? Maybe!