The next few days took on a familiar pattern for Severus. He awoke after his mother had already left to go about her work, showered and dressed in his Hogwarts robes, then ate breakfast in the kitchen (the food was nearly as good as the meals at Hogwarts). Afterwards, he would set out to explore the village. Severus did not enter every building (he had seen the people entering Hog's Head, and they looked a bit rough for an eleven year old), but he went in most of the shops in the town.

There were other areas of interest, but the most notable was a building called "The Shrieking Shack." It was, rather fortunately for him, roped off to prevent visitors, and he'd heard other witches and wizards around his age claim that it was too haunted for people to be allowed inside. Severus had read a book from the Hogwarts library detailing the true history behind what muggles believed to be haunted areas. More often than not, they were cursed, and a foolhardy muggle would end up as the beneficiary. Sometimes, the Ministry could heal the damage and Obliviate the muggle-more often, they had to modify the appearance of the curse so it looked like the muggle had been in a horrible accident or contacted a rare disease.

Severus didn't believe that the Shrieking Shack was cursed, or it would say so in writing, but it certainly looked terrifying from afar. He was almost glad that he was not there with any of his friends, because they would dare each other to edge closer. Even Lily might have been tempted to try. No, Severus preferred non-haunted buildings. The ghosts at Hogwarts were mostly harmless, but trying to enter a haunted house was just asking for trouble.

He would have liked to avoid Zonkos, the joke shop, but Sirius and James would want to know all about it. So, dutifully, he entered on his fourth day, and took note of the products. Dung bombs seemed to be the most popular product. He wrinkled his nose. The only class he would be tempted to set those off in would be History of Magic, and what was the point when your teacher was long dead?

Severus did spend some time at Honeydukes to purchase an assortment of sweets for himself and his friends. He noted that the "blood pops" James had referred to were ordinary cherry lollipops-the real ones were far darker in color and had the words "blood pops-not fit for human consumption!" in tiny letters. Had the makers changed how they looked since James' father had issued the warning, or had he been teasing his son? The way James spoke, his father was very traditional, but with a playful and teasing nature.

He avoided the acid pops and cockroach clusters, among other sweets that were not intended for humans. He did make a note of what they looked like, just in case he was offered one in the future. Not that his friends would do this, or not intentionally. It was rather careless of the owners to put all of the sweets togethers like this.

The total came to nearly a galleon, which made Severus cold in spite of his warm clothes, but he still had nine left. It was fine, really. His mum wanted him to spend at least some of the money she gave him.

All the same, it was with reluctance that Severus handed over the coin and received a mere five knuts in change.

He wished he knew when his friends' birthdays were. Well, this was not strictly true-he knew that Sirius had turned twelve in early November. Rather, he and the others had known after the fact. His favorite uncle had sent him a cake and some spending money the day of, and they had all celebrated with a small party that evening. He'd been a bit disappointed that it had been ignored by his parents, and Severus thought he might have preferred a Howler to their silence. Would it be acceptable to give him a present a few months late? What if the others were annoyed that Severus had made a purchase, and they hadn't? Severus decided not to buy him anything belatedly.

He had purchased a gift for Lily, whose twelfth birthday was in a couple of weeks. His came first, but he didn't expect much, what with it being so close to Christmas. Since she had complained that she was still having a bit of trouble using quills, he purchased a set specially made ones for young witches and wizards, as well as an assortment of sugar quills from Hogsmeade. He just hoped that she wouldn't be insulted by it...

Midway through his visit, Severus returned to the bedroom after dinner while he waited for his mother. One of the other staff had become ill, and she had volunteered to make dinner and clean up afterwards. He was beginning to see why Hilda thought she was such a help.

The room was still chilly, in spite of the warm fire. Severus had changed into his night shirt and dressing gown, but borrowed one of the blankets-there were still only three-to wrap around his body. After several minutes of this, with his rocking chair in front of the fireplace, he felt warm enough to free his arms from the blanket and read a book.

It wasn't a textbook, but a recommendation from James called, "Quidditch Through the Ages." He preferred to fly as little as possible, and only had slightly more interest as a spectator in the school sport, but the book was quite interesting.

In what felt like a short time, he heard the door open and his mum enter the room. Her face looked more flushed than usual, but he supposed the hot kitchen could do that.

"Hello, Mum," he said, putting the book on the table beside him, and moving to rise.

"Oh, stay where you are, Sev," she laughed, walking over and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Cold, isn't it? Are you warm enough?"

He nodded, and she smiled at him. "I'm going to have a quick wash, but I'll be back soon."

"All right,"

Severus answered, turning back to his book. She gave him a light kiss on the top of the head before leaving for the bathroom. Shortly afterwards, he heard the water running.

After finishing the next two chapters, Severus heard the water turn off. Moments later, his mum emerged, clad in her sleeping attire. Her long hair was still damp and hung, straight, well past her waist. She sat in the rocking chair next to Severus, and leaned back, a smile on her face.

"Ahh, the fire feels nice," she murmured. "Funny, the kitchen felt hotter than ever, but as soon as I was in the corridor, I felt nearly chilled to the bone. I always forget how cold these winters are until they return. Are you warm enough as school, Sev?"

"Usually," he answered, honestly. "The warming charm you taught me helps. We all use them-that is, the boys in Gryffindor."

He didn't know about the girls, or the others in his year, but they didn't seem to be chattering from the cold.

Anyway, the classrooms were warm enough, as was the Great Hall. It was just a few of the corridors that were drafty. Even in Potions, they could hover over their warm cauldrons for extra warmth.

"I loved Slytherin, but I will say that its proximity to the dungeons made for some chilly evenings," she mused. "Anyone who didn't know how to warm their clothes before it grew cold relied on friends or older students."

"Peter still struggles with it," Severus put in. "But we're happy to help him." After a moment, he added, "Mum? Can a cooling charm be applied, for when it becomes too warm?"

She frowned a bit. "It is possible, yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. Better to use the wind charm, if it becomes necessary. You'll likely be learning those in the spring, if Professor Flitwick hasn't changed the curriculum."

He nodded.

Eileen glanced down at his book, still open on his lap, but her next statement wasn't a question of what he was reading.

"Severus, honey, I want to have a talk with you about your father." She took a deep breath. "I've been putting it off since you arrived, and that's not fair to either of us."

Severus nodded, again. He'd known this had been coming, ever since they had met at the station.

Even so, he felt his lungs constrict.

Author's note:

Next up--Eileen's story is revealed.

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