Chapter 4 Movie Night

Dinner that night was a rather rambunctious affair, with Mark and Violet doing their absolute best to wring every detail of the past school term out of Lily, Marlene and Severus. The former two were more receptive and eager to answer the adults' questioning, whilst Severus proved to be far more difficult to question, not that it wasn't expected of course. In the end though, he did divulge some of the details of some potion modifications he'd been working on as well as a few neat spells including one privacy charm that instead of cancelling out all the noise emissions within its sphere of influence, would instead muffle them. He was particularly proud of that spell and was fairly close to completing it. For the most part though, Severus kept to himself and made good inroads into consuming the sumptuous feast Violet had piled high on his plate. Mark's barbecue was spectacular as expected and it seemed there would be more than enough to feed everyone for several meals.

Before long though, it was time for bed and given the groggy nature of the three travelers, that time had arrived not a moment too soon since they were practically asleep in their chairs by the time dinner had wrapped up. Given that it was their first night back, they were not required to help with the dishes although Severus insisted on lending a helping hand. To his surprise, not a single snide or rude comment had come from Petunia and although he was tempted to rib her several times, he refrained from doing so as well. In fact, Petunia on the whole was rather subdued and hushed throughout the evening, not that Severus minded of course. When Severus, Violet and Petunia had finished cleaning up in the kitchen, it was close to eleven o'clock and they head to bed shortly afterwards.

The next few days passed in a relatively mundane fashion, the snow that had been falling in the few days preceding their return from Hogwarts meant that there wasn't much to do outside and so Severus, Lily and Marlene mainly occupied themselves with things to do around the house. Severus had been doing his best to help around the house as much as possible, whether it was shoveling snow, assisting cleanup in the kitchen, he even helped with feeding the cat Archimedes(which was perhaps the bravest thing he'd ever done considering that the foul beast hated him more than anything). In other words, the first few days of the holiday were rather boring but that was just fine by him. Late on Wednesday evening however, Mark Evans returned home from work holding six tickets in his hands, tickets that were purchased just hours ago for the latest Bruce Lee flick that he'd been dying to show his family, Enter the Dragon.

"Vi! I'm home!" Mark hollered, as he hung his coat up on the rack by the door.

"Okay honey! Dinner should be ready in ten to fifteen thereabouts!" Violet shouted back from the kitchen at the end of the hall.

Just as Mark headed for the stairs, he crossed paths with Severus descending said stairs from his room on the second floor. Mark smiled broadly at the sight of his adopted son, a smile which Severus returned but far more nervously albeit.

"Hullo Mister—"

"It's just Mark, Severus," Mark interrupted. "Please. Just Mark."

"Right…sorry," Severus flushed a dull pink in embarrassment. "Uh…how was work?"

"Tiring," he chuckled wryly. "You youngsters are damn lucky you don't have to work just yet. But…I did bring home something for all of us."

"What is it?" Severus asked eagerly.

"Can't quite tell you yet Severus. You'll just have to wait till dinner to see!" Mark chuckled, moving past Severus on the stairs and continuing on upwards to presumably change out of his suit and into something more comfortable.

Severus continued downwards, following the merry sounds of laughter coming from the sitting room. With his book in hand he headed into the sitting room only to find Lily and Marlene sitting opposite one another on the couch laughing about something one of them had said. Petunia was sat in the opposite corner, reading a fashion catalogue but keeping to herself. Her eyes occasionally flickered over to Marlene, seemingly unsure of what to make of Lily's friend.

"Hey Sev! Put your book down and get your arse over here!" Lily said, waving him over excitedly.

Severus rolled his eyes, set his book down on the coffee table and wandered over to her. "What is it Lily, I was about to get some reading done so this had better be important."

"Of course it's important!" Lily insisted, patting the ground next to her for him to take his seat.

Severus lowered himself onto the carpeted floor, giving the lazing Marlene a nod in greeting that she was kind enough to reciprocate.

"I was thinking…that we can show Marlene our secret spot!"

"What?" Severus practically shouted, bolting upright in an instant. "No! No we can't! Lily, that place is just for us! Only Petunia knows about it and that was by accident!"

"But why not Severus?" Marlene asked, now sitting upright and giving him a curious look. In recent days she'd started calling him by his given name and Severus doing the same at Lily's insistent. The frigid way they said 'McKinnon' or 'Snape' was beginning to grate on her nerves and in a bid to break the ice between her two friends, she asked them to call each other by their given names.

"Because it's our spot. It holds significance to Lily and me that you don't understand!" Severus bit back angrily at the nosy girl.

Lily blinked, a sudden feeling of realization settling in as memories of events years ago came flooding back to her, and the significance of what that spot meant to Severus and all the baggage that came with it.

"Are y'all gonna go cold shoulder on me or what? What's your verdict then?" Marlene asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry Marley, Sev is right. That place it—it's uh…it's probably for the best that we don't share it with you. I can't explain but yeah…I shouldn't."

Marlene pouted, and was on the verge of replying when Mark walked back into the room, his clothes changed and the six tickets in hand that he eagerly showed for all to see. He was sporting a grin on his face as the eye of his youngest daughter and Marlene lit up in recognition of the tickets he held.

"Guess who's got cinema tickets?" He asked, waving the six strips of paper around in the air as if they'd just won him the lottery.

"Yes daddy! Thank you!" Lily squealed with glee. She leapt off the ground and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks dad," Petunia muttered from where she sat in a corner.

"No problem you two," Mark replied, grinning at his two daughters. "I've got six here so that's enough for all of us, we'll be going to see it tomorrow!"

"But dad, won't you have work tomorrow?" Lily asked confusedly.

Mark shook his head. "Nope. I've got tomorrow and Friday off for a nice four day weekend. I couldn't miss any time with my lovely Lily when she's come all the way home from Scotland now could I?" He teased as he hugged his youngest again.

"But daddy I'll be home for the next seven months!" Lily exclaimed, "it's not like you'll be seeing me any less than you'll be seeing Tuney. We'll both be home!"

"I know Lil's. And so will Severus too. I'm looking forward to these next few months," Mark smiled hugging his youngest daughter warmly.

"Mark! Petunia! Lily! Severus! Marlene! Dinner's ready!" Violet hollered from the next room over.

"Alright on your feet, the lot of you, right now! We don't want to keep the Dragon waiting now do we?" Mark barked, causing Severus to bolt upright in the blink of an eye, with Marlene and Petunia rising at a far more sedate pace.

"I heard that!" Violet shouted back.

Mark merely chuckled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he stage whispered, "see what I mean? It's just as I said, don't wake the Dragon."

The following evening, the group of five(minus Petunia was out visiting a friend of her's and probably wasn't that interested in the movie regardless) piled into the Ford Station Wagon and with Mark at the wheel, set off for Manchester. They had a Four O'Clock screening of Enter the Dragon and despite the dreary weather; constant rain, snow and low-lying dark grey clouds, Lily was positively buzzing at finally being able to see the movie at long last. Ever since she'd been little, she was a huge martial arts fan, having watched her cousin Thomas compete in several martial arts tournaments. She'd fallen in love with the sport thanks in large part to her cousin, and to watching numerous Martial Arts flicks. Her parents had never let her start her own martial arts career due to her 'gifts' but even without being able to practice, her interest didn't wan in the slightest. At 3 O'clock in the afternoon, they left the house and braved the hazardous driving conditions to reach Manchester where their movie awaited them.

They arrived at the cinema with fifteen minutes to spare, with Mark parking as close to the cinema as possible to spare the children and his wife the cold as much as possible. As they left the car, he noticed Severus shivering intensely and as he laid his eyes upon the coat that he wore, he made a mental note to ask Violet to take Severus out for clothes shopping as soon as possible. Perhaps tomorrow even if she had the time, since clearly his wardrobe as in dire straits at the moment. Severus was trembling all over but was doing a good job of hiding it from the others, though Mark wasn't fooled. The girls and Violet entered the cinema first, with Severus lagging behind just outside of their field of view, they were entirely oblivious to his plight. After Mark switched off the car, he caught up with him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Severus," Mark said, placing a hand on the skinny boy's shoulder.

Severus practically leapt out of his shoes, his eyes going as wide as teacup saucers upon feeling Mark's hand's sudden contact on his shoulder. Mark winced to himself at Severus' abrupt reaction, and his stomach roiled as he understood just why the boy had reacted that way. Tobias you rotten bastard.

"Are you alright?" He asked concernedly, withdrawing his hand out of fear of provoking a further adverse reaction from the jittery boy.

"Fine," Severus muttered back, a little too quickly for Mark's liking.

"Are you sure? Is something the matter?"

"I said everything's fine. Let's just…get out of the cold and go inside. I'm getting a little cold is all. Nothing more."

"Alright…lad, let's head on in then."

They walked into the cinema finally joining Violet and the two girls who at the moment were standing in the queue at the concession stand. As the door shut Lily whirled around, smiling when she saw Severus, she beckoned him over. "Do you want anything Sev? We noticed you and dad were taking some time outside so we wanted to order for you guys. Is there anything you want to eat?"

"No thanks. Haven't got money so I'll just…wait until dinner."

"My mum's taking care of it and she said she's buying food for everyone Sev, so please pick out something. You know how mum'll start acting if you refuse her offer for food," she pleaded.

"Alright. In that case salted popcorn and a Pepsi would be nice."

Lily nodded happily, a smile tugging at her lips as she replied; "Sure thing Sev, I'll add it to the list then."

Severus smiled at her and backed out of the line, to make room for the other people that wished to order. He vowed internally to increase the number of chores he did around the house, perhaps he should do the dishes after dinner every day instead of four times a week. He would earn his keep and if he had to take more from the Evanses, then he'd only have to give even more in turn. The group ordered their food, with Mark and Severus standing off to the side and when the women returned, their arms laden with food and drink, they walked towards the cinema entrance to present their tickets. Severus spotted Mark whisper something in Violet's ear, and he saw the dark brown eyes of his adoptive mother widen before her gaze flickered to Severus for a brief moment. They neared the entrance and with ten minutes to go before the movie began, Mark gestured for the two girls to follow him.

"Come on girls, we'll get our seats first. Mum and Severus need to have a little chat," Mark explained. He ushered the two girls over towards the kiosk where he presented three tickets for the movie.

The attendant at the kiosk, a bored looking older teenaged boy stamped them and half-heartedly bade them a happy viewing experience as they filed pat him towards the doors to the cinema. Lily cast a concerned look over her shoulder at her friend as she saw her mum leading him off to the side out of the queue.

"Severus can we talk for a moment please? I just wanted to clarify a few things with you. Is that alright?"

"Clarify what things?" Severus asked, his tone was guarded and wary, upon hearing the sudden request from Violet.

"About Mark, and myself," Violet said softly, she slowly placed a hand on Severus' shoulder and guided him over to a bench.

"Mark was…concerned, for lack of a better word, over something he saw just now and I want to make something crystal clear to you okay?"

Severus lowered himself onto the bench whilst Violet opted to stand instead. She stood opposite him, a few meters away, seemingly contemplating her next words. After a moment of silence, which Severus spent in anticipation for what Violet had to say to him, she finally spoke.

"Mark or I will never, ever hit you. We will never strike you, punch you, beat you, or lay a hand on you with the intent to cause harm or hurt. We believe that discipline is important and we do discipline Lily or Petunia from time to time if they've been acting out, but we shall never harm you or hurt you, physically or emotionally. Do you understand that?"

"I know that," Severus insisted. "At least…I think I do, it's just…I'm sorry, I sometimes think that—that when someone moves suddenly or—or touches me suddenly it's…I can't really explain it…I just get scared. It reminds me of…of him…of Tobias."

"Oh sweetie don't feel that way, please don't, we will never act like him—like Tobias. Mark or I will never hurt you, physically, or emotionally. You're one of us now, and family is everything to an Evans. We would never hurt you, nor let anyone else hurt you for that matter either."

"Well…I'm technically not an Evans, still a Snape, but—"

"You're an Evans in all but name Severus, but that can change if you—"

"No thanks," Severus said quickly, giving Violet a slight grin. "I um…I'd like to keep my name, for the time being at least. I'm more than happy to be a part of your family, without the name." How am I supposed to take their name anyways if I one day want to ask for Lily's hand in marriage? That wouldn't make sense at all!

"Also, I'll be bringing you shopping tomorrow, so—"

"What for? I already have enough things!" Severus protested.

Violet raised a brow and cast an appraising glance at him. "I'll thank you not to interrupt me Severus," she reprimanded, to which the boy flushed faintly and the protest that sat on the tip of his tongue receded as quickly as it had risen.

"As I was saying. You and I shall be going shopping tomorrow, we're going to get you some new clothes to fill out your wardrobe and replace the clothes you currently own—" A raised hand and a firm stare again lent pause to the cry of indignation that threatened to ring forth from Severus. Severus pursed his lips, glaring holes through his trainers in a silent show of frustration and indignation whilst Violet carried on. "We won't spend long. I promise you. But you will be getting new clothes and that is final. There will be no protest from you, no fussiness either. If you co-operate we shall be done in a couple of hours or less, but if you protest Severus, it can take much longer."

"I have to work more then," Severus mumbled.

"What Severus?"

"I said I have to work more. I have to earn my keep!" Severus said more loudly.

"Earn your keep?" Violet replied, taken aback by his words. "Severus what on earth gave you the impression that you'd need to earn your keep? You're our son now, it's our obligation to take care of you, there is no such thing as earning your keep!"

"B—but my father always said that—"

Violet raised her hand, cutting off Severus, she smiled wanly as she said; "Pardon my french Severus, but your father is a rotten bastard who had no right to have you as his son. He is a terrible man and doesn't know a thing about being a father. A child never and I mean never has to earn their keep. There is no such thing. Food, clothes, shelter, essentials, are not things one has to earn their keep for, is that understood?"

"Y—yes," Severus stuttered back.

"Good. So tomorrow, you and I are going clothes shopping, and there will be no such thing as earning your keep or paying us back or anything of the sort. Your father is wrong about that. All the things that you need, for your well being, we as parents are obligated to provide," Violet explained, gesticulating as she spoke. "That means you will always be well fed, properly clothed and cared for as long as you're our son. Nothing will change that," she added, her voice growing firmer and firmer, and her expression hardening.

"Are you sure there's nothing more I can do though? I—I don't want to—uh, to put you out or anything like that. I want to make sure I'm doing my part too, I don't like charity."

Violet's gaze softened and she sat down alongside Severus on the bench, she leaned closer to him. "Why is that?" she asked, as her concern-filled hazel eyes found his apprehensive black ones.

Severus, who had been staring at his feet pretty much the entire length of their conversation looked up, and in his coal black eyes Violet saw glimpses of fear, pain and misery. "I don't want to owe anyone anything. The bill always comes due. It's one of the few things my father taught me that actually makes sense. The more you owe, the more power you give other people over you. I don't want to owe anyone anything, I want to be free of burdens and constraints," he muttered. He paused then, shut his eyes, heaved a deep breath before saying; "I don't want your charity since that only means I'll have to owe you more when the time comes. I can get by with what I have."

The dejectedness of his tone, and the misery etched firmly onto his features for all to see sent a jolt of pain through Violet Evans' heart, along with the pain came anger. Anger against those who had wronged the miserable boy in front of her, who thought kindness, love, basic human decency towards a child, a boy who was just barely a teenager was in need of payment. How could such a young boy think that being a parent, fulfilling obligations that every parent should strive to meet was in need of payment? What lies and half-truths had his drunken, swine of a father filled this boy's head with? How was it even possible that he thought every act of kindness, an act of basic decency demanded repatriation?

She looped her arm over his shoulders and hugged his skinny frame to her, hoping that her gentle gesture would lend the morose boy some comfort. "Your father…Tobias, he's wrong Severus. This isn't pity, nor is it charity. It's doing what is right…no, not that even, it's love, Severus. This is what love is," Violet explained gently.

Severus turned to face her abruptly, his eyebrows rose in surprise—surprise at hearing the same words from Violet as he'd heard not too long ago from her daughter—from Lily. Loathe as he was to admit it, he felt his heart thrum loudly in his chest, beating louder and louder as he finally began to understand, rather—immerse himself in what it was to feel love. To be loved.

"Love is doing things for the people you care about and expecting nothing in return. This isn't pity or anything like that Severus. Mark and I love you and we want what's best for you, so please accept us and let us love you as our own. God knows this is the way your life should have gone all these years, and I'm sorry you've had to live with that monster for so long. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you sooner. I'm sorry you've seen and experienced horrors that no child should have to endure. We're doing our best to make up for lost time now, and what we're doing for you is not out of pity Severus, it's out of common human decency, out of care, out of love. So please let us help you, as we should have been doing long before, Severus. Let us love you."

Severus was spared from replying by the call from the young man at the kiosk, "Ma'am! The movie's about to start, have you got your ticket?"

An annoyed look cropped up on Violet's face as she twisted around to face the impatient looking attendant. "Give us a minute please!" She hollered back.

The attendant pursed his lips, eyes flickering to a clock for a brief moment, before nodding at them.

"I promise you Severus, everything we do for you is out of love, not pity or charity or anything like that, alright? So I'll take you shopping tomorrow, that is non negotiable so you can huff, whine, curse and shout all you want, it won't change a thing. What you can choose however are the clothes you want, whatever tickles your fancy, and is most practical, you can pick out. How does that sound?"

Severus' previously hardened expression softened ever so slightly. Smiling, he said; "I can see where Lily gets her persuasiveness and immovable beliefs from. I'd be a fool to protest this wouldn't I?"

"Mark has said the same many times," Violet chuckled. "I'll even throw this in Severus to sweeten the deal, if you really feel as if you're putting us out more, costing us more by buying some new clothes, then I'm always open to receiving more help around the house. So if you like, then—"

"I'll do it. It's the least I could do," Severus interrupted, agreeing with her offer. "You and your family have done far more for me than anyone else ever has, so I'll do my best to help as much as I can in exchange for…all the gifts and clothes you've bestowed upon me."

Severus glanced up, his gaze finding her's. "Thank you. For all of this."

Violet beamed at him, a moment later she was hugging him, smiling all the while as she repeated her thanks. After a brief moment, she pulled back from their hug after sensing his embarrassment that showed through his rose-tinted cheeks and averted gaze. "Let's head in Severus. I'm sure they're wondering what's keeping us."

"Alright."

They showed their tickets to the attendant at the kiosk and after having them verified they headed into the cinema that was only sparsely populated; with most potential viewers still being at work or at school. Severus and Violet spotted three heads amidst the gloom sitting next to each other, the tallest, Mark, sitting on the far right, Lily on the far left and Marlene in-between.

"Go on Severus. Sit inside, I'll sit on the outside."

Severus nodded in response and shuffled past Violet into the row. His Popcorn Bowl and Pepsi in hand, he quickly sat in the seat to Lily's left to avoid obstructing the view of the people in the row behind him.

Lily tapped his arm which prompted Severus to turn to his right; he found a pair of concern-filled emerald eyes staring back at him amidst the darkness. "What kept you Sev?"

"Just discussing a few issues and details for tomorrow with your Mum. Nothing much," he muttered quietly.

Lily squinted at him, her brow furrowing in thought as she scrutinized his tone and words. "Are you sure? We could talk about it if you'd like."

Severus plastered on the best smile he could manage in that moment and shook his head, a gesture that he intended to be reassuring, but instead stoked the flames of her curiosity and doubt. "Everything's fine Lily. We were just talking about clothes shopping tomorrow, so nothing special."

"Do you want me to come with?" Lily offered.

Again, Severus shook his head, his gaze shifting to the blonde girl to Lily's right, then back to her. "Marlene probably will want to do something with you since I'll be out of the house. I'll be fine anyways. Besides, you won't be seeing her much these next few months."

Lily bit, then chewed on her lower lip in thought for a few seconds, then nodding in agreement with Severus' sentiment. "Yeah. I guess you're right. You don't mind right?"

Severus shook his head. If she had asked him that question five months ago back when they were still Hogwarts students he would have said yes in all likelihood. He'd never told anyone this, hardly even acknowledged it to himself, but he felt as if he'd been losing Lily to her friends a lot this past year or so. She'd blown him off a few times alone these past few months, particularly since the start of third year and it seemed the only time she was there without fail was in the aftermath of a Marauder beatdown that resulted in a trip to the infirmary. The truth was, Severus Snape three months ago was afraid of losing Lily, afraid that her other friends were stealing her time away from him, and that sooner or later, they'd drift apart entirely either because of differing interests or ideals, or because of the house divide that had been trying to rip their friendship to shreds. Now though, he didn't have to worry about that anymore, Lily and he were leaving, Hogwarts and all that threatened their friendship was left far behind in a ball of dust where it belonged to them.

So now he feared nothing, he'd always be there for Lily to help her no matter what, and while for some time he was concerned that she didn't share his commitment, that she wouldn't be willing to go as far as he would in an effort to not just preserve, but strengthen and build on their friendship, he was beyond relieved to see her resolve match his. She had uprooted her pleasant, even enviable life at Hogwarts as the queen of Gryffindor third years, kind and vibrant, able to befriend just about anyone that she desired save for a blood-supremacist believing Slytherin, she lived a great life amongst her friends at school. She had been willing to throw that all away, in an effort to save their friendship since she knew, as did he, that the school was killing their bond and the inter-house war between Slytherin and Gryffindor would eventually rip them apart. Soon they would begin a new chapter together, in a new life in a country far away with no baggage and divisions weighing them down. So when he finally responded that he didn't mind, he truly meant it. It's not like he wanted Lily to have no friends but him, not at all, he would never ask that of her. What he did want however was assurance that she was as invested in their friendship as he was, and it warmed his heart beyond measure when he learned of her plan to escape all that threatened to destroy the bond they shared.

"I don't mind at all Lily. I know you'll miss Marlene, and frankly, she's not as bad as I once thought, I'll give you that. So please don't feel any pressure to come with me tomorrow."

He wasn't lying when he said that.

After the movie was finished, they filed out of the cinema and after dispensing their empty popcorn bowls and drink cups they headed out into the frigid air of the parking lot. Violet led the way to the car, Severus and Marlene trailing after her whilst Mark and Lily were at the rear of the group, avidly recounting the details of the movie and discussing their favorite parts in great detail. Severus' frigid hands were stuffed into his pockets in a bid to ward off the cold sans heating charm, he heard increasingly loud footsteps approaching him and looked back to see Lily running towards him with an excited look on her face. She slowed her pace and fell instep between her two friends; whom if they were being honest, had had an average time at best.

"So what did you think of the movie Sev?" Lily asked brightly, her eyes eagerly meeting his gaze. There was no hiding of the fact that Lily had thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

The boy in question merely gave a single shrug of his shoulders. "Thought it was alright, I s'pose. I did enjoy some of the…dialogue, I guess."

"What about the fight scenes?" Lily prompted.

"I thought they were alright," Severus replied. He reached for the door handle, opening it and allowing Marlene and Lily in first, before sliding into the last seat. At Mark's and Violet's request the three children buckled their seatbelts, only then, as the car left the car park did Severus elaborate on his view. "The fights were entertaining, don't get me wrong Lily, the issue I had was with how realistic they are."

A soft chuckled escaped Lily before a smile formed on her lips. "I'm not trying to sound rude or patronizing to you Sev, but what do you know about fighting? I've seen plenty of my cousin's tournaments and let me be the first to tell you, some of the fights last quite some time like they did in the movie."

Severus who since setting off from the cinema carpark, had been staring out of the window at the passing cars and scenery; now shifted around in his seat to face Lily. "A real fight is over in a matter of seconds, they don't last minutes or hours, it's about decisiveness and acting fast and thinking on your feet. Not drawn out engagements like how the movies was."

Lily squinted back at him, as she chewed on her bottom lip in contemplation, seemingly weighing up Severus' words. "How did you learn that Sev? Last I checked you weren't that interested in many muggle things, 'cept for music…so how'd you learn?"

"My knowledge of fighting, Lily…" Severus' voice trailed off, "is not borne of interest, but merely speaking from experience, quite the opposite of interest if I'm being honest."

Lily opened her mouth making as if to respond, but her words never escaped, dying on her tongue as she shut her mouth again. "I shouldn't have brought it up," she muttered dejectedly after a long moment of silence.

The rest of the car ride was spent with Mark and Violet debating over where to bring the kids for dinner, they eventually settled on a New York-style Deli they hadn't visited in a while given Petunia's aversion to the food there. Given that she was having dinner over at a friend's house, now was as good a time as ever to head over to the diner, Belinelli's. Severus spent much of it in silence, staring out the window at the stars above that for once weren't obscured with dark grey clouds. Lily continued to cast a concerned glance at her best friend once in a while but for the most part she recounted the movie with Marlene. While she didn't have to feign her interest in the movie at all(she loved it), she was having to hide that self-deprecating feeling of hurting Severus by bringing up something that would so obviously hurt him. Of course he'd know a lot about fighting, he's been in a lot of fights you idiot! Rather, he's been in a lot of beatings at the hands of his no-good father! You're bloody stupid Evans, look at how you've hurt him! While half-heartedly listening to a diatribe Marlene was on, she silently swore to herself to make it up to Severus later, because from her passive observations, his mood hadn't improved much in the slightest.

They arrived at the diner shortly afterwards, parking across the street from it in the closest possible legal parking zone. The diner was like a beacon, the warm glow of lights inside and the brightly lit red, white and green awning attracting them like moths to a light as the five of them rushed across the road to the door to escape the cold. Mark held the door open for everyone else as they filed in; Lily, Severus and Marlene headed over to claim a booth by the window whilst Mark and Violet took their orders and headed to the counter to order and pay for their sandwiches and drinks. Marlene continued to occupy Lily's attention, but still, Severus remained silent off to the side, idly glancing around the restaurant and taking in the various posters and paintings on the wall of the various boroughs of New York. The two brothers who owned the restaurant were from The Bronx and a lot of the posters on the walls reflected their former home, taking a little bit of their home with them as they moved across the pond.

Marlene eventually excused herself from the group, wandering off to go find the restroom. That gave Lily the perfect opportunity to ask how he was.

"Sev?"

"Hmm?" he hummed, still not meeting her gaze as he faked excessive interest in a painting across the room.

"I'm sorry for what I said just now," Lily blurted out, her words coming out one after the other in lightning quick fashion. "I never meant to—to bring up your past…history with your father—your trauma, I mean…I'm sorry for doing that," she added, mercifully speaking at a more sedate pace.

"Oh that?" Severus asked quietly, finally turning away from the painting to meet her gaze." Did you think I was upset at you over that?"

Lily bit her lower lip, green eyes flashing with a hint of concern as she bobbed her head up and down. Severus smiled back at her—his smile broadening as a slight chuckle escaped him. "I'm not mad Lily, Merlin I'm just tired. It's been a long day. I was working a lot around the house earlier, then the movie was to be honest…a chore to stay awake through. I'm not mad at you at all!"

"You're not?" Lily asked, a hint of skepticism in her tone.

He shook his head. "I'm not. I never meant to give you that idea, I've just been tired that's all."

"Oh that's a relief," Lily replied, smiling.

Her blunt honesty, which Severus loved so much about her brought a smile to his face that eventually morphed into laughter. In mere moments, Lily joined him in laughter as well; and when her parents arrived back at the table with their hands laden with food and drink, they exchanged a look of confusion at what had sent their children into hysterics, shrugging their shoulders and smirking at one another, they sat back down ready to enjoy their meal.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Pretty much just a chapter of fluff here before we get into some of the more interesting developments of the story next chapter. Be forewarned, Marlene and Severus will be having a rough next couple of chapters but that's what the support of family is for, right? Anyways, hopefully won't be too long until I next post, the next chapter's been a little tricky to write with there being a number of ways I could take the story.