Chapter 18 Back To Dreary Cokeworth
When Severus and Lily used a Portkey for the second time in their lives, Lily had thankfully learned her lesson and had a very light breakfast before grabbing hold of the spacial-manipulation device. The day after the last class of term, December 21st, all the students had helped themselves to a breakfast in the Meal Hall, and then proceeded out into the snow-covered courtyard with their trunks and familiars in tow, to take the Hippogriff-drawn carriages down to the base of Mount Greylock. Severus and Lily ate their last meal of the semester with their friends, and spent their time discussing their plans for the break as well as expectations for the next semester. Caroline and Scott would be meeting their parents at the base of Mount Greylock and from there they'd be taking a Portkey home to Manchester, NH. They were purebloods after all, and the Fosters were more than affluent enough to afford to Portkey their children home. Nicole's father had driven up to Greylock from Providence, RI, and so she'd be traveling home by car. As for the rest of the group, namely Lily, Severus, Sandra and Thomas; all of them would be boarding a bus and riding it into Boston. The Ilvermorny Non-Magical born parents association had chartered busses intended to cater to all the children that lacked magical means of transportation to reach home, so at the start and end of every school semester, several busses were provided for students to reach Boston.
From there, the foursome would go their separate ways, Thomas would be returning to Atlanta via flight from Logan International Airport, Sandra would would also be hopping on a plane with her mom, returning to Cleveland for the Winter Hols. As for Lily and Severus, they'd be returning to the Boston Common, and would be taking their Portkey back to Cokeworth from beneath the heart of Boston, just like how they arrived. MACUSA heavily regulated departure and arrival points for international portkeys, so while the Foster Twins were well within their rights to take a domestic Portkey to their home in New Hampshire, an international one could only depart from select locations as decreed by MACUSA.
After finishing off their breakfast, the group made their way back to the Horned Serpent Wing of the Castle and retrieved their luggage, and in Sandra's case did some last minute packing; before returning to the entrance hall with all their things ready to go. Unfortunately for the students and staff, a dreary cold front had hit Western Massachusetts in full-force, and with it, came an onslaught of powder, low-hanging grey clouds, and blistering wind. A Blizzard was well underway and it would only be getting worse as time went on; so all the students and staff had bundled up in the warmest attire they had, with those of age reinforcing their warm clothes with heating charms to ward off the chill. They trudged out into the snow-laden Courtyard with their luggage in tow, and made their way to the nearest carriage as fast as possible. Nicole, Caroline, Lily and Sandra were helped in first by the boys, who then entered themselves immediately after. They quickly slammed the door shut and spent the entire ride down Mount Greylock commiserating with one another over the lack of heating charms within the carriage.
Once they'd exited their carriage at the base of the mountain, the seven of them bade farewell to one another and went their separate ways. Scott and Caroline went over to their parents with their waiting Portkey, to return to New Hampshire. Nicole found her father waiting at the edge of the clearing and greeted the man with a smile; Thomas followed her over, no doubt to introduce himself to his girlfriend's father. Sandra, Severus and Lily meanwhile made their way to the buses and boarded one of the two dozen odd buses; they were joined shortly after by Thomas after bidding his goodbyes to Nicole. Thankfully, the convoy of twenty two fully-laden tour buses crossed the state just ahead of the front of the storm, meaning they'd escaped the worst of the inclement weather headed their way. So within three hours; Severus, Lily, Sandra and Thomas had made it to Boston, and when their bus made one one of its pre-planned stops at the Boston common, it was time for Lily and Severus to bid goodbye to their two friends who were bound for Logan Int'l.
"We'll see you guys next semester! Safe travels and Happy Christmas to you and your families!" Lily wished them, giving Sandra a tight hug, then doing the same with Thomas immediately after.
Severus echoed her well-wishes, but opted to shake their hands instead of hugging them. Merlin knew Sandra's hugs had never failed to knock the wind out of him so he certainly wasn't looking forward to a repeat occurrence of that.
"Yeah, have a good break you guys, look forward to seeing you in a few weeks! Merry Christmas to you both and your family too!" Sandra said, smiling sadly at them as they stood from their bench and readied their trunks.
The bus ground to a halt, a high-pitched wail sounding out from the brakes just beneath their feet.
"Alright, Boston Common here, all of you's getting off, don' make me wait," the bus driver hollered. Fellow students began rising from their seats and dragging their luggage past Severus and Lily towards the coach's lone door at the front of the vehicle.
"Probably shouldn't keep the driver waiting," Thomas said, briefly glancing at the gruff, old man at the front of the bus. "Take care of yourselves, yeah? Don't get too used to life without us," he added, grinning at both of his British friends as they hauled their trunks from their overhead compartments onto the ground beside them.
Before Severus or Lily could reply, they were already being ushered off the bus by an impatient driver—Sandra and Thomas both waving at them as they disembarked all the while. Cast out into the cold alongside a handful of fellow Ilvermorny students, also alighting at the Boston Common; Severus and Lily made their way to the Portkey Station's entrance swiftly and entered the facility by traipsing down several flights of stairs with their trunks in tow. Once they completed their descent into the underground station, they approached the Station Master. Mercifully, the terminal wasn't too busy so they didn't have to wait long until it was their turn to see the MACUSA-employed station master. The old woman who was the station master sent an Italian Couple on their way and gestured for Severus and Lily to come forward. After verifying their identity, she handed them their Portkey and gestured the both of them over to one of the free departure platforms. She dismissed them in a brusque manner, earning her a scowl in turn from Severus, and pursed lips from Lily.
With their trunks in hand, and their Portkey, an umbrella, clutched between them, Severus and Lily made their way over to their assigned platform. They stepped up onto the elevated platform and held the brolly between them with their other hand gripping their trunk handle tightly. When the clock struck noon, Severus and Lily shut their eyes, and their world began to spin; they were then flung across the Atlantic all in the span of a few seconds to their backyard in Cokeworth. They'd gotten much better at taking Portkeys in recent years, and so they both landed on their feet smack-dab in the middle of the Evanses backyard in the middle of a snowstorm. Just beyond the glass pane of the door leading from the backyard into the sitting room, was Violet Evans, and upon the sudden appearance of her daughter and adopted son, she was hastily yanking the door open and ushering the two frost-bitten children inside as fast as their frozen and numb legs could carry them.
"Oh dear! Oh dearie me, I'm so sorry my loves, " Violet said, pulling them violently into the house and out of the cold.
Severus and Lily were shivering intensely, hugging each other tightly to draw on each other for some much needed warmth. Violet guided them over into the sitting room and sat them down on the couch facing the roaring fireplace. Little by little, the warmth afforded by blazing firelight thawed their bones and lessened their chills; but still their teeth chattered, and Violet wore a perpetually worried expression.
"Are you alright? You're not too cold are you? Can you use those warming charms of yours to warm up? How about some hot cocoa? I'll whip some up right away—"
"Mummy we're fine," Lily said gently, hoping she could assuage her mother's mama bear-like concerns. "Honestly, we're just fine. We're a little cold—"
"—Very cold—" Severus amended quickly, his teeth chattering all the while.
"Right. Very cold," Lily agreed, "but we're okay. Some hot chocolate would be lovely though. It's wonderful to see you though mum. I've missed you loads."
"Well I've missed you too Lily flower, we've missed you so, so much love. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your term in due time little one," Violet crooned, hugging Lily tightly. She planted a kiss on Lily's ice-cold, pale forehead before turning her attention to the boy sitting by her side.
"And it's wonderful to see you too Severus. All of us have missed you so much as well," she said, smothering the boy in attention that came in the form of hugs and kisses that she'd previously given to Lily.
"It's great to see you too Violet," Severus replied, his voice muffled by Violet's sweater as she hugged him tightly. "Can you please let me go now?" he asked, hoping she'd release him from her loving vice-grip.
"No. You'll be stuck like this for all eternity!" Violet chuckled, letting Severus squirm about for a moment longer before finally separating from him and pulling back from her hug.
"Don't lie to me Sev, you enjoyed that didn't you. Look at you, you're blushing!" Lily laughed, grinning teasingly at the heavily blushing boy.
"No. It's…it's the cold, you know how blizzards 'n Snow storms always bring about my flushed skin," Severus hastily deflected.
"Of course," Violet cooed, smiling down at him. "Now I don't know how cold it was over there, and how much melted snow's in your clothes right now, but what I do know is that you both need a shower and a fresh change of clothes pronto. I'll have your hot chocolate ready by the time you finish showering and getting changed."
"What about our trunks?" Lily asked.
"Leave them. I'm sure some or most of your robes and all that need a wash anyway don't they?" They both nodded. "Well so keep them down here then. As for your books, you can unpack them later if you'd like. Dinner will be served shortly so you won't have time to do so before then," Violet explained.
"Alright mummy, if you say so," Lily agreed. She leaned forward and gave her mum one last hug.
"I'm so glad you're home Lily-flower. Dad, Petunia and I have really missed you sooo much," Violet whispered softly.
"I missed you too mum, but Sev and I had a great Semester over there. We'll tell you all about it at dinner if you want."
"We'd love that," Violet assured. "And I'm glad to hear that you're doing better at your new school Severus. Hogwarts didn't deserve you, but Ilvermorny certainly does."
"Thanks Violet," Severus said kindly.
Violet smiled warmly, stood up, and put her hands on her hips. "You can show your thanks by getting showered, and coming back down here in fifteen minutes. Dinner and hot chocolate will be waiting."
Both teens nodded quickly, and hoisted themselves up from the sofa. Lily cast one last, longing look at the roaring flames in the hearth, before leaving the room and its warmth behind. Once upstairs and in the safe confines of their respective bathrooms, they stripped out of their wet clothes and hoped into the showers—dialing the heat up to eleven to exorcise the chill from their bones. In fifteen minutes flat, they'd finished and had rejoined Violet, Mark and Petunia downstairs. They briefly stepped into the kitchen, only to see Violet and Petunia at work, the former at the stove, and the latter peering into the oven were a stuffed chicken was roasting.
Lily knew better than to disturb or bother Petunia while she was cooking so they quietly crept out of the room, they could say hi to her later and not get their heads shouted off when she was out of the kitchen. They re-entered the hall and went the long way round to the living room, where they found Mark poking around at the logs in the fireplace, trying to stoke the fire.
"Daddy!" Lily shrieked, momentarily startling the man and causing him to whirl around with a shocked look on his face.
"Hello Lily-flower," Mark said, smiling broadly. His shock gave way to joy as he extended his arms out to her and invited her in for a hug. Lily wasted no time obliging, dashing across the room, startling Archimedes in the process, and then falling into her dad's arms in a crushing embrace.
"It's wonderful to see you daddy, I've missed you and mummy so much," Lily said, her arms winding tightly around him.
"Oh I've missed you too Lily-flower, we've all missed you so much, Severus too of course," Mark replied, stroking his daughter's hair.
Severus allowed himself a small smile as his father figure's words reached his ears. Father and daughter eventually separated from their hug, albeit reluctantly, but still happy beyond belief to be back together again.
"Hello Severus," Mark said warmly. They both shook hands. "It's wonderful to see you again lad."
"Thank you for inviting me home," Severus said quietly.
Mark snorted and gave a little chuckle. "This is your home as much as it is mine."
Severus' smile broadened in response. Before he could speak a word, Lily had slumped down onto the couch with a loud whomp!
"Oh, and Violet just made those, best to drink them while they're hot in my opinion," Mark said, gesturing to two steaming mugs of hot cocoa. Thin wispy clouds of smoke rose from the chocolatey goodness that was their drinks, a trio of marshmallows bobbing about the steaming surface in each of their mugs. Severus sat down beside Lily on the sofa, and reached for the mug across from him; Lily who had straightened up, was doing the same. She cupped the mug in her hands and took a long whiff of the sweet vapors wafting up from the surface; never before had hot chocolate looked or smelled so delicious, and Lily was willing to bet it would taste even better.
"Smells so good Sev," Lily sighed, sniffing at the rim of her mug in earnest.
Cupping it, she raised it to her chapped lips and took a long swig of the chocolatey goodness within. The effect was instantaneous, a long sigh followed by a loud burp sounded out from the contented Lily as she felt all the cold be forced from her body in one fell swoop. She glanced over at Severus, her eyes drifting lower to the mug that was still full, in his hands.
"Aren't you gonna drink that?" Lily asked, tilting her head towards the piping hot mug in his hands. "If Hot Cocoa's not your thing, I'll gladly take it off your hands for you," she whispered teasingly, her eyes sparkling in mirth as she raised her half-full mug to her lips again.
"Oh no, I'm definitely gonna be drinking this, make no mistake Lily," Severus returned, grinning back at her. "Still a bit hot though, don't want to burn my tongue," he explained.
"That does make sense I suppose," Lily replied, smiling softly at him over the rim of her cup. She took another sip of her drink, and once more, she couldn't even restrain a sigh of satisfaction. "Mmmm…this taste is heavenly Sev, it's sooo good, you really should have yours before it cools off too much," Lily murmured, licking her lips happily at the taste.
"I can tell," Severus said, a little smirk on his face.
"Oh you can? How so?"
"Watching you." His smirk grew even more. "You look like…you're euphoric or something…you're completely chuffed when you're drinking it. Just watching you drink was pretty funny if I'm being honest. It almost seemed that you were…completely zoned out."
"Well go on then," Lily prompted, nodding her head at his cup. "Why don't you try it?"
Severus raised it to his lips, spared a moment to inhale the chocolatey vapors, feeling them warm his innards, then gulped down his first sip, one marshmallow with it. In a most undignified expression, Severus sighed happily, and allowed a goofy smile to bloom on his face.
"Seems like I'm not the only one that loves mum's hot chocolate," Lily said, an expression of what looked like victory etched onto her face.
"Apparently not," Severus agreed, raising his mug in a mock-toast to Lily.
Mark had left the room, leaving the two fourteen year olds alone on the couch, with nothing but Archimedes, their two mugs, and the roaring hearth just a few meters away. "Seems like dad's gone back to help with the cooking," Lily remarked casually. She slowly bit down on her chapped lip and twirled a damp strand of auburn around her pointer finger. "No one's here Sev…" she let her voice trail off, as she looked up at him and blinked coquettishly.
"An astute observation," Severus agreed, knowing full well where Lily was going with her little…display.
She blinked slowly, seductively—even; her long lashes batting in a comically slow motion. "You said you like the taste of Mummy's hot cocoa, right?"
Severus nodded carefully.
Lily released her chapped and bitten lower lip from between her teeth; her tongue licked over it slowly as her smile grew. "Well?" She glanced over his shoulder, then looked back into his deep, black eyes. Her smirk widened as she inched closer to him, hot puffs of her chocolate-scented breath landing on his flushed cheeks. "Aren't you gonna see what it tastes like on me?" She whispered, her tone teasing yet daring; almost as if she were saying, do it, make my day.
Her almond-shaped, green eyes flickered to his dry lips, lingered for a moment on his nose as she puffed another breath of smoky hot air onto it, then into his eyes. A spark shone deep within his eyes, she saw it grow brighter by the second as Severus inched closer to her in turn. She could feel his breath on her lips, could see the fire roaring in his eyes, the desire radiating from him in waves. One last time, her tongue licked along her lower lip, her eyes on his all the while; a silent challenge embedded within her desire-filled, flaming green irises.
"You needn't even ask," Severus whispered.
Slowly, he tilted his head sideways just a little bit, rose his hand to cup her faintly blushing cheek, and pulled her in closer against his lips. His loose strands of long, black hair tickled her cheeks, his calloused thumbs gently stroked her alabaster ski with a reverential touch; he treated her as if she were fine china, oh so delicate and loving, yet fearful she'd break. It was sweet, and that was who Severus was at his core. A sweet child just itching to free himself; and Lily was over the moon that she got to experience this side of him, that she could feel the love he had for her in spades. His sweetness was simply lovely, there was no two ways about it; and she loved that about him. Gently, her hand rose into his locks, and pulled him closer, pulling a muffled groan from the boy as she pushed her lips more insistently into his. Lily's fingers tangled in his hair and stroked the clumped strands, still a little damp from his shower; her other hand cupped his cheek, a mirror of his hand on hers Her chapped lips parted, and her tongue slipped through; dancing across his lips in turn and coaxing him to open up to her. He did so and the feeling was heavenly.
Their lips continued to caress one another's gently, the crackling sound of the hearth being joined by a symphony of quiet moans and utterances of encouragement. They were so caught up in revering each other's lips that they'd hardly noticed Violet walk into the room; only when the redheaded Evans matron cleared her throat—quite loudly at that, did they spring apart faster than a kneazle from water.
"Looks like you two were enjoying yourselves," Violet remarked lowly as the two teenagers who were scared out of their wits, hastily straightened out their shirts and trousers.
"Mum!" Lily yelped, springing apart from Severus.
"I—it's not what it looks like! Honest!" Severus pleaded, also separating from Lily as fast as his limbs could allow; their tangling of arms had made it a little more tricky than they would have liked.
"Oh I'm not so sure about that Severus," Violet chided, but unlike times prior, there was no teasing in her tone. "We'll be talking about this later you two, but for now, dinner's ready. You can tell us all about what your first semester abroad was like."
"Sure mummy," Lily said quietly, rising to her feet and straightening out a few creases in her sweatpants. "Sorry," she muttered as she passed her mum and left the room.
"Sorry Violet," Severus said nervously. Severus made to slip past the Evans matriarch, but her hand on his arm gave him pause.
"A word, Severus, in private," Violet said quietly.
Severus, with his head hung low so his hair obscured his face, followed Violet back into the sitting room, and sat back down on the couch Lily and he had been snogging on just minutes prior. Violet sat opposite him, eyes fierce and her hands clasped in her lap. Severus sat upright too, his back ramrod straight, and his chin held high.
"What I found you doing just now…is that a regular occurrence between you and Lily?" Her voice seemed almost devoid of emotion, but it was cutting, piercing—even.
In his truthful and sincere tone as he could muster, he answered; "Yes." It came out almost as a high-pitched squeak, most undignified in nature; but on the bright side it almost brought a smile to his stern adoptive-mother's face.
"And do you do anything…more than that, with my daughter?"
He was quick to answer, and this time; his voice did not squeak, nor did it crack like a pre-pubescent teen. "No. No we haven't. We…um, we've only kissed," Severus said, holding Violet Evans' dark brown eyes resolutely.
Violet's piercing gaze bored holes through him, in search of the truth regarding his and Lily's relationship. It seemed foolish to presume she knew Legilimency—because of course she didn't, but despite her lack of magic, her harsh gaze couldn't be denied a damn thing as she stared into his eyes. After a moment of searching and consternation, she seemed satisfied with what she found; because her gaze soon softened and a slight smile formed on her pursed lips.
"I believe you," she started, and Severus gave a large sigh of relief. "But at the same time—" her voice dropped, tone becoming warning and even a little accusatory, "—I don't want you and Lily doing things of that sort in any…public places in my house, understand?"
Severus nodded quickly, hoping it would appease her; it seemed to have worked since Violet returned with a single, satisfied nod of her own. Despite how wonderful it felt every time he kissed Lily, or threaded his hand through her hair, or cupped her porcelain smooth cheeks; he'd give it up in a heartbeat in order to appease his adoptive family. The last thing he wanted was to return to Tobias after all, and what better way would there be to bring that about than being caught in a…compromising state with their youngest daughter…doing something even more than kissing; he shuddered at the thought.
"Now I am not entirely unreasonable Severus, and I recognize you and Lily have been dating for quite some time now, ten months or thereabouts if I'm not mistaken," Violet started, her tone more gentle and her chocolate eyes no longer piercing and harsh. "And I know I cannot stop you entirely from…well…expressing your affection with Lily, but if you must; at least do so somewhere more private, and practice more discretion," she added with a wan smile.
Again, Severus nodded rapidly. "Of course Missus Evans, I'll—"
"Now, now Severus. It's still Violet or mum to you," Violet chided, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"R—right. I meant…I meant that yes, Lily and I will, um…will practice greater discretion. I'm sorry about…about earlier. I promise it won't happen again, not…not in uh, in here or other public places."
Violet nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Good. Well dinner should be just about ready now, and I for one am looking forward to hearing all about your first semester at your new school. So let's go."
They both stood and left the room without a word more, Severus trailing behind and with his hand stuffed in his pockets. His cheeks were no longer flushed red with shame, but he was still embarrassed at being caught snogging Lily just moments prior. Worse still, Violet hadn't even outlawed them from kissing, she'd just said no more doing that in public places like the sitting room or kitchen, meaning their affections could only be shared in their bedroom or in places more private going forward. It was deeply embarrassing just thinking that every time they kissed, Violet would somehow be aware of it. He shook his head to clear his mind of thoughts pertaining to Lily, and not a moment too soon either since he'd just entered the dining room.
"Severus," Mark said, smiling. "How was the Hot Cocoa?"
"It was delicious," Severus said easily, his eyes flickering to Lily for a brief moment as he recalled the taste of the sweet drink on her lips.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Mark said warmly. "But I think you'll enjoy the feast we have here a little more."
"Thank you," Severus replied with a bowed head. He made his way to his seat alongside Lily, and felt her fingers reach for his beneath the table. They squeezed gently, and a small smile appeared on her face that he saw out of the corner of his eyes. Petunia as expected was in her usual spot across from him, an air of indifference about her as she scrutinized the dishes arrayed before her. Indifference was a much better look than her normal look of superiority or revulsion whenever she sat face to face with Severus; and it was just fine by him that she didn't care for his presence any more than he did for hers.
When they were all situated, Severus volunteered for serving duties, tucking one dish against his body with one arm, and with his other arm, ladling portions of vegetables and chicken onto each of their plates; he even discreetly gave Petunia a little bit more meat and vegetables than the rest of them at Lily's behest. Lily had whispered to him that Petunia was looking rather bony and gaunt these days, it must've been the result of some diet or other that she'd been following in the time they were away. When Severus had finished piling everyone's plates with the delicious fare prepare by Mark, Violet and Petunia, he sat back down and they began to eat in earnest.
"So how was term?" Mark asked, glancing over at Severus as he cut into his chicken breast.
"Oh it was fine, I s'pose," Severus answered. "Lily and I…we're in Esmerelda's advanced class for potions, and we're doing well otherwise too, academics-wise at least."
"Well that's certainly good. I presume charms, potions and Dark Arts have been—"
"It's Defense Against the Dark Arts dad," Lily reminded him, placing additional emphasis on defense.
"Right, thank you Lily," Mark replied graciously. "Yes, so how have your classes been?"
"As Sev said, they've been pretty good. We've been doing well and the stuff we're learning's very interesting. Charms and Potions especially, for me," Lily answered.
"And what about you Severus? What've you found exciting or interesting at Ilvermorny?" Violet inquired. She was staring at him intently over the rose-stained rim of her wine-glass.
Severus took a moment chewing his food, but also spent it gathering his thoughts and views on Violet's question. "It's…well the culture is quite different from Hogwarts. The um…the staff are also, different; better, in my opinion. And they uh…there's not much tolerance of hexing and things like that there, which is good," Severus answered.
"And how have you enjoyed it?"
"Oh I've enjoyed it immensely," Severus said sincerely, smiling back at her.
"That's wonderful, I'm glad you both enjoyed term over there," Violet replied, clearly chuffed at Severus' and Lily's mutually positive assessment of their new school. Her smile was sincere as were her eyes, from what Severus could tell. "Mark and I were hoping you'd be writing home more, Lily sent us letters every month I'll have you know."
"International wizarding post is expensive, 'specially if you request Portkey delivery, then it's even more expensive," Severus said reasonably. "I—I wanted to save money, so I wasn't able to—to write as much as I would have liked."
A lone brow of curiosity arched on Violet's face, the wine glass that had been held just centimeters from her lips was set down on the table before her with a soft clink. "What were you saving for?" Violet pondered, her curiosity piqued.
Severus shrugged, his eyes dropping to his plate as he cut into his drumstick. "Things…"
"What sort of things?" Violet pressed.
Severus huffed discreetly—under his breath; he was beginning to grow frustrated, but Violet on the other hand was highly amused with this little game they were playing. Thankfully, Lily swooped into the conversation just at the nick of time to rescue him. She was far more used to Violet's aggressive questioning than he was after all, considering that she'd grown up with the woman as a mother. For the most part, Violet was a loving and sweet mother, but whenever she smelled something fishy, whether it be trouble or gossip; in Severus' most recent case the latter, then she was relentless in her pursuit of discovering said gossip. Petunia inherited Violet's ravenous inner gossip in spades, and Lily had too, albeit to a lesser extent than her prissy, elder sister.
"He's saving it for something really important the he can't quite share right now," Lily blurted out. Severus flashed her a grateful look, one hand reaching for her's beneath the table and giving it a squeeze.
"Thanks, I owe you one," Severus murmured whilst Violet and Mark speculated on just what it was Severus was saving money for.
"Don't mention it. I'm more used to it than you are after all. Mummy used to do this quite a lot whenever she thought me or Tuney were hiding something," Lily whispered back.
Severus was about to reply to her when Mark interjected; "Is it a surprise of sorts Severus?"
Severus shrugged quietly. "Could be," he mumbled under his breath, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Violet.
"Anyways, how have you guys been?" Lily asked, quickly asking a question of her own before Mum could continue pressing Severus on his money-saving habits. Merlin knew the boy was usually as cool as a cucumber, but he could get flustered at times whenever he was questioned intensely in times past. "Merlin, it's been so long since—"
"Lily," Petunia said crisply, her dark blue eyes narrowed upon an emerald, almond-shaped pair across from her. "Can you not use expressions like that given your…present company, you're not at your school anymore, are you?"
Severus seemed to feel Lily tense beside him, so a quick, but reassuring squeeze of her fingers, and a brief meeting of his calming eyes and her flashing ones seemed to relax her. Lily inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled—rather forcefully at that, as she dispelled her anger.
"If that's what you want," Lily said, tilting her head slightly in deference towards her older sister. "Anyways, as I was saying; how have you all been? In your last letter, you mentioned you were hosting the Parkers for dinner about a month back?"
Violet and Mark exchanged a look, before turning back to Lily. "Ah yes, we did as a matter of fact. I don't think we mentioned this but Missus Parker was actually looking for help in her shop over the summer and asked if either of you would be keen on it."
"I would," Severus said quickly, holding Mark's gaze. "I…um, I could use the money, I think. And I…I'd like to help if I can," he elaborated.
"Excellent. Well we can drop by their place next weekend after Christmas and you can tell her that yourself Severus," Violet replied.
"Speaking of which, I see you guys didn't put up the tree yet this year!" Lily said excitedly, gesturing over to the tree in the sitting room a little ways away.
Mark allowed himself a quiet chuckle, his eyes crinkling around the edges with fondness for his youngest daughter; Severus being observant as he usually is, didn't miss the look of longing on Petunia's face as Mark smiled across the table at Lily. "Well of course we didn't. Not after the hissy fit you threw last year when you and Severus returned for the Christmas Hols," Mark said amusedly.
Lily pouted at her father, which when seen with her stiff glare, proved to be a rather amusing sight to Violet, Petunia and Severus. "I'd hardly call that a hissy fit, dad," Lily said lowly. "I was just peeved that you, mum and Petunia didn't wait for me to come home, again! Before putting up the tree that's all!"
"Well you can hardly blame us dear, you know how Nana Gretchen gets when she comes over during December and the tree isn't up, don't you? Would you want us to invoke her ire?" Violet asked.
Lily huffed petulantly at her mother, but the scowl on her face only grew when she saw Petunia's smirk that was etched clearly onto her bony features. "What do you think's so funny?" Lily asked her sister.
"Oh nothing," Petunia said offhandedly. "But still…if there's one thing you and I can agree upon dear sister, it's that Nana Gretchen can be a foul, whiny—"
"Petunia!" Mark snapped angrily, flashing Petunia a warning look that put the elder Evans sister on guard immediately. His reprimanding glare vanished almost as quickly as it came on as a smile curled his lip. "You should know better than speaking ill of your Grandmother out loud. If you think those things, please say them in your head; because God knows Nana Gretchen, sees all, smells all, and hears all; don't test her!"
Peals of laughter rang out from the three Evans women, with Severus looking confused at the sudden descent into laughter that had befallen all of the Evanses. Sighing quietly to himself, he allowed the Evanses to have their moment of fun over their inside joke and he turned his attention back to the morsels of food left on his plate.
A hand came down on his shoulder, Lily's, and he could feel her arm and body trembling with barely suppressed laughter. "Oh you've never met her have you Severus?" Lily asked between her high-pitched chortles. "She's a menace that woman, a menace! Consider yourself lucky you've never been in her presence!"
Severus looked utterly perplexed of the display before him, so he just gave an apathetic shrug and said; "Well…if you say so."
At this, Violet snorted loudly, a rather poor attempt to cover up the chortles that were itching to free themselves from her throat. "Believe me Severus. This is one of the things we can all get behind, Nana Gretchen is as foul as they come, and you've been pretty lucky in avoiding her in all the time she's stayed here. And it's safe to say that she won't be coming anytime soon."
"And why is that?" Severus asked. Beside him, Lily inhaled a sharp breath and squeezed his fingers beneath the table, prompting him to turn and look into her concern-filled eyes. It seemed her chortles and humor had vanished in a heartbeat.
"Her health isn't great, and she's…lost much of her mobility," Mark said somberly. There was no more laughter from any of them, just as Lily had, Mark, Violet and Petunia too had ceased their commiserations over Nana Gretchen.
"Oh. I—I didn't know, I didn't want to—"
"It's fine Severus, we know you didn't mean anything by it and were genuinely curious," Violet said consolingly.
The meal continued on in an uncomfortable silence, the five table occupants merely pushing food around their plates, taking bites and swigs from their glasses; but not speaking much from that point on. Severus and Lily offered to help clean up, but like twelve months ago, since it was their first night back they were excused and allowed to head up to bed given their groggy state.
"Before you go though Severus, Lily," Mark said as the two fourteen year olds stood from their chairs. "Missus Parker wanted me to inform you that there's two openings at her flower shop; and Severus you've already indicated you'd like to work there. What about you, Lily?"
Lily smiled and nodded eagerly. "Sure daddy, can't be too boring with Sev there—" she cheekily poked him in the ribs with her elbow.
Mark's smile broadened. "Great. Then you can come along with Severus and I next Sunday when we stop by, I'm sure she'll be happy to have the both of you. Oh, and have you met Missus Parker yet, Severus?"
"I have. I believe you invited…well, Lily invited me for tea a few years back before Hogwarts, and the Parkers were here. I remember speaking with Missus Parker for a bit; but Mister Parker stayed well clear of me, if I remember correctly."
At this Violet grimaced. "Wayne Parker can be like that sometimes, a bit judgmental. But I'm glad you got along with Clara Parker, she's a pleasant woman and I'm sure both of you will enjoy working for her."
"Hopefully Cindy'll be around," Lily commented, as she lifted her plate, glass and cutlery from the tablecloth. "God, it must've been about a year since I've last seen her. How's she doing these days?"
"Well you just missed her dear, she was here last month when we hosted them for Sunday Brunch," Violet replied. "I thought we mentioned that in the last letter we sent you, no?"
"Must've forgotten or slipped my mind then," Lily said a little sheepishly.
"Anyways, you'll be pleased to hear that Cindy is home from boarding school for the Winter hols, so if you wish to meet up with her, she'll be here. And she is intending to work at her mother's shop over the summer as well."
"She is?" Lily gushed, nearly dropping the plates in her hands by accident—causing Petunia to wince. "That's great! Well we'll definitely have to meet her then before we go back to school!"
She spun around to face Severus, pure excitement and joy written all over her visage. For Cindy Parker was Lily's closest friend growing up, pretty much her only close friend until she'd met Sev himself at nine. She was the only one of her school mates in Primary that wasn't scared of 'Freaky Lily' and her freaky abilities, and had befriended the lonesome redhead at a time when she desperately needed friends. Moving to Cokeworth during the Spring of 1968 meant Lily had lost all her friends from her previous town, and in this new home she'd had a tough time befriending anyone except for Cindy and Severus.
"Oh Sev, you have to meet Cindy, you'll love her! Well, not as much as me I hope, but she's great!"
"We'll see," was all Severus said in response. "If it's alright with you Mark, Violet; may Lily and I be excused?"
"Sure, just drop your plates, cutlery and glasses in the dishwasher; and try to get to bed early. We've got a busy day of Christmas decorating tomorrow."
"We can't wait," Lily said, still smiling broadly. "Goodnight Mum, Dad, Tuney; it's great to see you all again."
"It's lovely to see you too Lily," Violet said, Mark echoing his wife's sentiments, while Petunia just rolled her eyes.
Lily half-hugged her three family members, while Severus took the distraction as an opportunity to slip out of the room after a hastily uttered; "Goodnight everyone."
Despite improving by leaps and bounds when it came to accepting physical contact, particularly from Lily, Violet and Mark; he still wasn't overly fond of it unless it came in the form of hugs and kisses from Lily. He quietly dumped his plate, cutlery and glass in the dishwasher, and crept up the stairs. Lily followed him up after putting her own dishes in the dishwasher, but to his dismay; she didn't bid him goodnight like she usually did every night at home. Instead, Lily just turned the opposite way down the hall and fled into her room without so much as a word; only the lingering fragrance of her perfume remained with him.
Frowning, he headed into his room, and expelled a happy sigh at seeing the familiar vibrant green wallpaper adorning his room. His Boston Celtics Pennant would most definitely fit the theme of his bedroom excellently; green was his favorite color after all. Severus pried open his trunk and laid the pennant out on the lid; he decided to keep Mark's and Violet's presents in his locked trunk to prevent either of them from coming across them unknowingly before Christmas. Severus wandered over to his teak desk and set the pennant down in the middle; he'd figure out just where to hang the thing when he was less tired tomorrow.
He quickly changed into a set of woolen, long sleeve pyjamas and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Upon finishing, he walked back into his bedroom, shut his trunk; and flopped onto his bed with a tired groan. Thankfully, in his time away, the Evanses seemed to have fixed the faulty radiator and so the not-freezing air of the room was a pleasant feeling to behold. Sighing happily to himself, yet wearing a tired, but contented smile; he tucked himself in under the quilt. He drifted off into a light sleep to the tune of the whistling tree branches outside and the light dusting of snow pitter-pattering on the roof above him.
Imagine his surprise several hours later when his door creaked open, jolting Severus from his light sleep and causing the boy to fumble for his trusty rowan wand on his bedside table. Just as he gripped the handle of his wand he heard a voice from the gloom whispering; "Sev it's just me."
"Lily?"
"Yeah," the voice replied. She stepped into his room and gently shut the door behind her; before walking over to his bed. He could now see the outline of her in the darkness. She seemed to be wearing pyjamas much similar to his, long-sleeve and cotton as was typical for this time of year. "Can ya scoot over a bit?"
"You want to sleep here?" Severus asked incredulously, his dark eyes unconsciously flickering over to the door and the hall beyond.
"Yeah. I mean we haven't since…since before we left, and I've kind of missed sharing a bed with you." Severus just knew she was grinning, despite the fact that he couldn't see her face too clearly.
"But what about your parents?" He asked concernedly.
"We'll be fine Sev, please."
Relenting, and giving up his nonexistent fight, because Lily knew he wanted this just as much as she did; he scooted over on the bed and gave her more than enough room to join him. Lily pulled aside his warm quilt and slipped in alongside him, despite Severus giving her ample space for her half of the bed, she promptly ignored his generosity and scooted all the way along until her back came to rest against his chest. She felt Severus tense slightly, but before he could pull away, she reached for his arm and gently pulled it around her.
"Hold me Sev, please. I've missed this, I've missed you so much."
He smiled at her words, and gently pulled Lily that last bit closer to him, relishing in the touch they shared. Smiling all the while, he placed a kiss at the nape of her neck; pulling a happy sigh from her as she relaxed into his arms.
"Morgana, I can't believe we've gone so long without this," Lily said.
"Neither can I. And I'd be lying if I said I'm not enjoying this every bit as much as you are."
"Yeah," Lily chuckled, vibrations shaking her frame. "I can tell." She wiggled a little bit, stoking that constraining heat in his nether regions. Ever the tease, she only giggled lightly in response to his groaning.
"You're a menace," Severus muttered. "You know that?"
"Am I? Well you put up with me, don't you?" Lily asked sardonically.
"Well the same can be said in reverse can't it?" Severus countered, grinning against her neck.
"Touche."
Just a few minutes before midnight, Severus and Lily eventually drifted off, the latter in the former's arms. As he fell asleep, the last thoughts running through Severus' mind kept asking him over and over; how could I have gone without this for so long? He shrugged mentally, it didn't matter did it? Since she was here, in his arms, right now. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Next Chapter's still in Cokeworth, then back to Ilvermorny for our two protagonists. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and see you in the next one! FYI, going forward I'm probably gonna be pacing things out to be 6-7 chapters per year, a little higher than my earlier estimation. Hope the pacing change doesn't bother anyone too much.