Back again, folks (FYI, I'm running out of greetings to put at the openings of these author's notes. I may need to start recycling them)
So last chapter was pretty dramatic huh?
...Seriously, I want to know. Was it dramatic for you? Did it stir up the feels?
Now we get to the aftermath and the beginning of Severus journey out of that hell hole of a home.
If Someone Cared Enough
Chapter Fourteen: Coinciding Convergence
"I knew we should have never let them send him back there!" Willow cried, wringing her hands, "That place is no home for a child."
"Calm down, dear, the worst is over now," Hank placated, "We got him out of there and I'll be damn if he goes back."
Lily sat on the couch with Severus's head in her lap, her longtime childhood friend fighting to stay conscious through what would probably turn out to be a concussion. Holding an ice pack to his head, it was all Lily could do to not burst into tears at the sight of him.
The Evanses had been quite clear when Lily came downstairs crying about the distressing phone call she had with Sev; she was not to come with them when they left. Hank was concerned as to just what sort of state Tobias would be in and didn't trust the drunkard to not go after Lily or Willow.
Unfortunately, nothing he could say could shake Willow's resolve to come with him. Even as he argued and pleaded with her over Lily's protests of being left behind, Willow had already settled herself in the passenger seat of the car.
After seeing the scene he walked into, Hank was glad at least Lily had stayed home, grateful Petunia was away with friends for the evening. To see a grown man strangling a fifteen year old was horrifying enough, but knowing it was Mr. Snape's own flesh and blood was worst. Spying Eileen, bruised and battered trying in her weakened state to free her son was heartbreaking in and of itself.
Hank honestly didn't know how he got from the front door to the other side of the living room so fast. It was as if he blinked and there he was, throttling a man a foot taller than he was. An almost primal surge of protectiveness swept through him for the boy collapsed in a heap on the floor.
If he hadn't managed to collect his wits, Hank was sure he would be in the back of a police car himself tonight; he was just that outraged at what he saw. What sort of man does that to their own family?
By the time Hank and Willow assisted Severus into the house, Lily was besides herself with worry. The sight of Severus didn't help matters; bruised face, bloodied lips, an alarming set of hand prints around his throat.
"How can his mother stay with that man?" Willow asked.
"She must be afraid of him, Willow," Hank guessed, "Who knows how many years he's been beating them?"
"She hits Severus too," Lily admitted suddenly, causing her parents to turn to her in shock, "Not this bad…I think she loves Sev, he says she does anyway…but she's got a bad temper herself. I've seen some marks…" Lily trailed off, biting her lip.
Willow turned to Hank, a fire burning in her eyes, "He is never setting foot inside that house again," she declared, "I don't care what we have to do, we'll make this work."
"Calm down, dear," Hank pleaded gently.
"No!" Willow cried, tears filling her eyes, "I said he should live there and I was right. I don't care if it's an extra mouth to feed. I-I'll cut coupons, I'll go bargain shopping. We…we can grow our own vegetables, a-and Martha down the street has chickens; we'll buy eggs cheaper from her. Whatever it takes, Hank, I'll do it."
Hank shushed his wife softly, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, "You'd be hard pressed to find me in disagreement, love," Hank assured her.
Willow smiled faintly, sniffling and dabbing her eyes.
Hank walked over to the living room window, looking down the road towards Spinners End.
"The police should be there by now," he mused, looking for the glow of blue and red lights.
"They better lock that beast up," Willow growled. Turning to the two teens on the couch, Willow walked over and smoothed a strand of hair back behind Severus's ear, "I'll get a compress for those bruises," she said. Cupping Lily's face in her hands, she kissed her daughter on the forehead, gazing at her with tenderness before leaving the room.
"Is Sev staying with us now, Dad?" Lily asked hopefully.
Hank nodded tiredly, "Yes, dear. I would sooner cut off a toe than let government services take him. We'll make room," he added, "We'll…we'll convert the study back into a bedroom, just like it was when we moved in. I can move my study to the work shed. There's room enough for books and tools in there."
Lily wiped her eyes, a watery smile on her face, "Thanks, daddy."
"Think nothing of it, flower."
Lily glanced back down at Severus, barely aware of his surroundings, "I wish the doctor would hurry up. How long does it take to answer a house call?"
Hank drew back from the window, a weary look on his face, "He might have had other calls, Lily. Be patient."
"But Severus needs him now!" Lily insisted.
The front door opening caused them both to jump.
Giggling filled the hall.
"That was a great concert," Petunia exclaimed, "I've never heard of that band before."
"Of course not, they're magic!" Simone cried, and the girls went into another fit of giggles.
"I should have known better than to drink something called 'giggle water'!" Petunia said, "You rotten girl, tricking me like that."
"Hey, Thea thought you would get a real kick out of it," Simone protested, as Thea's snorting snickers carried on.
The laughter came to an abrupt end as the trio rounded the doorway into the living room.
"What in Mab's green Earth happened?" Simone asked in shock.
Without waiting for a response, Simone rushed forward, leaving Petunia and Thea stunned with horror in the doorway.
Reaching the couch, Simone dropped to Lily's side, carefully touching Severus's face.
"That rotten blighter did this, didn't he?" she asked, positively furious.
Sniffling, Lily could only nod.
"Oh, Little Red," Simone said softly, giving Lily's shoulder a squeeze, "We'll fix this, don't worry. Minks!" she cried.
The was a loud pop and Minks stood before them, causing Willow to shriek in alarm as she came back into the room, dropping the compress she carried.
"That is still taking some getting used to," Petunia admitted, trying not to stare at the creature's bizarre features.
"What can Minks be doing for the Missus?" Minks asked eagerly.
Simone took Minks' hand in her own, "Minks, sweetie, please go fetch a healer right away, would you? It's very important."
Minks nodded, her oversized ears flapping, "Oh course, Minks would be happy to."
"Oh, and get an Auror or two, alright?" Simone added, "They need to deal with Severus's father."
Again, Minks nodded, "Right away," she cast a glance at Severus, "Poor Mister Severus," she said sadly before disappearing with a pop.
"W-what was that?" Willow asked shakily, half crouching on the floor. .
"A house elf, mother," Petunia explained, helping her mother up, "You'll get used to it. Eventually."
Thea came over to sit next to Lily, lifting Severus's legs to sit under them and rest them across her knees.
Petunia approached her sister, "Lily, you're shaking," she observed, placing a hand on her sister's forehead, "I-I'll get some tea."
Lily managed a weak smile, "That would be lovely."
A rare moment of understanding passed between the two girls, before Petunia turned and headed for the kitchen. In a rare glimpse into Severus's life, Petunia was seeing the horrors the boy had faced all his life; the secret terror he suffered for years while she was spewing hateful words at him and judging him unfairly.
"That doctor should be here any minute now," Hank said. It was a statement more to himself than anyone else, just a way of keeping himself calm."
"Try and keep Severus awake," Thea suggested, lightly tapping Snape's face as he blinked blearily at them.
"A common misconception," came a wise old voice from the doorway, "It's fine for someone concussed to sleep, but you must rouse them regularly."
Everyone turned with a start. Standing in the doorway in magenta robes with teal moons on them, was Albus Dumbledore, accompanied by McGonagall. Minks peered around their legs apologetically.
"Every two hours should be fine," Dumbledore added.
{page break}
As Willow and Hank carried their youngest daughter's beloved friend into their house, on the other side of the England an old man was sitting down for a late dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, his long white beard almost spilling onto his plate.
Accompanying this old man was a rather stern faced woman with her hair in a stiff bun and a frown creasing her mouth.
"Minerva, you do realize beef and potatoes taste much better when eaten while hot," Dumbledore reminded her, gesturing to McGonagall's untouched food.
"Albus, I hardly called you out here so that we could titter over dinner," McGonagall snapped.
"Considering the time of night, I didn't think we'd be having dinner at all, if I'm being honest," Dumbledore confessed, "Fortunately I missed dinner while stargazing and Tom makes a rather delectable meat pie." He scooped another forkful into his mouth with a smile.
"Albus, I called to discuss something very important with you," McGonagall stated.
"Oh? And what matter would that be?" Dumbledore asked.
McGonagall huffed, straightening up to her full, seated height, "The matter of Severus Snape."
Dumbledore put his fork down, the maddening twinkle in his eye magnifying, "Ah yes, young Severus. He has certainly surprised me. To think he would turn his back on his companions to defend a muggleborn; one he cares for deeply. It is quite an inspiring tale. I am pleased to see he wasn't too entrenched in his dark desires to be pulled out. Tell me, what news has the ministry brought you?"
McGonagall's frown deepen, "I have been outside the ministry every day and let me tell you, some of those people do not understand the meaning of confidential."
"And let us be glad of that," Dumbledore said merrily, "Otherwise they might not be so inclined to discuss the case of Avery and Severus in such proximity to an innocent-looking cat."
At the mention of her animagus form, McGonagall bristled, "Well, if they would only send us updates like they said they would, I wouldn't have to resort to skulking in the shadows." She leaned in closer, "They're very concerned about the spell that was used. They're saying Mr. Snape invented it."
"Are they now?" Dumbledore marveled, "My, what a skillful lad. It would seem he is quite gifted."
"This is serious," hissed Minerva, "Albus, they're talking about bringing him in for illegal spell creation."
"Rest assured, the charges are minor," Dumbledore assured, "After all, can they really hold it against a boy for experimenting to give himself an edge while dueling?"
"Dueling?! That spell nearly killed him! They could say it was dark—" McGonagall cut herself off, her eyes narrowing, "You did something, didn't you?"
Dumbledore smiled serenely, "Merely put in a good word for a boy who came to his friend's rescue. Should he really be persecuted for having his own spellwork exploited by a classmate? I was simply lending a little assistance, much like I did with his bill at St. Mungos."
"And you don't think that Avery's barrister will use that defense to excuse the boy's use of the spell?" McGonagall asked warily.
Dumbledore's expression sobered, "No. I'm afraid Avery's fleeing of the scene and what he was caught doing prior indicate too strongly a willingness to do harm. He was also complicit to Mr. Mulciber's use of an Unforgivable. His defense class also attest to a certain level of proficiency with a wand; aiming for the neck shows he intended the blow to be fatal."
"So he'll be found guilty?" McGonagall pushed.
Dumbledore nodded, "It is very unlikely he'll be able to avoid at least some time in Azkaban. It would seem Alastor oversaw his questioning. During the investigation it was somehow let slip that Avery and his companion have been in contact with someone the ministry has been most eager to incarcerate."
McGonagall's eyes grew wide, "You mean…"
"He's recruiting the students, Minerva," Dumbledore answered, "At younger and younger ages it would seem. He's asking mere children to be his soldiers."
"Those who want to join him don't have the minds of children, Albus; they have the minds of killers," McGonagall pointed out.
"Some do, like Mr. Avery, but some do not," Dumbledore said sagely, "Some are merely led to believe it is what they want without ever knowing the consequences. I should have acted sooner. Perhaps Miss Serapeum's words have some truth to them."
McGonagall groaned, having no patience for Dumbledore's cryptic musings, "I don't have time to debate this with you tonight. It wasn't the ministry I wished to discuss anyway. It's Mr. Snape's home."
"His home?" Dumbledore questioned, "What have you found there?"
"More than I would like," McGonagall admitted, "I have an acquaintance at St. Mungo's who may have…shared some concerns with me from her examinations of Mr. Snape."
"Oh? Minerva I do believe that is against St. Mungos' policies," Dumbledore stated with a smile.
McGonagall scowled, "As if you care about policies! Anyway, according to her results, Severus has received quite the unusually high amount of injuries over the years. This was long before he entered Hogwarts, so don't try and tell me this is a matter of boys rough housing," she added sending a glare the Headmaster's way, "Albus, she's saying he has had his bones brokenly—deliberately—as early as the age of four!"
Dumbledore's gaze turned serious, "Your friend is certain of this?"
"Positive, but Severus won't admit it. She said though…she said she heard Miss Evans mentioning to her parents that Severus's father hates magic. She—my friend—she thinks Severus father may be trying to…beat the magic out of him."
Dumbledore's expression darkened, the twinkle absent, "And there's no possible way your friend could be mistaken about this?"
McGonagall frowned, "Well, it is possible, but with all the documented injuries…"
POP!
"Headmaster Dumbledore!"
A well-groomed house elf stood beside the table suddenly, her eyes wide with worry.
"Yes, little one?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
"You needs to be coming with me to the Evanses house right away," Minks insisted, "Mister Severus is in a right bad state and is needing help." Minks wrung her hands, "Minks was sent to fetch a healer for him and Aurors to deal with his bad, nasty father, but Minks thought Headmaster should know. Dumbledore strongest wizard Minks knows! Minks shouldn't have disobeyed Missus Simone though," she gave herself a slap on the wrist, "Bad, Minks!"
Dumbledore stood up, placing a napkin over his plate, "It would seem we are needed elsewhere, Minerva," he stated, pulling out his wand, with an elaborate swish, a silvery phoenix burst from the tip.
"Send word to St. Mungos that we'll need a healer immediately. And an Auror," he told the patronus, "Make sure to lead them to us."
The glowing apparition flew away.
"Tom, put this on my tab," Dumbledore called, indicating his and Minerva's meals. Wasting not a moment more, the two professors and house elf apparated away.
{page break}
"-And so we came right away," Dumbledore finished.
Petunia came in with several more cups of tea on a tea tray, regarding the fabled Headmaster of Hogwarts warily.
"Thank you my dear," Dumbledore said graciously, accepting a cup.
"You're welcome," Petunia said respectfully. Offering a cup to McGonagall and Minks, who declined—"it is I who's to be serving you, Miss Petunia"—Petunia sat down in one of the armchairs McGonagall had transfigured from the piano bench, a lamp, and an ottoman.
Hank took another peek out the window, "If you are looking for the doctor, you'll not find him, Mr. Evans," Dumbledore told the muggle, "I dare say he was on his way here when he remembered a prior arrangement he had this evening. Most peculiar."
"You confounded him," Simone guessed, sharing a seat with Thea.
Dumbledore nodded, "I felt this matter would be better handled by a healer. I also sent the police on their way; the Aurors should be converging on Mr. Snape's home at this very moment."
"Why can't the police handle it?" Willow asked curiously.
"Because Snape's a wizard," McGonagall answered for everyone, "If muggle child services and authorities get involved in this, they will be wondering just where it is the ward under their care goes every year for schooling, and we can't exactly tell them that."
Dumbledore hummed in agreement, "Quite right."
"I trust then that a healer is on there way to hep us like I wanted?" Simone asked.
Dumlbedore nodded, "That's right. I'm pleased to see you are still so close to Mr. Snape," he peered over the top of his glasses at her, his eyes twinkling, "It would seem Thea's abilities have you showing up just when you are needed."
Thea blushed and looked away.
Simone shrugged half heartedly, "I've been observing him since his third year. I was waiting for someone to intervene or his situation to improve; it's just a shame it came to late, both here and at school."
Dumbledore had the decency to looked a tad ashamed, "Alas, I have let many things slip pass my notice in recent years. I dare say, Severus is lucky you are watching over him."
Simone shrugged nonchalantly, looking away embarrassed.
Dumbledore turned back to the Evanes, "Now, as for the matter at hand, Severus is a magical child being mistreated for having magic. As I would want any muggleborn witch or wizard to have the full support of the Ministry in attacks against them for their muggle ancestry, I too would wish to see Severus get the justice he deserves for any slights against his magical heritage. It's only fair that the Ministry deal with the proceedings regarding his father and any punishment."
"But you can't send a muggle to Azkaban," Petunia interjected, "Can you?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, but the Ministry can…persuade the muggle courts to place him in prison…they just may not remember why he's in there," he smiled merrily.
Lily blinked, "That's…"
"Morally ambiguous?" Simone suggested, "Ethically unsound? Contemptibly questionable? I'd be bothered if I actually cared what happens to Snape's father, but the jerk can rot for what he's done."
Dumbledore smiled pleasantly, "I might have worded it the wrong way. The police will know they jailed a man for attacking his wife, they just won't recall that he had a magical son being abused as well. That way, they will never look into the son's well being over the year and find he isn't attending a muggle school."
Simone frowned, "I suppose that a little less unethical. Slightly. However, I'm surprised that you are getting personally involved in this at all. You rarely take an interest in someone from Slytherin."
McGonagall took that opportunity to speak, "We've made some regrettable mistakes in the past, Miss Serapeum, and we're not proud of it. Certain students clearly have needed more care and attention than we realized and it is evident that had we done so, we'd have noticed Mr. Snape's dire situation much sooner."
"Yes," Dumbledore said with a sad smile, "It cannot be denied that our quick judgments and poor decisions led to Severus' own bad choices in the past. Had I been more attentive, perhaps many things could have been prevented. I'm only glad that he had such good friends to show him the way when I did not," he nodded at Lily.
Lily looked down, unused to having the Headmaster scrutinizing her.
"It brings to questions how many others could have and can still be led away from You-Know-Who's ranks," Dumbledore added, "There was more hope for Severus than many of us gave him credit for; there might still be some hope for others."
"So we're in agreement that school rivalry is stupid and divides us," Simone stated more than asked.
Dumbledore chuckled, "I suppose that is one way of looking at it. I would hate to eliminate the House Cup altogether, but it is clear changes need to be made."
Simone snorted, "Start with reevaluating who you make a prefect."
"Wait," Lily interrupted, "Let's try and stay focused, we're talking about Sev right now."
Willow nodded in agreement, "Yes, what about him? He can't go home."
Dumbledore thought about it for a minute, "Would it be safe to assume you have opened your house to young Mr. Snape?"
Willow nodded again, "I won't let him become a ward of the government, magical or otherwise. He needs a real home."
McGonagall tapped her chin in thought, "You'll need to be approved by the Ministry, but provided his mother offers no real complaint, it should be acceptable."
Willow's eyes burned with determination, "You leave his mother to me. I'll talk to her."
Dumbledore seemed quite pleased with the events unfolding around him, "I think it would do Severus well to have such a caring family looking out for him."
A thought occurred to Lily, "Wait, what about Sev's mum? She no longer has connections in the Wizarding world. She lives off of her husband's paycheck; what will she do without him?"
Dumbledore considered it, "There may be something I can do about her late parent's vault in Gringotts. In the meantime, there is no reason funds could not be provided for her from an...anonymous source until she gets back on her feet."
There came a knock at the door at that moment, prompting Hank to go answer it. After a few seconds of hushed conversation in the entryway, Hank reappeared with Healer Parish and Mr. Wrence.
"I came as soon as I heard," Parish told them, "Where is he?" Spying Severus asleep in Lily's lap, she hurried over, wand out and ready to run diagnostics.
"Don't do anything until I have documented it, Parish," Wrence warned, pulling out a camera, "We need evidence."
"I can at least check to see what's damaged," Parish snapped, already waving her wand across Severus's still form.
Wrence raised his nose at Parish's attitude, "Just stay out of the camera's shot." Gesturing for Parish to lift Severus into a sitting position, they very carefully turned the boy this way and that as the camera hovered around them, snapping pictures in rapid succession.
Wrence tutted under his breath as he made note of each injury in his notebook as Parish listed them off.
Looking to Hank and Willow, Wrence asked, "Did either of your witness any of the assault?"
"Yes, his father was strangling him," Hank answered gravely.
"Where did this occur?" Wrence prodded, "Their house?"
Hank nodded, "Yes, in the living room. Right by the stairs."
"The stairs…" Wrence muttered, making another note, "That could explain the fractured collarbone…"
Lily warred with herself quietly before finally speaking up, "He's got nail marks on him from a week ago. I think his mom did it."
Wrence raised an eyebrow, "So both parents could possibly be unfit," he made note of that.
"We'll need to regrow the missing tooth," Parish observed, examining Severus's mouth, "Are you done so that I may treat my patient?"
Wrence sniffed, pocketing his notebook, "Quite. As it is, I mustn't linger. The sooner this is filed, the sooner we can remove Severus from his parent's and find a suitable home."
"You'll find there is already a lovely family ready to take him in," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the Evanses.
Wrence observed the family carefully, "Really? Well, you were the ones overseeing his care in place of his parents at St. Mungos; safe to say you made great strides to ensure his wellbeing. I'll need to run this by my superiors, mind you. There's protocol. We have to have a hearing."
"But in the meantime..." Willow prompted.
"In the meantime I see no reason he couldn't stay here," Wrence stated, "Provided he does not need to be taken back to St. Mungos. Parish?"
"Nothing broken, he just needs some potions, salves, and plenty of rest," Parish replied.
Wrence nodded. Turning to Hank and Willow he offered his hand, "Thank you for contacting me," he said stiffly, "I doubt I need to tell you this, but you did the right thing. It is imperative that he be removed from that house."
"You're welcome," Hank said awkwardly at the same time Willow gave an unsure, "Thank you."
"Well I best be off. This must be filed right away," Wrence said, heading for the door, "Mr. Evans, if you could come with me, I'd like to get a full report."
"I would have thought your shift ended hours ago at the Ministry," Parish questioned.
Wrence drew himself to his full height. Looking down his nose at Parish he said in a lofty voice, "Some of us take our jobs seriously enough that we are always on the clock." Turning his nose up at her, he stormed out, Hank following behind him.
Parish watched him leave in annoyance, "Well isn't he pleasant."
Turning back to the couch, she gently placed Severus's head back in Lily's lap, "I would like to get some potions in him right away and clean up this blood around his mouth. Do you have a bed for him tonight?"
"We have a cot," Willow said embarrassedly, "The spare bed is in the attic…"
"He can have my bed for now," Lily offered.
"And just where will you sleep, young lady," Willow asked sternly. Her tone was clear, 'Not with a boy.'
"She can share my bed," Petunia said, jumping to her sister's rescue.
Parish seemed pleased enough. Vanishing the blood with her wand, she turned to Lily, "Show me to your room, please."
Levitating Severus, Parish followed Lily out of the room and up the stairs.
"We should probably be going," Thea suggested to Simone, "Our parents are probably beside themselves with worry."
Simone sighed, standing up, "Yes I suppose they are." She went over to Petunia and gave her a hug, "See you around, Pet." Once Thea had said her goodbyes, she and Simone took Minks by the hands and the three of them disappeared with a pop.
Dumbledore rose to his feet, "I do believe things are in order here, so we best be on our way as well. We'll be in touch." He shook Willow's hand cordially.
McGonagall followed him to the door, "Please tell Lily that she and Severus may have an extra week and a half to complete their summer assignments," she told Willow, "I believe this has been a very busy summer for them and will continue to be for some time."
The professors left with a polite farewell, leaving the Evanses to begin planning their new living arrangements with Severus.
So there you have it, things may be looking up for Severus.
I hope this chapter has answered some curiosities some of you had about Simone's habit of being around at the right time and why she has such an easy time deducing Severus's problems. For years she just watched from the shadows, hoping for someone, a teacher, anyone, to step up and intervene when things got bad at school but the longer she waited, the more apparent it became that it wasn't going to happen. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. And Thea, well she tends to just feel drawn to places unknowing that they are going to reveal something to her. Simone is along for the ride, of course.
Hope you all liked the chapter.
Read and Review please :)