Hello everyone! It's good to be back again.

I would like to start off this chapter with a warning that it will be covering some PTSD content, at the very least some behaviors brought on by it. So...trigger warning, I guess *shrug*

Writing about PTSD is tricky, mainly because it is a tough subject for me due to personal reasons. I had to draw from both mine and my mother's experiences dealing with it.

Well now that you have been prepared, let's move on :)

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter Eighteen: Strange Developments

Something wasn't right, of that Lily was certain.

It was the small things at first, a twitch of the hand, a jerk of the shoulder. Certain things Severus did should have been innocent or innocuous enough, but they always felt a little unusual or out of place.

No one else in the house seemed to notice, but Severus would stand a little straighter if someone suddenly raised his or her voice. They could be gathered in the living room, reading while Lily's father watched the news and then her dad would laugh loudly at something the weatherman said, boisterously mocking the man's weather prediction, and Severus would sit an inch or two higher on the love seat. One time, Lily and Severus were relaxing in the garden and Petunia had come out to tell them dinner was ready; when her yell broke the silence, Severus was like a deer in headlights.

There were other odd things. While Lily had never paid much attention to Severus hands growing up—he was always busying himself in a flurry of motion over potions or something else—now she couldn't help but take note of the tore and ripped skin around the nails, as if he was chewing away at is fingers.

When Severus accidentally dropped a cup and it spilled tea on the floor, by the time Lily came running, tripping over furniture in her haste and making an awful clatter, Severus was clear on the other side of the room away from the spill standing rigid as a statue.

One time Lil's mom broke a plate and Severus, who had been with Lily in the foyer, nearly dropped the groceries they were carrying as he went stock still, eyes trained on the kitchen.

Lily would like to say Severus just didn't like loud noises after growing up in a house where everyone yelled, but Severus wasn't bothered by the most usual or rambunctious clamor. If Lily's parents were watching the game and everyone was shouting at the referee, Severus would be sitting in the corner reading, rolling his eyes and smiling to himself at their antics. If a discussion got particularly heated at dinner, Severus would gladly take a side and join in the noisy debate.

He wasn't even bothered by the fights Lily and Petunia still occasionally got into, yelling and shrieking at each other or the most silly, sisterly thing. He'd simply do what their father did; raise his hands in the air and walk away, letting the women 'sort it out'.

No, Severus didn't hate the noise, if anything he was quite used to it from all the hustle and bustle at Hogwarts. A school full of children was nothing but noise; it never bothered Severus then.

But…there were some incidences.

Once in Divination in their third year, they had been crystal gazing at the professor's instruction. Everyone staring listlessly into their glass orbs, the class had fallen into a near comatose stupor or silence. Some had even fallen asleep in their seats.

The meditative quiet was broken by one loud, unexpected bang from the back of the class.

Sirius had apparently thought it quiet humorous to transfigure his crystal ball into a balloon and pop it. The classroom being nothing but a stone tower served as the perfect acoustical environment to make the pop as loud and echoing as possible.

Most of the class had jumped; a few of the girls had screamed, Lily included. But Severus…Severus had not made the slightest sound. Instead, he went deathly quiet, face paler and blank. The only real action he made was to jump straight out of his seat and stand there, as if waiting for something.

Being the only one to get up, Severus became the target of Sirius taunting for the rest of class, accusations being thrown that he had been so scared he tried to run away. By the end of the day, the whole school was talking about the greasy little third year Slytherin who ran away from a balloon.

Severus had a thing about certain movements too. You'd think someone who was hit a lot would cower at every little thing, like a dog that was kicked too much. But Lily had witnessed Severus get slaps on the back from Slytherin's bigger and rougher than him without the slightest flinch, be pushed by Potter and not bat an eye—well except to snarl at him, which was to be expected. But people roughing him up seemed to barely dent his carefully constructed wall of indifference.

Yet, when they sat alone together, dozing off in the sunlight, he'd jump if Lily put her head on his shoulder. She saw him flinch when Simone once rushed forward and hugged him in jest. You couldn't come up to him and tap him on the shoulder, even if you announced yourself first, without him whirling around like he'd been shocked.

There was something about breaking the stillness, interrupting the deafening quiet he enjoyed, that put Severus on edge and frankly, it was baffling to Lily. Shouldn't all loud noise bother him if he grew up around screaming? Shouldn't any touch make him uncomfortable if it was a tad too hard?

"I just don't know what to make of it, Tuney," Lily told her sister one afternoon while Severus was helping her mother in the garden, "Should I owl Wrence?"

"I don't know, Lily, perhaps you should stay out of it," Petunia said, handing her sister another wet dish to dry and putting away, "I mean, if something is on his mind, shouldn't you let him come to you when he's ready."

"But what if he never is ready?" Lily asked, placing one of the plates down in the stack none to gently, "What if he keeps this to himself forever? Getting things out of him is like pulling teeth; you know that."

Petunia put her hand over Lily's still her movements, "Careful," she chided, "I get that you're frustrated, but that's no reason to take it out on the dishes. Now, let's say something is wrong and you aren't just imagining things: what would going behind his back and contacting someone accomplish?"

Lily thought about it, "…he'd probably get really mad at me."

Petunia stuck her hands back in the sudsy water, "Right. And then he might not trust you anymore, especially if it turns out you made a big deal out of nothing."

Lily bit her lip, "I don't want that…"

Petunia sighed, "Look, how about you try talking to him first? Ask if there is anything he wants to get off his chest. At least that way, you give him the choice to be honest with you instead of taking the choice from him and dragging someone else into this."

"But that never works," Lily insisted, "He'll just deny anything is wrong."

"Then don't word it like something's wrong," Petunia said, "Leave out the accusations; don't say 'you've been acting weird,' say 'here is how I feel'. Heaping this all on him and what he's doing is going to make him defensive. Lead with how you are feeling unsure, that you feel there is something you could do to help."

"That could work," Lily pondered. She tilted her head, "How'd you get to be so smart?"

Petunia shrugged, "Thea wants to be something called a Mind Healer when she graduates Hogwarts."

Lily wrinkled her nose, "A mind healer? What's that?"

Petunia took a moment to scrub Alfredo sauce off a fork before answering, "Like a doctor you or I would go to and talk about a bad event in our life."

Lily ignored the pointed look Petunia gave her.

Petunia continued as if nothing had happened, "Thea wants to work with those who have been affected by tragedy and help them move on with their lives. She told me that helping someone is all about giving them the control to help themselves. Most people just want to be heard and choose their own solution, not be talked at and told how to fix it. A lot of us have the answers and strength inside ourselves, we just need to be given the chance to drag it out from where bad thoughts and trauma hid it away."

"That's beautiful, Tuney," Lily said admiringly.

Petunia shrugged again, "Thea's words, not mine. Anyway, I'd definitely try talking with him. Maybe he wouldn't mind sharing with you for once."

"I guess I could try," Lily agreed.

Petunia smiled, satisfied. Handing Lily the final dish, she rinsed off her hands, "Just be patient."

"You know, this time last year I had all but given up hope that you and me would ever act like," Lily paused, waving her hands in a searching manner, "well...like sisters. The fact that I am standing her with you now, coming to you for advice is nothing I ever thought possible. It's hard to believe that having magical friends was all it would take to fix things between us."

"Well it's not so simple," Petunia pointed out, "This isn't like meeting your friends and hitting it off with them. I wanted my own friends; I think that made the difference. They're mine, not just people I know through you while they're actually your friends."

Lily nodded, "I suppose that makes sense. You wanted people you could experience magic with that weren't there just because of me."

"There's more to it than that," Petunia admitted, "Yes, it is nice to be a part of the magical world, but I mean, just knowing about it didn't exactly change that I wasn't magical. It was hard for me to deal with all those years; like something extraordinary had passed me by." She looked at Lily, a sad smile on her face, "I didn't want to be a spectator to your adventure, Lily. I wanted my own adventure and for a long time I honestly thought I couldn't have one."

"What changed?" Lily inquired.

With an absolutely beaming smile, Petunia reached into the neck of her shirt. Grasping onto a delicate, golden chain, she pulled out a necklace with a small vial hanging on it.

"Simone taught me how to brew," Petunia said proudly, "Turns out not all potions require wands during brewing. It's a simple cheer potions," Petunia explained, tapping the vial. A pretty sunflower yellow liquid glimmered inside it, "Simone said it is sort of like a liquid 'cheering charm', whatever that is...but I brewed it, Lily," Petunia's eyes were sparkling with delight and pride, "I did magic; that's what this is."

It might have been such a small and simple accomplishment, but seeing the joy in her sister's face made it all the more incredible to Lily.

{page break}

"So this is a muggle camera," Simone said, turning the device in her hands, "It looks a lot like a wizard one, if you ask me."

Thea leaned over Simone's shoulder to look at the camera, "Yes but turn it over; there's all these extra parts inside. I think that's how it processes film manually instead of magically."

Petunia looked on fondly as her friends oohed and ahhed over the camera she'd brought.

Meanwhile, Severus was looking through a brochure, squinting at a poorly render map of the fairground's layout, "How do they expect anyone to read this thing? I can't tell one booth from another."

Lily took the map from his hands, "I think we want this booth here; I think this is the one selling the gemstone jewelry that mom was talking about." She traced her finger over the lines on the paper, "Let's see…we're here and the map says it's over…there by the pottery barn."

It had been a few days since that talk with Petunia in the kitchen and so far, Lily had yet to successfully talk with Severus about his odd behavior. She had been patient, she had been placating, but it had all been for naught. She tried casually asking Severus if there was anything on his mind, she tried explaining her feeling that something was off. She had even played up her own feelings of helplessness, hoping to coax him into giving her a glimpse into his head, but Severus had remained tight lipped. Every time, he simply told her things were fine and that she was reading too much into it.

Severus clearly wasn't comfortable talking about it. If anything, the more she pressed, the deeper he hid the truth from her. So no more questioning for now. Until Severus was ready, Lily could only stay by his side and wait.

"Now muggles call this a craft fair, yes?" Simone asked as they started to walk. Her and Thea had donned rather casual muggle wear for the day, wearing t-shirts and jeans at Petunia's suggestion. Oh course, the shirts bore sayings like 'Nifflers are nifty', but the muggles didn't seem to notice,"It's an awful lot like a traveler's caravan. Or a goblin marketplace."

"Plenty of aspiring artist make extra money by selling at fairs like these," Petunia explained, "It's a good way for them to get their work out there and maybe get noticed. If someone likes their work enough to invest in them, they could open their own store."

"You don't see many Purebloods pedaling in the streets back home," Simone stated, "Outside of traveler communities, if a wizard wants to make enchanted trinkets, they must get an apprenticeship, study with a master and then open up their own shop on a loan through Gringotts."

"Some Purebloods believe only beggars sell from the streets," Thea admitted sadly.

"A right shame too, since this is so much fun," Simone commented, paying for some fried dough with the muggle money she brought, "Try some Thea. I swear these things taste best when made by hand instead of magic!"

Thea tore off a piece for Petunia and the trio savored the delightful confection.

"A street fair, what a novel idea!" Simone said happily.

"I'm glad we chose such a good day for this," Lily said, linking arms with Severus as they walked.

Severus hummed in agreement, "There isn't a cloud in the sky. I guess we don't have to worry about being rained out."

"I'm really glad you agreed to come with me," Lily told Severus.

Severus shrugged, "It isn't my thing, but I didn't see any harm in me coming along anyway. As is, this gives me a chance to buy some crystals cheap, as the muggles don't realize their value here. How much farther to the booth?"

Lily looked down at the map, "Only a little bit more. You know Severus, I'm surprised you wanted to come out at all. Ever since the hearing I thought you would be weary of being unguarded with people like Malfoy possibly lurking about…I admit I almost didn't want to go out," Lily added quietly.

Severus pulled Lily a little closer, "We'll be fine in a group. And we've all got our wands. Plus your sister has a pretty mean swing with that purse of hers," he teased.

Lily laughed, "That's true."

"I heard that!" Petunia called after them while Simone and Thea laughed.

"It's not like you lot are own your own anyway," Simone threw in, "Look over there."

Not too far from where they were, a tall dark skinned man stood next to a metal working display. He was dressed plainly in a navy blue jacket and black jeans, a hat pulled low over his head.

"Dad told me about him," Simone whispered, "He's an Auror. Dumbledore must have folks in high places watching out for you."

"Of course," Severus sighed, "So we're fine. Monitored…but fine. Let's just try and enjoy our day."

Simone and Thea spent the afternoon snapping various pictures of booths and displays and art. Since the pictures would not be capable of movement, Simone had seen to it that as many snapshots were taken of them in ridiculous poses as possible to better 'capture the moment.'

There were shots of Lily and Thea standing next to an abstract art piece pretending they broke it and that it wasn't supposed to look like that. Severus was caught in a photo making faces at a mime—he demanded Simone destroy the camera and never develop that photo. Petunia and her two friends had a grand time posing with various statues around the area, Simone doing one shot of her jumping midair in front of a statue with its foot stuck out to make it look like it booted her clean off the ground.

"Are you feeling okay today, Sev?" Lily asked while Petunia was slipping the collar of her shirt into the hand of a pointing policeman statue so that it looked like she was being interrogated.

"I'm fine, Lily," Severus replied, "why do you ask?"

Lily took a moment to gather her thoughts, "Listen, I'm not going to pry anymore, but I want you to know that if there is ever anything you want about, I'll be here."

"I mean it," she added, grabbing Severus's chin and making him look at her, "You have been more than supportive of me and you have stood by me even as I work out my feelings on this whole...Avery thing. Even if you don't fully know what I'm going through, you have at least supported my decisions and wishes. I want to do the same for you. So if something bothers you; a sound, someone yelling I promise I will do whatever it takes to help you feel more comfortable."

Severus's gaze softened as he stared into Lily's pleading face. Pulling her hand away from his face, he held it in his own, "I appreciate that Lily. Really, I do." He looked around, making sure Simone and the others were occupied before pulling Lily a little off to the side.

"Listen," he began, "Nothing is wrong. I've just got a lot of things on my mind right now. It's a big adjustment; leaving home, my dad trying to...you know, kill me? I'm still sorting things out. I promise that if anything is wrong, I'll come to you. A lot of people are startled by loud noises, it's no big deal."

'Yeah, but no one reacts like you do,' is what Lily wanted to say, but instead she bite her tongue.

"If you say so," Lily said instead, "Just know that I'm here." She scratched at her arm absentmindedly, at a loss of what to do.

Severus graced her with a genuine smile, "Thanks. Same to you. You know, with this whole wariness around men...thing."

Lily sighed, "I really hoped that gets better before school starts."

The pair were soon after swept away by Petunia and Simone's enthusiasm as they dragged Severus, Lily, and Thea off to booth after booth. Plenty of tables set up at the fair featured demonstrations or 'do it yourself' interactive displays and the girl's were excited to try them all.

Simone roped Thea into making friendship bracelets with her and Petunia—and she even forced one on Severus; a red and gold one out of spite. Simone spent at least five minutes chasing her underclassman around the fairgrounds in order to fasten it on him. She triple knotted it too, so Severus was unable to pull it off.

Throughout the day, there were little hints of Severus and Lily's problems, but they tried to ignore it. Severus jumped nearly a foot in the air when a balloon popped; he almost struck a man that had grabbed him by the back of the shoulder to tell him he dropped a coin. A particularly enthusiastic street performer had reached out and tried to take Lily by the hand in the middle of a song and she had to resist throwing herself behind Sev for shelter. If the others noticed their behavior, they had the good grace not to bring it up. No doubt Petunia had spoken with Simone and Thea at length the past few weeks about Lily and Severus's struggles with their past. Instead Simone kept everyone distracted with booths and festivities.

All four girls had a blast at the gemstone booth. For a small fee they were able to make their own necklaces, guided by Thea's knowledge of the magical properties of gemstones. With her help, they picked out stones that suited their own needs. Thea made a keychain out of Obsidian that she sipped into her back pocket. Simone made a headpiece that hung down onto the forehead made with a Sugalite stone. Petunia made a head piece with a Citrine. Lily made a necklace with Lepidolite.

Severus purchased several quartz and rose quartz stones that he planned to add to the crystals he had at home, but Thea also insisted on him and Lily getting Garnet necklaces that would hang by their hearts.

"It'll help," she assured them.

They stopped off across the street at a sandwich shop for a quick bite to eat. Sitting around a table by the window, they chatted amicably about their purchases thus far and Simone regaled them with tales of her childhood, traveling to exotic places with her parents and seeing dragons. Petunia was very enthralled by it.

"Did you ride any of them?" she asked with wonder.

Simone laughed, shaking her head, "they're too dangerous for civilians to ride; only trained professional can and that's typically only the handlers who personally raised them. Handlers are left to care for a clutch of eggs alongside the mother and it gets the babies familiar with that wizard from a young age. That way the handler can control them for the most part. I did get to pet one though."

"Really?" Petunia breathed in amazement.

Simone nodded, "Yeah, but only because the handler was close by to keep it from freaking out. It was one of the tamer breeders anyway; the Swedish Short-Snout."

Petunia turned to Lily, excitement burning in her eyes, "Dragons, Lily. Real dragons!"

Lily smiled happily at her sister. Years ago she never thought she would see such a look on her sister's face when it came to magic; now the pair of them were bonding each and every day over all the wonder the wizarding world had to offer. Now she could tell her sister about Hogwarts and watch as her face lit up like a magic candle.

After eating, Simone eventually led the way to a wax hand booth, where one could pose their hand a certain way of their choice and then repeatedly dip it in colorful wax until it hardened into a wax sculpture they could take home and display. Simone saw it as an awesome way to display some of her rings and thus decided they must try it.

"This certainly has been fun," Lily said as she waited her turn in line to dip again, her hand posed in a cupping position so that she could place things in it's palm later.

"More than I expected," Severus agreed through clenched teeth, attempting to chew off the friendship bracelet Simone forced on him. His other hand was closed into a loose fist, so that he could prop it upright on his desk and put his quill in it. He tugged furiously at the red and gold bracelet.

"I swear she spelled this," he grunted.

Lily giggled, "Oh come on! It's cute. Don't wreck it."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Cute is a matter of opinion, one I do not share. I'm getting this thing off one way or another."

Lily pouted, "Oh, leave it on. Please?"

"Give me one reason I should wear this ridiculous thing," Severus challenged.

Lily gave Severus a cheeky little grin, "I thought it would be cute if we had a set," from her pocket she pulled a silver and green friendship bracelet.

Severus blinked, "When did you make that?"

"While Simone was chasing you," Lily explained, tying the bracelet around the wrist of her wax covered hand, pulling the ties tight with her teeth, "Our friendship cuts across the lines drawn by House rivalries. Don't you want something to symbolize that?"

Severus sighed, exasperated, "Lily, they're just bracelets made of string."

"They're more than that to me," Lily insisted, "Tell you what, I'll undo those knots for you so that it isn't stuck on you forever and in exchange you keep the bracelet on you. You can wear it under your robes."

Severus thought about it.

"Please?" Lily asked.

Unable to say no to such a pleading face, Severus sighed wearily.

"Fine," he said reluctantly.

"Yay!" Lily threw her arms up and cheered, "As soon as we're done here, I'll untie it."

It took them another ten minutes to finally have the wax layered enough and hardened to be removed by the man running the booth.

"This is so neat," Simone cried, "I never saw something like this at Hogsmede. Muggles truly do some fascinating things."

Stowing his wax hand in a bag, Severus turned to Lily.

"Do you mind?" he asked, holding out his arm.

Untying all the knots in the bracelet, Lily tied the ends into a bow instead, grinning merrily at Severus as she did so.

"Don't lose it," Lily told Severus sternly.

Severus rolled his eyes, "Yes, ma'am."

Lily was going to retort, but Petunia cut them off.

"Come on you two, there's a band playing over by the candy apples stand. Let's check it out," Petunia linked arms with her sister and headed off, Simone and Thea right behind her.

Severus followed at a more sedate pace, his eyes wandering aimlessly.

The place was packed with people, all milling around and bustling about, the shouts and laughter of happy fair goers filling the air. Children ran between the crowds, holding onto balloons and eating cotton candy. Women laughed and gossiped in small groups, exchanging recipes and admiring each others' outfits. Several men were discussing some sport with great enthusiasm and laughing uproariously at off-color jokes.

Severus followed Lily and the others up to a small gathering of people grouped together in a half circle. In front of them were several musicians with violins and guitars, playing an Irish tune.

Lily clapped her hands to the beat. Smiling at Severus, she began swaying and dancing with the crowd, steadily losing herself to the upbeat music.

Simone and Thea led Petunia into a little jig, the trio giggling madly and tripping all over themselves as the crowd grew more silly and rowdy.

Severus grunted as he was jostled about, trying to avoid elbows and stomping feet. Being pushed to the middle of the crowd, he struggled to fight his way back to the edge to no avail.

Severus cursed, it was getting stuffy and hot where he was among the mass of bodies.

"Stupid muggles," he grumbled, "It's just a song, why get so worked up?"

Standing on his tip toes, he tried to see over everyone, but was dismayed to find he was too far into the crowd now to get out.

The music seemed to grow louder and everyone laughed and hooted with joy, people tripping and bumping into each other as they danced. Hopped up on sugar and beer, many of them were too hyper to really care how rambunctious they were acting.

"Come on, Sev," Lily called, waving to Severus, "Dance with me." She hadn't drifted too far away, hesitant to be out of his sight with so many men around.

Severus looked around at the bodies closing in on him. The noise was growing louder and everyone was getting closer. It was chaotic.

"Sev?" Lily called again, this time with worry.

The crowd jostled Severus about, shoving him to and fro. Looking up he realized he had been moved away from his friends, their presence separated by a throng of people.

"Sev?" Lily called. There was alarm in her voice, though whether it was for him or because she didn't like being separated, Severus did not know.

"Sev?"

A child was screaming somewhere. Elsewhere people were arguing, shouting at each other.

Lily pushed her way through the crowd, spotting him.

"Severus," she said in relief.

The world was spinning, going faster and faster—

A huge boom split the air and people screamed ducking for cover.

"What idiot brought fireworks?!" One of the musicians asked in annoyance.

Lily came over to Severus, concern painting her face, "Sev, are you okay?"

Severus stood in silence, his face pale and eyes blown wide. Swaying a bit on his feet, his breathing picked up, getting faster and faster until he was taking in rapid, shallow gulps of air. Without warning he dropped to his knees, Lily barely managing to catch him.

"Sev!" Lily cried.

Her cries drew the attention of other people as those around them stopped and turned.

"Out of the way!" Simone shouted, pushing her way towards her friends. Kneeling down besides Severus, she pushed his hair out of his face.

"He's having a panic attack," she told Lily. She turned to glare at the crowd, "Everyone give him some air!"

"We should get him somewhere less crowded," Thea suggested.

"Good idea," Simone agreed.

"Move, please," came a deep voice from the back of the crowd.

The tall Auror from early came striding forward.

"My name is Kingsley," he introduced himself, "Your headmaster asked me to keep an eye on you. Do you think you could stand for me?"

Severus tried to nod, but he was shaking too much, panting like a dog.

Kingsley put his hands on Severus's shoulder, "Mr Snape, you need to find peace. Close your eyes," he instructed, "and take deep even breaths in time with me pressing on your chest, okay? In...and out...In...and out. That's it."

Severus did as he was told, taking in deep but shaky breaths. Slowly, eventually, he managed to get his breathing under control, but his body still trembled.

"Sev?" Lily questioned worriedly.

Severus merely shook his head, tears in his eyes.

"We should move now," Kingsley said, "Help me get him up."

Thea and Lily gripped Severus under the arms and pulled him to his feet with care.

As they were lifting him, Thea's hand slipped on his jacket and something clattered to the ground. Turning to see what it was, Thea watched in dawning horror as Severus's wand rolled across the ground and came to rest at a man's feet.

Curious, the man picked up the wand and examined it, looking over at Thea.

Thea's stared back at him, wide eyed, her face paling.

"We're going," Kingsley said with authority, leading them away.

"But..." Thea stammered, "B-but..."

"Let's go," the Auror barked.

Simone grabbed hold of Thea's hand and tugged her away.

"What's got you all in a twist?" Simone asked as they walked away.

Thea gripped Simone's arm fearfully, "I think my power's just revealed magic to a muggle!"

"What?!" Simone shrieked.

"Wait!" called someone from behind them, "Please wait!"

"It's the muggle that grabbed Severus's wand!" Thea cried fretfully.

At those words, Kingsley whirled around, his wand drawn. He pointed it at the muggle chasing them, "Not another step."

"Stand back, children," he warned, "Just stay calm."

The man raised his hands in surrender, "Please, I mean no harm. I-I know what you are."

"Hand over the wand, sir," Kingsley ordered, "And we'll deal with what you know."

"You don't understand," the man insisted, "I...I know about magic. My cousin, he has it. Look, you're friend has some emotional trauma, right?" He held out Severus's wand and a business card, "That's why you panic, isn't it? I'd recognize a panic attack anywhere. I think I can help."

On the card were the words, 'Marcus Jeffers: Therapist.'

"I don't think this is really your place," Kingsley began.

The man cut him off, 'No, wait. Hear me out. Your friend is a part of a world he can't talk about with non-magic people, right? And from what my cousin said there isn't exactly a ton of therapists running around your world. Well I'm a therapist, I know about magic. Just give me a chance to help him."

Lily kept her arms wrapped tightly around Severus, warily eyeing the muggle. Cautiously, she held her hand out.

"We'll think about it," she said, taking both Severus's wand and the card.

"I think you should come with me," Kingsley told Marcus, "I needed to verify if your cousin story checks out." He turned to the teenagers, "Do you kids think you can take things from here?"

Simone nodded, "We'll take him somewhere to get some water; let him calm down."

Kingsley nodded in approval, "See to it that you do. Take care." The Auror guided Marcus away to be questioned

"Well that was all very...exciting," Simone said.

"Not the word I would have used," Lily replied. Turning to Severus, she rubbed his shoulder soothingly, "I told you something was wrong, Severus. Can you please talk to me?"

Severus took a deep breath, nodding, "Not now," he panted, "Later. Tonight."

Lily pulled Severus close, making him rest his head on her shoulder.

"I'm here," she said softly, "Everything's going to be okay."

A lot of these behaviors come from me and my mother specifically and what PTSD has done to us. The reaction Severus had to the unexpected firework at the fair was inspired by my mother's own reactions once at work when someone slammed a door too hard and it knocked a light panel right out of the ceiling. When asked by a coworker if she was okay, she burst into tears. Growing up in an abusive home, my mother often times dealt with everyday, monotonous things being disruptive by loud, harsh noises preceding violence. It taught her to fear sudden noises; it made silence that much more frightening. I myself tend to shut down in response to the sound of raised voices. Both of us have struggled with PTSD for years.

One of the behaviors described her isn't technically a direct symptom of PTSD, but rather an anxiety disorder. Severus chewing on his fingers enough to leave noticeable damage to them is taken directly from my own OCD disorder known as Dermatophagia, a compulsion to gnaw at and/or eat your skin, oftentimes around the fingers. My PTSD resulted in severe anxiety disorders that came with their ow list of problems, this being one of them along with the complusion to pick at my skin, dermatillomania.

True story, sufferers of dermatophagia are often referred to as 'Wolf biters' in medical lingo...why would you give such a cool sounding name to such a serious condition?!

I hope this chapter didn't make anyone too uncomfortable. I wanted to approach child abuse seriously and it seems unlikely that Severus's troubles would be over the minute he was removed from an abusive household. For many of us, the scars in our mind last much longer than the physical abuse ever did.

You should start to notice how the stress of the attack on the train is starting to affect Lily as well.

Read and review, my friends. :)