Hello, hello, hellloooOooo!
So big thanks to the reviewers, you guys are the best. Love the feedback!
Glad the last chapter was so well received. Severus and Lily are working with fire now, maybe things won't take nearly sixty chapters to solve this time XD
Dear God, how did I let it take so long?
If Someone Cared Enough
Chapter Ninety-Three: Longbottom Brunch
Augusta Longbottom was someone you'd describe as formidable. Tall and rail thin, her bony frame gave her a rather hawkish look, her sharp eyes enlarged by large wire rim glasses that sat low on her nose.
Her hair had grayed before her time, one uniform shade of silver, all of it kept tucked into a bun at the base of her neck with a carved wooden hair stick running through it to hold it in place. Severus recalled Frank telling him in one letter that Augusta used that hair stick for letter opening, hair styling, and—in one unfortunate run-in with a particularly nosey gossip monger at the market—bum jabbing.
Yes, Augusta was a force to be reckon with, her fierce reputation as a retired dueling champion following her wherever she went, something she took pride in. With a sharp tongue and quick wit, she'd been known to put even the most haughty socialite to shame with her scathing assessments of their shortcomings and the most on-the-ball critiques of their every misgiving.
She was ridiculously particular about time, never arriving a minute early or late to any occasion and held others to that same level of inflexible rigidity.
It was wildly rumored that her wedding was intended to have taken place a day before the date reported in the papers, but that the groom, Eugene Longbottom had taken a half a minute too long getting into his dress robes and infuriated Augusta so much that she postponed the entire event one day as punishment.
Another odd thing about Augusta was that she opened the door herself when guest came to her manor.
"Eleven on the dot," Augusta said in lieu of a greeting when she opened the door to Severus, "Punctual as always."
"You were very clear on when brunch was to take place," Severus replied politely, "I do not like to inconvenience others."
Augusta raised a brow, "As you shouldn't."
Augusta titled her head towards Lily, "So this is her then?"
"Yes," Severus said, stepping to the side to gesture to his companion, "This is Lily Evans, my classmate and friend. Her parents are my legal guardians for the time being."
Augusta sniffed, "Yes, you said as much in your letter."
Lily held her hand up, a warm smile on her face, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom. I've heard so much about you from your son Frank."
Augusta said nothing, eyeing Lily's hand.
The smile slowly dropped from Lily's face as the unease set in.
"Do I…" she began as an aside to Severus. She mimed a curtsy.
A crooked grin came over Augusta's face. Taking Lily's hand she gave it a firm shake, "I assure you whatever ghost tales Frank's told you has been highly exaggerated."
Lily relaxed instantly, letting out a breath, "…Right."
Augusta stepped back, jerking her head curtly towards a room to the left of the foyer, "Right through here. Best to greet Eileen before the meal begins; she takes some time to get her wits about her."
"How has she been?" Severus asked, falling into step behind Augusta; one did not walk ahead of Augusta Longbottom.
"Flighty," Augusta said plainly, "Ditzy thing hardly knows what day it is usually. But she asks after you; often in fact."
"Strange really," Augusta added, "It's like she lives in some odd duality. She can be talking about her schooling and wanting to see her mummy for Christmas break but ask after her son and husband in the same breath. Can't make up her mind if she's a teenager or a mother most days."
She paused in the doorway of the sunroom, "She's through here."
Taking that as his cue to proceed, Severus slipped past the Longbottom Matriarch and into the room.
The sunroom was lovely as ever, an indoor garden with glass walls and a glass roof to let the sun pour in. Flowers and bushes of various exotic origin bloomed beautifully and vibrantly in every corner, several species of small carnivorous plants doing their job of snatching pesky insects midair and living the room bug free.
A sizable table made of a sea glass mosaic sat in the far corner of the room overlooking the manor's vast, lush estate, surrounded by several large, white rattan chairs with plush, overstuffed cushions. Seated in one of them was a small, waifish figure with long black hair, staring musingly into a teacup.
"Mum," Severus called out softly.
Eileen Snape née Prince turned at the sound of his voice, her wispy hair falling over one shoulder onto the table like an inky puddle. It was odd seeing her with her hair down; a certain youthful carelessness Severus never knew his mother to enjoy during her agonizing years with his father.
"Toby?" she questioned, squinting slightly.
Severus shook his head, "No mum, it's me. Severus."
"Severus," Eileen breathed, a smile slowly spreading across her face, "It is you."
She held her hands out for Severus to take as he approached.
"Look at you," she cooed, cupping her son's face, "I almost thought you were you're fathered. You've grown so much. Where has the time gone? How old are you now?"
"Nearly seventeen, mother," Severus answered, allowing his mother to frame his face in her hands, his only gently touching her wrists, "I become of legal age this January."
Eileen nodded, looking off into space, "So you are…so you are. A proper wizard gets a gift when he turns seventeen. A watch…yes that's it. I'm sure father will let me pass his on down to you…he'd love his grandson to have it…I'll have to ask him…"
Severus grimaced but didn't respond. It broke his heart to know his mother might never understand or grasp the finality of her parent's death, nor would she ever truly know how right she may have been that they would love any child of hers. From what Ponderosa had described, Eileen's parents died heartbroken, never knowing what became of their daughter, and now Eileen may never be able to handle the truth of what became of them.
"Where is father?" Eileen asked in a daze, glancing around them, "And mummy. They'll want to see Severus, of course. He can tell them all about his studies."
"Mum," Severus said gently with a frown; she always asked for her parents to meet him when he came to visit.
"They're off in the city, dear," Augusta lied smoothly, coming over to smooth the wrinkles out of the blanket on Eileen's lap and adjust the shawl over her shoulders, "Broker related matters, you know. Running the family fortune keeps them plenty busy."
"Of course," Eileen said with absentminded naivety, "Of course. Though it is strange…Did they always manage the money? I…I can't recall if they ever did that before…"
Severus frowned deepened. It had been an unspoken agreement between Severus and Frank's family that Eileen's grandmother never be brought up. It wasn't a hard lie to keep; Eileen herself never once spoke of the Prince Matriarch in all her reminiscing and fantasy of her childhood. Occasionally though, there would be obvious gaps in her memory, a place where Saoirse should sit among her recollections but was vacant in her mind. Severus wondered if the trauma of her grandmother's betrayal drove his mum to repress memories of the woman's existence entirely.
"Of course not," Augusta answered Eileen, "Normally matters are handled by the barrister. You know that."
Eileen nodded, "Right…"
"Your parents had some business to attend to with Ponderosa personally," Augusta went on, "Very important stuff, otherwise they wouldn't have gone out. You understand."
Eileen bobbed her head agreeably to Augusta's words, finding no fault in them or possibly being too out of it to try.
"Now," Augusta clapped her hands, "Enough about them; you have guests." She gestured to Lily waiting hesitantly in the doorway.
Eileen peered curiously at Lily, leaning forward slightly.
"Is that," she said quietly, "Lily Evans?"
Lily gave an awkward wave, "Hello, ma'am."
"Lily," Eileen beckoned, holding out a hand to the girl, "My dear, do come closer."
"Look at you," she breathed, holding Lily's hands, "What a lovely young woman you've become."
She smoothed back the hair from Lily's face, marveling at the young lady in front of her.
"I was so worried when Severus first met you," she said, not truly aware she was thinking out loud, "The pretty ones always break the most hearts, even without meaning to."
Lily blushed, looking to Severus uncomfortably, "I…"
"Oh but I was so glad I was wrong," Eileen went on, seemingly in her own little world, "You've held my Severus's heart for so long; I'm relieved you gave him yours in return."
"Mother," Severus chided, embarrassed, "We've only just…I never said…"
Eileen stalled him with a raise of her hand, a small, knowing smile on her face, "A mother can always tell, Severus. You can't fool me." She waggled a finger at him, "Keeping secrets from you mother, silly boy."
Severus flushed up from his neck to the tips of his ears, sparing a grinning Augusta and blushing Lily a glance, "Yes…well, it's all relatively new for us. I didn't want to say anything until we knew where we stood."
Eileen nodded along, "Testing the waters, hm. That's probably wise; teenage relationships aren't always a match. Got to see if you're compatible, eh?"
"Something like that," Severus agreed. Given how difficult it was for his mother to even comprehend what day or year it was these days, he didn't really wish to trouble her with the overly complicated tale of his and Lily's falling out and subsequent reunion.
"Still, a muggleborn and a halfblood," Eileen gushed, taking both Severus and Lily by the hands, "How romantic! It's you against the world, isn't it. People trying to tear you down based on societies expectations of what's proper. Just like me and Tobias."
Severus didn't respond. Ever since learning the truth of his mother's past, Severus had been speculating quite often about his mother and father's relationship. He still had no idea how long Eileen actually knew Tobias before she got pregnant, nor if the conception was merely the result of a one-night stand.
Severus sometimes wondered whether his mother felt back into a corner when it had come to her marriage to Tobias, all to protect her unborn child, or if she had romanticized what they had from the beginning and thought a child would only bring them closer together. Perhaps the pressure from Saoirse to terminate her pregnancy only fueled an impressionable young woman's ideal of star crossed love denied by their families. If that were the case, he could see why perhaps his mother never saw the warning signs in the father of her child; when you're wearing rose colored glasses, surely all the red flags just look like flags.
"We must all have dinner as a family at some point," Eileen insisted merrily, "It would give my parents and Tobias a chance to meet our Severus's little paramour. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to meet you, my dear," she added with a wink at Lily.
"I'm sure I'd be delighted to meet them, Mrs. Snape," Lily replied awkwardly.
"Oh, do call me Eileen," Eileen said with a waved of her hand, "Severus, when would you be free to come visit again? I know you're studied keep you both very busy."
"I'll have to check our schedules, mum," Severus answered. Eileen didn't seem to be aware that summer break had already begun, despite the weather right outside the sunroom window showing summer in full swing. From what Severus understood, this latest bout of dementia seemed to leave Eileen under the impression it was mid to late autumn currently, a time when her son would be away at school.
"See that you inform me the moment you know," Eileen implored, "I can't wait for us all to have dinner as a family."
Augusta gathered Eileen's hair up off her shoulder and off the table with the gentleness of a mother to her child, "Dinner's all well and good, but for now, let's talk brunch. Frank and Alice—" she chanced a quick glance at the clock on the wall, her lips pursing in disapproval, "Are late as usual. Let's get settled while we wait for them."
She clapped her hands and an small entourage of elves and human servants came into the room. Laden with trays and silverware, the danced in organized chaos as they bustled about, weaving under arms and side stepping serving dishes to set the table. They held out Lily and Severus's chairs expectantly, pushing them back in once their guest were seated and hurrying from the room in a flurry, the last remaining house elf bestowing the center of the table with a daintily arranged floral piece.
Augusta waved her wand and the lids covering the dishes vanished, revealing a selection of niçoise salad, Duck à l'orange, and an accompaniment of fruits and imported cheeses. Flicking her wand again, Augusta directed light portions to carefully serve themselves to everyone's plates and a bottle of sweet blueberry wine to pour itself in each cup.
Eileen's cup received sparkling juice rather than alcohol, a choice Severus realized must have been deliberate on Augusta's part, but Eileen didn't seem to notice as she stared dazedly but cheerfully out at the gardens.
The sound of hurried footsteps rapidly approached the sunroom before two people, one strapping man and one rosy-cheeked woman, burst through the doors out of breath.
"Sorry we're late," Alice panted out an apology, leaning against the doorframe with a hand to her chest, "Frank and I said the Manor's name at the same time in the floo and it got the directions muddled up."
Augusta pinched her lips together in a hard thin line, gently swirling the contents of her glass as she regarded the pair.
"You two seem to be late an awful lot these days," she noted, taking in their rumpled appearance, "You wouldn't be up to anything, would you?"
Frank raised an eyebrow questioningly while Alice helped him smooth down his ruffled hair, "What do you mean, mum?"
Augusta set her glass down on the table, idly straightening the tablecloth with an air of nonchalance.
"I mean, do I have to worry about grandchildren before you two are even married?" she asked rather bluntly.
Severus coughed on the mouthful of wine he taken, feeling the burn as it went up his nose.
Frank choke on air and sputtered frantically while Alice turned crimson, an absolutely scandalized expression frozen on her face.
"Mother!" Frank admonished in horror. He cast a flustered glance around the table, "Is this really the place for that conversation?"
"I'm merely inquiring whether we will need to move your nuptials up in order to avoid a child out of wedlock," Augusta said simply.
"There is no child," Alice was quick to assure, "There's no unplanned pregnancy. We've been perfectly respectable to one another since the engagement."
Augusta regarded her skeptically.
"We were just late because of a floo mix up," Alice stated firmly, "It happens; I mess up all the time."
Augusta snorted, dropping her feigned act of disapproval, "You certainly do. I'm fully convinced we'll need an escort to get you to your own wedding ceremony, just to ensure you don't wind up in Knockturn Alley or Timbuktu by mistake."
Alice let out a sigh of relief, slumping into her chair with a huff. She put her head on the table while Augusta chuckled to herself.
"Really mother," Frank chided with a sigh as he sat down, massaging his brow, "Is that really necessary? You act like Alice and I are a pair of randy teenagers—no offense," he added to Lily and Severus.
Severus gave Lily a furtive glance; could everyone tell they were a couple just by looking at them?
"We know how to keep our hands to ourselves," Frank went on, "Neither of us wants a child before we're ready. And you know our jobs keep us so busy lately with all the raids that it's not like we have a lot of time alone together to begin with."
"Raids?" Lily questioned.
Frank nodded, "We've gotten quite the number of tips in the past few weeks about various connections to You-Know-Who and his followers. Most have been false leads though; unverified sources, nutters pointing fingers at folks who even look at them cross eyed."
"If you ask me," Alice said, "Some of these 'tips' have even come in from his followers, you know? It's them trying to keep us running ragged and expending our resources. We go on wild goose chases and they sit back and laugh, knowing we have no choice but to investigate no matter how phony we think it is."
"You can thank Crouch for that," Frank stated, "He's been scrambling our forces constantly trying to catch anyone and everyone who looks suspicious. I don't know if he's doing this to protect the community or if he's just taking the escape of two prisoners so personally that he wants to get ahold of everyone responsible to settle the score."
"He's not the only one upset those two got away," Lily said callously of Avery and Mulciber, "Does he really think stretching the Aurors' resources so thin for his petty vengeance makes their victims feel safer?"
Alice reached over and patted Lily's hand, "Oh Lily, I'm so sorry we haven't caught them yet. We followed every lead we could, but it's like they've vanished without a trace."
"If it makes you feel better," Frank put in, "If we haven't seen hide nor hair of them at this point, chances are they've fled overseas. His followers have intercepted their buddies' prison transfers before; normally those they freed are back out there causing mayhem in his name after about a week. But with Avery and Mulciber, it's been months without a single sign of them."
"Not even our informants in the seediest places have caught sight of them," Alice added, "And they see just about everyone else we've got our eye on."
Frank raised a finger to his lips, "We really aren't supposed to discuss that sort of thing outside of work, Love."
"I just want to make Lily feel better," Alice insisted, turning her compassionate gaze to Lily, "Poor thing's been at the center of this whole ordeal. How are you holding up?"
Lily managed a small smile, "I'm hanging in there. The extra security around our neighborhood has helped me rest easy at night. That and I have Sev here; I know I can count on him to look out for me."
Severus reached out and took Lily's hand, "Always."
Alice grinned ear to ear, "I always knew you two would end up together."
Lily raised a brow, "Is that why you never joined the other girls in pushing me to go out with James?"
"Well that and the guy's a total tosser," Alice said with a flippant wave of her hand, "But really, I've been watching this one moon over you for ages. I figured it was only a matter of time before he stepped up and chose you over those sketchy blokes in his dorm."
"Think about it," Alice went on. She raised her hands out to her sides like two halves of a scale.
"Sweet and kind girl who you've been friends with forever and who's super amazing," Alice made her left hand drop slightly with imagined weight, "Or pack of sniveling, bigoted pricks with only half a brain cell shared among them," her right hand went up, unable to compare to the weight of Lily's worth, "The choice is clear."
Severus looked down, ashamed. Alice made it sound like the choice had always been so obvious to him,but the truth was he nearly let his own anger and ambition toss aside the one person who ever stood by him. Yes, Lily was always quick to point out her own hand in their falling out whenever it was brought up, but Severus had been straying down that path regardless of her influence. Even if Lily hadn't smiled at his suffering at the lake, even if she hadn't always dismissed his complaints about Potter in favor or her own ire against his former friends in Slytherin, Severus had still be heavily leaning in their favor for quite some time.
Blinded by his own bitterness and desire for revenge, Severus had been all too willing to make the wrong choice if only for his own benefit. He could try and say he'd always believed his choice would somehow protect Lily, maybe even win her over with how impressive he'd become, but the truth of the matter was that at some point he hadn't even considered Lily or her feelings, selfishly driven by his own wants. He'd had to listen to everyone else for so long and be expected to put them first for years, he wanted to think about himself for once. That selfishness nearly allied him with monsters.
Lily must have picked up on his line of thinking, because she gave his hand a squeeze.
"You stepped up when it really counted," Lily said quietly, "That's what mattered."
"Enough of this serious talk," Augusta declared, "It's far too stuffy a conversation for so pleasant a day. Let's enjoy ourselves, shall we."
She set about cutting up some of Eileen's food before coaxing the sedate woman to pick up the fork on her own.
"Try some of the fruit, my dear," Augusta prompted, gesturing to some strawberries and kiwi on Eileen's plate, "They're very fresh."
Severus watched as Eileen fumbled with her utensils like a child first learning how to use them and felt his heart sink. Having spent hours upon hours going through the old photos Ponderosa had sent him, Severus saw an image of a woman wholly unfamiliar to him. Eileen had once been a strong, prideful woman with a stubborn streak much like his own, who held herself with confidence and spoke with passion. A woman who, though plain and unnoticed at school, still shined with a fighting spirit that could not be put out.
Severus never met that Eileen; her livelihood beaten out of her long before Severus grew out of diapers. She wasn't even a memory to him as he never knew that side of her, instead she was little more than a cheap anecdote of a woman who no longer existed.
Each day, Eileen sorry state progressed farther and farther, leaving her a mockery of the once independent woman she was in her youth.
Sorry to bring the mood down when Augusta was doing such a fine job of grilling her son and future daughter-in-law, but there really is no way to be in the same room as Eileen and not get morose right now. Her health is not the best and even if she herself is oblivious to just how bad it is, trapped in her merry little fictional world, it's blatantly obvious to everyone else.
Also, sorry for the short chapter. Didn't feel right to do a scene change just to regain levity.
If anyone is wondering where Mr. Longbottom is while his wife is ribbing Frank and Alice...he knows better than to get in the way of his wife. I imagine him as the sort who always has 'very important business' to take care of in his study while Augusta runs everything else. Don't mess with a woman who wears a dead Vulture on her head. She probably killed and stuffed it with her own bare hands!
Review please :)