One Year to Go
"That's about all I can do," Eileen had said one day at the beginning of October. She'd then proceeded to explain that she was not a good Legilimens and therefore could only help them so much with their Occlumency practices. The brothers had stared at her in shock. If their mother was not good at Legilimency then what did that make them?
So now the two were sitting cross-legged on their bed, Seuthes holding his grandfather's wand for the first time in about three months (their mother had allowed them to use it for practicing their Occlumency and practicing their Occlumency only). "Legilimens."
It felt almost like he was sucked through Russ' eyes but his legs remained rooted to the bed. He was pretty sure this was not how it was supposed to work. Up until now, both he and his brother had cast the spell (a version of the spell, as their mother had informed them) without a wand and it had only served to show them the memories at the front of the other boy's mind. Or in other words - their most recent memories or the ones they'd recently thought about. Which had been incredibly frustrating when they couldn't think of an important moment of their day and thus, couldn't share it with one another. Now though, with all those Occlumency lessons they had much more control over their minds and could at least partly show one another exactly what they needed to.
Seuthes was looking at Mr Mattil who was holding a pen and pointing it furiously at the text scribbled on the chalkboard. The brothers had agreed on showing only memories including the teacher so that they could practice bringing up specific images. The classroom flashed and Seuthes was standing in the hall as Mr Mattil...
He broke the eye contact. The sudden change in memories had caused for his head to spin. It was normally a much smoother transition - most likely due to the fact that it was not forced but was just one thought flowing to the next - and much easier to follow. But now it felt like his brother had slammed a door in his face.
"What happened?" asked Russ.
Seuthes registered the question but was too preoccupied with rubbing his temples and it took him about a minute to respond, "Don't know... Did you push me out or something?"
Russ frowned slightly and shook his head. The two sat in silence until Seuthes nodded, indicating that he was ready, and repeated the incantation. This time he managed to stay inside his brother's head for about four or five memories until his head was throbbing so hard his vision was beginning to blur.
"It's so much better when we don't use Occlumency," he complained. "What about you? Does it hurt?"
"Yeah but... Less than you by the looks of things. The same as when Mother does the spell."
Seuthes snorted bitterly and then grimaced at the thought of having to do this every single day, "Don't suppose we can do this only when it doesn't work without Occlumency?"
"Guess we could do that, yeah. And Mother said it should get easier for both the caster and the defender with some practice. So I hope she's right."
Severus had just gotten home from school when there was a knock on the door.
"Russ, is it you knocking? Is the door locked?" he heard Sev yell from the upper floor.
"No, be quiet, I'll check who it is," Severus called back and went to open the door.
Before him stood a man in his thirties, wearing a dark blue tunic and a helmet. Police Officer? the boy wondered, but didn't question the man's presence and opened the door wider so that he could talk to him.
"Er... Hello, sir," he said shyly, every feature of his face revealing his confusion.
"Hello, little one," the policeman greeted. "Is your dad home by chance?"
Severus frowned. What would the police want from his father? "No."
"Ah. What about your mum then?"
"She's not here either. I'm er... alone." Was that illegal? He didn't think it was but...
"It's alright, don't worry about it," the man reassured him and Severus felt his shoulders slump slightly as some of the tension in them was lifted. "Do you mind if I come in to wait for your parents?"
And the tension was back. He didn't know what he'd done that would cause for police to want to speak with his parents but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. "Can you give me a moment, please?" he asked.
"Sure, y-" the man started to say but Severus was already in the living room and rushing towards the stairs.
He pushed past the door to his room and glanced at his brother sitting on the bed and looking expectantly at him. "There's a blasted policeman here!" Severus whispered. "He wants to come inside to wait for Mother and Father to come home."
"What!?" Sev exclaimed and both boys glanced at the door, thankful to find that Severus had closed it and the man outside couldn't hear them. "Why is he here?" the boy asked, lowering his voice.
"I don't know! But you have to stay here so he wouldn't spot you."
"Yeah, wouldn't have thought of that by myself," Sev responded bitterly but then gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm not new to this game, Russ, he won't see me. Silent as the grave." As if to emphasize his words, he lifted his hand in front of his mouth and mimicked locking a door.
Severus grinned at him and turned on his heel, heading back to the front door. He opened it broadly and invited the man inside.
"A nice room you got there," the officer commented once the two of them had seated themselves on the couch.
"Yeah, right," Severus muttered, eyes locked on the table in front of him. The man didn't seem to be mocking him but Severus knew 'nice room' was not the impression their living arrangements normally left on the few people that visited the house.
The officer glanced at him at the words and chuckled lightly, "On second thought, you're right. It's not that great. But it's not too bad either, is it now?"
"Suppose it could be worse," Severus replied.
A long silence settled between them. The boy wasn't sure how to describe it exactly. If it was up to him, he'd say it was pretty tense but then again, the man in front of him didn't appear to be uncomfortable with the situation in the slightest.
"So what do you do at this time of the day?" the policeman asked, "Are you normally alone or is it just an exception?"
So this was some sort of an interrogation then. "Uhm... My Father sometimes gets home before I do."
"So we can expect him soon then?"
"I don't know. Might be now or in a few hours... He doesn't have a schedule." Severus' palms were beginning to sweat and he brushed them on the sides of his trousers, hoping one of his parents would come home soon and free him from this situation.
"I see. Okay then. What do you want to do while we wait? Can you play Spit?" the man asked cheerfully as though he were an old friend.
"Spit?" Severus had never even heard of it, much less played it.
"The card game? Do you have cards in here somewhere?"
Well, this was getting even more weird but the boy nevertheless went to fetch the deck and listened carefully as the police officer explained the rules of the game.
About an hour later there was the sound of the front door opening and both Severus and the man stopped their game and looked up. The slim figure of Eileen appeared in the doorframe, the woman still rummaging through her bag, but stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the unfamiliar man.
"Mrs Snape, I assume?" the man asked. His voice was still warm but a bit more businesslike. "Officer Fernsby," he introduced himself for the first time today.
Eileen didn't respond. Just proceeded to put her bag and coat in their corresponding places and only then did she turn to address the man, "I am, yes. What can I do for you, officer?" she asked, her voice cold.
"I'd like you to answer a few questions if that's not a problem?"
The woman took a seat on the armchair and turned to look at the man sitting in front of her son. "It might be. What questions?" Severus couldn't help but smirk at the way his mother kept her cool in front of the policeman.
"Let's start with... Hm. Where was your husband on September the seventeenth?"
Eileen eyed him suspiciously and looked away pensively. "At work. He came home around ten o'clock. That's rather normal for him, is there a problem, officer?"
Fernsby marked something in his notebook but otherwise ignored her. "When does he normally leave from work?"
"Around four I'd say. Sometimes at lunch and sometimes around seven."
The man scribbled something again and continued with his questions, "But he comes home at ten?"
Eileen glared at him and so did Severus. The whole village might know that Tobias was commonly visiting the pub but it was still embarrassing to say it out loud. "He visits... other places on his way home," she replied after a moment. "Might I ask what is the meaning of this interrogation?"
"Of course, ma'am. Mr John Welker has confessed to have participated in a robbery that occurred on the seventeenth of September and has testified against Tobias Snape as an accomplice."
Severus heard the sharp intake of breath next to him and then watched as his mother stood up abruptly and turned her back on the man. "My husband wouldn't participate in such activities. Kindly inform Mr Welker my family will tolerate neither a criminal, nor a liar."
"I am glad to hear that, Mrs Snape, but you have to understand we're leading an investigation and will have to gather as much information about the case as possible. If your husband is innocent, then your testimony will only help us prove that. You have nothing to worry about."
The woman slumped back on the chair and rested her head on her palms. "Severus, go to your room, will you?" When the boy failed to do as he was told, she repeated a bit more forcefully, "Severus."
He stood and retreated towards the stairs, climbing up slowly so that he could catch a bit more of the conversation. But the room behind him remained silent.
"And close the door!" his mother's voice reached him and he hung his head in resignation.
Everything was a blur after that. He vaguely remembered his father coming home and the policeman taking him somewhere but other than that...
"Severus," he heard someone in the distance call his name and turned abruptly to face whomever had spoken, but quickly regretted it as he spotted the bright red hair amongst the crowd of people. "No, wait!" the girl yelled when he turned to leave and for some unknown reason he stopped his escape.
Lily moved closer. A few of the Muggles were now staring at them and Severus wished the ground would swallow him whole.
"What?" he asked rather coolly when the girl finally got to him. "If you've come to say something about my father, I don't want to hear it."
Lily stared at him in shock. "About... About your father?" she breathed as though it hadn't even occurred to her to talk about him. "Severus, you should know by now I don't care who your parents are. Come." She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the gate and then in the direction of the bridge and the tree they'd so often met under. "Why would you think I'd want to say something about your father?!" she asked angrily when the two of them were away from prying eyes.
Severus shrugged. "Everyone does since they arrested him. And I know what your family thinks about mine."
"No, you don't. You only know what Petunia thinks about you," Lily argued but the boy was not convinced.
"Yeah. And because they're all so fond of me you've dragged me here so nobody would see that we're together."
His friend averted her gaze. "Okay. But I don't judge you by what your father has done. And I never will, alright?"
A slight smile graced Severus' lips, "Pinky promise?"
Lily grinned back and the two crossed their pinkies. "Pinky promise," she confirmed.
"Pinky promises are to be taken very seriously," Severus informed her, doing his best to keep his voice neutral. "It's almost like an Unbreakable Vow."
"A what?"
"Unbreakable Vow. I don't know how exactly you make the Vow but if you break it, you die," he explained.
"Ah. Yeah. Yeah, pretty close to the pinky promise, then," Lily laughed heartily and Severus found himself unable to hold his own giggles.
Christmas was lonely this year. The dim light of a few candles set on the table illuminated the three chairs around it and the faces of those sitting on them - Severus, Seuthes and Eileen. The only difference from supper on other days were the few fir twigs scattered around the room. Tobias was imprisoned. They'd paid him a visit in the morning (or at least Eileen and Seuthes had) and the visit had once again ended with the man's usual infuriating apologies. His apologies had long ago become meaningless, what with him always failing to keep his word and having to apologize for the same thing time and time again. At least they won't have to see him for another eleven months when he'd be free to go home.
The other person missing was Elvyra Prince. The twins had insisted their mother invite the woman but Eileen had denied their request emphatically. She was still angry with her mother for going against her wishes.
"I've decided you two can have your present on the 9th instead of today," Eileen informed them and the two boys nodded silently. It didn't really matter. Normally they wouldn't have a birthday present so the only difference was that they'd receive whatever it was two weeks later. "One of you will have to come with me to buy it, I expect you will sort it out between yourselves before it's time to go." The brothers nodded in unison again.
Two weeks later and Eileen and Severus were standing in front of the Leaky Cauldron. The wall opened, revealing the beautiful sight of Diagon Alley, buzzing with excitement as people ran up and down the street carrying their buys. The two walked for about five minutes without so much as looking at the shops, but then Eileen shoved her son to a darker street, so tiny one could very easily have missed it.
The grip on Severus' hand tightened and his mother pulled him closer to herself. "You're to never go here without me, Severus," she threatened. "Do you understand?"
The boy nodded. He'd already guessed this must be Knockturn Alley. The last place he'd thought his mother would take him to.
The two walked for a few more minutes, carefully avoiding anything that might wander those streets, and stopped in front of a small black building with a single dusty window.
"I want you to be silent," Eileen informed him before pushing the creaky door and ushering him inside.
It was a small dark room with just a few torches lighting the walls. A few shelves were hanging from the far wall, filled with contents Severus didn't recognize. Something reminding him of a mouse trap, a strange hat, a... simple bag?
"Mrs Snape," a voice startled both visitors and they turned to look at the left wall where a door they hadn't seen until now had opened to reveal a hunchbacked man with a disdainful smirk plastered on his face. "And her spawn," he added and turned to look at Severus with a curious expression.
"Spare yourself the insults, Crawlish," Eileen responded coldly. "Have you got it?"
Crawlish glared at her but nodded and disappeared behind the door. A minute later there was the scraping of something heavy being dragged across the floor and soon the man was standing before the Snapes, a wooden trunk in his feet.
"This is the thing you want? And we're clear?" he asked.
Eileen didn't respond and instead extracted her wand and waved it over the trunk, the gesture causing the lid to fly open. She then turned to Crawlish and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"The standard," the man responded and turned to rearrange his stock as if the two customers did not interest him.
"Aperta," Eileen said loudly and with another click a second compartment appeared in the trunk. "Take a look, Severus," she told her son and the boy moved closer.
It appeared to be a... a room. Severus looked uncertainly at his mother but she only smiled mysteriously and gestured for him to go inside. It was a tiny room, about the size of his own room at home and unfurnished. He didn't know what exactly that was supposed to be and what the heck it might be used for yet something about it made him extremely grateful. Perhaps it was his childish curiosity and creativity that made him visualize the small space filled with the stuff he'd seen in other kids' rooms. Or maybe just the fact that he was receiving his first birthday present ever. But what did it matter the cause when the result was a grin stretching from one ear to the other?
When he exited the trunk, his mother was bent over Crawlish's wand, chanting something over it, and once that was done she shrunk her new purchase and put it safely in her pocket.
"Where did you get the money to pay for that?" Severus couldn't help but ask when the two were out of the shop.
"That's non of your concern. Let's just say Crawlish owed the Prince family a debt." And that was all the woman was willing to let on.
Soon the two were back on Spinner's end, an eager Sev awaiting their return.
"I was planning for the two of you to use it while you're at Hogwarts," Eileen informed her children once both three of them were seated comfortably (as comfortably as the couch would allow them, that is) with the magical trunk between them.
"So..." Sev started nervously, "Like one of us will sleep in there?"
"Precisely. I'll try to furnish it before the school year begins. You are to tell no-one of the second compartment's existence. Is that understood?"
The boys nodded in unison, wide smiles plastered across their faces as they looked at each other.
Spring passed by almost unnoticed and there was no doubt in either of the twins' minds that this was coming to be the best year of their lives. Not only was their father not home and wouldn't be until November, but they'd gotten so close to Lily they were now practically inseparable. And on top of all that they were finally going to attend Hogwarts where things were sure to improve tenfold.
"...and told them all about Diagon Alley- you should've seen Tuney's face," Lily was saying but Seuthes' mind had drifted off to his own letter. The long wait had finally come to an end. He was going to Hogwarts! "Hey! Are you listening?"
"Uh?" the boy startled. "Sorry, yeah, I'm listening. What were you saying?"
The girl nudged his shoulder playfully and repeated her words, dragging each one very slowly as if she were explaining it to a toddler, "I was saying, we should go to the pictures."
When had she switched the topic, she'd just now been talking about McGonagall explaining something...
"Oh, er... I can't," Seuthes replied and became suddenly interested in his shoes. Truth was, he'd never gone to the cinema, nor had he thought much about it. He'd long ago reconciled himself to the fact that his family simply couldn't afford such unnecessary expenses.
"My parents and Petunia are off to some city... I forgot it's name, they've been all around the country lately... Anyway, I'm staying with Grandpa and he bought three tickets because he wanted me to invite a friend. So... Would you?"
"Lily, I'd love to but... I haven't got enough money to pay you back," he whispered and felt his face flush hot with humiliation.
"Severus Snape!" Lily yelled in a mock-scolding tone. "I said I was inviting a friend. For free." Seuthes was about to protest but Lily cut him before he'd managed to say a word, "It's settled then. I'll be waiting for you on Sunday, at six... Uhm... In front of the school?"
Seuthes could swear he'd just seen an owl fly over to the Evanses' house. He knew he should wait for Lily to share with him what this new letter was about, but curiosity got the better of him and he headed for the other side of the river. He'd never been inside the house but Russ had - all those months ago when the two of them had been supposed to stay home and read the stupid book on Occlumency. And Seuthes treasured the memory of that visit like a king treasured his gold.
"Oh. Hi!" he heard Lily greet him and snapped his head upwards to where Lily was bent over a window on the second floor. She then disappeared back inside the house and a moment later the front door opened widely. "Come in!" Seuthes did so. "Well. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She smiled broadly.
"Did you receive a letter? There was an owl coming this way," he replied gingerly.
"Don't think so. Nothing stops us from checking, does it?" She took a few steps up the staircase and turned back to him with a raised eyebrow, "Aren't you coming?"
"You're sure it's alright if I come in? I mean your sister won't scream so the neighbours hear and call the police, is she?"
Lily grinned at him. Really, how she could always be so cheerful was beyond him. "No, silly. She's not even here, everyone's out again. Come on, I won't be waiting for you forever!"
The two entered a small room on the second floor. Well, Seuthes couldn't exactly describe it as small, considering it was at least twice as big as his own, but it was smaller than the living room he'd seen in Russ' memories. A huge window covered a big portion of the wall opposite the door and provided the space with a much needed sunlight. A bed was standing next to one wall, surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds of books and for the boy's little experience with books that were not for school... that was a rather impressive number.
"Nothing here," Lily announced, apparently having searched the whole room while Seuthes had been too preoccupied with observing it. "You sure there was an owl coming this way? I've never received a letter by owl."
"I didn't see it land here but... who else's it would be?"
Half an hour later the two kids were standing before the front door, Seuthes standing awkwardly as he waited for Lily to get ready so that they could go sit under 'their tree' as they had come to call it. A thorough search of both Lily's room and the living room had revealed not a single trace of a letter and so, the two had finally decided it was simply a mistake and they should spend their time in better ways than searching for a nonexistent piece of parchment. A horrible thought crossed Seuthes' mind as he waited. What if... No, she couldn't be, could she? Hogwarts didn't accept children older than eleven years old.
"Lily..." he began and waited for her to look at him. "Do you think it might have been for Petunia? The letter."
The girl frowned slightly as if in thought and then shook her head, "Haven't seen her do anything weird. You know how she reacted when that Professor - McGordon, was it? - came and explained everything."
Yes, Lily had relayed the events in great detail numerous times, much to Seuthes' amusement when she'd shared her sister's reaction to the news. Still, the idea of attending Hogwarts with the awful blonde would not leave his mind. Having to live with her in the same village was bad enough, but having to live in the same building... That would be simply unbearable. "Could you maybe... Check if she's gotten a letter?" he pleaded, feeling miserable and suddenly glad Lily was currently looking away so she couldn't see the colour of his face turn a vibrant red shade.
Lily gave him a sharp look and grunted half-heartedly but headed back upstairs while Seuthes continued to stay in his spot.
"It's here!" Lily shrieked and the boy could practically feel his heart slamming against his chest. "Oh," the former breathed as she came back down with her nose almost touching the paper in her hands. She sounded positively disappointed. "It's just... the Headmaster telling her she wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts."
He stepped closer to his friend and took the letter from her outstretched hand.
Dear Miss Evans,
I am saddened to inform you that I am unable to fulfill your wishes. Unfortunately, magic is not a skill one can learn but it is rather a trait some of us receive at birth.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is designed to prepare those of us who possess magic so as to protect both themselves and those who have been dealt a different hand of cards and have not been gifted with magical powers.
But do not be discouraged, Miss Evans, for in its core magic is not the spell a wizard would cast but rather the emotion and intent with which they cast it. And the most powerful of all is the magic of love. A type of magic everyone is capable of and I daresay, many of us wizards will never be able to practice it at the same level as you. There is magic all around us and once you learn to recognize it, you will realize that every one of us possesses the power to make those around us sad or happy, to kill or heal. You are already in control of this magic, Miss Evans, use it wisely.
Sincerely yours,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The only response that came from Seuthes once he was finished with reading the letter was a hmpf sound of disbelief. For a long moment he stayed silent before muttering, "Mother did say this man was preposterous..." and handing the parchment back to Lily.
Severus felt bad for his brother. Apparently, the wands might recognize the one holding them was not the one saying he was and then Ollivander might find about it too and then... Well, they had decided to leave Seuthes home so as to prevent such unwanted adventures. But bad as he felt, he couldn't help the tingle of excitement that was becoming positively overwhelming by now.
"Come along," his mother ushered him and he unsticked his nose from one of the shop windows and hurried to follow her.
The first shop they'd visited was Madam Malkin's where they had stayed only long enough to grab a single baggy robe, visibly too big for both Severus and his brother. For next year, as Eileen had informed him.
And now they were headed toward an old-looking building, its age confirmed a few seconds later when the boy read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC on a sign floating above the shop.
"Good morning," a soft voice greeted them and Severus spotted an old man in the corner of the room. Apparently, his mother hadn't spotted him as she startled and snapped her head in the direction of the sound.
"Good morning, Mr Ollivander," she responded while trying to mask her initial surprise.
"Ah, yes. Mrs Snape, we haven't met in a very long time. Chestnut, nine and a half inches, pliable, wasn't it? And this, I suppose, is Severus?"
It was, yes, and the boy in question was rather taken aback - to say the least - by the fact that the man had not only described his mother's wand perfectly, but had also recognized his name - and such thing had never happened to him in the Magical World. He'd only been here twice or thrice before and he was pretty sure Eileen hadn't been a much more regular visitor either.
The woman nodded curtly to both statements and Ollivander, obviously pleased with that response, extracted a measuring tape from his robe and continued, "Alright. Mr Snape, I'd need you to answer a few questions. Let's start with... Which is your wand arm?"
"Right, sir," Severus replied awkwardly and waited as the tape flew around him and measured his height, arm length and God knows what else.
The man spared him a long calculating look and turned to select a box from the thousands of identical boxes behind the counter.
"Right then, Mr Snape. Try this one. Dogwood, Dragon heartstring, nine inches, whippy," the man pronounced as he extracted the wood from its box and handed it over to Severus. The boy had barely brushed his fingers over it when Ollivander snatched it from him, muttering how this was definitely not the right one. "This one then," he handed him another, "Hazel wood, Kelpie hair, ten and a half inches, flexible. Give it a wave."
This time the shopkeeper let him hold the wand for a little longer, brushing his chin with his fingers as if in thought, while Severus waved the wand foolishly.
After a few seconds the man tutted and turned his back on the boy so as to take another box. "Not an inexperienced wizard, then. Interesting, very interesting indeed." Taken aback by the statement, Severus glanced at his mother only to be met by an unreadable expression. "Reed wood, Unicorn hair, ten inches, stiff- no, no, definitely not." The wand was snatched from his fingers again.
After about ten minutes Ollivander finally seemed satisfied with the wood he was holding when he handed it to the exasperated boy in front of him. "Quite an unusual combination, Mr Snape. Why not? Reed wood, Horned Serpent horn, ten inches, flexible."
Severus took the wand, a welcoming warmth spreading up his arm.
"Wave it," the old man encouraged. And Severus did so. Something looking suspiciously like a firework shot from the tip of the wood, followed by Ollivander's exclamation of, "Bravo! That is a very curious combination, Mr Snape. And indeed, I haven't sold many wands with Horned Serpent horn. It has the very useful habit of alerting its owner when he is in danger. Use it wisely, Mr Snape."
Ten minutes later Severus and his mother were exiting Flourish and Blotts with a single book on Defence Against the Dark Arts - it had been the only book that had changed since Eileen had attended Hogwarts and thus, the only book they didn't already have. And now they were headed towards a small marble shop that read Potter's Potent 'pothecary.
"Good morning," the woman greeted, her son echoing her words sheepishly.
"Good day, Mrs...?" said the man behind the counter.
"Snape."
"Mrs and Mr Snape," he repeated. "What can I do for you?"
"We're looking for these," Eileen replied as she handed him the letter from Hogwarts that listed the materials the kids would need at school.
"Oho!" the man, who Severus supposed was Potter, exclaimed. His cheerfulness was making the little boy extremely uncomfortable. "A First Year! You know..." he began while collecting the needed ingredients, vials and cauldron from their shelves with enviable agility. "My son will also be attending Hogwarts for the first time. You may become friends and then we'll see each other more often," the man had the audacity to wink in their direction.
"That'd be great," Severus replied, not sure how else he was supposed to respond.
"This was the greatest summer ever!" Severus exclaimed. He was lying on the ground under his favourite tree, holding the hand of his favourite person. "I can't wait for next summer! We'll have learnt magic and we'll have learnt to fly!..."
"Yeah," said Lily. But something about the way she said it left the boy beside her with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.