They Didn't Know We Were Seeds

Severus does not often go inside the Evans home. Mostly, it's because he doesn't want to. When he was truly a child, going inside just made him bitter. The Evans house always looked so nice. The furniture was most definitely not secondhand, even if it was a little worn from belonging to a home with children, the walls were decorated with the smiling portraits of family members, and little ceramic shepherdesses that would have been broken within twenty-four hours at his family's home, prettily lined the mantle of the Evans's fireplace.

It screamed happy home.

As for the other reason…

Walking into Lily's kitchen to put his water glass in the sink, he is unsurprised to find Petunia at the room's table thumbing through a catalog. She doesn't look up, but he can still see her expression turn into one of distaste. When he was a child the first time it was quite typical for Petunia to be hanging around the Evans home. Now is no different.

Severus continues to his destination and puts his glass in the sink. He then turns around to face Petunia. Now is his chance. Now is the time to try and show Lily's sister magic is not all rainbows and kneazle-kittens. Severus licks his lips and considers what to say first. He decides to open his argument with an indisputable truth. Quietly, he says, "She loves you."

Petunia doesn't look up from her catalog, the sneering curl of her lips the only indication she heard at all.

Undeterred, Severus continues, "Lily loves you so much, that if there were a way, she would give you her magic."

"No, she wouldn't!" Petunia snaps, glaring at Severus. "Who in their right mind would give up getting to go to school in a castle and learning how to turn toads into butterflies?"

"Being a witch is a lot more than that," he tells her. "There are bad things too. Hogwarts is just like muggle schools. There are bullies, hours of studying for exams you know you'll never pass, homesickness…"

Petunia scoffs. "You still get to do magic," she insists.

Severus wracks his brain, trying to figure out how to explain to someone who's idealized this world she's only ever had a glimpse of, just how cruel it truly is. Finally, an equitable example from the Muggle-world comes to him. "You know how there are people who hate blacks?"

"Yes? So?"

"There are people who hate muggle-born witches and wizards the same way." Severus gestures to himself. "They don't always like wizards and witches like me either. A lot of people who come from families who've been magical so long they can't even name a muggle ancestor think those who marry muggles are debasing themselves. That their children are lessers for having a non-magical parent."

Some of the ire leaves Petunia's expression and is replaced with concern.

"There's only Hogwarts for all of the wizards and witches of Britain, did you know that?"

Petunia pales. "Really? There's not even a tiny academy somewhere for those who might not like Hogwarts or can't afford it or something?"

Severus shakes his head. "All children who are magical go to Hogwarts. Muggle-borns, half-bloods, and purebloods."

"Even the ones who hate witches like Lily?" Petunia asks.

Severus nods. "I'd like to say it's for the best, because children who are taught muggle-borns are inferior can see for themselves that it's not true…" He thinks of Sirius's cousin, Andromeda, of his mother, of countless others who defied pureblood expectations and married muggles and muggle-borns. He then thinks of the years of torture some muggle-borns put up with just to learn how to use their magic. "But it's not always like that. Sometimes, muggle-borns have a time of it at Hogwarts. Half-bloods too."

"Why didn't that witch who visited us when Lily got her letter not tell Mum and Dad any of this!" Petunia demands, angry again.

Severus shrugs. "Children need to be educated to stop them from becoming a danger to themselves and their families. I'm not saying it's right, but if you have to pick, what would you choose? A fearful family keeping their child home and ending up dead because of it, or a child growing up to be a capable witch or wizard with a few scars to show for it?"

Petunia begins to wring her hands. "You… You look out for Lily, don't you? She's not being bullied by anyone, right?"

He relaxes a little. It seems he's gotten through to Petunia. "We look out for each other," he answers honestly. "And only someone who's half-bonkers would dare bother Lily." Looking to the drawing room, where Lily is just barely in view, absorbed in a film playing on the telly, Severus tells Petunia, "Now, since you know Lily's time at Hogwarts isn't a daydream, would it still be too much of me to ask you to be a little nicer to her?"

Petunia's jaw goes taut with stubbornness briefly. Then, softly, she sighs. "No, it's really not."

-o-O-o-

As always, by the end of July, there is little of interest to do in Cokeworth. More often than not, he and Lily spend their days puttering around the park they once played at as children. Today is no exception for them. They sit in the dead center of the park's rusting roundabout in silence. Lily has a letter from Sirius sitting in front of her, but Severus doesn't much want to open it. In the last one, he mentioned his cousin Andromeda eloping with her muggle-born boyfriend. He has no doubts this letter will hold news of his cousin being burned off the Black family tapestry.

Finally, the silence is broken by Lily whispering, "Today is his birthday."

Severus cocks his head in confusion. "What?"

"It's my baby's birthday today. Harry," Lily says.

He frowns and turns to face Lily fully. She looks absolutely gutted. "He lives, remember?" Severus says softly, hoping it will soothe away some of Lily's pain.

"Yes, he was alive until you died. But what about after?" Lily demands, agitation making her voice sharp.

Severus sighs. What does she want from him? He's not a seer. A bit annoyed, he says, "Everyone dies, Lily."

"What an awful thing to say to someone who's grieving!" Lily cries.

"You weren't this worked up about Harry last year," Severus grumbles.

Tears begin to roll down her face. "If you don't remember, last year I didn't leave my house at all the week of Harry's birthday!"

Severus furrows his brow. Is that true? Perhaps it is. Though, Severus can't say for sure. He distinctly recalls being confined to his home by his mother most of the last week of July. He'd gotten into a brawl with a neighbor boy one morning on his way to the park to see Lily (who hadn't been there that day) and bit the boy's arm deeply enough for him to require stitches. When his dad found out that evening he'd thrashed Severus so bad his mother had been afraid if he went out on the street someone would call the police on Dad.

"I… I was sick at home most of the last week of July last year," Severus lies.

Lily's glare lets up some. "You were?"

"I'm sorry," Severus mumbles. "Would you like to do something for his birthday?"

Wiping away her tears, Lily asks, "Like what?"

Severus turns his palms up helplessly to the sky. "Light a candle?"

"Yes," Lily says, "let's do that."

She stands up and walks off the roundabout. Then, she turns around and offers a hand to help Severus off. He takes a moment to stuff Sirius's letter in his pants pocket before he accepts Lily's hand and uses her as an anchor to hop off the unsteady roundabout. A smile ghosts across Lily's face. "Look at that, we're finally the same height."

He leans in and presses their foreheads together, measuring for himself. When he finds that she's right, he smirks. "Next year I'll be taller than you again."

"I don't know, Sev. Girls mature a lot faster than boys!" she teases.

Thoughts this chapter? Which scene was your favorite? Why?

Thanks so much for reading guys!