They Didn't Know We Were Seeds
Severus can safely say he is glad to go back to Hogwarts. The summer has been filled with much more trouble and heartache than he was prepared for and he thinks the distance from it will do him quite a bit of good. But, before he can get that distance, he has to play nice and pretend none of the pain he feels happened for a little while. At least he has a distraction in the Jones girls (how they convinced their father to take them to King's Cross to see Severus and Sage off, he'll never know).
Hestia on his hip, and Gwendolyn oohing and awwing over the Hogwarts Express beside him, Severus takes amusement in their juvenile joy. He doesn't think even he was half this excited when he first came to King's Cross when he was truly eleven. At least not about something as simple as the train, anyway. Suddenly, Sage appears beside him.
"Mum says to bring the girls back. The train's about to set off in fifteen minutes and she wants to say goodbye."
He sighs. "Alright."
Severus gestures for Gwendolyn to return to his side, which, with a pout, she does. Together, the four of them head back in the direction where the Montagues, Mr. Jones, and his mother wait. When they reach the small group, Gwendolyn runs to her father.
"Papa! The Express is so shiny! I can't wait until I get to ride it!"
The heavy-set man smiles at his daughter as he brings her flush against his side. "You'll get your chance soon enough, sweet."
As he passes Hestia over to Mr. Jones, Severus tries not to think about how closely Gwendolyn came to not even getting to see the Hogwarts Express, let alone ride it someday in the not so far off future.
"Thank you for taking the girls for a closer look, Severus," the man says.
He tries to smile politely but thinks it ends up looking like a grimace (Aunt Vesta certainly doesn't look pleased anymore). "It was no trouble."
"Even so," Mr. Jones replies, lifting his younger daughter higher on his hip. "Say goodbye now girls," he next tells his daughters.
"Bye-bye!" Hestia shouts.
Gwendolyn darts away from her father's side to throw her arms around Severus. "You'll remember to write us sometimes, won't you?" she begs.
Severus rolls his eyes, but gives the girl's back a good-natured pat. "At least once a month," he promises. Severus figures a short letter about something interesting he's "learning", or about the latest quidditch game, every month will leave Gwendolyn and Hestia over the moon and keep that adoring look in their eyes.
Grinning as if she's just tasted victory, the little girl lets him go. "Goodbye, Sev!"
He waves at them as the Jones disappear into the platform's crowd.
"Those girls are just darling," Aunt Vesta says with a small chuckle. She looks at Boyd. "I bet you and Violet will have beautiful children."
Boyd squirms a little. "I think children are a couple years away yet. Violet and I want to make sure they'll have the very best, which means I need to be a bit higher up in the Ministry than I am now."
The Montague woman frowns. "As long as they are a part of your plan for the future, I suppose."
"Mum, the Express is leaving soon," Sage complains, looking over his shoulder where other students are filing on in droves.
Aunt Vesta makes a face of exasperation. "Alright, alright!" she exclaims. "Come here."
Sage dips close for a quick embrace from her, and then from Boyd. Severus follows suit when the woman turns an expectant look on him. Then, very reluctantly, he finally meets his mother's gaze for the first time since this morning.
As it has been since he first saw her, her gaze is distant. Quietly, he says, "Bye, Mum."
His mother's stare focuses a little and she smiles at him. "Goodbye, Severus," she replies. She pulls him against her. "Be careful this year," she whispers into his ear.
When he pulls away, he frowns at her. What is that supposed to mean? Before Severus can ask, however, Sage gives the sleeve of his robe a tug. "We'll never find a compartment together if we don't leave now, Severus."
He nods and follows his brother to the train, but even so, he can't help but glance back at his mother.
Mum's face remains entirely inscrutable.
-O-
Once they are on the Express, it only takes looking in about a half dozen compartments to not only find one with enough room for both him and Sage, but one that already has Lily in it. She's sitting across from a little Asian girl who keeps glancing between Lily and the view outside. When Lily notices them, she leaps to her feet.
"Oh, you found me! I was worried someone else would take the seats before you two got here!"
Severus smiles back at her. "We got lucky, it seems," he replies.
"Take a seat! Take a seat!" she insists. Lily glances at the other occupant of the compartment. "You don't mind, do you?" she asks. "I can sit next to you if you prefer."
The little girl shakes her head. "No," she whispers.
Severus and Sage settle in. Soon, they are talking about what they are looking forward to at Hogwarts. Sage, who really took a shine to charms last year, starts talking about charms he saw fourth years practicing last year and how he's excited to learn them. Lily, who always had a knack for the subject herself, enthusiastically starts talking about charms she knows and thinks might come in handy for Sage.
Severus ends up letting the two take over the conversation and glances at the girl sitting beside him as the two are distracted. "You're a first year, aren't you?" he asks.
"Yes," she mumbles.
He offers a hand. "Severus Snape."
"Mei Wong," she replies, briefly shaking his hand.
He is about to ask her if she's Muggleborn, since she appears quite uncomfortable, but, before he can, a familiar face pops into the room.
"Severus!" Sirius shouts. A moment later, he steps into the room and Peter files in behind him.
"Hello, Sirius," he returns politely. Though, he can't say he's overly excited to see his mate. Sirius's latest letters to him were very self-centered and held a fair amount of bragging. Severus knows he should be more understanding of the fact it's just him going through a teenage phase, but the blatant immaturity has begun to grate on his nerves.
"We're looking for James and Remus. You haven't seen them, have you?" he asks.
He shakes his head. "No, sorry." Severus glances to Lily. "You?"
His friend smiles sympathetically at Sirius and Peter. "No. Sorry, boys."
Sirius sighs with his whole body in a dramatic fashion. "Ah, well," he replies. Then, finally noticing Mei seat behind Severus, he smirks. "Hey! You! Don't you know who you're sitting next to? Severus is a hero and you should be down on your knees groveling for the opportunity to sit next to him!"
Mei glances between Sirius and Severus, there's a nervous glimmer to her dark gaze, but astonishment has risen her eyebrows nearly halfway up her forehead. "Really?" she asks.
Severus closes his eyes and groans. How many people has Sirius told about what he did that day in Hogsmeade already?
-o-O-o-
Despite years as a spy, years of looking over his shoulder for bullies, years of looking for tiny indicators that tell him he could be walking into a viper's pit instead of his family's kitchen, Severus does not notice him right away. Instead, he's distracted by a petty argument with Mulciber and Rosier about whether or not werewolves live in the Forbidden Forest (they insist they must, given the howling they hear during the nights of the full moon. Oh, if only they knew the truth). It's not until he's sitting down at Slytherin's table and Sage elbows him in the ribs does he see him.
When he does, Severus's feels his mouth go dry in shock. Never, in any lifetime, had he thought the man would come here. To Hogwarts. Even as Severus continues to stare at the man sitting in Professor Higg's old spot at the staff table, he never once looks Severus's way. Instead, just to be contrary, he stares in the opposite direction, right at the Gryffindor's table. And, as if to rub salt in the wound, right at Sirius.
(Does he know they are mates? Or is it because he's heard stories about the boy? Does Sirius make him think of mother? Another Pureblood who broke the mold?)
Numbly, Severus watches the first years go up one by one and be sorted into their houses. He hardly claps – even when one of the new students are sorted into Slytherin. As the sorting comes to a close, he hears Mei Wong's name called and watches her stumble up the stairs to the stool and Minerva. The little girl appears to vibrate in place as the hat is placed on her head. For a solid minute and a half, all anyone hears is the faint muttering of the hat as it and Wong talk to one another. Finally, just as they are coming up on minute two of her sorting, the hat hollers:
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Severus finds himself raising an eyebrow. In the little time he'd had with Wong, Gryffindor had been the last house he'd thought she would go to. He wonders what it is the hat saw in her. Wonders if it will show itself in due time. Wonders if she'll die before she ever truly grows into the Gryffindor role.
As he continues to contemplate the girl, the sorting ceremony comes to an end and Albus stands to give his usual, start-of-the-term speech. Severus pays little attention until, finally, the headmaster says, "…And I'm pleased to introduce you all to our new defense against the dark arts professor, Demitri Prince."
Finally, after refusing to acknowledge his existence all evening, Severus's grandfather looks at him and he smiles.
Sooo… Surprised? It's certainly an exciting way to start year four, huh? Anything else you guys enjoyed about this chapter?
To celebrate the start of year four, I want to offer a one-shot to whoever the 750th reviewer* of TDKWWS will be!
*To qualify for this one-shot, you have to review while signed in to your account, have reviewed at least once previously before this announcement, and have not received a one-shot from me before. Any ideas you may have for the one-shot have to be for an HP fanfiction and it cannot be a crossover or MA idea, and I reserve the right to veto an idea if I am uncomfortable with it or don't think I could do it the justice it deserves.
Thank you all so much for reading :)