They Didn't Know We Were Seeds
Christmas is far from joyous. Severus's mother is still in hospital and even two days after falling into a coma, the healers still have no answer as to why. When he and the Montagues wake Christmas morning, no one looks out the window to see if the snow the wireless promised is falling and they spend little time enjoying the Christmas tree Topper put up or the extravagant gifts Aunt Vesta put beneath it. Breakfast is a rushed affair and as soon as everyone cleans their plate, Aunt Vesta insists they go spend the rest of the day with Severus's mother.
He, of course, is fine with this. He's worried about his mother and wants to be there in case anything changes or if they figure out why she's in the coma. It feels unfair to Sage, however. His poor brother shifts uncomfortably in his chair and tries to read a book, but is continuously interrupted when Aunt Vesta asks him questions about this and that, trying to fill the silence surrounding them with chatter.
As lunchtime approaches, Severus is about to tell her to cut it out and let Sage be when a knocking starts at the door of his mother's room. They all look in the direction of the door. It opens part-way to reveal Demitiri. Aunt Vesta stands up and goes to him.
"Oh, Uncle Demitri! You're finally here!" she exclaims. "It's just terrible! It's been nearly three days and they still have no idea what's wrong with Eileen."
The old man takes hold of the Montague woman's hands. Gently, he leads her back to her chair. Helping her sit back down, he pats her knee and says, "I'm sure they're doing their best to help Eileen." Eyes more kindly than Severus has ever seen them, he murmurs, "Just as you have."
A feeling of mistrust begins to unfurl in Severus's gut. He doesn't like the way Demitiri is speaking to Aunt Vesta. It's too… Kind. As if he feels guilty about what's happened to Severus's mother.
Rather expectedly, Aunt Vesta begins to tear up. Reaching into the folds of her robes for a handkerchief, she pulls one out and dabs at her eyes. Sniffling, she says, "It's just so unfortunate. This was going to be Eileen's first Christmas with Severus in a few years. And with Boyd's wedding coming up…" she sucked in a shuddering breath. "I fear she won't be well in time for it! I so did want her there with us!"
"Hush, Vesta," Demitiri shushed. "How long have you and lads been here? Perhaps the three of you would like to take a break and go freshen up at home, hm?"
The woman's eyes go to Severus's mother. "You'll stay with Eileen, won't you? I hate the thought of her being here all alone on Christmas."
His grandfather nods. "Yes, of course," he answers. "I feel the exact same way as you." He looks at his daughter, a regretful shape to his frown. "It really is a shame."
Aunt Vesta pockets her handkerchief and gets to her feet. "Boys, let's head home and see if Topper can't whip us up a nice Christmas tea."
Sage eagerly bounces to his feet. "Yes, Mother," he agrees.
As for Severus, he crosses his legs and wraps his arms around himself. "I'll stay here," he says.
"Severus…" Aunt Vesta groans.
He shakes his head. "I have to," he insists. Playing on his cousins' overwrought emotions he bleats plaintively, "I can't leave my mum like this on Christmas."
The woman's face softens greatly. She bends over and plants a kiss to his forehead. "What a good son you are," she praises. "I'll have Topper put something together for you while we're home." Then, expression turning a tad stern, she tells him, "You can stay for lunch, but you will go home for dinner."
Severus counters, "Only if you'll stay with Mum." He glances at his grandfather. "I know you love her nearly as much as I do."
He can see the old man scowling as Aunt Vesta begins to sniffle again. "Of course, dear," she promises.
From the doorway, Sage, book clutched close to his chest, calls, "Bye, Sev."
Severus smiles at his brother. "I'll see you soon," he returns encouragingly.
Sage just frowns, gaze flickering between him and Demitri. Severus finds himself impressed. It's obvious Sage knows something is about to happen even if his mother doesn't. Though, Severus knows Aunt Vesta's failure is not due to a lack of intelligence, but due to being overwhelmed with worry, the mystery of his mother's coma, and pure exhaustion built up from days of fitful sleep. Later, when she is in a better state, she might have questions for Severus, but, for now, it's simply too much for her.
"Be a good lad for your grandfather," Aunt Vesta pleads as she embraces Severus. "I'll tell the healer's assistants to check on you a couple of times while we're gone, alright?"
"Yes, Aunt Vesta," he replies, more amused than anything. He can handle his grandfather just fine.
With no more to say, mother and son leave grandfather and grandson alone with their mother and daughter.
For a couple of minutes, straight silence falls between them. Then, because he can hold it in no longer, Severus says, "I know you visited mother before she fell ill."
His grandfather studies him with an icy gaze. Eventually, he says, "I did."
Severus looks to his mother. She's a sad figure, laid out in her bed. Mum is nearly as white as her sheets and her breathing is so shallow that one has to stare right at her chest to watch for the most minute movements to tell that she is, in fact, alive. Severus cannot know for sure, but he believes it far too convenient that his grandfather visited one day for his mother to fall ill the next. Meeting his grandfather's gaze, Severus squares his jaw and declares, "You did this."
Instead of denying his involvement, Demitiri simply turns his gaze to Severus's mother and says, "She will wake up. Just not for a while."
"Why?"
The old man sighs. "When you showed me your mother's warning to you… I had to know. I started to visit her and convinced her I wanted to help get back at your father's killer – if only because I knew how much it hurt her to have him die."
Severus frowns at the old man. "Mum believed you?"
"Not at first," he replies.
He nods. It does sound more likely that his mother would not believe Demitiri right from the start. He's curious to know what methods his grandfather did to regain her trust, but, instead, he asks, "What led to this?"
"She told me who killed your father and what her plan to avenge him is," he answers. His face both miserable and grim, Severus's grandfather says, "I couldn't let her do it. It would have ruined us."
"Us?" Severus repeats, confused and annoyed. There is no "us" as far as he's concerned. There are him and his mother and there is Demitri. They are not a unit.
The old man scowls. "Yes, us. If she followed through with killing Adam Parkinson–"
"–Adam Parkinson killed Dad?" Severus cut in, incredulous. Why in Merlin's name would he have had a part in it?
His grandfather sighs. "Yes. Partly in thanks to your cousin. I'm sure Vesta did not mean to, but… With all her fretting over your mother when she was still living your father, she began to worry Boyd. As you know, I've learned a great deal this past year about what is quickly emerging from the depths of our society. Boyd has a part in it, I am regretful to say."
Severus says nothing to this. It's not a shock to him. He knew already. Doesn't care, either. There's nothing he can do for Boyd at this time so he is best left alone in favor of focusing his efforts on saving Sage.
When Demitiri sees Severus has nothing to say to this, he steeples his hands in his lap and continues, "Boyd went to his social group and asked for help. Adam Parkinson stepped up and agreed to go and 'save' Eileen from her brutish Muggle husband." He chuckles darkly. "Your mother did not want saving. If not for me, Adam would pay for his part in your father's murder in a few days time."
A torrent of futures that could-have-been course through Severus's mind. One where Adam is killed before the wedding and Violet and Boyd are never married and a feud starts between the Parkinsons and Montagues. In another, where Adam is killed post-Boyd and his sister's wedding and after Violet cannot stand to look at her new husband any longer, causing their marriage to be annulled. Yet another future where his mother is caught before she can kill Adam and she's given the Dementor's kiss. A final future where Adam is killed and the Parkinsons find a way to settle things an eye for an eye by murdering Sage or Boyd as retribution. He shivers and thanks the stars that his grandfather had the stomach to stop his mother.
When he can speak again, Severus tells his grandfather, "This won't solve the problem. She'll just look for another opportunity to kill him."
"You don't think I know that?" Demitri demands. "I've known now for weeks about her plan. At the very least I've bought our family time!"
Severus jumps up from his chair. "Our family?" he decries. Severus points at his mother where she lays in her hospital bed nearly as still as a corpse. "You disowned Mum!"
His grandfather rises to his feet and looms over Severus. "And your damn cousin brought her back!" he spits. Demitri pounds on his chest and roars, "This time it would be her and her family that would pay because of Eileen's poor choices!" He falls quiet for a moment, breathing ragged as he continues to glare at Severus, who scowls steadily back up at his grandfather. There's guilt blooming in his chest (if only he'd never spoken up during that first dinner with Aunt Vesta and her sons), but Severus is far too used to the feeling for it to make him falter in a row. In a tone just a hair quieter than a conversational-voice, Demitiri says, "If she'd managed to kill the Parkinson boy… All of us would have paid for it." His eyes are solemn as he whispers, "Perhaps even with our lives."
Severus can't argue with his grandfather's logic. The man is right. They damn well could have paid with their lives if Mum managed to follow through on her plot to murder Adam Parkinson. Even so, he crosses his arms and asks, "How are you going to stop Mum from doing it later?" He strengthens his glare and hisses, "Because she will."
Mum, like Severus, like Demitri, is too obstinate for her own good. She will not give up easily and not without a fight.
The old man takes a seat once more. Massaging his temples with his thin fingers, he explains, "I don't have a long-term plan as of yet. I put her in the coma to stop Eileen from ruining the wedding, nothing more." His knobby hands falling to his lap, he looks up at Severus. For the first time, he can really see just how tired his grandfather is. There are dark bruises rimming his eyes and the wrinkles that line his face look far deeper than they did just a couple of weeks ago. "I've considered after she wakes and is out of St. Mungo's obliviating from your mother's mind her discovery of Tobias's murderer and burning all her research on it as well. It should, if Godric's fortune shines upon us, buy a few months, if not longer, to come up with a more permanent way to stop her."
He continues his steady glare for a time. Then, Severus sighs and relents slightly. "I… May have an idea that will end this issue once and for all," he says finally. "But I need to speak to Lily Evans first."
His grandfather's jaw drops. For a moment, he just looks flabbergasted. Then, he regains composure and furrows his brow in suspicion. "Oh really? Why do you need to speak to Miss Evans for this 'idea' of yours?"
"Because what I will have to share for my idea to work is not just mine to tell you."
Demitiri thins his lips into a stubborn line.
Severus shrugs after a time and starts to turn away. "Fine. You can deal with Mum all on your own. Just so you know, whatever you come up with will not be half as effective my plan."
"Alright," his grandfather growls through gritted teeth. "I'll hear your damn plan, you little bastard."
He looks back slightly. "You'll take me to Lily?" asks Severus for confirmation.
Demitri makes a 'come' motion at Severus and says, "Let's make this quick. Your cousin will be back in another hour and she'll have an absolute fit if she finds we've left Eileen alone during her time of need."
Two mysteries solved! How did you guys feel about what happened this chapter? Any ideas on what you think Severus plans to do?
Next, for those interested, the one-shot for KnowInsight, the 750th reviewer of TDKWWS, is finally up! It's called The Magic Word. In addition to their being a new one-shot, there's some awesome fan art by a lovely user named Kiger-Neko for TDKWWS I want to share with you guys :) The link to it is:
facebook DOT com/kigernekoart/?ref=m_notifif_t=page_user_activity&soft=composer#!/kigernekoart/?ref=m_notifif_t=page_user_activity
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