They Didn't Know We Were Seeds
"Severus!"
He turns his head in the direction of the kitchen doorway, preparing to call back to his mother as soon as he swallows his mouthful of biscuit when she appears.
Her eyes solely on him, she smiles. "Severus–" she starts, only to stop when she sees Sirius sitting across the kitchen table from him. Her smile falters slightly. "Ah, I see you have company."
Finished with the biscuit in his mouth, he says, "Hi, Mum."
"Mrs. Snape, it's nice to see you," Sirius adds in politely as he takes two more biscuits from the serving plate in the middle of the table.
His mother folds her hands in front of her skirts and dips her head in greeting at Severus's friend. "Hello, Sirius, you look well."
Before his mother and Sirius are pulled into a stream of niceties, Severus cuts in, "What is it you wanted, Mum?"
She blinks at him. "Oh, it's not that important." She starts to position herself away from them as she adds, "I can take you another day."
His curiosity piqued, he shifts around in his chair so his torso is facing his mother fully as he asks, "Take me where?"
"Yeah, take him where?" Sirius chimes in, putting his elbows on the table so he can lean in and hear his mother's soft voice better. "Is it exciting?"
The woman's lips twitch with a small, amused smirk. "It depends on your definition of exciting."
Severus groans and rolls his eyes at his mother. "Mum, stop teasing us." Then, imperiously, he demands, "Where is it you're going?"
"Watch that tone," she rebukes with a brief furrowing of her brows. "I'm your mum."
In response, he ducks his head to feign contriteness.
Now appeased, Severus's mother explains, "I've been looking through properties deeds your grandfather has and found one I thought would make a good home for us." Eyes turning distant, she gestures the size of the place with her hands as she tells them, "It's a little cottage out in Scotland that your grandmother brought into her marriage with your grandfather. I think the MacDougals used to stay at it from time to time when they went hunting in the area."
Severus considers this information. By apparation, it could take a while to get there depending on how far into Scotland this cottage is, but if they can travel another, faster way, they'd have no trouble going up there a few hours. It's not as if the Blacks expect Sirius home until dinner. "Is it connected to the floo system?"
"Yes, I made sure to have it connected after the last time I visited."
"Then I don't see why we can't see it today," he replies. Turning his attention to his friend, Severus asks, "What do you say, Sirius? Want to see the cottage?"
The teenager's eyes spark with pleasure – which really isn't a surprise. Sirius is always up for an adventure, even for one as mundane as visiting a cottage in Scotland. "Sure!" he exclaims.
His mother flashes them a grin. "Lovely," she replies. "Up you get then, lads. Find your robes, I'd like if we could leave in the next ten minutes!"
-O-
He turns in a tight circle in the middle of the entryway. With the open floor plan, he can see everything, the kitchen on his right with its outdated appliance and the half-open door by its picture window which leads to the mudroom and the house's back door. On his left is the tiny drawing room and the corner staircase leading up to the second floor where his mother says their bedrooms and the loo lay.
Once finished with his inspection, Severus turns back to his hopeful-faced mother and says, "It's small." He looks out the drawing room's bay window and to the large green expanses outside. 'And isolated,' he thinks to himself.
"Yes, but it'll just be me here most of the year," she replies patiently. "So, it's perfect."
He frowns. Severus can't say why, but he doesn't like the sound of that. His mother really hasn't lived alone in years. And not only will she be living in this cottage alone, she will be living in the Scottish countryside all alone. Her nearest neighbor is several kilometers away. "You should get a dog to keep you company when I'm not home," he tells her.
She laughs. "Is this a sideways request for a puppy?" his mother teases Severus. "I remember when you were little you tried the same, though, then you said we should get a dog to protect the house…"
Severus doesn't remember asking for a puppy. He does an owl once he started at Hogwarts – not that it matters. He never got one. Or the puppy, it seems. He has no doubts about who's to blame for that. Bloody Dad, always pissing away any extra money they had on pints at the pub. "No," he replies with a note of indignation.
The woman playfully puts a hand on her hip and asks, "What would you even want? A spaniel? Like the one Lily's neighbors have that you kids used to play with when you were little?"
"I was thinking something bigger," he answers, mind's eye filling with images of the sharp, regal malinois Igor Karkaroff owned in Severus's last life. "Like a Shepherd."
She shakes her head. "That's too big," she says, "I might consider a setter." Eyes distant and head tilting wistfully, she tells them, "The owner of the pub I worked at before I met your father had one. She was a sweet girl."
"How about a retriever? They're not much larger and are supposed to be very friendly," Severus offers. He thinks a setter might be a bit too small to intimidate people who shouldn't be near his mother's cottage.
"You should!" shouts Sirius, butting right into the middle of their conversation as he comes down the stairs two at a time. "I know exactly who you can get one from too. You know the Fawcett family? I don't think any are at Hogwarts right now, they all graduated a year or two before we started, Severus, but I hear one or two of them breed flatties."
"The Fawcetts…" Severus's mother mutters. For a moment, she looks utterly confused and Severus starts to worry. What if what he and Demitri did to her over Christmas has begun to affect other memories? Oh, Merlin– But as quickly as the confusion overcame her features it leaves, replaced with recollection. "Ah, yes. I went to school with two brothers and a sister. The boys were Ravenclaws and one spent a lot of time trying to get a dormmate of mine to go out with him." She sighs and puts a hand on her cheek. "I can't say the poor lad succeeded."
Severus huffs a breath of irritation when his mother fails to say anymore. "So? Will you get one?"
She nods. "I'll talk to your Aunt Vesta and see if she doesn't know anyone who can help me get in contact with them."
"Thank you, Mum," he replies, smiling with relief. He hopes she can get her hands on a flattie – or any dog, really – without too much trouble. If his mother is truly going to live in this cottage on her own, he'll worry much less about her if he knows she has a daily companion, even if it's furry and about as smart as a toddler.
-o-O-o-
Sitting criss-cross in the middle of his bed, Severus flips idly through some of books he pulled from late Uncle Iain's study last night after he woke up from a nightmare (memory). There's nothing especially interesting in any of these Defense books he picked, most of it's familiar knowledge, even. But perhaps that's why he keeps reading. It's comforting reviewing something he knows.
Turning another page, he brings a fist up to his eye and knuckles it. He's tired, but the light glinting off Nagini's curved, lethal teeth still appears to Severus whenever he lays down and closes his eyes. Sighing quietly to himself as the words on the page begin to blur together, Severus starts to contemplate finding something else to do. Maybe take a stroll through the Montagues' gardens? As he gets up and starts to pile Uncle Iain's books into one hand, Severus contemplates other possible activities that could induce sleep.
Once finished gathering the books, he starts in the direction of his bedroom door when it swings open to reveal the fresh, well-rested face of his brother.
"Mum's out of the house for the day," he tells Severus giddily. "She's gone to have tea with some friends near Leeds."
"Mmm…" he replies as he changes direction for his desk. Nudging the Pensieve to the side a little, he puts down the stack of books. He can return them to the study later. Sage looks like he has a plan for the day and Severus is quite hopeful it will tire him out so he can sleep easy tonight. "So's mine," he says, "she went to Demitri's to look at some of the furniture he has stored in his attic."
Sage nods his head. "Yes, I know. I was thinking, if you want, we could tell Topper to go help your mother out by cleaning the cottage and then invite Lily over?"
Severus cocks his head and stares at his brother as if bat bogeys have just begun to fly out of the teenager's nose. "Have you gone mad?" he demands. "If Aunt Vesta finds out you invited Lily into our home she's going to lock you away in your room for the rest of the summer."
"I know, but I want to show Lily the gardens in back. We've talked about them a few times at school and she's said she wishes she could see them."
The incredulity Severus feels only increases tenfold. Slowly, like he's talking to a troll (or an imbecile), he reiterates his brother's words, "…You… want… to… invite her over to show off some flowers?"
Sage nods. Then, after a moment of hesitation asks in a mumbled jumble, "D'you think she could invite that Ravenclaw she was talking to on the platform to come with her?"
"What?" Severus gapes at his brother, utterly baffled. "Why would you want Cresswell to–" he stops himself as realization dawns on him like a cresting wave. Right, his brother likes boys. Frowning now, he warns Sage, "You know, I think he only has eyes for girls." Well, one girl, anyhow.
Cheeks red, the teenager grumbles, "You don't know that with total certainty, do you, though?"
He sighs. "No, but–"
"Please?" Sage cuts in, making his eyes wide and hopeful, pushing out his lower lip ever so slightly. Severus can see now he's picked up something from being around Sirius, that pathetic look is all him. Severus starts to grind his teeth, annoyed to realize Sage is taking on bad habits like this from Severus's friends. "He could still make a nice mate if nothing else."
Severus is quiet for a moment. This could very well be a disaster if he agrees – even more of a disaster than whatever he and Lily are doing. There's no chance for Sage and Cresswell. Yet… How is he going to learn this if Severus doesn't let him try? And perhaps he's right, Cresswell could be a good mate for Sage. For all that's wrong with Cresswell, he's not a complete dunderhead and then there's the fact he's not a pureblood like Sage… He wonders if his brother knows this. "You do know he's a Muggleborn, don't you?" he inquires.
Sage averts his gaze. "I… I suspected, yeah."
Severus sighs again. "I'm not promising, but I'll try, alright?"
A bright smile overtakes his brother's face as he leaps at Severus to hug him. "Thank you, Severus!"
-O-
When she steps out of his hearth, her eyes begin to glitter the moment they find his own. "Hello, Sev."
"Lily," he returns, a smile curving his lips. He then takes both her hands in his own and leans in close to place a kiss on her cheek. She's blushing when he pulls back. He can't help the way his smile twists into a smirk.
Cresswell, who stands a little off to the side behind Lily, raises an eyebrow at them, but otherwise doesn't let on he knows things have changed between Severus and Lily. "So… We're here," he says instead.
"You are," replies Severus. "Sage mentioned you wanted to look at Aunt Vesta's garden, Lily, shall we all go see it?"
Sage, who's stopped looking at his feet, and is now glancing shyly at Cresswell now and again asks, "Afterwards, maybe we can fly around for a bit? We have enough brooms in the shed."
"Alright," agrees Cresswell sounding truly interested in the suggestion. "What kind of brooms do you have? Comets? Cleansweeps?"
"Two of each, actually," answers Sage. "Boyd always liked Cleansweeps best, but, like my father, I'm a Comet fan."
Cresswell grins. "That's wicked! Comets are my favorite too – for now, anyway."
Sage appears a bit puzzled by this remark (no surprise there, it's not like he knows Nimbus brooms are around the corner for him), but nods anyway before falling into easy conversation about the merits of Comets over Cleansweeps with Cresswell. While the two are absorbed in their discussion, Severus leans in close to Lily and whispers in her ear, "How have you gotten Cresswell not only to come here, but to be pleasant?"
"I promised to do all of his Herbology assignments next year. He really hates the subject and, well, I don't."
He chuckles. It seems a bit much for Lily to be promising for one afternoon of pleasantness from Cresswell, but if Lily thinks it's worth it, who is Severus to complain? She's doing it as much for Sage as she is for him, after all. "They seem to really be getting on," he says.
Lily looks back at the two. Severus joins her in staring a moment later. Sage is gesturing a little, he's so animated by the topic. It's nice seeing him that way with someone other than himself or Boyd. "They do." She reaches for his hand, smiling. "It's nice, isn't it? Hopefully Dirk doesn't act like a wanker the next time we're all together, because I think it Sage will be thinking of him as a mate by then."
"Yes, you're right." Severus casts one last glance at the two. "A talk might be in order."
She squeezes his fingers. "Another day, though. Things are so nice and I want it to end on a good note."
"You're right," he agrees. Severus smirks a moment before teasingly adding, "As always."
The girl grins back blithely. "I'm glad you've finally figured that out!"
So, thoughts this chapter? I wanted something a little lighter before we dive into what next chapter's going to hold. Also, if some of you recall Grasp The Nettle from my one-shot collection Gratias Vobis Ago may notice there's some definite lead-up in this last scene to that one-shot's storyline.
Also, I noticed no one made note of a certain relative of Benjy's sharing a name with an OC from a couple of TDKWWs's sequels! So, here's me prompting you to go check back over last chapter if you're curious at all. If you can figure it out, it'll answer a question a lot of you have ;)
If you haven't already, I strongly recommend you vote on the poll I have on my profile page. Your answers are important to the continued format of this fic.Thank you guys a million for reading.
p.s. Happy 2018 everybody!