March 20, 1968 - Little Park and Fields, Cokeworth

He and Cassiopeia had established somewhat of a routine in the past couple of weeks or so. Severus would slip away from home early in the morning each day, and wait for his dark-haired friend by the Little Park's swings. Cassiopeia could usually sneak out every two days or so, but whenever she could they would spend that time together. After meeting, they usually walked down to the wheat fields, all the while conversing on the daily happenings and more commonplace topics. When they arrived at the edge of the fields they would find a nice tree to sit under and talk. He never really cared where they ended up, though Cassiopeia held a particular fondness for a run-down little apple tree, though he had yet to discover why.

For the past couple of meetings, Severus had tried to relate the information his mother had taught him to Cassiopeia - with varying degrees of success. Regaling her with the properties of potions ingredients, and the pronunciations of spells was easy; but explaining something that he'd barely understood himself - like how wands channeled magic? Not bloody likely.

It helped, at least, that Cassiopeia seemed to absorb the knowledge like a sponge.

"Sev'rus!" Cassiopeia's excited yelp jolted him from his thoughts. She was smiling widely, her hair blown every which way, and panting as though she had run here.

He raised an eyebrow at her mussed appearance, and she flushed slightly before showing him her treasure. In her hands were two books, obviously nicked from her late mother's library. They were quiet old looking, with the titles embossed in gold, and fraying red ribbons stuck between the pages.

"One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, and Firs' Year Potions," he murmured, before glancing up. Cassiopeia's blue eyes were staring at him with a hopeful but worried expression, and he felt a pang of some unknown emotion in his chest.

"I–I hope these are okay. I had to hurry, so I didn't really see wha' I'd grabbed–" she rambled before he cut her off.

"These are wonderful. Really," he rambled as well, trying to reassure her, "Ma was training up to be a Potions Apprentice before she married Da, but even she doesn't remember all o' these ingredients. And the spells, i'll be wonderful to have them all written down, 'specially 'cause these are s'possed to be for kids like us."

By the end of his speech Cassiopeia looked much happier, and he flushed with embarrassment at how desperate he'd sounded. He was reassured, however, when his friends's thin arms drew him into an embrace.

"Thanks, Sev'rus. You're the best."

He escaped the hug with his cheeks even redder, but with a much lighter heart. He grabbed one of the books from her grasp, and glanced at his friend, his eyes glittering with mischief.

"You're not still tired from runnin' here any'more, hmm, Cassiopeia?" he asked carefully.

"No...why?"

"Race you to the fields," he shouted back, already tearing away from her and running forward at full speed. From somewhere behind him he heard Cassiopeia whine, "Not fair," and then there was just two sets of footsteps pounding on the ground.

They reached the apple tree completely covered in sweat, exhausted and panting.

"I won," Severus proclaimed, before promptly sinking to the ground.

"Not...fair," his exhausted companion argued - between pants, "You...cheated...wasn't...ready."

"Doesn't matter, Cassie. I still won," Severus replied, having gotten his breathing mostly under control.

"Wha' did you jus' call me, Sev'rus?"

Severus froze, wondering whether he had just done something horribly wrong and ruined his first friendship.

"Cassie," he declared slowly, feeling the tell-tale twinges of panic gripping his chest.

"I like it."

He exhaled deeply, a great rush of air. "Cassiopeia's a bit of a long name, isn't?"

"Yeah," she agreed, idly twirling a flower stalk between her fingers. "It's nice, though. Me ma named me."

Cautiously, he brought up another subject, one which he worried was a bit of a sore spot in his friend. "Your ma..." he trailed off. "She was good, then?"

His companion sighed a little, and kept her eyes downturned. "I don't remember much of her anymore, these days. She was good, Sev'rus, but she's gone now, and it's no good to be sad about it."

"Okay," he said simply, understanding what she meant. "Want me to teach you some more 'bout my favorite potion? I reckon we can find the ingredients in that book you brought, and see why they use 'em."

"I'd like tha'."

And with that, they spent the entire rest of the morning buried in their reading. Severus regaled her with all his knowledge on the Draught of the Living Dead, and together they researched every last bit of information they could find.

They took a small break around the time that the sun was in its highest position across the sky, and ate, careful to keep any of the crumbs from sticking to the books.

"Your ma makes the best san'wiches, Sev'rus," Cassiopeia declared, munching her cheese, lettuce and bread happily.

"Thanks, Cassie. I'll tell her you said so."

"So she does know 'bout me?" Cassiopeia asked curiously.

He ducked his head, even as a grin threatened to break free on his face. "She was wonderin' why I was suddenly grabbing two of everythin'. Figured it'd be best to tell her."

"And she said it was okay?" his friend asked worriedly.

"Oh, don't worry, she was right pleased. Said it was good I was makin' friends."

"So, we're friends, then," she said tentatively, her blue eyes wide.

He was a touch surprised and asked her just as shyly. "Do you wan' us to be?"

There was no pause for thought. "I'd love it, Sev'rus."

"Okay," he nodded. "Friends, then."

She giggled at his formality and went back to eating, seemingly putting the thought out of her mind. For him, however, it became lodged in the front off his brain - unwilling to allow anything else to take precedence.

I have a friend now, he thought wonderingly to himself. The last time he'd had a friend had been never, and through his worries and his fears, he was looking forward to experiencing it himself.