A/N: Chapter 15 finally! I must say, its not the most exciting chapter but there are a few things (one scene in particular) that'll make more sense in chapter 16 and beyond.
X Return to the End
Severus felt the momentum of the great red train slow down as they rounded the last bend to the London train station. He considered the last three and half months a unique experience and he didn't want to think of it as anything more.
He couldn't help but stare at the drooling, slumbering boy across from him; his eyes were locked on the dried saliva on the corner of Regulus' mouth and the fresh trail on the dripping precariously on his lower cheek. Suddenly, Regulus released a horrid sounding snort and woke up, wiping his arm on his face. Severus' eye twitched.
"What?" Regulus asked with a stretch.
"Nothing. We're almost there," Severus replied, and gathered his scattered books and his satchel from around the compartment. Evan, Wilkes and Demetrius had left earlier to roam the corridor, leaving Severus with Regulus for a long, boring hour of watching the spit travel across the teenager's face.
The train came to a halt and Severus exited the compartment with Regulus, joining a disorganised queue to exit the train. The dozens of students around them chattered excitedly about their holiday plans or their longing to schlep around in jammies for three weeks with mugs of hot cocoa ("With marshmallows of course!" an excited Slytherin third-year said).
"So, what are you planning on doing during break?" Regulus asked as they finally got out into the dead cold December air. A light wind picked up, sending shivers through both boys and making them pull their robes tighter around them.
"Pick my nose," Severus murmured.
"Well, have fun with that. Mother and Father and I are going to France. It's going to be horribly boring," Regulus sighed. "Thankfully, I'm visiting Rachel for a day or two, which should be…"—he wiggled his eyebrows and smirked—"enjoyable, to say the least."
"You're horrible at subtleties, Regulus." Severus rolled his eyes.
"Well, would you rather me be blunt and say that I hope to get into her knickers?" Regulus snickered.
"How about not speaking at all?" Severus suggested.
Severus then retrieved his trunk, quickly said goodbye to a few Slytherins, and getting ready to find the proper train to take to get home. He had time to spare so he waited and leaned against a nearby wall, large nose in the air, observing the passing people. He scanned the reuniting families and chatting teenagers with bored interest until he caught sight of Lily and Alexander getting off the train with their trunks. They hugged and gave each what started out as a simple chaste kiss, which turned rather heated in a matter of seconds thanks to Alexander capturing her lips again when she made to turn; a few lower-years sniggered at the kissing couple. Severus felt his stomach clench until they pulled apart, both leaving though the magical barrier.
A sigh escaped Severus' lips as he tapped his foot.
"Severus Snape, get that hump out of your back this instant," said a familiar voice. Severus' heart leapt and he spotted none other than his mother standing a few yards away from him with a small smile on her pale face. She was always comfortable with wearing Muggle garb, as she was wearing plain black trousers and a long coat with a green scarf.
"Mother," Severus gasped. "What in Merlin's name—"
"I decided to pick you up. Enough said, no questions asked, darling," Eileen said firmly. "I have a portkey waiting outside the station, let's get to it."
Severus wasn't sure what to do, let alone say, but he followed his mother nonetheless out of the immense station and down the bustling London streets full of Christmas shoppers and citizens trying desperately to keep warm from the scolding winter wind.
They finally arrived at a dodgy alleyway full of rubbish, illegible and brightly coloured graffiti, and cardboard boxes.
"The portkey should be over here, Sev," Eileen announced. "Ah, here we are."
Eileen grabbed hold to an old newspaper on the ground and summoned Severus over with a long index finger. He quickly took hold of the newspaper.
"One…two…three," Eileen counted, and he soon felt a pulling sensation at his navel and before he knew it, he arrived at a recognizable pathway between various brick houses.
The mother and son exited the alley into the cold, stale, winter air of Spinners End. His trunk got stuck and made loud clunky noises on the cobblestone pavement. The ground was damp of morning dew and perhaps light snow. The few trees around them were stripped of much of their foliage and the streets were nearly empty, save a couple small boys running out of their house to play around the corner. His family rarely conversed and mingled with other families in their neighbourhood. Tobias had his own mates and visited them often and at the most inconvenient times while his mother usually stayed at home with him or occasionally visited an old friend (of Muggle or wizard blood). After a few moments of silence, they arrived in front of the large brick home.
Eileen fished through her coat pocket to find the key, patting down her entire ensemble, and finally grasping hold of an old gold key. She opened the front door and closed it after Severus entered. They then walked into the warm house. The small sitting room, dull light fixture on the ceiling, the worn-looking furniture…oh, how he hated it all.
"Home sweet home," Eileen said with a cheery voice; however, Severus spotted the slight grimace along her lips and how her mirth didn't reach her eyes.
"Where is he?" Severus asked.
"Went for a drive, I think," Eileen said distractedly as she hung up her cloak. "No matter. Come to the kitchen."
Severus, again, followed his mother from the small sitting room into the small space of the kitchen and sat down at the table near a window with a bad view of the side of the house. Eileen quickly put a teakettle onto the stove and sat across the table from her only son. She was acting so out of character.
"So, how are you? How has your sixth year been so far?" Eileen asked.
Severus stared at his mother. Now she was interested in how school went? After sending only two letters in the past four months and not seeming to give a flying fuck, she was interesting in hearing how school went. After not meeting him at the train station since his first year and barely speaking to him during vacations, she was wondering how he was.
"Fine," he said in the most deadpan voice he could muster.
"Ah. Well, how was the ball?" Eileen said, continuing to shuffle around the kitchen.
"Alright," he said.
"Dance with any girls?"
"One."
"Oh really?" Eileen exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, really," Severus replied.
"What's her name? Was it that red-haired girl?" Eileen wondered.
"No…Amelia Bulstrode."
Eileen gave a curt little nod and continued. "Ah, a Bulstrode…I do believe I knew her father."
"She did it for a bet though, so it was nothing," Severus quickly remembered and watched his mother frown.
"Her father was a right nasty piece of work, too," Eileen said. "How are your friends?"
"Great," he said.
"What about your—"
"What is with the newfound interest?" Severus snarled.
Eileen looked at the floor with her bottom lip in between her teeth, an action that reminded him of Lily immediately. She sighed. "I'm trying…I really am."
"Trying what, exactly?" Severus snapped. He was finally releasing the spite and confusion he had felt crawling at the back of his throat from the moment he first saw her at the train station.
"I haven't been here for you for much too long…much too long," Eileen cried.
"Well it certainly took you long enough to realize that!" Severus retorted.
The teakettle began to hiss and Eileen jumped up and began to prepare tea.
"Milk? Sugar? Lemon?" Eileen asked hurriedly.
Severus made a noise, and Eileen walked over to the table with the necessities. Her hand placed tea in front of the both and for a few minutes they set up their tea and sat in silence; only the occasional clank of the glass teacup hitting the wood was heard.
"I don't think you're being very fair," Eileen said abruptly, taking another small sip of tea.
"I'm not being fair?" Severus yelled.
"Severus," Eileen insisted. "Please…I want my son back. I want to be myself again. Not crying in loos or…escaping to the few friends I have. I want to be with you…to be okay again."
He believed yelling at her would give him so much satisfaction.
"What exactly does being 'okay again' include?" Severus asked, taking another sip of his hot tea.
"Well…it may include going to Diagon Alley this week to do some shopping," Eileen suggested softly, as though Severus was eight again and she was treating him to ice cream.
"I suppose that would be okay," Severus muttered into his tea. He knew his mum was smiling despite looking at his tea and not her.
"Excellent, Sev!" Eileen said. "Perhaps you can direct me to a little Christmas present while we're there?"
"I don't want anything," Severus replied.
"Of course you do, don't be modest!" Eileen said.
Perhaps he wasn't being fair. Perhaps he should have really let his mother off for never telling him a single thing about her family or never being there. He used to cry about her, until the time came in which boys crying over silly things like their mum not replying to a letter was seen as something horribly pathetic and completely lacking testosterone. It was actually one of the reasons, Severus believed, that James and his friends called him "Snivellus".
Eileen continued to ask him questions about his classes, "friends", and other unimportant things for nearly an hour before the sound of a loud car motor was heard outside of the house.
"That must be him," Eileen breathed. "Now, please contain yourself, Severus. He has been in a tolerable mood the past few days."
"You mean not yelling his head off at you," Severus said darkly.
Eileen paused. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean," she remarked quickly. "Now be polite. Oh, take off your robes, dear. He won't be very pleased to see those. And straighten out your tie."
The moment his mother finished her sentence, Tobias Snape came walking into the kitchen and stood as still as a board. He was bundled up in warm clothing; his hooked nose red from cold and his hair messy and windblown from the weather.
"Severus…home already?" Tobias asked.
"Yes," Severus said.
Tobias walked over and gave Severus a manly clap on the back. "How long are you on hols?"
"Three weeks…as usual," Severus replied.
"Did ya just pick him up, Eileen?" Tobias asked his wife. She nodded as she began to rinse out the teacups. "Of course, you didn't drive all the way down there like I had to in September. Bloody underground complications…" he grumbled. "Make me a cuppa while you're at that."
Eileen turned off the water. "Yes, Tobias," she said wearily.
Tobias sat down at the kitchen table and reached into his coat pocket, producing a pack of cigarettes. He swiftly took out a single one, lit it while it was between his lips, and exhaled a stream of smoke.
Eileen immediately turned around from the sink. "Tobias, we went over this before. Do you mind not smoking in the house? It leaves a horrid smell," she said firmly.
Tobias took a short drag and scoffed. "Why don't you just get rid of the smell with that stick of yours?"
Eileen sighed. "I simply think it's better if you smoked outside."
"An' freeze my bloody bollocks off?" Tobias laughed. "I don't think so, Eileen."
"Must you use such language?" Eileen shrieked.
"I can say whatever the hell I want," Tobias said loudly, and took another long drag of his cigarette. "This is my house!"
Eileen sighed and thrust the cup of hot tea towards him across the table and left the kitchen in a huff. Tobias looked as though he were going to follow her, but stayed in his seat instead and took a gulp of tea and looked at Severus who was still standing.
"She never stops making a fuss, that one," Tobias grumbled.
Severus tried to refrain from shoving the tea in his father's face.
"One day if you get married and have kids, you'll feel the same way as I do, Severus," Tobias said in a lecturing tone.
Severus saw this as his chance to escape so he quickly excused himself, walked into the sitting room with his trunk, and opened the small door on the other side of the wall, revealing a staircase to the upper level of the Snape home. There was a light at the end of the hallway coming from his mother's room, but he instead made a sharp left into his own room.
It looked the same as it usually did: Grey-green painted walls, a single bed and a dresser. Blinds covered his only window, obscuring the view out the front of his home, and a wardrobe door was slightly ajar, revealing a little clothing and some old boxes—his childhood stored away within the cardboard prisons.
He quickly closed his door and set his trunk in front of it, then walked over to his bed and lay on it. It wasn't very comfortable…not nearly as comfortable as the beds in the Slytherin boys' dorm. It was already too small for him due to his long limbs, and his feet hung off the edge. Lifting his body up slowly, he raised the blinds and looked out the window at the overcast sky, dying trees, and children still playing down the street despite the bitter cold. Before he could ponder any further about his surroundings, the arguing started. He always grew comfortable at school, not hearing his father's bellowing voice and his mother's shrill shrieks and crying every evening, and instead listening to the boys in his dorm talking about women and sex and other trivial topics that most teenage boys often had on the brain.
He turned around and lay on his bed again, staring at the opposite wall, the door, the trunk…and he felt the bitter feeling of reality set in like it did every time he returned to Spinner's End: this was his home.
XXX
Carollers always bothered Lily. She had no idea why, because she was rather festive about the holidays herself…but for some reason, carollers annoyed her to no end. She assumed she just felt awkward watching people sing at her. Lily stood and smiled politely as the children and adults finished singing "Silent Night" on her front step.
"Thank you for that…wonderful song," Lily said when the carollers finished, and shut the door.
"Who was that, Lily?" Matilda Evans asked from the kitchen.
"Carollers…bloody carollers," Lily snorted and entered the warm kitchen as Matilda was making breakfast and fishing for plates from the cabinets. "I never know what to do when they're around me. Do I smile or look neutral or…I don't know…"
Suddenly, her mother almost dropped all the plates on the floor when an owl pecked loudly on the windowpane. Lily immediately jumped up to open the window for a familiar raven-coloured owl with odd white spots.
"Letter from Emmeline," Lily announced, ignoring her mother's wound-up expression. She then quickly ripped open the letter:
Lily (my best chum and soon to be favourite drinking partner when I'm 35 and still single and living with nineteen cats),
"What the…?" Lily pondered aloud at Emmeline' s odd opening but continued on.
My mum and I were thinking about doing some Christmas shopping at Diagon Alley this afternoon, and if it's not too late notice we'd love for you to join us! Maybe even spend the night (?) Reply ASAP and if you can make it Floo straight over!
Love, Emmeline
"Mum? Can I go shopping with Emmeline and spend the night?" Lily asked.
"I don't see why not. How are you going to get there? Fireplace?" Matilda said with a sigh. She didn't like to see Lily disappear in bright green flame, even if it was perfectly safe.
"Probably. I can't Apparate yet," Lily shrugged.
"Apparate?" Matilda said confusedly.
Lily scooped up some sugar from the sugar jar on the table. "It's pretty much popping from one place to another. I'm able to try and get my license this year."
Matilda sighed and gave Lily a small smile. "My daughter: the witch."
"My mother: the Muggle," Lily replied with a smile of her own.
Suddenly the phone rang and Matilda jumped up from her breakfast. Lily sat at the table and started eating oatmeal and buttered toast, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"Hello? Oh, hello, Petunia! What? Oh…oh…I see. Well, have fun. You'll be here for Christmas, right? Eve? Well, then I suppose that's alright. What about New Year's? Eve? Fine. Would you like to drop by for a cup of—oh…okay… Goodbye…"
Matilda hung up the phone with a heavy sigh.
"What's up with Pet?" Lily asked after taking a large gulp of orange juice and another bite of toast.
"Petunia won't be joining us tonight for dinner, or Christmas morning," Matilda said with a bit of an edge to her voice.
"Vernon doesn't have to do with it, does he?" Lily groaned, remembering her mother's letter about her sister's new significant other.
Matilda nodded. "She'll be spending dinner with Vernon and his family today and on Christmas," she said, leaning against the kitchen counter and folding her arms across her chest. "I'm getting sick of that man taking up so much of her time. It's the holidays, for goodness' sake!"
Petunia was barely over during family events, missed vacations and even birthdays now that she was out of the house and with Vernon constantly. Her letters to Lily also stopped, and her former best friend seemed lost forever.
"Okay, well, I'm going to reply to the owl and pack my bag, Mum," Lily told her mother, who was eerily quiet.
"Okay, dear," Matilda said quietly. "Tell your father where you're going. And tell him to come down for a spot of breakfast too, will you?"
Lily nodded and consumed a few more spoonful of oatmeal before quickly retrieving a piece of paper from around the kitchen and writing:
Emmeline,
Mum says it's okay. I'll be there soon.
Lily
P.S. What in Merlin's name were you going on about with the cats? I thought you were allergic.
She then ran up the stairs and immediately opened the window and Artemis' cage, gave the owl the letter, and let her fly out the window. She then gathered her necessities: toiletries, clothes, and a pouch of money. Lily walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her long, black wizarding robes just in case, and then walked out of room and into her father's.
Lily walked in to find him sitting in bed with a deep frown on his face as he read the paper with the loud radiator on full blast. His reading glassing resting on the end of his nose and his light-coloured hair with patches of grey looked messy and unkempt. He glanced towards the doorway and noticed Lily.
"Morning, Lily Bud," he said. "Had breakfast yet?"
"Yes…and Mum says you should do the same. I'm about to go over to Emmeline's to spend the night," Lily said, used to his affectionate nickname.
"Ah. Well, have fun and be safe. There have been a lot of strange occurrences," he said, pointing to the front page of the Times. "Houses burned down across town, farms being demolished... Back in the day we didn't have this nonsense going on!"
Lily walked over to her father's side and read the paper heading:
Family of four found dead in their Essex home after fire gutted building
She knew these weren't crimes performed by common vandals, but she kept it to herself. Her parents didn't know a thing about what was going on in the wizarding world, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"I'll be fine, Dad. I'll see you tomorrow," Lily said, and proceeded downstairs to the family fireplace.
"I'm going now, Mum!" Lily called, and heard her mother's footsteps approach.
"I'll see you off," Matilda said. Lily had a feeling that despite her mother's apprehension, she was rather fascinated by this way of transportation. She wordlessly grabbed a handful of Floo powder from a small container on top of the mantel and threw it in the fireplace, causing a flare of green flames to illuminate the quiet living room. Stepping in, Lily gave her mother a little wave and yelled, "340 Hampshire Place."
Lily was immediately thrown into the Vance fireplace and let loose a hacking cough as her lungs and nostrils burned with ashes. She hadn't Floo'd in months.
"Hello, Lily," said Emmeline's merry voice, guiding her out of the fireplace.
"'Lo, Emmeline," Lily coughed, clutching her bag and exiting the fireplace and entering the Vance household's living room.
The Vances were a middle-class pure-blood family. Their two-storey home had a rather simple look to it: furniture in the basic places, some moving photographs on the mantel…average magical family. Mr. and Mrs. Vance worked at the Ministry of Magic and Emmeline's older sister was in Healer studies.
"Let's go up to my room. My mum is taking a quick shower so we'll go after that," Emmeline said.
Lily followed Emmeline up creaky stairs and into her blue-painted room, which was covered in moving posters of her favourite wizard bands. She spotted some familiar photographs resting on shelves along with books; a large record player was also seen in the corner of the room, which only played wizard records unless given a very complicated charm. A desk and a bed completed the room.
"What do you think?" Emmeline said, twisting around and showing off her new, navy blue robes. "Does it make me look bigger?"
Lily knew Emmeline had a problem with her appearance. She was tall and had a rather lanky look to her that she would probably grow out of, but it seemed to plague Emmeline. She did everything she could to make herself look heavier and, frankly, the robes weren't doing much. Even her facial features bothered her; Emmeline considered having a "strong face" an insult rather than a compliment. Her high cheekbones and arched brows gave her a stately look, almost aristocratic—which Lily would hardly find insulting.
"Sure," Lily smiled.
"So," Emmeline said, flopping on the bed next to Lily with a nervous gleam in her eyes. "Now can you tell?"
"Tell what?" Lily asked.
"You know! Oh, I'm horrible at this. I don't have Marlene's prying skills," Emmeline admitted. Suddenly, Lily knew exactly what Emmeline was talking about.
"You mean between Alexander and I after the ball?" Lily asked, amused by Emmeline's behaviour.
"Yes," Emmeline said. "You two kissed, right?"
Lily suddenly found the argyle print of Emmeline's bedspread very enjoyable to look at. Emmeline smiled. "Did you see fireworks or did your leg pop up or something?"
"Just call me Lily the leg-popper," Lily laughed. "And no, I didn't see fireworks or anything. But my eyes were closed…or rather squeezed together. Oh, and I was worried about my nose."
"Just one kiss?" Emmeline moaned in disappointment.
"Well…no…" Lily blushed.
"Oh! So you two actually started snogging! Tongues and everything?" Emmeline said, practically whispering as though the words were sacred.
"Well…yes. And I must say it was rather odd feeling at first…but it turned out to be alright…I suppose," Lily said, feeling more embarrassed than ever. She then realised she didn't like to kiss and tell. Especially while Emmeline looked as though she were about to have a fit from the excitement.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Emmeline's mother walked into the doorway of the room. She looked very similar to Emmeline: same tall stature and blonde hair (though hers was short with grey emerging at the roots), but she had a very pointy nose and dark brown eyes. "Are you girls ready?"
The girls nodded, and all three of them headed out of the room, down the stairs, and to the fireplace Lily had exited minutes earlier. Mrs. Vance grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and one by one they all yelled the name of their destination.
XXX
"What do you think of these robes, dear?" Eileen asked Severus, holding up a pair of rather plain-looking second-hand robes.
"What do I think?" he repeated, and halted browsing through the dress robes to look up at the article of clothing his mother presented.
"Yes, what do you think?" Eileen asked.
"…They're black," Severus said.
"Yes…astute observation." Eileen rolled her eyes.
"Well, you asked me what I think," Severus defended.
Eileen sighed. "How about we take a break? We can go get some tea at the tea shop."
Severus followed his mother in his usual slump-backed manner. They walked quickly—hoping to escape the harsh winter air—all the way to the other side of the alley, through shortcuts and shops. The mother and son finally reached the somewhat busy tea shop, full of people sipping the tea that came in hundreds of different styles and flavours; caramel to chicken, garlic to gooseberry. Severus found a seat in the corner of the room by a window and sat while his mother mingled with the woman at the counter. He folded his arms and looked out the window, having nothing more constructive to do. Suddenly the little bell rang and when he turned his head towards the door, he was suddenly alarmed when he saw a familiar head of auburn hair conversing with a familiar tall blonde.
XXX
"Just try it. I promise it's good," Emmeline persuaded.
"Tea infused with carrot? Do I really want vegetables in my tea?" Lily asked, slightly sceptical.
"It's really good! And maybe we can find some way to talk to those blokes over there," Emmeline whispered and jerked her head towards a table of young men who Lily knew had graduated from Hogwarts a year or two ago.
"I thought you fancied Remus," Lily said.
"Well…he doesn't like me. Remember what I said, Lily? Remember you're my drinking buddy and the cats and…" Emmeline tried to reason and sighed.
"Oh, so that's what you meant!" Lily said.
"Anyway, I guess waiting so long and being so shy around Remus showed me that I need to be more…forceful," she continued, stopping temporarily to find the right word and lifting her head a bit. Lily knew this wouldn't last long. "Let's just get some tea and sit over there and—"
"I have a boyfriend already," Lily said, averting her eyes from Emmeline's pleading gaze.
"I know…but you're a lot braver than me so can you at least start a conversation?" Emmeline asked. "I mean, they may even remember you!"
"And why on Earth would they remember me?" Lily asked.
Emmeline shrugged. "Because you've always been popular. You're a well-liked girl. The most popular of the sixth-year girls by far. Come on, Lily. You know you want to help a mate out!" Emmeline whined.
"We'll see," Lily muttered. "I think I want a pistachio flavored tea…"
"Okay, I'll order," Emmeline offered. Lily stood by the wall of the shop and looked at her chipping red nail polish. Lily had always found this shop intriguing, but she went to Diagon Alley so seldom that she had never before gotten around to stopping by. She loved the vibe it gave off though. The huge menu, the comfortable yet chic interior design. Even better were the holiday trimmings around the building, and all around Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley's Christmas decorations weren't like Hogwarts', but they still gave all the busy shoppers a sense of holiday spirit; the Christmas sales helped as well.
"Lily Evans?"
Lily looked up at the sound of her name and was shocked to see Snape's mother standing next to her. She didn't look much different from the first time Lily had seen her, months ago—though she wasn't wearing much makeup, leaving her wrinkles more heavily defined.
"Mrs. Snape." Lily smiled and shook the woman's hand; it was still as cold as it had been the last time they met
"Eileen," she corrected.
"Right," Lily said. "And how are you this afternoon?"
"Fine. Rather nippy, but fine. And yourself?"
"Grand," Lily said. "Glad to be on hols. My friend is buying coffee."
"I'm getting some tea for myself and Severus." Eileen smiled over her shoulder.
Lily turned around and spotted Severus with his arms folded and his hair covering his face while he looked out the window. A small smirk appeared across her face as she looked at the boy.
"He must have seen you. He's always been a bit shy," Eileen pointed out fondly. "We were doing some cloak shopping. But needless to say it's hard to get boys to go shopping, especially with their mothers."
"What about his father? Maybe blokes feel more comfortable doing that," Lily suggested.
Eileen merely gave Lily a weak little smile and reached the counter where two coffees were waiting. "Do you think your friend would like to join us?"
"Actually, she has her eye on a table of boys, so I think we'll be headed that way," Lily replied.
"Oh, no need to explain. I remember what that was like…chasing after boys with my mates," Eileen chucked. "Nice seeing you again!"
"You too," Lily said and waved, watching Eileen return to the table in which Severus sat.
"Got the tea," Emmeline said, clutching two large mugs and handing one to Lily. "Now, let's get that table right next to them. How should I walk? With a bit of a swing in my hips?"
"Right, just don't break anything," Lily said, and walked behind Emmeline who walked past the table of young men. One chap raised an eyebrow at Emmeline's exaggerated movements but didn't seem to take much notice otherwise. Lily joined Emmeline at the table and noticed the other boys whisper to one another before one of them (a blond-haired boy) walked towards them.
"Hey, birds," the boy said.
"H-hi," Emmeline stammered. "What is your name?"
"Nathan," the boy replied then looked at Lily. "And yours, love?"
"My name is Lily and this is my friend Emmeline," Lily said. A grinning Emmeline was fumbling with her coffee a bit.
"Now I recognize you. Gryffindor prefect," he said to Lily with a look of approval, then looked at Emmeline. "Hello, Emmeline."
Lily frowned when he said Emmeline's name with less enthusiasm.
"So," he started, looking at Lily again. "Would you like to join us?"
"Sure, we'd love to. Wouldn't we, Emmeline?" Lily said, nudging Emmeline in the side discreetly.
"Yes, we'd love to," Emmeline said quickly.
The girls moved over to the table with their coffees. There were three boys at the table, all of whom Lily and Emmeline recognized. All were in Hufflepuff and had graduated last year.
"So, what year are you girls in?" asked a dark-haired boy.
"We're in our sixth year," Lily said.
"Lily here is a prefect." Nathan smirked at the other men.
"Smart one, eh?" said the dark-haired boy again.
"I suppose. But so is Emmeline! She reads all the time, even when we aren't assigned to anything. I was actually rather surprised she didn't get the position in fifth year," Lily said, hoping the boys would be a little more interested in her friend, though feeling ridiculous for advertising her friend like this was some sort of Muggle dating show. All Emmeline needed to do was be on the opposite side of a big wall with three mystery men on the other side. Though Lily didn't believe the boys had enough facial hair.
"Oh, don't make me blush," Emmeline started. "You're—"
"So Lily, what do you want to do when you're out of school?" piped up the eyebrow-raising boy from earlier. "I'm Ethan."
"Not sure, Ethan," Lily said, annoyed by the interruption. "Perhaps something involving charms or potion-making."
The men began to boast about their own occupations and about how much money they made and how they were connected to so many well-known people of English wizarding society. Lily wasn't that impressed; in fact, they seemed like Professor Slughorn's type of men. Emmeline seemed interested and kept nodding her head and saying "uh-huh" like a broken record. The men continued to find little interest in Emmeline's topics of discussion and Lily felt her frown deepen as their time together progressed. She didn't know what on Earth their problem was with Emmeline. She was a smart girl, but the men seemed more interested in Lily and her common hobbies of charms and Muggle music than anything Emmeline had to offer, which Lily found more interesting to begin with. She began to regret wasting quality time with Emmeline on a bunch of ostentatious men.
XXX
"Severus, don't be so sulky. Enjoy your tea!" Eileen exclaimed.
He didn't think he was being sulky. He was merely taking notice of the continuous look of disillusionment on Lily's face; she didn't seem to enjoy the company of the flirters.
"Don't let those men bother you, dear," Eileen teased.
"They aren't bothering me, Mother," Severus snapped. "I'm not even thinking about them."
"If you say so," Eileen in a sing-song voice
Severus drained the remains of his drink, as did Eileen, and the two headed out of the coffee shop; Severus stole one last fleeting glance at Lily's boredom.
"So we need to go back to the second-hand robes shop eventually. Don't give me that look, Severus. Your robes are much too short. Look, they're high above your ankles," Eileen said. "But first, I'd like to make a quick trip to Knockturn Alley."
"Why?" Severus asked with interest.
"I'd like to visit an old friend of mine. She owns a store over there with a little of everything but mostly rare potion ingredients and solutions. She has always wanted to meet you again," Eileen briefly.
Severus followed his mother down the dodgy alleyway, which he hadn't visited since his third year (when he ran into Demetrius while book shopping) and had always been eager to visit again. The alley was much longer than he remembered, and was much wider than one assumed. As they went further into the alley, a putrid smell reached his nostrils, making him gag as he passed by a vendor selling odorous and variously infected bits of human flesh. A group of kids shrieked and said "eww" as they passed the peddling hag and ran to catch up with their guardian. Eileen made a sharp left and more small shops surrounded the two. Severus spotted one that sold various repellents and another tall, narrow shop selling various dark texts. He slowed down to take a good look at the store window but his mother yanked his arm and told him, "I knew you'd be drawn to that place, but we don't have time."
Eileen made a right turn into a very short, cramped, cobblestone street with only a few stores and a dead end and made her way to a black store with a simple white sign reading "Gwendolyn Blair's Store of Concoctions and Herbs". There was shrubbery on either side of the door and as they entered, intoxicating potion fumes filled the air. The dim store had hot-pink painted walls with shelves of rare potion ingredients, many of which were not used in the typical solutions or potions and only used in one potion or so. The wooden planks of floor squeaked and shifted as the mother and son walked towards the vacant register. Severus' head moved around the store as though if he didn't see something once he would never see it again: large mason jars were filled with unidentifiable herbs and plants of different colours and textures as well as the occasional rare insect or beetle. There was a small bookshelf of various texts, mostly about herbology, and on the other side of the room lay jars of solutions and potions.
As Severus' eye was attracted to a particularly venomous-looking concoction, his mother started to call for the owner.
"Gwendolyn? Gwen?" his mother called. Soon after, a somewhat short, middle-aged woman with chestnut-coloured hair appeared from a passage beyond the register.
"Eileen!" Gwendolyn said and gave Eileen a hug. Severus found it odd seeing his mother with an actual friend. "And is this little Severus? Oh, Eileen. He isn't so little anymore now is he? You're nearly a man are you not?"
"I'll be turning seventeen in January, ma'am," Severus replied and shook the potion mistress's hand.
"He looks so much like you, Eileen," Gwendolyn said, still in awe of the boy as she looked him up and down. "He certainly has your bone structure. Though he looks like his father too."
Severus noticed that she said the latter a bit less passionately.
"Yes, he certainly does," Eileen said with a hint of lament. "Ah well! We haven't much time and we must do some clothes shopping before dinner."
"I'll take you to the back room. How about Severus stays out here and looks after the items? We'll only be but a minute," Gwendolyn suggested and the two women walked past the register into the bowels of the shop.
Severus looked at the various items along the walls for a while. His fingers brushed delicately against the battered book spines and along the glass jars with strange items submerged in liquid and various herbs giving off odd smells and sensations that ticked his senses and large nostrils.
It was then when he realized how much he longed to return back to Hogwarts and sit in Slughorn's class full of dunderheads and experiment. His father would rather jump off a cliff than have Severus concoct any potions in the house.
His musings didn't last long, however, as Eileen and Gwendolyn emerged from the back room. He noticed that the latter looked as though she had just been crying—her eyes were puffy, with a glassy look to them. His mother, on the other hand, looked rather happy.
"Alright, Severus. We'd best get going to those robes now. Thanks again, Gwendolyn," Eileen said quietly.
"Sure thing, Eileen. Oh, and Severus. Your mother tells me you have a knack for potion-making. Feel free to drop by any time! Maybe you could help me brew every once in a while," the shop owner suggested shakily. What on Earth could have happened back there?
"Thank you for the offer, ma'am," Severus said with a slight bow and followed his mother out of the shop and into the nippy weather.
"Mother, what was that woman so upset about?" Severus asked as they trod back to the cloak shop.
"Oh, I reckon she is just rather upset that she won't see me for a long time," Eileen said quickly.
"I thought you were 'better', Mother," Severus said offhandedly. "Can't you visit her whenever you desire?"
Eileen's look of slight satisfaction morphed into a look of deep exasperation. "Severus, I may be feeling better but that doesn't mean I'm going to just…jump start back into life again. Far from it…very far from it…"
"What the hell does that mean?" Severus snapped. "What do you mean 'very far from it'?"
"Since when did you ask so many questions?" Eileen said pithily.
"Since you started paying attention. You know, caring," Severus said through gritted teeth, trying to keep control.
"Oh don't say that! I've always cared!" Eileen said as though his words burned.
"Could have fooled me," Severus barely whispered.
They walked in silence for a minute until Eileen turned to Severus as her hand was on the door to the robe shop. "I'll always care about you, Severus. You shouldn't ever have to question that. There is no way in hell that you should ever have to question that."
Severus said nothing, and followed his mother back into the cloak shop.
XXX
Emmeline and Lily mounted the stairs up to Emmeline's room with colourful shopping bags (most of which were festive red and green colours) in hand after a long day in Diagon Alley. Lily successfully bought a gift for a couple friends, her parents, and her sister; even if the latter most likely wouldn't have a gift in return. Emmeline immediately flopped onto her bed and sighed.
"Well, that was an utter disaster," she said disappointedly.
"Don't start blaming yourself, though," Lily frowned. "Those blokes were a load of bludgers. I think that one of them was hoping that my breasts would just start bouncing like a couple of ruddy basketballs while he was discussing his annual earnings."
Emmeline chortled in that elegant way she usually did, her nose and eyes crinkling a bit around the edges.
"So, what's it like?" Emmeline asked as she picked up a hairbrush off the nearby table and began to maintain her long blonde hair.
"What's what like?" Lily asked.
"Having a boyfriend like Alexander, Lily. Having somebody to look out for you and be there when you're lonely and loyal and—"
"Alexander isn't a golden retriever," Lily laughed.
"Oh, I know. You never stuck me as a girl who was into bestiality," Emmeline said.
"We haven't been dating for very long. Actually, we only technically started to go steady after the ball," Lily explained.
"All my relationships…or at least the ONE that I actually had, ended in such a horrid way. Our personalities were totally off!" Emmeline cried. "I couldn't even talk to him about that book I got about common mistakes wizards have about Muggles without him finding someway to connect it with Quidditch! He wasn't very smart…definitely not as smart as Remus."
Lily continued to listen to her friend's rant quietly.
"I mean," Emmeline said softly. "Remus is so smart and sweet and charming…"
"And a Marauder," Lily pointed out with a smirk.
"Yes, but he isn't like that idiot Sirius Black," Emmeline snorted, who was never very fond of Sirius ever since he turned her hair into garden snakes in their fourth year. "I hope that he and that…Molly girl aren't serious."
"I'm sure they aren't," Lily said, trying to soothe her friend. Emmeline gave Lily a small smile and continued to brush her hair.
As Lily examined her leftover Knuts in boredom, she discovered she was full of a mix of emotion. Despite the problems in her friend's love life, she was glad that, at that moment, that was the most of her problems. Sure, the war scared her, and she shivered as she remembered her first real brush with it, in early autumn when she was hexed in the corridor. But most of the time, the war was the least of her worries; especially when there were blokes, holiday shopping, and nineteen cats to worry about.
At least for now, Lily thought grimly.
XXX
Eileen opened the front door and entered the brick house with Severus behind her with a few bags in his hands with a new pair of black second-hand robes and a new quill and parchment. Tobias sat on the couch with an old newspaper in front of his face and a dirty glass of some sort of deep amber-coloured liquid.
"It's about bloody time!" he growled. "I'm fucking starving!"
"Please watch your language, Tobias," Eileen said, returning to her nervous, hesitant nature around her loud husband. "And why did you have to wait for me to come? You're a grown man, I think you'd be able to fix a sandwich or something."
"I don't want a sandwich, Eileen," Tobias snapped. "So make yourself useful and fix something else."
"I got groceries from the market in town a few days ago so you could easily make something for yourself. I'm much too tired to cook right now," Eileen said, standing her ground. "There's some soup in the fridge that can be heated up on the stove."
Tobias rolled his eyes and walked up to Eileen slowly before standing only an inch or two away from her and he lowered his face to her eye level. After looking at her defiantly in the eyes for a few seconds a smirk slowly appeared onto his unshaven face and turned to Severus.
"You," he said simply.
Severus, still by the door, simply looked at his father.
"Severus, I believe that I'm talking to you," his father said firmly.
"Yes, Father?" Severus muttered and walked over to his father who quickly grabbed him by his hair. He could smell the fetid smell of beer on his breath.
"You've been at that wizard school for the past four months and have been served food without lifting a finger," Tobias spat. "So how would you fancy making dinner tonight?"
"I'd appreciate it if you let go of my hair!" Severus hollered, earning him a hard tug courtesy of his father.
"Let go, Tobias!" shrieked Eileen but she didn't move a muscle. "You're going to rip his hair out!"
His father threw him away from him onto the floor and hissed, "The boy needs to cut his hair anyway."
"That's the style nowadays," Eileen tried to reason. "You watch the telly."
"I don't care if it's the style or not, the boy needs to cut his hair," Tobias growled. "Fine, I'll make myself my own ruddy dinner, but don't expect to get anything from me."
Tobias stomped towards the small kitchen, leaving Severus and his mother alone in the sitting room.
Severus jumped up and started panting heavily; controlling his temper was the least of his concerns. "Damn drunk!" he hissed.
"You watch your mouth too, young man!" Eileen barked.
"He's insane, I swear, he's insane!" Severus continued hysterically in a low voice. "I can't wait to get out of this…prison. Out of this bloody excuse for a household. Only a couple years, I tell myself. Oh, how I long to leave Hogwarts and then I'm out of this place. Gone! Away from him, away from y—"
He stopped himself and looked at his mother who stared at her son with narrowed eyes. "Away from him and away from me…that's what you were going to say."
"Of course not. I wasn't going to say that," Severus said and shook his head as though her assumption of his words was absolutely preposterous.
Eileen bowed her head and said nothing, wiping her eyes quickly, and not to discreetly from her face.
He didn't mean to almost mention his mother…it slipped. Whatever he meant to say, he felt beyond dreadful and scowled before deciding find anyway possible to get out of that house. So he strode over and opened the creaky front door, slammed it shut, and stood on the street. The stale winter air plagued his pallid cheeks and chilled his ears.
Though the moon was hardly visible through the clouds that night and the sky was dark blue in colour. Few stars were visible that night, with the help of the industrial smoke that often emitted from the town. He began to walk around the neighbourhood; wondering what was going on inside the other brick houses; many of which illuminated with light and released smoky wood scents from their chimneys. He turned a street and saw a man getting out of his car and running to the front door. The man knocked on the door and seconds later it opened and a female shriek of mirth was heard from within. Though both figures were in shadow, he could still distinguish the woman's shadow leaping on the man's in a strong, loving embrace. Severus scowled and began to walk in the opposite direction, back to Spinner's End.
"Just two weeks left," Severus said aloud as he kicked a pebble in the road. "Two more weeks of hell left."
A/N 2: Thanks to all of you who have been reading my story and a huge thanks to those wo started from the beginning. The fic is just over a year old and is still going strong. Chapter 16 won't be out for a while but I hope it'll be worth the wait since something pretty significant occurs…