Chances Are:
Chapter Four:
I don't own the Harry Potter characters. They all belong to JK Rowling.
R & R please.
Gleefully shouting, brandishing wands, the Death Eaters were ecstatically throwing out red sparks left, right and centre. Severus loathed the pleasure coursing their veins, as they continued to celebrate their Dark Lord, their mission. Severus closed his eyes briefly, but then opened them again. The screams wouldn't leave his mind, piecing his soul. Voldemort's servants had left a trail of destruction in their wake, killing Muggles, and wizard alike. Severus found it hard to reconcile that this was his life now. But he had made his choice and had to play the part. Leaving the Death Eaters had crossed his mind many many times, however the deaths of such people who tried to leave stopped him. The Death Eaters were a gang in which you could only leave in death.
Lily wept. Big fat tears rolled down her face, splashing onto the page in front of her. It read:
Dear Mrs Lily Potter,
Mother and Father have passed on. It was a terrible accident, but at least now they are at peace. There is funeral on in the next week or so, if you should like to attend. After that, there will be a reading of the will. As you know, they will have left the house to us. I wish to sell it unless you would like to keep it. But as you know, Spinner's End is not a good area, especially for children.
Please reply in a timely manner.
Yours truly,
Mrs Petunia Dursley
Lily could not believe that her parents had died. It felt as though her heart had been torn open. Her parents… They had always been so proud of her. Of her magical abilities. Unlike her older sister. Somewhere in the summer before Hogwarts, their bond had broken, never to be repaired sadly. It broke their parents' hearts that their daughter never repaired their relationship. And now with them dead, and gone, Lily and Petunia were sure to grow further and further apart.
The last thread of any bond they had snapped at the hearing of the will. Petunia and Vernon Dursley sat primly upon the chairs in the lawyer's office, wearing power blue and dark brown suits respectively. Petunia eyed James suspiously. He wore black cape, covering a white shirt and black pants. His hair was as wild as ever. He had not shaved for a couple of days. Lily felt for the first time embarrassed by him. James looked scruffy, unkempt somehow in the chic office in London. A man sat in front of them, behind a desk. A plaque told them his name was Mark Johnson. He wore a grave look, while his eyes looked weary. Shuffling some papers, he spoke first
"Mr and Mrs Evans had few possessions. In this will, which you can contest if you like, they have stated that their house in Spinner's End, is to go to quote "Our loving daughter of whom we are very proud, Lily Evans" end of quote, and to Mrs Dursley, they leave their collection of china plates."
Lily gasped. Why had their parents only left the house to her? She turned to Petunia who had stood up. Brushing her self off, removing imaginary dust, Petunia then said
"Come on Vernon, we must go now." Vernon looking shocked, then rearranged his face into a stern look. He followed his wife out of the room. Lily ran after them in to the small waiting room.
"Petunia." Her sister stopped but did not turn around, leaving Lily to look at a smooth blue back.
"I'm…. sorry. I thought that…" Petunia cut Lily off, by snapping "You thought wrong. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go now." With that, Petunia and Vernon left, leaving Lily standing there. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about them, god if their noses were any higher, they'd have nose bleeds."
Lily turned to her husband, her eyes filling with tears. "How can you joke at a time like this?" Lily then ran out of the building.
James found Lily sitting under a tree. She was busy shredding leaves.
"Honey? Are you ok?" James asked, sitting down next to his wife. James was at lost with Lily. He did not know what to do. Truth be told, he disliked her sister intensely; he could not understand why Lily loved Petunia so. But for Lily, Petunia had been a friend, a protector. Now she was gone from Lily's life. Like all of Lily's childhood things. Her parents were dead, Petunia had walked out. And Severus. Oh Severus. He had been pushed out by Lily.
Severus rested on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was cracked, with bits of paint falling off. He had a job to do. He did not want to do it, but when the Dark Lord asks something of you, and he owns your soul, you do it. Slowly getting up, Severus pulled on the clothes he had laid out the night before.
Severus stared up at the massive castle standing before him, surprised to see himself here again. But now he needed a job, teaching. He had applied for the Defence against the Dark Arts, but something told him that Dumbledore would not give him the job. It did not matter anyway. Severus merely needed a job to work there, to be in the school grounds. This is what the Dark Lord has asked of him. Swallowing hard, Severus walked up to the door, which swung open. Dumbledore stood there, as though he had known Severus would come.
"Severus." He nodded, gesturing for Severus to come in. Looking apprehensive, Severus stepped inside his old school.
"Dumbledore." Severus nodded, in a friendly kind of way to Dumbledore. Dumbledore could not hide his contempt for Severus. Severus did not care. He merely needed a job. He did not need Dumbledore's approval of his life.