Hmm, there didn't seem to be as much interest in my last chapter as the others. Maybe you guys prefer fluffiness. Well behold, the fluff chap cometh! Heh, that was lame but I enjoyed it! Here's two chapters, I've been so busy these last couple of weeks so sorry about the wait. Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Six
The Purple Train to…
"Oh c'mon Sev, it isn't that bad!" Lily said as she held the garden hose over his head.
Severus was crouched like a frog in a little metal tub full of cold water and dish soap. His gray, baggy clothes were sopping wet and sticking to him. Petunia and a couple of the older neighborhood girls were jeering at him a short distance away. It was that bad. He was about to open his mouth to protest for the thousandth time but was intercepted by another assault from the hose water. He coughed and sputtered and shut his eyes tight.
"If you would take your silly coat and shirt off, it wouldn't be as bad either y'know," Lily said, "Boys are allowed to take their shirts off y'know."
Severus grumbled something unintelligible.
It had been a year since the terrible incident at the Snape house and he and Lily never spoke of it. Everything was said in silence, through their eyes. Comfort was given, explanation was given, and understanding was made without saying a word.
A couple of things had changed between them—they were now closer than ever. They had become virtually inseparable and easily weathered their last year at the Muggle school. Severus virtually lived at the Evans' household, avoiding his home more steadfastly than ever. Even after his mother returned home with a new and ready wand, he stayed away.
Mother had become unbearable since she returned. Ministry officials had tracked her down at her aunt's house after the garden incident and the fact she had a half-blood son and a Muggle husband was revealed. She had been receiving sympathy and aid from her family but that was instantly replaced with loathing and disownment. She returned home, more dejected and bitterer than she had ever been.
Lily laughed at his half-hearted complaints, "You're so grumpy Sev. Remember, whenever you're feeling down—four more weeks until Hogwarts!"
Lily felt her heart skip as she said it. Soon they would be a real witch and wizard. They would finally learn what they could only constantly talk about. She so desperately wanted to see the world Severus raved about with such brightness in his eyes. Oh, and her parents were actually proud of her! Lily had been concerned about what they would think when it came time for her to attend Hogwarts. If she had not been so concerned about Sev, she would have been terrified when the Ministry officials spoke with her parents. But now they looked at her and to a lesser extent, Severus, with a certain awe. For the first time in her life, she was getting more attention than the elder Petunia.
"Yeah…" Severus's eyes glazed a bit, as though he were imagining the massive double doors of the Great Hall he had read so much about in Hogwarts, a History.
Severus stood up and slopped out of the tub. He wrung out his soaked coat and long hair. He flapped and shook and looked a bit like a scraggly alley cat after a heavy rain.
"Squeaky clean!" Lily smiled, "Wait here a second," Lily skipped into the house and emerged seconds later with a lump of clothing.
"Mum took me and Tuney clothes shopping the other day," she tossed the clothes to Severus, "I had some extra allowance money so I bought you these," she finished with a smile.
Severus flushed scarlet, "You didn't have to…"
Lily rolled her eyes, "Well duh, no one was forcing me. Go try them on, I want to see if I got the sizes right."
Severus looked around, he certainly could not enter Mrs. Evan's immaculate house dripping wet. He opted for one of the many large bushes of the in the Evans' backyard and changed behind it. Lily had bought him a comfortable pair of bell bottom blue jeans and a green cotton t-shirt. He felt strange wearing them. Feeling clean and comfortable was rather alien to him.
He emerged from the bushes to find Lily carefully arranging a plastic lawn chair and other items. When she looked up and saw him she grinned, "How do you like them?"
"They're great," he mumbled sheepishly.
Lily motioned to the lawn chair, "Sit," she said.
Severus was not sure whether he liked the glint in her eyes, but he obeyed her. She wrapped a hideous looking plaid and floral tablecloth around him and started to hum cheerily.
"Er, Lily, what are you doing?"
"Nothing," Lily said vaguely and he began to feel a light tug of a comb in his hair, "Just giving you a trim."
Severus's hair was quite fine and straight and easy to comb once all the dirt and grime was washed out. Lily reached for her scissors.
"Do you—know how to do that?" Severus asked a bit nervously.
"Of course I do—I think," said Lily.
There were a couple of hesitant snips, but soon Lily was confidently snipping and combing away, humming a high little tune. She trimmed about an inch and brushed the excess hair of his shoulders.
"I never knew you could be so girly," Severus teased gently.
"No," Lily pointed at Petunia and her friends who were painting each other's toenails and giggling at nothing, "That is what you would call—oh look!"
Two barn owls swooped over the girls who shrieked and fled in all different directions. They glided toward Lily and Severus. One dropped a letter at Lily's feet, the other dropped a letter on Severus's lap.
Severus snatched up his letter. His hands trembled when he saw the wax stamp with the Hogwarts coat of arms. He read the address.
Severus Snape
Under a Tablecloth
The Backyard
7 Spinner's End
He greedily tore open the letter. How long had he been waiting for this! His eyes raced over the parchment and his heart beat faster with every word.
"Oh! It's from Hogwarts Sev!" he barely heard Lily's cry. Finally, Hogwarts.
&--$--&--
"Sev, are you sure you know where you're going?" Lily asked as they made their way down a dirty street with Lily's parent's in tow.
"Of course I do," Severus said loudly, but there was a little doubt in his voice. After all, he had never actually been to Diagon Alley.
The two had discussed almost nothing but their letters and supply lists for the past two weeks and Lily's parents almost matched their enthusiasm.
The one dark spot on the past two weeks was when Severus showed his mother his acceptance letter. The old Eileen Snape, no matter how tired or foul tempered, would have lit up with pride and told one of her wonderful stories about Hogwarts. She took the letter from him and glanced over it tiredly before saying, "Well don't expect me to drag you to Diagon Alley to get your supplies. Go with that Mudblood girl you're always with."
Then, seeing his expression, she said, "There is some money in my trunk upstairs. If you buy everything secondhand, you might have enough left over for an owl."
"Right here!" Snape said triumphantly and not without a little relief.
"That pub?" Lily asked skeptically.
"What pub?" asked the puzzled Mr. and Mrs. Evans.
"They can't see it because they're Muggles," Snape explained to Lily, "You'll have to guide them there."
Lily grabbed her parents hands and followed Severus into the pub called the Leaky Cauldron.
"Oh my," Mrs. Evans gasped as the interior of a pub seemed to materialize around her.
"Now we just have to tap a couple of bricks with our wands," said Severus matter-of-factly.
"But…" said Lily, momentarily distracted by the brightly cloaked figures sitting at a nearby table, "We don't have wands."
Severus faltered, feeling rather foolish, "Um, well…"
"I sure someone will help us," Lily strode over to the kindly looking bartender, "Please," she asked, explaining their plight, "so, could you help us?"
The bartender, who warmly introduced himself as Tom, led the four into a small courtyard behind the bar and tapped one of its bricks, "There you are," he smiled as the wall opened up.
The Evans' family gasped and even Severus felt his breath hitch. Diagon Alley was before them in all of its bustling, magical glory. Severus and Lily looked at one another, grabbed each other's hand and tore down the sidewalk, Lily's nervous parents chasing after them.
Lily could not wipe the look of awe off her face. It was everything Severus said it would be and more. The colors, the clothes, the strange artifacts—the very air was alive with magic. Severus smiled so broadly his face hurt, he too was not disappointed.
Their eyes met and they seemed to read each other's minds, "Our wands!"
"Ollivander's is this way," Severus said almost giddily, he had never felt so full of life. A new world was opening to him and Lily.
"Ah, Severus," chimed Mr. Evans, "You said, er, normal money isn't good here. That we'd have to go to Pringbotts bank and exchange it."
"Oh yeah, it's that big building up there, I'll show you--"
"No dear, that's all right," said Mrs. Evans, "You two will be bored to death waiting for us in the bank. We'll meet you at that Ollivander's ."
Severus wondered if he should tell the parents Gringotts was run by goblins. He smirked and decided against it. Besides, as much as he wanted to see Gringotts, he wanted his wand even more.
"Just be careful," Mrs. Evans called as the two flew down the crowded street.
Ollivander jumped as his door crashed open. His nerves were shot from dealing with wild eleven year olds and their parents all day. There was a particular awful boy with messy black hair who had climbed on his shelves earlier that day while his parents simply cooed adoringly. Ollivander was not an angry man, but that boy needed a good hex or two.
The day was just slowing down when two unsupervised first years bounced in front of him. The girl looked nice enough, but the boy looked quite dreadful and ready to wreak havoc.
"Here for wands?" Ollivander smiled.
"Yeah!" the two shouted and Ollivander winced from the noise, but his smile returned. He still recalled the excitement of receiving his first wand.
"You first, girl," Olivander gout out his measuring tape, "And what is your name?"
Severus stood back, watching Lily with that intent stare he always gave her until he realized someone was next to him. He looked down. It was a sickly boy about his age, his nose was buried in a book. The boy felt Severus's presence and looked up, "Hullo, what's your name?"
"Severus Snape," Severus said, suspicious for no real reason.
"Remus Lupin," said the boy, "Are you getting your wand?"
Severus snorted, "Well, why else would I be here?"
"I dunno," the boy mumbled, "I'm waiting for my mum and dad here."
Severus shifted a bit guiltily, the boy wasn't so bad. Lily would have told him off for being so rude, "Yeah, we're waiting for Lily's mum and dad--"
There was whoosh and Lily cried, "Look! Look! Sev! I did it!"
A green beret with a purple feather had suddenly materialized and floated through the air and onto Severus's head.
"Wonderful!" said Ollivander, "10 and a half inches, willow, phoenix feather core! You next young man."
Severus nervously approached the counter, his doubts were beginning to surface. What if he could never find a wand? And his fear only grew as he tried wand after wand. None seemed to respond to him. He began to feel foolish, especially since he had forgotten to take that silly hat off his head. He looked up at Lily, was she silently laughing at him? Their eyes met and she gave him a small reassuring smile. Severus waved the wand he was holding, it grew warm and there was flash of blinding light. A bouquet of white lilies sprung from the wand.
"Oh! Most impressive!" exclaimed Ollivander, "Eleven inches, oak, dragon heartstring core!"
Severus strode over to Lily and handed her the bouquet, "I think these suit you more than me," he said, wanting desperately to say instead with a handsome flourish, 'These are for you.'
Lily laughed, "Much better than my hat suits you."
They spent the day tramping about Diagon Alley, buying robes and cauldrons. All they had left to get were their books when Severus suddenly stopped, "Let's go this way," he said. They were at the entrance to Knockturn Alley. He started but stopped when he felt resistance in his hand.
He turned to Lily, "What's wrong?"
"Well—I—it looks scary down there," Lily blushed.
"Don't be silly, it's fine. My mum told me all about this place," Severus said reassuringly. He pulled on her hand again.
She did not move, "I—I really don't think we should go down there Sev."
Severus looked at her. She really did look frightened, but she also trusted him. If he persisted once more she would have given in. But he did not.
"Let's go get our books," he said.
They heard the Evans's call for them, but neither noticed as Lily thanked him with her eyes.
"What's wrong, Lily?" Severus asked, a train whistle almost drowning out his voice. The two were lined up and ready to run through Platform 9 and 3/4.
"Nothing…" Lily said glancing back at her parents and her sulking sister.
Severus did not understand her behavior. He had not looked back when he walked away from his mother. He had no qualms about leaving home. Lily however looked on the verged of tears.
"Lily," he said.
Lily looked at him. Her eyes were filled with worry, anxiety and sadness. It made him feel ill.
He smiled, a rare thing even around her, "We're going to Hogwarts."
Her eyes brightened, "On a purple train with purple smoke, right?"
Severus nodded. He took his trunk cart in one hand and hers in the other. Together, they raced toward the platform.
Another chapter down! R&R please. Reviews make me happy : )