Wonderful chapter 12
State of Affairs
There was a flash of light and the sound of someone aspirating, but this time the little boy was sleep and didn't see or hear it. Eileen looked down at her son sleeping in tranquility she wondered what had happened earlier. The vibration of the encounter still lingered in the room. She closed her eyes to see what had become all too familiar, Tobias enraged, weather it be at her or their son. Things were not going his way so they paid the consequence. Her hand found its way to the side of Severus' face. "What are we going to do?" If her son had been awake, he might have told her to send Daddy packing. The odd thing was, despite all, there were small parts of both wife and son that actually loved the beast. The touch of his mother's hand woke the child. On seeing Ele, Sev's eyes grew sad. In them was a deep sadness that should not have been in the continence of one so young. "Mum," the boy said in a low sad voice. "Why does Dad hate me?"
Ele felt as if she'd been stabbed in the core of her being. "It's not you Sevvy." The mother tried to calm the child with strokes through his hair, his beautiful silky black hair. Neglect had not reared its ugly head yet. "It's not you." This was followed by a kiss to his forehead. Though her closeness calmed him down a bit, her words only proved to Severus that his mother was not the knower of all things. For surely, the child believed, it was him. He had to have done something that made is father act so badly. He was not good enough. "Now go back to sleep."
Even as she said this, Eileen could hear noise downstairs. The way she had entered the house meant she had not seen the potion bottles on the steps. That was what Toby had slipped on as he came in the door. "Damn witch." His disposition had not improved in his nightly journeys. As soon as the words were heard, Severus clenched his whole self. He gripped the edge of the covers and cowered under them. To Ele he seemed tenser than ever. How bad had it been when she left? Wand less didn't mean magic less. Her hand still resting on the boy's head she spoke the simple incantation, "Repose." Her son fell into a deep sleep. She went down the stairs to face the resident tyrant.
"You have got to be the sorriest excuse for a father." Eileen was not pulling any punches.
Toby sneered. "Maybe if I didn't have the sorriest excuse for a son - - "
She wouldn't let him finish his berating words. "How can you talk about Sev like that?"
"I open my mouth and state the obvious."
Ele could smell the booze on his breath. There was the smell of a sweet smokiness on his clothes and in his hair that indicated drink wasn't the only substance Toby'd been partaking in that night. "I'm not going to argue with you when you in this condition," she told him.
He didn't seem to be listening. "Have you still got that money I gave you?"
"You're not getting any of it back."
Toby went to grab Ele by the wrist. The protective charm sensed his harmful intentions and did not allow him to touch her. Ele huffed out a laugh. "Not this time."
"I need that money," Toby growled.
"You had enough to by your booze and - - " She reached inside of his coat pocket to pull out a bag of what looked like dry leaves. "And this."
Toby snatched back the bag of pot. "Thought your lot was all in for herbs." A snide grin crossed his face.
"In it's proper place and use."
"Bla, bla, bla. What's proper about any of your kind?"
"Just shut up and go sleep it off."
Toby actually listened to Ele's suggestion. At the top of the stairs he called back down. "You coming?"
"Bloody likely."
"Be that way then." There was the slam of a door.
The rest of the night was quiet. Ele slept on the couch. Although sleep was the least of what she did that night. Thinking over and over about what she could do about the situation. Each option had a negative to go along with the positive. There was a strong pull to listen to what Irmaguard had said about going back to the wizarding world. Then she would think of the equally tormented existence she feared awaited them there. The words 'blood traitor' and 'half-blood' rang in her head. Of course, they could lie about it. If she chose that road, it would not be easy. Without proof of who she was, there was no proof she was a full-fledged witch. Duplicity started late was hard to sustain. On the other hand, deception started early had a chance of working. She knew she'd have to start to drill her son in hiding the fact that he was a half-blood in the presence of other wizards.
Another worry that kept her awake was the troll himself, Toby. Ele kept thinking he'd snap out of this funk he'd been in over the last year. He would stop hurting the rest of his family. He'd be who he had been before. He'd be the man she loved again. She did not know it then, but that was just a fantasy. Thought all indications were to the contrary, it was a fantasy she still believed. She believed that the monster could still be tamed.
In the morning, both Snape men woke to the smell of breakfast cooking. How long had it been since that had happened. "Bacon?" Sev was sure that was what he smelled. "Am I dreaming?" He figured he better find out. It wasn't a dream.
"I thought this would get you out of bed."
"Where'd it come from?"
"I went out to the shop this morning."
In all seriousness the boy asked, "You rob them?"
"Severus Snape, what a thing to say."
"Didn't think you had any money left."
"I got paid again last night." Eileen made up a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs for her son. She'd even gotten milk. They hadn't seen milk in weeks. Severus took no time in tucking into the food. "Want some toast and jam to go with that?" A big nod accompanied the shoveling of a huge forkful of egg. After he swallowed he asked, "Is it Christmas Mum?"
"No that's a few months off."
The boy was content with that answer. He was even more content when he saw what his mother was putting on the now toasted bread. "Real butter Mum?"
"Real butter Sev."
She put the toast in front of her son along with a small jar of strawberry jam. Severus' fork plunged into the fruit and half the jar headed for the toast. "Hey, take it easy," his mother scolded. Three quarters of the jam went back. "That's better."
The toast disappeared as fast as the eggs and bacon had. After the last drop of milk was gone from his glass, Sev ran over to where his mother was drinking tea and munching on her own toast. A huge hug was delivered along with a, "Thank you Mum."
"Well, you're welcome."
Then they could both hear Toby coming down the stairs. What kind of mood would he be in that morning? Before finding out Severus thought to be sure it was a good one. He ran out to the living room as if the night before was forgotten, it hadn't been, but he could pretend. "Dad come see what Mum made." Tobias wondered why his son was being so cheery. To Toby's surprise his son grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.
"Ummm," Toby groaned. "Smells good. Looks good."
"It is good Dad."
Part of Toby wanted to say something snide like, 'this what you blew my money on?' The part that was hungry out weighed the other part. He took a plate and piled food on it. He mumbled, "Good, real good." Coming out of Toby Snape's mouth, that was practically a soliloquy. Maybe this would be a good day.
"Severus," Ele addressed. "It's Saturday, you know what that means?"
Sev nodded. He sure did know what that meant. It meant it was one of the two days he could go out and play. In the time of year when Muggle kids were in school, he couldn't be seen just playing in the neighborhood. If some muggle school officials saw that, they might try to drag him off to said muggle school. Wizard children did not go to school with muggle children. Not because of some blood purity reason, but because little wizards and witches couldn't control their magic. Magic that muggles must not see. That was wizard law number one, the secrecy law. Muggles must not see magic. The wizarding world must not be exposed. Everyone remembered what happened when such a law did not exist. Wizards were almost sent to their extinction. That would not happen again. Ele sent Sev off to play with the same admonition she always did, "Don't let muggles see you do magic."
Sev made the promise he always did, "I won't."
tbc
