Sorry this is short, and took so long, but it got me past the block I was having. I've been working up to a scene that was written way back but doesn't fit in just yet.

Wonderful chapter 31

Broke

Agri suddenly fell over and lay limp on the counter. "Agri, what's wrong?" Severus asked. The plant lifted her flower head and whispered, 'A muggle has entered the house. The witch told me to act like a normal plant if a muggle was around.' She went back to looking dead.

Relieved that his little vegetative pet was not in distress, the boy told her, "It's all right. He knows that magic stuff goes on. If you lay down on the counter like that, he's likely to throw you in the trash, or something." Visions of a crumpled up Agri filled Sev's imagination. "It's probably best if you don't let him see you at all."

This made the plant stand up and go to the middle of the potted plants. She stood there for a while before the boy asked, "What are you doing now?"

'Hiding.'

Thinking about how Toby could get, Severus told her, "That's a good idea."

Severus could hear his mother telling his father, "You can celebrate by getting you and Sev some sandwiches for lunch. I really need to get a nap in before I go to work."

"Can't you use one of your - - " Toby was about to say potions before remembering he'd dumped all of those out. "Right, Sandwiches. You go get some rest."

In the kitchen Severus couldn't believe his ears. Tobias was actually being - - nice. The father shuffled into the kitchen. He was looking around for some bread when he saw his son standing still near where his wife grew plants for her concoctions. "Where's Mum keep the bread?"

Sev almost laughed; they hardly ever had any bread to have a place to 'keep' it. He however knew where some happened to be. "In that cupboard," he answered as he pointed.

Out of the cupboard Toby pulled out a plastic bag of sliced white bread. He'd of preferred some rolls or buns from the bakery, but Ele was smart and got what they could afford. This is what passes for bread these days?" Severus nodded at Tobias' rhetorical question. Toby proceeded to the fridge to see what they had to make sandwiches with. "You like ham and cheese boy?"

Sev really would have preferred peanut butter and strawberry jam, but he nodded 'yes' from the place he had still not moved from. When Toby picked up a rather large knife, he didn't see Sev flinch before it was placed on the table. From the still open fridge and took out two plates one with a ham, one with cheese. "No mustard or mayonnaise," Toby mumbled. "We'll have to have 'em dry." Now he squeezed the ham and cheese between slices of the squishy bread. "No lettuce, no tomatoes," he grumbled.

The boy was glad, he didn't want to eat any of Agri's relatives on the first day of her existence. Toby plopped one of the sandwiches on a plate then the table with a thud. "Come on boy, get your lunch." While his father turned to put things back in the refrigerator, the boy snuck up to the table and took a bite. Being cut a bit thick, the ham was a bit hard for the boy to chew. The man slumped down in his own chair and began to chomp on his own. "S'pose we can get something better when my first pay comes in.

Severus said nothing. He didn't even react. Toby took no notice. Most of his words were for himself anyway. "We'll go back to that nice place again."

The boy wanted to say, 'Mum must have some money,' but he knew she'd used it to pay for that nice place, and to get Toby out of trouble. "Could - - " On Sev's first word Toby looked up. That was enough to scare his son into quietness. Tobias looked ready to hear the rest, but Severus didn't speak.

"Could what?"

"Could I - - " No he couldn't ask just for himself. "Could we, have something to drink with our lunch?"

"Go see what's in there."

Slowly going over to the fridge, Sev didn't take his eyes off of Toby till he had to look inside. He sounded disappointed when he said, "There's only milk." The boy'd been hoping for some kind of sweet drink.

"Go ahead, get yourself some. I'll pass."

He knew the bottle would be heavy, so Severus was careful to use two hands. When he turned back he saw Tobias sneaking a sip from a small flask. The milk bottle had enough condensation so that when the boy let his grip go only a little, it slipped to the floor. Glass and milk was everywhere.

"Can't you do anything right?" Toby wasn't yelling, but it was just as bad. "Don't move." He had said this so Severus wouldn't step on a piece of glass. The boy was frozen in fear anyway. Grabbing a dishtowel that was on the sink Toby made a path for Sev to escape the glass. "Should make you clean this up. But you'd screw it up somehow."

Eileen came in the kitchen to ask, "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing," Tobias said. "Nothing except the usual when the boy does anything."

Eileen looked at her son who looked like he wanted to disappear. "Accidents will happen." She went to where there were some muggle devices that rarely got used when she had her wand. A dustpan and whisk brush was brought over to where the glass and milk were.

"I'll get that, dear," Toby offered. She thought it sweet. If she knew the real reason he wanted her out of the kitchen, she wouldn't have. Tobias made like he was picking up the glass while Eileen was looking. When she was gone. "Smart lad." Was this a compliment? "You best stay smart and not tell her what you saw."

Severus shook his head. Toby scruffed Sev by the front of his shirt. "Is that a no I'm not going to do what you say, or a no I won't tell?"

"I - I - I won't tell."

Toby let go of his son. "Sit down and finish that food."

The boy didn't feel much like eating now, but he knew he couldn't disobey. Toby continued to pick up the glass and dumped it into the dustbin. When he sat back down, seeing Sev taking little bites out of his sandwich, he shook his head at his son and muttered, "useless." He could see Severus starting to breath in heaves. "Don't you dare start crying." The boy twitched trying to keep the tears in.

The boy was brave enough to gasp out, "Wh- wh – why did you - - break your promise?"

"I didn't break no promise."

'lying too,' Sev thought has he nibbled at his sandwich. All the time the boy did not take his eyes off of his father. The father could not escape the intensity of those eyes. "What," the man bellowed. "What you looking at me like that for?"

"You know why."

"You don't understand Sevvy." What had his father just called him? "You don't understand."

That was one thing the man was right about. The boy didn't understand. What was so alluring in that bottle that kept the man from giving it up? To the boy it seemed to only bring bad things, why did his father love it more than him or his mother? No this is something Severus would never 'understand.'

tbc