Wonderful ch. 33

What Are The Odds?

"Come on boy," Tobias both snarled and encouraged at the same time. "Which one should I get rid of?"

Severus stood next to the table shaking in silence.

"It's just a little game," his father told him.

"Why don't ya leave yer kid outta dis?" Marvin, one of the other men at the table asked.

"Because, I want him to learn something useful." Toby showed Sev the cards again. "Which ones do I get rid of?"

The small boy pointed to two cards that his father then discarded.

"You've invented a new way of cheating Snape," a second man, called West, put in.

"Cheat? It's not like the boy can see your cards, now is it?"

At this West raised his glass and took a sip. "Now that would be something." He eyed the boy with suspicion but didn't believe there was any cheating going on. He and the other players were keeping their cards hidden and down so no one could see them even with mirrors or signals. "But if he's some kind of weird genius, you could have taught him to count cards."

"That don't work for poker. Give me my two cards." Toby smiled when he saw them. He didn't even bother to have a 'poker' face.

Marvin on the other hand thought there had to be a way Toby was using the boy to cheat. Snape was never this lucky. "I fold."

It didn't seem to matter who dealt, and the boy was never behind anyone other than his father. Of course they didn't know that Severus could see the cards in their minds, not in their hands. Toby laughed gleefully as he swept a particularly large kitty towards himself. "I win again."

"I've had enough," Marvin said. "Next time yer good luck charm can stay out of the room."

"Marvin, you don't honestly think I was cheating, do you?"

"I don't know how, but yeah, I do." With that the man swung his jacket on and walked out the door.

West and the three other remaining players were looking at their fundage. A gristly looking man named Blake looked at the few pound notes in his hands. He rummaged in his pockets. "Don't suppose you fellows would allow for non cash currency?"

"Depends on what it is," Toby was the one to speak because he had been the one winning.

Blake pulled out what he had been fiddling with in his jacket pocket. A bag of dry leaves was hefted onto the middle of the table.

This peaked Severus' interest. "Are you a Potions - - " Before he could finish the question, Toby had his hand over his son's mouth. "Be a good lad and go get that other pitcher of ice tea that's in the fridge." The look the elder Snape was giving the younger one, that the poker players could not see, told Sev that he'd best do as told.

The boy gone, Blake continued, "I've got nine more like that over there." He waved a thumb to a rucksack he had left against the wall behind him. Figure that's worth a few hundred."

The host of this poker game snorted. "Maybe one, not a few," Tobias said as he looked to the other players to see what they thought.

"Your the one who knows the value of such things," West said in a knowing tone. "If you say ten of these are worth a hundred I'll accept that."

The two other players nodded and grunted their approval that they would accept the drugs as cash. One didn't. "Maybe Toby can smoke that much weed," Jason said. "But what am I supposed to do with that?"

"You could sell it," Blake offered. "If Toby keeps winning, he'll have enough to buy it off of you. Just don't let Stone catch you in his territory."

"Maybe I'll win that as well," Tobias challenged.

"Just deal."

"Not till my boy is back." Now Toby was calling Sev 'my' boy not 'the' boy. There were groans from the other players, but gamblers were always a superstitious lot anyway, so they understood that Snapes' son was his good luck for that day. If they only knew that luck had nothing to do with it. Even if Tobias admitted to cheating, the other muggles would never believe how he was doing it. West had come close to the answer with his 'weird genius' comment. Even for wizard standards Severus as a child had exceptional skills in certain areas. In other areas, such as carrying large objects filled with liquid, it was disastrous.

Seeing the boy clutching the pitcher of ice tea for dear life against his chest with both of his arms surrounding it, one of the other men, Roth piped up, "Why don't ya help the boy Toby?"

"Why don't you mind your own business?"

"Bet you a fiver," West broke in. "The kid drops it before he get here."

Seeing the look on his son's face, it was a determined one, Toby knew that Severus was trying with all of his might to not repeat what had happened with the milk not too long ago. "You're on," Snape senior took the bet. Snape junior gulped and gripped the pitcher tighter. He knew what would happen if he embarrassed his father, or caused him to lose the bet. There were a few moments where he wobbled, but the boy reached the table his burden in tact and hefted it on to it. "See, Sev had everything under control." Toby then made it look so easy to lift and poured half glasses for all of the other players and himself.

"Only cause you had the kid scared shitless," Roth observed.

Toby shrugged, "Only way to get him to do anything." He then pulled out a bottle of clear colored liquid to add to each glass of iced tea. "Bottoms up lads." Toby downed his in one swig.

Before taking a sip of his, West asked, "Thought you were on the wagon, Snape?"

"Well, there's on the wagon, and then there's ON the wagon. No work tomorrow, so I figure - - "

Before Tobias could continue with his rationalization of conditional sobriety Blake broke in, "Can we just get on with this game?"

The trademark sneer of his family grew on Toby's face before he shuffled and dealt. "That's what we're here for." He looked at his cards then looked for Severus. Tobias' son had backed away from the table, these men made him nervous to begin with. Now that his father was breaking his promise to Eileen again, it was another secret he'd have to keep from his mother; if he wanted all of his bones to stay in tact.

"SEVERUS, OVER HERE!" The order was barked out, and the boy timidly obeyed. "Take a look at Daddy's cards and tell him which ones to get rid of."

The boy was pointing when Blake wondered, "What kind of weird name you give your kid Toby?"

"I didn't give it, his Mum did." Toby discarded the three cards his son had indicated.

"Severus," the man called West mused. "Latin for Severe, I believe." Said boy thought that there was something odd about this one, he wasn't as crass or crude as the other of his father's gambling chums, but he was no wizard.

Roth was curious. "Why'd you want to saddle the kid with a name like that?"

"Told you, Ele give it to him," Tobias reiterated.

"In some cultures, names are given to scare off evil spirits."

Toby gave West a startled look for a second. Evil spirits were right up Eileen's alley weren't they?

West continued, "Some African tribes will name a child something reprehensible so that evil spirits won't know the child is beloved and steal it in the night."

Sev gulped nervously again. He didn't think he was named for that reason. He had a feeling Toby wouldn't have minded if evil spirits took off with him in the night. But his father had not named him, his mother had. He'd have to ask her about that sometime.

"Thank you for the anthropology lesson professor," Toby teased. "Could you make your bet?"

"I bid fifty," West put in. "Didn't think you knew big words like anthropology Snape."

"I ain't a complete idiot you know." Toby tossed fifty in.

'You aren't?' Severus was thinking. 'Could have fooled me.'

Roth and Jason folded right off. Blake hefted five of his bags of pot on to the table, then added another. "I raise you ten."

"Whoa big gambler," Toby chortled. He added ten more. "I see your ten."

West was considering. Seeing how Toby's luck was running, he said, "I fold."

"So Blake," Toby prodded. "Show."

"Three Jacks," Blake reveled. "What you got Toby?"

Toby didn't lay his cards down; he told, "Three tens."

Blake smiled and went to reach for the pot and the pot.

"Not so fast," Snape said. "Three tens, and two fives, full house. I win again." Toby drew the kitty towards him.

"I've had enough," Blake proclaimed. "I'm better off selling the rest instead of losing it to you."

The others had had enough as well. "You're just too lucky tonight Toby," Roth said.

"I'm done as well," Jason announced. "My wife is going to kill me." He only had a few pounds left in his pocket.

West came to the same conclusion. "Yes, I'm tapped out as well."

Toby doubted that West was ever really tapped out. "Not even one more hand?"

All of the other card players were shaking their heads.

"Aught to give your kid a tener for being such good luck to you," Roth added as he drained his drink.

"Aught to butt out," Toby snarled.

"Snape," West said as he stood. "I always thought you were a sore loser, but now I see you are just as rotten a winner."

On his 'friend' like a bull dog Toby slammed West into the wall. Blake and Roth were pulling Snape off of West. "Toby stop!" They shouted. Toby wasn't about to listen. He threw them off and headed right back to West. "Think you're so posh do you?" Snape was ready to belt West, but West proved the better boxer and landed two right to Toby's nose. Tobias staggered back stunned, but he kept his fists up.

"I don't want to fight you Toby, but you come at me again," West made clear. "I'll lay you out."

Severus was hiding behind the couch almost wishing his father would dare to do it. He'd like to see someone lay Toby out for a change. Toby was not so stupid. He knew West was more than a match for him, and the other's wouldn't let him fight dirty so he ordered them all, "out of my house."

Roth being the last one out the door called back, "Don't bother coming round next week." Snape was being told he was out of this poker circle. There was the sound of a pitcher hitting the front door as Roth closed it. "I've got all your money anyhow," Toby yelled out for no one to hear. Severus peeked out from behind the sofa to see his father counting that money. The boy was gauging the man's mood. It could change that fast. Toby looked pleased with his winnings so Sev walked over to the table. "This is funny looking tea." The boy poked at one of the bags of marijuana.

Severus found his finger being grabbed and twisted around. "Don't you touch that. S'not tea. And don't you dare tell your Mum I won it either." Sev nodded knowing he wouldn't get his finger back if he didn't agree. "Time for you to get ta bed anyway." A jerk of his father's head towards the stairs told the boy to go to his room. He was on the stairs when Toby called back, "Wait a minute."

Stopping on the stairs Severus waited to hear what Tobias wanted now. "Where's someplace you'd hide something you didn't want Mum to find?"

"I d'know."

"You d'know?"

Toby was giving one of the looks that the boy knew wasn't good. He had to think quick. "Mum, would never look - - "Sev had to think, at this age there wasn't that much he had to hide. "I don't think she'd look - - I have a shoebox in my closet where I keep dead bugs."

The thought of putting something he was going to smoke in with dead bugs didn't sound appealing, but the idea of hiding it somewhere in Sev's room appealed to Toby. "Come on, show me."

Up in the room the boy showed his father the shoebox, but that wasn't where the man was going to hide it. What Tobias thought was a brilliant idea crossed his mind. He pulled one of the pillowcases off of the boy's bed. "Don't need two of those." He also had a bright idea that he could sneak it out of the house a few days later when he had to take the boy out trick or treating. He had plans to sell four of them. Those he shoved in the pillowcase and shoved that into the closet. He would make arrangements with someone the next day. "I see that moved even a speck, and you'll get the hiding of a lifetime boy."

Severus found himself nodding again. He didn't understand what all the fuss was about a little tea or what ever it was. He had no intention of even looking at it let alone move it. Still all that night as he lay in bed, he couldn't help thinking of the secret in the pillowcase. He couldn't help wondering what that odd smelling smoke that was permeating the house was. He didn't have to wonder at what Ele thought of it when she got home that night. "TOBIAS SNAPE! YOU PROMISED!"

"I promised I wouldn't drink. I'm not drinking," Toby lied. "I'm smoking."

Eileen was in no mood to argue. Her son could hear her stomping up the stairs and slamming his parents' bedroom door shut. When Toby couldn't get in an hour later, Sev was sure she had locked it. There was a string of thumps on that door. "Open up Ele."

"Go to Hell Toby."

"I'll settle for downstairs, just the same."

Severus didn't wonder if his father was right about one thing. Spinner's End was beginning to seem a lot like Hell again.

tbc