Title: Blue October, Volume One – Chapter Twelve.

Author: Woodland Goddess.

Rated: M

Author's Notes: This one took a while to write for some reason. *sigh* But on with the show! Enjoy! ^_^

Chapter Twelve: Call me Harry

The weeks passed by at an easy speed, each one of them as memorable to Severus as the previous one; now it was mid-October and Halloween was swiftly approaching, though Severus did not expect to participate in the Muggle holiday. From morning until late afternoon, Severus would study in the backroom at the Pharmacy and Lily would spend her day at school, but once those few hours were over the world was their oyster. Most evenings, they would run to the playground, to enjoy the sparse hours of sunlight that remained to them.

Other times, however, Lily would drag Severus to the Corner Shop, merrily informing him that Mr Evans had given her a few pounds. Obviously, she was encouraged not to spend all of it, but some of it could most certainly be wasted on sweets. The Corner Shop was small, but it was filled to bursting with sweet things. Lily's eyes enlarged to the size of golf balls every time she entered and Severus had almost fainted the first time he had the privilege of stepping foot inside. There were certainly more choices than Severus could ever sample, desire or afford.

It mattered little to Lily, though, and that rather embarrassed Severus. She would always give him first preference, letting him pick out whatever he wanted and then using what was left for her own sweet tooth. Often times, Severus ended up with more sweets than she did. It always caused a mortified blush to rise in his cheeks and efforts to return some items. In the end, Lily would bully him into accepting everything and marched him out the door as soon as she paid for them.

Severus never ate his sweets all at once; he savoured them, making them last for as long as possible. Lily giggled every time he tried to explain it to her; she just did not understand. "Sweets are supposed to be demolished in minutes," she would say, "not made to last for days on end!" A little tiny part of him wished she understood what poverty was, but the majority of him was immensely grateful that she never had and hoped that she never would. He did not think poverty was something that a girl like Lily could survive.

On this particular day, Lily burst into the backroom of the Pharmacy a half hour before closing time, wearing a silly grin on her face. "Pack up, Severus; Dad says you can finish for the day!"

Severus' hand tightened so much around his pen that it snapped in half, ink covering his hand and his work. "Blast!" he cried, dropping the halves of pen still in his hand and scrambling to save as much of his essays as possible, frantically patting at the ink with his hand-me-down frock coat. "Damn it all, Lily; couldn't you break it to me gently instead of almost giving me a heart attack?" His tone was harsh and demanding and, when he had saved his essays, he raised his head and gave her a glare.

Lily placed her hands on her hips, fingers slightly spread. Her emerald eyes sparked with an inner fire and she frowned sternly at Severus from where she stood in the doorway. "Excuse me? How would I know you were going to react like that? Nobody likes being cooped up alone all day!"

"Don't give me that tripe," Severus snapped, his mouth curling into a sneer, his hands curling into fists at his side. "It's not being inside that I like; it's the chance to learn things! Of course you wouldn't know anything about it, would you?! You take everything in your life for granted! Your doting father, your money, your schooling; everything! Just for one second, I wish you would slow down and think about everything you have, that I don't and realise just how bloody lucky you are!"

Breathing heavily, Severus fell silent, his cheeks mottled with anger. Lily was staring at him, her own anger forgotten. Her eyes quivered and her bottom lip trembled. Tears welled and began trickling down her cheeks and in that moment Severus forgot why he was even angry. He could not stand the sight of Lily being in such misery. Severus lost his sneer and his glare and took a tentative step forward, arms rising slightly in invitation, hoping Lily would forgive him for his outburst.

Lily blinked, momentarily clearing her vision, and then crossed the room. She burrowed into Severus' torso, burying her face in his shoulder. Though he had offered himself as a form of comfort, he was still surprised by how readily she came to him. Eyeing the top of her auburn head, he patted her back somewhat awkwardly. For several moments, Lily wept, her tears soaking into the fabric of his frockcoat. He could not deny that he was rather enjoying the fact that she felt she could cry on him.

Eventually, she pulled away, rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand. She gave him a watery smile. "I'm sorry," they offered simultaneously. They shared an embarrassed, if slightly amused, smile. Lily continued in a soft voice, "I really am sorry. I just...I thought you'd be happy. I was coming in to tell you Dad said you could finish up, but you didn't let me finish. I asked him if I could bring you over for dinner and he said that I could. If you want to, that is..." She trailed off at the end, noticing that he was staring at her blankly.

Severus could hardly believe it. The only time Severus had ever really set foot in her house had been during the voyage to the moon, which had been televised. He knew Mrs Evans was not pleased with the idea of him coming inside the house...and Petunia detested him beyond belief. Having him around would not be a pleasant affair for either of them, yet Lily and Mr Evans did not have much of a problem with him. They were like two sides of the same coin; the side that accepted the dregs of society, trying to help them and the side that turned up their nose.

Severus looked down at himself, at the threadbare state of his clothes, at the ink staining his frockcoat. "I can't," he said firmly, though there was a twinge of pain there, too. "I'd like to go, but I can't. I won't stand in front of your family, looking like a...a...ragamuffin," he stammered, his cheeks flushing with the red of embarrassment. There was nothing more embarrassing than standing in front of your friend's parents and not meeting their approval.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Mr Evans, stepping into the backroom. It was quite clear that he had heard every word. Mr Evans took off his reading glasses, folded them up and slipped them into his pocket. "I know my wife can seem...disapproving at times, but she does try to put it aside." The man smiled softly down at the boy, trying to reassure him of this. "It's very rude to treat your guests badly and she's been taught since a young age to never be rude, if she can help it. Besides, I want you to come over and have dinner with us!"

Severus swallowed thickly and dropped his gaze to the floor, shuffling awkwardly on his feet. His hands automatically tried to cover up the ink stain on his frock coat. "But I look terrible," Severus said, voice trembling. "You can't tell me you'd go to dinner at someone's house, looking like something the cat had dragged in."

Mr Evans snorted in amusement. "Son, when I was nineteen I visited my elder sister in London; I was covered in paint from head to toe. An ink stain and some frayed cloth isn't as bad that. Put away your pride for awhile and enjoy a hearty home-cooked meal." There was that little word again; son. The word had made repeated appearances throughout the two years he had known Mr Evans and each time left him feeling warm and fuzzy in his chest. Severus' cheeks glowed with affection for the older man, but he wondered why Mr Evans seemed to care so much about him.

He always wondered.

"Fine," Severus caved, looking away briefly.

"Excellent," Mr Evans said brightly, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a broad smile. The skin around his eyes crinkled with his pleasure. "Get ready to go so; I'll be closing up in the front." With that, he toddled off, leaving Severus and Lily alone together once more. He avoided look at her, lowering his gaze to the floor again. Sometimes, he wondered why he let these two walk all over him, but he often pushed those thoughts aside; they were not worth his time in the slightest.

With a sigh, Severus tidied up, grumbling under his breath. Lily offered to help, but he declined it; he could handle everything on his own. When he was done, he turned to face his red-haired companion, who was watching him quietly. He gave her a tentative smile, which she returned, much more warmly. "Come on," she said, reaching out for his hand. "We should be going." He was reluctant to allow her to pull him along behind her, but he had already agreed to go for Mr Evans' sake.

Muttering under his breath, Severus allowed Lily to drag him out from the backroom. Mr Evans had just finished closing up; all that remained was to lock the door on their way out. Mr Evans ushered them out into the evening air, the late autumn chill flushing their cheeks and noses with colour. Severus rubbed his left arm as a twinge of pain shot up through the bone; ever since Tobias had broken his arm the pain came whenever it was cold or was about to rain. Lily had often enquired about it, but his continuous silence on the matter eventually caused her to give up.

The journey to Lily's house was too short for Severus' liking; he had hoped for some time to brace himself for the negative reactions that would surely arise once his presence was made known at the Evans household. When they arrived at the house, Mr Evans swung the car into the driveway and parked. Severus sat in the back seat, wringing his hands as Mr Evans and Lily started getting out of the car. He really did not want to go inside. Mrs Evans was in the kitchen, setting the table, and Petunia was about to open the front door for her father.

Severus would be seen at any moment and this left him with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He could imagine the kind of nasty comments that would, inevitably, come from Lily's elder sister and he had absolutely no desire to hear them. Mr Evans had disappeared inside, greeted by his eldest daughter, when Lily realized Severus had not followed them. She looked over her shoulder and frowned at him, beckoning him with her hand. It was too late to back out now; he had to go in.

Hands shaking, he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. Climbing out into the cool evening air, Severus took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. On hesitant legs, he walked, shoulders hunched, towards the front door, where Petunia was glaring venomously over Lily's shoulder. He dropped his gaze to the ground as he approached, not willing to sink to her level of animosity. He did not want to disappoint Lily or Mr Evans by being rude to one of their family members.

Lily took hold of his hand when he neared her and virtually hauled him inside; clearly she was afraid he would turn and run. Severus was certainly tempted to do so, but he would suffer through the evening for her sake, if it meant seeing her smile at him again. Petunia shut the door sharply and stomped in after them, making her distaste for his presence quite plain. Out of pure spite, Severus straightened his back as he walked and held his head high; just a mask to use when he needed it, much like the mask he used when answering Tobias back during a beating.

Lily led Severus into the kitchen, where Mr Evans was murmuring softly to his wife. A carving knife and a large fork for skewering meat were still clasped in her hands as the man spoke to her. Severus could just make out her eyes and nose over her husband's shoulder. Mrs Evans did not look pleased in the slightest; Severus was not surprised. Mr Evans, smiling away to himself, stepped away from his wife and went over to the sink to wash his hands, before seating himself at the dinner table.

The man opened the newspaper, which had been resting near his side plate, and buried himself in the articles. The roast was not quite ready, apparently. Mrs Evans' eyes flicked up and down Severus' threadbare and stained appearance, her mouth tightening fractionally. "Thank you for allowing me to join you and your family for dinner, Mrs Evans," Severus said quietly but earnestly, trying to impress upon her that it mattered to him very much, even if she could not stand the sight of him at all.

Mrs Evans' eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "The pleasure was mine," the auburn-haired woman replied, though her tone did not match her words. She would always have reservations in regards to him; no matter how polite or sincere he was, especially when he was in their house for dinner. Severus knew she was imagining what the neighbours might think of her having a ragamuffin like him within the walls of their home. With nothing more to say to him, Mrs Evans set the implements down on the table and turned away, her auburn waves whirling through the air briefly.

His dark gaze lingering on Lily's mother, Severus watched her approach the oven, pulling a tea towel from a nearby rack. With a sigh, he pulled his attention away and focused upon Lily, who was now ushering him towards a chair on Mr Evans' left side. Severus sat down, admiring the chairs. He wondered how satisfying it would be to have such a skill, but he supposed that brewing was not altogether different; it was similar in that took great care, precision and an in-depth knowledge of what one was trying to create.

Severus shifted his gaze to the table and, seeing the brand new silverware set for dinner, could not help being a little awestruck. Petunia, who had taken a seat at the opposite side of the table, fastened upon that little titbit of facial expression. "What's the matter, Snape? Not used to seeing cutlery? I'm not surprised; I bet your kind eat off the floor." The words were sharp and laced with venom, designed to wound deeply and fester. Severus' face paled considerably, skewering her with a glare of his own as his hands curled into fists on his lap.

He opened his mouth to snap back an icy retort, but Mr Evans beat him to it. The man's large hands clenched, wrinkling the newspaper severely as he lowered it. Mr Evans, his face almost as pale as Severus', turned his emerald eyes on his daughter – this time, instead of affection, there burned an intense anger, yet there was a hint of disappointment, too – and rose from his chair roughly, almost knocking it over behind him. "Petunia Jennifer Evans, how dare you say such a thing?! Haven't I taught you girls better than that?"

Everyone in the room froze – Mrs Evans almost dropped the roast beef she had been carrying over to the table – at the sound of Mr Evans' voice. The man normally was quiet and restrained; it was the first time any of them had heard him raise his voice, which was certainly saying something about how much he cared for Severus. "Young lady, get yourself upstairs to your room this instant and think about what you've just said! You'll go without dinner until you can be civilised!" Nobody moved as Petunia stared at her father, eyes widened with shock. "Now!"

Throwing Severus a dirty look, Petunia fled the kitchen, tears welling in her eyes. The kitchen fell into stunned silence and Mr Evans slowly sat down, breathing heavily. He was impossibly angry and Severus could hardly believe it was in response to something Petunia had said about him. "That was harsh," Mrs Evans chided, hurriedly continuing her journey to the table. "Do you have to deprive her of dinner? She's been on her feet all day! She obviously felt justified in saying what she did, even if you can't believe that."

Severus lowered his head and stared at the table. He fiddled with the hem of his ink-stained frock coat, not daring to look up should Mrs Evans look at him in a negative fashion. "There is no justification in treating others like they're worth less than her," Mr Evans retorted, steel in his tones, "and she knows that very well; we've been teaching her that since she was four." Mr Evans cleared his throat, the sound catching Severus attention, causing him to raise his head a fraction. Mr Evans was looking at him, his expression firm but with a hint of his inner kindness. "Severus, I don't want you to pay attention to anything Petunia says from now on; you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," the boy replied dutifully, though he felt ill at ease. "I'll...I'll try my best."

"Good." The corners of Mr Evans' mouth quirked up into a small smile as he reached and ruffled Severus' fondly. "And none of this 'sir' nonsense, son. Call me Harry; you've earned that right." Even as he said it, Mr Evans rose from his chair once more, hands reaching for the carving knife and skewering fork; he was doing the honours of carving that evening's roast, never noticing how he had left young Severus feeling dumbfounded...

To be continued

So, what do you think guys? Feel free to leave a review if you have anything to say about what you've read of Blue October so far ^_^