Title: Blue October, Volume One – Chapter Eighteen.

Author: Woodland Goddess.

Rated: M

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay you guys, but here's another chapter, yay! Feel free to let me know what you think, guys.

Chapter Eighteen: A Guide to Self-Protection

The first of January had come and gone with minimal celebration in the Snape household. There was absolutely nothing unusual about Tobias Snape being shamefully drunk, but Severus and Eileen had been forced sit in the living room and listen to him drunkenly warble Old Lang Syne. Severus would rather have been forced to listen to a goat get strangled, if anyone had been kind enough to ask him. Severus had contented himself with staring across at his mother, who was gazing at her husband without even cringing at the sound of his voice.

Severus believed she had used Magic to deafen herself against the sound of Tobias' voice and his insides had danced at the thought. Eileen deserved to be able to use Magic as a defence or as an act of revenge, considering everything that Tobias had put her through, just to spite the blighter. Thankfully, the day had passed quickly and the ninth would be arriving in twenty-four hours. Very soon he would be ten years old, one year closer to receiving his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Severus, currently sitting in the back room of the Pharmacy, glanced towards his satchel, which he had received from Mr Evans. Hidden within it was a second Christmas present that Mr Evans had given him, though it had been a little belated. Severus carried the book with him, wherever he went; he was too afraid to leave it out of his sight. If Tobias found it there was little doubt in Severus' mind that the gift would be burned to cinders. He could remember, with clarity, the note that had come with it and kept the words close to his heart.

My Severus,

I think you will enjoy this book immensely. I love it, myself. It is a journey filled with magic, scheming and ambition, but that is not its only feature. It is, first and foremost, the journey of self-discovery for one young man. It is the story of one perfectly ordinary Hobbit, whose most obvious traits are timidity, fright and pride...who goes on to be a hero with courage in spades. Though he is lost at times, he finds his way. There are trials, but he perseveres; just like you will. Keep your chin up, Severus, and know that one day...one day you will do great things. I'll be the first in line to get your autograph.

Love,

Harry.

Lily had laughed when she read the words over Severus' shoulder, but he had been on too much of a high to ask what she had been laughing at. Now, sitting in the backroom several days later, while Lily was at school, he could not help but wonder what the source of her laughter had been. Was it that she could not imagine Severus being courageous? Or was it that her father thought Severus would be brilliant enough to have people want his autograph? The idea of either possibility being true left Severus feeling quite unnerved.

Shaking his head, Severus focused upon the textbook he was meant to be reading. It was an anthology of poetry, entitled British Poetry Since 1945, a collection of post-war poetry from British poets. Mr Evans had been quite excited that morning when setting him to work, reading and analysing the poems therein. Though Severus had to look up some new words in the dictionary and memorize the definitions given, he generally enjoyed reading and analysing the poems in the anthology.

Severus was still in the middle of his work when Lily arrived sometime in the late afternoon, laden with her own satchel. He and Lily exchanged greetings and took a moment to enjoy a chat, before Lily began working on her homework and Severus returned to his work. Though the redhead took her time doing her homework, she was finished when Severus still had three poems left to analyse. Severus eyed her discreetly, decidedly annoyed that her school teachers were not giving her enough work to contend with.

He said nothing on the matter, however, and continued to work on the task Mr Evans had set him. When he was finished, he let out a relieved sigh and set his book and pencil aside. Mr Evans had given him free reign to litter his text with notes, as long as they were in pencil. Apparently, he was looking forward to reading them. After Severus tidied away his things, he picked up his book and slipped out the door, presenting his work to Mr Evans. The man in question took the proffered book with a smile and informed him he could leave now, if he wished.

Smiling, Severus returned to the back room. "Let's go," he said, his tone carrying a hint of excitement. Lily was quick to tidy away her things and, shouldering their book bags, the two of them left the Pharmacy together. The snow, mercifully, had begun to thaw well before the New Year had begun. Though the air was still cold enough to cause pain in Severus' forearm, he was grateful for small mercies. They walked, arm in arm, to Lily's house and slipped into the back garden.

"Did you ask your Mum about that apparition thing?" Lily asked as they settled down on one of the garden benches, not really caring that the seat was slightly wet. Lily had been most eager to try apparating, ever since Severus had first told her about it. The girl had been absolutely fascinated by the subject and he had resolved to ask Eileen about it, just to be sure he was correct in his theory regarding the matter. Lily had pestered him to the point where one more mention of it might very well have caused him to snap. Eileen had been reluctant to speak of it, but in the end Severus had managed to convince his mother to impart the knowledge upon him.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Severus griped, looking at his friend with narrowed eyes. "She said there wasn't much to it at all, actually. Destination, Determination and Deliberation; that's all it takes as you turn on the spot, she told me. But she also said that people had to be careful, because if you did it wrong, you could lose a bit of your flesh and bleed to death. Frightening, isn't it?" At his words, Lily had grown paler and turned her head away, looking off into the distance. Severus knew that she was thinking about the ramifications of trying to apparate without an adult Wizard or Witch supervising them.

"We'll be careful, then; we won't try to go too far away. We'll stay within the perimeter of the garden," Lily eventually said, turning back to face Severus. He raised his brows at her continued interest in trying to apparate. It surprised him. He had thought she would back away from the idea and leave his mind in peace about the whole thing. Clearly, he had misjudged her. You're so daring, Lily, he thought, dangerously so. You'd do well in Gryffindor, much as I hate to admit it. Severus rose from the garden bench a moment after Lily did so. "You can go first."

Severus' eyebrows knitted into a frown as he wondered why Lily wanted him to try it first. He was not certain whether she was being courteous or whether her fear was getting the better of her. "Alright," he said slowly, briefly eyeing her. Severus looked around the garden and chose a location to focus his intent on. Closing his eyes, he took a long moment to steady his breath, allowing the sense of calm to fill him. He envisioned the spot he had chosen and willed himself to appear there, turning on the spot as he did so.

He waited for that tingle that he had come to associate with the use of his Magic, but did not encounter it. Opening his eyes, he looked around. He was exactly where he had been standing a moment before. A pang of disappointment filled him, but he tried not to let it show. He did not want to lose face with Lily, whose esteem he cherished. He looked at his friend, a twitch of his eyebrow informing her that it was her turn to try. Frowning in concentration, Lily closed her eyes and turned on the spot.

Severus held his breath as the molecules of her body began to break apart, swimming around in the air prettily, before re-solidifying. She was still standing where she had been originally; she had made little more progress than Severus had himself. Lily's eyes fluttered open, revealing those lovely green eyes that she had inherited from Mr Evans. The girl let out a curse and stomped her foot as she realized she had not managed to successfully apparate to the other side of the back garden.

Severus snorted in amusement and looked towards the sky for a moment. The two of them spent the rest of the evening practicing apparition. Lily managed a successful apparition before Severus did. Lily pushed him into continuing until he managed to apparate across the garden. With a loud crack, Severus popped into existence at the location he had previously focused upon. The cold intensified two-fold even as Lily let out a peal of laughter that was filled with both embarrassment and amusement. Severus looked down and almost fainted from horror. He had left his clothes behind.

Letting out an undignified squawk, Severus dived behind the nearest bush, one arm wrapping around his emaciated torso instinctively while his free hand plunged to cover his private areas. Judging by the laughter that was still bubbling up from Lily's chest, the scars left from Tobias' belt had not been seen. Severus thanked his lucky stars that they had not been; he did not want to face the endless questions that Lily would have put towards him. He peeked around the edge of the bush.

Lily was laughing so hard she was doubled over, her arm around her middle. Her face was growing steadily redder. "Lily," Severus whined, wishing she would hurry up and stop laughing at his plight. Lily's laughter gradually died into sharp gasps for breath as she brought one hand to her head, pushing her hair out of her face. Eventually the paroxysms died, though Severus was suffering greatly from the cold at this point. His teeth were chattering and his fingers had turned a harsh red, bordering on purple. "My clothes," he finally snapped, "give them to me! Now!" His final word was virtually a roar, which startled a nearby robin into flight.

Lily gathered up his clothes and carried them over to him, giggles escaping her intermittently. Though she remained on the other side of the bush, she held her arms out, extending the meagre bundle towards him. Severus snatched the items from her, hastily pulling them on. He did not want to catch his death of cold. Severus blew warm air upon his fingers and rubbed his hands together, trying to regain some heat and feeling as he came back around the side of the bush, giving Lily a dark glare. "It wasn't funny," he growled.

Severus stormed past her, heading for the gate which would lead him out to the main road. "Where are you going?" Lily called after him, surprised and confused. "Severus, wait! Where are you going?" she reiterated loudly, chasing after him, grabbing his arm to prevent him from moving forward. It was clear she would not let him leave unless he gave her a legitimate reason why he was doing so.

"Home!" A muscle in Severus' cheek twitched when Lily did not release his arm. He wrenched his arm free of her grasp and kept going, head bent to hide the fact that he was blushing furiously.

"What?! Why?"

"You were laughing at me!"

"I was laughing with you, Severus! Not at you!"

Severus whirled around, his eyes narrowed in anger and betrayal, his hands curling into fists. "I wasn't laughing," he virtually shrieked at her, his arms shaking by his sides. "Next time, we'll let you be accidentally stripped naked and have your only friend laugh at your embarrassing state of public nudity in the freezing cold! How would you like it?!" He felt that tell-tale tingle begin at the roots of his hair and he had to forcibly restrain himself from using his Magic, in a fit of anger, on Lily, who took a step back at his words, staring at him wide-eyed.

Without another word, Severus fled the Evans' household, leaving his friend standing flabbergasted behind him. He kept running, ignoring the sound of Lily's voice behind him as she presumably followed him. He could not face her again, knowing that she had seen him in his most vulnerable of states. It was mortifying and horrifying and taboo. Girls and boys were not meant to see each other without clothes on, no matter their age. It was highly inappropriate. If Eileen or Mr Evans ever learned of what happened, he would be in for a serious hiding.

Mr Evans was a kind man, but even the kindest of men would go to great lengths to protect the innocence of their young daughters. Severus could only hope that Lily would keep the matter quiet; he did not want to think that she would rat him out, even though it had been an accident. Severus ran all the way home, bursting through the front door with a red face, slamming the door behind him. Eileen poked her head out from the kitchen, her dark eyes glittering with an unnameable emotion. "If I wanted the doors slammed, I'd do it myself, Severus."

"Leave me alone," he snapped in response, stomping past her without even noticing the affronted expression upon her face. Within a few minutes, he was hidden away in his bedroom, having shut himself away from the world around him. He kicked his wardrobe as he let out a curse, before throwing himself upon his bed, burying his face in his pillow. He screamed himself hoarse into the muffling fabric of his pillow, venting all of his rage and humiliation. His throat was raw when he finally pulled himself away, wrapping his arms around his legs, hugging them to his chest.

He did not stir when the door creaked upon its hinges. He knew it was his mother. "What's the matter?" Eileen said quietly, stepping into the room, gently shutting the door behind her.

"Nothing; go away," he croaked, his throat aching. Severus could tell, without even looking, that his mother's lips had thinned at his words. He felt a pang of remorse for offending her, but it was quickly swallowed by his continued feelings of anger and mortification. He rested his chin on his knees and scowled at the wall. Eileen crossed the room and sat down on the bed, her added weight disrupting his position, sending him tumbling into her side. Growling, he pushed at her. "Go away!"

"Stop it, young man. Stop it, now," Eileen snapped, catching his arms in both her hands. "I know you're angry, but you shouldn't take it out on others." With that, she hauled him into her arms, wrapping her own around him as he buried his face in her shoulder. Severus clung to his mother, fingers gripping the fabrics of her drab frock. She carded her long, elegant fingers through his lifeless hair, fingertips brushing gently against his scalp. Wrapped up in his mother's arms, feeling the warmth of the affection she so rarely showed him, Severus felt himself begin to break down, tears spilling down his cheeks.

Eileen spoke in soft whispers to him, her words soothing as she rocked gently with him. She rested her cheek against the top of his head. "I'm here, Severus, if you ever need to talk. I'll always be here for you." Her arms tightened around him fractionally. In a choked rush of words, Severus began speaking to her, explaining what had happened in such a frightened and remorseful voice that it left Eileen feeling surprised as she held her son in her arms. "Oh, Severus; why would you think that I'd punish you for that? It was an accident!"

"Because it's taboo..."

"It was an accident," Eileen said again, her tone firm. She pulled back, cupping Severus' face lightly with both hands. She caressed his cheeks, rubbing away the evidence of his tears. "If I had a Knut for every time I did something by accident when I was a girl, I would be a very wealthy woman. As for that friend of yours...well; she'll realise it was a bad move eventually. Little girls can be slow on the uptake, sometimes. She was laughing at you, but she didn't intend it in a bad way and that can cause confusion at times, especially in young boys like yourself."

Eileen brushed a lock of Severus' hair away from his face as the boy sniffled, though his tears had finally dried up. "I know something that will make you feel better," she said conspiratorially, her eyes glittering knowingly. The slightest smile graced her thin lips. "I will be back in a moment." She left the room, then, her steps hurried, looking back at her son briefly as she went out the door. True to her word, Eileen returned quickly. She was carrying a book in one hand, holding it close to her chest. "This was mine when I first went to Hogwarts," she said softly, looking down at the book almost fondly, "but I think it's time for it to be passed on..."

Eileen extended her arm, holding the book out for him to take. Severus, eyes wide with awe, accepted the book into his own hands. He gazed down at the faded cover, running his fingertips across the title. It was a copy of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Professor Quentin Trimble. "Thank you, Mum," Severus replied, his voice trembling. He could hardly believe that his mother had gifted him with such a treasure when it was not even his birthday yet. "Thank you so much!"

"You're in for a surprise tomorrow." With those final words and a sly wink, Eileen Snape slipped out the door, leaving Severus fawning over his new acquisition...

To Be Continued.