Title: Blue October, Volume One – Chapter Thirty-Seven.
Author: Woodland Goddess.
Rated: M
Author's Notes: A big thank you to everyone who's been supporting the story so far; we are almost to the conclusion of Volume One. Yay! Soon it'll be Hogwarts time. *celebrates*
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Immoral Inspection
Severus sat cross-legged on his bed, his back braced against the wall with only a thin pillow to soften it. Two beady eyes, twin rings of pale not-quite blue encircling dots of black, stared at him from the other end of the bed. They seemed to be inspecting him, dissecting him, just as they had done since the bird had been purchased. He stared right back at him, unwavering, his mouth pressed in a thin line. It had been three weeks and he had still not managed to pick a name that pleased the creature.
It was infuriating...but it kept him busy when he was not studying at the pharmacy or playing with Lily. Every moment spent with the bird involved him calling out a name only to have the bird respond with a disgruntled ruffle of his feathers. Frustrated, Severus let his head fall back and thud heavily against the wall. "Merlin," he said, grinding the word out through a clenched jaw. He sounded almost desperate at that point. Watching the bird through his eyelashes, he noted the repeated – and more vigorous – ruffle of his feathers. "Mordred."
The raven hopped forward, his small head tilting, his eyes seeming to intensify in that moment. Startled, Severus sat up, limbs flailing, and eyed the bird sharply. "Mordred," he said again, his tone a genuine mixture of disbelief and hope. The raven repeated the action, letting out a caw as it did so. Unable to help himself, he grinned at the bird, Mordred, who seemed to be doubly pleased. Finally, after hours – days – of pointlessly naming out names, the bird was satisfied with his choice.
Severus scrambled forward and opened the cage; Mordred took brief flight immediately, wings easing down slowly as the raven settled upon the young Wizard's knee. Tentatively, he reached a hand out. Mordred watched closely as Severus hesitantly ran a gentle finger along his feathers. A soft noise escaped the raven's throat, similar to a gargle; he hoped that meant the bird liked it. The fact that the bird was named after a man, who had hated his father, caused an amused smirk to tug at the corner of his mouth.
"You're a handsome fellow, aren't you?" Mordred made a sound of agreement in response and tilted his head, bringing more feathers into contact with Severus' questing finger. A soft smile danced across his mouth. It was strange, knowing that the raven had been bought with him in mind. Eileen and Severus had been waiting outside the Magical Menagerie, waiting patiently for Mr Evans to finish buying Lily's pet. When the man had come out he had had the raven in his possession, whilst Lily's kitten was in its large basket.
Officially, having a raven was against the school rules but Eileen was a clever woman; she had claimed the raven had been purchased some years previously – the bird's age supported the claim – and that they did not have the funds to buy Severus one of the animals mentioned on the list. Which was true, actually, but that was beside the point. The correspondence between herself and the headmaster had been brief but satisfactory; allowances could be made if necessary. Though Mordred had not been named at the time, he had willingly carried the missives.
Severus stared contemplatively at Mordred and the bird stared right back. It was almost unnerving but...he liked it in some weird, inexplicable way. "Do you want to go see Mr Evans and Lily with me?" Severus asked, the words soft and curious, hardly daring to break the companionable silence between them. "It's been awhile since you've seen them; I'm sure they've missed you." The raven gargled and the young Wizard smiled in answer, the corners of his mouth curling upwards in pleasure.
Holding his arm out in invitation, Severus felt a thrill of happiness as Mordred jumped from his knee to his forearm, wings flapping briefly, gripping him firmly but gently with his talons. Slipping out of bed, he escaped his bedroom and slipped out of the house, muttering away to Mordred about anything...everything on his way. The raven listened in silence, offering no judgement; it was...refreshing. It was liberating. Unfortunately, he encountered Nancy and her gang on the way to the Evans household.
Determined to ignore them, Severus attempted to shoulder his way past but one of the boys latched onto his arm roughly, a snarl on his face. Before he could open his mouth to say anything Mordred was cawing and pecking viciously at the boy's hand, drawing blood. Yelling out in pain, the boy reared back, cradling his bleeding hand against his chest. Mordred released a satisfied gargle and eyed the gang unnervingly; they were quick to disperse, throwing glares in Severus' direction.
A smirk danced across Severus' mouth. He glanced at Mordred who ruffled his feathers and settled more firmly upon his arm, beady eyes watching him. "Thank you." The raven made a soft noise in his throat. The Wizard did not know what it meant but it sounded pleasant and that was all that mattered. They kept going, reaching Lily's house in good time. The girl was sitting in the grass, playing with the blue-eyed white kitten that padded around on her lap. The quiet joy on Lily's face was unmistakeable; it took his breath away.
Lily looked up, green eyes sparkling, as Severus approached. She smiled broadly at him and beckoned vigorously with one hand, the other scratching her kitten behind his ears. Sitting down on the grass beside her, cross-legged, Severus reached out and ran a hand over the kitten's fur, unable to stop a smile from spreading across his face as the kitten pushed his head in to Severus' touch. Mordred fluttered down from his arm, settling upon the grass. The two pets inspected each other, the kitten approaching, curious, the raven hopping backwards, seeming to glare at his audacity.
Muscles bunched and suddenly the kitten pounced on the bird, eliciting an indignant squawk. Lily snatched the ball of fluff away, a soft laugh escaping her as she cuddled him with her face. Heart skipping a beat, Severus tore his gaze away from his friend, choosing instead to focus upon Mordred, who he helped up from the grass. Ruffling his feathers, Mordred gargled and pinned the kitten with his icy stare. Mischievous blue eyes gleamed from within a small, fluffy white face in response.
"I think they like each other," said Severus dryly.
"They're just like us! He's got your scowl," answered Lily fondly, smiling softly as she eyed the raven.
"I do not scowl," replied the boy, scowling. He had no idea when it started, exactly, but soon the pair of them were laughing. Severus was unable to contain himself and, whenever he caught Lily's eye, the laughing intensified. An ache settled along his side in the end, but it was worth it. In an attempt to catch their breath, they lay back in the grass, side by side. Lily's fingers stroked Mordred's feathers and the kitten was now strolling around on Severus' abdomen, the fabric of his shirt riding upwards with every step the little beast took.
It tickled and made his stomach twitch but, all in all, it was pleasant. He reached out and scratched gently behind one ear; the kitten paused, blue eyes drifting closed, and pushed his head against Severus' fingers. The purr that broke the silence made his heart do strange and alarming things in his chest. A soft expression settled on his face and he would curse anyone who dared to suggest it was affection. It was not affection. It was...it was surprise. Yes, that was it. Severus nodded to himself, the words flashing across his mind.
He was still scratching, the kitten still purring, when a shadow fell across them and green eyes blinked down at them. Blond hair gleamed in the sunlight. A handsome mouth lifted in a smile. "Should I be upset you didn't come in and say hello?" Mr Evans teased. Severus sat up suddenly, disrupting the kitten and toppling him. He landed on all fours and gave the young Wizard a distinctly unimpressed glance. Mordred cawed in amusement. "Hey, now, don't get up." The man dropped down onto the grass beside him, resting his arms upon his knees, allowing his hands to dangle, fingertips brushing his trousers. "Manage to find names, yet?"
"Mordred."
"Arthur."
The names were uttered in unison. Somehow, Mr Evans managed to catch both names at once. A troubled frown settled on his face, turning his mouth down, knitting his eyebrows together. Severus and Lily exchanged glances, surprised. The kitten, Arthur, climbed up on to Mr Evans' lap. A hand came to scratch at his fur absentmindedly. "Well, that was unexpected," the man muttered, green eyes flicking away from Severus and his daughter and dropping to gaze at Arthur instead, "and ominous."
Lying back down, Severus frowned thoughtfully at Lily's father. Shaking his head after a moment, he called Mordred's attention. The raven hopped over to him and gargled. "What made you choose those names?" Mr Evans asked curiously, turning his head back to look at them again.
"He liked it," said Lily and Severus simultaneously. Another surprised glance passed between them. A grin lit up Severus' face and Lily answered with one of her own. When her hand shifted and came to rest upon his own Severus felt his face heat up for reasons he could not understand. Something sparkled in the depths of Mr Evans' eyes; it almost looked like realisation. Though what Mr Evans could possibly have realised was a mystery. The man looked away, a small, knowing smile dancing across his mouth as he continued to scratch at Arthur's fur, eliciting a contented purr.
A suspicion, half-formed, niggled at the back of his mind as he gazed at Lily's father; Severus squashed it down immediately, not deigning to give it a moment's worth of contemplation. "Dad?" Lily's voice interrupted his thoughts. He and Mr Evans turned a willing ear in the same moment. "Where's your copy of Pride and Prejudice? I think I want to try reading it again. This time I'll finish it, hopefully."
Mr Evans snorted. Loudly. "I doubt it." The girl whined in response, turning beseeching eyes on him immediately. Her father huffed and shook his head. Green met green, some significant and silent conversation passing between them. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards, a soft expression settling across his face, filled with affection for his daughter, his pride and joy. Uncomfortable, Severus looked away, wishing – not for the first time – that someone might look at him like that one day. "I'm fairly certain Tuney had it last; I'm not sure if she's finished reading it, though."
Lily climbed to her feet and brushed off her skirts. "I'll go –"
"She's at Vera's."
"– Check her bookcase," she finished, giving Mr Evans an impudent glance. "Don't worry; I won't go snooping anywhere I shouldn't." Sticking out her tongue, Lily turned and headed for the house, beckoning over her shoulder. "Come on, Sev; come and help me look, would you?" Severus hesitated, not wanting to get in the middle of a possible falling out but Mordred took the decision out of his hand by stepping closer to the green-eyed man.
"I think someone needs to be spanked," Mr Evans called out after her.
Lily laughed as she waited for Severus to catch up. "You hate spanking your children, Dad."
"Wouldn't stop me from doing it," the man grumbled. They all knew the argument was well and truly lost at that point. The girl caught Severus' hand in hers and tugged him inside, leaving Mr Evans out in the grass with an energetic kitten and a disgruntled raven. Severus felt a brief twinge of sympathy before the man vanished from sight. Sighing, he allowed Lily to lead him up the stairs. Petunia's bedroom was exactly as he had expected it to be; neat and tidy and steadily progressing from girly to womanly in a subtle manner.
There were cosmetics and a jewellery box on the dresser, which was unsurprising. The bookcase was large, though not quite as big as Lily's. Still, her collection was impressive. Severus could already see the extensive Dickens collection lining the top shelf. Of course, he could also see the line of Mills and Boon books. He barely managed to contain his disdainful snort. Lily pulled him over roughly and shoved him towards one end of the case. "You take that end and I'll take this one."
Grumbling under his breath at being ordered about, Severus did as instructed, searching the bookshelves for Pride and Prejudice. It was not long until he found it next to Bram Stoker's Dracula. He cringed; the library was not arranged in any sort of order. If it were him, the library would have been categorised by subject and then alphabetised by author and then arranged chronologically for convenience. Pausing for a moment, his fingertips resting against the spine, he contemplated whether that indicated a mild case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Realising that it hardly mattered, Severus pulled the book from the shelf and was startled when an envelope fluttered to the floor, having slipped free from within the book's cover; a letter slid out of it. Frowning, he crouched to pick it up and almost fell on his rear in shock as he recognised the distinctive and lovely handwriting of Headmaster Dumbledore. There were tear stains upon the surface of the letter, visible from the back, blurring the words in some areas, though it remained legible. "Petunia wrote to Hogwarts," he breathed, snatching the envelope up and staring at it in awe. "You know what this means?"
Lily blinked at him in confusion.
"It means there are Wizards working in the Muggle post office! Under cover! Isn't it wonderful?"
"You probably misread it," said his friend, approaching with confident steps. "Let me see." Without waiting for a response she pulled the from his grasp and slipped the letter free, green eyes flicking from left to right before coming to a complete stop. Lily gaped in surprise and spluttered incoherently for several long moments. Sparse seconds later she was reading the letter aloud, her voice a mixture of outrage and shock. "Miss Evans, it is with deep regret that I inform you of the impossibility of your tuition here at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Severus' face paled immeasurably, knowing this was seven kinds of terrible and immoral. "I sorely wish I could tell you otherwise; our school would benefit from more inquisitive minds like yours. Unfortunately, you have shown no signs of magical ability since your birth – I would know; our books record magical prowess from infancy. I'm certain that this will come as a painful blow and there are no words I can impart that would soften it. Your destiny lies separate to that of your sister, no matter how much you or I may wish to change that. You have my sincerest apologies. Should you wish to continue this correspondence, I would be only too happy to oblige. Yours sincerely, Albus Dumbledore."
Lily's expression softened, then. Gentle fingers ran across the letter, brushing over the dried tear stains. "I had no idea," she whispered, green eyes roving over it. When she finally looked up Lily seemed ready to cry. "I had no idea it affected her this much, the difference between us. I thought...she just...we never talk about it."
"She shouldn't have to; it's written all over her face whenever she looks at you. You're just oblivious at best and self-centred at worst." Dark eyes flicked towards the window and door surreptitiously, ignoring the way Lily gaped like a fish, unable to believe what Severus had just said. His hands fidgeted at his sides. "We should get out of here; it isn't right to be reading Petunia's private letters." Severus snatched the letter from her grasp, folded it quickly, slipped it back into the envelope and slotted it back inside the book.
Lily grabbed for the book, her arm swiping through the air in a swift arc. "No," said Severus sternly, shifting it out of her reach quickly. His eyebrows knitted together in a fierce scowl as his eyes hardened. "You've invaded her privacy enough. You know where the book is, now, leave it be. Ask for it when she gets home."
"You can't tell me what to do, Sev."
"Someone ought to."
"It's not your concern. Give it back!" Lily grabbed for the book once more, lunging forward, knocking in to him roughly. Startled, Severus gasped as his back hit up against the bookshelves, sending a jolt of pain shooting through him. Eyes narrowing in a glare, he shoved her back with one hand, trying his best to keep the book out of her possession. He must have done so harder than he had thought...for Lily stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet. She sprawled across the floor, the thump echoing through the floor and subsequent ceiling.
Severus paled and stepped forward immediately to help her up, flinching when Lily looked up at him, green eyes dark with anger and hurt. "I think it's time you went home, Severus," she said quietly, her bottom lip trembling. Blanching, he attempted to stammer an apology but she would have none of it. Climbing up from the floor, she pushed at him again. "Leave! And take your stupid raven with you!"
Feeling slighted on Mordred's behalf, the young Wizard drew himself up to his full height. "Fine, but you'll realise you're being an idiot eventually." A sneer twisted his mouth. Shoving the book back onto the bookshelf, Severus strode for the door, his back straight and his head held high with as much dignity as he could manage at that moment. He descended through the house and stomped out the front door. Severus whistled to his bird; Mordred came to him immediately, settling upon his shoulder.
"What happened?" Mr Evans asked, his face a mask of concern as he got to his feet, Arthur cradled against his chest.
"Your daughter was snooping and we had a fight; she told me to go home. So, that's what I'm doing. Good day, Harry." Severus strode past him, ignoring Mr Evans' startled utterance of his name. If Lily did not want him around, then he would oblige...
To Be Continued
I hate writing about arguments, especially theirs. *sadness*
Feel free to let me know what you think, guys; I love hearing your thoughts.