When Severus Snape arrived at his front door that afternoon, he was surprised to see the door unlocked. He knew, however, almost instantly who was inside. And his steps were the tiniest bit quicker than they would normally have been as he walked inside. He dropped his suitcase next to the stairs and made his way through the living room and into the kitchen. As he entered, the blonde girl sitting in the chair turned around in surprise. His dark eyes met blue and he stopped all movements. He wasn't sure he liked the bubble of warmth that enveloped his heart in the split second where her gaze had met his.
She was moving now, while he was still frozen in his spot. She rose slowly from her seat. She moved noiselessly and carefully as if she was afraid he would disappear if she was not gentle enough. She took a step forward and stood hesitating. They gazed at each other unsure of what to do in such a situation. Silently, Severus searched for traces of anger in her face because he hadn't written. He found none. Instead, he noticed she had grown a little bit taller over the year. She was a willowy girl, with long slender limbs and peerless white skin. It was so pale that it was almost transparent on some parts of her body where the skin was thinner and let turquoise veins faintly appear. Her thin lips were pinkish and they trembled slightly at that moment. Her blonde hair was glossier than he remembered and looked less straw-like. She had slightly bulging eyes which he remembered finding ugly when he had first met her but combined with her delicate features he found that she resembled a doe with wide curious eyes.
"Severus." she murmured as if she only half-believed he was there.
"Petunia." he replied. "It's been a while."
"A year." she said.
He gulped. She hadn't meant for it to be harsh. It was a statement of an undeniable fact. But there was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she said it and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Why had he been so stupid as to let his pride get the better of him? He should have written. About what he had no clue. But perhaps if he had…
"You didn't write." she commented in that peculiar tone of hers which was neither harsh nor accusing.
"No." he said and he thought of apologizing. "Neither did you." he said instead.
Her gaze which had been lowered up till that moment travelled up and stopped on his dark eyes. They were wide and astonished and he feared that she would get mad. But she didn't.
In an instant, her whole face softened and eased in a smile.
"No, I didn't write either." she said and her voice sounded like laughter to his ears.
As soon as it came, the smile vanished and her features hardened once more.
"I'm glad to see you Severus." she said quietly. "Welcome home."
Those two words were like a hurricane in Severus' world and he could only think of one thing to say in reply. Something he had never dreamt he would ever say, even when his mother had still been alive.
"I'm glad to be back." he told her and received the second brightest smile he had ever seen on the girl.
Later, after Petunia had cooked dinner and sent Severus to unpack while she did with a threatening wave of her spoon and a firm 'I mean unpack not leave the suitcase in your room!', the two of them sat at the kitchen table. The atmosphere was a lot more serious than it had been earlier in the afternoon. Severus had his jaw clenched and Petunia wore a worried expression.
"What will you do?" asked Petunia at last.
Severus sighed heavily.
"He didn't even leave a phone number, the bastard." he muttered.
Petunia grabbed one of the boy's pale wrists and squeezed it sympathetically. Severus she knew didn't swear much. She had told him once that he talked like a dictionary. He had just shrugged but she'd seen he was amused by it. She had only heard him swear once before when he had failed a potion he had been working on. She therefore knew how much resentment the boy must have towards his father to call him by such a rude word.
Severus surprised himself by liking the warmth of the girl's hand on his wrist.
"I suppose I'll have to go to Gringotts tomorrow." he muttered thoughtfully, his brain already calculating the moves he could make to drag himself out of this difficult situation. "I'll have to go to Diagon Alley."
He gazed up at the girl who was listening attentively. He hesitated. Should he invite her to come? Did he want her to? He supposed he did. If she was with him he would have to be strong when the goblins gave him the bad news. Because there was no doubt in his mind it would be bad news.
"Would you like to come with me?" he asked her.
Different emotions flashed in her eyes. She was surprised he had asked but happy he had thought to do so. Yet she was a bit reluctant or maybe uncertain, at the idea of going in a wizarding place. She didn't belong there. She wasn't a witch. But Severus was a wizard. It was his world and it wouldn't hurt to get a glimpse of it. She wouldn't be doing anything wrong.
"All right." she said at last. "At what time should we meet up?"