Author's note:

Thank you to all those who left kind words of feedback on the last chapter. I was both pleasantly surprised and relieved to find that the feedback was generally positive.

The topic of corsets will continue to feature in this story, but that was the most heavily centered chapter to this point.

Onto the next chapter...

Severus felt relieved, to put it mildly, when he saw Lily approach in a genuinely good mood. He'd known what had startled her, but also knew that he would have been one of the worst people to talk to her about that. Given that he'd known about his mum's waist for less than two months, it seemed laughable to pretend to know anything about the expectations of what women (and teenagers) wore under their robes. But he trusted his mum, or at least far more than himself, and he was very glad that it had gone well.

The rest of her visit passed quickly, in a pleasant manner. It wasn't like their time before their first year at school, but far better. After all, Tobias Snape would not be returning to their shack at the end of the day. Drunk, more often than not. No, it was just his mum, after her mornings spent brewing at the apothecary, and Pinky, although the elf usually kept herself scarce. That was the mark of a good elf--seeing their work, not them--but Severus suspected Pinky was a good companion for his mum when it was just the two of them. Besides, despite the enormity of their house, they barely used most of the rooms.

Two days before the end of Lily's visit, Eileen took them to Diagon Alley.

"There aren't many books to purchase this year. You two won't need new books for Transfiguration until the next year, and I expect your Astronomy and History of Magic books will suffice until your OWLs. But there is the second year edition of Mathilda Bagshot's book, and your new Defense teacher assigned a text on dark creatures," she observed. "Lily, you and Severus have both grown a half a foot, and will need new robes." She glanced down at the list again. "New ingredients for Potions, too, I expect. Still, far less to do than last time."

"How will we get there?" Lily asked.

"Floo powder. That reminds me, I should pick up some more. Yes, I expect we'll need to stop at Gringotts before anything else," she mused. "Once you've finished breakfast, we can get ready..."

In under a half hour, they were off. Severus could see what his mum meant about their robes. While hers reached to the floor, which was longer than they needed, his were nearly a half foot above his ankle, and Lily's just as short.

"My mum gave me muggle money. I used up the rest of the wizarding money at Honeydukes," Lily confided. "Do they change over money at the bank?"

"Oh, certainly!" Mrs. Prince reassured her. "How much did she give you?"

Lily opened her purse and counted the notes. "One hundred pounds, and some change. She said to keep anything that's left over."

"I believe the exchange rate is five pounds per galleon, so you should be fine," Mrs. Prince said, with a laugh. "More than fine."

"Will your mum let you get a pet this year?" Severus asked.

First year students had been permitted an owl, cat, or toad. But toads had gone out of fashion at the beginning of the century, Hogwarts had school owls for mail delivery, and cats...well, Severus had nothing negative to say about cats.

"Yes." Lily looked rather uncomfortable. "I'd decided on a cat, but I don't want it to be a bother when I'm here. Do you think it could be delivered to my home after I return?"

"We could ask," Mrs. Prince returned, with a smile. "I wouldn't mind having a cat here for a week, but I rather agree that it might be better to have him or her delivered directly to your house. A salesperson will arrive by Apparition outside your door on the date of your choosing."

Lily nodded, face relaxing. "I'll do that, then." She turned to Severus, her eyes questioning.

Severus grinned. "I'm also getting a cat. Another reason it might be best to have yours sent over. If we chose a boy and girl, we might end up with kittens."

Mrs. Prince laughed. "Oh, dear!"

Ten minutes later, they stood inside of Diagon Alley. His mum wanted to go to their vault, first, so they had an enjoyable ride there. Severus's eyes widened as he saw the contents of their vault. It was nearly crammed to the top with coins, and by the looks of it, mostly galleons. The handfuls that his mum took for herself, and another one for a sputtering Severus, seemed to be less than a drop in the ocean of their newfound wealth. His mum gave a slight chuckle as she placed a hand around Severus's shoulders, and then, as though this was a regular occurrence, she promptly turned and closed the door.

Severus thought it must be a spell that prevented the money from spilling out the vault behind them.

"Come, dear, as you wished to change your money," Mrs. Prince said, rather briskly, as she put an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Yes, thank you," Lily answered, smiling at her.

The goblin took the notes without preamble, reminded them of the exchange rate, and then gave Lily five hundred galleons in small pouches of twenty apiece.

"I expect you won't need more than two of those pouches, if that, for the coming year," Mrs. Prince remarked, as Lily placed them in her purse, "but it never hurts to have extra cash on hand. A pity you can't open your own vault until you come of age...well, shall we pick up your textbooks, next?"

They did so, and as none of them were particularly lacking in funds, they added a few more titles than the required ones. Both Lily and Severus added a few Potions and Defense works, and Lily a few fictional works.

"Oh, you'll want to add the Bard's fairytales, too," Eileen commented. "I believe that they should be required reading for those who weren't raised in our world. They're very well written, of course, but a good introduction to our world."

Lily accepted the text with a smile. "Are there any books that talk about the...culture and history?"

"Let's see..."

Lily's basket was quite full by the time they were finished. Not that Severus's was exactly empty. Their total came to fifteen galleons (for Severus) and twenty (for Lily).

This included three bags which she placed a combination of Extension charms and Feather Light charms, so that, as Severus's mum put it, "Your arms and backs won't be throbbing before we return home."

The Feather Light Charm was a second year one, and besides, being in public, neither of them could get away with performing the spell without receiving a warning from the Ministry.

Purchasing robes came next. They needed an assortment of school robes as well as casual ones, but Madam Malkins was very prompt and organized. They got measured separately, of course, but the entire task took under thirty minutes, and their robes were added to their bags. Except, for Severus, for the pair he wore out. He was amazed by how much longer his new ones felt on him.

"I told you that you shot up!" his mum said, when he mentioned it. "Mind you don't trip, now."

But her eyes were teasing.

"I hope I don't, with all those steps," Lily mused. "I expect I ought to begin wearing the new ones soon, to get used to them."

"If you didn't trip in your first year, you certainly won't in your second," Eileen reassured her. "Not unless you're hurrying or racing down the staircases."

"Especially if the staircases decide to rearrange themselves, and there's a trick one," Severus recalled.

Sirius had gotten caught in one, once. Severus hadn't been there to witness it, and his friend had played it off as a joke, but James had also been there to help him out.

But his mum shuddered. "Oh, that happened to me once. I was by myself, having been brewing before curfew, and I only barely made curfew as a result. I nearly--well, never mind," she added, quickly. "But yes, as long you're careful, you'll be fine."

"Mum, you needed dress robes for a few years, didn't you?" Severus recalled.

"I did. There's usually a dance every few years, sometimes for the older students, sometimes for everyone who wishes to attend. My first one was during my fourth year." She sighed. "No one I particularly fancied asked me, so I went on my own. About half of the girls in my year in my house went with dates. It was a nice time. You'll know if a dance is scheduled, or if it includes your year, if your school list requires dress robes."

"Not this year, then," Lily mused.

"I'm afraid not," Eileen agreed. "But there's plenty of time remaining."

The pet shop came next. Lily fell in love with a calico kitten, while Severus settled on a brown one. They paid for the pets, but arranged for them to be delivered to King's Cross on September 1st. They would remain at the shop until then.

The last task, if you could call it that, was to purchase lunch. Severus's mum had treated them to this last year, even though they both chose the least expensive items from the menu. He thought his mum might have skipped breakfast and even dinner to make up for it. Not that they needed to worry today. His mum brushed aside Lily's offer to pay for her meal, insisting it was her treat.

Severus could enjoy his food more, knowing his mother wasn't pinching knuts to be able to afford it. They all ate large portions, except for his mum, who had always had rather a small appetite. Still, even she finished everything on her plate, and smiled rather conspiratorially.

"Who would like ice cream?"

Severus found himself perking up. He'd eaten it at school, during the feasts, but never at home. Not even on his birthday. The Muggle kind was too expensive to buy, Eileen had always explained, and wasn't nearly as good as the magical kind.

Lily, too, had room for it, so after walking around the streets for a bit, "to work up an appetite" as Eileen explained, they sat down at Fortescue's.

"I remember going here with my mother and my sister," Eileen murmured. "Hasn't changed a bit, I dare say. I even met the owner, once. Lovely man, and extremely well-read. Well," she added, picking up a menu, "let's see what looks good."

Severus chose Dulce de leche, the same choice as his mother, but Lily went with a raspberry and vanilla mix. It took all of Severus's self control not to shovel large spoonfuls into his mouth at once. It was better than anything he'd ever tasted, even better than the ice cream at Hogwarts. Glancing up at Lily on occasion, she wore an expression of wonder and contentment on her face.

Too soon, they were finished, even scraping their bowls for any remaining fragments. When it was all gone, Severus realized wouldn't have wanted more--he felt quite full.

His mother voiced the general opinion. "Well, that was delicious."

After returning home, Eileen mentioned that she was in need of a rest, and could Severus and Lily entertain themselves until dinner? They were quick to agree.

Lily and Severus spent the last day of her visit doing a thorough exploration of Hogsmeade, and an even more careful one of Honeydukes. Lily's basket was nearly overflowing with sweets for herself, her parents, and a few close friends. Severus, too, took the opportunity to stock up. Of course, chocolate frogs and the like would be available on the train, but fizzing whizbees and other treats would not be available. He just hoped his friends would wait until they were off the train to begin experimenting with them...

Eileen had Pinky prepare all of Lily's favorite foods for dinner, and a big chocolate cake, which brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" she said, both sniffling and smiling at once. "It's just so kind of you. You have both been so kind...made me feel so welcome..."

She trailed off as Eileen rose and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, it was no trouble! And, Lily, you're welcome back any time, honey."

Lily hugged her back, and they remained that way for a few moments. Severus felt a bit awkward, but he was glad the two had become close. Well, as close as a girl and her friend's mother could be, he supposed...

The evening was filled with smiles and good food. Later, even after they had eaten generous slices of the cake, Eileen suggested they pop corn while playing Exploding Snap. She used a spell over a large bowl after placing it in the fireplace, and the end result was a much larger bowl filled with fluffy popcorn. The bowl was warm, too, without scalding their fingers. It was delicious, and rather the perfect end to a lovely evening.

The next morning, after a good breakfast and hugs all around, Lily departed via Floo Powder with more ease. Eileen charmed her face and clothes to remain mostly free of soot, since Lily had neither the magical skills nor the presence of another magical being in her house to be able to perform such a charm undetected.

Her disappearance seemed to mark the ending of holidays, even if there was technically more than a week remaining. Severus felt oddly empty and excited all at once.

Author's note: next up: Back to school! Or the Hogwarts Express, anyway. New (to us, not to canon) characters show up.