Petunia opened the door, under her family's eye. Everyone was curious as to who it might be.
Mrs. Eileen Snape stood on the porch, illuminated by the lamp.
"Good evening." She spoke in a soft prim voice. The poise of her pure blood training was evident to Petunia, not dimmed in the slightest by the hollowness of her cheeks.
All were taken aback by the woman's sudden appearance, but her parents were quick to recover.
"Ah!" Angie exclaimed, rushing forward past her daughter to take the woman's hand. "You must be Severus' mother! Please come in! We've been dying to meet you."
The witch didn't respond verbally, as if stunned by the warm welcome. Slowly she nodded, eyeing the family before her with slight suspicion. She stepped into the house, like a cat moving slowly out of the bushes.
Mr. Evans stood up, pulling his chair out to the guest.
"Please Mrs. Snape, have a seat."
"Eileen." The woman corrected, but took the seat. "You may call me Eileen."
Like mother, like son the reincarnate supposed.
The Evans family took that invitation warmly, both Angie and Jasper insisting it was first names all around.
"You look just like her Sev!" Lily whispered not so quietly, enthusiastic to meet the woman.
Severus was perhaps the most quiet he'd ever been since first meeting the Evans family. He simply nodded, but kept his expression stoic like his mother. It was like he was trying hard to impress the woman or something.
"Yes." Eileen nodded, eyes not even glancing towards her son. "That's to be expected."
The woman's response would have sounded odd to those who didn't know how she was raised. That meant that really only Petunia and Severus understood what those words really meant.
Yes, of course he takes after me. He's my son isn't he?
Petunia smiled, stepping away from the door to stand beside Severus.
"Of course!" She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "But it's more than looks, isn't it."
The woman lifted her head towards the children, head tilted with slight curiosity. Severus' eyes also followed the girl, though he looked a little more concerned than curious.
"He carries himself like you, dignified and unwavering." Petunia held the woman's gaze. "Every word is measured and used to it's fullest."
There was a moment of silence, a light taking shape in the witch's eyes.
"You must be Petunia." One corner of the woman's lips tipped up, a small smirk now resting on her face.
The girl in question smiled broadly, tilting her head slightly.
"What gave me away?"
The woman lightly scoffed, in an almost playful way.
"A better question would be what didn't give you away."
Petunia giggled, shaking her head in amusement.
"I suppose that means Severus has been talking about us." The girl covered her mouth in false shock. "I'm so flattered." She turned to the boy, seeing the pink tinge on his cheeks.
Oh to be young.
"Awe!" Lily chimed in. Mimicking her sister's tone she placed her chin in her hands and gave the boy an overly dramatic smile. "What sort of things have you been saying Seeeevy?"
Petunia had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, her parents doing the same. The reincarnate dropped her voice slightly, standing tall with her nose slightly raised as she'd seen the boy do.
"Oh Lily? Her hair is so lovely! Like a dancing flame that can either warm your soul or consume you entirely."
The boy groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was fighting hard to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.
"Oh, Petunia you ask?" Lily continued, holding a hand to her heart. "Why she's practically a flower come to life. She'll sit in the sunlight for hours writing to her hearts content."
. . .
All three children lost it, their laughter filled the air. Lily lent over onto Severus as she gasped for breath. Petunia was clutching her sides, kneeling beside the others. Severus wiped a hand down his face in exasperation.
It took a moment for the children to stop laughing, the young man being the first.
"I do not sound like that." He half halfheartedly grumbled.
Petunia righted herself, placing her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, you're right." The girl agreed with a wide grin.
"But it made you laugh, so it worked!" Lily chimed in with a cheeky grin.
The boy looked from one girl to the other with a combination of amazement and resignation. Finally he simply sighed, relaxing properly for the first time since his mother came in.
"You two are going to be the death of me." He sighed, earning a bout of giggles from the girls.
"What?" Lily asked in mock offense.
"Like we'd let that happen." Petunia nodded, ruffling the boys hair playfully. He tried to swat her hands away, but then Lily took over.
"All right you two," Jasper cut in. "Let the man alone."
Mr. Evan's words were enough to settle the children down, the three finally remembering they had a guest.
Eileen Snape was softly smiling at her son, small crinkles forming around her eyes. It was an almost sad smile, but there was a glow of hope lingering behind it.
"I can see why my son find himself here so often." The woman nodded to herself before turning to Mr. and Mrs. Evans. "You have a lovely home, and I must thank you for welcoming my son into it."
Angie smiled kindly, linking hands with her husband and giving the man a sweet look.
"We're the one's who are grateful, knowing Severus is keeping those two out of trouble." Jasper spoke as if the boy was fighting off dragons every day for the girls.
"Hey!" The two girls cried in mock outrage.
The adults all laughed, Severus nodding to the validity of Mr. Evans' words.
"You are more than welcome to join us Eileen." Mrs. Evans hummed. "I'd love to have you over for tea, and even with Severus we always seem to have too much food prepared for dinner."
The pure blood woman hesitated, Petunia saw the conflict in her eyes.
"You know," The girl began, pulling the adults attention. She paused, dropping her voice to a fake whisper. "My mum doesn't have many friends, she's reeeealy picky."
"Petunia!" Angie cried. "You take that back!"
Lily snickered while Severus took a well timed sip from his cup. The woman turned to her husband, looking for back up but all he did was shrug.
"Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Lynn, Mrs. Babcok…" The girl paused, meeting her mothers gaze with false innocence. "To name a few."
The woman gave her child a warning look.
"Those hardly count." She scoffed. "I had perfectly valid reasons for each. I'm not picky, I just have very high standards."
Petunia smiled, having gotten her mother to say exactly the right thing. The girl looked over at the witch, seeing the amusement written on the woman's face. That sort of manipulation was far to obvious to a Slytherin.
"I see." Eileen hummed, eyeing Petunia. "I believe I'll except your offer Angie. How could I not when you seem to hold me in such high regard. It would be impolite."
Mrs. Evans mouth fell open in surprise, but quickly shifted to excitement.
"Wonderful! How about next Wednesday while the children are at school?"
It wasn't much longer after that that Eileen insisted she and Severus return home. Both seemed reluctant. Lucy couldn't remember exactly what Mr. Snape was like in canon, but she knew enough to regard him as nothing but trouble. Unfortunately, all Petunia could do for now was see the two magicals off with smiles and promises of next time.
Lily gave Severus a proper hug, as she always did, nearly strangling him with affection. When the boy stopped in front of Petunia, she was a little surprised. They'd not hugged properly yet, only the occasional side hug and the like there of.
When the boy wrapped his arms around her she returned action with a tight squeeze. It wasn't as strong as Lily's hugs, but she was an Evans too! The girl was about to pull away when she caught the quietest whisper.
"Thank you…"
She stared into the boys eyes. Seeing the grateful glean in them, she couldn't help but nod as the boy pulled away.
The Evan's family watched them go, Angie and Lily happily chatting about what sort of snacks they should serve for tea the coming week. Petunia stared out into the darkness, looking at the empty space where the two magicals had been standing. She hated sending them away.
Her father's hand settled on her shoulder, causing her to look up. The man wore a frown that mirrored hers.
"We can't live their lives for them…" He said gently, pausing to kneel. "All we can do is love them, and be there for them."
Petunia wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close. The girl was grateful he understood her concerns, even just a little. It mean he was watching. Maybe… Maybe he tried to help them in canon… Yeah, that sounds like something he'd do.