Curiosity
"Sev?" Lily called down from the kitchen.
Severus set his vials down and left the cellar lab, walking up the narrow steps to be met by natural light once more. "You called?"
"Could you take these to Marley and her friend by the crack willows?" Lily asked, handing Severus two wrapped sandwiches. "I have to start dinner."
"Her friend?"
"Milo. Marley and I met him yesterday at the park; he'll be in her class at primary this year. Hurry up, now; I have to start."
Severus took the sandwiches and kissed Lily goodbye before heading out the front door. It wasn't a very long walk to the spot by the river, but thinking about why he was going there in the first place made the walk feel longer. Marley didn't have any friends aside from her cousins and Regulus's boys, and all of them were magical, so unless this "Milo" happened to be a Muggle-born (which, given Severus's life experience, was possible), this would be Marley's first Muggle friend. He wasn't against the idea (anymore), but he had trouble visualizing what that sort of friendship would be. In two years, Marley would be heading off to Hogwarts, leaving said friend behind, and he knew that she would want to keep in touch.
Severus finally arrived and stepped down onto the riverbank, off to the side of his and Lily's old spot. And not to his surprise, he found Marley sitting on the grass and her friend sitting on a tree root.
Milo was roughly Marley's size, but he seemed much thinner, even thinner than Alice had been at that age. His skin was pale, contrasting his dark hair and dim eyes, but Severus suspected it wasn't the boy's natural color. What little color on his skin contrasted the faintest tan line at the frayed sleeves of his worn-out shirt. Before Severus could put more thought into it, the boy looked past Marley and locked eyes with Severus.
Marley turned her head and smiled as she hurried off the grass and over to Severus. "Hi, Daddy!"
"Your mother asked me to bring you this." Severus handed Marley the sandwiches. "I assume this is the friend she was talking about?"
Milo stood up from the root and cautiously walked over to Severus. "Miles Glenn, sir," he said quietly, his voice thick with Black Country Spake.
"... any relation to Martin or Catherine Glenn?" Severus asked.
"Uncle and mum, sir." Miles's eyes darted away from Severus's and onto the sandwiches before darting back to make eye contact once more.
"Here," Marley said, shoving a sandwich into Miles's hands, which caught the boy off-guard. "Mummy makes the best cheese toasties."
Miles looked down at the sandwich and back up to Severus. "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome," Severus replied politely. He could see that the boy was now focused on him, as though trying to come to some sort of understanding about the adult before him, and Severus would have been lying if he didn't find himself doing likewise.
"C'mon, Milo," Marley said, tugging his arm. "Let's eat!"
"Have a nice lunch," Severus said to both of them.
"I'll be back before it gets dark," Marley called back as she dragged Miles behind her.
"Tararabit," Miles called to Severus awkwardly.
Severus smiled as he turned and started walking back to the house, but he stopped to take one final look at the two. Marley was quickly unwrapping the cheese toastie and blowing on it profusely to cool it down, while Miles was carefully looking between the slices of bread before taking a small bite.
"Is it good?" Severus heard Marley ask Miles.
Miles nodded as a warm smile appeared on his face. "Bostin."