Title: Thank You For Being a Friend
Ominous October 2024
Team: Dragon
Challenge: Trick or treat prompt 4; Midnight spooky Bingo Card, N5
Prompts: autumn leaves fluttered under the swing as the wind gently pushed it back and forth; Mute!Severus
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Year 2 Assignment: 4
Task: Hagiology, task 2
Prompt: write about one character defending another
Gotta Catch 'Em All: number 34, Nidoking, poison
Prompt: [potion] bruise removal paste
Jurassic Park: Enclosures, extra security
Prompt: [genre] friendship
Disney Magic: Toy Story 2
Prompt: [song] You've Got a Friend in Me
Diagon Alley Adoption Centre: Milo the Shih-Tzu Dog
Prompt: [genre] friendship
Fandom Frenzy: DC
Prompt: [trait] courageous
Inktober: theme 5, butterflies; style 13, mandala
Prompt: write about someone metaphorically coming out their cocoon; [character] Lily Evans
Monster Smash!: Sherlock, Moriarty
Prompt: [dialogue] "It's going to be okay."
House Challenge Tetris: piece 7, row 3, blue line
Prompt: [colour] orange
Writing club
Character Appreciation: number 6
Prompt: [trait] protective
Showtime: number 25, learn to be lonely
Prompt: [word] lonely
Little Shop of Genres: number 11
Prompt: [action] tripping over something
Savour the World: number 3, lasagna
Prompt: [emotion] disgust
Spooky Month Special Thread
Ghost Hunting: ghost 8, Wailing Widow; location 6, Headmaster office
Prompt: [action] crying; [word] trouble
Pumpkin Patch: friendship, number 1
Prompt: [action] standing up for a friend
Haunted House: scare 2, evil little girl
Prompt: [action] staring at someone
'Tober Fest: Dialogue-Tober, day 4; BONUS character
Prompt: "Hey! Stay with me, okay?"; Lily Evans-Potter
The Houses Competition
Challenge Bingo 2- Characters
Prompt: Lily Evans
Word count: 1767
Warnings/Trigger warnings: mentions of child abuse (no graphic descriptions of it); mentions of suicidal thoughts; bullying
A/NThe song You've Got a Friend in Me is used as the theme of this story. In this story Severus is mute as a result of the abuse he suffers in his home life.
Autumn leaves fluttered under the swing as the wind gently pushed it back and forth. Severus sat down on the swing and leaned his head against the chain. The cold metal felt nice and cool against the hot red handprint on his cheek. He sniffed and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his dirty, overly large overcoat. His eyes stung in the wind as he tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. He longed to be free. Free from his parents, free from the dingy little house they called home, free from the taunting at school and in their village, free from the loneliness, but most of all he longed to be free from the torture of living. He longed to have the courage to put an end to his suffering but he lacked that courage. It was another one of his failings. It was yet another reason that his drunken father used him as his personal punching bag and his mother did nothing to stop it.
He sniffed again, as two fat tears rolled down his cheek. A burst of laughter made him look up. A group of teens a few years older than him were passing the park, laughing and joking with each other. They pushed and jostled each other, laughing heartily at some inside jokes shared amongst friends. He stared enviously at the group. Friends! How he longed for some friends. Or even just the one. Someone to spend time with, share secrets with, have fun with, instead of the lonely, solitary existence that had comprised his whole life. He watched as one of them glanced in his direction and clocked him staring at them. He quickly cast his gaze downwards, he didn't want any trouble, but it was too late. The teen nudged his friends and jerked his head in Severus' direction, grinning wickedly.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mute little dirty freak," a voice above him said. Severus flinched and curled up, turning his body away from the group in an effort to protect himself from their taunts.
"What's the matter little freak? Don't feel like talking to us?" another voice taunted as the group burst out laughing like they thought he was so witty.
Severus stood up, intending to leave, he'd had his fill of mockery for the day. He just wanted to find somewhere he could be where no one was going to make fun of him, shout at him, hit him or call him a waste of space. Unfortunately, he stood on the hem of his overly large overcoat as he stood up and went sprawling on the ground at the feet of his tormentors who erupted in peals of laughter.
"He can't talk and he can't walk." Cruel laughter echoed around the park.
A hot burst of pain spread like fire across his chest as a foot contacted his ribs.
"Get up!" A voice commanded but Severus merely curled up into a ball. Another sharp kick sent another burst of fire across his arm this time. "I said, get up!"
He was yanked roughly to his feet by the lapels of his coat.
"Don't you know it's rude to ignore people when they're talking to you?"
Severus tried to shrink away from his tormentors.
"Maybe you should teach him some manners," another voice suggested.
"Maybe we all should."
Severus had no time to think, no time to react as a volley of fists rained down on him, pummelling his face, his arms, his back. He was crying again; the boys were laughing. His face was wet with more than just his tears when a stern voice cut through the jeers.
"Stop it! Stop it right now! Shame on you! Shame on all of you! Leave him alone!" The boys spun round and found themselves face to face with an angry young red-head. She was looking at his attackers in disgust.
"What are you going to do about it, short stuff?" one the boys asked, taking a step towards the girl, trying to intimidate her, but she stood her ground.
"You think you're so tough?" she spat. "You're nothing but cowardly bullies, picking on someone half your size, on his own. You wouldn't be so tough if you were on your own."
The boy took another step towards the red head and raised his fist.
"You can't hit a girl," one of his friends reprimanded him.
"Wouldn't matter," the girl replied, staring the boy down. "I'm a black belt in karate. He wouldn't stand a chance."
"Come on, let's go," another boy said, tugging his friend away from the girl. They left the park muttering and casting dark glances back at the girl.
"Hey," the girl said, smiling kindly at Severus. "You're Severus, aren't you? We go to school together. But look at you," she reached out to touch his face and Severus flinched, taking a step back. "It's going to be okay. I'm Lily by the way, but maybe you know that. Maybe you don't. We've never talked." Lily gave a little laugh. "Of course we haven't, you can't talk. Or don't talk. Forgive me for saying, but you always look lonely. I've never seen you with any friends at school. Don't you have any?" She looked at him, smiling kindly again. Severus found that he liked her and shook his head in response to her question. "That's so sad," she said, sounding genuinely upset that he had no friends, almost like she cared about his feelings. "I don't like those boys. I imagine you're not too fond of them either. They remind me of that jerk, James Potter and his friends. Merlin, I hate him. Strutting around like he's something special. I can't imagine that you like him much either. He picks on you at school does he not?" Lily looked at him again and Severus nodded. "We need to do something about your face." Severus frowned. "You've got a few real cracking bruises forming but we can't use magic outside of school. Good thing I've got some handy, dandy bruise removal paste in my pocket." Lily smiled again, pulling out a tub of bright orange paste. "I can dab some on your bruises if you like, since you can't see them. It will clear them up in no time at all." Severus nodded again.
Lily carefully dabbed some orange paste on his face; she was being gentle but he still winced at the touch. His face felt very tender. He felt like he might pass out from the throbbing pain that coursed through his skin at every touch. It must have been noticeable because Lily looked worried.
"Hey! Stay with me, okay?" she said. "I'm almost done. There. That will soon clear up the bruises but you'll probably still feel a little tender. Unfortunately, the paste doesn't do anything for the pain. Do you come to the park often?" Lily asked. He nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen you here. I love coming here. I like just sitting on the swing and enjoying the day and thinking. Do you want to join me?" Severus nodded once more and followed Lily, sitting on the swing beside her.
"It's nice to have some company. I miss my friends when I come home for the holiday. I don't have any friends around here. When I went to primary school, everyone thought I was a freak. Of course, now I know it's because I was different from them because I have magic. I never knew what I could do was magic before I got my letter. It was such a surprise. Was it a surprise for you?" Severus shook his head. "Oh, you knew? Someone in your family also has magic?" Severus nodded. "That's cool."
They sat in comfortable silence for a long time. It was pleasant. Severus liked it. Was this what it was like to have a friend? He was enjoying this, even if it was only a one-time thing.
"I bet I can go higher on the swing than you," Lily announced suddenly, breaking the silence between them. Severus shook his head. "You think you can go higher than me?" He nodded. "Okay, let's make a bet. If you can go higher than me then you have to meet me here again tomorrow at the same time for a rematch. If I can get higher than you, then you have to promise to be my friend and meet me here every day of the holidays and you have to put up with me at school too. Is it a bet?" she asked. Severus nodded. "Okay, go!"
Lily started to swing, getting higher and higher. Severus did the same. He was catching up to her in height, but he didn't want to beat her. If he won then he only had to see her tomorrow. If she won then she was going to make him promise to be her friend. A real friend. His first friend ever! He really wanted that. They were high now and Severus looked down and his stomach lurched. They were so high off the ground it was terrifying. He shook his head and stopped swinging. Lily continued to swing higher. Her head was level with the bar with each swing now. She grinned at him as she stopped swinging, getting lower and lower until she was low enough to dig her feet into the ground and bring herself to a halt. She turned to face him, beaming at him.
"Ha! You chickened out. I won! I told you I could swing higher than you. Now you must promise to be my friend, for ever and ever and ever. Do you promise?" Severus nodded. "You have to shake on it!" Lily declared, holding out her hand. He took it. Her hand was warm and soft, like her. He shook on their promise. He had a friend.
Severus joined Lily outside the Great Hall after breakfast, one fine spring Saturday morning. As soon as he joined her, she linked her arm in his and led the way outside towards the lake. They wandered around the lake to the far shore and sat down in their favourite spot. Severus sighed happily as he gazed out over the lake. There was even a small smile on his lips.
"You seem happier, Sev," Lily commented. "Happier than I've ever seen you. I'm glad."
"Thank you," Severus whispered. Lily looked at him shocked but made no fuss about the first words she'd ever heard him speak.
"For what?"
"For being my friend."