Chapter Text
Chapter 6: The Visit (Age 9)
(*SS*)
Sunday evening had Severus nervously pacing a path along the worn floorboards in his bedroom. When he’d agreed to visit Lily’s family for lunch, he hadn’t fully considered the arrangement. Despite Lily’s optimism, he was worried that they wouldn’t be happy that a boy from Spinner’s End was hanging around their daughter. Severus knew Spinner’s End had a reputation around town for being home to the unsavory sort, and that reputation was deserved. The street was home to numerous drunks, thieves, and vandals. His own father had made a name for himself around the village as a regular of the pubs, having been kicked out of both for disorderly drunken conduct and fighting on a frequent basis. He figured that given Petunia’s comment about him being “the Snape boy”, Lily’s parents were well aware of what a deadbeat his father was. He was beyond worried that after meeting him, they’d put an end to Lily spending time with him at the park. She’d even so far managed to dodge Petunia and had spent most of today with him before having to return for dinner. Having had a taste for her company now, he was certain he couldn’t give it up. The last week he’d spent with Lily had been one of the happiest in his life thus far, and spending time with her made him feel not so alone.
Severus was also worried about his appearance too. He was by no means vain, but he valued looking respectable, which was currently impossible given the squalor they lived in. He didn’t know how to fix his hair, as no matter how many times he washed it, the barred soap only seemed to make it look dirtier. He liked the length, as his mum had told him that long hair was common among respected wizards in families like hers, and he was proud to carry on the tradition, but it was a bit choppy at the edges as his mum wasn’t very good at cutting hair in her current state.
He took a break from pacing the length of his room to rummage through his closet in an effort to find something to wear that wouldn’t make him look completely ridiculous to Lily’s parents. He found a pair of faded grey trousers, with only a slight tear at the cuff. He knew they were a bit short on him, but they were the best he had. Shirts were a different story, Severus desperately dug through his small collection of them, but was unable to find anything that wasn’t ragged, enormously oversized, or had belonged to his mum. He eventually decided on a grey long-sleeve, which although overlarge on him, had few tears or stains. It wasn’t ideal, but he figured it was good enough given the options he had to work with.
He made his way to the downstairs washroom, thankful that his father had somehow managed to maintain his current job at the mill, meaning he was out at the pubs most nights. Severus had been very careful to avoid his father for the last few days in order to avoid any additional cuts and bruises. He’d managed to mostly heal his latest black eye, reducing it to a faint shadow on his pale skin, thanks to his homemade bruise salve.
As he finished in the washroom, with limited improvement to the appearance of his hair, he could hear his mum shuffling around in the kitchen. Severus contemplated telling her that he would be going to Lily’s house tomorrow, but decided against it in case it went poorly. His mum’s mental state seemed so fragile lately, he didn’t want to worry her with anything else.
Making his way back upstairs to his bedroom, another concerning thought struck Severus. He knew that Lily had mentioned magic to at least her mum, but being Muggles, they were unlikely to believe him. He had to find a way to show them that magic was real. Severus figured that it was safe to assume that the Statute of Secrecy didn’t apply to Lily’s parents as they had a magical daughter, but he still didn’t know what he could show them without a wand that would be convincing. He just hoped that they would be more receptive then his father had been. From what Lily had told him, her parents were nothing like his father, but he was still especially worried about meeting Mr. Evans, not sure how he would react to magic. Severus tried his best to push his nerves aside and focus on his current task.
Thankful that the miserable heat had somewhat abated, Severus climbed up through the trapdoor in his closet to the attic. Deciding that a potion with unique properties would be the best thing to prove the existence of the magical world, he flipped through the stacks of potions books that he had sorted out of his mum’s things. He ruled out several potions due to time constraints and his limited ingredient collection. He perused a book entitled Practical Potions for Household Use, wondering if he could create some kind of miracle cleaning product for Mrs. Evans, when he flipped past a page that seemed promising. The page he’d turned to detailed the developer potion, which was used to create the moving photographs of the wizarding world. He scanned the page with interest, noting that the potion only required simple ingredients and took about an hour to brew. Feeling pleased with his selection, Severus only hoped the potion would have the same effect on Muggle film.
He lit the burner under the cauldron and began brewing. Severus was thankful that he’d experimented with the preparation of his aged ingredients to maximize their potency. Therefore, an hour later, with a final clockwise stir, the potion had achieved the glossy silver sheen that was detailed in the book. Pleased with himself, Severus poured the contents of the cauldron into a glass jar and stoppered it. He snuck downstairs after checking that his mum was in her bedroom, and cleaned his brewing equipment in the kitchen before slipping back upstairs.
Satisfied that he was prepared as he could be, Severus threw on his nightclothes, laid out his chosen clothes over his desk chair, and carefully tucked the jar of developer potion into his satchel. He then got into bed, tried his best to fall asleep, and crossed his fingers that tomorrow would go well.
(***)
After a restless night’s sleep, Severus woke to the early morning sunlight trickling through his window. Anxious to start getting ready, he hauled himself out of bed, and threw on his pre-selected outfit. He quietly opened his door, listening for any activity in the house. Hearing only silence, he made his way to the washroom, brushed his teeth, and borrowed his mum’s hairbrush in an attempt to fix his hair. Studying his appearance in the yellowing mirror, his skin still looked pale, with a hint of dark circles under his eyes. His raven hair, although still a bit oily looking, was smooth and neat. He neatly cuffed the sleeves of his shirt to his wrists to make it appear as though it fit a bit better, while still covering his bruises. Sighing, he turned away from the mirror, deciding that he looked presentable enough for what he was working with.
Severus climbed back up the rickety staircase and grabbed his bag. He stopped by the kitchen to leave a small breakfast out for his mum, but he was too nervous to eat anything himself. He put on his scuffed-up trainers, scowling to himself as he put them on, promising himself that one day he’d be able to afford better clothing. Taking a deep breath, he left the house and started down Spinner’s End for the park, thankfully avoiding any early morning encounters with his drunken father. Severus glared at the rubbish strewn street of Spinner’s End as he walked towards the bridge, resenting the whole stupid place for making his life hell.
Reaching the park, he headed towards the bushes near the base of the beech tree. As he made his way into the glade, Severus was surprised to see that Lily was already there.
Noticing that he had appeared at the top of the embankment, Lily looked up and waved to him. As he made his way down to her, he noticed she was reading Hogwarts a History. He sat down next to her and took the jar of developer potion out of his bag.
Lily turned to look at him, “Morning Sev! You look nice today!”
Severus felt his cheeks flush, and let his hair fall in front of his face. Even if her parents were displeased with his appearance, the fact that Lily thought he looked nice had already made his day.
“Thanks, Lil. You always look nice,” he murmured, feeling even more heat rise to his cheeks.
Lily smiled at him and tossed her deep red hair over her shoulder. Her focus then shifted to the jar that Severus had placed in the grass.
“What’s that, Sev?” she pointed at the jar.
“Developer potion. It will make photographs move like in some of the books we’ve read. I made it last night so that we can show your parents magic. It should hopefully make Muggle photos move too,” Severus said proudly, sitting more upright and tucking his hair back behind his ears.
“That’s a great idea! I can’t wait to show them! My dad should be taking Tuney to her friend’s house soon, so we can walk up to my house whenever you want to. I want to show you around my house before we eat.”
Severus nodded, packed the jar back in his bag, and offered to carry Lily’s book. Lily then led them out of the glade and towards the park gate. For the first time, Severus was heading up the hill from the park, rather than down towards the river. He grew more nervous with every step. Lily was happily chatting to him as they walked, pointing out houses and going on about which of her neighbors lived in them. Severus was only barely listening, giving her small nods and murmuring one-word responses. As he looked at the neat brick houses, each with a car in the drive along Lily’s street, the feelings of dread he’d had since the morning grew stronger as they grew closer to Lily’s home.
“Sev?” Lily was staring at him with concern in her eyes, “this is my house. I promise they’re going to like you.” She shot him a reassuring smile.
Severus snapped out of his thoughts, returned Lily’s smile with a tentative one of his own, then turned to look at Lily’s home. As he had expected, it was as unlike his own home on Spinner’s End as could be. Lily’s house looked warm and inviting, with its colorful front garden and tidy brick face. They walked up the gravel drive, their trainers crunching on the stones. He noted that there was no car in the drive, and wondered if Mr. Evans was still dropping off Petunia. Lily led him to the front door and tugged it open. Lily tossed her trainers in a closet next to the front door while Severus neatly placed his next to the doormat.
Severus peered around the Evans’ house. Past the entryway, he could see into the living room. The living room was very different from the sparsely furnished, wallpaper-peeling one he was used to on Spinner’s End. The room was bright, and filled with natural light from the bay window at the front of the house. It had neat, very pale pink wallpaper with a faint striped pattern, with white wood trim. There was a white marble fireplace mantle centered along the back wall, with two plush cream sofas on either side, and a television set in one corner of the room. There was an armchair near the television, and a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in the far corner of the room near the stairs. Although well decorated, the room had a cozy, lived-in feel. Unlike in his own home, the room was adorned with pictures of Lily, Petunia, and the Evans family.
Severus stared at his holey, faded socks, feeling very out of place. He was roused from his thoughts when Lily placed one of her small hands on his arm gently and led him through the living room towards the kitchen.
“Mum, we’re here!” she shouted cheerfully as they entered the kitchen.
Severus saw Mrs. Evans bent over the oven, putting a dish in. The kitchen smelled delicious. If anything, he was certainly looking forward to a good lunch. He noticed that Mrs. Evans looked a lot like Lily, she wasn’t very tall, certainly much shorter than his own mum, but shared Lily’s vibrant, deep red hair. She was wearing a blue summer dress and a floral apron. As she turned to face them, Severus could see that unlike Lily, Mrs. Evans had bright blue eyes.
She gave them both a kind smile, “It’s nice to meet you, Severus. Lily’s told us so much about you, we’re so happy you could join us for lunch. My husband will be home shortly from dropping Petunia at a friend’s house and then we can have lunch.”
Lily gave Severus an encouraging smile. He was surprised by Mrs. Evans’ kindness. In his experience, most Muggles were rude to him without even speaking to him, much like Petunia, perhaps due to his strange appearance and quiet demeanor. However, Mrs. Evans hadn’t commented on his shabby clothing or oily hair, and instead had welcomed him into her home. He was hesitant to trust any adult after growing up in such a volatile home, but wanting to make a good impression, especially for Lily, he tried his best to be well mannered.
Tilting his head down slightly to allow a few strands of his raven hair to fall in front of his eyes, he said softly, “It’s nice to meet you too, Ma’am. Thank you for sending lunch to the park with Lily.”
“Of course, dear! We can’t have you two going hungry when you read all day, you need to keep your brains fueled!” she laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
Mrs. Evans glanced over to Lily, who looked like she was about to start jumping up and down from excitement at any moment. “Heavens Lils, go show Severus around the house before you wear a hole in the kitchen floor. I’ll call you two down when lunch is ready.”
She gave them one last smile, shaking her head at Lily’s antics, before turning her attention back to cooking.
“C’mon Sev!” Lily gave a gentle tug on his sleeve.
Not wanting to quash Lily’s excitement, Severus placed his bag on the couch and followed after Lily as she proceeded to give him a full tour of the house. She proudly showed him the large collection of books in the living room that he only briefly got a chance to peruse, before Lily continued the tour. She showed him where the downstairs washroom was, then headed upstairs. The Evans’ house had four bedrooms, one for Lily and Petunia each, one for Mr. and Mrs. Evans, and a guest bedroom. There was also a second washroom upstairs. Lily enthusiastically pointed out each door as they made their way down the hallway. She opened the last door on the right, and invited Severus inside.
“This is my room, Sev. Come see all my books, I’ve got my own shelf and everything,” she said proudly.
Severus followed her into her room, and like the rest of the Evans’ home, her room was completely different from his own. Lily’s room was painted a pale green, with two large windows facing out into the back garden. She had a double bed with a cream comforter, a desk under the windows, a wardrobe in the corner opposite the bed, and a large bookshelf that seemed to be nearly overflowing. There was also a plush rug alongside the bed. Unlike his own, Lily’s white wooden furniture all seemed to be part of a matching set. He slowly walked to the middle of her room, noticing that Lily had several paintings of tulips decorating her walls.
Lily noticed him looking and said, “They’re my favorite flower, not lilies. Mum has a friend who painted them.”
“They’re lovely,” Severus agreed, thinking that the colorful, spring flowers fit Lily’s cheerful personality well.
He turned towards her bookshelf, and Lily joined him. She pulled some of her favorite titles off the shelf and carried them over to her bed. Still standing by the bookshelf, Severus watched as she flopped down on her stomach on the bed, kicking her feet up in the air, and cracking open one of the books she’d chosen. She patted the comforter next to her, motioning for Severus to join her. Feeling his cheeks flush, he joined her on the bed, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He had to imagine her parents wouldn’t think highly of it if they were to walk by her room. However, being so close to Lily was a welcome distraction from his nerves. Turning his attention to the book, he joined Lily in reading, committing the moment to memory just in case lunch went horribly wrong.
(*RE*)
Rose Evans was taking her last dish out of the oven when she heard the car tires crunching on the gravel drive. A moment later, the front door opened, and she heard her husband, Harold, cross the threshold to the kitchen.
“Hello, darling!” he said, crossing the kitchen to give Rose a hug. “Smells great in here, you’ve really gone all out for lunch today.”
“Thanks, Hank. Everything go okay with Petunia?”
“Of course, you know how she is, always excited to get out and see her girlfriends. I think she’s trying to make the most of the summer with the girls before she starts with a new class in Manchester this fall. Where’s Lily and her friend?”
Hank peered back into the living room to double check that he hadn’t walked past the kids. He was a bit skeptical of Snape’s kid hanging around his daughter, as Tobias Snape was a regular menace down in the village. Everyone who’d ever visited either of the village pubs had at one point encountered Tobias, drinking himself into oblivion at the bar, usually resulting in trouble. There were also rumors around the village that he mistreated his reclusive wife and son. Hank didn’t have any respect for the man, and had made it clear to his daughters to steer clear of Spinner’s End for their safety. He didn’t necessarily judge its residents for their poverty, as jobs had become limited around Cokeworth to anyone who didn’t have the means to get to Manchester on the daily, but the stories he’d heard about its inhabitants around the village were enough to worry him.
Having been young during the last great war, he wanted to preserve Lily and Petunia’s innocence about the horrors of the world for as long as possible. That had been a main factor in him and Rose choosing Cokeworth to raise their family. They figured the quiet village would provide Lily and Petunia with a carefree childhood, unlike their own teenage years that had been torn apart by the death and destruction of war. He was worried that Snape’s kid would introduce Lily to a darker side of life that he had worked so hard to protect her from. However, he was willing to give the kid a chance as Rose seemed to like him, and was happy that Lily finally had a friend.
Unlike Petunia, Lily was a little different, and his second daughter could often make the most bizarre things happen. This seemed to deter her classmates from wanting to spend time with her, and she often came home looking dejected. While Petunia was almost constantly spending time with other girls her age, Lily was often alone with her books if she wasn’t with her sister. Hank worried about Lily, and was curious to talk to the Snape kid over lunch as Rose had told him Lily had come home excited with the notion that she was a witch following meeting the boy. He knew his daughter was special in some way, but passed most of her peculiar abilities off as odd coincidences. He figured the kids must just be playing pretend, although a small part of him was curious to hear what the boy had to say.
Rose’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.
“Lily and Severus are upstairs in her room.” Rose lowered her voice and gave her husband a pointed look, “give him a chance, darling. He seems like a sweet boy despite his upbringing, I think Petunia was exaggerating what happened in the park. I’m sure Lily will be a good influence on him, rather than the other way around. You know what they say around town about his father, I don’t think the boy gets treated very kindly at home, so don’t be too harsh.”
Hank nodded. “I’ll be on my best behavior, dear. Although, I’m not sure how I feel about Lily having a boy up in her room alone!” he said, scowling slightly.
Rose laughed, “they’re nine years old Hank! I don’t think they’re getting into anything but books up there, knowing Lils.”
She handed him a stack of plates before he could object further, “be a dear and bring these out to the table, I’ll call the kids down and we’ll eat. We can’t have things going cold!”
Rose left Hank to bring the plates out to the dining room table, and crossed the living room to the bottom of the stairs.
“Lily! Severus!” she called up the stairs, “lunch is ready!”
(*SS*)
Severus jolted up from their shared book, Lily’s copy of A Wrinkle in Time, upon hearing Lily’s mum calling them from downstairs.
“Coming Mum!” Lily shouted back.
She slipped off the bed, grabbed a bookmark from her nightstand, and handed the book to Severus.
“You can borrow it Sev, just take good care of it,” she said, winking, echoing the same thing Severus had told her when he’d loaned her his books.
“Thanks, Lil,” Severus accepted the book, and slid off the bed to stand next to Lily.
He tried to steal his nerves as they headed back downstairs, feeling his anxiety from before rising again. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a family meal at home. It had to have been when he was very young, if ever, because he couldn’t remember a time when his father had ever wanted to spend a meal with him and his mum. He really hoped that Lily’s Muggle father was different from his own, and wouldn’t react violently when the topic of magic was brought up.
He must have looked worried enough for Lily to notice, because before they reached the bottom of the stairs, she reached over, gently squeezed his hand, and gave him a reassuring smile. Severus felt his cheeks flush at the unfamiliar contact, and shot Lily back the most confident look he could muster.
As they entered the dining room, Lily slid into the seat across from her mum and gestured for Severus to sit next to her. Severus sat down, shocked by the spread of dishes on the table. He didn’t think he’d ever seen so much food on the table for a single meal, as food was a luxury in his home.
He gave a tentative glance at Mr. Evans, and noticed that he looked quite different to his own father. Whereas his father was tall, broad, and dark featured, Mr. Evans was slimmer in build, and Severus estimated that he was a few inches shorter than Tobias, although he still seemed fairly tall. He didn’t share Lily or Mrs. Evans’ deep red hair, but instead shared Petunia’s sandy brown color. Though, Severus noted that he did share Lily’s emerald eyes, which were currently staring right at him. Severus quickly focused his gaze back on his plate.
The momentary silence around the table was broken by Mrs. Evans, “dig in everyone, don’t let the food get cold!”
She seemed to notice that Severus was overwhelmed by the spread of food, because as Lily and Mr. Evans filled their plates, she turned to Severus and took his plate, loading it with a little bit of everything. He gave her a shy, tentative smile in thanks.
He remained mostly quiet as they ate, momentarily entranced by Mrs. Evans’ delicious cooking, while Lily talked enough for the both of them. He felt his nervousness grow as Lily turned the conversation towards magic, paying closer attention to the conversation, but keeping his head tilted towards his plate.
“…And today Sev was telling me all about how they make photos and pictures move in the wizarding world,” he heard Lily say excitedly.
Shooting a hesitant glance across the table, he saw that Mrs. Evans was smiling with an intrigued expression on her face. Mr. Evans, although more stoic than his wife, had a hint of a smile on his face as well, although he had one of his eyebrows raised, as if humoring Lily’s story as merely fiction. Severus was glad Petunia hadn’t joined them for lunch, as he was sure her reaction would have been more akin to his usual experience at home.
“Severus.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Severus jerked his head up awkwardly to meet the eyes of Mr. Evans, who was now staring at him quizzically. He immediately stiffened. His own father rarely addressed him by name, and he half expected Mr. Evans to start shouting at him for placing nonsense about magic in his daughter’s head.
“Yes, sir?” he answered tentatively, matching Mr. Evan’s emerald gaze with his own onyx one.
“No need for the formalities, Severus,” Mr. Evans expression softened slightly, “Lils comes home with all these tales about magic, witches, and wizards. You must understand it’s a bit hard for Rose and I to believe,” he turned his gaze to Mrs. Evans momentarily as if looking for confirmation, then turned back to Severus, “Er…we do know that our Lily can do some pretty unique things, but magic?” he finished awkwardly.
Severus bristled, his face twisting into a scowl, feeling incredibly uncomfortable under Mr. Evans’ gaze, his defenses raised by Mr. Evans comments. This was the trouble with Muggles, he thought, they never gave anything or anyone a chance that didn’t comply with what they felt was normal! He noticed Lily looked equally agitated, frowning, likely due to the fact she had been under the impression that her parents had believed what she’d shared with them about the magical world.
Mrs. Evans intervened, shooting her husband a look, “what Hank means, Severus, is that it’s a bit hard for us to understand, as we obviously don’t share the abilities that you and Lily have, but we’d like for you to tell us about what you’ve shared with Lily, if you’re comfortable,” she finished, smiling gently at him.
Severus saw Lily giving him urgent glances, as if desperate for him to prove their case to her parents. He felt incredibly uncomfortable with everyone’s attention on him, and unconsciously shrunk further back into his chair, a few strands of hair curtaining in front of his eyes. However, Lily’s parents seemed more interested than angry or rude, which was better than he had hoped for.
So, leaning forward and tentatively sweeping his hair back behind his ears, he began in a quiet but firm voice, “what Lily’s been telling you is true. They’re not just stories we’ve made up. There’s a whole magical society living in Britain, it’s just a lot smaller than the Muggle… err non-magical one. My mum is a witch like Lily and we’ve been reading her old school books together.”
He glanced around the table. Lily looked enthusiastic and Mr. and Mrs. Evans were giving him their rapt attention.
Not used to adults being interested in what he had to say, he continued quietly, “Perhaps I could show you, I brought over the potion that Lily was talking about that makes pictures move. I made it last night,” he finished rather lamely, trying to gauge their reactions.
“Really?” Mr. Evans looked rather fascinated, as if he certainly hadn’t been expecting Severus to be able to show them definitive proof, “how does it work?”
Rose turned to Severus, “Hank’s an engineer, he teaches engineering at the uni in Manchester, he’s always taking things apart, trying to figure out what makes them tick.”
Severus nodded, feeling more and more relieved, as Mr. and Mrs. Evans seemed supportive. “I need a tray or some kind of dish we could put the potion and the photograph in. We’ll need to treat it in a dark room too. Oh… and we’ll need a photograph.”
“I’ll get a picture!” Lily jumped up from the table and hurried into the living room.
Mrs. Evans went to get a tray from the kitchen, leaving Severus alone with Mr. Evans. Feeling a hint of his prior nervousness returning, Severus glanced down at his now clear plate to avoid eye contact with Mr. Evans.
Mr. Evans broke the awkward silence by getting up from the table and announcing, “I'll shut the blinds in my study, it should be dark enough in there. Come join me when you’re all set.”
Severus nodded in response, waited until Mr. Evans left the room, then joined Lily and her mum in the living room to get the potion out of his bag. He grabbed the brown glass jar out of his bag and glanced over to Lily and her mum who were removing a photo from its frame on the mantle. Once they’d retrieved it, they all filed into Mr. Evans’s now dark study. Mrs. Evans handed him the tray and he poured enough of the developer potion in to cover the photograph. Lily leaned over his shoulder as he dropped the photograph in, feeling a pang of envy as he noticed it was a happy family picture of the four Evans’.
“Now we just wait five minutes and then we flip it,” he said.
Mr. Evans started a timer on his watch, and ten minutes later, after flipping it once, Severus pulled out the picture, desperately hoping that the potion had worked on the Muggle film. Holding his breath, he flipped the picture right side up, and thankfully, even in the dim light, he could tell that the family was now moving. He handed the picture to Lily and followed the family back to the brightly lit living room.
Lily triumphantly held up the photograph to show her parents, “see mum and dad! Magic is real!”
Pleased with himself, Severus watched as Mr. and Mrs. Evans both carefully analyzed the moving photograph. Mr. Evans’ mouth was agape as he studied the now moving image of his family. Mrs. Evans looked positively delighted by the image. They both seemed impressed, and a bit shocked, Severus noted smugly.
Now thoroughly convinced, Severus and Lily spent the next hour over tea and cake describing the magical world to Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Lily’s parents peppered them with questions, and Severus allowed himself to relax slightly, enjoying the feeling of importance that came with being their resource for the magical world. The looks of admiration that Lily would occasionally shoot his way as they spoke didn’t hurt his confidence either. He did his best to describe Hogwarts and the fact that Lily would receive a letter of formal acceptance on her eleventh birthday. Mr. Evans seemed especially interested in how the magical education system worked, being an educator himself.
Their discussion continued until late afternoon when Mr. Evans announced he had to go collect Petunia from her friend’s house. Mrs. Evans headed back to the kitchen to clean up after lunch, followed by Lily. Severus took a moment to retrieve the jar of potion from Mr. Evans’ study before joining them in the kitchen. He regularly helped his mum clean up when they ate together, and figured it would only be polite to offer the same to Mrs. Evans after such a delicious meal.
“Can I help with anything ma’am… err… Mrs. Evans?” He asked hesitantly.
“Thank you, Severus, you can help me dry the dishes while Lily clears the table. We’re happy you were able to join us for lunch,” Mrs. Evans glanced to see that Lily was still busy in the dining room, and lowered her voice a bit before turning back to Severus, “you’re always welcome in our home Severus, anytime. I know Petunia may have said some hurtful things to you, and while it’s her responsibility to apologize for her actions, those opinions are not something either Hank or I, or of course Lily share. Petunia is going through a difficult time right now with her transition to private school in Manchester. It's no excuse, but hopefully she’ll feel better in time. And thank you for proving me right, I always knew there was something special about our Lils,” she gave him a gentle smile and then turned back to the dishes.
“Erm…,” Severus stammered, as he didn’t know what to say, and stared at the floor. He’d never had an adult, or anyone apologize to him for their actions. Not that he thought Petunia was actually remorseful for what she’d said, but he was still floored that Mrs. Evans was being so kind to him after only knowing him for a few hours. His father certainly never apologized for beating him and his mum, or for all the horrible things he said to them. Even his mum had let him down, but he found it hard to blame her, clinging to the good memories they shared together when he was young. He was saved from an awkward response by Lily re-entering the room, precariously holding a stack of dishes.
“Here you go mum, table’s all clear!” Lily only narrowly avoided dropping the dishes before reaching the counter as Severus rushed to help her.
They finished cleaning up and Severus started preparing to walk back to Spinner’s End. He was tired after spending so much time socializing, and was worried about overstaying his welcome. He was still amazed with how well his visit had gone and didn’t want to jinx it. He handed Lily back his copy of Hogwarts a History that he’d carried back in his bag for her along with the developer potion.
“Keep it,” he said quietly, “you have more use for it than I do.”
“Thanks, Sev,” Lily smiled. “I’m glad you came, I knew it would be okay. The potion really helped too, I feel silly that mum and dad didn’t really believe me at first. Do you want me to walk home with you? It might get me out of being grilled by Tuney,” she laughed.
“No!” Severus nearly shouted, before noticing the shocked look on Lily’s face. “Err… no thanks Lily, I’ll be okay on my own,” he said more gently, feeling his face flush as he looked down at his shoes. He didn’t want Lily anywhere near Spinner’s End, he couldn’t imagine how its vile residents would treat her, given that she was clearly from the nice part of town.
Following his shout, Mrs. Evans emerged from the kitchen, “everything okay, kids?”
Severus and Lily both nodded, although he noticed Lily still looked worried.
Mrs. Evans handed him a large paper package, “take these home to your family Severus, we have more than enough food for the four of us and I’m always cooking. There’s some leftover meat pie, Yorkshire puddings, and tea cake.”
Severus was hesitant to accept handouts, as he prided himself on being independent and self-reliant despite being impoverished. But, in the end his desire to indulge in Mrs. Evans’ cooking again won out over his refusal.
“Thank you,” he murmured quietly, accepting the package and putting it in his bag.
Followed by Lily and her mum, he walked back to the front door to put on his trainers. As he was tying the laces, he heard the gravel crunch of the car returning followed by doors slamming and footsteps. The door opened and suddenly he was face to face with Petunia.
“What is he doing here!?” she shrieked, a revolted look on her face as if Severus was a stray dog on their doormat.
“Petunia! Manners!” Mrs. Evans admonished sharply.
Lily glared at her sister, “I told you Tuney, Severus was coming for lunch.”
“Hmpf,” Petunia huffed and rudely brushed past Severus, muttering “freak” under her breath as she passed him.
Feeling his anger spike, Severus hurried out the door scowling, thanking Mr. and Mrs. Evans for lunch as he left. He quickly walked down the drive, turning only when he heard light footsteps on the gravel following him. He turned and saw Lily behind him, her vibrant hair streaming behind her.
“Sev, wait!”
He paused, waiting for her to catch up. She pushed a book into his hand. Glancing down, he realized it was the copy of A Wrinkle in Time that they’d been reading together before lunch.
“I’m so sorry about Tuney, Sev. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. You’ll still come to the park tomorrow?” Lily gazed at him, sadness written across her delicate features.
Finding he couldn’t bear to see her unhappy, Severus felt his anger soften, “of course Lily, I’ll be there. Always.”
She immediately brightened, “See you tomorrow then,” she said softly, then turned to walk back up the flower lined path to her front door.
Severus watched her until she reached the door, noticing how lovely her deep red hair looked swaying in the late afternoon sun, then he turned and started his walk back down to the river.
He sighed as he walked, anger fading as he reflected on his visit. He was exhausted from all the time he’d spent worrying about how Mr. and Mrs. Evans would view him, not to mention from all the socialization. Conversation with Lily was easy, but with her parents, he was reminded of how little he actually regularly spoke to other people. However, aside from the expected incident with Petunia, the day had gone well, in fact, much better than he could have ever anticipated. He was surprised they had been so accepting of him and had been so willing to hear about the magical world. Lily wasn’t ashamed of him around her family either, which meant a lot. Meeting her had given him so much to look forward to everyday. Though he’d only known her for a week, he wasn’t sure how he’d managed before.
As he trudged home, trying to make the walk last as long as possible, his bag heavy with Mrs. Evans leftovers, a thought crossed his mind. Perhaps all Muggles weren’t as bad as he thought.