Coming out of his pensieve, Albus had known, he had only forgotten. Miss Evans had told him at St. Mungo's about Eileen Snape - "She's unwell, and never leaves the house."
It had been quick in the middle of other conversation with Lily Evans. Albus then, and still now, was trying to figure out why Severus Snape was important. Cursed with dragonpox, set upon by a werewolf, nearly crushed by a large stone here in the castle, and his father killed by Death Eaters in the middle of nowhere. Tom Riddle was definitely behind the last attack. Likely that he was also responsible for the first three as well?
Most of the staff agreed that Severus had moments of brilliance. Horace was blind with regards to his own Slytherin, but he was the only student Argus mentioned positively. Very odd. Without Horace's assistance, who would aid Severus after he graduated? Did he even want assistance? If Tom had not had his father murdered, Severus may have been susceptible to Tom offering him assistance. Perhaps the original plan was to have the Lestranges quietly murder or destroy that pub, but they got carried away with themselves?
What was he to do? Playing favorites created bullies like Sirius Black and James Potter. At this point, Severus was not likely to accept his favor. He had done him a horrible disservice.
Phi woke Severus up. It was morning. A bright morning.
She indicated the window so Severus looked out and down. Mr. Evans and Lily were at the front door.
Why? Phi did not know.
He opened the window. It took magic since the window preferred not to be open. "What?" Severus asked.
"Are you all right, Sev?" Lily called up.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Can you come down and open the door?"
He slammed the window shut. Muttering to himself as he went downstairs that Lily could no longer be bothered saying 'please'. How many sodding times had she told him that he had to say it? And what were her and her father doing here? Spinner's End in springtime was a must see? The Whomping Willow was nicer looking and was a hell of a lot less dodgy and dangerous.
Severus opened the door, and stood blinking at the light. He repeated, "What?"
"What were you doing?" Lily asked.
"Sleeping."
Lily noticed that once again Severus was mostly dressed and had on work boots. He was only missing a jumper over his braces and one of his disgustingly old undershirts. Why did he still have that?
Cutting through the juvenile banter, Mr. Evans interrupted, "Lily was worried when you did not show up for breakfast, Severus. May we come in?" Standing on the doorstep, even when the street appeared deserted, still left him with a feeling of being watched.
"I suppose," Severus said, getting out of their way. He used his wand to light a kerosene lamp since he was not ready for sunlight yet. "Isn't today a church day? I don't eat at your home on church days."
"Not till later, Sev. Good Friday isn't till the afternoon."
"Huh?"
Mr. Evans looked around the dimly lit room. It was almost a decent-sized parlor, but the bookshelves covering every wall made it seem smaller and close. The stacks of wooden crates also took up room. The few spots of wall and the shelves that were bare had no electrical outlets, and there was only a second oil lamp in this room. The furniture was threadbare, along with the dull rug that covered most of the floor in here. Even when he was a child, he lived in a house with electricity. His grandfather talked about gas lamps, but that was during his childhood, and he explained that the electric wiring was put in when the gas pipes were removed, except for the kitchen stove.
Lily looked at all the packed crates. If Severus reviewed every book before he packed them, he must have been up all night.
Mr. Evans jumped. He thought he was looking at a stuffed bird, but then the crow or whatever it was turned its head and looked right at him.
The bird let out a cry.
Severus answered it, "All right," and opened the door for it to leave.
"Why don't you go get dressed and come back with us, Sev?"
He did not want to, but now that he was awake, his plans for a second good night's sleep were ruined. Severus had packed up enough that he had plenty of room to bring books back with him, and he had written a few letters to inquire about a solicitor that he planned to post today. He could go this afternoon, and go to bed early tonight. Doubtful. He'd want to look at those new books. Maybe a nap instead of lunch?
Severus looked at Mr. Evans and replied, "I guess if you went through the trouble of coming here to fetch me, I'll come over for a bit."
He opened the door that had yet another bookcase on it, and closed it behind him before going upstairs to fetch a jumper.
Mr. Evans circled a bit before opening the only other visible door. Lily hissed, but he had to agree with Mrs. Evans that even though Severus was self-reliant and independent, those that should have done something failed. The wizarding sort were callous, cruel and apparently thought his muggle sort were beneath them entirely. Could not even be bothered to allow a son to pay his last respects to his father.
The kitchen … he stepped into the room. Mrs. Evans had expressed some concern about this house, but she never would have imagined this. Lily had been here last summer.
Lily had followed, continuing her displeased warning, "Don't go in here. This is where his mother died."
Right, Mrs. Snape. His wife mentioned that Lily said she drank and did not keep house well. This was not a few cocktails. She concealed the truth from them. Why? So Lily could practice magic here? She preferred this because she could do magic? "You are in a lot of trouble, young lady."
"Me?"
"Yes," he said, turning around to return to the parlor.
"It's not Severus's fault."
"Why would I hold Severus responsible?" The son is not his parents' keeper, or at least not at this age. It's the parents' duty to teach their children right, and at some point Lily became a prevaricator, stretcher of truth, and probably a liar. What else did she conceal from them? Did she even realize that Severus's health was endangered by this environment? It wasn't as if his wife kept quiet about that. She had never seen him without long sleeves, that was for certain. That burn looked like a nasty one.
Severus returned to the parlor after cleaning himself up a bit and putting on a jumper.
Lily was clearly pouting. Mustn't keep Princess Lily waiting. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know what time they went to church today. All the rest of the time they went sometime in the morning, and did not eat till later. Lily called that her family day during the summer, and told him not to come over on Sundays. Additionally, he had never told her to expect him over this morning. She only heard what she wanted to hear.
"Do you need to wait for your pet to return, Severus?"
"No, Mr. Evans. She's as capable as a wild raven, even though she is domesticated. I could call her to follow me, but with Petunia's Vernon over, that would be too peculiar."
Lily's father nodded his agreement. Vernon already saw Lily's owl in its cage. Called it a 'damned odd pet'.
Lily's gaze lingered on the crates of books. By Monday, all of them could be packed. She hadn't even gotten a chance to look through them herself. Maybe her parents could loan Sev some money and hold the books till he paid them back?
All three of them were quiet as their own thoughts kept them busy till they got over to the Evans home. Mrs. Evans had tea for all three of them, and gave Severus a plate of toast along with a bowl of porridge. "All right, Severus?" she asked.
"Yes, Mrs. Evans. I hadn't understood what Lily had told me about her schedule today. I thought you were going to church in the morning."
"That's fine and don't worry. Today's going to be rather long, but would you like to come with us on Sunday? They really decorate nice for Easter," she suggested. She understood Severus only knew the barest basics from her family, but if there was someone who needed help, hope and faith, it was Severus.
"Won't that cause trouble?"
"Everyone's welcome. There's one part where you won't participate. You won't look out of place because of portion of the congregation remains seated."
"But my attire? Lily says she dresses in her best clothes."
"Maybe your uniform slacks and shirt? Men don't dress as fancy as ladies."
Mrs. Evans seemed keen on him going to church with them. He wouldn't know what to do. It could be humiliating. Lily had left the kitchen with her father, so he was alone with Mrs. Evans and he couldn't tell her 'no'. Why wasn't Petunia nosing around? She'd probably have over a hundred reasons why this was a bad idea and be happy to share her opinion. "If it's all right with Lily. I wouldn't want to intrude on what she considers her family time."
"That's nonsense, Severus. I'm inviting you."
"Lily can still get upset with me."
"Pish tosh. I'd also like you to stay for Easter dinner with us."
That was easy for Lily's mother to say. Lily never thought to invite him to church before so he doubted she'd want him there now. If he had to spend Sunday with the Evans, he was going to lose another day that he could go to London.
He was finishing with his breakfast when Lily stomped into the kitchen. "Mum, dad wants to speak with you in the lounge."
She walked over to the counter where Severus was with her mouth screwed up. Lily looked over her shoulder to see her mother leave before she sulked, "I can't go over to your house for the rest of the holiday."
Severus shrugged, "The reason you came over was to practice magic. You can do that here now, as long as Vernon's not in the room."
She whinged, "But Sev …"
"I doubt I can convince your parents otherwise."
"I'm grounded."
"You are?"
"Dad's talking to mum about you right now."
"Me? What did I do?"
"Nothing. I kind of glazed over the truth, and I'm in trouble."
"Should I go?"
"No, stay. At least for now. I think my dad wants to talk to you."
"Did you say something about us?" Severus asked. Had he misunderstood yesterday?
"No, of course not."
"Oh," he replied, hoping he betrayed nothing with that short utterance.
He busied himself by taking his dishes over to the sink and washing them in the soapy water. Severus was not going to cry today. He got it out of the way yesterday, and that only happened because he needed sleep. Every sign had been there all along that Lily would never marry him.
"Severus, I would have gotten them," Mrs. Evans admonished lightly as she came back into the kitchen.
"It's no trouble, Mrs. Evans. I threw off your schedule enough with being late," he apologized.
"Nonsense, you didn't know."
"Did the gown try-on go well yesterday afternoon?"
"No. Well, never mind, we're fixing it," Mrs. Evans replied, suddenly overcome with emotion.
Lily explained, "The style is just straps on the shoulders, Sev. Thin ones, so where Lupin attacked me is visible."
"Didn't you write about that?"
"I didn't say how big."
Severus made a face at Lily, "They're significant in size, and cursed. They won't fade."
"I know."
"If bare shoulders is a typical style, why wouldn't you say something?"
"Not you too, Sev. Everyone's against me."
"I'm not against you. I just don't understand you."
"You don't understand me? If anyone should understand me, it's you, Sev. My shoulders are nothing compared to all the scars on you."
"I say something. When you spoke about us apparating to take some seaside holiday, I told you I would not wear a swimsuit."
"You didn't say why."
"Why should I have to? That's why I don't understand why you could not have said something in advance that you would not be comfortable baring your shoulders."
"They would have thought I was being trouble."
"Finding out now has to be more inconvenient."
"It's not, really," Mrs. Evans interrupted. "There's little jackets they could wear. They'll all have them on in church, and later, Lily will keep hers on."
"Maybe I won't," Lily replied sulkily. "Sev's used to them. Maybe everyone else should get used to them too."
"Severus?" Mrs. Evans queried. Lily's school uniform was concealing, and Severus kept himself covered up, even in summer. How did Lily … well, she could have found out without her friend and her doing something inappropriate. They both spent time in hospital this year, and Severus was with Lily when her shoulders were torn apart.
"Hmm," Severus looked at Mrs. Evans. Was Lily choosing to let their secret out during an argument with her mother? "I won't be there. With it being Petunia's wedding, I think it best to leave the decision up to her. She'll love you scars or not, however, she'd rather the attention be on her. What kind of gown did she select? Does it also have bare shoulders?"
"It's white, with some sheer fabric on the very outside of her shoulders," Mrs. Evans explained while gesturing to her own.
"With the three of you having the same gracefully long neck, Petunia may have thought a style without frills or whatever in the middle would also look well on Lily? Perhaps with a simple necklace if the front is low cut?"
"We certainly could have used your opinion yesterday, Severus. Do you have anything positive to say about the color pink?"
"It's feminine."
"Oh shut up, Sev. Since when did you ever agree with Petunia? She's not even in the room."
"That's the only time I can agree with her," he laughed. "She'd faint otherwise."
"Oh ha ha. It does not suit me at all."
"It's too late now, Lily," Mrs. Evans said with a hard edge in her voice. "Decisions had to be made without you, and it's your sister's wedding. Be happy for her, or God help me ..."
Severus rolled his eyes towards Lily. It was a little late for the Evans to try to make Lily less self-centered. He wondered if it would take her long to accidentally do some magic in front of Vernon.
"I am happy for her. Gosh!" Lily disputed.
"If you have things to resolve, I can go. What time should I be here on Sunday, Mrs. Evans?"
"Sunday!" Lily exclaimed.
"Or not," Severus offered.
"I invited Severus to come with us to church for Easter, Lily."
"What?"
"I don't -"
Mrs. Evans interrupted, "Be here at nine, Severus. Lily's attitude will be better then. Also be prepared to stay all day for brunch and dinner."
"But mum -"
"Can it, Lily."
Severus stood and offered, "Good bye, Lily. Good bye, Mrs. Evans."
"Wait!"
"What?"
"What about tomorrow?"
"What about tomorrow?"
"Can't you come over?"
"I'll be over all day Sunday. I can do a lot between now and then, and if Vernon's only staying till Monday, you can get to know him."
"That sounds perfect," Mrs. Evans agreed. "You have Severus all next week, Lily. No need to be rude and disappear while Vernon's here."
"Well, doesn't Sev need to get to know Vernon?"
"Sunday may be enough for the both of us," Severus quipped.
Horace Slughorn still wooed his mother, or pretending to do so to eat everything in the house. He planned to spend the whole bloody holiday at Grimmauld Place with her. Along with Regulus and Kreacher. Regulus wrangled an invitation to Easter dinner out of uncle Cygnus. He'd try to find out if Cygnus cared one way or the other if his sister was taking up with a Hogwarts teacher.
Unfortunately Kreacher would not allow Regulus to hex him to projectile vomit in front of his mistress. Regulus only cast it on himself once, and that would be the last time. It hurt, damn it.
If Slughorn knew everyone that was anyone, what was his weakness? Foreigners? Regulus did not know of more than a handful of them. Nobodies? What could a nobody do? Irritate Slughorn. Unless he ignored them. That might get his mother thinking her Horace was totally devoted to her and couldn't take his eyes off of her. If it was an obviously irritating nobody, his mother would get angry at Regulus for inviting him, rather than at Slughorn.
It wasn't until he was at the table with the two of them when his mother inquired after Regulus's school chums that the ideal candidate presented himself. Barty was more than acceptable since he was in the Slug Club, like Regulus, and was a Crouch which was not a Black but a decent enough family.
Slughorn said the name first – Snape. He did not name him as unsuitable for being a half-blood, but called him a talentless hanger-on who was looking to make connections in all the right places and was negatively influencing innocent little Regulus.
Regulus took umbrage with being called innocent, but rather than defending himself, he went on the offensive on Snape's behalf. Order of Merlin, saving other students from a werewolf, Special Services to the school, and published original work in The Practical Potioneer. He also helped younger students, such as Regulus, with homework, and with the death of both his parents, Regulus felt perhaps he ought to extend an invitation to the poor fellow for next weekend.
Slughorn sputtered, but Walburga immediately zoned in on the questionable factor. Snape? She knew no Snapes. That was not a wizarding name. So there was no invitation to have his fellow Slytherin sit beside him at this table and cause Slughorn indigestion with his presence, but Regulus may have found the man's weakness. The question was how could he utilize it? As his mother said, Snape was not a wizarding name. He was no one.
Severus arrived at nine on Easter Sunday, wearing his black trousers and a white, button-down shirt.
Lily was annoyed for the past two days, but not at one person in particular. Severus could have stayed Friday, or come over yesterday. Her parents were displeased, but Lily did cause that herself by not telling them the complete truth about Spinner's End. Vernon was not interesting, and Petunia was acting like she was replaying Princess Anne's wedding.
The wedding was so stupid. All the nitpicky little details, and now Lily had to have tea with the other pink-gowned idiots next weekend. They were Tunie's old school chums that Lily knew when they were younger.
Petunia's eyes widened when she saw Severus Snape enter from the kitchen. They were about to go to church, and he was dressed nice, for him.
"What are you doing here, freak?"
He quirked his eyebrow at Petunia. Was she supposed to use such terms of endearment in front of Vernon? What if her intended became jealous?
"I asked him to come with us," Mrs. Evans explained. "Behave yourselves."
"Won't he burst into flames as soon as he sets foot inside a church?"
Lily rolled her eyes and replied, "I don't."
"Why would he do that?" Vernon asked.
Mr. Evans frowned at Petunia, "It's her idea of a joke. That little boy in The Omen reminded her of how Severus used to look when he was small, except the haircut."
"Yeah, he wouldn't want a barber finding that on his head."
"Come along," Mrs. Evans said, hustling them to the front door so they could walk the few blocks to the church the Evans attended.
Lily's parents walked arm in arm, Petunia and Vernon held hands, and Lily and Severus trailed behind, not touching the other.
Overall, Severus was not sure what he was doing. There were some looks, most especially Petunia's disappointed one when he survived entering the building. No one called him any names at all. The seats were not comfortable, there were smells all around him, they did not follow along in the book in a logical order, they sang, they stood, they sat, they knelt and finally lined up for something, but Mrs. Evans told Severus to remain seated.
The fellow up front did most of the talking. The bulk of it seemed to be expected, since it was in the book. Severus was not sure of his correct title. Did priest cover all of them, or was it reverend, father, brother, friar, vicar, monsignor, monk or probably something he never heard of before?
The building itself was pleasant inside, and Severus spent some time trying to see all the windows. When he had passed this building from the outside, he had not realized each one had a different picture. There were lots of flowers in the front, including lilies. He liked what one of the workers was wearing. It was all black with a lot of buttons, covered in the same black fabric. It was unpretentious, but Severus felt it commanded a degree of respect.
The whole ceremony was not unbearably long, and as they exited, Petunia splashed some of the water in a small basin at the door at him, and was immediately reprimanded by both her parents.
Vernon joked, "I guess that proves you aren't a vampire."
Severus looked at Lily. Had they discussed magical beings with him?
Lily grew pleased with how the day was going. Petunia was earning her parents' ire with her immaturity towards Severus. Twenty years old and going on two.
When Lily took his hand on the way back, Severus was confused. Or more confused. Was it because he had not done anything odd this morning? On Friday, it sounded as if she did not want him with her family on Easter. He felt he always had good behavior around her family, except Petunia, but he had changed it to provoke her, while appearing he was being cordial to her. If he acted like a jackass, Mrs. Evans would not offer him tea and things to eat, or allow him in the house to see Lily.
When they returned to the house, the gentlemen were asked to be seated while the ladies laid out the brunch. Brunch? Breakfast and lunch combined. Why did it need a special name other than early lunch? If it was as good as the Evans' tea, he wouldn't mind what they called it.
The other blokes talked about the weather, Severus nodded his agreement that the ladies were dressed nicely, and then they talked about sports until Mrs. Evans called them into the dining room.
There was a lot of food. Out of all of them, Vernon seemed the most delighted, and between sampling everything was full of praise.
Severus was seated opposite Petunia. It was probably intentional to keep him from sitting across from Vernon. There were enough things in the center of the table to keep her from looking at him, besides having the company of her intended, right at her elbow. Vernon bumped it plenty of times while he ate.
By the end of the meal, Severus considered Vernon was not so bad. He talked plenty while he ate, but he expressed genuine appreciation for the meal, and he did not talk about himself much or who he knew. Maybe that had been covered in earlier conversations with the Evans. He was entertaining the others with stories.
Unfortunately, Severus did not understand the context of muggle life enough to know why someone from Japan playing golf should be funny, which was the basis for his last tale of humorous misfortune.
After brunch, Mr. Evans corralled Severus on his own for a talk when he tried to follow Lily. She was helping her mother clean up, while Petunia went for a walk with Vernon.
Severus hid his nervousness with respectful silence. He knew Lily was in some sort of trouble with her family over him. Had she confessed everything? Had she blamed him? They were her family, and they should believe her before him, so if there were any inconsistencies with what he was about to be accused of, there was little use fighting it.
"You've been almost silent all morning, Severus. Everything all right?"
"Yes. New place and a new person. You are all doing such a good job with Petunia's Vernon, that I don't want to be the one to mess it up with a bunch of crazy wizard talk."
Mr. Evans laughed, "I've hardly heard you do crazy wizard talk, unless you count knowing the Latin names of some of my garden plants."
"Hmm," Severus agreed. He hardly talked in front of Mr. Evans. He was not a strict man like his own father, but Severus would prefer not to find out. Mrs. Evans encouraged Lily and him to act like she wasn't there and claimed she was interested in wizarding things. She was understanding of some of the traditional inconveniences like Lily having an owl familiar.
"We're worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"Did you really save Lily's life?"
"Yes, but I was in danger too so it's not like I was Sir Galahad or something."
"A werewolf?"
"Yes, it was very messy."
"There wasn't a way to kill it?"
"Yes, but it's illegal. The plan to trap us in there had multiple outcomes. We could have been killed by the werewolf. We could have killed the werewolf, and then faced a lifetime of prison. We could have ran, and the werewolf could have followed us to the village to kill others, which would have been our fault. There was also a slight chance that any of us could have been bitten and lived till morning. It tore apart its first victim, and the second victim was bleeding to death when we found her and interrupted it."
"A plan?"
"Yes, maybe not so well thought out at first, but effective. Only the actual werewolf was punished. The person who tricked us is wealthy and untouchable. The people in charge of taking care of that werewolf while he's dangerous know people in government so they weren't held responsible. The dead girl's family is still trying to cause trouble. The family of the girl that got her hand bit off and turns into a werewolf now is afraid to do anything for her sake since she's vulnerable."
"Not so much different from the corruption on this side," Mr. Evans commented. "Well as you can guess, we do feel we should help you out if we can."
"I don't understand."
"Lily's worried about you selling your books."
Sell his books? He remembered that day quite well, and had replayed it in his mind many times since then. He never said he was getting rid of his books. If he was going to sell his books, what did it matter to Lily? They were his. "Why?"
"If you are strapped for money to finish your schooling, perhaps I could lend it to you. We could store the books here, if that would make you feel better about collateral till you could pay me back."
Severus considered what Mr. Evans was suggesting. If Severus was desperate for money, this may be the only way he could acquire it. Since he wasn't, or at least until the goblins sobered up, a loan while holding his books for collateral did not sound like the unending generosity of a man whose daughter's life he saved. Severus would have saved Lily without any kind of thanks, and actually had to listen to Lily whinge about her life debt on multiple occasions which was no thanks at all.
"I don't think that will be necessary, Mr. Evans."
"It would not be charity."
"I understand that," Severus replied. Why would he consider a loan charity?
"Perhaps you need some time to think it over?"
"Maybe," Severus conceded, since Mr. Evans did not appear ready to hear 'no'. "By the way, is there such a thing where a person pays a small amount of money to get some sort of death settlement? Life insurance?"
"Yes, it's not much money for younger people since they are less likely to die."
"How do they figure that? About a dozen Hogwarts students have died since we started. Most of the time, it's over the holiday, but two while in attendance this year. That may be under one percent, but if each of us paid one sickle for this insurance, that would be less than twenty galleons collected per year, but how could a company afford to pay out hundreds for each death?"
"The werewolf?"
"He got one of them, almost two if we count the girl that was bleeding severely because he bit off her hand. Then another boy disappeared, but he was always out of bounds so I don't think they ever figured out what happened to him."
"Even if he was out of bounds, wouldn't they look for him?"
"I think they did, but the castle's huge. They weren't even sure he was still in the castle when they realized he was missing the next day sometime."
"Isn't there a bed check?"
"Not really. We are supposed to be in one of our four houses by curfew. There's a lot of room in them because they could have up to maybe a hundred students, in the common room, the lavatories, baths, actual dormitory rooms, or they could be somewhere else. Like I have detention every night starting at curfew."
"What for?"
"Because a staff member wanted to give it to me. My head of house doesn't care so I'm stuck with it. The caretaker's a bit of a character, but we get along all right."
"That doesn't sound right."
Severus shrugged. He didn't care, and got tired of Lily telling him what he should do about his detention. At least Mr. Filch cared about him enough to write him a condolence letter. Not as much as he cared about Mrs. Norris, but Severus did not require a minimum commitment from anyone. If he did, he'd have no one. "Well, neither does life insurance to me," he said to redirect the conversation back to his original question.
"I have it through work, besides an extra policy from when I first married. Your father?"
"It was in his employer's paperwork."
"There's probably a delay since no one knows where you go to school or who your guardian now is."
"What guardian?"
"You're only seventeen."
"Yes, that's old enough for an apparition license and everything else."
"For us, it's eighteen."
"So I need to wait till I'm eighteen to request it?"
"No, it's still yours, but if your age is known, that could cause a complication."
"Complication? I'd rather wait the nine months till I'm eighteen then."
"It's no bother, especially if you need the money now."
"It's no bother to wait either." It would also be a backup for when the vaults were closed to him. If one of those solicitors answered positively, he could inquire about the muggle age to perform his own transactions. Severus did not want to invite any complications. He was having difficulty enough already.
Mr. Evans did not think Severus had a good grasp of the value of money.
Severus was disappointed with the course of this conversation. Apparently Lily had told her father nothing of them, except that she thought he was selling his books. It did fit in with their previous discussion that Lily wanted nothing to detract from Petunia's wedding, other than Lily not agreeing with what she was to wear and threatening to flash her werewolf scars at everyone. He did not like that she drew his appearance into that argument with her mother. His ugliness had nothing to do with Lily's gown for the wedding. He perfectly understood how they felt. Severus loved Lily, and the injuries to her shoulders did not matter to him. They wouldn't to her family either, but she should not have misled them into thinking they were hardly noticeable.
Lily became impatient when Severus and her father spent too much time together talking alone.
Sev wasn't going to do something stupid like ask her father for her hand in marriage? He had a house, of sorts, and from what she understood a bride's family usually matched the property with a dowry. Mary was polluting her mind!
However, she had no idea what Severus could think up. With money problems, that might strike him as a way to raise cash instead of selling his books. Lily started to pace at the thought of Severus thinking her father would pay to have his younger daughter taken off his hands. What an asinine idea! Going behind her back, when she would not say 'yes', and ask her father directly.
Petunia might laugh so hard, she'd end up in hospital.
Unable to take it any longer, she crept closer to the door and overheard Severus say, "It's no bother to wait either."
What's that mean? The suspense grew as the men became quiet. What were they contemplating waiting on? And why would it be no bother to Severus? Men! Lily barged in before they did something stupid.
"Well?" she asked.
"Well what?" her father replied.
"You didn't miss anything," Severus drawled.
"What have you been talking about all this time?"
"Not you," Mr. Evans explained. Sometimes his youngest could be a real handful.
Rita reread her article. It was going nowhere because it lacked something. Poor boy, ugly through neglect and illness. Mistreated by those who should have his best interest at heart. Smart despite that, including now some potions work published. She left out the part about eyeballs because the sad thing was supposed to be the boy, not those caterwauling birds. Saves other students at great personal risk, again due to the same incompetents in charge of the school.
Muggle father killed by Death Eaters, and no question about it that the Lestranges were all Death Eaters, with this muggle photograph of the Dark Mark above the pub. Something was in that, and how the Ministry and Prophet knew only what the muggles told them. How did his mother die? Broken heart would be nice for Witch Weekly, but Rita didn't believe in that sort of bunk.
She needed to get into the school to do interviews, maybe that would unearth a new angle, or track down Snape himself. Maybe he'd talk now that he had further misfortune and might be willing to point a finger or two.
As they went up to go into Lily's room for a bit, her mother yelled after them, "Don't you two stay up there all afternoon, your father wants to play cards."
Severus made a face at Lily, asking, "Do I have to?"
"It's no big deal. We'll teach you any games."
Games. He might as well since Lily wouldn't want him reading at her house, and Mrs. Evans rather do things on her own in the kitchen. Severus knew he was kind of clueless around all those kitchen things, but he got the impression that Lily's mother thought that males were worthless unless they were repairing one of those devices. He was supposed to be learning how to cook things the way Lily liked them, especially meats, gravy and other sauces. If her mother would not show him, perhaps some Hogwarts house elves could show him the basics so he did not make her sick. Lily would not be impressed if he boiled flesh till it was a tasteless and colorless lump, even if all the invisible germs were dead.
Lily closed her bedroom door, and backed up against it with a mischievous smile. "I don't need to teach you anything in here though."
"What?"
"You know … a lit-tle hank-key pank-key," she replied, strolling towards him and shaking her hips.
"There's four other people in the house, Lily. We can't cast a silencing spell because if they call you, they'll expect a response."
"I mentioned that we'd be up here doing magic."
"Aren't you already in trouble?"
She tsk'd "Sev," before flicking her wand, and disrobing herself entirely from the waist up.
Severus looked at the closed door, and decided to ward it before he started kissing Lily. Lily responded by opening her mouth and rolling her shoulders back to thrust her chest out.
Severus responded by gently cupping both her breasts, lifting them, and rubbing his thumbs across them while they deepened their snogging. Lily moaned already.
It wasn't long before he felt her tugging on his belt to unfasten it. She finally stopped snogging to look down because she was not getting far. "Let's try that thing from the other day. If I have you in my mouth, I won't be screaming."
"You'll still make noise."
"Sound softening charm," she said with a wink, and stopped playing with his trousers to grab her wand.
"That might not be enough."
"Stop worrying so."
He lowered his mouth to her tit, and tried to suck as much of it into his mouth as he could.
Lily squealed, "Wait till I cast it, Sev."
Once she did cast it, he mauled the other breast to get Lily panting and mewling before pushing her back towards her bed.
"No, no, Sev. I don't want to mess it up in case we have to open the door quick. You can get on top, while I lay on the floor. I got thick carpeting, and it's like new since I'm hardly home."
"If it's too uncomfortable that way, Lily, let me know."
Lily finished taking the rest of her clothes off. Severus doubted she was thinking logically. She did not want to mess her bed, but did not consider getting completely redressed would take time. Severus removed everything from the waist down. He didn't want to try to crouch over Lily with his trousers half down around his knees or ankles.
Doubting that this was going to be comfortable, he suggested, "Maybe side by side?" Even though Lily was already on the floor waiting with her legs spread wide.
"No, come on, Sev. I'll let you know. I'll pinch your leg or something."
He knelt over her chest facing away from her feeling awkward, and jerked up when she ran her hands under the back tail of his shirt. "Is that where you're ticklish?" Lily asked.
"Hardly," he replied, getting his bum raised in the air. He looked backwards and then moved to line himself up with Lily's mouth. She did not wait till he was perfectly positioned, but grabbed him and tried to swallow him whole. Severus huffed at the incredible way her mouth felt before he finished positioning himself directly above her.
Looking at her, he realized that either he had to lower himself to rest on his elbows to use both his hands, or he'd have to improvise with one hand. Lily began writhing when he first reached down.
She was already in the mood with the smell of her arousal tantalizing him before he separated her labia with his hand to tease her with his tongue. If Lily weren't so easy to please in this area, he would be lost because whatever she was up to was mind-blowing, especially the vibrations from her moaning around him.
Lily panicked initially when Sev backed up a little more, and more of him surged into her mouth as he got directly above her. She could breathe. She could breathe even better if she moved his bollocks a bit, and actually felt safer with her hands up, in case she needed to signal for him to get off her quick.
Until then, this gave her the perfect opportunity to caress his balls, and to figure out what else he's like her to do. She was proud when she did not lose control and hurt him the first time, even though she did unashamedly squeeze his head with her thighs so he could not escape.
He gave her a couple minutes respite with only stroking her with his hand while he rocked his hips gently.
Lily moaned encouragement, and tried to set the tempo by pulling on him.
Severus found Lily to be bossy even when he was sliding himself into her mouth. As long as he wasn't going too deep, why would she care how fast he was going? Though that was not important. Not the least bit important at all. She was allowing him to go deeper than when she was on her knees, and wanting more. That's what he should be thinking of and listening to those slurping sounds she was making. Lily was also creeping around with her fingers. He had not realized that his bollocks could feel that nice, unless it was the fantastic feeling in his cock just spilling over to his nearby body parts. It was so bloody absolutely fantastic that he decided to let Lily keep heading further back with her hand, rather than interrupting to warn her.
She was delighted when Severus made a little hiccuping sound as she stroked behind his bollocks, and kept up the pace she had set without her pulling on his hip. Now Lily could cup them so they were off her nose, and out of the way so she could continue petting him with her other hand. Less than a minute later, Lily felt his dangly bits tighten up and he barely got out a stifled warning before he started to pull away. She clamped both her hands on his hips to keep him still as her mouth was flooded with repeated spurts. Lily had tasted it before, but still could not describe it or even say what she liked about the taste. It tasted like nothing else.
Severus tried to catch his breath. It had never gone that fast before. Usually he thought of how Lily responded while shagging, but this time he was not thinking at all. Just listening and feeling, and then Lily did not want her mouth to let go of him. Even now, she was still sucking on him.
"Did you want to do that again?" he asked, unsure of what she was doing.
Lily pushed his hip, so he pulled completely out. "I want you to lay down on your stomach so I can look at something."
When he moved and realized she was looking at his bum, he objected, "Not that."
"Shh, move your legs apart. You can pick the next thing after I check this out. Your imagination is so wicked but so wonderful, Sev."
He cooperated, but was ready to jump up or roll over or get away in some fashion, if Lily did anything objectionable. She was rubbing that spot again and asked, "Right here is nice?"
"Yes."
"Hmm," she said as she thought. She put her other hand on herself, and did not feel anything particularly pleasant, especially since she was so slippery there now. Lily liked it when Severus put his fingers in her bum. It made her think she was such a deviant. Severus's naughty and wicked deviant, and Lily wanted him to become just as uninhibited as her. Though not in public. She understood his naked thing, but whatever he had going on with his feet was just plain weird. She had not stopped petting this new spot, and brought her other hand back and asked, "Can I try here?"
"Why?" he asked.
"I wonder if it'll feel as sexy to you as it does to me."
"I don't think so."
"Thinking. Bah!" Lily was gentle, and just stroked him in both places.
"Are your fingers wet with something?"
She purred, "Yes, and I'm going to put more on you."
Severus hissed in disgust as Lily did that. Lily was getting him randy again, but he was not sure he wanted this sort of thing happening. Feeling pleasant was one thing, however, this was different. He did not mind touching Lily's body like this because it was Lily, but why was she touching his arse? Why did she touch him at all? Finally, he said, "I'm not sure I like this."
"All right. Maybe you don't like it today, Sev, but I'm going to give this another try."
When Severus started to get up, Lily mentioned, "Your brave soldier liked it well enough."
"Brave soldier?" he asked. He didn't want her calling his cock nicknames, and why was it like a brave soldier?
"So what do you have in mind?"
"I could stick your tongue on the roof of your mouth and then shag you deep and hard."
"Ooh, sounds promising."
It sounded so promising to Severus he cast langlock, since Lily did seem agreeable.
He liked the sound of his skin slapping hers so turned her around and wasted no time pulling her hips back and shoved himself into her.
Lily grunted, but it was a good grunt. The kind that drove Severus wild.
Once she got her hands on something to hold herself steady, Severus continued and in short order Lily burbled her incoherent delight, and they matched grunts and finished together.
Why didn't Lily realize how perfect they were together?
Severus sighed and removed the jinx from her.
"There's got to be some way where we both can go hammer and tongs at each other. I like being on top, and I also like it when you are in absolute control too. So now you have your assignment for next time, Sev. Find that position."
Severus blearily agreed and fondled Lily's breasts for a couple minutes before he kissed them.
Lily sighed in contentment.
This was going to be a long week.