Work Text:
The summer of 1970
Severus Snape was very excited about today. It was the first day of summer break, which meant he gets to spend the whole day at his best friend Lily Evans's house. The two of them met last year when Sev saw her doing magic at the park near their houses, and he finally found the courage to introduce himself to her. They had always known of each other's existence since they were little, going to the same muggle school and all, but now, knowing that they were the only two magical people in their neighborhood, that there was a world that only they were a part of, it solidified their bond. Ever since, the two of them have been seen together: walking to school, sitting next to each other in class, eating lunch, and walking to Lily's home together until Severus has to walk back to his house in time for dinner.
But now, with the school on break, Severus can spend a lot more time with the Evans family, and nothing can ruin that, not even Petunia. He quickly changes into his white oversized shirt, buttoning it up all the way to his collar, and tucks the excess into his jeans; finally, he shrugs on his black coat. Even in the summer, Cokeworth always has a slight coolness in the air, plus the coat helps hide his skinny frame, so no one can make fun of how thin and frail he is.
He pokes his head out of his room and into the hallway, making sure the coast is clear. His parents know he will be spending the day at Lily's, but he would rather not bother any of them, especially his father. Seeing that no one else is there, he exits the room quietly and tiptoes down the stairs, making sure not to step on any of the creaking steps. Severus makes his way to the kitchen, takes two slices of bread out of the cupboard, and puts them in the toaster, getting some old peanut butter and jelly while he waits for the bread to pop out. When it does, he quickly makes a sandwich, hoping not to embarrass himself again with his growling stomach, especially since he couldn't eat dinner last night.
He wraps his sandwich in a napkin and heads to the front door with a spring in his step. As he's about to leave the house, taking a bite from his small breakfast, he hears a sharp yell that makes him flinch.
"OI BOY, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST EAT MY FOOD?" the boy's father, Tobias Snape, is a large and intimated man who is quite the mean drunk. When he's not passed out and hung over, he is usually yelling at his wife and son, and when he's really mad, it gets much worse. "I DON'T SEE YOU PAYING ANY BILLS; MY FOOD IS SOMETHING YOU EARN WITH HARD WORK."
Severus shrieks, trying to make himself look smaller and avoiding contact, knowing it would only make it worse.
"S-sorry, sir. I just- just wanted to eat something before I go to Lily's house."
"I don't see why you bother going there. They only pity you, y'know; no one wants to be around your sorry arse." Tobias sneers, taking the sandwich away from his son and stomping to his living room, most likely to watch TV and drink himself to sleep. Tears threaten to spill from Severuse's eyes; he knows what his father says isn't true. Lily and her parents love having him over; they said so themselves. Even so, his father always knows how to make him break down, but it could still have been worse; he didn't get hit this time. Quickly wiping away his tears, he rushes out the door, racing to the Evans's household, trying not to think about his hunger.
Cokeworth isn't a nice place to live. Factory fog pollutes the air, making it hard to breathe, and dark clouds always engulf the sky, so the sun never shines. A sharp chill in the air always keeps the residents on edge. Despite all these flaws, it is also the town where Lily Evans lives, so in the young ebony-haired boy's eyes, it is the best place to live. Running through the streets, he could hear the sound of dogs barking and sirens going off in the distance, but he paid them no mind. After a couple of minutes, he finally arrived outside the red door of Evans's home. He made some last-minute adjustments to make sure he was presentable: Fixing his hair, flattening his collar, and straightening his old coat before ringing the doorbell.
"Comming!!!" A muffled voice from inside shouted, and the door opened to reveal Lily Evans. She wore a light green knee-length floral dress, and her long red hair, filled with delicate waves, fell loosely to her back. A small matching greed headband was keeping it out of her face. "Severus!!!" She called his name excitedly, and her whole face lit up, causing him to smile as well. Lily all but tackled him in a hug before pulling him inside and closing the door behind them. "MUM! DAD! Severus is here!"
The two of them walked hand in hand through the living room, dining room, and hallway before sitting down on the red carpet in the middle of the family room. He sat across from her, crisscrossed, looking down at the cardboard and papers on the floor, with two cups of water, some paintbrushes, and a paper towel.
"Check it out, Sev. Mum and Dad got Tuney and me some new watercolors for a break," she said with excitement that lit up her eyes. "Of course, Tuney said she was Too Old to play such childish games and went to the mall with her friends. But I thought it would be fun, and we could try it." She finished off with a shy smile, hoping her friend would be just as excited as she was. Severus loved seeing Lily happy; it made him forget about the pain and sadness in his life, and he made it his life goal to make sure she was always happy.
"That sounds like a lot of fun, Lily!" he exclaimed, assuring her that he was just as excited as she was. They put their papers on the cardboard to avoid ruining the carpet and started painting. The two of them sat there, painting and laughing. Mrs. Evans brought them ham sandwiches, grapes, and orange juice to snack on, which Severus was grateful for. After an hour of painting, they each made three images and took them to the kitchen to dry.
"That's a cool-looking snake, Sev," Lily praised, pointing to the silver snake with the green background.
"Thank you, Lily. It's the Slytherin house crest." He told her, blushing slightly.
"That's the house your mother was in, right?"
"Yes, and I hope to be in it too; I pride myself on my ambition and resourcefulness," he tells her, standing a little taller.
"What house do you think I will be in?" she asks her friend, knowing he is far more knowledgeable about the magical world than she is.
Severus looked at Lily, getting lost in her big green eyes, eyes he could stare at forever. What house would she be in? That is the question: Lily, who is so Honest and Friendly, Brave and Loyal, Ambitious and Clever, Creative and Witty, would fit in with any of the four houses. Still, if he was being honest, selfishly, there was only one he wanted her in.
"I hope you will be in Slytherin with me; I think we would thrive there together," he told her with a smile. She smiled back at him before looking back at their artwork.
"I drew a Dragon like the one at Gringottes." Lily said, pointing to her painting of a red dragon breathing fire, "And here I drew an Owl carrying a Hogwarts letter. And here I drew-"
"Is that Ms. Hughes as a toad?" Severus asked, laughing; honestly, he wouldn't have guessed that at first, but the unmistakable blue hat on said toad with the gaunty pearl necklace was a dead giveaway. Lily blushed in embarrassment, pretending to be mad, but she was also holding back laughter.
"I can't help it, she's terrible!!! She's always mean to me because she was Petunia's teacher, and she was terrible in that class, so that means I must be terrible too," Lily exclaims, defending her actions, "And she's always so mean to you too, making fun of your clothes and hair! She's the worst and should be turned into a toad!!!" The children laughed, imagining their foul English teacher turning into a disgusting, slimy toad and leaving her at the pond in the park.
"I think that's a brilliant plan; I say that is exactly what we should do after graduation and can use magic outside of Hogwarts." He assured her, and the thought of using human transfiguration on their crude teacher was far more than appealing. "Your paintings look amazing, Lily; you are very talented."
She beamed at the compliment before giving him a playful shove via friendly hip bump: "You're just saying that because you're my friend. Tuney says my art looks like that of a toddler."
'How dare she say that.' Sev thinks angrily before assuring his friend, "Your sister is just jealous. You are an extraordinary person, Lily Evans; never doubt that."
"Well, you're great too, Sev. Your art is really detailed; I can tell you put much thought into each brush stroke." Next to his painting of the House symbol was a painting of the tree and lake they always hang out at, their special spot, and next to it- "Is that a lily?" she asked with a coy smile.
Severus stuttered in embarrassment, a pink blush creeping over his face. Lily leaned closer to him, and he looked away, avoiding eye contact. "Y-yes, it's a pretty flower," he told her.
She stared at him, their faces inches apart, before stepping back and grabbing the illustration. "Well, I think it's a beautiful painting. Can I keep it?" she asked, excited and hopeful.
"Of course!!!" He blurted out without a second thought. Lily smiles at him but stops as a thought comes to her head. Without a word, she puts the painting back on the counter and runs across the kitchen, opening a small drawer. Severus is confused, but she comes running back with a black marker in her hand.
"You have to sign your work." She tells him, handing him the marker. "That way, everyone will know I have the fantastic artwork of Severus Snape." Gently, he takes the marker from her hand and signs his name on the bottom right corner of the paper.
"There, now it's perfect," Lily beams, holding the artwork like the best prize she's ever won. "I shall treasure it forever. Thank you, Sev."
He smiles at her, satisfied that she's so happy. The moment is ruined, however, when the front door is slammed open and shut, and the sound of stomping echoes through the house. A dark cloud in the form of Petunia Evens walks past the hallway, making her way up the stairs, and before Severus can stop her, Lily runs out of the kitchen and to the hallway to see what's wrong.
"Tuney, what happened?" Lily asked her sister, clearly worried about her mood.
"It was terrible, Lily; I was at the food court with Missy and Dina. We had just finished our movie, and we were planning something for the summer when I saw Cassidy Thompson, my supposed best friend who told me she was sick and couldn't make it to the mall, with John Williams!!!"
"The boy you sit next to in history?" He heard Lily ask
"Yes!!! And she knew I had a crush on him, too. I told her I wanted to ask him to the spring dance, but she told me it would be better if we just went together. Now I know why," Petunia Evans huffs. Severus rolled his eyes, not believing this nonsense. Here he was, having a pleasant time with Lily, and her sister had to interrupt them. How rude. He walks up to them and can see Petunia standing at the bottom of the stairs, tears in her eyes and makeup smeared. He almost feels bad for her. Lily, the kind and gentle soul she was, is on the steps next to her, putting a comforting arm on her shoulder, consoling her sad sister.
"I'm sure this is a big misunderstanding; it has to be," Lily assured her, but this just seemed to tick her sister off more.
"No, it wasn't because when I went up to confront them, Cassidy told me that John would never want to be with a horse-faced girl like me. She knows how much I hate it when people call me that, and she is- Was my best friend." Petunia burst into tears, clearly distressed about the events that transpired. "It was so embarrassing, especially when John just laughed. I ended up running away and came straight home."
"It'll be ok, Tuney; you don't need a dumb boy or that terrible girl in your life; it'll be much better without them, right, Severus?" Lily asked, turning to her friend. He quickly changed his body to appear less annoyed and wiped the scowl off his face before the two girls saw it. Petunia, seeming only to just notice his presence, started scowling at him.
"Um, yeah, that's right; there are just some dumb muggles, right." Severus mumbles, shifting his feet and fidgeting with his coat. That, however, was the wrong thing to say because Petunia just scoffed, marching up the stairs before slamming her bedroom door shut. Mad, Lily walked right up to him, reprimanding him for his behavior.
"Why would you say that, Severus!? You know she hates that word?" She asks, clearly disappointed.
"I think your sister just hates me in general and would have stormed off either way," he tells her, trying to defend his actions. The truth is that the dislike between Lily's sister and best friend was quite mutual.
"Still, did you have you use that word? It sounds so rude." Lily huffed, crossing her arms and turning away.
Severus sighed; offending Lily was not his intention, and now he felt terrible. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her down. "Look, Lily, I didn't mean it like that, Honest." She seemed to relax, and he swallowed his pride before adding what he said next: "Petunias' friend just sounds horrible, and she definitely deserves better. I didn't know what else to call them. Really."
That seemed to do the trick, and Lily turned around with a small smile. "Well, it looks like we have to expand your vocabulary; you clearly need help coming up with better insults." He smiled back at her, happy she was no longer upset with him. After a final look up the stairs, they returned to the family room and turned on the TV. While watching Mary Mungo & Midge, Dina and Missy came to the house, asking for Petunia, and went to her room to check on her.
"I feel so sad for Tuney," Lily says while laying her head on Sev's shoulder, and he looks down at her, "I mean, they have been friends since nursery school, and Cassidy knows how self-conscious Petunia is about that mean nickname. How can someone you have known and cared about for so long betray you like that?" She asks, tears in her eyes, and it just breaks Severus's heart, and he silently vows never to hurt Lily this way, ever. Shifting around, he wraps his arms around Lily, engulfing her in a hug.
"That Thompson girl is clearly a vile person who never truly cared about your sister. But Petunia still isn't without love in her life; she has her other friends who came to support her in her time of need, your parents and you. As long as you surround yourself with people who always value you, your life should be filled with love."
She hugs him back, and they are in a comfortable silence, the TV becoming background noise.
"Severus," Lily's voice is small, as if she is scared to voice her thoughts, but she pulls back and makes eye contact with him, her eyes filled with fear and anxiety. "You'll be my friend forever, right?" The thoughts of Petunia and Cassidy ending a seven-year friendship were dreadful, and she could never imagine that happening to her, but Petunia probably never imagined it either. He looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes before grabbing her hands; he looked at her so deeply that he hoped she could see the sincerity in his soul.
"Always," He tells her with absolute certainty.
She smiled, tackling him in another hug; he closed his eyes and hugged her back, but once again, the moment was ruined, this time by the three girls standing in the hallway cooing over them.
"Aw, Tuney, your sister and Severus are so cute together." Dina gushed over the two kids, who were now blushing profusely, "I bet they'll get married one day." That caused Severus's brain to short-circuit.
"Come on, stop teasing them, Dina," Missy cuts in, but she smiles, clearly agreeing with her friend.
Petunia, either unimpressed or taking mercy on the young children, rolls her eyes before walking off. "Let's go, girls. The scissors are in the kitchen. We need to cut up all of Cassidy's clothes before I give them back to her," Petunia declares. With scissors in her hand, the three tweens begin to make their way up the stairs, and Lily and Severus share a knowing look, identical little smirks on their faces.
"Hey, Tuney!" Lily calls out, and the girls pause, turning around to look at the younger kids. Lily and Sev run up the stairs, watercolors and paintbrushes in hand, "I always thought Cassidy's clothes were Sooooo plain and boring ."
"We were thinking we should make them look a little more...creative before you return them," Severus adds, holding up his paintbrushes. Petunia, Missy, and Dina share a look before smiling at Lily and Sev, and the older sister gestures for them to follow her.
"I suppose you two aren't always annoying; let's teach Cassidy a lesson." All five kids run to Petunia's room, proud of their revenge and laughing over the chaos. And just in case, Cassidy hoped she could easily wash off the paint, a sneaky little staining spell that Severus's Mum taught him wouldn't hurt, as long as the two muggle girls didn't see.
the end