If a Great Wave Shall Fall (Severus Snape & Lily Evans)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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In the Potter Mansion there was one more house-elf under its roof than normal, unbeknownst to the master of the extra elf. You see that house-elf was there as a guest, to help his cousin and her friend come up with a clever plan to discover if their now only Master was in his right mind. They would have to wait until he returned to the Mansion, as that was the only time that they were would interact with their Master, therefore the only time they could successfully put their plan into action.

Over the Easter holidays, Tipsy and Stew had never gotten the chance to test Master James as they were far too busy preparing all the food for Master Edward's and Missus Charlotte's funeral; Master Edward had died in his sleep and Missus Charlotte had died of shock and grief not too long after. All of the house-elves had been so very depressed that they would have died themselves if they hadn't had work to throw themselves into completely. But now that all the work was done, and there was nothing else to do, they were down in their tiny quarters. Tipsy, Stew, and the guest house-elf were smushed into Stew's portion which was larger than any of the other house-elves' simply because he was the biggest, so he obviously required more room.

"We is going to have to work more hard at this Stew!" Tipsy squeaked fretfully. "We hasn't gots very long! Master James is coming home! Weses need to has our plan perfected!"

"Calm Tipsy, yous will surely faint if yous gets worked up!" the beefier house-elf exclaimed, trying to sooth his friend.

"Let us gos over what wes already has," Dobby (the guest house-elf) suggested.

"Aye," Tipsy warbled, "Stew and me is supposed to does many of the thingses that our Master James hates. But weses isn't supposed to does them every days that Master James bes here."

"Verys good!" Dobby praised. He quirked an ear and his body trembled with the magic that tied him to his master, "Dobby is sorry but Dobby musts go. Dobby's master be calling!" and with that he left with a soft pop, going to his master's side.

He reappeared by his master's side and asked, "Mr. Severus called Dobby?"

"Yes, Dobby, I need you to do me a favour." The tall and darkly clad young man said.

"Anything for Mr. Severus!"

"Bring me the books on this list from my house and from Malfoy Manor," he withdrew a list from one of his many pockets and handed it over to the house-elf. "These can be found in my home, and the rest at the Malfoy's. Go quickly, and if anyone asks what you are doing, tell them you are acting under my instructions and to hinder you is to hinder the Dark Lord's plans."

Dobby nodded his head frantically, fear shinning in his eyes. But the house-elf would do what his master asked without hesitation, "Right away Mr. Severus!"

-if-a-great-wave-shall-fall-

"I'll be back in a minute, Dad, I'm just popping over to the Shoppe for a few things," Petunia said, attempting to smooth down the little tuft of hair on the back of his head that had for as long as she could remember always refused to lay flat before letting her hand drop to his shoulder.

He placed his hand over hers and offered a smile that was nothing more than a melancholy grimace, "I'll be fine dear."

She looked at him a moment longer, narrowing her eyes slightly as she searched his face. There was something different about him, compared to how he had been all the other days that he had sat in the dark kitchen and stared at Rose's old spot at the table. "If you say so," she lowered her lips down on his forehead, leaving a faint red lipstick stain on his skin. And she left the kitchen, the door creaking depressingly; it had started that not long after the beloved Mrs. Evans passed. It was as if the house knew that a member of the Evans' family was gone forever from them and was mourning in its own way.