Always - Severus Snape (COMPLETE)

Her Knight

Petunia strutted home, her fingers digging into Lily's arm as she continually questioned her sister of the conversation between her and the boy.

"He called you a witch. Hmm," Petunia wondered aloud. "And he said he himself was a wizard. Hmm. He said he'd been watching you a while. Hmm. What's a Muggle? Hmm. Hmm."

"Stop humming, Tuney!" Lily shouted. "Stop digging your nails into my arm! I don't know why he called me that and I've no wish to dwell on it. He was just plain rude. I've no idea what a Muggle is."

Petunia stopped in her tracks. Lily had shouted at her? Her? She dug her claw-like nails deeper into Lily's arm.

"Never shout at me like that, again! Respect your peers, and as you should remember, I'm two years older than you are!" Petunia hissed. "And never call me Tuney! I'm not five!" She stormed off.

Lily looked at her sister's retreating back. She should go back and apologise, say she didn't mean it – but she couldn't. She could feel tears welling up in her big green eyes. Petunia, Tuney, was her sister. Sisters were supposed to be nice. She'd always obeyed Tuney. Now she would disobey her, and see how she liked it. Looking back once more at her sister, she ran back towards the park.

Severus hadn't moved. He simply sat there, beheading daisies, with a malevolence that was unnatural for a boy his age. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. There stood Lily, the Muggleborn. She was staring down at him with something akin to fear. Possibly apprehension; Severus wasn't a good judge of emotions.

"Won't your parents be angry if you don't go home?" She asked gingerly. "It's getting late and you live miles away." By Tuney's wristwatch, it had been getting on five and Lily was technically supposed to be at home right now. She would certainly get a reprimand from her father.

Severus shrugged, standing up awkwardly. He stood slightly stooped, for he was a head above Lily. She wondered how old he was. He seemed so much wiser than her. "They're angry all the time. It doesn't make a difference. I realise I never properly introduced myself. Severus Snape," he held out a hand.

"Lily Evans." She shook it. Despite what Tuney had said about his home, he appeared alright, and he didn't speak in slang like some of the other children she'd spoken to from there.

"I guess you must be curious about what I said," Severus said cautiously. "I gave you quite a bit to chew on."

The two children sat down facing each other, cross-legged on the ground. Severus had removed his coat now; his odd smock looked less peculiar in the half-light. The light was blocked by the trees in their little thicket. A river ran down the middle between the trees, sun glittering on it. Shadows cast by the large leafy trees made a basin of cool, green shade.

Lily nodded. "I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Are we really... magical?"

"Yes," Severus said seriously.

"What..." Lily struggled for words. "What difference is there? How is the world different for us?"

"There's a whole other world."

Lily gasped. "You mean, another planet?"

"No." Severus shook his head. "This world, Earth, is in a different light for us. We see under a different perspective, viewing those without magic as Muggles. We have our own government, the Ministry of Magic and our own schools. There are the three major wizarding schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Hogwarts is where I'm going, when I turn eleven. It's in Scotland, near Dufftown. Durmstrang is somewhere cold, near Bulgaria, and Beauxbatons is in France."

"We have a government?" Lily asked, amazed.

"Yes," Severus replied. "A Ministry. Of magic. But they're pretty corrupt. A load of snobby aristocrats, or so my mother told me."

Why was he speaking in the past tense? "Does she tell you a lot?" Lily questioned.

Severus looked away. "She used to. Not since_" He stopped himself.

"How old are you?" Continued Lily, as though nothing had happened.

"Nine," Severus shrugged, hands in his pockets. "Same as you, I suppose."

"I'm eight," said Lily. "Nine at the end of the month. But I thought you were a lot older. Tuney's ten and I thought you were older than her."

A twisted smile appeared on the boy's face. "Sometimes we grow up quicker than we're meant to," he spoke softly. He got to his feet slowly and extended a hand. Lily took it, blushing slightly. "I should probably run," he added. "But I'm here most days."

"Don't you go to school?" Asked Lily.

Severus' face flushed red. "No," he responded. "I go to the library. Books is the only thing that's taught me."

"Oh," said Lily. "Well, I'll see you round."

"Yeah," smiled Severus, "see you round."

And the two exchanged one look before turning their backs on each other and returning to their respective homes.

*****

A.N. This is something I wrote years ago so it's strange to publish it now. If I've got their ages wrong, especially Petunia's, don't hesitate to tell me. 

And if anybody wonders why Severus speaks so wisely for a nine year-old, it's because, as he said: "Sometimes we grow up quicker than we're meant to."

Thank you for reading - and I enjoy all comments, even if it's constructive criticism!