FIC: "What Matters Most" ~ G
Title: What Matters Most
Author: Darkshimmer
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/character(s): Tobias/Eileen, appearance by a young Severus, mention of an OMC
Pure-Blood Prince Fest Prompt: #37, "Beg"
Summary: After a terrible visit with her family, Eileen and Severus return to Spinner's End
Warnings: None
Notes: Beta'ed by karbunkle. Any remaining mistakes are all mine.
Disclaimer: The 'Harry Potter' series is the creation of J.K. Rowling, with subsidiary rights belonging to Bloomsbury, Raincoast, Scholastic, Warner Bros., etc. This story was written solely for entertainment purposes, and I've earned no profit from it.
“How did it go, Eileen?”
The sound of her husband’s voice brought fresh tears to Eileen Snape’s eyes as she stepped into their house on Spinner’s End, but she forced them back. She’d shed too many of them already that day. She slid off her coat - she hadn’t worn Wizarding robes for years - and slipped it on one of the wooden pegs on the wall by the door. Behind her, footsteps stamped snow from boots, and she turned around and watched her son’s successful efforts to keep the snow on the doormat and not track it through the rest of the house.
The urge to cry surged again, but she ground her teeth against it. He’d know if she was sad again, and the poor thing had been through as much as she had that day. So, she did her best to smile.
“That’s fine, Severus,” she said. “Why don’t you slip your boots off and head upstairs for a bit? Supper’s a ways off, and you look like you could use a nap.”
He stared at her, the circles under his eyes were as dark as the ones she had, and for a moment Eileen was afraid that he would see through her attempts to look happy. He’d always been quick to pick up on things, perceptive in a way that made his father look at him oddly sometimes. But today, he either didn’t notice or didn’t have the energy to mention it, since he took off his coat and hung it on the peg Tobias had set on the wall just for him, too low for an adult to use.
“’Kay,” said Severus.
Eileen watched as he carefully untied his boots and placed them, one beside the other, on a grey, frayed mat in front of the wall beside the door, so his boots could dry without cluttering up the entrance. She didn’t want her son to be old before his time, but her wants never really mattered much, it seemed. If he ever went to Hogwarts, Severus would be a target as soon as he opened his mouth. Not that things were much better for him in the local Muggle school, but at least she didn’t have to worry that one of the bullies there would use curses and hexes on him.
Maybe it all was for the best then.
Severus padded down the hall in his sock feet. The pink of his left heel peeked through a hole in the navy wool. He’d need new ones soon, but another Mending Charm would do until Toby’s next wage packet. The wool around the hole still looked strong. She'd fix it after supper.
When Severus moved past the living room entrance, Toby called out to him.
“Where you off to, little man?”
Severus halted and looked into the living room, a little marionette held up by invisible strings. Eileen walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. The muscles relaxed under her touch. So she wasn’t the only one nervous about talking to Toby then, she realized.
“I told Severus to head up for a nap,” she answered for him. She patted his shoulders and he set off towards the staircase again. She waited until he’d climbed halfway up the steps before she entered the living room.
Toby opened his mouth to speak. She held up her hand to silence him, and she waited until Severus’ footsteps carried into his bedroom - and the bedroom door clicked shut - before she lowered her hand.
“Things went that bad, eh?” asked Tobias quietly.
“Worse.” Eileen took her usual place beside her husband on the small sofa that had been a wedding gift from her in-laws, second-hand of course, but its worn softness eased some of her own stress. Reaching out, she took a hold of Toby’s left hand, her thumb rubbing the calluses on his fingertips. Why couldn’t her family understand her love for a man who worked hard for his living, instead of yelling at her that she “wasted her life with filth”?
Toby gave her fingers a little squeeze and pulled her close. Eileen leaned against him, sighing when she felt his arm slip around her shoulders and cuddle her closer to his chest.
“Man’s a git. I told you so. He doesn’t deserve to call himself your brother, and that woman who birthed you’s no better,” he said. “Best thing that ever came out of that family was you.”
The tears Eileen had managed to hold back since she’d arrived home broke through her defences. Toby’s hand drew slow circles on her back, soothing her as he let her cry.
“No worries, Love. We don’t need them. I’ll get some extra shifts down at the mill, and we’ll manage. He needs to go to that school. He’s special like you, our Severus. It’s my job to do right by him. Yours too.”
She nodded against his shoulder. This was what her parents didn’t understand. To them, she’d condemned herself to a life of begging on the streets from the moment she accepted Tobias Snape’s proposal. They didn’t see what kind of man he was, and how important his optimism and support were to her happiness.
The memories of the afternoon’s meeting with her brother came back to her. She’d forgotten just how imposing Locustus Prince could be, but it didn’t take much for him to have her cowering, crying at his feet, just a few shouts and insults. And then, he’d mocked her weakness, even as he kicked her and Severus out of his house with a warning that there’d be hell to pay, if either of them came begging ‘round his door again.
If only she had realized her brother’s blood-prejudice was more important to him than his nephew’s future before she’d brought Severus to Locustus’ house! She would have spared her son from witnessing that terrible situation. But she’d deluded herself into thinking that Time really healed all wounds, and now, Toby and Severus were the only family she had left.
Her crying stopped, and Eileen rested the side of her face against Toby’s shoulder. His solidness and strength seemed to prop her up and keep her from falling down into a darker mood.
He pressed a kiss against her hair. “What say we order up some fish and chips from the shop down the road? You know how much Sev likes it, and I don’t think you’re in the mood to cook tonight, Love.”
There it was again, that consideration that made her heart ache. She didn’t deserve Tobias Snape. He was a simple man, a good man, the opposite of the wizards she’d left behind when she had vowed to stay with him for the rest of her life. “Sounds good,” she said. “But how’re we going to pay for it?”
Toby smiled and it lit up the dark brown of his eyes with a warm glow. Eileen felt her heart clench again. “No worries about that. There’s enough pin money in the old biscuit tin to pay for that and more. Besides, it’s not like Sev’ll each much.”
“True.” She chuckled. “I’ve always said he’s part bird.”
“Crow, most likely.”
She shook her head. “A raven suits him much better.”
Toby laughed. “If you say so, Mrs. Snape.”
Lifting her head so she could look at him, Eileen smiled. “Yes, Mr. Snape, I do.”
He leaned his head down to kiss her, and she raised her lips up to meet his. Toby was worth doing without for - and so was Severus. Whatever they had, they would use to send him to Hogwarts. He was a smart one. He’d find his way in the world, and hopefully, that path would take him as far away from the Pure-Bloods as possible.
And as long as Severus wasn’t Sorted into that blasted Slytherin House, he’d manage. Eileen and Toby would see to it.
Author: Darkshimmer
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/character(s): Tobias/Eileen, appearance by a young Severus, mention of an OMC
Pure-Blood Prince Fest Prompt: #37, "Beg"
Summary: After a terrible visit with her family, Eileen and Severus return to Spinner's End
Warnings: None
Notes: Beta'ed by karbunkle. Any remaining mistakes are all mine.
Disclaimer: The 'Harry Potter' series is the creation of J.K. Rowling, with subsidiary rights belonging to Bloomsbury, Raincoast, Scholastic, Warner Bros., etc. This story was written solely for entertainment purposes, and I've earned no profit from it.
“How did it go, Eileen?”
The sound of her husband’s voice brought fresh tears to Eileen Snape’s eyes as she stepped into their house on Spinner’s End, but she forced them back. She’d shed too many of them already that day. She slid off her coat - she hadn’t worn Wizarding robes for years - and slipped it on one of the wooden pegs on the wall by the door. Behind her, footsteps stamped snow from boots, and she turned around and watched her son’s successful efforts to keep the snow on the doormat and not track it through the rest of the house.
The urge to cry surged again, but she ground her teeth against it. He’d know if she was sad again, and the poor thing had been through as much as she had that day. So, she did her best to smile.
“That’s fine, Severus,” she said. “Why don’t you slip your boots off and head upstairs for a bit? Supper’s a ways off, and you look like you could use a nap.”
He stared at her, the circles under his eyes were as dark as the ones she had, and for a moment Eileen was afraid that he would see through her attempts to look happy. He’d always been quick to pick up on things, perceptive in a way that made his father look at him oddly sometimes. But today, he either didn’t notice or didn’t have the energy to mention it, since he took off his coat and hung it on the peg Tobias had set on the wall just for him, too low for an adult to use.
“’Kay,” said Severus.
Eileen watched as he carefully untied his boots and placed them, one beside the other, on a grey, frayed mat in front of the wall beside the door, so his boots could dry without cluttering up the entrance. She didn’t want her son to be old before his time, but her wants never really mattered much, it seemed. If he ever went to Hogwarts, Severus would be a target as soon as he opened his mouth. Not that things were much better for him in the local Muggle school, but at least she didn’t have to worry that one of the bullies there would use curses and hexes on him.
Maybe it all was for the best then.
Severus padded down the hall in his sock feet. The pink of his left heel peeked through a hole in the navy wool. He’d need new ones soon, but another Mending Charm would do until Toby’s next wage packet. The wool around the hole still looked strong. She'd fix it after supper.
When Severus moved past the living room entrance, Toby called out to him.
“Where you off to, little man?”
Severus halted and looked into the living room, a little marionette held up by invisible strings. Eileen walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. The muscles relaxed under her touch. So she wasn’t the only one nervous about talking to Toby then, she realized.
“I told Severus to head up for a nap,” she answered for him. She patted his shoulders and he set off towards the staircase again. She waited until he’d climbed halfway up the steps before she entered the living room.
Toby opened his mouth to speak. She held up her hand to silence him, and she waited until Severus’ footsteps carried into his bedroom - and the bedroom door clicked shut - before she lowered her hand.
“Things went that bad, eh?” asked Tobias quietly.
“Worse.” Eileen took her usual place beside her husband on the small sofa that had been a wedding gift from her in-laws, second-hand of course, but its worn softness eased some of her own stress. Reaching out, she took a hold of Toby’s left hand, her thumb rubbing the calluses on his fingertips. Why couldn’t her family understand her love for a man who worked hard for his living, instead of yelling at her that she “wasted her life with filth”?
Toby gave her fingers a little squeeze and pulled her close. Eileen leaned against him, sighing when she felt his arm slip around her shoulders and cuddle her closer to his chest.
“Man’s a git. I told you so. He doesn’t deserve to call himself your brother, and that woman who birthed you’s no better,” he said. “Best thing that ever came out of that family was you.”
The tears Eileen had managed to hold back since she’d arrived home broke through her defences. Toby’s hand drew slow circles on her back, soothing her as he let her cry.
“No worries, Love. We don’t need them. I’ll get some extra shifts down at the mill, and we’ll manage. He needs to go to that school. He’s special like you, our Severus. It’s my job to do right by him. Yours too.”
She nodded against his shoulder. This was what her parents didn’t understand. To them, she’d condemned herself to a life of begging on the streets from the moment she accepted Tobias Snape’s proposal. They didn’t see what kind of man he was, and how important his optimism and support were to her happiness.
The memories of the afternoon’s meeting with her brother came back to her. She’d forgotten just how imposing Locustus Prince could be, but it didn’t take much for him to have her cowering, crying at his feet, just a few shouts and insults. And then, he’d mocked her weakness, even as he kicked her and Severus out of his house with a warning that there’d be hell to pay, if either of them came begging ‘round his door again.
If only she had realized her brother’s blood-prejudice was more important to him than his nephew’s future before she’d brought Severus to Locustus’ house! She would have spared her son from witnessing that terrible situation. But she’d deluded herself into thinking that Time really healed all wounds, and now, Toby and Severus were the only family she had left.
Her crying stopped, and Eileen rested the side of her face against Toby’s shoulder. His solidness and strength seemed to prop her up and keep her from falling down into a darker mood.
He pressed a kiss against her hair. “What say we order up some fish and chips from the shop down the road? You know how much Sev likes it, and I don’t think you’re in the mood to cook tonight, Love.”
There it was again, that consideration that made her heart ache. She didn’t deserve Tobias Snape. He was a simple man, a good man, the opposite of the wizards she’d left behind when she had vowed to stay with him for the rest of her life. “Sounds good,” she said. “But how’re we going to pay for it?”
Toby smiled and it lit up the dark brown of his eyes with a warm glow. Eileen felt her heart clench again. “No worries about that. There’s enough pin money in the old biscuit tin to pay for that and more. Besides, it’s not like Sev’ll each much.”
“True.” She chuckled. “I’ve always said he’s part bird.”
“Crow, most likely.”
She shook her head. “A raven suits him much better.”
Toby laughed. “If you say so, Mrs. Snape.”
Lifting her head so she could look at him, Eileen smiled. “Yes, Mr. Snape, I do.”
He leaned his head down to kiss her, and she raised her lips up to meet his. Toby was worth doing without for - and so was Severus. Whatever they had, they would use to send him to Hogwarts. He was a smart one. He’d find his way in the world, and hopefully, that path would take him as far away from the Pure-Bloods as possible.
And as long as Severus wasn’t Sorted into that blasted Slytherin House, he’d manage. Eileen and Toby would see to it.