An Incomplete Understanding (G; Severus, Mam, implied others; 1010 words)
Title: An Incomplete Understanding
Author:
iulia_linnea
Characters: Severus, Mam, implied others
Rating: G
Word Count: 1010
Summary: Severus' understanding of adults is, of course, incomplete.
Disclaimer: This work of fan fiction is based on characters and situations created by J. K. Rowling and owned by J. K. Rowling and various publishers, including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made from (and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended by) the posting of this fan work.
Author's Note: Written as a Category One pinch for the 2023 run of snapecase.
"This one has fancy feet," said Severus. The cauldron was large, and its clawed feet set it apart from the others. "Why's it different?"
"'Why is it different', I believe you mean?"
"I did not mean that, but now I do."
"Good boy. Contractions are for peasants."
Severus watched as his mother pulled purple sheets out of the cauldron of dye and then plunged them into the setting solution. From there, she moved them into a series of plain water cauldrons before hanging them to dry. He'd, er, he had offered her his help, but she had told him that he was too little.
Being too little was annoying; it was also boring. "Why is the big dye cauldron different, Mam?"
"That cauldron was a gift from my father, Severus. It is expensive because it was so finely made. . . . Are you hungry?"
Severus was always hungry. "Yes."
"I have ham sandwiches today from one of my ladies." At her own words, his mother snorted.
"You are a lady, too, Mam."
"Sweet boy. Go inside and eat. It is on the table."
The ham was soft and sweet and salty. Severus loved it almost more than the bread, but the bread smelled good, smelled new. It was also soft. He chewed slowly, wanting to savour every bite. While he chewed, he considered.
Contractions didn't used to be for peasants.
It must have to do with the visitor, Severus decided. The visitor had come while he was supposed to be napping, and his mother hadn't known that he was awake. He'd heard something about a place called "Durmstrang," and the man talking about it talked about it as if it were a school, a school he thought Severus should go to. His mother had shouted at the man and sent him away and had never, ever said anything at all about Durmstrang to Severus.
Naps are stupid.
Severus was quite curious about the visit, the visitor, and the school, which he supposed must be awfully expensive, indeed, and which meant his mother couldn't afford it.
I should get a job.
If he got a job, he could help his mother afford expensive things, nice things, things for her and himself!
Nothing for Da, though. Da is mean.
He sighed. His mother wouldn't approve of his not sharing his earnings with his father. Severus did not understand why. His father was a peasant. He could be funny, but he had bad manners.
And he's mean.
His father's being funny sometimes was why he supposed his mother liked the man. Severus didn't think it enough, really, not given his father's temper, but there was no telling what adults found normal.
"Do you like it?"
"I's 'o 'ood."
"Good. Do not talk with your mouth full, please."
Severus turned his head to hide his surprise at his mother's newfound use of the word "please." She'd been using the word ever since the visitor. Eavesdropping wasn't allowed, but he really wanted to know about Durmstrang.
He finished chewing, swallowed, and spoke. "Mam?"
"Yes?"
"What's . . . Durmstrang?"
He watched his mother stiffen briefly before turning towards him.
"Did you mean to listen?"
"No, Mam. I couldn't, er, could not sleep."
His mother sighed and sat down with him in front of her own sandwich, which she did not eat. "Severus, I want you to forget that you ever heard that name. It is a place I will not send you."
"Too expensive?"
"No. Too . . . far away. I want you to grow up with me, and when it comes time for you to go to school, I will see to it that you go to a good one."
"Dur-er, that school is not good, Mam? Why?"
"I cannot explain it to you, not today, and not for many days, so please . . . ."
"I won't, er, I-"
His mother sighed, then said, "It's all right. Use the contractions. We are peasants, aren't we?"
"In front of Da, I won't," Severus said, "mention it, I mean-but it's hard not to use contractions, especially thinking."
"I don't want your father to know about my visitor, either. He was a cousin, a distant one. He didn't approve of my marrying your da, but now he thinks it would be a fine thing to send a relation he's never met to a school of which I do not approve."
"Why?" Severus took his last bite of sandwich.
His mother slid hers to him. "Because he has friends there who are all starting to send their children to Durmstrang."
"Is that peer pressure?"
"Yes," said his mother, smiling. "You are very smart to remember that phrase."
"I didn't give into it, I swear. I never threw a rock at that cat!"
"Eat, Severus. I believe you, and the kitty is fine. Those boys, on the other hand, took quite a tumble into the road, didn't they?"
"I didn't even feel the wind!"
"No, there was no wind. They pushed themselves over, the stupid, thoughtless brats."
"And the cat went home?"
"The cat went home to Mrs. Neal, one of my ladies. She likes cats."
"Nice lady."
"Yes, and generous, too."
His second sandwich finished, Severus very carefully brushed the crumbs on the table into his plate and took his plate to the sink. "Wanna play?"
"Oh, well, I have laundry."
"Oh, okay, Mam."
"Severus, wait. I have a little time to play."
"You do?" Happiness rushed through Severus from his head to his toes; his mother rarely had time to play anymore. "Gobstones?"
"I think we can manage that even if we can't manage a fancy school filled with evil ponces."
"What're those, Mam?"
"Ponces?"
"Yes," Severus said, taking his mother's hand and leading her out into the garden.
"It used to mean men who lived off the earnings of, er, their wives, but now it just means prats."
"I thought that was a rude word."
"It is, Severus, however true. First go?"
"Yes, please!"
Outside in the garden with no more mysterious visitor to wonder about, it didn't occur to Severus to consider the idea of his mother's cousin, of why he'd never met the man. It was too nice to sit in the somewhat sunny strip of ground near the back shed, which was always amazingly warm no matter the time of year, and play his mother's favourite game. He almost never won, but he didn't care: being with his mother while doing anything together was worth everything to him.
Author:
iulia_linnea
Characters: Severus, Mam, implied others
Rating: G
Word Count: 1010
Summary: Severus' understanding of adults is, of course, incomplete.
Disclaimer: This work of fan fiction is based on characters and situations created by J. K. Rowling and owned by J. K. Rowling and various publishers, including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made from (and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended by) the posting of this fan work.
Author's Note: Written as a Category One pinch for the 2023 run of snapecase.
"This one has fancy feet," said Severus. The cauldron was large, and its clawed feet set it apart from the others. "Why's it different?"
"'Why is it different', I believe you mean?"
"I did not mean that, but now I do."
"Good boy. Contractions are for peasants."
Severus watched as his mother pulled purple sheets out of the cauldron of dye and then plunged them into the setting solution. From there, she moved them into a series of plain water cauldrons before hanging them to dry. He'd, er, he had offered her his help, but she had told him that he was too little.
Being too little was annoying; it was also boring. "Why is the big dye cauldron different, Mam?"
"That cauldron was a gift from my father, Severus. It is expensive because it was so finely made. . . . Are you hungry?"
Severus was always hungry. "Yes."
"I have ham sandwiches today from one of my ladies." At her own words, his mother snorted.
"You are a lady, too, Mam."
"Sweet boy. Go inside and eat. It is on the table."
The ham was soft and sweet and salty. Severus loved it almost more than the bread, but the bread smelled good, smelled new. It was also soft. He chewed slowly, wanting to savour every bite. While he chewed, he considered.
Contractions didn't used to be for peasants.
It must have to do with the visitor, Severus decided. The visitor had come while he was supposed to be napping, and his mother hadn't known that he was awake. He'd heard something about a place called "Durmstrang," and the man talking about it talked about it as if it were a school, a school he thought Severus should go to. His mother had shouted at the man and sent him away and had never, ever said anything at all about Durmstrang to Severus.
Naps are stupid.
Severus was quite curious about the visit, the visitor, and the school, which he supposed must be awfully expensive, indeed, and which meant his mother couldn't afford it.
I should get a job.
If he got a job, he could help his mother afford expensive things, nice things, things for her and himself!
Nothing for Da, though. Da is mean.
He sighed. His mother wouldn't approve of his not sharing his earnings with his father. Severus did not understand why. His father was a peasant. He could be funny, but he had bad manners.
And he's mean.
His father's being funny sometimes was why he supposed his mother liked the man. Severus didn't think it enough, really, not given his father's temper, but there was no telling what adults found normal.
"Do you like it?"
"I's 'o 'ood."
"Good. Do not talk with your mouth full, please."
Severus turned his head to hide his surprise at his mother's newfound use of the word "please." She'd been using the word ever since the visitor. Eavesdropping wasn't allowed, but he really wanted to know about Durmstrang.
He finished chewing, swallowed, and spoke. "Mam?"
"Yes?"
"What's . . . Durmstrang?"
He watched his mother stiffen briefly before turning towards him.
"Did you mean to listen?"
"No, Mam. I couldn't, er, could not sleep."
His mother sighed and sat down with him in front of her own sandwich, which she did not eat. "Severus, I want you to forget that you ever heard that name. It is a place I will not send you."
"Too expensive?"
"No. Too . . . far away. I want you to grow up with me, and when it comes time for you to go to school, I will see to it that you go to a good one."
"Dur-er, that school is not good, Mam? Why?"
"I cannot explain it to you, not today, and not for many days, so please . . . ."
"I won't, er, I-"
His mother sighed, then said, "It's all right. Use the contractions. We are peasants, aren't we?"
"In front of Da, I won't," Severus said, "mention it, I mean-but it's hard not to use contractions, especially thinking."
"I don't want your father to know about my visitor, either. He was a cousin, a distant one. He didn't approve of my marrying your da, but now he thinks it would be a fine thing to send a relation he's never met to a school of which I do not approve."
"Why?" Severus took his last bite of sandwich.
His mother slid hers to him. "Because he has friends there who are all starting to send their children to Durmstrang."
"Is that peer pressure?"
"Yes," said his mother, smiling. "You are very smart to remember that phrase."
"I didn't give into it, I swear. I never threw a rock at that cat!"
"Eat, Severus. I believe you, and the kitty is fine. Those boys, on the other hand, took quite a tumble into the road, didn't they?"
"I didn't even feel the wind!"
"No, there was no wind. They pushed themselves over, the stupid, thoughtless brats."
"And the cat went home?"
"The cat went home to Mrs. Neal, one of my ladies. She likes cats."
"Nice lady."
"Yes, and generous, too."
His second sandwich finished, Severus very carefully brushed the crumbs on the table into his plate and took his plate to the sink. "Wanna play?"
"Oh, well, I have laundry."
"Oh, okay, Mam."
"Severus, wait. I have a little time to play."
"You do?" Happiness rushed through Severus from his head to his toes; his mother rarely had time to play anymore. "Gobstones?"
"I think we can manage that even if we can't manage a fancy school filled with evil ponces."
"What're those, Mam?"
"Ponces?"
"Yes," Severus said, taking his mother's hand and leading her out into the garden.
"It used to mean men who lived off the earnings of, er, their wives, but now it just means prats."
"I thought that was a rude word."
"It is, Severus, however true. First go?"
"Yes, please!"
Outside in the garden with no more mysterious visitor to wonder about, it didn't occur to Severus to consider the idea of his mother's cousin, of why he'd never met the man. It was too nice to sit in the somewhat sunny strip of ground near the back shed, which was always amazingly warm no matter the time of year, and play his mother's favourite game. He almost never won, but he didn't care: being with his mother while doing anything together was worth everything to him.