The Redemption of Severus Snape

Part 24

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Mr. Evans took Severus' hands and held them under the water. He reached for a light-green cake of soap that smelled like pine trees. He lathered up the soap in his hands, set the cake down, and reached for Severus' hands again. He washed Severus' hands as he washed his own. The soap lather felt good. Mr. Evans' calloused hands felt good too. He rinsed the soap from their hands and let Severus step back from the sink. Severus sighed in relief and was about to dry his hands on his filthy shirt when Mr. Evans grabbed them in a kitchen towel and dried them. He pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and Severus sat. Mr. Evans poured a small glass of milk and set it in front of him. Severus drank it like it was the first meal he'd had in days, which wasn't very far from the truth.

Mrs. Evans entered and immediately set about preparing dinner with Petunia scowling at her side. Lily entered moments later. She smiled at Severus, which relaxed him a little. "Can I help, Mummy?"

"You can set the table, if you like."

Lily set out plates and cutlery on the little round kitchen table. None of the plates matched and some had chips in them, but they were clean. The cutlery didn't match either, but Severus didn't care at all about matching dishes, or matching forks, or even about cleanliness. He was hungry, and if he was quiet and very still, he might get a hot meal tonight.

"Um...Daddy?" began Lily and Severus' heart sank. If she said too much, Severus might get thrown out before he had a chance to eat anything. "We forgot to ask Sev's mum if he could stay."

Mrs. Evans turned and nodded at her husband. "I'll go 'round," he said and rose from the table and left. Severus didn't know what to do. Lily winked at him before she went into another room to fetch a chair for Petunia because the table was meant for only four settings.

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John Evans didn't frequent this part of the neighborhood, but he knew where Tobias Snape lived. The man was infamous in their town; a petty thief, a braggart, and an unpredictably violent drunk. There were a few men like Snape around, but he was at the top of the unsavory heap. Most of the local occupants stepped out of Snape's way. John Evans never looked for a fight, but wasn't one to back down from one either. It would be a cold day in Hell when he'd fear a wife-beating, child-abusing drunk. Evans feared no man, but he was no chump either. He knew that Snape wasn't just a loud-mouth shouting empty threats. The man could handle himself, and had proved his street-fighting prowess many times. Snape was a much larger man than Evans, stronger too. They were close in height, with Evans having a slight advantage, but Snape was very solidly built. Evans was wiry; speed and wit were his best defenses.

Evans knocked on Snape's door and stepped back. Seconds later the door opened just a crack, and a sliver of a small woman peered out at him. "Mrs. Snape?" The woman's eyes narrowed, but she didn't answer. "I'm John Evans. My daughter, Lily, is friendly with your son–"

Eileen flung the door open. She was clearly drunk. "What's he done?" she said sharply.

"Er...nothing, I just wanted to ask if he could have dinner with my family."

Eileen was flabbergasted. What would a grown man want with her son? Surely a pervert wouldn't come to her door and ask for access to her child. Her Legilimency skills were weak, but good enough for an unsuspecting Muggle. Her black eyes glittered as she looked into John's large hazel eyes. "Dinner?"

"Yes," replied John. He'd developed a sudden headache and absentmindedly rubbed his temple.

"Anything else?"

Such a peculiar question, John wasn't sure how to answer it. "Uh, well, I take my girls apple-picking before school starts. I'd like to take Severus too if you wouldn't mind him staying for the weekend."