They Didn't Know We Were Seeds

After they hide the Horcrux ring beneath the slide of their childhood park, Lily and Severus turn their attention to writing both Dirk and Priscilla. Dirk writes back immediately to Lily, the ink of his words are smeared from the speed he put them down at. Lily smiles and traces his closing "love" with reverent fingers. Severus keeps his eyes on the sky outside for another owl and ignores her.

They have not been romantically involved for some time now, but it still stings to see her being so with somebody else. He wonders if it will ever not grate on him, but has his doubts. Especially if she stays with Dirk. Severus can't help but feel that if the other had never been amongst their small band Lily would have stayed with him or come back to him after a time.

She won't now, he knows.

Her feeling of kinship is far stronger with Dirk than it is with him. Their experiences are much more similar. They were young, clever people with spouses and families killed for who they were. Even with all he'd shared with her before Hogwarts, Lily had still been a stranger to the magical world when she entered it the first time. Severus had family, a history, from his mother's side (even if at the time his knowledge of it had been sparse). The places they made for themselves in the magical world were carved by their hands alone, unlike so many others, like him.

His brooding is broken when Lily grabs his hand and points to an owl flying in their direction. "Oh, good, she was able to send her letter now."

"Yes," he agrees. "Mum should be back very soon."

Lily nods, face serious, she comments, "We should burn the letters."

He agrees. When Priscilla's owl touches down, he takes the letter from its foot and lets Lily coo at it and give it a treat as he rips open the letter. He snorts when he reads the witch's scathing opinion of their choice and demands to see him because she wants a better explanation than the one she's been given.

Lily, who at some point, joined him in reading the letter over his shoulder, murmurs, "Oh, she sounds cross."

"What a surprise," replies Severus as he takes the letter and tears it in two before tossing it in the room's fireplace next to Dirk's. Igniting the fire in the hearth, he watches them turn to ash. "She doesn't trust us," he tells Lily.

"After all we've done?" she asks, sounding disappointed. "I know we don't see eye-to-eye on much, but I thought…" she sighs and shakes her head. "I guess I was wrong."

He looks at her out of the corner of his eyes. "I'll write her back. We can talk at my grandfather's and she'll understand then."

Lily nods, then, smiling, offers, "If she doesn't like what you have to say, she's welcome to speak with me. I was there for all of it."

Severus agrees. "She's more likely to take you at your word."

"We could all be there," suggests Lily, staring into the flames with a speculative look. "Dirk says he understands, but I reckon he's still going to have questions later."

"Invite him," says Severus. "I'll write Demitri and we can arrange a time."

She turns her head, but before she can say anything more, the flames in the fireplace flare up high and take on a greenish hue. He and Lily both take a wide step back and from the flames comes his mum.

Her eyes are wide at the sight of them, apparently startled to find them right in front of the hearth. "Hello," she says.

"How was your… visit?" asks Severus in a slightly stilted way as he tries to find an appropriate word to use for her time with the Avery squib.

His mum's lips twitch at the word. "My date was lovely," she replies.

"Date?" repeats Lily in a surprised tone.

Severus winces. Picking up on his reluctance immediately, Mum remarks to Lily, "He hasn't told you yet? I'm seeing a nice man. His name is Griffith Avery."

"Avery?" says Lily, looking between him and his mum. "Like…?"

He nods. "Yes, his uncle," replies Severus. Then, to Mum, he grumbles, "I planned to say something. I was just waiting to see if this became…" he pauses and his mum crosses his arms, an impatient and daring light to her eyes. " Serious," he finishes.

Brushing past the two of them and for the coat rack by the door, the witch takes off her outer robe and tells him, "Well, it is."

Severus's stomach flips at this news and he feels Lily's wide eyes on him. His mum ignores both of their horrified expressions in favor of removing her hat and letting her hair down from the bun she has it in. "He'd like to meet you before you return to Hogwarts, Severus," she says.

"Why?" he asks.

His mum rolls her eyes. "You're my son," she answers like it's an explanation. "Anyhow, we can discuss that later," she continues. Putting on a smile, she turns her attention to Lily and remarks, "You're early!"

"I beat you only by a couple of minutes," fibs Lily, snapping out of her daze.

Mum nods. "That's quite all right," she assures her. "I was thinking of lamb chops for dinner. How does that sound to you?"

"Very good, Mrs. Snape."

The woman brushes by both of them again, fingers dancing across their shoulders as she heads for the kitchen. "Why don't you two take Ichabod out while I cook?"

Severus and Lily don't need to be told twice. In a matter of a minute, they and Ichabod are gone from the small cottage.

-O-

By the fields, Lily and Severus sit next to each other. Severus has his legs sprawled out in front of him and Lily hugs hers to her chest. In silence, they watch Ichabod weave between the tall grass smelling the ground and, occasionally, eat a stray bug or weed when the mood strikes him.

"How long has she been seeing Avery's uncle?" asks Lily after a time.

Severus holds back a sigh. "I learned of their relationship on the first day of our summer holiday," he admits. "I was hoping…" he scrubs a hand through over his face. "I was being a child. I thought if I ignored it, it would go away."

Lily who still looks slightly upset, but more understanding, asks, "How long have they been seeing each other?"

"At least a few months," he answers. With a wan smile, he admits, "It's my fault. I asked my grandfather to find Duffield an internship or job and in exchange, he acquainted my mother with Avery's squib uncle."

She frowns and scrutinizes him by staring back at Severus for an uncomfortably long time. "He never told you he'd be introducing them, did he?" she asks.

Severus doesn't want to admit that, no, Demitri hadn't. Instead, he says, "I should have been clearer in my request to Demitri. Finding a job for Duffield wasn't something that had to be done."

Lily's frown now a scowl, she argues, "He should have said something." Face reddening, she growls, "I can't believe he'd do that! Your mum isn't chattel!"

Severus gives a terse shrug of his shoulders. As cross as he is about what happened, it's done. He's gotten what he wanted. Sometimes, Severus does wonder if he told his mum about how he asked for Demitri's help before she was introduced to Griffith Avery what she may feel then. Upset, no doubt. There is a strong possibility Mum would refuse to see Demitri for a time and maybe Vesta as well depending on if she suspects her to have been involved in the trade.

It could also kill her budding relationship with Avery. As tempting as that is, Severus can't bring himself to do it. His mum seems relatively happy and he reckons Avery is too. The turmoil the reveal would bring might spread as well and infect Duffield's job and future prospects. The price of revenge on his grandfather may be far greater than he was willing to pay.

"Severus, why aren't you saying anything?" demands Lily. "You can't be okay with this. I know you."

He looks down at his lap and exhales. "I don't," he says. "It's yet more proof that I should never trust my grandfather. I would say something to my mum, but I worry about what the cost will be. She seems pleased with her new relationship and while I have yet to hear word from Duffield, I imagine she's enjoying her time as an assistant to Roger Avery's wizard uncle." he flashes her a sharp smirk. "No matter how dull the work may be for her, it offers respite from having to help with minding her many young cousins."

He can feel Lily's eyes on him. "If you're sure your mum is happy," she says after a long moment. "I guess it's… Okay. In this instance."

Severus nods relieved that Lily agrees with his choice to let things be.

"I don't want to meet to discuss what happened at his house," declares Lily just as he's starting to relax and think it's time to call back Ichabod to head back into his and his mum's cottage.

Severus bites back a sigh. He should have expected as much. "Where do you suggest we meet?" he asks. "Rookwoods grandparents and Demitri are on friendly terms. It's why I suggested it. I imagined her family would be quite happy to allow her to visit his home and if we all happened to be there… No one would have to know."

Lily rests her chin on her knees and falls quiet a moment. When she speaks again, she suggests, "We could meet somewhere public. A pub or something."

"We could," he replies as he weighs the pros and cons of the choice. "It's riskier, we may run into others, interests could be piqued by us using Muffliato… But we appear to the world as teenagers. Any who notice us will not guess the true reason for our secretiveness." He rubs a hand down the side of his face. "If Priscilla will agree, however…"

"I'm not going to your grandfather's home," insists Lily, voice leaving no room for rebuke.

He bites back a sigh. Of course she won't. "I'll lay out her options to her."

"Let me know what she decides," says Lily. Lifting her head, she pats her knees with her hands and springs to her feet. "Come on, let's go back inside."

Severus rises to his feet. "As you like," he says.

-o-O-o-

When he walks into his family's kitchen, Ichabod trotting behind him, back from their stroll outside, his mum, appears. She is wearing a new light gray robe with floral embroidery done around the sleeves and her lips are painted an orange-red color. She purses them when she runs her eyes up and down Severus. Subconsciously, his fingers twitch at his side, wanting to grab for his wand. He doesn't, though. His mum is no threat even if she's looking at him like he's a problem.

"Severus, please, I want Griffith to have a good impression of you. Change into a nicer robe and brush your hair."

He reaches up and pats his hair. He can feel it's a bit tussled from the strong wind blowing outside. He agrees it wouldn't be a bad idea to give that a little touching up. His robe, however… It's one he wore to the Slug Club party this last year. Surely it's good enough for tea? "You sound like Aunt Vesta," he complains.

She pulls a face at him. "Oh, don't say that."

"I think this robe is fine, by the way," he adds as he begins to flatten down his hair with his fingers.

Stepping forward, his mum gives one of his sleeves a tug. "It's short around your wrists."

He rolls his eyes. Is his mum only noticing that now? It's been the case since even before he came home from Hogwarts. "Most of my robes are."

"When are you going to stop growing?" she grumbles with no true heat. Sighing, she puts her face in her hand a moment, seemingly in thought. When she removes it, she tells him, "Go firecall Sage. See if he has a robe you can borrow."

Severus perks up at that. "Can he come over?" he asks to see if she will relent and allow his brother to be here to meet Griffith Avery with him.

She scowls and puts a hand on her hip. "We talked about this, Severus," she scolds. "Griffith wants to meet you. He'll have plenty of time to get to know Sage later."

He lets his hands fall to his side and he returns her glower with an unhappy frown. "Tea is going to be utterly dull, isn't it?

Grabbing him by the shoulders, his mum steers him towards the kitchen's fireplace. As she does so, she recounts to him, "Griffith is very intelligent. He has learned French and Greek. You should ask him about his pen friend in Albania. Lefter works in Albania's Magical Transportation department. He administers apparition tests."

"Hm," he replies trying to sound neutral. Really, Severus thinks Griffith sounds only a fraction more interesting than before. He looks over his shoulder at Mum and asks her, half-knowing he'll upset her, but not caring, "What does he do?"

"Severus," she all but growls in frustration. Fingers digging in his shoulders, she says, "He's a squib of an old family. His options are quite limited. Mostly, he spends his time watching races and betting the allowance his father gives him to make money."

He feels his concern jump at her words. He's involved in betting? That, like drinking, can lead to a whole host of problems. "…Is he good at it?" he asks after a moment, trying to hide his unease.

His mother's grip on him loosens. "From what he tells me, he makes more than he loses," she answers.

"Don't give him money," he says.

"That is not for you to decide," his mum snaps before letting him go altogether. "Not to mention it's irrelevant. His father has set up his will in such a way that Griffith will always be able to live comfortably no matter what path life takes for him," she explains, ending it with a light sniff.

"There's no harm in being careful," he grumbles as he grabs powder from the tin next to the fireplace to make his call to Sage.

She sighs and Severus tenses when one of her hands strokes the back of his head. "No," she agrees in a soft tone. Then, stricter, she insists again, "Call Sage. I want to see you in a new robe with your hair combed in ten minutes."

"Fine," he mutters as she walks away, leaving him to make the firecall.

Throwing down the powder and sticking his head into the hearth, he calls out for the Montague residence and is quickly connected to the fireplace in the study of Sage's late father.

"Sage?" he says.

"Severus! What're you calling for?" his brother asks, smiling at him. "I thought you couldn't come by until tomorrow."

"My mum is displeased with my robes," he explains. "Has Vesta had new ones made for you yet?"

The teenager rolls his eyes. "Yes," he answers sounding slightly put-out. "The minute I came home she was fussing about them being too short."

"May I stop over and borrow one?" requests Severus.

"Sure," agrees Sage. He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. "It might be a little long…"

"I assure you that isn't a problem," Severus tells him. He then pulls his head out from the fireplace and takes the steps necessary to travel by floo to the Montague Manor. A minute later, he steps into his late Uncle Ian's study.

"'Lo!" says Sage, clearly pleased to see him.

He returns his brother's enthusiasm with a small smile. "How has Aunt Vesta been?" he asks as the two of them head out of the room and towards Sage's bedroom.

"Oh, you know," replies Sage, shrugging his shoulders at him. "She keeps asking if any girls have caught my eye at school."

He snorts. That does sound exactly like her. "Of course she has."

Sage nods. "She wouldn't be my mum otherwise."

"No, she wouldn't," concurs Severus as he waits for Sage to open his bedroom door and lead them in.

"So what do you need a robe for?" asks his brother as he sits down on his bed and watches Severus begin to pick up and put down a couple of different robes he has draped around the room.

"Mum has invited the man she is seeing over for tea today."

"That's right," says Sage, sitting up a little straighter. Eyes watchful now, he remarks, "You mentioned she's seeing somebody. I don't think you gave a name before? If she's having you dress up that must mean he's from a good family."

He sighs and puts down the robe he'd been inspecting. It's too casual and he knows his mum will be cross if he comes back wearing it. Not to mention the ink smudges on the sleeves. "I suppose you could say that," he says. It's mostly true. Severus knows Roger Avery isn't quite good enough to be a friend of Regulus Black. If he recalls correctly is has something to do with his mother being a foreigner, and therefore, a little circumspect. "He's an Avery," Severus tells Sage. Darkly, he adds, "It seems Roger has a squib uncle he's failed to mention in his boastings of his family."

"That's not surprising," replies Sage as he relaxes and falls back on his bed to stare up at his charmed ceiling (it shows the nighttime sky). "I don't think you can even blame him for never saying anything. It is pretty shameful to have a squib so closely related to you."

"Yes, families do like to keep quiet about them," agrees Severus. Whether they keep the squib in the family or not, it's a very taboo subject to discuss in public. "At least now it will be easy to make him shut up when he's annoying in the future."

Sage laughs. "You're right about that!" he agrees. Getting to his feet, he goes and opens his wardrobe and almost immediately pulls from it a robe."How is this robe?" he asks. "It's black."

Severus goes to his brother's side and takes it from his fingers. He purses his lips and says, "The gray satin lining isn't much my style, but I suppose it will do." Taking off his current robe, he lets it fall to his feet and puts on Sage's.

"Oh, it fits pretty well," remarks the teenager as he flits around Severus, looking him over.

"Yes," he agrees as he goes to inspect himself in his brother's mirrors. "It's just a bit loose near the shoulders," he says. Nodding in satisfaction, he declares, "That's no matter, I'm only wearing it a few hours." Turning to his brother, he tells him, "Thank you for the robe, I will see you tomorrow."

"You're welcome," his brother says. A hesitance overcoming his features, Sage looks away and admits, "When you come over, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Severus furrows his brows. "Oh?"

"Boyd has been pushing about… getting involved in his letters lately," Sage whispers. He bites his lip a moment. When he stops, he looks at Severus with wide, scared eyes and confesses, "I don't think I can stall him much longer and I don't know what to do."

He puts a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. His own heart is racing. He's afraid there won't be much they can do. Boyd will push and Sage will agree eventually just because he can't bring himself to disappoint his older brother. "We can figure it out together," he promises. "I have news about things as well I'll share then," he tells him, smirking. Even if Sage does end up as a Death-Eater, it won't be for long. They're so close to having taken out all of the Horcruxes and then they can confront and kill Voldemort himself without fear of a second coming.

His brother blinks. "Really?" he replies. "Good, I hope."

He nods. "Mostly."

"Brill," says Sage. "See you later, Severus.

"Goodbye, Sage," he echoes before making use of the fireplace in his brother's bedroom to go back home to his and his mum's cottage.

When he steps into the kitchen, she is there, arms crossed and unhappy. "You're late, Severus," she scolds in a hushed tone.

He resists the urge to roll his eyes and says, "My apologies."

She continues to glare at him a moment before she sighs and shakes her head. "Oh, nevermind," she grumbles. "Run upstairs and take care of your hair. Griffith is in the lounge."

He blinks, eyes going in the direction of the next room, though, he cannot quite see into the room. "Already?"

"Unlike you, he has manners," she grumbles.

Severus scoffs. Then, as instructed, he pads into the lounge room and toward the staircase. Griffith Avery is in the room, but he's in the armchair that faces away from the kitchen, thankfully. Like his nephew, Roger, Griffith's hair is wavy and black. He wears it shorter, however. Where his nephew's hair falls by his shoulders, Griffith keeps his relatively short, his black waves hanging around his ears.

Severus's study is cut short by a sharp poke in his back, he looks behind himself to see his mum glaring at him, a tray of tea and sandwiches floating next to her. He scowls back at her before he finally follows through on his mum's instructions and goes up to his room.

There, he picks up his brush from his bedside table and rips it through his hair. As his scalp tingles at his less than gentle treatment, he mutters darkly to himself about Mum. Griffith too.

After he no longer snags his brush on tangles when combing his hair, Severus puts it down and turns toward the mirror sitting above his chest of drawers. Staring at his reflection of himself, a boy who still can't quite pass for man, he sighs. It will have to do. Leaving his room, he makes sure to be loud as he walks down the stairs, earning pursed lips from his mum and the eyes of Griffith Avery.

Unlike his nephew, his hazel-eyed gaze is not made permanently disapproving from thick eyebrows. His face is still square and the shape of his jaw is strong and jutting outward like the many other Averys Severus has had the displeasure of knowing. Also dissimilar to his nephew, Griffith is fair. Roger is a dark beige, perhaps thanks to his foreign mother, Severus realizes now. In yet another act of differentiation, Griffith has a short beard and mustache while his nephew, when Severus knew him best as a man, had always preferred to be clean-shaven. Severus's eyes move to the man's receding hairline. Perhaps he's attempting to balance the two.

Severus looks away when the man's lips lift with a smile. Returning his attention to his mum, he asks her as if they are alone and there is no stranger in their home, "Am I presentable?"

"You'll do," she answers. Gesturing to the spot beside her on the sofa, she says, "Come sit down with us."

He goes and sits beside her. Once beside her, Mum puts the teacup in her hands down and says to him, "Severus, this is Griffith Avery." Then, to the man who is still looking at Severus with that small smile from earlier, she tells him, "This is my son, Severus, Griffith."

The man puts out his hand. "Hello, Severus. It's nice to meet you."

Severus takes his hand and gives it a short, firm shake. "Hello," he returns.

There is another beat of awkward silence before Griffith offers, "Your mother has said a lot about you,"

He raises an eyebrow and picks up the cup of tea his mum has placed in front of him. "Has she?"

"All good," assures the man, eyes bright.

He takes a sip of his tea. When he places it down on the coffee table, he tells the man, "I don't believe you."

"Severus," Mum hisses next to him, no doubt horrified by his rudeness.

Griffith, however, chuckles. "Ah, you are clever," he says. "Mostly, then," he amends. Flashing a smile at Mum, he tells Severus, "Your mother has said mostly good things."

He almost scoffs but thinks better of it when his mum's fingers twitch near where she keeps her wand hidden on her person. "I'm sure," he mutters instead.

Mum clears her throat, drawing their attention to her. "Griffith, how were the races yesterday?" she asks.

"Oh, just brilliant!" the man answers, clearly relieved to be asked a simple question. "Dart won again," he informs his mum. Patting his knees, he smirks and adds, "He earned me a pretty penny in the process!"

"That's wonderful," Mum almost gushes, which causes Severus to raise an eyebrow at her. She ignores him in favor of reaching around the coffee table to place a hand on squib's knee. "I'm so happy for you."

"I've been speaking with my brother, Clifford," continues Griffith, tone bright. "He knows of some good investments I could look into."

Mum, wearing a smile that's a touch too simpering for Severus's taste, gives Griffith's knee a squeeze before she pulls away and picks up her teacup again. "I would adore hearing about them when you decide which to put your winnings in," she says before taking a small sip from her cup.

He nods, apparently eager. "I'll make sure to talk to you."

Looking between the two, Severus asks, quite rudely, "Do you and Mum talk investments a lot?"

The squib blinks at him as if he's forgotten Severus is there. He laughs nervously before saying, "Hm? Oh, I wouldn't say so! Just now and again when it comes up."

"I see," he replies with a less than kind smile. Severus suspects Griffith likely brags about his successes to Mum. Possibly in an attempt to show he's plenty capable of providing for her as many women expect from their husbands. Even if he is a squib.

His mum, having not once forgotten his presence, sends him a look. She knows he's looking for an opening to attack. In an attempt to stop him, she says, "Severus, why don't you tell Griffith a little about yourself? You're in that club Professor Slughorn runs, aren't you?"

Before he can answer in the affirmative, Griffith snaps his fingers. "I remember that club!" he declares. "Travis was a part of it during his school days. He says he met a lot of different people in it."

Severus grins at the squib and out of the corner of his eye, he sees his mum's hold on the handle of her teacup tighten. "I have as well," he tells him. Looking at his mum who's eyes are wary, he comments, "Mum I don't think I've ever told you how I was invited to join."

"I know how you joined," she answers, eyes sharp with a warning, she says, "you impressed him at a party."

He nods."A party I was invited to by Clara Parkinson."

"Severus," she hisses, putting her teacup down.

"My mistake. She's a Fenwick now, I understand," he continues, forging on as his mother tries to find a polite way to shut him up in front of Griffith. Looking a the wide-eyed man, he explains, "Her family disowned her after her wedding."

His wide eyes turn distant. "Ah, yes," he murmurs. "I remember when that happened. My sister-in-law, Zahra, is mates with the girl's mother." Eyebrows falling, he shakes his head. "Poor Mrs. Parkinson was just gutted about her daughter's choices."

"I'm sure," sneers Severus.

"Maybe the girl will smarten up one day and realize her mistake. It's happened before," adds Griffith a little more brightly. Smiling at his mum, he says, "As you prove, Eileen."

Disgusted, Severus looks between the two who and demands, "He does know you only came back to the magical world because Dad died, doesn't he?"

"That is not the only reason," his mum rebukes. "I could have stayed in the Muggle-world. I didn't." She looks at Griffith as she says, "I know they're not worthy of us, of our love."

Vehement, the squib agrees with Mum, "No, they aren't!"

Face twisted into a snarl, Severus all but shouts at Griffith, "You practically are one."

Mum rises and points behind her to the stairs. "Severus Snape! To your room this instant!" she orders.

Getting up, he wastes no time following her command. Over his shoulder, he yells to her, "See if I'm still there in the morning!"

His mum ignores him and he hears her apologize to Griffith, "I'm so sorry about him, Griffith."

"No, it's quite all right," the man assures her. His voice is a little shaky, but there's a determined edge to it as he tells Mum, "My mother warned me becoming a part of a family is much more difficult than starting one…"

How did you all like this chapter? You met Griffith! What do you think of him? As well as the rest of the chapter?

Thank you so much for reading :)