Severus received his second present ever on his eleventh birthday, on the ninth of January. It was delivered by a carrier owl, of all things, and was received through his small window. The insistent tapping of the bird's claws had woken him from a short, fitful sleep and, for that, he was grateful. He had ventured cautiously over to the window; it could either be Lily trying to get his attention or a vandal, one of many in the neighbourhood. To his surprise, it was neither.

He peeled back the black material he had stuck to the window frame to stop both cold air blowing in, and as a mild defence against stones or other weapons, and was startled to see the flapping creature. He did not let it in, aware of the mess it might make, but instead removed the letter from its grip, and allowed it to fly away. Then he sat down on the mattress that was his bed and read slowly, his eyes squinting in the near-darkness of early morning.

Mr S. Snape

The Boiler Cupboard

The Last House on Spinners End

Lancashire

Severus' eyes widened as he took in the address. From several details he could conclude that this was, in fact, his Hogwarts letter: the yellowish, thick parchment, the emerald green ink, and the absence of a stamp. Whilst the stamp could be explained by somebody hand-delivering letters, Severus decided that only a witch or wizard would have gone the extra mile to write in green. Inside, this was confirmed; Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, was apparently pleased to inform him of his place at the aforementioned school. One thing did concern him, and that was mention of replying to the letter, by owl. Neither Severus nor his mother owned one, and Severus assumed that Lily didn't either. However, that was a question he could puzzle over with his friend, and not without.

*

Exactly twenty-one days later, on Lily's eleventh birthday, she received similar correspondence. Severus had come over for the day, and they had been eagerly chatting about Hogwarts in the privacy of the garden when Rose walked over, anxiety written all over her face.

"I think you'd better go home, Severus," she said, frowning. Severus looked to Lily, who spoke.

"I think Severus had better wait and see," she said, her voice issuing dominance.

"Are you sure, darling?" Rose asked. "It's a rather... delicate matter."

Lily gazed at Severus.

"I want Severus to always be here to find out the important things in my life," she stated calmly.

Rose blinked.

"Our visitor might object," she warned, but followed them back inside.

The stern-looking woman waiting in the living room frowned even more upon seeing Severus. She wore what he assumed to be robes, of the same colour as the ink on his letter, and towered over the two children. Black hair was neatly tucked into a small bun, and Severus' first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"I thought Miss Evans had only one sibling," the woman said calculatingly.

"She does," Rose replied. "Petunia is her sister," she gestured towards the girl listening from the doorway. "However, this is my daughter's closest friend. They face everything together."

Severus stepped forwards, hand outstretched.

"I'm Severus Snape. Am I right in thinking you are Professor McGonagall?" He inquired politely. The woman pressed her lips tightly together.

"You are right, Mr Snape," the professor answered. "Do I have the honour of addressing the son of Mrs Eileen Snape, née Prince?"

The four Evans' all exchanged shocked glances.

"You do," Severus replied coolly, "though I'm not sure honour is involved."

His modesty flattered her.

"I'm sure it is," she reassured. "So you know all about Hogwarts, then?"

Severus nodded. She turned to the rest.

"Hogwarts," she began, "is a school for wizards and witches." Petunia snorted. "It is not, I must emphasise, a school for lunatics or for the mentally unstable. It is where young sorcerers, such as Severus and your daughter, Lily, learn to control the unnatural forces that they've already exhibited. No more will you question what Lily does. She will be able to manipulate her magic, and ensure it does no harm. I am sure you have questions?"

Mark stepped forwards slightly.

"How can we verify that this school exists, and indeed, that these powers exist? You don't even present an address for us," he inquired, gracious although his appearance was stern.

McGonagall answered smoothly. "Our address cannot be known to mere Muggles, I am afraid. I can, though, showcase my own powers."

"Very well," Mark said gravely, and stepped backwards again to witness it.

The professor first conjured flowers for Rose, Lily and Petunia, and then mended the cracked vase on the coffee table. She stacked the pile of bills with a swish of the wand she produced and cleared away the dust on the mantelpiece. Finally, she turned towards Severus to perform a Cheering Charm, and was very surprised when she felt a force preventing the spell from touching him. The charm, instead, hit Mark, who found himself applauding the professor heartily. Sending a strange look to Severus, she then addressed the whole party again.

"I will be back in July to help you purchase the uniform and accessories required at Hogwarts if you so desire to go," she told Mr and Mrs Evans. "Here is your letter," she gave this to Lily. "And the offer to help extends to you as well," she added to Severus.

"Thank you very much," Severus said courteously.

"It's been my pleasure," stated Professor McGonagall and was then escorted out by Rose.

When Rose returned, all eyes turned to Severus, to hear what he had to say for himself.

*****

A.N. I don't normally stop on a cliffhanger, do I? Anyway, you've got one now because I felt myself going on and on if I didn't stop right there. Severus is going to have a lot of explaining to do in the next one, certainly.

Thank you for reading and comments are always very welcome!