Vita et mors Herois

March 20th, 1971

“You have the list your mother sent, dear?” Mrs. Kettleburn asked Severus as she tied a scarf around her youngest daughter's neck while her twin twirled around in one spot, making herself dizzy. He held the list up for her. She nodded before turning to the staircase.

  “Hero! WE WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU IF YOU DO NOT HURRY!” she yelled up the stairs. Hero came running down with her scarf untied, coat unbuttoned, and hat held in her hands. She shoved the hat on her blond hair and began buttoning her coat.

“Alright, Severus, have you ever used a portkey?” He shook his head. “It’s set to a certain time. We will grab it, and when we land, bend your knees, okay?” Mrs.Kettleburn pointed at a blue teacup on a side table in the entryway. It looked rather ordinary to him.

“Are you sure this cup will take us straight to Diagon Alley?” He bent over and looked at the cup suspiciously, It really looked like it wasn’t anything special; it even had a chip in the paint.

“Give me your hand, love. Feel that.” Mrs.Kettleburn held Severus's hand just above the cup, which was almost buzzing. Severus leaned in closer. If he squinted, he could almost make out a faint shimmer around the cup, like a thin film of magic.

“It’s almost time everyone grab ahold and don’t let go.”  Mrs.Kettleburn brought the cup down so the twins could place their hands on it easily. Coping Hero Severus grabbed the edge of the cup just as Mrs.Kettleburn began her countdown.

“Three, Two, ONE DON'T LET GO!” There was a pulling in his hand where he gripped the cup but also in his stomach; the world around him began to swirl and spin. He tightened his grip on the edge of the cup, nausea building in his stomach as the world passed in a blur. The world came sharply into focus, and Severus just barely remembered to bend his knees. He bent over a sickly shade of green and heaved; nothing came up, but it was still unpleasant.

“Right, we’ll give Severus a chance to gain his footing, and then we’ll set off on our errands.” Severus gave the woman a weak thumbs up from his bent-over position. Hero patted him soundly on the back. He righted himself and looked around. The portkey deposited them into an almost empty room. Sitting at a desk shoved in the corner was an old, wizened man who barely glanced at them as Mrs.Kettleburn handed him the teacup. He tossed it into a box labeled Reuse before waving the group out the door. As they left, Severus turned and looked at the sign hanging above the door. “Portkey Checkpoint” was written in gold script. Ministry paperwork was stuck to the windows. The shop opened up to the main street of Diagon Alley, directly across from Magical Menagerie. The hooting of owls and other animals could be heard from across the street. 

“Your list, dear.” Mrs.Kettleburn held out her hand, and Severus gave the list over. She looked over it with a critical eye. “She gave you the money for all of it?” He took out a coin purse filled with gallons and sickles.

“She said it should be enough for all of it a bit extra just in case something changed.” Mrs.Kettleburn nodded at his words.

“To JJ Pippin’s then, they will have most of it. Hero grabbed Ursala’s hand.” She said, taking the other twin's hand in her own.

“Mummy, you’ve switched us around. I’m Margaret. You have Ursala’s hand now.” The younger girl said, swishing her skirt innocently. Their mother laughed.

“Ursala, it will be a cold day in hell when I can’t tell my own twins apart by their magical signature alone. I’ve spent too many years watching identical animals run about to not tell to witches apart.” The little girls scrunched their noses up at their mum as they walked down the alley.

“I think you put a charm on them for sure. Dad says he does it to the animals that he brings in.” Hero said as she linked arms with Severus while also pulling her little sister out of the way of a large wizarding man.

“Your father used to have trouble telling the difference between a doxy and a pixie; he would be the one to charm the twin.” She paused in thought, “Honestly, he probably put the charm on all of you girls.” She began humming to herself, seamlessly navigating the busy streets as she guided the children to JJ Pippins. The store in question was amazing. Severus ogled the shelves, looking at all the different plants and other odds and ends that the store clerk had sitting in jars, not unlike the Muggle candy shop's hand. His mother’s list wasn’t long, but some of the things on it were not in the jars. He began gathering the things he needed. He carefully picked through the elf ear leaves, making sure to pick ones that were not broken or damaged. Hero was content to let him do his own shopping, occasionally pulling her little sister away from the ingredients.

“You young master have an eye for ingredients. Nead anything not on the shelf,” an older man in a leather apron said as he watched Severus sort through bezoars. His hair was snowy white, and his skin was liver-spotted from age. Severus selected one and handed the man his list. The man pulled his spectacles up from the chain they dangled from. He read over the list, his lips moving as he looked it over.

“A complicated potion for a first-year, yes?” He said, looking over his glasses at the three young children.

“My mother’s potion. I’m just the errand boy today.” He said, taking the list back as the old man grunted at his words.

“Well then, follow me.” He turned sharply and walked behind the counter to the back of the store, ignoring the Employee Only sign. They followed him. The back of the store was stocked with the more dangerous ingredients, each in its own glass jar on the wooden shelves stacked three deep. 

“I usually don’t let people have their pick of these ingredients, but you have a sharp eye, boy. Let’s see what you make of these.” The old man proceeded to let Severus have his pick of all the ingredients he needed for his mother. The old man occasionally grunted in approval.

“When you’re done with your schooling, I might have a job as an apprentice for you if you keep working at potions and get a good N.E.W.T. Names Ekore Czajkowsi, I’m a Potion’s Master. Your eye for ingredients is exceptional.” Mr. Czajkowsi peered into the basket that Severus had filled with all the best ingredients.

“HERO, URSULA, SEVERUS, where are you three!” Mrs.Kettelburn called out. Mr.Czajkowsi shuffled the kids out. 

“Madam, I was wondering if you knew your boy here had an eye for potion ingredients. If it turns out he’s got the talent for potions, I would love to talk with you about an apprenticeship.” Mr.Czajkowsi gripped Mrs. Kettelburn's hands in a firm handshake, still eyeing Severus. 

“Oh, he’s not my son, so I really couldn’t accept on his mother’s behalf, but I will be sure to inform her; perhaps I could take her a letter.” Mrs.Kettleburn smiled down at Severus, who had turned a light shade of pink at the praise. Mrs.Kettleburn ruffled his hair. The old man grunted before whisking around the counter. He pulled out a piece of parchment, ink, and a black quill. He scribbled his message on the parchment before folding it thrice and sealing it with his wand. 

“The boy’s got talent; I hope to see he has a brain to make something of himself with it.” Mr.Czajkowsi handed the sealed letter over to Mrs.Kettelburn, who tucked it into the pocket of her robe.

“I will be sure to pass the message along, but for now, we have shopping to do.” With that, she set her basket down on the counter.

The rest of the shopping trip was a whirlwind of shops. Mrs.Kettleburn led the children around in a quick, efficient manner. New robes for the little one were purchased. Potions and elixirs were swept off the shelves. And new books were tucked neatly into a bag with an extension charm placed upon the inside. Severus's feet were starting to hurt, and he had begun to sweat despite the chill that still lurked in the air. Finally, Mrs.Kettleburn paused just outside of Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.

She turned to the children, who all looked at the windows of the shop, hunger and longing filling their eyes.

“Bit cold for ice creams, loves.” She hummed to herself as the twins began pulling on the skirt of her robes. “Oh, I suppose you’ve all behaved so well you must simply all have a treat.” With that, she whisked her way into the parlor, leading the children into the surprisingly warm store.

“Florent Fortescue, how are your lovely daughter Alice and your lovely wife Marigold? Mrs.Kettleburn asked as the man behind the counter waved in greeting. 

“Good as ever, Theadosa. Alice’s second year is going splendidly; sorted into Gryffindor, did you hear?” The two adults swapped tales they had heard from their children at the school of witchcraft as the man whipped up the children's orders.

“I hear you have one going next year too, is that right?” He asked, smiling brightly at Hero.

“Hero here is a little social butterfly, so really it feels as if I have three going. Who would have thought that little Cokeworth would be a small hub for wixen children?” Her mother replied, gesturing to Severus, who was in the process of licking the ice cream that had melted onto his hand. Mr. Fortescue laughed before his gaze turned serious.

“I heard that awful Walburga talking up a storm the other day, something about a marriage contract in the works between your two families.” He said, lowering his voice.

“Oh, that nonsense. She’s been sending courting gifts on behalf of her two boys since she learned of Hero’s existence. We’re just perfect for her, you see. Far enough from the family tree to keep it full and pockets lined enough to not be a scandal. I suppose it does get hard for families like the Blacks to find suitable partners once all their other cousins have been married off.” Mrs.Kettleburn whispered back, smirking as the man laughed.

“Daft old woman barking up the wrong tree I see, mean as they come that one, never lets the boys come in here. Too muddy for them, if you will.” The man flicked his gaze to a muggle jukebox that sat against the back wall playing soft music. Hero’s mother nodded in understanding.

“The boys, of course, were invited to Hero’s latest birthday as they always are with all her talk of marriage, but every single year, there’s an excuse; one year, they both had colds. Another year they were in France, Hero’s birthday has never changed, and it’s not that hard for a woman of her stature to plan around it. One might be led to think that she doesn’t want her boys at the house of a lighter family.” Mrs.Kettleburn whispered as Mr.Fortescue nodded gravely. Their whispered gossip continued as the children sat at the counter, eating their ice cream.

“Mum, could I have a sleepover? Severus has never been to one, and Lily and Petunia got to have one at their house.” Hero asked, with her mouth covered in green from her seafoam-flavored ice cream. Her mother tutted as she wiped her face.

“We’ll see, dear. Lily and Petunia are still in school for a couple more months, and your tutor has told me you’re still struggling with maths.” Mrs.Kettelburn turned to the twins, wiping their faces as well. “Besides, your father and I have a business trip planned next month, so you three will be staying with Lady Longbottom for a week while we’re gone.” Hero rolled her eyes as her mother grabbed Severus's face to wipe it off as well. His ears turned bright red, but he allowed the woman to clean his face as well.

“I promise to try harder at maths, and we can do it on a weekend before you go. And we’ll even play a couple of games with Ursala and Margaret,” Hero whined, batting her eyelashes at her mother. Her mother gave her a sharp look and raised her eyebrow.

  “I said we would see.”  She turned to Mr.Fortescue and said, “We really must be going now. It was lovely to catch up with you, dear. Send your wife my love.” The adults waved their goodbyes as Mrs.Kettleburn ushered the children out of the shop and back onto the busy streets of Diagon Alley.

April 11th 1981

Hero had everything set up for her sleepover. She had Lumi and Tibalt, the house elves who usually watched over her and her sisters, make a veritable mountain of sweets and snack foods. She herself had made up a rather large blanket for modeled, of course, after the one she had made with Petunia and Lily in the living room. Finally, she had convinced her younger sister that after a few games, the older kids would get to sleep by themselves in the fort. She stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the room. Large family portraits sat unmoving in their gold frames, and tapestries from the countries her parents had visited were scattered between them. The crown molding on the ceiling was freshly dusted, and the dark wood furniture with its matching green and brown upholstery was partially moved to support the fort, with a couple of stuffed chairs left to the side. The blankets she used were a myriad of sheets and throw blankets just thick enough to almost block out noise.  She looked down at the silk Turkish rug that her mother had fawned over to her society friends. Hero guessed it was rather cool for adults to look at, but sleeping on it would not be comfortable. She turned on her heels and raced up the stairs. Flinging open the door to her room, she gathered up all the pillows and blankets from her bed and headed back down the stairs, barely seeing over the mass in front of her. She placed the blankets and pillows in the fort, attempting to create a nest of sorts. She surveyed her work. Not nearly comfy enough. She raced up the stairs again.

“Hero lovey, your friends are coming by soon!” Her mother yelled from the front of the house. Hero ignored her in favor of opening her older sister’s door. She swept into the room and grabbed all her blankets and pillows as well. Suddenly, a bright idea hit her. She ran quickly to drop off the blankets before running back to her sister's room and grabbing a few of her first-year books from school.

“Hero, I can see Mrs.Snape and the children coming up the path now!” Her mother yelled again. Hero looked around for something to hide the books. She wasn’t supposed to read these until she got her letter, but the excitement of sharing more magic with Lily and Severus truly outweighed the punishment her mother was sure to give her if she was caught. She rushed to her sister's closet, grabbed a couple of jumpers that were hanging in the front of the closet, and stuffed the books in them before tearing down the stairs and depositing them in the back corner of the fort. Quickly, she organized her sister's blankets and pillows, completing her nest. 

Just as she exited the fort to straighten herself out, she heard the door open and her mother talking to Mrs.Snape. Taking a deep breath, she walked with careful, measured steps to the foyer. She peeked her head out from the wooden archway, spying her two friends standing arm in arm just in front of Mrs.Snape, who had a pale hand on each shoulder. The older woman looked pale and sallow, like she hadn’t fully recovered from her recent sickness. She leaned quite heavily on her son, who bore the weight with a grim look that made him look not like the eleven-year-old boy he was but a much older person indeed. Hero cleared her throat as she fully entered the room. Severus's face lit up as he looked at her, the false years on his face melting off with his shy smile. Hero grinned back.

“Hello, Mr.Snape, you look as lovely as ever,” Hero said as Lily pulled her into an almost bone-crushing hug. Mrs.Snape chortled.

“You falter me, dear girl. If I could just kick this cough, I’d be right as rain.” She said, clearing her throat. Severus frowned, grabbing his mother's hand, which was still firmly gripping his shoulder. Hero’s mother tutted.

“A strong cup of tea before you go, I think.”  She promptly wrapped the other woman in a half embrace, gilding her to the drawing room, winking at Severus as she did so.

“I built a fort, and I have so much planned. Dad is in the backyard, tending to the animals, and the twins are bothering the elves in the kitchen for snacks right now.” Hero said, grabbing her friends and dragging them to the fort castle she had made in the living room.

“I had the elves make a bunch of snacks for us, and I had to promise the twins that we could play a couple of games together. I was thinking of hide-and-seek. Just as long as we stay out of Mum and Dad's study, we’ll have free reign of the house.” Hero began rambling as she guided her friends into the fort.

“Other than the room you had your party in, we really didn’t get to see much of your house. It’s rather large.” Lily said, staring up at the molding on the ceiling with a slight frown on her face. Hero cocked her head to the side.

“Oh, if you're worried about getting lost in the house, you can always call for Tibalt. He’s a bit older for an elf, but he’s the nicest. Tibalt, can you come here?” A loud crack next to Hero sent her friends reeling back in shock.

“Missy Hero calls for Tibalt, he has already made all the sugary stuff for Missy that the Mistris will allow.” The older elf said, tilting his head down. The elf was not what Lily or Severus had expected; his eyes were large and blue, and his ears looked like batwings on the side of his head. Much to Severus's surprise, he was wearing clothes. Severus had never met a house-elf, but his mother said that they hated wearing clothes and thought it a symbol of disgrace.

“He’s wearing a suit.” Severus pointed at the butler outfit the elf was wearing.

“Mistress Crystalbella says being naked is being animal Tibalt is not animal Tibalt is elf.” The short creature said, turning up his large, pointed nose at Severus.

“Mum and Dad have worked hard to clothe the elves we have in the house. Mum likes to say, ‘Anything that can beat me at chess is more than just a slave to do my dishes.’. Of course, his magic is still tied to the house, but much to the dismay of the other elves in London, the house elves of Kettelburn Manor are as free as it gets without being left without.” Hero said, sounding as if she had heard the speech a hundred times or so. “Tibalt, these are my friends, Lily and Severus. They are going to be spending the night with us in the fort I built, I told them if they are lost while we play hide-and-seek, they could call you to guide them back to the living room. Is that okay?” She said, turning to the elf, who nodded at Lily and Severus in greeting.

“Tibalt will be keeping a watch on the friends of Missy Hero and be keeping them out of the Masters’ studies.” He gave Hero a hard pointed look, Hero smiled sweetly at the elf.

“I wouldn’t dream of breaking that rule again, Tibalt. I really did think that Niffler was going to eat me.”

“Niffler?” Lily said at the same time Severus said, “Eat you?” Hero snorted as Tibalt snapped away, no doubt to run the twins out of the kitchen.

“I was five, and I snuck into my dad's study. He had a niffler in there who was rescued from some illegal traders. The beast had been trained to attack those who would steal its owner's riches, and it thought me, a young innocent five-year-old, was a thief.” Hero said, feigning innocence. Severus and Lily gave each other a look.

“What did you take?” Severus asked as Lily poked Hero’s side.

“Nothing, definitely not my dad's wand that he had left on the desk.” Hero said, swatting at Lily’s hands. Severus stared at her for a second before dissolving into a fit of laughter that left him bent over, hands on his knees. Hero dived into more stories about the beast that had inhabited her home throughout the years, her friends laughing as she told them the wild tales. Soon, there was a knock on the wooden archway to the living room.

“Severus, your mother is leaving now, darling.” Hero’s mother called, not wanting to enter the children’s fort and interrupt them more than necessary. Severus crawled out of the fort and was raised to his mother’s open arms.

“Have fun with your friends, dear. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mrs.Snape said as she released her son. She kissed his forehead before turning to leave. Lily and Hero both waved as she winked at them before closing the door. The children heard the crack of desperation. Severus let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, he had been worried about his mom walking back to their house all the way on her own. He wondered if apiration was harder with a child hanging on to you. His thoughts were interrupted by the twins thundering down the hall, chanting hide-and-seek, their faces smeared with chocolate that looked as if it had been almost wiped all the way off.

“I’ll seek first sense I know the house best!” Hero said, promptly turning to the wall and begging her to count to one hundred. The game was on. Severus was grabbed by Lily, who ran up the stairs with him.

“I know we should split up, but this house is so big,” she whispered, peering into one of the rooms at the top of the stairs. It had two chaste lounges facing each other, and a couple of instruments were placed around the room. She moved to the next door, which had a guest bedroom set up in it. The next door was the same but in a different color.

“We should have asked for a bloody floor plan.” Severus hissed as they opened the fourth door on the second floor only to find it was a miniature school room with a black chalkboard at the back of the room with letters and numbers on it. There was also a cabinet in the room. Severus rushed to it and opened it up; inside were several child-sized dress robes hanging in it.

“I think I can hide in here. want me to help you find a spot?” He turned to look at Lily, who was eying the size of the cabinet with a grimace.

“No, you should hide here. I’ll keep looking. Hurry though. I don’t know how fast she’s counting.”  She said as he crawled into the cabinet, tucking his knees up to his chin as Lily closed the door on him. She turned and ran out of the room. She closed the door behind her quietly and took off down the hall.  She passed up three more doors before the hall turned right, and she picked the first door to find a WC. She shut the door behind her and crawled into the claw-foot tub, pulling the dark blue curtain to the tub all the way open as she laid down at the bottom. She took deep breaths, trying to level her breathing and calm herself down. All she could hear was her own breath in her ears. She couldn’t even tell if Hero was done counting. 

Meanwhile, Severus was letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the cabinet he was in. The fabric dangling around his face was thick and had a metallic glint to it on the stitching. It looked almost like silver. He began fiddling with the sleeve as he waited.

Hero was methodically combing her way downstairs. This was going to take a while, she sighed to herself. At least the cellar and attic entrances were sealed off for most guests. There were really only two floors to go through. She had cleared the foyer and the living room. She was now working her way through the ball, opening any and all cabinets and moving tapestries and curtains out of the way. Satisfied she had sufficiently looked around, she moved on to the drawing room. Her mother sat in her favorite loveseat, working on a book. The tea service from Mrs. Snapes's short visit was left on the coffee table in front of her. Hero began searching, ignoring her mother's chuckles. Drat, nothing in here, too. Hero huffed, stamping her foot, and moved on.

What felt like a lifetime later, Severus winced at the door to his cabinet, which was wrenched open by a rather terrifying-looking Hero. Her usually pristine hair had begun to escape her ponytail, and the wisps around her head were backlit, making her look a bit like an avenging angel from his father's bible. Severus stared at her as she held out a hand to him.

“Gotcha. I found the twins hiding downstairs under the dining table. All that's left is Lily now, she said, helping him out of the cabinet. She giggled as he stumbled a bit on his numb legs before he caught his balance on one of the desks in the room. After telling her that he was fine, Hero took off to the next room. Gathering himself, he began to follow her, watching her methodically search each room. Just as they reached the last door on the hall, he heard a sneeze. Hero’s head snapped in the direction of the sound. He moved out of her way as she crept down the hall. He noted to himself that if he ever really needed to hide from Hero, he would most definitely need the aid of magic. The way she looked for Lily reminded him of the bloodhounds that the older gentleman down the street from him had. She eased the door open, revealing a WC. She paused just before the tub. She turned and gave Severus an evil grin before ripping the curtain open and roaring at Lily. 

Lily screamed, grabbing onto the sides of the tub. Her eyes were wide with terror, and Hero bent over with laughter. Lily swatted at her friend before laughing along with her.

“Lily, she truly is terrifying while playing this game. She’s like a predator hunting her prey. It’s truly terrifying.” Severus said, gripping Lily’s shoulders, a smirk on his face.

“Oh, I’m not that bad. you’re just jealous I found you guys so quickly.” Hero said as she helped Lily get to her feet.

“Ya, an hour of searching is really quick.” Severus rolled his eyes at her.

“Oh, yeah? Let’s see if you can beat my time, Sev. You can search, and we’ll hide.” Hero put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Fine, let’s go let the twins know another round then,” Severus said haughtily, turning and marching his way to the living room.

Severus did not beat Hero’s time, not even by half. In fact, he spent a whole two hours searching the house for Hero after the thirty minutes he had initially spent finding everyone else. He did not find her; rather, she appeared in the dining room when her mother began calling the children to dinner.

“Where were you? I searched every nook and cranny for you!” Severus cried from his seat at the large dinner table.

“Told you, nobody can beat me at hide and seek. I was under the couch cushions across from Mum the whole time. I took a rather nice nap, too.” Hero said, patting down her blond hair, which was now even more disorderly, as she took her place across from her friends. Lily snorted with laughter as dinner was served.

After dinner was eaten and the twins were rangled upstairs, Lily, Severus, and Hero crawled into the fort.

“I have a surprise for you guys after my parents go to sleep, but that will be a couple of hours yet. What do we wanna do till then?” Hero whispered, gesturing at the bulk wraps of jumpers in the corner of the fort. Severus gave the lump a hard look as Lily tapped her chin in thought.

“Oh! I know. Truth or dare!” Lily clapped her hands together.

“What's that?” Hero asked, leaning forward.

“It’s a game where you ask someone truth or dare, and they pick one. If they ask for the truth, you have to ask them a question, and they can’t lie. If they pick dare, you get to dare them to do something, and if they won’t or can’t, they’re an anorak.” Lily explained, “Okay, some rules: nothing that will make your parents mad and nothing that can hurt us, okay?” They all moved into a small circle at Lily’s insistence.

“I guess I’ll start since I know how to play. Hmmmm, alright, Hero! Truth or dare?” Lily gave Hero a delightfully evil smile that was at complete odds with her normally cherubic face. Hero thought for a bit.

“Truth?” She said, sounding confused with the game. Lily’s smile faltered a bit.

“Okay, but don’t pick truth all the time, or we’ll get bored. If you didn’t have any magic, what job would you want to have?” She asked. Hero leaned back and thought. No magic? If Hero was a squib, what would she want to do with her life?

“Do I still have my parents and sisters, or am I a full muggle?” She asked. Lily tilted her head in thought.

“Full muggle, you don’t know anything about magic at all.” She settled. Hero hummed to herself. She didn’t know many muggle jobs.

“I got it, those muggle people in the white coats who cut up other muggles!” She said, very proud of herself. She had overheard one day in Diagon Alley with her dad, an older wizarding man, talking about the barbaric practices of muggle medicines.

“A surgeon? If that’s what you're talking about, that was the scariest way you could have ever described it.” Severus said, going a bit pale. Lily nodded.

“I guess that’s technically right, they do cut into people, but usually they're just fixing something wrong inside someone,” Lily explained. “Does that mean when you're older you want to be a wixen doctor?” She asked.

“I haven’t really thought about it. I guess it would be cool to be a healer, but I’ll probably become a magical beast specialist like my mum, dad, and grandpa. OR EVEN A DRAGON TAMER!” She grabbed Severus' shoulders in excitement and shook him. The thought of being a dragon tamer was one that she had never really thought of before, but it sounded super cool. She had read plenty of books on dragons, and occasionally, her dad was sent by the Ministry to check on dragon preserves across Europe, but to actually become a tamer would be more than cool.

“Okay, Hero, it’s your turn now to ask Severus,” Lily said, getting them back on track to the game. Hero squinted her eyes at Severus as she thought of a question or a dare. She grinned at him as an idea formed in her head.

“Truth or Dare?” She asked as he fidgeted with the hem of his sleep shirt.

“Truth.” He said firmly, turning his head to the side to avoid the looks the two girls were giving him.

“Ugh, fine. Have you ever pissed the bed?” Hero rolled her eyes as she asked her question. Severus gave her a funny look.

I’m sure I did when I was a baby, but I think I’m grown enough to know how to go to the restroom to pee.” He said, laughing as he lightly shoved Hero, who snorted.

“Okay, Lily, truth or dare?” He turned to her. She smiled sweetly at him.

“Let me show you anoraks how it’s done. Dare.” She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“I dare you to wear your socks on your hands for the rest of the night,” Severus said immediately. Lily laughed as she took her socks off and put her hand in them; they were bright pink with orange zig-zags on them. 

“EW, your hands are gonna smell like feet in the morning. Foothand.” Hero said, leaning away from Lily. 

“Ha, my feet don’t smell, see.” She lifted her foot up to Hero’s face. Hero fell back as Lily continued her attack.

“I am not smelling your foot, you smelly beast.” Hero swatted at Lily’s foot.

“Truth or Dare, Sev?” She said as she continued to try and rub her foot in Hero’s face. Severus snorted.

“I guess I can’t let you beat me, dare.” He said.

  “I dare you to wear one of Hero’s fancy party dresses,” Lily said, staring at Severus with a defiant look in her eye. He blanched.

“Oh, don’t be a chicken, my dresses are all very pretty, and if you don’t do it, you're an anorak for sure.” Hero said, pulling Severus up to his feet.

“I don’t know. You have to swear to never tell anyone ever, or I’ll hex you!” He said, allowing himself to be pulled from the fort. Lily and Hero cheered, clapping their hands together in a high-five. They giggled the whole way up the stairs and into Hero’s room.

“Goodness, Hero, your bedroom is massive.” Lily threw herself on the large bed, which had no sheets or blankets on it. The walls were painted a light blue, and the ceiling had stars painted on it.

“Not as big as Beatrice’s; she gets the biggest room because she’s older. Even the twins have a bigger room, but Mum says that's because there are two of them.” She said, digging around in her closet. She shouted in excitement as she pulled out a green pinafore dress with lace on the front and a large green bow around the neck. Severus grimaced as he was shoved into the closet to change.

“Hurry up, It’s just a dress, not a bloody puzzle.” Hero shouted after a few minutes.

“NO. This is stupid and I look like a damn girl.” Severus shouted back from the closet. Lily rolled her eyes and started making chicken noises as she got closer to the closet door. She grabbed the handle to the closet and tried to pull it open. Severus held it shut.

“OH, drat these damn socks. Hero, help me. It can’t possibly be that bad, Sev. Hero wears these dresses all the time.” She swapped places with Hero before grabbing her waist and pulling with all her might. The two girls fell back as the door swung open, tipping Severus on top of them.

“Aww. Sev you forgot the green bonnet.” Hero teased as Severus stood up. The green dress just barely meets his calves. His face was bright red as he gave the girls an angry look. Hero and Lily burst into laughter as he slammed the closet door back closed.

“I’m changing back, and if either of you tell anyone ever about this, I’ll never speak to either one of you ever again.” He shouted as he ripped the dress over his head.

“Oh, don’t be a spoilsport. Men's robes aren’t even that much different from dresses. They’re just a bit longer and tend to have an overcoat on top of them.” Hero called as she flopped onto her bed as they waited for him to change back.

“Hero, truth, or dare?” He called from the closet, ignoring her words.

“I guess I’ll have to do a dare.” She said, smirking at Lily. He flung open the closet door back to being in his sleep clothes.

“I dare you to smell Lily’s foot for real, like, for ten whole seconds.” He said maliciously.

“Oooo, a revenge dare,” Lily said from the head of the bed, waving at Hero with her socked hands, creeping her foot toward Hero. Hero stuck her tongue out at Severus.

“Fine, but only for ten seconds. Feet are so gross.” She made a face.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by with their game of truth or dare. Lily was forced to tell Hero and Severus about an older boy in town who she thought was fit. Severus was made to eat as many sweets as he could in one minute, and Hero had her nightgown on backward for the rest of the night. Finally, the large clock in the living room struck eleven.

“My parents are probably asleep now. wanna see what I got?” Hero whispered, pulling the bundle of jumpers into her lap. Lily and Severus leaned in.

“For Severus, Year One Potion Making. For Lily Charms for First Years.” She said, handing them her sister's old school books. Lily’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“You can’t tell anyone I let you read these. Mum would kill me if she found out I took them from Beatrice’s room.” She pulled out her own book, the first-year book for Defence Against the Dark Arts. “I figure we could read a couple of chapters and then share what we found. That way, when we get our letters, we’re not completely without any knowledge.” She said, looking at her friends who were just staring at the books in their hands. Finally, Severus cracked open the book and began reading in earnest. Lily took this as her cue and began reading as well. Hero smiled to herself as she too began reading.

A few hours later, after Severus had fallen asleep on top of his book, Hero crept back into her sister's room and placed the three books back on the shelf before creeping back down to the fort and snuggling in between her friends. 

May 15th, 1971

“Come on, you guys, the movie is about to start.” Hero shoved the other two in front of her. The movie they were in the process of sneaking into had been out since February and was set to leave the cinema soon. Lily had told her all about muggle films, and she was desperate to watch one herself.

“Are you guys sure we should watch this one? I don’t think that it’s going to be very fun.” Severus said, eying the poster with a large skull and a man’s head on a plater as he was ushered into the theater by Hero. Lily’s parents had dropped them off at the cinema under the assumption that they were going to watch The Barefoot Executive. 

“Don’t be a chicken, Sev. This movie is supposed to be the very best.” Lily assured them as they ducked into the dark room. The House That Dripped Blood was rather boring in the beginning. By the end of the course, all three of the children gripped each other's hands tightly, watching as poor Alice was strangled to death by her own lover. They exited the cinema, pale-faced, clutching each other as they waited for Lily’s parents to pick them up.

“Not a good idea.” Hero mumbled, tucking her face into Lily’s neck. Severus nodded mutely. Finally, Lily’s parents pulled up in front of the cinema.

“You alright, tikes? you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Mr.Evans said as they crawled into the back seat. 

“We’re fine, We just heard some of the adults talking about the scary movie they watched while we were waiting.” Severus lied smoothly despite his shaking hands. Mrs.Evans tutted, muttering to herself about adults talking about such things in front of children. 

“Well, if you’re fine, I was thinking next week we could all go see the new movie coming out, Planet of The Apes!” Mr.Evans said, missing the look that passed between the children. If her parents wanted to see it with them, it couldn’t be that bad, Lily reasoned in her head.

“Sure, Dad. We would love that.” She nudged Hero, who muttered in agreement. 

Of course, Lily’s parents were right: Planet of the Apes was amazing, not that she really thought that anything could be scarier than The House that Dripped Blood. Of course, both movies were put to shame when at the end of June everyone including Hero’s little sisters and Petunia got together to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This was then closely followed by Hero bringing a bunch of wixen enchanted chocolate to the park for her friends to try the next time they met there. Chocolate Frogs were Lily’s new favorite thing in the whole world. 

All too soon, though, the school year came to an end. Lily was begging to worry; Hero and Severus had both gotten letters to Hogwarts, and hers had yet to arrive.

“I asked my mum about it, Lily. She said that while she was in school, the muggle-borns were sent a school representative to explain things to their parents. They go alphabetically, so you should get a visit soon.” Hero soothed her friend as she wept openly on her shoulder. Severus patted her back in a sorry attempt to soothe her. Lily appreciated her friend's efforts to console her, but she was truly beginning to believe that she would never get a letter. That was until July 30th, a whole week after Hero and Severus’ letters came, when there was a knock at the door. Her father answered, revealing a strick-looking woman dressed in green robes with a large brimmed hat upon her head.

“Mr.Evans, I presume. My name is Minerva McGonagall, I’m here to speak with you and your wife about your daughter, Lily Annette Evans.” The woman said with a rather thick Scottish accent. His father led the woman to the living room.

“A bit of tea? maybe this might take a while.” The woman said, settling herself on the floral couch.