Wards and Worries
Severus sighed as he entered his house, closing the door behind him. A wave of exhaustion hit him. The conversation with Lily had taken a lot more out of him than he realized. Now, he was stuck with an entirely new dilemma: Should he tell Petunia about what happened?
His only experience with relatively functional relationships (of any kind) was with Lily, and… telling the truth seemed to backfire just as much as lying.
But..should he really treat what he has with Petunia the same way as what he had with Lily? That didn’t seem to make sense. What he had with Lily was…beautiful at first yes, but then it became tense, uncomfortable, and always shadowed by unspoken expectations
What we had with Petunia was like a gentle breeze and a tempest at the same time. There was understanding, in a way he never expected to have with anyone. His insecurities, his vices, his flaws- she looked at all that he was and she smiled. As if nothing was wrong with him, as if he didn’t need help. It made him feel comfortable in his own skin, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He had already set the groceries in their place while contemplating his decision, with a frown he realized he had forgotten to water the small patch of Petunias in his backyard.
He had planted them a year ago when he had expanded a small part of his backyard with magic for the same purpose. He had always wanted a small flower garden, a desire he had hidden deep within his heart, but ever since the death of his parents and Petunia moving in shortly afterwards, he felt comfortable enough with going through with it.
A few hours later, Severus sat in the living room, a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands. The quiet of the house was interrupted by a familiar whooshing sound from the fireplace. Moments later, Petunia emerged from the floo, brushing ash from her clothes. He had created special floo powder that she could use despite being a muggle, conveniently enough there was a fireplace in the breakroom of her workplace that he had then turned into a private floo network.
“I’ll never get over how convenient that is,” she said, her tone light.
“And I’ll never get over the fact that no one at your workplace has found out yet,” Severus replied, his voice dripping with dry humor.
“Well, let’s just say some of your ‘Slytherin-ness’ has rubbed off on me, and leave it at that,” she quipped, her smirk softening as amusement danced in her eyes.
Severus felt a twinge of apprehension as he contemplated how to share the news of his accidental meeting with Lily. He knew it wouldn’t go over well, but it was a conversation that had to happen.
“So, what did you do all day, my good little house husband?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Worked on some recipes, added a few more pages to my book, and… bought you some groceries.” He handed her a small bag filled with fresh produce.
Petunia narrowed her eyes slightly, a familiar look that Severus recognized as her way of sensing he hadn’t shared everything.
“I sense… there’s something more there?” she probed, crossing her arms.
“I… I met Lily on my way home,” he admitted, bracing himself for her reaction.
“MET. LILY!?” she exclaimed, her surprise evident.
“Well, she happened to be right in front of the street that leads to the house, so it was quite unavoidable,” he explained, trying to sound nonchalant.
“You could have easily disappeared… what’s the word?” she challenged, raising an eyebrow.
“Disapparated,” Severus corrected, his lips quirking at the corner.
“See? You already had a solution,” she pressed, her voice firm yet curious.
“Lily is a powerful witch; she would have sensed it,” he replied, his tone growing serious.
“And? It’s not like she could have done anything to you,” Petunia countered, a hint of frustration creeping in.
“Pet, I swear with all that I am, you are the sole object of my affections. There is no one else.” He moved closer, gently cupping her face with his hands. “There will never be anyone else.”
Petunia leaned in, their foreheads touching, vulnerability etched on her features. “I just… worry.”
“That’s perfectly understandable,” he murmured, his gaze steady and sincere. “I have no problem expressing my love for you over and over. In fact, I welcome every opportunity.”
Severus took a deep breath, preparing to explain his motivations for allowing the confrontation with Lily. “My reasons for doing this are similar to those I had during my interview with Rita Skeeter. As long as people get the answers they want, they won’t dig any deeper. Now that I’ve made my stance clear to Lily, I doubt she’ll feel the need to look for me anymore.”
“Fine, we won’t be staying here long, but I’ll be damned if I let her ruin what little time we have left,” Petunia replied, determination lacing her words.
“To that end, I was hoping to adjust the wards a bit,” he continued, his tone measured.
“They’re fine as they are, aren’t they?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“They keep others away, yes, but their reach extends all the way to the street. They may be strong, but if someone comes looking, it would be easier for them to find us. I plan to tighten the wards so that their influence doesn’t stretch an inch beyond our doors. This way, we’ll be harder to track down.”
Petunia frowned in contemplation, considering his words carefully. Over the years, Severus had shared a great deal about magic with her—explanations that far surpassed Lily’s often simplistic views of it as merely “amazing” or “something you had to see to believe.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” she finally conceded. “Please do it before nighttime, though.” Her gaze shifted, taking on a predatory glint. “I believe I need to spend some time tonight asserting who you belong to.”
Severus felt a smirk tug at his lips; this had turned out better than he had expected.
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Lily stood at the edge of the street, staring at Severus’s house, her resolve strengthening as she prepared to confront him. As she walked closer, she was surprised to find that the wards didn’t seem to deter her; she couldn’t even sense their presence. A flicker of hope ignited in her heart. Had he been expecting her?
It was Saturday, and Petunia had a day off while Severus was out running errands in Diagon Alley. They had plans for a final date night before their big move in two weeks, a night that felt more significant with each passing moment.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through the quiet air, causing her heart to skip. Perhaps it was Severus, returning earlier than expected. Eagerly, she approached the door and pulled it open, only to find a familiar woman standing before her, she found herself unimpressed.
Petunia arched a brow, her tone nonchalant as she asked, "What are you doing here?"
Lily’s eyes widened, her voice rising in pitch as she demanded, “What are YOU doing here?”
As promised, Art! By the wonderful OllyWander on Tumblr!