To Scheme and Plot
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March 27th, 1967
"You seem like a nice girl," Severus says after another long period of silence. The two of you and your mothers were at that same park in Cokeworth again, but this time, you'd abandoned the swings and sat inside the highest point of the jungle gym.
You're taken off guard for a moment, shocked into wide eyes and a silence that could have rivaled his. Much like the first time the two of you met, he ignored you as much as possible, only pretending to play or like you when his mother glared his way. That being said, you would have been ecstatic upon hearing those six words if not for the way Severus sounded when he said it. His voice was small, and now that you heard it again, it was lighter than you thought and expected. However, his tone showed that your kindness wasn't a good thing. If anything, you'd have sworn there was pity in Severus' voice.
"You seem like a nice girl," he repeats, his black eyes staring into your blues. "So I'm going to tell you the truth." His gaze flies to where Eileen and Rosamund sit, refusing to continue until he's certain Eileen can't see or hear him.
"Mother isn't bringing me here so I can have a friend. She'd never do anything if it were solely for me," He supplies, muttering the last sentence more to himself than to you, but still, you hear him clear as day. "She's using you and your mother."
You nod. Wasn't that obvious?
"I thought as much," you reply, shocking Severus into realizing you were aware of it the whole time.
Eileen Snape was an expert manipulator, and Severus had seen her at work countless times during his short life. He was of the mind that everyone fell for her trap (your mother certainly did). Especially young girls like you—gullible, naive, and ignorant.
Well...that's what he thought you were. Yet, after he revealed the ugly truth, you didn't do what he expected. You didn't say what he thought you would. Instead, your unwavering gaze met his, your eyes speaking of complete knowledge and a maturity Severus had never seen in other kids his age.
"I—you knew?" Severus gaped.
"Mm," you nod once more. "I don't know how my mum didn't notice, but I could have spotted it a kilometer away. The way she smiled at me...how she spoke. It was crystal clear—the artificiality of it all. I don't know why your mum is doing it or what she wants, but I knew how she felt all along."
"I don't know if she ever liked Mrs. Ramsay. But when she contacted my mother...she was over the moon. Kept going on and on how this would be the perfect chance." Severus admits, bringing his legs to his chest and wrapping his twig-like arms around them.
"...The perfect chance for what?"
"She thinks that—" Severus starts to say, but then the pair of you feel Eileen's harsh gaze.
When you glance her way, issuing a fake smile, you spot the split-second glare she sends Severus, filled with pressure and a form of animosity—but like always, once Eileen is aware you're looking, she's all kindness and rainbows.
It's still fake as hell, though, so for the billionth time, you wonder how your mother falls for Eileen's painfully fake charms.
Once Eileen returns her attention to Rosamund, her shrill laugh a telltale sign, you face Severus again and study him. When it becomes clear he's steeling himself, you already know he won't tell you anything more today. Just moments before, he looked like an average child, exuding good behavior and a demeanor that spoke of innocence and sweetness, but it all but washed away now.
Lacking emotion and boldening a cold aura, he speaks harshly when saying, "Forget it. You must tell your mum that we had a big fight, okay? It's better if we don't meet again."
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April 3rd, 1967
Severus clearly doesn't know you very well if he thinks you'll heed his warning. One way or another, you'll find out what Eileen is planning, and while it seems like he's trying to protect you and Rosamund, he'll one day find out that you're much stronger in that aspect.
To be fair, you're much more experienced, mature, and intelligible than Severus would ever have given you credit for. After all, no average seven-year-old, witch or not, could even think of what you're busy concocting.
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April 17th, 1967
It'd been three weeks since Severus had heard from you or Eileen from Rosamund, so he thought you were safe and in the clear. Even if it meant facing Eileen's wrath, it was okay. He was able to protect two kind souls from the abhorrence that was his mother, and he'd have hated himself if his father, Tobias, found out. He'd have ruined everything trifold with his filthy, muggle ways and violent, controlling demeanors.
On his particularly rough days, Severus often kept himself alight with imaginary scenarios where you and he would reunite at Hogwarts in a few years. You'd have been sorted in Slytherin—obviously—and the two of you would become as thick as thieves. You'd share every class, make fun of the Gryffindors, and help your house win the cup at the end of the year, and when you got impeccably close, Severus would help you improve your skill in the dark arts (that was the duty of every Slytherin, in Severus' books).
Today was one of those days when Severus needed those whimsical daydreams.
"Ugh! Tell me what it is you've done!" Eileen's high-pitched scream echoed through the Snape house. It wasn't a feat, necessarily, as Tobias, Eileen, and Severus lived in what was seen as no more than a roddy shack, but it hurt Severus' ears nonetheless.
When he heard Eileen's feet stomping through the hall, Severus steeled himself, thinking, 'Mum isn't the violent one.' As she sprang his bedroom door open violently, he told himself, 'She'll just shove me into the basement and forget about me for a few days. I'll be okay as long as Dad's not home.'
But, you see, Severus severely underestimated how upset Eileen was... Nor did he realize how happy she'd been, thinking about how well her latest scheme was working.
In just a few steps, Eileen bent down and grabbed Severus by the collar of his shirt, lifting him in the air while she screamed, "I know it was you, Severus! Why haven't I heard from Rosamund and Arden? What did you do?!"
Frozen in response, Severus couldn't reply. His lack of a reaction wasn't because Eileen thought it was his fault; even if it wasn't, Severus was always the first person to be blamed for anything. In a house with a selfish and neglectful mother and violent father, it was to be expected. Even at the young age of seven, Severus was well-accustomed to moments like these. What shocked Severus were two things: one, that Eileen was being physical with him, and two, that she was so enraged that she hadn't even thought to use her wand instead.
Impatient for a response, Eileen screams again, "Speak, you little rat!" Eileen slams Severus forcefully against the wall when he still doesn't reply. If she noticed how hard Severus' head hit the sturdy material behind him, Eileen paid no notice.
"I d-don't know what you're t-talking about!" Severus cries out, trying to ignore the intense and pressured pain ringing through his ears. "I was good to her like you commanded, Mother!"
"You think you're so sly, don't you? You don't lie nearly as well as your father! You're good for nothing, Severus!" Eileen drops Severus, not flinching an inch when his tiny, fragile frame slams against the hardwood flooring. He tries not to cringe when her cold sneer lands on him, and she speaks more calmly. "I have no choice but to ground you, Severus. A week down there should do you good."
"A-a week? Mother, please, not for that long!" Severus pleads with Eileen, sitting on his knees and making a grab of the hem of her dress.
Severus was used to what Eileen deemed as groundings and timeouts, but he was only locked in the basement for a few days at most. If it was that much, he could handle the basement's horrors. He could the cold darkness during sunny days, even if they were rare this time of year. The bugs crawling in the wall's cracks were acceptable, as was the horrid stench. He only had a thin, worn-out blanket for comfort, which was okay. But seven whole days?
Eileen ignores her son's begging. She never much cared for Severus' tears, ignoring his bubbling emotions even when he was a baby. Instead, she grips Severus by his ear and drags him to the door to his own personal hell.
Swishing the heavy metal door open with her wand and an incantation, Eileen stares at Severus with a brutal look. A sadistic joy fills her features as she says, "You better hope I get an owl from the Ramsays before your week is up."
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April 19th, 1967
You'd been letting your brain stew possible schemes and scenarios for weeks. You've thought of a few ways to deal with Eileen and help Severus, but as it is, you're only seven, and you can't do everything yourself.
Which is where your mother will come in.
Since your last playdate with Severus, you'd been planting seeds in Rosamund's brain. Little things here and there since you aren't entirely sure how much, if any, abuse Severus is dealt, but your mother needs to look at Eileen with a clear vision regardless.
"Hey, mum, can I ask you something?" You call out to Rosamund. The two of you are in the backyard, with you sitting under your prized tree and Rosamund admiring her floral garden a few feet away.
Rosamund stands up straight and faces you, her lips growing into that angelic smile of hers. For a moment, you forget what you were going to plant in her head today, finding yourself getting lost in Rosamund's gaze. It's filled with so much love for you that it takes you off guard. While you had good, loving parents in your past life, your first mother was never necessarily outward with her affections, so for Rosamund to shower you with so much of it... Well, it gets to you now and then.
But just as it distracts you, that love reminds you of your earlier mission. Honestly, it's quite rude of you to forget when you know someone who needs such immense love more than you do.
Rosamund nods and sits next to you on the grassy ground. You wait until she's comfortable when you ask, "What was Mrs. Snape like when you were at Hogwarts?"
"Eileen?" Rosamund pauses, tilting her head as the memories come back to her. "Well, she was a bit... I suppose it's hard to explain her personality. Eileen had always been a hard girl to befriend; she made that clear to everyone—even our housemates and other purebloods. I always thought we wouldn't have been friends if not for our shared love of potions. But, whenever I pressed the matter, Eileen would scold me and tell me never to make that assumption again."
"Was she cold?" You prod. "Sometimes she feels that way, but then she compliments me with a smile. I don't know why, but it catches me off guard whenever I see her."
Rosamund laughs at that, and the twinkle in her eye tells you that your words remind her of something. Seeing such happiness and fondness of Rosamund's school life with Eileen makes you feel guilty, but you know better than anyone how people can change for the worse. You want so badly to be wrong about Eileen and how she treats Severus, but you can't deny what you saw whenever Eileen thought you and Rosamund weren't paying attention.
"A bit, I suppose. She often spoke shortly with people, and with a blunt tongue at that, but she didn't mean any harm. You have to understand, Arden, some pureblooded families instill a certain... Lifestyle in their children. Eileen was raised to speak firmly and with elegance. Since infancy, it was instilled in her to stay on her best behavior and only associate with those suitable to the Prince family. She was the only daughter of her bloodline, after all, and if she shamed her family, it'd have been the death of her."
Draco Malfoy came to mind when you heard Rosamund's explanation. It made perfect sense to you, and you wonder if Eileen's treatment of Severus stemmed from how she was raised. Furthermore...
"I hope your parents didn't do the same." You say, sadness leaking through your tone.
"Oh! Oh, no, love. My family has always been different." Rosamund babbles to dissuade your train of thought. "While my parents expected me to behave gracefully, they understood I was just a child. And whenever I made mistakes, they'd tell me that was a part of growing up."
"So... Mrs. Snape's parents didn't understand that?"
"It's complicated." Rosamund sighs.
It's to be expected, after all. While Rosamund knows (or thinks) you're a genius of your age, you're still her little girl. You know she won't divulge everything she knows about Eileen and her family, but you must make some headway.
"I don't think Mrs. Snape understands it either." You admit, subtly glancing at Rosamund's expression for a reaction when you add, "Or perhaps she just forgot what it was like."
Rosamund's eyebrows furrow. As you suspected, she has yet to notice how Eileen treats her son, but this is good. It'll help open Rosamund's eyes the next time she sees Eileen and Severus. "What do you mean?"
'Perfect. All I have to do now is play my part of the observant child.'
"It's nothing, Mum." You say, making your tongue speak quickly as you avert your gaze.
When Rosamund wraps an arm around your shoulder and nudges you, you force yourself not to smile, knowing today's plan is succeeding thus far. "It's okay, love. You can tell me," she says, her gesture and tone nothing but comforting and warm.
"Well... She's hard on Severus, is all. But it's like you said. She expects Severus to be his absolute best for the honor of her and Mr. Snape's family names. Isn't that it?"
When you finish that part of your act, you see something flash through Rosamund's face, but it isn't a happy expression filled with fond memories this time. Instead, it's a combination of things, and you feel fortunate that you picked up on it before Rosamund hid it. You saw worry, a smidgen of horror, and... A sense of protectiveness. It takes you a moment to deduce what the latter is aimed toward, but you're quick enough to conclude it. Rosamund either recalled a time when Eileen was cruel during her schooldays—or she was the victim of such cruelty.
"Arden," Rosamund says sternly, her face hardened with a hint of determination. "I need you to tell me exactly why you feel that way."
And so you obey your mother with due diligence, repeating to her all the times you noticed Eileen's mistreatment of Severus. You speak with added innocence, occasionally defending Eileen for some of it—but you get the point across. The one thing you omit is what happened during your last playdate. It'd all be for nothing if Rosamund thinks Severus is making it all up.
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