An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 44 ~ A Bit of Talk, a Bit of Tea

”Hermione, stop pacing,” Ron said to his wife. “Eileen’s your daughter. Get her a book or something.”

”A book? Ronald, a book is so—so common,” Hermione said, frowning at him.

Both of Ron’s eyebrows rose in surprise and he nearly choked on his tea. They were in the kitchen and Hermione was agonizing over what to get Eileen for Christmas.

”Since when do you think books are common? You love books,” her husband said.

”Since I have to get her something really special,” Hermione replied, still pacing.

Rose and Hugo sat at the kitchen table, too, Rose frowning at her mum’s statement. So, she wanted to get Eileen something really special. So, what was she and Hugo going to get? Something ordinary?

Ron looked at Rose and could see what she was thinking. Hermione was going to have to be very careful not to alienate Rose. Hugo could care less, but Rose—Rose was very sensitive.

”Hermione, sit down,” Ron said. “Don’t go overboard on this. Keep it simple. She probably would like a book, a good book. Maybe—“

Ron thought about how Eileen nearly killed him.

”Maybe a book of the latest Defensive Spells,” he suggested. Not that he wanted to add to Eileen’s repertoire of painful hexes, but he knew for fact she was interested in them.

”Defensive Spells? Why would she want that?” Hermione asked him.

”Well, she’s really good with spells, mum. I heard that when she first came to Hogwarts, she hexed everybody who bothered her. She’s one of the toughest witches at school. I think she’d like a book like that,” Hugo piped in.

Rose didn’t say anything, but that sounded about right.

Hermione hadn’t known this about Eileen. It didn’t sound right to give her a book that would encourage such behavior. She was a little late.

”But, by giving her a book like that, I’d be encouraging her to—“

”Encouraging her to what, Hermione? Just because she learns new spells doesn’t mean she’ll use them indiscriminately. You know a lot of hexes that can incapacitate a wizard in an instant. You don’t go about using them. It would just be knowledge, Hermione.”

Ron really didn’t think Eileen indiscriminately attacked people. The incident in the shop happened because he had attacked Snape. She had no idea who he was or what his intentions were. She had been defending her father. But what a spell to use. Merlin. But, a Knockturn Alley upbringing could do that to a witch.

”Well, I don’t know,” Hermione said uncertainly.

”If you want to get her something special, why don’t you buy her a new broom?” Rose said disparagingly. “That’ll show her how special she is.”

”Rose, what are you talking about?” Hermione asked her daughter. Brooms were extremely expensive, especially the new ones. You had to practically take out a note on them.

”Well, you aren’t worried about my present, or Hugo’s present. But that’s because we’re just your regular children. We aren’t special like Eileen is,” Rose said sullenly.

”That’s not true! I love all of you,” Hermione replied.

”You don’t even know her, mum,” Rose said, “and it looks like you’re trying to buy her with a ‘special’ Christmas present.”

”I’m not! Rose!”

Rose jumped up from the table and fled to her room.

Hermione looked at Ron, who slightly frowned back at her.

”What is she talking about, Ron?” she asked him. “It’s just that this is my first gift to Eileen. I’ve never given her one.”

Hugo sat there, saying nothing. He thought Rose was just jealous. He thought Eileen should get something special too. She missed sixteen years of Christmas presents, after all.

”She feels you’re playing favorites, Hermione. To be honest, so do I. You don’t put one child ahead of another. Mum did that with Percy and you see what a prat he turned out to be for the longest. He straightened out, but—we never thought it was fair how she treated him. Hermione, just give her something that she’ll like. Something simple, just like we do each year. We don’t give elaborate gifts. Don’t change the way you do things if you really want her to be part of this family. You can’t treat her any better than Rose or Hugo. That includes the gifts you give her.”

Hermione stared at Ron. She hadn’t realized how she sounded when talking about Eileen. It was just that she wanted to let her know that she was loved.

”Just be who you are, Hermione. You don’t have to prove anything to Eileen or anyone. You’re a good mother and a caring witch. That’s enough for anyone.”

Hugo listened. When his dad put it that way, maybe mum shouldn’t buy Eileen anything super special. Maybe she would like a book.

Hermione realized she just wasn’t thinking clearly. She wanted Eileen to like her so much, and was worried that she wouldn’t. She was trying to buy her off.

“I’d better go talk to Rose,” she said quietly, rising from the kitchen table and walking down the hall.

She found Rose sitting on her bed, holding Mrs. Puffy, a doll she had since she was a little girl. Mrs. Puffy had seen better days, but Rose caressed her straggly yarn hair anyway.

Hermione stood in the doorway.

”Rose, can I talk to you?” she asked her daughter.

Rose nodded and sniffed, looking at Mrs. Puffy.

Hermione entered and sat down on the bed beside her daughter.

”Rose, I didn’t mean to make you jealous of Eileen,” her mother began—

”I’m not jealous of Eileen, mum. I just want you to treat her the same as me and Hugo,” Rose said softly. “I don’t want you to do more for her than for us, and that’s what you’re trying to do already.”

Hermione sighed.

”I’m sorry, Rose. I just—I just want her to like me,” Hermione said softly.

”She will like you, mum. What’s not to like? You’ve already showed her you’d stand up for her. And that’s a lot better than some fancy gift,” Rose said, looking at her mother now. “You’re a good mum. She’s really lucky.”

Hermione’s eyes filled with tears.

”You really think that, Rose?” Hermione asked her, her voice breaking a bit.

”Yeah, I do. Although sometimes you’re better than other times,” Rose replied with a little smirk. “But dad’s the same way. It’s a parent thing I guess.”

Hermione chuckled a bit, wiping at her eyes. Then she asked, ”So, you think a book would be a good gift?”

Rose nodded.

”She’s into spells, mum. You might want to get her one on Transformation charms though.”

”Transformation charms?”

Rose nodded again.

”She’s probably run out of things to turn Alsop into,” the witch said with a grin.

”Alsop?”

Rose told Hermione what she’d heard about Eileen’s and Alsop’s rather rocky friendship. There was certainly a lot Hermione didn’t know about her daughter.

That was going to have to change.

*************************************

Two days flew by, and Snape closed the shop for a few minutes to Apparate Eileen to Harry Potter’s house. Alsop heard the crack of thunder and virtually flew outside, nearly running into Snape and Eileen. Snape looked at him with narrowed eyes.

”Um, hello, Mr. Snape,” Alsop said sheepishly.

”Mr. Potter,” Snape replied curtly.

”Hi Eileen,” Alsop said with a broad grin.

”Hi Alsop,” the witch replied, smirking back at him.

”I was under the impression my daughter was here to visit with your sister, not you, Mr. Potter,” Snape said.

”Um, she is,” Alsop said, then Lily appeared in the door.

”Hi!” she called out brightly.

Snape looked at the little witch and felt his heart skip a beat. She looked—she looked just like Lily at that tender age. He blinked several times as she walked outside.

”I’m Lily Potter,” she said to him. “You’re my uncle.”

Snape just stared down at her.

”Sort of. I mean, not by blood or anything. But because Eileen’s my cousin, that kind of makes me your niece. That’s okay isn’t it? To consider you my uncle?” she asked him.

Eileen looked up at her father, and saw that his Adam’s apple was working furiously under the cloak tied around his throat.

”I’m sure it’s fine, Lily,” Eileen said, covering for her dad’s reaction to the little girl.

Snape found his voice.

”It’s fine—Lily,” he said shortly. “You can consider me your uncle if you like, although I’m not sure if the rest of your family will be comfortable with that.”

”As long as we’re comfortable with it. I can call you Uncle Severus? Albus has your name, that’s how I know it.”

Snape stared down at Lily, and felt just like he used to feel when Lily would ask him to do something. He’d do it.

”Uncle Severus will be fine,” he said softly as Eileen just stared at him.

He was certainly being accommodating. Uncle Severus? Oh, she was going to tease him for days when she returned home.

The little redhead smiled at him with Lily’s smile.

”Eileen, I have to go,” he suddenly told his daughter. I’ll return at three.”

”All right, dad.”

”Goodbye, Mr. Snape,” Alsop said.

Snape nodded at him.

”Goodbye, uncle Severus,” Lily said, smiling at him.

”Goodbye, Lily,” Snape replied, then quickly Disapparated.

Alsop turned on Lily with round eyes.

”I can’t believe you asked to call him Uncle Severus, Lily! Weren’t you the least bit scared?” he asked her as Eileen looked on.

Lily shook her head.

”No, I wasn’t. I mean, he looks kind of mean, but there’s just something about him I like,” she replied. “Probably that he waltzes with Eileen. Besides, he is part of the family, too. He’s Eileen’s dad.”

Eileen looked down at Lily and gave her a little smile. Her father must have been thrown for a real loop. Now, he had a niece.

It seemed both their worlds were getting a little bigger.

”Come on, Lily. I’m ready for that tea now,” she said to her cousin.

”Oh, you’re going to love it, Eileen. I made all the food, all by myself.”

Lily grabbed Eileen’s hand and led her through the door, followed by Alsop, who took her coat, hat and gloves and hung them on the coat rack.

Albus was sitting in the living room when they walked through, and he purposely shifted so his back was turned toward them. Both Harry and Ginny were at work. No time off for them. James was out flying.

Lily led Eileen to her bedroom, but blocked Alsop from coming in.

”Hey!” he said, frowning at her as Eileen looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

”This is a Girls Only tea tasting,” Lily told him, then closed the door and warded it.

”Oh, come on, Lily,” Alsop said, trying the knob. He knew if he unwarded the door, he’d be covered in bat bogeys. “I want a spot of tea, too.”

”Girls Only, Alsop. You’re not a girl,” Lily said. “Now, go away.”

No, he wasn’t a girl. He was a boy, a boy who desperately wanted to be in the company of the girl behind that door. Damn it. He left, plopping down in the living room with Albus, who was fiddling with a wizarding puzzle similar to a Rubix cube. Albus looked up at his scowling brother.

”Lily locked you out, eh?” he asked him.

”Yeah, the little tea Nazi,” Alsop hissed, his face black.

”How long is Eileen going to be here?” Albus inquired.

”I don’t know. Two hours I think,” Alsop replied.

”Not much time to try and get in her knickers,” Albus said with a nasty smile.

Alsop looked at him.

”Why do you think the only thing witches are good for is getting in their knickers, Albus? You’re a pig, you know that? Eileen’s my friend,” Alsop said to him, his fists clenching.

”You’re not fooling anyone, Alsop. You want to shag her. Why else would you spend so much time with her?”

”I don’t want to shag her,” Alsop said, although he felt as if he were lying, because if she did go out with him and they fell in love, then they would become intimate. It was just nature. But, he connected with Eileen on other levels as well, and just wanted to be closer to her. It wasn’t all about her knickers. “I just want to get closer to her.”

”Shag her,” Albus said smugly. “She’s so anti-social and icy, I bet her pussy is colder than never-melting ice.”

That did it. Alsop leaped on Albus and started swinging.

**************************************

”Please, take a seat, Eileen,” Lily said politely, pointing to a table dress in a lacy white tablecloth that had a bone china tea service on it. It also had an astonishing amount of food on several plates.

Lily had small finger sandwiches, scones, gingerbread, plain bread with butter, lemon curd, muffins, preserves and clotted cream on the table. Eileen’s eyes widened. Lily didn’t expect her to eat all of that did she?

Eileen looked around the room. There were a number of stuffed animals and dolls on the shelves, and frilly coverings on the bed. The room was also painted pink. A poster of the Chudley Canons hung on the wall, the only “not-girly” object in the room. Normally, Eileen would have gagged at the surroundings, but she just took it all in and said nothing. Actually, she’d expected something like this. She could only imagine how gag-worthy her sister Rose’s room probably was. She probably had teen wizards on her walls. Blech.

Eileen sat down at the table and Lily joined her.

”I made everything,” Lily informed her. Eileen was a bit impressed. Everything looked delicious.

”Dad says I take after my grandmum,” Lily said conversationally. “I don’t expect you to eat everything. I was just—showing off a little.”

Lily reddened a little at the admission.

”Everything looks—good, Lily,” Eileen said as Lily poured her tea.

”I learned to brew tea from grandmum. She taught me that the only two things you really need to know about making tea is that the water has to be boiling and that you add the water to the tea, not the tea to the water. I used loose tea, let it brew for two and a half minutes, then strained it. Loose tea always tastes better. There's sugar and low-fat milk if you want it, but adding sugar really is going out of style.”

Eileen didn’t put sugar in her tea naturally, although she would add a little milk from time to time.

Eileen watched Lily pour her tea, then took a muffin off the tray and bit into it. It was buttery and delicious. Wow, could everyone in this family cook?

”That’s delicious, Lily,” Eileen said. The little witch flushed with pleasure.

”It’s nice to have a tea party with someone who doesn’t wolf everything down in three bites. That’s what James and Albus used to do, barging in on me after playing Quidditch, all sweaty and dirty, and upsetting my guests.”

”Guests?” Eileen inquired.

Lily’s eyes flicked to all the stuffed animals on the shelves.

”Well, my practice guests. You’re my first ‘real’ guest,” Lily said, smiling at Eileen. “I’m glad you came.”

Suddenly, there came a crash from outside the door.

”What’s that?” Eileen said.

”Oh, probably James and Albus wrestling. They’re always playing around that way. They make the living room a shambles.”

”Oh,” Eileen said, as the noise continued.

The two witches started talking over tea, ignoring the noise outside. Lily was fascinated that Eileen had grown up in Knockturn Alley.

”Mum says I’m never to go there,” Lily said in a near whisper. “However did you survive it?”

”I had a very fast wand, and street smarts,” Eileen replied. “In Knockturn Alley, you hex first and ask questions later, or—just leave the body.”

Lily’s eyes went round as saucers.

”Wow,” she breathed as Eileen smirked at her. It was kind of nice chatting with Lily. She had never sat down and just talked before. And the tea was very good.

Lily looked a little hesitant, then said, “Eileen?”

”Yes?”

”Do you think Uncle Severus would—would waltz with me?”

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Happy Easter/Solstice!