Chapter Text
HOME: Prologue
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He'd never seen a more vibrant fall before. Amber Crane gave off the kind of fall only seen in picture books describing what fall was. There were no green trees in sight, yet none of the leaves had fallen yet, keeping full orange, brown, and yellow blossoms of color. When he lifted his head up to the sky, his eyes drank in the nearly dim shade of blue.
It was almost as if it'd grown tired of sparkling brightly all summer, kind of like his sky back at home, only that sky never sparkled. It remained the same, sad, murky shade of grey no matter how hard Severus wished for orange or purple. His thoughts couldn't remain on one subject.
Instead, it hopped from one thing to another the longer he stood in the center of the big road circle. He couldn't remember the name of it, he just knew that it was strange. Strange because it didn't stretch on like normal roads.
It had houses around it, three to be specific, and that's where it ended. Or did it go on forever because it was a circle? The front view was something he'd come across only on advertisement paper. To be able to stand before the old gothic house was otherworldly.
Severus shuddered, his eyes snapping shut for the nth time that noon. If he kept them open any longer they'd end up freezing inside his skull, or maybe get stuck in place. Mum was right to bundle him up as much as her money could buy.
She'd gotten a new job offer. That would help them plenty to live here for a few months. That's how they worked. They'd find a nice place for a little while, she'd work to get money to sustain them, and if the cost for living went up they would leave and find a new place to stay.
However, the way she was acting, and how she so cherished this new job of hers, made Severus ponder. Perhaps this time things would be different, but Severus couldn't imagine himself living in Amber Crane for so long. Imagination aside, things were bound to be the way they were bound to be. The old green house standing right at the very end of the long, round road was now his house, with two others by its sides.
Those buildings were homes with people who formed families on the inside. People that'd be Severus's neighbors. How much worse could it be than what it was like before? No matter what, he'd continue to look out for his mama. Someone had to make sure she was okay.
"Severus! Come on over and take a look."
Well, speak of the Lord. She was calling him. Severus hadn't noticed when she'd gotten so far. He pulled his socks all the way up to his shins before wasting no time catching up in order to reunite with her. Off the circle road and cutting across lines of sidewalk and yard, Severus reached the picket fence his mother had called from.
Unlike the other houses, in front of his was a grey-stoned walkway that led up to little steps, and those steps led to the door. He walked along the path, making sure each of his feet landed on a rock and not on any of the dirt cracks in between until he skipped onto the bottom step. There she was, standing at the edge of the porch with her arms folded against her soft baby blue cardigan.
Severus didn't remember ever seeing her without that cardigan. She told him a long time ago that she first got it on accident as a baby, but since it couldn't be returned, she chose to grow into it instead. Her marker smudged name was still on her right cuff. 'Eileen'. Her love for the color blue must've grown from owning such a thing.
Right now, she wore a thin gray sweater under her cardigan, and her jeans were scuffed, slightly faded by multiple wash days. To Severus, she looked like a gloomy beach day. Her pale skin and graying hair matched her overall color scheme well.
She smiled at Severus. He couldn't help but smile back. It made him feel as soft and warm on the inside as his mama was on the outside. "What do you think?" she asked while lifting her shoulders to her ears. "Isn't it a nice place?"
Severus nodded eagerly, almost knocking his earmuffs off in the moment. Mama's mouth remained in the shape of a smile, but her eyes and eyebrows changed, bending in a way that didn't look so close to a smile. She placed a hand on one of the white painted pole thingies that kept the porch roof up, grazing her fingers along it. "We won't need to wait for too long. The real estate agent should be here to hand over the keys in a couple hours or so…"
She let her hand fall away from the pole, using it to sweep hair away from her eyes. "Once that happens, it'll be official. We'll be the newest residents of Amber Crane."
Severus chewed on his bottom lip. This meant a lot to mama; her life was changing, too. He prayed it wouldn't hurt her or make her sad - he didn't want this to be another mistake. She could make friends. He didn't need any.
Mama cleared her throat. "Well, you've seen the yard and outside. You don't have to wait here with me," she said, bending down and placing her hands on her knees to speak to Severus on the same level. "Why don't you look around the rest of the neighborhood? It's a safe town, especially in this area. You'll finally have a chance to play freely outside."
Huh?
Severus frowned at her. He never liked being apart from her, and the suggestion of wandering around an unfamiliar face was one he'd been taught not to follow. Was she sure that was a good idea? He didn't feel good doubting her word, but…
Mama went back to her normal way of standing, with her head held low and her arms loosely folded in front of her. "You aren't having fun, I know. If you continue to linger here, you wont have any fun. If you leave, you might not have any fun but, hey! Maybe you will."
A small laugh left her, mixing into the soft breeze. "Why not roll the dice? Just don't stray into any other streets today, hear?"
Severus thought about that for a second, and ran it through his brain, before giving her a thumbs up. Mama's true grin returned, showcasing her slightly crooked teeth, just like Severus's. "Thank you, Severus. I trust you."
And with that, Severus spun on his heels, lifted his head, and stomped down the stairs back towards the sidewalk.