Before Harry Met Sevy

Chapter Four: An Unexpected Ally

THE FOETIDUS CURSE

Incantation: Foetidus Eternum

Effect: Causes the affected person or object to emit an unmistakable odor of rotten cabbage.

History: The first specified use of the Foetidus curse can be found in Ledwick's Curses of the Thirteenth Century, where it is said to have been discovered by accident. Wendelin the Weird, during one of her many burnings, cursed the Muggle executioner standing beside her. Though Wendelin the Weird is the first witch to have her experience recorded, many medieval texts list Ethelred the Ever-ready as the actual inventor.

Uses: Quite practical when used to keep track of a person or object, as the odor carries several miles.

Counter: The Novonidor Charm

"Yeah, but I doubt very much he'd ever use that on me," Severus scoffed as he finished reading the entry in Curses by Trinik. Nevertheless, he added it to the thick notebook he'd started nearly three months ago.

"Severus!" He looked up at the impatient tone of Lily's voice.

"What?" They were sitting in her backyard - despite the chilly January weather - he reading his book, she doing her best to interest him in something else.

"Tell me about Hogwarts," she asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Lily, I don't know much about it. It isn't like I can just walk up to my parents and ask them questions about it. Besides, we don't get to go for another-"

"Two years, seven months and twenty-nine days," she finished.

"You're counting down?" he asked, arching his eyebrow as he turned back to his book.

"Aren't you?"

"I have a good reason for wanting to escape my house," he said bluntly. "What reason could you have?"

"Petunia." Even though he wasn't looking at her, he could tell she was making a face. It was no secret that she and her sister did not get along, and Severus smiled distractedly as he began to read about the Jelly Legs Jinx. A hand appeared over the edge of his book, and pulled it into his lap. "Who's that?" she asked, pointing towards his house. A tall, thin man with short black hair and graying temples was making his way up the walk, paying no attention to the children in the yard next door.

"That's Uncle Sebastian," he said with interest. "I wonder why he's come back again?" His book was momentarily forgotten as he watched his uncle disappear around the corner of the house, to the unseen front door. "He must be home," he muttered forlornly when Sebastian did not immediately reappear.

"Stay for dinner, then," Lily prompted immediately.

"Thanks," Severus said with relief. He certainly didn't relish the thought of eating with both his parents and his seldom-seen uncle. Especially with the way his father had responded to his mother's questions the last time Sebastian had stopped by.

"How's Steven?" she asked tentatively. Severus whipped around to face her, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Fine," he said shortly. Steven had just been released from the basement the morning before, having broken a glass while clearing the table. Severus had attempted to point out to Silias that the glass could easily be fixed, but all he'd gotten for his trouble was a split lip and a black eye. Steven had received a week in the basement. If Lily had been trying to take Severus' mind off of his mission, she'd failed when she mentioned his brother and the ludicrous punishment he'd received. He turned back to his book with a newfound interest, and she sighed with frustration. A few moments later, she pulled the book down again. Before he had a chance to object, she'd pointed towards the back door of the house. Petunia had come outside, apparently looking for them.

"Dinner's ready," she announced, eyeing the book Severus was trying to hide with suspicion.

"We'll be in in a minute," Lily said agitatedly when Petunia remained by the door. She turned reluctantly, glancing over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her. As soon as she was out of sight, Severus stashed both his book and his notebook in the trunk of a hollowed tree, then got up and walked into the house. Lily came in a moment later, taking her seat next to him. His mouth watered as Rose set a bowl of vegetable soup in front of him, and he began to eat eagerly. Albert and Rose made small talk throughout the meal, though Lily remained unusually quiet. Until Petunia spoke up.

"How come you're always dirty and greasy-looking?" she demanded shrilly, her eyes focused on Severus. He chose to ignore her, not wanting to cause trouble with Rose and Albert. Lily, however, immediately rushed to his defense.

"How come you always look like you've got something up your nose?" she shot back.

"Lily! Petunia!" Rose's sharp tone silenced the girls, though they continued to glare at each other across the table. Severus quickly finished his soup, then excused himself before he managed to get Lily into more trouble. He bid the Evanses goodbye, then walked out the back door, and went directly to the tree where he'd stored his books. As he reached inside to retrieve them, his fist closed on air. His pulse racing, he thrust his head into the hole, but could not discern anything in the darkness. He cursed loudly as he bumped his head pulling it out, then began to search the yard frantically.

Where could they have gone? He had to return that book tonight, before Silias noticed it was missing. His mind raced, trying to come up with a solution. What if someone had taken it? But who? Petunia? She'd been following Lily and him around for ages, trying to stick her enormous nose into whatever they happened to be doing. And maybe she'd seen where he'd hidden them. Then he recalled that Petunia had already been seated at the dinner table when he came in, and she hadn't gotten up from the table once before he excused himself. But Lily - Lily had come in after him, and she'd been getting more and more upset at the amount of time he spent studying those books. Had she taken them after he'd gone inside?

He immediately felt guilty just for thinking it. Lily was his only friend - she'd defended him at dinner. Which left only one other possibility that he could think of. Had Silias been spying on him through the window of his own house? Had he come over while they were inside to see what he'd been up to? If so, he was probably waiting in the house now, going through Severus' notebook and planning on using every spell it contained on him when he returned. The thought turned his insides to ice, and he sank against the tree, unable to bring himself to walk home just yet.

Finally, the thought that the more he delayed, the more angry Silias was going to be brought him to his feet. He drew a shaky breath, then began to walk, his head held high in case his father was observing his every move. As he turned the corner, he stopped short at the sight that awaited him. Sebastian was sitting casually on the front steps, flipping idly through the missing books. He hadn't yet shown any sign that he knew Severus was in front of him, and the boy had a fleeting urge to make a run for it, not knowing how this stranger would react to his all-consuming interest. Before he had a chance to act, his uncle spoke.

"Ah, Severus, my boy. We need to have a little chat." Sebastian's eyes did not leave the notebook which was filled with his nephew's spiky scrawl, but the tone of his voice left no room for argument. Severus walked towards him hesitantly, eyeing the man with unconcealed suspicion. Sebastian did not speak for a moment as he turned the book of curses over thoughtfully to examine it. "Tell me how you came by this book," he demanded, his eyes snapping to his nephew's. Though his tone was commanding, his eyes were strangely unfathomable. They were not the cold black of his brother's and nephews', but the deep hazel of his mother's, and Severus had the eerie feeling that they were probing into his thoughts. The boy shook his head idly as he quickly formed his story.

"I asked Mum to buy it for me," he lied, his eyes flicking nervously from the book to his uncle's face.

"I see," Sebastian answered evenly. "Then tell me, boy - why did you feel the need to hide it? If you came by it honestly, there could be no harm in perusing it in front of others, could there?" Severus looked at him in confusion.

"But - it's a - a Dark Arts book," he stammered, unsure why that hadn't set his uncle on guard.

"I see. Is that the only reason?"

"Well, that and the Evanses are Muggles," he admitted quietly. His eyes immediately went to his uncle's face. Did he feel the same way towards non purebloods as his father? But Sebastian's eyes still gave no hint as to what he was feeling.

"I see. And yet, you did not attempt to hide it from your little friend," he observed.

"Oh, Lily's not a Muggle," he explained quickly. "She's a witch, and she's going to go to Hogwarts in a few years." Sebastian cocked his head slightly to one side.

"How does she know that she's a witch?" he inquired softly. Severus felt his heart plummet. Now he was going to have to admit that he'd told Lily about the magical world, and Sebastian was sure to tell Silias. This would earn him at least two weeks in the basement. He looked down at his hands, which he was holding in his lap. "You needn't be afraid," he said suddenly. "I'm not going to report this conversation to your father." Severus looked up at him in surprise.

"S-she told me some things that she'd made happen," he said slowly. "A long time ago, the day Steven was born. She asked me if I knew what they meant, and I told her. That's how she knows. But she hasn't told anyone else, not even her family," he finished quickly. "We pinky swore on it." Much to his astonishment, Sebastian chuckled.

"Ah, yes. The infamous pinky swear. An interminable pact." He looked off into the distance for a minute, then turned his attention back to the books, as if he'd forgotten they were there. "I'm going to ask you again how you came by this book."

"I-I told you," he said nervously. "Mum bought it for me." Sebastian sighed and shook his head.

"Very interesting," he mused, "especially since this book was given to your father for his fifteenth birthday, by our cousin Gideon. I remember it to this day, as it was a cause of great friction between the two of us." He turned again to his nephew. "What caused you to want this particular volume?" Severus stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say.

"I - I saw it in a bookshop, and thought it looked interesting." Sebastian fixed a steely gaze on the boy, causing him to shift restlessly.

"Severus," he said quietly, "even were I not a highly-skilled Legilimens, I would have no trouble in seeing through your lies." Severus looked again at his hands. Though he had no idea what a Legilimens was, he knew that he'd been caught. "There are many more spells written in this notebook than are found in this tome. Come, boy. The truth, now." Severus shook his head. How was his uncle going to react when he told him the reasons behind his search? Would he scoff and call him a liar? Would he be enraged and confront Silias? Or would he simply do nothing?

"I wanted to learn them all," he began quietly, his eyes not leaving his hands,"so that I can defend Steven and myself from him." There was no response from Sebastian, and after a moment, Severus looked up at him. His uncle was studying him thoughtfully, an odd gleam in his eye.

"Why do you feel the need to defend yourself?" he inquired softly. Severus felt a newfound sense of courage, and he stared into the man's eyes as he answered.

"Because right now, we're nearly helpless. Right now, nobody does anything to stop him. But he isn't going to push us around much longer."

"I see." Severus felt a rage growing inside of him. The simple statement that his uncle continued to make was infuriating him. 'I see'. But did he? Did he see what Severus and Steven went through on a daily basis? Did he see how their own mother stood idly by while their father hurled curses at them?

"You don't see anything." The boy didn't realize he'd spoken his thoughts aloud until his uncle responded to them.

"Yes, boy. I do see," he said quietly. "But do you realize that you named only yourself and your brother? Does your mother not deserve protection as well?" Severus' gaze turned as cold as his father's.

"She's never protected us," he muttered angrily.

"What is your opinion of your parents?" Sebastian asked suddenly.

"I hate him," the boy answered automatically.

"He's still your father, boy."

"Sharing the same blood doesn't mean he's earned that role," he spat bitterly.

"And your mother?" he inquired, his voice neutral. Severus paused a moment before he answered.

"She's nearly as bad," he decided. "She doesn't lift a finger to stop him, ever. She just sits there and lets him do it! For Merlin's sake, he's only three! And she tried to make excuses! She tried to tell me -" his voice cracked with emotion, and buried his face in his hands as he choked back a sob. He felt a strong but comforting hand on his back, and turned to his uncle in surprise.

"She's led a hard life, Rebekah has," he said quietly, his eyes focused on a spot in the distance.

"That's what she said about him," Severus responded coldly.

"I'm not excusing their behavior, by any means," Sebastian explained quickly. "However, things are not always so black and white, my boy. This is a difficult way to learn that fact, but once you understand that, it is a lesson you won't soon forget." He turned his gaze back to his nephew, his hazel eyes now soft with understanding. "Have you considered that all of these curses and counter-curses are useless without a wand?" Severus nodded.

"After I've gotten my Hogwarts letter, I'll have a wand. And then we'll see how useless I am."

"There's no reason to get defensive, boy. I was merely pointing out the obvious." He didn't speak again, and Severus finally had the courage to ask him the question that had been on his mind.

"Why are you here?" Sebastian's gaze turned piercing at the question.

"I wished to speak with your father," he responded shortly. "However, he is conveniently out. Again."

"Maybe he's at the Ministry," Severus offered. Sebastian shook his head.

"The first place I checked," he replied gruffly. "No, there's only one other place Silias could be. He has most likely gotten wind of my coming here, however, and will have left it by now."

"What did you want to talk to him about?"

"A family issue," Sebastian responded, his gaze returning again to the distance. "Merely a family issue, boy."

"My name is Severus, not boy," Severus suddenly said angrily. Sebastian chuckled yet again.

"So it is. And don't you ever let anyone forget that, Severus. How have you been coming by these books, then? Taking them from your father's study, I'd imagine?"

"Yes," Severus admitted. "But I put them back once I'm through." Sebastian looked at him thoughtfully, then handed the books back to him.

"I'll have to see about getting you your own copies, then, won't I?" As the boy looked up into his uncle's face, he knew he'd unwittingly acquired a new ally in his quest for knowledge.