Chapter 03

So far so good, Eleanor noticed that Petunia's practical skills were suddenly "activated", it was amazing what the body could remember, if she followed a recipe in a book carefully she could make something edible, and with practice, she would make those skills her own.

The Evanses had gone to spend the weekend with friends at a vineyard, courtesy of those who had won a competition and invited them. Lily was with a Hogwarts classmate and would return in the afternoon, so Eleanor was alone in the house.

She poured herself a large glass of yogurt with cornflakes in a bowl, she liked the crunchiness of the cornflakes so she ate them separately from the yogurt.

- "Ugh, it's so quiet," - She sighed, settling everything in front of the television.

She flipped through the channels, watching a few programs at times, and when she finished her yogurt and cereal, she turned off the TV in boredom. She went to the kitchen to wash up and put things away as if nothing had happened.

"Maybe I should find something to do or a pet to entertain me. I wonder if there are any activity workshops nearby, I could try to make friends, Petunia's friends are too envious for my taste," She thought as he looked for the newspaper in case there was something published.

After a while of looking through magazines and newspapers, partly to keep herself informed about the general situation in the world, she made a list of things to do, including traveling.

Eleanor thought that this was an opportunity to do things she wouldn't normally do due to embarrassment, shyness, or lack of resources, so in addition to including the classic cultural spots to visit, she thought of trying to go to "fashionable" night spots, never for lack of interest as she preferred to sleep in or watch one movie after another surrounded by cushions, tissues, popcorn, drinks, and mint or eucalyptus gummies. However, she said to herself that it was time to explore the world, even if that was not her nature.

So, she went to take a bath to get ready to go out to eat, she would go out to see some street art, maybe dancers or a musician playing for money.

She went to the bathroom, leaving all his clothes on the bed. Under the shower, she started humming a tune and without realizing it she let herself go, singing as she finished her bath, continued as she dried off and wrapped herself in the towel.

She noticed that her clothes were missing, but being alone she didn't mind going out to her bedroom.

.

James went to pick Lily up from a classmate's house, a friend of the witch from sharing a dormitory in Gryffindor Tower for seven years.

- "Sirius is waiting for us with Remus, there's something I want you to see, we managed to learn the missing charms."

- "What about Peter? How is his mum? He's been looking very nervous lately," - Asked Lily.

- "Needless to say, I offered to help with his mother's medical expenses. I got the impression that this might be one of the reasons for his discomfort, but he refused and I think he was offended, why would that be?"

- "You know him better than I do, you'll find out why. Anyway, Peter still hasn't been admitted to any of the positions he applied for, so that must have made him uneasy too," - Said Lily, clinging to her boyfriend's arm.

- "Too bad, but his grades didn't turn out too well, if he'd had a better average he would have been considered for the Ministry."

The couple appeared at the weekend house in Godric's Valley, where Remus and Sirius were waiting for them to go to Lily's house where they were going to set up protective barriers, using the disillusionment charm to perform what they had been practicing, i.e. the Ministry approved ones for Muggle sites.

The group appeared a few yards away from the house, in a safe place that the witch established as ideal for not being seen by any neighbors.

As they entered the house, those with better hearing heard someone singing.

- "Go into the sitting room, I'll go and see if my sister is in the house," - Said Lily before leaving them.

- "Prongs if that Muggle's trouble..." - Sirius muttered.

- "Shh, Lily can hear you. Patience, we'll see," - Replied James.

The three wizards looked around the room, family photos were visible in a geometric order.

The witch returned shortly, commenting that her sister was busy and didn't want to interrupt her.

- "Oh Remus, I forgot to bring the book you asked for. I'll look for it, but

What level was it that you needed?"

- "Hum, I don't know which one I'm looking for," - Answered the lycanthropic wizard.

- "Then let's all go to my room and help me select which books to keep and which to sell," - Suggested the red-haired witch.

Eleanor was distracted when she was frozen by the sight of three men in the corridor staring at her and her 'sister' watching with an innocent expression.

She ran to her room holding her towel tightly against her breasts, the towel covered a little more than halfway up her thigh, her face was red and at the same time indignant at her bitch of a sister, how does she take men upstairs? She cared little if she brought her boyfriend or friends to her room, but Lily must have known she was taking a bath, she couldn't help but think at the time that she did it on purpose, Vendetta perhaps?

She got dressed, refusing to be embarrassed, but little by little her embarrassment subsided, because she thought that Lily had no way of knowing that she had forgotten her change of clothes and would go out like that. It was also her mistake not to confirm that she was still alone in the house.

In Lily's dormitory, they were a little uncomfortable with what had happened. The witch looked at them with a clear warning on her face, and the wizards looked around, hiding their reactions.

- "Your sister has a nice tattoo, I didn't think she'd get one herself," - Sirius commented.

- "Did you see her?" - Lily replied angrily. - "You all must have closed your eyes."

- "It was unavoidable Lily, the sight of that hummingbird on one of her breasts was... "

- "Shut up Remus! Listen carefully, you've never seen my sister half naked, you understand. You are never going to talk about this. Never! Is that clear?!"

The wizards nodded and the witch set to work on the task that took them to her room.

- "I didn't expect her to have a good body," - Sirius muttered cheekily to his friend, James bit back and gestured that now was not the time. Remus overheard him and spoke to Lily to avoid trouble, focusing her attention on the school books she could sell.

The magical group went downstairs intending to leave, Eleanor was impassive for the first few minutes holding her coffee cup, but then she was slightly annoyed with them.

- "Have a nice day. You know the way out," - She said in a bored tone.

- "I wanted to," - James began, rectifying himself, - "We wanted to apologize for the incident earlier.

- "Hum, then look at my face and not my legs. I've got two like everyone else," - Eleanor replied.

The group looked at her in shock but didn't take it badly.

- "Forget it, it can happen, no harm done. Anyway, Lily, I'm going out for a bit, do you want anything from Coven Garden?"

- "Nothing, thanks. If you want I can come with you or are you going on a date?"

- "It's not a date, I'm just going for a walk, you're welcome to join me," - Eleanor replied before taking her last sip of coffee.

Unlike other people, coffee relaxed her and even made her sleepy at times.

.

Eleanor overheard "her parents" chatting about her, she knew that Petunia hit her head when she "fainted" at the news of her sister's marriage, she had no memory of such a thing. The couple also chatted about how happy they were about their daughter Petunia's positive changes, but also how confused they were about it. In addition, the Evanses were worried about their eldest daughter's future, as she seemed to be heading nowhere, canceled her engagement, and seemed unaffected by it, showing no prospects for employment or study.

She felt somewhat guilty, she reconsidered moving out, Eleanor had always been a "lone wolf" and perhaps this way of being would affect the Evans family, she could be sociable at times but generally liked to have her own space.

As the days went on, Lily stayed at the family home and forged a cordial relationship with her sister, becoming quasi-friends. James and the wizard's friends began to see more of each other at the Cokeworth house.

Eleanor liked the Evans' well-kept cottage, it was a large house surrounded by a garden and an adjoining courtyard, they were in the "nice" part of Cokeworth, and she was curious enough to go to Spinner Street, and actually, that part left a lot to be desired, it was a sad place.

She didn't know where exactly Severus Snape lived, she didn't remember a clue from the saga to orient herself, and on the other hand, she didn't know if that was the best thing to do, "curiosity killed the cat" and Snape had a dislike for Petunia.

She had been observing "Lily's world", she allowed her to read her books on magic and told anecdotes about Hogwarts, she also tried to explain the use of spells and incantations, and she was surprised that her sister had no difficulty performing them well almost immediately with a borrowed wand, this generated a trace of jealousy from the redhead, then "Petunia" appreciated her interest, but she preferred to go at her own pace and consult her when she was stumped on a subject.

Eleanor got to see J. K. Rowling's characters up close, and it was strange because they were real people who resembled her imagination. She felt the fear of Mortician danger when in the neighboring town there was an attack on a family with a wizard born among them.

She remembered that Lily's parents were possibly dead in 1981, otherwise, Harry Potter would have been with them and not the Dursleys, what she didn't know was whether or not they died from a mortician attack, she was honestly confused on that point. Anyway, she decided to encourage her parents to incorporate more magical security into the house and not just the classic "muggle" alarm.

Her plans to move were delayed until she had prepared all the requirements and applied to the University of St Andrews to study psychology, which she had planned to study in her "previous life" but needed more funding, so she was taking 1 or 2 subjects per term in a leisurely fashion.

Once she entered the University she would move into accommodation or a place close to the University, checking her budget she could buy a 2-room flat or cottage without affecting her reserve, as the compensation she received for her surprise transmigration was much more than she had imagined.

.

Lily was the classic heroine, brave, determined, stubborn, and attached to her sense of justice.

Eleanor found her irritating at times; beyond her "qualities", which she could admire as the case may be, Lily considered herself better than everyone else, not only intellectually but also morally, and she was also proud of her magical prowess. She noticed that the redhead wasn't happy that her sister had "a bit of magic" because it detracted from her position in the Evans family, she was so proud to be praised and admired for being the only one with magic, that she felt slightly threatened by her older sister. But she was content to say whenever she could, that soon she would be "Lily Potter", she would belong to one of the oldest pureblood families in Britain, such was her pride that Eleanor had the impression that Lily was competing to see who was the best of the two.

The blonde slipped into the magical sector on her own, she planned to buy some knick-knacks, what they call retail therapy, something she saw rich people do on TV shows. She was bored, she pretended to win a game of chance to justify her money, as she never asked her parents for a pound for everything she bought for the household, and this raised doubts in the marriage, so they didn't bother to mention jobs at least for a while.

Taking a general look around she thought of perhaps looking for gifts for the upcoming holidays, some watch, book, clothing, or curiosity that would not arouse suspicion in non-magical visitors to the house.

She lingered for a while in the apothecary's shop, despite the smell she was curious about the strange ingredients and even pitied the embalmed specimens.

"Maybe I should try brewing potions, it might be fun," Eleanor thought but dismissed the idea in light of the lack of space to make them, Lily never made potions in the house as far as she knew and she wasn't about to break that rule.

Distractedly she bumped into a person on her way out of the apothecary's, dropping a parcel.

- "Apologies, I'll fix it right away."

Eleanor moved her hand to regroup the herbs and return the cleaned roots to their packaging.

- "Ready. Are you all right?" - Asked the blonde to a stunned boy, whose face was half-covered by his dark hair that fell straight like hers.

Eleanor blushed, thinking she had flirted with the other, and gave a gentle smile. She said a quick goodbye and walked away, not wanting to provoke any more nerves in the boy who must be shy.

As the young wizard followed her with his eyes, but not for what she thought.

Severus Snape had some last-minute shopping to do, he went to the apothecary to get some ingredients he had forgotten, then someone pushed him, causing him to drop his purchase before securing it in his clothes. He was about to insult the assailant when he saw a familiar person using magic without paying attention to him, his surprise was that such a person should not be able to do magic, let alone without a wand or verbalizing their intent.

Severus had known Petunia Evans since he was nine years old, perhaps earlier due to spying on the Evans sisters in the park, he was close friends with her sister, Lily was not only his best friend but also his first love. It had been years since he had seen Petunia, the last he had heard of her was through Lily before they drifted apart in their fifth year of school, as far as he knew Lily's older sister was a muggle, meaning someone without magic, but the one who had just crossed paths with him used magic perfectly and seemed not to know him, she even blushed something completely impossible.

When he reacted to the surprise he decided to follow her, he had to know if she was Petunia or a witch physically the same, so he used the stealth he had recently learned and was perfecting. The woman went to the sweet shop, she looked outside and seemed not to want to enter because of the number of people inside, from there she went to the second-hand shop where she looked for who knows what, raising common objects in her hands and observing them as if she didn't know them. So he went from shop to shop following the witch, still intrigued by her identity. He needed to concentrate and be closer to try Legilimency, however, the movement of people distracted him and made it difficult to concentrate.

Legilimency is easy when the recipient of the spell is close, off guard, relaxed or vulnerable. Eye contact is essential, so it is useful to verbally manipulate the opponent until you meet their eyes, with the advantage that the target's emotional state can bring relevant memories to the surface.

- "What is she doing?" - He muttered as he saw her enter Knockturn Alley.

He quickened his pace and went to stop her.

Eleanor was surprised to be intercepted by the same wizard she had stumbled upon earlier.

- "You shouldn't go into this area, it's dangerous."

- "I know, thanks for the warning, I just wanted to look at the bookshop next to the antique shop, I wasn't planning to go any further."

- "It's dangerous all the same," - Severus assured her.

Eleanor nodded apologetically, perhaps she had underestimated the danger. She considered that perhaps the dangerous people would appear later in the evening: vampires, necromancers, etc. After seeing the wizard's expression she felt absurd for thinking naively.

- "Are you interested in the dark arts?"

- "It's not my hobby but I wanted to know more about it. Beyond the lurid parts of the subject, there are curious things that were labeled as obscure and maybe they are not. That's why I wanted to see if they had any encyclopedias, I have no intention of learning about the subject practically but more in an academic sense," - Explained Eleanor, tossing her hair to one side.

- "Flourish and Blotts have books on the Dark Arts that are less offensive," - Severus replied as he led her away from the area near Knockturn Alley.

- "Defence Against the Dark Arts, and they're not that informative, there are gaps in the information."

- "Why would it matter?"

- "Morbid curiosity. They warn so much about the darkness that I wonder how bad it is."

- "Then you're an idiot," - Severus said in reply with a frown.

Eleanor gasped because he wasn't so wrong, she would think the same thing if it were anyone else. - "What's your name?"

- "What's yours?"

- "I asked first," - She said.

- "Prince," - Severus answered, giving his mother's surname.

- "Prince?" - She repeated, her face reflecting recognition. - "Severus Snape? Is that you? Well, I didn't expect to run into you, I'm Lily's sister."

- "I know, I recognized you when I saw you, but I'm curious as to why you're a witch."

- "Hey, I don't think I was being rude to you. Oh! I'm sorry, you mean my magic, well, you see, it's kind of hard to explain. Let's just leave it at that. What are you doing these days?"

- "Your behavior is extremely strange. You were supposed to hate me, what kind of reaction is that? Answer bluntly," - Severus demanded, using legilimency in passing, but he was met with routine images of the Evans family, nothing like the image Lily had described for years.

- "We're not close enough for you to demand anything of me. Still, out of politeness, I'll say it was a bit sudden, even my sister was surprised not to mention my parents' reaction, but it's not something we should broadcast to the four winds, it would be embarrassing to go to Hogwarts at the wrong time. I'm happy with my performance, I don't intend to fight or have a profession in this part of society, I'm going to pursue a career on the Muggle side and sympathize with this part of the world."

Severus stared at her for a few seconds, not detecting sarcasm, animosity, or the past Petunia's characteristic contempt.

- "You have changed," - He said without emotion.

- "I'm human, that's why I'm complex," - Eleanor replied with a half-smile.

.

Lily's wedding was very lively, impressive in a way for someone not used to "rubbing shoulders" with the "crème de la crème" of magical society, for the Potter family was well connected and was one of the important families for its extensive lineage of Aurors and masters of various disciplines, potions among them, formulas that to this day continued to be used with no sign of being surpassed.

The wedding took place in the evening on the grounds of Potter Manor.

Eleanor dressed up and wore a dress that showed off the curves she had acquired through her daily exercise, in fact, she simply brought out the shape of her body, not voluptuous but not "a noodle" either. She had climbed to a healthier weight and didn't martyr herself by looking at the scales, even if she put on a little weight she was happy.

Among the guests were Hogwarts professors, including Headmaster Dumbledore, for Eleanor, it was like being at a Potterhead event, but without the classic merchandising and with an attractive buffet, the atmosphere, and the perceived energy were exciting, she was enjoying the whole dynamic.

The leading lady was glowing, the groom was demonstrating immense and infectious joy. During the ceremony, Eleanor discovered Severus hiding in a corner, with an expression of deep sadness and disappointment.

She then congratulated the newlyweds and almost ran to Severus when she found him again when she looked among the guests, he was standing with a grey cloud around him and a bottle of alcohol in one hand.

- "She got married. She married that smug, boastful, boorish, conceited wretch," - Severus cursed James.

- "Relax Severus, you knew this was going to happen. What are you doing here?"

- "The idiot sent me an invitation to his wedding," - Replied the wizard, showing one of the invitations that the bride and groom had sent to their guests.

Eleanor shook her head in disbelief at her now brother-in-law's cynicism, but it could just as easily have been her sister's or Sirius's mistake. The point was that someone wanted to wallow in the pain of a broken heart.

Eleanor knew that Severus didn't like Petunia but he had a strong curiosity for Eleanor, who he believed was the mature version of Petunia, and he was trying to use her to get close to Lily again.

When James Potter turned him upside down in the air, showing everyone presents his underwear, after presenting the theoretical Defence Against the Dark Arts T.I.M.O., Lily Evans came to his defense, but Severus was so embarrassed and angry that he took it out on her, there were multiple times when he complained about the marauders to his friend, and she always minimized the matter. Defining the harassment and attacks of that group as the banter was intolerable, so in a fit of pique, he called her a MudBlood, a derogatory term used for Muggle-borns. This was the end of a friendship of years, and as much as Severus apologized to her, Lily hardened her heart and did not forgive him, in fact, she harbored resentment. Despite this Severus held out a slim hope of reconciliation, he also believed that at some point Lily would react and break away from James Potter's bully.

During his sixth year at Hogwarts, Sirius Black took him to the Shrieking House one full moon night, only to be bitten by the lycanthrope Remus Lupin, but at the last moment, James Potter saved his life. This debt was a thorn in Severus' pride, such a debt of life could be collected by James at any moment, and as he watched the ceremony he couldn't help but think that Lily was the price. That invitation was to finish ripping out his heart and watch a part of his life die with Lily's "I do" to Potter.

- "You want to get drunk here to ruin the party? You're only going to make a fool of yourself."

- "I'm not drunk, at least not yet. I'm leaving, I won't give them the pleasure of seeing me like this."

Severus was sullenly refusing Eleanor's help, which drew him away from the spotlight. Mrs. Evans gestured to her daughter as if asking for an explanation, but then acknowledged Severus and indicated to "Petunia" that she would take care of the problem.

"I'll explain, go with him," She said voicelessly to her daughter, it was fortunate that her mimicry was understandable.

Eleanor was torn between taking Severus inside the house or taking him somewhere else to calm down. Whatever she did, she knew that the wizard was metaphorically one step away from falling into a depressive pit.

Unexpectedly, Severus used the apparition to get to his house and dragged Eleanor with him.

- "You fool! We could have died!" - She screamed in agony as she sat on the floor after she fell and her heart "started beating again" after the shock.

Severus didn't answer, he took some glasses from a piece of furniture and went to a sofa where he plopped down, poured the glasses with Whisky, and offered one to the woman.

Eleanor stood up, moved towards him, and hesitated to accept, but received it anyway, sat down next to the wizard, and watched him pour himself his second glass of whisky. She sniffed the contents and took a sip, winced at the strength of it and warmth flooded her body.

- "No thanks, that'll do," - Eleanor said, shaking her head when Severus brought the bottle to her glass.

- "I don't want to drink alone," - He insisted, filling the glass that still had whisky in it.

She left it at the end, even though she wasn't going to drink it.

Severus sighed and unburdened himself of his lovesickness, ranting at the marauders, reminiscing about when they were at school, recounting some of the abuses they committed against him, unmercifully spewing venom at James Potter. He smashed a glass on the floor, an unplanned act that surprised them both. He mourned for Lily, remembering their good times too, the time when they were children and how her best friend captured his heart.

- "What else could I expect? It was obvious she would prefer him, that smug man has money, status, and popularity. What do I have? I can't offer anything but my love, my life... Lily despises me, I'm disgusting to her, she would never notice me, she despises my friends, she despises my ideas. She threatened to get me to leave my friends... I'm going to prove to her that I'm better than Potter, I'm going to get power, I'm going to be someone important. You'll see!"

Severus, already drunk, was talking, even losing the thread of what he was saying at the end.

Eleanor listened to him with a blank mind, she took big sips of whisky, she did it to be able to endure the wizard's diatribe, she understood that the best thing to do was to let him get all that bitterness out.

- "You're not ugly, you're exotic," - Eleanor said dizzily, - "You have beautiful intense eyes."

- "And a hooked nose" - Interrupted Severus drunkenly - "Greasy hair, pale skin, uneven teeth, and I'm skinny, I don't have the athletic look"

- "Oh, come on! Your nose is aquiline and gives you personality, you can sunbathe and eat healthier. Your teeth aren't so crooked, wear braces and it'll work out. Your hair is solved with a good shampoo and conditioner. And in that case, if you're not happy with the way you look, go to the gym, change your look, or use magic for cosmetic purposes. I'm sure one of those beauty witches will help you with a makeover, in Diagon Alley there's one or 2 or 3 or 4..." - What was she talking about?

- "You're drunk," - Severus said.

- "I'm surprised at your wit. You're worse."

- "You sleep on the sofa, I'm going to my room," - Said the wizard.

- "How ungentlemanly, you should offer me to sleep in your bed."

- "Are you so desperate that you want to sleep with me?"

- "What? - She said, confused by the change of subject.

Severus approached her, standing almost on top of her. - "You know, you look a bit like Lily."

- "Is it because we're sisters? But of course, I'm prettier."

- "Pfff, with that horse face and giraffe neck."

- "Didn't I look like Lily? I have a beautiful long face and a delicate swan's neck, my hair is golden and I have porcelain skin. And I have a charming personality."

- "Keep dreaming," - Replied the wizard.

- "You're invading my personal space."

Severus smiled and didn't move. - "Are you nervous?"

- "Why should I be?" - She answered defiantly, raising her face.

Then he kissed her awkwardly, she was slow to react but accepted it. - "Lily, my Lily, always so brave," - Severus muttered.

- "Romeo, Romeo, always so stupid," - She replied sarcastically before swooning drunkenly, with the passing thought that she shouldn't have accepted the redhead's perfume, but it was a nice scent and she liked that perfume, not because Lily would wear it but because she really liked it.