Carnival Souvenir

"Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante,
Had a bad cold, nevertheless
Is known to be the wisest woman in Europe,
With a wicked pack of cards. . ."

"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot

"Are we almost there, Daddy?" Petunia's whiny voice echoed in Severus' ears.  He slowly opened his eyes and looked sideways.  Lily sat in between the two of them in the backseat of the Evans' blue Ford.  Petunia was scrunched as far away from the two of them as was physically possible, practically pressing herself against the door.  They were all on their way to a traveling carnival which had set up on the outskirts of town.

Severus frowned.  He had shut his eyes not only to ward off motion sickness, but also to block Petunia out of his field of vision.  Unfortunately he had not figured out how to stop up his ears to shut out her annoying voice.

"We'll be there in a few minutes, Petunia!  Stop complaining!  Such traffic--it looks like everyone in Cokeworth decided to go there tonight!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed.
 
Severus smirked at Petunia, who crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.  He turned to Lily who was clutching a fringed leather shoulder bag on her lap.  Her magical hippie bag, which was the nickname that she had given to it.  Her Gryffindor friends Dorcas Meadows and Marlene McKinnon had given it to her for her thirteenth birthday and she was seldom seen without it.  To Muggle eyes it was a simple pocketbook .  However Lily had been able to fit not only her wallet, keys and comb into it, but also several books, a spare change of clothes and a full length mirror.

"I always want to make sure that everything looks good, head to toe!" she had laughed when Severus had asked her about the mirror.

She didn't need a mirror, in his opinion.  At age thirteen she was blossoming into a true beauty.  The harsh awkwardness of puberty which had affected so many of their classmates had seemingly passed her by.  Her dark red hair was wavy and soft, her figure slender with gentle curves and her skin was smooth and clear.

Severus subconsciously scratched at a pimple on his chin.  He had not been as fortunate.  In the past year his skin had become spottier, his hair oilier and his frame taller and ganglier.  Common wisdom said that it was just a temporary phase, but common wisdom was usually bollocks.  He seemed to be perpetually stuck in this awkward stage, with no sign of change.

The car turned left and Lily leaned into Severus with the motion of the car.  Her arm and bare thigh pressed against him.  She was wearing denim cut-offs and a sleeveless top.  These were her traditional summer clothes, but Severus now had a new appreciation for seeing her wear them.  Certainly an improvement over those long black robes that they had to wear at school.

"Here we are!"  Mr. Evans turned the car into a parking lot which had been set up in a vacant meadow.  The children rolled down their windows and craned their necks out to take in the thousands of fairy lights which lit up rides, booths and tents.

"Your mother and I will meet you all here at nine.  Stay together and stay out of trouble!" Mr. Evans said.  He was speaking to all of the children, but looking at Severus.

Severus stared back bleakly.  He had always gotten along with Mr. Evans, but lately his attitude towards Severus had changed.  He  now insisted that Lily keep the door to her room open whenever Severus came to the house and sometimes seemed less than pleased to see him when he came to visit.

"Why doesn't your father like me anymore?" he had asked Lily.

"Oh, he likes you, Sev--why would you say such a thing?" Lily had said.  He had let the topic die.  He already had to contend with Lily's sister and did not want to have another family member hostile towards him.

"Let's go, Sev!"  Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the entrance.  "I want to go on the big wheel, and the helter skelter and try some of those games of chance!"

"One thing at a time, Lily!" One thing at a time indeed.  The meager change that he had managed to scrape together clinked in his pocket.  He would have to be very selective about the amusements.   There was no way that he would let Lily pay for him.

"Tunie, where are you going?" Lily called after her sister.  "Mum and Dad told us to all stay together!"

"If you think that I'm going to ruin my evening by hanging out with you and him, you can think again," Petunia retorted.  "If you tell Mum and Dad I'll tell them that I caught you using magic!  I know that you aren't supposed to be using it over the summer!"

"Magic?  When?" Lily demanded.

"That bag," Petunia said as she pointed to the fringed shoulder bag.  "I saw you stuffing half the contents of your room into it the other night!"

"That doesn't count, stupid!  They just don't want us using our wands and performing spells," Severus said coldly.

"That's what you say--liar!" Petunia hollered.  She turned away and stomped off in the direction of the big wheel.

"Is using this bag against regulations?" Lily asked uncertainly.

"No, just as long as you don't let any Muggles see you stuffing a bicycle into it."  Severus knew that the forbidden use of magic over the summer extended beyond the use of wands and incantations, but figured that the magical authorities had better things to do than chase down a student with a magical bag.

"Look, Sev, a carousel!  Let's go!"

"That's a ride for little kids, Lily!"

"I know, but I love it!  Oh look, this one doesn't have plain old horses!  The animals are unicorns and dragons and gryphons!"

"You go ahead, Lily.  That ride makes me dizzy."  It was not a lie.  The circular motion of the carousel did make him nauseous.  He would not have to make up a pretense in order to save his money.

Severus watched in pleasure as Lily went round and round, waving to him from a green scaled dragon as her red hair flew out behind her.  She bounded to him after the ride was over and grabbed his hand.

"Let's find something that we both can go on!  Something that won't make you dizzy!"  They  passed on several rides until they came to the helter skelter.

"Seriously Lily?"

"Oh, come on, Severus!  It will be fun!"  Severus paid for both of them and clambered up the ladder behind a line of laughing, shouting children.
 
"We're probably the biggest people going down this thing," he complained.  Lily squeezed his hand and smiled.

"I'll go down first,  Sev.  If it makes you feel better you can hold onto me."

"I'll be alright..." he was about to protest, but held his tongue.  Lily sat down at the top and settled her  bag on her lap.  She motioned for Severus to get behind her.  He sat down behind her and straddled his legs alongside hers so that she was sitting in his lap.  He put his arms around her and she leaned back into his chest.  He inhaled a clean floral scent.  Was that her perfume or her shampoo?

They plunged down the slide, racing round and round and...then it was over in a matter of seconds.  Severus leapt to his feet and glared angrily at the helter skelter.

"That's it?"  He couldn't believe that he had spent half of his precious money on a three second kiddie ride.

"Wasn't it wonderful, Sev?  I felt like I was seven years old!"

He remembered the feeling of her pressed up against him and the scent of her hair as they slid down.

"Yeah, it was fun," he grinned.  "Come on, I'll buy you a lemonade."

They wandered about, staring at the rides, stands and people as they ate giant cones of fairy floss (Severus' treat again).  They stopped at a large stand with several  enormous animals hanging from the rafters.  A table with several bottles stood in the center.  A squat, hirsute man seated on a stool nodded  at them.  A small dark child stood next to him, her hands clutching small plastic hoops.  Both the man and girl had sleek black hair and gold earrings.

"Try your luck, son?  I'm sure this pretty lady would love a souvenir!"

Severus frowned as he fingered the last coins in his pocket.  He was no fool--the odds of these games were always stacked against the participant.  He looked over at Lily.  Tonight had been wonderful and he wanted her to have something to remember it--and him.  He stared at an overlarge panda that was almost as big as she was.

"I'll give it a try." He paid the man and took the hoops from the little girl.
 
Severus surveyed the table, aimed and tossed the ring.  It clattered against the neck of a bottle, but tilted off and fell.  He frowned and tried again.  Same thing.
 
Severus stared at the bottles and then at the ring in his hand.  His keen eyes perceived that the bottles were placed too closely together  and the rings were too large.  Even if his aim was correct the large ring would bounce up against a bottle close to his target, making the goal impossible.
 
Severus glared at the man who had lit a cigar and was lazily puffing away as he watched.  He knew that fleecing the public at these games of chance was where the carnival made most of its profit, but he was not about to contribute.  He stared at the bottles, steadily, specifically the one in the middle and the surrounding ones as he clutched the ring.

"Only one ring left, son!"

Severus pulled his arm back, aimed and threw.

"Clink!"  The ring landed squarely around the green bottle in the center of the table.

"Oi!  Look Daddy--he won the big panda!"  The small dark girl jumped up and down.  The cigar dropped from her father's mouth as he gaped in disbelief.

"It's impossible--he couldn't have," he thought as he made his way over to the table.  The ring was around the tall green bottle which he had placed in the center of the table.  The other surrounding bottles, which he had carefully arranged around it, now stood a good distance away from it.

"What the 'ell!" he sputtered as he wheeled around to face the skinny, spotty teenager.  His daughter had already unhooked the panda from the rafters and was handing it to the redhead.  The boy looked up at him, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"I guess it's my lucky night!"

"Piss off!" the man spat at him.  "Get lost--you're bad for business!"

They laughed as they ran away from the stand, past a series of colored tents.  Lily stopped before one that was decorated with stars and planets.

"Madame Sosotris, fortune teller.  Palmistry, tarot, crystal ball.  Oh, Sev, let's have our fortunes read!"

"Come on, Lily, that stuff is a bunch of crap.  Remember what Professor Sinistra said about it?"  Severus was out of money and even if he had it, he would not have spent it on false Muggle magic.

"I know, Sev, but it might be fun for a laugh!  I'm going to give it a try!"  Lily ducked into the tent.  Severus sighed and followed.

The dim interior was lit by glowing lanterns.  The air was close and smelled of incense.  A short, fat woman garbed in colorful silks sat behind a table draped with a dark velvet cloth.  She smiled at them, showing several gold teeth.

"Good evening to you!  Would you like to hear what your future holds?"

"Yes, please!" Lily handed the panda to Severus and paid her fee.  "I'd like all three please--crystal ball, cards and palm!"

"A wise choice, dearie,"  Madame Sosotris nodded.  Severus snorted and rolled his eyes.

Madam Sosotris rubbed her hands over the crystal ball that was on the table.

"I see a young man in your future.  Thin and dark haired.  He will be a  brave champion who will do great things.  He will cherish you and love you above all things, more than life itself."  Madame Sosotris continued to stare into the crystal ball.  She frowned and pulled out a deck of tarot cards.

"The ball is getting hazy.  Let's see what the cards have to say about you."  She shuffled the deck and placed the deck in front of Lily.

"Ask the cards a question and  cut them," she instructed Lily.

"What will the next years at school be like?" Lily asked as she cut the deck.  Madame Sosotris spread out four cards in a diamond pattern.

"The Lovers," she pointed to the top card.  "This card may indicate love, but also choice.  You will have a choice, possibly of a romantic nature, before you complete your formal studies.  The next card is Ace of Cups.  Your emotions and passions have been aroused, but you have not yet found a suitable vessel for the same.  The third card is Page of Pentacles.  A good sign--you are a happy and healthy young woman.  Last we have Seven of Wands.  You may find yourself at odds with others around you.  Remember to stand your ground and don't desert those beliefs which you hold true!"

"Oh please!" Severus interjected.  "You don't need a deck of cards to tell her that!  Let's go, Lily!"

"In a moment," Madame Sosotris said in a chilly voice.  "Your friend has paid for three services and she needs to have her palm read."

Madame Sosotris studied Lily's white palm carefully under the candlelight.  She traced the lines with her fingers .  She was silent for more than one minute.  Finally she spoke in a clear, crisp voice.

"A very interesting palm.  You are beautiful inside as well as outside.  Your heart is large and people love to be around you--your love and kindness are radiant.  These are your biggest strengths.  Your love is especially powerful.  You will have one child and a very happy marriage."

"Just one child?" Lily cried in disappointment.

"Let's go, Lily!" Severus said  impatiently.  "I told you that this was a waste of time!  Anyone could have said what she just said--she hasn't told you anything!"

"Thank you," Lily told the fortune teller.  "That was interesting."  She followed Severus out of the tent.

---

Madame Sosotris  watched as the two young teens exited the tent.
 
"It isn't what I say that is impressive, boy," she said coldly after they had left.  "It is what I choose not to say."

She had spotted them as magical the moment that they had entered her tent.  Their auras were strong and crackling--the boy's more so than the girl's.  She would have loved to have read his palm and was ready to offer to do so for free, but his hostility had been off-putting.
 
The futures of children were usually hard to read, but this girl's had come through clearly.  That greasy, spotty boy was wasting his time if he thought that she had any romantic inclinations towards him.  The crystal ball had shown another thin, dark haired boy, but he wore glasses and was good looking.   She had seen fleeting, loving visions of this brave champion with the redheaded girl, including a wedding scene, but then a green flash had obliterated the images.

It was the cards and the girl's palm that had disturbed her.  The cards could be read more than one way and she saw grief and strife ahead.  She had hoped that the girl's palm would clear any doubt of a bleak future, but it had been more troublesome.  A true love that would end in tragedy.  The life line was alarmingly short and was crossed at various crucial points which were indicative of a violent death.  It wasn't clear how she would die, but the lines indicated that she would have one child who would be orphaned.

Madame Sosotris counted the evening's profits into a cigar box and doused the lamps in her tent. People saw her talent as a gift, but there were times when she wished that she had not been gifted with the sight.  Poor girl.  She had a little one herself and her heart hurt thinking about what lay ahead for the pretty redheaded girl.

"Well, at least they can have a happy evening not worrying about a troubled future," she sighed as she made her way back to her van.  Maybe her husband and daughter had a better evening at the game of chance booth.

---

"You're late," Mr. Evans glanced at his watch as Severus and Lily raced towards the car. He looked at Severus.   "It's 9:15."

"Sorry, Daddy!  Look what Severus won for me--isn't it wonderful?" Lily hefted the large panda upwards.

"Let's see if it fits into the car."  The three children piled into the back seat with Lily and the panda in the middle.

"That stupid bear is crowding me!" Petunia complained.

"Aw, quit your whining!  You're just sore because you didn't win anything!" Severus retorted.

"That's enough you two!"  Mrs. Evans said sharply.  "No fighting!"

The car rolled on towards the city.  Lily yawned and rested her head on Severus' shoulder, clutching the giant stuffed panda on her lap.  Severus wanted to put his arm around her but he saw Mr. Evans glancing at him in the rearview mirror.  Instead he closed his eyes and leaned back into the seat, enjoying the warm summer breeze blowing onto his face from the open windows.

He thought about the words of the fortune teller.  She had seen a thin, dark haired man in Lily's future who loved her more than life itself.  Were his feelings that obvious?  The man would be brave and do great things.  That was standard fortune teller crap, but there was again truth in those words.  Severus was certain that he was already on his path to greatness.  He excelled in his studies and his magical talent had not gone unnoticed by either the teachers or the other students.  Lucius Malfoy, the prefect who had been his mentor since First Year had sent him an owl inviting him to join a select group of students who belonged to a secret club.  The first meeting would be in September after classes had resumed.

There had been a child in the future as well.  Just one?  Well, that was all right.  He hated children, but he could tolerate one, especially if Lily was the mother.  A girl would be nice.  She would be redheaded like Lily.  Or maybe she would be black haired like him.  Lily Eileen.

The large bear bumped up against him.  Lily's souvenir of their evening together.  He wouldn't need a large plush animal to remind him.  His souvenir was already permanently fixed in his memory.