Gifts

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The next day's meeting went much more smoothly than Callan had expected.

When the four of them returned to the little patch of woodland, there was no repeat of the previous day's pointless arguing. Under Lily's repeated glares, Snape gave up on mocking Petunia's ignorant questions. And after Petunia saw the smock-like blouse under Snape's coat, she merely snorted and said nothing more.

"The coat will be easier to alter," Callan said. "We only need to cut off the parts that are too long, especially the hem and the sleeves. The extra cloth can be reworked into something simple. Lily, Petunia, you can handle that. Snape can help too. I will focus on turning this shirt into something wearable."

Needles and thread lay scattered across the green grass. Callan handed out the tools, then beckoned to the uncomfortable-looking Snape.

"Off with it."

Snape frowned. He glanced at Lily, hesitated, and forced himself to say, "The shirt is fine."

Callan's mouth curved slightly. He understood exactly what Snape was thinking.

He smiled at Lily and Petunia. "It seems our young gentleman is shy. Ladies, would you mind turning around for a moment so he has time to change?"

Lily laughed too. Petunia gave Snape a disdainful look, but both girls walked a little farther away and turned their backs.

Snape's face flushed scarlet. He slowly stepped in front of Callan, took off the smock-like blouse, and exposed his thin body. Then he immediately pulled on the coat Callan handed him and buttoned it tight.

The coat fit much better than before. Callan had folded and stitched the cut edges neatly, leaving it only a little loose.

But before Callan could call the sisters back, Snape suddenly lowered his voice and demanded, "I asked my mum yesterday. She doesn't know any wizarding family called Ashworth in Spinner's End. Who are you?"

"Oh?"

Callan raised his brows. Snape's perceptiveness made Callan see him in a new light.

He smiled and shook his head. "I live at Anthony House."

Snape froze. Then, for the first time, he said, "Sorry."

"It is fine."

Callan forgave him with a smile and called to the girls, "Ladies, you may come back."

Petunia turned around impatiently. "Do wizards usually take that long to change clothes? Very impressive."

"Petunia."

Lily tugged at her sister's sleeve, then quickly picked up a tool and handed it to Snape, trying to ease the mood. "Snape, tell us more about Hogwarts."

Callan picked up the blouse and examined it carefully, considering where to begin.

Time passed slowly. The shirt-like smock had been cut open completely. Every so often, Snape glanced back at Callan, worried he would ruin it.

It was the only piece of clothing Snape could still wear outside.

Fortunately, it did not take long for his doubts to disappear. Under Callan's hands, the strange garment became a proper shirt. He even used the excess cloth to make a vest.

"You can keep this for summer," Callan said. "It will work under your clothes too."

Snape's neck went red. He seemed to be struggling to say thank you, but in the end he only nodded, trembling a little.

"All right. It seems the ladies must avert their eyes one more time."

After Snape changed again, his appearance had improved dramatically. He looked like a normal little boy now, and the change was striking. There was even a hint of the cuteness a child his age should have had.

"Wow."

Lily was startled by the difference. Her green eyes brightened. Even Petunia glanced sideways at Snape, and this time she did not mock him.

"It seems my handiwork is not bad."

Callan circled Snape and nodded with satisfaction.

After seeing the approval, and perhaps a hint of encouragement, in Lily's eyes, Snape finally muttered, "Thank you."

Callan waved it off. The four of them sat on the grass again and began the "handicraft class" he had arranged.

"So, Callan," Lily asked during the work, "where do you live?"

By then, the three children had already exchanged bits of information about their families. Snape had learned about Lily and Petunia's comfortable middle-class home, while the sisters had learned about the discord in Snape's family.

They might not fully understand what that meant yet, but at least Petunia would not insult him so easily now. Provided, of course, that Snape did not provoke her first.

"Me?"

Callan did not hesitate. "I live at Anthony House. It is the only orphanage in Spinner's End, named after Mr. Anthony."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Lily said at once.

Petunia also looked properly apologetic.

"There is nothing to be sorry for."

Callan smiled as if it did not matter. "If you have been an orphan since you were little, you do not suffer from it in quite the same way. Luckily, I am one of the ones who barely remembers his parents."

"Callan, don't say it like that."

Lily lightly smacked his hand. Petunia already looked as if she might cry.

Snape could tell that Callan truly did not seem to mind, but with both sisters looking so upset, he decided it was safer to follow their lead. After all, this was not something everyone could joke about.

He lowered his head and let his long hair hide his face, passing convincingly for sympathetic.

"Then... what happened to your parents? I don't mean..."

Lily faltered.

"I know what you mean," Callan said with a nod. "They did not abandon me. They were ordinary Muggles. They did not have money for a hospital, and they died from illness. Mr. Anthony told me that before he passed."

"I'm sorry, Callan."

Lily sounded even more apologetic. Petunia had started crying outright.

Snape lowered his head even farther, maintaining the appearance of sympathy.

'Wait.'

He thought for a moment.

'Something does not add up.'

Snape suddenly lifted his head and asked, "Then how do you know about the magical world? Mr. Anthony should have been an ordinary Muggle too."

"Snape!"

Lily shouted at him, furious. "Callan has already been through all that. How can you ask something like that? Is it really so important?"

Snape badly wanted to answer yes. Under Lily's glare, he lowered his head instead. The needle in his hand stabbed harder into the cloth, taking the place of the anger and jealousy he could not say aloud.

'Why?'

'I was here first.'

"It is all right, Lily," Callan said, stopping her before she could continue. Then he turned to Snape with a serious look. "I have my own reasons for knowing what I know. But you would not want to hear them. Forgive me for keeping that private."

Callan's vague answer made Snape nod silently and drop the matter.

After all, Snape himself had struggled when speaking about his family. Not everyone could talk about what they had been through, especially when they did not want to remember it at all.

Callan smiled faintly and clapped his hands, breaking the awkward mood.

"All right. It looks as if everyone is almost done. Why don't we exchange what we made?"

Petunia immediately thrust her work toward Callan. It was a lump of black cloth, stitched badly and bunched into an uneven shape. She had probably meant to make a flower, but the result had not been kind to her.

"Thank you. I like it very much."

Callan accepted the black bundle with a gentle smile.

Petunia's cheeks turned bright red.

Lily muttered angrily from the side, "I thought you were going to give it to me. I'm your sister."

Petunia froze. Then her cheeks grew even redder, and she did not dare look at Callan at all.

Lily hummed in satisfaction.

The thing in Lily's hand was a layered piece of black cloth sewn together like a handkerchief. It was childish, but not bad.

Lily looked around.

Snape tried very hard to look as if he did not care, but his reddened cheeks betrayed him mercilessly.

Lily frowned at him, then said suddenly, "You can have it, but you have to apologize to Callan first."

She clearly had not forgotten Snape's earlier question, and she clearly still held it against him.

"I'm sorry!"

To everyone's surprise, Snape apologized to Callan at once. Even Callan was caught off guard.

"Oh. It is... fine."

"Hmph."

Lily pouted, but still handed the black handkerchief to Snape.

After Snape took it, he examined it carefully, folded it, and tucked it away with great care.

"Your turn," Callan said, momentarily at a loss. "Who are you giving yours to?"

Snape froze. His heart was pounding like a drum. He lowered his head and said quietly, "I want to give it to my mum."

"Oh?"

Callan raised his brows.

"Snape, that's not fair!" Lily cried, looking at Petunia. Clearly, she and Petunia should have done the same thing.

Then she suddenly glanced at Callan and cried again, "That is really unfair!"

Snape stammered and stuffed whatever he had made into his pocket before Lily could see it.

"I... I..."

"It is fine," Callan said quickly, waving both hands. "I am sure that, for any mother, it will be a perfect gift."

Then he looked at Petunia and Lily with a troubled expression.

"It seems two ladies still have not received gifts, but I only have one left."

Petunia's eyes widened at once. Lily glared at her. Petunia glared right back, and the meaning was obvious.

'You dare fight me for it?'

Lily pouted and said sulkily, "Then give it to Petunia."

"No need."

Callan suddenly smiled. He took out what he had made: a thick piece of black cloth. Then his fingers shifted, revealing its true shape.

It was a stack of black cloth cards. Each card had one of their full names stitched on it in a different color, and each color matched that person's eyes.

Lily Evans and Petunia Evans in green.

Callan Ashworth in brown.

Then Callan handed a piece of black cloth to Snape, one that looked almost blank at first glance.

"Your eyes are black, so it is hard to see. I made the black thread a little wider. At least up close, you can make it out."

Lily and Petunia had already accepted theirs, unable to put them down. Snape stared at his own black cloth card in surprise, then nodded stiffly and said again, "Thank you."

"Good. Now everyone has a gift."

Callan stood and began gathering the tools little by little.

"That is enough for today. I still have some things to do. We..."

Callan arranged another time with Lily and Petunia, then left with a very reluctant Snape.

This time, the two boys walked toward Spinner's End together. Snape had no idea what to say, so he simply kept his mouth shut.

Callan kept looking around, thoughtfulness in his eyes.

"Spinner's End really is a dreadful place," he murmured. "Every time I come back, this place finds a new way to prove me right. Impressive, really."

"Snape, you are not planning to live here forever, are you?"

"What did you say?"

Snape had not quite caught up.

"Nothing."

Callan shook his head, then asked, "Your mother is a witch, right?"

Snape nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Then does your home have, you know..."

Callan wiggled his fingers, hinting in every possible way.

"You know. That."

Snape's expression became guarded at once.

He shook his head. "Impossible. Wizards do not lend their wands to other people casually. You should know that. And my mum never lets me take her wand out of the room."

After a pause, he added quietly, "She is afraid I will use a hex on that man. It is illegal."

'Tch.'

Annoyed, Callan changed tactics.

"Then books. Books about magic. Your house should have those, shouldn't it? Bringing books out should be fine."

Snape lowered his head and hesitated.

"You know my situation is unusual," Callan said. "I have no books left to me. And I think they would help when explaining magic to Lily and Petunia."

He had almost forgotten to include Petunia.

"Fine," Snape said at last. "Next time, I will try to sneak some out."

"Good."

Callan nodded with satisfaction.

Just before they separated, he added as if it had only occurred to him, "Nice heart, by the way. But a black heart is not very romantic. Red would be better. Pink too. Even green would work better, since it matches Lily's eyes."

Snape froze. "You... you saw?"

"Do not worry. I will not tell."

Callan put a finger to his lips and smiled mysteriously. Then he left Snape standing there and walked away.

He made his way over the uneven cobblestones, passing one shabby house after another with practiced ease, until he reached a more orderly building.

A small boy was standing by the front door, peering around. When he saw Callan, he hurried over.

Callan asked at once, "Well? Have Anthony's relatives come back to make trouble?"

"No," the boy said quickly. "Word has spread through their neighborhoods, just as you planned. Everyone knows they tried to seize an orphanage. And someone from the council came to settle the matter of the will. They shouldn't dare make trouble again."

Callan stretched and nodded in satisfaction.

The boy continued, "Except for the smallest children, the older ones have all found work. We have enough food and clothes now. We even have some left over."

"Good."

Callan climbed the steps with him.

"Remember, orphans like us can only rely on one another. The older children help the younger ones. When the younger ones grow up, they give back to Anthony House. If you keep doing that, even if you decide to take in more orphans later, there will be no problem. You will be able to support yourselves."

"That way..."

Callan looked around the hall.

"Mr. Anthony can rest in peace."

"What about you?" the boy finally asked. "Are you really leaving?"

Callan raised a brow. "Did I not say it yesterday? Anthony House no longer depends on me. The foundation is already set. As long as you stay united, you can live well. Even with the house's expenses, you will still live better than most people in Spinner's End."

"Besides," Callan said with a dissatisfied click of his tongue, "I cannot spend my whole life in this rotten place. My agreement with Mr. Anthony was only until I turned ten. This extra year is already more than enough."

The boy was used to Callan's attitude and did not argue. He only stopped with him and looked up at the portrait of the old man hanging in the hall.

"Is it really enough?" he murmured.

Memory softened Callan's eyes. He closed them, then opened them again.

"Maybe it is," he said. "Or maybe an entire lifetime would still not be enough."

They were silent for a while.

Then the boy noticed the lump of black cloth in Callan's hand. "Callan, what is that?"

"Hm?"

Callan looked down in confusion and realized he was still holding Petunia's gift.

"This?"

He casually tossed it into the hall's rubbish bin.

"Just some trash I picked up."

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