Chapter Text
Fayville was first established as a pioneer town in the wild hollers of Tennessee in 1724. The town's founding father was a Squib named Thomas O'Hara from County Cork who smuggled 34 Irish fairies onto the ship in his overcoat. Since then, the town had become locally famous as the home of America's National Fairy Preserve (a title the town bestowed upon itself). Anyone who heard about the town would assume it was merely a cash-grab to drum up tourism, or simply a local legend that the town decided to fully embrace, like Point Pleasant's Mothman. Only the town's residents knew how very real it was.
Eugene Fitzgerald knew this better than most ever since he had been taken by the fairies at the age of eight. He played a game of hide-and-seek with them, and was fed a nice supper before he was sent home only to find out that two weeks had passed in what felt like a span of a few hours. As a Muggle with no knowledge of the Wizarding World, he was unable to recognize the signs of being Fey-touched, and as such, he believed there were no lasting effects of his time spent with the fairies. He would soon be proven very wrong.
Eugene was now a senior in high school and going through a midlife crisis at the tender age of seventeen. He had been accepted into the University of Tennessee, but as he came from a poor mining family he was unable to afford tuition. All signs pointed to a bleak future of back-breaking labor in the mines. Which is why he walked out into the cow pasture at the crack of dawn one morning and stepped up to a ring of white mushrooms that had sprung up after one rainy evening, spread his arms, and said, "Fairies, take me back!" He then rocked forward, falling face-first into the fairy ring.
Eugene expected to smash his face against the wet grass and possibly break his nose. He hoped the fairies would take pity on him and whisk him back to their kingdom where he would eat tiny almond cakes for the rest of his life. What actually happened was that Eugene found himself in a cobblestone alley with the bright afternoon sunshine on his face.
"Alright there, son?" A strange man wearing violet robes and a top hat asked as he came over to help Eugene to his feet. He had, funnily enough, an English accent.
"Thank you, I'm alright," he answered as he pulled himself up. "Didn't quite manage to stick the landing."
The man let out a laugh. "Apparition is a difficult spell to learn, just be careful not to get spliched."
Eugene thanked him again and walked out of the alley to find himself standing on the strangest street he had ever seen. The dimensions of the buildings weren't quite right, and the shops around him sold things like owls and magic wands. Almost everyone around him were wearing long, flowing robes and cloaks in vibrant colors and sumptuous fabrics. Was that velvet? Silk? Eugene was starting to feel very grubby in his stained overalls and old work boots.
He spotted a boy about his age, looking through the window of a bookshop and felt an immediate connection. His black hair was long and lank, and it brushed the tops of his shoulders. He wore an old pair of denim jeans and a sweater that had been patched and darned so many times it might as well not even be the same sweater. Finally, a member of my tribe, Eugene thought and went to approach him.
Severus had been well-trained, so that when a shadow fell over him his entire being tensed as if expecting a blow. He cautiously glanced over to see not the Marauders, but a boy his age wearing old, dirty, Muggle clothing. He didn't recognize him as a student, and it wasn't as if his class was large enough for the boy to go unnoticed. A relative of some Muggleborn's?
"Hey, sorry to scare you," the boy said with a smile. Severus noticed one of his canines was chipped. The boy was tall, with dark brown hair and the beginnings of what might one day be a proper beard. The most noticeable thing about him was his thick accent; it sounded just like those American cowboys from television, and the only thing Severus could think was, Oh my God, they really do talk like that.
"You didn't scare me," Severus snapped.
"Glad to hear it. Hi, I'm Eugene Fitzgerald–" The boy held out his hand, which Severus refused to acknowledge. "I'm a little lost, I was hoping you'd be able to help me out?"
Severus sighed, contemplated snarling at him to get lost, but what else was he going to do? Drool over things he couldn't afford? "Where are you trying to go?"
Eugene thought about it for a moment. "Tennessee."
"Tennessee?"
"Yeah, yeah, Tennessee. Anywhere near there would be fine, honestly."
Severus blinked. "I don't know what a Tennessee is. Is that a shop?"
"Oh, no, it's a U.S. state. Down in the southeast portion of the country. Beautiful mountains."
"Are you crazy or just stupid?" Severus demanded. "You're in London. You do realize you're in London?"
"You know, that would explain all the English accents."
It dawned on Severus that this was just a Muggle not even tangentially related to the Wizarding World who had somehow found his way to Diagon Alley from America of all places. Severus grabbed him by his arm and dragged him down the nearest alley. He could only imagine what his housemates might say (or worse, do) if they saw him.
Eugene let himself be dragged along, seemingly at peace with his situation. The boy was far too passive, Severus was convinced he must be completely daft. Or crazy, that was also still a strong possibility. "How did you end up here?" He hissed.
"I jumped into a fairy ring."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, pretty much, I was hoping to get kidnapped by them." Severus could only wonder at the expression on his face, because Eugene was quick to reassure him. "Oh, don't worry, it's happened before and they're very nice. They make these tiny cakes out of almonds that are just–"
"Fairies are fickle, and prone to chaos and mischief," Severus said. He couldn't believe he was indulging this Muggle. What did he know of fairies and magic? Still, Severus couldn't think of any other explanation as to how he might have arrived here other than through a fairy gate. "And you shouldn't eat their food!"
Severus folded his arms and thought for a moment, "I could take you to the Ministry. They can get you home, of course they'll have to erase your memories–"
"Whoa, no, absolutely not." For the first time, Severus saw something other than blithe acceptance on the boy's face. He scowled deeply, his anger mounting. "My memories don't belong to anyone but me. Nobody's got a right to steal them."
"Your memory will have to be erased. It's part of the Statute of Secrecy. Muggles can't know about the existence of magic."
"And who decided that?" Eugene demanded. "Who gave them the right?"
"It was decided centuries ago by the Minister of Magic."
"Well, I didn't vote for him."
The absurdity of the statement choked out a laugh from Severus. It was just so… Mugglish.
Eugene must have decided he won the argument with that because he looked very smug. "Maybe if you could point me in the direction of the nearest fairy ring, it will take me back."
Severus gestured all around them at the hard cobblestone and brick. "You think you're going to find that here?"
"Fair point."
Severus bit his lip as an idea came to him, turning the thought over in his head. He was curious, too curious for his own good. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts were, even now, shrouded in mystery, and for some reason this boy was a target of their tricks. What Severus wouldn't give to learn more about Fey magic. That it was often considered Dark, and therefore taboo, only added to its allure. How many times had Lily told him, "Curiosity killed the cat?"
And satisfaction brought it back.
"There's a park near where I live. There's usually a fairy ring or two, I could take you there," he offered.
Eugene smiled. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. By the way, what's your name?"
"Severus Snape."
"Severus?" Eugene got a funny look on his face and Severus narrowed his eyes.
"Something wrong with that?" He asked, his voice low.
"Nope, just wondering if I time traveled too. Is the Roman Empire still a thing?"
"Big words for someone named Eugene."
"Excuse you, my name is perfectly normal."
"Keep telling yourself that. Come on."
Eugene clasped his arm in a Roman salute and said, "Hail Caesar!" before following him out of the alley. Severus slipped his wand out of his pocket and flung a jinx behind him; nothing major, he was just a Muggle after all, but for the next several hours Eugene felt as if there were a couple dozen invisible spiders crawling over his flesh.
Eugene slapped his arm when he felt what he was sure was a spider crawling over him, and saw there was nothing there. Huh. He shrugged and continued to follow Severus past rows and rows of shops, ducking between what he had been informed were wizards and witches.
A woman stood at the corner beside what looked to be a bar with a hard, uncomfortable expression on her face. He could tell at once this must be Severus's mother. They had the same eyes. "It's about time you finished up. Got what you need?" She asked. Her voice was just as hard as her face.
Severus nodded and gestured to Eugene. "This is a friend of mine from school. He got separated from his family, but he lives close by to Cokeworth. Could he come with us?"
"Fine," she said. "Keep hold of him then."
Severus grabbed his arm, and his mother grabbed onto her son, and in the next second Eugene felt a lurch in his navel, like he was being sucked through a wind tunnel, stomach first, before landing hard in another alley. This one was much dirtier and the smell was awful.
"Fitzgerald–" Severus said, but Eugene held up a hand as he bent over, trying to suck in enough air to keep from hurling.
He could hear Mrs. Snape tap her foot against the concrete. He watched the scuffed toe go up and down, up and down, from where he stood, half-bent over. "Severus, I need to get back to your father," she said.
"It's fine. I've got him."
Eugene, with great reluctance, finally straightened his back just in time to see Mrs. Snape duck out of the alley. Severus was leaning against a wall, watching him with a smirk on his face. "How'd you like the trip?"
"Oh, I much prefer travel by fairy ring."
Severus pushed off the wall and jerked his head. "Come on, the park is this way."
Eugene followed him to a small patch of green in this dismal town. "You said you were spirited away before?" Severus asked as they trudged along.
"Yeah, when I was eight. I thought I was with them for only a couple of hours. Turns out, I had been missing for two weeks. Got to have my face on a milk carton and everything."
"That's what it's like in the Fey Realm. Time passes differently. Sometimes it's faster, sometimes it's slower. There's no internal logic to it, which the fairies seem to like."
"They did like their games. Hey, uh, are those girls staring at us or is it just me?"
A blonde girl and a redheaded girl were standing across the park and glaring daggers at the pair of them. Eugene lifted his hand to wave at them before Severus quickly pulled his hand down. "Just ignore them," he said as he went on with his search for a fairy ring.
"You know them? That redhead looked like she was going to eat you alive."
"It's none of your business, so drop it," Severus hissed and Eugene lifted his hands in supplication.
"You're right. I'm sorry for being nosy."
Eugene got the feeling that Severus hadn't heard too many apologies in his life, because he got very awkward and mumbled out, "It's fine."
They found a fairy ring by an old stump and the two of them stood along the perimeter, staring at it. "You just… jump in?" Severus asked.
"That's what I did last time."
"You know there's no guarantee it will take you back home? It could take you to the Sahara Desert where you'll die of thirst."
"See, this is the difference between you and me, I am an optimist and you are a Debbie Downer."
Severus smiled. "Oh, I think there's plenty more differences between us."
"Like?"
"Brains, for instance."
Eugene laughed. "Is this how you make friends? You insult them?"
That awkwardness returned and Severus seemed to realize it because he covered it up with anger and bluster. "Who said I wanted to be friends with a Muggle?" He demanded, but Eugene could see his face was red and blotchy.
Eugene grinned. Severus Snape was a weird guy, but he kind of liked that. Reminded him of the half-feral barn cats he kept trying to pet. "Why not? I want to be friends with you."
Somehow his face only got redder.
Eugene held out his hand and Severus looked at it like it was a snake. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"Hold my hand and jump with me?"
"Absolutely not."
"If this doesn't work and nothing happens, it won’t be just me looking like an idiot. This way we'll both look like idiots!"
Eugene could see the hint of a smile on Severus's face and he claimed it as a victory. "And if it does work? What then? I'll be stuck with you."
"You're right. That would be a terrible fate. Wish me luck?”
Eugene stepped forward and, just a second too late, Severus wished him good luck. He was gone in an instant, vanished cleanly.
Come September, Severus wished he had taken his hand and jumped with him. Despite a full year having passed between now and fifth year, the incident at the lake was still fresh in everyone’s mind. What little dignity he had been able to cling to had been ripped away and now he didn’t even have Lily to talk to. There were his housemates, who were happy to draw him into their ranks, for a price. Essays mostly, sometimes potions. Ingredients they couldn’t be bothered to harvest themselves, but at least they afforded him some protection. The Marauders were less likely to target him when he was with them. But he could never really be friends with them; he just didn’t always get their Pureblood references or customs or manners, something that came as naturally as breathing to them, and invariably something a bit too Mugglish would pop out of Severus’s mouth, reminding them of what he was, that he could never be their equal.
It was late one evening, while Severus was hurrying back to the castle after gathering some ingredients from the forest, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings for Potter or Black lurking in the shadows, when he saw a fairy ring. It immediately brought to mind Eugene and in the second it took to blink, something white was fluttering in the center of the ring of mushrooms. Stepping into a fairy ring was dangerous; there were stories of people losing their eyes for trespassing, but– curiosity.
Severus stepped closer and saw that the white thing was an envelope with his name scrawled across it. Another deep breath, and he had stepped inside. He picked up the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out a letter.
Dear Severus,
I'm not dead! I did, in fact, make it back home alright. I wanted to let you know, in case you were worried. Didn't quite know how to send this letter to you, so I just chucked it into the nearest fairy ring. I think the fairies like me. They seem very accommodating towards me. Maybe it's because I like their cooking.
If you got this letter, try writing one back. Who knows? Maybe the fairies will deliver it.
Eugene
Severus's chest felt warm and full just knowing that there was someone out there thinking about him, that actually wanted to talk to him. But what would he write? What if he said the wrong thing? What if Eugene finally realized what everyone else already knew, that Severus Snape was not worth the effort?
After a week of indecision, Severus finally scribbled down a single line:
Fitzgerald,
I told you to stop eating food from the Fey.
Snape
And threw it into a fairy ring where it disappeared.
Three days ticked past and Severus was convinced that Eugene wouldn't write again. Severus had been too brief, too distant, he was probably insulted that all Severus had written was a single line scolding him for taking food from the Fey. But as he was walking towards the greenhouses for Herbology, there was a letter lying innocently in the center of a fairy ring. The other students all walked past it without even noticing, carefully walking around the ring so as not to cause offense by daring to step inside. Severus glanced around and then darted forward, snatching the letter up and stuffing it into his cloak.
You don't understand, the letter said. It is the food of the gods. You just have to try it yourself.
That's what started a series of notes, and sometimes longer letters, anecdotes, and musings on their different lives. For the first time since fifth year (before, even, Lily had already started to pull away even if Severus didn't want to admit it) he had something that made him happy.
Their letters had an easy back-and-forth teasing that had developed alarmingly quickly. It had never been this easy for Severus and he was left wondering when the other shoe would drop. Instead, Eugene's letters grew… flirtatious.
Stop being ridiculous, he scolded himself. He's not flirting with you. It's just more teasing. Why would anyone want you?
He was nobody. But, if he joined the Dark Lord, he could become somebody. Lucius had promised to get him an audience this summer. It would be so satisfying to get a little of his own back, to punish the Marauders for all the things they had done to him with all the power of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters behind him. No more 4-on-1, how about an entire army.
Severus's thoughts spiralled darkly. It had been a month since Eugene's last letter. Severus had been occupied with his N.E.W.T.s, and he figured Eugene must be dealing with his own exams. Still, without Eugene to cling to, Severus's mind started to turn down depressing, hate-filled paths. He turned inward, reaching out to grasp any daydream that brought him comfort, whether it was Eugene or the Dark Lord. His thoughts twisted as he closed his trunk for the last time and went out to meet his classmates as they stood waiting for the carriages to carry them away from Hogwarts to the world of adulthood.
Severus stood in the back, away from everyone else, as they folded each other in hugs and made teary goodbyes, making promises to visit soon. No one talked to him, which Severus was grateful for. He couldn't even pretend to feel sorry about leaving. He was ecstatic. It was over, he had survived, and he was never going to look back.
Something in his peripheral caught his attention, and Severus turned his head to see a fairy ring on the mound of grass not far from the gravel drive. He was sure it hadn't been there just a few minutes ago. There was something in its center. A letter?
Severus looked around but no one was paying attention. He gathered his trunk and walked away from the crowd, stepping into the ring. This time it wasn't a letter, but a small cake lying innocently in its center. Severus bent down and picked it up. It fit perfectly in his palm and smelled of almonds and honey and something indefinable that reminded him of summer days spent with Lily.
We must not look at goblin men
We must not buy their fruits
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?
Their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor back in third year had given them dire warnings about taking anything given to them by fairies, especially food. You became Fey-touched once you ate their food. You'd belong to them forever.
Severus looked back at the students. No one noticed him, and he realized the ring must be hidden by a glamour. A trick of the Fey.
Eugene did say I should try their food myself before passing judgment, Severus thought and took a bite of the cake.