As Thomas came downstairs, he saw a tall, thin woman standing in the living room, wearing a dusty gray work uniform, looking like she had just gotten off work from the factory.
This was their mother—Eileen Prince.
Severus ran to her, throwing himself into her embrace with affection: "Mom."
Eileen held her younger son in her arms, appearing expressionless, but her movements were very gentle.
Thomas secretly observed her.
The two brothers looked very much like her; her complexion was also waxy yellow from malnutrition, her black medium-length hair was loose, her face was somewhat gloomy, and she looked utterly haggard.
According to gossip heard by Boris the raven, she was a taciturn, eccentric woman.
Eileen quickly noticed her elder son's unusual behavior. She looked at her younger son, Severus, in her arms and asked, "What's wrong with Thomas? Is he still unwell today?"
Severus shook his head, his eyes filled with excitement: "Mom, Thomas is better! He talked to me today!"
"Really?" Eileen looked at her elder son in disbelief, tentatively calling out, "Thomas?"
Thomas responded somewhat awkwardly: "Mom."
Eileen rushed over and hugged him tightly: "That's wonderful, my Thomas!"
Thomas gently patted Eileen's back, similarly comforting his mother. His son had suddenly regained his sanity overnight, and she didn't show any suspicion at all? She was too naive.
It seemed the series of excuses he had prepared wouldn't be needed.
But what Thomas didn't know was that Eileen was currently thinking: Thomas has become a normal person, Tobias will be happy, they are not heretics. Their family can return to how it used to be.
In the following days, Thomas stayed at home, learning English with Severus and practicing his Ability.
This body was simply too weak; not having enough strength always made him feel very uneasy!
Fortunately, Tobias hadn't returned home during this time, allowing them to live relatively comfortably at home.
Until one weekend, Eileen came home with another large loaf of black bread, and Thomas suddenly felt that improving their current living conditions was an urgent matter!
Eileen worked as a temporary female worker in a factory, earning a meager income. Tobias Snape, on the other hand, spent more than he earned, spending every day drunk in bars, only returning when his money ran out, and only to get more money.
Therefore, the Snape family's daily life was very tight; their three meals a day consisted of dry black bread. The last time they drank milk was a long time ago, they rarely ate vegetables, and had never even seen fruit!
Thomas sighed internally: Why wasn't it the apocalypse? He still had to eat these things. Master had told him there were many delicious foods before the apocalypse!
To earn money, Thomas first needed to leave Spinner's End. In this slum, even using his Ability to rob for a better life would be difficult.
Moreover, he couldn't do that; he intended to live a good life!
"Severus, do you know where Mom usually buys bread?"
Severus shook his head: "I don't know, Mom has never taken me there."
His range of activity had never left Spinner's End.
"Are there any shops around Spinner's End?"
"No, only pubs." Severus showed a disgusted expression.
"..." This place was even poorer than Thomas had imagined; he would just have to spend more time looking for himself.
"Kid! Why don't you ask your Grandpa Crow?" Boris glared with his round, little green bean eyes.
Thomas forced a smile. Who did this crow learn to be so annoying from? "...You, Grandpa, know?"
Boris the raven was a very gossipy bird. After Thomas asked him, he puffed out his chest and began to ramble about various places and families in the town.
Thomas's eyes lit up, and he immediately became flexible: "Boss Crow, our future meals depend on you!"
Thomas didn't notice Severus's complex expression, full of unspoken words, as he and Boris chattered in bird language.
The next day, after Eileen left, Thomas also took Severus and left the house.
Boris flew ahead of the two children, leading the way, their destination being the shopping street Thomas wanted to go to.
Spinner's End was adjacent to a murky, extremely dirty river. As soon as they stepped out, Thomas smelled a nauseating stench. This was a common problem in industrial towns, and Spinner's End was the area closest to the factory.
On both sides of the street were old brick houses, similar in appearance and ancient in age. The overgrown lawns outside the doors further highlighted the dilapidated and desolate surroundings.
During factory working hours, there were almost no pedestrians on the road. In the distance, by the river, there were a few children whose figures were unclear, seemingly picking up scrap.
Finally, they walked out of the river area, passed through a narrow, cramped stone slab path, and suddenly, the view opened up. It was a gentle slope, with lush green grass spread like a carpet on the ground.
At the top of the slope was a very sturdy large tree, its branches spreading out in all directions, forming a dense green shade that provided a cool resting place for passersby.
Climbing this gentle slope, Thomas saw that the other side of the slope was a somewhat old small park. Perhaps because it was too close to Spinner's End, there were no children playing in the park.
After walking such a long distance, this body, long neglected in exercise, felt somewhat strained. Thomas was already panting, sweat trickling down his forehead.
Looking at Severus beside him, the boy was the same, drenched in sweat, his small face flushed from the sun, but he kept his lips pressed together, silently following him.
Thomas sighed and stopped Severus: "Severus, let's rest for a bit."
Seeing Severus's determined eyes, which conveyed 'I can, I can do it,' Thomas quickly added: "I'm tired."
Severus obediently allowed himself to be pulled under the shade of the tree. The two brothers sat on the soft grass to regain their strength.
Boris had already flown up to the large tree, Shrink in the shade for a nap.
He should have brought some water, Thomas thought.
At this moment, a lively female voice came from below: "Petunia, look!"
A bored Thomas followed the sound and saw two girls entering the small park below. They looked like sisters, one clearly older.
One of the girls had striking, fiery deep red curly hair. She was picking up a small flower from the ground and holding it up to her sister: "It's amazing, isn't it!"
It was indeed amazing. The wild flower that had withered on the ground bloomed again in her hand.
Thomas's first reaction was that this was also a Wood Element Ability user, and then he realized that there were no Ability users in this world anymore; people with such magical abilities were called "Wizards."
Thomas stared at the girl's actions with even more curiosity. In his time here, he had never seen anyone else perform magic. However, were there other Wizard families in this town?
Severus was secretly watching his brother's reaction. He was too young when Thomas's magic erupted, so he didn't know Thomas was also a Wizard.
It seemed Thomas wasn't repulsed by Wizards; his eyes held curiosity and doubt, not the disgust he saw in his father's eyes.
"Thomas..." Severus spoke softly.
Thomas immediately turned his gaze to his brother, asking seriously: "What's wrong, Severus?"
At this moment, the older sister named Petunia seemed not to be attracted by her sister's magical ability. She shrieked angrily, startling both brothers.
"Lily, don't do that! Mom said you can't do that outside!" She warned, enunciating each word: "Don't let anyone find out you're a freak!"
"No... nothing." Severus lowered his head, pulling at the small grass on the ground.
Thomas didn't understand why, but he could feel Severus's mood suddenly drop. He thought his brother was probably empathizing with the situation, as this girl's circumstances seemed somewhat similar to theirs.
"Severus, Wizards are not freaks, don't listen to their nonsense." He ruffled his brother's small head, smiling as he spoke.
Severus looked up at Thomas in shock: "You know about Wizards?"
Thomas looked at Severus in confusion: "Of course, aren't we?"