After reading for a while with Lily, it grew late, and they said goodbye and headed home separately.
Looking up, Camelia gazed at the moon that was already quietly showing itself in the twilight. "Is it almost the full moon already?" she murmured, looking at the small moon, a rare sight indeed in foggy London.
It seemed that around this time every month, her emotions would become a bit off, she guessed vaguely.
It was already getting dark by the time she reached home. Ever since her mother passed away, her father had given her less and less money, and he had stopped paying the electricity bill altogether. For lighting, she relied entirely on an old-fashioned handheld oil lamp from the last century that she had dug out of the storeroom.
The handiwork her mother used to do was now done by her; though it didn't earn much, it at least provided a bit more security for her life.
She liked doing these tedious chores at night, preferring to spend her days reading and enjoying the sunshine outside.
Carefully lighting the lamp, Camelia saw the dilapidated wooden table she had picked up outside—shabby, but barely usable for holding things—upon which sat the book she had borrowed from Severus.
She picked up the book and walked over to the scratched and stained window. Through the glass, she saw that Severus's house was pitch dark. Perhaps he was reading in the dungeon, she thought.
After a moment, she saw a sliver of light filtering through a gap in the heavy curtains covering the ground-floor window.
Holding the book, she pulled the door shut behind her and walked across the street.
She stopped in front of a battered wooden door and gently knocked a few times. Instantly, the light inside went out.
"Severus, I know you're home," she said loudly while continuing to knock, looking ready to keep pounding until he opened up.
After knocking for a moment, she stopped. "Severus, I've come to return your book. If you don't want it, it's mine."
After a short while, the door creaked open a crack, revealing Severus's greasy hair gleaming in the dim yellowish light and his cold face flushed slightly by the glow.
"Give it here." Not wanting to waste a single word, he held out his hand, gesturing for Camelia to hand over the book.
Camelia placed the book into his hands, and just as he was about to close the door, she said, "Severus, Petunia is right. To Muggles, we're both freaks."
"So? What are you trying to say?" Severus paused, his hand stopping midway on the door, a mocking smile on his face.
"You and I, we're both freaks." With that, Camelia locked eyes with Severus. After a moment, she turned and left, taking the only source of light with her.
Severus's face sank back into the darkness, an inscrutable look in his eyes.
He understood what Camelia meant. Although he was furious at Petunia for belittling him, Camelia, and Lily, based on what Camelia said, they truly were freaks—freaks as far as Muggles were concerned.
Suddenly, he didn't feel quite so displeased. Muggles had no magic; they were quite pathetic, weren't they? he thought with a touch of superiority.
Yet another thought caught in his throat, sparked by Camelia's second sentence. Yes, he and Camelia were both freaks, freaks different from... Lily.
His expression was hidden in the darkness, impossible to make out.
After a moment, he raised his head, holding the book, and skillfully felt his way in the dark to the lamp, lit it, and carried it down to the dungeon.
Back home, Camelia carried her lamp inside, filled her stomach, and began her nightly labor.
Sometimes she found it miraculous: in the dark, as long as there was even the tiniest speck of light, she could see everything clearly. That light source could be minuscule, no thicker than a single hair burning away, yet she could see her surroundings perfectly. But it didn't seem to work when she was extremely hungry.