"Only in smaller circles," Snape replied, trying to hide a half smile as they rounded a corner of the alley. It wasn't something he did often anymore, make jokes. Lily had been the only one who ever saw much of that side of him. The ones with his Slytherin classmates had usually been far more cruel.
"A good cause is always a welcome one," he answered. "If you ask me, just now, there are far too many poor causes or even lost ones." His eyes flickered to a shop across the way, where what were obviously two Muggles were shopping with a young child for school supplies. The hesitancy of their nature, visible in their body language, filled him with an almost unaccountable distaste.