Chapter Text
The night was freezing and dark, the black clouds covered the sky in its entirety, not allowing any ray of night light to pass between them. The darkness was total, terrifying and predicting death itself, without mercy.
Hogwarts was filled with darkness, despair, fear and too much uncertainty. All the students trembled when they saw the death eaters, who loved to torture them, pass by their side with sinister and cynical smiles. The era of Voldemort had returned and teenagers couldn't be more scared about it. Terror gripped the school.
Clearly, Harry Potter appeared as their knight in shining armor and with the help of the Order of the Phoenix managed to drive out the Death Eaters, including his Potions teacher and Albus Dumbledore's replacement as headmaster of the wizarding school, Severus Snape.
The same professor who stood still, not out of fear, but acceptance of his fate, when he saw Nagini, the Dark Lord's snake, attack him with all her might, spreading the venom of her fangs throughout the human body of the adult man.
There were several attacks and the animal only stopped when its owner ordered it. Looking satisfactorily at the man who had been one of his most loyal servants, not to mention a spy. Of course it was a waste, a genius like that man wasn't seen all the time. Who else would create their own spells at just fifteen? Who would improve potions, even basic ones, compared to those that already existed and that no one bothered to see if they could be improved? Who else could duel four people at once at a young age? Obviously no one and that's why Voldemort knew it was a waste.
However, the snakeface couldn't risk it, the wand's loyalty was with Snape. Even though the Elder Wand was now in his hands, it didn't accept him as a master. For that reason, he needed Snape dead, so the loyalty would be broken and he would be the wand's new owner. At least that's what he thought.
Clearly, Voldemort was unaware of Dumbledore's very well-formulated and meticulous plan.
Severus had to admit that the old goat was a professional at fooling others, especially with his good-grandpa look. But the man knew the old man's true face very well. The eldest was so clever and manipulative that he managed to treat those around him like puppets and marionettes, whose strings never left his fingers and if they did they were quickly grabbed, as if they hadn't fled in the first place. The other was so smart that he managed to make the onyx-eyed one do all the dirty work and be the target of all the criticism and mean comments.
Yes, that was Dumbledore. The man didn't care about anyone but his own lions and his influence and power in the wizarding world. Doubts?
Well, in the first place Dumbledore only considered Gryffindor as those worthy of his attention. Everything the bastards did was justifiable and they were never punished for anything, even if one of them tried to murder another student. However, as the latter was not a Gryffindor and moreover a Slytherin, the lion was pardoned and the serpent threatened with expulsion if it revealed the secret of Gryffindor's werewolf friend.
Oh, they were bastards, but it was Dumbledore's fault, he never used the reins to control the horses.
Second, it was largely his fault that most Slytherins ended up following Voldemort. All these students were urged by their own parents, who believed in blood supremacy, to follow the Dark Lord, in pursuit of the elimination of Muggles and Muggleborns. Severus was one of them, he just joined the dark side to escape his abusive and alcoholic father, a father that left obvious marks on his skin, whether from a belt, cigarette, punches or even cuts of glass from the many bottles that man drank. Snape begged for help, he couldn't take any more suffering at that man's hands.
First, he tried with his head house, Horace Slughorn, as the man was responsible for the Slytherins, but the man was just frozen not knowing what to say or do, so the teenager knew he couldn't count on the other. In the end, he ended up asking the principal for help and it wasn't just once, but several times, he even lost count. However, the man refused to help him, stating that there was nothing he could do.
Severus was very young at the time, so he didn't know anything about magical laws, it was only later, when he became an adult, that he found out that Dumbledore could have taken him out of that house, as there were several laws about protecting magical children .
It is to be seen that the wizarding population is very small compared to that of the muggles, not only that, but also the number of magical children had dropped a lot since several years ago. That is to say, every magical child was precious to wizarding society, even if they weren't pureblooded. Even purebloods were disgusted by Muggles who dared to lay an abusive finger on even a magical child. Some would go so far as to adopt such a child or become its magical guardian.
All this to conclude that, in fact, Dumbledore committed a very serious crime in not denouncing the abuse that one of his students suffered at home, as well as being an accomplice, since he himself omitted the case and contributed to the academic abuse.
Clearly, Severus wasn't the only one in trouble, Regulus Black also tried to talk to Dumbledore into seeking refuge, as he was being forced by his parents to join the Dark Lord without ever having graduated. The younger Black thought that the elder would help, as the elder did not approve of said Lord's ideologies and methods. He was wrong. Dumbledore didn't lift a finger or a straw to help the sixteen year old, the younger brother of one of his lions. Eventually, Black disappeared and was presumed dead, his death being confirmed by Harry Potter himself who discovered where Regulus' loyalties lay.
Severus wishes that those were his only grievances with Dumbledore. Everything just got worse next.
Snape joined the dark side of the war, as it was his only escape, as well as where his "friends" at the time were. Although he only considers Lucius and Regulus his friends. Evan Rosier could also fit in to some extent, but Severus never went so far as to call him a friend.
The youngest adult ended up hearing Trelawney's prophecy and telling his master. Later he realized the mistake he made, since his former best friend had just given birth and the boy was born according to the chosen one of the prophecy. So Severus went to Dumbledore and begged him to hide it. The old man expressed his disgust with the ex-Slytherin's words and that pissed off the younger one. Was he disgusting? He wasn't going to say no, but he couldn't say yes either. How could the old goat say he was disgusting if he himself had committed worse atrocities than him? Snape acted against the light to flee and protect himself from the harm the muggles ever did to him, but what was Dumbledore's justification for betraying his own kind with his manipulations and lies? The other was not a saint, but he thought he was worthy of a pedestal and of judging others.
However, Snape endured everything and did everything the cursed one told him to do, including becoming a double spy, something that endangered his own life. But he didn't care anymore, he needed to protect Lily with all his might and he would give everything he could to every last inch of his soul.
In the end, it was all in vain. Lily ended up dying to protect her own son and all of Snape's efforts to protect the one he considered his beloved sister proved futile.
Worst of all was Dumbledore's demand of him, a unbreakable vow. Severus knew what the man wanted. Oh, he knew. The old man wanted the young man to swear that he would do everything in his power to help the light in the war, he wanted Severus to swear by him as a guarantee. However, Snape wasn't stupid, he wasn't going to fight for Dumbledore, he didn't even have anything else to fight for. But he remembered Lily's son, the boy that the redhead had protected and loved until the end of her days. Severus wanted to protect the only light of his dead friend's life, the treasure that she loved so much and died for it. The Slytherin swore, but not what Dumbledore wanted, he swore to protect Lily's child, the only thing left of her own.
Despite the old man not liking such a vow very much and preferring the suggested one, he couldn't do anything else, the vow had been given and it was better than nothing, since Severus would even die for the boy, if necessary.
What the adult didn't expect was that the old goat would send the boy to the house of the late mother's sister, Petunia. A woman of the worst kind who hated magic. Unfortunately, Severus only found out about this fact at the end, a few weeks before he was forced to kill Dumbledore.
Oh, another thing he hated. The dirty work.
Severus was always obliged to work for the lemon candy addict nonstop, including as a potions teacher. He was required to do things he didn't want to, including being cruel to children who never hurt him. But it was necessary to maintain the posture of a former death eater embittered by the death of his Lord. So he ended up being hated by almost everyone at Hogwarts, only the teachers didn't hate him, because they themselves were his teachers and knew what he had been through. Even so, that didn't stop Severus from being the most hated teacher, as well as the most suspected of being a traitor.
How much dirt did he have just for following Dumbledore's orders? Dozens of them, if not hundreds. All the rubbish, all the darkness, all the evil that happened was deposited in himself.
The manipulative goat had everything figured out, even his reputation as the Lord of Light, the good grandpa who never did anything wrong.
Severus was going to die like a monster, like trash, a despicable being, hated by everyone and everything. And even then, he was fine with it.
It wasn't well, "well". Clearly, if he could have, he would have gone the other way and made different choices. Life has never been fair to him, on the contrary. If there truly was a heaven and a hell, then Snape was long dead and was currently being judged in the worst of hells. Life wasn't fair, that was his motto.
Many said that God treated his "children" equally. Why, that was the biggest lie he had ever heard since he was alive. Snape never had anything, money, health, beauty, love, he just had intelligence. Many would say, "Isn't that enough?". It would be, if he could use that intelligence, but it was always blocked by the manipulations and ideologies of others. So, no, he didn't even have intelligence, because he couldn't use it, so Severus never had anything, physical or otherwise.
And, as said before, he was fine with dying, because what good was living if he had nothing anyway? Why continue to postpone the inevitable and prolong the pain and suffering? Severus once tried to opt for suicide, but he reminded himself every single time of the promise he had made, so he continued to put it off and suffer day after day.
His time has finally come.
Voldemort grinned at the former Hogwarts Potions teacher, hissed at Nagini, who walked over to her master, and turned away. However, before leaving he uttered the following words:
"You did well, Severus, you served your purpose"
Snape wanted to sneer, oddly enough it was the first time someone had said something like that to him. He did well. Hilarious, said by the man he cheated on, despite the other not knowing it yet.
Ah, life was a comedy, but Severus was the biggest clown.
After seeing the Dark Lord leave without looking back, Snape sighed and choked on the very blood that came out of his throat. He began to feel cold, his hands were shaking slightly and his chest was slowly rising. It was time to leave.
Thinking that he was going to die alone, the adult was extremely surprised when he saw a teenager with dark hair that looked like a nest, clothes that were too big for his thin body, along with hideous round glasses on his face. Ah, yes, the son of the man who had tormented his life when they barely met, who had made his miserable life even more hellish. However, the kid was also the son of the girl he once considered a sister, they had the same eyes, the same vibrant green color that he was so fond of.
The boy looked at his teacher with wide eyes and approached him to try to cover the deep crack in the older one's neck.
Snape wanted to laugh, what a silly boy, he wasn't going to die from lack of blood, but from the snake's venom. However, he looked at the boy in surprise, how could the boy feel the need to save him without even knowing the whole story behind it? How would the other react if he learned that his beloved principal addicted to lemon candy was a manipulative goat who treated him like a pig for slaughter?
That was a mystery, maybe the youngest had his mother's heart and couldn't stand to see him in pain. Severus' heart sank and a few tears fell from his eyes. Hell, how dare the brat act like that? Wasn't it better to laugh at his situation? Throw it in his face that this was what he deserved for being so cruel to him and the others?
He couldn't stand it, he hated the boy's face that was the same as the other man's in his student days, the same face that haunted him until the end of his days.This facilitated his demonstration of hatred for the minor, he just had to think about his father and everything came out naturally. However, that idea started to lose its effect, since day after day, year after year, Severus couldn't help but get a little bit closer to the youngest, even if he was a brat who only got into trouble.
It was difficult and he needed to keep up appearances, but thinking about the boy's father no longer helped, as the father's face was replaced by the boy's own and the hatred was lost.
Not to mention that James Potter had already died many years ago, the hatred had almost completely disappeared. Of course, he still felt irritated with all the past events and if the other man tried to do something like that again, Severus wouldn't hesitate to curse him. But there was no more hatred, what was the use of hating someone who was already dead? And, like it or not, Potter matured a bit after the situation with him being almost killed by a werewolf eventually stopped bothering him. Perhaps Snape was the only childish one to have hated the other even after he had saved his life.
Yes, that's what he thought, and that's probably what everyone else would think. He was the devil after all and James Potter the saint. It's always been that way.
Thus, Severus no longer pretended in front of the teenager and admired how the green eyes widened even more to see their cruel and emotionless teacher crying.The adult grabbed his wand slowly and pointed it at his temple. He needed to make one last effort, he needed to reveal what he couldn't before.
Strands of silver trailed from the side of his forehead and Harry wasted no time putting the strands into an empty vial Hermione had given him after seeing what the adult was up to.
Snape watched as the teenager eyed the vial with curiosity and then a questioning look at him. The adult didn't say anything, he didn't have the strength. The eyelids began to droop, without the strength to stay open. He saw, for the last time, the green eyes that seemed horrified to witness what was happening in front of him, the boy didn't want to believe that the other was really dying.
It was funny. Snape died, but he was still in the mortal world. He blinked a little confused, he couldn't be a ghost, he didn't ask or feel the need to go on living.
Yet there he was, watching as his former students fought with everything they had against the dark side. He also watched as Harry faced Voldemort and died at his hands. Snape's heart sank at this, he knew it was inevitable, but it didn't make things any easier. Even so, he was shocked when he saw the same boy rise again and fight. Had he not died? Or was the brat really anti-avada kedavra?
Severus also saw how Harry defeated the Dark Lord and restored peace to the wizarding world. For the first time, the grown man felt good and calm, the wizarding world was safe and somehow Potter was alive and ready to start his new life, a life without Voldemort, a normal life, the one which he had always dreamed of. Of course, Snape was happy for the boy, relieved that he was starting a new stage.
For some reason he was still in the mortal world, but he wasn't the only one, he met some people like him and talked to them to see what they knew. It was only after doing this that he realized that the dead roamed the earth for a while longer and only after that did they go to heaven or hell.
Snape must have stayed on earth for about a month, he accompanied the youngest Potter during that time, saw his relationship with Ginny grow, the plans the two made such as marriage and children, and was, clearly, very surprised to discover that the boy planned to name one of his sons after him, Severus, claiming that he had been one of the bravest men he had ever seen.
Oh, Severus wanted to hit the kid, but with good intentions. Brave? Where was he brave? He was always told that he was a coward, even the brat himself had told him that. He lived like a real snake, from hole to hole, doing the dirty work of others. Not only that, but he was never nice to the youngest. Really, he couldn't understand. If Severus still had his body he would leave the expressionless mask and cry. He couldn't tell if the boy was very good or very stupid. Probably the second.
But deep down he was grateful to that brat, it was a son he never had. A son who was always in his rebellious phase whenever he saw him.
Snape's surroundings began to darken and he knew it was time to go to hell, because there was no chance of going anywhere else, hell was what awaited him.
Everything went black and Severus' spirit became heavy and trembling. He wasn't afraid of the dark, he was already dead so there was no more fear, just acceptance.
Of course he wanted it to be otherwise, he had a lot of regrets and he wanted to make amends with the people he had hurt, make amends with Lily, never calling her that horrible name and losing her friendship. He had a lot of regrets, not being better, not being good, wanting things, because a monster like him couldn't want anything, everything. His life was one of regret.
Severus let out a breath, if he could do it since he didn't have a body, closed his eyes and waited to feel the flames of hell burn him. He waited and waited, but the only change was that his soul felt lighter, as if he were floating in the sky. Then, something strange happened, he felt his body fall, it didn't last five seconds, because he hit his back and head on the ground.
He let out a grunt of pain and grimaced. He felt a breeze cool his face, but also the warm sunrays did not go unnoticed on his face. He frowned, this was not his idea of hell, or was he still at the gate? Did hell have a door?
"Sev!" called a sweet and mimosa childish voice, quite familiar
Severus frowned more, what was going on? Who called him? It couldn't be the devil, it was a child's voice and it sounded like it belonged to a girl, not to mention he recognized the voice from somewhere.
"Sev! Wake up!" shouted the childish voice and her owner shook the other's body
Severus opened his eyes abruptly and almost blinded himself with the sun hitting him. He blinked his eyes into focus and looked at the owner of the voice. His body froze when he saw a girl about eight or nine years old in front of him, with red hair that resembled a flame, green eyes like meadow grass and a face with a few freckles. It was Lily, he remembered the girl very well when he was a child.
Severus sat down on the ground quickly and looked around, he was in a park not far from where he had lived as a child, with fresh green grass, some swings and slides and some trees, and he was under the thicker.
"Sev, are you okay?" the girl asked, calling his attention.
Severus looked at her, confusion etched on his face. Why was he seeing Lily? What was going on? The boy raised his hand to his head, which was numb, and was startled when he saw that it was very small. He looked down at himself and was horrified when he saw that he was very small and wearing the same kind of muggle clothes as before. What the hell? What was going on? Was he dreaming?
"Sev!" called once more the girl who shook his arm hard and Snape groaned in pain.
The redhead looked very surprised by the moan, she frowned and dragged the sleeve of her friend's shirt up, revealing horrible big purple stains. The girl gasped in shock and Severus felt the urge to pull the sleeve down, pulling the fabric right after.
"Oh, Sev.." said Lily who looked at the boy with her eyes shining almost in water "That man is so cruel... he is not your father, I refuse to believe that he is with everything he does to you"
Severus didn't react to his friend's words, he was terrified with the possibility he had in front of him. The pain was too strong for it to be a simple dream, it all seemed too vivid to be untrue. But that wasn't possible, was it? He couldn't have gone back in time, could he? Go back to when he was a kid, could he?
"I was very worried" said Lily with a pout when she saw that her friend was distracted, Severus looked at her and she continued "You were walking and when you got to the tree you simply screamed, grabbed your head and passed out on the ground, I went in in panic!"
Severus frowned, he doesn't remember this ever happening. He doesn't remember passing out in front of his friend. Everything was very strange, but Severus kept thinking about the possibility of going back in time. He already experienced the pain, so he was sure it wasn't a dream. Was it a trick? Because he was going to hell someone decide to torment him with a memory with Lily? But that thought didn't make sense, if so then why didn't they use the memory of when he called her mudblood? It was the worst moment of his life. He needs to find out, maybe wait a few days and see what happens? If nothing changed then he really would have gone back in time.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked worriedly.
"Hã? Ah, yes, I just... must have been affected by the sun..." he said the first thing that came to mind.
Lily frowned at the obvious lie.
"What are you talking about? The sun isn't that hot, it's almost a month before school starts, after all" she said "How do you think it's going to be this year?"
"Um... I don't know, I don't expect much," said Severus, trying to concentrate.
Snape was trying to remember his last memories, everything would be easier if he did and of course he could only do it with occlumency. However, that would be a difficult task, as he had the mini-Lily beside him and it was difficult to concentrate with so many worries. Fortunately, his goal wasn't to create occlumency shields, but to use the art of the mind to try to find his memories.
While Lily talked about her expectations and what she expected from school, Severus managed to find his most recent memories, the most recent being the spanking that his father had given him. It was unpleasant, but not something he wasn't used to.
The boy tried to place himself in the middle of the situation and found out that he was currently eight years old, on summer vacation and in a month he would start the third year of school. According to his memories too, that was the last day he had with Lily, as the girl would travel for a few days to another country for a week and then would visit her grandparents, returning only two days before school started.
Severus didn't want to worry his friend, so he listened carefully to everything she said, raising her spirits. Eventually, the girl forgot that her friend had just woken up from a faint and continued to talk non-stop. Snape couldn't help but smile, he loved the moments when he listened to his friend talk, he could stay silent for hours just doing the same, silent listening to the other.
"Sev" called Lily with a smile and Severus winked at the other as if questioning why she was calling him "Do you want to come to my house?"
Severus seemed surprised by this question, as he had never dared to enter the other's house when he was young, obviously out of fear. Yes, fear. Severus was afraid of being hated by Lily's family, Petunia didn't like him anymore, because he dragged her sister into "weirdness" and "bizarreness", so it was obvious that the blonde would speak ill of him to her parents in an attempt to push him away.
Not only that, but he didn't have a good reputation because of the area he lived in, as everyone knew that Spinner's End was a remote, poor place, full of crooks, poverty, pollution, thieves and gangs. No one in their right mind, especially in wealthy Cokeworth, where Lily lived, would let their children become friends with someone like Severus, from a thugs and drugs area. In fact, Snape was very surprised that the Evans didn't immediately forbid his beloved daughter to meet a monster like him or maybe they did, but Lily's stubbornness didn't allow her to listen.
The boy shook his head, it wasn't a good idea to visit the redhead's house, her parents wouldn't like it at all. Lily pouted and grabbed the boy's arm, shaking him right after.
"Come on, Sev, I want to show you where I live, maybe you can meet my parents, I bet they will love to meet you" exclaimed Lily almost begging
The boy pursed his lips, he knew that Lily's parents weren't mean, they were quite kind to him when the two children went to Hogwarts, but they had already heard several stories about him from Lily and managed to conclude that he was good for her. However, now it was different, they shouldn't have that perspective of him, so it was very dangerous for him to go to his friend's house. Once again he shook his head and Lily had no choice but to resort to emotional blackmail.
"Please?" she asked with an exaggerated pout and bright green eyes.
Snape looked at that face and couldn't help thinking how ridiculous it was, but at the same time he couldn't help catching his breath at the sight, because the last time he'd seen those green eyes they'd been dark, neutral and lifeless. The infant's heart sank and he could no longer refuse his friend.
Lily beamed at her victory, getting up from the floor to start pulling the other by the wrist. During the journey, the redhead kept talking about how loving and great people her parents were, very good with everyone and that they would love to meet him. It was obvious to Severus that the girl was trying to calm him down, in case he felt nervous about meeting her parents.
If it was his former self as a child, Snape would envy his friend and question himself why he didn't have parents like Lily's, but ones that didn't get along or love him at all. It was different now, Severus knew he didn't deserve a family like that, a monster didn't deserve anything good in life, especially someone who would love him. He should have settled for Lily and nothing else.
The boy looked around him, it had been a long time since he had seen the colorful and stable houses on the redhead's street. As well as the green and healthy nature of parks and flowerbeds.
It didn't take them long to arrive at an orange house, with a bright red roof, a green garden with flowers and a tire swing attached to a firm and strong tree. Ah, how he missed looking at that house, it had been years since he had seen it, he didn't have the courage to do so.
Lily pulled her friend into the garden of her house, passing through the green gate between an orange wall.
Lily was smiling and laughing with great happiness, she was finally able to convince the boy to come to her house.
"Lily! What the hell is he doing here?!" asked a horrified child with blonde hair and an irritating voice
Lily's smile froze and her eyes flicked to the owner of the voice. It was her older sister, Petunia.
"I brought him here" Lily said the obvious, something that pissed off Petunia.
"That I can see! But why?"asked the blonde very unhappy
"Because I wanted to, Tuney" replied Lily, once again the obvious
Petunia was not happy at all and glared at Snape, as if he was somehow to blame for what had happened. Then the eldest turned her back on the pair and entered the house as she shouted:
"Mom! Dad! Lily brought the weirdo home with her!"
Severus froze and looked at his friend with a horrified expression, then he lowered his head with red cheeks. He should have declined the redhead's invitation, he knew it wasn't a good idea to visit her house. Lily looked at her friend's panicked expression and tried to calm him down, her parents appeared at that moment.
"It's okay, Sev, you don't have to be afraid" the girl said
The adults stopped at the door when they heard the girl's words and analyzed the boy with his head down, noting that the youngest's legs were a little wobbly.
Mrs. Evans was the first to approach the pair of children. Clearly, she noticed the younger one's shabby, worn-out clothes, but didn't say anything, as the boy was nervous.
"Who is this, Lily?" asked Mrs. Evans in a sweet voice
Lily raised her head and smiled at her mother, puffed out her chest and said proudly:
"Mom, this is Sev, he's the guy who told me I was a witch"
Mrs. Evans nodded and looked at the boy one more time. Severus raised his head a little, facing a blonde woman with green eyes, well dressed and with a kind air. However, he didn't dare look at her any longer, lowering his head right away. The woman was very surprised by the child's reaction, children used to like her a lot.
Mr. Evans also approached the group and stopped in front of the boy. The man watched the pair well and noticed that his daughter was grabbing the boy's wrist. He frowned and looked at his youngest daughter.
"Lily, did you force your friend come here by any chance?" he asked
The redhead's eyes widened at the question and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Lily, you can't force a person go somewhere, especially if that person is a friend," said Mr. Evans and Lily apologized for their behavior "So Sev, is it?"
Severus' body stiffened at the question of the bigger one, something that didn't go unnoticed by the very perceptive adult couple.
"His real name is Severus, I call him Sev to be shorter... it's a nickname" Lily replied to her father
"I see..." said Mr. Evans who looked the boy up and down
Severus just looked up and saw a tall, strong man with reddish brown hair and sky blue eyes. Once again he didn't keep his gaze high and turned his field of vision to the ground.
"He... seems shy," said Mrs. Evans
"Ah, Sev doesn't talk much, normally he listens to me the whole time talking, he only talks when I ask him a question or ask him to tell me more about Hogwarts and the wizarding world" said Lily with a smile "So, yes, he is shy"
The woman nodded and looked at her husband who was still watching the boy.
"Alfred?" the woman called in a whisper.
The man turned to the mother of his daughters and saw a questioning look. What were they doing now?
"I wanted to bring him home because today is going to be the last day I can be with him, so I wanted to take advantage of it," Lily said excitedly.
"Ah, I see" said Alfred who turned his attention to the children "And what do you intend to do now?"
Lily was silent for a few seconds before replying:
"I wanted to show him the house"
The parents said nothing to the idea and were thoughtful.
"M_maybe I better go, Lily" said Severus nervously as he moved one of his feet a little " I_I don't want to disturb"
"But you've just arrived!" replied the girl with puffy cheeks "I already told you that my parents are not bad people, why are you trying to run away?"
Snape didn't answer that question, his cheeks flushed easily and his gaze dropped back to the floor. The Evans couple looked surprised, had they bullied the young boy without realizing it? It's okay that they were a little apprehensive because of the boy's origins, but they weren't mistreating anyone.
"Rose" Alfred called and the blonde woman looked at her husband "How about we let Lily show her friend around the house and then we'll have a snack?"
"Oh, sounds like a good idea," Rose said with a small but sweet smile.
Lily was excited to see her parents' approval and started pulling Severus by the wrist when her parents also entered the house.
Before entering the building, Snape stopped at the door and Lily looked at the boy in confusion. The boy peeked into the family of four's home, then looked at his old sneakers full of dirt. He pursed his lips in disgust, looked up at the family who were looking at him in confusion, and said:
"Maybe I'd better leave my sneakers outside"
The adults raised their eyebrows in surprise and couldn't help but get a little moved when they saw the minor's thoughtfulness. Severus wasted no time and took off his shoes, leaving them outside.
Mrs. Evans smiled at him and was about to say something, but stopped when he saw the little one's completely torn socks. She whispered to her husband and he looked a little confused, only after the woman discreetly pointed to the little one's feet did the man realize. Nobody commented, they didn't want to embarrass the boy, at least not more than he already was.
Once again, Lily dragged her best friend through every corner of the house, being followed by the girl's father, while the mother went to prepare a snack for everyone with Petunia's help, since she thought it was stupid to show the house to a weirdo like Snape.
The redhead showed her friend the whole house, including the rooms, despite Severus refusing to enter other people's privacy. This left Mr. Evans even happier and a little disappointed in himself. Hell, the boy was just a kid, it's not like he was going to kill anyone, at most he would take something shiny and nothing else.
Lily was giggling with great amusement and was approaching the stairs to go down when she heard her mother's voice. Severus was right behind, but he thought his friend was going too fast and asked her to be careful. Alfred also warned the girl, pleased with the younger's concern. Lily just laughed and assured him that there was nothing to be afraid of. However, she said this while walking backwards and when she turned forwards she lost her balance. The girl let out a scream and Alfred also screamed, as he saw his daughter start to fall.
However, Severus was faster. His body was full of adrenaline at the thought of his friend falling down the stairs and breaking her neck, dying once more. He panicked. Was it really a trick? Was the goal to see his friend die in front of him through other means and times? Not if he could stop it.
"Lily!" shouted Severus, grabbing the redhead's arm and spinning her around, exchanging positions with her.
He let go of her arm, which landed on her backside on the floor, but the girl's eyes widened as she watched her friend fall down the stairs. With each knock there was a crash through the whole house and some would have sworn they heard something shatter. Finally, he collapsed at the bottom of the stairs and groaned a little in pain.
"Oh, my God!" exclaimed Rose Evans who ran towards the child- "Sweetheart are you... ah!
The woman let out a scream and put her hands in front of her mouth. Alfred ran downstairs to help the boy and was confused by his wife's reaction. The man looked in the direction Rose's shocked eyes were watching. His eyes also widened when they saw red and purple marks and spots on the boy's back, as the child's very baggy shirt lifted up. Petunia also noticed the marks and her face revealed shock.
Lily went down the stairs and passed between her parents, helping her friend right after to get up.
"Sev, are you okay? Did you break something? I seem to hear something snap" questioned the friend almost in tears
"I'm fine..." said the boy weakly "If I broke something, it doesn't matter... everything goes back in place"
"You shouldn't say that" Rose complained, breaking out of her stupor "You need to go to the doctor or the hospital!"
"No!" Severus exclaimed brusquely, but then he realized his rude behavior and apologized "I mean, no... it's not necessary, I'm fine, thanks"
Rose wanted to insist, but was interrupted by her husband.
"Well, what about this snack? Shall we attack?” asked the adult leading the children to the table.
Clearly, Severus sat down next to Lily, who began to compliment her mother's delicious sweets that he needed to try. The boy didn't eat much, he wasn't hungry after that fall, his body was very sore and he could barely move his arms properly.
"So... Severus" called Lily's father "Do you like school? Do you have good grades? What school are you at?"
Severus blinked at the adult's questions and Rose just smiled at the boy, stating that it was just for conversation.
"Lily is a smart girl, but she doesn't work hard at school," Rose said, shaking her head.
"Hey, I got good grades!" complained the girl with a pout.
"If by good grades you mean you didn't get negatives then yes you did," commented Petunia.
Oh yes. Snape remembered something similar, before Lily met him she was the type who was smart but didn't study and that limited her grades a bit. Severus was jealous of the girl when she was young and that's why he gave her little lectures that she should try harder. Of course they would end up arguing and getting mad at each other for the rest of the day, but the next day they were back on their feet. Severus wanted to hit himself, he really was the worst kind, out of envy and jealousy he actually said those things to his friend. He was trash.
Alfred ended up reminding him of the questions he had asked and, after a few seconds of trying to remember his notes, Severus answered.
"I didn't know you went to the same school as Lily" Alfred admitted with a frown, but then he relaxed "My mind, it's obvious you go, it's the nearest elementary school"
"Yes..." replied Severus with a smile.
"And your grades, love? Are they any good?” Rose asked sweetly.
Severus was surprised by the woman's affection and blushed a little, he thought a little before answering:
"Normally, I get A's or B's," replied Severus.
Lily's parents were very surprised to hear this information and looked at each other.
"I see, so you're a very good student," Alfred said with a smile.
Severus shrugged and said nothing. However, Alfred started asking the boy questions, school questions or not. The little one couldn't blame the adult, it was hard to believe that someone like Severus, who came from a place like Spinner's End, was someone with good grades. So he didn't mind in the least, even taking pity on the man, as he wasn't talking to a child, but a thirty-eight-year-old adult in the body of one.
Alfred's doubts about Severus's grades disappeared, but astonishment was replaced in their place. He had to admit, the kid was pretty smart.
"You're a very smart boy," Rose praised fondly.
"Oh... thank you," said Severus, cheeks red with embarrassment at the compliment.
"You're welcome, darling" said Rose, who then looked at the clock on the wall "Oh, heavens, it's almost dinner time, time flies by"
Those present looked at the time and were amazed at how time had flown by, no one had noticed. Lily pouted, as that meant Severus had to go.
"In that case, I'd better withdraw" said Severus, getting up from the chair, he looked at the family of four and bowed his head "Thank you for your hospitality, I won't forget your kindness"
Snape then started to leave, going through the front door and putting on his old slippers. Before he could take another step, Lily called out for himself:
"Severus, wait!"
The boy looked back, but saw the redhead run up the stairs. He was confused, what was going on? The girl's parents weren't getting it either, they were close to the door and waited for their daughter to come down. Not long after, the child reappeared with arms full of hygiene products. Severus frowned at the image.
"Before you get offended I'm not saying you're dirty or anything like that" said the girl "I just thought you'd like to have your hair softer, just like mine!"
Severus' eyes widened at what his friend was saying. Yes, he remembers that Lily suggested a few times that she offer him a shampoo or shower gel and he was very offended by that, who wouldn't be? However, it is normal to offer hygiene products, even if you do this with people you are close to, family members or when you don't know what to offer the person. Severus never thought about the latter reasons, only that the redhead was calling him dirty and filthy.
Rose and Alfred both turned white at their daughter's words, scarcely knowing where to stick their heads in embarrassment.
"Lily, you can't give me that, it's yours" Severus refused while shaking his head in denial.
"It was given to me, you don't have to worry, I don't want it" the girl insisted.
"That's worse, you can't give me something that was offered to you, people would be sad" the youngest continued to deny
The Evans couple, once again, were moved by the words of the minor and looked at the products that their daughter had in her arms. Indeed, those products were offered by the seamstresses that Rose was supervising. They learned that the woman had daughters and that Lily had her birthday in January and Petunia in April. To show how much they liked Rose, the women handed out different shampoos, shower gels, conditioners and some offered ointment for wounds, as they also had children and knew that the little ones got hurt several times.
Rose accepted out of courtesy as well as emotion, however, both Lily and Petunia were rather stingy with the things they wore. That is, if they used a type of shampoo it could only be that one and no other. In short, the products stood still in the cabinets without anyone touching them. A complete waste.
So Lily wasn't lying when she said she didn't want those things for nothing, but doing something like that out of the blue surprised the couple a lot.
"Don't worry, dear" Rose said with a sweet smile for the boy "Lily is not lying, nobody wants to wear these things. In fact, if you take it, you're doing us a big favor."
Severus froze and looked at the woman to see if she was telling the truth, but why lie to him in the first place? He didn't know what to say, he opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of what to do. It would be bad manners not to accept the hygiene products, since even Lily's parents agreed to give them away.
"Are you sure?" the boy finally asked.
"Oh, of course!" Rose exclaimed in a happy tone "But it will be a bit problematic to carry all this in your arms, something could fall"
"I'm going to get a backpack, we should have some around" said Alfred "I'll be right back"
Severus was going to say something to stop the adult, he didn't want to be a problem. However, Rose noticed his intentions and stopped him, offering him some lunch to go. Snape couldn't refuse and his face turned red once more. Not long after, Mr. Evans reappears with a light green backpack, despite being old and used, no one would know that by its appearance, it must have been in good condition.
"Here, is the least feminine backpack I could find, it was Petunia's when she started school, but she didn't like it and we had to buy a new one a month later" Alfred said with a small smile "Put the things here Lily"
The red-haired girl beamed at her father and put all the products she had in her arms in the open backpack. Rose then approached with a blue lid plastic tupperware with some food inside, then putting it in the backpack. The family man then closed the backpack and handed it to the boy who stared at it with wide eyes.
"Come on, take it," the man said with a smile.
It took a few seconds for Severus to stretch his arms and place the backpack on his back. He looked at the family of four in front of him, his black eyes glistening with water, he didn't remember the Evans' generosity, at least it wasn't something he was used to.
"Thank you, everyone," said Severus in a weak and a little tearful voice, he bowed, a habit he had gained in his past life with wizards, and only after saying goodbye did he leave.
The Evanses waved at him with a smile on their lips. When he was far enough away, Alfred could no longer bear the question that was stuck in his throat:
"Lily, do you know what those bruises were? How did he earn them?"
Lily froze at her father's question and looked at him a little scared.
"It's okay, Lily, I just…I want to know," the man said.
Rose also encouraged her daughter to speak, even Petunia was attentive to what the other had to say. The redhead looked at her family and pursed her lips a little, she knew Severus didn't like to talk about that subject, but it wasn't as if she could hide it from her family, she wasn't a good liar and she didn't like to do it either. it.
"Sev doesn't like to talk about it and he doesn't like me to bring it up either, but..." Lily said a little nervously as she gripped the bottom of her dress tightly. "It was his father!"
The parents widened their eyes at their daughter's assertion, they were horrified that their suspicions were correct.
Rose put her hand on her chest, affected by the knowledge that a boy as good as Severus was forced to live a life of abuse. How many times has he been beaten by his father? There should be many according to the amount of stains.
Alfred was angry, yes, he just met the boy, but the child captured his heart, he was cordial, respectful, intelligent, generally a good boy. It certainly wasn't fair for a child to have that kind of life.
"Sev always says that his father doesn't like anything at all, not even him and his mother. Oh! He also says that he drinks a lot, but I don't quite understand what he means, aren't people supposed to drink? Well, all I know is that after drinking he beats him and his mother,” said Lily.
Alcoholic. Alfred's hatred for that man grew. It was to be seen that Mr. Evans didn't like aggression, let alone after drinking. However, it was obvious that Severus's family was very poor or they wouldn't live in Spinner's End and even then the boy's parent was able to spend money on drink. Disgust, was what he could feel. Alfred looked in the direction the child walked, his lips pursed and his fists clenched.
"Alfred" called Rose, touching her husband's shoulder "You're not a violent man, besides, you can't enter a person's house and hit him just because you suspect he's abusing his son"
"Daddy wanted to hit Snape's father?" Asked Petunia shocked, she never saw her father want to hit someone, especially someone he didn't know
"You can't!" Lily shouted at the eldest, the adults were surprised by the intervention "From what Sev told me his father is huge! He is very tall and very strong! If you go to him, he will finish you off!"
Alfred looked at his daughter very offended, he wasn't a violent man, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to defend himself or even throw a punch. Besides, Severus was a small child, it would be normal for him to think that his father was tall. Not only that, but only a weak person would beat their wife and children, a strong person wouldn't feel the need to beat anyone, especially their family. However, Alfred knew that he could not act on his own accord, he was not a police officer to intervene in the matter, the best he could do was to report the abuse to the police. But the authorities wouldn't act if he wasn't the victim or someone from his family, as he was an "unknown" he needed to have the victim with him to make the complaint, something that, without a doubt, Severus would not want to collaborate.
The man gave a resentful sigh, he couldn't do anything to help the boy. He turned to his family and commanded the women to continue packing for the holidays. What they needed now was to keep their minds busy and enjoy their vacation.
Severus walked through the green park with his head in a thousand and one shocked faces. He couldn't believe he had just visited the Evans and brought toiletries and food to boot. It was unbelievable.
He looked at his surroundings, the rich part of the city was slowly becoming more decadent, until the moment when the sky itself, before clear blue, turned gray and gloomy, the colorful and firm houses became neutral and unstable, the clear river was polluted because of the factory that was located nearby, and there was no longer a green park with flowers, only streets of gravel out of place and with giant holes. It was a sad and stark sight to behold.
However, Severus sighed, that was where he spent his childhood, where he grew up and suffered. It was what he deserved after all, to go back to that morbid place.
The child quickened his steps, he didn't want to have the unfortunate luck of meeting a thief or a bandit, despite practically everyone knowing him because of his father. Even so, he didn't want to abuse his situation, the light green backpack would certainly draw someone's attention and they would question him. He needed to get home as soon as possible.
Severus almost ran until he reached a small two-story house falling apart, the windows were either broken or cracked, none were intact, the house gate was rusted and literally crooked, it couldn't even close, the ground outside it was just black earth without any plants, the entrance door was made of wood and was marked by wear and tear, not to mention the roof that had flaws and that's why in times of rain the water ended up entering the house.
This was Severus's home, the house where he had lived for years.
The child did not stay outside for long and entered the house through the open door. Snape tiptoed and surveyed the surroundings and rooms before passing them. Clearly, he didn't want to get caught. Don't think he was worried about his father. Oh no way, the man was working at the time. What he was worried about was his mother, Eileen.
Severus remembers his mother very well, it wasn't even necessary to remind himself in his childhood memories. Eileen was born into a pureblood family, the Princes, and grew up in luxury without having to move a straw. Severus really doesn't know what the woman saw in Tobias, his father, a muggle.
Once, Eileen admitted to Severus that when she was a teenager she wanted to piss off her parents, for who knows what reason, and slept with the first muggle she came across, that being Tobias. It was supposed to be a one-night stand, but who would have thought she'd be pregnant the first night? Clearly, Eileen's parents hated the news, both because she had sex with a muggle and also because she was pregnant. They wanted Eileen to kill the child or give it to the father and not see them again. However, Eileen went further, letting her pride get the better of her and staying with Tobias, including marrying him.
Obviously, that wasn't a smart choice, especially for a Slytherin. As mentioned before, Eileen was born and raised in luxury, she had house-elves in every corner of her giant mansion to serve her, so being placed in a muggle environment and poor on top of that was not a good idea.
His mother admitted that Tobias was excited and happy to marry her and to be expecting a child. However, things didn't work out well, Eileen didn't do anything in the house, she didn't clean, because she didn't know how, she didn't cook, because she didn't know how, she didn't do the laundry, because she didn't know how, nothing, she didn't do anything. So Tobias had to do everything, at first he didn't care much, as he was used to living alone, but Eileen didn't help his mental health with criticism and demands.
As you can see now, things went wrong.
The reason why Severus was being cautious of his mother is because, just like it was said, the woman was always surrounded by luxury and now she could hardly even get her hands on a white brand shampoo and if she did she wouldn't share with her child, keeping it all to herself.
If it was in the past, that is, when Severus was really a child, he wouldn't care, since he had given up on caring about his appearance, since he was called ugly and disgusting from an early age, so showering with shampoo wouldn't change nothing.
However, it was different now, Severus could have illnesses, because he couldn't eliminate bacteria with water alone, especially not very well treated water. Even he felt a little piggy. Thankfully, he didn't smell bad, but that didn't mean things were any better.
So, the boy tried to be discreet so as not to be caught by the mother and she took all the hygiene products with her, maybe even the backpack.
His steps were light as a feather and his breathing slow like an animal in hibernation. The youngest's ears were attentive to any movement and sound, if necessary he would go out the door and try to get in another way. Lucky for him, his mother was supposed to be sleeping, so he didn't find her on the way to his room.
The boy let out a sigh of relief as he closed the door to his quarters, looking around the place. It was the same disgrace he remembered, small, with a single bed with a mattress with the springs almost coming out and old, the sheets and blankets were also worn and a little torn, the wooden floorboards were uneven, being some further up and some further down, there was an old desk next to a slightly broken window and last but not least, a closet without a door with little clothes inside. Yes, a disgrace, just as he remembered.
Severus scowled at the place and started to miss his quarters as a professor at Hogwarts. It was hard to go back to a place he never thought to set foot in again.
The boy shook his head and looked for a place to hide the backpack, he didn't want his parents to find what he had been given. However, it was a little difficult to successfully perform the function, since the room was bare and small, so it was easy to find something that was hiding.
Snape approached a specific area of the floor next to the bed, bent down and lifted a wooden board, revealing a small hiding place where Severus kept some things important to him, at least at the time. The boy had hidden some potions that his mother brewed for him as a demonstration of her magical abilities, as well as a small box where he kept some money that he managed to steal from his father.
The child analyzed the hiding place and shook his head, it was a very small space, the backpack did not fit. However, an idea appeared in his mind, the space would no longer be so small if he managed to cast an expansion spell.
Of course, for that he needed a wand and he still didn't have his from Hogwarts and even if he had he couldn't use it because of the existing spell on students' wands that alerted the Ministry about its use and that only disappeared when it was reached the age of majority.
However, there was currently a wand available for him to use. His mother's.
Of course Severus could try to use wandless magic, but his ability to do so was only limited to making objects levitate and that was when he was an adult. At the moment he was a child and didn't have the magic of his adult self, he needed to...practice.
Even so, trying to get the wand at that exact moment was dangerous, soon his father would come home and if he caught him with his mother's wand in his hand then he would be definitely dead. Soon, Snape tried another alternative, he put the board back in place and approached the bed, lifting the mattress with great difficulty and placing the backpack on the head area. Yes, he knew perfectly well that it was not a good hiding place, which was something very obvious. But that would be if your mattress was normal, the thing was so old and used that it couldn't keep itself upright, making lots of ups and downs. That is, he disguised the new bump that the backpack created in his bed. For now it was what he had.
Severus sneaked out of his room and went to check the time, Tobias would be gone for about half an hour, if he didn't leave work early. The child looked around the kitchen and living room with a grimace of disgust, there was so much dust and dirt that even a Troll would feel uncomfortable. No wonder Tobias was in a bad mood all the time, with a filthy house like this he would be too.
Severus couldn't take it anymore and went to the storage room under the stairs, taking out a broom, a catcher and a duster. He wouldn't get much done in less than half an hour, but at least it'd be cleaner.
The little one went to the kitchen and started to sweep the place, pursing his lips in disgust when he saw the dirt that came out. He also used a cloth and a feather duster to remove existing dust and cobwebs. After cleaning the kitchen, he returned to the living room, doing exactly the same as in the kitchen. However, he heard the front door creak open and his small body cringed in response. Severus looked at the door to see his father enter.
Tobias was a very tall and strong man, he must have been six feet tall and he had muscles bigger than a basketball... on each side of his arm. His hair was a dark brown, his eyes a light honey brown, and he had a strong, firm jaw with tanned skin. He was a man who was scary with his straight face, so with a frown it went without saying.
Tobias closed the door, turned back to the front with a serious expression on his face, put his coat on the hanger at the foot of the entrance and took a step, stopping completely when he saw his son with a broom in hand. The adult was confused and looked at the kitchen, surprised when he saw it clean (it was hard not to notice the difference when it was always a dump) and looked at the room, half of it was clean or at least the floor was. The adult looked at the child with a slightly shrunken posture, but the child didn't say or do anything, just looking at the parent.
"Why are you cleaning? Did your mother ask you to?" asked Tobias a little curious, Eileen finally got her head together and decided to do something? Even if that thing was sending the eight-year-old son to clean?
"No," Severus said simply and curtly.
Tobias frowned at the younger's response, even more confused than before.
"So if she didn't tell you to clean it, why are you doing it?" asked the adult
Severus was a little silent, but he shrugged and said:
"I noticed that there was dust and decided to clean it" he replied once again as short as possible
Tobias raised an eyebrow at the youngest's answer, but he was a little relieved, it was great to know that his son had more sense than his mother and took the trouble to clean the house a little. After all, it was very difficult for him to be the only one doing something, he had to wash the dishes and put the clothes in the wash and dry, he worked all day dragging very heavy boxes, so he would come home exhausted. Seeing his wife not doing anything at all makes him very angry and out of control, he worked a lot to support three people and the person he married didn't even bother to ask how he was doing.
Tobias blinked and looked around because, now that he remembered, he still hadn't seen Eileen.
"Your mother?" asked the man.
"I don't know, I haven't seen her all day," replied Severus, who also found it a little strange.
Even though Eileen slept most of her time, she was careful to be awake before her husband arrived, starting to cook right away, even though her food was barely edible. For that reason it was very odd that she wasn't in the kitchen yet, had she left?
Tobias didn't ask that question and headed for the stairs. Severus didn't question it and continued to sweep the room's filthy floor and mop. He could hear his dad slam the doors upstairs, clearly there was no word from Eileen. The boy turned the contents of the catcher into the garbage bag that was on the kitchen floor against the wall, since they didn't even have money to buy a garbage can.
Tobias reappeared when Severus was arranging the cleaning supplies and, by the look on his face, he wasn't very happy.
"Where the hell did that woman go?" he asked, gritting his teeth.
Severus was also curious and tried to remember something in his mind, clearly the adult Severus, as Eileen didn't say anything to him, especially when she went out. Tobias looked at his son and noticed the frown on his face, he must have been thinking.
"Do you know anything?" asked the man.
Severus looked at his parent and replied:
"I'm thinking, maybe she mentioned something," he said not too loudly.
Tobias waited and Severus tried to remember something. What happened the day before when Lily went on vacation? Snape concentrated, using the art of his mind to try to find whatever clue it was.
He remembers turning down Lily's offer to go to her house and, so that she wouldn't insist anymore, he decided to go back home. When he arrived he saw his mother leaving very well dressed, even with makeup on her face, he couldn't ask where she was going, as she completely ignored him. He locked himself in the room and later his father was screaming and asking him where his mother was. To which Severus replied that she had left and that he didn't know where she was. Eventually, Eileen returned with some plastic bags of groceries, but Severus was very confused, as she had been gone all afternoon and had only returned with two bags. In the end, Tobias questioned her to see what he could get out of her, ending up beating the woman.
Severus glanced at his father who was still looking at him questioningly, then he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge which creaked with rust. There was nothing in there. The boy stood at the side of the refrigerator, revealing its interior to the older man.
"Maybe went shopping?" asked the boy.
Tobias frowned, he wasn't convinced.
"All afternoon?" asked the adult.
"Perhaps she haven't left for a long time, I wasn't here either at the time, I went for a walk" replied Severus closing the door of the appliance so as not to waste more electricity than necessary "When I arrived I thought that..."
"What?" encouraged the eldest
"That she was sleeping" replied the boy without much choice.
Tobias said nothing and thought for a while, he was still dissatisfied and unconvinced, but it's not like he could blame his son, the child didn't know anything.
It was at that moment that the front door opened and Eileen walked into the house with a very satisfied expression, a smile crossing her lips. However, such a view was replaced by a straight face when she saw the father and son pair. Tobias was not happy with this change, noticing later that the woman was wearing makeup.
"Where did you go?" asked Tobias in a deep voice.
"I went shopping, we had nothing to cook with," she replied.
"All afternoon?" he asked again, looking at the two bags
Eileen looked at her husband and then at her son and a light came on in her eyes, she realized exactly what had happened.
"When did you arrive, Severus?" asked the woman a little coldly.
"Not long ago, mother, it shouldn't be more than two hours," replied the boy.
"Um, I left about that time," Eileen replied.
Tobias clenched his fists a little irritated, it looked like the woman was making fun of him.
"And why the makeup?" he asked.
"Did you want me to appear in the store as a living dead? I would be accused of stealing something" she complained.
Tobias took a deep breath, trying to gain the rational control that woman insisted on taking away. Was it something wizards do to people like him? That thought pissed him off even more.
Severus wasted no time and approached his mother to grab the shopping bags and head to the kitchen. Eileen was surprised by the younger's action, but noticed that Tobias was also watching their son and ended up sighing, putting the situation aside. The woman was even more confused by the man's behavior, but she remained silent, then went into the kitchen to cook.
At dinner time there was absolute silence, Severus tried to eat the small percentage of unpalatable food made by his mother, while praying for some peace. But he knew it wouldn't last and it didn't, an argument started with Tobias complaining about his boss not liking him and instead of Eileen agreeing with him, she simply went against her husband. Obviously, things didn't end well.
Eileen was now screaming for Tobias to stop pulling her hair and for him to be reasonable. The man got even angrier and slapped his wife across the face. Once again, Eileen let out a scream and this time fell to the ground. Tobias was breathing deeply, if the other said anything else he wasn't sure he would control himself.
Severus dragged the bench, catching the attention of the two adults. The boy got up and took his empty plate, heading to the stall. The child could barely wash his dishes by himself, standing on tiptoe. In the end, he put the dishes to dry and left the kitchen, leaving the couple behind.
"Looks like he learned his lesson," Tobias said without being discreet.
Severus didn't say anything and went upstairs to his room. He knew what Tobias was referring to. In fact, all the purple and red marks he had on his body were, for the most part, attempts to help his mother against Tobias. Whenever the man hit the woman, Severus got in the middle to try to prevent the older woman from being hurt by the adult.
Now, many will wonder why he doesn't do it more. The answer was simple, whenever Severus defended his mother he became the new target and Eileen fled, leaving him behind with the man. Severus didn't care in the past, in his head he was like a hero to his mother. Sweet innocence, from the other's perspective he was more like a clown ready to get beat up for her. On one of those occasions, his father broke his nose and his mother didn't even bother brewing a potion to fix the problem. Thanks to that, his body adapted his "new nose" and it was already impossible for him to fix it, getting a crooked nose and breathing difficulties. She didn't care one bit.
Severus resented his mother? Oh, no doubt. She could have done everything differently, but she didn't. He once asked his dying mother why she never left his father despite all the abuse she suffered. Her answer: out of pride. Out of pride she left her parents' house, out of pride she didn't go back there, out of pride she decided it was better to suffer domestic violence, out of pride she thought it would be better to see her son beaten by the supposed parent, out of pride, out of damn pride, she didn't want to live another kind of life.
Severus knew what it was like to be carried away by pride, he always held his head high and fought his enemies or not friends with everything he had, but he knew the limits. He let go of his pride to get his friendship back with Lily, he let go of his pride and became Dumbledore's puppet, he let go of his pride and became a disposable chess piece at any time. And you're saying his mother accepted her fate out of pride? No, Severus didn't accept his fate out of pride, he accepted it, because there was nothing left of it. His mother was selfish and hypocritical, he didn't see that before, because the old Severus was treated less worse by her and that's why he loved her more.
He didn't want that kind of life anymore, he didn't want to suffer, he didn't want to feel more pain in his limbs and torso, he just wanted to be in peace, even if it was all just a trick for him to go to hell next. Just a little, just a little quiet.
Yes, he still had that question of whether or not he was back in the past. It was unlikely, but at the same time most likely, all too true and truthful to reality to be a dream. If he really was back then he would have a second chance to get things done, be nice to Lily, maintain their friendship, be nicer to the people around him, be...less the monster he was. Not only that, but he could help win the war, he knew Voldemort's secrets, he could use them against him.
The boy was thoughtful for some time, he formed plans in his mind and the best way to execute them. First, he would deal with his occlumency, protecting his mind and using his ability to not forget things would be very useful for him and since he was a master in the area it would be very easy for him to recover his shields. This would allow him to control his emotions and not explode like he used to do with people.
He would also have to improve his appearance, if he wanted to be nice to others he would have to look nice to them. So he would have to address that factor as well. How was he going to do it? Simple, he very much doubted that his mother in her teens didn't have a book with spells and potions to help with the appearance, as he also doubted that she wouldn't have it with her. Even though she had put magic aside for her husband, she still made potions, and clearly one of them should be beauty, even if one potion isn't enough to fix the decaying appearance that was beginning to show through lack of care. He also had the toiletries Lily had given him, so at least his hair would look good.
Another thing, if he used magic as a child his core would develop more and better. Of course, there was that situation that children under the age of eleven weren't advised to use a wand, as their magic was still unstable and immature and wouldn't do well with a wand. However, with the help of occlumency, Severus wouldn't have this problem, as once the shields were established more stable his magic would be. Then there would be no problems.
More and more ideas popped into his mind and Severus knew he had to start as soon as possible. For that reason, he sat on the bed and closed his eyes, concentrating on everything he learned to be an occlumency master in his previous life. He knew and knew everything, so he would be fine.