Ohh crap oh crap no no NO!
Severus tore out of the house with a blinding speed. His small frame trembled hard against his oversized, second hand, mis-matched clothes. He kept running, looking down, hiding his angry tears under a curtain of filthy hair though no one was around to see him cry.
His dad had come home 3 hours early after an extra long drinking beige. Eileen, his mother, was unfortunately caught in the kitchen making her husbands dinner. When Severus finally had enough and screamed for his mothers life, Tobias turned of him. Before he could start yet another ruthless beating, Severus somehow blasted Tobias across the room, knocking him unconscious against the grimy wall. He ran to the corner to check on his mother, but she was too far gone. Years of torment had made her eyes go blank and lifeless, and she could not see her terrified son even as she stared at him. Instead she continued to rock herself and plead for mercy to a Tobias Snape that was no longer there. Horrified at the situation, Severus grabbed his one pair of dirty trainers and ran for his life.
Severus finally gave in to the pain in his side and collapsed behind a pair of bushes, breathing hard. He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed himself into a the bush deeper, hoping to sink and just keep sinking. To escape from the wrath of his father. To run away forever from all the fear and pain that surrounded his short miserable life. Most of all Severus wanted to find the light, the happiness that he knew should be there. His 9 year old mind was mature enough however to know that light and happiness do not come to dirty greasy rats like him. So he continued to shut his eyes from the world, and envelop himself in the darkness.
And it continued like this. Soon the self-pity and fear grew into apprehension which grew into boredom and curiosity. He was only 9 after all. Yet Severus couldn't bring himself to open his eyes and get out of his hiding spot to look around.
Might as well get comfortable he thought to himself. With eyes still closed he felt around the ground removing the painful rocks and sticks he was now fully aware was under him. Leaning back and resting against the trunk, he listened to the sound of the wind rustling the leaves and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
The most beautiful, musical, magical laugh finally brought Severus out of his slumber. Forgetting his stance to remain in the darkness his eyes snapped open to revile the painful light. After a few agonizing seconds of adjusting he turned around to try to find the source of that euphoric laughter.
That is when he saw her. She was hiding behind a slide (apparently he was in the park about half a mile from his house). Her deep red hair shielded her face a little as she attempted to remain hidden. It was to no avail. Soon another girl, one with a strangely horse like face, came around the slide to face the red-head.
"Found you Lily!" Horse face screamed as she surged forward to tag the other girl.
Lily then came out from under the slide for Severus to see clearly. Her hair was intensified tenfold by the sun, becoming almost blindingly beautiful. Her face was mesmerizing, like the angels Severus used to see at church as a young boy before his fathers problems. Her steps danced around the playground and finally into the sun. The sight was simply stunning. His heart thudded hard against his chest. It was as if he was finally seeing the light he always wanted. Her laugh rang out again, like bells. She continued to dance out of horse-faces hands, brows wiggling mischievously. Her wry smile quirked every time she escaped, and once again another round of giggles bounded out.
"You have to do better than that Tuney!" her musical voice sang.
Tuney finally made her grand leap towards Lilly when it happened. She was there, and then suddenly she wasn't! When she ended up behind Tuney she looked pleased, but not surprised. Severus realized that he had been oblivious to it before but now it was clear. Lilly was a witch! Questions filled his mind. Did she know about Hogwarts? What is her family like- are they wizards to?
Severus had never met another witch or wizard besides his mom, who was too fearful of his father to use it. She did sometimes tell him about it. One day she snuck him out to the attic while his dad was at work. Eileen carefully pried up one of the attic floor boards to revile a small compartment filled with a few books and a weird stick thingy. That was the first time he was able to see controlled magic. His mother demonstrated wingardium leviosa to make the book "Hogwarts: A History" float over to Severus's hands. Afterwards she gazed at her wand like a long lost friend, corner of lips twitching between a smirk and a grimace.
Severus spent every night since then pouring over the texts reading and absorbing everything he could, dreaming about the day he could escape to the magical castle in Scotland.
Severus was thoroughly snapped out of his thoughts when Tuney's shrill voice screamed "FREAK!".
He scrambled closer to listen.
"What did i TELL YOU LILY. No little sister of mine will be doing those...FREAK things that you do. No stop it NOW before i tell mummy!"
So not a family of wizards? thought Severus. That could only mean- her family is full of muggles! Wait what is horse face doing
Tuney had grabbed her little sisters hand and rather forcefully proceeded to drag her out of the park.
No! Don't go!
Severus panicked as he watched his light leave. He needed to know more. He desperately wanted to tell her what she was. How special she was. A determined resolve undertook his soul. He would talk to Lilly, his light, if it was the last thing his 9 year old soul did. Deciding to come the next day, he spun purposefully and ran home. His fear was somehow sucked away by the gleeful ginger, and the strange energy of happiness coursed through his heart even as he walked though the door. His eyes traveled to the couch which held his father out cold in his drunken stupor. With a smirk in his direction Severus climbed to the attic to go over the books he already knew by heart. He couldnt wait to see "Lily" again.