When Severus was very young he began going to the pictures. He didn't pay, of course, how could he? But he knew how to get in and it provided a much needed escape from a world that seemed to shut him down at every turn. Severus would sneak in when his parents were fighting or when his father came home drunk and needed to vent his anger out on somebody more helpless than himself. Seeing a film was like being in a different world. A world where the good guy wins and the hero saves the day. If only the real world was so sweet and simple.
The movie the young wizard was seeing today was called 'yellow submarine'. Severus snuck in the back a few minutes after the movie started and sat down just in front of a family of four. He wasn't particularly worried, nobody seeing the films had ever bothered to tell a cinema employee he was sneaking in all those times before, why should this time be any different? He had been kicked out before of course, but Severus didn't mind being caught, just so long as he never got in too much trouble for it. Most times he had left with nothing more than a warning thanks to some of that Slytherin cunning his mother had told him about. However a certain horrible git had formed quite a disliking of Severus over the past two years and had begun to look out for the local hooligan when he was working. Mr. Trisdale seemed to take great pleasure in catching sneaks, especially Severus. These catching a resulted in Severus being dragged out by his ear and shouted at in the alley behind the theatre. But the boy always came back, Trisdale couldn't scare him the way his father did.
The family behind Severus consisted of two young girls and their mother and father. The older of the sisters had a long neck and horse like face, she was sneering at the boy's back like he was a dirty mouse in a clean kitchen. The second daughter however, a girl with deep red hair and sparkling green eyes, regarded Severus with a curious expression and wondered what a little boy was doing all by himself. But the young wizard noticed none of this, he was already being sucked up into a universe laughter and music and colour, so different from Spinners End. At this point a meaty hand landed roughly on Severus' shoulder.
"Boy, I don't suppose you got a ticket this time eh?" Mr. Trisdale was of average height but width wise he quadrupled the young wizard. His eyes blazed with hatred for the child and his grip tightened around his shoulder. Despite being all of eight years old Severus knew exactly how to irritate his 'superiors'.
"Must have mislaid it sir, perhaps you should check for a fallen ticket just outside the theatre." He suggested, voice dripping with sarcasm. The fat mans grip grew even tighter but the boy didn't wince. Just then a much kinder mans voice sounded from behind.
"If you two wouldn't mind doing this somewhere else I'm sure we'd all appreciate it." Mr. Evans politely put in. The other man sneered but complied, he grabbed a fistful of Severus' lank black hair and muttered just loudly enough for Severs and the row behind them to hear. "You make me throw you out of here one more time you little urchin, and you'll be very sorry indeed."
"I figured you needed the exercise sir." Severus replied. If the cinema wasn't so dark the boy and the Evans' would have seen Trisdale's face turn a rather unnatural purple out of fury. Severus would have also seen Mr. Evans and the younger girl smirking at the comment.
Lily was finding it all terribly funny, she had forgotten the movie and paid close attention to the little boy in front of her. How was he not in pain? The man seemed to be doing a great deal to try and hurt him. It seemed that Lily wasn't the only one thinking of such things as Mrs. Evans chimed in. "There's no need to be so violent he's only a child." She sounded rather displeased. However much to Severus' disappointment the cinema worker didn't seem to hear and grabbed the boy harshly by the ear and began pulling him out of the back exit. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts to not give Trisdale the satisfaction, Severus winced, flailed his arms around in an attempt to free himself and shouted loudly enough for the whole cinema to hear: "THE LADY SAID NO NEED TO BE VIOLENT YOU FUCKING WANKER!"
A few soft gasps could be heard and almost everybody was staring and Trisdale and Severus. Lily's eyes were wide with shock. She only ever heard that sort of language from her father when he was really annoyed. Hearing a scruffy little boy using those words with so much confidence made Lily grin, wide enough to earn her a little slap in the arm from both her mother and sister. Mr. Evans also seemed to be fighting off chuckling, but not very well. Soon though, Trisdale continued to pull Severus out of the theatre and thoughts returned to the yellow submarine. Lily however was a bit distracted. All she knew was that she wanted to see this boy again sometime.
After a particularly nasty 'warning' which included being pushed prodded and yelled at, Severus sat himself on a bench outside the muggle theatre. He wasn't going home and if he couldn't watch a film he could at least watch the cars drive by. His mind wandered to the nice family he sat in front of. How would his life be different if his mother had married someone decent? He could go out like that with a family of his own and be happy and normal for once. Severus sat contemplating alternate universes when he heard a womans voice and felt a light tap on his bruised shoulder. He looked up to see the nice lady from the theatre staring down at him.
"Hello there." Severus said nothing, just stared at her with a blank expression on his face. He didn't know what the lady wanted but it couldn't be good so he kept his mouth firmly shut a turned his attention back to the traffic. After a few moment Mrs Evans sat down on the bench next to the little boy. "You may not have seen me but I sat in the theatre behind you just now." Severus narrowed his eyes but kept them fixed on the road.
"Oh I saw you."
"Well I wanted to ask if you needed anything, a ride home maybe?"
"No, I'm not going anywhere. Thank you anyway Mrs...?"
"Evans." Violet replied. She was taken aback at the coolness and dismissiveness of the boys voice. He couldn't have been any older than Lily. He was scrawny and pale and those factors were every more highlighted in the oversized and faded clothes he wore. Again Severus didn't respond so she decided to try a new approach.
"And what's your name?"
"Severus Snape."
"That's an interesting name." Violet was slightly relieved when the boy turned his dark eyes to her green ones.
"Mrs Evans was there something you needed?" He replied calmly. Despite the exterior though, Severus was slightly surprised at how nice the lady was being. Kindness wasn't something he was used to.
"No, just checking to see if you were okay." She paused for a second. "And while I don't approve of your language that man certainly wasn't very nice was he?"
Severus shook his head, a thin smirk playing at his lips. "No, he isn't really. I'm fine though."
Violet nodded and stood up. "Have a nice day then Severus." She went to rejoin her family waiting outside the theatre. The little boy's eyes followed her but the bustle of people blocked his view a bit.
As the Evans family walked away Severus sees a beautiful splash of deep red hair amongst the grey background of working class Cokeworth; and he smiles properly for the first time in ages.