Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, don't you think I'd be out doing something more extravagant than typing a bad story on FanFiction? I only wish I owned it. Anyway, enjoy.

Severus Snape was dragging his feet. He concentrated on the slight scuffing sound they made so he wouldn't have time to think about other things. Such as the one-sided screaming match going on inside his very own house right now. Severus knew how it would end; his mother would not be able to stop crying as his father yelled, she would accidentally make sparks or do some other minor thing and his father would hit her. And again…she would do nothing to stop it.

But he mustn't think of it. It would just make him angry.

The young boy began kicking a rock down the road, pretending that he and his family were perfectly normal. In Severus's imagination he wasn't a wizard and his mother was distinctly unmagical. Telling himself his parents were madly in love and he had an amazing childhood.

Lying to himself.

The thought infuriated him, and his pale face twisted. He kicked the rock fiercely and watched with satisfaction as it soared fifty feet before hitting the ground and tumbling out of sight.

The distance of the rock only served to make him more angry. It was magic. Magic was the thing that ruined his life.

Breathing heavily and slowly calming down, Severus veered sharply into the small alleyway leading to his favorite hiding place. The playground. It was perfect. There was almost always no one there. It was old and decrepit for the most part, so young children steered clear of it, and older kids preferred to chain smoke behind the elementary school or graffiti the skate parks. Here was one of the only places Severus could be alone.

He tried yet again to clear his mind of all thoughts as he ducked under the drooping trees and over the sagging fence. Eventually he rounded the bend which opened into the playground. Severus was just about to step out when he heard a yell.

"Tuney, Tuney! Look at this!" A girl's clear voice reached Severus's ears.

"Lily!", came another shrill voice. "What are you doing?"

Severus poked his head through the dying trees and gasped quietly at the scene before him. The playground was not deserted for once. There were two young girls on it, one looking slightly younger than Severus, one seemingly a couple years older. The elder, blond one sat on the ground near the slide a book in front of her. The younger one was on the teeter totter, red hair flying through the air like flames as she went up and down.

But it was not just the girls that made Severus so astonished by the scene. It was that the red-haired girl was alone on the teeter totter, bouncing high without even a push of her legs.

As Severus continued to watch in amazement, the girl let go of the handle in front of her and catapulted in a small but perfect arc to land just past the other end of the teeter totter as the blonde stared, her eyes full of a mixture of fury and sheer amazement.

The younger- Lily was it?- glanced up towards her sister and, by default, Severus. Her eyes were the first thing Severus noticed. They were a piercing, brilliant green, impossible not to look at.

"I'm sorry Petunia. But you didn't want to play. I was bored. I should have stayed with you." Lily did not seem to grasp that it was not the fact that she went to play was not the problem…it was the impossible feat she had just performed.

Petunia's eyes softened, but still retained some of their amazement. She spoke in a monotone voice. "No, Lily, it's okay. Mummy said I should play with you, and it was my fault that I didn't."

Lily lifted her head. "It's alright 'Tuney. I don't mind playing alone."

Petunia sighed and looked around to make sure no one had seen what had just happened. Her eyes skimmed straight of Severus's hiding spot, but with his black clothes and hair, failed to notice him. "How about we just sit here for a few minutes, okay Lily? I'll read to you."

Lily broke out into a wide grin and collapsed next to her sister to lean against her shoulder.

As Severus crept backwards through the path he heard traces of her voice, seeming as though they were coming straight from the trees, reading a poem he did not recognize. As the greasy-haired boy walked home, slowly this time, he thought of only two things.

Those brilliant, sparkling emerald eyes that had stared right at him (though he was sure she hadn't seen him).

And how magic now seemed like a wonderful thing.

Sorry for how short it was. They'll get longer, promise. They always do...reviews keep the world going around. Well, not really. But they sure boost my self-confidence. Which makes for quicker chapters. Title suggestions are also welcome.