Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling and is protected by Warner Bros. The views and opinions expressed are those of the CHARACTERS and not me.
A/N: Why is it, that whenever I go to the North-East I get attacked by youngSnape plot-bunnies?
Heart-to-Heart
It showed. Only in little ways, mannerisms perhaps, or the way he always seemed to be looking over his shoulder, twitching away from the light. Tobias had seen it as well, when he'd accidently walked in on the lad having a wash one morning. Purple bruises standing out of pale trembling skin.
He knew for a fact that Eileen hadn't noticed. It wasn't a woman's thing and besides she'd have said. Which meant, Tobias realised gloomily, that he should probably say something to the boy. Severus was his son, after all, even if both the boy and his mother seemed to want to strenuously deny it. It made him angry sometimes, that the two of them lived in a world of their own, a world he had no control over and that they both considered (and made obvious that they considered) to be far superior.
He glanced over to where Severus was sitting, curled up on the floor with his head buried in a book. His hair hung loosely over his face, but what Tobias could see of his expression was locked in a permanent scowl. Trying to push out the unwelcome realisation that Severus had ended up as everything he'd rather hoped a son of his wouldn't, Tobias cleared his throat.
Severus's left shoulder rose, just a fraction, but there was no other perceptible response.
Tobias took a deep breath, somehow feeling nervous. Having decided to breach the subject, however, he wasn't about to give up. "How's, uh, how's your school going?"
Severus looked up briefly, a flicker of confusion passing across his face. "Fine."
"You sure?"
He looked back down at his book, pointedly ignoring his father, "Yes."
This was it. Time to get the thing over with. Quietly, dropping the words carefully into the empty room, Tobias said, "Someone's been knocking you around haven't they."
He felt a small glow of satisfaction as the boy looked up quickly, shocked. Oh yes, your old man might be a Muddle or whatever it is you whisper with your mam behind my back, but he still knows a thing or two. It shows all the time, the way you look, the way you walk, you're always jumping at shadows. Besides a skinny weedy bookish thing like you is practically asking for it, you're certainly the sort of lad I would have picked on, back in the day.
"A bit." Severus answered warily, uncertain where this was going.
Tobias nodded, pleased to have his suspicions confirmed. "Older lads?"
The boy gave a lopsided shrug and Tobias wondered briefly whether his tormentors might actually be younger than him. Severus was still quite small for his age, and fairly skinny, "Same age, but there's four of them."
"Ah." Tobias tried to think of something to say, but, thankfully, Severus kept talking, saving him the worry of keeping things going.
"It's two of them mainly: Black and Potter." He spat the names out and, in an uncharacteristic moment of verboseness, continued. Tobias got the feeling he'd wanted to tell someone for a while, "Both rich, arrogant, spoilt, pure-blood."
"Ah." Tobias said again, wondering what 'pure-blood' meant.
"The other two aren't as bad." Severus continued. "Pettigrew only laughs along because he's terrified Black will get bored and pick on him and Lupin…" He paused. He honestly wasn't sure about Lupin, who was thin and awkwardly tall, spent a suspicious number of days on sick leave and most of the rest of the time looking like he was on the brink of expiring anyway. He seemed almost pathetically grateful to Black and Potter for bothering to hang around with him and, if he had to be honest, Snape couldn't work out why they did bother hanging around with the worried-looking sickly boy.
"So?" Tobias prompted as Severus's voice trailed off. It was time to get down to the fatherly part, although he still couldn't work out what he was going to say. Bullying had never been a problem for young Tobias Snape, certainly not from the side of the victim, "What, well, what are you going to do about it?"
Severus's eyes glittered. "I can get them back. Sometimes."
Tobias looked down at his son and for the first time felt a short stab of pride. This was Severus, his Severus, the hopelessly awkward thing that he and Eileen had somehow managed to drag up between them, taking on four boys probably larger and stronger than he was. And, from the look on the boys face, with some measure of success.
"Mostly Lupin, he hangs around on his own occasionally, and he'd never dare tell too much; he's terrified they'll stop being friends with him. Pettigrew's easy, but he's too smart to hang around alone. I got Black once, hexed him up to the hospital wing. Potter's too quick." He scowled at the unfortunate truth, "But Lucius and the others can take him on any time. They're older." He explained for the benefit of his father, "They can take on anything and Potter thinks two-to-one odds are heroic."
Magic and older boys did seem a bit underhand to Tobias but he was, in the case of his son, prepared to overlook that. A lightweight thing like Severus facing four against one needed all the help he could get. The proud feeling inside him intensified, the boy might look like a useless bookworm but he was clearly hard enough inside.
He gave his son a warm smile but Severus, perhaps regretting his moment of openness, was staring back at the book, his finger tracing around a host of incomprehensible magical symbols. Sighing, Tobias levered himself out of his chair and headed back upstairs.
A/N: Tobias Snape is on is way to joining Pettigrew, Aberforth and Regulus in the ranks of My Favourite Characters. The guy is awesome!
Any suggestions, comments or criticism would, as always, be highly appreciated. Or just a quick note saying good/bad.