Chapter 1:
The pale, skinny boy walked, using a long knarled stick to swat at the long grass in his way. The sun glared overhead. He longed to find a shady spot, somewhere cool where he could sit down, relax and daydream about his future far away, from his parents and their relentless abuse of one another and of him, from his miserable home, from Spinner's End.
Severus spent most of the summer days outside, sometimes sitting at the river, or else exploring the sparse vegetation that surrounded the town he lived in. He had grown out of the clothes he was wearing months before; the hem of his frayed and tattered pants barely reached his ankles anymore, and the cuffs of his yellowing shirt sat snugly on his forearms.
He had no friends. On his expeditions, he would sometimes see the other children laughing and playing, but he would never join them. Severus's father expressed a strong desire for him to interact with the 'normal kids', as he would put it. Severus, however, had no interest in being friends with muggle children, not while he knew that there were others just like him, gifted and superior. Superior because of what ran through their veins. Magic.
The small boy found relief from the harsh midday heat under the branches of an old weeping willow. There he sat, with his back against the trunk and his legs sprawled out, and tried to imagine what it would look like. Hogwarts. Severus had heard a few stories from his mother about her years spent at the school. The Sorting Hat had hardly touched her head before declaring her a Slytherin, the most notorious of the four school houses. Severus knew he would follow in her footsteps and was looking forward to learning all he possibly could within the prestigious house. He had yet to receive his acceptance letter and still had to wait another two months after that to board the Hogwarts Express. The wait was torturous.
Severus did not know how long he had been sitting under the ancient tree. It must have been a few hours at least, as the light had faded considerably and there was a slight chill in the air. He got up and began to quickly make his way back home. He was to be back by dusk every day, or else suffer the consequences dealt swiftly by his father.
Severus walked hurriedly past the old deserted playground, which was once colourful and inviting, a utopia of fun and innocence for the children of the desolate town. Now the broken swing set and rusted roundabout conveyed a sense of neglect. The parched and yellowed grass was littered with shards of glass – evidence of the sort of nocturnal activities that took place in the area.
Severus kept to the shade of the trees, looking down as his feet and trying not to imagine what lay in store for him at home. Another fight perhaps? The throwing of plates or ornaments?
Just then, he saw something from up ahead that made him slow his pace. A flash of red hair. He crept closer to the playground, thankfully hidden by the low hanging branches of a willow tree, and saw two girls. One of the girls looked a few years older than him and seemed to be walking away angrily from the younger, redheaded girl.
"Tuney, don't be angry at me. You know I can't control it – mum and dad told you! I'm sorry." the younger girl apologized, running after her sister.
"It's not right! It's unnatural!" her sister scolded her loudly and stormed off.
The redheaded girl watched her sister walk off, a sad look etched upon her face. She looked down at the ground. Severus saw her open her left hand and let something fall from her grasp. He realized that it was a large flower. For just a moment it hovered, inches away from the small girl's hand. Severus heard the girl's sister call out for her – her name was Lily. She hurried away and the spell was broken. He watched as the flower fell to the ground.
Severus turned back to look at the girl, but she was gone. He crept out from beneath the branches and walked over to the spot where she had been standing. He slowly bent down to pick up the flower which she had held in her hand. Severus carefully placed it in his pocket and began to walk home.