AN: I used the prompt Under the Bed for The Houses Competition.
Enjoy!
Under the bed was where he could hide from his father's drunken rages. His underfed, lanky, pale, eight year-old body was able to fit into small spaces that most people could never fit into. There weren't many in the Snape family's two bedroom home. Too often, his father, Tobias, would come home from the bar after a hard day completely drunk.
Those were the days he ended up getting covered in bruises. His father would get into pointless arguments with his fragile mother, Eileen, and he would beat her. Severus was never able to stand watching this, so he would always get involved. More often than not, he would defend his mother.
Before he had shown any signs of magic, Severus could remember his father being caring. Tobias would play with him and actually cared for his family. He didn't seem to care that Eileen was magical as long as her son wasn't. That all changed when Severus had shown his first sign of accidental magic. Nothing would ever be the same.
Severus had been three at the time and he had summoned his stuffed bear from the living room, unable to sleep without it. He had been given that bear by his mother. Unfortunately, his father had seen him summoning it and had ripped the head off the bear and thrown it in the fire. The three year-old Severus couldn't comprehend why his father would dare do something like that., but as the years progressed, his father became more and more intolerant of accidental magic.
That night, he had been unable to sleep without his beloved teddy bear. He had tossed and turned but he couldn't fall asleep. When he had partially drifted into unconsciousness, something his tired body needed, he had heard muffled yelling, the sound of something hitting the kitchen cupboard, and someone screaming in pain. There was no way he was going to fall asleep with what just happened. Severus had stepped out of his room to see Eileen laying on the carpeted floor, her arm laying at an awkward angle. Her dark hair was spread out, as if it were a blanket. Eileen's eyes were partially closed, as if she were trying to dream. Severus shuddered.
Tobias was standing against the wall, his face flustered. He was trying to catch his breath after having an outburst. Upon seeing the face of his son, Tobias had punched Severus in the face muttering, "Damn freak."
Severus ran to his bedroom, his nose pouring blood like a faucet. It felt like someone had taken a hammer and smashed it against his nose. Tears welled up in his eyes and he was unable to stop himself from crying. His fragile hand was placed over it in an attempt to staunch the flow, to prevent the blood from staining the cheap carpet. He passed his mother in the thin hallway, who had fallen asleep and he felt resentment because she had not protected him against Tobias. A blanket placed over his nose, he tried to stop all of the bleeding, which had taken quite a long time. Once he was sure he wasn't going to get blood all over the pillow, he laid down in his bed. He tried to fall asleep, despite there being a dull throb in his nose.
He was too scared to sleep. He had lost his sense of security.
When he had first met Lily, it was as though he had found another source of security. He had introduced her to the magical world and the two became fast friends. They would hang out with each other and the two of them would fantasize about Hogwarts.
However, when Severus had returned from Hogwarts after his first year, the only place he felt secure was under his bed, for Hogwarts was not truly his home.
Fin
House: Gryffindor
Category: Themed
Theme: Security
Prompts: Under the Bed
Word count: 650