Mermories of a Prince a fanfction by Shelby Hill
Chapter One
A scrawny eleven-year old boy known as Severus Snape rounded the corner on his way home from running errands for his mother when he looked across the street at the local park and saw the prettiest girl he'd ever seen siting on the run down swings looking at something in her hand. Severus moved closer and ducked behind the stone fence surrounding the playground. As he peeked over the top he saw the girl had a flower, but what was peculiar was that the petals of the flower were moving apparently on their own accord.
"Wow..." whispered the girl to herself. "I can finally control it..."
This girl, Severus realized, must be a witch. Forgetting all about the bag of groceries at his side Severus sat there watching her for an hour at least as she practiced her magic. He had taken to looking at her dark red hair as the sun glinted off of it or when she turned her head at just the right angle Severus caught a glimpse of her gorgeous green eyes. Only when she ran off toward her house did Severus finally get up from his hidden spot on the ground, but he didn't go straight home .He jumped over the short stone wall and picked up the flower the girl had dropped, then he grabbed the bag of goods he left home for in the first place and headed home.
Thank God, his father wasn't home. Severus was so much later than he said he would be .Through, of course his dad would be at a bar somewhere getting too drunk to think let alone control his anger. Or his fists Severus thought darkly as he absent-mindlessly rubbed a bruise on the back of his neck. Severus grabbed a jar from the cabinet, filled it with dirt from outside and planted the flower in it. After watering it he went to his room and sat the flower on his desk, which was, like everything else, dirty and falling apart. Severus looked at the flower and realized it was the only spot color in the room. He started to wonder what type of flower it was, so he went into his mum's room and hastily grabbed a gardening book. When he was back in the comfort of his room he locked the door, terrified of finding out what his father's opinion of all this. Severus flipped through the pages till he found a picture of the flower, according to the book it was a red Star Lily. A lily. It was quite beautiful, Severus noted, he way the red slowly faded to the whites tips of the petals. Though not as beautiful as that girl. He knew he had to go back and watch her, maybe even talk to her he thought excitedly.
THUNK
Severus heard the front door slam knowing it was probably his drunken father he threw the book in a drawer of the desk and carefully hid the lily in an empty box in his closet. Then hid himself under the bed in the corner of the room, Severus heard his dad's footstep getting closer and closer, and then they stopped, right in front of his door. Severus gulped, his heart beating faster every moment, he was almost started shaking from fear. Despite the fact the door was locked, his father had forced it open. Severus held his breathe scooted back further underneath his bed .He saw his dad's boots as they took unbalanced steps around the tiny, dark bedroom. It was several long moments before the feet made their way out the door. Severus let out a huge breathe of relief. Knowing that his father could very well come back grabbed the thin blanket off his bed and slept on the floor underneath it while listening to his parents striking up a "loud conversation". As he slipped into sleep he vaugely thought about the girl at the park.
When Severus awoke it was late morning, careful not to bang his head on his bed frame, he decided there was no gain in sticking around while his parents were fighting. After he changed into clean clothes, Severus grabbed the lily and slipped past his father (who was sleeping on the couch) .Once outside he went straight to the little forest beyond the park , he followed the river to a willow tree and put the lily on the bank so it could get some sun. Realizing it probably needed water to, he cupped his hands, got water from the river and dumped it in the jar. He sat under the tree and looked out across the river and through the thin trees at the old muggle school. A bell rang from the inside of the school and muggle started to pour out of it, all of them laughing with their friends. He was a bit jealous of them, but he would get to go to Hogwarts this year where the magic will make for all this waiting. There she was! The girl from yesterday was walking on a path that lead from the school to the park with a tall, tan girl who was talking avidly. After about a minute they were within earshot he could hear their conversation.
"I can't believe it's the last day of school, Lily!" the tan girl said. Lily. That was her name, he liked that name, and it fit her. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.
"I know, Taylor. You say that like every other sentence." Lily said in a tired but amused voice.
"Yeah but we just walked out of school for ,like, the last time this year" the girl named Taylor said with excitement and relish. Lily laughed; Severus thought it was a beautiful kind of innocent laugh, the kind he hadn't heard often enough.
"Yeah, I guess so" Lily said her sweet laugh faded from Severus's ears "Oh I forgot to show you!" she added picking up a flower close to where Severus was hiding making move behind a bush, he couldn't see what she was doing from this angle, but he assumed she was making the petals move like she did the day before.
"Whoa, how can you do that?" the muggle girl said in amazement.
"I'm not really sure, but I can feel my finger get kinda warm, like I'm channeling power through my hand." Lily said thoughtfully throwing the flower back on the ground. Severus wanted to tell everything about magic, but his nerves got the better of him. So he followed them from a distance till they made it to the park, then he sat with his back against the wall of stone listening to them talk the day away. He went home a little after they left, but he walked a slow pace in no hurry to get home.
Every day for the next week Severus hid behind a bush inside the park grounds because Lily Evans (as he learned eavesdropping) came every day. He might have talked to her already but she never came alone, she was either with her sister, Petunia, or her friend Taylor, but today Severus told himself he would talk to her no matter who was with her. He hoped it would be Taylor, Petunia scolded Lily when she used magic, and least Taylor would be nice and accepting. As he walked to his new hiding spot behind a flowering bush he found yesterday, Severus recalled all the magic Lily knew. She could make petals of flowers move, she could float down after jumping off the swings, and she had done a lot of accidental magic. After waiting a couple moments Lily came with Petunia. They ran over to the swings Severus zoned out for a little while staring at Lily, she had amazing grace for an eleven year old.
"Lily, don't do it." Petunia shrieked as Lily let go of the swing. Ahh magic Severus thought as Lily floated to the ground slowly.
"Mummy told you not to!" Petunia yelled as she slowed the swing to a stop with her heels making disgusting grinding noise, then stood up and put her hands on her hips in a very Petunia like manner.
"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"
"But I'm fine," Lily said while she giggled, it was same innocent laugh he loved "Tuney, watch this. Watch what I can do."
"Tuney" looked around the deserted playground she didn't see Severus hiding behind the bush. Lily had yet another flower from the bush Severus used as a regular hiding place, Petunia came closer looking torn. Lily did her favorite trick of making the petals move on their own.
"Stop it!" Petunia yelled shrilly.
"It's not hurting you!" Lily said defensively, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it to the ground.
"It's not right," said Petunia staring at the flower "How do you do it?" Severus could tell she really wanted to know.
Now or never he thought before he jumped out from the bushes.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Okay maybe not the best entrance he thought nervously .
"What's obvious?" asked Lily, she was actually talking to him!
He lowered his voice a little "I know what you are."
"What do you mean?"
"You're . . . you're a witch," he whispered
She looked offended.
"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" she walked away ,nose in the air and joined her sister.
"No!" this was going all wrong, he could feel heat rise in his cheeks as he ran after her. They looked at him in united disapproval and clutched the poles on the swings.
"You are," he directed at Lily " You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."
Petunia laughed it was the exact opposite of her sister's whose laugh was warm and sweet. Petunia's laugh was like cold ice water.
"Wizard!" she mocked, regaining her courage "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river." She informed Lily quite cruelly "Why have you been spying on us?"
"Haven't been spying" said Severus defensively getting extremely hot in his overcoat "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway, " he added spitefully "You're a Muggle." He hadn't expected her to understand the word but she couldn't mistake his tone.
"Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly, Lily obeyed her at once glaring at Severus as she left. He stood there then sat on the very same swing Lily had sat on earlier. Maybe I'll just die alone he thought gloomily. He thought her, her offended, beautiful face. He got up and walked back and forth along the river. He wondered if Lily would forgive him for calling her a witch which was apparently an insult in the Muggle world. He had brought the lily one day and had left it under the willow tree. Sverus eventually decided the flower would bear better out of the jar so he dug a small hole the ground and planted the lily in it .He stood up and admired his work, the flower looked healthy and beautiful in the patch of sunlight it was in. He sat down with his back leaning against the tree, as Severus sat there he watched the clouds and listened to the chorus of the birds and the river. It was peaceful and relaxing, after a while he heard someone in the playground behind .Severus snaked over to the stone wall, and peeked over the edge still on all fours. Lily was sitting on the swing alone, and it looked like she was crying, she sniffed and looked around. Severus stood up and she looked surprised and looked down so her hair would cover her tear-streaked cheeks, but he had seen. So Severus hoped over the short wall and gathering his courage said.
"Errrrr Hi . . . are you okay?" His voice shook a little, she looked up at him a bit confused and. . . . Admiring? Accepting? Or maybe thankful, Severus didn't know, Lily sniffed.
"Yeah, it's just my sister Petunia. You saw her this morning. She can be kinda mean sometimes." She sniffed and looked down as Severus sat in the swing next to her, he wanted to reach out to her and comfort her but he could only look at that angelic face of hers. After a while she looked up.
"You didn't get to tell me your name, mine's Lily." She held out her hand and smiled weakly, Severus gave a huge real smile, shook her hand and said
"I'm Severus Snape"
By the end of the hour Severus and Lily were best friends, Severus explained everything about the wizarding world, their currency, Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, EVERYTHING. He got slightly tense talking dementors, it made him uncomfortable thinking of whose horrid creatures getting anywhere him, or worse, Lily. She had gotten over her sisters rudeness and was talking and laughing with Severus. He loved it. He loved her. It was also good to have a friend. He loved talking about the Wizarding World, his favorite part was Hogwarts; Severus was talking about the rules.
"The Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside of school, you get letters."
"But I have done magic outside of school!"
"We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it . But once you're eleven , and they start training you, then you've got to go careful."
It was quiet for a moment; Lily was twirling a fallen stick in the air. She dropped it and leaned toward Severus.
"It is real isn't it? It's not a joke Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?"
"It's real for us," he said confidently "Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and I"
"Really?" Lily whispered with a touch of amazement.
"Definitely," Severus said, he knew once he got to Hogwarts, no one would be able to push him around anymore. Not his dad. Not anyone.
"And will it really come by owl?" She whispered getting excited.
"Normally, but you're Muggle-born, so someone from school will have to come and explain to your parents."
"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"
Severus paused before answering; thinking of some of the pureblood families, but his eyes found her beautiful features.
"No it doesn't make any difference"
"Good,"
"You've got loads of magic," he began awkwardly "I saw that. All the time I was watching you. . ." her wasn't listening anymore, but had lain down and was now staring at the trees over their heads.
"How are things at your house?" Lily asked
"Fine," he answered, he wished she wouldn't bring this up.
"They're not arguing anymore?"
"Oh, yes they're arguing," he admitted "But it won't be long and I'll gone."
"Doesn't your dad like magic?"
"He doesn't like anything much,"
"Severus?"
She knew his name. The way she said it was pure bliss. He smiled
"Yeah?"
"Tell me about the dementors again."
"What d'you want to know about them for?"
"If I use magic outside school -"
"They wouldn't give to the dementors for that! Dementors are people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban you're too -" What? Pretty? Nice? He wasn't sure what he was going to say. Then he heard a rustling .
"Tuney!" was Lily . . . welcoming her?
"Who's spying now?" he yelled "What d'you want?"
Petunia huffed and tried to think of a comeback.
"What's that you're wearing anyway?" she pointed at Severus "Your mum's blouse?" His anger got out-of control for a spilt second, but that was all it took. A branch over Petunia's head broke and hit her shoulder.
"Tuney!" Lily turned to Severus as Petunia ran off.
"Did you make that happen?"
"No" or at least he hadn't meant to.
"You did!" she started backing up "You did! You hurt her!"
"No - no I didn't!"
To his dismay Lily didn't believe him and ran after her sister. Leaving him, once again, completely and utterly alone.
Severus sat down. Alone. Left in the dust as always. Was his life always going be this lonely? Was he always going to long for a friend? He laid himself down, resting his head on a root. He stared up at the darkening sky. He still felt lonely, but the bad feeling was slipping away with the water running through the river. Severus wanted to lie here forever and watch the stars begin to dot the sky, when he saw the moon appear overhead; he knew he had to go home. So he went home, feely strangely free, but somehow trapped. He was trapped on the outside trying to get in. He was home now it didn't matter. Severus looked at the clock missing the minute hand on the wall, it was midnight. He went straight to his bedroom, and immediately got under the covers, and thought himself to sleep. Thoughts of her. Thoughts of Lily. He was just glad he got to spend time with her, but it was so short-lived, maybe he would get a second chance, or a third chance. All he could ask from her was a chance. That's all he wanted really, to see her face, Lily's face . . .