Summer of Loss
The dark haired, thin and slovenly looking young man by the name of Severus Snape was sitting quietly in the waiting area of Saint Mungo's. His dark black eyes were dull as he waited, with an open school book in his hands. His mother had been brought in a week before from their humble home in the north of Britain.
The Medi-Nurse in charge looked at the lonely boy with pity. She knew what kind of home he came from. The neglect and abuse he had endured in his short life had marked him severely.
She knew the two had only each other left in the world since his muggle father had left the house in a rage after beating the boys' mother to a pulp. Like clockwork the boy would trudge into the hospital each morning and sit till visiting hours closed in the evening; just on the chance that he could speak with her. Besides he really didn't have a home where she was not. The nurse wondered where the boy stayed when he wasn't waiting for news of his mothers recovery.
It was summer so he wasn't even able to go to go back to Hogwarts yet, till September first which was only a few weeks away. From what she understood he felt very guilty as it was because once again; it was because of his Hogwarts letter arriving that his muggle father had beaten his mother and this time left her to die while Severus had been off on an errand for her.
Upon returning home, Severus had found his mother in a pool of blood that was seeping and congealing under her body. Clutched in her hand was the blood stained letter. He did not cry then as he threw some floo powder into the archaic and crumbling fireplace and called out desperately "Saint Mungo's.
It was not long before the two of them were brought to Saint Mungo's. His hands were clenched tight and his nails cut deeply into the palm of his hand as he watched his mother being taken away.
Now the mother had died a half-hour before, quietly without regaining consciousness. The Medi-Nurse was now faced with the task at the prospect of which even her case hardened heart flinched. it was the elderly Medi-nurses duty to go out and tell the youngster that at his tender age of fifteen he was alone. This was part of the job she hated even though death was part of the daily routine.
She approached the morose teen who was tense and very wary of anyone who attempted to strike up a conversation with him. He watched her silently as she pulled up a chair and looked at him with sympathy.
She knew he was going to be devastated when he was told of his mothers death. "Severus." she said softly and gently, "I have some bad news to tell you."
The boys eyes widened with fear and anguish as he suspected what she was conveying to him. He turned his head away from the kind brown eyes that watched him with great concern. He didn't want to hear that he was going to lose the only person who cared for him.
The elderly Medi-nurse sighed and reached over to touch his shoulder but felt him jerk away from the contact of her hand. "Severus please hear me out, Your mother didn't deserve what happened to her."
She wasn't sure if he was really hearing her or if he hadn't blocked her out, but she continued on. "I have to tell you that your mother died suddenly but peacefully just a half-hour ago."
Severus didn't move a muscle or let on he had even heard her speak. He just sat on the bench rigidly without speaking a word. His eyes were glazed over and it was obvious that as his features hardened that he was battling the urge to cry. Seconds later he stood up and ran towards the doors of the Hospital and slammed them open as he fled outside to the street and disappeared.
The elderly Medi-nurse was not fast enough to stop Severus and she felt terrible knowing he would most likely keep his feelings bottled up inside till some other event triggered an emotional outburst.
Severus raced home to Skinners End where he raged and destroyed anything that was within his reach. He stopped suddenly as he held a picture of him and his mom. In fact it was the only picture he had of the two of them. He starred at the two moving figures and then he fell to his knees and cried frenziedly till he fell into a deep sleep.