Author's note: Welcome to Behind Closed Doors: The Prince's Tale! This is technically a prequel to my story Headmaster Snape, but you don't have to read that to understand this. (All it really means is that the characterization/interpretation I did there will be carried over.) This story will be from Snape's POV, and it will cover moments from his time at Hogwarts through the summer before the Trio's seventh year. I hope that you enjoy this first chapter. Please review!

Warnings: Swearing and abuse

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. There is one reference to page 436 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, where Harry accidentally breaks into Snape's memories and sees one of "a girl ... laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick."

Hogwarts: Years 1-3

October 1971: First Year

It seemed like every time Severus Snape was looking forward to something, he ended up disappointed. He had been so excited to come here. His mother had spoken about Hogwarts—only when his father wasn't around—and he'd had it in his head that wizarding school would be some kind of safe haven, a place he could do magic and be around other people who did magic and possibly be, God forbid, happy.

He tried to remind himself that there was some improvement: the magic, of course, and there was no Tobias—no father to stagger in drunk at 3 a.m. and drag Severus out of bed and yell until his ears rang, and sometimes, on especially bad nights, use him as a punching bag. As a safe haven, though, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry met only two of the three criteria. He was only one month in, but he already knew that there was no chance he could find happiness in this place. The reason could be summarized in five words: James Potter and Sirius Black.

It was hard to remember that Hogwarts was better than Spinner's End when Potter and Black went out of their way to make his life a living hell.

Potter and Black were both in Gryffindor House, as well as, sadly, Severus's best and only friend Lily Evans. He and Lily had met Potter and Black on the Hogwarts Express, where the two boys had been incredibly obnoxious. They had wasted no time in nicknaming him "Snivellus," which Severus—understandably—despised. He didn't snivel.

But exchanging insults wasn't enough for the Gryffindors. They also liked to trip Severus, push him down the stairs, knock his books out of his arms, and sabotage his attempts in practical lessons any way they could. If they managed to get a hold of it, they also liked to rip up his homework. That one had been particularly unpleasant to learn the hard way. He had started carrying his homework around in his pockets.

To make matters worse, Potter and Black had picked up a couple of cronies, two other Gryffindors first-years named Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. Lily had once commented that Lupin and Severus were alike, both being quiet and studious, but she had taken it back when she saw the murderous look on Severus's face. Pettigrew and Lupin were more reserved than Potter and Black, which just meant that they were content to do whatever the other boys told them. On the flip side, Severus had nobody in his own House upon whom he could call for backup.

Better than Spinner's End, better than Spinner's End, Severus chanted in his head as a shout of "There goes greasy Slyther-y Snivelly!" followed him down the hall.

January 1972: First Year

Insofar, Severus didn't care much for his Head of House. It wasn't that Professor Slughorn was nasty, but he was negligent, at least from Severus's view. He had actually tried to talk to Slughorn about the situation with Potter and Co.—after they had destroyed his Charms essay, one of the first assignments after the Christmas break—and the Slytherin Head had been unconcerned. "School rivalries are a rite of passage," the man had said unhelpfully, giving Severus a pat on the back, as if that were encouraging. "It's only natural."

It seemed that the only time Severus could get Professor Slughorn to take him seriously was in Potions class, which the Slytherin Head taught, and which happened to be Severus's favourite subject. He was drawn to the methodical act of preparing ingredients, and watching them bubble in the cauldron, and he enjoyed the precision of potion-making; one mistake might literally cause an explosion, as half of the class regularly ended up proving.

This attentiveness in Potions was what got Severus a bit of notice. From some of the older children, he had heard that Slughorn had a tendency to "collect" students who showed promise, and he was determined to make himself worth collecting.

March 1972: First Year

"They shape-shift. One can never completely understand or defeat them because their very nature is elusive."

What guidance Severus didn't find in Professor Slughorn, he found in one of the seventh-year Perfects: Lucius Malfoy had taken a personal interest in him. Why exactly, Severus couldn't imagine—Lucius was confident, charismatic, good-looking, popular, and from an old, wealthy, pureblood family, whereas Severus was sullen, bookish, insecure, bullied, financially disadvantaged, and a half-blood—but he wasn't about to question it. He idolized Lucius.

The older boy had invited him to spend the Easter holiday at Malfoy Manor. As grand as the whole estate was, Severus's favourite room was the library. The Malfoys had all sorts of rare books that couldn't even be found in the restricted section at Hogwarts, and he didn't need a permission slip to gain access to them. Even better, Lucius was quite happy to answer any questions that Severus had as he browsed the shelves, especially questions pertaining to the Dark Arts.

Because, thanks to Tobias, he had grown up in what was essentially a muggle household, Severus had never gotten a chance to learn much about the Dark Arts, beyond the awareness of their existence. Fortunately, Lucius was particularly knowledgeable about this branch of magic, and he seemed happy to feed Severus's fascination.

June 1972: First Year

Much to his satisfaction, he got the highest marks in his year. While everybody else had moaned about taking exams, and how hard they were, and how they only got harder, Severus had smugly said that they weren't hard if you just studied. Needles to say, the comment hadn't won him any friends.

Lucius had graduated that year and was off to work at the Ministry, "to establish connections—not that I don't already have plenty." He had promised to write, but that still left Severus alone in Slytherin House. Even with his roommates, he had had only minimal interaction. With Lucius around, that had suited him just fine, but having nobody in his House who accepted him in the coming years sounded absolutely miserable. The other snakes tended to make him feel like he was fundamentally a "less-than," despite the fact that he had gotten the attention of one of Slytherin's top students.

Of course, there was still Lily. They would probably spend a lot of time together over the summer. Although they had stayed friends despite the legendary Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry, they didn't get to see each other as much as before, as was the nature of being in different Houses.

Things with Potter and Black hadn't improved any, but on the upside, Lily didn't like the two boys either. This seemed especially merciful when it became obvious that Potter and Black were hung-up on getting her attention, maybe just because she wouldn't give them time of day.

And there was one other upside: Severus had learned how to fight back.

July 1972: Summer

Lucius Malfoy kept his promise, and he and Severus corresponded regularly. Tobias didn't like the flying messengers very much; then again, as Severus had once said to Lily, his father didn't like anything much. Lucius, when Severus told him this, was entirely sympathetic, due to Tobias's muggle status.

August 1972: Summer

"He's not going back to that place!" Crash, the sound of glass being swept off the table and shattering on the floor. There was probably alcohol running down the tile now, although maybe not. The bottle might have been empty already.

"What does it matter where he goes if he's gone nine months of the year?" Pleading, coaxing.

"Because I know what he's doing there!" Tobias's words were still intelligible, despite the heavy slurring.

"You can just pretend it's a regular boarding school."

"But I know what he's doing there, and I don't want any of it around me!"

"He has to go, he's a wizard!" Eileen yelled back.

The scrape of a chair being shoved roughly backwards. "And whose fault is that, you stupid bitch!"

"He's going back, and you can't stop him!"

"Yes I can, dammit! He's my son, this is my house, and I'm in charge!"

Severus jumped when he heard angry footsteps climbing the stairs. He scrambled up from his bed and ran to the door, double-checking that it was locked; for good measure, he also blocked it with his trunk. The inside lock he had installed a few years ago, after one of his father's particularly violent nights.

"Severus!" There was the sound of Tobias grabbing the handle and shaking it. "Severus!"

He backed himself into a corner of the room, the one farthest from the door that his father was trying to break through. It didn't really matter that he'd be trapped there if Tobias did get in; he was trapped anyway.

"Open the door, you stupid boy!" Bang, bang, bang, Tobias's fists on the wood made it shake.

Severus didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on thinking about absolutely nothing.

"God, you're useless! Are you deaf? I said open the fucking door!"

Everything would be fine if he could block out his surroundings, if he could clear his mind and just ignore his fear and his father's verbal abuse. If he could just shut down his emotions.

Eventually, Tobias seemed to grow bored of standing outside his son's bedroom and degrading him. Still, the sound of footsteps retreating—no less angry than they had been before—didn't entice Severus from his corner. It wasn't until the front door slammed that he uncurled from the tight ball he'd unconsciously rolled himself into.

I'm getting out of this place if it's the last thing I do, he thought, not for the first time and not for the last, as he crawled back into bed and tried to fall asleep.

September 1972: Second Year

He was standing on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, despite his father's opposition. It had taken another big argument, a few hits with the belt for him, and his mother had gotten a black eye, but Severus and Eileen were in silent agreement that the pain was worth it.

In a rare display of physical affection, Eileen hugged him before he boarded the train. "Work hard," she whispered, and sent him off.

"Oh, there you are," Lily greeted Severus with a bright smile. "Let's go find a compartment. We're early enough that we should be able to find one with room for two."

She pushed open the door on their nearest left. They peered in.

"All right, Snivellus? Did you vacation in a sewer, or do you just think it's cool to look like you're allergic to soap?"

Lily closed the door with a bit more force than was necessary. "But not that one," she said hastily, while Potter and Black roared with laughter on the other side.

December 1972: Second Year

Severus sat on his bed in the Slytherin dorm room, propped up against the pillows with his legs tucked underneath him. He had the curtains pulled shut as he penned a letter to Lucius, using his Herbology textbook to support the piece of parchment on his lap. It was easier to correspond now, during the school year, when he had the school owls at his disposal and didn't have to make one of the Malfoys' wait around for a response.

"Errant ingredients keep 'accidentally' ending up my cauldron during Potions with the Gryffindors," Severus wrote. "The results are spectacularly disastrous. Professor Slughorn knows about it, but he won't do anything. I don't want this to happen during the exam. Any advice?"

Lucius owled back the next day with instructions for a simple warding charm. In his post-script, he said, "Give this a try. Those Golden Gryffindors won't know what hit them. Consider this your practical introduction to the Dark Arts." Below that, there was another diagram, this one explaining the effects of a particularly nasty-looking hex and how to cast it.

A week later, Severus used the hex against Potter, and the arrogant swine ended up in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey only kept Potter for half a day, but it gave Severus a thrill nonetheless. Black had been too concerned with getting his friend medical attention to retaliate, Pettigrew never did anything not dictated to him by somebody else, and Lupin didn't actively participate in the bullying anyway; thus, this marked the first time that Severus had ever won a fight with the "Marauders"—as they had christened themselves—because two or three against one was hardly fair. It was absolutely worth the detentions he got from his Head of House.

Severus also discovered that the use of a Dark spell was all it took to make some of his fellow Slytherins respect him, or at least not scorn him for being a half-blooded nobody. Three of the other snakes had come up to him after the incident, asking if the rumour was true, if he had used a Dark spell on the Potter boy. Surprisingly, they had been almost friendly.

July 1973: Summer

Severus, Lily, and Lily's mother were in Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies for the upcoming year. Severus had again managed to get top marks in all of his exams, although Lily came close to beating him in Charms. She was quite adept at the subject, making her one of Professor Flitwick's favourites.

"Remember the first time you got on a broomstick, Sev?" Lily grinned at him as they passed Quality Quidditch Supplies, where the latest model in the Nimbus line was displayed in the front window.

"How could I forget?" Severus grumbled. "All of those school brooms, and of course, I end up with the one that acts like it's possessed."

"I still can't believe you managed to mount that thing. It was bucking all over the place! Anybody else would have given up and requested another broom."

"Muggles have one thing right: Brooms should be used for sweeping floors, not as a method of transportation. And they definitely shouldn't be used for violent games like Quidditch."

"You're awfully smug when Slytherin wins the Quidditch matches, though."

"I like to win."

They went into Flourish and Blotts, their last stop of the day. Severus had purchased his books earlier—from the second-hand bookshop, to his embarrassment—but Lily still needed hers.

"I'm so excited for our electives," Lily commented as she picked up the required text for Care of Magical Creatures.

"I wish you were taking Arithmancy." On Lucius's recommendation, Severus was taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, while Lily was taking Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.

"We do share the one elective, and I bet we'll even be in the same class. They like putting Gryffindors and Slytherins together."

Severus grimaced. It was for this reason that he hoped Potter and Co. weren't taking the same electives as him. With any luck, they'd chosen courses in which they could probably slack off, like Divination or Muggle Studies.

As they were exiting the store, Lily walking slightly ahead and asking her mother if they could stop in at Fortescue's for ice cream before heading home, somebody called to Severus: "Hey. Snape!"

He turned. "Hello, Rosier," he said uncomfortably. Evan Rosier was one of his roommates at Hogwarts, but people stopping to greet him when they spotted him in a crowd wasn't something that he was accustomed to, unless it was to yell at or curse him.

"Your summer going well?"

"Well enough. And yours?"

"Dad got in a bit of trouble for fighting with a muggle"—Rosier said this as though he very were proud of the fact—"but it's all straightened out now. Other than that, the holiday's been boring."

"Come on, Sev," came Lily's voice from behind him. "Mum says yes to getting Fortescue's. Maybe we'll see Alice there. She said she sometimes helps out at the shop during the summer."

Rosier wrinkled his nose, looking between Severus and the red-haired Gryffindor girl. "Isn't she a Mud-"

"Muggle-born?" Severus interrupted, loudly, trying to cover up Rosier's use of the racist name. "Yes, she is. Why, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all." But the look that Rosier gave Lily suggested he thought otherwise.

Lily frowned and opened her mouth, most likely to give the other boy a piece of her mind. Before she could, Severus said, "See you in September" and steered Lily away.

"What was that about?" Lily hissed, under her breath, so Mrs. Evans wouldn't hear. She had been standing too far away to pick up on the near-altercation.

Severus whispered back, "Nothing. Pretend it never happened."

Lily tried to pursue the subject, but he followed his own advice and pretended that it had never happened.

August 1973: Summer

Severus winced as Lily dabbed at the blood with a wet cloth.

"So how did this really happen?" she asked, her brow furrowed in a frown. "I know it wasn't what you told my parents."

"The usual. Tobias." His voice came out nasally. He had told Mr. and Mrs. Evans that he broke his nose in a scrap with some other boys on Spinner's End. Given that Spinner's End was one of the most sketchy places in Cokeworth, and Severus didn't exactly project the image of being the trustworthy sort, it was a believable story.

"He's mad, huh?"

"He's always mad."

"But now he's really mad."

Severus shrugged.

"Why?" Lily pressed.

Another shrug. "Doesn't want me to go back to Hogwarts." The same as last summer, he added silently.

He hadn't told Lily about the arguments of the previous August; he preferred to keep the gory, humiliating details to himself whenever possible. Tonight, though, it was late, and he was injured, and he wasn't going to go lick his wounds when his father was still at home. This episode had included both him and his mother, and after Tobias had punched him, Severus had run out. He felt a bit guilty for leaving Eileen to fend for herself, but she did it while he was at school, so it was okay. That's what he told himself, anyway.

Lily seemed to know that he didn't want to talk about what happened. "I've cleaned it up. Do you want me to put a plaster on it...?" she trailed off uncertainly.

"No, that's fine. Thanks."

"You should go to a doctor. It'll heal crooked otherwise."

"I don't care. I'm not going to a doctor."

She frowned again. "Well, spend the night here, at least. You shouldn't go back to that house."

"I wouldn't want to go back," Severus muttered, averting his eyes.

The bathroom door, which was half-shut, swung open.

"You!" Petunia screeched, pointing her forefinger at Severus. Then she turned furiously to look at her sister. "What are you two doing in here?" Apparently she had failed to notice Severus's misshapen nose—or maybe she just thought that it looked normal—and the blood-stained cloth in Lily's hand.

"We're plotting world domination over bothersome muggles like you," Severus deadpanned, finding it impossible to sneer in his current state.

"Sev!"

"You- you-" Petunia's jaw worked up and down. "Freaks!" she finally spat out, before turning on her heel and stalking off.

Lily crossed her arms. "Sev!" she admonished again.

"I was only joking." He paused. "Can I still stay here tonight?"

She glared at him for a moment, and then rolled her eyes, relenting. With a small smile, she said, "As long as you promise not to terrorize my sister any more."

November 1973: Third Year

"Sirius Black says that you know more Dark spells than all of the seventh years combined." There was an accusatory note in Lily's voice.

Severus bristled. "Do you believe all the rubbish that Sirius Black spews?" he asked defensively.

"No, but there is some truth to it, isn't there? You are dabbling in Dark Magic."

"It's mostly theory that we're interested in."

"You shouldn't be interested in any of it. And who's 'we?'"

"A few of the other boys in Slytherin and I. It's a common interest."

"I don't think that the Dark Arts is a good hobby to bond over. That stuff is really dangerous, not to mention half of it is illegal."

"Don't worry. We have everything under control."

January 1974: Third Year

Dear Severus,

Work at the Ministry is crawling along, and Merlin, I swear that the majority of my coworkers don't have two brain cells to rub together. Nothing gets done around here. I am so sick of being somebody's subordinate; when I'm in charge, there will be none of this endless, tiresome indecision.

In a vein of more exciting news, I've started courting Narcissa Black. She's Sirius Black's cousin. We were in the same year at Hogwarts, so you probably saw her around, although you might not remember her. She's beautiful: Tall, slim, blonde-haired and blue-eyed. She isn't bad company, either. The only things that I don't like about her are her sisters. The first, Bellatrix, seems somewhat unhinged, and the second, Andromeda, married some Mudblood and has been burned off of the Black family tapestry. Disgraceful, I know.

How did you fare in your Arithmancy and Ancient Runes exams? Runes was always a favourite of mine.

Sincerely,

Lucius Malfoy

P.S. I have recently been recruited by an organization which practices the Dark Arts and helps to ensure that bloodlines stay pure. I think you're a bit young for it now, but perhaps you will be interested later. We call ourselves the Death Eaters.