Author's Note: Hi, all. This story is an exercise I set for myself to try to write a sympathetic Snape without having him be too out of character. We had a glimpse of the man he could have been in Deathly Hallows if we look at him as kid. I hope I do a great character justice.

Redemption from the Past

Prologue:

Return to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

She pulled up to the curb and put on the emergency brake. She wasn't certain she could remember her way through the labyrinth of cobble stone streets in Spinner's End, but she figured there was just an instinctual drive that always leads you home. Even after twenty years of being absent, she recognized the brick front of the row home that she had grown up with her mother despite the fact that it sat in a long row of ten houses which all looked the same. Biting back a sigh, she got out of the car and approached the door.

The concrete sidewalk was cracked and sunken in spots. The step up onto the stoop had shaky stones where the mortar had disintegrated. She wondered if her key would still work but when she turned the door knob, the entire thing came off in her hand.

"Beautiful," she mumbled. Well, the house was hers now so any damage she did wouldn't matter to any tenant. And with all the work that already had to be done, a broken down door wasn't going to break her. She took a step back and kicked the old wood and felt an immediate jolt of pain shot up her leg as she landed in a heap on the ground. So much for all the scenes in movies where women kick down doors in high heels.

She pushed herself up from the ground but when she tried to put weight on her ankle she almost fell down again. She limped back to the car and sat down on the hood. Pulling out her cell phone, she tried to call her business partner but found there was no cell reception. It didn't look like anyone else lived on the street so she allowed herself the pleasure of releasing a scream of frustration.

The sound of the car didn't rouse him from his book, however after a few minutes later when a scream echoed down the street, curiosity got the better of him. He went to the front window and carefully moved the curtain back. He had placed wards around the house in case some Death Eaters, who were not totally convinced of his loyalty, decided to pay an unannounced visit and none of them went off. It most likely some lost muggle who had wandered into Spinner's End.

There was a small red car parked in front of the house two doors down from him. A woman was sitting on the hood of the car, dressed in a business suit and rubbing her ankle. Her blonde hair was hiding her face from him but he felt a sudden tug of familiarity. He wasn't sure what had overcome his common sense but he found himself walking down the sidewalk towards her.

"Can I help you?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice and her head snapped up in his direction and he recognized her immediately. Twenty plus years had passed since he last saw her but it didn't matter, she looked as if she hadn't aged at all.

"Leah Wainwright?"

She blinked a couple times and squinted at him before realization hit her. "Severus Snape?" And then she laughed, which took him completely off guard. "It's so good to see you!"

He knew he should return the sentiment but found the words were caught in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time someone was glad to see him. Then again, the last time she had seen him, he was a brash, cocky seventeen year old and she had been the same. She knew nothing of what became of his life. She didn't even know he was wizard, thinking he went to a boarding school when he was at Hogwarts. She didn't know what a mess he had made of everything. He pointed to her ankle. "Are you alright?"

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I, uh, tried kicking the door down but it backfired."

"Most people use a door knob."

She held up a hand with said door knob in it.

"Ah." He crouched down and looked at her ankle. It was swollen which meant either a break or sprain. It would be so easy for him to just use a simple healing charm but explaining all that to her seemed very daunting at the moment. What do the muggles do for something like this? Well, the swelling would have to go down which meant something cold needed to be applied. Ice, she needed ice.

"If you have the time," he offered, "you can come in and I can get you some ice to put on this."

"I don't want to impose."

Impose, what a joke. She was most likely the only person he would see for the next three months. "No, it's no imposition."

She thought about it for a moment and nodded her head. "If you're sure it wouldn't be an interruption."

"No, not at all." He knew he should offer her help but wasn't certain how to do it. Thankfully, he didn't need to as she grabbed a hold of his upper arm to support herself as she hobbled her way two houses up. He had to admit to himself, he wasn't watching her ankle or the pressure she was trying to keep off it. His focus was solely on the long fingers that had boldly took hold of his arm. It had been so many years since someone had touched him with trust behind it. And he relished every minute of it.

Leah settled herself on the threadbare sofa, her ankle propped up on a rickety table that sat between the sofa and an equally worn looking armchair. Severus had gone into the kitchen, she assumed, to get some ice. The house looked much like she remembered it all those years ago except the books seemed to have doubled and now hid the doors into the kitchen, dining room and staircase that led upstairs.

"Here," he said, coming back into the room and placing a bag of ice wrapped in a towel over her ankle before occupying the armchair. Leah noticed he was sitting towards the edge of the chair, his posture rigid. His sense of being on edge was starting to make her uneasy.

"So," she said, motioning to his black garb, "are you, uh, a priest?"

His mouth quirked up in a half smile. "No, definitely not. I'm a professor, actually."

"At the boarding school you went to?"

"Yes."

"What do you teach?"

He paused briefly before answering. "Chemistry."

"Chemistry? I never would have thought you would be chemistry professor. I would have guessed literature."

"Really? Why?"

Leah pointed to the wall of books that surrounded them. "You were always reading when we were kids. It doesn't look like you've stopped."

"I try to keep up with current trends. What do you do for a living?"

"Well," Leah started, "I went to Cambridge for a business degree and now I have a coffee shop with a laundry underneath of it. We attract mostly college students but we have our regulars as well."

"Where is it located?"

Leah noticed since the conversation had shifted from him, Severus seemed to relax more so she continued talking. "It's called 'Jumpin' Java' and it's located in London. I actually run it with my college roommate, Robin. She takes care of the laundry facility mostly and also she makes the coffee, latte, cappuccino and whatever else people want. And I do the baking."

"It sounds like you're very busy."

"I am. What about you? Are you married?"

"No. You?"

"I was." Leah kept her eyes on the books lining the shelves. "What ever happened to the Evans sisters? I lost track of both of them when I went away. I've wanted to get back in touch with Lily, I always liked her."

Severus fiddled with a loose thread on the arm of the chair. "I don't know about Petunia but Lily was killed fifteen years ago."

Fifteen years ago they were twenty-one. "I'm sorry, Sev. I know you always fancied her. Was it an auto accident?"

"It was an accident."

She had a feeling there was more to it than that but judging from the ravaged look on his face, she decided to leave the subject alone. "How long have you taught?"

"Sixteen years. What brought you back here?"

"My mum passed away a couple months ago and she left the house to me. I don't' know what I'm going to do with it. I was thinking of fixing it up and possibly selling it. But the neighborhood, well, it's not exactly booming is it?"

"Never was, really. I'm only here on summer holidays and that's quite enough time to spend here."

Leah gave a slight laugh and moved the ice off her ankle. The swelling seemed to have gone down so she rotated her foot. There was some slight pain but not too bad. Driving would be iffy but she should be able pull it off.

"Wait a moment," Severus said before leaving the room quickly. He was back before she had time to process the fact that he had left. He had a small unmarked jar in his hand but when he came over to her he didn't seem to know what to do with it. She actually felt a pang of sympathy for him. Even after all these years, the manners his mother had hammered into him still stuck. Leah reached out and took the jar from him.

"Do I just rubbed this on my ankle?"

"Uh, yes."

She nodded and dipped her fingers into the ointment. It had a nice scent to it and a very odd texture. It smoothed over her skin without leaving an oily residue and within a few seconds the pain went out of her ankle. "Wow, this is really great stuff. Where did you get it?"

He took the jar back from her and put the lid back on. "I made it."

"You made it? Yourself?"

He look slightly uncomfortable. "Yes."

"Chemistry really paid off for you. You could sell that stuff and make a fortune."

He gave her a brief half smile and nothing more. In the dimming daylight she was struck with the realization of how worn and weary he looked. It seemed he had lived twice the lifetime she had and she missed the open, overconfident boy she remembered.

"What?" he asked.

Leah gave him a smile. "I missed you."

Severus watched her leave from the doorway of his home. He had taken a chance using the ointment but it was least obvious magical remedy he had. And it had worked because by the time she left, she was walking like normal. The only thing was, he wasn't feeling normal.

He had spent so many years shrouded in mystery, bitterness and hurt. Leah didn't know that side of him and he was too afraid to show it to her. He didn't need to be a demanding teacher, an ex-Death Eater that was trying to pass himself off as a genuine one or a protector of the living reminder of the greatest loss he had ever suffered. All she remembered was the boy who had dreams and the chance to actually make them come true. And being around her again brought back that feeling of reckless abandonment.

As much as he hated to admit it, he had a surge of relief when she said she would back out tomorrow to go over to her old house. Before he knew what he was doing he had promised to help her clean up the house. Watching the little red car disappear around the corner, another alarming thought came to his mind: he couldn't keep being around Leah in his robes. He had to find some muggle clothes. But as he closed and locked the door, he realized the pay off of actually having another human being around this summer was greater than wearing muggle clothes. Or so he hoped.