Chapter I – Shameless Spy

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. JK Rowling I am not. I am not her immediate family, distant family, unknown family, or her publisher, editor, or associate. I am a fan of her writing and I have used her characters to create this story which was imagined by me. However, I will not ever in my lifetime own or control the Harry Potter series. Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer!

In his feebly humble opinion this particular Monday afternoon could have possibly been the most sweltering day of summer yet. It was humid and the people, mostly the muggles acted strange in this sticky type of weather. He had noticed it in his father who seemed to believe that turning the knob one more notch on the thermostat would relieve him of the mild discomfort of his bare legs sticking to a chair, or the mosquitoes that mischievously made their way into the house. He turned his attention to his subjects – the Berkley family. Mrs. Berkley was in her palest yellow sundress kneeling beside her garden with her eyes focused on a withered plant with a stubborn frown fixated on her long face. The rest of her garden did not appear to be any more fortunate. She held a long snake in her hand and looked thoughtful. Muggles had always puzzled him. He wondered why she needed a snake to tend to her dying plants; a simple aguamenti charm would be effective. Although, he reasoned, that the muggles knew of no such charm the snake would certainly do the plant's health no good.

Mr. Berkley was close by relaxed in a yard chair sipping on a cool drink. His meaty cheeks puffed as he seemed to take larger sips each time. He was sweating profusely which had stained his white shirt a yellowy stingy sort of shade.

The boy calmly ducked out of sight as Mrs. Berkley gazed in his direction. He leaned against the wire fence well aware that he was out of sight. He never understood what thrilled him about spying on muggles; they never did anything very interesting. But yet, he got a rush out of staying hidden and observing their odd behavior. Today was a vaguely interesting day because Mr. Berkley had taken a day off from him job as a plumber. He vaguely wondering what a plumber was but regardless it certainly was a lot more interesting to have the two of them to spy on.

The boy tucked a pesky strand of hair behind his ear. He was eleven years old with long, slick obsidian hair that brushed his shoulders lightly and eyes as black as night. His skin was a moonlit pale although it was looking increasingly more sallow these days. The boy never thought of himself as a handsome. Hell, he hardly considered himself wanted. When people looked upon him it felt as if they were looking at a mirror of his mother. He was a plain child and there wasn't much of anything spectacular about him.

Of course he liked to pretend he was spectacular.

For one important point, he could do one thing a good amount of the population couldn't. He was a wizard, just like his mom had been a witch before him. He was proud of himself for it. It was awesome to think that he could explode things in the air, or turn things to animals, or even apparate! Of course he was too young to be doing any of these things but it never stopped him from thinking of them. Truth be told, at the moment he wasn't any more superior to the unaware family before him, but that wouldn't cloud his daydreams.

Mrs. Berkley twisted the snake's neck and oddly enough, water erupted from the mouth, shocking the boy. He had never seen such an odd looking snake but it seemed implausible for it to be anything else. Of course he could always ask his father about this strange species. He paused and gazed at the healing gash on his arm. Better not…

He looked on.

The woman generously moved the water over the tops of her plants. After several moments he was almost certain that she had drowned them when she proceeded to cease the flow of the liquid by twisting the snake's neck again. He sighed and his eyes focused upon Mr. Berkley who had opened a muggle magazine with stationary pictures. Boring. He felt himself roll his eyes. He had been spying on the couple for several summers now and he felt as if he knew everything there was to know about them. For example, Mrs. Berkley was seven years older than her husband, and Mr. Berkley had a closet addiction to gambling that he kept from his wife. The Berkley's also seemed to enjoy throwing barbeques on hot days like this one. They seemed to invite the biggest and wealthiest of muggles for dreary activities of cricket and crochet.

Suddenly an abrupt chime intermitted his deep thoughts and seemed to catch the attention of Mrs. Berkley who was oblivious to the person standing on her doorstep. She smiled in the general direction of a young redheaded girl.

"Over here dear!" Mrs. Berkley shouted to her.

The young girl spun around and darted towards her with her long locks waving behind her. "Hello Ms. Berkley!" She greeted breathlessly.

"Miss Evans, always a pleasure to see you my dear. What is it you need?"

"A pinch of sugar," she breathed, "for my mother's recipe."

"Only a pinch?" She cackled slightly, "For a dear like you, I'll give your mother an entire cup!"

The girl only laughed, "Thank you."

The boy strangely felt himself joining into their laughter. He stifled it by securing the palm of his hand over his mouth. Was he crazy? He watched her as she greeted Mr. Berkley in the lawn chair. He handed her something… but what? He couldn't see. He moved some branches out of the way in order to peer more closely. A small twig snapped. The girl jumped and her emerald eyes met his general location. Mr. Berkley hooted.

"What's a matter Lily? It's on a squirrel, or a baby swallow." He reassured.

The girl did not flinch, and she took a daunting step towards the bushes. The boy felt his heart do a flip-flop as her eyes scanned the area cautiously. "Has it ever occurred to you that you're being watched?" She asked all too suddenly.

"Watched?" He laughed, "Who would you think would be watching us Miss Evans?"

She paused for a moment to ponder. "Police officers maybe. For suspicious activity?"

He grunted. "You've got nothing to worry about. I've got instincts Lily. Load of 'em. I can sense trouble from miles away. Nobody messes with me."

The boy chuckled softly and muttered under his breath, "You've got about as much instinct as my rattlebrained father."

The red haired girl whisked around again, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That voice!"

"What voice dear?" Mrs. Berkley asked cheerfully as she emerged from the house with a carefully measured cup of sugar.

The girl quieted as if recollecting herself. She looked thoughtful. "Nothing. It was nothing at all."

At that distinct moment the boy felt himself sigh in the most silent relief possible. The father might have had the senses of a baby baboon but the girl's wits were shockingly sharp for a muggle. For several moments, the boy nearly feared discovery from his carefully contemplated hideaway.

"Tell your mother I said hello then." Mrs. Berkley beamed at her.

"I will." She promised as she clutched the sugar cup in her hand.

"Send your sister my regards too."

"She's at a piano lesson right now or she'd be with me." The girl explained.

Mrs. Berkley squealed, "Oh I had no idea she was learning music. How lovely!"

The girl made a bit of a grunt to suggest indifference.

"What about you? Aren't you learning an instrument?" Mr. Berkley asked her curiously.

"No not really. I never understood the point. It's all a bit boring to me I'm afraid."

"Well at least she's honest." Mr. Berkley said with a laugh that was joined by his wife.

"Run along now Lily. Your mother will be wondering where you are."

She grinned and instinctively hugged Mrs. Berkley who patted her on the head gently. She lingered only a moment to gaze at the bushes suspiciously. After an increasingly uncomfortable minute she began to sprint towards her home with her hand cupped over the top of the sugar. Her red hair raced behind her. The boy's black eyes followed her until she reached the point of only being a speck of nothing in the distance. He broke his trance. She had been the most interesting person to come by all day. He heard Mrs. Berkley comment saying something like, "Charming girl."

A muggle girl… and by the looks of it she was close to his age. After years of lurking the bushes of this village he hadn't noticed any children before. But there were. How had this passed over without his express notice? Not that he was going to make friends with muggle children. That would be beneath him right? Yes it would be. The boy sighed. All in all, he welcomed the change to on spy on someone more energetic, and downright more youthful than the Berkley's. A smile crept to his lips as he thought of the pretty girl. His thoughts clouded when he realized he had no idea where the girl lived. There were many perfect little brick houses like the Berkley's in this village. In fact, most of the elbowing streets were embellished with them. Mrs. Berkley's outrageous garden made her house most distinctive than the others, but that wouldn't solve his problem of how to locate a small muggle girl among rows and crossroads of reproduction brick houses. It was too much to think about.

Why was he so curious about a dumb muggle girl anyway? She'd surely be back around. He breathed in reassurance and noticed a cloud making a bypass in front of the sun. The boy scratched his arm only suddenly aware that it itched. He had been bitten by a mosquito. Nasty buggers. They were like the muggle version of vampires. He sighed again. The Berkley's were laughing about something and he suddenly felt like he wasn't curious enough to find out what it was. He made his way towards the wire fence and began to carefully climb over it again. The fence creaked as it usually did and he suddenly heard Mr. Berkley shout, "Lily?" He looked wary. When he didn't receive his answer he just looked back at his wife and continued talking to her. The boy shrugged and hopped over the fence and began to toddle towards his home on Spinner's End. A brisk wind rushed through his hair and sent it flying in all directions. Annoyed, the boy tried to hold it back with his hands. It wasn't the breeze he was aggravated with. He was mad that he carelessly let a child his own age getaway without thinking to find where she lived. In less than a month (he assured himself) he would be surrounded by friends of his own age, and own kind. One more month of solitude did not seem so bad. He felt a sweat drop roll down his back. He pushed his sleeves up his arms forcefully and unfastened two buttons on his Nehru jacket. Anger rippled through him. Children in the village! Why hadn't he noticed them? A better question… why hadn't they noticed him? 'I'm fun… I could play their games.' He thought to himself. '…I'd be a great friend.' A bird cried above him in unintentional empathy. The boy sometimes wished he was an owl, or an animagus. He loved to fantasize about sweeping around the skies of a magical realm sending happy and exciting letters to his future classmates although… he might be a bit too timid for that sort of introduction. Nevertheless after spending a lonely ten years with his overbearing father and estranged mother, he found himself feeling closer and more welcoming to a new life that awaited him at wizarding school.

He threw open the front door carelessly. His mother looked up from a tattered looking book and acknowledged him with as much calamity as her voice could muster. "Oh Severus." There were tears forming behind her eyes and he knew all too quickly what was wrong. Fallen books were scattered across the kitchen.

He tried to look optimistic, "Hi mum."

She gave him a half-hearted sort of hopeless grin; she then struggled to find words as if attempting to make conversation. After a dramatic lapse of silence she finally asked, "H-how are you?"

"Fine," replied Severus.

"And here's our son!" An obnoxious voice spoke from an unimpressive man who stumbled into the room, angry and drunk – a classic combination. Severus had noticed his mother had raised the book in front of her face in sheer disgrace.

"Tell me boy… what have you done today?" He demanded.

Severus looked into his graying gaze trying with extreme difficulty to produce a convincing lie. "I-I read the Hogwarts textbooks mum bought. All of them."

The man's furious eyes lowered into slits. The boy felt an abounding amount of hatred blazing hard back at him. He stepped closer to him casting a tall shadow over him. "You were out watching muggles weren't you?"

It was no use. His father could read his lies as if they were written on a parchment piece that had been conveniently attached to his forehead for reference. He shrunk even shorter than he was and muttered miserably, "Yes sir."

His father smirked wickedly and Severus flinched hoping the worst would soon be over. Instead his father stepped back an inch and glared even harder. "You are a disgrace. Your mother gives you magical abilities and you go and waste them… waste them away to spy on muggles. I-I could tell you about, about the muggles boy. I am one ain't I? Why don't you ask?"

Severus blinked at this odd question. "I don't know."

His father looked increasingly smug, "Naturally… and so, you go and spy on them!"

"Generally." Severus sighed there was no need to deny things now.

"You're like the dysfunctional Little Mermaid that woke up and realized she was a guy."

No response. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

His father was discontented with the silence. "Tell me boy. Why haven't you asked me anything about muggles?"

Severus felt something snap like a rubber band whip inside. "Well gee – maybe it might be due to the fact that the last time I asked you what you wanted for dinner you threw your knife at me." The healing wound on his arm burned in agreement.

"What did you say to me?!" A craze seemed to blacken over the man. He seized his son by his grimy hair and lifted him off the ground. Severus winced as his head throbbed. His mother sank deeper into her book. He could not help it. He could not control it. He could not stand it any longer.

"What are you doing cowering behind that book? Help me; I'm your SON for goodness sakes! Confund him! Stupefy him! Anything mum!" tears began to stream down Severus' face as his mother lowered her shield an inch. The hot tears blurred his vision but he saw enough to know he was fighting more than one battle.

"Who do you think you are you little runt? Don't you dare speak to my wife that way – get some respect!" And with those mighty words he swung the poor boy across the room. Severus unhappily collided with the fireplace and collapsed to the floor sending several books with him. Painful as it may have been, the bump to the head had conveniently become the center of his pain which made it harder to feel Tobias kick him in his stomach, and step on his leg. It would also make his stiff squeaky bed graciously more comfortable tonight. He heard his mother scream. Perhaps his father had stopped kicking him and had moved on to her. Doubtful as it may be, maybe his mother finally took a stand against her domineering muggle husband. Or maybe she had just read a particularly gruesome chapter of her book.

Severus breathed hard as the pain began to locate itself in the proper places. One day… one day… he would be strong. One day he would be one of the strongest. He was sure of it. He'd make it happen while he was at Hogwarts. He'd work hard to learn the most catastrophic of curses and the cruelest ways of magic. He'd work hard to escape this dark, pitiless life or equalize it with the same brutality. A smile crept across his face as if all the weights of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. His father was done with him. In a couple of hours Tobias Snape would pass out carelessly in an easy chair and the house would be at a close peace. The next hours might be bliss. Severus knew that most of his dreams never came to be but optimism, as he had learned… had kept him alive for these eleven years. Only a month to go… thirty days... Excitement pumped through him and he finally mustered the strength to get to his feet again. 'God that smarts.' He thought. When his eyes focused on his surroundings, he saw his mother gone and his father lying unconscious beside him on the floor. He was stiff as if he had made a clean and hard backward drop. The "petrificus totalus" curse. He felt brighter inside; he couldn't wait to try it. Only so much longer would he have to deal with these muggle beatings. Soon he wouldn't ever feel the pain again. He took a difficult step towards his room, his gut wrenching in pain. Regrettably, tonight would not be that night.

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A/N: Greetings readers! I'm so happy you took the time to read my fan fiction. I'm as excited to be working on this piece and I hope to get some positive reaction on it. I ask that you stay kind and positive in the early reviews because this is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fan fiction and while I appreciate and encourage constructive criticism I'm also hoping for a general positive response if I can manage it. If you like the story so far, you may want to keep in mind for future reference that this IS loosely, very loosely based on all seven books (yes including Deathly Hallows) but it is the back story of Severus Snape which was guesswork and imagination of mine. I know Snape currently seems a bit out of character in this chapter but I am writing it from the mind and behavior of a child and most of us would agree that Severus Snape was not always the cruel and emotionless bloke we all know him for. In case you haven't picked it up, the fiction will be Lily/Snape although it's a lot more realistic. But you'll have to see. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't forget to review!!!!