Stat Light, Star Bright, First Star I See Tonight…
Hey guys, so this is sort of a little idea that I had and decided to run with. Because Severus Snape is a Half-Blood, I wondered is he would have heard of the 'Star Light, Star Bright' rhyme and if so, what would he wish for. The main character is actually called Nia, which is a Welsh name meaning 'radiance' or 'brightness' and was one of the names that was a possibility for my middle name (instead my mother insisted on Harriet :-S!)
I don't own the Harry Potter plots, any of the characters (as much as I wish I owned a certain snaky Slytherin) or the world. I have quoted the 5th book here in Snape's second flashback for the first sentence, the rest of the flashback is mine.
Star light,
Star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may,
I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
Chapter 1: I wish…
Severus Snape
I sighed as I walked outside, it was fairly early, only just getting dark. Looking up at the sky there was only one star.
'Rastaban' I thought. Early on in my youth I'd spent time learning the names of the stars in various constellations, one of which was Draco, or the Dragon, which can be seen in July much like my favourite, Serpens (the Serpent). As I looked up at Rastaban I noticed how lonely it looked on its own.
'Just like me.' I thought. It was then that I decided to do something I'd never done before. My mother, Eileen Prince, had married a Muggle who was my father and would tell me Muggle stories when I was young that my Muggle grandmother had told her. One of them stuck in my mind at that moment.
{Flashback}
"If you see a star on its own, you can make a wish on it and maybe it will come true." My mother said.
{End Flashback}
Part of the reason that it stuck in my mind was that it was particularly important but also because that was the last story my mother ever told me. After that she simply stopped caring about me. My father never cared about me; I don't think he even wanted me, except as someone to take his anger out on physically. I continued staring at Rastaban.
"Star light,
Star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may,
I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight." I murmured under my breath.
"I wish," I paused, closing my eyes; there were so many things that I wanted to wish for but most one was the most prominent in my mind.
"I wish I had someone like my parents had each other, only happier." I said softly. A nearby clock chimed 8:45, breaking the silence of the cool night air. When I opened my eyes I noticed that Rastaban was no longer alone, next to it was Kuma, another star in the constellation. Sighing I turned to walk back to my home in Spinner's End. I hated it, it held so many unpleasant memories. As I sat by the fire reading I had yet another flashback, although much less pleasant than the last one.
{Flashback}
A hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired child cried in a corner.
"You worthless bitch!" The man, my father, roared while lashing out with his fist at the woman, my mother. As his fist hit her face she let out a loud whimper of pain.
"No, father, stop it please!" I cried, tears streaming down my face as I ran towards them. It was a mistake.
My father growled at me before picking me up and throwing me bodily across the room. I landed on a rickety old chair and it smashed under the force of my landing.
"You stupid boy! Go to your room NOW!" He snarled at me. As quick as I could I dashed from the room and ran up to my bedroom. My back was in agony and I could feel blood pouring down my back. I lay on my stomach on my bed sobbing, not only because of the pain but also because of fear.
{End flashback}
That was the night that my mother's stories stopped. I was only 11 when she died because of my father's beatings. But she never told me another story, not in the 7 years before I left for Hogwarts. Even now I still have the scars from where I hit the chair. What happened next that night was the only thing that I took comfort from that night.
{Flashback}
I lay on my stomach on my bed sobbing, not only because of the pain but also because of fear. A small tapping on my window made me look up with a start. Outside was a small dark purple Dragon. Cautiously I walked over to the window and opened it. The Dragon swooped in. Once in it transformed into a tall woman with dark reddish-purple hair and violet eyes.
"Diloch." She smiled.
"W-w-who are you?" I asked, I was nervous of strangers due to my father.
"I am Ciara Draconis. I'm your Godmother of sorts. You're not like most other children." She smiled gently.
"I know, I can use magic." I said simply.
"It's not just that, there are many children who can use magic. You are not fully human." She said with another soft smile.
"What? But I look human." I said, feeling baffled.
"That's true. You're half Dragon which means that you have a full human form most of the time but you should be able to transform into a Dragon as well." She explained, seeing my confusion.
"Will I look like you?" I asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. Every Dragon is different." She replied. She explained about Dragon culture and how some half Dragons are born to full human parents like me. I trusted her completely and told her about my parents.
"Show me your back, Cariad." She said gently. I turned around and pulled my shirt off so that she could see the wounds from the chair. She laid a gently hand on my back and began muttering under her breath in a language that I couldn't understand. Almost instantly the pain ceased.
"There, the wounds are healed. I'm afraid they've scarred but they shouldn't trouble you now. Would you like something to eat?" She said finally. My stomach rumbled and I realised that I'd been left to go hungry, again. Silently I nodded before putting my shirt back on. Ciara reached into a bag at her side and pulled out two small packets of what looked like pancakes and cheese on toast as well as a small flask that contained weak, sweet and milky tea. As I ate she told me that the pancakes were Welsh cakes and the cheese on toast was Welsh Rarebit. By the time I had finished eating I was ready to go to sleep.
"Next time your father hurts you, call my name out the window and I come to you." She smiled softly before hugging me gently and giving me a peck on the cheek. Then she turned back into a Dragon and flew out the window.
{End flashback}
I smiled as the rest of the memory came to the front of my mind. When I was younger I'd often had to call on Ciara's help. I still saw her from time to time, normally when she was making sure that I was ok. In many was she was like a mother to me, she was like I wished my mother had been to me. Suddenly my stomach rumbled and I realised that I hadn't had any dinner.
'Ciara would have a field day if she realised.' I thought ruefully. I went to the kitchen and set about making myself Welsh Rarebit, after my flashbacks I had a craving for some comfort food.
Far away and unknown to Severus, circumstances were set in place by his wish that would ensure his future happiness.
So what do you think? I know there's no mention of Nia here but she is coming. This is mainly to give you some insight into Severus' character and his past. It also explains why he wants something happier than what his parents had. The food that Ciara gave him as a child is actually Welsh cuisine. Also, the word 'Diloch' is Welsh for 'thank you' and 'Cariad' is a Welsh term of endearment.