Authors Note: Hello! I am soooo sorry that I haven't updated this fic in forever! I just really haven't had the time to write anything, as I've been busy with drama and student council and basically everything else! But, don't worry! I'm back now, thanks to a review by Wildhoneyu2 …
hello!
it's a pity that you didn't update your story! i really liked it, although i think you could put together all 4 chapters in only one... the plot is really nice, so why did you stop? please, continue!
just one more thing, i think you should accept anonymous reviews... there are lots of people that read our stories and want to say something about them but are not signed at the site... just a thought!
and, yeah, thanks for reviewing my fic too! cheers!
It's people like this who are so encouraging and helpful that make me want to write more! So, thanks Wildhoneyu2 … this chapter of this UPDATED fic is dedicated to you … (And by the way, I took your advice and combined the first four chapters I had, to make it a bit longer. I plan on updating with a new chapter or two shortly!)
Anyways … sorry about this ridiculously long A/N … I plan to make them shorter in the future. If I have any more notices to reviewers in the future, they will most likely be at the end of the chapter!
Disclaimer: Now, be good boys and girls and pay VERY close attention to this disclaimer, because I will not repeat it in any other chapter … unless I happen to get bored and want to put one or I totally forget that I wrote THIS disclaimer … I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING THAT ALREADY BELONGS TO J.K. ROWLING. Thank you, m'loves … now on to the story!
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It was a blisteringly hot summer afternoon, and the neighborhood was still. There were no children splashing in pools, no men standing around grills cooking chicken and steak, in fact, there was nothing moving at all, except for a young boy, who could be seen walking up his driveway to enter his house in his ordinary London home.
Severus Snape wasn't an ordinary boy. He was almost never sad, but many still thought he was depressed – quite on the contrary. The only reason people had these suspicions was because he was always wearing black – always. He had greasy, long, black hair, and never talked to anyone except his own parents, but of course, that was only because he was forced to. But no one knew why Severus didn't talk to anyone ... it was because he had no friends. He'd been a different since he was a child, though he still was, because the age 11 couldn't be considered anything else.
Unlocking the door, Severus frowned. He had just got back from his journey to the convenient store around the corner, to which he had gone to buy some soda to drink while he sat around watching TV. He peered into his bag and realized that he had bought the wrong kind. It's not that he didn't like this soda; it was just the fact that he was allergic to it for some odd reason. He couldn't wait until next year ... he'd be leaving his school to go to a school for fifth and sixth graders, and he would no longer have to endure the endless taunts from his fellow students, because this school was far away. He had convinced his parents to send him to boarding school, so he wouldn't have to be with the same boring people he usually was forced to associate with ... but his father at least knew that he would definitely NOT be attending boarding school.
Detrius Snape was not a normal man. He was in fact, just about the strangest you could get. His gelled back, black hair was very shiny, but not at all greasy looking. He was a very intelligent man, considering that he hadn't been to a normal school since the age of ten, and soon, Severus was to meet the same fate.
When Severus walked into his home, he found the mail had already arrived. He picked it up carelessly and threw it on the table beside the door, and began to walk towards the stairs to go to his room, when he looked back. A yellowish envelope with green writing was amid the letters, and it had caught his eye. He picked it up and saw that it was addressed to him. He opened it, not knowing what to expect, and nearly fainted when he read the first line of his letter:
Dear Mr. Snape,
I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This can't be happening, he thought to himself, there must have been a mistake, there's no way I could be a ...
But at that moment, the door leading into the garage opened and his mother walked into the living room where Severus was, looking very tired and angry. "Terrible day at work," she began, not aware that her son wasn't listening in the slightest, "too many bloody letters in my mail box today complaining that their computers had broken down. The awful people, they should have bought a different model! So darling, how was your day?" Severus ignored her, still reading the letter clutched in his hands. "Darling, I asked you how your day was. Where are your manners? It's only polite to ans- ... darling what's that in your hands? Have you been going through my mail again?" she questioned. At this Severus snapped out of his trance and looked at his mother, "No mum, honest. This letter was addressed to me." "Oh, well what's it about darling?" she asked. Severus, not wanting to start an argument with his mother, decided to tell her, rather than having the letter taken away from him for her to read with her prying eyes. "It says I've been accepted at some school, hold on," he read through the letter once more, "here it is, it says I've been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But it's probably some joke, the people from school, probably as a going away prank." Instead of being understanding of her son's loneliness, which was obvious that he was feeling at the moment, she was enraged, "I can't believe this! It's totally outrageous! Well, we'll just have to see what your father says when he gets home." Severus again didn't want to disagree with his mom, so he grudgingly handed over the letter and retreated to his bedroom upstairs to read, which is another reason why all the other children hated him; he was quite the bookworm. Several hours later, his father returned from work, as cheerful and bright as ever. "Hello Jennifer," he said, "how was your day?" "Horrible," she started, with her husband looking sympathetic already, "until I got home and it got worse.
"What happened?" he asked, "did Severus do something again?" "No Detrius, well, it was about Severus, but he didn't do anything. Those horrible little brats from that school of his, they've went too far for my liking." She walked over to the kitchen table to retrieve the letter. When she walked back into the room, Detrius immediately said, "No Jen; it's true."
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"True? True!" exclaimed Jen, "Hah very funny! Did you help plan this joke too? Or are you just trying to ..." Detrius had cut her off, "No, dear, look," he pulled out his wand. "Oh very nice," Jen said, "waste money having a carpenter fix you a fake little wand to pull a joke on me and your son. For goodness sakes Detrius what were you thinking?" "It's not a joke, honest! Look, ACCIO LETTER!" he screamed. Jen stood in shock. After a few moments of very awkward and amazed silence, Severus softly said, "Wow ...," then his voice trailed off into nothing and he fell into deep thought. Jen stood in silence, looking rather annoyed beside her son. Then, after carefully thinking, she said, "Well, I guess you have some explaining to do." "Yes," he said, "I suppose I do. They all moved into the kitchen and were seated around their nice oak table that seated six, though there were only four members of the family. "Okay," he started, but then paused, as Severus's little sister came bounding down the stairs carrying her pink little stuffed bunny rabbit, which at the site of it, Severus made a gagging noise and his mother smacked him on the arm. "Ami," (which was short for Amiada), "we're having an, erm, important discussion right now, could you please go back upstairs and watch TV for a while in your room?" asked Detrius. "Ugh," sighed Ami, "I'm always left out of these things." And then, with a stern look from her father, she said, "Fine, I'm going, I'm going." Then, after they had made sure that she was not coming down anytime soon, (by locking the door), they returned to the kitchen table, and Detrius began, "Okay, the letter was no joke. There's something I've been hiding from you for years now that I guess I finally have to tell you about. When I was 11, the same age Severus here is now, I got a letter, in the same envelope and ink, and it said I was accepted to Hogwarts. But it was no surprise to me, as my mother and father are a witch and wizard. So I went to Hogwarts for 7 years, and then when I came back, my parents had kicked me out, and I met you, Jen, when I was searching for a place to stay. And you were so kind, and perfect, and I didn't want to turn you against me by telling you what I was. I was afraid you wouldn't come near me ever again, or worse, not believe me. But, well, you know what happened after. And that brings us to where we are now. Severus, I see, has been accepted into Hogwarts, and he'll be going." "And you're so sure of that?" Jennifer asked. "Of course he is," Severus yelled, "I want to go! Anything beats staying here with you!" "Me! Me? Oh of course, I'm the horrible parent who wants her son to be normal, and not a freak, and I get all the blame, typical!" Jen exclaimed. "Oh, so now I'm a freak?" asked Detrius, "yes well I thought it would be coming to this. ACCIO MY PROPERTY! ACCIO SEVERUS'S PROPERTY!" And at that, all they're belongings and treasured memories flew down the stairs towards them. Detrius used his wand and magicked their things into the car, dragging Severus towards the exit. But Detrius stopped at the door, turned around to face his wife and said, "If I'm a freak then that's what you're calling your son too. I won't return until Amiada is 11 to see if she's "freak" as you so like to call it. Good-bye." And he turned back towards the door, ushered a very confused looking Severus into the car, and started to drive off, leaving Ami, who had burst out of her room seconds earlier, crying on the floor as she watched her father, and her only brother, her only companion, drive away forever.
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Severus and his father, Detrius, sat in silence for what seemed like hours, until it became dark, and Severus became anxious. "Um dad?" he asked, "where are we going?" "Well, I'm not exactly sure. But I think it's time you met a close friend of mine from the wizarding world. He has a son that should be going to Hogwarts this year, unless of course, he turned out to be a squib? That's a person who was born into a completely wizard family, but has no magical powers themselves," he explained upon seeing Severus's very confused looking face. They drove for another half an hour until they reached a dingy looking pub. "The Leaky Cauldron?" Severus asked, "What's this about? I thought you said we were going to see your friend." "Well it's a little too late for that now, but I promise I'll take you to meet him tomorrow morning. As for now, we'll get a room here and stay for a while until we can find a place somewhere," Detrius said. They walked inside the old, rustic looking pub, Detrius walking calmly up to the bartender, and Severus walking alongside him feeling rather nervous at the prospect of talking to someone who could blast him to pieces without having a way to defend himself. "Yes, I'd like a room here for me and my son," Detrius said. And without a further word, the bartender called for some wizard who apparently worked there to lead them up to their room. "Is there anything I can get you?" he asked. "No, I think we'll be fine," said Detrius, "thank-you." The man walked out the door, and closed it with a loud snap. Severus slept uneasily that night. He tossed and turned for hours, thinking about all the things said and done that day. After a long time, he finally dozed off, and started dreaming of what Hogwarts was like, and how many new friends he would make there.
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Severus awoke the next morning to find his father sitting and reading an unfamiliar newspaper called The Daily Prophet. As he stood up, his father looked at him, "Ah," he said, "you're awake! Good, good. Would you like some breakfast?" "No, I'm fine," Severus said, "What're you reading?" "Oh, this? It's just a wizard newspaper," he explained. "Oh," Severus said.
Severus went to the bathroom and got dressed, combed his greasy, black hair until it was pressed closely against his face. When he walked out, his father said, "Are you ready?" "For what?" Severus asked. "To meet my friend, and a boy who may be your future friend of course!" his father exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically for his son's taste. "Right, right," Severus said, "When are we leaving?" "Now, if you'd like," Detrius said. And with the nod of Severus's head, his father whisked him out the door and into the car to drive to his best friend's house ... Richard Potter.
They drove for nearly an hour, when Detrius stopped abruptly on a street with funny looking little houses all lined up in disorganized rows. Severus looked at the sign on the corner of the street, Gryffindor's Sword, he thought, what an interesting name for a street. I wonder why it's ... But his attention had switched to the house his father stopped in front of. Detrius got out of the car, and Severus, realizing it was what he was supposed to do, stepped out after his father into the not-so-bright day. They walked together up to the door and knocked. A minutes silence passed, and then ...
"DETRIUS!!!" the man screamed. Apparently, they hadn't spoken in a long while because a moment later, Detrius screamed, "RICHARD!!! Long time no see!" "Likewise! Would you like to come ... wait a minute," he said when he finally noticed Severus, "who's this?" "This is my son, Severus," he explained, "Severus; this is Richard Potter, and old friend of mine who I haven't seen in forever." Severus and Richard shook hands; Severus pulled away quickly and focused his dark, glaring eyes to the window beside the door, where he saw a young boy, looking the same age as he, with dark, messy hair and thick glasses, staring out at him with a semi-interested expression on his face. Severus looked away and followed his father inside.
Severus gasped when he saw the entrance hall. It alone was much bigger than the outside showed. Red and gold banners with lions were on the walls, and there were trophies and awards plastered everywhere with accomplishments people in this family had mad. "James!" Richard called, "Come down here! There's someone I want you to meet!" "Okay, just a minute!" he called, and a moment later, he was sliding down the banister. "James, this is Severus, Severus, this is James," Richard said, "and he," Richard said, gesturing towards Detrius, "is an old friend of mine. His name is ..." "Detrius," James finished for him. "How on earth did you know James?" Richard asked, sounding really surprised. "Umm, lucky guess?" he said, trying to sound innocent. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Why don't you take Severus here and show him around the house, while Detrius and I catch up?" Richard suggested. "Right dad, I guess that works. C'mon Severus," James said. And a moment later, Richard and Detrius disappeared into the kitchen for tea and chatting, while James and Severus were left alone to become acquainted.
"So, erm, are you going to Hogwarts?" James asked. "Yes, but I really have no clue what the heck it's going to be like. I just found out that I was a wizard! I didn't even know my dad was one!" Severus exclaimed. "You ... you ... you didn't know?" James asked, "But how can you not know?" "Well, my dad just never told me. Duh," Severus said, like he talked to complete strangers in a rude manner all the time. "Mmhmm ...," James muttered, apparently unaware that Severus was giving him a look of utmost disgust. "Well excuse me if I stop this little "bonding time" of ours short, but I'd like to go sit in the car and wait for my father. Would you let him know where I've went?" Severus asked, eager to get away from this overly confident boy. "Uh yup, sure thing," James said, not really intending to tell Detrius the entire truth. And with those four words, Severus stormed out of the front door, and sat in the nice sports car his father drove. He'd always wondered how that small car could have so much room inside, and now that he knew his father was a wizard, he began to think that all those unsolved mysteries were now solved by knowing what his father was.
James returned to the kitchen and sat next to the two chatting friends and grabbed a butterbeer. Why haven't they noticed I'm here? James asked himself, I wonder how ... wait a minute ... maybe if I ... CRASH!!!
It all happened in a single second; both Richard and Detrius drew their wands, ready to strike if an attacker had appeared, but all they succeeded in was giving James a slight shock with both wands pointed directly at his face. They both lowered their wands and kept apologizing over and over again. Once the mess was cleared up, (by magic of course), Detrius paused. Richard looked over at him, then at his son, and realized what Detrius was thinking. "James," Richard said, "where did Severus go?" "Oh, him?" James asked, "He, erm, didn't want to be here any more. He said something about not liking his father for not telling him about being a wizard and ran out the front doors into the car. I don't know if he took off or not, 'because I didn't bother to look." "Great, James, great. Didn't you even think that we didn't want him to run away?" Richard asked, getting slightly angry at his careless son. "Well, I guess we have to go see where he is," Detrius said, acting rather calmly about the whole thing, "Thanks for the tea, Richard. I expect I'll be seeing you soon. Good day." And without another word said, he strode out the door after Severus.
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