It was getting late, nearly ten o'clock at night, as nine year old Severus finally made his way home, turning down Spinners End. He was wearing unseasonable clothes, dressed in new brown shorts that came to the knee, a fitted thermal long sleeve shirt on with a new thin blue plaided shirt over top, that he was using as a jacket. Suprisingly he wasn't that cold though even as the tempertures had fallen quite dramatically for a November night. He approced his uncared for darken house and stood a moment at the base of the stoop. It looked safe to enter, no lights were on as usual but for once silence. That was something rarely heard at the Snape house. His father was mostly liked passed out on the couch which ment his mother would be upstaires in her room. Not seleping she rarely did that, but lying there awake staring at the wall, mentally preparing for her next battle with Tobis that would leave her in tears and brused. Severus dropped his head at the thought of that, poor mum why wouldn't she just take him and runaway somewhere?
Severus walked up to his front door, dug around in his pocket for the key and opened the door slowly and without breathing. He walked through the opening.....dark, quiet was all that welcomed him but it was better then the alternative. Very slowly did he shut the door, trying to make as little nosie as possible. Success! He stood for a moment and smiled to himself. (That too was a rare thing with in this house) The staires were only about 10 feet infront of him, but he would have to walk by the opening of the living room where his father was sure to be. He took a deep breath and took the first step. Nothing. So he took another and nothing. With the next step he would be in the middle of the living room opening......he took the step and....."About time you came home boy"snarled Tobis. Severus was frozen in fear, he just stood there and hoped against hope his father hadn't found out what he had done. But it was nothing more then false hope, of course Tobis knew, why else would he actually wait for his son to come home and Sevreus was literatally wearing the proof.
"Come over here" snapped Tobis. Scared to the bone Severus just complied and followed his fathers comands and walk towards him, stopping at the coffee table that divided the two. Tobis stared at his son for a moment in a heat of heavy irritation, then with in the blink of the eye jumped from the couch, grabbed Severus by the front of his shirt and wildly pulled him around the table. "Don't try to hide from me when I call you!" barked Tobis as he released his son. Severus didn't say anything, he just stared at his father as he tried to control his nerves.
"I'm going to ask you something important and DAMN IT you better tell me the truth" threatend Tobis. "I'm missing some money that I've been saving. Do you know where it is?" he asked.
O dear, o dear! He knew! What was he going to say? Sure he knew taking what wasn't his was wrong but he needed to take the money. He was tried of everyone looking at him, laughing and pointing at his clothes all because his parents didn't give a shit about him. His father wasn't suppost to find out, he was going to return the left over money in the morning and some how come up with some money to make sure his father wouldn't notice the difference.
SLAP!
Severus thoughts were interupted by a stingging smack across the face. Tobis grabbed him and with painful force wrapped his hands around Severus' thin arms. "ANSWER ME!" shouted Tobis.
"I...I.."studderd the scared boy. His fathers grib was getting tighter and he wanted so bad to runway but couldn't. "I...I took some" he said so low is was almost unhearable as he hung is head, afraid to look his father in the eye. Tobis released his grib on Severus right arm only to forcefully yank Severus' hair upward that way he would be forced to look him in the eye. Sevreus' eyes started to water a little from the mixture of pain and fear. This was not going to end well, he needed to get out of the house, safely away from his father.
With his hand still around his sons' arm and the other filled with a handful a greasy hair Tobis looked Sevrus straight in the eyes and shouted "WELL WHERE IS IT?" He was pulling the boys hair harder and harder as if that would get him to answer faster. "Tell ME..or so help you" he said slowly and fearfully as he finally let go of Severus hair and raised his hand high above him. Severus glanced up at his fathers hand, scared, then back at his father. Tobis was growing impaticent he wasn't going to wait much longer for an answer.
SMACK!
Right across the face again, his face burned so bad it took all his might not to cry. Choking back tears Severus finally opened his mouth "I...I spent it" he whispered.
His fathers' grib on his arm finally losed some. His face showed pure shock, he didn't know what to say. He simply blunk a few times as if he could not fully understand what his son had just told him. "You..You spent it?" asked his puzzled father. Severus didn't say a thing, he shook his head up and down slowly and with great tense. "Why you LITTLE BRAT!" belled Tobis. And before Severus knew what was happening he was off his feat and thrown on to the couch where Tobis had sat only moments ago. Tobis was standing over him breathing deeply and shouting. He was about to grab him again when Sevreus put up his arms and legs in a poor attemp to ward off his fathers blows. Then out of all the courage and strength Severus could muster up he shouted "STOP! WAIT!"
It was the first time he had ever raised his voice to his father and to his amazment Tobis actually frozen for a moment (it was all thanks to suprised) but Severus took advantage off it. He lowered his legs and arms and in a voice of pure despration said "I..I didn't spend all off it" He was breathing heavily out of fear. "I-I have some left over." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out some money. Tobis backed off his son and put out his hand. Severus, shaking badly, placed the money in Tobis' hand and watched, not daring to move or take his eyes of his father. Tobis counted the money to himself and looked back at Severus. Had it worked?
"You took sixty dollars from MY SAVINGS AND GIVE ME BACK TWENTY THREE AND SOME DAMN COINS?" hollored Tobis as he threw the money right back at his son. He charged at Severus and once again before he knew it, Severus was grabbed and being swung around. He landed on his fathers' lap. He scrambled around but it was usless. Tobis was holding him down with one hand tightly around the back off his neck pushing his fingers into the sides of his neck making it hard to move and extremely uncomfortable, while the other hand was quickly and angerly pulling down his pants and underwear. Severus' pants were down around his knees as his father took off his belt in what seemed like seconds and began whipping him over and over again. With every hit a new flow of heavy and hot tears ran down Severus face. Each whip delevored a stingging kiss from the leather hitting his bare skin over and over again. Each hit more painful then the other.
The beating lasted until Tobis arm was tired of continuous raising and lowering at fast speeds. Tobis pushed Severus off his lap then pulled him up from the floor by the back off his shirt. Grabbed him by the arms and pulled him so close to his face he could nearly taste all the booze on Tobis' breath. Through all the tears and hair in his eyes Severus could bearly see his fathers face but he didn't need to see him to tell he was still beyond angry and full of rage. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU LITTLE SHIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL OFF MY MONEY!" shouted Tobis.
Tobis pushed Severus with all his might so he stumbled and fell, on his now red and stingging butt, nearly across the living room floor. Severus quickly jumped up, pulled up his pants and ran right to the front door. He fumbled with the door handle for a moment, through open the door and ran straight out the door, down the steps and down the street. He wasn't sure were he was going but all he knew was he wanted to get far away from that house.