Lost Memories

A scrawny eleven-year old boy known as Severus Snape rounded the corner on his way home from running errands for his mother when he looked across the street at the local park and saw the prettiest girl he's ever seen siting on the run down swings looking at something in her hand. Severus moved closer and ducked behind the stone fence surrounding the playground. As he peeked over the top he saw the girl had a flower, but what was peculiar was that the petals of the flower were moving apparently on their own accord.

"Wow..." whispered the girl to herself. "I can finally control it..."

This girl, Severus realized, must be a witch. Forgetting all about the bag of groceries at his side Severus sat there watching her for an hour at least as she practiced her magic. He had taken to looking at her dark red hair as the sun glinted off of it or when she turned her head at just the right angle Severus caught a glimpse of her gorgeous green eyes. Only when she ran off toward her house did Severus finally get up from his hidden spot on the ground, but he didn't go straight home .He jumped over the short stone wall and picked up the flower the girl had dropped, then he grabbed the bag of goods he left home for in the first place and headed home.

Thank God, his father wasn't home. Severus was so much later than he said he would be .Through, of course his dad would be at a bar somewhere getting too drunk to think let alone control his anger. Or his fists Severus thought darkly as he absent-mindlessly rubbed a bruise on the back of his neck. Severus grabbed a jar from the cabinet, filled it with dirt from outside and planted the flower in it. After watering it he went to his room and sat the flower on his desk, which was, like everything else, dirty and falling apart. Severus looked at the flower and realized it was the only spot color in the room. He started to wonder what type of flower it was, so he went into his mum's room and hastily grabbed a gardening book. When he was back in the comfort of his room he locked the door. Terrified of finding out what his father's opinion of all this, Severus flipped through the pages till he found a picture of the flower, according to the book it was a red Asiatic Lily. A lily. It was quite beautiful, Severus noted, though not as beautiful as that girl. He knew he had to go back and watch her, maybe even talk to her he thought excitedly.

THUNK

Severus heard the front door slam knowing it was probably his drunken father he threw the book in a drawer of the desk and carefully hid the lily in an empty box in his closet. Then hid himself under the bed in the corner of the room, Severus heard his dad's footstep getting closer and closer, and then they stopped, right in front of his door. Severus gulped, his heart beating faster every moment, he was almost started shaking from fear. Despite the fact the door was locked, his father had forced it open. Severus held his breathe scooted back further underneath his bed .He saw his dad's boots as they took unbalanced steps around the tiny, dark bedroom. It was several long moments before the feet made their way out the door. Severus almost started crying with relief, he didn't get out from under his bed, just grabbed the thin blanket off his bed. He slept on the floor under his bed, scared that his dad might come back. While listening to his parents striking up a "loud conversation" he fell asleep with his thoughts on the girl at the park.

When Severus awoke it was late morning, careful not to bang his head on his bed frame, he decided there was no gain in sticking around while his parents were fighting. After he changed into clean clothes, Severus grabbed the lily and slipped past his father (who was sleeping on the couch) .Once outside he went straight to the little forest beyond the park , he followed the river to a willow tree and put the lily on the bank so it could get some sun. Realizing it probably needed water to, he cupped his hands, got water from the river and dumped it in the jar. He sat under the tree and looked out across the river and through the thin trees at the old muggle school. A bell rang from the inside of the school and muggle started to pour out of it, all of them laughing with their friends. He was a bit jealous of them, but he would get to go to Hogwarts this year where the magic will make for all this waiting. There she was! The girl from yesterday was walking on a path that lead from the school to the park with a tall, tan girl who was talking avidly. After about a minute they were within earshot he could hear their conversation.

"I can't believe it's the last day of school, Lily" the tan girl said. Lily. That was her name, he liked that name, and it fit her. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

"I know, Ally. You say that like every other sentence." Lily said in a tired but amused voice.

"Yeah but we just walked out of school for the last time this year" the girl named Ally said with excitement and relish. Lily laughed; Severus thought it was a beautiful kind of innocent laugh, the kind he hadn't heard often enough.

"Yeah, I guess so "Lily said her sweet laugh faded from Severus's ears "Oh I forgot to show you "she added picking up a flower close to where Severus was hiding making move behind a bush, he couldn't see what she was doing from this angle, but he assumed she was making the petals move like she did the day before.

"Whoa, how can you do that?" the muggle girl said in her amazement.

"I'm not really sure, but I can feel my finger get kinda warm, like I'm channeling power through my hand." Lily said thoughtfully throwing the flower back on the ground. Severus wanted to tell everything about magic, but his nerves got the better of him. So he followed them from a distance till they made it to the park, then he sat with his back against the wall of stone listening to them talk the day away. He went home a little after they left, but he walked a slow pace in no hurry to get home.

Every day for the next week Severus hid behind a bush inside the park grounds because Lily Evans (as he learned eavesdropping) came every day. He might have talked to her already but she never came alone, she was either with her sister, Petunia, or her friend Ally, but today Severus told himself he would talk to her no matter who was with her. He hoped it would be Ally, Petunia scolded Lily when she used magic, and least Ally would be nice and accepting. As he walked to his new hiding spot behind a flowering bush he found yesterday, Severus recalled all the magic Lily knew. She could make petals of flowers move, she could float down after jumping off the swings, and she had done a lot of accidental magic. After waiting a couple moments Lily came with Petunia. They ran over to the swings Severus zoned out for a little while staring at Lily, she had amazing grace for an eleven year old.

"Lily, don't do it." Petunia shrieked as Lily let go of the swing. Ahh magic Severus thought as Lily floated to the ground slowly.

"Mummy told you not to!" Petunia yelled as she slowed the swing to a stop with her heels making disgusting grinding noise, then stood up and put her hands on her hips in a very Petunia like manner.

"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"

"But I'm fine," Lily said while she giggled, it was same innocent laugh he loved "Tuney, watch this. Watch what I can do."

"Tuney" looked around the deserted playground she didn't see Severus hiding behind the bush. Lily had yet another flower from the bush Severus used as a regular hiding place, Petunia came closer looking torn. Lily did her favorite trick of making the petals move on their own.

"Stop it!" Petunia yelled shrilly.

"It's not hurting you!" Lily said defensively, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it to the ground.

"It's not right," said Petunia staring at the flower "How do you do it?" Severus could tell she really wanted to know.

Now or never he thought before he jumped out from the bushes.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Okay maybe not the best entrance he thought nervously .

"What's obvious "asked Lily, she was actually talking to him!

He lowered his voice a little "I know what you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You're . . . you're a witch," he whispered

She looked offended.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" she walked away ,nose in the air and joined her sister.

"No!" this was going all wrong, he could feel heat rise in his cheeks as he ran after her. They looked at him in disapproval and clutched the poles on the swings.

"You are," he directed at Lily" You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one ,and I'm a wizard ."

Petunia laughed it was the exact opposite of her sister's whose laugh was warm and sweet .Petunia's laugh was like cold ice water.

"Wizard!" she mocked, regaining her courage "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river." She informed Lily quite cruelly "Why have you been spying on us?"

"Haven't been spying" said Severus defensively getting extremely hot in his overcoat "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway, " he added spitefully "You're a Muggle." He hadn't expected her to understand the word but she couldn't mistake his tone.

"Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly, Lily obeyed her at once glaring at Severus as she left. He stood there then sat on the very same swing Lily had sat on earlier. Maybe I'll just die alone he thought, hating himself as he watched the sun disappear from the sky.