Title: Severus Snape - Man of Mystery?
Author: Caz251
Summary: Severus Snape's secret life unveiled. Pre-slash. AU as of end of Order of the Phoenix
Characters: Severus Snape, Harry Potter, mentions of Hogwarts staff, Order, Death Eaters, Gryffindors and Weasleys
Spoilers: General Spoilers nothing specific
Warnings: Crossdressing, pre-slash
DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately I don't own Harry Potter, I'm just playing in JK's sandbox. I own nothing but the plot, please don't sue, I'm a penniless student.
AN: This was one of my projects for WriaDaNo June.
Severus Snape was many different things to many different people. To Lily Evans he had been her first magical friend, her only link to the magical world as a child. To the Marauders he had been a childhood foe, and in some cases an adulthood enemy. Throughout his life he had been lots of things, a loyal Death Eater who spied on the light for his Lord, a repentant Death Eater who spied on the Dark Lord for Dumbledore. A member of the Potions Guild with the title Potions Master, the Head of Slytherin House, and many other things dependent on who spoke of him. However, all anyone really ever saw of Severus Snape was what he wished for them to see, a mask that he would use to conceal himself behind, showing only what the person expected to see.
Severus Snape was many things, a half-blood and a Slytherin being only a few of those things, however these helped him become the one thing he was above all, a Master of Disguise. Coming from a mixed family as he had Severus straddled both the muggle and wizarding worlds as he grew up, learning of both and gaining knowledge of anything that may help him in life. Being a Slytherin only added an extra dimension to him, allowing him to hone both his ambition and his cunning, sharpening his skills and using them as tools of his trade. With the knowledge Severus had of both worlds he found it easy to blend in when necessary and stand out when he wished, his masks changing depending on the situation.
Not many people knew it, but they had never met the real Severus Snape, the man beneath the masks. Severus' masks were only ever put away when he was in private, his act only changing pandering to the whims of whoever's presence he was in. Nearly everyone had their own expectations of Snape and he tried to live up to them, Voldemort wanted a subservient Snape, that's what he got. Dumbledore wanted a repentant Snape, the students expected an unbearable Snape who favoured his own house. Longbottom expected a scary and overbearing Snape, Snape never did disappoint, and Potter expected a bitter, angry and twisted Snape. Those who did know that they had never met the man behind the masks, knew that they never would, knowing that someone as skilled as Severus was would never slip up in his act.
However, a life hidden behind masks, masks of other peoples making, is a life that one could easily get tired of. Severus had led such a life since he was a child, leading this type of life he had to have a way to escape from that existence, a form of escapism, if not an escape plan in case his masks fell and his disguises crumbled. Severus did have such an outlet, one that no-one who believe of him, and one that he would never admit to those he knew. This outlet did however give him a chance to remove the masks made by other people to fit him and to let his hair done some and enjoy himself.
Severus' form of escapism was one of his most closely guarded secrets, no-one in the wizarding world knew. He had told no-one of his precious form of release from the life he led, he had only once ever considered telling someone, that someone being his best friend Lily Evans.
Severus had taken up this, well to him, hobby around the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts and had been considering telling Lily but he had destroyed their friendship before he was able. After that never again did the thought of sharing his secret cross his mind, he did everything he could to hide his secret.
He wasn't worried about any of the purebloods finding out, they weren't likely to enter the muggle world unless absolutely necessary, neither where many of the wizard-raised half bloods. His problem was the muggleborn, and the muggle-raised, not so much the younger ones, but the ones that where older and still had feet in both worlds like he did. Exposure of his secret was never to happen, which made him resent the power those few students from muggle backgrounds had over him, the fact that some day one of them may figure him out seemed almost too much to bare. These students got the worst of his bad temper taken out on them just to make the worry of exposure a bit less worrisome, he could at least make their lives hell if they tried to expose his secret.
Although the wizarding war with Voldemort was not a good thing, the fact that Severus was thought to be a spy for both sides, when in actual fact a spy for the light, almost made it a good thing as it made sneaking away to enjoy his hobby easier. No-one would ask where he was if he wasn't around they would just expect him to either be in his dungeons brewing potions or in the enemy camp gathering information.
The wizarding war had ended now though, the war coming to a close just before the start of Harry Potter's seventh year at Hogwarts. The famed Boy-who-lived with the help of Dumbledore and his order, Snape included, had raided Riddle Manor after a series of systematic attacks eliminating Voldemort's forces. The few remaining Death Eaters, members of Voldemort's Inner Circle, were taken care of by the order members, whilst Potter and Dumbledore had fought the Dark Lord. It wasn't completely sure to anyone there, who struck the killing blow and neither of the wizards were telling, something that infuriated Snape to no end. Spending so many years as a spy made his need to know everything greater, as any piece of information, no matter how trivial, may one day save his life.
Almost a year had past since that day, a full school year at least, the graduation ceremony was not long over, the Hogwarts Express had left Hogsmeade Station. These things all added up to mean that Hogwarts and most importantly Snape were now free of Harry Potter. Intending to enjoy himself and indulge in his hobby in celebration, Snape left Hogwarts after the graduation ceremony to have a night of fun.
