A/N: Written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments Forum, term 10, assignment 3, Ancient Runes: Runes Task #3: Write about an inheritance

Word count: 1085

Thanks to my Beta, Angel!

'… therefore the house and all its belongings are left to Severus Snape, son of Tobias Snape.'

The words were still echoing in Severus' mind as he closed his office door. It had been three days since the will of his father had been examined, and he had yet to bring himself to visit the house he had inherited. He sat down and started rubbing his temples. His head was aching as he realized that no matter how much he didn't want to, he would have to go and examine the house, take care of it, or at least check if it was intact. He sighed.

Like he cared about the house, like he cared about his father's death at all. If it had been up to him, Tobias Snape would have died many years ago, before he could ruin his childhood. And now he had left him a house.

Probably not willingly, though, now Severus considered it: He was the only heir, being the only one left from his family.

Severus had never even thought about returning to Spinner's End. Never had it crossed his mind that he would ever step foot inside this house again. Not even now, so many years later, time couldn't heal his wounds.

Spinner's End not only meant to return to the place where his father had tormented him, it meant returning to the place he had become friends with Lily Evans.

Severus sighed again. The last few days had passed quickly, days of which he had tried to find reasons why he could not invest the time to visit the building – it had been lame excuses. Severus tried to run from his past.

But even that revelation didn't make him feel better, not in the least.

He got off his desk and paced his office; they were all expecting him to see the place, see if there was some need to fix it – Dumbledore himself had asked already if Severus had been to Spinner's End.

He snorted quietly. Dumbledore had the annoying tendency to interfere with other people's business, and what was even more annoying was that he tended to be right with what he said.

Severus picked up the wand; he should take care of the house if only to say that he had been looking after it, and to clear his own conscience. No one could force him to go near it again once he had visited it briefly.

Knowing his father's attitude towards magic Severus didn't even try and check if the house was connected to the Floo Network.

Crack. With a quick flick of his wand, Severus had disapparated.

Carefully he pushed the creaking door open. A cloud of dust welcomed him, causing him to cough. Once his throat had stopped prickling, he looked around. The inside of the house was just as quiet and peaceful as the outside. It had never seemed so peaceful when he had lived here.

But it also still bared the feeling of discomfort he was so familiar with. Slowly, he walked down the floor and entered the kitchen.

Of course, some things had changed. The house had never been that empty back when the family had lived there. For instance in the kitchen, pots and cups had always been lying around, dishes, waiting to be washed...

Severus frowned. He did not want to remember. Things he didn't even want to think of, but couldn't help but remember. Lily. His family. James Potter.

Time had passed, and yet it still hurt. Severus took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water.

Tears started to stream down his face; he didn't want to cry but still, he did not try to stop them. He took another gulp and swallowed before placing the glass on the kitchen table and walking up the stairs, to his own room. A second before he entered he wondered whether he, in fact, wished to enter it, but finally, he pushed the door open and swallowed hard. The room seemed to be just the same as he had left it so many years ago, but things seemed to be missing. The things that made this room his room.

He had never had many things, his family being poor, but there were possessions worth more than money. He had taken very few with him when he had left his family and joined Voldemort, most of them had vanished, some he had burnt out of despair and longing.

He sat down on the bed and opened the drawer that was standing next to it. If he was not mistaken, there should be a photograph of his mother somewhere in there. He rummaged around for a while before he finally fished it out. It was dusty, the corners were flaking away, and it was a Muggle photograph; it did not move.

But it was his mother, Eileen Prince, smiling into the camera. He hadn't seen her smile like that very often, happiness had been rare in their family.

Severus did not possess a single picture of his dad, but he had never wanted one.

He remembered how he had stolen the photograph out of his parent's bedroom when he was six years old – he had been alone at home and sneaked around. When he had found the picture, he had taken it at once. His mother had never seemed to miss it.

The smile faded as Severus realized that he had been alone quite often at this place – and when he hadn't been that there had been arguments and quarrels...

He wished he had kept some photos of Lily here, too; he felt the great need to see her right now, but knew that searching would be pointless. The photos he had of her were well kept in his office at Hogwarts.

Severus got up from his bed, putting the photograph back into the drawer. For a brief second he had thought about taking it with him, but abolished the idea at once. This photo belonged in Spinner's End, just like the photos of Lily belonged into his office, close to him.

He went out into the floor and closed the door behind him. The house was in order, he would report to the Ministry and Dumbledore. It was not in danger of collapsing or similar. Just an old, vacant house in an industrial quarter.

Not of any interest to anyone.

Severus drew his wand. It was time to leave.

To go home.