First contact: Monday, July 21th, 1969, 1h47.
The first encounter between Severus Snape and the spatio-temporal Agency happened by an unforgettable summer night. Not for the evens broadcast in live on the old radio in the living room but for the unexpected appearance of three strange strangers coming from the cellar. They were unlike anything the little boy had ever seen. Neither the wizard from Diagon alley he has met when he went with his mother buying some component for her potions, nor the muggle he used to pass every day in the streets of Cokeworth. He only noticed they barely look like the astronauts he saw the previous day on the television at his friend's house, Lily Evans. The first one, who genially greeted his father, was a stout man, about fifty, with dark skin and graying temples and a rich bass voice. The second was a blond man about thirty, taller than his father, with a beard and mustache neatly trim who was constantly casting suspicious glance around him. The third one was a woman. Unlike the two others guys in strange white spacesuit she was enclosed in a golden armor with no apparent juncture. But the strangest thing in this tall woman, so tall in Severus children eye he asked himself if she was part giant, was the fact this woman had four eyes who glowed in the dark.
The evening was quite usual for the last house in spinner's end. His parents, Eileen and Tobias Snape, have spent the evening fiercely arguing about him. His mother insisted he went to bed early like all normal little boy. His father, on his side, argued all the normal little boy will stay awake tonight and follow the first step of the man on the moon. The argument between his parents about that was a normal behavior happened more often these days. And their radically different view on the subject let Severus without any hope they will soon agree on a truce on this particular topic. Often the little boy wondered how his parents, coming from two worlds so different, could have finished together. Letting the two adult in the kitchen decide what was normal between potion and spell on one side and science and technology on the other, Severus returned to the living room. He seated next the radio on in intent to cover the ruckus coming from the other room and opened the potion book he was currently studying.
A few hours later, in the middle of the night, Severus was awakening with a startle by an unusual ear-splitting noise coming from the cellar. The fight in the kitchen stopped immediately and hurries footstep could be hear in the back off the house. Curious, Severus stood up and headed for the source of the noise. Catching a sign of her son behind her, Eileen turned toward him.
"Go in your room." She said harshly.
"Let the boy be Eileen." Tobias retorted while pushing his son toward the door with a firm hand in his shoulder.
"No! I refuse my son be involved with these … party." The mother replied before standing in front of her husband.
"Eileen! The time is come for him to learn. Whatever happens he has no choice. He will do his duty then the time will come. The Snape have been in charge of this spatio-temporal station for seven generations. And neither I nor my son will break the tradition." He said scowling.
"No Tobias! My son is a wizard. He will not meddle with this people. The things they are doing are not normal. It's not right. We can't do this kind of things." Severus could see fear in his mother eyes. It was strange. He had always known her with a stark or stubborn air.
"Don't be ridiculous. Come here Severus, there are some people you need to meet." Passing his wife Tobias opened the door and dragged his son after him. Without a word Severus followed his father in the stairs with a sorry look for his mother. But it was too tempting to finally discover the secret hidden in the cellar and the source of the strange noise. His parents always forbade him to enter in this part of the house.
"Tobias!" After a few second Eileen finally followed her husband and her son.
In spite of everything Severus had imagine the room was tidy, without any dust on the floor and the white wall seemed covers with luminous spot. In the middle of the room there was a strange machine he didn't recognize. The general form looked a little like the launcher he had seen in the picture book of Lily's sister but the engine was far smaller and some part looked like they were coming from the science-fiction TV show the two Evans sisters enjoy. The top of the machine spread open with a loud hiss and the first passenger came out. The large man headed directly toward Tobias, smiling, when the second exited the engine.
"Tobias! How are you?" He said, shaking his hand.
"Fine and you?" Tobias answered.
"Wonderful. Hey, it seems all your family is here." The man moved around his friend in intends to see Severus half hidden behind his father.
"This is my son Severus. Severus, this is Sun Rae, an old friend." Tobias said, pressing his son in front of him. Severus shook the hand of the man and shyly muttered a "nice to meet you sir." Behind them the second voyager was helping the third one to exit the machine. The moment he saw the woman of metal Severus was unable to look away, totally captive by the strange presence who seemed read him.
"Ah … Lad. It's the first time you meet someone like Kistna, don't you?" Sun Rae asked when he saw the young boy had the eyes glue to the golden armor. "Don't worry, the Wûûrm seems cold but they don't bite. Well … not literally. But stay away from her energy's blast."
Severus slowly nodded.
"Do you remember my wife Eileen?" Tobias asked while indicated his wife.
"Of course, Madam. My pleasure." He said. Eileen answered with a motion of the head without stopping scowling in the direction of the three strangers.
"I suppose your venue here is not a courtesy." Tobias said.
"No Alas. I need to go as soon as possible to the base with Jal and Kistna. Order from Lady Charlotte. Can you give us a ride?"
Tobias answered with a nod and gestured the other to follow him up the stairs. Once upstairs, Severus observed his father and the three strangers exit the house and get in the car. With her husband away Eileen sent Severus in bed refusing to answers any of the questions the young boy threw at her. One week after the event, when Eileen was out of the house, Tobias finally explained to Severus everything about the machine in the cellar, the existence of the Spatio-Temporal Agency and his duty as the keeper in charge of a spatio-temporal station.