A Moment of Quiet

Note: The idea for this story came to me as I lay awake one night. I wrote it all down and then worked tirelessly for three days straight. Every chapter is completed, but I still need to edit them all. I hope you like my idea, even though I know it's highly improbable. I'll post a full disclaimer and song credits after it's all done with, but jsut to be safe I didn't write any of the lyrics I added to the story and I don't not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters in anyway... Enjoy, I guess...

Chapter One

Once as my heart remembers

All the stars were Fallen Embers

Once when night seemed forever

I was with you

He could see his own eyes reflected in the window pane. Outside the world was dismal and dark, dripping wet with the wretched and limitless rain. A stone and concrete labyrinth of dilapidated cottages twisted around his home. The alleys and narrow paths stretched out endlessly, but all he could see were his own eyes, two pits of anger, hatred and despair, staring back at him. Subconsciously, he let what he held in his hand flutter to the ground. He glanced down at the letter that had found it's resting place on the ground at his feet. The first few sentences stared up at him.

You gave me a moment of quiet in my life of torment. Without you I would-

The rest of the message was blocked by the envelope, but he knew exactly what it said. It was his own handwriting after all, and he could recall with painful vividness scribbling it down almost seven years ago. He glanced back up at his tired and haggard-looking reflection. The eyes that stared back were the same as they were back when the whole thing had started. Closing his eyes, the memories came flooding back too quickly to stop them…

Fourteen year old Severus Snape opened his eyes, gazing at his reflection in the window pane of the Hogwarts express. Another year at Hogwarts was soon to begin. Rain plummeted from the skies and crashed against the windows and roof of the scarlet steam engine which chugged on tirelessly towards it's destination. Every year this train took Severus from the home he detested so, to a school where everyone of the students anatagonized him. He could never really decide which place he despised more. Resting his forehead against the window pane, Snape looked down at the long scar that marred his forearm. The image of the gash that created it flashed in his mind. A sudden eruption of noise from the hallway made him jump as the door to his empty compartment swung open. He looked up in alert. Before he could escape, two beaming boys his age tumbled in and sat down, one beside him, the other across from him.

"Snivellus! Aren't you a little ray of sunshine today!" Said the boy next to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Snape immediately jerked free of his grasp with one violent motion, refusing to look at either of them.

"Now, Snivelly, is that any way to treat your old friends? We've missed you!" The boy across from him said derisively, sweeping his elegant black hair from his forehead.

"I don't think Snivelly's glad to see us, Sirius." The boy next to Severus said mockingly, wearing an over exaggerated frown.

"What say you to the idea of us giving young Snivellus a good reason to smile, James my friend?" Sirius grinned, giving James a meaningful look. James smiled back and pushed his glasses up. Biting his lip, Snape refused to look at either of them. His heart was pumping fast with rage.

"Get out, both of you…" Snape spat at them, still staring steadfast out the window. James Potter opened his mouth to speak again but something in the corridor caught his eye. He turned to look at the form of a young girl skirting through corridor, accompanied by a few of her friends.

"Sirius… It's Evans." James said to his friend. The both stood up and moved to exit the compartment. James turned back towards Severus. "Don't worry Snivelly, we'll give you a proper greeting later on!"

"You look incredibly greasy, by the way!" Sirius waved at him at him as he swept through the compartment door and slammed it behind him. Snape stared in the direction of the fleeting pair in disgust. He loathed James Potter and his faithful sidekick Sirius Black more than any others in the universe. Through the glass door of the compartment he observed a short, fat boy peering frantically into different compartments looking for James. Snape knew his name was Peter Pettigrew and found him completely revolting. Following Pettigrew's flabby form was a boy of medium height with pale brown hair called Remus Lupin. He had a few scars on his face and was generally a very quiet person. But he was also one of Potter's cronies, so Severus found it hard not to dislike him. A curiosity had been burning in Snape after he noticed that Remus had been mysteriously disappearing every so often. Longing to bust the wrongdoings of Potter's gang wide open, Snape was hungry for a chance to figure out what they were all up to, but could never seem to discover exactly what it could be.

Settling back down in his seat, Severus put a hand over his face. He was sure this year at Hogwarts was going to be like every other. Unending torture.

The first day of term had been painless so far. Every class was the same as usual and Snape greeted them with the same nonchalant attitude as always. He was never short of outstanding in his academic work so he found nothing to worry about. The students had left him alone for the most part of the day. It had seemed like today might be one of the rare occurrences that were sometimes known as 'good days'. Lost in his thoughts, Snape made his way through the corridors towards the Slytherin common room. Outside the castle walls pearly white clouds blanketed the sky, making the world outside strangely gloomy but bright. Snape looked up into the bizarre atmosphere and lost track of who was around him. When he happened to look in front of him he knew it was already too late. Chatting animatedly to a beautiful girl with thick red locks was James Potter. Black, Lupin and Pettigrew stood close nearby holding their own conversation. Sirius kept shooting looks over at James as if he were monitoring the conversation between James and the lovely Gryffindor girl. As soon as Snape spied them he immediately turned on heel and began walking in the opposite direction, hoping that none of them would notice. Looking around for an escape route he saw the Transfiguration classroom was in range. If he could make it inside there he could pretend to have left something behind and he would have the protection of the professor to thrwart Potter and Black's cruelty. Making a beeline towards the door, part of him was nagging to charge back and curse Potter into oblivion right in front of that red-headed beauty that James had dogged for so long. The very idea of seeing Potter squirm under his wand was enough to make Severus break into a thin lipped smile.

"OY!" Shouted an all too familiar voice. He could hear footsteps pounding in his direction from behind him. Instinctively Snape plunged his hand straight into his robes and extracted his wand. He spun fast and saw Black bounding towards him, wand drawn, Potter close at his heels. Snape blasted Black with an unspoken disarming spell before he could do any harm. A cruel delight coursed through Snape's veins as he watched Black's frustration as he searched the floor for his lost wand. James screeched to a stop beside his best friend and pointed his wand straight at Snape's chest.

"Naughty boy, Severus. We'll have to teach you a lesson." James said through bared teeth. Snape's lip curled. He refused to run from Potter.

"Take your arrogance away from me Potter, I think I'll be sick if you don't. I can't bear to be in the presence of you and your Neanderthal buddies for very long, you know." Snape spat back at Potter, fingering his wand dangerously.

"Don't insult my friends, you slimy little slug." Potter poked the tip of his wand painfully into Snape's chest. Snape refused to blink. In the moment of hatred Sirius grabbed both of Snape's arms and pulled them behind his back, immobilizing him. Sirius gave his arms a painful twist and Snape was forced to let his wand clatter to the floor. Snape shot a loathesome look at Potter.

"Still too cowardly to face me like a man, I see." Snape spoke, revulsion etched into every word that escaped his lips. Potter shook his head and turned back suddenly to see if his friends and the red-head were still watching.

A quick glance in their direction showed Snape that Lupin, Pettigrew and the stunningly beautiful were watching the scene with wide eyes. Seeing the red-head staring in his direction with a concerned gaze suddenly made Severus' stomach go over all funny. He was thrown off his guard for a moment and felt his cheeks grow warm. Potter looked back at him.

"What're you so flustered about, Snivelly?" Potter sounded frightfully angry all of a sudden. "Let's teach this slime a lesson, Sirius." Potter flicked his wand flamboyantly, looking triumphant. In the moment Sirius let go and sidestepped out of the way, Snape stumbled to find his wand.

"Incendio!" James roared. Flames shot from the tip of James' wand, causing Severus to recoil and loose his footing. The front on his robes caught fire and he desperately tried to extinguish them. He could feel the searing heat close to his chest.

"Let me help you, Snivelly!" Sirius barked, pointing his wand downward. "Aguamenti!" A jet of water shot from Black's wand and pummeled Snape back down to the ground. Spitting water and trying to move, Severus saw Black and Potter's face staring down at him.

"Snivellus, you look hurt. You'd better not move, chum. Immobulus…" Snape felt his body freeze up. Trying desperately to move, Potter and Black laughed down at him. "Bye bye, now!"

"See you later, Snivellus!" Black waved at him as the two ran off, cackling madly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lupin and Pettigrew's feet follow after them. Snape sat up very stiffly, the effects of the curse not yet fading completely. He sat slumped against the wall in the pale light of the window, defeated. Humiliation and rage overtook him. With effort he grasped his wand and undid the curse that held him. With the newfound silence, Snape realized that soft footsteps were suddenyly closing in on him. He looked up, expecting to see another spiteful, laughing face but was shockingly mistaken.

The impeccably lovely face of the Gryffindor red-head looked over at him. It was apparant she was genuinely concerned.. Snape unexpectedly choked when he saw her, his heart rate rising inexplicably high.

"Are you… all right?" Her voice was as kind as her face. Severus felt extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden. He scurried to his feet, still dripping with water. He made to pick up his bag as the pretty girl did simaltaneously. Their hands met for a moment. Severus wrenched his arm back as if he had been shocked with several volts electricity. Their eyes met for one infinitely long and awkward second. He could bear it no longer. He snatched his bag from the ground and bolted off as fast as his legs could carry him and didn't stop running until the door of the Slytherin common room was shut tightly behind him. Pressing his back to the heavy dugeon wall, he breathed deeply. An foreign feeling was suffocating him from inside his chest. Suddenly he was aware of the other Slytherins staring up at him, some smiling and pointing. With a fresh wave of burning humiliation he unstuck himself from the door and retreated up the stairs to the solitude of the dormitory.

Feeling livid, thoroughly embarrassed and generally miserable, Severus knew he was back at school at last.