Chapter 2- The Summer After 4th Year
When Severus left the train, he saw many happy parents waving to their sons and daughters. He scanned the crowd for his own and was able to spot them quickly- a sullen duo that seemed equally likely to die on the spot as to kill each other. Severus sighed, the harsh realization that things were not going to improve hitting him like a bludger. He lugged his trunk to them and the three silently walked to their car.
"Failing your classes, are you?" asked Tobias Snape once they were out of the parking lot.
"N-no, actually I'm doing rather well-" Severus responded, a quaver in his voice.
"But none of them are important classes, all easy-O classes, I'm sure."
"Actually, I'm in the most challenging classes offered…"
But he stopped, knowing it was useless to continue- he was being ignored anyway. They arrived at their small house and Severus lugged his trunk up to his bedroom. It comforted him to see that his room was untouched, his half-full bookshelves dusty from neglect during the past year, his bed still unkempt from the last time he had slept in it. He unpacked his books first, filling his bookshelves with the ones he could afford to have his parents see if they chose to come in, and storing the rest in a box under his bed. Even his magical mother would probably not be ecstatic about him reading "Curses for Torture and Torment." He ran the corner of his cloak across the shelves, cleaning off the dusty tomes. In spite of the fact that the rest of his room was a mess, he wanted his books to be pristine.
He sank into his bed and heard the typical sounds of the pre-dinner arguments- his father screaming, pots clattering, his mother crying. It exhausted him just hearing his parents fighting, and it seemed like he had just dozed off when his door flung open with a loud crash. He woke with a start as a book struck him on the shoulder.
"Get to dinner, you ingrate!" screamed Tobias "And stop leaving your stupid magical books all over the bloody house!"
"Don't yell at the boy, he just got home." Said Eileen, caressing his shoulder.
"You know I'm not in a good mood, Eileen! Don't upset me more. It's enough that we have to have this rat in our house for the summer!"
He flung her off of him, and she hit into the wall. The smirking portrait of Salazar Slytherin above her threw his hands out for balance.
"Just get to dinner, the both of you!"
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"I don't even know why we send you to this fancy magic school. You should be learning real things. And you should be getting your nose out of those stupid books!"
Severus continued eating his bland dinner, trying to think of something, anything other than what was happening. He had such high hopes about being back at home while he was at Hogwarts, but now all he could think of was getting away.
"Are you listening to me? Listen when I talk to you! I've never seen such an insolent boy!"
"May I be excused?" Severus asked.
"Fine. Don't talk to me. I don't want to see you! Just get away from me." Tobias snarled, and Severus ran from the table and up to his room.
Up in his room, he stared at the flies on his ceiling. He pulled out his wand and opened "Curses for Torture and Torment."
"Petrificus totalus!"
"Impedimenta!"
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Reducto!"
He smiled as the flies reacted to his spells. He turned the page and gasped. The Unforgivable curses, there, in plain print! He'd always heard of them, but never knew how to do them. He picked up a fly that had fallen to his bed from the body-bind curse and whispered "Crucio". But nothing happened. He tried a few more times to no avail before retiring for the night.
xXxXxXxXx
The summer passed excruciatingly slowly in this way. His parents fought continuously and he spent most of his time reading and re-reading all of the books on his shelves. He rarely left his bedroom except for the chaotic dinners where Tobias would get increasingly abusive with the amount of liquor he drank. His mother was passive, submitting herself to his verbal and physical abuse, while Severus tried to escape through literature and sleep. He was very frustrated- while he knew many curses and could do them well, the Unforgivable Curses never worked for him. Every night, although he hated the thought of seeing Potter and Black again, he longed for Hogwarts so he could gain the knowledge he needed for success. He also craved privacy- although Potter and Black were at Hogwarts, he had his dorm that he could hide in. At his home he had nowhere to hide, and when he was finally on the train to go back to Hogwarts both he and his parents sighed in relief.
