Always and Forever

Chapter Two Muggles and Mudbloods

Severus spent the rest of the week planning, plotting ways to "just happen" to meet Lily. A carefully drawn map of the nearby playground listed all the times Lily came out to play with Petunia. She never came alone, Severus sighed. He would have to introduce himself to Petunia, also – whom, as far as he was concerned, had not an ounce of witch in her.

Had he been an ordinary child, Severus would have simply run next-door and introduced himself to Lily. As it were, Severus was not accustomed to socializing; his entire life thus far had been spent in his parent's clutch, his (rather protuberant) nose buried in books about magic, philosophy, and art. He was so used to his solitary existence that it was proving difficult to break into the playful, dreamlike world that lay just over the fence – that carefree kingdom of childhood that contained the object of Severus' childish desire: little Lily Evans.

The obstacles that lay in his path to Lily were few, but they were difficult obstacles nonetheless. First of all, there was his own mother. Eillen Prince Snape was a beaten woman, physically and spiritually; her once-bright spirit had been completely demolished by her husband, Tobais. Tobais Snape had not been born with the gift of magic. He had married Eileen in full knowledge that she was a witch, with the hopes that he could learn the craft from her. Magic could not merely be learned, he soon found out – one had to be born with it. And he, Tobais Snape, had Not been born a wizard. A bitterness towards his young wife settled quickly into his soul. When Eileen became pregnant with their son, Tobais had hoped against hope that the boy would be "normal." When the baby showed signs of being a wizard, Eileen had rejoiced. Tobais, on the other hand, sank deeper into an already growing habit: alcoholism.

Tobais was a cruel and violent drunkard. When he drank (which was everyday) he turned hand and fist to his wife. Eileen was forbidden to do magic and forbidden to teach her son magic. Despite all outward appearances, Tobais was not a fool. He knew that his wife practiced magic at night and took every spare moment to tell Severus, in whispered words, of his rich heritage. Whenever Tobais caught his wife doing such things, he beat her until her skin bruised and her spirit broke. As soon as Severus was old enough to walk, Tobais beat him as well – not so hard or often as he did Eileen, but enough to make both mother and son fear the man with their very lives.

Fear had turned to hate. Eileen constantly warned Severus not to end up like her. She warned him against non-magical people ("muggles") on a daily basis.

"Never marry a muggle," she would whisper. "Never trust a filthy muggle – look at me! Look at where my blind trust landed me."

As a result, Severus had learned not only to ignore muggles, but to hate and fear them. Eileen, in her disillusioned, weary state, had even turned her loathing to the "mudbloods" – magical people whose parents were muggles.

People like Lily Evans.

Lily Evans was a mudblood. Severus knew the term was wrong, but he had grown up with it. He was so used to the word that, to him, it had ceased to be a swear-word. To his mum, however, mudbloods were the dirt of the magical world. Severus was terrified to ask Eileen's help with winning Lily's trust. He could not tell his mother that he wished to befriend a mudblood. Eileen had enough of her own worries; Severus would have to figure this out on his own.

The second obstacle was Lily's sister, Petunia. She had the potential to cause more trouble than Eileen. Severus sometimes caught the little blonde girl watching him critically across the fence, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. Her face seemed permanently set as though she had just eaten something sour. Her reaction to Lily's enchantment of the Elder tree told Severus that Petunia Evans would not accept Lily's true identity very readily – if at all.

Severus sighed. He stared glumly down at the pile of maps and notes on his lap. He squinted through his small, cramped handwriting:

"Lily and sister: after school; playground. 3:00 pm."

"Lily and sister: before church; swings. 7:00 am."

"Petunia, alone. Afternoon. Gave me a look."

The eight-year-old boy shook his head, long black hair falling into his eyes. Even if he did figure out a plan and worked up the courage to speak to Lily, what would he say? His heart fluttered nervously. He should probably practice, he reasoned. Standing, he went to his mirror. Pretending Lily stood there, he smiled. It was odd to see his severe young face appear happy. Severus tried hard to ignore the old, ill-fitting clothes he wore. The Evans sisters always dressed so proper. What would they think of him? "The truth, that's what they'll think," Severus thought with a scowl, "that I am poor and underfed and terrified …" He shoved his insecurities out of his mind and began to practice. From then until Eileen finished dinner, Severus pretended to address Lily.

"Hello, my name is Severus Snape."

"Hey, I'm Severus."

"Hi, I'm Severus Snape. I just thought you should know: you're a witch."

"Good to meet you. Severus Snape …"

Finally, he headed downstairs. He felt he had accomplished nothing. He would just have to show up at the playground and hope for the best …