Thanks for all the reviews guys. Sorry for the wait! I'm in the middle of finals but I will be finished next week. I should start picking up the pace with this soon. I'm just having fun writing little scenes.
His appearance was appalling, Severus decided the next morning when he decided to try and groom himself properly. He would never grow out of his greasy hair, Severus knew, but his teenage form was much, much, worse than when he was an adult. Luckily, his skin wasn't mired with red bumps and pimples. He just looked... filthy. And Severus felt dirty, living in the house of his father. He could barely breathe with all of the rubbish rotting downstairs below. If his father didn't try to beat him over the head with a beer bottle every time he took out his wand, Severus would have vanished all of it away. But when ever Severus went downstairs he didn't linger for long.
Now, he had to somehow sneak down there and use the bathroom so he could shower. That was no problem, Severus just had to walk softly through the trash and into the hall beside the stairs. Taking a steady breath, Severus quickly and silently left his room and descended into the knee high trash. He could hear the loud snoring from his father who was in a drunken sleep in his chair. Cat like, Severus half hoped on deft feet before shutting the door tightly. His hand was wrapped deathly tight around his wand. Taking it out he cast Colloportus, locking the door for safety.
Begrudgingly, Severus came back to his senses. It was silly of him to fear his father after facing far more nastier things than a drunk. He had a lot of convincing he had to do for his brain. It was illogical. But he was safe in there with the charmed door. So he stripped and started his cold shower. There was no shampoo, only a sliver of soap that Severus used to rub his body down and wash his hair. It wasn't a well scented soap bar either. It was too perfumy. Severus was going to smell like an old lady, not a teenage boy.
As he dried off, Severus wiped the mirror to see that his face did look a lot more greasy but now felt dry. There was no happy medium. But he didn't have time to dwell vainly on his looks. He wanted to be out at the playground early. Quickly, he buttoned up his white shirt he usually wore with his black wizarding robes before tightening his belt on his overly large pants. He looked like an idiot with a tight fitting shirt and loose pants. But it was the best he could do besides his non-muggle clothing.
Lily was the only thing on his mind as he exited the bathroom, neither hand on his wand. Then, a loud pop and stars erupted in his eyes as he staggered into a wall. His father was over him, breathing deeply and mad. "Where do ya think yer doin' in m'bathroom and this bloody time of the day, boy?"
Severus covered his ear and could hear the ringing in his ears as his equilibrium tried to find his balance. Just as Severus found his footing, his father yanked him by the collar of his shirt and roared, "Ya listenin' to me, ya filthy good f'r nothin'?"
Gripping his wand, Severus whipped it out with a cold look in his eyes. It would be so easy to hurt his father, so easy to cause him insanity. The very idea was tempting if Severus didn't dread the consequences.
"Ya dare take out that stick in front of me? BOY!" Tobias Snape roared loudly, his face turning purple with the effort.
"It would be my pleasure to make you puke up slugs for a week." Severus snapped back as he backed slowly towards the front door.
"Yer just like yer whore of a mother. Get outta here before I kick ya outta my house!" Tobias spat. "An' if I catcha ya taking a shower at bloody eight o'clock in the fucking morning, I'll skin ya. Don't think that stick of yours will save ya. It didn' save yer mother!"
Severus reached for the door handle and wrenched open the door, his wand out in front of him protectively before exiting out into the cool morning. Inside he could hear beer bottles and other things clanging around. Severus didn't want to stick around and walked briskly from his home. If you wanted to call that place his home.
Removing his hand from his ear he spotted blood and other fluid on his palm. The ringing in his hear hadn't lessened, and Severus was more than positive that he his eardrum had burst. He knew healing magics, but hearing was a serious thing Severus wasn't willing to risk. As soon as the summer ended, which was luckily soon, he would visit the medical ward and get his ear fixed. Luckily this was his last summer, and if his memory served him right, his father only had another year to live before his live finally gave out.
Quickly, Severus made his way to the playground before sitting on a swing and swaying back and forth. The throbbing in his ear was terrible, but Severus thought it would be perfect time to think what he should do. In his sixth year he was well on his way to becoming a Death Eater. He had all the connections and was helping his fellow classmates propagate the Dark Lord's name to the younger students. Many were convinced to join because of his efforts and Severus half wondered if he had been convinced as well from Lucius Malfoy. It was a possibility, but Severus was wiser than that. He was power hungry and deep down, Severus was still power hungry.
But this time he would make a different decision. Firstly, he would abandon his friends and try to sabotage their efforts in recruiting in the Slytherin common room. Less would-be-Death-Eaters would make Voldemort's forces smaller. Other than that, Severus couldn't think further on in his future, besides securing Lily as a friend and ensuring her safety.
His inability to plan more than a few goals was frustrating.
"You're here already?" Lily's voice cut in from behind him making Severus to jump. The poor hearing his ringing, throbbing ears had caused Severus to be caught off guard. Any other day Severus would have whipped out his wand and placed a well aimed curse on whom ever snuck up on him. Instead, Severus stood quickly before spinning with little coordination. "You alright? You look like you've seen death." Lily commented with a slight giggle.
Bitterly, Severus could only think to himself on how he had seen death. But those thoughts were quickly washed away by the sight of Lily's soft blue, summer dress. "I was thinking too hard I suppose." He drawled before settling on this swing. The whole world was spinning and off balanced due to his ear.
"Well, you are good at that Severus. That at least never changed." Lily commented before joining him in a swing next to him. "But seriously, Sev, you look awfully pale."
In a low tone, Severus droned, "Nothing of any importance. I'm just naturally pale, obviously."
Lily's brows knitted and Severus could see a fire burning in her green eyes, "Well you don't have to be so rude, Severus. And here I thought you had 'changed' as you seem to have claimed yesterday."
Severus pursed his lips at Lily's childish spurts of anger, "I honestly don't ever remember being a gentlemen, Lily. Isn't that what you liked about me? For my unrestrained honesty?"
Lily looked at him grudgingly. She was caught between logic and being an angry teen. "Well, forget what I said. We were supposed to hang out. I want to go get breakfast. I haven't ate, have you?"
Severus shook his head, slowly, trying to not cause anymore pain in his ear. Lily gasped suddenly, "What happened to your ear!"
"Tobias." He answered with little feeling. Before he could take another breath, one of Lily's warm hands tipped his chin gently.
"What did you do to you? Your ear is swollen and it there's crusty stuff coming out of it!" Her shrieks were muffled as well in that ear, luckily. But feeling her chest had started a tornado of butterflies in his chest. His heart pounded an it was becoming increasingly hard to breath normally. He always loved her touch. It was motherly, sure, but it was the nicest sensation Severus had felt.
"Hit me is all. Should have jinxed him." Severus answered slowly.
"Clearly!" Lily said incredulously before letting go of Severus' chin. "But you never stand up to him, Sev. Then things like this happen."
"I'm shocked you actually encourage me to use magic against a muggle. That's against the law, I believe." He hadn't meant it humorously, yet Lily let out a soft laugh before saying, "You're right. That is a terrible thing to suggest."
Severus nodded and Lily stood before pulling him to his feet. "Well, I don't think I need to ask again if you have eaten or not. Knowing your father, you didn't even get that far. Breakfast is on me then." She declared before pulling them from the playground. Severus felt a smile appear on his lips as he let Lily pull him to the street. She looked beautiful even when determined and slightly bossy something he had missed in his previous life.
Why hadn't he seen that before?
