The following day Severus woke up before his parents.
It was Sunday and just about everything would be closed still so there would still be no applying anywhere.
He hoped for a job at the library, or at least the little bookstore, but he did not invest his heart in the idea. Unfortunately they were all just muggle books, he had checked.
The convenience store at least had a 'help wanted' sign. The bakery or butcher would be a last resort for they seemed the wrong kind of messy, but if it was his last option (and only for a summer) he would do it.
He stuffed his pockets full of more empty containers and a notebook with a fountain pen attached. Quills and ink were simply not practical to carry about in pockets.
He wandered down the street. One of the neighbors, Mrs. Beckett, was outside watering some pathetic looking plants. She waved to him. If he recalled, the old woman died in a few years. Of what, he did not know.
Severus continued on his way. He loitered about in town for a while, making church goers uncomfortable with his dour presence. When that wasn't fun anymore he stalked off towards the river.
It was just as he remembered it, heavily polluted with trash along the edges. The mill in the background created an impressively depressing scene. It was almost beautiful in its misery, all it needed was some rain.
Maybe he could find a few more things to add to his unimpressive collection of (not quite suitable) potion ingredients. There really wasn't much growing around Cokeworth. He figured a trip to the forest wouldn't go amiss.
Severus followed the water's edge until he made it to the sparse woods. He spent his day wandering around and finding things that may be usable, even if it was just for (likely to fail) experiments to help cure his boredom.
The young potions master filled his vials and containers with odds and ends and even a few colorful flowers that he recalled having a few, if useless, properties. He saved a few on stems for his mother.
She could have flowers while alive, right? Maybe she'd even appreciate them...He needed to shake the morbid feeling he got every time he thought of his parents.
Severus ventured deeper into the woods and away from the unpleasant river and horizon. He found a nice spot and produced the notebook and pen from his pockets.
He spent most of his day there, and scrawled out theories and possible helpful uses for the things he had found. He ignored the hunger eating away at his stomach in the afternoon, he could do nothing for it besides go home and face his parents' probable wrath.
At one point he heard children (probably teenagers) making a ruckus off in the distance. They were probably just causing a bit of mischief away from the prying eyes of adults. So long as they didn't invade his space of peace, he paid them no mind.
He was just thinking it would be best to start heading home for dinner when the kids collectively screamed in terror.
He dropped the book and pen where he had been sitting a fraction of a second before and took off towards the sound. He drew his wand, despite the potential consequences, for he would rather be prepared for anything.
Severus stopped in a clearing that had a small dying fire in the center and a few burt pieces of trash and a half melted can. This is where they were, but where did they go? And what was chasing them?
He noted freshest layer of tracks all heading in the same direction and took off yet again. Among the indentations of trainers, there was a set of large boots.
...A man was terrorizing these kids?
He continued to follow the trail deeper into the woods. Along with the now spread out screaming, a motorized buzzing noise, like that of a muggle contraption, was growing louder as well.
After a while he approached a behind a large grubby looking man with a chainsaw, the buzzing noise source. Beyond him was a frightened boy wielding a large stick (he had obviously found on the ground) to protect a crying girl who had fallen and was caressing her right ankle.
Merlin's beard, it looked like a scene from a horror film.
...Perhaps it was.