Places are geographically correct so don't tell me otherwise.
Plot is coming together.
Holidays June 26th 1987
So I've decided to write in this piece of crap, so I lied.
My Aunty Sophie and Uncle Jean came to stay. I detest the French, stupid little twerps with their bloody French accents. What have they done for the world apart from decapitate thousands of aristocrats? Nothing that is what. Sebastian brought me wine from Riems, though I am fonder of the red wines from the south, but no matter its still wine and I'm not even meant to be drinking it. As if Wesley cares. My tutor thinks I'm ill, he says I look thin and sickly, like he would know! Anyway I've spent most of my time in my cousin Sebastian's company, He is the only one on my mothers side of the family I can stand apart from another cousin of mine Claudia Renaut. They all god damn want to cut my hair! My whole family has something against my hair.
She cut it, Sophie cut my hair, well she says trimmed I say lopped. She took 15 centimetres of the length of my hair and now it's only an inch below shoulder length, and I can't tie it back well anymore and it gets in my face all the time. I am annoyed!
"Severus? Come sit beside me for a moment enfant."
"Yes Tatie is there a problem?"
"Let me look at your hair for a moment."
"Err why? Hang on... why do you have scissors? "
"Here let me brush your hair…"
"Why do you have scissors? w-what are you doing?"
"Trimming your hair Severus boy, now hold still."
"My hair!?"
"Severus come back it's all uneven at the end!"
Later
"See look how much better that looks, the wonders a trim can do. What are you laughing at Sebastian?"
"N-nothing Maman."
"Trim?! My ass! This is not a trim, this is like a shave."
"Oh my god Maman you should have shaved his head aha ha ha! … I can just see you now Sev... bald... ha ha!"
"Severus stop whining or I'll cut it all off."
"Bloody hell!"
"Aha ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Language!"
"Aha ha ha ha ha!"
"Sebastian, be quiet or baby sit Clea and Marie."
"Aha ha-……"
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Sebastian is just lucky he isn't on my hit list. Uncle Jean has said less than a hundred words to me in the week they have been here
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"Severus, I just wanted a word with you, to see
how you are doing."
"Oh? Alright"
"Well I just wanted to know, you remember what happened to your parents?"
"Euh, yes…. Why?"
"I just wanted to know if you alright with it all, I imagine you would want some answers now you are getting older. There are things you should understand."
"Yes I'm fine with it, absolutely... You know what I was just about to do some piano practise for Wesley, so I'll talk to you later"
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He wanted to know how- 8 years on- I am dealing with the deaths of my parents.
And I told him everything was fine, how I wish it were true and perhaps if I say it enough one day, I might speak the truth when I say that.
Rochelle seems to have become quite a beauty, and coincidently quite a bitch, but being the perfect gentleman my father brought me up to be (Do you see the irony there? Brings me up as a gentleman and then goes and kills my mother right in front of me) I have not responded to any of her insults, although I could think of a quite a few good calls.
I will officially be 17 in four days.. fun fun.
The relatives are going soon and Lucius is coming to Brighton the day before they leave. Can't wait for that.
Sebastian has been providing the entertainment (and the wine)
Sevvy Snape
10:11pm
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Severus's POV
Sebastian set the wine bottle down on the table before us.
"Drink
Cousin, Its will make you feel better, or at least take your mind off whatever
it is that makes you look so depressed."
"Depressed?"
"Yes you are a depressing person to be around." Sebastian flopped into a chair opposite where I was sitting contentedly thinking. I snorted in reply.
"What makes you think so Cousin Sebastian?"
"You always slip off into another world of thought, you avoid people like the plague-"
"No Sebastian, I avoid your family like the plague."
"That wasn't very nice….. Oh and getting onto the topic of not very nice I believe you sent me a letter addressed Frenchie saying…Euh..."
"Well you
insulted the English"
"I had to, its true you Englishmen are-"
"I don't want to hear it! I am proud to be an Englishman."
"Whether you are as you say- a man is rather debatable.. Just look at your hair"
"That was uncalled for."
I sat back and watched my cousin pour himself some wine. It was white wine from their own vineyard, the sort you'd get from Champagne in the North of France. I've always been fonder of the red wines from France, one of the country's redeeming qualities. And also the only reason I put up Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Philippe Renaut, which says something, are that they are from Bordeaux, a port in the south from Paris, on the Garonne River, excellent place for red wines. They are never very bearable, their eldest daughter Claudia is fine, in fact I am very close to her but their other 2 daughters are babies of the family and Suzanne is pregnant again.I don't like babies. Suzanne is my mother's younger sister, the youngest of 4. She always talks about my mother –often- as though she was some angel sent from god, as if she were a religion- a sacred memory.
And it's painful to listen to.
"Have some would you Severus." He began to pour some into a glass presumably for me. I picked it up and drunk it, for the pure sake of washing away those memories.
"You know Severus if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make a pretty woman your wife… and if she bores you, get another girl to marry you." My cousin was wasted.
"What about love?"
"As if love exists these days Sev! The family will never stop bothering you until you are safely married off…. By your own choice or arranged... whatever comes first…"
"Sebastian, it's your choice, shut up or be hexed."
"Euh…. Um…" Silence followed "I'll shut up... "
He was silent for a few minutes, but it didn't last long and I was particularly foolish for thinking it would.
"Love doesn't exist… girls crap on about love and stuff…. And-an... we coulden .. t-t give a flying rats .."
"Is that so?"
"Mm hmm" Sebastian put his head down on the table and slurred on mindlessly. I got up and wandered slowly to the window. I didn't know why but all my thoughts flew back to my friends... Particularly Morganna.
~~**~~
"You shouldn't expect so much of the little child Edward."
That's all very well for you Angele isn't it. You already have 2 son heirs. Severus is MY only child."
"Edward please..."
"He is my only child and my expectations are pinned on him, everyone is watching the boy because he is the only Snape by blood and name left and everyone is expectant of him. Is that fair to the boy?"
"You know I would have given you more children if I could but after Bella-"
"It's not about that now tell me the truth..."
"Severus leave the room..."
"The truth Angele!!!!!!"
"Severus leave!!"
~**~
I awoke with the worst headache. My head throbbed uncontrollably for an hour after I had awoken.
Nobody was awake, but it was a perfect morning for a ride around the estate, to at least see what the winter storms had damaged and what needed tending to if nothing else.
I spent an hour in the stables. My horse, my favourite horse had died in the winter, and nobody had told me. The master of this estate wasn't even told his horse died, how ironic.
I spent the better part of June 30th my 17th birthday in solitude. I left the estate before sun rise and wandered the beaches of Brighton for a good 5 hours , talking to a couple of local folk along the way before Wesley decided I'd gone off somewhere to kill myself. I was dragged back to the manor and made to celebrate there. The Russiers were there of course and the Blakes came all the way from Dover and my Grandfather came from Birmingham. Aunt Anna was particularly emotional as her mother and my grandmother had passed away only but a month ago. I sulked for most of the evening.
"Severus! It's good to see you! oh god help I've forgotten a bag.. Oh hang on here it is" Lucius arrived a few days later more cheerful than ever before, grinning idiotically at everything I said.
"Listen piss pot, I'm in an exceptionally bad mood and the relatives are here."
"The Frenchies?!"
"Not too loud!.. Yes them, don't talk to them and don't go near them. I've already told them you don't speak French so you don't have to pretend like last time. They leave tomorrow"
Lucius studied me with his annoying grey eyes, and I stared back at him, my trademark smirk and raided eyebrow in place.
"Good because we leave tomorrow also."
"To where?"
"Where your life starts and ends my friend. To meet your lord... your father and your brothers."
I looked down at the ground, shuffling gravel with my feet, before raising my eyes to him, from beneath a curtain of black hair, in place to hide myself from him.
"The Death eaters."