Disclaimer: I don't own the characters represented herein. They belong to J.K. Rowling and whoever else owns the Harry Potter series.
Again with the PG-14 rating. Even though it's really not that bad. Just some violence.
Chapter 12: Broken
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Severus Snape cowered as he heard his father's voice boom as the footsteps came closer. His fingers curled tighter around the teddy bear in his hands as he stepped as far away from his bedroom door as he could.
"Where the hell are you, boy?" A voice called from the hallway outside his room. Severus felt his stomach drop to the floor as he did the same, crawling under his bed.
"It'll be okay, Alloicious. Maybe he'll just go right on by, an' go to his study an' sleep it off. Or maybe he'll go back t' the bars." Severus' voice shook, a choked whisper. His grip on his bear tightened exponentially as the door swung open violently.
"So, you think you can hide from your father, eh? Get out here, you little brat…" The man stomped over to the closet opposite the bed and threw the door open. Severus winced as he heard the wood crack slightly as the door slammed into the wall.
The man rifled through the closet for several moments, sending boxes of toys and clothing to the floor in giant heaps of wood, plastic and cloth. "Gave up on your usual hiding spot, hmm, Severus? Well, where oh where could you be?"
Severus screamed as the bed he was cowering under was lifted up and knocked over, landing upside down on the floor. The young boy cried in pain as it landed on his ankle with a snap.
"You never were a smart one, boy." The man mocked, walking over to the bed. A menacing smile took over his pointed face as he pressed down on it with his foot; his smile widened as he heard cracking come from Severus's leg, causing the boy's cries to turn into sobs.
"D-daddy… P-p-please…" Severus whimpered, still clinging to his bear.
"P-p-please what, you little brat?" Silas Snape asked, his voice full of loathing and mocking.
Severus started hyperventilating, his eyes wide in pain and fear. "Speak up, boy."
"You're h-hurting me."
He stopped pushing on the bed and knelt down shakily on drunken knees to his son's level. "Oh, I'm hurting you, am I? I'm causing you pain?"
Severus nodded his head as tears rolled down his cheeks in hot, salty waves.
"I told you to speak up, you little bastard." Silas backhanded Severus, sending his head slamming against the wooden floor. "Nodding is not an answer."
"Y-yes, father. You're hurting me." Severus whispered, shakily feeling the back of his head with his small hands. He felt himself loosing control again when he saw that his fingers were covered in blood. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you hurt me?"
"Because you were born." Silas hissed. "And I'm counting down the days until I can send you to school and be done with you."
The elder Snape charmed the bed off of his son and onto its legs before summoning a house elf to clean up the rest of the mess.
"Where's Mum?" Severus asked, ashamed at the high timbre of his voice.
"She's off shopping with your sister." Silas let out a huff of air, irritated. He flipped his hand in the air; Severus couldn't tell if it was in anger or in mocking. "Has to pick up her school supplies for this year."
"W-when can I go to school?" Severus's voice was nearly inaudible.
"In four and a half years, you little piss-ant. What? You forgot how to count?" Silas sneered. "After all of those private lessons that I've paid for, you can't even subtract six and a half from eleven?
"Are you trying to be funny? Trying to 'tame' me, like your sodding mother does? 'Oh, you're drunk, Si. Go to bed, Si.'"
Severus began praying silently as he apologized aloud to his father. "I'm sorry, father." He whimpered as Alloicious was torn from his hands. "No!"
"Oh, are you attached to this little bugger? You're six years old. You should be practicing hexes on toads and learning to fly, not cuddling up to some ragged toy. You need to start being a man."
Severus's hair bounced around his head as he nodded vigorously, reaching for his bear at the same time.
"You don't need to be playing with Sera's old toys. Don't want to be a little 'nancy boy', do you?" His voice took on a razors edge as he said the last bit, sending chills down the boy's spine.
"N-no. But, please, give me Alloicious back. Sir. Sera gave to me."
"I don't think so." The sneer returned to Silas's face as he tossed the bear up, crying 'Incendo' and burning it before it hit the ground.
Severus felt tears well up in his onyx hued eyes as bits of fluff fell to the floor. "…Alloicious."
Silas turned to the house elf cleaning near the bed. "Fix him up and don't let him out of his room. He's grounded."
Severus knew not to respond to his fathers bait. If he responded, it would only mean another beating.
"Yes, sir." The elf bowed as the Silas stomped out of the room. The young, female, elf turned to Severus, walking carefully toward the boy. She took Severus's ankle in her hands, earning a whimper. "It's broken. An' your head doesn't look ver' good, either. I'll just pop down t' the kitchens and get the first aid kit."
"No! Please, don't leave me, Zazz." Severus pleaded.
"I have to, Severus. I'll be back in a tick." With an audible popping sound, the elf was gone.
- - -
I find myself irritated as I approach Severus's rooms, anger prickling at the back of my mind. Light classical music flows through the crack of space under the door, but nothing else.
The door is locked, heavy charms making sure that no one can get in. I hate it when Severus puts those up. It scares me. I never know what's happening inside, or if something's wrong. He could be dying in the next room, and I would never know because of these damned charms.
I rap my fists against the door once, then twice. By the time I knock for the fifth time, I don't know whether I'm more irritated or worried. Did they leave and Severus didn't tell me? Or are they…falling back habits? But Severus wouldn't do that to me. He just wouldn't. He's a good man.
Finally I pull my wand out and attempt to knock the charms down. Thankfully, he's only put up simple charms tonight, and I break them down within five minutes. If I wasn't so used to these rooms, I'm sure that it would've taken quite a while longer.
I walk into the rooms to find Severus sitting alone on the couch, his legs crossed in front of him, a thick blanket around his shoulders. His hair is wet, as if he just stepped out of the bath.
"Where's the little bastard?"
"He's gone." Severus stands up, pulling the blanket up with him. His voice is dull, tired. "Left about an hour ago."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish."
Severus snorts, wrapping the blanket tighter around him. He walks over to the fire, putting it out with his wand. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."
I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his torso. I bury my face in his hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla and patchouli. "Would you like some company?"
He stiffens in my arms. "Not tonight, Lupin. I'm tired."
"Oh. Alright, then." He pulls out of my arms, leaving me with a cold, heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
He opens the door to his bedroom and slips through, his voice carrying as he closes it behind him. "Lock the doors when you leave, please."
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TBC. Also, I apologize for the length of this. I feel so lazy. But I'm trading in my computer tomorrow for a new one, and I wanted to hurry up and get this chapter out before I start the battle of transferring and loading up that bad boy. (Got to love the laptop program at my college.)