A/N: Kay, I tried to think of a way to have Severus actually telling his story but no matter what I did it sounded silly so we're traveling back in time for awhile.

Chapter Ten: History

Snape manor was a solemn looking place. The stones themselves seemingly above the status of passer-by. Inside the house it was almost always as subdued as the exterior would suggest. The Snape's consisted of Solomon and Adelaide (Addy to anyone even remotely friendly with her) Snape and their son Severus.

On most days Solomon Snape was out of the manor, working. He was head of department at the Ministries Department of Foreign Affairs. His job included a lot of entertaining and traveling, but those were Severus's favorite times.

When Solomon was home, he made sure to spend time with his son. Not the father/son bonding that one would expect, instead the time was used to impress the importance of being a proper Snape onto the young Severus. Nothing rash, but he never treated his son as a child, but as he would treat 'a man destined for greatness.'

There was nothing that could be called abusive in the relationship between father and son for the first few years. By the time Severus was five he knew when to avoid his father, or suffer long winded life lessons and increasingly harsh doses of reality. But soon after Severus's sixth birthday things began to change. Solomon began to drink. At first it was nothing notable, a drink or two after dinner, coming home from work and having a bit of something. Soon though Solomon was at home more and more, delegating to his inferiors at the ministry through floo or owl, and when he was home he was drinking.

Early in his life Severus learned how to hide his true feelings, as a display of emotion led to at the very least a new bruise for the small boy to try to hide. Ironically the trait that had saved Severus from his father was the final straw from him mother.

Before Hogwarts Severus learned to like seclusion leaving his chambers rarely for anything other than meals, knowing that alone in his room he was safe. He read, to pass the time, and as a result he was more than prepared for school when it came. When he did venture out of his room when his father was home, because his father summoned him the young man gained a new injury.

The worst was right before he was to go to Hogwarts for his first year. He had been reading again, as learning had become something of an escape for him, when the house elf came to him.

"Master Severus." The elf bowed low, and kept his eyes on the ground as he wrung his hands together nervously.

"Yes?" Severus asked not really taking his eyes off of the book on his lap.

"Master Severus, Master Solomon wants to talk to you, sir. He says Bibby is to take Master Severus to Master Solomon's study."

Severus gave the elf a small smile, having always had a bit of a soft spot for the small creatures. "Thank you Bippy, you did very well." Severus stifled a sigh as he headed toward imminent pain. Outside of the heavy doors of his fathers office Severus turned once again to the elf. "Bippy, can you find the mistress, and tell her that father and I are talking and I'll come to meet her in her parlor soon?"

The house elf nodded quickly, and immediately rushed off. The elves knew what happened to the smaller master when he was called by Master Solomon, and while they couldn't stop it they also knew the mistress waited for her son after the meeting and helped to heal him. They were magically bound to do as the master said, but they were emotionally bound to help the mistress and the little master.

When Severus finally stumbled into the parlor he was paler than usual and he was clutching his right arm close to his body. He caught sight of his mother pacing in front of the fire and gave her as much of a reassuring smile as he could manage and fainted.

He didn't wake up for two days.

Later his mother told him tearfully that he had had a broken rib, his arm had been broken in two places, he had been bleeding from a large gash in his side and bruising had covered his face. The elves had been able to set the bones and she had managed to stop the bleeding, but he had a series of bruises for ages after and his side healed but left a scar.

His mother held him tightly, and cried. When he drifted back into sleep she swore she would never let it come that close again.

It was the Christmas holiday in Severus's second year, when it finally happened. He was greeted warmly by his mother, the only person he allowed himself to show unguarded emotion in-front of. The two of them, spent the afternoon together, having tea and exchanging 'while you were away,' tales. At dinner Solomon, clutching a half-full bottle, came wobbling into the dining room and flung himself into his chair. He didn't say anything for awhile, whether he wasn't entirely aware of his surroundings, or he didn't remember the significance of a third person in the room, or if he had passed out with his eyes open wasn't clear, but when the uncomfortable silence was broken a few minutes later by Addy asking Severus about his classes, Solomon began to laugh.

It was a chilling thing, this laugh, because it held neither humor nor sanity; it was loud and it was relentless, broken only by the huge gulps of air required to continue it.

After a small eternity filled only with the manic howl, Solomon suddenly stopped. The silence rang at an impossible volume, and nobody dared even breathe for fear of what would follow.

Addy met her son's eyes and in a calm yet urgent voice said "Severus go to your room, I'll send an elf up with diner."

Severus got up and headed toward the door, letting a small breath of relief out when he passed by his father without anything happening. But before his hand reached the handle on the door the bottle Solomon had been holding hit the wall next to his head. Small shards hit his hands and little streams of blood caught Severus's gaze before he heard Solomon getting up. He turned to see him raising the chair above his head. This time his father didn't miss. The chair hit his side, sending chocks of pain through him as he sunk down to the floor.

"Ungrateful bastered!" A plate hit just above Severus's head shattering and sending shards down on him.

Solomon pulled his wand in a surprisingly steady hand and began to move toward his son. "Get on your feet, you whelp. I'll teach you to ignore your father! I provided everything for you and you think you can simply ignore me in my own home?"

He stood above his son as Severus stumbled to his feet, showing no emotion in his black eyes, simply returning Solomon's gaze. The older man looked his son up and down, and when Severus showed no reaction to his anger his hand shot out and hit the side of Severus's head, leaving a ringing in his ear but not altering his expression.

Addy watched the whole thing, thinking wildly what she could do, as a plate his perilously close to her sons head. When the wand came out she had a moment of blind panic. But suddenly she needed to make it stop, all of the uncertainty and the fear. She had a vision of Severus after finding his way to the parlor after another beating, with his broken and bleeding form looking at her with reassurance and fear. She looked at him now.

And saw nothing.

Her baby showed no emotion, and a very drunk and angry man was pointing a wand at him. This man wasn't her husband, he wasn't Severus's father, this was a shadow of a memory, and he wouldn't kill her baby anymore.

At the trial she called it maternal instinct. The reason she had taken the steak knife and stabbed Solomon had been due to pure instinct.

Yes of course she knew she was a witch, she had spelled the carpet clean afterward, hadn't she?

No, she wasn't sorry.

Yes, he would have killed her son.

Yes, she'd take a truth serum.

And she still wasn't sorry.

Albus Dumbledore gave testimony at the trial, said that Solomon had been a danger to those around him and that Severus could have died that night, if Solomon had been drunk enough, and he applauded Addy's bravery.

Even Severus went on the stand. He calmly explained what had happened and without flinching, without the smallest flicker in his eyes he agreed that he had been close to death that night.

Addy was released and Aurors were ordered to check on her every now and then.

The first thing she had done when she returned home was to remove everything from Solomon's room, as they hadn't shared a bed for many years, and turn the once lavish bedroom into library, full of muggle literature. The final insult to her pureblooded husband.

She'd met with her lawyers and had everything signed over to Severus right away. She still lives in Snape Manor, and Severus still treats it as her house; asking before visiting, using the guest room (his had been stripped of all personal touches after he had gone to Hogwarts), never sitting at the head of the table. All of which his mother laughs at and shakes her head saying for the hundredth time that day, "It's your home darling."

She keeps busy, keeping both her garden and Severus's potions garden in order, and writing to her son. As soon as Severus graduated, she began, what felt to Severus, a hopeless quest to get him to bring home a girl.

"After all Severus dear the manor is so dreadfully quite without a little person in it. I would so love to baby-sit."

"I'll see if I can't find a neighbor child for you." He answers. "For I would hate to let you raise you hopes for a child from me."

"We'll see, Severus." She answers and looks at something only she can see over his shoulder. "I know there is someone out there who would make you happy."

A/N: New chapter shortly. I'm working on it! If anyone has any interest in helping a poor girl out, than I'm open for a… muse of sorts. Someone willing to help with plot and a bit of proof reading. Fresh ideas keep the plot coming. If you're interested please e-mail me! Love you all!