After the hug, a lot changed for Severus. He began to crave her more and more. The physical contact, the comfort it gave him. It was something he hadn't known before, but it was also definitely something he wanted to have more, from this moment forward. It was something he never knew he missed.

But that wasn't the only thing that changed. She trusted him, enough to show him her house. He had appeared at school with a swollen eye and a nasty cut on his face, and after school she had grabbed him by the hand and pulled him with her, beyond the river, beyond the playground, and for some reason he felt like his appearance had influenced her bringing him home. Like she did it out of pity or to show others how good she was for taking care of him.

But he knew Lily wasn't like that. She was nice to him because she liked him.

"This is my house," she told him as they came to a stop in front of a row of huge houses. Severus realised at that instance that her wealth made his lack thereof very evident and he felt misplaced among all the nice-looking people. He wanted to run away and hide.

He must've looked as uncomfortable as he felt because Lily told him it'd all be alright, and she guided him inside, where she introduced him to her mother. Mrs Evans was,once again, someone who obviously despised him the second she saw him.

"What have we here?" Mrs Evans exclaimed as Lily and Severus approached her. Severus didn't even bat an eye at these introductions anymore.

"Pfft, look what the cat dragged in," Petunia emerged from behind a wall and stood beside her mother. "That's the boy from Spinner's End," she told her with a nasty smile on her face, knowing her mother would disapprove.

"Spinner's End? The workers of the Mill?" Mrs Evans asked. Severus had wanted to say that, no, the Mill had closed down ages ago and his father was now unemployed and living off his mother's paycheck as a cleaning lady at the hotel, which nearly all went to the local pub where his father was practically 24/7, but he didn't get the chance.

Which was probably for the best.

"Lily, dear, what are you doing hanging out with that lot?" Mrs Evans asked her daughter, and Severus looked at her for her answer, curious as well.

Lily defensively put an arm around Severus' shoulders. "Why shouldn't I?"

"He's a filthy freak, that's why!" Petunia said.

"He's not a freak! You don't know him like I do. You don't know what he has to live through. He is my friend whether you like it or not."

"That's all very well, but I don't want people like him in the house. I spend the entire day cleaning this place up, only for you to bring in a walking germ bomb. I'm not doing it."

"Can he at least be in my room then?" She asked, as if she didn't sleep on the first floor, requiring him to pass at least two hallways and a staircase.

"No. No boys in your room, young lady. Not until you're thirty-five, you hear me? No boys."

They all looked up to see that Mr Evans had also entered the hall to see what the commotion was all about.

"I'm not allowed anything in this house! Don't you see! Don't you understand! Don't you-"

"LILY EVANS!"

She shut her mouth immediately at her father's words. "Sorry Daddy."

"Now you, boy, what's your name?"

"S-Severus Snape, sir."

"The Snape kid, Lily, really?" Mr Evans shook his head. "Out with you, Severus. Back to your own house."

Severus obeyed, not looking back at Liky as he left the house and retraced their steps back to the school, and then back to his house.

At home it wasn't much better. Worse, perhaps, even. Because of course this one day his mother came home earlier than she had told him instead of later, he hadn't been at home when they told him to be.

"You're lucky your Dad's not home yet! But don't think I'm letting you off easy, kid. Where'd you go?" His mother asked him after she was done firing swearwords at him in frustration.

"A friend's house," he answered truthfully.

"You - YOU - have friends?"

He nodded. "She's in my class."

"She??"

"Yes. She's a witch, too. Remember? I asked you about muggleborns and-"

"Yes, yes, yes, I remember alright. Well, that's alright then. She's the right kind of friends. Maybe it's best you're friends with people like her... might prevent you from falling in with the wrong kind."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I don't mean anything by that. Now, off you go, off to bed with you. Don't let me catch you still awake or I'll tell your Dad you weren't home."

"You mean, you won't tell?"

"If you go to bed right now, no, I won't."

"Thanks, Mum!" He ran upstairs and quickly got in bed, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.

He heard his father come home. He heard his parents talk, and the talk became arguing. The arguing escalated as always and before long it was impossible to block out the sounds of their fight anymore.

He felt as though he was a terrible son, letting his father beat up his mother like that. He slipped out of bed and up to the attic where his mother's wand lay exactly where he had put it last night when he had been finished with it.

His heart was racing as he made his way downstairs, and pointed his wand at his father who was beating up his mother for some poor excuse he had come up with. He knew he was out of sight for them both in this spot, but as soon as he said something, they'd know.

So he tried it non-verbally. He had read that this was possible in some of his mother's books. He decided upon a simple curse, one that would slow him down and stop him from hitting his mother. A full body bind.

'Petrificus Totalus' he thought deeply as he pointed at his father. To his surprise, it worked. His father became stiff and fell to the floor, unable to do anything. He rushed to his mother.

"Mum? Mum are you alright?"

She scrambled to her feet and snatched the wand from him. "I'm fine," she mumbled and pocketed it. "How did you do that?"

"I - what?"

"I'm not in the mood to play games, Severus," she sighed as she went to the kitchen get some ice for her forming bruised eye.

"I've been... studying," he said honestly.

"Studying?"

"Yeah. I've been sneaking back up there, mum, I'm sorry, please don't lock me up again, I'm sorry!"

His mother sighed. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you go behind my back and learn. I've known for a while you've been doing this, and I'm glad you didn't lie, but what I can't understand is why."

"I don't want to live as a Muggle any longer, Mum. I'm through with it. Muggles are mean," he murmured.

"Muggles are no such thing. Muggles are human beings just like yourself and if you can't accept that, then maybe Hogwarts isn't for you. That girl, her family, they're Muggles. Are they bad?"

He thought for a bit. "Well... they're not nice either. Don't want me there just because of where I'm from."

"Then we will just have to fix that, won't we?"

"What?"

"You're going to learn Muggles aren't as bad as you think, kiddo. You might have encountered mean kids at school, and your Dad's not always on his best behaviour either, but not all Muggles are like that. You'll see. Come on," she put her jacket on and had him guide her to their house, which he did.

They arrived at the house and she rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer.

It was Mrs Evans.

"Hello there, I'm Eileen, I'm Severus' mother. My son was here earlier and spoke of some... unpleasant meetings? I'm not sure how much your daughter's already told you about my son, but I believe it vital for both the children to spend time in each other's company, for their future."

Lily had appeared in the doorway. Mrs Evans looked from Lily to Severus. "You don't mean it's actually true? You're actually a witch and he is actually a wizard?"

"It's all true," his mother confirmed. "Does his upbringing really matter so much when you know how valuable he can be for your daughter? The wizarding world is a harsh place."

So from that moment on, the Evanses reluctantly agreed to have him over occasionally.

Severus returned home with his mother to his father who lay on the floor exactly like how they had left him. They carried him upstairs and put him in bed before his mother undid the curse, to find he had already passed out.

She then gave the wand to Severus. "Promise me you will never, ever, ever, draw a wand on your father again, and it's yours until you can get your own."

"I promise. I won't do it again."

"Good kid. Now off to bed with you, for real this time."

And off to bed he went. Today had been a very eventful day. He had met the Evanses, told his mother he met them, used magic on his own father...

What a day indeed.

He could only hope that in the morning, his father had forgotten all about the incident where he had not only stopped him, but used magic on him.

Because if he hadn't, it wouldn't be pretty at all.