Disclaimer: still don't own anything.
Summary: Its Severus 11th birthday and he is waiting for his letter from Hogwarts
Warnings: Domestic violence, mention of the death of a minor character
Chapter 8: A letter
Severus' birthdays were usually just normal days. On those, he did not do anything special nor did he get any presents or congratulations. His parents did not care. In fact they were happy to not see him on that day, or -in fact- any day at all. His best friend Lilly on the other hand often asked about his birthday but he rather did not tell her. He knew she would buy him something special that he himself could not afford. He was poor, yes, but he still wanted to keep at least some dignity.
But this year was different.
This year he was happily awaiting his birthday just like any other child would. Of course his parents would still ignore him (if he got lucky) and Lilly still did not know of his birth date. But it did not matter. This year he will get the best present of all time.
He will get his letter.
And along with it: a new life.
A new life full of magic and wonders. A life where he could finally be himself and -more importantly- become the person he wants to be.
So it came to be that in the night of January the 9th 1971 the still scrawny although taller boy lay under an old blanket on the dusty attic floor of his parents house, staring right through the dirty window on the roof into the cloudless night sky. He did not mind the fact that he hasn't slept even one minute. He felt awake and energetic, eagerly waiting to hear the flapping sounds of wings.
Every time he heard even the slightest hint of ruffling feathers in the wind he bolted up and scanned the night sky with searching eyes. He knew that wizard post was delivered by owls and he was absolutely convinced that his latter will be delivered in exactly the same way.
The night flew by while he imagined himself getting the letter from an eager owl and driving to the school in the Hogwarts express.
He dreamed of sitting in the great hall with the sorting hat on his head and hearing it yell: "Slitherin" right in the moment when it barely touches his head. And everyone would clap whilst he would stand up to sit next to Lilly who would wear a black robe with a green scarf herself. He thought about his first lessons and how he would exceed over anyone in potions and how Lilly would ask him to help her with hers.
Yes life will surely be so much better.
But at the time the sun rose, no owl had flew through the attic window.
He sighed and stretched his limps.
Well, the day was still young. Of course he had anticipated that the letter will come to him in the darkness of the night. But it was January, so it will be dark soon enough again.
Suddenly he could hear sounds from downstairs. His father must have gotten up to go to his part time job. About two years ago he had lost his old one by the train station because he had shown up drunk several times for work. Since then he had been at home most of the time drinking even more than before and also cursing and beating more and more. Severus tried his best to stay away from him but it was impossible to always escape his rampages. Especially since the old drunk started to blame Severus for loosing his job (as if he gave him the alcohol and had told him to get trunk before work!) and often hunted him down to give him a "proper lesson of discipline".
Severus had become quite good at dodging the old man but even better at making some handy potions to cure any kind of bruises, cuts or even broken bones. If there was any need (and sometimes there was) he could cure a broken rip within seconds with those. He had started to carry some finished potions with him in his pouch for those cases. He knew from experience that it was hard to make those potions with a snapped wrist or bruised rips.
Making potions was really fun and according to "Legal Loopholes & Leprechauns" there was still no way to track this kind of magic as long as no spell-casting was involved, even if it was used by a wizard under 17. So he could do magic between the school years although he was not allowed to. That's why he decided to try as many potions recipes as he could. The ingredients were no problem at all. He just had to think of them and reach into his pouch to retrieve as much as he wanted and even more. That is how he learned what most of the ingredients in the books looked like. Although, in case of magical plants, he quickly learned to be extra careful since one of those nearly bit his hand of when he took it out of his pocket. He had started to wear gloves since then whenever he retrieved new ingredients (those had popped up from his pocket while he had cursed about his bloody hand).
It was fascinating to retrieve those things. He often wondered how many of this stuff was actually in there.
Last week he had tried a new potion, he was especially proud of it because it was said to have O.W.L-level (he had red about the exams). And he managed to brew it with his second try. The first one... well, gladly the neighbours were not at home when their garage decided to become a rocket. Luckily the firefighters decided it must have been a gas leak, so he did not have to fear getting caught.
The house went silent again. Severus listened closely for a moment before he decided that it was save enough to leave his hideout. He climbed down the wooden ladder, still trying to be as calm as possible not to wake up the sleeping woman in the nearest room. He went to the cupboard downstairs and pulled out a huge worn out sweater. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Even the clean clothes reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.
Severus no longer had an own room nor did he have any fitting clothes. The last time his mother had bought him clothes was before the "incident", when he was six. Those were the first things his mother had sold to get at least a bit of money when the old drunk had lost his job. Nearly everything else that had belonged to him shared this fate later. His room was now completely empty except for a bed. But actually he liked it that way. It gave him the feeling that his stay was only temporarily. That he did not actually lived here. The only stupid thing about it was that he had to wear this old man's worn out clothes.
When he wandered around in those old and much too large rags, people would stare at him. Well, he was already known as the lunatic half criminal kid, so who cared how he looked? Except for Lilly, but she liked him anyway.
He was so deep in thought that he did not notice the small light shining through the slit of the kitchen door. Luckily he was used to act as silent as possible in the house. It was indeed lucky, for when he opened the door he saw the figure of Tobias Snape illuminated by the light coming from the open fridge. The man shook like a tree in a storm, silently cursing to himself as he roamed through the fridge all while mumbling to himself:" Damn, there must be something... where the heck did the old hag hide it? Goddamn."
Severus ,who had first frozen in shock, woke up from his stupor and started to withdraw slowly, not even daring to close the door again.
But luck did not stay on his side this time when Tobias shaking hands dropped a glass of marmalade on the floor. Bewildered he looked at the shattered glass and marmelade at first and then turned to the door.
"EILEEN!", he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Then he noticed Severus.
He blinked as if he tried to remember who this child in the doorway was, but when realization dawned, his face darkened: "Oi! Come here, brat!", he demanded, a mad glint in his hateful eyes.
Severus did not waste time, turned on the spot and ran down the hallway to the entrance door. The rumbling noise behind him indicated that the lunatic had taken up the pursuit. But the man was always slower in the morning due to the uncontrollable shaking. Severus reached the door and tried to open it.
But it did not budge one inch.
Severus went white. The door had never been locked. Never, except now.
An angry shout from behind and Severus turned just in the right moment to see an empty bottle flying right in his direction. He managed to duck under it and bolted to the staircase and to the attic. But just when he had taken the first steps, something grabbed his left foot and he fell hard only to get lifted up by his neck and get shoved into the hard wood of the entrance door.
"WHEN I GIVE YOU AN ORDER YOU OBEY!"
Tobias screamed at him, spitting saliva all over the boy's face. His eyes not even able to fix a spot longer than half a second. The shaky hand gripping Severus' throat tighter with each second as the man shouted in rage: "MONSTER! YOU ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! WHERE DID YOU PUT MY STUFF! IT WAS YOU! MONSTER! WHERE DID YOU HIDE IT!? I'LL KILL YOU!"
And the first blow landed right on his temple.
Severus vision blurred and he tried to focus again, struggling hard to get out of the man's grip.
"Tobias?"
A soft, shaky voice asked from upstairs.
"Tobias? What is wrong? Is there something you need me to do for you, dear?"
Something you need me to do for you. Even while getting choked Severus despised those humble words. Really, is she a house elf?
The mad man glinted at the staircase as though he had forgotten that there was another person living in this house. But only after a second he screamed at the woman now descending the staircase:" WHERE IS MY BEAKFAST?" The woman hastily scurried in the kitchen and came back with two bottled of beer in her hands: "Here darling."
But instead of calming down, Tobias got even more enraged. He threw the boy hard on the floor and his head and back hit the steps of the staircase.
While his vision darkened more and more, Severus could hear the sound of shattering glass once again, a scream, shouting, then a whimper, a rustling of feathers, more sobs.
He had to get up, he had to get out of here otherwise,his father... this man... this monster... would surely...
With great effort he managed to push himself up in a sitting position. His vision was still blurry and his head felt like it would explode any time.
Light shone through the small window at the entrance door. The house was silent.
Damn.
How long had he been out?
It must have been luck that the old drunk hadn't killed him. Maybe he thought he had finished him.
Severus silently cursed. How could he feel lucky by getting knocked out? He was so pathetically weak. Weak as this woman.
He heard the whimper again and froze.
Was Tobias still here? No, if he were, it would be much louder. Cursing over his fear he reached in his pouch and retrieved a small vial with a purple liquid. He drank it immediately and put it back in his pouch only to retrieve another one with a light grey liquid, which he gulped down too.
Feeling much better and without his head and back injury he stood up and strode to the door to open it. And stopped.
The sobbing in the kitchen was still there.
Severus sighed, turned around and went into the kitchen.
In the last five years he had seen his mother in many states of desperation. Therefore he was at least a bit prepared for what he saw now sitting on the kitchen table.
Her hair was messy and bloody on the left side, as well as her face and shirt. Tears streamed down her face and mixed with the half dried blood. She had scratch marks all over her face and forearms. Her whole body shook with each sob and she bit her left hand so hard that blood was running down and into her sleeve. Her eyes full of grief and fear stared down at the table. There lay a letter written with neon green ink.
A letter!
Severus snatched it from the table immediately.
Dear Ms Snape,
I deeply regret to inform you that my dear wife Mary Prince has died. I would be grateful if you refrain from attending the funeral or any visits at all. The attached package contains her wand for it had been her dying wish that you will inherit it.
Yours sincerely
Severus Prince, O. M. 3rd class
Silence.
After he had read the letter the third time he looked at the small package on the chair next to the grieving woman. She didn't even blink when he took it and opened it. Inside was a small note in a different handwriting
13.5 inch
Dragonheart string core
English Oak
When he pulled out the small box containing the wand he could feel his fingers tingling with excitement. He hastily opened the small box and looked at the black wand inside it. Completely transfixed he slowly reached for it and took it out.
Red flames shot out of the wand completely engulfing him. Licking hungrily on his clothes and hair. It was hot and cold at the same time. And also... pleasant. He could feel a heart beating in the flames around him, like the one from another being near and far away at the same time. A strange voice echoed from far away.
"Because I want to"
And the flames where gone. He was a boy holding a wooden stick again.
Not a stick. A wand.
The sobbing had stopped.
The young wizard looked at the woman. She was staring back at him in disbelief.
It took both of them about an awkward minute of silence to process what had just happened. Then, without a word, Severus took out two vials, one with a purple and one with a light grey liquid and placed it on the table next to the letter and the box. He hesitated.
"My condolence for loosing your mother.", he said. The words felt sincere and painful. Maybe because he knew how it felt to loose your parents. With a last glance at the woman, he turned around and left.
Behind his back, a small smile formed on the tear-stained face of the woman. Her mouth forming the words thank you, my son. but never speaking them.
Severus waited the rest of the day at the edge of the street under an old piece of cardboard scanning the sky.
Night fell and a few hours later the bells of the church rang twelve times.
No owl flew by.
Hello everyone, I hope you are all well.
Why did Severus not receive his letter? Well, I could tell you, but I do not want to spoil the fun.
About his wand, I did not find any information about its core from Rowling herself. I decided to chose dragon heart string because I think it has some connections to bravery. And English oak is because of the oak tree he practically lives in.
