June 12th 1988, The Bloated Sheep, Spinner's End, Cokeworth
Valerie McGowan experienced a sense of déjà vu. Severus Snape was slinking in at the dark end of the bar much in the same way his old man always had. She had been a little girl back then, doing her homework in the kitchen while her mother tended to the bar. Toby Snape had not set foot in a pub these ten years.
"Hi, Sev. What can I get for you?"
"Half pint of cider. And would you mind turning on the telly? Mine's broke down and I wanted to see if Lendl beats Mayotte."
They had gone to primary school together, before Severus went to that posh boarding school of his, somewhere in Scotland. How the Snapes would raise the money for a boarding school when little Severus never even had proper shoes was anyone's guess but her Ma had told her of Toby muttering something of a chemistry scholarship and Eileen's aunt helping out.
During the Sixties the children of Spinner's End had always ran together, played on the street – safely, because no one there could afford a car – or fought with each other. Valerie and Severus lived five houses apart and got along well enough. Sure, he looked rather odd with his strange smocks but none of the other children were dressed well either. Returning to Cokeworth after his first year away he had been a right prat, full of airs and talking like one of those posh BBC announcers. His former school-chums had beaten him up something fierce three days into the holidays. Valerie had run into the pub via the backdoor to get some ice for Severus' nose and lips.
"Right smart that was, Sev, going on about how much better you are than them. Have you forgotten how to talk properly round here? Can't go `round talking like Prince Philipp!"
"Aye. Funny thing is, they beat me up at school for two bloody months because of the way I talked. Learned quickly then."
"Can't you come back? I know Jimmy gave you a split lip right now, but that's because he missed you summat fiercely back then in September. Was waiting for a letter really awful, he was."
"Truly? He cared?"
"Boys!"
"I can't come back for good. This is my one chance to leave Spinner's End behind. School's no bed of roses, but it is my ticket to get away. I am getting a good education there, I even might become an apothecary."
That had impressed Valerie duly, but Severus' attitude did not change a lot. His velocity and his skill at fistfights did, though. By the end of the summer the kids from Spinner's End had gotten used to him again and Severus had learned to switch between the local dialect and Queen's English according to the situation.
According to Valerie's mum Sev had graduated from his posh school with honours, then studied Chemistry and later went on to teach at the same school. On her rare visits she hadn't heard a lot about the Snapes, only that Mrs Snape had died some years back from cancer and that Severus apparently had thrown his drunken father bodily from the house after the funeral. Valerie had long before moved to Birmingham and was working as an accountant for a middle scale firm, saving her earnings and striving towards a middle-class existence. Until she had met Bruce. Handsome, charming Bruce Miller, full of plans, promises and ideas, less full of pounds.
Now she was back in Cokeworth, living in her old childhood bedroom in her Ma's house, working shifts in the pub and moonlighting doing the accounts of the small businesses around Spinner's End to pay the bank back. Bruce had painted such a pretty picture of Mr and Mrs Miller, living in the suburbs with their lovely two children and a puppy. He would only need some money to get his business started. Surely it would run better soon, if only he had another 2000 pounds to present his business at that fair in London. It would take off like a rocket then.
Only it hadn't and Valerie's savings and the mortgage on her little flat were gone. It's the recession, darling, don't worry your pretty little head, things will get better soon. There was this new scheme … Valerie remembered too late the lessons she had learned in her childhood, the people from Spinner's End tended to be a rather pragmatic lot. Heartbroken and in debt she crawled back to her mother. Who thankfully never even thought `told you so´, much less uttered the words aloud. The women of Cokeworth were long used to carry their load in life. And they were used to this load being somewhat heavier than elsewhere.
By the time Severus Snape had re-entered Valerie's life via a broken TV-set she had been over her disappointment, if not out of debt entirely. Chemistry teacher or not, this man was known to her. Lendl had won and Sev had stayed until she closed up. By the time he had walked her home he had known half of her story. It was only natural to go on to his house, share a nightcap and finish the sad tale. He insisted to walk her back again and their first kiss in front of Mrs McGowan's wagging curtains tasted of safety, cheep whiskey and herbs.