AN: This fanfic deals with some pretty heavy subjects, so be aware of that if it's not your thing or if you have the potential to be triggered. Consider this my official trigger warning for Domestic/child abuse as well as implied sexual misconduct/manipulation. I will be adding a second trigger warning at the beginning of the chapter when the aforementioned triggers gain momentum, but be aware that it does exist throughout the entirety of the fic.

I've done my best to follow canon as closely as possible, but with one major difference. Severus and Lily were described by JK Rowling as meeting when they were only 8 or 9 years old (giving them a few years of solid friendship before Hogwarts ever even entered into the equation). However for the purposes of this story and for the convenience of sticking it all into a single narrative, I've changed both characters to meet in the summer before Hogwarts when they're both 11 years old. This is a Snily fic, but obviously not explicitly as they're far too young for that. It deals mostly with friendship, (and maybe some cute, flirty stuff sprinkled in that's perfectly normal for two children who are beginning to blossom into their sexuality and take notice of the opposite/same sex).

Here is the official copywrite declaration! I do not own Harry Potter or any of the her characters or the world they live in, nor do I make any money off this (or any) of the stories I create with them. This is strictly for my own amusement (and for the enjoyment of others hopefully). Canon scenes and dialog are also taken directly from JK Rowling and are not my own (though I may have jazzed it up a little). Well, I think I've kept you here long enough. Now go, enjoy the story :)

**Chapter has been re-edited/revamped for grammar, structure and awkward sentences. (Can I say it's beta'd if I'm the one doing the Beta-ing?) I don't know. So here's this announcement instead**

Chapter 1: Severus

Severus Snape lay awake in bed staring fixedly at the ceiling, arms behind his head, as he did almost every morning. He wasn't quite ready to get up and face the day just yet, not with what he knew was probably waiting for him downstairs.

His father, Tobias, had come home late last night, dizzy with drink and not short on temper. Tobias had a nasty habit of going to the local pub after work and 'visiting' with his workmates until the wee hours of the morning. He was of the impression that no man was worth his salt if he couldn't put in a full, hard day's work.

"A man has to be able to provide for 'is family, boy. Ain't no man 'less you can bring home the bacon."

Severus knew that their family would be a lot better off if his father didn't spend so much time at the pub drinking himself senseless every night. But he knew better than to voice those sorts of opinions, unless he wanted to be beaten within an inch of his life. Tobias was a rough man with traditional values. Unfortunately for Severus, those values included teaching your offspring respect through more physical means.

Severus threw his arms up over his head and stretched, yawning, before turning himself over and rolling out of bed. His family was quite poor. A lumpy mattress was all that consisted of his bed, and his blanket was an old thinning sheet that was badly frayed along the edges and had been patched up or resewn more times than he could count. The decrepit mattress took up most of the tiny attic where Severus slept. (It couldn't really be considered a bedroom). A few boxes and a trunk of his mum's old school things occupied what little space there was left. Inside, these boxes contained only a few possessions that were either too ruddy or too precious to sell. Among these few effects, many were books, and Severus spent a great many hours poring over them whenever he found the opportunity.

Severus had always known that he was a wizard. His mother, Eileen, had never hid it from him because he was to never ever do magic in front of his father. Tobias hated magic.

"It just ain't natural Eileen!" he would shout. "I don' want them villagers knowin' you's a witch and throwin' me outta my own house!"

From what Severus had gathered, his mother's side of the family were all witches and wizards. He never knew any of them, and Eileen never liked to talk about them if she could help it. Severus wasn't sure if it was because of his father or if it was because the subject was too painful for Eileen to talk about. In either case, it left Severus to be educated about the wizarding world strictly by means of his mother, and only in secret while his father was away putting in that 'full hard day's work'.

0-0-0

"Severus, come here," Eileen whispered urgently.

"Mum?"

Severus was outside, ready to head into town and try to find some odd jobs that needed doing for the townsfolk, in the hopes that it may provide him and his mother a little extra pocket money for the night's supper. Upon taking notice of her, he abandoned his route and walked uncertainly towards her. Eileen was crouched low behind the house, waving him over encouragingly.

"Severus, come quickly! I need to show you something. You need some learning up."

She sounded a little 'too' frantic for his liking, and her voice was a harsh whisper that drifted towards him on the breeze. Severus stumbled forward clumsily in a half-daze. When he was within arms reach, Eileen grabbed hold of his shoulders and whisked him away behind the house, glancing over her shoulder nervously with wide and watchful eyes.

"That's a good boy. Now, listen to me, Severus. You can't ever tell your father what we been up to back here, OK? Promise me Severus! You promise me!"

Severus nodded, feverishly.

"Good boy. That's my sweet boy. Now listen carefully, Severus. I know that you know better than to get in your father's way when he's been drinkin', but I want you to know how to do this on the off times he finds you anyway."

Severus nodded once more, his face stony and his lips pursed together tightly in a straight line of determination.

"It's very VERY important you don't use no wand, you understand me? You need to know how to do it without words, and without a wand neither, so your father doesn't ever find out about it."

0-0-0

Severus stood up from the floor and began to dress. His clothes were ancient. Baggy and badly mismatched, they hung off his small frame so severely that he had the appearance of a young child playing dress-up in his parents clothes. Tobias couldn't afford to keep buying Severus new clothes, so instead he wore his father's old ones, which Eileen was forced to alter frequently.

The trousers were folded underneath at the ankles and held in place with a few clumsy stitches. They needed to be easily removed so that the legs of the trousers could be let down as he grew. The overhang of fabric inside made them difficult to step into, and he often caught his foot against it, which slowed the entire process down considerably. His shirt was a button down smock that was yellowed with age and had a lacy cravat collar. He wore a dark fading blazer with fat round buttons on the sleeves overtop his button down, which came in handy when Eileen needed to adjust them to Severus's growing frame.

Severus hated his clothes. They made him feel like an oversized bat, and he would often feel embarrassed to be seen out in public with them. He knew he looked ridiculous, and he couldn't stand the frequent judgmental stares from the townsfolk, both from children and adults alike. He knew better than to complain about it though. He avoided his father at the best of times and tried his best to keep his head down and keep interactions to a minimum everywhere in-between.

Severus padded lightly down the stairs, being careful to avoid the ones that creaked. It was routine to let Tobias sleep for as long as possible. Most days he could avoid seeing his father at all in the morning. Severus would either hide in the attic until his father got up and left for work, or he would sneak out before the man ever woke-up. It wasn't until nightfall that the hurricane that was Tobias Snape would blast his way into the house in a drunken stupor and unleash his madness upon all he lay his sights on. Yes, it was the night you needed to be leery of.

Eileen was already in the kitchen, making her way carefully and silently around the room in an attempt to fix breakfast. There was a loud snort from the single bedroom across from the kitchen and Eileen jumped, freezing in place, not even daring to breathe. She only continued about her business when she could once again hear the heavy breathing and soft snores that drifted back from the tiny bedroom, confirming that Tobias Snape was still fast asleep.

When she noticed her young son at the foot of the stairs she eyed him warningly, placing a single finger across her lips in a gesture of silence. Severus nodded wordlessly in response and carefully made his way across the room. He picked his chair up off the floor in order to move it so that the legs couldn't scrape against the floorboards and make noise, before he sank himself into it.

The Snape family home was very small indeed. It consisted of one large room that was divided into the kitchen and sitting room and one small bedroom off the stunted hallway. The sitting room held nothing but a few mismatched sofa chairs, a small wooden side table and a rickety old rocking chair, where Eileen used to sit, back when she was still nursing Severus. The floo took up what remained of the space there. There was a thin and narrow staircase in the corner that led to the attic where Severus slept, and was the only other 'room' in the house, aside from the tiny bathroom that sat next to the bedroom on the main floor.

The kitchen was small yet functional. There was a tiny stove and refrigerator that occupied most of the kitchen, and a laundry line was strung from the kitchen window. It stretched across the entire width of the room and lay quivering over the countertops. Eileen normally only hung out the laundry during the middle of the day when the kitchen was otherwise not in use. It had been strategically placed to soak up as much of the afternoon sun as possible during the hottest hours of the day.

Eileen had to be very careful when and how she chose to use wandless magic. She still chanced it every now and again, but she was forbidden to use her wand while under Tobias's roof, and if he caught her at it, you can rest assured he would make her pay dearly for it. Because of this, she was forced to do most of the chores and cleaning the Muggle way- by the sweat of her brow and a shit tonne of elbow grease. However, certain things were- for Eileen- worth the risk. This was just such an occasion as she stood staring sadly over the stingy pot of warming beans on the stove.

She shot the bedroom door one final calculating look before she closed her eyes in concentration. Severus watched as her lips moved and parted in a silent incantation, though no sound escaped from between her lips. The pot of slow-bubbling beans increased and rose noticeably while she mouthed silently beneath her breath, making it a more satisfactory meal than before she had begun her phantom chanting. She couldn't risk letting the bean levels rise too much however, because Tobias would really let her have it if he suspected she had used three cans instead of the usual two. But, desperate times called for desperate measures, and despite all the shit she put up with from Tobias, she refused to let her son die of starvation if it was well within her power to stop it.

Satisfied with her work, Eileen quickly spooned runny beans over top a few slices of bread for Severus and placed them in front of him. She then speared half a sausage and plated it too, setting it alongside the soggy bread. They were only allowed two, so Eileen split hers with her son in order for Tobias to have a whole one to himself. With a little bit of luck, this would help relieve them, at least in part, from the worst of his foul temper.

She then poured herself a cup of herbal tea made from the dried herbs that grew inside their tiny garden. Things such as creams and sugars were luxuries in the Snape household, and Tobias only allowed use of them on extremely rare occasions.

"Wast o' ruddy money that's what that is," he would say.

Eileen sat herself down with her cup of tasteless tea, while simultaneously setting down a tall glass of water in front of Severus for his breakfast. Severus was only allowed to have milk or juice once a week- if he was lucky. Water was sustaining and didn't cost anything, and so water it often was. Severus tucked eagerly into his meager breakfast, hoping to get it down and out the door before his father woke up.

Another loud snort emitted from the bedroom, which was followed shortly by the sounds of stirring underneath bed sheets.

"Oh no," Severus thought dejectedly.

Tobias Snape had appeared, blocking the doorway of the bedroom in his pants and long coat. His hair was in wild disarray and his eyes were shot with red from the night before. His eyes drooped heavily, making the bags under his eyes appear as though his skin was sliding down his face by the sheer weight of them. He thundered across the room as if his feet had grown ten times heavier whilst he slept.

His chair scraped loudly against the floorboards as he pulled it out from the kitchen table and he all but collapsed into it, sitting directly across from his young son who sat frozen in place, staring determinedly down at his own plate.

"Food, Eileen," he muttered gruffly.

Eileen got up immediately and started plating Tobias's breakfast for him. He watched her for a while as he waited, eventually catching sight of the wisps of black hair that intercepted his vision, causing him to finally take notice of Severus who was sitting across from him like a porcelain statue.

"Well, if it isn't my boy," Tobias said silkily. "How are ya today, son?"

"Fine, sir" Severus responded, automatically.

"Don' look to me like you's fine. Why don' ya look at me when I'm speakin' to you, boy? A father deserves some respect." He slapped the flat of his palm against the table, hard, causing Severus to jump in his seat. His black eyes left the plate to lock eyes with his father's. "Tha's more like it. Got ter show 'em who's boss, show 'em that a boy need be mindful of his Da."

Eileen intercepted quickly, placing the plate down in front of Tobias in order to distract him from their son. Her hand rested lovingly against his shoulder, enabling her to win back his attention.

This tactic almost always worked. Tobias turned his attention to the plate of food in front of him and started shoving long strips of bread and mushy beans into his mouth, his hands dripping with runoff. He chewed with a flourish, but it soon slowed and became more concise and deliberate, as if he were actually tasting it for the first time.

"What is this Eileen?" Tobias asked, dangerously.

"W-what do you mean Tobi?" Eileen stammered.

"Did you burn these here beans?" he asked, stiffly.

"No! I swear, I didn't burn them! I was watching them the whole time-

"-You been using magic then?" Tobias shoved the plate away from him and began to rise up out of his seat. Eileen placed a firm yet gentle hand on his shoulder in order to prevent him from going any further.

"Here, Tobi, take mine, I haven't touched them yet. I'm sure they weren't burnt. Severus never said nothing about it." Tobias turned to look at Severus who was still sitting completely still and statuesque in his chair.

"He don' ever say nothin' do he?" Tobias retorted. "Ain't nothin' but a little sissy. You could serve him dog shit and he wouldn't say nothin' about it. Look at him Eileen!" Tobias gestured hopelessly at their son.

Severus stiffened as Tobias picked up a piece of discarded, bean soaked bread and began waving it around in front of Severus's face and underneath his nose...taunting him.

"Hey Sev! I got yer order here! Dog shit on bread, you gon' swallow that real nice ain't ya? Ain't no meal better than that, is there boy?"

"Tobi stop that! Let him alone!" Eileen shrieked, making a grab for the arm that was still waving around in front of Severus's face.

Tobias whipped himself around, wrenching his arm free from of wife's grasp and backhanding her hard across the face with a sickening smack! Eileen let out a small scream and drew back in shock, her hand resting against the spot where Tobias had struck her. She looked up at him, her eyes brimming over with tears. Severus's fists were clenched together so tightly in his lap, his fingernails left half moon imprints on the skin of his palms, which were slick with sweat. It was as though every one of them were suspended in time. Nobody moved and nobody spoke. Tobias only continued to stare at Eileen as if he couldn't comprehend what had just happened, his arm still suspended in midair as though ready to strike again should the need arise. The Snape residence was entirely still.

0-0-0

"Now, listen to me, Severus. Once you've mastered practicing non-verbal spells you'll need to learn this one first. It's very important." Eileen and Severus were out behind the house again, tucked away inside a nestle of trees to avoid any wandering eyes that may happen across their path. "Say as I say, Sentirenon!

"Sentirenon," Severus repeated, carefully.

"Good Sev, good. Now you need to practice the wand movements, but you need to have them pictured very clearly in your mind. Don't move here-" Eileen grabbed Severus's hand and cupped it inside of her own. "But see it here-" she said, placing her fingers gingerly at his temple.

Eileen demonstrated the wand motion for Severus to memorize and had him repeat it over and over again for nearly an hour, coaching and correcting him when need be. Their practicing ate up most of the afternoon. When finally she seemed satisfied with his work, she slunk against a nearby tree and sat down, sweat freckling her nose and forehead. Severus sat down next to her.

"What…what will it do to me?" he asked.

"It's a desensitization spell." Eileen answered. When all Severus did was continue to stare at her expectantly, awaiting further details, Eileen sighed. "It's going to block a good portion of your nerve endins', she explained. "Severus, do you understand what that means? You won't be able to feel none as much. You use this in an emergency when things get real bad with your Da…"

"Sentirenon-" he repeated, quietly.

0-0-0

They stayed like that a few moments longer. Moments that, to Severus, seemed to take a lifetime before Tobias fnally cleared his throat and straightened up, tossing the piece of bean soaked bread at Severus' chest, which bounced off of him and lay dead on the table.

"I didn' mean no harm by it, Eileen," he huffed.

-"No, no, no Sev. Again. Concentrate."-

Tobias crossed the room and disappeared into the bedroom once more. Severus knew that on the rare occasions that his father was actually sober enough to realize what he did to him or his mum, he would spend the next couple hours alone in a whirlwind of remorse and self pity.

"Mum?" Severus tried, gently.

"It's fine Sev, go outside and play."

Severus got up from the table and walked towards Eileen, who was still holding her hand tightly against her cheek. He reached out, trying to get a good look at the mark that was undoubtedly already sprouting beneath her fingertips. Eileen's hand shot out, latching onto Severus' and gripping it too tightly. A desperate attempt to stop Severus from coming any closer.

"Severus Tobias Snape!" she roared, "you get out of this house this instant! Do you hear me?!"

A look of hurt and anger flashed across Severus's features as he wrenched his hand free of his mother's grasp. Giving her one final icy look of contempt, he whipped around and stormed out the front door, slamming it furiously behind him.

Severus trudged along miserably, still fuming over the confrontation he had back at the house. His feet were kicking out sporadically to hit anything within reach: leaves, twigs, rocks, small bits of rubbish, anything he could find in order to vent some frustration. His hands were kept shoved firmly inside his pockets, each one balled into a tight fist.

Severus didn't even notice where his feet were taking him. He had taken off through the bunch of trees by his house that eventually wrapped themselves around Cokeworth. He stopped in the middle of a thin clearing and kicked extra hard at a fallen stump that lay there abandoned and forgotten. Moss infected the hollow shell of its diseased remains, and a dusty cloud of debris floated away with a soft whoosh. Before he knew it, his mind was whirling once more, and sent him careening backwards:

0-0-0

He was five, and he had just discovered a small bat laying in the grass, obviously injured by something. It squeaked pathetically. One of its wings was torn, and small beads of blood leaked out onto the ground. Severus felt sorry for it. He scooped it up and took it home. He had powers. Magical powers. He bet he could do something to help heal the tiny creature. He hid the bat in a small box in the attic, all the while attempting to nurse it back to health. Every day and night he concentrated with all his might to make his hands produce the magic that would undoubtedly bring the bat back to life.

One night his father caught him at it, and he snatched the box away from him, marching the both of them straight outside into the yard.

"Ya see this here, Sev?" Tobias said, shaking the box carelessly toward Severus, the poor bat mewling frantically from inside. "It's not worth nothin' to you or me. This parasite ain't doin' no good to no one. It's nuthin' but a flying casket o' rabies and it's in this family's best interest to exterminate it. Now boy, you gon' put this vermin out of its misery, or so help me-"

Eileen came from around the side of the house and peered across the stoop.

"Tobi, what are you doin' with Severus?"

"Teachin' 'im to be a man. You coddle the boy too much Eileen! He needs some toughenin' up!" Eileen had just come up from behind them and seen what Tobias had taken from the house. She let out a small gasp which she stifled against a closed fist.

"Tobi! You can't! He's just a boy!"

"Shut it Eileen!" Tobias shouted. He placed the bat on the grass in front of Severus and handed him a large garden stone. "Do it Sev, show yer ma how much of a man you are!"

0-0-0

Severus sniffed loudly. A tear slid smoothly down the bridge of his long, hooked nose, followed by another, which balanced precariously on its tip. He wiped them away furiously. He hated showing weakness. If his father caught him crying-

Severus closed his eyes and concentrated. From somewhere nearby, the smell of freshly burnt cedar wood hit his nostrils, infecting the air with a sweet, smoky scent. He opened his eyes again to admire his handiwork. Three angry gashes burned themselves deep into the trunk of the nearest tree, red hot at the center. On the outside, the scarred marks were nothing but cracked and crumbling charcoal.

He glanced around, hoping to find his bearings and figure out where the fuck he was. His feet automatically carried him to the edge of the wooded barrier that surrounded Cokeworth, and he recognized where he was almost immediately. He was on the perimeter of the park that the Evans girl lived near.

He glanced around the nearly deserted playground and spotted two far away figures on the swingset. One girl was wearing a white floral sundress and had vibrant red hair, the other was in a matching yellow pencil skirt and blouse, her dusty blonde hair done up in a bun. Severus recognized the red headed girl immediately, and a tinge of color peppered his sallow cheeks as he dove under the nearest hedge of bushes to avoid being seen.

He had been watching the red headed girl for quite some time now.

Lily. Her name was Lily.

He first noticed her when he had been skulking around town one otherwise uneventful afternoon, looking to earn himself a bit of pocket money in exchange for food. Severus was outside the grocers shop, offering a hand and helping load the shopper's many parcels into their vehicles in the hopes that he may receive a tip from a generous stranger.

The girls had just left the store with their parents when the elder sister tripped over the curb and stumbled backwards. She should have hit her head against the lamp post behind her, but instead the pole bent and twisted itself unnaturally in order to avoid a head-on collision with the girl's skull. Severus gawked at them in bewilderment. While the adults were busy fussing over the elder girl's skinned knees and tearful sobs, Severus watched the red head analytically. He had noticed how the girl's body had gone momentarily rigid, and how intensely the look of contemplation was etched onto her face. From then forward, he was determined to figure out if she was just like him.

He kept an eye out for opportunities to spy on her whenever he was out of the house or exploring the town, (which was often), in an attempt to confirm his suspicions. Severus had played this moment out in his head so many times before. How he, Severus, would tell her that she was a witch and he, a wizard. That they were special, and better than everyone else and how there was this whole other world of witchcraft and wizardry hidden away in plain sight. He would tell her all about the magic boarding schools. Especially Hogwarts, since it was there that they were destined to go to receive their special training. They were about to become inseparable.

The fact that the girl, Lily, was also very pretty did not escape his notice either. He sometimes found himself fantasizing about their inevitable friendship, which would then blossom into something more. From there he could see himself kissing her on the cheek, or holding her hand. Such fantasies were a good distraction from his otherwise miserable existence.

Severus peered through the bushes so he could watch the two girls. Lily swung as high as she could before jumping off the seat and gently floating back down to the ground. She would land gingerly on her feet, unharmed and giggling frantically. The other one was screaming at her not to. He heard some distant, yet excitable, chatter before realizing that they-

They were running straight towards him! Severus flushed and ducked his head hastily out of sight, hoping against hope that he hadn't been discovered. He heard the sound of approaching footsteps grow louder as they drew nearer. Before he could wrap his head around what was happening, they ceased entirely...directly in front of his bush. Severus's heart was racing in his chest, and he swallowed hard as he listened carefully. He moved to peer stealthily through the gaps in the branches.

Severus watched Lily duck down and pluck something up off the ground. He caught a flash of red hair as she bent over, momentarily disappearing from his line of sight. Once she straightened up again however, there were a few moments of silence followed immediately by the shrill and shrieking voice of the other one.

"Stop it!"

"It's not hurting you," he heard Lily protest in annoyance.

"It's not right," the other girl said softly.

-More silence.-

"How do you do it?"

Severus scoffed, even he could hear the desperation that clung heavily to every syllable in the girl's voice. He couldn't take anymore of this nonsense, and his eyes rolled back in exasperation. She had to know what she was. She had to know that she was special. That she was better-

Before Severus even had a chance to realize what he was doing, he jumped up from his hiding spot and stepped over the bushes towards Lily.

"Well, it's obvious isn't it?" -