Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter.
Writers Notes thanks to my beta HGranger89 and thanks to FlowerChild23, roon0, Smootsmokey, leonix2009, gisela19wwe, TheLadyBookworm and FrancineHibiscus for the positive feedback.
A young Severus Snape was playing in the park a few blocks from his house, building a snowman with Lily. The young boy spent most of his time here when he could. He would usually sit on the swing or read in the little hidey-hole nature had carved into an enormous tree trunk. He would climb into it and hide for hours; it's not as if his parents cared or noticed he was missing; however, that changed when he met Lily. The Evans family moved to the neighborhood one month previous and one day he was hiding in his tree when he heard two new voices in the park, changing his life irrevocably. Until that day, Severus was always alone. It was hard enough making friends when your father was the town drunk, but he also had to keep his magic a secret. The day the lonely boy saw his peer display magic, making the leaves and branches of his tree sway and move, he curiously emerged from his hidey-hole, keen on befriending the first person he had seen with magical abilities besides himself and his mother.
The two became friends almost immediately, even though her sister Petunia called him a freak and the kids in primary school said he was a poor, ugly loser with a drunk for a father. Lily liked Severus and was fascinated with magic and stories of Hogwarts, so she refused to abandon him.
"Lily?" Asked a nervous Severus before he hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express.
"Yes?" Lily asked with a smile.
He always loved her smiles. His childhood had been complete and utter darkness until she had moved to Cokeworth, and it was as if Severus saw a beautiful sunny day for the first time in his life.
"We will still be friends right?" He asked nervously.
He was so afraid they would be sorted to different hours, and she'd leave him. His parents always told him that people like Lily only use you and toss you away when you outlive your usefulness. Now that Lily would be surrounded with young wizards to teach her of the magical world, she'd have no use for him anymore.
"Of course, Sev," Lily smiled again. He always hated that nickname and only allowed her to use it because she was his only friend.
Professor Snape stood atop the astronomy tower, leaning over the railing, not paying particular attention to anything as he gazed off in the distance. He took a long drag of his cigarette before flicking the butt off the 600-foot tower.
It was Halloween and Severus had isolated himself all day, per usual, wallowing in his guilt and self-loathing. After the feast, he would return to his dungeon quarters and drink until he passed out. The guilt was so much worse since Harry's arrival to Hogwarts the previous year.
'He has her eyes,' he thought. It caused his heart to sting, and whenever Severus dared look at the boy's eyes, he was reminded of every terrible thing he had ever done. It should be her here, not him. It kept replaying in his head, how he was the reason that Lily was dead, and he was the reason that the only person who ever gave a damn about him was gone.
'That's how you repaid her, you goddamn piece of shit, idiot, arsehole.'
Severus began slowly making his way to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. He hated Halloween, like every holiday. The school was decorated, and it was an eyesore. Peeves and the Weasley twins causing nothing but trouble with their pranks. This year was the worst in recent memory with Lockhart around; even the ever-patient Filius Flitwick was frustrated with his former student. The flamboyant waste of space knew nothing of defense and kept coming up with excuses for the dangerous classroom environment he had created. The students would learn nothing and only be a threat to the wizarding world with that fool as a teacher. Snape found himself missing Quirrell.
Just as Severus made to take his seat at the head table, Hermione Granger ran into the Great Hall as fast as her little legs would carry her, headed straight for the teachers. Severus raised an eyebrow as this behavior was unlike his favorite pupil, but the girl was afraid and gasping for air. As she arrived, she tripped running up the dais and fell arse over teakettle into the Headmaster.
"Pro... Professor, I th... think som... someone bad is in the ca... castle," The Gryffindor was struggling to catch her breath. She had attended Sir Nicholas' Death Day party, and left once Peeves played another prank on her. Hermione was making her way back to the Great Hall for some pudding when she saw something that terrified her.
The Headmaster stood up with a severe expression on his face, "Miss Granger, please take me there. Minerva, Severus, Filius, and Gilderoy, come with me," Dumbledore commanded.
The group quickly made their way out of the Great Hall and as they approached the grand staircase, an outraged cry from echoing through the castle, alerting them to someone's distress.
"I think that was Argus," Dumbledore said, running up the stairway, the rest of staff following behind him. They followed Filch's anguished cries to the second floor, where they all stopped in shock. Letters scribbled in blood appeared on the castle wall reading: THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."
Mr. Filch was staring at his cat, hanging by her tail from a torch bracket above a pool of water on the floor. The old squib was crying desperately, and Severus felt utterly out of his depth in trying to comfort his colleague. He had never seen the stoic caretaker express such desperate emotion.
The Headmaster was concentrating on the cat and took it down, while Lockhart babbled incessantly about several of spells that could have been used to kill the cat.
"It's a shame," Lockhart said with clearly fake sympathy, "If I was just one moment sooner I could have saved her."
"YOU," Filch roared with more anger then Severus had ever seen coming from this man.
It was then Severus noticed Potter and Weasley. 'Why is it always these two,' Severus groaned internally.
"You killed my cat! You killed her!" Potter was backing away slowly obviously shaken in fear as he tried to talk about was unable too. Filch grabbed the boy by the collar of his robes and the staff made to draw their wands to protect the Potter boy from the caretaker's grief.
At that moment, the Headmaster declared the cat had been petrified, not murdered. That managed to shut Lockhart's jaw for a moment until the twit claimed he had known it all along. Filch was comforted slightly; he let go of the boy when the Headmaster told him that the cat would be restored to full health with a Mandrake Restorative Draught. Lockhart, the utter moron, declared he would brew the potion once Pomona Sprout's mandrakes were big enough.
'As if that idiot had the skills for such a complex brew,' Severus thought as he rebuked his colleague.
"Excuse me, but I do recall I am the potions master here, not you."
"Oh well, Severus if you want to feel important, I'll let you brew the draught," Lockhart smiled.
"Harry heard a voice," the Granger girl interrupted, while the two boys glared at their follow Gryffindor.
"Voice? What voice?" Dumbledore asked.
"I didn't hear a voice!" Harry shouted, the boy was obviously lying through his teeth, and Dumbledore noticed.
"Mr. Potter, would you follow me to my office, Severus you too?"
Potter cursed under his breath when Dumbledore told the greasy git to come along with them.
"Minerva, who you lead Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger back to Gryffindor Tower. Filius return to the Great Hall and facilitate with the rest of the staff to escort the students back to their respective dormitories. I want all of the common rooms patrolled tonight. Whoever attacked Mrs. Norris could still be here."
"As for me, Headmaster?" Lockhart asked boastfully.
"Ah, yes. Would you lead Mr. Filch back to his office Gilderoy?"