Author's Note: This story is based off of events and conversations as found throughout the Harry Potter series as written by J.K. Rowling. Most of this work will contain original prose and dialogue, but references will be made in specific chapters where Rowling's exact words are used. This is written purely for recreational purposes; I do not own any rights to Harry Potter or affiliations of Bloomsbury Publishing.

Additional Note: This chapter contains the Hogwarts Acceptance Letter as found in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling, Raincoast Books, p. 42

Chapter Three: The First Years and Hogwarts

Ten months came and went as if they only lasted days. Severus and Lily had become quite close, but neither went to the other's house too often, not since the birthday incidents. They spent their time in the glade or the park, and when it got cold, they would visit the tea parlour on the east side of Cokeworth. They spent as much of their time outdoors as possible, away from the sight of Muggles so that they could talk freely about magic in privacy.

Then came the day the Hogwarts Acceptance Letter arrived.

Severus's was waiting for him with his mother; she had hidden it from his father so that he wouldn't get angry and throw it away. It had arrived while he was still sleeping—the owl had tapped impatiently on his window for twenty minutes before trying the kitchen window, where Eileen Snape had been making breakfast. When she placed it in his hands, a rare smile was on her face, and that made Severus light up as well. The paper was soft under his hands. The purple wax seal gleamed up at him like a godsend, and the green ink with his exact whereabouts on it twinkled in the faint light of the kitchen. It was his wishes come true in tangible form. He tore it open greedily and read it over and over.

Dear Mr. Snape,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

The second page was full of things he would need as a first year. There was a bubble of excitement rising in his chest; he was finally going to go. "When can we go?" he asked his mother excitedly. "To Diagon Alley? Where can we find an owl?"

"Eat your breakfast," she replied placidly, taking the letter from Severus and tucking it into her apron. He wolfed down his eggs and bacon as fast as he could, then launched out of his chair and ran for the door. His mother didn't even bother asking where he was going; she knew by now, and in any case, she didn't seem to care if he stayed or went.

Now that he knew where Lily's house was by heart, he forewent the park and headed straight for her quaint, refreshing home, compared to the dregs of Cokeworth in which he lived. But he didn't dare run up the cobblestone path; he hung back uncertainly, looking up at the front door, the bay window which overlooked the front garden. Eventually he would be spotted by one of the members of the Evans family, and they would send Lily out to meet him.

After a painstaking twenty minutes, Lily came rushing out the front door and raced toward him. The letter was clasped in her had and the broadest smile he'd ever seen was glowing on her face.

"Severus!" she cried. "They came to our house! They talked to Mum and Dad and—Severus, we get to go together! On September the first!"

Severus smiled triumphantly. "I told you they'd let you go."

She brandished the letter, waving it excitedly. "It was a nice man who came to my house. He said his name was Horace Slughorn. Do you know him?" He shook his head. "Who came to your house?" she asked.

"No one, just got the letter. They don't send teachers to wizards' houses, remember?"

"Oh, right." Lily's face was flushed and a permanent smile was stretched on her face. "Wow."

"Let's go celebrate," he suggested.

The two of them headed off to the glade, where they pretended to fly brooms, have duels, and they transformed leaves into flowers (at one point, Severus accidentally set a leaf on fire). Both of them were elated beyond reason.

"Would you go with me? To Diagon Alley? My parents asked me to ask you and your mum."

Severus shrugged. "I could just take you," he said. In actuality, Severus had no idea where Diagon Alley was (his mother mentioned a bar once or twice, but never the specific whereabouts of it), but he wanted desperately to show Lily more of what she didn't know, he wanted to be the one she looked up to.

"Oh, I'm so excited, Severus!" she said in utter delight. "What do you think it'll be like? What will they teach us?"

"About magical creatures, transforming things, small charms, magical plants, potions... a bunch of stuff."

"And you're sure the Dementors won't be there?"

"Never."

She rolled onto her back and stared at the canopy of leaves above; Lily tended to do this when she was deep in thought about something. "Tell me more, Severus. About the subjects. They're nothing like Muggle school, are they?"

"Not really," he replied, then proceeded to divulge what he knew about each of the classes. He once read through one of his mother's old textbooks, which he kept hidden under a floorboard in his room, so his father wouldn't see it and get angry. It talked about attack spells and how to defend yourself against other witches and wizards. He had been fascinated by the topic—it was in a chapter called "The Dark Arts."

"I don't think I like the sound of that one," she said nervously, then asked him to tell her about something else.

They spent the entire day together, and when it was time to go home for dinner, they parted ways at the park. That night, Severus was still brimming with topics he wanted to talk about, but his father was at the dinner table, so he didn't dare open his mouth. He wondered if his father knew that he was leaving Muggle school for Hogwarts yet.

"How old are you?" Tobias Snape asked after a prolonged silence, stabbing at his pork.

Severus froze. His father rarely asked him a direct question, unless it was about a topic that would get him in trouble. "Eleven," he responded guardedly.

"It's time you took up some work around the house," Tobias declared with a tone that broached no argument.

Eileen fiddled with her knife nervously. "Severus already washes the—"

"I didn't ask you," Tobias shot sternly, cutting off his wife. She ducked her head compliantly.

From the letter Severus had inherited a new found bravery; he was stronger, wiser, better now, because he had received admission to the best wizarding school in Britain. He puffed up his chest, looked at his father, and said: "Don't talk to her like that."

Tobias stopped mid-bite and stared at his son with a glare that could curdle milk. "What did you say?"

Severus felt himself deflating instantly, but he decided now was too late to back down. What would Lily think if she saw him cower in fear? "I said, don't talk to her like that!"

Tobias turned the air blue and slammed his fist on the table so hard that the plates rattled and the water sloshed about. He stood up, and any sense of courage and empowerment Severus had felt before was washed away instantly; his insides went cold and he visibly shrunk inside of his father, who reached down and grabbed the boy by the neck of his smock.

Eileen shrieked and leapt up from her chair, shouting for her husband to stop. Tobias dragged Severus into the sitting room, sat down on the couch, and tossed his son over his knee. Severus was putting up a fight, wriggling and writhing to free himself from his father's grasp, but the man was more than twice his size and what seemed like infinitely stronger. Eileen's screams were still ringing in Severus's ears when his father smacked him hard on the rear.

"Teach you to talk back, boy!" he hollered.

What happened next was unexpected and inexplicable, at least from a Muggle's point of view. The bookshelf that stood behind the couch tipped forward, slowly at first, then came crashing down on Mr. Snape's head. The man bellowed, threw Severus from his knee, and rolled onto the floor, clutching his bleeding crown and cursing.

Severus got to his knees, looked at his mother who rushed forward and knelt by her husband's side, looking from the injured man on the floor to the bookshelf, which had spilled half its contents onto the couch. He didn't make that happen... did he?

Suddenly, Tobias leapt to his feet, shoving Eileen over, and marched toward the front door, shouting expletives about magic and freaks and big mistakes. He stomped into his shoes, stuffed his beefy arms into his coat, and marched out the door, his head pouring blood down the back of his jacket.

It was quiet for a minute before Eileen started to sob quietly. She remained on the floor where her husband had been, curled up into herself and hiding her face from her son. Severus stood, clenching and unclenching his fists, before he went to put away the leftovers from supper and head off to bed.

The next day, his father did not return. Nor the next day. Or the day after that. Eileen had withdrawn into herself, and one day had not bothered getting up out of bed at all. When she finally came out to feed Severus his breakfast one morning, they remained silent until her son was halfway through his meal.

"Um... I was wondering... about when we could go to Diagon Alley. And when we could send the owl to Hogwarts, just to let them know I'm coming."

Eileen made no response but to get up from the table and leave him alone to his food. So Severus finished his eggs, went to slip on his shoes, and headed for Lily's house.

This time he did not have to wait long. Lily came bolting out to meet him almost as soon as he stopped in front of the Evans' home. "Severus, there's something I need to show you—come in, come on!"

Without letting him give another word, he rushed after her into their house. It was only the third time he'd been there; after January, he made it a habit not to come knocking too often. Lily immediately shot up the staircase by the door, and urged him to follow her. He had never been upstairs before. Cautiously, he climbed the stairs after her.

At the top of the staircase, there was a small hallway and three doors. Lily led him into the first doorway. Her room was small but cozy, with a single bed pushed against the wall, a desk, and a chest of drawers in the opposite corner from the only window in the room. With purpose she marched to her desk, swiped a letter off of it, then handed it to Severus. "Look at this."

Severus looked at the front of the letter. Written in lavish green ink was Petunia Evans, with her address and exact whereabouts underneath. Severus frowned at it, and flipped the envelope over. Sure enough, the purple wax seal of Hogwarts was there, albeit snapped in half. "Does this mean Tuney's coming to Hogwarts, too?"

"I really don't think so," he said. He highly doubted it, in any case. He hadn't seen a lick of magic from that Muggle in the entire year he'd known her. He was also puzzled as to how she had come to receive a Hogwarts letter. He started to open the envelope and look inside—

"Don't!" Lily cried, swiping it out of his hands.

"What? It's already open."

"This is Tuney's letter," she reminded him, wagging the envelope. "We can't go through her things!"

"Don't you want to know what the letter says, though? It could be something important," he countered.

Lily looked wary. She did not want to cross her sister, but she was ever so anxious to see what was in the letter. Petunia was at a sleepover, and she wouldn't be back until the following Monday, which was so long from now. Looking guiltily between the letter and Severus, she handed it back over. "You do it," she said.

Severus continued to pull out the letter. He unfolded it, stood next to Lily, and she read it aloud for the both of them.

Dear Miss Evans,

Thank you for your interest in attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, we cannot grant you admission. Hogwarts is a school for young witches and wizards who possess a degree of certain ability in them. Upon their births, their names are automatically noted in an archive. I regret to inform you that your name is not in this archive. Thus, you do not meet the requirements for the curriculum.

I am remorseful that you cannot join your sister with us at Hogwarts. However, I offer you my best wishes in your studies closer to home. Your love and support for your sister during her year at Hogwarts would be both highly appreciated by your family and the staff, and most admirable contribution you could make to the spirit of the school.

Sincerely Yours,

Albus Dumbledore

After reading the letter, Lily looked up at Severus and stared. He only let his eyes linger on the parchment for a little longer before meeting her eyes. Two things struck him: the first sent a pang through his chest, for she had tears in her eyes, making them glitter prettily; the second made his stomach feel funny, for they stood less than a foot apart from each other. He tried to quash the feeling, and sought words to comfort her.

"At least Dumbledore was nice about it," he said. "I didn't think he talked to Muggles."

This, much to his dismay, had the opposite effect he intended. Lily's eyebrows knit together and the glittering in her eyes became flames. "I'm a Muggle," Lily said.

"That's not what I meant," he replied defensively, tightening his grip on his side of the letter. "You're different. You have magic, your sister doesn't. I didn't think Muggles could get in contact with Hogwarts—there must be wizards working undercover in Muggle post or something."

Her anger seemed to ebb and he relaxed. Then she looked at the letter longingly. "I wish Tuney could come with me," she said.

Severus hesitated several times before offering: "I'll be there."

"Yeah," she agreed with a small nod, but somehow it sounded like a poor substitute. She folded the letter carefully and put it back in the envelope. "Mr. Dumbledore does sound pretty nice. He's the headmaster?"

"Yeah. He's done loads of stuff. Like made a Philosopher's Stone, found out how to use dragon's blood, and even defeated a Dark wizard."

"A Dark wizard?"

"Yeah, someone who uses Dark magic. To kill and stuff."

Lily seemed to shudder. "I don't like the sound of that. Are there a lot of Dark wizards?"

"No. Dumbledore scares them off. But Dark wizards are powerful; they're the best at using spells than any other witch or wizard."

She frowned. "Well, if Dumbledore doesn't use Dark magic, and he beat a Dark wizard, he must be tougher."

Severus had nothing to say to this.