Disclaimer: Hogwarts etc belongs to JKR. The lyrics in the sub-headings are from The Cure's 'Love Song'.

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ii) You make me feel like I am whole again.

He was thirteen years old when his mother died.

He found out during the morning post. He didn't notice the owl at first, so unused to getting mail. It just sat in front of him, clacking its beak and refusing to move when he went to shoo it away. It took him quite a while to look up from his copy of the Prophet long enough to actually note the name on the envelope.

'Severus Snape', it said.

He'd looked at Lily first, but she was engrossed in an argument with Black; if she'd gone to the effort of sending him something by owl he was quite sure she'd be waiting for his response. Bewildered, he ripped through the seal, not noting the crest stamped into the black wax.

He'd sat at the table, staring at the words within for the full duration of breakfast. The Slytherin table was all but empty by the time Slughorn appeared behind him, the look of sorrow oddly placed on his usually jovial face.

He'd been exempt from classes for the day and spent much of his time between Slughorn and Dumbledore's offices. They wanted to let him go home, talking of arrangements for him to be at the funeral. They said they would bring in someone from the team of wizards that were managing the situation to come and talk to him about what happened. But he knew what had happened. It was what had been close to happening for years and years and years. It was what he may have had the power to stop, were he not afraid of his father, in awe of his mother. It was something that he understood completely, and did not need any uniformed healer explaining to him.

He was more withdrawn than normal over the days following. He'd insisted on beginning lessons again the next day and he worked hard, steering clear of company whenever possible.

A week later he still hadn't seen Lily. He told himself he couldn't bear her pity.

But she found him eventually and from the way she was standing he could tell that she was furious.

"You don't understand!" he snapped, "She was a witch! She was a Prince! She was the only reason I was accepted in my house! She was my 'magical heritage'! Slytherin's not like Gryffindor, Lily!" his eyes were wide and desperate, "I need parents. I need magic in my blood."

"Severus, magic doesn't come from your blood! With or without your parents, your magic is yours, It was no more powerful because your mother was alive. Look at Goyle! I could out-charm him any day and he's got generations over me! Just listen to yourself! You're being silly!"

Silly.

He'd stared at her incredulously.

Silly?

"There's a war breaking out over this! You can't call it silly!"

"But it is! You know it is! You're no less of a wizard than you were last week. You've lost no claim to your magic!" She looked at his with huge eyes, like she was pleading with him to listen. "You'll always be an amazing wizard," she said, "You told me a thousand times that your father could never take that away from you, and now I'm telling you. No one, not your mother, not stupid Lucius Malfoy, not Mulciber and their silly genealogies, not even you can take that away from you."

She kept his gaze, eyes brilliantly green in the golden glow of dust motes and old books.

"But-"

"No buts! And we're going to that funeral, I don't care what you say."

"I-"

"Now, shh. We're in a library, Severus. No talking."

"But-"

"Shhh!" she looked fit to giggle, and he couldn't blame her, his face must have been a picture.

But she was right, he realised later, back in Slytherin. Mulciber still talked to him, Malfoy offered his condolences without any hint of thinking less, he was still the same person he had been a week ago, no less of a wizard, no less of a Slytherin.

And they did go to the funeral, and as the coffin was lowered he actually cried. And Lily stood there with him the whole time. Just stood there holding his hand. And as they left the cemetery he realised that he didn't need his parents.

He was himself. He was a wizard and a Slytherin, and nothing and no one could take that away from him.

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