Sorry about the wait, and shortness.
Wonderful chapter 8.5
The bookie/thug now out of sight, Toby turned to Sev. "What are you looking at?" The question was rhetorical. "Make yourself useful, go get a towel or something." Without hesitation the boy darted back inside to do what he had been told. Little feet went as fast as they could to find a dirty rag in the kitchen. As he was about to run back outside he thought of something. 'Mum has her potions in here.' Hadn't she used them to stop him from bleeding when he had slipped with a knife or scraped a knee? Severus thought to himself, 'Maybe one could help Dad.'
He looked in his mother's private stock of homebrews looking for the one that stopped bleeding. He remembered the color and shape of the bottle it was in. The only problem was that out of the thirty or so that were there, three of them had that same appearance. Even at his young age Sev knew there were such things a labels. Apparently Eileen didn't endorse them. Her son grabbed all three to bring outside. The rag was snatched immediately out of the boy's hand. Sev juggled the three potion bottles so they wouldn't fall. They still made a clanking sound.
"What's that?" Toby asked as he dabbed his wound with the rag. "Some of your mother's junk?"
Sev nodded. He was smart enough not to back talk Toby at this moment. He wanted to tell him it wasn't junk.
"What's it do?"
Timidly Severus answered, "Stops bleeding."
Tobias pulled away one of the small bottles. Sev tried to warn him, "Dad - - " before he could finish saying, " - - I'm not sure that's - - " Toby had splashed some of it on the gash. " - - right one."
A wail that could have probably been heard all the way down to the river arose from the senior Snape. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO YOU LITTLE DEMON?"
Severus stood there frozen by the screech.
" I - - I tried to tell you I didn't know which one it was."
Toby had been snarling the entire time. Through his clenched teeth he asked, "You expect me to believe that?"
Severus knew by experience that this was when he could expect Tobias to explode, so he dropped the other two potion bottles. He ran for the door closing it just in time for his father to ram into it. As Toby grabbed the handle, Sev managed to lock it. A fist pounded on the outside side of the door. "You open this door right now Severus Snape!" This was followed by thee body slams before Toby remembered he had a key. When Sev heard the key in the door he panicked trying to think of a locking spell. He mulled over a few possibilities, "Lockieo? Blockiadus? Keepyouty?" The door opened. "OH CRAP!"
Absolutely positive that he did not want his father to catch him, Severus acted on instinct. He knew the back door was bolted tight because of numerous break-ins that happened in that neighborhood. For some reason he associated escape with his room. So that is where he ran. Toby ran after him. Sev didn't even attempt to close the door. All he could do was try and hide in the furthest corner. A fist was raised, but the ministry wizards' charm kept it from hitting the boy. As soon as it got anywhere in the vicinity of his son, it would bounce away.
"Damn Wizards!" Toby snarled. "You gave me that junk on purpose!" Toby accused as he stood over the boy cowering in the shadows.
"I didn't," Sev defended. "I didn't know which one was the right one. I wanted to help."
"Help? The only way you could help me was if you disappeared, or weren't born at all."
That was it, the thing that was worse than any punch, kick, or wrenched arm. Those words. If Toby had wanted to hurt his son for hurting him, he had done well. The words bore into the boy's heart. Made him think something was wrong with him. Dads weren't supposed to hate their children. Severus was convinced that his father hated him. In the boy's mind it was not because Toby was the drunk looser sack of shit he'd become, it was because he, Sev, was useless, worthless, a waste of space, stupid, and all other manner of things his father had called him over the last year. Being still young, he did not yell back or degrade his father in return the way he would when he was a teen, Severus cried. It was a convulsive cry, deep and aching; a cry from his soul. Uncontrollable flashes of magic were bursting forth but the protective charm kept it from harming Toby just as it had kept Toby from hitting Severus. The magic only disintegrated.
Instead of sympathizing or having some sense of empathy, Tobias seemed to not understand the fact that his son was only six. It was as if something in his brain could not see Severus as a child. He grew even more disgusted with the fact that the kid was crying. He still had one more dig, "Thought you were a wizard, but you're a wanker."
Severus continued to cry for quite a while not even realizing his father had gone, leaving him alone. When he was all cried out, he remembered what had been outside. The owl, the black owl; would it still be there? Would it deliver a letter saying he'd be delivered from his rotten muggle father? The young wizard opened his window to look for the magical delivery bird.
tbc
