Chapter 1

Severus Snape

September 4, 1996

A stream of red light brushed by me, she was close now. I ran as fast as I could. Seeking refuge behind the nearest big oak tree. I heard leaves rustle just beyond my hiding place. A cackle followed, which pierced the peacefulness of the early evening.

I took a deep breath, trying to seize every bit of courage I could muster before breaking into a brisk run for safety. I didn't look behind me to see if my attacker was catching up, but continued in my feverous escape, with no farther hope of fighting back.

Wind rushed by my ears as more spells missed me by centimeters. But as my luck was diminutive and my balance, close to none, just a minuscule, ill placed pebble was enough to make me stager; slowing down my sprint.

"Petrificus Totalus," yelled a triumphant voice.

My muscles were useless. My body was a statue.

As if in slow motion I fell, unable to do a thing about it. I landed with a thud, face down on the cold hard earth. Pain rushed through my whole body, though I was unable to cry out in agony.

Right away gentle hands rolled me on to my back; revealing the stupid look of surprise that was frozen onto my face.

"I got you, Alex. I got you." Sang Sidney, my younger sister as she stood over me looking very pleased with herself. I tried to fight against my invisible bindings, but it was no use.

Sidney pulled out her wand and pointed it at my face. "I forgot the counter jinx," She smirked.

I felt my throat burn as I tried (with no success) to scream.

"Just kidding," said Sidney in a mockingly sweet tone, as she poked me in the ribs.

Sidney waved her wand neatly and I was able to move again.

"You know," said Sidney as she gave me her hand to help me up. "It is pretty pathetic that you just got beat at a dual by your little sister."

I rolled my shoulders back, my neck was killing me. "I went easy on you," I lied.

"Right," Sidney said disbelievingly

"That really hurt," I complained. "I fell on my nose." I lightly touched it. "Ow."

Sidney laughed, "Yeah it looks a little crooked."

"Shut up," I said as I pushing her into the nearest tree. I pressed my fingers up against my nose again to make sure it felt normal. I don't need my nose looking any weirder; it is already visible enough as it is.

We made our way out of the lonely woods, which stood out of place just beyond the street where we lived. It seemed to be hours early, in terms of light, as we left the engulfing canopy of trees.

I put my arm around my sister's shoulders. "If Mom asks what we were doing, we were climbing trees. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Sidney grinned.

"Alex," called out a familiar voice. I looked up and my heart skipped a beat. I let go of Sidney and started twisting my hands together nervously. I was suddenly so aware of myself. My breathing started getting heavy and my stomach began to ache, I felt like I was sinking into quick sand and oh God.

"David," I greeted, smiling a little more warmly than needed be.

"Were you in the forest just now?" He asked seriously. His voice was so smooth and his eyes so green.

"Yes," I answered in a breathy tone, smiling stupidly.

David Harper was our neighbor and just about my age. I had known him most of my life and I had been in love with him ever since the first day of kindergarten when he let me borrow his red crayon.

It was not only that he was attractive; although, he was very attractive, but he was also very nice, and funny and smart and perfect in every possible was. He liked all the best music and all the best movies. He also read, actual books and the good ones too. He was always making me laugh; he would always go telling these random stories that were completely off topic, but would somehow end up being completely relevant. I loved it when he did that.

"Did you see anything funny while you were in there?" he asked, bringing me back to earth.

"Funny?" I asked as my voice went up an octave.

"Yes," he said excitedly. "From out my window I saw some weird flashes of light coming from in there."

With that Sidney let out a loud screech of laughter and ran off. David and I looked awkwardly after her as she swiftly made her way back home.

"Um, flashing lights huh," I started to distract him from my sister's oddity.

"Uh, oh right, did you see anything odd when you were in the forest."

"I didn't really notice anything while I was in there," I invented hastily, in a tone that hardly sounded like me at all. "But now that you've said something, I am pretty sure that I heard the Elliot brothers playing in there. You know the ones; they live down on Belton Street. They are always making some sort of trouble. I bet they were setting off fireworks or something.

Please believe me, I thought desperate. There was a long pause while David contemplated my story in this head.

"Right, probably," he said, though he still glared suspiciously at the little patch of trees. Then he looked at me and smiled. "Alex, you have a leaf in your hair."

I felt my face get hot. I began feeling around on my head hopelessly.

"Here," he laughed taking pity on me. He reached to pick the dried leaf out of my hair. My stomach did a summersault

"Thank you," I said smiling fiercely. I stared longingly into his deep green eyes and then at light brown curl that fell upon his forehead. David was so handsome. He suddenly turned bright red and broke my gaze. I had looked at him for far too long.

"You're welcome," he said awkwardly looking at the ground.

"I better go," I said quickly, my face on fire.

"Me too," he said. "See you around."

"Bye," I said already with my back turned, walking away as fast as possible. I looked behind me briefly to make sure his back was turned before breaking into a sprint.

As soon as I reached the porch of my house I collapsed onto its wooden steps. I am such an idiot. I thought hating myself.

I stuck my head out to peer down the street to where David lived. He was still out there talking animatedly to his older brother. I watched him carelessly. He used exaggerated hand gestures in his conversation and smiled broadly; a smile the literally made me feel weak.

I could make him love me. I thought, still watching him. Of course I could do it, I am a witch. I knew it would only be too easy to slip him a love potion or put him under some sort of enchantment.

No. whatever I could do with magic, the result would only be something so prosthetic and unnatural it wouldn't be worth having; I knew that. As I watch him my heart swelled; just the thought of enslaving David under some false pretence made me even more degusted with myself.

Oh crap, he is looking this way. I quickly got up and pressed myself up against the front door, out of his range of view.

"Idiot, Idiot, Idiot," I hissed as I repetitively banged my head into the door.

Suddenly the door swung open and with all my support gone I fell backwards into the entryway.

"Uh." I looked up to see Sidney once again standing over me laughing shamelessly.

"Sorry, I thought you were knocking," she said throw giggles. She held out her hand to help me up.

"Thank you," I said through clenched teeth. My whole body, which was already sore from my last fall, seemed to scream in protest with every little movement.

"David?" She asked knowingly.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said leading the way to the kitchen, were, to my extreme revulsion, found my parents passionately embraced. "Um, excuse me." I said announcing my presence.

My mom and dad resurfaced, both very red in the face but not from embarrassment, ew.

If you first saw my parents together you would think them a very odd looking couple. My father was exceptionally tall, thin and extremely pale. He had inky black hair, in which he gelled back, making his out-of-date sideburns more evident. He also had dark eyes and a long hooked nose. He had a sort of impressive awkwardness about him.

My Mother on the other hand was way too beautiful for my father. She was also tall, but curvy. Her skin was tan and she had thick curly brown hair that fell down her back. She had brilliantly blue eyes and she would always wear red lip stick; and at this particular moment my father was also wearing some.

"Dad," I said miming wiping my mouth. He got the picture and fiercely began wiping off his red lips.

Sidney was lucky enough to be the mirror image of our mother, not inheriting a single physical trait from our father. And me, well, I was an odd mix between the two of them, but unfortunately, more like my dad than my mom.

"So," my mother began sweetly as she put dinner on the table. "What were you and Sidney doing in the wood?"

"Climbing trees," I said, trying to sound natural.

"Really?" she said her voice full of irony. "Alex, look me in the eye and tell me again that you were climbing trees."

I stood in front of my mother and stared into her eyes. "We were climbing trees." As I said it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded. I am already clumsy as it, so way on Earth would I even attempt to climb a tree where there is just a farther distance for me to fall.

"You are such a bad liar," my mother pocked at me. She reached into my pocket, grabbing my wand. "And you needed this to climb trees, did you?"

I didn't say anything.

"Prior Incantato," My mom said with a flick of my wand. A flash of blue light streaked out and bounced off the window; we had to duck to miss its rebounding effects. It was the last jinx that I had aimed at Sidney before completely giving up.

My Father just watched us curiously. You would think after about twenty years of being married to my mom he would have gotten use to magic by now; but every time one of us did a spell, he would still observe in amazement.

"Empty your pockets too, Sidney," said my mother with a hand on her hip and the other out stretched. Sidney placed her wand and two sticks of gum in my mom's out stretched hand. "So," she started sternly. "Who won?"

"What?" I asked, not expecting that response at all.

"I did," Sidney sang happily.

My mother handed our wands back. "Climbing trees," she laughed as she gave my wand back. "I may not be able to read your thoughts, Alex, but I always know what you're thinking." She kissed my forehead. "Now," she turned to the others. "Who's hungry?"

Clearly, Antilegilimeny has been completely wasted on me, I though wearily.

We all sat down at our usual spots at the kitchen table. As my mother served, my father flipped through a small pile of mail in front of him.

"There is a post card from your friend, dear," said my father in a thick English accent. He handed the card to his wife from across the table.

Once upon a time my mother decided to go backpacking around Europe to 'find herself'. Instead she found my dad, Tiberius Snape. They fell in love the first day, got married three days later and she convinced him to move back to her home town of Kent, Washington; where we all still live today.

"Bills, bills," my father mumbled to himself as he continued going through the post. "Oh," he said softly staring perplexedly at the return address on the back of the envelope.

"What is it?" My mom questioned.

My father quickly opened the letter. We watched as his eyes moved swiftly across the page. He gave a furtive glance to my mother before he began reading the first couple of line out loud.

"Dear Mr. T. Snape," my father read solemnly. "I regret in informing you that your brother, Tobias Snape died yesterday evening."

I wasn't really sure how to react to the news that my uncle had died. I had never met Tobias and my father seldom mentioned him. On those rare occasions where my dad actually acknowledged the fact that he had a brother, incoherent swear words would usually follow shortly after Tobias's name.

"How did he die?" I asked; which was the only appropriate thing I could think to say.

"It says he that he died from liver failure," my father read from the page. "If I remember correctly my brother was rather fond of the drink." My mother walk over to my dad a placed a consoling, yet slightly unsure hand on his shoulder. She was apparently at a loss for how to react as well.

"Who sent you the letter? Was it his wife?" I asked.

"No," he answered, putting his hand over my mother's. "His wife, Eileen, has been died for several years now."

"Oh," I said, not knowing if I was supposed to feel remorse over her death as well.

"I do not know the person who sent me this." My father said. "The letter is signed Paul something, I am guessing that is the man who found the body." My dad let out a sigh. "I suppose after Eileen died, he spent most of his time alone, my brother was never one for friends."

"He has a son doesn't he?" My mother interjected.

"Oh no," Sidney exclaimed. "Then what going to happen to their little boy if he has no mother and no father?"

"Yeah," I agreed with concern. "Tobias and his son were our only remaining relatives and if Eileen doesn't have any living family, then who will take care of their son?"

"Could he live with us?" Sidney asked. "It would be like having a brother."

Tiberius Snape looked at both of his daughter apprehensive expressions before throwing his head back and laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked wildly.

"You are forgetting," My father told us. "That my brother is quite a bit older than I am. I would expect that his son, your cousin, is not much younger than myself." My dad glanced down at the letter once more. "It was probably for the best," he muttered in an undertone.

"Dad?" I questioned, in utter amazement.

"My brother was not the kindest of men," he answered bitterly. "And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Severus is glad to be shot of him."

"Severus?" I asked.

"Yes. That is your cousin's name," said Tiberius. "Severus Snape."