Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story so far! ^_^

AN: This chapter doesn't follow the same format as the previous chapters. It might seem out-of-place right now, but I promise it's important for chapter 7. And if you can't tell from the following notes, Tobias Snape – to me, anyway – is Welsh.

/tad/ = Welsh for "dad" or "father"

/tad-cu/ = Welsh for "grandfather"

/modryb/ = Welsh for Aunt

/bachgen/ = Welsh for "boy"

Character Information:

!Severus Snape: b. 9 Jan 1960

*Tobias Snape: b. 31 Oct 1928

*Eileen Prince: b. 25 Dec 1931

! = Official character & official birth date

* = Official character, but I made up the birth date

CHAPTER SIX

Summer 1968, Spinner's End

"I want to go outside." Severus grumbled, looking longingly through the parlour window out into the street where several children were playing.

His mother never looked up from her cauldron where it was set up in the kitchen. "You can't go outside, Severus. It's too dangerous out there. You know that."

He let out a frustrated sound, and watched jealously as the children laughed together. They all seemed to be having a wonderful time together, oblivious to the existence of the eight-year-old boy watching them.

"I want to go back to tad-cu." They had only just recently moved into the last house on Spinner's End, after his father got a job working at the local factory. It had been three days since they had finished settling in, and Severus hated it. He missed tad-cu's farm and modryb's cooking.

"You know perfectly well why we can't go back to your grandfather's." Eileen stated. "Your father found work here."

"He shouldn't have quit teaching." Severus argued. "I liked living with tad-cu."

"Do I need to stick you in the basement again, son?" Eileen asked. Severus could hear the frustration in her voice, and knew that she was serious. Her temper was always shorter when she was brewing potions for mail-order customers.

"Can't I at least help you, mother?" He sidled over to where his mother stood over the cauldron, until he could almost grasp the hem of her blouse.

Before he could come closer, Eileen's left arm shot out, grasping the cartilage of his ear. She twisted it slightly, and shoved him out of the kitchen.

"I've told you, you can help when you know the Pepper-up Potion by heart." she scolded him. "If I have to warn you again, you'll be sitting in the basement until your father gets home."

"I only wanted to help!" he grumbled, stomping through the parlour.

"You can help me by something quiet to do."

Severus crossed his arms over his small chest and pouted at the window. Ever since moving here, he'd become so lonely. When they'd lived near Tredegar with tad-cu, he'd never been alone. His mother had always been out in the work-shed, making her potions, and his father had worked at a nearby school as a professor of History. Modryb, his father's oldest sister, had often let Severus sit in the kitchen while she cooked – a privilege that none of his cousins ever received – and sometimes, even let him cut up the vegetables for her delicious soups and stews. Once, he had asked his mother why he couldn't help to make potions when modryb let him help to make stew.

'Aunt Christin is a muggle,' his mother had scolded him. 'Potions require magic, and one tiny wing can be the difference between a brew that can heal or a brew that can kill.'

At the time, he thought the word 'muggle' was interchangeable with 'moron'. He'd thought it strange, because modryb seemed so smart. She always knew when his cousins weren't feeling well, even before they did, and she was the only one other than Severus who was capable of solving tad-cu's riddles.

It was no secret to him, though, that his mother disliked modryb. One beautiful summer afternoon, while his cousins were visiting their paternal grandparents, modryb took him out to the barn to see the kittens that had just been born. His mother had been coming out of the work shed at that very moment.

'What are you doing with my son?' she had shouted. Severus had clung to modryb's sleeve in surprise, never having seen his mother angry before.

'Ye can't keep 'im locked away fer ever, Eil,' modryb had replied evenly. 'Fresh air's good fer 'im.'

His mother hadn't agreed, and that evening when his father returned, Tobias had told his sister in no uncertain terms that it wasn't to happen again, as she didn't "understand the consequences" it could have. Severus didn't understand either.

"Why don't you go up to your room and read?" Eileen suggested.

"Yes, mother." Severus replied with a heavy sigh. He crossed the parlour towards the stairs, feeling the temptation of the front door calling him. He glanced over his shoulder towards the kitchen. His mother would never be able to see the front door from where she stood by her cauldron.

For a child who never took chances, and almost never acted out, Severus decided to take a risk for once in his young life. He tip-toed towards the front door, and turned the knob. When his mother never looked up, he decided that it was safe to go outside. He could play for an hour easily without his mother noticing, and be back inside the house before his father ever got home. He opened the door slightly, and slid through the opening out into the over-cast day.

The door shut soundlessly behind him, leaving him standing on the stoop, facing out towards the children still playing in the street. Upon seeing him, they stopped kicking their ball around.

"Who're you?" the tallest boy asked.

"Severus." he replied nervously. "Severus Snape."

"Snape, eh?" another, somewhat heavier set boy scoffed. "That's the name of the bloke as got my da fired yesterday."

Severus wasn't quite sure what was happening, other than the children no longer looked happy, or friendly. "I-I'm sorry?"

"Yeah, you /should/ be sorry." the heavy-set boy said. "My da never hurt anyone, and yours comes along and ruins everything. I bet you're just like your da. Worthless piece of rubbish, you!"

"No, I -"

"Let's get him!"

Severus bolted from the stoop as the children started to run towards him. His legs felt like jelly as he ran towards a river, and he could hear the sound of the children just on his heels. His ankle turned suddenly, sending him splashing into the water face-first.

"Ow!" His cry of pain didn't deter the children chasing him. The tall one grabbed a fist-full of Severus' hair and yanked him onto his feet. "Let go!"

He wasn't prepared for the punch to his stomach, but he'd seen his cousins tussle in the yard often enough to know how to respond. He elbowed the boy back in the stomach, then kneed him in the groin before running off towards the woods. He didn't stop running, not even after he could no longer hear the children's shouts of anger. At last, his legs collapsed beneath him, and he crawled behind a thick bush, pulling his weakened legs up to his chest and gasping for air.

"Higher, mummy! Higher!"

At the sound of a girlish giggle, Severus started. Curious, he peered through the bush and into a child's park, where a family of four were gathered by the swings. A woman with elegantly styled red hair was pushing a young, red-haired girl on a swing.

"Any higher and you'll fall off!" a somewhat older girl retorted stubbornly.

"Calm down, Tuney," said a well-dressed man with a smile. "Let your sister have her fun."

"Watch me, Tuney!" Lily implored. As the swing reached the highest point, Lily seemed to push herself from the seat, sending herself falling through the air. Or rather, she /should/ have fallen through the air, Severus decided, watching in fascination as the red-haired girl seemed to float to the ground like a leaf on the wind.

Tuney shouted in horror. "Don't do that! Father, tell her to stop that!"

"Lily, you know you aren't supposed to do that out here." the man admonished softly.

Lily frowned, and ran to her father, hugging him tightly. "I didn't mean to scare anyone."

"We know that, dear," the mother said. "We just love you, and want to protect you. You understand, don't you, love?"

Lily nodded.

"There's my princess. What do you say head home?"

Severus watched as the small family walked away from the swings and out of the park. Once he was certain they had gone, he pushed his way through the shrubbery and walked towards the swing Lily had flown off of. Laying beneath the swing was an ivory colored silk ribbon. He picked it up, and thought of the girl, Lily, as she'd giggled with her family.

He trudged dutifully back through the woods towards the river, noting with not a small amount of glee that the awful children who had chased him were gone. He crossed the river, scrunching up his face at the feel of water soaking through his socks and shoes. He finally reached the stoop of their new home, and only barely opened the door when his mother was upon him, grabbing him by the wrist and hauling him forcefully towards the basement.

"No!" he shouted, struggling against her iron grip.

"How dare you say 'no' to me, after you directly disobeyed me?" his mother demanded. "You could have been kidnapped, or killed!"

"I'm fine!" he retorted, watching as she opened the door that led to the basement.

"You're a complete mess! Your clothes are ruined, you awful child!"

He didn't get a chance to respond before his mother dragged him down the stairs, shoving him into the chair in the far corner, facing the wall. He felt the sticking charm take effect, holding him captive on the chair.

"Just wait until your father gets home!" Eileen threatened ominously, storming back up the stairs. She slammed the door shut, trapping him in the pitch-black basement.

At first, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared into the darkness. The silk ribbon he had picked up in the park was still clenched tightly in his fist, reminding him of the cheerful red-haired girl who was oblivious to his existence He clung to the ribbon like a rosary, praying for strength even as he imagined monsters lurking in the inky darkness, waiting to devour him alive. His heart was pounding in his chest, his legs still sore from running, when the basement door swung open, and light descended into the basement.

"... disobeyed me deliberately!"

Severus gasped as his father picked him up under the arms, the sticking charm fading instantly and causing the chair to clatter to the floor. Hoisted over his father's shoulder, Severus was hauled up the stairs, forced to listen as his mother recounted each of his crimes to her husband.

"Ye know better than te disobey yer ma, boy!" Tobias scolded, setting him down in the parlour. Large hands grasped his shoulders roughly, shaking him slightly. "What d'ye have te say fer yerself?"

Face screwing up in anger, Severus replied, "There were children playing outside, and I -"

Before he could complete his sentence, his father had him turned around, and swatted him ungently on the backside with his hand. "Where're yer manners, boy?"

Severus bit his lip. "I'm sorry. Sir." he amended. "But I wanted to play with the children outside, and -"

"Ye know yer not allowed outside, boy." Tobias stated.

"But I -" Another swat landed on his backside.

"Do I need te take a belt te yer behind, boy?" His father turned him around again, so that they were face-to-face. "Yer ol' enough te know better. Ye've only got two rules in this life, boy: obey yer parents, and do well in yer schooling. Ye understand?"

Severus nodded tersely. "Yes, sir."

"So ye understand why yer going te bed without supper t'night?" Tobias asked. "Or d'ye need an additional reminder?"

"I understand, sir. I'm sorry, sir." Severus turned to face his mother, but stared at her shoes. "I'm sorry I misbehaved, mother."

Eileen sighed, and approached her son. She fingered his long hair absently, and he could almost taste her disappointment at the state of his being. "What a mess you are, Severus. How can one little boy be so messy?"

Perhaps it was exhaustion, or perhaps it was simply that small, nurturing gesture that he so rarely received from his mother, but whatever the reason, Severus let out a small, pathetic whimper and leaned forward in an attempt to hug his mother's waist.

"One minute, you." Eileen scolded him, grasping his shoulders and holding him at arm's length. She murmured something softly beneath her breath, and he could feel the dirt and grime that caked his clothes slough off in thick, dried sheets. By now, tears were falling unbidden from his eyes, dripping down his pointed chin. Eileen shook her head and sighed, pulling him forward and wrapping her arms around his small body. "Why are you crying?"

Severus buried his face in his mother's neck, his hands clinging to the fabric of her blouse. "I hurt my foot."

"Let's take a look at it, shall we? Hop up on the sofa, let your father roll up your pant leg."

Severus did as he was told, and watched as Tobias knelt on the floor in front of him, his big hands carefully rolling up the fabric of his son's pants.

His father let out a long whistle. "That'll be a nasty bruise. How'd ye get that?"

Severus sniffled, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve. "The children chased me towards the river, and my foot got stuck in the mud. It hurt lots, but they were still chasing me, so I had to get up and run some more. I don't think I like running."

"I don't think yer much cut out fer running." Tobias laughed lightly, moving so that Eileen could rub a salve on their son's ankle. "Stick te yer books, boy. They hurt less."

"I wish you had been there at the end with me, mother." Severus continued, feeling much happier as his ankle hurt less. "There was a park, and a family playing on the swings, and one of the girls flew just like the angels tad-cu talks about! Doesn't that make her a witch, too?"

"Most likely muggle-born." his mother responded, sharing a dark look with her husband. "It happens every now and then. They don't know any better, or they wouldn't let her out of the house."

"How old was the girl ye saw, boy?"

"Dunno," Severus replied. "About my age, I guess."

He noted with suspicion that his parents exchanged another look.

"Alright then. I think it's time ye went to bed, boy."

"It's only four-thirty!" Severus whined.

"I can still get the belt if ye want," Tobias warned.

Severus hung his head. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll go to bed now."

"There's a good boy. Go on. We'll see ye in the morning."

TBC...

P.S. Chapter 7 will definitely see the first "official" therapy session.