Severus wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally got up.
He rubbed his eyes furiously and sat down on the bed, exhausted.
He had felt something hard, vaguely shaped like a square, dig on his chest while he had been lying down, crying. Intrigued, he examined the bed more attentively, but there was nothing of the sort under the bedcovers.
Perhaps there was something in his pockets?
He was still wearing these strange black robes. There were sized for an adult, which he was not, and he had no idea who it might have belonged to.
Curiously, avidly, he rummaged through the deep pockets - had they been extended with magic? - hopping to get something that would help him escape.
He found two books in them. The first one was obviously a potion book: "The many uses of the scarab beetle in potions, balms and rites, as devised in Ancient Egypt". There was an illustration of a giant beetle on the brown cover. It seemed like something he would enjoy reading, even if it probably wouldn't help with his escape. But if he was stuck here for who-knew-how-long anyway…
He crouched on the floor, placing the book under the bed, between the dust balls and the spider webs.
The other book, however, he couldn't fathom what it was.
"Poueuh…ssy? In…euditeuh…"
Even when he tried to say it out loud, he didn't recognize the words at all. Maybe it was Latin, or something like that? His mum had shown him a few incantations in Latin, though, and it didn't really look like that. The incantations he knew were a few words long, but this book contained entire paragraph of text. Maybe it was because it was a different kind of incantations? Or maybe it was a completely different language than Latin?
He closed the book, disappointed. He placed that one on the small dressing table. The table tilted under the weight, one of its legs missing.
As he continued to rummage through the pockets, he found a thermos – a quick sniff allowed him to identify the content as black tea, which, surprisingly enough, was still hot enough to produce steam. There was also a half-eaten marmite sandwich – one of his favorites - hastily wrapped into journal paper. He put the sandwich and the thermos under his bed as well. His captors had said that they would give him food but… They could always change their minds.
There were a few vials of potions as well. Unfortunately, they were unlabeled.
He wasn't the kind of reckless idiot who would drink unknown potions, but it might be useful for other reasons. Perhaps he could make his captors drink it by ruse? Spike their tea or their food with it, and observe the results? With a little bit of luck, the potions would all be powerful poisons.
The book and the sandwich, if it was found, it wasn't that big of a deal. The vials, however…
He started rummaging through the room in search of a better hiding place. Finally, he decided to hide them in one of the drawers of the wardrobe, under another set of embroidered bedcovers.
Last but not least, there was money in the pockets. At least forty pounds.
That was a great news! Even if he escaped from the building, he would still need to go home. He didn't know where he was, but he might be far enough that he would need to take the bus or the train. He hopped he wasn't too far from home, though. Even if he had more money now than he had ever possessed, he also knew that travelling from one country to another wasn't cheap.
He put it carefully into the drawer as well, along with a few gold coins that he didn't recognize.
Now that he had found a few things to help him escape, he felt slightly better.
He needed more time to come properly with a plan, though. Despite how humiliating it sounded, he might as well keep doing what his captors told him to do. He didn't want to arouse their suspicion too much before he was ready to escape.
He examined the clothes that he had been given, now spread on the floor in total chaos. They were obviously second-hand, but they were in a better state than most of his own clothes, so he didn't mind it that much.
He dressed up mechanically, not really caring as long as he could move easily in it – in case he needed to run.
There was only one jumper. It was aggressively red, a color that was far from being his favorite, with a yellow B embroidered in it. He wondered what it was standing for.
The jumper seemed to have been hand-knitted. He had been afraid that the wool would be scratchy, but it was soft. And it was a little too big for him. Which was actually great! It would make it easier to hide something under it, in case he needed to sneak things back into his room.
Once fully dressed, the black robes discarded on the floor with the other clothes, he went out of his room, prudently.
He was walking on the tip of his toes, trying to be as silent as possible. But the house was old. No matter how careful he was, some of the floorboards creaked ominously.
He would have to memorize which one creaked and which one were safe to walk on, so he could avoid stepping on it next time.
He randomly opened one of the doors, the one closest to his room.
It was a tiny, unoccupied room, very similar to the one he had been given. It had been furnished with a mismatched set of furniture. A bed with a metallic, modern looking frame, a wardrobe made of old wood and a nightstand, painted in a bright pink that jarred with the paper wall.
He kept exploring the corridor, trying to open the other doors.
Two doors were locked, but he found a tiny bathroom. The walls were covered in navy blue tiles. The shower's door didn't close completely, slightly unhinged. There were a lot of bottles stuffed on the tiny shelf above the sink. Multiple brands of shampooing, shower gel, shaving foam, toothpaste, multiple toothbrushes in the glass … There were obviously multiple people living here.
There was one more door he had not tried yet.
It was located at the end of the corridor, close to his room.
The door looked heavier than the other doors. Severus hopped it meant that it was, perhaps, leading to an exit. Unfortunately, it was locked. He would have to find a way to unlock it.
Now that he was done exploring the corridor, he had nothing else to do. Well, except go back in his room and hide there, for as long as possible before they came to find him but…
He was really hungry. And he had been told to go back to the kitchen once he changed clothes. Perhaps it would be better to do as they said. At least for now.
He could faintly hear voices coming from downstairs. Carefully, but intrigued, he went down the stairs.
There were now a few people in the living room. People he had never seen before. There was a bald man in navy blue robes talking with a woman whose robes were slightly burned. A wounded woman, still clad in many bandages, was talking with a man whose muggle clothes were covered in soot.
Had they been there, in the street ravaged by the flames?
He walked toward the kitchen door, which had been left opened, trying to be inconspicuous. The bald man was the only one who noticed him, his eyebrow rising in surprise when he saw the boy, but he said nothing.
Severus slipped into the kitchen, his heart beating frenetically in his chest.
Arthur was looking for something in the fridge, and Molly was nowhere to be seen. Dumbledore was talking with the grumpy man who he had briefly met earlier, in the street engulfed in flames.
Now that they were under the bright artificial light of the kitchen lamp, and not outside, in the night, the man's many cicatrices seemed even more impressive. It looked like half of his nose was missing, and…
What Severus had first thought to be an eccentric eye patch was a glass eye, mounted on a strip of leather. And it was moving. Frenetically moving, scanning the entire room and finally stopping on him.
Immediately, the grumpy man made a gesture with his hand, and Dumbledore stopped talking.
"Ah, Severus. Have you found clothes that you like?" Dumbledore asked, in that gentle voice of his.
Severus sneered. If the old man wanted to play the caring grandfather, he might want to practice on his students and not on the children he kidnapped.
"Are you sure it's not just an act?" interrupted the other man with a scoff. "Because he sure acts like the uncooperative delinquent I know!"
Severus was a little taken aback by the man's hostility.
He was used to people hating him at first sight, but he wasn't sure to understand what the man was referring to exactly.
"I already told you, I personally made sure…"
"Did you at least take his wand before inviting him to our Headquarters?"
"Of course!" protested Albus, looking pained. "Alastor, the boy does not represent a danger for anyone except himself. At least, for as long as his… situation will last."
"And how long is that, exactly?"
"I cannot be certain. Not yet. But the boy will not change back overnight if that is what is worrying you-"
"Of course, I'm worried!" barked Alastor. "I don't want a death eater rooming freely in the middle of the night!"
"That won't happen," assured Dumbledore, with a tone of finality. "Now, Severus… Did you decided what you want to eat? Sandwiches? Or Shepperd pie?"
"Where's Molly?" asked Severus, still a little confused by the conversation he had just heard.
"She went home," explained Arthur, still busy re-organizing the fridge. "Saving our adorable kids from their great-great-aunt!"
He threw a guilty look toward his audience, wincing as he added:
"Not that we are not grateful to her for babysitting them!"
Dumbledore chuckled lightly at that, and even Alastor seemed to relax slightly.
"I'll take the sandwiches," said Severus, to no one in particular, because he was still hungry.
Arthur nodded and took a paper bag from the fridge and placed it on the table with a glass full of water.
"What is he wearing?" asked Alastor, still sounding suspicious.
"Bill's old clothes," answered Arthur. "He was wearing dea… black robes. He couldn't stay in that."
"Black robes, hm…? Were there something in it?" asked Alastor, staring expectantly at Dumbledore.
"I… do not know."
Alastor's face fell.
"What do you mean, you do not know? Were there something inside the pockets?"
"I did not examine it yet," admitted Dumbledore.
Alastor didn't seem to take the news well, letting out a long, weary sight as he passed a hand on his face.
"Where is it?" he barked.
When neither Albus nor Arthur answered, he turned again toward Severus.
"Snape! Where is it?"
"Upstairs…" answered Severus, a little hesitantly.
He wouldn't admit it, of course, but the man terrified him. His many scars, his accusatory stare – and his fake glass eye, still moving around in every direction…
To make it even worse, the man took a few steps toward him, and stopped just in front of Severus, towering over him menacingly.
"What was inside the robes, boy?"
"Dunno. Haven't looked."
"Look at my in the eyes, Snape! What was inside the robes…?"
"I told you I bloody didn't know!" lied Severus, matching the angry tone of his interlocutor.
"Alastor…" interrupted Dumbledore, as he placed his hand on Alastor's shoulder, pulling him away from Severus.
His tone was still as gentle as it had been a few minutes before, but there was something about his posture that felt like a warning.
A warning of what, Severus didn't know.
"I'll go check upstairs," said Alastor, as he shook Dumbledore's hand from his shoulder. "You better hope I don't find out you lied to me, Snape."
Severus thought of the vials in the drawer and hopped that the man would not find them. Because he seemed dangerous. Perhaps even more dangerous than the man who kidnapped him.
Alastor bolted out of the kitchen.
Even after the man was gone, Severus didn't feel any better. He couldn't help but think about the vials, upstairs.
"You should really try to eat something…" said Dumbledore, who was drinking yet another cup of tea.
And, because his stomach was still rumbling, Severus sat back without protesting, nitpicking on the sandwiches.
There were delicious, but he wasn't really in the mood to appreciate them.
He had nearly finished eating the first sandwich when someone knocked on the door.
Three quick knocks, then the silence, then one knock, the silence again, and three others knocks.
With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore unlocked the door.
Severus thought briefly of trying to run toward the door but remembered that the wizard could still stop him with magic. Severus was fast when he needed to run, but not that fast.
Three people stepped in the room.
There was a man in muggle clothes, the kind of clothes hooligans, in movies, would wear. He had shoulder length black hair – like Severus – but contrarily him, he was very handsome. Probably was. Since half of his face was swelled by an impressive bruise, so it was difficult to be certain.
There was another man, wearing a wizard robe, this time. He had one missing eyebrow -had it been burned? - and a trail of suits on his cheek. He was staring at Severus, blinking stupidly without a word. Severus wondered if it was because his glasses were broken, and he couldn't see him very well. Or perhaps, he was surprised to find a child here?
Everyone had seemed surprised until now. Apparently, Dumbledore didn't regularly brought back children here.
Severus didn't know if it was good news or not.
There was also a woman. She had red hair, like Molly and Arthur, except her hair were slightly darker. Her pretty witch robe was stained with red - blood probably. She was staring at Severus too, her eyes comically wide.
"Sev…?" she asked, in a faint whisper.
If the room had not been completely silent, Severus would have missed it.
"It's Severus," he corrected her, snidely.
He should have found strange that the woman kind of knew his name, but from the beginning, a lot of these people seemed to know who he was. Even if he had no idea who they were.
The woman turned toward Dumbledore, her expression a mix of alarm and anger. The old man immediately raised his hands, in surrender, trying to placate her.
"I will explain everything during tonight meeting," he promised.
She nodded, placated – for now. The man with the glasses placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she leaned on him, letting him pull her in an embrace.
Severus had been watching the scene in relative indifference when he inadvertently locked eyes with the man, who frowned and glared at him.
He didn't know why these people hated him. It's not like Severus even wanted to be here!
He scowled back at the man.
"Why is there a miniature Snivellus here?" asked the other man, the one with a bruised face.
He was looking at Severus like if Severus was a bag of trash that had been forgotten, smelly and rotten.
"It's Severus," he corrected, annoyed.
"Snivellus," repeated the annoying man. "What is a death eater scum like you doing there?"
Before Severus could decide whether he wanted to insult the man or ask what a death eater was, a loud bang echoed in the room, making him jump and turn around with apprehension.
Alastor was back. And he seemed furious.
"Order's reunion!" barked the man, stomping toward the table, his arms full of many things. "Now!"
Severus realized, with apprehension, that the things in Alastor's arms were the things that had been in the pockets. The books, the thermos, the sandwich, … And the potion vials.
This wasn't good.
"Snape, out of here!" ordered Alastor, his face red and swollen with anger.
"He has not finished eating…" objected weakly Arthur.
"I don't fucking care! He can take his little sandwiches in the living room. Who care if he put mayonnaise on the couch? We have other priorities. Snape, out, now!"
Understanding that it would be in his best interest to do as he was told, Severus took his half-eaten sandwich and hurried out of the kitchen.
He nearly bumped into the adults who had been discussing into the living room, as they were trying to go into the kitchen. They looked surprised to see him but had not the time to question his presence.
He bolted out of the kitchen, into the living room, not wanting to stay any longer than necessary into the same room than an angry Alastor. Especially since, given that Severus had indeed lied about what he found in the pockets, the man was probably angry at him.
As soon as the last person entered the kitchen, the door slammed loudly.
There was no one else in the living room with him.
His hands were still shaking, holding so tightly the sandwich that its content was pushed out of the bread, but his mind was running fast, focused on the possibilities.
Dumbledore had said all day, to every adult that they had question Severus's presence, that he would explain everything at a reunion. And he probably meant the reunion that was happening right now.
Severus also wanted to know what Alastor would say. If the man had decided to kill him, or something like that, Severus preferred to be prepared.
It could be dangerous, of course. If Severus was found, someone as paranoid than Alastor might do something drastic. But not knowing anything was equally dangerous, and Severus was feeling daring.
On the tip of his toes, still holding his sandwich, careful to not make a noise, he creeped toward the kitchen door and started listening.
If you like stories with a young de-aged Severus, may I recommend this fanfiction to you ?
[ Boy Snape ] by Lucy_Luna
A duel in Hogsmeade leads to unexpected consequences and adventure for Sirius Black and Severus Snape.