The summer hols had started a week ago and Severus was doing his best to stay away from home. He didn't like primary school much — it was too easy, his classmates were too stupid and half of them could barely read even now even though they had been in school for years already. At least summer meant it was warm enough — and light enough — for him to stay outside most of the day. He just had to avoid the areas near the main square of Cokeworth where the three rival bands of teenagers hung out, making the area unsafe for anyone smaller than them.
Some day in the future he would return and beat them all. He'd be bigger than them, and know magic. He just had to stay alive until he could learn all the best curses after he got to go to Hogwarts. He would curse his Da too, or find a spell to make him nice again, so he didn't drink all the time and tried to beat up Ma and Severus. It hadn't been this bad when he was younger, when Da actually had a job and was too busy to go drinking all the time.
It was still fairly early in the morning and a bit chilly. The morning mist still lingered in the valleys and fields. Ma had left to go help someone with laundry. She had handed Severus a few sandwiches and told him to stay away until evening, if he could. Severus was headed to the mill where there were plenty of abandoned buildings to hide in. The one he preferred was the old coal shed. Half the roof had caved in, leaving only the wooden beams in place, but there was a raised platform across half the building where the roof was still mostly intact, and it was perfect for his current purpose.
A lot of research had gone into this. He had found Ma's books in the attic where Da never went. There was a strange feeling in the corner where she kept them, an urge to stay away and to go do something else instead, but it wasn't strong enough to actually keep him out. She had several old books about Dark magic. He was very careful with those, they sometimes made him nauseous just to touch, but there was one he couldn't quite resist. It had taken him a bit of time to collect all the ingredients but now he was ready.
He entered the mill grounds. It seemed the coast was clear with no one else around in the area he was aiming for. He climbed up on the platform and put his rucksack in a corner, pulling out the book and putting it on an upturned crate he found nearby. Everything needed to be just right.
It took him a while to get everything set up. He drew two circles on the floor with a piece of left-over coal and joined the edges with a five-pointed star. It was not easy to get the shapes right. At the points of the star he added the other things he had brought, including a twig of lilac flower, a dead jackdaw he'd found in the meadow the other day, some interesting-looking Persian symbols he'd found in another of Ma's books, drawn on pieces of Da's discarded newspaper, and a drawing of a monstrous cat he'd worked on for a long time in school. It had long fangs, bat-like wings and green eyes.
He took a step back to inspect his work and double check the book. In the middle of the circle he put a candle stump. It took a few tries before he managed to light it with some matches stolen from Da's jacket. Taking a deep breath he then nicked his finger with a small pocket knife and squeezed out a few drops of blood which he let fall around the candle. It hurt quite a lot, more than he'd expected. Almost without thinking about it he put the finger in his mouth to stem the bleeding, the tangy taste of his own blood a bit too familiar already from when Da got mad.
Something seemed to shift in the air and it began to thicken almost as if something was listening. Careful not to disturb the circle, he returned to the book and started reading the incantation. It wasn't easy, with the Latin. Ma had said that many spells were based in Latin, but Severus had wondered how that would work in practice. How could you cast a spell if you didn't know the language? He had practised, in bed at night when Ma thought he was asleep, but could only hope he had the pronunciation more or less right.
"...ad ligandum eos pariter eos coram me!"
When he looked up there was someone standing in the circle. It was taller than him, probably almost taller than Da, with bat-like black wings that glimmered in the light of the candle. Two short, spiral horns rose from the top of its head and its nose was shaped like a short muzzle, a few sharp-looking teeth visible as it sniffed the air. The hair was black or dark brown, it was a bit hard to see, and it looked more or less like a woman otherwise. The clothes were also black, shimmering like oil in greens and purples as it shifted slightly, careful not to get anything burnt on the candle.
"I have come. What do you want, mortal?" The voice was metallic and deep for a woman, with a bit of a strange accent.
Severus was a bit surprised it had actually worked but apparently Ma's books knew what they were on about.
"Hello, will you be my friend? My name is Severus. Severus Snape."
The demoness tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "You shouldn't just give me your name, boy."
"Why not?" The book hadn't said anything about that.
The demoness snorted, causing a wisp of white smoke to rise from her nostrils. They regarded each other for a while. Her wings shifted a bit, making a dry rustling sound. There were smoky silver geometric shapes and symbols slithering all over her dress. Severus hoped he'd be able to get clothes like that when he grew up.
"How old are you, anyway?" She'd crossed her arms in front of her. Her nails were black and longer than what looked practical.
"I'm nine. How old are you?" He tried to mimic her posture.
She snorted again and didn't answer. She was at least older than twenty, Severus decided. She looked all grown-up at least. Ma had said one shouldn't ask adults about their age, but she started it.
"And you're not afraid of me?"
Severus shook his head. "You don't look scary. You look very cool, but not scary. Where did you get those clothes?"
The demoness hummed and put her hands on her hips, tilting her head to look at him. "So you want me to be your friend. Is that all you wish?"
Severus nodded. "But only if you would like to, ma'am. I don't want to force anyone to be my friend."
"So you're not asking for eternal youth, or wealth, or power?" She almost sounded like she was teasing him.
Severus frowned a bit and looked at the dancing flame. "Me Ma has said I shouldn't ask for things I can't have. But I'd really like a friend. I never had one before."
The demoness tapped a long nail against her lips. "And what are you willing to pay, young Severus Snape? Your soul? Your future children down to the third generation?"
Severus emptied his bag. He had brought some of his best, most treasured items. A metal toy car. It was small but the steering wheel worked and his fingers were just small enough to get through where the window should be on the driver's side. A round white stone polished by the sea, from their one trip to the beach in Blackpool as a family, before Da lost his job and got mean. Meaner. A very short pocket knife, only a bit rusty and with a little bit of blood from where he'd just cut his finger, from one of Da's old workmates. A tattered silver ring with an amethyst which Ma had given him to keep, saying it was from her own Ma.
The demoness looked rather amused. "These are your finest possessions? And you are willingly giving them to me? I accept, young Severus. I shall be your friend."
"But what is your name? You never said. I could be your friend, too?"
She tilted her head. "That is acceptable. You may call me Hermione."
Hermione wasn't a name he had ever heard before. It didn't sound very demon-y but who was he to judge, not after what all the kids at school would say about his own name. The rest of them had boring, common names like Patrick, David and Sarah, not like his own which his Ma said was from her magical family which made it special.
"Now give me your hand, that I may step out of this circle. You invite me of your own free will?"
"Yes," Severus said decisively. He reached for her hand, it was cool in his.
She stepped out of the circle. The candle burnt out, and a sudden gust of wind scattered the rest of the items.
Her wings wrapped around her body and disappeared as she shrank to a size more similar to his. Her hair grew shorter and bushier, lightening into a medium brown. Her eyes were brown too and she had some freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her clothes changed too, into a simple grey top blouse and knee-length plaid skirt looking not too far out of place for any school kid.
"So what do you want to do?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, I've never been a friend before."
Severus scratched his neck and looked around. "Let's go down to the river, there's a swing."
They spent the rest of the day together. He showed her the area, the river, the rest of the mill. They shared the sandwiches Ma had given him, and even though he only got half it didn't leave him hungry.
It wasn't until the skies were turning dark that he realised he'd been out all day, literally. "I need to go. I'm glad you want to be my friend, Hermione."
She nodded and put a hand in her pocket, pulling out the white stone he'd given her. She picked a thin leather cord from her clothes and managed to somehow turn it into a necklace with the stone as a pendant.
"Here. When you want to meet up, rub the stone and think of me. I'll find you."
"Okay, good night!" He put the necklace over his head, hiding it behind his shirt.
He ran off towards home and didn't see her form change and shift, a hint of wings and horns before she seemingly dissolved into thin air.
~ x ~ xx ~ oo ~ xx ~ x ~
They spent the rest of the summer together, playing outside as soon as he had the opportunity. Hermione was always there when he wanted to meet up, usually in the old mill. He stayed away from all other kids, the ones from his school in particular. She never came to his house and was very good at avoiding his Ma and anyone else who came too close, but for the most part they were left alone.
Together they had cleaned out the coal shed and brought in some crates and carpets, making it a rather cosy nest after she somehow managed to repair the roof. She didn't tell him how she did it. Luckily no one else went there, it was as if the whole area didn't exist to most people in town.
It was a good summer. He grew several inches and Ma was happy that he stayed out of trouble. She did grumble about his clothes becoming too small though.
"I'm glad you're my friend, Hermione."
She smiled at him. "Me too."
~ x ~ xx ~ oo ~ xx ~ x ~
It was a bit more difficult during the school year since he was gone most of the day, but whenever he could sneak away she was there. She was curious about his days and schoolwork, and even wanted him to bring old newspapers sometimes for her to read. Severus had always found school to be too easy, but with Hermione around he became interested in learning more both as a way to have something to discuss with her and as a way to avoid going home.
Cokeworth didn't have much, but there was a library near the school building. It wasn't very large but there was a room with a few tables for reading. They spent a fair amount of time either in the library or in the old mill shed with a book each. She liked Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. He preferred Biggles and adventure stories.
~ x ~ xx ~ oo ~ xx ~ x ~
The next summer a new family had moved in, with two girls who appeared to be more or less the same age as him. Hermione and Severus spied on them, making it a bit of a game to observe as much as they could without being noticed. They were not the same as most others in Cokeworth, that much was clear. They were too clean, too well dressed, too careful with their things and their garden. Hermione and Severus spied on other kids too, making sure to keep track of the bad gangs, but these two were interesting.
As it turned out one of the girls from the new family was clearly a witch. Severus and Hermione noticed her doing magic under the great oak on the meadow, conjuring a flower. Another witch in Cokeworth? Severus couldn't resist approaching and telling her about magic. About Hogwarts, about their future. She smiled at him and the brown-haired sister ran off.
Severus stayed to talk to the other girl, but when he looked around Hermione wasn't with him. He went back to the shed when Lily — that was her name — had to leave, and found Hermione among a stack of books, nestled in a pile of blankets.
She looked up when he arrived. "I'm your friend, Severus. Not theirs."
"But is it okay with you if I talk to her? She's a witch too."
Hermione nodded at him. "Yes, I think you can have more than one friend, at least that's what was in the books."
He smiled at her. Friends, plural. He liked that. And when he got to Hogwarts he'd have even more friends.
A/N: Here we go again! Don't expect regular updates for this one but I have the whole thing plotted and 30k written at this point. Writing is not a linear process however so I can't promise any kind of schedule. -AA