Hogwarts, 11 years later
Severus was seething with anger.
All he wanted was to enjoy some quiet time with his book, but no, the damn Marauders had to ruin it.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Snivellus Snape." Severus looked up from his book to find Potter and his equally dim-witted cronies standing in front of him, all wearing smug expressions—except Lupin, who seemed to be conveniently ignoring the whole situation.
Severus's blood boiled at the sight of them, his fists clenched with barely contained rage. He knew better than to let them get under his skin, but it was hard to keep his temper in check when he knew they were deliberately trying to provoke him.
"How were O.W.L.s, Snivy?" Potter taunted, twirling his wand as Peter chimed in. "I-I saw him," the little rat stuttered, his voice cracking. "His n-nose was touching the paper!"
Black burst out laughing as Severus felt his cheeks burn with humiliation. To make matters worse, he noticed a crowd starting to gather, eager for the spectacle of his embarrassment.
"Sod off, Potter," Severus retorted, his voice dripping with venom. He was just about to open his book again when Black chimed in.
"You kissed your mummy with that mouth, Snivellus?" Black's words struck a nerve, hitting on a deeply sensitive topic. Before Severus could even think to respond, Black beat him to it.
"Let me help you with that, Sniv." With a flick of his wand, Black cast a spell. "Scourgify!"
Severus's throat filled with bubbles, suffocating him and cutting off his air supply. Panic surged through him as he clawed desperately at his neck, gasping for breath. Bubbles escaped from his nose and mouth, making him a laughingstock to the kids around him.
His vision began to blur as darkness crept into the edges, drowned out by the echoes of laughter. Just as Severus felt like he was suffocating, the bubbles suddenly vanished, allowing him to gulp in the air.
With newfound breath, Severus shot the Marauders a venomous glare. "Just... Just you wait..." he muttered, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. But Potter merely laughed off his threat.
"Come on, Sniv, let's have some fun," Potter taunted. Just as Severus reached for his wand, he found himself yanked into the air by his ankle, his world flipping upside down once more. Laughter echoed around him, mocking and cruel, as Severus felt his blood rush to his head.
Amidst the uproar, Severus struggled to make out the words, but he faintly heard a voice. "Leave him alone!" Lily. It was Lily's voice, filled with defiance and compassion. He dreaded her witnessing him in such a humiliating state, but trapped and helpless, there was little he could do to stop it.
Severus struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurry and disoriented. Through the haze, all he could make out was Potter talking to Lily. Then, Lily glanced back at him and smiled.
His heart sank. Lily was supposed to be his best friend, his ally. Yet here she was, smiling as his bully threatened to humiliate him. The betrayal cut deep, leaving Severus feeling more alone and vulnerable than ever before.
He felt the spell lift, causing him to collapse to the ground, his head pounding and ears ringing. When he looked up, the laughter still echoed around him as Black continued to mock him. "You better be lucky a girl was here to save you, Sniv," Black sneered. Severus glanced at Lily, who was slowly making her way closer to him.
He felt torn. He didn't want to speak to Lily or the Marauders. But before he could even process his thoughts, Potter's voice cut through the air.
"I can see why mummy and daddy chose to leave you, Sniv," Potter jeered, his smile cruel. "Yeah, Lily told us all about how mummy chose to kill herself instead of raising you."
Severus's gaze snapped to Lily, who stared at Potter in shock. "And let's not forget about daddy who chose to crash and die, instead of raising you, or should I call him papa?" Severus's eyes never left Lily's as she looked back at him, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head.
The laughter around them ceased as James's words about Severus's deceased parents hung heavily in the air. Some students even went to fetch a professor. But Severus had other ideas. As if on autopilot, he rose to his feet, marched over to Potter, drew his hand back, and landed a solid punch square on his jaw.
But he didn't stop there. Each punch was met with the sickening sound of bone breaking, but Severus was beyond reason. He saw nothing but red, consumed by an uncontrollable rage. In his mind, James was nothing but a new punching bag he needed to break in.
To the horrified onlookers, Severus seemed relentless, his fists raining down on James until he was a bloody mess. He paid no heed to Lily's attempts to intervene, nor did he falter when Sirius pulled him off by his collar. Instead, Severus turned his rage on Sirius, his fury unchecked and unyielding.
Blow after blow, punch after punch, Severus was on a mission to beat the ever-living shit out of Sirius. By the time the professors rushed in, Sirius was out cold, but Severus kept swinging.
"MR. SNAPE!" Professor McGonagall's voice cut through the chaos as she dashed over to Severus, followed closely by Professor Slughorn. They couldn't believe their eyes—Severus, usually so composed, looked dead set on killing Sirius.
Without a second thought, McGonagall pulled out her wand and fired. "Incarcerous!". Ropes Suddenly shot out and around Severus, binding him tightly. He landed a few feet away from the knocked-out Sirius, whom Slughoren quickly ran over to. meanwhile, McGonagall stood over Severus and levitated him off the ground as Students watched in shock.
He jolted and trashed, his face unreadable with small splats of blood. As McGonagall levitated him past Lily, her face was wet from her tears, and her eyes were scared, Normally, he would have been concerned, but in that moment, he couldn't bring himself to give a shit.
"What is wrong with you, young man!?" He stared off into space as McGonagall went on a rant. He felt numb, no pain, no anger, just numb. this was his first fight in over 9 years. He didn't know what to feel.
Just Numb