Soap Opera

Soap Opera

Young Severus Snape was always fascinated by chemistry. From a very early age, he found that he loved to mix washing soda with vinegar and watch the mixture fizz and bubble. Tobias, Severus' father, had noticed this allure and came home from work one day with a brand new chemistry set with which Severus could experiment. This opened a whole new set of possibilities for the budding scientist who thought that perhaps one day he could invent the world's greatest hair tonic.

Starting small, Severus found an experiment in the set in which he could make soap. "This will be fun!" he thought. "And useful too!" The first few tries were not so successful, but it didn't take the boy too long to figure out the best way to measure the lye, fat and ashes and mix it just right to bring everything to the right consistency.

Soon, he began to experiment with adding various extra ingredients to improve the quality of his product. He tried grinding and adding flower petals for color and scent. He found that seeds or oats could be added as well with varying results. It all came crashing in one day, however, when he tried adding that funny bit of fruit from his mother's garden.

Severus pealed the odd looking fig which he had found under a gnarled bush. He sliced it into small pieces, and being very careful to not lose any of the juices, added them to his soap mixture. He had achieved the effect he after - a product with an aroma that was reminiscent of his mother's garden. But this soap acted very oddly indeed.

Ever the experimenter, Severus tried using the soap to bathe his pet gerbil, Alphred. As the concoction touched the fur of the gerbil, an odd thing happened - the gerbil shrank to half its size. "It's magic!" he said as he ran to tell his mother.

"Mother? I think I've made magic soap!" Severus explained while jumping up and down with excitement at his mother's side. "I used it to wash Alphred and look! He's tiny!"

"Oh dear..." sighed Eileen Snape. "What did you put into the soap?"

"Just the usual, Mum. Well, I added a bit of fruit to give it a better scent. I found a fig in the garden."

"A ... a fig? Show me!" his mother demanded.

Severus took his mother to the garden to show her where he had found the shriveled fruit.

"You used one of these?" she asked, while picking up a fig from under the oddly gnarled bush and looking horror struck.

"Well, yes ... is that a problem?" asked Severus, hesitantly.

"I hope not, son. But you have to be careful. Mummy's plants are not for experiments!" she answered him sternly.

"Why? Is there something funny about that fig?" asked Severus, shifting from side to side in excitement. He really wanted to know if he had discovered an ingredient with special properties. Perhaps there were more magical plants in the garden. Perhaps they could be used in his hair tonic. His mind raced.

"It's an Abyssinian shrivelfig," he mother replied matter-of-factly, bringing Severus back to reality. "And you are right - it is magical soap you have made."

"Wow!" said Severus. This had to be the best day of his life. If he could invent magic soap, what else could he invent next?

Severus grew more and more excited through the afternoon. I couldn't wait to share his discovery with his father that evening.

"Maybe we can get rich!" the boy thought. Severus' Special Shrinking Soap! Everyone will want some. Makes your messes smaller and easier to clean! His mind teemed with ideas.

When Tobias came home that evening, Severus was at the door waiting for him. "Dad! Look what I've made! It's magical soap!"

"What is this codswallop?" his father asked angrily. "There's no such thing as magical soap!"

"But there is, Dad. I put some on Alphred ... and look!" said Severus, holding up the miniscule gerbil. "It shrank him!"

"I don't know what you are playing at, Severus, but I'll not stand for this nonsense. I've had a hard day at work and I need to rest. Now, quit with the foolishness right away or you shall have to be punished!"

"Tobias..." Eileen interjected very carefully. "You should go easy on the boy. There are things you don't know..."

Tobias glared at her with and ugly rage growing behind his black eyes and a scowl spreading across his sallow face. "I'm trying to teach him something, Eileen. How about you leave me to it?"

"No, Tobias," Eileen said timidly. "I think we should discuss this. There are things I need to tell you ... about me and my past."

"What are you talking about?" Tobias grunted. He was clearly displeased.

The two continued their discussion in the kitchen, leaving Severus in the living room. The sounds of his parents arguing were growing increasingly loud. Severus rarely saw his father get angry. But when he did get angry, he could get very angry. This looked like it would be one of those times.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are ... magical?" Severus heard his father shouting. "What kind of idiot do you take me for? There's no such thing!"

"There is," said Eileen. "Maybe you'll believe me if I give you a demonstration."

Magic? Was his mother able to do magic? How could this be? Severus snuck quietly into the kitchen. He had to see what she would do to prove that magic did exist.

Severus watched from the corner of the room while his mother knocked a clay pot off the counter. It smashed on the floor with a loud crash. She then took a long, thin piece of wood from her pocket, pointed it at the pot and said, "Reparo!" The shards of clay instantly sprang back together reforming the pot whole and intact. Calmly, she placed the wand back into her apron pocket.

"Wow, Mum! Do that again!" squealed Severus excitedly, as he bounded from the corner of the room in which he had been hiding.

Tobias turned violently on his son. "Get out of here!" he shouted. "Your mother and I are having a discussion!"

Confused and frightened, Severus cowered in a corner of the kitchen rather than returning to the living room. He sat on the floor and silently watched his father scream at his mother.

"How could you keep this a secret from me, Eileen!" After a long and silent pause, he continued more calmly, "I can never forgive you for this." With a steely look in his face, Tobias then turned and walked out without further word.

Severus' mother was inconsolable. Try as he might, there was nothing the ten year old boy could do to comfort his mother. It was the most frightening and confusing thing he had ever witnessed.

Tobias Snape did not return after that night. And Severus would never forgive himself for driving his father away from home ... forever. And it was all because of a little piece of soap.