A Life Without Him

A Life Without Him.

Cassandra Snape paused in her dishwashing long enough to let out a small sob. She had resigned herself to what she was going to do long ago, but the thought still terrified her.

"Mother?" came a voice from behind her. "Are you alright?"

She quickly wiped her eyes and turned around to see her sixteen-year-old son standing in the doorway, looking concerned.

"Of course, Severus. I'm alright." She feigned a small smile.

"Why were you crying?"

"No reason, my darling. Now, please, go back to bed. Your father's been out drinking again and he'll be home soon. You won't want to be around when he arrives."

"You don't think he's going to hit you again, do you?" He now looked genuinely frightened and tears were starting to form in his eyes. "You know I hate it when he does that."

"Oh, Severus...." She pulled him into a tight hug. "It's better me than you. Listen to me." She pulled out of the hug and leaned her forehead against his. "No matter what you hear tonight, you must not leave your room. Do you understand? You must not leave your room!"

He looked puzzled at this odd request, but agreed. "Alright, Mother, but I wish you wouldn't let him beat you."

He won't anymore. She resisted the urge to say this, and instead gave her son a small, sad smile.

"You go on to bed now, my love. And remember what I said."

"I will." He started to walk out, but turned back and quietly said, "I love you, Mum."

She kissed his head softly. "I love you too, Sev. Goodnight."

"'Night, Mum."

*~*

The crash of the front door slamming open and then shut announced the arrival of Artemis Snape IV (you had to have the IV on the end of his name when addressing him, such as doctors quite often wish to be addressed as 'doctor'. The name Artemis Snape commanded a certain respect from all others, and was passed from son to son in the Snape family. Thankfully, our favorite Snape did not receive the name, as J K Rowling would have had to be quite silly to think up a name such as Artemis Snape V).

"Woman!" was the first word that slimed out of his foul, disgusting mouth.

"Yes, dear?" she answered as bravely as she could, hurrying in to greet her husband.

"Don't you 'yes, dear' me, you mudblood lover! I want my dinner!"

"Of course, Artemis! It's just in the oven, staying warm. Why don't you take off your cloak and I'll have it out on the table for you?"

Artemis grunted his approval and she rushed off to set out his dinner.

"Where's that good-for-nothing kid?" he asked as he weaved his way unstably into the kitchen and plopped into a chair.

Cassandra winced. She hated when he spoke so rudely of Severus. So uncaring.

"He's in his room, probably asleep. It is after eleven o'clock, you know."

Another grunt. It was his main way of communicating when he was drunk. "Don't know what that swine's good for. Should'a chucked him out long ago!"

"Yes, well, he's our son. And he's not all that bad!" She paused, know that what she was about to say could very well be some of her last words. "He, at least, doesn't go out getting drunk at every chance and then come home to beat his family!"

He looked at her thickly. "Say...You got some mouth on you tonight, don't 'cha?" He started to stand up. "I may just have to cure you of that."

"Think about this, Artemis," she pleaded as she always did, backing up. "Do you really want to do this?"

"Yeah," he said with an evil grin. "Yeah, I think I do!"

In one swift movement, he flew across the room and dealt her a blow that sent her reeling back into the kitchen counter.

"It's my duty to teach my family lessons when they get too much lip on them! You're gonna wish you'd never crossed me, woman! You're as bad as any old mudblood, and you need to be taught better than that!"

During his little speech, she used the time to reach behind her and grab a specific item...

"...and so," he continued, oblivious to her actions, "you're gonna stand there and take this like a man!" Apparently, in his drunken rage, he had not noticed that his wife was, indeed, a woman.

He charged at her, fists up and ready to pulverize flesh as they were so used to doing.

Suddenly, as he god right up in front of her, he stopped short and gasped, his eyes bugging out. He looked down at his gut region to see a long knife handle sticking out of it.

He looked up at her slowly, and she realized that a smug grin had come to her face. For once, she was the one causing the pain.

Blood was spewing from his stomach all over the two of them, and Artemis started at it in total shock. All at once, he collapsed on his back and did not move.

I'm free! she thought happily. She reached down and pulled the knife out of his stomach. It made a loud thwack sound, and it wasn't until he screamed to wake the dead that she realized that Artemis was still alive.

"Ca-Cassandra!" he gasped. "Wh...why are you doing this?"

"All of our lives together, you've beat me!" she screamed at him. "You've made me feel like dirt! You've come close to killing me at least twice! But I could live with that! That's not the reason I'm doing this."

"Wh-what is the re-reason?"

Her eyes narrowed and her voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper. "I'm doing it so that you will never, ever hurt Severus again! That poor boy goes through enough without you trying to kill him!"

"No...no, Cassandra, wait-!"

But she was beyond listening to him. Steeling herself against what she was about to do, she plunged the knife down into his heart.

He screamed one last, blood-curdling scream, and was silent.

She stood up straight, barely noticing the blood standing out on her clothes. As she surveyed her handy-work, only one thought ran through her head: I'm free! I'm free!

Young Severus bolted into the room to a shocking sight: his mother, covered in blood, standing over his father's dead body.

"M-mum, what on earth-?"

She looked at him sharply. "Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"

"Yes, but...but dad screamed, and..." In his surprise and fear, he couldn't form full sentences.

Cassandra sighed. "It's alright, Sev, my love. He will never hurt either of us again."

"But...the ministry...they'll arrest you!"

"I'll just explain to them that it was self-defense. He attacked me, Severus."

"But-"

"Listen, Severus. I don't know what will happen after tonight, but I need you to know this: I did it because I love you, and I never want you to be hurt ever again. Can you understand that?"

Severus gulped and hugged his mother, not caring that she was covered in blood. "Yes, mother. I think I can."

Cassandra hugged him back tightly and together they waited to see what the next day would bring. Although they couldn't know what the future held for them, they new one thing was certain: nothing could ever go wrong in their new lives. They finally had a life without him.

Fin