The Lost Years Of Severus Snape

The Lost Years Of Severus Snape

Chapter One

Perhaps her biggest problem was that the baby looked just like his father. The nose, the hair, and everything else of the poor child's features belonged to his father. The boy didn't look or act anything like her and probably never would. This is why she worried so much.

Eileen looked at her five year old son and sighed. He was nothing special. Just an odd looking boy that kept to himself most of the time. He had never shown that he had any special gifts. Just like his father, Eileen thought.

The sound of a door being unlocked caused Eileen to look up. Her husband walked into the room. Tall, lean, and sour looking. He had slick hair and a large nose, a menacing look always in his eyes.

Just like my son, Eileen thought as she sighed.

The man sat down gruffly on the couch and picked up the newspaper.

Not even a hello, Eileen thought.

Eileen had never really loved Tobias. She had married him more out of desperation of wanting to get away from her family than anything else.

Her family. That was a chilling thought. Her aristocratic, stuck up family. They had always thought of themselves as being better than the others in the town she had grown up in. With good reason, too, Eileen thought.

Eileen deep in thought, hadn't noticed Tobias looking at her. She looked up. A sneer spread across Tobias' face. "Always daydreaming, never working. What're you good for?"

Eileen didn't answer. She just looked down at her hands.

"Answer me when I speak to you, woman," Tobias said. "Did you get supper ready?"

"Yes," Eileen whispered.

"Well, don't just stand there, get it," Tobias said.

Eileen stood up and walked into the kitchen. Picking up the dinner she had prepared, she wondered what would happen if she through the pan and food against the wall. Watching the glass shatter, the food splatter against the wall. And when Tobias would come into the room, she'd just walk out. Leave. Forever.

But, the notion past. She served the food, trying to forget the thoughts that had entered her mind.

Tobias took a bite and spat it back out. "What is this? Can't you do anything right?"

"I'm sorry," Eileen whispered looking down.

Tobias stood up. "I'm sick of this, Eileen. I go to work all day and this is what I get? You can't do anything! You just sit around, being lazy. Pig."

Tobias rambled on. Eileen stepped back, pressing against the wall. Oh, how she wanted to leave! Leave forever. And take her son with her.

Her son. Eileen looked over at the boy. He had gotten up and was in a corner, trying to make himself invisible. Was he crying? Yes, he had to be.

Tobias was yelling down. I hate him, Eileen thought. I hate him so much.

Tobias raised his hand. He had hit her before. She was used to it. She closed her eyes, waiting for the slap. But, it never came. Eileen opened her eyes. She saw Tobias, his hand raised, struggling to move it. But, it was as if his arm had frozen. He couldn't move it at all.

Something smashed. The dinner she had made had been hurdled against the wall, splattering everywhere. The lights flickered. Tobias' eyes widened as he saw the table begin to shake. Eileen closed her eyes. What was happening?

But, she knew what was happening. She looked at he son, his eyes wide with terror and rage.

He's doing this, isn't he? Eileen thought to herself.

The couch lifted several inches off the floor. The framed photos on the large cabinet in the living room shook and one by one, their glass shattered.

Plates and cups shattered, glass falling everywhere. Tobias was frozen with terror. Eileen was shaking.

Then, Tobias was hurdles across the room, falling so hard that he made dent in the wall where he hit. He leapt up immediately and opened the door. He looked at Eileen, confusion in his eyes. Then, he looked at his son.

"Go! Go! I don't want you here!" The small boy said, the table smashing into several pieces.

Without a backwards glance, Tobias ran from the house. Scurrying like a little mouse, Eileen thought.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The shaking, the light flickering, the smashing. It was over with.

The small boy was shaking. "There," he whispered. "I made him leave you alone, Mommy."

Eileen ran over to her son and hugged him tightly.

"I love you," Eileen said to her son, tears in her eyes.

The little boy shook, sobbing on her shoulder. "I didn't want him to hurt you again."

To herself, Eileen smiled. So, the boy had received something from her. Magic.

"You did magic," Eileen said.

"Did I do it good?" The little boy asked.

"Very good," Eileen said. "You'll be a great wizard someday. I just know it."

"Can you make magic, too, Mommy?" The boy asked, looking at her with large, dark eyes.

"Yes. I can," Eileen said.

"Can he?" The little boy asked, looking at the door.

"No. He can't," Eileen said. "Just you and me."

"I want to do more," the boy said. "But, I don't want to hurt anybody. I want to do good magic."

"I'll teach you," Eileen said. "You'll be great. Just like my family."

"Were your family magic people, too?" The boy asked.

"Yes. All of them," Eileen said. "But, you'll be greater than any of them. I know you will."

The boy rested his head on her shoulder. "I can do magic," he whispered, a small smile coming across his face. "I'll make sure no one ever hurts you again, Mommy."

Eileen gazed down at her son. "Yes, you'll be great," Eileen muttered, more to herself than to him. "You're only a half-blood, but you'll be better than any of the others. You'll be great, Severus."

The little boy fell asleep in her arms. Eileen smiled her first genuine smile in years.

He's just like me, she thought.