Title – The Strength of a Slytherin 1/11

Rating – PG-13

Disclaimer – I own none of this, it all belongs to Rowling.  I just have the honor of using her creations in my story.  No slash, sex or profanity.

Summary – The childhood of Severus Snape was neither fun nor easy.  It fact it was hard and cruel.  What turned that child into the man he is today?  This is an in depth look into those pivotal years.

Real time – Future, June of Harry and Co’s 7th and final year

Memory time – Snape’s childhood, age 4 to 11

A/N – Hello everyone!!  Well I’m back with a brand new story and I’ve got plenty of angst, drama and pain for everyone!  This is the first part in the Slytherin trilogy and will detail his childhood years up to his acceptance into Hogwarts.  I think this is somewhat darker than ‘The Price We Pay’ so if child abuse and other mature themes disagree with you, then you should probably go elsewhere.  Just fair warning.  All reviews, corrections, questions and suggestions are welcome!  Read and enjoy!

The Strength of a Slytherin

Chapter 1

          “Where is it?  Where is it?” grumbled Severus Snape as he looked through his wardrobe for the third time.  With a frustrated sigh he gave up and glanced at the mess his private quarters had become.  Robes were scattered haphazardly, papers and books were tossed into messy piles and other personal belongings were strewn about his bed and floor.  All this mess for a bloody robe!

          Snape ran a hand through his greasy black hair and cursed the man who was the cause of his unproductive search.  ‘Leave it to Albus Dumbledore to request that we wear our formal professorial robes as the man flutters around the castle in those ridiculous robes of his!’ thought Snape bitterly.  But the Headmaster was not to be denied, especially on an important day like today.  For today was the day the wizarding world finally celebrated the defeat of Lord Voldemort and the main party was being held at Hogwarts in a joint Leaving/Victory Feast.  Harry Potter, who spent most of his seventh year at Hogwarts preparing himself for the final showdown with Voldemort, was celebrating today with his friends and some of the most important members of the Ministry and Order of the Phoenix would be in attendance.  Naturally this was the sort of gathering Snape ardently avoided and did his best to get out of it.  Dumbledore had merely smiled benignly at him and pointed out that it would mean so much to him if the former spy would attend.  ‘Damn Dumbledore,’ Snape swore mentally, ‘Master of manipulation.’    

          Dumbledore had wanted his staff to dress their best for the special event and that meant the formal robes each professor received upon the Mastership of their given field.  Snape had not worn his official Potion Master’s robe in some time; the last occasion being at a potions convention in Geneva over 10 years ago.  When he had returned from the convention he had packed away the robe and promptly forgotten about it.  He did not need, or care, to wear the thing while teaching. 

          Today, however, he would be doing anything but teaching.

          Hence the need for the blasted robe.

          Finally Snape pulled out his wand, berated himself for not thinking about this earlier, and called out,

          “Accio formal robe!”

          Nothing happened until he heard a great commotion from underneath his bed and a variety of personal things he had stored there came tumbling out.  The robe was thankfully among the belongings and shot into his outstretched hand.  Snape scowled at the black robe with purple and silver trimming and brushed the collected dust off the bright purple Potions insignia on the front of it.  ‘Purple,’ he thought, ‘Of all the colors it has to be purple.’  He hated wearing colors and realized why he had apparently shoved the robe underneath his bed in the first place.  It was quite ugly and the purple did not match well with his sallow skin.  Another sigh escaped him as he pulled the robe on and glanced at the clock; Dumbledore expected him in the Great Hall an hour before the beginning of the grand Victory Feast to socialize with the invited guests and dignitaries.  As much as he wanted to skip all the celebrations and private parties, Dumbledore would want him to make an appearance and Snape did want to say goodbye to his graduating Slytherins.

          Snape turned to go when a dark wooden box that was inconspicuously lying on the floor caught his attention.  It was halfway underneath the bed and its lid was cracked open invitingly.  The robe had pushed the box out of the way in response to the summoning spell and although it was just another part of the greater mess, Snape was specifically drawn to the box.  He gazed thoughtfully down at the intricate ravens and snakes carved into the wood and could not avert his eyes from it.

          With a sudden, sharp gasp he fell to his knees, all thoughts of the Victory Feast disappearing from his mind as he stared at the floor, eyes wide in surprise.  Snape let his hands hover over the box, but did not touch it for a long while.  Then he gently ran his fingers over the carved ravens and a wistful smile touched his lips.  It really was a simple box, perfect for a child to store special keepsakes in.  So many memories, good and bad, happy and painful, were held within its wooden walls.  He normally ignored or suppressed anything that reminded him of his childhood, but Snape could no more ignore the feelings and memories invoked by the box of treasures than he could ignore the rapid beating of his own heart.    

          Pulling the box into his lap Snape wondered how it had ended up underneath his bed at Hogwarts anyway.  He honestly had thought everything he had saved from his youth had disappeared or been destroyed at some point during his tumultuous life.  ‘Probably some work of Dumbledore’s,’ he thought and made a mental note to confront the wily old wizard about this later.  Instead Snape reached in and pulled out the first item. 

          It was a wizarding children’s book, worn and faded and it was clear it had been a cherished possession.  The enchanted pictures moved sluggishly and the colors were not as bright as they had been but Snape did not care.  The book had been a Christmas gift from his mother when he was a very young boy and opening the cover he read the inscription on the front page.

          To my precious little raven,

          Merry Christmas

          Love, Mother  

          Smiling sadly Snape held the book to his chest and remembered.

          A little boy, not much older than four years of age, triumphantly closed his book and climbed to his feet.  He tucked the book under his arm and pushed a few stray strands of silky black hair from his eyes, a brilliant smile on his young face.  Smiling happily to himself the child quietly opened the door of his bedroom and peeked out into the dim hallway.  There was no sign of anyone else in the large manor, but the boy was not taking any chances.  Even though it was the middle of the day, he never knew exactly where his father was and he was not about to risk angering him so early.

          Tightly grasping his book the small boy made his way down the hallway, avoiding the gazes of the creepy paintings that hung on the gray walls.  When he reached a set of large oak doors he knocked softly and hoped the person inside would answer.  To his joy the doors then opened just enough for him to slip through and he entered the large master bedroom.

          The dark blue curtains were drawn tight and the only light came from some candles on the bedside table.  Rich, cherry wood furniture decorated the bedroom and the faint smell of bitter potions permeated the air.  Dominating the room was a luxurious four-poster bed and it was where the boy focused his attention.

          Timidly, the boy crept closer and frowned when he realized he could not see the top of the large bed.  He looked around for a chair to use to climb up and saw a pale white hand reach over from the middle of the bed.

          “Is that you Severus?” A weak, feminine voice called to him, “Come up here my raven so I can see you.”

          The hand beckoned to him and the boy named Severus set his book on the duvet before managing to lift himself up with a soft ‘oomph.’  He carefully settled his light weight next to the woman lying prone amidst a nest of pillows and blankets.

          “It’s me Mama.”

          Severus watched as his mother opened the eye that was not swollen shut and lovingly looked at him.  She was bruised and pale, the results of another violent encounter with his father, but she always found enough energy and time for her Severus.  He smiled and held his book up proudly.  It had been a Christmas gift from her a few weeks ago and Severus had worked extra hard to read the entire book all by himself.  He was an exceptionally fast learner and was sure this accomplishment would please his parents.

          “I finished it today Mama.  Do you wanna listen?”

          The woman smiled back and nodded.  She slowly pushed herself up to lean against the pillows and though she tried to hide the wince from moving healing wounds Severus saw it and ducked his head in shame.  He did not understand why his father was so angry with them most of the time and tried his best to keep his father happy, but sometimes there was no reasoning with the elder Snape.  More often than not it was his mother who bore the brunt of her husband’s wrath, in order to protect her son.  Feeling somehow that his mother’s latest setback was his fault Severus refused to meet his mother’s gaze until a slender hand cupped his chin and tilted his face up.  Her blue eye looked sadly at him as she tenderly stroked his own faintly bruised cheek.

          “My poor little raven.  It’s not your fault Severus; it is never your fault.  You must understand that.”

          Severus nodded and his fingers tightened reflexively around his book.  When he did not say anything his mother sighed and pulled him closer, nestling him between her comforting body and the warm pillows. 

          “I would love to hear you read Severus.”

          Glad to be able to please his mother, Severus opened his book, Willy the Puffskein, and confidently began to read the story to her.  She had been the one who helped him learn to read so young and it was only fitting that she be the first one to hear the fruits of their labors.  He only stumbled over a couple words, but his mother was there to help him when he was stuck.  When he was done Severus smiled brightly and looked up with a delighted look on his face.  His mother was grinning as well and wrapped her uninjured arm around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.  Her lips brushed his forehead as she said,

          “I’m so very proud of you.  That was a very good job.”

          Severus blushed and hugged his mother as tight as he could, feeling absurdly happy with himself.  A little part of him knew that once his father returned home, the happy feelings would disappear, but he was determined to enjoy this moment with his mother as long as possible.  She pressed another light kiss to his hair as he snuggled down against her, feeling quite tired.  A frail hand came up to stroke his hair and with a wide yawn Severus let his eyes slip closed.  His mother laughed softly and murmured,

          “My sleepy raven.  So smart, so brave.”

          He smiled faintly and fell asleep, book clasped against his chest.

          * ~ *

          His pleasant nap was interrupted by the furious ravings of his father.  Severus snapped wide-awake at the noise, instinctively burrowing into the safety of his mother’s arms.  She sighed and prepared to defend her only child as best she could with her weakened body.  They listened anxiously to the harsh voice of Tiberius Snape as he berated a house elf over some infraction or another.  Loud footsteps continued down the hall and the door to the bedroom was suddenly flung open.  The frowning face of Tiberius stared at them for a moment before he crossed his arms and asked coldly,

          “What is he doing here Livia?  You are to have strict bed rest.  That means no disturbances from little boys!”

          Livia met her husband’s stare and tightened her arms around Severus.

          “I am resting like you said.” She replied quietly, “Severus just came to read to me from his book.  He read it all by himself Tiberius, isn’t that wonderful?”

          Severus hesitantly peeked over his shoulder to see his father’s reaction and was not surprised to see no emotion on that sallow face.  He held up the book for his father to see and waited with held breath as sharp black eyes swept over him, coming to rest on Livia.  A lip curled up into a sneer as Tiberius moved closer to the bed and spat sarcastically,

          “That’s bloody amazing Livia.  The boy can read.  I’ll be more impressed when he shows some sign of magical ability.” Tiberius now loomed over them and reached out to close one large hand around Severus’s fragile arm. “Put your new skill to work boy and read some proper magical books.  Don’t disturb your mother anymore.”

          With that he pulled Severus off the bed and dumped him roughly on the floor.  Livia frowned and made a motion to reclaim her son but wisely held her tongue when Tiberius glared sharply at her.  She slumped back against the pillows, not wanting to incur her husband’s wrath again.  Arguing with him would not help her and would definitely not help Severus.

          Severus watched the exchange between his parents silently, realizing he should remain quiet until given clear permission to leave.  So he sat motionless, holding his book close in case his father decided to take it away as punishment for disturbing his mother’s rest.  Uncertain eyes glanced up in time to see Tiberius turn and glare down at him.  He pointed toward the door and said,

          “Get out.  I’ll deal with you later.”

          “Yes sir.”  Severus replied meekly and got to his feet.  He turned back to get a last glimpse of his mother and saw her trying to smile reassuringly at him before devoting all her attention to Tiberius.  Severus hung his head and quickly shut the doors behind him so they could not see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.  He swiped at his face with a slightly trembling hand and headed back to his room. 

          Tears would not help him deal with his father or help heal his mother and Severus struggled to keep from bursting into helpless sobs.  Didn’t his father tell him repeatedly he should stop being weak and grow up?  With great effort the four year old suppressed his tears and stopped his fearful trembling. 

          Back in his own room Severus sat on his bed and looked down at the precious book still in his hands.  No sound could be heard from down the hall and Severus hoped his father would be merciful tonight.  He wondered briefly how his mother was supposed to get better if his father was so angry toward them all the time.  Severus simply sighed and opened the book, intending to immerse himself in the story until his father came to shatter his safe, fantasy world yet again.

          Long, nimble fingers reverently caressed the faded cover of the children’s book.  His lips curved into a small smile as he carefully turned the pages.  Familiar words waited patiently to be read once again by their owner.  Snape’s smile twisted into a grimace as he remembered the remainder of that day.  He shook his head to clear the image of his father wrenching the book from his hands in order to deliver a more physical punishment and instead focused on the happy smile and kisses of his mother.  A melancholy sigh escaped him as Snape was overwhelmed with memories.  He tried to firmly stomp down on the rising emotions, but his usual steady control had abandoned him. 

          Curiosity, longing and pain warred within him as he stared down into the contents of his wooden box.  Surely Dumbledore would not mind if he showed up a little late to the Feast?  Snape knew now was not the time to sit and reminisce, but the pull of the past was too strong and he reached into the box to pull out the next item.

          *To Be Continued*

Well?  Be sure to leave a nice little review to tell me what you think!!  I will try to update on a weekly basis depending on school and such so stay tuned for more!